On a state visit to Britain in 2003, US President Bush was welcomed by a salute of how many guns?

BBC NEWS | UK | Reporters' log: Bush in Britain Printable version Reporters' log: Bush in Britain The BBC's team of correspondents bring you news updates, as they happen, on President George Bush's state visit to the UK. Buckingham Palace :: Brian Hanrahan :: 2105GMT After a long day of pageantry today, the leaders will get down to politics tomorrow and we have one hint of what might be coming. Charles Kennedy the leader of the Liberal Democrats, said he was told by George Bush that if the sore point of the British detainees at Guantanamo Bay were raised by Mr Blair, then they would be sent back for trial in the United Kingdom-if that's what Tony Blair wanted. The Ballroom, Buckingham Palace :: Mark Orchard :: 2040GMT Palace staff are just putting the finishing touches to a stunning, and enormous, U-shaped table in the ballroom of Buckingham Palace. Soon the Queen and President Bush will sit down with one hundred and thirty guests for a meal which starts with soup and continues with halibut followed by chicken with cabbage and potatoes. The Scots Guards will provide the music from a balcony which overlooks the table and they'll be playing a range of songs from 'South Pacific' to the theme from the television mini-series 'Band of Brothers'. A large pipe organ with beautiful gilded pipes will also be heard during the evening. The banquet's main courses will be served on the Silver Gilt service and the Coronation glass of 1953 is being used for the drinks. There's no trace of nervous anticipation here, just a group and men and women quietly getting ready to serve dinner. Buckingham Palace :: Brian Hanrahan :: 2015GMT I think President Bush will see it as quite a satisfactory day. Just as the pictures of the demonstrations overemphasised their importance, as there was only a small amount of demonstrators, so the pictures of him with the Queen will overemphasise the strength of his welcome. There was hardly anybody in the streets to see him, because he wasn't in the streets himself. He was actually inside Buckingham Palace, he hasn't ventured out at all except in these sealed Cadillac's with their armoured plating. So I think what the viewers in the US will see is the president getting a very warm welcome, and some nasty demonstrators. But they won't appear too bad. Buckingham Palace :: Brian Hanrahan :: 1940GMT We're seeing the cars lining up to get into Buckingham Palace as the guests arrive for the state banquet this evening. There'll be short toasts and speeches from George Bush and the Queen, all essential parts of a state visit. The demonstrators are still in the Mall, but its good humoured. They've got some flashing light and windmills, but so far it's a very peaceful evening outside here. We shouldn't get the demonstration out of proportion, its a few hundred people, not particularly rowdy or noisy. It has been a picture-rich day, and there'll be more pictures to come. City Hall, London :: Tim Donovan :: 1850GMT The mayor Ken Livingstone has just got up on his feet. There are about 200 people here at City Hall. He said this is just how he envisaged it. Nobody would complain if he put on such a function for business staff or ambassadors. But he said it was incredibly important for those of us who believe the way forward is peace, to hold events such as this as a counterpoint to the official events. He also said the war in Iraq had been devastating for the insecurity it brings. Buckingham Palace :: Justin Webb :: 1825GMT The White House has told us within the last half hour or so that both the president and his staff are delighted. They think it has gone really well, the president really enjoyed the ceremonial this morning. They say his speech went down well, the audience were appreciative, he wasn't heckled of course. They say when the president met the families of British people who died in the World Trade centre he was in expansive mood. And yet there is this sense here that it is a slightly sterile state visit, simply because he hasn't been out and met ordinary people. He hasn't done the handshaking, he hasn't me


Who retained his title as the World Chess Champion after a challenge from Veselin Topalov in 2010?

List of the World Chess Champions By Edward Scimia Updated October 19, 2016. Though there have been many great players in the history of chess, only a select few have been honored to hold the title of World Champion. This article only mentions officially recognized World Chess Champions. However, it's worth noting that there were several unofficial champions previous to 1886, such as Paul Morphy . The concept of a world chess champion started to emerge in the first half of the 19th century, and the phrase "world champion" appeared in 1845.  Classical World Chess Champions The classical line of World Chess Champions began with Wilhelm Steinitz's defeat of Johannes Zukertort in their 1886 match. Since that time, the World Championship has typically been contested in a match between the current champion and a challenger, though tournaments have been used on occasion for various reasons. Rustam Kasimdzhanov (2004-2005) Veselin Topalov (2005-2006) In 2006, the two titles were united when Classical World Champion Vladimir Kramnik defeated FIDE Champion Veselin Topalov in a reunification match. World Chess Championship The World Chess Championship (sometimes abbreviated WCC) is played to determine the World Champion in chess. Until 1948 world championship contests were matches arranged privately between the players. The champion set the terms, requiring any challenger to raise a sizable stake and defeat the champion in a match in order to become the new world champion. From 1948 to 1993, the championship was administered by FIDE. In 1993, the reigning champion (Garry Kasparov) broke away from FIDE, which led to the creation of the rival PCA championship. The titles were unified at the World Chess Championship 2006. Current world champion Magnus Carlsen won the World Chess Championship 2013 against Viswanathan Anand and successfully defended his title against Anand in the World Chess Championship 2014. Other separate events and titles are the Women's World Chess Championship, the World Junior Chess Championship (for players under 20 years of age), and the World Senior Chess Championship (for men above 60 years of age, and women above 50). There is also a World Computer Chess Championship, which is the only event computers may participate in.


The father of which ex prime minister of the UK was a trapeze artist and a garden gnome salesman?

BBC News | UK | The miraculous Major-Balls Friday, May 21, 1999 Published at 14:28 GMT 15:28 UK UK The miraculous Major-Balls The revelation that the former Prime Minister John Major has discovered a half-brother he never knew he had is the latest twist in a colourful family background. It's a revelation made all the more fascinating because all the while that John Major did not know about it, his brother Terry Major-Ball did. John Major is keeping the details of his newfound halfbrother secret - until he publishes his autobiography later this year. All families have a different story to tell, but the Major-Ball family history is particularly rich. Here BBC News Online provides a potted guide. Tom Major-Ball The man who Bruce Anderson described as "one of the most fascinating characters of the century", made an impact on the public for a number of reasons. There was the job as the trapeze artist, the gnome manufacture, and - now - the revelation that the former prime minister had a half brother he didn't know about. And there was always the name - he was known as Abraham Ball, but his stage name was Thomas Major. He gave his children different variations of the names. Other highlights in his colourful life included playing professional baseball, briefly leading part of the Uruguayan army, and fathering his son John at the age of 62 to his second wife, Gwen. Some reports claimed an old circus poster for Tom Major in Brixton were the inspiration on the young south Londoner David Bowie when writing Space Oddity. Terry Major-Ball Where John Major was endlessly pilloried for his sheer, unashamed ordinariness, elder brother Terry has lived a little more dangerously. In the days when his younger brother would be toiling late into the night on a vital piece of government legislation, Terry was also burning the candle at both ends - at a West End night-club. A banker by trade, Terry's relative fame saw him "mature" into a more convincing heir of the Major-Ball legacy of eccentricity. He appeared to embrace the hedonism of late night clubbing and was once spotted in deep conversation with a topless model at Stringfellows. He lapped up photo-opportunities to be photographed with his beloved garden gnomes showed and took to becoming a "writer". His most notable work was an autobiography entitled Major Major, which offered an insight into life growing up in the unorthodox Major household. Despite their differences, the two brothers share a strong physical resemblance, and Terry is also adept at giving the sort down-to-earth homespun wisdom associated with John. John Major When he took over as PM, Mr Major's popularity broke records. If this was because of his consensual, unflamboyant manner (quite different from Lady Thatcher's), it soon became a caricature. Spitting Image made him completely grey, and played on his unusual pronunciation of the word "want". Some of the things he will be remembered for are standing on a soapbox in Luton during the 1992 general election campaign, talking about warm beer and evensong, and failing a test to become a bus conductor. True to his family form, though, from time to time he showed he had the ability to shock and act out of character. Getting furious off-camera (but while audio tapes were still running) with Eurosceptics in his cabinet and calling them "bastards" is a good example. As was shocking the whole country by resigning in summer 1995 and challenging his detractors to stand against him. Norma Major "First ladies" divide into two camps - those who choose to live out lofty ambitions though their spouse, and those who couldn_t give a jot about the fame and power of influence. Norma Major, who confessed to feeling "physically sick with terror" when John was made Foreign Secretary (Foreign Secretary!), is unequivocally in the latter grouping. The former needlework teacher's reluctance to play the "media game" - after John's election as PM she wore the same blue frock two days running - meant she was given a hard time in the Press. "Dull", "dowdy" and "ordinary" were among the adjectives that


Issei is a Japanese term used by Japanese in countries in North America, South America and Australia to describe what?

Issei - WOW.com Issei For other uses, see Issei (disambiguation) . Issei (一世 ? , "first generation") is a Japanese language term used in countries in North America and South America to specify the Japanese people who were first to immigrate . Issei are born in Japan, their children born in the new country are referred to as Nisei (second generation), and their grandchildren are Sansei (third generation). All of them come from the numbers "one, two, three" in the Japanese language , as Japanese numerals are "ichi, ni, san." The character and uniqueness of the Issei is recognized in its social history. [1] Contents History The first Japanese-Brazilian (Nipo-brasileiros) immigrants arriving aboard the Kassato Maru in 1908. They would call themselves Issei. Although the earliest organized group of Japanese emigrants settled in Mexico in 1897, [2] the four largest populations of Japanese and descendants of Japanese immigrants live in Brazil , the United States , Canada and Peru . Brazilian Issei Main article: Japanese Brazilian Brazil is home to the largest Japanese population outside Japan , numbering an estimate of more than 1.5 million (including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity), [3] more than that of the 1.2 million in the United States . [4] The Issei Japanese Brazilians are an important part of that ethnic minority in that South American nation. American Issei Main article: Japanese American The first members of the Issei did not emigrate directly to the mainland United States, but to Hawaii (when it was American-controlled but not yet one of the United States). These emigrants — the first of whom arrived on board the steamship City of Tokio in February 1885 — were common laborers escaping hard times in Japan, and their emigration was subsidized by the Hawaiian government, which needed cheap labor for its sugar plantations . A large number of Japanese eventually settled in Hawaii. [5] Emigration of Japanese directly to the United States began a little later in 1885, with the arrival of "student-laborers". [6] The earliest of these emigrated to San Francisco , and their numbers continually expanded in the late 1880s and early 1890s. Their purpose in moving to America was to gain advanced knowledge and experience in order to develop the modern society at home. Both students and laborers were attracted by the image of America as a country that welcomes foreigners. When they first arrived in the U.S., they had not intended to live there permanently, but rather to learn from Americans and to bring that knowledge back home. Canadian Issei Main article: Japanese Canadians Within Japanese-Canadian communities across Canada, three distinct subgroups developed, each with different sociocultural referents, generational identity, and wartime experiences. [7] [8] The narrative of Issei Japanese-Canadians include post-Pearl Harbor experiences of uprooting, incarceration, and dispersal of the pre-war Japanese-Canadian communities. [9] Peruvian Issei Main article: Japanese Peruvian Among the approximately 80,000 Peruvians of Japanese descent, the Issei Japanese Peruvians comprise only a small number. Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori was the Nisei son of Issei emigrants from Kumamoto , Japan . Fujimori's political opponents tried unsuccessfully to prove that he was actually born in Japan — in which case he would have been Issei like his immigrant mother and father. [10] Cultural profile Generations Japanese-Americans and Japanese-Canadians have special names for each of their generations in North America. These are formed by combining one of the Japanese numbers corresponding to the generation with the Japanese word for generation (sei 世). The Japanese-American and Japanese-Canadian communities have themselves distinguished their members with terms like Issei, Nisei, and Sansei which describe the first, second and third generation of immigrants. [8] The fourth generation is called Yonsei (四世) and the fifth is called Gosei (五世). The Issei, Nisei and Sansei generations reflect distinctly different attitudes to authority,


Who was the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 882 to 887 AD?

Kingdoms of Germany - The Holy Roman Empire King of the Western Franks & Italy . 877 - 879 Charles the Bald dies while fending off Carloman (son of   Louis the German, king of the Eastern Franks , who himself had   been beaten to the Italian throne by Charles the Bald). Carloman gains Italy, but suffers a   debilitating stroke just two years later. Unable to rule in anything but   name and having no legitimate offspring, he divides his holdings between his   brothers. Louis the Younger gains Bavaria while Charles the Fat gains Italy. Carloman's illegitimate son, Arnulf,   becomes duke of Carinthia . 880 Lotharingia , which has been   divided between the Eastern Franks and the Western Franks since 870, is incorporated into the Frankish empire thanks to   the Treaty of Ribemont. 881 Charles the Fat succeeds as titular head of the Frankish   empire, holding the position as Emperor Charles III. He is crowned by Pope John VIII. In   the following year, 882, Louis the Younger dies and Charles, as the   last remaining of the three brothers, inherits his territories of Bavaria , Franconia , Saxony ,   and Thuringia , thereby reuniting East Francia following its division in 876. Charles the Fat (not necessarily living up to his descriptive         sobriquet) welcomes messengers into his tent as titular head of         the Frankish empire, as depicted in the fourteenth century Grandes Chroniques de France 881 - 888 King of the Eastern Franks & Italy . 882 Louis   the Younger dies and Charles, as the last remaining of the three brothers,   inherits his territories of Bavaria , Franconia , Saxony ,   and Thuringia ,   thereby reuniting East Francia following its division in 876. It must be Charles who appoints Henry of   Babenberg, his right-hand man, as the acting count of Franconia. 888 The rule of the nascent Holy Roman empire falls to non-Frankish   emperors when the weak Charles is deposed by the Germans at the Diet of Tribur.   The power of the Franks in Germany is broken forever. Germanic Roman Emperors AD 888 - 962 Emperor Charles III was deposed by the Germans at the Diet of Tribur (November   887), and the Frankish empire was officially divided between East and West. The   western section became modern France ,   while the eastern section became modern Germany . Five stem   duchies also emerged at the same time in Germany, all of which were powerful   divisions of the old territory of East   Francia , and these were Bavaria , Franconia , Saxony , Swabia ,   and Thuringia . Berengar of Friuli claimed the throne of Italy , but Guy of Spoleto was a major rival. Guy   failed in his attempt to gain overlordship of the Western Franks ,   and now wanted the Eastern Frankish throne. They engaged in battle and Berengar   emerged as marginal victor. Arnulf of Germany immediately forced Berengar to   accept vassal status under him, but it seems that Berengar held the Germanic   imperial title. This dual claim to Germany and Italy set a precedent that became   the norm, becoming entrenched over the next century. It frequently gave the   Germanic emperors domination over northern Italy which was the cause of much   later strife. 888 - 889 King of Italy . Not crowned   emperor. 889 With the truce of 888 having expired, Guy of Spoleto attacks Berengar at the   Battle of the Trebbia. This time Guy is successful and he assumes the Italian throne,   while Berengar is reduced to his own north-eastern Italian holdings in the   march territory of Friuli. Despite many attempts, Berengar is unable to   retake Italy. 889 - 894 Crowned   by Pope Stephen VI. Duke of Spoleto . King of Italy . 890 The Norse Viking,   Ottar, reports his findings to King Alfred of Wessex ,   who has his account included in the additions to the Universal History   of Orosius, which the king republishes. The book is a shared work   between Orosius and King Alfred. The Kven Sea is mentioned as the northern   border of Ger


What is the nickname of Apsley House, the former London residence of the Dukes of Wellington, that stands alone at Hyde Park Corner on the south-east corner of Hyde Park?

Duc, Parcs and Maison on Pinterest Pour en savoir plus : heritage-explorer.co.uk. Apsley House from with the Hyde Park Screen to the left. Apsley House was built by Robert Adam between 1771 and 1778 for Baron Apsley. It is also known as 'Number 1 London' since it was originally the first house encountered after passing the tollgates at the top of Knightsbridge. The house passed to the Wellesley family in 1807. Plus


Steam Greenlight :: Gynophobia Game is released! May 29, 2015 -   Gua My horror shooter about abnormal fear of woman called Gynophobia released on Steam as an Early Access title. Game is playable from start to finish and it was already tested by people. Current Steam version has been improved significantly compared to the version available on Desura. Also current steam version includes Steam Trading Cards. Game is available for Windows and OSX, although OSX version is a bit out of date compared to the Windows version. I plan to add Linux version a bit later. You can get it here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/365020/ Gynophobia will be released May 29. May 26, 2015 -   Gua Horror shooter game about abnormal fear of women Gynophobia will be released 05/29/15 on Steam as Early Access title. Game was significantly updated and improved compared to the current version available on Desura. Gynophobia will also include Steam trading cards. New screenshots and trailer are available on Steam and on www.creashock-studios.com . Version for PC and Mac will be available on May 29. I plan to add Linux version a bit later.


A study of bacterial DNA through the 1960s and 1970s isolated and identified a new branch of the tree of life many of whose members live in places extremely hostile to other forms of life. What is it called?

Evolution: Glossary A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z acquired trait: A phenotypic characteristic, acquired during growth and development, that is not genetically based and therefore cannot be passed on to the next generation (for example, the large muscles of a weightlifter). adaptation: Any heritable characteristic of an organism that improves its ability to survive and reproduce in its environment. Also used to describe the process of genetic change within a population, as influenced by natural selection . adaptive landscape: A graph of the average fitness of a population in relation to the frequencies of genotypes in it. Peaks on the landscape correspond to genotypic frequencies at which the average fitness is high, valleys to genotypic frequencies at which the average fitness is low. Also called a fitness surface. adaptive logic: A behavior has adaptive logic if it tends to increase the number of offspring that an individual contributes to the next and following generations. If such a behavior is even partly genetically determined, it will tend to become widespread in the population. Then, even if circumstances change such that it no longer provides any survival or reproductive advantage, the behavior will still tend to be exhibited -- unless it becomes positively disadvantageous in the new environment. adaptive radiation: The diversification, over evolutionary time, of a species or group of species into several different species or subspecies that are typically adapted to different ecological niches (for example, Darwin's finches). The term can also be applied to larger groups of organisms, as in "the adaptive radiation of mammals ." adaptive strategies: A mode of coping with competition or environmental conditions on an evolutionary time scale. Species adapt when succeeding generations emphasize beneficial characteristics. agnostic: A person who believes that the existence of a god or creator and the nature of the universe is unknowable. algae: An umbrella term for various simple organisms that contain chlorophyll (and can therefore carry out photosynthesis ) and live in aquatic habitats and in moist situations on land. The term has no direct taxonomic significance. Algae range from macroscopic seaweeds such as giant kelp, which frequently exceeds 30 m in length, to microscopic filamentous and single-celled forms such as Spirogyra and Chlorella. allele: One of the alternative forms of a gene. For example, if a gene determines the seed color of peas, one allele of that gene may produce green seeds and another allele produce yellow seeds. In a diploid cell there are usually two alleles of any one gene (one from each parent). Within a population there may be many different alleles of a gene; each has a unique nucleotide sequence. allometry: The relation between the size of an organism and the size of any of its parts. For example, an allometric relation exists between brain size and body size, such that (in this case) animals with bigger bodies tend to have bigger brains. Allometric relations can be studied during the growth of a single organism, between different organisms within a species, or between organisms in different species. allopatric speciation: Speciation that occurs when two or more populations of a species are geographically isolated from one another sufficiently that they do not interbreed. allopatry: Living in separate places. Compare with sympatry . amino acid: The unit molecular building block of proteins , which are chains of amino acids in a certain sequence. There are 20 main amino acids in the proteins of living things, and the properties of a protein are determined by its particular amino acid sequence. amino acid sequence: A series of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins , usually coded for by DNA . Exceptions are those coded for by the RNA of certain viruses, such as HIV. ammonoid: Extinct relatives of cephalopods (squid, octopi, and chambered nautiluses), these mollusks had coiled shells and are found in the fossil reco


It is traditionally distilled from malted barley, grain, potatoes or whey and is one of the strongest alcoholic beverages in the world. What is it?

RTÉ Radio 1: Documentary on One - Drop of the Craythur Documentary on One Drop of the Craythur For lovers of all things Irish - A bilingular documentary on Poitín, the Irish drink traditionally and illegally distilled from malted barley or potatoes in rural Ireland for centuries - One of the strongest alcoholic beverages in the world. Rate this doc Narrow results Drop of the Craythur Poitín or poteen, is a traditional Irish distilled, highly alcoholic beverage. Poitín was traditionally distilled in a small pot still from malted barley grain or potatoes. Poitín was generally produced in remote rural areas, away from the interference of the law. A wash was created and fermented before the distillation began. A wash for 100 gallons of fresh water contained six stone (84 lb) of potatoes, six stone of sugar and some yeast. Stills were often set up on land boundaries so the issue of ownership could be disputed. Prior to the introduction of bottled gas, the fire to heat the wash was provided by turf. In the Republic, smoke was a giveaway for the Gardaí (Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) in the North), so windy, broken weather was chosen to disperse the smoke. The still was heated and attended to for several days to allow the runs to go through. In later years, the heat was provided by gas and this reduced discovery by police while distilling. The quality of poitín was highly variable, depending on the skill of the distiller and the quality of his equipment. If poorly produced, it can contain dangerous amounts of methanol and can blind or kill. Producing poitín was a source of income for some, while for others it was produced for cheap alcoholic drinking. Poitín was popular at weddings and wakes and a large supply was at hand. Farmers often used it (and still do) as a cure for sick calves and other farm animals as well as a method of curing muscle cramp/problems. While not as widely used now, poitín is still available. It was common for communities to leave poitín distilling to widows to grant them a source of income. Poitín is also used in the Irish midlands as an alternative to deep heat; it is commonly rubbed onto muscles to warm them. Produced by Pat Feeley First broadcast 26th December, 1976 An Irish radio documentary from RTÉ Radio 1, Ireland - Documentary on One - the home of Irish radio documentaries Facebook


"Who coined the expresssion ""portmanteau words"" for words made from combinations of other words, such as ""brunch""?"

More About Portmanteau Words more about portmanteau words Happy "Word Carrying!" what's a portmanteau word? A portmanteau word is a single word produced by joining parts      of two      or more words and combining their meanings, spellings, and sounds. The new      portmanteau word is a mixture or blend of each of the original words;      it possesses a unique meaning that's different      from but related to the meaning of each of the words that comprise it. Another definition for portmanteau word is blend. Blend carries the idea that the sounds, spellings, and meanings of two or more      different words have been blended or merged to form a single new word      with a unique new meaning that's not exactly the same as the meaning      of any of the words it combines. Although a portmanteau word's meaning is different from the meaning of      each of the words it combines, its new meaning relates to each of the      combined words, and it expresses something new and different about      them. For example, brunch is a portmanteau word that blends the      words breakfast and lunch. A brunch is neither a breakfast nor a lunch; it's a single meal that serves as      both breakfast and lunch. Brunch is spelled with a combination      of the letters that spell breakfast and lunch and it      sounds like both words when pronounced. Originï¿½Lewis Caroll Lewis Carroll is the originator of the concept of the portmanteau word      and, as such, was the first to use one in print. He also invented the      term portmanteau word itself. As examples of portmanteau words, we'll examine two      portmanteau words devised by Lewis Carroll, the words slithy and mimsy. These kinds of words first appear in the English language in      Carroll's imaginative adventure story, Through the Looking Glass. In the book, Humpty Dumpty, talking to Alice, clears up her      confusion over words she has read in a poem called Jabberwocky (also by      Carroll). Humpty Dumpty explains to Alice that slithy combines two previously  existing English words, slimy and lithe. Mimsy combines miserable and flimsy. More About the word Portmanteau A portmanteau is a large      leather suitcase that opens into two hinged compartments. It's a case or bag           to carry clothing in while traveling, especially a leather           trunk or suitcase that opens into two halves. Chiefly, the term is used by the British, who borrowed it from the French word portemanteau, which is derived      from porte, meaning to carry, and manteau,      meaning cloak or mantle, a loose outer garment. Literally, it means It carries           the cloak. It's a bag that's large enough to carry a      cloak. The anglicized term portmanteau is a single word formed by merging the sounds and      meanings of two different French words (porte, manteau).      Neverhteless, portmanteau is not itself a portmanteau word;      it is a single word formed by placing the French equivalents      for two English words (carry, cloak) next to each other. more      about portmanteau words The term portmanteau word is borrowed from the English word      portmanteau. Despite this fact, the word portmanteau is not itself a      portmanteau word. Why? Because, to be a portmanteau      word, a word must have been created by combining two other words to      form a single word in a special way. The new word that emerges must be a word that is not      merely the two original words stuck together side-by-side      (concatenated); and the new word must mean something different from either of      the original words taken alone or both taken together. Here's an example of a true portmanteau word: chortle. Chortle is a combination of chuckle and snort.      Although chortle is composed of chuckle and snort, a      chortle is neither a chuckle nor


What was the name of Paddington Bear's aunt, who sent him from Peru to London?

To be, Aunt and The o'jays on Pinterest Paddington and Aunt Lucy Gabrielle designs! Ready and waiting for the nursery to be finished... Not sure I want to share these with the baby lol See More


If someone holds their breath, chokes, or in some other way suspends external breathing, the term is what?

Blackout? Safe erotic asphyxiation - BDSM Tips & Techniques - tribe.net Blackout? Safe erotic asphyxiation topic posted Sat, November 7, 2009 - 12:04 AM by  John So I am into erotic asphyxiation, I finally found someone who has an interest with me. I know the dangers but here is my situation. When I am being choked, I am completely restrained and have a blindfold and a gag. This means that I really can't tell my girl to stop; the only thing that i can do is hold something in my hand and once dropped, my girl will stop. I'm worried that I might black out, which would then cause me to drop the object and my girl would stop (as previously stated). The way my girl chokes me is by pressing on my upper throat (just under my jaw) with her hand (part between her thumb and forefinger) so that blood can still flow to my head. I have never passed out yet, but if I do, I told her that if I do not wake after about 30 seconds, to essentially breath 2 to 3 breaths of air into my lungs (pretty much CPR) and that should bring me back relatively soon. I know that normally if a person was to be choked out in this way that they will usually awake by them them self (because the heart rate increases, increasing blood and oxygen to the brain causing the person to wake up, assuming that the persons airway is cleared and there is some oxygen left in the lungs) but a person will not awake if they are choked out to the point where the lungs completely use ALL the oxygen in the lungs then CPR is needed or death will occur. I'm wondering if anyone reading this has ever blacked out by this method or similar (gas mask) before and have awaken safely? Any tips? (Please don't tell me i'm crazy or to stop, because I won't I until i get it out of my system) posted by: Re: Blackout? Safe erotic asphyxiation Sat, November 7, 2009 - 5:06 PM Jay Wiseman has written a lot about erotic asphyxiation. He's something of an expert on it. It is possible to die from it, but I think Jay may over exaggerate the chances of this. Still, I do recommend that you look for his article (you should be able to find it on the internet) and read it. It might not be fun for your girlfriend to be charged with manslaughter. Re: Blackout? Safe erotic asphyxiation Tue, November 24, 2009 - 8:43 PM Actually, Domina, the risks of death from this are so high that even in an emergency room setting, with people fully trained in the techniques that are essentially what are used in this sort of play, albeit for legitimate medical reasons, they always have a full crash cart right at hand, and a whole ER full of doctors and nurses. The risks are *extremely* high - *especially* if the person being choked/asphyxiated has any kind of known or hidden heart problem. Re: Blackout? Safe erotic asphyxiation Fri, January 1, 2010 - 5:44 AM there is nothing that i find more sensual/sexy/hotter than hell.... than a hand wrapped around my throat, but i've never taken it as far as losing consciousness. i enjoy being completely and totally aware of what is happening. Re: Blackout? Safe erotic asphyxiation Sat, January 2, 2010 - 10:50 PM Thank you, KLG. I don't personally do it, because it's unsafe, but I didn't think it was as unsafe as you said it was. However, YOU would know. So thank you for the heads up. Sun, January 3, 2010 - 3:03 PM This just seems like an oxymoron to me. I also suggest learning from some experts. Jay is going to do his best to talk you out of it and he has good reason to. There are huge risks involved. We had someone locally die this way years ago. Jay has a profile on tribe so you might search for that and read his blogs. I'm sure there is something about this subject there and you'll find out why he is an expert. Re: Safe erotic asphyxiation Fri, April 23, 2010 - 11:29 PM You're right, Kelly; it *is* an oxymoron. There is *no* such thing as "safe" erotic asphyxiation. There are only people who are lucky enough to not die from it - this time. Sun, January 10, 2010 - 1:19 AM You're welcome, Domina. The technique used medically is called "carotid sinus massage", takes ve


Which South American country stretches over 3,000 miles from north to south and less than 300 miles from east to west?

South America |authorSTREAM South America   Does not support media & animations   Automatically changes to Flash or non-Flash embed   The presentation is successfully added In Your Favorites . Views:   This Presentation is Public   Favorites:  5 SOUTH AMERICA PowerPoint Presentation: South America can be divided into 5 physiographic divisions. The Andes Brazilian Highlands Guiana Highlands The Amazon basin The Deserts The Andes MOUNTAINS: The Andes MOUNTAINS Run from NW Venezuela to the southern tip of Tierra Del Fuego. The mountain was formed by the subduction of the Pacific plate beneath South American plate. It is the world’s longest and second highest mountain range. Andes Mountains: Andes Mountains it stretches 4,500 miles from north to south, along the west coast. The longest continental mountain range in the world, Farming in the Andes is made possible by cutting terraces into the sides of mountains.: Farming in the Andes is made possible by cutting terraces into the sides of mountains. The rocks used to create the terraces also absorb heat and help keep the crops from freezing. Coffee and potatoes are two crops grown here. The work is hard, and produces a small yield. Coca Farming : Coca Farming Coca is much easier to grow than other crops. It is refined and then smuggled out of the area. Smugglers even use submarines to carry drugs. Animals of the Andes: Alpaca, Andean Condor, Chinchilla, Llama : Animals of the Andes: Alpaca, Andean Condor, Chinchilla, Llama PowerPoint Presentation: The highest point of the mountain range is Mt. Aconcagua, which is 6962 m high. The Andes is divided into three sub regions. They are: Northern – Venezuela, Columbia, & Ecuador Central – Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia (altiplano) Southern – defines the border between Chile & Argentina (South of Santiago the mountains are lower) There are several important cities situated within the Andean region. They are Bogota, Santiago, Cusco, La Paz, Merida & Quito. Lake Titicaca: L ake Titicaca Lake Titicaca is a mountainous lake found on the border of Peru & Bolivia. By volume it is the largest lake on the continent. It is the highest commercially navigable lake in the world. There are 42 islands in the lake, some of which are densely populated. Lake Titicaca: Lake Titicaca 10/13/2012 The Brazilian Highlands: The Brazilian Highlands One of the most important physiographical region of the continent, occupying an area of about 2 million sq. miles. Also know as Brazilian Plateau, it is made up of basaltic lava. Guiana Highlands: Guiana Highlands Occupies the area of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, with parts in Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil. The region is very sparsely populated. Angel Falls can be found here. Angel Falls: Angel Falls The tallest waterfall in the world. Located in Venezuela. Over 3,000 feet tall. Llanos: Llanos A tropical grassland situated in between the northern Andes and Guiana Highland. Occupies a few million square km of Venezuela and Colombia. This region is characterized by seasonal flooding, which can be as high as a meter. The principal river draining this region is the Orinoco. The people working here as cowboys are locally known as Llaneros. The grasslands are being cleared for agricultural purposes. Amazon River Basin : Amazon River Basin The 2 nd longest river in the world, the largest by volume. The width of the Amazon River varies from 1 mile wide to   130 miles wide and floods during the rainy season.: The width of the Amazon River varies from 1 mile wide to   130 miles wide and floods during the rainy season. The Amazon Rainforest: The Amazon Rainforest 1.4 billion acres in 9 countries, the largest part in Brazil. Deforestation is threatening many species. PowerPoint Presentation: Some of the best bird-watching opportunities in the world About 20% of earth's oxygen is produced by the Amazon rainforest.: About 20% of earth's oxygen is produced by the Amazon rainforest. VENEZUELA: VENEZUELA About 2 times the size of California Climate: tropical, hot, humid Population: 28 million Ethnic groups: Spanish


Edward the Confessor was crowned King of England in which century?

Edward the Confessor, King of England « The Freelance History Writer July 29, 2012 By Susan Abernethy in Anglo-Saxon History , Medieval History Tags: Earl Godwin of Wessex , Edith of Wessex , Edward the Confessor , Emma of Normandy , Harold Godwinson , Harold Harefoot , King Cnut , King Harthacnut , King of England , Westminster Abbey 9 Comments Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor was the last Anglo-Saxon king who could trace his ancestry back to King Alfred the Great and King Cerdic of Wessex. He was the great-great-great grandson of Alfred and he died childless, leaving England open to conquest from overseas. Edward’s father was Aethelred the Unready , the hapless king who was besieged by the Vikings on all coasts. In 1002, he was widowed and contracted a marriage with Emma of Normandy , the sister of Richard, Duke of Normandy. Edward was born at Islip in Oxfordshire within the first two years of his parents wedding. Edward’s mother was a formidable woman but his father was not someone he could look up to and he may even have been ashamed of him. Aethelred was in an impossible situation with all the attacks and when Edward was about ten, his father was deposed and the whole family had to go into exile under the protection of Edward’s uncle in Normandy. Aethelred was restored to the throne of England in 1014 and Edward was given a chance to serve his future subjects. Instead of appearing in England himself, Aethelred sent Edward to represent him at great risk to Edward’s life. Edward carried out the mission well and the Witan (council) banned any future Danish kings due to his model behavior. But two years later, Aethelred had died and Edward and his brother Alfred were back in Normandy. Their half brother, Edmund Ironside was fighting to keep the throne from the Danish King Cnut . By the end of 1016, Edmund was dead and Cnut convinced the Witan to elect him King of England. In order to keep her place of power, Edward’s mother Emma married King Cnut. Emma made Cnut swear no sons by any other wife or mistress could inherit the throne other than her sons, in essence abandoning Edward and Alfred. She was to have a son Harthacnut in 1018 who was to become her favorite. Edward and Alfred were in exile and in limbo and the only one keeping them from possible assassination was their mother. Edward and Alfred grew to manhood in the custody of their uncle who didn’t want to risk sponsoring their return to the throne. Cnut died in 1035 and their prospects turned a little brighter. Cnut’s illegitimate son, Harold Harefoot had seized the throne but Emma was fighting to get her son Harthacnut on the throne. Harthacnut was in Denmark and was taking his time coming back. In 1036, Edward and Alfred both returned with forces to England. Edward turned back realizing he was outnumbered. Alfred landed with larger forces but was greeted by Godwin, Earl of Wessex. Godwine was the most powerful earl in the kingdom and an alliance between the sons of Aethelred and King Harold Harefoot was a threat to his position. Godwin attacked and decimated Alfred’s forces and took custody of Alfred. He had Alfred’s eyes gouged out, unmercifully mutilating him. Alfred was taken to the monks at Ely and left to die of his gruesome wounds. This may have deterred Edward from trying again to gain the throne and he may have felt guilty about the death of his brother. One thing is certain, he never forgave Godwin for murdering his brother. The English soon grew tired of the antics of Harthacnut and Harold Harefoot. Harthacnut had finally prevailed and ruled as King from March 1040 until his death at a drunken wedding celebration in June 1042. Edward was in Normandy when he got the news. He returned to England and the Witan elected him King. He was enthroned at Canterbury and later crowned at the Old Minster at Winchester on April 3, 1043. Edward needed Godwin of Wessex and his power base to shore up his own power. Godwin had escaped being punished for Alfred’s death by giving gifts to Harthacnut and insisting that Harold Harefoot had made him do it. At the v


"Joe Calzaghe, known as ""The Pride of Wales"", was a boxing world champion in which category?"

Joe Calzaghe – TalkBoxing Joe Calzaghe Introduction Welsh boxer Joe Calzaghe MBE, also known as ”The Pride of Wales”, will go down as one of the best pound for pound boxers in the history of the sport. Born in Hammersmith, London in 1972, he is the most successful boxer Great Britain has ever seen. Calzaghe is the longest reigning title holder at any weight class in the sport of boxing at the moment, after he recently surpassed the ten year mark as the WBO Super Middleweight champion. He is also the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2007 beating Lewis Hamilton into second, after he Joe Calzaghe achieved just over 28% of the public votes. This made him the first Welsh winner of the award since show jumper David Broome won it in 1960. Although he was born in London, he has spent all his life in Wales, living with his Welsh mother Jackie, and Sardinian father Enzo, who is also his trainer. This mixed heritage is also why he is sometimes referred to as the “Italian Dragon”. Career Overview Amateur Days Calzaghe first put on a pair of boxing gloves at the age of nine and was immediately more comfortable being a southpaw. His success started as early as his teens when he entered the record books as the only British amateur boxer to hold 3 ABA Boxing titles at three different weights (Welter, Light Middleweight and Middleweight). This feat has only ever been achieved by one other boxer in the history of the sport. Calzaghe the Professional Calzaghe started his professional career in the Cardiff Arms Park in September 1993, and made his debut on the Lewis-Bruno bill the following month. In the following two years, Calzaghe won all nine fights by knockout, but was yet to feature in a title fight. It was because of this that the Welshman left the management of Mickey Duff and Terry Lawless and moved to Frank Warren’s stable in 1996. Warren was optimistic about Calzaghe and his potential. Comparing the Welshman to Nigel Benn, someone who he managed previously, Warren stated, “Joe Calzaghe is a far better prospect, in fact he is my fighter for the new millennium.” First Taste of Success The choice to move management seemed to work almost immediately. After just two fights under Warren, he had his chance at a title. In October 1997, Calzaghe faced British boxing legend Chris Eubank for the WBO Super Middleweight title in Sheffield. Eubank was a strong favourite, but Calzaghe shocked the boxing world by defeating the two time WBO champion after he knocked down Eubank in the first round, before winning by a unanimous points decision. This was the first real success for Calzaghe. The boxing world began to take notice. A Long Seven Years After taking the title off of Eubank, Calzaghe had to wait a further seven years for a unification fight. It was during these seven years that Calzaghe’s reputation began to grow. His boxing credentials were proven again in 2005, when he fought Kenyan boxer Evans Ashira. Somehow, and amazingly, Calzaghe broke his left hand in the third round yet still managed to win the fight one-handed by a unanimous decision. Unification Tussle Calzaghe finally got the opportunity for a unification fight against the American, and IBF World Champion, Jeff Lacy in 2006. Lacy was the pre-fight favourite with the bookmakers and pundits alike. However, just like Eubank and many others before, Lacy failed in his conquest to beat Calzaghe and win his WBO title. Joe Calzaghe gave an astonishing performance, after he threw and landed over 1,000 punches, winning by another unanimous points decision. The performance against Lacy was Calzaghe’s best to date. Many have said that it was one of the finest world championship displays by a British boxer, even better than that of Eubank, Benn and Lennox Lewis. Calzaghe was now a recognised force in world boxing. Unfortunately, Calzaghe was forced to relinquish his IBF World Championship due to commercial reasons. Calzaghe instead chose to go ahead and defend his WBO super middleweight title against former ‘Contender’ star Peter Manfredo Jr. The fight took place in April 2007 in fr


What type of show is the US/Canada TV series Stargate SG-1?

Stargate SG-1 Fan Reviews & Ratings - TV.com 7.0 By sremnes ,    Mar 31, 2013 This show is prettey good, not as good as Stargate Atlantis and Universe, but not at all bad. extremely long arch's and too any fill inn episodes to make it a higher rated. Richard Dean Anderson's humor is a big plus, And Michael Shanks is also fgreat in his potarayal of Daniel Jackson, Christoper Judge is not such a good role, and Amanda Tapping is a boring i know it all role. The show has a great ending, and some legendary i recommend Universe and Atlantis before you watch this show. DO YOU AGREE? 2.0 By Edmund_Wells ,    Feb 10, 2013 The writing for this show is painful, the characters uninspiring and the acting embarrassing. And did they consult with any military personnel for advice on how the military actually conducts itself? Or military strategy? Not to mention the lousy costumes and special effects. The first episode was laughable and set the tone for as long as I could stomach it, hoping it would improve. The fact this series lasted ten seasons is a mystery I can only speculate relates to high numbers of the easily amused or ignorant. The original 1970's Battlestar Galactica was better done. Firefly was twenty times better - writing and acting and characters - and that little gem was canceled after only one season. Battlestar Galactica was Shakespeare compared to Stargate, and they jumped ship after four seasons. The Star Trek series - TNG, DS9, Voyager - all light years ahead in terms of writing, characters and acting (even Worf) - yet each of these lasted only seven years. So for any "fan" of Stargate who equates "longest running" sci-fi series with "best", I suggest you check into sick bay for a hypo-spray of taste. DO YOU AGREE? Will eternally be my favourite show 10 By Clemontine ,    Nov 14, 2012 It is more than a personal favourite. It is, in every way, the best show that has ever been or ever will be and that needs to be recognized as more than just a personal thing. It is brilliant. Absolutely captivating. The best writing ever seen on TV. It is just amazing how such an unordinary and extraordinary story was put in a present world, in the lives of American Air Force personnel. It is our world as we know it, but with a big secret. The biggest twists on our reality. With bad guys, allies, and heroes like none other. In this world, but like nothing that has ever been seen. Oh, there are bad guys. But they are not simply bad guys, because that would not be unordinary. Goa'ulds. Evil beyond evil and uncompassionate beyond uncompassionate. They are a species like none other that have been seen in the genre, stealing people, and their lives, and their minds. Ra, Anubis, and Baal, all real enemies with incredible powers, not of this earth. Ruling through fear that survived the thousands of years since they were chased from this world. With the support of a galaxy of Jaffa who now blindly fight for these false gods, it is not an easy battle for our heroes, but they vow to free the galaxy of oppression. They fight to protect the weak and the unaware; they fight in the name of the truth they know. But there are allies, little grey men with incredible knowledge and power, but, most importantly, an unbreakable loyalty to the people of Jack O'Neill. The Asgard will forever stand by the side of humanity against its enemies, even when the enemies come from within (i.e. Inauguration). They are valued friends, and although our heroes have inferior firepower, they will help defend the Asgard with all their strength and courage, against their enemy, the Replicators, a seemingly unstoppable army of morphing machines. SG-1, our eclectic group of heroes are led by their fearless leader, Colonel (more recently know as General) Jack O'Neill, with reckless courage and an infinite sense of humor. Typical? Jack O'Neill is anything but typical. "How 'bout a bake sale?" And Dr. Samantha Carter, a lovely young astrophysicist. A woman who was kidnapped and sold for the price of ten women on Simarka, but beat the feared and vicious chi


What is the small plain plastic or metal sheath on each end of a shoelace, cord or drawstring to stop the fibres from unraveling, and to make it easier to hold and feed through the guides?

Knots/Print version - Wikibooks, open books for an open world Knots/Print version Introduction[ edit ] A knot is a method for fastening or securing linear material such as rope by tying or interweaving. It may consist of a length of one or more segments of rope, string, webbing , twine , strap or even chain interwoven so as to create in the line the ability to bind to itself or to some other object - the "load". Usage[ edit ] There are a large variety of knots and each knot has specific properties and suitability for a range of tasks. Some knots are well-adapted to attach to particular objects such as another rope, cleat, ring, or stake. Other knots are made to bind or constrict around an object. Decorative knots usually bind to themselves to produce attractive patterns. Choosing the correct knot for the job at hand is one of the most fundamental aspects of using knots well. However, if memory is limited, three of the most useful knots are the bowline , the sheet bend , and the clove hitch . Learning[ edit ] The number of books, websites, videos, and other resources available to those interested in learning about knots is a testament to the value they hold for humankind. While some people possess an innate ability to look at a diagram or photo and tie the illustrated knot, for others the initial stages of learning are best accomplished by being shown knot tying methods by a person who already knows them. Knot tying skills are often transmitted by sailors, scouts, climbers, cavers, arborists, rescue professionals, fishermen, and surgeons. After mastering a few basic knots, the diagrams and photos become easier to interpret and use to continue the learning process. As more knots are learned, patterns begin to become evident in their structure and methods of tying. The learning of knots rewards practice and patience. Applications[ edit ] Knots are essential in many industrial, occupational, recreational, and domestic settings. Even simple activities such as running a load from the hardware store to home can result in disaster if a clumsy twist in a cord passes for a knot. Truckers needing to tie down a load may use a trucker's hitch , gaining mechanical advantage. Knots can save the spelunker from foolishly becoming buried under millions of tons of rock. Whatever the activity, such as sailing on the water or climbing on a cliff-side rock, learning well-tested knots prior to some hazardous activity introduces a critical measure of safety. In addition to safety, appropriate knots can prevent the necessity of cutting lines. Basic useful knots[ edit ] Some of the most useful everyday knots are the following. Most are both secure and easy to untie: For tying a loop in the end of a rope, as around your waist or to secure a ring or grommet: the bowline . For tying the ends of two ropes together: the sheet bend works well even with two different ropes. This is just as easy to tie but much more secure than the square knot . If one rope is much thicker than the other, a double sheet bend is better. (Materials such as cables which are not easily tied may sometimes be joined by two interlocking bowlines instead.) The fisherman's knot is similar but easier to tie with cold, wet hands. For flat material such as (seat)belts, the water knot is best. (However, this is a poor knot for tying ropes.) For tying a rope to a pole, the buntline hitch . A slipped variant is useful for quick release. If both ends of the line will be loaded, then the clove hitch will suffice. On square posts where the clove hitch is not secure, two half-hitches is good. It can be hard to untie, so the slipped variant may be useful. The timber hitch works well on rough surfaces, including square timber, especially under constant strain, but isn't secure if the load jumps around. The Killick hitch is a variant used for hoisting rocks and other odd shapes. The rolling hitch is useful when you don't want a rope to slide up on down a pole, or when tying one rope to the middle of another. For a clothesline or other line that sags over time, the taut-line hitch can be ratch


What game, whose players use a squidger, aim to squop their opponents, occasionally to boondock them, and in a variant play a jeu de puces, held a Royal Match in 2008 to commemorate a 50th anniversary?

Tiddlywinks - WOW.com Tiddlywinks usually 2 or 4; 6 for a triples match Setup time 30 minutes to an hour Random chance Strategy , physical skill Tiddlywinks is an indoor game played on a flat felt mat with sets of small discs called "winks", a pot, which is the target, and a collection of squidgers, which are also discs. Players use a "squidger" (nowadays made of plastic) to shoot a wink into flight by flicking the squidger across the top of a wink and then over its edge, thereby propelling it into the air. The offensive objective of the game is to score points by sending your own winks into the pot. The defensive objective of the game is to prevent your opponents from potting their winks by "squopping" them: shooting your own winks to land on top of your opponents' winks. As part of strategic gameplay, players often attempt to squop their opponents' winks and develop, maintain and break up large piles of winks. Tiddlywinks is sometimes considered a simpleminded, frivolous children's game, rather than a strategic, adult game. [1] [2] [3] However, the modern competitive adult game of tiddlywinks made a strong comeback at the University of Cambridge in 1955. The modern game uses far more complex rules and a consistent set of high-grade equipment. Contents Rules The French jeu de puces ("flea game"), a catapult version of tiddlywinks Tiddlywinks is a competitive game involving four colours of winks. Each player controls the winks of a colour, the colours being blue, green, red and yellow. Red and blue are always partners against green and yellow. There are six winks of each colour, which begin the game in the corners of a felt mat measuring 6 feet by 3 feet. This mat is ordinarily placed on a table, and a pot is placed at its centre. There are two primary methods of play with the four colors of winks: a pairs game, and a singles game. The pairs game involves four players, playing in partnerships, with each winker playing a single color. The singles game involves a single winker playing against another single winker, each playing two colors of winks in alternation. The players take turns, and there are two basic aims: to cover (or squop) opponent winks, and to get one's own winks into the pot. As in pool or snooker , if a player pots a wink of his own colour, then he is entitled to an extra shot, and this enables a skilled player to pot all of his winks in one turn. The point of squopping, which is the key element distinguishing the adult game from the child's game (though recognized in even the earliest rules from 1890), is that a wink that is covered (even partially) may not be played by its owner. The wink on top may be played, though, and sophisticated play involves shots manipulating large piles of winks. The game ends in one of two ways: either all the winks of one colour are potted (a pot-out), or play continues up to a specified time limit (usually 25 minutes), after which each colour has a further five turns. Then a scoring system is used to rank the players, based on the numbers of potted and unsquopped winks of each colour. National and international organisations A European wooden mushroom-style container with Nylon tiddlywinks discs (1960s) There are two national associations, the English Tiddlywinks Association (ETwA) and the North American Tiddlywinks Association (NATwA) (the Scottish Tiddlywinks Association disbanded in the late 1990s). These organisations are responsible for conducting tournaments and maintaining the rules of the game (which actually differ only slightly between the two organisations; the NATwA rules are based on the ETwA rules). International competition is overseen by the International Federation of Tiddlywinks Associations (IFTwA), though in practice it is rarely called upon to intervene. Competitive play Although tiddlywinks nowadays is a singles or pairs game, competition in the 1950s until the 2000s centred on team competition, with teams consisting of several (two to four) pairs. There were a number of university teams, and international matches were also played. More recently, single


"The ostrich, emu, rhea, kiwi and the extinct ""elephant bird"" of Madagascar and moa are all types of what diverse group of large, flightless birds?"

Rare & Extinct Creatures - Moa & Elephant Bird ELEPHANT BIRD AND MOA ELEPHANT BIRD The Elephant Bird (Aepyornis maximus) inhabited the island of Madagascar, off the eastern coast of Africa. Madagascar was settled around 2000 years ago by African and Indonesian peoples. Legends of the giant roc (rukh) in Arab folklore were probably based on the elephant bird. During the 9th century, Saracen and Indian traders visited Madagascar and other parts of the African coast and would have encountered these birds. In 1298, while imprisoned in Genoa, Marco Polo wrote his memoirs, covering 26 years of travel. In chapter 33, "Concerning the Island of Madagascar" he wrote that the Great Khan had sent him to investigate curious reports of giant birds.   The Malagasy people had had contact with Arab traders over several centuries, but had fiercely resisted colonisation. The first Europeans to visit the island were the Portuguese in 1500. Dutch and French expeditions established coastal settlements after 1509, penetrating the interior 150 years later. In the 16th century, Dutch, Portuguese and French sailors returned from the Indian Ocean with huge eggs taken as curios. The French established a settlement in 1642, by which time the Elephant Bird had become very rare. The last one probably died in 1649. The first French Governor of Madagascar and Director of the French East India Company, Étienne de Flacourt, wrote, in 1658, "vouropatra - a large bird which haunts the Ampatres and lays eggs like the ostriches; so that the people of these places may not take it, it seeks the most lonely places". In the face of human hunters, the elephant bird was retreating to remoter regions. By 1700, it was gone forever. The elephant bird was the largest bird ever to have lived. It was a ratite, related to ostriches and emus, though it was unlikely to have been a swift runner. It had massive legs and taloned claws, vestigial wings and a long, powerful neck. Its body was covered in bristling, hair-like feathers, like those of the emu, and its beak resembled a broad-headed spear. It had evolved at a time when birds ruled the earth and had probably existed on Madagascar for 60 million years. In spite of its fearsome appearance (the legendary roc was fierce and ate elephants), it was a herbivore. It had little to fear from other native creatures on Madagascar; it was protected by its huge size and if needs be, could use its feet and heavy beak to protect itself in conflicts with others of its own kind. The birds resembled heavily built ostriches, with small heads, vestigial wings, and long, powerful legs. They stood 10 ft (3 metres) tall and weighed approximately 1000 lbs (455 kg); although some moas were taller, the elephant bird was more robustly built. Their eggs had a circumference of about 3 ft (91 cm), were about 13 inches (33 cm) long and a capacity of 2 imperial gallons (9 litres). This is the equivalent of 200 hen's eggs and three times the size of the eggs of the largest dinosaurs. Fossilised eggs are still found buried on the island. The photo here is of a replica exhibited at Ipswich Museum, Ipswich, Suffolk, UK. The island would have supported only a small, slow-breeding population and the birds were probably driven into extinction by hunting and the theft of their eggs by humans. The fact that it had existed for 60 million years (much longer than humans) and adapted to a changing world, shows it to have been a very successful species. However, it was also specialised to an island environment with no large predators and was, therefore, not adapted to survive contact with aggressive European humans. In 1867, Ferdinand von Hochstetter's book "New Zealand" also mentioned the Elephant Bird in Chapter IX "Kiwi and Moa, the wingless Birds of New Zealand" and suggested it still survived: The number of species living is very small. In all there are only about 12 species known; two, perhaps three species of ostrich in Africa, three cassuary [cassowary] species 1 in southern Asia, two Emu's (Dromaeus) in Australia, an East and a West Australian, three speci


Northumbrian Water - River Tyne River Tyne River Wear River Tyne The River Tyne is formed by the confluence of the Rivers North and South Tyne, which meet near Hexham at Warden Rock. The North Tyne is formed from the confluence of the Kielder and Deadwater Burns which rise on the Scottish Boarders. The burns meet just north of, and then flow into Bakethin Reservoir, which in turn flows into Kielder Water Reservoir, Europe’s largest manmade water body. Kielder Water is also fed by a number of other burns, notable the Lewis Burn which drains a large area on the western side of the reservoir. Kielder Water is surrounded by Kielder forest, a primarily of coniferous woodland and the largest planted forest in Europe. The upper reaches of the catchment consists of a mixture of heather, rough grasslands and blanket bog. Flow in the North Tyne is maintained by regulated releases from Kielder Water, and flows on into more productive agricultural land with pasture on the floodplain and rough grazing on higher ground. The nature of this catchment limits the farming to livestock rearing, primarily sheep and herds of suckler cows, and is sparsely populated. The North Tyne has many tributaries including The River Rede and numerous burns of varying sizes. The South Tyne rises on Alston Moor in Cumbria which lies in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The area is characterised by expansive moorland with large areas of blanket bog in the upper reaches with traditional hay meadows on the lower valley slopes and some ancient woodland. The area is rich in minerals and as such has been heavily influenced by mining, particularly for lead. Downstream, traditional pasture gives way to more mixed and arable farming. Arable agriculture dominates the floodplain whilst semi-improved pasture and mixed woodland is found on the slopes. The South Tyne has a number of tributaries including the River Allen and River Nent and numerous burns. Once the two rivers meet to form the River Tyne, the flow continues generally eastwards to meet the North Sea at Tynemouth. Along this section of the river the floodplain is dominated by large arable fields and intensively grazed pasture. We abstract for drinking water supply just to the east of Ovingham but water from the Tyne can also be sent to our more southern operating area via the Tyne-Tees transfer system. The Whittle Dene reservoir system also sits within the River Tyne catchment and can supply both Whittle Dene and Horsley Water Treatment Works. It consists of a series of reservoirs linked by an aqueduct system of pipes, tunnels and open channels. River water quality Given the agricultural nature of much of the Tyne catchment there is a risk of diffuse water pollution from agriculture (DWPA). Historically, a number of pesticides have been found in the raw water at our Horsley and Whittle Dene Water Treatment Works, including metaldehyde, the active ingredient in slug pellets. Removing these substances requires additional chemicals and energy, and can therefore increase the cost of treating drinking water. Partnership We work with all relevant stakeholders in the catchment, including Tyne Rivers Trust, Natural England, the Environment Agency, local farmers and landowners, with the aim of reducing the amount of pesticide, nitrate, phosphate and sediment running off the land and into the river. Events, training and advice We offer free training, advice and one to one farm visits on a range of topics, such as fertiliser and pesticide handling and management, sprayer and pellet spreader calibration, biobed installations and agri-environment schemes. Your catchment advisor Hazel Thompson is Northumbrian Water’s Catchment Advisor. Hazel comes from a farming family and grew up on a dairy farm near Guisborough, Cleveland. She has an MSc in Environmental Science and Management from The University of York, is FACTS qualified, and has experience working at Natural England in the Humber Land Management Team. Catchment management   Northumbrian Water′s catchment management work aims to prevent deteriorat


The singer Kimbra who featured on the Record of the Year for 2012 was born and grew up where?

Kimbra feels life reverberate in 'The Golden Echo' - LA Times Kimbra feels life reverberate in 'The Golden Echo' Kimbra Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times New Zealand-born singer-songwriter Kimbra. Mikael Wood Contact Reporter 'We live surrounded by projections of the self,' Kimbra says. Her new album aims to point people another way. On Feb. 10, 2013, Kimbra walked onto the Staples Center stage and accepted a Grammy Award from Prince, who added his own seal of approval before reading the Recording Academy's pick for record of the year. "Oh, I love this song," he said of "Somebody That I Used to Know," the quirky pop hit by Gotye that featured Kimbra's vocals and topped the Billboard Hot 100, eventually selling 7.7 million copies and racking up more than half a billion plays on YouTube. Such a public endorsement by a music legend is the kind of moment a young artist might regard as a pivot point, an episode that set a course for triumphs to come. But a different day looms larger in Kimbra's memory: the next one. That's when the New Zealand native moved into a rented Silver Lake property she'd discovered on Craigslist — a small farm, in her description, complete with sheep, a rooster and an outdoor stove set atop a tree stump. "It was this strange little oasis," she said recently. "Nature has always been something that gets me creative, and finally I felt centered again. That changed everything." Eighteen months later, the fruit of that creativity is revealed on Kimbra's impressive new album, "The Golden Echo." Released Tuesday by Warner Bros. Records, it's a boldly inventive pop experiment that moves from lush disco to sweaty R&B to crunching hard rock with the idiosyncratic logic of someone working in a makeshift home studio. Yet songs like "Carolina" and "'90s Music" face outward too, their bright melodies as irresistible as their textures are beguiling. Kimbra and Gotye Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times Kimbra, right, and Gotye backstage at the Grammy Awards on Feb. 10, 2013. Kimbra, right, and Gotye backstage at the Grammy Awards on Feb. 10, 2013. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) "Kimbra is thick with thought, and that can sometimes challenge the ear," said Van Dyke Parks, the veteran producer and arranger who devised the darting string parts in "As You Are." "But she does whatever she can to bring some confection to it. She always makes it tasty." Born Kimbra Johnson, the 24-year-old grew up playing music in Hamilton, New Zealand, where the window in her childhood bedroom, she recalled wistfully, looked out over a river. In 2008 she moved to Melbourne after signing a management deal and began work on what would become her debut album, "Vows." The only thing predictable about Kimbra is her unpredictability. — Lenny Waronker, Warner Bros. A&R executive Full of sweetly off-kilter tunes reminiscent of the Canadian singer-songwriter Feist , the record sold well in Australia upon its release there in 2011. But to capitalize on the growing success of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" — a duet facilitated by the singers' shared producer, François Tétaz — Warner Bros. brought Kimbra to L.A. and teamed her with proven hit makers like Greg Kurstin and Mike Elizondo to record a handful of new tracks for the album's U.S. edition. "That sounds like a very clinical process," the singer said at a café not far from her current home in Echo Park. (Having decided she was ready for an indoor kitchen, she left the sheep farm this summer.) "But it wasn't a thing of 'Let's add a few American pop songs.' If anything, what I added was slightly more left of center." Still, Kimbra spent 2012 touring like an aspiring pop star, at one point playing eight shows over four days at that year's South by Southwest music festival; she also performed with Gotye on "Saturday Night Live," recorded a song for Tim Burton 's movie "Frankenweenie" and collaborated with DJ A-Trak and Mark Foster (of the band Foster the People ) as part of a Converse promotion. By the time of the Grammys last year, she was ready for a bit of the solitude that a Craig


In the 1950s, what was Jersey Joe Walcott known for?

Jersey Joe Walcott - BoxRec Jersey Joe Walcott Hall of Fame bio: click World Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee Name: Jersey Joe Walcott Birth Name: Arnold Raymond Cream Born: 1914-01-31 Birthplace: Pennsauken, New Jersey, USA Died: 1994-02-25 (Age:80) Hometown: Camden, New Jersey, USA Stance: Orthodox Trainers: Dan Florio , Charley Goldman , Nick Florio Jersey Joe Walcott Gallery Jersey Joe Walcott became the Heavyweight Champion of the World with a seventh-round knockout of Ezzard Charles on July 18, 1951. It was his fifth attempt at the title. At the age of 37, Walcott became the oldest boxer to win the World Heavyweight Championship, a record that would stand until George Foreman regained the title at age 45 in 1994. Also in 1951, Walcott was the winner of the Edward J. Neil Trophy , presented to the Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America . Walcott lost the title to Rocky Marciano on September 23, 1952. Behind on points, Marciano knocked out Walcott with a devastating right in the thirteenth round. It was named The Ring Fight of the Year for 1952. Walcott was inducted into The Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1969, the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1983, and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. After his boxing career, Walcott worked as a referee. His most famous, and infamous, assignment was the controversial Muhammad Ali - Sonny Liston rematch in Lewiston, Maine on May 25, 1965. In 1971, Walcott was elected sheriff of Camden County, New Jersey. He was the first African American to hold the job. Walcott served as the head of the New Jersey State Boxing Commission from 1975 to 1984. He stepped down at the mandatory retirement age of 70. Trivia Walcott, whose real name was Arnold Raymond Cream, took the ring name Jersey Joe Walcott as a tribute to Joe Walcott , the Barbados Demon. Walcott acted in the movie The Harder They Fall. External Links


In a 2009 film James McAvoy plays the role of private secretary to whom, played by Christopher Plummer?

The Last Station (2009) Starring: James McAvoy, Christopher Plummer, Helen Mirren - Three Movie Buffs Review Reviewed on: February 27th, 2010 Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren in The Last Station. One of the many things I enjoy about watching movies is when you learn something about a time, a place or a famous person that you never knew anything about. With The Last Station I learned a thing or two about Leo Tolstoy; someone whom I knew nothing about beyond that he was Russian and wrote War and Peace amongst other novels. He seems, as presented here anyway, as a very interesting character. In fact he seems more interesting as a person than this movie does as a whole. Christopher Plummer stars as the famous author and Helen Mirren plays his wife. Together they make a formidable acting pair and the two of them get to chew up the scenery together. In some ways I was reminded of Peter O'Toole and Katherine Hepburn in The Lion in Winter. You have an aging married couple who are sparring back and forth played by two actors of immense talent. Where this movie differs vastly from The Lion in Winter is in the writing. Where The Lion in Winter cuts deeply with sharp daggers of dialogue, The Last Station merely scratches the skin with blunted weapons that do no real damage. The story takes place at the end of Leo Tolstoy's life. After being a celebrated author Tolstoy now has a following that is almost religious in nature. Chertkov, the leader of his following, wants Tolstoy to leave the copyright to all his work to his group so that the money can (in his words) benefit all mankind. Just how this would be executed and who exactly it would gain beyond Chertkov is not really explained. On the other hand you've got Tolstoy's wife, the Countess, who wants to ensure that her children's legacy is left intact by making sure the rights to her husband's work remains in the family. Tolstoy is shown to be a bit of a contradiction. He sounds as though he led an interesting life as a young man and was rather wild in his way. He's also quite rich when the movie takes place and he lives quite well in pre-communist Russia. And yet he writes about and speaks about opposing private property and equality for all. It doesn't stop him from employing servants, but he talks about it a lot. When and why he started feeling that way isn't explained. And just why Chertkov has such a sway over him isn't revealed either. Certainly the best scenes in the film are those featuring Plummer and Mirren together. Both have been nominated for Oscars for their performance here and deservedly so. Mirren is especially good as the overly dramatic wife. Together they both make the material better than it has a right to be. James McAvoy is likable enough as Tolstoy's private secretary from whom the story is ostensibly, if not exclusively, told, but this is Plummer and Mirren's film. I learned from watching this movie that Tolstoy was indeed an interesting figure and a great movie could probably be made about his life. While this is a good movie, thanks mainly to its leads, it's not a great one. With a better written script filled with sharper dialogue it might have been, but that's just not the case. Did you enjoy Scott's review? +4 Reviewed on: August 17th, 2010 The Last Station is first and foremost a love story. Yeah that’s pretty much my take as well, great acting, fascinating central character, nice cinematography, with a script that is only so-so. Mirren gets the juiciest part by far. Her countess is passionate and volatile in her love for Tolstoy. The scene where she discovers he has left her is powerfully done. She stumbles blindly down to the river’s edge and then rolls off a dock into the water. She also provides some comic relief like in the scene when they are eating dinner outdoors and she tells his sycophants to stop writing down every word her husband utters. As a child I always wanted to read War and Peace. I haven’t yet managed that but I am in the middle of reading Anna Karenina so it was interesting to hear the few references to that book made by the c


What is most usually cited as the baroque pitch for the note A?

What is Baroque Music? - Music of the Baroque music of the baroque What is Baroque Music? What is “baroque,” and when was the Baroque period? Derived from the Portuguese barroco, or “oddly shaped pearl,” the term “baroque” has been widely used since the nineteenth century to describe the period in Western European art music from about 1600 to 1750 . Comparing some of music history’s greatest masterpieces to a misshapen pearl might seem strange to us today, but to the nineteenth century critics who applied the term, the music of Bach and Handel’s era sounded overly ornamented and exaggerated. Having long since shed its derogatory connotations, “baroque” is now simply a convenient catch-all for one of the richest and most diverse periods in music history. In addition to producing the earliest European music familiar to most of us, including Pachelbel’s Canon and Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, the Baroque era also greatly expanded our horizons. The acceptance of Copernicus’s 16th century theory that the planets didn’t revolve around the earth made the universe a much larger place, while Galileo’s work helped us get better acquainted with the cosmos. Advances in technology, such as the invention of the telescope, made what was believed to be finite seem infinite. Great thinkers like Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, and Locke tackled the big questions of existence. Geniuses like Rubens, Rembrandt, and Shakespeare offered unique perspectives through their art. European nations grew more and more involved with foreign trade and colonization, bringing us into direct contact with parts of the globe that were previously unfamiliar. And the growth of a new middle class breathed life into an artistic culture long dependent on the whims of church and court. Back to Top Who were the major Baroque composers, and where were they from? Many of the well known personalities from the first part of the Baroque period hail from Italy, including Monteverdi , Corelli and Vivaldi . (By the mid- eighteenth century, our focus shifts to the German composers Bach and Handel .) Many of the forms identified with Baroque music originated in Italy, including the cantata, concerto, sonata, oratorio, and opera. Although Italy played a vital role in the development of these genres, new concepts of what it meant to be a nation increased the imperative of a “national style.” Differences between nations are often audible in music from the period, not only in the way music was composed, but also in conventions of performance; particularly obvious was the contrast between Italy and France. While certain countries may seem to claim a larger piece of our experience of Baroque music today, however, every nation played a role. As musicians and composers traveled all over Europe and heard each other’s music, the new conventions they encountered made subtle impressions on them. Some of the best known composers from the period include the following: Back to Top What is the philosophy of Baroque music? Although a single philosophy cannot describe 150 years of music from all over Europe, several concepts are important in the Baroque period. A belief in music as a potent tool of communication One of the major philosophical currents in Baroque music comes from the Renaissance interest in ideas from ancient Greece and Rome. The Greeks and Romans believed that music was a powerful tool of communication and could arouse any emotion in its listeners. As a result of the revival of these ideas, composers became increasingly aware of music’s potential power, and cultivated the belief that their own compositions could have similar effects if they correctly emulated ancient music. As French humanist scholar Artus Thomas described a performance in the late sixteenth century, I have ofttimes heard it said of Sieur Claudin Le Jeune (who has, without wishing to slight anyone, far surpassed the musicians of ages past in his understanding of these matters) that he had sung an air (which he had composed in parts)…and that when this air was rehearsed at a private concert it caused a gentleman the


What was the name of Amy Johnson's plane in which she flew solo from Britain to Australia in 1930?

1930: Amy Johnson | Junior Flyer | Aviation Fun and Education Posted By Roger Codger on Apr 26, 2011 | Queen of the Skies Born in England, Amy Johnson was one of the most courageous pilots  of her time. She set many records, including being the first woman to  fly solo from England to Australia, in 1930. Amy set many other records, both by herself and with her aviator  husband Jim Mollison. Here is some movie footage about Amy… Amy Johnson and her Gypsy Moth aircraft, in India, 1930. She called her  plane “Jason”. This map shows her 1930 England-Australia flight. Each yellow dot is a landing for fuel. (This map and heaps more about Amy can be found at the UK Science Museum website) Amy Johnson 1931: London to Moscow(first in 1 day) 1931: England to Japan(record) 1932: London to Capetown, South Africa (solo record) 1934: England to India (record, with JM) 1936: England to South Africa (solo record) 1939-41: Air Transport Command pilot incomplete References


Which country does not currently have a sultan as its political and/or religious head of state?

Country Reports on Terrorism 2015 Middle East and North Africa Overview Report THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA The Middle East and North Africa remained a primary theater for terrorist activity throughout 2015. During the year, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) continued to occupy large areas of Iraq and Syria while ISIL branches – particularly those in Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen – persisted in fomenting sectarian strife and conducting attacks in the region. Al-Qa’ida (AQ) and its affiliates continued to seek and take advantage of opportunities to conduct attacks amidst the fragile political and security climate across the region, including in Yemen, Syria, and North Africa. In North Africa, the Libya conflict between the then internationally-recognized government in Tobruk and the Tripoli-based faction enabled an expansion of violent extremist groups, including the holding of territory by the ISIL branch in Libya. While the UN sought to facilitate the formation of a Government of National Accord, porous borders, continued proliferation of weapons, and weak security institutions provided an environment where terrorists could operate with impunity. Libya continued to serve as a key operational and transit hub for foreign terrorist fighters traveling to and from Syria and Iraq. ISIL-affiliated terrorists conducted several attacks in Tunisia, most notably at the Bardo Museum in March, at a hotel in Sousse in June, and on a Presidential Guard bus in downtown Tunis in November. The perpetrators of all three attacks had been trained in Libya. The al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb- (AQIM-) affiliated Okba Ibn Nafie group continued attacks on security personnel and civilians in the mountainous west of Tunis. Within Algeria, AQIM and the ISIL-affiliated Jund al-Khilafah in Algeria (JAK-A) attacked Algerian targets and Western interests. Algerian government efforts appeared to significantly degrade at least JAK-A’s capabilities during 2015. ISIL’s core continued to operate in Iraq and Syria, from which it projected its “caliphate.” ISIL maintained a formidable force in Iraq and Syria, including thousands of foreign terrorist fighters from more than 100 countries, while Raqqa continued to serve as ISIL’s administrative capital and its headquarters for most external plotting operations. Since May 2015, however, ISIL has not had a significant battlefield victory in either country. For more than a year, the United States has led a coalition of 66 countries and two international organizations to cut off ISIL’s financing, disrupt their plots, counter its narrative, and stop the flow of foreign terrorist fighters. Nearly 10,000 air strikes have targeted ISIL’s key leaders, heavy weapons, oil tankers, training camps, and its economic infrastructure. Ramadi was the first major complex operation to be completed entirely by retrained Iraqi security forces and local tribal partners. Other key Iraqi cities liberated in 2015 included the Sunni city of Tikrit, the oil infrastructure hub of Bayji, and Sinjar, where ISIL murdered hundreds of Yazidis and enslaved thousands more. In Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with air support from the Coalition, have taken back a key route connecting Raqqa and Mosul; Tishreen, which connects Raqqa to ISIL’s lifeline on the Turkish border; and Tel Abyad, which used to be ISIL’s primary point of access to the outside world. In Yemen, al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and ISIL’s Yemen branch capitalized on the ongoing conflict between the Government of Yemen, supported by the Saudi-led coalition, and the Houthi-led opposition to gain deeper inroads across much of the country. AQAP expanded its safe haven by seizing several towns, including the port city of Mukalla, which has given it access to increased financial resources. Despite losing a number of senior leaders during 2015, the group was able to increase its recruiting and expand its safe haven in Yemen. ISIL’s affiliate conducted hundreds of attacks during the year, primarily against Houthi forces and Zaydi Shia mosques, i


"Who, styling himself ""Witch-Finder General"" conducted witch-hunts mainly in the counties of Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk and occasionally in other eastern counties of England during the English Civil War?"

Witchfinder General - The Full Wiki The Full Wiki More info on Witchfinder General   Wikis Advertisements    Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article! This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles . Related top topics (Redirected to Matthew Hopkins article) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "Witchfinder General" redirects here. For other uses, see Witchfinder General (disambiguation) . Frontispiece from Matthew Hopkins' The Discovery of Witches (1647), showing witches identifying their familiar spirits Matthew Hopkins (ca. 1620 – 1647) was an English witchhunter whose career flourished during the time of the English Civil War . He held, or claimed to hold, the office of Witch-Finder General, although this was not a title ever bestowed by Parliament , and conducted witch-hunts mainly in the counties of Suffolk , Essex , Norfolk and occasionally in other eastern counties of England. The one surviving example of his signature shows he spelt his name Mathew Hopkins. [1] It has been estimated that in all of the English witch trials between the early 15th and late 18th centuries, fewer than 500 witches were executed. [2] The work of Hopkins and Stearne would at the lower estimate [3] [4] [5] of numbers of witches "found" and hanged account for 40% of that total. Their actions during these years became solely responsible for the increase in witch trials. [6] [7] [8] Contents 7 External links Early Life Very little is known of Matthew Hopkins before 1644, with no surviving contemporary documents concerning the family, or him. [9] He was born in Great Wenham , Suffolk, [10] [11] [12] the fourth son [10] (one of six children [13] ) born to James Hopkins, a Puritan clergyman , vicar of St John's of Great Wenham , in Suffolk. [12] [14] The family were at one point landowners "to lands and tenements in Framlingham "at the castle"". [15] [16] His father was liked by his parishioners, one leaving money for Bibles for his then three children James, John and Thomas in 1619. [11] Hopkins could not have been born before 1619 therefore could not have been more than 28 when he died, but could have been as young as 25. [17] Although the father had died in 1634, [11] when William Dowsing , commissioned in 1643 by the Parliamentarians in Manchester [18] "... for the destruction of monuments of idolatry and superstition", visited the same Parish in 1645 he noted that "... there was nothing to reform". [19] Hopkins' brother John became Minister of South Fambridge in1645 but was removed from the post one year later for neglecting his work. [20] Hopkins himself in his book The Discovery of Witches [21] , states that he "never travelled far ... to gain his experience". [22] In the early 1640s Hopkins moved to Manningtree Essex, a town near Colchester across the River Stour , about 9 miles (14 km) from Wenham. According to tradition Hopkins used his recently acquired inheritance of a hundred marks [23] to establish himself as a gentleman and buy the Thorn Inn in Mistley . [24] In the way that he presented evidence in trials, Hopkins is commonly thought to have been trained as a lawyer but there is scant evidence to suggest this was the case. [25] Witch hunting Main articles: European witchcraft and Witch trials in Early Modern Europe Following the Lancaster Witch Trial of 1634, William Harvey the King's physician had been ordered to examine the four women accused, and from this there came a requirement to have material proof of being a witch. [26] The work of Hopkins and Stearne was not necessarily to prove any of the accused had committed acts of maleficium but the fact they had made a covenant with the Devil . [27] Prior to this point any malicious acts on the part of witches were treated as by any other criminal, until it was seen that they owed their powers to a deliberate act of their choosing. [28] Witches then became heretics to Christianity which became the greatest of their crimes and sins. [29] The witch hunts undertaken by St


A popular myth which has been debunked by sports historians is that Abner Doubleday, a Union officer in the American Civil War, invented which sport?

The Masonic Ritual of Baseball The Masonic Ritual of Baseball By Pilgrim, using much content found elsewhere on the internet Appropriately called ï¿½Americaï¿½s Pastimeï¿½, baseball is less a sport than it is a ritual. It is slow paced, the players are immobile most of the time, standing on geometric shapes. The philosopher Morris Raphael Cohen described baseball as a national religion. Almost all ancient civilizations had some sort of ritualistic sporting events that mixed athletic prowess and religious beliefs. The Mayanï¿½s ball game, which resembled somewhat our basketball. The goal was to get the ball through one of the rings situated about 20 feet above the players without the use of hands. This game was a solemn experience, filled with ritual importance. Religious leaders attended, as did most chieftains and other government leaders. Sacred songs were sung and the games usually finished with a human sacrifice. The ball, the shape of the court and the rings all had important meanings in Mayan beliefs. Playing ball engaged one in the maintenance of the cosmic order of the universe and the ritual regeneration of life. It was a game of chance, skill and trickery reflecting life. The team effort engaged individuals in shared behaviour and culture, introducing, reinforcing and reinventing the game of life and peoplesï¿½ place in the cosmic order. Are we that different from the Mayas, the Greeks, the Romans and almost all other civilizations? Well, the Freemasons, the most prominent society in America, are IMMENSELY inspired by ancient cultures like the Egyptians, Babylonians and Phoenicians. They study their rituals, their mythology and their knowledge of mathematics, geometry and astrology. Is it possible that the Masons devised their own ï¿½ritualï¿½ game which celebrates their sacred symbols? American Freemasonryï¿½s history goes back as far as American Historyï¿½ in some ways they are parallel. George Washington was the Grand Master of a Lodge, and there were even actions taken to create the rank of Grand Master of the whole of the United States for him. According to the Grand Lodge of Texas, ï¿½On September 18, 1783, President George Washington dressed in his Masonic apron, leveled the cornerstone of the United States Capitol with the traditional Masonic ceremony.ï¿½ If youï¿½ve watched, the documentaries ï¿½Riddles in Stoneï¿½, or "America's Secret Beginnings", youï¿½ve learned that masonic and occult symbols appear prominently all over Washington DC. The White House is situated at the tip of a large compass created by Vermont Avenue and Connecticut Avenue as they lead north. Of course, the emblem of Freemasonry is a compass overlapping a square (the tool). Masonic geometry and numerology (the sacred numbers) are appear on the streets as it appears on the field. A Little History: The invention of baseball is usually credited to Abner Doubleday in 1870. Doubleday was a United States Army officer and Union general in the American Civil War. After he retired, he became a prominent member of theTheosophical Society, an organization that researches the esoteric and the occult. There is no doubt that he had extensive knowledge of occult symbols, sacred geometry and numerology. There is more about this man later in this article. The Square and the Compass. While almost all sports are played on rectangular fields or rinks, baseball is played on a peculiar shaped field which contains figures considered ï¿½sacred geometryï¿½ in masonic teachings. The field bears an astonishing resemblance to the Square and Compass of Freemasonry. The field, from home plate to the left and right field wall forms a compass; the entire outfield wall is the semicircle which this compass draws. Upside-down, overlapping this compass, the bases form the square. Thus, the baseball field is the emblem of Freemasonry. This is what the Masonic Lodge of BC have to say about the compass and the square: "The square and compasses are the oldest, the simplest, and the most universal symbols of masonry. All the world over, whether as a sign on a building, o