Which American state has the nickname the Green Mountain state?

State Nicknames South Dakota - Wyoming Texas A single star was part of the Long Expedition (1819), Austin Colony (1821) and several flags of the early Republic of Texas. Some say that the star represented the wish of many Texans to achieve statehood in the United States. Others say it originally represented Texas as the lone state of Mexico which was attempting to uphold its rights under the Mexican Constitution of 1824. At least one "lone star" flag was flown during the Battle of Concepcion and the Siege of Bexar (1835). Joanna Troutman's flag with a single blue star was raised over Velasco on January 8, 1836. Another flag with a single star was raised at the Alamo (1836) according to a journal entry by David Crockett. One carried by General Sam Houston's Texian army (which defeated Mexican General Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto ) may have been captured and taken to Mexico. Another "lone star" flag, similar to the current one but with the red stripe above the white, was also captured the following year (1837) and returned to Mexico. The "David G. Burnet" flag, of "an azure ground" (blue background) "with a large golden star central" was adopted by the Congress of the Republic of Texas in December of 1836. It continued in use as a battle flag after being superseded in January of 1839. The 1839 design has been used to symbolize the Republic and the Lone Star State ever since. source: http://www.main.org/boyscout/texas.htm Utah Beehive State The beehive became the official state emblem on March 4, 1959. Utahans relate the beehive symbol to industry and the pioneer virtues of thrift and perseverance. The beehive was chosen as the emblem for the provisional State of Deseret in 1848 and was maintained on the seal of the State of Utah when Utah became a state in 1896. Vermont Green Mountain State Verd Mont was a name given to the Green Mountains in October, 176l, by the Rev. Dr. Peters, the first clergyman who paid a visit to the 30,000 settlers in that country, in the presence of Col. Taplin, Col. Willes, Col. Peters, Judge Peters and many others, who were proprietors of a large number of townships in that colony. The ceremony was performed on the top of a rock standing on a high mountain, then named Mount Pisgah because it provided to the company a clear sight of lake Champlain at the west, and of Connecticut river at the east, and overlooked all the trees and hills in the vast wilderness at the north and south. Virginia Old Dominion State Charles II of England quartered the arms of Virginia on his shield in 1663, thus adding Virginia to his dominions of France, Ireland and Scotland. Called the Mother State because it was the first state to be colonized. source: State Names, Seals, Flags, and Symbols by Benjamin F. Shearer, Barbara S. Shearer Washington On November 11, 1889, Washington became the 42nd state to enter the Union. It is the only state named for a president. Washington was nicknamed The Evergreen State by C.T. Conover, pioneer Seattle realtor and historian, for its abundant evergreen forests. The nickname was adopted by the Legislature in February, 1893.


Which mammal is the nearest relative of the giraffe, and is only found in the Democratic Republic of Congo?

Zebra-like giraffe relative rediscovered - World news - World environment | NBC News Zebra-like giraffe relative rediscovered Okapi hadn't been detected in Congo park in 50 years Below: Advertise Peter J. Stephenson  /  WWF-Canon via Reuters This okapi, an animal that is the giraffe's closest living relative, lives in the Ituri Reserve within the Democratic Republic of Congo, but the species hadn't been detected where it was first discovered a century ago until a recent survey found signs of its presence. msnbc.com staff and news service reports updated 6/9/2006 9:18:44 AM ET 2006-06-09T13:18:44 + - JOHANNESBURG  — An animal that looks like a cross between a horse, zebra and giraffe has been rediscovered where the species was first found a century ago, conservationists announced Friday. Delighted conservationists said they had found conclusive proof of the existence of the okapi in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park — defying the odds of survival in a region battered by savage conflict. Discovered in what is now Virunga in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in 1901, the shy forest-dwelling okapi has not been seen in the park since 1959. It was known to be present elsewhere in the Congo and several zoos around the world have okapis in captivity, but there were concerns it had gone extinct in the place of its discovery because of violence and lawlessness. But a recent survey of the area by the World Wildlife Fund and the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation found 17 okapi tracks and other evidence of its presence. No sightings of the elusive animal were made but its tracks were taken as absolute proof of the creature’s recent activity in the park. Giraffe's closest living kin It is only found in the secluded forests of eastern Congo and is considered the giraffe’s closest living relative. Advertise “The rediscovery of okapis in Virunga National Park is a positive sign,” said Marc Languy, of WWF’s Eastern Africa Regional Program. “As the country is returning to peace, it shows that the protected areas in this troubled region are now havens for rare wildlife once more.” Okapi have large ears, a relatively long neck, and a long black tongue. Males have hairy horns, while females are sometimes have a reddish tone and usually slightly taller than males. A solitary animal, the okapi only joins peers for mating. They feed on more than 100 different species of forest plants, some which are poisonous to humans, as well as grasses, fruits, ferns and fungi. They also eat a type of clay that provides minerals and salt. The animal’s eastern Congo home has been the scene of incessant conflict including a brutal civil war that erupted in 1998 and then escalated to engulf several other African states at a cost of millions of lives. The Congo hopes to put the bloodshed and chaos behind when it holds its first free elections in four decades next month, but marauding rebels and militia continue to fight on in the remote east. Poaching, deforestation a problem Virunga National Park, located on the border with Rwanda and Uganda, stretches some 200 miles between Lake Kivu and Lake Albert. Besides the threats from armed conflict, wildlife has suffered from poaching and deforestation by the more than 60,000 squatters inside the park. “Except for mountain gorillas, which have shown an increase in population due to important conservation efforts, most wildlife in the park have heavily suffered from poaching,” WWF said in a statement. “The population of hippopotamus, for example, has dropped from 29,000 in the mid-1970s to less than 1,000 today.” Reuters contributed to this report.


Who wrote the novel Agnes Grey, in 1847?

Agnes Grey Essay - Grey, Agnes - eNotes.com Agnes Grey Essay - Grey, Agnes Agnes Grey Anne Brontë The following entry presents criticism of Brontë' s novel Agnes Grey (1847). For a discussion of Brontë's complete career, see NCLC, Volume 4. Brontë's first novel, Agnes Grey, was originally published under her pseudonym Acton Bell in 1847 and details the life of a governess in mid-Victorian England. Many critics take its main subject and title character to be a literary projection of Brontë herself, citing numerous parallels between Brontë's life and that of her fictional creation. Scholars are careful, however, to acknowledge that Agnes Grey is a work of imaginative fiction that addresses social concerns, including the at times degrading treatment of governesses, the consequences of the Victorian cult of domesticity, and Brontë's critique of burgeoning materialism and declining morality in mid-nineteenth-century Britain. To a large degree overshadowed by her sister Charlotte's Jane Eyre—a similar work that was published before Anne's novel, but composed after it—Agnes Grey has been considered somewhat artistically inferior to, and has certainly enjoyed a great deal less popularity than, Charlotte's novel. Nevertheless, twentieth-century critics have deemed Agnes Grey an important work of Victorian realism that demonstrates Brontë's humor, perceptive eye for detail, talent for storytelling, and unmistakable taste for the unconventional. Plot and Major Characters The younger of two daughters of an Anglican clergyman, Agnes Grey spends her early years living modestly but comfortably in the north of mid-nineteenth-century England. When Agnes is still a young adult, however, her somewhat imprudent father, Richard Grey—seeking to strengthen the family finances through speculative investment—loses his capital following a maritime disaster that sinks his friend's merchants ships. Eager to assist the newly impoverished household in whatever way she can, Agnes determines to become a governess, despite the initial disapproval of her parents. Naively optimistic, she takes a position in the household of the upperclass Bloomfields. Hired by the discompassionate Mrs. Bloomfield, Agnes is charged with the care and instruction of her four children, whom she soon discovers are ill-mannered, undisciplined, even cruel. Unable to control or educate the Bloomfield brood—on one occasion she finds it necessary to kill a nest of birds to prevent the youngest boy, Tom, from torturing them—Agnes is shortly given notice. She soon locates a new governess position, gaining employment with the Murray family of Horton Lodge. Treated with little respect by her aristocratic employers, Agnes discovers that her new pupils—Charles, John, Matilda, and Rosalie, who range in age from nine to sixteen—are only a slight improvement over their unprincipled predecessors. Confronted with these troubles, Agnes encounters Edward Weston, the new curate in Horton, and swiftly falls in love with the simple, sincere, and unassuming young cleric. Meanwhile, the Murray boys depart for school, leaving her in charge of only Matilda and Rosalie. Time passes and the materialistic and flirtatious Rosalie, now eighteen, leaves Agnes's care. Several months later, Rosalie marries Sir Thomas Ashby, a wealthy and influential man whom she does not love. Meanwhile, Agnes's father dies and her mother decides to establish a school in the seaside town of A——. From this moment, Agnes spends only six more weeks in Horton, then bids farewell to Mr. Weston and joins her mother in A——. Approximately one year later, she receives a letter from her former student Rosalie inviting her to Ashby Park. When she arrives, Agnes greets a cynical Lady Ashby, now a mother and clearly struggling in a bad marriage. Several days after her return to A——, Agnes encounters Edward Weston walking along the beach. He has secured a position as vicar in a nearby parish. Soon after, the two marry and have children of their own. Major Themes One of several "governess novels" written and published in the mid-1800s, Agne


Crocus | The Flower Expert - Flowers Encyclopedia Buy From OurStores Crocus The name of the genus is derived from the Latin adjective crocatus, meaning saffron yellow. Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus), a species of crocus in the family Iridaceae. The word Crocus is Latin for Saffron. The flower's three stigmas (the distal ends of the plant's carpels, or female reproductive organs) and parts of its style (a stalk connecting the stigmas to the rest of the plant) are often dried and used in cooking as a seasoning and colouring agent. Crocus is the native of Southern Europe and Asia. There are about 80 species of crocus, of which approximately 30 are cultivated. These cup-shaped, solitary, salverform flowers taper off into a narrow tube. Knowing this, it should not surprise you that Saffron comes from the stigma of the Saffron Crocus. But, it takes thousands of flowers to get an ounce of Saffron. Saffron, which has for decades been the world's most expensive spice by weight, is native to Southwest Asia. It was first cultivated in the vicinity of Greece. Kingdom Species Crocus sativus The spice saffron is obtained from the stamens of Crocus sativus, a fall-blooming species. The hay saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is a sterile triploid plant, known in human culture only, with no fertile seeds produced. The origin of saffron is still a mist, however it is assumed to be an autopoliploid mutant or a hybrid. The recent classification and most of the former taxonomic publications define C. sativus to be derived from C. cartwrightianus, a wild species. Saffron is considered to be the worlds most expensive spice. The flower of Crocus sativa is a light purple, but it is the thread-like reddish colored stigma of the flower that is valued both as a spice and as a natural colorant. Saffron is hand harvested in the autumn, and the stigma is laboriously separated to yield the reddish colored spice. It takes in excess of 70,000 flowers to yield just one pound (0.45 kilo) of saffron spice. The odour of saffron is sometimes described as like the sea air. Saffron is characterised by a bitter taste and an iodoform- or hay-like fragrance; these are caused by the chemicals picrocrocin and safranal. It also contains a carotenoid dye, crocin, that gives food a rich golden-yellow hue. These qualities make saffron a much sought-after ingredient in many foods worldwide. Saffron also has medicinal applications. Facts About crocus Flowers The word saffron originated from the 12th century Old French term safran, which derives from the Latin word safranum. Safranum is also related to the Italian zafferano and Spanish azafr?n. Safranum comes from the Arabic word asfar , which means yellow, via the paronymous za?faran , the name of the spice in Arabic. In the Greco-Roman classical period (8th century BC to the 3rd century AD), the saffron harvest is first portrayed in the palace frescoes of Minoan Crete, which depict the flowers being picked by young girls and monkeys. The best-known Greek legend involving saffron was that detailing the tragedy of Crocus and Smilax. The people best known as growers of this bulb were the Minoans. The Minoans grew it throughout its range in the Aegean Sea and the parts of Asia Minor which they controlled. It was produced by crushing the dried stigmas of the flower for the powder. The stigma is the female part of the flower which is surrounded by the male stamens. According to a theory, after ancient Persia conquered Kashmir, Persian saffron crocus corms were transplanted to Kashmiri soil. The first harvest then occurred sometime prior to 500 BC. Phoenicians then began in the 6th century BC to market the new Kashmiri saffron by utilising their extensive trade routes. Once sold, Kashmiri saffron was used in the treatment of melancholy and as a fabric dye. Saffron-based pigments have been found in the prehistoric paints used to depict beasts in 50,000-year-old cave art in what is today Iraq. Later, the Sumerians used saffron as an ingredient in their remedies and magical potions. The


Who wrote the poetic drama 'Murder in the Cathedral' in 1939?

Murder in the Cathedral as a Poetic Drama Essay - 842 Words Essay about murder in the cathedral as a poetic drama ...Poetic Drama /Verse Drama of Modern age Poetic Drama Eliot's plays attempt to revitalize verse drama and usually treat the same themes as in his poetry. They include Murder in the Cathedral (1935), dealing with the final hours of Thomas Ã Becket; The Family Reunion (1939); The Cocktail Party (1950); The Confidential Clerk (1954); and The Elder Statesman (1959)..(1) Indeed,... 5504  Words | 11  Pages Murder in the Cathedral Essay ...MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL: The play can be said to begin at the climax, for the tension and fear imposed by the state have reached the people at the lowest level. At the beginning of the play, there is a sense of doom that hangs heavy in the air. Everyone fears that Becket's return will result in tragedy, clearly foreshadowing the end of the play from the very beginning. The plot centers on the changed friendship between King Henry II and Thomas Becket. Henry has... 1521  Words | 4  Pages Symbolism and Religious Drama T.S. Eliot s Murder in the Cathedral Essay ...Murder in the Cathedral By T. S. Eliot In 1163, a quarrel began between the British King Henry II and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket. The men had been good friends, but each felt that his interests should be of primary concern to the nation and that the other should acquiesce to his demands. Becket fled to France in 1164 in order to rally support from the Catholic French for his cause and also sought an audience with the Pope. After being officially... 2744  Words | 7  Pages The Personalization of History in "Murder in the Cathedral" Essay ...The Personalization of History in "Murder in the Cathedral" T. S. Eliot was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He went to school at Harvard and, after graduating, lived in England. It was here that he was employed as a schoolmaster, a bank clerk, and a literary editor for a publishing house called Faber & Faber. After working there for a number of years he became a director.  Eliot's poetry shows the growth of a poet with devout religious views, but Eliot was always... 1238  Words | 4  Pages Murder in the Cathedral Essay ...The Controversy between Morals and Ethics  In Murder in the Cathedral written by T. S. Eliot in the eleventh century, Thomas Becket, the archbishop and main character, opposes the will of society. Thomas has returned to Canterbury after seven years in France exiled from the world. Thomas' reason for returning is not to stir up trouble as it is perceived, but to see what has changed and if there was anything he could do to make a change. The ethical and moral... 726  Words | 2  Pages Christopher Fry Poetic Drama Essay ...Şafak Horzum Poetic Drama and Its Revival in 20th Century in English Literature: A Brief Analysis of Fry’s The Lady’s Not for Burning Poetic drama, having had its roots in the Elizabethan Age in England with the great playwrights such as William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson and Christopher Marlowe who breathed into the English drama the life spirit of poetry by means of their mighty lines, struggled a lot to revive in the... 2434  Words | 7  Pages T.S.Eliot Murder in the Cathedral Essay ...T.S. Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral tells the story of Thomas Beckett, a man who reigned as Archbishop of Canterbury during the 12th century in England until his death in 1170. In order to tell Beckett's story, Eliot creates a series of equally interesting characters that each play a crucial role thought the play. The most unique rolefound within the play is the Women ofCanterbury, or the Chorus. Throughout the piece, the Chorus delivers seven choral odes. These... 1967  Words | 5  Pages Essay On Murder In The Cathedral ...Essay on Murder in the Cathedral Murder in the Cathedral is the one of the most famous play of British Literature. We know T.S Eliot as a perfect poet but he is as perfect as in drama, because his poetic drama Murder in the Cathedral is known all over the world. Murder in Cathedral is poetic drama because it has... 2758  Words | 10  P


What is the Capital of Venezuela? - Capital-of.com Dates of religious and Civil holidays around the world. www.when-is.com Capital of Venezuela The Capital City of Venezuela (officially named Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela) is the city of Caracas. The population of Caracas in the year 2001 was 2,762,759. Venezuela is a Spanish speaking country on the coasts of the Caribbean Sea. Additional Information


Which film star was born on 20 June 1909 in Hobart, Tasmania?

Today’s Entertainment Biography: Errol Flynn | THE B.S. REPORT Today’s Entertainment Biography: Errol Flynn Edited From Wikipedia Errol Flynn (1909--1959) Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born film actor, known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films and his flamboyant lifestyle. Background and Early Life Errol Flynn was born on 20 June 1909 in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, where his father, Theodore Thomson Flynn was a lecturer (1909), and professor (1911) of biology at the University of Tasmania (UTAS). His mother was born Lily Mary Young, however she dropped the first names ‘Lily Mary’ shortly after she was married, and changed her name to ‘Marelle’ instead. There is no documentary evidence that she was related to any of the Bounty mutineers. Flynn described his mother’s family as “seafaring folk,” and this appears to be where his life-long interest in ships and the sea originated. Both of his parents were native-born Australians of Irish and British descent, who had been married at St John’s Church of England, Balmain North, Sydney, on 23 January 1909. In the early 1930s, Flynn left for the United Kingdom and, in 1933, snagged an acting job with the Northampton Repertory Company, where he worked for seven months. According to Gerry Connelly’s book, Errol Flynn in Northampton, he also performed at the 1934 Malvern Festival as well as in Glasgow and London’s West End. In 1933, he starred in the Australian film, In the Wake of the Bounty, directed by Charles Chauvel, and in 1934 appeared in, Murder at Monte Carlo, produced at the Warner Bros. Teddington Studios, UK. This latter film is now considered a lost film. During the filming of Murder at Monte Carlo, Flynn was discovered by a Warner Brothers executive, signed to a contract, and shipped to America as a contract actor. In 1942, Flynn became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Flynn became an overnight sensation with his first starring role in Captain Blood (1935). He was quickly typecast as a swashbuckler in films such as The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), The Dawn Patrol (1938) with his close friend David Niven, Dodge City (1939), The Sea Hawk (1940) and Adventures of Don Juan (1948). Many of the acting roles that Flynn received involved swashbuckling swordplay. Trained by Swordmaster Bob Anderson, as featured in the film Reclaiming The Blade, Errol Flynn became noted for his fast-paced sword fights as seen in The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Sea Hawk and Captain Blood. By the 1950s, Flynn had become a parody of himself. Heavy alcohol and drug abuse left him prematurely aged and bloated, but he won acclaim as a drunken ne’er-do-well in The Sun Also Rises (1957), and as his idol John Barrymore in Too Much Too Soon (1958). His autobiography, My Wicked, Wicked Ways, was published just months after his death and contains humorous anecdotes about Hollywood. According to one literary critic, the book “remains one of the most compelling and appalling autobiographies written by a Hollywood star, or anyone else for that matter”.  Flynn wanted to call the book In Like Me, but the publisher refused. In 1984, CBS produced a television film based on Flynn’s autobiography, starring Duncan Regehr as Flynn.  (Read more .) Like this:


What is the official language of Ethiopia?

Amharic | Language of Ethiopia CONTACT US Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia Amharic (also known as Amarinya, Amarigna) is a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia. Amharic is rooted from the Ancient language Geez (Ge'ez). Geez was the official language of Ethiopia before Amharic. Although Geez is ceased to be spoken popularly sometime between 900 and 1200 AD, it continues as a language of Ethiopian Church. Since the 13th century Amharic has been the language of the court and the population in Highlands of Ethiopia.         Amharic is the second-most spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic. Amharic has four dialectical variations spoken little different from the popular Amharic dialect. (Gojam, Gonder, Wollo, and Menz dialects).         According to the 1994 census Amharic is the most commonly spoken language in Ethiopia. It is a native language for over 27 million people in Ethiopia. Amharic is also spoken by over 40,000 people in Israel.                             It is estimated that Amharic is the language of some 2.7 million emigrants outside Ethiopia. More than 62 million people can speak Amharic globally. Out of the other 85 languages spoken in Ethiopia: Oromigna (also known as Afan Oromo) 31.6%, Tigrinya 6.1%, Somalinya 6%, Guaraginya 3.5%, Sidaminya 3.5%, and Hadiyinya 1.7% are the most prevalent.         Ethiopia is also a home to more than 200 dialects. Primary schools are taught in Amharic and other local languages. Secondary schools and universities utilize English for education. English is the most popular foreign language spoken in Ethiopia. Amharic Writing System Amharic is written using Fidel, ፊደል, which grew out of the Geez. Modern Amharic has inherited its system of writing by way of the language of the old kingdom of Axum, Geez, which is still the classical and ecclesiastical language of Ethiopia. The roots, then, of Amharic orthography; like those of the language itself, are Semitic. Both Geez and the related languages of Ethiopia are written and read from left to right, in contrast to the other Semitic languages like Arabic and Hebrew. Amharic has its own writing system, a semi-syllabic system.            It possesses 33 primary characters, each representing a consonant and each having 7 variations in form to indicate the vowel which follows the consonant. These 33 sets of 7 forms are the "ordinary characters"; but besides them there are also a number of "diphthong characters", each representing a consonant and a following vowel with a w sound (or, in one case, a y sound) interposed between them. In writing, none of them is indispensable because the same sounds can always be represented by combinations of the ordinary characters, but many of them are in common use and, on the whole, they cannot be ignored. Amharic Tranaslator Apps Speak the word and listen its translation! Facts on Amharic Unlike English, Amharic is morphologically complex language. For example, a single Amharic word ባይሰጣቸውም, could be translated as ‘even if it is not given to them’. Although Amharic is morphologically complex, it could represent a text in less words than English and other languages. In contrast, Geez is suitable language to analyze its morphology and phonology. Top 10 most spoken/written Amharic words: ነው, ወደ, ላይ, እንደ, ግን, ነበር, ጊዜ, ቀን, ጋር, ነገር Top 10 most written Amharic Alphabets: ን, ም, ት, ር, አ, በ, ል, ው, መ, ስ Top 10 least written Amharic Alphabets: ኴ, ዅ, ዂ, ሧ, ኊ, ዧ, ኂ, ኌ, ኟ, ኁ Natural Language Processing Tools for Amharic Abyssinica : The Amharic Search Engine


What is the alternative English name for the rowan tree?

Mythology and Folklore of Rowan | Trees for Life Rowan Rowan The  rowan's  mythic roots go back to classical times. Greek mythology tells of how Hebe the goddess of youth, dispensed rejuvenating ambrosia to the gods from her magical chalice. When, through carelessness, she lost this cup to demons, the gods sent an eagle to recover the cup. The feathers and drops of blood which the eagle shed in the ensuing fight with the demons fell to earth, where each of them turned into a rowan tree. Hence the rowan derived the shape of its leaves from the eagle's feathers and the appearance of its berries from the droplets of blood. The rowan is also prominent in Norse mythology as the tree from which the first woman was made, (the first man being made from the ash tree). It was said to have saved the life of the god Thor by bending over a fast flowing river in the Underworld in which Thor was being swept away, and helping him back to the shore. Rowan was furthermore the prescribed wood on which runes were inscribed to make rune staves. In the British Isles the rowan has a long and still popular history in folklore as a tree which protects against witchcraft and enchantment. The physical characteristics of the tree may have contributed to its protective reputation, including the tiny five pointed star or pentagram on each berry opposite its stalk (the pentagram being an ancient protective symbol). The colour red was deemed to be the best protection against enchantment, and so the rowan's vibrant display of berries in autumn may have further contributed to its protective abilities, as suggested in the old rhyme: "Rowan tree and red thread / make the witches tine (meaning 'to lose') their speed". The rowan was also denoted as a tree of the Goddess or a Faerie tree by virtue (like the  hawthorn  and elder) of its white flowers. There are several recurring themes of protection offered by the rowan. The tree itself was said to afford protection to the dwelling by which it grew, pieces of the tree were carried by people for personal protection from witchcraft, and sprigs or pieces of rowan were used to protect especially cows and their dairy produce from enchantment. Thus we find documented instances as late as the latter half of the twentieth century of people being warned against removing or damaging the rowan tree growing in their newly acquired garden in the Scottish Highlands and Ireland. On the Isle of Man crosses made from rowan twigs without the use of a knife were worn by people and fastened to cattle, or hung inside over the lintel on May Eve each year. From Scotland to Cornwall similar equal-armed crosses made from rowan twigs and bound with red thread were sewn into the lining of coats or carried in pockets. Other permutations of the use of rowan's protective abilities are many and widespread. In Scandinavia, rowan trees found growing not in the ground but out of some inaccessible cleft in a rock, or out of crevasses in other trees' trunks or boughs, possessed an even more powerful magic, and such trees were known as 'flying rowan'. Rowan has had a wide range of popular folk names, the most well-know being mountain ash. Its old Gaelic name from the ancient Ogham script was Luis from which the place name Ardlui on Loch Lomond may have been derived. The more common Scots Gaelic name is caorunn (pronounced choroon, the ch as in loch), which crops up in numerous Highland place names such as Beinn Chaorunn in Inverness-shire and Loch a'chaorun in Easter Ross. Rowan was also the clan badge of the Malcolms and McLachlans. There were strong taboos in the Highlands against the use of any parts of the tree save the berries, except for ritual purposes. For example a Gaelic threshing tool made of rowan and called a buaitean was used on grain meant for rituals and celebrations. The strength of these taboos did not apply in other parts of Britain it seems, though there were sometimes rituals and timings to be observed in harvesting the rowan's gifts (for example the rule against using knives to cut the wood, mentioned above). The rowan's woo


Which year saw the culmination and end of the Cuban Missile Crisis?

Cuban Missile Crisis - Cold War - HISTORY.com Cuban Missile Crisis A+E Networks Introduction During the Cuban Missile Crisis, leaders of the U.S. and the Soviet Union engaged in a tense, 13-day political and military standoff in October 1962 over the installation of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles on Cuba, just 90 miles from U.S. shores. In a TV address on October 22, 1962, President John Kennedy (1917-63) notified Americans about the presence of the missiles, explained his decision to enact a naval blockade around Cuba and made it clear the U.S. was prepared to use military force if necessary to neutralize this perceived threat to national security. Following this news, many people feared the world was on the brink of nuclear war. However, disaster was avoided when the U.S. agreed to Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev’s (1894-1971) offer to remove the Cuban missiles in exchange for the U.S. promising not to invade Cuba. Kennedy also secretly agreed to remove U.S. missiles from Turkey. Google Discovering the Missiles After seizing power in the Caribbean island nation of Cuba in 1959, leftist revolutionary leader Fidel Castro (1926-) aligned himself with the Soviet Union. Under Castro, Cuba grew dependent on the Soviets for military and economic aid. During this time, the U.S. and the Soviets (and their respective allies) were engaged in the Cold War (1945-91), an ongoing series of largely political and economic clashes. Did You Know? The actor Kevin Costner (1955-) starred in a movie about the Cuban Missile Crisis titled "Thirteen Days." Released in 2000, the movie's tagline was "You'll never believe how close we came." The two superpowers plunged into one of their biggest Cold War confrontations after the pilot of an American U-2 spy plane making a high-altitude pass over Cuba on October 14, 1962, photographed a Soviet SS-4 medium-range ballistic missile being assembled for installation. President Kennedy was briefed about the situation on October 16, and he immediately called together a group of advisors and officials known as the executive committee, or ExCom. For nearly the next two weeks, the president and his team wrestled with a diplomatic crisis of epic proportions, as did their counterparts in the Soviet Union. A New Threat to the U.S. For the American officials, the urgency of the situation stemmed from the fact that the nuclear-armed Cuban missiles were being installed so close to the U.S. mainland–just 90 miles south of Florida . From that launch point, they were capable of quickly reaching targets in the eastern U.S. If allowed to become operational, the missiles would fundamentally alter the complexion of the nuclear rivalry between the U.S. and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), which up to that point had been dominated by the Americans. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev had gambled on sending the missiles to Cuba with the specific goal of increasing his nation’s nuclear strike capability. The Soviets had long felt uneasy about the number of nuclear weapons that were targeted at them from sites in Western Europe and Turkey, and they saw the deployment of missiles in Cuba as a way to level the playing field. Another key factor in the Soviet missile scheme was the hostile relationship between the U.S. and Cuba. The Kennedy administration had already launched one attack on the island–the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961–and Castro and Khrushchev saw the missiles as a means of deterring further U.S. aggression. Weighing the Options From the outset of the crisis, Kennedy and ExCom determined that the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba was unacceptable. The challenge facing them was to orchestrate their removal without initiating a wider conflict–and possibly a nuclear war. In deliberations that stretched on for nearly a week, they came up with a variety of options, including a bombing attack on the missile sites and a full-scale invasion of Cuba. But Kennedy ultimately decided on a more measured approach. First, he would employ the U.S. Navy to establish a blockade, or quarantine, of the island to pre


"Pravda" means both "truth" and "justice" Original Russian text "Pravda" means both "truth" and "justice" Every time the word "pravda" comes to my mind, I am exhilarated by its stunning beauty. Such a word is not, apparently, to be found in any [other?] European language. Apparently, it is only in Russian that "truth" and "justice" are called by the same word, and fuse together in one great unity. "Pravda", in that great meaning of the word, has always constituted the object of my searches. "Pravda"-truth separated from "pravda"-justice, "pravda" of the theological heaven cut off from "pravda" of the practical earth, always offended me, not just left me unsatisfied.  On the contrary, beneficient everyday practice, the highest ethical and social ideals, always seemed to me insultingly impotent, if they were turned away from truth, from science. I never could believe, and do not believe now, that one cannot find such a point of view, by which "pravda"-truth and "pravda"-justice are hand in hand, each reinforcing the other. In any case, working out such a point of view is the most exalted of tasks that human intelligence can imagine, and there are no efforts too great to be expended on it. --N. K. Mixajlovskij (1842-1904) Source: page from unidentified Russian Orthodox calendar published in West. Date for entry: 11/III-1979 (26/II st. st.). Translation by HSC.


How many stars are there on the Australian flag?

The Australian Flag Home > ANBG > Australian Flag The Australian Flag The Australian Flag came into being after the the federation of the Australian States into the Commonwealth of Australian on 1 January, 1901. The Commonwealth Blue Ensign was selected a a result of a public competition (over 30 000 designs were submitted); although selected in 1901 and gazetted in 1903, it was not given Royal assent and adopted as the definitive Australian flag until 1954 in the Flags Act 1953 (Act No. 1 of 1954)! It is based on the Blue Ensign of the United Kingdom, is twice as long as it is wide, and consists of a dark blue field that can be notionally divided into four quadrants. There is a different motif in each of the upper and lower hoist quadrants and the remaining two quadrants of the fly share another different constellation motif. The present Australian flag can be considered to consist of three main elements: The Union Jack in the upper hoist quadrant or first quarter (also know as the Canton), denoting Australia's historical links with Great Britain. The Union Jack itself is composed of red and white intersecting and overlayed vertical and diagonal crosses on a blue background, The Southern Cross in the second quarter (also known as the top or head) and fourth quarter. Consists of five stars in a more or less kite-like pattern - Alpha Crucis (7-point), Beta Crucis (7-point), Gamma Crucis (7-point), Delta Crucis (7-point) and the smaller Epsilon Crucis (5-point). The outer diameter of each of the 4 major stars is 1/7 the width of the fly and the inner diameter is 4/9 outer diameter; the diameter of Epsilon Crucis is 1/12 the width of the fly and the inner diameter is 4/9 the outer diameter. The constellation of the Southern Cross is a significant navigational feature of the southern hemisphere, strongly places Australia geographically and has been associated with the continent since its earliest days, The Commonwealth Star or Star of Federation, central in the third quarter or lower hoist, has seven points to denote the six states and the combined territories of the Commonwealth. The seventh point was added in 1909. The outer diameter is 3/5 the width of the Union Jack (3/10 the width of the fly) and the inner diameter is 4/9 the outer diameter. Other Australian Ensigns The Australian Army is represented by and protector of the Australian National Flag. In addition to the the Commonwealth Ensign, there are three other official Australian ensigns: The Australian Red Ensign - Merchant Navy, as for the Australian flag, but with a red field with white stars. Proclaimed in the Flags Act 1953. Covers Australian registered ships under section 30 of the Shipping Registration Act 1981. The Australian White Ensign - Royal Australian Navy - as for the Australian flag but with a white field and dark blue stars. Gazetted in 1967. The Sky-blue Ensign - Royal Australian Air Force - as for the Australian flag but with a pale blue field, the southern cross rotated clockwise c. 20 degrees and the blue roundel with white inner and red kangaroo of the Royal Australian Air Force in the lower fly. Gazetted in 1982. Flags Similar to the Australian Flag Several nations and territories have flags with similar appearance to the Australian National Flag, reflecting either a common British colonial history or previous association with Austrlaia. Most notable is the New Zealand National Flag, a Blue Ensign with a Southern Cross of four red stars. State and Territory Flags Each of the six states of Australia has its own Official State Flag consisting of a Blue Ensign defaced with the badge or heraldic device of the state concerned; the heraldic devices are those represented in the Commonwealth Arms . The flags of the Australian territories and of more individual nature and are not based on the Blue Ensign. Other "Australian" Flags The Queen's Personal Flag for Australia This flag is for the Queen's personal use when in Australia and was approved by her in 1962. It is based on the Australian Commonwealth Arms in the form of a banner n the rati


Åland Islands - Discover 6,700 islands | Visit Åland Meet Åland on trade shows 2017 Archipelago getaway Åland is made for a relaxing weekend getaway. Come and spend some relaxing days on your own, with a friend or partner or with the whole family. The refreshing and inspiring archipelago nature of Åland, various outdoor and indoor activities and local delicacies are waiting for visitors of all ages and with different interests. Enjoy cabin life Bring your family or friends and enjoy cabin life in Åland. Stay comfortably in a cottage suitable for all year round use or rent an own island. Relax in the sauna, take walks along the red granite rock and go kayaking and fishing. Cozy up by the fireplace and enjoy the great company. Maybe you even get a chance to do some storm watching and see the Northern Lights as well. Cabin life in Åland – all year round The re-opened Art Museum The Åland Islands Art Museum opened its doors after a few years of renovation. The art museum presents a broad spectrum of art on the Åland Islands from sculptures and paintings to modern video installations. In addition, the museum regularly presents special exhibits offering new impressions and influences to visitors. The art museum continuously seeks to be an inspiring forum for both artists and visitors. Welcome to visit two museums under one roof and to see the new exhibitions at the renovated facilities. Welcome to the Åland Islands Art Museum The new Cultural History Museum The Cultural History Museum of Åland has opened its doors again. In the completely renewed main exhibition you can follow Åland’s story, from the first seal-hunters, who set foot on these rocky islands, to today’s global and multi-cultural society. The exhibition is divided up chronologically – prehistory, the medieval period, the era of the great powers, the 1800s and the 1900s – guiding you step by step through 7500 years of Åland’s history. The exhibition tells of both dramatic events and everyday life, of toil and festivities. Welcome to visit two museums under one roof and to see the new exhibitions at the renovated facilities. Welcome to the new exhibitions The Finnish Museum of the Year 2016 Åland’s Maritime Museum is a museum with a difference that has something to offer every visitor. Seafarers’ own accounts, exciting objects, beautiful interiors and interactive stations make for a vivid overview of Åland’s maritime cultural. A world class museum - well worth several visits. Explore Åland's maritime heritage Culinary Åland Small-scale agriculture and locally produced. Handmade goat’s cheese, deep-fried seaweed, air-dried meat, sausages, blueberry beer, grape jelly. New ideas are bubbling in pots and pans as local gastronomers enthusiastically head toward the future armed with traditional Åland foods and culinary skills. Welcome to culinary Åland! Shopping and handicrafts within walking distance The art handicraft tradition is really alive in Åland. The artisans combine old handicraft techniques with new creativity. In the handicraft shops you’ll find art of living and natural material such as wood, textiles, wool, leather, metal, glass and clay. Handicrafts from Åland are mostly found in the shops in Mariehamn and the Maritime Quarter. Shop till you drop in Åland Historic title IFK Mariehamn made Finnish football history and secured the football league championship Sunday 23rd of October. Congratulations IFK Mariehamn for the historic title and the best season of the club history. The town of Mariehamn and the Government of Åland hold a medal celebration at the market square of Mariehmn Monday 24th of October at 7 pm in order to celebrate the first league championship of the club. Photo: Nya Åland Short documentary by Nya Åland Devil's Bride The film Devil's Bride from the award winning director Saara Cantell was shot mainly in the Åland islands. The film is based on a true story taking place on Åland in 1666, just as the most widespread and systematic witch hunts in Scandinavian history were beginning. The movie had its red carpet premiere for invited guests at B


Lao Tse (or Lauzi) is a central figure of which religion?

Laozi (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Laozi First published Sat Dec 15, 2001; substantive revision Thu May 2, 2013 Confucianism, Daoism (Taoism), and Buddhism generally name the three main pillars of Chinese thought, although it should be obvious that like any “ism,” they are abstractions—what they name are not monolithic but multifaceted traditions with fuzzy boundaries. In the case of “Daoism,” it designates both a philosophical tradition and an organized religion, which in modern Chinese are identified separately as daojia and daojiao, respectively. With their own complex histories and rich internal differences, the two are deeply intertwined. Laozi (or Lao-tzu, in the “Wade-Giles” system of transliteration favored by earlier generations of Western scholars) figures centrally in both. Philosophical Daoism traces its origins to Laozi, an extraordinary thinker who flourished during the sixth century B.C.E., according to Chinese tradition. According to some modern scholars, however, Laozi is entirely legendary; there was never a historical Laozi. In religious Daoism, Laozi is revered as a supreme deity. The name “Laozi” is best taken to mean “Old (lao) Master (zi),” and Laozi the ancient philosopher is said to have written a short book, which has come to be called simply the Laozi, after its putative author, a common practice in early China. When the Laozi was recognized as a “classic” (jing)—that is, accorded canonical status in the classification of Chinese literature, on account of its profound insight and significance—it acquired a more exalted and hermeneutically instructive title, Daodejing (Tao-te ching), commonly translated as the “Classic of the Way and Virtue.” Its influence on Chinese culture is pervasive, and it reaches beyond China. Next to the Bible, the Daodejing is the most translated work in world literature. It is concerned with the Dao or “Way” and how it finds expression in “virtue” (de), especially through what the text calls “naturalness” (ziran) and “nonaction” (wuwei). These concepts, however, are open to interpretation. While some interpreters see them as evidence that the Laozi is a “mystical” work, others emphasize their contribution to ethics and/or political philosophy. Interpreting the Laozi demands careful hermeneutic reconstruction, which requires both analytic rigor and an informed historical imagination. 1. The Laozi Story The Shiji (Records of the Historian) by the Han dynasty (206 B.C.E.–220 C.E.) court scribe and historian Sima Qian (ca. 145–86 B.C.E.) offers a “biography” of Laozi. Its reliability has been questioned, but it provides a point of departure for reconstructing the Laozi story. Laozi was a native of Chu, according to the Shiji, a southern state in the Zhou dynasty (see map and discussion in Loewe and Shaughnessy 1999, 594 and 597). His surname was Li; his given name was Er, and he was also called Dan. Laozi served as a keeper of archival records at the court of Zhou. Confucius (551–479 B.C.E.) had consulted him on certain ritual matters, we are told, and praised him lavishly afterward (Shiji 63). This establishes the traditional claim that Laozi was a senior contemporary of Confucius. A meeting or meetings between Confucius and Laozi, identified as “Lao Dan,” is reported also in the Zhuangzi and other early Chinese sources. “Laozi cultivated Dao and virtue,” as Sima Qian goes on to relate, and “his learning was devoted to self-effacement and not having fame. He lived in Zhou for a long time; witnessing the decline of Zhou, he departed.” When he reached the northwest border then separating China from the outside world, he met Yin Xi, the official in charge of the border crossing, who asked him to put his teachings into writing. The result was a book consisting of some five thousand Chinese characters, divided into two parts, which discusses “the meaning of Dao and virtue.” Thereafter, Laozi left; no one knew where he had gone. This completes the main part of Sima Qian's account. The remainder puts on record attempts to identify the


Which American film actor who died in 1993 was known principally for his roles in horror films such as 'The Pit and the Pendulum' and 'The Fall of the House of Usher'?

1000+ images about Vincent Price on Pinterest | Vincent price, House on haunted hill and American actors Pinterest • The world’s catalog of ideas Vincent Price


What position did Will Sommers hold at the court of Henry VIII?

Tudor Faces: Clowning Around – The Portraits of Will Sommers Clowning Around – The Portraits of Will Sommers “Be a clown, be a clown, all the world loves a clown…” (Cole Porter, 1948)  Well, maybe not. Clowns give me the willies, conjuring up images of the notorious John Wayne Gacy as Pogo, and the love-to-hate Ronald McDonald flogging Happy Meals and McNuggets.  Before the term coulrophobia was coined (yes, it’s a real word, look it up), clowns were universally popular. In antiquity, they – as comic actors – were a staple of Greek and Roman theater, and since the medieval era, were employed as jesters for the amusement of royal courts. A fool held a privileged position. He (or even she) had license to speak as others could not. Where criticism of a royal master or of royal policy might have cost a nobleman his head, when up offered by a jester, was generally taken with good humor.  At the court of Henry VIII, the office of fool was held by one William, or Will as he was more commonly known, Sommers.  For over twenty years, while queens and ministers came and went, Sommers was able to retain the affections of his erratic master. Their only falling out was an incident in 1535, when Sommers (unless it was predecessor 'Patch the Fool'), in making light of the unpopularity of the King’s second marriage, ridiculed Anne Boleyn as ‘ribald’, and her child Elizabeth as a ‘bastard’. This time, Henry was not amused. Sommers was forced into hiding in fear for his life, it was said, until the King’s anger cooled. Received back at court, Sommers wisely refrained from such divisive remarks, and remained in royal favor till the end of Henry’s reign. As a testament to the King’s affection for him, Sommers was depicted with Henry in two very personal works of art.  The first, probably a royal commission, was a panel of the King and his family.  Painted in Henry VIII’s old age, he is shown seated in an ornate chamber, with his son Prince Edward at his knee. With them is the boy’s mother, the late Jane Seymour. Katharine Parr, Henry’s current wife, had no place in the picture, having still not provided England with an ‘heir and spare’ Duke of York. Supporting the triumvirate of King, Queen, and Prince were the Princesses or rather ‘Ladies’ Mary and Elizabeth (they were still legally illegitimate thanks to their father’s marital misadventures). Through the arched doorways, two servants can be seen. On the right is Will Sommers with a monkey on his shoulder, and on the left, a woman. Taken in context, she is probably ‘Jane the Fool’, a female jester mentioned in Princess Mary’s household accounts. The Family of Henry VIII, by an Unknown Artist. Royal Collection.   The second work is a psalter, also from the last years of Henry VIII. Here, the King plays a harp with Sommers in attendance. The instrument is an allusion to Henry as King David. Henry’s identification with the Biblical monarch can also be seen in a miniature showing him as the penitential David kneeling before the Lord. In the psalter, was Henry as David, again lamenting his sins, this time setting them to music? That Sommers was the sole listener, said much about the intimacy of their relationship.  Henry VIII with William Sommers, from the Psalter of Henry VIII, by Jean Mallard. British Library.   for British Art (detail).  But there has been a further revision. At the far left of the picture is Will Sommers. Positioned at the perimeter of the throne room, and visible only from his chest up, he is barely noticeable at first glance. Wouldn’t it have made more sense for the artist to have positioned Sommers next to his master Henry VIII? That the royal fool was put instead next to the god Mars – at the heels of Mary and Philip - is significant. War as personified by Mars was folly, as was Mary’s match with Spain. The King and Queen were blamed for the persecution of their Protestant subjects, and for the loss of Calais, England’s last possession upon the Continent. It was left to Elizabeth, accompanied by Minerva2 (representing Peace) and the personification of Plenty (or the go


In which New York borough is Greenwich Village?

Greenwich Village, Manhattan Borough, New York County, New York, NY, 10011 New York County Post Office: New York Zip: 10003, 10011, 10012, 10014 Photo: Washington Square Park, Manhattan, New York City, photographed by Matthew Jesuele, 2006, en.wikipedia.org, accessed February, 2011. Greenwich Village as Observed in 1939 [1] A nation, coming into its own artistically after an era of ruthless industrial expansion, of materialism and strait-laced conventionality, seized upon Greenwich Village as a symbol of revolt in the ferment of postwar years. The "Village" was the center of the American Renaissance or of artiness, of political progress or of long-haired radical men and short-haired radical women, of sex freedom or of sex license — dependent upon the point of view. Greenwich Village, actually, is a cross section of American urban life. Here are old families in their gracious mansions; bankers and clerks in tall apartment buildings; and a foreign-born population of some twenty-five thousand, largely Irish and Italian, in tenements. If in 1939 there were more serious artists and writers, more "bohemians" in renovated old houses, more colorful tea rooms and wild night clubs than in other American centers, the number each year was lessening. In the years just preceding and following the World War the political, artistic, and literary rebels who flocked to the Village gave it a character unique in this country. The literary history of Greenwich Village, however, begins much earlier. Here Tom Paine spent the last years of his life. Poe lived, drank, and worked at several Village addresses. Walt Whitman lived in the vicinity, Henry James was born near Washington Square (he named one of his books for the square), and Mark Twain adopted the neighborhood for his city home. In 1896 John Masefield, English poet laureate, made his living here by scrubbing the floors of a saloon. But the story of Greenwich Village is the rounded story of an old and lively American community, at once typical and individual. Here exploring parties were entertained by the natives of the hamlet of Sapokanican; and, in return, with the earliest settlement of lower Manhattan, the Dutch drove the Indians from this neighborhood. In 1633, while most of the island north of Wall Street was still a wilderness, Governor Van Twiller was cultivating here a large tobacco plantation — Bossen Bouwerie (Farm in the Woods) — and built his home at the foot of the present Charlton Street. During the fall of 1679, the Labadist missionaries, Danckaerts and Sluyter, visited what had grown to be a small village, where they drank "some good beer." In 1740, Sir Peter Warren, vice admiral of the British Navy and at that time commander of the fleet in New York, chose the locality for his home. The Village grew throughout the Colonial period as a community of the wealthy. Here was the great Brevoort estate, sold in 1762 to one John Smith, a large slaveholder; the Bleecker farm; and the mansions of the Bayards, the Jauncys, and the De Lanceys. A popular drive for New York's fashionable reached the Village by way of Greenwich Street, which then ran along the river; when wet weather rendered this route impassable, the drive was made along the Bowery to an extension of what is now Greenwich Avenue, with a monument erected to General James Wolfe, hero of the French and Indian War, as its goal. A spurt was given to the growth of the community following the Revolution, particularly in the neighborhood of the State prison, erected at the foot of Tenth Street; that institution, like the Bedlam Madhouse of Elizabethan days, was considered a residential attraction. An epidemic of smallpox in 1739 in the Battery region gave impetus to the first hasty migration of the well-to-do to the healthier climate of the Village; scourges of yellow fever in 1797, 1799, 1803, and 1805 resulted in similar stampedes northward in crowded stages, and goods-piled carriages and pushcarts. Some drifted south again when conditions became normal, but others remained in their new homes. The greatest of all the yello


Palm Springs, California Palm Springs Tuscany, Italy Palm Springs Whether your Palm Springs visit is spent on the golf course, at a music festival, or lounging by the pool, this California vacation destination is the definition of luxury. Experience the area from our selection of luxurious desert homes located in Rancho Mirage, La Quinta, Palm Springs and Indian Wells. Stay in stunning homes, once owned by Hollywood icons like Frank Sinatra and Merv Griffin as you embrace the desert life and natural beauty that can only be found in Palm Springs, California. Our Palm Springs luxury rentals will be the perfect base for your glamorous stay in California. View Retreats


Machu Picchu is a famous ruin in which South American county?

Photos of Top 10 Inca Ruins to See -- National Geographic 1. Sacsahuaman Photograph by Gonzalez, Laif/Redux Not long ago, Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, a result that will surprise none of the millions of people who’ve visited the spectacular stone citadel in the sky. What most visitors to Peru don’t know, however, is that the country is thick with ancient Inca wonders. Here are ten others worth checking out. Many are within a day’s journey of Cusco and can be combined with a visit to Machu Picchu. The first is Sacsahuaman (pictured above). Arguably the greatest Inca ruin outside of Machu Picchu, this gargantuan complex overlooks the city of Cusco. (You can take a taxi or hike up in less than an hour.) Sacsahuaman is believed to have once been a royal retreat, a fortress, or both. Its zigzag walls are built with some of the largest stones to be found in Inca masonry; some are estimated to weigh as much as 300 tons, yet are fit together as tightly as the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. — Mark Adams , author of Turn Right at Machu Picchu 2. Vitcos/Yurak Rumi Photograph by Mark Adams When Hiram Bingham came to Peru in 1911 to search for the Lost City of the Inca, one of his top priorities was finding this former Inca settlement. The main palace here is enormous—its front wall measures more than 200 feet across—and its doorways feature some of the finest Inca stonework in existence. The real draw, though, is Yurak Rumi (pictured above)—“White Rock” in Quechua—an intricately carved granite boulder the size of a city bus, which was once one of the holiest shrines in the Inca Empire. 3. Pisac Photograph by Raach, laif/Redux These ruins, overlooking the Urubamba River less than an hour northeast of Cusco, are notable for their Inca waterworks and beautiful, curving agricultural terraces, which offer excellent vistas of the Sacred Valley. The religious buildings in particular are as finely made as those at Machu Picchu, and the site features one of Peru’s only remaining intihuatanas, enigmatic carved rocks that were used for astronomical observation. The town of Pisac, located beneath the ruins, also hosts a popular local crafts market. 4. Ollantaytambo Photograph by Paul Spierenburg, Laif/Redux In 1536, this settlement was the site of the Inca's greatest military victory over the invading Spaniards. Today, it is one of the only towns in Peru that retains its original Inca walls and street grid, dominated by long, ancient stone walls that once divided groups of homes around communal courtyards. An imposing set of stone terraces (from which the Inca assaulted their Spanish invaders with slingshots and arrows), capped by six enigmatic slabs of pink granite, looms above the town. Most trains to and from Machu Picchu stop at Ollantaytambo, making it an ideal overnight stop. 5. Cusco and the Koricancha Photograph by Vassil Donev, EPA/Corbis The name Cusco can be translated as “navel of the world,” and this holy city was once the nexus of the Inca Empire; four roads led out from its central plaza in the cardinal directions, toward the empire’s four quarters. Cusco was also home to the palaces of its rulers. Most of the original Inca buildings were destroyed by the conquistadors, but some walls—famous for masonry so precise that a knife blade cannot be wedged between stones—were incorporated into new structures. The walls were so well made that they’ve withstood major earthquakes and can still be seen in Cusco’s tight alleyways. The holiest site of all was the Koricancha, or sun temple, which at the time of the Spanish invasion was covered in sheets of gold. The precious metals have long since departed, but much of the original temple still stands beneath the veneer of a Spanish monastery. 6. Moray Photograph by Ian Wood, Alamy This unique archaeological site is one of the best examples—along with Machu Picchu—of what might be called extreme Inca landscaping. Three enormous pits, each with beautifully curved sides that staircase down like the interiors of titanic flowerpots, have been carved out of the eart


The many rivers and tributaries that make up the catchment | Bristol Avon Rivers TrustBristol Avon Rivers Trust The Rivers Trust About the Rivers The Bristol Avon could be just 19 miles long as this is how far it is between its source at Acton Turville in South Gloucestershire to the Severn Estuary. It has chosen however to take a slightly longer route through Wiltshire and takes a 75 mile course to the sea at Avonmouth. This extended journey makes the Bristol Avon the 19th longest river in the UK. Along its journey the Avon meets a number of tributaries amongst which are the river Marden, Somerset Frome , River Chew, and smaller streams such as the By Brook , Brinkworth Brook and the River Trym. You will know many more. The river has drawn communities towards it over many years and boasts two cities – Bristol and Bath along its banks  as well as many towns including Malmesbury, Chippenham, Melksham, Bradford-On-Avon and Keynsham as well as smaller settlements at Saltford, Avoncliffe, Freshford and Claverton which must be familiar names to many train passengers. Despite its short length the river and its banksides provide important habitat for animals, birds, insects and fish. Trees, reeds, lilies and many other plants grow in and along the river creating a diverse and beautiful refuge for many river users as well as a home to wildlife. Even in urban settings there is more to see than meets the eye and those who stand and stare are often rewarded with the sight of kingfishers and dragonflies, herons and, for the very lucky, the otter. Problems From source to sea, the River Avon is under constant pressure. This may be due to agriculture ( to feed us), flood management ( to protect us), abstraction (to supply our water), effluent ( from systems that treat our sewage and from industry), or just by our using it for leisure and recreation purposes. There are other problems too, but they are mainly as a result of the pressures we place on the river. These pressures will not go away and will increase as the populations of all our local towns and cities increase. The Bristol Avon Rivers Trust recognises these pressures and aims to use innovative and natural approaches to protecting and improving the river wherever it can with the support of landowners, river users and local communities. Too Close!


To within one year either way, in which year was Pluto discovered by Clyde Tombaugh?

International Space Hall of Fame :: New Mexico Museum of Space History :: Inductee Profile Inducted in 1980 Discovered Pluto. Clyde William Tombaugh was born in Streator, Illinois on February 4, 1906. He grew up on the family farm there until 1922 when the Tombaughs moved to a farm northwest of Burdett, Kansas. Clyde developed an early love of astronomy after an uncle loaned him a telescope. A graduate of Burdett High School in 1925, he was financially unable to attend college. Tombaugh pursued his interest in astronomy, and in 1926, built his first homemade telescope. He built two more telescopes in the next two years, mastering optics, grinding his own lenses and mirrors, and further honing his observational skills. Using these homemade telescopes, Tombaugh made drawings of the planets Mars and Jupiter and sent them to the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. The staff there was impressed by his work, and in 1929, Tombaugh was hired to conduct planet-search photography at Lowell, specifically the attempt to find what was called "Planet-X," thought to be on the fringes of the solar system. On February 18, 1930, Clyde Tombaugh earned a permanent place in history when he discovered what was then acclaimed as the ninth planet, which was officially named Pluto on May 1, 1930. Smaller than Mercury and billions of miles from the Sun, the discovery of Pluto with the technology of the time is an enduring testament to Tombaugh's dedication and eye for detail. He was awarded the Jackson-Gwilt Medal and Gift by the Royal Astronomical Society in recognition of his discovery, as well as a scholarship to University of Kansas. In 1932, Tombaugh enrolled there, earning a Bachelor of Science degree four years later. He continued to work at Lowell Observatory during the summers, and after graduation, returned to Flagstaff to work full-time. He soon returned to college, and in 1939, received his master's degree, also from the University of Kansas. During his fourteen years at the Lowell Observatory, Clyde Tombaugh discovered hundreds of variable stars and asteroids, and two comets. While engaged in the search that yielded Pluto, he also found many previously unknown star clusters, clusters of galaxies, and a nova. He mapped the Great Perseus-Andromeda Stratum of Extra-Galactic Nebulae, one of over 29,000 galaxies he documented. Dr. Tombaugh remained at the observatory until 1943, then taught navigation for the Navy at Arizona State College (now Northern Arizona University) in Flagstaff until the end of the Second World War in 1945. As the Lowell Observatory did not have the financial resources to rehire him after the war, Tombaugh became a Visiting Assistant Professor in Astronomy at the University of California at Los Angeles until 1946, when he transferred to the ballistics research laboratories at the White Sands Proving Ground (now White Sands Missile Range, or WSMR) New Mexico. As Chief of the Optical Measurements Section there, he developed tracking telescopes used to photograph rockets and missiles during test flight. Dr. Tombaugh also directed optical and photographic research in the Systems Engineering Branch at White Sands. He designed many new instruments there, among them, in 1951, a camera called the IGOR (Intercept Ground Optical Recorder), which remained in use at White Sands for the next thirty years. After nine years at White Sands, Tombaugh left in 1955. He later received the medal of the Pioneers of White Sands Missile Range for his work there. From 1953 to 1955, he also led the Near Earth Satellite Search, an Army project conducted by the Lowell Observatory. This search was crucial in identifying any small natural satellites of the Earth as a preparatory step to beginning space exploration. This project was transferred from White Sands Proving Ground to the Physical Science Laboratory at New Mexico State University (NMSU) when Tombaugh took a position there in 1955. Fours year later, Tombaugh's group released the Near Earth Satellite Search final report. As no natural satellites had been found by the


To within one year either way, when was the Sydney Opera House formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II?

- Along with the Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House is  the city's most recognized structure.  - On January 29, 1957 Jorn Utzon was declared the winning architect of the  design competition out 233 worldwide entries.  - Construction began in March 1959.  - The tip of the tallest shell reaches 67.4m (222ft) above Sydney Harbour,  which equates to half the height of the nearby Harbour Bridge (134m).  - The Sydney Opera House boasts 20,000 light fittings. Its gleaming white  sails comprise 1,057,000 Swedish tiles.  - The magnificent site of the Opera House was originally Bennelong Point  tram depot which opened in 1902. During the 1950s Sydney's trams were  gradually phased out in favour of buses and the tram shed became  redundant. It was demolished in 1958 to make way for the building of the  Sydney Opera House.  - Uses 6225 square metres of glass and 645 kilometres of electric cable.  - Opened by Queen Elizabeth II on October 20, 1973.  - Over two million people attend performances here annually.  - Joern Utzon's design was chosen from 233 entries in the 1956  international competition.  - The Sydney Opera House was put on the State Heritage Register on  December 3, 2003.  - The building occupies an area of 1.8 hectares whilst the roof is  comprised of 2,914 pre-cast segments weighing in total some 26,700  tonnes.  - In 2001 the architect Jørn Utzon was called upon in the capacity of  consultant to oversee the refurbishment of his building.    The Sydney Opera House is located at  33°51′25″S, 151°12′55″E in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one  of the most distinctive and famous 20th century buildings, and one of  the most famous performing arts venues in the world. Situated on  Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, with parkland to its south and close  to the enormous Sydney Harbour Bridge, the building and its surroundings  form an iconic Australian image. To some the spherical-sectioned shells  remind them of the flotilla of sailboats commonly cruising there.  Tourists - mostly with little or no interest in opera - throng to the  building in their thousands every week purely to see it. As well as many touring theatre, ballet, and musical productions the Opera  House is the home of Opera Australia, the Sydney Theatre Company and the  Sydney Symphony Orchestra. It is administered by the Opera House Trust,  under the New South Wales (NSW) Ministry of the Arts. Description The Sydney Opera House has about 1000 rooms, including five theatres, five  rehearsal studios, two main halls, four restaurants, six bars and  numerous souvenir shops. The roofs of the House are constructed of 1,056,000 glazed white granite  tiles, imported from Sweden. Despite their self-cleaning nature, they  are still subject to periodic maintenance and replacement. The House  interior is composed of pink granite mined from Tarana, NSW and wood and  brush box plywood supplied from northern NSW. The five constituent theatres of the Sydney Opera House are the Concert  Hall (with a seating capacity of 2,679), the Opera Theatre (1,547  seats), the Drama Theatre (544 seats), the Playhouse (398 seats) and the  Studio Theatre (364 seats). The smallest building is home to the  Bennelong Restraunt. The Concert Hall contains the Sydney Opera House Grand Organ, the largest  mechanical tracker action organ in the world with over 10,000 pipes. The theatres are housed in a series of large shells, conceived by  dissecting a hemisphere. The Concert Hall and Opera Theatre are  contained in the largest shells, and the other theatres are located on  the sides of the shells. Large free public performances have also often  been staged in front of the Monumental Steps that lead up to the base of  the main sets of shells. A much smaller set of shells set to one side of  the Monumental steps houses one of the formal dining restaurants. History The Sydney Opera House can be said to have had its beginning during the  late 1940s in the endeavours of Eugene Goossens, the Director of


In which country was Prime Minister Andrew Bonar Law born?

Andrew Bonar Law | History Today Andrew Bonar Law Britain Andrew Bonar Law Political Robert Pearce argues that we should get better acquainted with the 'unknown prime minister'. At the funeral of Andrew Bonar Law, in Westminster Abbey on 5 November 1923, Herbert Asquith stated, with a certain satisfaction, that 'the unknown Prime Minister' was being buried by the side of the Unknown Soldier. The phrase has served as epitaph to the man who was prime minister for only 211 days, the shortest tenure in the twentieth century. Yet this dismissive remark should not lead us to underestimate the political importance of Bonar Law or to misunderstand the man. There were some who believed him to be entirely colourless. Lloyd George once relayed a conversation he had with Law, while the two men motored along the Mediterranean coast. When the Welshman praised Mozart, he replied, 'I don't care for music'. When he extolled the beauty of the sea on one side of them and the snow-capped Alpine mountains on the other, the reply came: 'I don't care for scenery'. When he pointed to a group of beautiful women, Law responded that he did not care for women. Finally, when the exasperated Lloyd George asked, 'Then what the hell do you care for?', Bonar Law replied, 'I like bridge'. Yet this conversation is an example not of Law's dullness but of his dry sense of humour. Certainly he cared for many other things besides bridge. There was chess, and he was also inordinately fond of smoking. In addition, he was a devoted family man. If he often seemed pessimistic, this was an entirely appropriate response to the vicissitudes of life. Born in New Brunswick, in Canada, in September 1858, his mother died when he was only two. At the age of 12, his father remarried and he was taken to live with an aunt in Glasgow. He had escaped the influence of a depressive father, an Ulsterman who was employed as a Presbyterian minister in Canada, and he became happily married in 1891, to Annie Robley. But his wife died in 1909 and during the Great War two of his sons died, within six months of each other. The losses hit him hard. He soon admitted to being at the end of his tether, and it was probably only a hard regime of work and more work that enabled him to survive. 'Melancholy' became the adjective universally applied to him, but even so he was capable of winning friends, influencing people and even giving witty after-dinner speeches. No one found Bonar Law charismatic - he was too reserved for that - but he was anything but dull. A junior minister, Lord Winterton, soon decided that he was 'a most lovable man in whom one could place complete trust'. A civil servant, J.C.C. Davidson, who was amazed by his powers of industry, judged that he 'misled many people into the belief that he was weak because his manner and voice were so gentle, and his heart so kind'. Conservative colleague Stanley Baldwin described him, publicly, as 'a most lovable, elusive and wistful personality', while privately declaring 'I loved the man'. Clearly Bonar Law had more impressive personal qualities than his political enemies were prepared to admit. But what of his achievements? Tory Leader Bonar Law succeeded Arthur Balfour as leader of the Conservative party in November 1911. He was not just a new leader but a new type of leader, and his election at the Carlton Club marks a new chapter in the history of the Conservatives. Balfour, the aristocratic representative of 'Hotel Cecil', who had succeeded his uncle, Lord Salisbury, back in 1903, was replaced by a member of the middle classes (a man, noted a disgruntled Tory grandee, who would not even recognise a pheasant, let alone know how to shoot one). It was remarkable, as Robert Blake has written, that such a man - a 'Presbyterian of Canadian origin, who had spent most of his life in business in Glasgow' - was to lead 'the Party of Old England, the Party of the Anglican Church and the country squire, the party of broad acres and hereditary titles'. Bonar Law had attended neither public school nor ancient university. He left Glasgow high sch


What is the literal meaning of the Jewish word 'Kosher'?

Kosher - definition of kosher by The Free Dictionary Kosher - definition of kosher by The Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/kosher Related to kosher: kosher salt ko·sher a. Conforming to dietary laws; ritually pure: kosher meat. b. Observing dietary laws: a kosher household. c. Selling or serving food prepared in accordance with dietary laws: a kosher restaurant. 2. Informal Legitimate; permissible: Is it kosher to wear jeans in the office? tr.v. ko·shered, ko·sher·ing, ko·shers To make proper or ritually pure. Idiom:


King George V changed the surname of the British Royal family to Windsor; what had it been previously?

Britain’s King George V changes royal surname - Jun 19, 1917 - HISTORY.com Britain’s King George V changes royal surname Share this: Britain’s King George V changes royal surname Author Britain’s King George V changes royal surname URL Publisher A+E Networks On this day in 1917, during the third year of World War I, Britain’s King George V orders the British royal family to dispense with the use of German titles and surnames, changing the surname of his own family, the decidedly Germanic Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, to Windsor. The second son of Prince Edward of Wales (later King Edward VII) and Alexandra of Denmark, and the grandson of Queen Victoria, George was born in 1865 and embarked on a naval career before becoming heir to the throne in 1892 when his older brother, Edward, died of pneumonia. The following year, George married the German princess Mary of Teck (his cousin, a granddaughter of King George III), who had previously been intended for Edward. The couple had six children, including the future Edward VIII and George VI (who took the throne in 1936 after his brother abdicated to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson). As the new Duke of York, George was made to abandon his career in the navy; he became a member of the House of Lords and received a political education. When his father died in 1910, George ascended to the British throne as King George V. With the outbreak of World War I in the summer of 1914, strong anti-German feeling within Britain caused sensitivity among the royal family about its German roots. Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, also a grandson of Queen Victoria, was the king’s cousin; the queen herself was German. As a result, on June 19, 1917, the king decreed that the royal surname was thereby changed from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor. In order to demonstrate further solidarity with the British war effort, George made several visits to survey the troops at the Western Front. During one visit to France in 1915, he fell off a horse and broke his pelvis, an injury that plagued him for the rest of his life. Also in 1917, he made the controversial decision to deny asylum in Britain to another of his cousins, Czar Nicholas II of Russia, and his family, after the czar abdicated during the Russian Revolution. Czar Nicholas, his wife Alexandra and their children were subsequently arrested and later murdered by the Bolsheviks. Related Videos


Shirley MacLaine - Biography - IMDb Shirley MacLaine Biography Showing all 91 items Jump to: Overview  (3) | Mini Bio  (1) | Spouse  (1) | Trade Mark  (3) | Trivia  (52) | Personal Quotes  (25) | Salary  (6) Overview (3) 5' 7" (1.7 m) Mini Bio (1) Shirley MacLaine was born Shirley MacLean Beaty in Richmond, Virginia. Her mother, Kathlyn Corinne (MacLean), was a drama teacher from Nova Scotia, Canada, and her father, Ira Owens Beaty, a professor of psychology and real estate agent, was from Virginia. Her brother, Warren Beatty , was born on March 30, 1937. Her ancestry includes English and Scottish. Shirley was the tallest in her ballet classes at the Washington School of Ballet. Just after she graduated from Washington-Lee High School, she packed her bags and headed for New York. While auditioning for Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II 's "Me and Juliet", the producer kept mispronouncing her name. She then changed her name from Shirley MacLean Beaty to Shirley MacLaine. She later had a role in "The Pajama Game", as a member of the chorus and understudy to Carol Haney . A few months into the run, Shirley was going to leave the show for the lead role in "Can-Can" but ended up filling in for Haney, who had broken her ankle and could not perform. She would fill in for Carol, again, three months later, following another injury, the very night that movie producer Hal B. Wallis was in the audience. Wallis signed MacLaine to a five-year contract to Paramount Pictures. Three months later, she was off to shoot The Trouble with Harry (1955). She then took roles in Hot Spell (1958) and Around the World in Eighty Days (1956), completed not too long before her daughter, Sachi Parker (born Stephanie), was born. With Shirley's career on track, she played one of her most challenging roles: "Ginny Moorhead" in Some Came Running (1958), for which she received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She went on to do The Sheepman (1958) and The Matchmaker (1958). In 1960, she got her second Academy Award nomination for The Apartment (1960). Three years later, she received a third nomination for Irma la Douce (1963). In 1969, she brought her friend Bob Fosse from Broadway to direct her in Sweet Charity (1969), from which she got her "signature" song, "If My Friends Could See Me Now". After a five-year hiatus, Shirley made a documentary on China called The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir (1975), for which she received an Oscar nomination for best documentary. In 1977, she got her fourth Best Actress Oscar nomination for The Turning Point (1977). In 1979, she worked with Peter Sellers in Being There (1979), made shortly before his death. After 20 years in the film industry, she finally took home the Best Actress Oscar for Terms of Endearment (1983). After a five-year hiatus, Shirley made Madame Sousatzka (1988), a critical and financial hit that took top prize at the Venice Film Festival. In 1989, she starred with Dolly Parton , Sally Field and Julia Roberts in Steel Magnolias (1989). She received rave reviews playing Meryl Streep 's mother in Postcards from the Edge (1990) and for Guarding Tess (1994). In 1996, she reprised her role from "Terms of Endearment" as "Aurora Greenway" in The Evening Star (1996), which didn't repeat its predecessor's success at the box office. In mid-1998, she directed Bruno (2000), which starred Alex D. Linz . In February 2001, Shirley worked with close friends once again in These Old Broads (2001), and co-starred with Julia Stiles in Carolina (2003) and with Kirstie Alley in Salem Witch Trials (2002). MacLaine as her own website which includes her own radio show and interviews, the Encounter Board, and Independent Expression, a members-only section of the site. In the past few years, Shirley starred in a CBS miniseries based on the life of cosmetics queen Mary Kay Ash -- The Battle of Mary Kay (2002), and wrote two more books, "The Camino" in 2001, and "Out On A Leash" in 2003. After taking a slight hiatus from motion pictures, Shirley returned with roles in the movies that were small, bu


Which animal married the Owl and the Pussycat in the Edward Lear poem?

Animal Poems - Poems For Animal - The Owl And The Pussy-Cat - Poem Hunter Animal Poems - Poems For Animal - The Owl And The Pussy-Cat - Poem Hunter Animal Poems - Poems For Animal - The Owl And The Pussy-Cat Poems about animal. You can read the best animal poems. Browse through all animal poems. Animal Poems: 0 / 100 The Owl And The Pussy-Cat - Poem by Edward Lear Your browser does not support the audio element. Autoplay next poem The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea In a beautiful pea green boat, They took some honey, and plenty of money, Wrapped up in a five pound note. The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, 'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, What a beautiful Pussy you are!' Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl! How charmingly sweet you sing! O let us be married! too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?' They sailed away, for a year and a day, To the land where the Bong-tree grows And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood With a ring at the end of his nose, His nose, With a ring at the end of his nose. 'Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling Your ring?' Said the Piggy, 'I will.' So they took it away, and were married next day By the Turkey who lives on the hill. They dined on mince, and slices of quince, Which they ate with a runcible spoon; And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, They danced by the light of the moon, The moon,


What name is given to the traditional type of folk song sung by Venetian gondoliers?

Andre Rieu - Barcarolle , Classical - 2004 - Music Videos,Lyrics Andre Rieu - Barcarolle , Classical - 2004 Lyrics Help preserve America's Music Tradition and suggest your lyrics here. Andre Rieu - Barcarolle , Classical - 2004 Playlist: Pause Some trivia about Andre Rieu - Barcarolle , Classical - 2004 A barcarole (from French, also barcarolle; originally, Italian barcarola) is a folk song sung by Venetian gondoliers, or a piece of music composed in that style. In classical music, two of the most famous barcaroles are those by Jacques Offenbach, from his opera The Tales of Hoffmann and Fr�d�ric Chopin's Barcarole in F sharp major for solo piano. Andre Rieu records both DVD and CD repertoire at his own recording studios in Maastricht in a wide range of classical music as well as popular and folk music plus music from well-known sound tracks and theater musicals. His popular orchestral presentations to worldwide audiences presents classical music to all music lovers of all genres. [1] Play time: 3:48 FACEBOOK - CLICK HERE to see our top picks of the day on our music group on Facebook! To post this song into Facebook...just copy the URL and past it into the Facebook comment field More Andre Rieu Free Music Videos and songs To Listen and watch Artist Andre Rieu album music videos... Just click on the song title links that you see below, to play. Your Free Music Videos Playlist By default, we play all of our songs randomly selected from our playlist; however, you can choose the songs you want played by selecting all or some songs below and adding them to your playlist. You can also browse all songs and update your playlist at View/Edit Your Playlist . Step 1: Select your Free Music Videos. Step 2: click on 'Add Selections' button to update your list. Step 3: When you're logged in and ready, just click on 'Play Your Playlist' button. To stop playing from your playlist and to play all of our songs, just click on 'Play All Songs' button Status When completed, click on either Play Your Playlist or Play All Music Videos Andre Rieu Song Tracks Andre Rieu And The Dubliners - The Irish Washerwoman - 2004 [2:13] - The Irish Washerwoman is a FAQ: Salestron Eclectic Video Jukebox Playlist Hit F11 key to full screen this site. Our Oldies Music ♫ Nostalgia Cloud is designed to allow you to sit back, listen, and watch free and legal music videos as we automatically shuffle, select and play old favorites such as "Andre Rieu - Barcarolle , Classical - 2004" from our eclectic streaming video radio station jukebox playlist! Listen to the best songs from 1910s to the present! Over one hundred years of music! The MP3 music videos, lyrics, artist and album trivia are presented to you  so that you do not need to click on anything. Automatically, at the end of the song music video,  we select the next shuffled song and continously repeat the process. We all have our favorite songs that we want to play. That's why you can create your own playlist! Free, no less! Anytime you play a favorite song, just ckick on "Add Song to Playlist" that appears just below the video. You can also browse our library of songs and add more of your favorites...by singer, by year, etc. You can choose to run your private playlist or our complete songlist at any time. Just click Create Your Free Music Videos Playlist Music video song lyrics are displayed in the scrolling window on the right side of this page. Music Video Trivia are shown in the center column. You can select the next song track by clicking on the SKIP button. You can loop on the current song by clicking on the LOOP button. To search for your song, enter whatever you remember of the title or singer into the search box at the top right of this page. You can enter partial titles and/or singers. We then search our Jukebox Music Database and show the most likely matching songs. You can browse and click on any song title and singer in the list to play that song. We keep our audio and video mp3 downloads or our Free Music Videos list constantly updated with a music search engine of songs suggested by the Bil


Name the town in California where Clint Eastwood was elected mayor in 1986.

Clint Eastwood - Mayor of Carmel A Look at Clint's Life in the Political Arena; 1986-88 n January 30th, 1986, a local Carmel, California newspaper first announced the news: Clint Eastwood was running for mayor -- salary, $200 a month! Like Dirty Harry, he was fighting bureaucracy, waging a war on bylaws in his adopted hometown of Carmel. His campaign certainly made the media's day but when he got a whopping 72% of the poll, even former President Reagan phoned with envious congratulations. Clint insisted during his two year period as mayor that it was not the launch pad for larger political ambitions. His concern was strictly with Carmel. "We got rid of quite a lot of punitive attitudes on the council and helped people get things done," he claimed later. "We got things built -- beach walkways, a library annex which had been waiting 25 years, and so on. I approached it from a business point of view, not a political one." The reason Clint entered the political arena in the first place was that he believed he was being disrespectfully treated by the little city's administration, and he was upset about it. Hassled with rules, regulations, and taxes regarding building permits and zoning laws, and tired of getting the runaround and going through endless miles of red tape with the city, Clint decided to fight back. The breaking point was when the preservationist-dominated town council automatically rejected Clint's plans to build a small building in downtown Carmel that would have improved the surrounding area. Clint promptly sued the city winning an out-of-court settlement that permitted him to proceed with his building. It was this fight with city hall that got Clint thinking. It got him closer to the Carmel business community and led to discussions about challenging the incumbent mayor, Charlotte Townsend, who was then approaching the end of her second term. People started to edge him on and show early support if he considered to run against her. He hired a campaign manager, and after early opinion polls about how people would feel if he ran looked positive, he filed the papers just hours before the deadline and launched his campaign. His strategy was very basic: He never attacked Townsend directly, he gave no interviews to the national press, and stayed tightly involved in the community. He did almost no paid advertising -- just some buttons and bumper stickers. It was, all in all, one of the most tasteful campaigns in the history of modern American politics. He politely refused autographs when he was out on walking tours. His slogan was simple, "Bringing the Community Together," and in talks he stressed his desire to build bridges between the business community and the residential community. His strategy worked! On April 8th, 1986, with twice the voter turn out showing up, Clint got a whopping 72.5 % of the vote. To show that there was no hard feelings, a week later at his inaugural ceremony, he gave Townsend and two of her close allies some potted redwood seedlings as reconciliatory gifts. For his two year term in office, Clint fulfilled to his own satisfaction, all his major campaign promises. Among them, he made it easier to build or to renovate property. He got a tourist parking lot constructed. He remodeled The Mission Ranch and preserved the precious landscape it was on which was supposed to be demolished in favor of 80 condominiums. He also opened the library annex which is dedicated for children's use, and it is said to be the accomplishment of which he is most proud. Though he enjoyed his experience, he opted not to run for a second term. He began to reach this conclusion one day standing in a chilly garage, surrounded by staff and council members trying to decide if a prominent Carmel citizen, a doctor, would be permitted to change the slope of his garage roof. Life was too short for this kind of pettiness. Late in 1987 he announced that he would not stand for a second term. And although he made two films while in office ( Heartbreak Ridge and Bird ), in early 1988, Clint was back to devote a full time effort to h


The Irish town of Drogheda stands on which river?

On the Town I « The Irish Aesthete by theirishaesthete During 2015 the Irish Aesthete will visit an Irish town once a month and comment on the state of its architectural heritage. January’s town is Drogheda, County Louth. As has often been pointed out the name Droichead Átha – meaning Bridge of the Ford – indicates Drogheda is the final bridging point on the river Boyne three miles before it joins the Irish Sea. This made the place strategically important. Although St Patrick is said to have landed here and Viking raiding parties wintered in the area, Drogheda was only founded, as two separate towns on either side of the Boyne, in the late 12th century when Hugh de Lacy built a motte and bailey in the Millmount area. For two centuries rival corporations faced each other across the river but were united as one in 1412. As evidence of its prosperity, Drogheda was subject to raids by both the Scots and the native Irish, leading to the construction of walls some twenty feet high and with a circumference of more than one and a half miles. These defences were strong enough to repulse an attack in 1315-16 by Edward the Bruce’s Scottish army in 1316-16. The most visible remnant today is St Laurence’s Gate on the eastern side of the old town. While the medieval religious establishments were closed during the Reformation, otherwise Drogheda continued to blossom until caught up in the wars of the 1640s. In November 1641 the Irish Confederate army under Sir Phelim O’Neill laid siege to the town and three times attempted to take it, without success; eventually the following spring relief forces from Dublin forced O’Neill to retire. Seven years later the town was again besieged, this time by Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army which after three days gained possession and slaughtered many of the citizens. But Drogheda recovered from this terrible event and thanks to a revival of trade enjoyed something of a golden age in the 18th century when some of its finest extant buildings were constructed. Commercial decline began in the second half of the 19th century and has continued ever since; with improved transport links, such as the arrival of the railway and then the car, Drogheda’s relative proximity to Dublin (less than 35 miles) has been to its disadvantage. The consequences of this are evident to anyone visiting the place. As already mentioned, the most tangible attestation of Drogheda’s medieval defences is St Laurence’s Gate. The print at the top of this page, taken from John D’Alton’s History of Drogheda and its Environs (1844) shows how the gate, with its little toll houses on either side, looked in the first half of the 19th century looking eastwards up St Laurence Street with the old grammar school (of which more below) to the north and a series of handsome houses to the south. Originally built in the 13th century and St Laurence’s Gate survives but is difficult to inspect or appreciate, both because surrounded by a jumble of telegrath wires and other clutter, and because it is used by traffic as a point of entry from this side of the town. Immediately to the south on Featherbed Lane is a section of the old walls with its series of elliptical arches: both the walls and the lane are in poor condition and look as though little has been done for many years to improve their state. Moving northwards and to the periphery of the old town one reaches the Magdalene Tower, all that remains of the Dominican Friary founded by Lucas de Netterville, Archbishop of Armagh in 1224. It is likely to be of a later date, the upper windows judged to be from the early 14th century. At the end of the same century it was here that the Ulster chiefs acknowledged their submission to Richard II. Today it stands isolated amid housing estates. The Magdalene Tower’s environment is considerably better than that of Drogheda’s other medieval ecclesiastical remains, those of the Abbey and Hospital of St Mary d’Urso, aptly described by Christine Casey and Alistair Rowan in 1993 as ‘a perfect expression of the State’s lackadaisical attitude towards its historic build