What species interbred with humans in Europe and Asia before going extinct around 30,000 B.C.?

Homo sapiens, Neanderthals and Denisovans… did they interbreed? | Think, Learn & Live Think, Learn & Live Search for: Homo sapiens, Neanderthals and Denisovans… did they interbreed? Recent discoveries in DNA have shed light on the relationship of Homo sapiens and extinct hominids, Homo neanderthalensis and Denisova hominins. There is evidence to suggest that all three lived around the same time, and possibly in the same area (Krause et al., 2010)(Meyer et al., 2012). If these three groups lived close together, it should be possible to detect whether or not theyinterbred. If H. sapiens interbred with H. neanderthalensis and D. hominins, we should be able to find genetic evidence of this interbreeding in modern H. sapiens genomes. Using modern genetic examination (Gibbons, 2010), scientists have determined that H. sapiens did interbreed with both H. neanderthalensis (Green et al, 2010)(Hawks, 2013)(Meyer et al, 2012) and with D. hominins (Hawks, 2013)(Meyer et al, 2012). Homo neanderthalensis fossils were first discovered in 1856 in Germany, and ever since, scientists have been exploring the relationship of Neanderthals to modern humans. (Gibbons, 2012) The first “draft sequence of the Neanderthal genome” was published in 2010 (Green, et al), and that has given us insight into the relationship of Neanderthal DNA to the DNA of modern humans. Using data obtained by the Human Genome Project (Intl Human Genome Sequencing Consortium, 2001), scientists can compare human and Neanderthal DNA in order to discover the genetic relationship between the two.  The evidence suggests that Neanderthals lived in both Europe and Asia before going extinct around 30,000 years ago (Green et al, 2010). However, many of the Neanderthals interbred with H. sapiens before going extinct. According to Green and colleagues (2010) andHawks (2013), modern humans living outside of Africa represent between 1% and 4% of ancestry from Neanderthal populations. It is possible, with modern genomic technology, for the average person to send a sample of her own DNA to a lab (ex: ‘23andMe’) and get results showing her ancestry. If she has European ancestry, it is possible that she will also have some small percentage of Neanderthal ancestry (Gibbons, 2012). These sorts of results would only be possible had the Neanderthals interbred with direct ancestors of modern humans. Not all of the evidence suggests that Neanderthals interbred with the ancestors of modern humans, however. A study showed that there were no contributions from Neanderthal mtDNA to modern human mtDNA from a specimen recovered from Mezmaiskaya Cave in the northern Caucasus. (Ovchinnikov, 2000) This is not necessarily contradictory data from the other studies; it shows that not all Neanderthal populations interbred with modern human populations. The Denisova hominins, when compared to the Neanderthals, have been studied in much less detail. This is partially due to the minimal amount of evidence scientists have regarding the Denisovans; nothing more than the DNA from two teeth and a finger found in a cave in Siberia, aging from between 74,000 – 82,000 years ago (Harmon, 2012). The DNA that scientists do have, however, allows a fairly substantial analysis of possible interbreeding with the ancestors of modern humans. Analysis shows that approximately 6% of modern Papuans’ DNA came from the Denisovans (Harmon, 2012). Research also shows that modern Australian and Melanesian people derive up to 5% of their ancestry from the Denisovan population (Hawks, 2013) An analysis of mtDNA shows that the Denisovans, Neanderthals and modern humans diverged approximately one million years ago, but the Denisovans themselves lived from around 30,000 to 50,000 years ago (Krausse, 2010). This data conflicts with the data from Harmon, showing that mtDNA sequencing and DNA sequencing indicate different time periods in which the Denisovans lived. The DNA evidence does suggest that ancestors of modern humans interbred with the Denisovans, but when they lived together isn’t known with much certainty. Cooper and colleagues


In what country would you have found Robben Island prison?

Life in Prison on Robben Island Video - ABC News ABC News Act 3: ABC News' Alex Marquardt describes the scene of mourning and celebration in South Africa. 3:00 | 12/06/13 Coming up in the next {{countdown}} {{countdownlbl}} Coming up next: More information on this video Enhanced full screen Video Transcript Transcript for Life in Prison on Robben Island Now we look at the life of the man who transformed himself, while behind bars and you spoke to a young jailer that became mandela's trusted friend behind bars. This was an incredible tale, the jailer warned he would guard south africa's most dangerous criminal but they would form a secret code. Reporter: Here in america, mount rushmore honors the fathers of our democracy. In south africa, there would be one face. Nelson mandela, a hero to millions whose devotion to the cause of freedom transformed south africa. Mandela was an immensely charismatic figure. Tall, handsome, extroverted, had this fantastic smile, a smile that just lit up whatever room he went into. Reporter: But for 27 years, he spent most of his days a prisoner in this room. And it was there he would meet a young country boy, who started out mandela's enemy, but forged the least likely friendship in history. A prison guard named christo brand, who remembers took us to a hill overlooking robben island remembering what they warned him. That guard was just 18-year-old when he met his 60-year-old prisoner. When that jailer met mandela, he met an elder, who would treat the young white man with respect. And cristo would slowly offer the same in return. And that jailer told us of one of winnie mandela's visits, and her request she be allowed to show nelson mandela his brand new grand baby. She said can I please show nelson from a distance. Reporter: The jailer telling winnie, no children allowed. What she didn't know was while she waited in a holding area the jailer brought the baby to mandela. Tears were coming out of his eyes. Reporter: Nobody knew. Nobody knew. Reporter: There would be many secrets between the jailer and his friend and the secret code I would show him this, and i would just start showing him this. Mandela immediately know I'm bugged. I was bugged a lot of times. Reporter: You lied to keep your job and to keep your friendship with mandela. That's correct. Reporter: During all of those isolating years on robben island, the prison guard said there was one view from the prison courtyard of the country nelson mandela loved, and that was the very top of table mountain, here in cape town behind me. That mandela would look to this view, wondering if he'd ever be free. But for mandela, his own freedom was always less important than that of the people of south africa, even as a young man. For if life is a series of choices, nelson mandela never took the easy ones. He was born into african royalty -- the son of a chief, but chose to become a lawyer for the poor. I think not until he got to johannesburg where he felt the effects of prejudice for the first time, where -- where he felt, "my god, you're treating me like this." Reporter: His practice, the first black-run law firm in south africa, was flourishing, but he could not stay neutral against apartheid. A system that made blacks second class citizens, separate housing and schools. Crushing poverty. For more than three centuries we have lived at the most brutal system of racial oppression. Reporter: Mandela found his calling in the fight against apartheid. A south africa, where the white minority ruled a population that was nearly 90% black. And created divisions, committed untold massacres of innocent people because they wanted to be treated with dignity. His party, the african national congress, was committed to non violent resistance. But many of his own supporters would often ask why so many of their own paying the price. There are many people who feel that it is useless and futile for us to continue talking peace and non-violence against a government whose only reply is only savage attacks on an unarmed and defenseless people. Reporter: Peaceful res


According to cliché, what is the mother of invention?

'Necessity is the mother of invention' - the meaning and origin of this phrase Necessity is the mother of invention Meaning Difficult situations inspire ingenious solutions. Origin The author of this proverbial saying isn't known. It is sometimes ascribed to Plato and it does appear in translations of Plato's Republic. Those translations weren't made until much later than the phrase was in common use in English and are more likely to be the work of the translator than being a literal version of Plato's words. The proverb was known in England by the 16th century, although at that point it must have been known to very few as it was then documented in its Latin form rather than in English. Many well-known proverbs appeared first in Latin and were transcribed into English by Erasmus and others, often as training texts for latin scholars. William Horman, the headmaster of Winchester and Eton, included the Latin form 'Mater artium necessitas' in Vulgaria, a book of aphorisms for the boys of the schools to learn by heart, which he published in 1519. Roger Ascham came close to an English version of the phrase in his manual on how to use a longbow, which is by the way the first book ever written about archery, Toxophilus, 1545: "Necessitie, the inuentour of all goodnesse." George Chapman also had a 'close but no cigar' moment with his tragic play The Conspiracy and Tragedy of Charles, Duke of Byron, 1608: "The great Mother, Of all productions (grave Necessity)." The earliest actual usage of 'necessity is the mother of invention' that I can find in print is in Richard Franck's 'Northern Memoirs, calculated for the meridian of Scotland'. Originals of this text are difficult to locate, but it was republished in 1821, with a foreword by Sir Walter Scott. The frontispiece of the reprint states that the original was "writ in the year 1658". It contains this: Art imitates Nature, and Necessity is the Mother of Invention. 1658 seems the best date we have as the birth of the phrase in English. Frank Zappa gave this phrase an extra lease of life when he chose the name of his inventive jazz/rock band in 1964 - The Mothers of Invention. His use of 'mothers' clearly had a ribald meaning that Erasmus wouldn't have approved of but Zappa did at least keep the expression from dropping into 'granny phrase' obscurity.


What language does the word algebra come from?

Origin of the Word Algebra Origin of the Word Algebra The word is a Latin variant of the Arabic word al-jabr . This came from the title of a book, Hidab al-jabr wal-muqubala , written in Baghdad about 825 A.D. by the Arab mathematician Mohammed ibn-Musa al-Khowarizmi . The words jabr (JAH-ber) and muqubalah (moo-KAH-ba-lah) were used by al-Khowarizmi to designate two basic operations in solving equations. Jabr was to transpose subtracted terms to the other side of the equation. Muqubalah was to cancel like terms on opposite sides of the equation. In fact, the title has been translated to mean "science of restoration (or reunion) and opposition" or "science of transposition and cancellation" and "The Book of Completion and Cancellation" or "The Book of Restoration and Balancing." Jabr is used in the step where x - 2 = 12 becomes x = 14. The left-side of the first equation, where x is lessened by 2, is "restored" or "completed" back to x in the second equation. Muqabalah takes us from x + y = y + 7 to x = 7 by "cancelling" or "balancing" the two sides of the equation. Eventually the muqabalah was left behind, and this type of math became known as algebra in many languages. It is interesting to note that the word al-jabr used non-mathematically made its way into Europe through the Moors of Spain. There an algebrista is a bonesetter, or "restorer" of bones. A barber of medieval times called himself an algebrista since barbers often did bone-setting and bloodletting on the side. Hence the red and white striped barber poles of today.


What U.S. state has the highest average elevation at 6,800 feet?

Which State Has the Highest Average Altitude, Colorado or Alaska and Why? Which State Has the Highest Average Altitude, Colorado or Alaska and Why? 2010.11.24 2014.07.01 | Filed Under: Geography Colorado, which has an average elevation of 6,800 feet (2,073 m), has the highest average altitude. Alaska’s average elevation is just 1,900 feet (579 m). This is because many parts of Alaska lie at or near sea level. But the lowest spot in Colorado is still 3,350 feet (1,021 m) above sea level, near the town of Holly on the Arkansas River. The highest peak in Colorado is Mount Elbert, one of many high mountains in the Sawatch range of the Rocky Mountains. It rises 14,433 feet (4,402 m), or 2.73 miles (4.4 km), above sea level. Colorado has 53 mountains that reach more than 14,000 feet (4,267 m) above sea level, and 831 that rise between 11,000 feet (3,353 m) and 14,000 feet (4,267 m). Read More


"In what sport might you experience a ""sticky wicket"" or a ""wicked googly""?"

Language Log » Recycling "sticky wicket" for the uncricketed Recycling "sticky wicket" for the uncricketed « previous post | next post » Yesterday's Morning Edition took up the question of how " Bribery Accusations Hurt Wal-Mart's Stock Price ". The segment takes the form of a conversation between NPR's Chris Arnold and Charles Elson, director of the Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware, in which a metaphorically sticky wicket plays an important role. Like many Americans who use that phrase, Chris Arnold re-interprets the metaphor in a way that makes sense to those who are innocent of cricket: Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here . You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. ARNOLD: It's, of course, too early to say what will happen at Wal-Mart. There many of the payments appear to have been aimed at getting building permits more quickly. And actually there is a grey area there in U.S. law. Companies are permitted to make what are called facilitating payments, quote-unquote, to avoid getting something like a building permit stuck on a minor bureaucrat's desk. But Charles Elson says that can be a sticky wicket to try to go through. ELSON: When you cross the line from the payment which is acceptable, to a bribe, that's where you have your problems. ARNOLD: What is the difference, though, between a facilitating payment and a bribe? I mean a bribe is a payment that uh facilitates something, right? ELSON: Well, that's- that's why ((as I said)) – that's why it's such a sticky wicket. ARNOLD: Legal experts say lately the Justice Department has been making that wicket even stickier. That is, it's been showing less tolerance for companies to make under the table payments of any kind. The OED explains that in the game of cricket, a wicket is A set of three sticks called stumps, fixed upright in the ground, and surmounted by two small pieces of wood called bails, forming the structure (27 × 8 in.) at which the bowler aims the ball, and at which (in front and a little to one side of it) the batsman stands to defend it with the bat. (The wicket formerly consisted of two stumps and one long bail, forming a structure one foot high by two feet wide.) And by metonymy, a wicket can also be The ground between and about the wickets, esp. in respect of its condition; the pitch. Which gives rise to the figurative phrases to be on a good wicket, to be in an advantageous or favourable position; to bat (or be) on a sticky wicket The entry for sticky explains further: Horse Racing and Cricket. Of a course, a wicket: Having a yielding surface owing to wet. Also fig., esp. in phr. to bat (or be) on a sticky wicket: to contend with great difficulties (colloq.). But in the context of that metaphor, it makes little sense to talk about some legal clause being "a sticky wicket to try to go through".  I suspect that Arnold and Elson are thinking of the OED's sense 4 of wicket, glossed as "U.S. Croquet. A hoop." That's a kind of wicket that you literally do "go through"; and a croquet hoop might be figuratively sticky by virtue of being at an awkward angle, or literally (if implausibly) sticky by being coated with some adhesive substance. William Safire retracted a similar usage in " Gotcha! ", 1/13/2002: On the stickiness of wickets: I wrote about Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain, "maneuvering his way through the sticky wicket of the Middle East." One neither navigates nor maneuvers through such a soggy metaphor. The wicket, as I am informed gleefully by Lee Child, Jack Kenny and Ben Werschkul, is the ground on which the baseball-like game of cricket is played. When it is sticky, not in the sense of "tacky" but in the sense of "wet, slippery," the ball bounces on the ground in front of the batsman in unpredictable ways. This metaphor has been extended to a general meaning of "awkward, embarrassing, difficult," but as Mr. Child notes, "the key point is that the batsman is on a sticky wicket; he is perforce immobile in front of it


Monaco travel guide - Wikitravel Time Zone UTC +1 The principality of Monaco is a tiny city-state on the Mediterranean Sea and surrounded by France , although the Italian Riviera lies a few kilometres farther east. This is the second smallest independent state in the world (after the Vatican ) and is almost entirely urban. Understand[ edit ] Monte Carlo is not the capital of Monaco but a government district. The country is divided into four areas: Monaco-Ville (the old city ), the Condamine (port quarter), Monte-Carlo (business and recreation), and Fontvieille (recreation and light industry). With no natural resources to exploit other than its location and climate, the principality has become a resort for tourists and a tax haven for businesses. Monaco is six times the size of the Vatican and the world's most densely populated independent country. Get in[ edit ] Although not a member of either the European Union or the European Economic Area , Monaco maintains an open border and customs union with France and is treated as part of the Schengen Area. Both French and Monégasque authorities carry out checks at Monaco's seaport and heliport. A souvenir passport stamp may be obtained at the national tourist office. This is located at 2a Boulevard des Moulins, which is north of the garden across from the Casino. Weekend hours are short. By plane[ edit ] The nearest airport is the Nice Côte-d'Azur International , which is around 40 kilometres (24 miles) away from the city-centre in neighbouring France. It operates daily flights from nearly all of Europe's main cities, such as London and Paris . There are regular Rapide Cote D’Azur buses connecting Monte Carlo with both the terminals at Nice Côte-d'Azur airport, and taxis are always available outside the terminal buildings - although make sure a fee is agreed in advance or the meter is indeed switched on at the start of the journey, as shady French taxi drivers are notorious for charging tourists whatever they see fit. By helicopter[ edit ] Heli Securite and Heli-Air Monaco operate helicopter services between Nice and Fontvieille, Monaco. After collecting your luggage at the Nice airport, you go to the helicopter service waiting area. The helicopter ground crew takes you and your luggage from the Nice airport to the Nice heliport, on the other side of the airport, by van. The flight along the coast is beautiful, and you land right at the water's edge at the Monaco heliport, where a car service takes you directly to your hotel. Rates vary seasonally, in the range of €100-300. They spike up to €700 or more, however, during the Cannes Film Festival, usually held in late May. By train[ edit ] The Monaco-Monte Carlo station is very large, modern and mostly underground. There is an exit adjacent to platform C that, while not visible on Google Maps, is a five minute walk to the port. During the day tourist officials are typically available to help foreign travelers. It has good service to most of neighboring France and Italy. There are 2-4 services per hour to Nice, Cannes , Menton and Ventimiglia (Italy). Most international trains will stop, such as the 'Ligure' which links Marseilles and Milan , the 'train bleu' which operates between Paris and Ventimiglia , and the famous high-speed TGV which runs between Nice and Paris [1] . A TGV train between Paris and Monte Carlo takes around 6 and a half hours. Be aware that there's no left-luggage in the train station nor in the rest of Monaco. There's a law in Monaco forbidding leaving bags etc. in any place.If you are planning to visit Monte Carlo from Ventimiglia don't wait for a ticket in the Trenitalia counters or auto-machines. Go straight to the travel agency (the only one) inside the station, which is marked with the sign of SNCF (French Railways). If you plan to come back buy your return also (5.40 with return), ticket is open and you can validate it in auto machines without hour commitment of a particular train. Trains to and from Monte Carlo run every 15 minutes until late at night. The line is serviced by SNCF Regional Trains, whi


"Who said ""I'm strong to the finish, 'cause I eats me Spinach""?"

Popeye - Sammy Lerner (Lyrics and Chords) ARTIST: Sammy Lerner TITLE: Popeye Lyrics and Chords [Television Theme Song] I'm Popeye the sailor man Popeye the sailor man I'm strong to the finish 'cause I eats me spinach I'm Popeye the sailor man / C G7 C - / F - C - / F - C Am / F G7 C - /   I'm one tough gazookas which hates all palookas  What ain't on the ups and square  We', I biffs and I bops 'em, and always out-roughs 'em  But none of them gets nowhere   / Dm7 G7 C Am / Dm7 G7 C - / :   If anyone dareses to risk me fists  It's boff and its wham, understand?  So keep good behav'our, that's your one life-saver  With Popeye the sailor man   / F - C - / - C7 F - / Dm G7 C Am / Dm7 G7 C - / I'm Popeye the sailor man Popeye the sailor man I'm strong to the finish 'cause I eats me spinach I'm Popeye the sailor man


Pont Neuf is the oldest bridge in Paris. What does its name mean?

Pont Neuf, Paris, France, 8965 insider tips, photos, reviews & tickets   Ile de la Cité Walking tour with Typical French Lunch and a Boat cruise "The First Part: Walking on the Island of La Cité (Duration: up to 15 hours)The tour starts from the Metro station Pont Neuf where you will get to see the oldest bridge of Paris receiving the name of ""New Bridge"" and the statue of Henri IV - an old charmer - inviting you for a walk. You will see the Dauphin square filled with history of love mysteries of Templars and grape vines growing there once. You will see the Palace of Justice which guards the Laws of France and remembers Napoleon Bonaparte pass by the cruel Conciergerie the ancient royal residence in Paris turned into a prison at times of the French revolution then you way will lead you by the Clock Tower   Paris Illuminations Night Tour "Watch Paris sparkle as the sun sets and day turns to night on this 1.5-hour illuminations tour. Learn about the sights as you cruise down Paris’ tree-lined boulevards past animated cafes historic attractions monuments and squares. Ride through Place Vendôme and Opéra and down Rue de Rivoli to the Louvre. View Hôtel de Ville Place de la Concorde Notre Dame and the Grand Palais and Petit Palais and cross Pont Neuf to St-Germain-des-Près. Travel down the Champs-Elysées to l’Arc de Triomphe and loop back to Trocadéro for a stunning view of the glittering Eiffel Tower. Then pass Les Invalides   Paris Express City Tour "Places you can see include: Place de l'Opera Place de la Concorde Champs-Elysees Arc de Triumph Place du Trocadero Eiffel Tower (photo stop) Invalides


What is Angora Wool? (with pictures) What is Angora Wool? Last Modified Date: 06 December 2016 Copyright Protected: Top 10 amazing movie makeup transformations Angora wool is an extraordinarily soft knitting fiber produced from the fur of the Angora rabbit. It can only be spun from the hair of rabbits, while the product of angora goats is called mohair . The fibers have a very soft, silky texture and are usually 10 to 13 microns thick. They are also hollow, which gives them loft and a characteristic floating feel. In addition, angora fibers are very short, which can effect stitch density when the knitter is using wool with a high percentage of angora. Pure angora wool is impossible to make, because the fibers are too fine and the wool will simply unravel. The fibers are usually mixed with other soft fibers, such as cashmere and lambswool. Wool made of it tends to be very warm and is frequently used to trim sweaters or to knit hats and scarves. Angora is generally viewed as a luxury fiber, and most products made from it are very expensive, reflecting the laborious harvesting process and the small number of producers. Angora rabbits can be combed or gently sheared for their fur, and they have been used for that purpose in Turkey for centuries. The wool first became popular in Europe in the late 18th century, when it was popularized by the French. In the Americas, it didn't touch the popular imagination until the 20th century, when small cottage breeders began raising Angora rabbits and spinning their fiber. There are four breeds of Angora rabbits, beginning with the English breed, which weighs 5 to 7.5 pounds (2 to 3.5 kg). This breed produces a very large amount of fur and must be combed regularly to keep the hair free of tangles and debris. The good natured rabbits are popular in show, and their fiber wraps very tightly when spun, making an even and strong wool. The French breed ranges from 7.5 to 10.5 pounds (3.5 to 4.5 kilograms) and has a higher proportion of guard hair to wool. Guard hairs take color better, and many colored angora wool products come from the French breed. These rabbits require less grooming than other breeds and are recommended for novice breeders. The Satin breed has very shiny, soft fur with a satiny appearance. The hair is easy to collect and spin, and the 6.5 to 9.5 pound (3 to 4 kg) rabbits are favored by fiber collectors because their fur spins quickly and easily. The breed also tends to be richly colored, producing wool with high color saturation, although the all white Satins produce fur that takes dye very well. The Giant breed is significantly larger than the other breeds, often weighing more than 20 pounds (9 kg). The breed most often appears in white, and its wool must be harvested by shearing, because the rabbits do not naturally molt or shed. For sheer volume of collection, Giants are an excellent choice for breeders attempting to produce angora fiber for commercial use. Angora wool can be harvested year round, although it requires careful handwork, as most rabbits are combed. Most Angora rabbits are amenable, but nervous, and it is important to be gentle with them. The wool produced can be used in a wide variety of applications in which insulation, comfort, and warmth are needed, and the fibers are pleasurable to work with because of their luxurious look and feel. Ad anon356213 Post 13 The angora rabbits who live in Asia and are kept purely for their fur suffer extreme pain and terror as their fur is not "gently combed" away, but ripped out with no pain medication or anything, which makes the usually almost silent little bunny scream. Even if they are sheared, they are trussed with their front and back legs tied up and they are stretched out to enable the person brandishing the shears to get at them. This is also a horrific experience for the rabbit as it is suspended in mid-air by its legs alone. How terrifying is that? There are no animal laws in Asia and so these defenseless rabbits are kept in horrific conditions, in absolute pain and distress, just so you can wear a soft jumper.


What country's flag featured a hammer and a sickle?

Hammer and sickle Hammer and sickle A red hammer and sickle The hammer and sickle (☭) or sickle and hammer ( Russian : Серп и молот, serp i molot) is a Communist symbol that was conceived during the Russian Revolution . At the time of creation, the hammer stood for industrial laborers and the sickle for the peasantry; combined they stood for the worker-peasant alliance for socialism and against reactionary movements and foreign intervention . After the Russian Civil War , the hammer and sickle became more widely used as symbolizing peaceful labor within the Soviet Union and international proletarian unity. It was taken up by many Communist movements around the world, some with local variations. Today, even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union , the hammer and sickle remains commonplace in Russia and other former union republics , but its display is prohibited in some other former socialist countries, as well as in countries where communism is banned by the official law. Contents The Plough flag from 1914 and flown during the Easter Rising . Worker symbolism Farm and worker instruments and tools have long been used as symbols for proletarian struggle. A popular ancestor to the hammer and sickle was a hammer on a plough , with the same meaning (unity of peasants and workers). In Ireland, the symbol of the plough remains in use. The Starry Plough banner was originally used by the Irish Citizen Army , a Socialist, Republican Workers militia. James Connolly , co-founder of the Irish Citizen Army with Jack White , said the significance of the banner was that a free Ireland would control its own destiny from the plough to the stars. A sword is forged into the plough to symbolise the end of war with the establishment of a Socialist International. This was unveiled in 1914 and flown by the Irish Citizen Army during the 1916 Easter Rising . The first State Emblem of the Soviet Union (1923–1936). Inception In 1917 Vladimir Lenin and Anatoly Lunacharsky held a competition to create a Soviet emblem. The winning design was a hammer and sickle on top of a globe in rays of the sun, surrounded by a wreath of grain, and under a five-pointed star, with the inscription “proletariats of the world, unite!” in six languages ( Russian , Ukrainian , Belarusian , Georgian , Armenian , Azerbaijani ). It originally featured a sword, but Lenin strongly objected, disliking the violent connotations. [1] The winning designer was Yevgeny Ivanovich Kamzolkin (1885-1957). [2] [3] On 6 July 1923 the 2nd session of the Central Executive Committee (CIK) adopted this emblem. [1] Usage in the Soviet Union The Coat of Arms of the Soviet Union and the Coats of Arms of the Soviet Republics showed the hammer and sickle, which also appeared on the Red Star badge on the uniform cap of the Red Army uniform and in many other places. Serp i Molot ( transliteration of Russian : Серп и молот, “Sickle and hammer”) is the name of the Moscow Metallurgical Plant . Serp i Molot is also the name of a stop on the electric railway line from Kurski railway station in Moscow to Gorky , featured in Venedikt Yerofeyev ‘s novel, Moscow-Petushki . Meaning At the time of creation the hammer and sickle stood for worker-peasant alliance, with the hammer a traditional symbol of the industrial proletariat (who dominated the proletariat of Russia), and the sickle a traditional symbol for the peasantry, but the meaning has since broadened to a globally recognizable symbol for Marxism , Marxist parties , or socialist states . [1] In the Soviet Union the hammer and sickle came to take on a gendered meaning, with the sickle coming to be associated with women, and the hammer men. [1] Current usage Flag of Oryol , formerly used by the Russian SFSR . Two federal subjects of the post-Soviet Russian Federation use the hammer and sickle in their symbols: the Vladimir Oblast has them on its flag and the Bryansk Oblast has them on its coat of arms, which is also the central element of its flag. In addition, the Russian city of Oryol also uses the hammer and sickle on its flag. The former Soviet (n


Which English King fought in the Third Crusade?

Richard the Lionheart - The Crusades Updated February 02, 2016. Richard the Lionheart - Early Life: Born September 8, 1157, Richard the Lionheart was the third legitimate son of King Henry II of England. Often believed to have been the favorite son of his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard had three older siblings, William (died in infancy), Henry, and Matilda, as well as four younger, Geoffrey, Lenora, Joan, and John. As with many English rulers of the Plantagenet line, Richard was essentially French and his focus tended to lean toward the family's lands in France rather than England. Following the separation of his parents in 1167, Richard was invested duchy of Aquitaine. Well educated and of dashing appearance, Richard quickly demonstrated skill in military matters and worked to enforce his father's rule in the French lands. In 1174, encouraged by their mother, Richard, Henry (the Young King), and Geoffrey (Duke of Brittany) rebelled against their father's rule. Responding quickly, Henry II was able to crush this revolt and captured Eleanor. With his brothers defeated, Richard submitted to his father's will and asked forgiveness. His greater ambitions checked, Richard turned his focus to maintaining his rule over Aquitaine and controlling his nobles. Ruling with an iron fist, Richard was forced to put down major revolts in 1179 and 1181-1182. During this time, tension again rose between Richard and his father when the latter demanded that his son pay homage to his older brother Henry. Refusing, Richard was soon attacked by Henry the Young King and Geoffrey in 1183. Confronted by this invasion and a revolt of his own barons, Richard was able to skillfully turn back these attacks. Following the death of Henry the Young King in June 1183, Henry II ordered John to continue the campaign. Seeking aid, Richard formed an alliance with King Philip II of France in 1187. In return for Philip's assistance, Richard ceded his rights to Normandy and Anjou. That summer, upon hearing of the Christian defeat at the Battle of Hattin , Richard took the cross at Tours with other members of the French nobility. In 1189, Richard and Philip's forces united against Henry and won a victory at Ballans in July. Meeting with Richard, Henry agreed name him as his heir. Two days later, Henry died and Richard ascended to the throne. He was crowned at Westminster Abbey in September 1189. Richard the Lionheart - Becoming King: Following his coronation, a rash of anti-Semitic violence swept through the country as Jews had been barred from the ceremony. Punishing the perpetrators, Richard immediately began making plans to go on crusade to the Holy Land . Going to extremes to raise money for the army, he finally was able to assemble a force of around 8,000 men. After making preparations for the protection of his realm in his absence, Richard and his army departed in the summer of 1190. Dubbed the Third Crusade, Richard planned to campaign in conjunction with Philip II and Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa of the Holy Roman Empire . Richard the Lionheart - The Crusades: Rendezvousing with Philip at Sicily, Richard aided in settling a succession dispute on the island which involved his sister Joan and conducted a brief campaign against Messina. During this time, he proclaimed his nephew, Arthur of Brittany, to be his heir, leading his brother John to start planning a revolt at home. Moving on, Richard landed in Cyprus to rescue his mother and future bride, Berengaria of Navarre. Defeating the island's despot, Isaac Komnenos, he completed his conquest and married Berengaria on May 12, 1191. Pressing on, he landed in the Holy Land at Acre on June 8. Arriving, he gave his support to Guy of Lusignan who was fighting a challenge from Conrad of Montferrat for the kingship of Jerusalem. Conrad was in turn backed by Philip and Duke Leopold V of Austria. Putting aside their differences, the Crusaders captured Acre that summer. After taking the city, problems again arose as Richard contested Leopold's place in the Crusade. Though not a king, Leopold had ascended to


Royal Jelly Isn’t What Makes a Queen Bee a Queen Bee | WIRED Time of Publication: 7:00 am. 7:00 am Royal Jelly Isn’t What Makes a Queen Bee a Queen Bee There's no place like comb: two future honey bee queens developing on a bed of royal jelly. Waugsberg, CC For decades, scientists thought an excess of something special, a substance called royal jelly, elevated a regular honey bee larva to a queen. New research suggests we had it backward: It’s what future queens aren’t fed that matters. Royal jelly, which also is called “bee milk,” looks like white snot. More than half of it is water, the rest is a combination of proteins and sugars . Special glands in the heads of worker bees secrete the stuff, which gets fed to babies. A developing queen bee is fed royal jelly exclusively—not pollen and honey like her proletarian sisters. Some describe withholding royal jelly from worker bees as nutritional castration. These bees don’t get the special Food of the Gods. Or, perhaps, food of genetic monarchies. And so, we thought, their ovaries shrivel, and they don’t become a queen. It turns out, it’s the other way around. Not feeding an immature queen pollen and honey is what makes her royal, not her exclusive access to royal jelly. Queens and Genes Radically different looking animals can be created from identical genetic material; a worker bee and a queen bee differ only in which genes are activated. Genes make proteins, which build the rest of our bodies. By manipulating the environment of their offspring, honey bees genetically alter their bodies via nutrition. We’ve known for a while that bees’ diet is involved in building different kinds of bee bodies. Science is still figuring out just how that happens. Queen larvae are surrounded by royal jelly; they float on a sea of sugary bee gland snot in enlarged cells. Worker bees eat beebread (a type of fermented pollen) and honey. Nurse bees mash this into a “worker jelly” and add glandular secretions as a garnish. Workers don’t get the special stuff in queen jelly, and their ovaries shrivel. That’s the conventional explanation. But Dr. May Berenbaum , a professor at University of Illinois and an author of the new research, says there isn’t a simple answer to the question What do bee babies eat? “We had the hardest time figuring out what larvae eat,” she says. “Among other things, worker jelly and royal jelly appear to have, and there is no consensus, a slightly different ratio of mandibular to hypopharyngeal gland secretion … It all happens in the dark surrounded by 50,000 stingers. So it isn’t the easiest insect in the world to work on.” Beebread and honey are derived from plant materials, and like many plant materials, they contain a variety of phenolic chemicals. We eat them all the time;  flavonoids  are the plant chemicals that give plants their unique flavors (and help plants discourage plant-eating insects, among other functions). Royal jelly, however, has no detectable phenolic acids. None. From previous research, the researchers knew that flavonoids increase immune responses of adult worker bees . That’s a good thing; it has the side effect of helping bees detoxify pesticides faster. The scientists wondered how developing bees would react to phenolic compounds. To find out, they fed two groups of bee larvae diets with and without p-coumaric acid, a common type of flavonoid. Then they looked closely at differences in gene activation between the groups. The results were startling, unexpected, and nifty. It all happens in the dark surrounded by 50,000 stingers. So it isn’t the easiest insect in the world to work on. May Berenbaum Bees reared on the p-coumaric acid diet had ovaries significantly smaller than those reared without that compound. That’s the kicker, because what makes a queen bee a queen? She’s the only bee in the hive laying eggs. Fourteen genes known to be involved in worker-queen differentiation were upregulated, or increased in expression. Apis mellifera, Queen Honey Bee. Frank Greenaway/Getty Images Queen bees also are bigger and live longer than worker bees. In o


What element are computer chips typically made from?

Making Silicon Chips Making Silicon Chips The surprising process behind Intel® technology The world’s most advanced manufacturing Today silicon chips are everywhere. Intel creates industry-leading and world-first silicon products. These Intel® chips are some of the most complex devices ever manufactured, requiring advanced manufacturing technology. Step into a modern "fab" where Intel makes its chips, and you’ll discover a range of sophisticated processes spanning close to a million square feet of space. See the steps involved > Driving all forms of digital innovation Intel chips power Ultrabook™ devices, smartphones, tablets, high performance computing, data centers, and the Internet. They automate factories and are embedded in automobiles and everyday devices. The most sophisticated processor can contain hundreds of millions or billions of transistors interconnected by fine wires made of copper. Each of these transistors acts as an on/off switch, controlling the flow of electricity through the chip to send, receive, and process information. Chips today may have multiple cores. Silicon Silicon, the principal ingredient in beach sand, is a natural semiconductor and the most abundant element on Earth except for oxygen. Wafers To make wafers, silicon is purified, melted, and cooled to form an ingot, which is then sliced into discs called wafers. Chips are built simultaneously in a grid formation on the wafer surface in a fabrication facility or “fab.” Chips A chip is a complex device that forms the brains of every computing device. While chips look flat, they are three-dimensional structures and may include as many as 30 layers of complex circuitry. Clean rooms Chips are fabricated in batches of wafers in clean rooms that are thousands of times cleaner than hospital operating rooms. Bunny suits Fab technicians wear special suits, nicknamed bunny suits, designed to keep contaminants such as lint and hair off the wafers during chip manufacturing. Design The way a chip works is the result of how a chip’s transistors and gates are designed and the ultimate use of the chip. Design specifications that include chip size, number of transistors, testing, and production factors are used to create schematics—symbolic representations of the transistors and interconnections that control the flow of electricity though a chip. Designers then make stencil-like patterns, called masks, of each layer. Designers use computer-aided design (CAD) workstations to perform comprehensive simulations and tests of the chip functions. To design, test, and fine-tune a chip and make it ready for fabrication takes hundreds of people. Fabrication and test The "recipe" for making a chip varies depending on the chip’s proposed use. Making chips is a complex process requiring hundreds of precisely controlled steps that result in patterned layers of various materials built one on top of another. A photolithographic "printing" process is used to form a chip’s multilayered transistors and interconnects (electrical circuits) on a wafer. Hundreds of identical processors are created in batches on a single silicon wafer. Once all the layers are completed, a computer performs a process called wafer sort test. The testing ensures that the chips perform to design specifications. High-performance packaging After fabrication, it's time for packaging. The wafer is cut into individual pieces called die. The die is packaged between a substrate and a heat spreader to form a completed processor. The package protects the die and delivers critical power and electrical connections when placed directly into a computer circuit board or mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet. Intel makes chips that have many different applications and use a variety of packaging technologies. Intel packages undergo final testing for functionality, performance, and power. Chips are electrically coded, visually inspected, and packaged in protective shipping material for shipment to Intel customers and retail.


In 2012, Felix Baumgartner became the first person to break the sound barrier doing what?

Sky diver breaks sound barrier with 24-mile leap Sky diver breaks sound barrier with 24-mile leap Felix Baumgartner becomes the first sky diver to break the sound barrier. Post to Facebook Sky diver breaks sound barrier with 24-mile leap Felix Baumgartner becomes the first sky diver to break the sound barrier. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/RXa5Kr CancelSend A link has been sent to your friend's email address. Posted! A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. 169 To find out more about Facebook commenting please read the Conversation Guidelines and FAQs Sky diver breaks sound barrier with 24-mile leap Marco R. della Cava, USA TODAY Published 5:00 a.m. ET Oct. 14, 2012 | Updated 9:30 p.m. ET Oct. 14, 2012 CLOSE x Share In a giant leap from more than 24 miles up, a daredevil skydiver shattered the sound barrier Sunday while making the highest jump ever, a tumbling, death-defying plunge from a balloon to a safe landing in the New Mexico desert. (Oct. 14) Felix Baumgartner waves to the crowd after successfully jumping from a space capsule lifted by a helium balloon at a height of just over 128,000 feet above the Earth's surface Sunday in Roswell, N.M. (Photo: Ross Franklin, AP) Jump broke 52-year record Minor problems failed to cancel jump Moments before stepping off a small metal platform near Roswell, N.M., on Sunday and plunging to Earth from 24 miles in space, Austrian sky diver Felix Baumgartner offered a few static-filled words for posterity. "Sometimes you have to go really high to see how small you are," said Baumgartner, 43. Then he jumped, a diminishing white dot against an impossibly black sky. With his leap from 128,000 feet, Baumgartner becomes a larger-than-life figure in aerospace history, joining the ranks of those who have pushed personal and technological limits as they tempted fate and tested science. He reached 833.9 mph, or mach 1.24, which is faster than the speed of sound. No one has ever reached that speed wearing only a high-tech suit. He fell at supersonic speeds on the same date in 1947 that test pilot Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in an aircraft. Adding to his inevitable fame is the fact that the feat was streamed live on computers and smartphones around the world using more than 30 high-definition cameras arrayed on the ground as well as in and outside of his capsule. A two-hour BBC documentary will hit TV soon, and there surely will be the inevitable chats with talk show hosts and calls from admirers. But so far none of that seems to be getting to Baumgartner's buzz-cut head. Baumgartner's jump was possible partly due to an expensive operation packed with top scientists, but also to the pioneering work of adventurers past, says Margaret Weitekamp, a curator at the National Air and Space Museum focusing on popular culture and spaceflight. "In many ways, Felix was standing on the shoulders of giants," she said. "Baumgartner himself will be advancing the science of how the human body responds to the upper atmosphere, just as many test pilots did before him." The event seemed to be an irresistible blend of space derring-do and extreme sports insanity, particularly at the moment when Baumgartner could be seen standing on the edge of space in frightening HD clarity. "I was actually scared at that point," said Clara Moskowitz, assistant editor at Space.com. "I know he captured the attention of a lot of people, because I had friends who have no interest in space emailing and texting me. This was a human being literally stepping into the unknown. It doesn't get more intense than that." The Austrian skydiver's leap Sunday beat the record set by retired Air Force colonel Joe Kittinger, who in 1960 plunged out of an open basket from 102,800 feet. Kittinger served as a mentor to Baumgartner throughout the five-year project. The mission, dubbed Red Bull Stratos after the Austrian energy drink company that sponsored the jump, also set records for highest manned balloon flight (113,740 feet in 1961) and fastest free fall (Kittinger at 614 mph). Red Bull Stratos marks yet anothe


What type of bird has eggs with the same color as Tiffany jewelry boxes?

Bird Egg and Nest Identification | The Birders Report Egg And Nest Identification If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed . Thanks for visiting! Thank you for visiting my Egg & Nest Identification page. Since I get so many visitors to this page I wish to ask a simple favor of you. I am part of a movement to create an additional income stream for our National Wildlife Refuge system by promoting a Wildlife Conservation Pass  as an alternative to the Duck Stamp for non-extractive users of our National Wildlife Refuges. If you enjoy wildlife (which you obviously do if you are here trying to identify a nest or bird eggs) please further this worthy cause by going to our Facebook page and clicking the “Like” button. If you are really interested in helping and want to join us on this journey, check out Our Proposal and About Us pages on the website. If you are part of an organization you may want to discuss our proposal with your organization’s leaders and have your organization listed on our “Organizations in Support” page .  THANK YOU!! IMPORTANT: IF YOU FIND EGGS BY THEMSELVES OR IN A NEST DO NOT TOUCH THEM!  LEAVE THEM WHERE THEY ARE! Many times, even if you find an egg on the ground, all by itself, with no nest around, it may be a species of bird that uses a scrape nest (just a simple scrape in the dirt) and they will return to lay more eggs until they have a full clutch before they start incubating the eggs.  Please do not disturb nests or eggs that you may discover. I live in the United States and am only able to identify birds, eggs and nests of North American species PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW FOR EGG & NEST IDENTIFICATION HELP! If you have found a nest or bird eggs you would like to have identified, please send me an email with the following information: The city and state where the nest was discovered The habitat and location of the nest (i.e. deciduous or pine forest, grassland, marsh, farm or city and nest was in a bush or tree, on the ground, in my potted plant or in the seat of the tractor) A description of the nest, what the nest is made of and its dimensions What the eggs look like, color, size, shape and how many eggs in the nest If you can get a photo of the nest and eggs, with a coin in the photo for size comparison, it will facilitate the identification.  I enjoy the stories of nest discoveries and urge you to send me an email with your questions. If you are going to put up nestboxes and monitor them, it is important to know what species of bird is nesting in your birdhouses. I have put together a small sampling of the eggs and nests of the birds that I have nesting in my nestboxes here. Below the nest box photos there are several photos of bird nests and eggs, some from myself and others from readers asking for identification help. PLEASE REVIEW THE PHOTOS BELOW TO SEE IF THEY MATCH THE EGGS OR NEST YOU ARE INQUIRING ABOUT. I get many inquiries and try to answer all of them in a timely fashion by contacting you directly via email. This page will be updated often with my information and photos as well as photos from readers who give me permission to post their finds. Enjoy! Western Bluebird Nest and Ash-throated Flycatcher Nest The Ash-throated flycatcher nest (right) is made up of grass, weeds, fur and hair. Sometimes containing some cow or horse dung. The Western Bluebird nest (left) is a collection of fine grasses and sometimes include a feather or two, leaves and thin bark. It has a fairly shallow cup with, if your lucky, up to seven pale blue eggs.     Tree Swallow Nest and House Sparrow Nest The house sparrow nest (right) is a jumble of course grasses and weeds with seed heads and (in this case) Emu feathers that completely fill the nestbox. The nest will form a tunnel from the entrance hole almost to the bottom of the box. The tree swallow nest (left) will look similar to the western bluebird with many more feathers. In this case the swallows had lots of goose feathers nearby.     Oak Titmouse Nest and House Finch Nest The Oak Titmouse nest (left) is made of grasses and m


What U.S. Army rank is one higher than Captain?

Army Officer Ranks | Military.com Army Officer Ranks Army Reserve Identifies 595 NCOs for Advancement Military.com| by Amita Guha The Army Reserve on Thursday named almost 600 noncommissioned officers for advancement to the ranks of sergeant first class, ma... Army Selects 472 NCOs for Promotion to Sergeant Major Military.com| by Amita Guha The U.S. Army has announced it had identified almost 500 service members for promotion to the rank of sergeant major. Army Officers Second Lieutenant (2LT)(O1) Addressed as "Lieutenant." Typically the entry-level rank for most Commissioned Officers. Leads platoon-size elements consisting of the platoon SGT and two or more squads (16 to 44 Soldiers). First Lieutenant (1LT)(O2) Addressed as "Lieutenant." A seasoned lieutenant with 18 to 24 months service. Leads more specialized weapons platoons and indirect fire computation centers. As a senior Lieutenant, they are often selected to be the Executive Officer of a company-sized unit (110 to 140 personnel). Captain (CPT)(O3) Addressed as "Captain." Commands and controls company-sized units (62 to 190 Soldiers), together with a principal NCO assistant. Instructs skills at service schools and The United States Army combat training centers and is often a Staff Officer at the battalion level. Major (MAJ)(O4) Addressed as "Major." Serves as primary Staff Officer for brigade and task force command regarding personnel, logistical and operational missions. Lieutenant Colonel (LTC)(O5) Addressed as "Lieutenant Colonel" or "Colonel." Typically commands battalion-sized units (300 to 1,000 Soldiers), with a CSM as principal NCO assistant. May also be selected for brigade and task force Executive Officer. Colonel (COL)(O6) Addressed as "Colonel."  Typically commands brigade-sized units (3,000 to 5,000 Soldiers), with a CSM as principal NCO assistant. Also found as the chief of divisional-level staff agencies. Army Generals Brigadier General (BG)(O7) Addressed as "General." Serves as Deputy Commander to the commanding general for Army divisions. Assists in overseeing the staff's planning and coordination of a mission. Major General (MG)(O8) Addressed as "General." Typically commands division-sized units (10,000 to 15,000 Soldiers). Lieutenant General (LTG)(O9) Addressed as "General." Typically commands corps-sized units (20,000 to 45,000 Soldiers). General (GEN)(O10) Addressed as "General." The senior level of Commissioned Officer typically has over 30 years of experience and service. Commands all operations that fall within their geographical area. The Chief of Staff of the Army is a four-star General. General of the Army (GOA) This is only used in time of War where the Commanding Officer must be equal or of higher rank than those commanding armies from other nations. The last officers to hold this rank served during and immediately following WWII.


What country banned the sale of chewing gum in 2004?

Singapore lifts 12-year chewing gum ban - World news - Weird news | NBC News Lee, 80, stepped down as prime minister in 1990 but still wields considerable influence. Only 'therapeutic' gum allowed Gum became a sticking point months ago in Singapore’s free trade talks with Washington, when Crane pressed the issue. Singapore compromised, agreeing to allow only the sale of “therapeutic” gum in pharmacies, and the free trade pact took effect Jan. 1. The Health Sciences Authority, responding to questions from The Associated Press, said it has allowed the sale of 19 “medicinal” and “dental” gum products. C'mon — what's not to like? Hoof it over to Facebook to join the weird news herd. Orbit, which Wrigleys touts as good for teeth, hit pharmacy shelves just days ago. Pfizer Inc.’s Nicorette, a nicotine gum meant to help smokers kick their addiction, has been available since March. Nicorette costs $11 for a pack of 30 pieces. A pack of Orbit goes for 94 cents. “Why would I go through the trouble of getting nicotine gum if I can buy a pack of cigarettes without giving my name?” said Wong. “I don’t think the new rules will help smokers to quit.” The Straits Times newspaper, which has close government ties, reported Sunday that street cleaners have already complained about the return of spent wads of chewing gum to their once pristine pavement. Critics of restrictions have often cited the chewing gum ban as an example of the government’s excesses. But the partial legalization of gum is “really a nonevent,” said Koh Beng Liang, 25, a research engineer who said he hasn’t yet bothered having a legal chew. “Singaporeans will quickly realize it if the so-called loosening up is for foreign image, and not real change,” Koh said. © 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


"What French phrase means ""already seen""?"

15 French Words That You've Seen Before... in English While a majority of English words with French roots have morphed, changing through spelling and sound, there are endless everyday words that have remained purely French considered—even on Microsoft Word—part of the English language. Here are 15 of them: Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download) 15 French Words That You’ve Seen Before… in English 1. Déjà Vu and Déjà-Vu “I’m having déjà vu” has somehow secretly slipped into English to solely describe an inexplicable instance that may have never actually happened. “Already seen,” is the English translation of the French phrase with which we associate that weird feeling of reliving the same past experience. In France you’ll hear this word on an daily basis, because it’s used to express “having re-seen” a person, place or things, not in another life or dimension. In other words, it’s a factual encounter. The French do too believe in the weird phenomenon (of course they do!), but have a different way of spelling it (with a hyphen), déjà-vu. There is no difference in pronunciation though, which is why context is always key! For example: As-tu déjà vu ce film ? (Have you “already seen” this film?) J’ai eu un sentiment déjà-vu. (I had a (feeling of) déjà vu.) C’est du déjà-vu . (It’s nothing new./It’s predictable.) Note: There is always a space before “?” and  “!” when writing in French. 2. Mirage That word we all learn to describe the “illusion” of a cold water fountain in the distance while trekking through a long, hot desert. To “look at” or “wonder at” is the literal translation of this French word (having Latin roots). It also means to “mirror ” or “admire” in French, hence why English speakers use mirage to define a visual wish or desire. In a modern sense, mirage is a natural phenomenon caused by  atmospheric optics and the sun’s rays  that professional photographers use at their disposal to create beautifully, distorted images. Contrary to popular belief, a mirage is not a hallucination or optical illusion, though the French also use mirage as the English do. J’ai cru voir une île ; c’était un mirage. (I thought I saw an island; it was a mirage). 3. Façade Façade has multiple uses. For one, it’s a fancy word in English for telling someone they’re “fake,” or more nicely, “putting up a front.” “Frontage” or “face” is the literal English translation of this French word, but not exactly a person’s face, as figuratively used in English. “Face” [fas] in French is the word for “face” in English, so we see where the English picked up that figure of speech, but “visage” in French literally describes the body part of a person’s “face.” More commonly, in both English and French, façade is the “front” or “side” of a building, while the expression “en face” means “in front of.” La façade de cette maison est ancienne. (The façade of this house is old.) 4. Pot-pourri Ready to laugh? Pot-pourri translated into English is…drum role… “rotten pot.” In French it’s spelled pot-pourri or pot pourri, and has the same meaning as its English counterpart: fragranced dried flower, fruits and herbs used to get rid of bad odors. Some, mostly women, place pouches of potpourri in their drawers and “armoires” (another French word) to keep clothes smelling fresh—yes, leave it to the French. It’s also the French word for a Spanish stew made in Burgos (olla podrida), made from a large variety of ingredients—which explains the other English definition of potpourri: a collection of diverse items. J’ai acheté ce pot-pourri pour la salle de bain. (I bought this potpourri for the bathroom.) 5. Hors d’œuvre A favorite French phrase that gets our appetite going (oh hey, “appetite” is another French one, appétit!), to us English speakers, hors d’oeuvre screams lavish parties and cocktail hour. “Out of work” is the literal translation, hors (out) d’œuvre (of work). Historical context: Hors d’œuvre were served before/”out” of the main course or “work” of art (by the chef


What is the largest ethnic group in Germany (besides Germans)?

Ethnicity and Race by Countries Ethnicity and Race by Countries Find the ethnic and racial composition of every country in the world, listed alphabetically. South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs Mali Mande 50% (Bambara, Malinke, Sarakole), Peul 17%, Voltaic 12%, Tuareg and Moor 10%, Songhai 6%, other 5% Mongol (predominantly Khalkha) 94.9%, Turkic (of which Kazak is the largest group) 5%, other (including Chinese and Russian) 0.1% (2000) Montenegro Namibia black 87.5%, white 6%, mixed 6.5%. Note: about 50% of the population belong to the Ovambo tribe and 9% to the Kavangos tribe; other ethnic groups are Herero 7%, Damara 7%, Nama 5%, Caprivian 4%, Bushmen 3%, Baster 2%, Tswana 0.5% Wolof 43.3%, Fulani 23.8%, Serer 14.7%, Diola 3.7%, Mandingo 3%, Soninke 1.1%, European and Lebanese 1%, other 9.4% Serbia Uganda Baganda 17%, Ankole 8%, Basoga 8%, Iteso 8%, Bakiga 7%, Langi 6%, Rwanda 6%, Bagisu 5%, Acholi 4%, Lugbara 4%, Batoro 3%, Bunyoro 3%, Alur 2%, Bagwere 2%, Bakonjo 2%, Jopodhola 2%, Karamojong 2%, Rundi 2%, non-African (European, Asian, Arab) 1%, other 8%


What country's most common family name is Nguyen?

Why Are So Many Vietnamese People Named Nguyen? Why Are So Many Vietnamese People Named Nguyen? 02/18/14 AT 12:31 PM Close The current prime minister of Vietnam is Nguyen Tan Dung. The former president of the country, who ruled from 2006 to 2011, was named Nguyen Minh Triet. During the chaotic 1960s, when Vietnam was engulfed in a bloody civil war that involved the U.S. military, the country’s leaders included: Nguyen Ngoc Tho, Nguyen Khánh, Nguyen Xuân Oánh, Nguyen Cao Ky, Nguyen Van Thieu and Nguyen Văn Loc. Last October, one the country’s greatest military generals, Vo Nguyen Giap, died at the age of 102. In the United States, prominent Vietnamese-Americans (who have generally adopted the Western custom of placing their surnames at the end) include actor Dustin Nguyen, news presenters Betty Nguyen and Leyna Nguyen, film director Steve Nguyen, tech entrepreneur Bill Nguyen, author Kien Nguyen, poet Nguyen Chí Thien, U.S. Circuit Court judge Jacqueline Nguyen, football player Dat Nguyen, "Flappy Bird" creator Dong Nguyen and California lawmaker Janet Nguyen. Finally, the most famous Vietnamese figure of the 20th century -- revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh -- was actually christened Nguyen Sinh Con. Notice a pattern? Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung Photo: Reuters Indeed, Nguyen is the most common surname in Vietnam -- an estimated 40 percent of people in the country (and the Vietnamese diaspora) carry the name, according to Vietnam's Tuoi Tre News. Given that the global Vietnamese population totals about 94 million people, this means that some 38 million of them answer to "Nguyen." The overwhelming prevalence of Nguyen -- on a percentage basis -- even surpasses the popularity of "Kim" and "Park" in Korea, "Singh" and "Patel" in India; and "Smith" and "Jones" in the Anglo-Saxon countries. Nguyens Down Under Consider the situation in Australia, which has a Vietnamese population of some 220,000. As far back as 2006, the Australian Associated Press (AAP) reported that, despite the relatively small size of the Vietnamese community Down Under, Nguyen was already the seventh-most common surname in the nation, behind the familiar English-Scots-Irish appellations Smith, Jones, Williams, Brown, Wilson and Taylor. At that time, Michael Dove, managing director of a Melbourne-based company called MD&A, which analyzed data on surnames, told AAP: "The data is reflecting the diversity of the cultural background. One of the things that is probably quite surprising is that the non-British names are so dominated by Asian names." Dove further noted that Australian migrants from other parts of the world -- including Greece, Cyprus and Italy -- tend to have a wider array of surnames, whereas many East Asian surnames (like Vietnam's Nguyen) are more widely dispersed among their peoples. "There is much more diversity of Greek names and Italian names than in Vietnamese, Chinese and Hong Kong names," Dove said. (Indeed, consider that the world’s total population of Greeks does not exceed 20 million, less than one-fourth of the size of the global Vietnamese community.) By June 2003, Australian media reported that Nguyen was on pace to supplant Smith as the most popular surname in urban areas by the following decade. News Limited Network noted at that time that Nguyen already ranked as the second-most common name in Melbourne and the third-most popular in Sydney, the nation's two biggest cities. KPMG demographer Bernard Salt boldly predicted to News Limited Network then: "Nguyen will [overtake Smith] in Melbourne and Sydney within 10 years." Thus, it is reasonable to assume that now, in 2014, Nguyen has climbed to the very top of the name charts in Australia’s urban centers. Rise Of The Nguyens The surname Nguyen is believed to have originated in the Chinese surname "Ruan" (in the Mandarin language) or Yuen (Cantonese), owing to China’s long domination over Vietnam. Periodically, during both periods of Chinese rule as well as Vietnamese dynastic power in Vietnam, the name Nguyen was either forced upon the public (sometimes by threat of vi


What Greek titan was chained to a rock as punishment for giving fire to mankind?

Titan Punishments? | Myth Forum Titan Punishments? I can't remember them help please? Kronos- For being.. er ... a bad dad- Chopped to peices by children (Nice kids) Atlas- For assisting Kronos in fighting the gods- Made to hold up the sky (Uh heavy) Prometheus- For giving fire to humans- Chained to rock and get insides eaten daily. (Tasty?) Epimetheus- Boudica New Member I can't find what Rhea's punishment was but I like that she tricked Cronus and saved Zeus. Her symbol was the moon and also a swan, because it was a gentle animal. I love the moon! Dianna Member I do not remember what Rhea's punishment was either. Hyperion was the god of light who was punished by being thrown in to the pit of Tartarus. Blaire Calabro New Member Prometheus was punished by his liver being eaten by an eagle, for stealing fire and giving it to mankind Epimetheus's punishment was pandora and her box its kinda twisted but.... Click to expand... It is really twisted. After all it was Epimetheus's brother Prometheus who actually stole fire from Zeus to give to man. Prometheus started all kinds of problems. Pandora is actually mankind's punishment for what Prometheus stole. She was given all these great traits and all poor Epimetheus did was fall in love with her. Of course maybe Prometheus and Epimetheus should have just planned better so when man was created there was still a gift to give. Old World American Member Oceanus is a benign to mysterious entity; he didn't take sides in any war of succession. He still existed to the early Greeks as a huge river than encircled the known world. Later, he came to represent the more mysterious aspects of the unknown deep. Iapetus was the father of Prometheus; it was the pit for him. As for Rhea, I don't know. I imagine it wasn't any real punishment though, since she saved Zeus and Poseidon from their jackass dad. By the way, the reason Kronus was so viciously dealt with by his brood is that he gobbled up their former siblings trying to deter Gaia's prophecy concerning the Olympian succession from coming true, the jerk. Nella New Member Iapetus was the one that held Uranus down when Cronus castrated him with the sickle.  His punishment was to be cast into the Tartarean pit by Zeus at the end of the Titan War. Old World American Member Nella said: ↑ Iapetus was the one that held Uranus down when Cronus castrated him with the sickle.  His punishment was to be cast into the Tartarean pit by Zeus at the end of the Titan War. Click to expand... Epimetheus's punishment was pandora and her box its kinda twisted but.... Click to expand... Blaire Calabro said: ↑ Prometheus was punished by his liver being eaten by an eagle, for stealing fire and giving it to mankind Click to expand... Old World American Member Yeah, most of the ancient Greek stories don't put many women on pedestals. Also, on Rhea, everyone seems to have the same problems with her story in that once the Olympians rise to power, she dissolves. However, the Orphic tradition, the creation story according to Orpheus, places Rhea as Demeter, with her changing names once the reign of the Titans had ended. Zeus, still recognized as Rhea-now-Demeter's son, apparently can't keep it in the toga and rapes Demeter, producing Persephone, who is in turn raped by Zeus (sheesh!) producing Dionysus. The Orphic tradition depicts this lineage of lust and hysterics as fitting to its end result- Dionysus, the god of wine, and overseer of the orgy. Interestingly enough, since the word Dionysus means "born twice" it applies literally to the classical story of his genesis whereby he was pulled from his murdered mother's womb and then sewn into Zeus's thigh as a makeshift womb until he could be born, and applies figuratively to the Orphic tradition in that a mass of frenetic sexual energy was actualized twice in the process of "making" Dionysus. So it seems that Orpheus himself also wanted to know what the heck happened to Rhea after the Olympian war of succession; thus, he tried to make artistic sense of the mystery and began his own version of the creation myth.


Where would you find Capitoline and Palatine hills?

An Italian Adventure: The Coliseum, Roman Forum, Capitoline & Palatine Hills and the Trevi Fountian - YouTube An Italian Adventure: The Coliseum, Roman Forum, Capitoline & Palatine Hills and the Trevi Fountian Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on May 28, 2014 We went to the Flavian Amphitheater, The Roman Forum, the Palatine and Capitoline Hills and inside the Palatine and Capitoline Museums. We walked around Rome to the Piazza Navona and to the Pantheon, then later to the Trevi Fountain. Rome, Italy All video and pictures are mine. Disclaimer: I do not own the music used. Pictures In Order of Appearance: Picture 1: The Flavian Amphitheater, looking from the direction of the 7 Hills around the Roman Forum. Picture 2: A columned hall in the Flavian Amphitheater. Picture 3: Inside the Flavian Amphitheater, looking at the seating levels, floor level and the (now partially exposed) underground levels. Picture 4: The Arch of Constantine, commemorating Constantine I's victory at the Battle of Milvian Bridge (the 28th of October, AD 312) and the defeat of his adversary, Maxentius. Dedicated in AD 315. It was undergoing partial restoration at the time. Picture 5: The Arch of Titus, an honorific arch built by Domitian (c. AD 82) to commemorate his older brother Titus' victory over the Jews in the 1st Jewish Revolt and the siege/sack of Jerusalem (AD 70). At which time the Second Temple was burned. Picture 6: The Arch of Titus, depicting the sack of the Jewish Temple, where Roman soldiers are taking the wealth and precious objects from the Temple. Seen distinctly is the Temple's Menorah, the ancient 7-branched Jewish symbol of Judaism and the Temple/Tabernacle. Picture 7: The Arch of Titus, depicting Titus in his chariot, drawn by 4 horses in a parade of victory. Picture 8: The remains of the Hippodrome at Flavian's Palace on the Palatine Hill in Rome. Picture 9: A recovered fresco panel from Flavian's Palace, depicting minute scenes and intricate tiny patterns and designs, held in the Palatine Museum. Picture 10: A bust of a young Nero recovered from Flavian's Palace on the Palatine Hill. The information plate reads: Nerone giovane togato, Imp. Nero Claudius Caesar Aug. Germanicus (54-68 AD) Picture 11: A bust of a young Marcus Aurelius recovered from Flavian's Palace, the information plate reads: Marco Aurelio, Imp. Caesar M. Aurelius Antoninus Aug. (161-180 AD) Picture 12: Originally built as Temples in the Roman Forum, the buildings were converted later to church buildings. The small round building with the green door is the 'So-Called Temple of Romulus' identified as built by Emperor Maxentenius, AD 307, to honor his son deceased child son. The tall building next to it, with the arched stairs, is the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina. Dedicated to Faustina in AD 141 by the Senate and then alsoto her husband Antoninus Pius upon his death (138-161 AD). Picture 13: At the front are the remains of the circular Temple of Vesta, goddess of the Hearth. Behind it, rising up to the right, is the remains of the House of the Vestal Virgins, the virginal priestesses dedicated to the service of Vesta, who attended the sacred fire (symbolizing the life and soul of the Roman Empire and its fortunes, a flame that was never allowed to go out) and were considerably powerful women in the political world. Picture 14: The Temple of Caesar, built by Augustus and dedicated in 29 BC, is badly damaged from the structure that was once a high podium with six columns at the front, the remaining damaged altar still receives gifts of coins and flowers. Picture 15: The Roman Forum, looking at the tall square Curia building, the Arch of Septimius Severus and the Capitoline Museum above. The Curia was the council house of the Senate. The Arch of Septimius Severus, AD 203,


What word, staring with G, refers to a person who is not Jewish?

Who Is A Jew? | Jewish Virtual Library Who Is A Jew? Tweet Judaism is                  a religion as well as a nation and culture. Approximately 13.75                million people worldwide indentify as Jewish , with the vast majority living in either the United States or Israel. Jews come in all shapes, sizes, ethnicities and nationalities. There                  are black Jews from Ethiopia ,                  Chinese Jews from Shanghai and Indian Jews . There are Jews from Morocco and Iran , Jews from South America and Oceania . The practices and                  beliefs held by Jews range from those who openly identify as Orthodox and strictly observe ancient precepts to those that have                nothing to do with the religion or culture. Today, Judaism is comprised of four major                  movements: Orthodox , Conservative , Reform and Reconstructionist .                  Most Israelis are                  often described as "secular," but the majority observe Jewish                   holidays and are                  very knowledgeable about Jewish history and culture, which is taught                  in public school. The Conservative and Reform movements are particularly strong in                  the United States, but have yet to make significant inroads in Israel.                  Reconstructionism is a small and relatively new movement. Orthodoxy has grown in                  recent years in the United States and remains the strongest movement                  in Israel. The Orthodox, more so than the other movements, are also                divided among different sects. The Jewish movements have different                  interpretations of the Torah ,                  which lead to different rituals ,                  spiritual practices and beliefs. The diversity of beliefs and                  practices has led to different definitions of "Who is a                   Jew." This question is not just philosophical, it has political                  and legal ramifications. In Israel, questions of Jewishness have                  implications for immigration, conversion, marriage, divorce and the                  allocation of government money. Origins of the Words "Jew" & "Judaism" The original name for the people we now call Jews was Hebrews. The word "Hebrew" (in Hebrew, "Ivri")                   is first used in the Torah to                   describe Abraham ( Gen. 14:13 ). The word is                   apparently derived from the name Eber, one of Abraham's ancestors.                   Another tradition teaches that the word comes from the word "eyver," which means "the other side," referring to the fact that                   Abraham came from the other side of the Euphrates, or referring to                   the fact Abraham was separated from the other nations morally and                   spiritually. Another name used for the people is Children of                   Israel or Israelites, which refers to the fact that the people are                   descendants of Jacob ,                   who was also called Israel. The word "Jew" (in Hebrew, "Yehudi")                   is derived from the name Judah, which was the name of one of Jacob's                   twelve sons. Judah was the ancestor of one of the tribes                    of Israel , which was named after him. Likewise, the word Judaism literally means "Judah-ism," that is, t


What is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament to be played on clay courts?

4 Top Clay Court Tournaments in Tennis - Championship Tennis Tours "Sixth Set" Blog 4 Top Clay Court Tournaments in Tennis 4 Top Clay Court Tournaments in Tennis       The world’s leading tennis players and national teams are gearing up for clay season! Since the Masters tournament in Miami, players now turn to clay for the second grand slam of 2013. The Monte Carlo Rolex Masters, the Barcelona Open, the Rome Masters and the French Open are all highly anticipated events. Clay courts present a unique set of challenges for players; some excel on clay, while others struggle. Clay courts are considered “slow” and players utilize topspins to try and best their opponents. Clay courts tend to favor “baseliners” with a strong defensive game like Rafael Nadal , Roger Federer and Justine Henin . Here are overviews of the four major events of the season: Monte Carlo Rolex Masters | April 15 – April 21 This tournament celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2006. The first of three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments played on clay, this event is both a fan and a player favorite due to its incredible location. It boasts a long tradition of champions including Spain’s Rafael Nadal winning an Open Era record 8th consecutive title in 2012 along with a mindblowing 44-1 event record. Barcelona Open | April 22 – April 28 Held at the oldest Spanish tennis club, the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona-1899, the Barcelona Open celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2012. It is considered one of the most important events in Barcelona, in Spanish tennis and in the clay court season. The past 10 editions have been won by Spaniards, with Rafael Nadal raising the trophy seven of the past eight years. Rome Masters | May 13 – May 19 The Internazionali BNL d’Italia features the very best elite tennis players at the Foro Italico in Rome. However, this event is more than just a tennis event; it is considered by many fans to be a total entertainment experience. The Rome Masters features fine food, high fashion and incredible shopping as well as celebrity musical performances. It is by far one of the most glamorous stops of the ATP World Tour. French Open | May 26 – Jun 9 This time-honored tennis tournament is held over two weeks in Paris, France at the regal Stade Roland Garros. It is the second of the Grand Slam tennis tournaments on the tennis calendar and is considered the premier clay court tennis tournament in the world. The French Open is the only Grand Slam tournament that is still held on clay and it wraps up the spring clay court season with a flourish.


"What program's 9th step is ""making amends""?"

AA Step 9 – Alcoholics Anonymous Step 9, Ninth, 9th Waycross, Georgia 31501 Note Alcoholic.org is not affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) in any way. To contact AA or to find a meeting near you, visit their website . "Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a group therapy program for people suffering from alcoholism." Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a group therapy program for people suffering from alcoholism. Its core treatment philosophy is based on a personal improvement plan that is outlined in 12 specific action steps. AA step 9 of the 12 steps is a call for recovering alcoholics to make amends. It builds on step 8, which required the individual to make a list of everyone he or she has harmed throughout the battle with alcohol addiction. This 12-step program has achieved widespread acceptance and forms the basis of AA programs operated by chapters around the world. The program's philosophy has been adapted for use by other types of addiction recovery programs , such as for drug use and excessive gambling. The mandate to make amends in Alcoholics Anonymous step 9 is indicative of the program's approach to healing the emotional and spiritual aspects of a person, as well as ameliorating the physical and mental side effects of addiction. Step 9: Be Willing to Make Amends Step 9 requires the recovering alcoholic to be willing to go to any lengths to make amends. The individual must be willing to take this step no matter how severe the personal consequences. If making amends requires the person to report a past crime, he or she must be willing to go to jail to complete this step on the road to recovery. The spiritual aspect of the mandate encourages the recovering individual to seek strength and guidance to do the right thing from a higher power and from the others engaged in the program. Step 9 requires the recovering alcoholic to be willing to go to any lengths to make amends. The way a recovering alcoholic transitions into the 9th step of Alcoholics Anonymous is to take the list he or she created of people harmed from step 8 and divide the list into four categories. These categories determine the way the person approaches the process of making amends. The first category should include all of the people to whom the person can make full amends as soon as he or she is sober. The second category should include those people to whom the person will make partial amends, because full restitution would cause more harm than good. The third category should include the people who should not be contacted until a full and certain recovery has been achieved. This might include a child who could be disappointed if a recovery process results in a relapse . Last, the fourth category should separate out anyone to whom it is impossible to make amends, such as a person who has since passed away. The guiding principal of this step is to make full amends at the earliest opportunity, as long as such action is feasible, proper, and will not cause additional harm. Making amends must involve sincere efforts to apologize. The notion of being sincere involves adopting the right attitude before making an approach. A recovering alcoholic in the program is encouraged to forgive himself or herself and to forgive the person on the list for any actions done in retaliation. Step 9 should be pursued according to a plan that does not assign blame and allows the person who has been harmed the freedom to respond, even if the response is angry or unforgiving. A recovering alcoholic who successfully completes step 9 can find the process has built a bridge to new relationships with friends and loved ones. It can also help to remove the guilt and shame of past actions that can act as a stumbling block to full recovery. You can find an AA meeting near you by visiting the website . Seeking Treatment? Call us at


"What ""quiet beach community"" just north of Los Angeles is a popular place for celebrity mansions?"

Los Angeles: Southern California Beaches - TripAdvisor New! Find and book your ideal hotel on TripAdvisor — and get the lowest prices Los Angeles: Southern California Beaches Review a place you’ve visited JOIN Free Newsletter Interested in Los Angeles? We'll send you updates with the latest deals, reviews and articles for Los Angeles each week. Los Angeles Traveler Article: Los Angeles: Southern California Beaches Save Article Read more about Los Angeles Topics include Dining Scene, United States: For Foreign Visitors & more! Comments (0) SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BEACH COMPARISON Descriptions of the beach areas in Los Angeles and neighboring communities.  Beach areas are listed from north to south. (Santa Monica and Venice are the beach communities that are closest to central Los Angeles). MALIBU Malibu is the "brand name" beach community of LA County, world-famous for: 1. Gidget and Elvis beach movies of the 50's and 60's as well as home to the fictitious address in the popular, current TV series “Two and a Half Men” 2. As a surfing destination 3. As a location of celebrity beach homes 4. As the name of a Chevy car 5. And, as a word found on T-shirts sold around the world. Malibu has a single bus line along Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) which connects to Santa Monica and to a bus transfer center in mid-Los Angeles at Fairfax Ave. & Washington Blvd. The bus to Malibu runs less frequently than most of the buses to Santa Monica or Venice. Malibu is a very elongated community with beaches, stores, and restaurants strung out along the road. Thus the bus to Malibu works acceptably for going to a single beach, but not so well for going to more than one part of the community. It is north (and west) of Santa Monica, beyond the sleepy, narrow beaches of Pacific Palisades, and is on the outer edge of the major urban area of LA. If you are imagining a gorgeous French-Riviera-like Eden with celebs visible everywhere, or by contrast, a tranquil seaside retreat, you may be in for a disappointment on both counts. Most of Malibu's coastline is a narrow stretch of beach (some of it, private, with no public access and, in many cases, not visible to the public), running parallel to the multi-lane, high-traffic Pacific Coast Highway, affectionately referred to as the PCH, a 4 lane highway through the area. Because it is only major east/west road in the city, it can be very crowded during certain times of the day. The beaches are beautiful, windswept, boulder strewn, and natural.  On the inland side of PCH (away from the beach) are the Santa Monica mountains, where there are many hiking trails of all levels, some residential neighborhoods, cliffs, canyons and mountain views of the Pacific Ocean.   As you head west, the cliffs soften to hills (also covered in houses) and you approach Malibu Canyon Road, with Pepperdine University visible above. This area is the town center of Malibu, on Cross Creek Road, in a few tiny shopping centers on the inland side of the PCH. If you are of the star-struck persuasion, this is a good place to park, walk, grab a latte, and look for those stars and celebs. You're as likely to be lucky here as anywhere, as many stars do have homes in Malibu, and these are the local places to shop and eat. The homes get bigger, with gated estates, as you go west in Malibu. For the most part, you still can't see the beach-- though now at least you can imagine Barbra Streisand, etc, behind those lavish gates. Heading much farther west in Malibu, views of the ocean increase, and there are some great beaches with excellent public access, at Zuma and Leo Carillo. It's a good long drive to get there though-- Malibu goes on for 28 miles. There are few hotels/motels in Malibu. Malibu has little in the way of tourist infrastructure; there are vast stretches of PCH with no restaurants nor shops. Malibu as a day trip using a car from Santa Monica and Los Angeles is excellent, bring a picnic to enjoy at one of the state parks (Leo Carillo or Pt. Mugu are remote and beautiful).    Before you arrive in Santa Monica, you might note The Getty Villa


What geologic period came after the Triassic?

Triassic Period, Mesozoic Era Information, Dinosaur Facts -- National Geographic This requires the latest version of Flash Player. Click here to download. The start of the Triassic period (and the Mesozoic era) was a desolate time in Earth's history. Something—a bout of violent volcanic eruptions, climate change, or perhaps a fatal run-in with a comet or asteroid—had triggered the extinction of more than 90 percent of Earth's species. But it was also a time of tremendous change and rejuvenation. Life that survived the so-called Great Dying repopulated the planet, diversified into freshly exposed ecological niches, and gave rise to new creatures, including rodent-size mammals and the first dinosaurs. By the start of the Triassic, all the Earth's landmasses had coalesced to form Pangaea, a supercontinent shaped like a giant C that straddled the Equator and extended toward the Poles. Almost as soon as the supercontinent formed, it started to come undone. By the end of the period 199 million years ago, tectonic forces had slowly begun to split the supercontinent in two: Laurasia in the north and Gondwana in the south. The giant ocean called Panthalassa surrounded Pangaea. Areas near the coast were pummeled by seasonal monsoons, but ocean-circulation patterns kept the isolated and vast interior warm and dry. Even the Poles were ice-free. The Tethys Ocean filled the C and was the zipper upon which Pangaea began to split apart. Earlier failed attempts at the split formed rift valleys in North America and Africa filled with red sediments that today contain the best preserved fossils of Triassic life. Triassic Animal Life The oceans teemed with the coiled-shelled ammonites, mollusks, and sea urchins that survived the Permian extinction and were quickly diversifying. The first corals appeared, though other reef-building organisms were already present. Giant reptiles such as the dolphin-shaped ichthyosaurs and the long-necked and paddle-finned plesiosaurs preyed on fish and ancient squid. The bottom rung of the food chain was filled with microscopic plants called phytoplankton; two of the major groups still in the oceans today first appeared. Frogs, salamanders, crocodiles, turtles, and snakes slunk and slithered on and off the Triassic coast, lakes, and rivers. Pterosaurs, a group of flying reptiles, took to the air. On firm ground, moss, liverwort, and ferns carpeted forests of conifers, ginkgoes, and palm-like cycads. Spiders, scorpions, millipedes, and centipedes thrived. Grasshoppers appeared. But perhaps the biggest changes came with the evolution of dinosaurs and the first mammals in the late Triassic, starting around 230 million years ago. One of the earliest true mammals was the three-foot-long (one-meter-long) Eozostrodon. The shrewlike creature laid eggs but fed its young mother's milk. Among the first dinosaurs was the two-footed carnivore Coelophysis, which grew up to 9 feet (2.7 meters) tall, weighed up to a hundred pounds (45 kilograms), and probably fed on small reptiles and amphibians. It showed up about 225 million years ago. A few million years later came the 27.5-foot-long (8-meter-long) herbivore called Plateosaurus. The Triassic closed in the same way it began. Something—perhaps a volcanic belch or an asteroid collision—caused another mass extinction. Dinosaurs, however, survived and went on to dominate the Jurassic.


If you have insomnia, what can't you do?

What to Do About Insomnia What to Do About Insomnia Can't Sleep? Insomnia Types, Causes, and Treatments By Michael J. Breus, PhD From the WebMD Archives Just can't get to sleep ? Can't stay asleep? Waking up too early? Not feeling refreshed and restored in the morning? Not functioning well during the day? You may have insomnia . Up to about one-third of the population have symptoms of insomnia . Those with insomnia typically experience: Sleepiness Depression during the day and night An over-emotional state (tense, worried, irritable, and depressed) While it may be very difficult to get to sleep at bedtime , you find yourself "out like a light" in front of the TV, at a movie, reading, or even driving. And anticipating getting a poor night's sleep as well as developing rituals and behaviors you think will help your sleep (going to bed earlier) may actually have the opposite effect -- and make the problem worse. Such is the plight, misery, and danger of insomnia . Many of us experience temporary insomnia from a few days to a few weeks. This kind of insomnia usually results from normal events in our lives such as: A stressful event Illness Temporary pain Disturbances in sleep hygiene (environmental factors under your control that may contribute to disturbed sleep and insomnia) Disruptions to circadian rhythm (the 24-hour rhythmic regulation of our body processes) When stressful situations resolve, when you recover from illness, when the pain goes away, when sleep hygiene improves -- then sleep usually improves. Circadian rhythm disruptions like shift work and jet lag may contribute to insomnia because the times you fall asleep and wake up are temporarily shifted. Proper sleep hygiene, particularly the amount of and timing of light, can help re-set your circadian rhythm and improve the symptoms of insomnia from these causes. Medical Causes Insomnia also may result from a variety of medical conditions, pain, and even the treatments for these disorders. And poor sleep hygiene can make these medical conditions worse. Depressive illnesses are almost always associated with sleep disturbances. Those suffering from anxiety may be unable to sleep due to intrusive thoughts, an inability to relax, obsessive worrying , and an "overactive" mind. Bipolar , panic , and psychiatric disorders are each associated with sleep disturbances as well. Continued Pain from arthritis , other rheumatologic diseases, cancer , and various neurological disorders, like neuropathy from diabetes are common causes of insomnia. Gastrointestinal disorders like acid reflux and stomach ulcers, as well as angina from heart disease may cause chest pain , and consequent awakenings during the night. In addition, cluster headaches may be precipitated during certain stages of sleep or occur from lack of sleep. Treatment for these types of insomnia rests primarily with treating the underlying medical condition. These conditions, as with many others, interact with sleep in a complex manner, with each impacting the other. Exactly how all these factors interact is not completely known, but being aware of the sleep component allows us to target each aspect individually and achieve vastly improved interventions and treatments. So it is critical to understand and communicate to your doctor how your condition affects your sleep and that your sleep disturbances may exacerbate your medical condition. This will ensure that he/she may integrate your sleep problem into the overall treatment plan, and utilize a sleep specialist, if needed. The "pins and needles," "internal itch," or "creeping, crawling sensation" of restless leg syndrome (RLS) also make it quite difficult to fall asleep, especially since those symptoms occur more often when one is sleepy or lying down and are relieved only by vigorously moving the legs. The symptoms of RLS may awaken one out of sleep, forcing the sufferer to walk around to relieve the discomfort. Most people with RLS also have periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD), repetitive movements of the toe, foot, and sometimes knee and hip during sleep. Thes