From ancient Greek 'all gods' what word refers to (a temple for) the collective dieties of a religion, and metaphorically to the leaders of a field?

Pantheon - definition of pantheon by The Free Dictionary Pantheon - definition of pantheon by The Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pantheon Related to pantheon: Greek pantheon pan·the·on  (păn′thē-ŏn′, -ən) n. 1. Pantheon A circular temple in Rome, completed around ad 125 and dedicated to all the gods. 2. A temple dedicated to all gods. 3. All the gods of a people considered as a group: Jupiter is head of the Roman pantheon. 4. A public building commemorating and dedicated to the heroes of a nation. 5. A group of persons most highly regarded for contributions to a field or endeavor: the pantheon of modern physics. [Middle English Panteon, Pantheon, from Latin Panthēum, Panthēon, from Greek Pantheion, shrine of all the gods, from neuter sing. of pantheios, of all the gods : pan-, pan- + theos, god; see dhēs- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] pantheon (pænˈθiːən; ˈpænθɪən) n 1. (Classical Myth & Legend) (esp in ancient Greece or Rome) a temple to all the gods 2. (Theology) all the gods collectively of a religion 3. a monument or building commemorating a nation's dead heroes [C14: via Latin from Greek Pantheion, from pan- + -theios divine, from theos god] Pantheon (pænˈθiːən; ˈpænθɪən) n (Placename) a circular temple in Rome dedicated to all the gods, built by Agrippa in 27 bc, rebuilt by Hadrian 120–24 ad, and used since 609 ad as a Christian church pan•the•on (ˈpæn θiˌɒn, -ən or, esp. Brit., pænˈθi ən) n. 1. a public building containing tombs or memorials of the illustrious dead of a nation. 2. the realm of the heroes or idols of any group, movement, etc.: a place in the pantheon of American literature. 3. a temple dedicated to all the gods. 4. the gods of a particular mythology considered collectively. 5. (cap.) a domed circular temple in Rome, completed a.d. 120–124 by Hadrian, used as a church since a.d. 609. [1375–1425; late Middle English panteon < Latin Panthēon < Greek Pántheion, n. use of neuter of pántheios of all gods] pan`the•on′ic, adj. Pantheon  the assemblage of all the gods; the deities of a people, collectively. Examples: pantheon of gods; of all religions, 1639. ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:


Originating in India, paneer (or panir/chhena/chhana) is a type of?

What is Paneer? | Paneer Definition << Benefits Find out what is Paneer? What will be the first thought, when you come across a question like "What is Paneer?". Many of us might not have an answer to this, owing to a large number of dairy products, of which many of them are not so famous. For these people, you will find out what is Paneer?, here. In simple terms, Paneer, a kind of cheese, a South Asian cuisine, is an unaged cheese made by churning milk with vinegar, lemon juice or other acids. This product is a Types of Cheese , that originated in Afghanistan, India, Iran, South asian countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Tajikistan. It is a White colored dairy product. Paneer has Milky flavor with a Fresh and Milky aroma. Similarly, get to know about Paneer Calories , how Paneer Benefits your body and all the other interesting facts related to Paneer, right here. Also learn about Paneer Nutrition to get an overview of the vitamins and minerals present in it. So go ahead and find out for yourself "What is Paneer". Paneer in different languages Do you know what is Paneer in different languages called? If not then just imagine, tomorrow you wake up in a foreign country and wish to have your favorite dish with Paneer? How would you ask for it in the foreign language? If you don't know what is Paneer called in different languages, you would be left craving for your favorite dish. Just so that this does not happen, here you will get to know what is Paneer called in Spanish, French, Italian, German. The names of Paneer in different languages are quite interesting. Origin of Paneer Dairy products have their roots originated from some land, where its locals poured in their hearts and created these dairy products that reflect their cultures, traditions and love for food. Paneer has its origin in Afghanistan, India, Iran, South asian countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Tajikistan. Its taste, appetizing aroma, textures all depict the efforts of the native people of Afghanistan, India, Iran, South asian countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Tajikistan. And of course, while in Rome be the Romans, you must cook and relish Paneer in the same way as that of the people of Afghanistan, India, Iran, South asian countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Tajikistan. So go ahead and trace back the origin of Paneer and that of other Types of Cheese in the soil of www.mydairydiet.com . Milk and Dairy products » More


What plant provides the raw material for linen?

From flax to linen From flax to linen   From flax to linen Linum Usitatissimum translates from Latin as "most useful linen." In naming this species, botanists recognized the inherent value of the humble flax plant. For ten thousand years or more, man has known this gentle gift of nature was the source of textiles with special properties: soft hand, rich color absorption, lasting durability, and unrivalled comfort. Always ecologically-correct, every part of the flax plant is at man's service. The seeds provide oil for dyes, paint, cosmetics and floor coverings. When ground, they form a flour used in poultices. The fibers have been used as sutures. The by-products of linen production are processed into a pulp used for banknotes or fiberboard. However, flax is most renowned as the raw material for an extraordinary fabric. Flax is one of the few crops still produced in Western Europe, with nearly 75,000 acres under cultivation annually. Climatic conditions in this region are perfect for growing flax, and increasing worldwide demand for linen makes it an important cash crop. The growing cycle is short and sweet, with only 100 days between sowing in March and harvesting in July. The plant ripens by the end of June into golden yellow color, and then it flowers, dotting the fields with blossoms of violet, blue and white. This display is over quickly, however, for each flax plant blooms for one day only. Harvesting: To preserve the full potential of each plant, flax is never mowed but must be uprooted. Up through the Second World War, this was an exhausting process done by hand. Today, mechanical grubbers do this tiring work. Drying: After harvesting, the flax is stacked in hedges to dry. Once dried, the seeds are removed. Retting and Turning: Then flax is exposed to moisture to break down the pectins that binds the fibers together. In the past, flax was retted in rivers, particularly in the Lys region, which imparted a lovely golden glow to the fibers. Today, for ecological reasons, retting is no longer performed in rivers. The preferred method still requires the intervention of Mother Nature as the flax is spread out in the fields and exposed to rain, dew and sunshine for several weeks. Stripping and Combing: During these mechanical processes the fibers are separated from the straw (shives), and then graded into the short fibers (tow) which is used for coarser yarns, or the longer fibers (line) which will be used to create the finest linen yarn. Spinning: Drafting and doubling, or carding, draw out the long or short fibers into sinuous "ribbons" which are then plied together on spinning looms in various weights and thicknesses. The fine yarn is "wet spun" to impart a smoother, shiny appearance. The tow are commonly "dry spun" yielding a less regular and napped yarn. Weaving, Bleaching and Dyeing: Before any weaving occurs, the linen yarns are examined for strength, evenness and pliancy. Close tolerances on these properties are required because of the great speed of today's power looms. The looms of Libeco·Lagae run around the clock and are monitored by a central computer to ensure quality and efficiency. During their 8-hour shift, each weaver can now be responsible for 10 to 15 looms. After weaving, each yard of fabric is examined and quality tested. If the fabric is not being used in this raw state, it moves to the finishing department where it is bleached and/or dyed. Bleaching linen requires consummate skill-enough chemicals to remove any pectin or shive residue, but not so much as to compromise the structure of the fibers. After bleaching or dyeing, various treatments to make it crease- or soil-resistant can be applied. Linen is crisp, clean and comfortable. Soft, yet strong and durable. The more it is used, the softer and stronger it becomes. It can absorb up to 20% of its weight in moisture before it feels damp, and easily releases moisture to the air to remain cool and dry to the touch. Flax remains colorfast and launders beautifully. It has the additional advantage to be non-allergenic. Flax requires considerably fewer


Who retained a weakness where held and dipped by his mother into the river Styx to make him immortal?

10: Achilles' Heel - 10 Expressions That Came From the Ancient World | HowStuffWorks 10 Expressions That Came From the Ancient World 10 Achilles' Heel Thetis (Achilles' mother) dipped Achilles into the river Styx to make him immortal. Unfortunately, she missed one heel. DEA/A. DAGLI ORT/Getty Images When something is your "Achilles' heel," it's a fault or weakness you have, despite overall strength, that can potentially cause failure. The weakness may be physical: "He is a star quarterback, but his injury-prone throwing arm is his Achilles' heel."Or it might be emotional or mental: "She was a good writer, but her Achilles' heel was that she was a terrible speller." This expression comes from Greek mythology, specifically a guy named Achilles. Achilles' mother dipped him in the river Styx as an infant, an act that bestowed upon him extreme strength and immortality. He became a great champion — the best Greek fighter during the Trojan War — until the fateful day when Trojan prince Paris took aim and speared him in the heel with an arrow, causing him to bleed to death. But wasn't he immortal? Make that almost. When his mother dipped him in the river as a baby, she held him by one heel, which thus wasn't bathed in the river's magical waters and became the only part of his body that was unprotected [sources: Mythagora ]. Oops!


Pele is which nation's goddess of volcanoes?

Pele: Goddess of the Volcano (Hawaii) Goddess Quiz Though   Pele then took   up residence inside her volcanoes, her exuberant spirit was not   to be contained. Legends about Pele and her many lovers and rivals   abound. Poliahu, one of   the snow goddesses, became her archrival when the two  competed for the   attention of a young chieftain. As he paddled his canoe, Pele surfed   the waves beside his boat to catch his attention.  But, after his   brief fling with Pele, he had an affair with the snow goddess   Poliahu. He was so taken   with the snow goddess that he moved in with her. Pele was not   amused! She managed to win him back from her rival, but the angry   snow goddess was not to be outdone. She blasted the couple with   fierce ice storms and the lovers soon had to separate. A struggle of   immense proportions ensued. Pele erupted from the volcano, forcing   Poliahu to flee with fiery lava licking at her heels.  The snow   goddess quickly recovered her wits, however, and returned with a   snow storm so massive and intense that it quenched forever the   spectacular fire on her northern island. T hough the two   still quarrel neither will ever win for they are destined to forever   hold each other in a delicate balance. It is their perpetual clashes   that have created the luxuriant and fertile hillsides that grace the   Hawaiian landscape. Once she has scorched all that lies on her path, Pele swiftly seeds it with the beautiful flowers that quickly rise   from the bed that she created with her fiery anger. Peleï¿½s jealousy   is legendary. Attracted to a handsome mortal named Ohi`a, she flew   into a rage when he resisted her seduction while proclaiming his   devotion to the lovely mortal Lehua. Furious, Pele killed the   lovers. Before long, Pele regretted the   impetuous act, and made amends by joining the lovers together for   all eternity, turning Ohi`a into a shrub and filling the branches   with soft delicate flowers made from the body of Lehua.  The Ohi`a   lehua tree, sacred to the goddess Pele, is always the first to sprout and grow   in the hard earth of a lava bed.                                  Of all her   siblings, Pele loved Hi`iaka most. But even she, the one Pele had so   carefully nurtured, was not to escape the fury of Peleï¿½s wrath.  As   a young woman, Hi`iaka and her best friend, the poet Hopoe, spent   much time together, singing and dancing, and tending to the groves   of the Ohi`a lehua trees. Pele thought she could trust this gentle   sister and sent her to retrieve a handsome chieftain she had   recently seduced. His name was Lohi`au. Pele warned her sister that the chieftain   was a magnificent male and that she would not tolerate any   flirtation between them.  Hi`iaka agreed to go, asking only that   Pele promise to take care of her beloved gardens while she was away. Pele   was asking a lot! Hi`iakaï¿½s journey proved perilous and lengthy, for she met many   demons and monsters along the way. Arriving too late, she found   Lohi`au dying. His heart had broken from worry that Pele had   forgotten to come for him.             Using every bit of magic she possessed, Hi`iaka restored the young chief to life. Though they were   powerfully attracted to each other, Hi`iaka kept her promise and   returned with Peleï¿½s lover, their relationship still chaste.   Hi`iaka had been   gone so long that Pele began to entertain fantasies of her sister   lying in Lohi`auï¿½s arms. Furious that Hi`iaka would betray her, Pele   burned Hi`iakaï¿½s beloved grove to the ground, accidentally killing   her friend Hopoe. When    Hi`iaka returned and discvoered what Pele had done, she    retaliated by making love to Lohi`au, right there in    Peleï¿½s view, on the lip of the volcanoï¿½s crater. Enraged, Pele erupted and the unfortunate young man was    burned to death. Hi`iaka, realizing how much she loved    him, descended into the Underworld and freed his soul.  One    of their


Into which body of water does the river Nile empty?

Into what body of water does the Nile River empty? a. Mediterranean Sea c. Suez Canal b. Red Sea d. Atlantic Ocean You have new items in your feed. Click to view. Question and answer Into what body of water does the Nile River empty? a. Mediterranean Sea c. Suez Canal b. Red Sea d. Atlantic Ocean The Nile River empties into the: A. Mediterranean Sea. Expert answered| andrewpallarca |Points 22800|


Which colour/color is generally considered between violet and green in the optical spectrum?

Visible Spectrum | Visible Light Spectrum | Chemistry@TutorCircle.com The visible light spectrum chart represents all the parts of the visible region with their wavelength or frequency or energy values. It shows the relation of the visible region with ultraviolet and infrared region also. Visible region or visible spectrum or optical spectrum of light starts from 400 nm and ended at 700 nm in the electromagnetic spectrum. Both edges of the visible light spectrum chart blend into the infrared and ultraviolet levels of radiation. The combination of all the colors of visible light makes white color which can be divided into seven colors with the help of a prism and split the white light in the visible color spectrum which we can observe in rainbow. In the sky the airborne water particles act as a prism and divide the white light into seven colors. The visible light spectrum chart represents all the parts of the visible region with their wavelength or frequency or energy values. It shows the relation of the visible region with ultraviolet and infrared region also. Visible region or visible spectrum or optical spectrum of light starts from 400 nm and ended at 700 nm in the electromagnetic spectrum. Both edges of the visible light spectrum chart blend into the infrared and ultraviolet levels of radiation. The combination of all the colors of visible light makes white color which can be divided into seven colors with the help of prism and split the white light in the visible color spectrum which we can observe in rainbow. In the sky the airborne water particles act as a prism and divide the white light into seven colors. Visible Spectrum Frequency 668 THz 380 nm Out of these colors, indigo is not considered in visible spectrum which lies around 425-450 nm and 670-700 THz of frequency value and is made a subset of violet color. Because of low range it’s difficult to distinguish indigo color in the spectral band. Three colors; gray, white and black do not include in the visible spectrum and considered as non-spectral colors. White is the combination of all the colors and black shows the deficiency of any color. The combination of two colors can create a new shade and hues. The color of various organic compounds depends upon their absorption of the certain frequency of light. For example, the yellow color of quinone is due to its aromatic structure. Similarly, the presence of double bond and conjugation or resonance can also affect the color of organic compounds. The deep red or orange color of carbonyl compounds is due to conjugation of double bonds with lone pair or carbonyl group or aromatic ring. The color of organic compounds can be detected with the help of a spectrometer. Similarly, the human eyes also functions as a spectrometer and can analyze the light. When we see sunlight, it looks like a uniform and homogenous but it is not correct. It is composed of a broad range of radiation and mainly rich ultraviolet, visible and infrared radiations. When we pass the visible component of it through a prism, it separates into seven colors at different degree of angle according to their wavelength and frequency values. We must remember that wavelength is the distance between adjacent peaks or troughs. It generally designates in meters, centimeters or nanometers. The frequency shows the number of wave cycles from a fixed point in per unit time and represents in cycles per second, or hertz (Hz). The frequency and wavelength of radiation can show the type of color and its position in the visible spectrum. For example; 420-430 nm of light is associated with yellow color while 500-520 nm of light represents red color. Similarly, the absorption of green color is close to 400 nm. The particular color of compounds and dyes make them useful for various purposes such as in decoration, painting and others. Dyes are generally organic or can be inorganic compounds such as kermesic acid, crocetin, the blue and indigo dye, crimson pigment, and the yellow saffron pigment. The dibromo derivative of indigo is named as punicin which is useful for the


Which organ of the human body comprises the dermis and epidermis?

The Skin (Human Anatomy): Picture, Definition, Function, and Skin Conditions The epidermis, the outermost layer of skin, provides a waterproof barrier and creates our skin tone. The dermis, beneath the epidermis, contains tough connective tissue, hair follicles, and sweat glands. The deeper subcutaneous tissue (hypodermis) is made of fat and connective tissue. The skin’s color is created by special cells called melanocytes, which produce the pigment melanin. Melanocytes are located in the epidermis. Skin Conditions Rash : Nearly any change in the skin’s appearance can be called a rash. Most rashes are from simple skin irritation; others result from medical conditions. Dermatitis : A general term for inflammation of the skin. Atopic dermatitis (a type of eczema) is the most common form. Eczema : Skin inflammation (dermatitis) causing an itchy rash. Most often, it’s due to an overactive immune system. Psoriasis : An autoimmune condition that can cause a variety of skin rashes. Silver, scaly plaques on the skin are the most common form. Dandruff : A scaly condition of the scalp may be caused by seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, or eczema. Acne : The most common skin condition, acne affects over 85% of people at some time in life. Cellulitis : Inflammation of the dermis and subcutaneous tissues, usually due to an infection. A red, warm, often painful skin rash generally results. Skin abscess (boil or furuncle): A localized skin infection creates a collection of pus under the skin. Some abscesses must be opened and drained by a doctor in order to be cured. Rosacea : A chronic skin condition causing a red rash on the face. Rosacea may look like acne, and is poorly understood. Warts : A virus infects the skin and causes the skin to grow excessively, creating a wart. Warts may be treated at home with chemicals, duct tape, or freezing, or removed by a physician. Melanoma : The most dangerous type of skin cancer, melanoma results from sun damage and other causes. A skin biopsy can identify melanoma. Basal cell carcinoma : The most common type of skin cancer. Basal cell carcinoma is less dangerous than melanoma because it grows and spreads more slowly. Seborrheic keratosis : A benign, often itchy growth that appears like a “stuck-on” wart. Seborrheic keratoses may be removed by a physician, if bothersome. Actinic keratosis : A crusty or scaly bump that forms on sun-exposed skin. Actinic keratoses can sometimes progress to cancer. Squamous cell carcinoma : A common form of skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma may begin as an ulcer that won’t heal, or an abnormal growth. It usually develops in sun-exposed areas. Herpes : The herpes viruses HSV-1 and HSV-2 can cause periodic blisters  or skin irritation around the lips or the genitals. Hives : Raised, red, itchy patches on the skin that arise suddenly. Hives usually result from an allergic reaction. Tinea versicolor : A benign fungal skin infection creates pale areas of low pigmentation on the skin. Viral exantham : Many viral infections can cause a red rash affecting large areas of the skin. This is especially common in children. Shingles (herpes zoster): Caused by the chickenpox virus, shingles is a painful rash on one side of the body. A new adult vaccine can prevent shingles in most people. Scabies : Tiny mites that burrow into the skin cause scabies. An intensely itchy rash in the webs of fingers, wrists, elbows, and buttocks is typical of scabies. Ringworm : A fungal skin infection (also called tinea). The characteristic rings it creates are not due to worms. Continued Skin Tests Skin biopsy : A piece of skin is removed and examined under a microscope to identify a skin condition. Skin testing (allergy testing): Extracts of common substances (such as pollen) are applied to the skin, and any allergic reactions are observed. Tuberculosis skin test (purified protein derivative or PPD): Proteins from the tuberculosis (TB) bacteria are injected under the skin. In someone who’s had TB, the skin becomes firm. Skin Treatments Corticosteroids (steroids): Medicines that reduce immune syst


In 2013 which nation became the first in Europe to recognize indeterminate gender (neither male nor female) in official registration/records?

Saturday, november 2, 2013 by The Morning News - issuu issuu Issuu on Google+ Saturday, November 2, 2013 Aruba's IPA School to host 16th Islands in Between Conference ORANJESTAD -- It was announced at the Instituto Pedigogico Aruba, or IPA, the island teacher training facility located in San Nicolas, they will host the prestigious Islands In Between Conference of 2013, with the theme being " Language, Literature & Cultures of the Eastern Caribbean." Announcing the event were principal local organizers Gregory Richardson and Merlynne Williams. These conference originated in 1998. The UWICave Hill and the University of Puerto Rico collaborate in establishing the annual event, which focuses on the literature, language and culture of the Eastern Caribbean. Dubbed the â€œIslands In Betweenâ€? Conference, it takes place in differing islands where there is no university campus. "The basic motivation is to bring a university presence to each island, make contact with local students and scholars, engage them in joint discussions on Eastern Caribbean literature, language and culture and to encourage research in these areas." Continued on pg 2 2 Aruba's IPA School to host 16th Islands in Between Conference Continued from pg 1 Richard Visser transfers his portfolio to Dr. Alex Schwengle, new Minister of Health Public Health management will be more focussed on service Nearly 90 speakers are expected to present during the three-day event beginning Thursday, November 7 and ending on Saturday, November 9. They represent academic institutions from all reaches of the Caribbean, Europe, North America, Latin America and Africa. The presentations focus on various aspects of Caribbean culture and how it affects the literature produced by and regarding the region. The diversity of language, the varying colonizing influences, gender, race, slavery and the importation of folklore to the region has created a rich, Creole tapestry, whose differences and similarities can provide great insights and revelations. A particular thrust of this year's conference is "Constructing Caribbean Identities." Presentations will begin at 9:00 AM each day, conducted in parallel workshops ending at 6:00 PM. The public is welcome to attend. A full timetable can be found on the IPA website: http://www.ipa.aw/PREPROGRAMconf.pdf The opening ceremonies on Thursday will take place in the Wesley Auditorium of the Methodist Church in San Nicolas. For more information and registration for the upcoming conference, visit the IPA webpage: http://www.ipa.aw/ By Rosalie Klein ORANJESTAD -- For four years Richard Visser was Minister of Public Health and Sports. During his tenure he instituted various projects that resulted in a success. He has left his post as Minister and has turned over all documentation to the incoming Minister, Dr. Alex Schwengle. Visser indicated that Dr. Schwengle visited his office and interviewed all his staff Police Academy students present interesting investigation on illegal garages ORANJESTAD â€“ On Wednesday, the Police Academy students (class 2010) presented to invited guests the results of an extensive investigation of various illegal garages operating in Oranjestad. Among the invitees were members of the Aruba Police Force, the Community Police, representatives of several departments working for protection of the environment and representatives of the governmentâ€™s legal department. The presentation took place at the Police Academy in Balashi. The audio/visual presentation of the situation included handouts attendees listing challenges, advisories and possible solutions for this problem. The investigation and report were part of their studies. Deputy spokesperson for the Aruba Police Force, John Larmonie, praised the students for a job well done and named this report "an eyeopener". The students found 90 illegal garages and observed several dangerous situations for citizens as well as for the environment. The situations are dangerous not only for the employees, but also for neighboring businesses and


Developed in 1941, the Nickel-Strunz classification scheme categorizes?

Sabine Grunwald Soil Classification Classification of natural phenomena like soils is typically done     for the following purposes: Organize knowledge about the subject to enable investigation and      communication to be both logical and comprehensive (structure/organization      for scientific/technical development). Provide a framework for establishing relationships among soils and      their environment that leads to advancement of theoretical and experimental      aspects of soil and related science (academic focus). Establish groupings of soils for which useful and reliable interpretations      can be made (utilitarian focus). For example: optimal use(s), hazard/limitation/remediation      assessment, potential productivity, framework for technology transfer/information      dissemination. There are two different classification approaches, i.e.,     technical vs. natural classification. Technical classifications are designed     for specific applied purposes (e.g., soil engineering classifications,     based largely on physical properties), whereas natural classifications     attempt  to organize the divisions of soils from a more holistic appraisal     of soil  attributes. The general principles of natural soil classification     systems are: A natural system of classification should express general or universal      relationships that exist in nature. One should be able to understand,      remember, generalize, or predict from information obtained. The scheme should be based on characteristics or attributes of things      classified as related to their genesis. It should place similar things      together on the basis of their properties. It is technically impossible to use all of the properties of soils      to classify them. Judgment based on existing knowledge must be used to      determine which properties are most important.   Historical Perspective One of the earliest land evaluation systems that incorporated a soil classification     was established during the Vao dynasty (2357-2261 B.C.) in China. Soils     were graded into nine classes, based on their productivity. It has been     suggested that property taxes were based on the size of the individual land     holding and soil productivity. In former times (< 1600 A.C.), soil was solely considered as a medium     for plant growth. Knowledge of soil behavior and crop growth was     passed from generation to generation gained by observation. For example,     in the Middle Ages it was well know that manure applied to soils improved     crop growth. For instance, the 'Plaggen cultivation' was practiced for a long time in     Europe, which left 'Plaggen soils': The top of grassland was peeled off and     used as litter in the stables. This material mixed with manure was applied     to arable land to improve crop production. In 1840, the German chemist Justus von Liebig initiated a revolution in soil science and agriculture.     He proved that plants assimilate mineral nutrients from the soil and proposed     the use of mineral fertilizers to fortify deficient soils. Crop production     was increased tremendously using mineral fertilizers. Another effect was     the shift from extensive to intensive techniques in agriculture, which influenced     soils. Thaer (1853) published a classification that combined texture     as a primary subdivision with further subdivisions based on agricultural     suitability and productivity. Several classifications based largely on     geologic origin of soil material were also proposed in the 19th century     (Fallou, 1862; Richtofen, 1886). From the 1660s onwards, various members of The     Royal Society of London proposed schemes of soil classification that     incorporated elements of a natural or scientific approach in their criteria.     From this period on, the disciplines of agricultural chemistry (with a strong


The flower buds of the Flinders rose (Capparis spinosa), pickled for culinary seasoning/garnish, are more commonly called what?

caper - definition - What is ? What is ? caper definition : caper Capparis spinosa, the caper bush, also called Flinders rose, is a perennial plant that bears rounded, fleshy leaves and large white to pinkish-white flowers. The plant is best known for the edible flower buds (capers), often used as a seasoning, and the fruit (caper berries), both of which are usually consumed pickled. Other species of Capparis are also picked along with C. spinosa for their buds or fruits. Other parts of Capparis plants are used in the manufacture of medicines and cosmetics. Capparis spinosa is found in the wild in the Mediterranean, East Africa, Madagascar, South-Western and Central Asia, the Himalayas, the Pacific Islands, Indomalaya, and Australia. It is present in almost all the circum-Mediterranean countries, and is included in the flora of most of them, but whether it is indigenous to this region is uncertain. Although the flora of the Mediterranean region has considerable endemism, the caper bush could have originated in the tropics, and later been naturalized to the Mediterranean basin. The taxonomic status of the species is controversial and unsettled. Species within the genus Capparis are highly variable, and interspecific hybrids have been common throughout the evolutionary history of the genus. As a result, some authors have considered C. spinosa to be composed of multiple distinct species, others that the taxon is a single species with multiple varieties or subspecies, or that the taxon C. spinosa is a hybrid between C. orientalis and C. sicula. == Plant == The shrubby plant is many-branched, with alternate leaves, thick and shiny, round to ovate. The flowers are complete, sweetly fragrant, and showy, with four sepals and four white to pinkish-white petals, and many long violet-colored stamens, and a single stigma usually rising well above the stamens. == Environmental requirements == The caper bush requires a semiarid or arid climate. The caper bush has developed a series of mechanisms that reduce the impact of high radiation levels, high daily temperature, and insufficient soil water during its growing period. The caper bush has a curious reaction to sudden increases in humidity; it forms wart-like pock marks across the leaf surface. This is apparently harmless, as the plant quickly adjusts to the new conditions and produces unaffected leaves. It also shows characteristics of a plant adapted to poor soils. This shrub has a high root/shoot ratio and the presence of mycorrhizae serves to maximize the uptake of minerals in poor soils. Different nitrogen-fixing bacterial strains have been isolated from the caper bush rhizosphere, playing a role in maintaining high reserves of that growth-limiting element. == Cultivation == The caper bush has been introduced as a specialized culture in some European countries in the last four decades. The economic importance of the caper plant led to a significant increase in both the area under cultivation and production levels during the late 1980s. The main production areas are in harsh environments found in Morocco, the southeastern Iberian Peninsula, Turkey, and the Italian islands of Pantelleria and Aeolian Islands, especially Salina. This species has developed special mechanisms to survive in the Mediterranean conditions, and introduction in semiarid lands may help to prevent the disruption of the equilibrium of those fragile ecosystems. A harvest duration of at least three months is necessary for profitability. Intense daylight and a long growing period are necessary to secure high yields. The caper bush can withstand temperatures over 40 °C in summer, but it is sensitive to frost during its vegetative period. A caper bush is able to survive low temperatures in the form of stump, as happens in the foothills of the Alps. Caper plants are found even 3,500 m above sea level in Ladakh, though they are usually grown at lower altitudes. Some Italian and Argentine plantings can withstand strong winds without problems, due to caper bush decumbent architecture and the coriaceous consistency of th


In Spanish-speaking nations a hacienda is a big what?

The Hacienda - definition of The Hacienda by The Free Dictionary The Hacienda - definition of The Hacienda by The Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/The+Hacienda Also found in: Thesaurus , Encyclopedia , Wikipedia . ha·ci·en·da  (hä′sē-ĕn′də, ä′sē-) n. 1. A large estate in a Spanish-speaking region. 2. The house of the owner of such an estate. [Spanish, from Latin facienda, things to be done, from neuter pl. gerundive of facere, to do; see dhē- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] hacienda (in Spain or Spanish-speaking countries) n 1. (Agriculture) a. a ranch or large estate b. any substantial stock-raising, mining, or manufacturing establishment in the country 2. (Architecture) the main house on such a ranch or plantation [C18: from Spanish, from Latin facienda things to be done, from facere to do] ha•ci•en•da


Which symbol is derived from Greek meaning 'small star'?

12 Signs and Symbols You Should Know 12 Signs and Symbols You Should Know By Mark Nichol What is the origin of various symbols used in English, and when is the use of each appropriate? Here’s a guide to twelve common signs, including how they developed and in which contexts they are used or avoided. 1. & (Ampersand) The ampersand was, at least until well into the nineteenth century, treated as the twenty-seventh letter of the alphabet, but its star has fallen, so that now it is used only informally except in registered names of businesses (“Ay, Bee & See Inc.”), which should be written as rendered; a comma preceding it is extraneous. The symbol comes from the cursive formation of the Latin word et (“and”), and the name is a slurring contraction of “and per se and,” which used to terminate schoolroom recitals of the alphabet: The phrase means “and by itself and”; instead of reciting, “. . . W, X, Y, Z, and,” children said, “. . . W, X, Y, Z, and per se and” to clarify that “and” referred to a list item rather than serving as a conjunction for an item that was left unuttered. The symbol is also seen in &c. (“et cetera”), an alternate form of etc. American Psychological Association (APA) style allows the ampersand to link author names in an in-text citation (“Laurel & Hardy, 1921”), but other style guides call for using the word and. 2. * (Asterisk) The asterisk is used to call out a footnote or to refer to an annotation of special terms or conditions, to substitute for letters in profanity (“Oh, s***!”) or a name rendered anonymous (“the subject, M***”), to serve as a low-tech alternative to a typographical bullet , or provide emphasis in place of boldface (“Do *not* go there — the food is awful.”). It also has many specialized technical usages. Its name is derived from the Greek term asteriskos, meaning “little star,” and it was originally applied to distinguish date of birth from other references to years. 3. @ (At Sign) Until the age of e-mail, the at sign was restricted mostly to commercial use, in purchase orders and the like, to mean “at the rate of” (“Order 1K widgets @ $2.50 per.”). It’s also used in displays of schedules for competitive sports to identify the event venue. Now it’s ubiquitous in email addresses and in social-networking usage, as well as computer protocols, but outside of those contexts, it is considered inappropriate for all but the most informal writing. 4. ¢ (Cent) This symbol for cent (from the Latin word centum, meaning “hundred”), unlike its cousin the dollar sign — it’s also used in many monetary systems other than that of US currency — is rare except in informal usage or for price tags. When it does appear, unlike the dollar sign, it follows rather than precedes the numeral, though as in the case of the dollar sign, no space intervenes. The equivalent usage in a context where dollar signs are employed is to treat the amount as a decimal portion of a dollar (“$0.99”); for clarity, a zero should always be inserted between the dollar sign and the decimal point. The sign probably originated to distinguish an ordinary c from one denoting a monetary amount. 5. ° (Degree Sign) The sign for degrees of arc or degrees of temperature, which started out as a superscripted zero, was chosen for consistency with use of the minute (′) and second marks (″) employed in geometry and geography; those symbols originally stood for the Latin numerals I and II. The degree sign appears in technical contexts, but in general-interest publications, the word degree is generally used. In references to temperature, the symbol (and the designation of the temperature scale) immediately follows the associated numerical figure (“45°C”). This style is true of many publishing companies, though the US Government and the International Bureau of Weights and Measures prescribe a space between the number and the symbol (“45 °C”), while other publications omit the first letter space but insert another between the symbol and the abbreviation (“45° C”). 6. ” (Ditto Sign) The ditto sign, first attested three thousand years ago, signals


What common three-letter word prefixes the following to make six different words?

A List of 35 Common Prefixes in English A List of 35 Common Prefixes in English A List of 35 Common Prefixes in English Vocabulary Building: Common Prefixes With Definitions and Examples The prefix uni- means "one," as in unicorn (literally "one horn"), unison ("one sound"), and uniform ("one shape").  (PraxisPhotography/Getty Images) If you were a prefix, you could change the same word in different ways. You could make a cycle a unicycle, a bicycle, or a tricycle. (Marcie Aboff and Sara Gray, If You Were a Prefix. Picture Window Books, 2008) A prefix is a letter or a group of letters attached to the beginning of a word  (or word root ) that partly indicates its meaning . For example, the word prefix itself begins with the prefix pre-, which generally means "before" or "in front of." Many of today's English words contain prefixes from Greek or Latin. Understanding the meanings of the most common prefixes can help us deduce the meanings of new words that we run across in our reading. Still, we do need to be careful: the same prefix may be spelled in more than one way (pre- and pro-, for instance), and some prefixes (such as in-) have more than one meaning (in this case, "not" and "into"). Even so, being able to recognize prefixes can help us build our vocabularies . The following table (in some browsers, just below the ads) defines and illustrates 35 common prefixes. continue reading below our video 4 Tips for Improving Test Performance Common Prefixes


The (International Standards Organization) ISO 4217, within which TRY refers to Turkey, provides designations for international?

Mds EUR > EUR XXX billion billions, millions, hundreds,.... 10:50 Jun 30, 2009  figures are strange, financiers have a tendency to think in terms of big big numbers, the result, 150 years in prison for one of them, another inflated number that doesn't mean much in reality! re: € vs EUR, rkillings' comment 16:18 Jul 1, 2009  For a newspaper or magazine, € is ok, but this specifies 'a financial document' and the French text uses the official 'EUR' no ' €'. In this case, EUR or euros should absolutely, definitely be used, not '€.' I think if you use '€' instead of EUR, financial institutions will probably think you are not experienced in professional financial translation. EUR is very much the accepted and invariable convention for documents dealing with international finance. United Kingdom 16:39 Jul 1, 2009  From what I have observed, I believe that rkillings is an extremely experienced financial translator and I very much doubt that any financial institution would ever question his professionalism. Moreover, I note that he does not make derogatory remarks about his peers either... Personally, I only have 20 years or so experience in writing financial reports for internal and external publication. I have also translated a number of French annual reports and have never seen EUR used instead of €. In fact, I can't think of a report that does; but you may have translated different ones. In any event, the document in question relates to the subsidiary of a major French bank, who do use the "€ "sign in their all their English language documentation... Does your comment apply to them as well? If so, perhaps you ought to let them know! joehlindsay 16:48 Jul 1, 2009  The comment was not directed at rkillings but meant to help the asker who seems to be starting out on financial translation. If you have 20 years translating financial reports and have never seen EUR used, that is astounding! It is used in this very case in the French. When EUR is used that is a clear signal that it is for professional international finance use and not for general domestic consumption. I will submit documentation. This excerpt from the Wikipedia entry for currency codes sheds some light on this usage: "For the 3-letter "currency codes" see: ISO 4217. Note: This article contains special characters. A currency sign is a graphic symbol often used as a shorthand for a currency's name. Internationally, ISO 4217 codes are used instead of currency signs, though currency signs may be in common use in their respective countries. Most currencies in the world have no specific symbol." SO: 1. If you are translating a document, it will in most cases be for international or global readership. (except for multilingual countries like Canada, Switzerland, etc.) 2. If you have EUR in French, I would say almost never change it to '€' when translating. 3. If you are translating a French document that was originally meant for domestic consumption but whose readership will shift to international or global, consider changing € to EUR, especially if some of the targeted readers are outside Europe or are finance professionals. The international currency codes are especially necessary when dealing with the $ sign, which is used in the US, Canada, Australia, Latin America, etc. to refer to the local c United Kingdom 17:57 Jul 1, 2009  As I said, I wrote investment reports, aimed exclusively at financial professionals for 20 years or so. As per the ESG (pp 41-42 ), we always used the standard abbreviations for major currencies ($, £, €) and our audience does not appear to have had any problems understanding the reports. Also, I do believe that anyone who is a finance professional will recognise the € sign by now, even if they didn't in the late '90s. I have been translating for five years, and have not been asked to use "EUR" once in any of the financial documentation I have translated (astounding perhaps...but true). I also think that if the house style is to use "€" (which it is in this case), it would be counter-productive to tell a new translator to use somethi


The drinks Sprite and 7 Up traditionally comprise which two-fruit combination?

Fruit Punch Recipe : Paula Deen : Food Network Cherry 4.3 50 it's tasty and feels fresh.. but..it's too sweet. you see how many concentrate juice? 4 cans! and add another 3 cups of sugar. it's just too much... i have to add more..more water. or cut back the  juice concentrate into 1 can each and no more sugar. santosom 2011-10-31T15:51:04Z item not reviewed by moderator and published I served this punch at an anniversary party. I did however replace the simple syrup with Diet Sprite. Everyone loved it! I will definitely serve it again. Guest 2011-10-26T19:20:12Z item not reviewed by moderator and published I really like the punch! Only thing I changed was the amount of simple syrup. I cut it in half. I thought the other things had enough sweetness. I guess it depends on your own sweet tooth! MelRagazzi 2011-03-10T09:32:16Z item not reviewed by moderator and published This is a great recipe! It is not too sweet and for those who said its too sweet should not be drinking punch. I have made this punch for large banquets for hundreds of people and it is always a big hit. I am always asked how I made it by those that drink it. This is a great punch for any occasion, simple to make with a great refreshing taste. Guest 2010-12-08T20:46:27Z item not reviewed by moderator and published This punch was so sweet that we couldn't even drink it. We tried to add more water and club soda to try and make it drinkable. No one at our party liked it!! tbussing 2010-11-21T13:46:41Z item not reviewed by moderator and published We made this in my foods class today. It was AWESOME!! We used all of the simple syrup called for and I didn't find it too sweet at all. Meh, personal tastes differ, I guess. It was still great punch. Casey F. 2010-09-03T22:41:24Z item not reviewed by moderator and published I have made this punch for years, but with a couple of changes. I don't put simple syrup in, use diet 7-up or sprite, and then put orange or pineapple sherbet instead of the frozen strawberries. It's always a huge success and the sherbet gives it a festive taste. Using the diet soda helps cut the sweetness a bit. hannahmollie 2010-05-06T12:24:23Z item not reviewed by moderator and published I made this for a shower this weekend. I found it in my Paula Dean cookbook. Reading the recipe, I thought it was going to be too sweet, but it seemed easy and quick so I tried it anyway. But I used unsweetened sparkling water instead of the Sprite. It was still very sweet, but tolerable. I decided to check the Internet today to see if there was a misprint in the cookbook, but it was the same. If I have the occasion the make it again, I will use less sugar. Linda M. 2010-03-01T20:34:22Z item not reviewed by moderator and published This Punch is very sweet I had to add lots of water to it and still it was to sweet not a very good punch it don't need the 3 cups of sugar was not very good Mary L. 2009-12-05T18:45:49Z item not reviewed by moderator and published We made this as our non-alcoholic drink for a Hawaiian wedding party that we hosted for 80 of our friends. We rented a large glass decorative dispenser with a spout. This punch was a huge hit. We purchased enought for 3 batches as we had no idea how many people were planning on drinking alcohol. We made ice cubes with extra pinapple juice and strawberries also a few with orange juice. It looked AMAZING in the dipenser and people LOVED it. We went through two solid batches and in the end added an extra bottle of Sprite to thin it out a little. We preferred extra fizz and also halved the simple syrup. So this evening we were invited to a house warming backyard BBQ for a new neighbor. We still had lots of premade icecubes in a large bowl in the freezer. The sliced strawberries still looked awesome so we made a full batch of this for the party and divided it into two pitchers. Again halved the simple syrup with extra Sprite. I probably should have made more since by the end of the party this was the new mixed drink with shots of vodka for drinkers and just plain for non-drinkers. This recipe is


Italian physicist Alessandro Volta (1745-1827) is considered to be the inventor of the electric?

Volta Alessandro Volta 1745-1827 A century and a half after Galileo 's death, something of scientific importance was to develop in Italy. Volta, a former high school physics teacher, found that it was the presence of two dissimilar metals, not the frog leg, that was critical. In 1800, after extensive experimentation, he developed the voltaic pile. The original voltaic pile consisted of a pile of zinc and silver discs and between alternate discs, a piece of cardboard that had been soaked in saltwater. A wire connecting the bottom zinc disc to the top silver disc could produce repeated sparks. No frogs were injured in the production of a voltaic pile. Count Alessandro Volta was born in Como, Italy, into a noble family. The Italian physicist Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta was the inventor of the voltaic pile, the first electric battery. In 1775 he invented the electrophorus, a device that, once electrically charged by having been rubbed, could transfer charge to other objects. Between 1776 and 1778, Volta discovered and isolated methane gas. When Luigi Galvani's experiments with "animal electricity" were published (1791), Volta began experiments that led him to theorize that animal tissue was not necessary for conduction of electricity. Proof of this theory was the battery, which Volta invented in 1800. He built in 1800 the first electrical pile, or battery: a series of metal disks of two kinds, separated by cardboard disks soaked with acid or salt solutions. This is the basis of all modern wet-cell batteries, and it was a tremendously important scientific discovery, because it was the first method found for the generation of a sustained electrical current. Volta built different piles using thirty, forty or sixty elements. This enabled him to study the action of the pile on the electric fluid, depending on the number of elements, and he confirmed that the electric shock increased in intensity with the number of elements used in the pile. If more than twenty elements were used, it became painful. The first piles constructed by Volta comprised alternating zinc and copper discs. Each was separated from its neighbor by a piece of cloth or card dampened by an acid solution. The column was supported by three vertical glass rods. Volta's "artificial electrical organ" that provided the necessary power for many of the nineteen century discoveries However, regarding Galvani's biological experiments, Volta effectively rejected the idea of an "animal electric fluid". The Galvani vs. Volta debate was one of the most interesting episodes in the history of science, and was devoid of personal animosity, because Galvani and Volta were both gentleman and friends, and also had high scientific principles. In fact, Volta, who generously coined the term galvanism, wrote that Galvani's work "contained one of the most beautiful and most surprising discoveries." Upon demonstrating the workings of the voltaic pile to the French Academy of Science, he was made into a count of Lombardy by Napoleon Bonaparte, who had dominated that part of Italy. The emperor of Austria made him director of the philosophical faculty at the University of Padua in 1815, 12 years before the day he was to die. The volt as we hear today, was named after Alessandro Volta in 1881 in honor and memory of him.


What is the most heavily populated river basin in the world?

Geography of the Ganges River By  Amanda Briney Updated August 03, 2015. The Ganges River, also called Ganga, is a river located in northern India that flows toward the border with Bangladesh ( map ). It is the longest river in India and flows for around 1,569 miles (2,525 km) from the Himalayan Mountains to the Bay of Bengal. The river has the second greatest water discharge in the world and its basin is the most heavily populated in the world with over 400 million people living in the basin. The Ganges River is extremely important to the people of India as most of the people living on its banks use it for daily needs such as bathing and fishing. It is also significant to Hindus as they consider it their most sacred river. Course of the Ganges River The headwaters of the Ganges River begin high in the Himalayan Mountains where the Bhagirathi River flows out of the Gangotri Glacier in India's Uttarakhand state. The glacier sits at an elevation of 12,769 feet (3,892 m). The Ganges River proper begins farther downstream where the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers join. continue reading below our video 4 Tips for Improving Test Performance As the Ganges flows out of the Himalayas it creates a narrow, rugged canyon. The Ganges River emerges from the Himalayas at the town of Rishikesh where it begins to flow onto the Indo-Gangetic Plain. This area, also called the North Indian River Plain, is a very large, relatively flat, fertile plain that makes up most of the northern and eastern parts of India as well as parts of Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh . In addition to entering the Indo-Gangetic Plain at this area, part of the Ganges River is also diverted toward the Ganges Canal for irrigation in the Uttar Pradesh state. As the Ganges River then flows farther downstream it changes its direction several times and is joined by many other tributary rivers such as the Ramganga, Tamsa and Gandaki rivers to name a few. There are also several cities and towns that the Ganges River passes through on its way downstream. Some of these include Chunar, Kolkata, Mirzapur, and Varanasi. Many Hindus visit the Ganges River in Varanasi as that city is considered the holiest of cities. As such, the city's culture is also closely tied into the river as it is the most sacred river in Hinduism. Once the Ganges River flows out of India and into Bangladesh its main branch is known as the Padma River. The Padma River is joined downstream by large rivers like the Jamuna and Meghna rivers. After joining the Meghna it takes on that name before flowing into the Bay of Bengal. Prior to entering the Bay of Bengal however, the river creates the world's largest delta, Ganges Delta. This region is a highly fertile sediment laden area that covers 23,000 square miles (59,000 sq km). It should be noted that the course of the Ganges River described in the above paragraphs is a general description of the river's route from its source where the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers join to its outlet at the Bay of Bengal. The Ganges has a very complicated hydrology and there are several different descriptions of its overall length and the size of its drainage basin based on what tributary rivers are included. The most widely accepted length of the Ganges River is 1,569 miles (2,525 km) and its drainage basin is estimated to be about 416,990 square miles (1,080,000 sq km). Population of the Ganges River The Ganges River basin has been inhabited by humans since ancient times. The first people in the region were of the Harappan civilization. They moved into the Ganges River basin from the Indus River basin around the 2nd millennium B.C.E. Later the Gangetic Plain became the center of the Maurya Empire and then the Mughal Empire. The first European to discuss the Ganges River was Megasthenes in his work Indica. In modern times the Ganges River has become a source of life for the nearly 400 million people living in its basin. They rely on the river for their daily needs such as drinking water supplies and food and for irrigation and manufacturing. Today the Ganges River basin is t


What sort of alcoholic drink is made from the blue agave plant?

In Search of the Blue Agave: Other Mexican Drinks   Tequila sips: In the past, agave were harvested when the jimadors decided they were ripe enough. This was generally done when the agaves were from eight to ten years old. Jimadors knew, from generations of experience, when the agave was ripest, when it was rich with sugars and ready for harvesting. Today's producers have to be more diligent and use scientific testing to determine when the agave is at its best sugar content - at least 25%. This is usually at its highest in the dry season, just before the rainy season. The rainy season fattens the agaves and dilutes the sugars. However, agave are harvested year round, rather than in any particular season.     Beyond tequila: other agave and related options Although they're seldom mentioned in the literature about tequila, there are other drinks aside from pulque , mezcal and tequila made from agaves, some even from the blue agave, and some even using tequila, including numerous liqueurs - collectively known as elixir de agave. Some of these are even marked aï¿½ejo and reposado and may be limited-production, premium drinks.   One regional option is sotol, a form of mezcal made from a different plant: the Dasilyrion , which belongs to the family Nolinaceae. Sotol is made from the Dasylirion wheeleri, D. duranguensis, D. palmeri and D. acotriche, plants, which are short stemmed succulent plants, with large thorns on serrated leaves, which end on a sharp barb and are very similar to the maguey plant, but not an agave.   Sotol is produced in the Mexican northern state of Chihuahua,  but is native to the states of Durango, Coahuila and Chihuahua, where  the plant is abundant.  It is aged six months before bottling.   The Tarahumara and Apache Indians fermented a drink from the  syrup of the wild Dasylirion Wheeleri, similar to pulque. The Tarahumara  people refer to sotol’s plant as "balilï¿½" or "selï¿½." The plant was also  known as sotol. The manufacturing process is very similar to the one  used for mezcales; the plant’s core is cooked, fermented and the liquid  is then distilled using more or less the same technique described in the  making of mezcal.   Sotol can only be made from 100% Dasilyrion  sugars. The plant lives in high, cold altitudes and takes 10+ years to  mature. The piï¿½a is a third smaller than tequila agaves. So far, there  is only one commercial brand available; it is aged in oak barrels and  named reposado or aï¿½ejo like tequila. Producers have received a  Denomination of Origin like both tequila and mezcal have.   The Polished Palate described Hacienda de Chihuahua sotol as:   The pride of Jose Daumas Gil de Partearroyo, Master Distiller, “Hacienda de Chihuahua” is 100% wild harvested, slow-steam cooked,   naturally fermented (with champagne yeasts), double distilled and   aged in new French Oak casks from Limoge, France. Its low 76 proof   enhances the product’s mixability. The product is 100% pure and   organic and packaged in handmade bottling. Back to top   Raicilla  (rye-see-ya) originates from the state of Jalisco, and is made in  the region around Puerto Vallarta. It is made from the agave Inaequidens,  commonly known as "lechugilla" or Agave lechuguilla. it is also known as  Agave Maximiliana, commonly known as "Pata de Mula" (Mules Foot). Agave  Lechugilla is somewhat smaller than the agaves from whcih pulque and  tequila are made. This variety of agave is originally from the Sierra  Madre Occidental in Jalisco, from the Ameca River to the Cuale River.    Raicilla  is made as a craft in towns like Mascota, Talpa, Atenguillo, Mixtlï¿½n,  Cuautla, San Sebastiï¿½n del Oeste, Santa Ana, Hostotipaquillo, Mascota,  Guachinango, Etzatlan, and Cimarrï¿½n Chico de la Raicilla, the town named  after the drink. Roadside vendors in these towns or along the highways  may sell homemade raicilla.   Raicilla was originally used as the spirit's name in order escape  restrictions on alcohol production and the related taxes.   Raicilla has


The word 'Aloha', a friendly greeting, is originally from what Island's language?

Popular Hawaiian Words & Phrases Sweet Sixteen: Momona 'Umi Kumaono Please join us: Ho'olu komo   la kaua Come celebrate: Hele mei hoohiwahiwa Come celebrate Taylor's first birthday: Hele me hoohiwahiwa Taylors   mua loa la hanau Come celebrate Joes 30th birthday: Hele me hoohiwahiwa Joes   30th la hanau Come celebrate the wedding of Bob & Sue : Hele mei hoohiwahiwa Bob a   me Sues la maleana Come celebrate our wedding day: Hele mei hoohiwahiwa ko maua la male 'ana Come celebrate Jack & Jill's 25th Anniversary: Hele me hoohiwahiwa   Jack & Jill's 25th la ho'omana'o Come celebrate George's retirement: Hele me hoohiwahiwa George's ho'omaha   loa Come celebrate Sharilyn's promotion: Hele me hoohiwahiwa Sharilyn's   ho'opi'i Come to Tiffany's baby shower luau: Hale mai Tiffany's pepe kuaua luau Thank you for celebrating with us: Mahalo nui loa na ho'olaule'a me la   kaua Holidays Hawaiian Style Happy   Thanksgiving ~ Hauoli La Hoomakikai (pronounced how-oh-lay la   ho-o-ma-key-kah-ee) Happy Holidays ~ Hauoli Lanui (pronounced how-oh-lay la-new-ee) Merry Christmas ~ Mele Kalikimaka (pronounced may-lay ka-lee-key-ma-ka) Happy Hanukkah ~ Hauoli Hanukaha (pronounced how-oh-lay   ha-new-ka-ha) Happy Kwanzaa ~ Hauoli Kawanaka (pronounced how-oh-lay ka-wa-na-ka) Happy New Year ~ Hauoli Makahiki Hou (pronounced how-oh-lay   ma-ka-hee-key ho) Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ~ Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hau'oli   Makahiki Hou Happy Hanukkah and New Year ~ Hau'oli Hanukaha me ka  Makahiki Hou Happy Birthday ~ Hau`oli la Hanau (pronounced   how-oh-lay la ha-now) Happy Anniversary ~ Hau`oli la Ho'omana'o (pronounced   how-oh-lay la ho-o-ma-na-o) Happy Retirement ~ Hau`oli la Hoomaha loa (pronounced how-oh-lay la ho-o-ma-ha low-a) Happy Sweet 16 ~ Hau`oli Momona 'Umi Kumaono  (pronounced how-oh-lay mo-mo-na oo-me ku-ma-o-no) Popular Hawaiian Phrases A hui hou kakou Until we meet again Aloha kakahiaka Good morning


Established in 1802 the 'Legion of Honour' (UK-English translation) is the highest civil or military award given in which nation?

Yemen Press Reader 114: ǀ Krieg im Jemen-Neue Artikel zum Nachlesen 114 — der Freitag cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important 11.3.2016 – Vice News (**** B H K) Dead Civilians, Uneasy Alliances, and the Fog of Yemen's War [A great article you should read in full at the original site, containing many photos as well. The VICE team stayed for long in Yemen, visiting many places in the country. For instance, they came to the place of the Wajijah wedding strike in September 2015, killing about 140 people. A Lot of information in this article, below just some sections in special related to the Western involvement. Here to the original site: https://news.vice.com/article/dead-civilians-uneasy-alliances-and-the-fog-of-yemens-war ] Beyond the impact of conventional weapons on civilians, there is also the thorny issue of the coalition's use of cluster bombs, which has been documented by the UN, Amnesty, and Human Rights Watch. Cluster bombs are canisters that separate in mid-air, scattering dozens if not hundreds of "bomblets," which sometimes fail to detonate upon landing, leaving live munitions that look like toys on the ground. Given the wide area over which bomblets deploy, it's all but impossible to guarantee that cluster bombs will hit a specific target. Human rights advocates insist that the Convention on Cluster Munitions, an international agreement signed by 118 countries (though not by the US or Saudi Arabia), bans their use. During our latest shoot in Sadah, the Houthis' northern stronghold, we found fresh evidence that the Saudi-led coalition had used cluster munitions during the war. We stopped at a farm in the Nashour area of the province where Taleh al-Rezam, a retired military officer, lived with his family. Scattered along the hillside next to the farm was a collection of bright yellow canisters marked "BOMB FRAG BLU-97A/B 809420-30" that were attached to plastic parachutes. These were cluster munitions, manufactured in the US by the engineering firm Honeywell specifically for the American military, and probably part of a batch sold to Saudi Arabia by the US in the early 1990s. We also found the remnants of several of the canisters used to deliver the bombs, marked, "CBU 87B/B." It's understandable that the Saudis would be so defensive and resistant to an independent investigation. But the position of the US and the UK, Saudi Arabia's top arms suppliers, is more problematic. They have provided both materiel and technical support for Riyadh's air war while denying direct involvement and expressing vague concern over the campaign's impact on civilians. British ministers have been particularly critical of the evidence being provided by those who claim war crimes may have been committed. In private briefings not directly authorized by their superiors, US officials have also questioned the quality of some of the reporting by organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty. Since the beginning of the conflict, the US and UK have maintained that Saudi Arabia has the right to go to war in Yemen while insisting that a negotiated political process can be the only solution. While both countries routinely call for an investigation of apparent breaches of the laws of war in Yemen, they have hesitated to support an independent mechanism that might make that happen despite having enthusiastically supported such a mechanism to investigate allegations of war crimes in Syria. The US was largely silent while the Dutch plan was being dismantled in Geneva, and Washington has yet to publicly endorse an independent investigation. Asked whether the government would support an independent commission of inquiry on war crimes in Yemen, the Pentagon referred VICE News to the State Department. State officials in turn simply highlighted their support for the Saudi version of the resolution and an internal inquiry Riyadh announced in January. British and American officials are deep enough inside the process of target selection to judge that international law is not being broken, then, but they are sufficiently hands-off for officials to tell us t


How many legs does a butterfly have? | Reference.com How many legs does a butterfly have? A: Quick Answer A butterfly has three pairs of legs, giving it a total of six legs. Classified as an insect, a butterfly has a triple segmented body, jointed legs in pairs of three, antennae and wings. Full Answer A butterfly's legs are very important for its survival. A butterfly uses its feet as taste buds. When it lands on a flower or plant, it uses its feet to taste the plant and determine if it wants to eat. The painted lady butterfly is sometimes thought to have only four legs. These butterflies do have six legs, but the front two legs are very small.


Amygdaloid refers to the shape of what nut?

Almond | Define Almond at Dictionary.com Share almond [ah-muh nd, am-uh nd; spelling pronunciation al-muh nd] /ˈɑ mənd, ˈæm ənd; spelling pronunciation ˈæl mənd/ Spell noun 1. the nutlike kernel of the fruit of either of two trees, Prunus dulcis (sweet almond) or P. dulcis amara (bitter almond) which grow in warm temperate regions. 2. anything shaped like an almond, especially an ornament. adjective of the color, taste, or shape of an almond. 6. made or flavored with almonds: almond cookies. Latin 1250-1300 1250-1300; Middle English almande < Old French (dial.) alemande, probably by transposition of -la < Late Latin amandula, with assimilative replacement of the unfamiliar cluster and adaptation to a known suffix, representing Latin amygdala < Greek amygdálē; replacing Old English amigdal < Latin Related forms Examples from the Web for almond Expand Declining bee populations may lead to significant agricultural losses in U.S. Miranda Green May 7, 2013 Historical Examples The truth is that the candle in question is made out of a piece of apple, with a small peg cut from a nut or almond for a wick. Earl Hubert's Daughter Emily Sarah Holt almond meal is sometimes used as an adulterant in ipecacuanha powder. The Dead Command Vicente Blasco Ibez Cut the turnips in pieces four times the size of an almond, and put to boil in salt water. British Dictionary definitions for almond Expand noun 1. a small widely cultivated rosaceous tree, Prunus amygdalus, that is native to W Asia and has pink flowers and a green fruit containing an edible nutlike seed 2. the oval-shaped nutlike edible seed of this plant, which has a yellowish-brown shell 3. (modifier) made of or containing almonds: almond cake, related adjectives amygdaline amygdaloid 4. (as adjective): an almond skirt 6. anything shaped like an almond nut Word Origin C13: from Old French almande, from Medieval Latin amandula, from Latin amygdala, from Greek amugdalē Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for almond Expand n. c.1300, from Old French almande, amande, from Vulgar Latin *amendla, *amandula, from Latin amygdala (plural), from Greek amygdalos "an almond tree," of unknown origin, perhaps a Semitic word. Altered in Medieval Latin by influence of amandus "loveable," and acquiring in French an excrescent -l- perhaps from Spanish almendra "almond," which got it via confusion with the Arabic definite article al-, which formed the beginnings of many Spanish words. Applied to eyes shaped like almonds, especially of certain Asiatic peoples, from 1870. Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper almond in the Bible Expand a native of Syria and Palestine. In form, blossoms, and fruit it resembles the peach tree. Its blossoms are of a very pale pink colour, and appear before its leaves. Its Hebrew name, _shaked_, signifying "wakeful, hastening," is given to it on account of its putting forth its blossoms so early, generally in February, and sometimes even in January. In Eccl. 12:5, it is referred to as illustrative, probably, of the haste with which old age comes. There are others, however, who still contend for the old interpretation here. "The almond tree bears its blossoms in the midst of winter, on a naked, leafless stem, and these blossoms (reddish or flesh-coloured in the beginning) seem at the time of their fall exactly like white snow-flakes. In this way the almond blossom is a very fitting symbol of old age, with its silvery hair and its wintry, dry, barren, unfruitful condition." In Jer. 1:11 "I see a rod of an almond tree [shaked]...for I will hasten [shaked] my word to perform it" the word is used as an emblem of promptitude. Jacob desired his sons (Gen. 43:11) to take with them into Egypt of the best fruits of the land, almonds, etc., as a present to Joseph, probably because this tree was not a native of Egypt. Aaron's rod yielded almonds (Num. 17:8; Heb. 9:4). Moses was directed to make c


How many full years elapsed between the start of the year 17BC, and the start of the year 17AD?

11.29 · Banca d'Italia Abstract The labour market status of many nonworking persons is at the boundary between unemployment and inactivity. Like the unemployed, they seek and are available for work; unlike them, their last search action was not recent enough to meet the International Labour Office definition of unemployment. In this paper we examine by nonparametric tests how the transition probabilities of these out-of-the-labour-force job seekers differ from those of the unemployed as well as the other nonparticipants. First, using data from the European Community Household Panel, we show that in most EU countries these job seekers constitute a distinct labour market state. Second, we rely on information available only in the Italian Labour Force Survey to derive a measure of search intensity that we use to break down the out-of-the-labour-force job seekers. On the basis of their transition probabilities, the most active are indistinguishable from the unemployed. (JEL: J64, J22, R23) Copyright (c) 2006 by the European Economic Association. Discover the world's research Does the ILO Deﬁnition Capture All Unemployment? ∗ Andrea Brandolini†Piero Cipollone‡Eliana Viviano§ October 2004 The labour market status of many non-working persons is at the boundary between unem- ployment and inactivity. Like the unemployed, they seek and are available for work; unlike them, their last search action was not recent enough to meet the ILO deﬁnition of unemploy- ment. In this paper we examine by non-parametric tests how the transition probabilities of these out-of-the-labour-force job seekers diﬀer from those of the unemployed as well as the other non-participants. First, using data from the European Community Household Panel, we show that in most EU countries these job seekers constitute a distinct labour market state. Second, we rely on information only available in the Italian Labour Force Survey to derive a measure of search intensity which we use to break down the out-of-the-labour-force job seekers. On the ba- sis of their transition probabilities, the most active are indistinguishable from the unemployed. JEL classiﬁcation: J64, J22, R23. Keywords: unemployment, ILO classiﬁcations, transition probabilities. ∗We are very grateful for their most helpful comments on earlier versions of the paper to Lorenzo Forni, Pietro Gennari, Marco Magnani, Franco Peracchi, Alfonso Rosolia and participants in the seminar on “Dynamics and inertia in the Italian labour market” (Venice, April 2004) and the 16th Annual Conference of the European Association of Labour Economists (Lisbon, September 2004). We thank Ana Franco of Eurostat for supplying the questionnaires of the labour force surveys in EU countries, Olaf Juergens of the EuroPanel Users Network (EPUNet) for helping us to understand the nature of the Swedish data in the ECHP, and Sharon Cohany of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for documenting the origin of the four-week requirement in the deﬁnition of unemployment in the United States. In revising the paper we have beneﬁted considerably from the suggestions of the Editor, Alan Krueger, and two anonymous referees. Christine Stone provided valuable editorial assistance. Some estimates presented in this paper are based on a matched longitudinal ﬁle of the Italian labour force survey, made available for a joint research project with Istat. The views expressed are ours and do not necessarily reﬂect those of the Bank of Italy. †Bank of Italy, Economic Research Department. E-mail: andrea.brandolini@bancaditalia.it ‡Bank of Italy, Economic Research Department. E-mail: piero.cipollone@bancaditalia.it §Bank of Italy, Milan Branch. E-mail: eliana.viviano@bancaditalia.it. 1Introduction The concept of unemployment is something everyone seems to understand. Yet its measurement is not straightforward and rests on a number of arbitrary choices. The labour force statistics divide the adult population into three, mutually exclusive groups: the employed, the unemployed and the inactive, i.e. people out of the labour force. The employed comprise all perso


German-British businessman Hans Snook founded which phone company in 1994?

BBC NEWS | Business | Mobile boss Snook moves into health care Mobile boss Snook moves into health care Joia Shillingford BBC News business reporter Hans Snook once predicted we would receive calls via earrings He may not be a teenager, but Hans Snook, chairman of mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse, has an uncanny knack for picking up on trends. He downloaded the Crazy Frog ringtone on to his mobile as soon as he heard it. It turns out that hundreds of thousands of young people have done so too. He also had a Motorola RAZR phone, one of this season's hottest mobiles, as one of his four handsets. Or he did until his partner Helen "stole it". Futurology But what does the former boss of Orange - who once predicted we would be making calls from earring-style phones - think will be important trends for the future? Crazy Frog ringtones and wallpaper have wowed mobile users He forecasts that one day all communications networks - whether fixed or mobile - will be linked together. "There'll be one big global network that reaches everywhere," he says. "When you're near a cheap fixed-line network, bluetooth (short-range radio) in the phone could connect to it and let you make calls over it," adds Mr Snook. This would benefit mobile operators too, he says, because they wouldn't have to put base stations into every building. It would also get round the problem of buildings with poor mobile coverage. Mobile stress reducer More useful, or more amusing, services for mobiles will also be key, he says. I don't do anything unless it is fun. I have to believe in it, it has to be good for people. And it has to be profitable Hans Snook, chairman of Carphone Warehouse For example, he is working with Health-Smart, a small UK company with biofeedback technology that can monitor key health indicators, such as blood pressure, heart rate and heart variability, via a small strap that goes round a finger. This could transmit the results to a mobile phone via bluetooth, he says. "The feedback will tell you if you are overstressed, and you can make yourself calmer by breathing better." Mr Snook, who once said he would have liked to be a psychologist if he wasn't a businessman, seems to have reduced stress in his own life. It helps that he has made over ï¿½40m from sales of Orange shares and from takeovers of Orange by Mannesmann, and by Vodafone (when it bought Mannesmann). Emphasis on enjoyment Mr Snook is moving from phones to healthcare "I don't do anything unless it is fun," he says. "I have to believe in it, it has to be good for people. And it has to be profitable - or it won't last." He describes his role as chairman of Orange Thailand as fun but demanding. He took it on in 2002, shortly after France Telecom's acquisition of Orange and his departure as Orange boss. He stayed on as chairman of Orange Thailand after France Telecom reduced its 49% stake in the business to 10% last year, selling out to its listed Thai joint venture partner, Chaeran Pokhand Group. "My biggest job last year was to broker this deal," says Mr Snook, who spent many years working in Asia - for Hutchison - after going there as a young backpacker in the 1980s. But the deal means Orange Thailand must eventually drop the Orange name. "We needed a brand that would be as successful as Orange with Thais," says Mr Snook, who expects "True" or "True Mobile" to be the final choice. "It will be my first experience of changing the Orange brand to something else," he points out. Health check


The hurdy gurdy is what sort of instrument?

joel peyton, luthier: my hurdy gurdy joel peyton, luthier i have been working as a luthier in Minneapolis for over 15 years, doing repair and set-ups at Leonard Shapiro Guitar Repair since 2000. on my own time i have built a variety of stringed instruments, including electric and acoustic guitars, banjos, a mandolin, ukuleles, dulcimers, hurdy gurdys, lap steels, a stroh violin, a harbinger fiddle and more. the plan is to post pictures of all my instruments here as well as other luthiery updates from the shop. Wednesday, June 18, 2014 my hurdy gurdy this is pretty much my main instrument and interest as of the last couple years. i even quit playing bass, which had been my main instrument since the beginning of my musical life at 17. now i just play hurdy gurdy and bouzouki mostly (although i've recently started playing electric guitar for the first time in a band, stay tuned!).  it has six strings: 2 melody strings tuned in unison to D; an octave lower D drone and the G below that are on the keyboard side; a low A drone and the trompette tuned in unison to the melody strings are on the back side. i use a viola D string for my melody strings(or canters), a nylon guitar G string for my trompette(or dog), and wound classical nylon strings for the drones(or droners).  the body comes from a salvaged sigma. it was bought only for the pickup and preamp, then donated to me. the top originally had a blue-black sunburst finish which was majorly chipped and peeling off in huge sheets. the bridge was coming off too. right about summer 2011 someone asked me if i could build them a hurdy gurdy out of a guitar body. i investigated online a little and found that a few people have used guitar bodies for hurdy gurdies so i knew i could too. i never heard from my prospective client again, but now the idea had been implanted, i had already started making sketches and i had the sigma to use. i began by pulling off the neck and cutting the bridge out (not off, out) of the top leaving a hole for the wheel. the laquer peeled off of the top easily but not the back or sides so i opted to leave them and get on with construction. i routed rosettes for the wheel cover anchors to match the section of original soundhole that is still visible. all of the added wood is either maple or ebony. alot of the maple is heavily spalted with black or blueish streaks. the ebony keys have some light streaks. i actually made the tailpiece back in red wing. when i decided to use it on the hurdy i think it looked sort of like tailfeathers so the bird theme evolved from there. the headstock is one piece of maple. it is dovetail(sorry!) joined to the body just like the neck had been. the eyes go all the way through, you can see light in the pic. he's modeled befittingly after a buzzard. the drone bridges are less distinct birds-of-prey. the trompette is the rhythm feature of hurdy gurdies. the string goes over a "buzzing bridge" which simulates a sort of snare drum sound. the rotation of the wheel pulls the string upward, while the strings own tension pulls it back down, striking the bridge foot against the soundboard. i made several bridges to experiment with. now a look inside the buzzards keybox we see the tangents. these are the pieces that contact the strings to play notes. each one is adjustable to be intonated accurately. the keys work by gravity so when released they just drop back down. the last key is a mute switch for the melody strings, two ramps lift the strings off the wheel. the strings slide up the ramps and stop in grooves cut at the top. to release the mute i just push down on the back of the key with my thumb.  all of the drone strings have their own mute switch in a lower row of four keys close to the wheel. in the picture above the keys are all set in playing position, all of the the drone strings are touching the wheel.  the strings are pushed away from the wheel by leather dampers mounted on each key. the picture on the right shows all of the drones but the top back A string being muted. another lower row of keys is meant to play a "seco


What is the connection between the £ sterling sign and astrology?

Understanding Astrology - Article by Astrology.com Understanding Astrology by Astrology.com September 21, 2010 05:32 PM EST Share Share Share Move beyond your daily horoscope to uncover the complexities and intricacies of astrology. Read on to learn more about the technical and mathematical science of astrology. Astrology is just one of those subjects: It's easy to learn but can take a lifetime to master. Most people are familiar with the most basic aspect of astrology, their Sun sign, and usually they can name at least one common trait of their sign. Sun signs are popularized through all the horoscopes that appear in daily newspaper columns, magazines and websites. Unfortunately, many people think that their Sun sign is all that there is to astrology. While it is a good place to start, there is a lot more to astrology than just the Sun's position! Astrology is not a modern invention dating back only a few years, decades or even centuries. Astrology has been studied for millennia, and it dates back as far as recorded history. The original astrologers were priests and scholars, and they were looked up to as doctors and learned men. According to modern speculation, the Three Wise Men of Christian belief were astrologers! At that time, astrology was the same science as astronomy and psychology, whose modern descendants arose from astrology. In ancient times, the Greeks and Romans based their system of gods on what they believed was up in the sky. Zeus, who equates to Jupiter in Roman myth, and the other gods and goddesses were based on the planets visible to the ancients. Astrology was similarly popular in Babylon and Egypt, and it also rose in the Middle East, India and China. Modern astrology has changed with the discovery of new planets: first Uranus in 1781, then Neptune and Pluto, as well as the four feminine-energy asteroids. These three planets have a stronger effect on generations as a whole rather than individuals, but they still have an important place in modern astrology. Astrology is about the interaction between the planets (including the Sun and Moon) and the signs. The relationships between them and their interactions are mathematically based, and astrology studies these mathematical cycles. Each sign represents a different aspect of the whole human; Aries starts the cycle, representing the self, and Pisces completes it, representing the mass unconscious of all mankind. In between, every other sign carries the energy of a different phase of man's evolution within the universe. In some ways, the forces between the planets involved in astrology can be simplified into one word: gravity. The Sun has the greatest gravity and the strongest affect in astrology, followed by the Moon, the Earth's satellite. The other planets are not truly satellites of the Earth, but nevertheless, they have gravity and so affect the Earth. The Sun controls the Earth's motion and the Moon controls its tides, but the other planets have their own effects on the Earth -- and on the people who live on Earth. Sometimes their influences can be so strong that they outweigh the Sun's energy! Astrology can be understood as a philosophy that helps to explain life, rather than a type of mysticism that can be used as a predictive tool. Instead of discussing what the planets do to us, we can explain ourselves based on planetary indications. The signs work the same way: Each of the 12 signs is a unique combination of one of the four Elements -- Earth, Air, Fire, Water -- and one of the three Qualities -- Cardinal, Fixed, Mutable. The Elements and Qualities demonstrate that we are all part of the environment. There is a connection between all living things and all matter on this planet. Astrology ties humans together: We are all faced with the same planetary interactions, and we are all part of the same cycles. Despite all these connections, astrology does not tie you to being a certain way, and it doesn't predict everything about you. Astrology explains the energy in your life and its potential challenges and possibilities. You can evolve from your


The Philippines comprises how many islands?

Facts about Philippines Facts about Philippines Click to view full Infographic What is the full name of the Philippines ? Republic of the Philippines (Republika ng Pilipinas) What is the capital of the Philippines ? Manila Where is the Philippines located ? Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean What countries border the Philippines ? The Philippines shares no land boundaries, but Taiwan, Vietnam, Borneo, Indonesia are all located across seas from the Philippines What is the area of the Philippines ? 300,000 square kilometers or 115,831 square miles What is the population of the Philippines ? Around 100,000,000 How many islands make up the Philippine archipelago ? 7,107 How is the Philippines divided ? There are three main geographic groups of islands: Luzon, Visayas, Mindano There are 17 Regions and 80 provinces in the Philippines Regions and Regional Centers Ilocos Region – San Fernando, La Union Cagayan Valley – Tuguegaro, Cagayan Central Luzon – San Fernando, Pampanga Calabarzon – Calamba, Laguna Northern Mindanao – Cagayan de Oro Davao Region – Davao City Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao – Cotabato City Cordillera Administrative Region – Baguio What is the currency of the Philippines ? Philippine Peso (PHP) When did the Philippines declare independence ? The Philippines have declared independence from both Spain and the United States. Independence from Spain was declared on June 12, 1898. The Philippines declared independence from the United States on July 4, 1946. When was the Philippines colonized by Spain ? The Spanish explorer, Ferdinand Magellan came across the Philippines in 1512. Spain began developing permanent settlements in the Philippines starting with Cebu in 1565 and moving up to Manila on Luzon Island by 1571. The Spanish colonists unified the archipelago politically and began to convert the indigenous peoples to Christianity. They also brought schools and infrastructure. By 1896, the Philippine Revolution began against Spain. With the help of the United States, the First Philippine Republic declared independence from Spain. Who were the major revolutionary figures of the Philippine Revolution ? A secessionist group called the Katipunan was led by Andrés Bonifacio, who organized an attack on the capital (which failed) and Bonifacio was later executed. Emilio Aguinaldo led a similar armed attacks soon after, eventually allying with the United States and declaring independence from Spain. Philippine independence was not recognized by Spain or the United States. Aguinaldo became the President of the First Philippine Republic in 1898. How did the Philippines fall under United States rule ? When the Philippines achieved independence from Spain in the 1898 Treaty of Paris, the United States took control. At that point, Filipinos had seen the United States as an ally, because the United States was at war with Spain in the Spanish-American War. With the Battle of Manila in 1899, fought between the United States and the Philippines, Aguinaldo declared the United States an enemy and declared war against them. How long was the Philippine-American War ? The war between the United States and the Philippines lasted about 3 years, from June 2, 1899 to July 4, 1902. The Filipino military were not as well-equipped, so the Americans won soon after Aguinaldo, the Filipino leader, was captured in 1901. The war ended when the United States agreed to establish the Philippine Commission and to extend the U.S. Bill of Rights to Filipinos. The Philippines then became a commonwealth of the United States. When did the Japanese occupy the Philippines ? Japan took control of the Philippines during World War II, from 1941 to 1945. What is the official language of the Philippines ? There are 2 official languages in the Philippines : Filipino and English Recognized regional languages : Bikol, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Ilokano, Pampango, Pangasinense, Tagalog, Waray Recognized auxiliary languages : Arabic, Spanish Are Filipino and Tagalog different languages ? Not really. Most linguists differentiate language from a dialect by w


The 'Turing test' assesses whether a computer possesses what characteristic?

The Turing Test (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy The Turing Test First published Wed Apr 9, 2003; substantive revision Mon Feb 8, 2016 The phrase “The Turing Test” is most properly used to refer to a proposal made by Turing (1950) as a way of dealing with the question whether machines can think. According to Turing, the question whether machines can think is itself “too meaningless” to deserve discussion (442). However, if we consider the more precise—and somehow related—question whether a digital computer can do well in a certain kind of game that Turing describes (“The Imitation Game”), then—at least in Turing's eyes—we do have a question that admits of precise discussion. Moreover, as we shall see, Turing himself thought that it would not be too long before we did have digital computers that could “do well” in the Imitation Game. The phrase “The Turing Test” is sometimes used more generally to refer to some kinds of behavioural tests for the presence of mind, or thought, or intelligence in putatively minded entities. So, for example, it is sometimes suggested that The Turing Test is prefigured in Descartes' Discourse on the Method. (Copeland (2000:527) finds an anticipation of the test in the 1668 writings of the Cartesian de Cordemoy. Gunderson (1964) provides an early instance of those who find that Turing's work is foreshadowed in the work of Descartes.) In the Discourse, Descartes says: If there were machines which bore a resemblance to our bodies and imitated our actions as closely as possible for all practical purposes, we should still have two very certain means of recognizing that they were not real men. The first is that they could never use words, or put together signs, as we do in order to declare our thoughts to others. For we can certainly conceive of a machine so constructed that it utters words, and even utters words that correspond to bodily actions causing a change in its organs. … But it is not conceivable that such a machine should produce different arrangements of words so as to give an appropriately meaningful answer to whatever is said in its presence, as the dullest of men can do. Secondly, even though some machines might do some things as well as we do them, or perhaps even better, they would inevitably fail in others, which would reveal that they are acting not from understanding, but only from the disposition of their organs. For whereas reason is a universal instrument, which can be used in all kinds of situations, these organs need some particular action; hence it is for all practical purposes impossible for a machine to have enough different organs to make it act in all the contingencies of life in the way in which our reason makes us act. (Translation by Robert Stoothoff) Although not everything about this passage is perfectly clear, it does seem that Descartes gives a negative answer to the question whether machines can think; and, moreover, it seems that his giving this negative answer is tied to his confidence that no mere machine could pass The Turing Test: no mere machine could talk and act in the way in which adult human beings do. Since Descartes explicitly says that there are “two very certain means” by which we can rule out that something is a machine—it is, according to Descartes, inconceivable that a mere machine could produce different arrangements of words so as to give an appropriately meaningful answer to whatever is said in its presence; and it is for all practical purposes impossible for a machine to have enough different organs to make it act in all the contingencies of life in the way in which our reason makes us act—it seems that he must agree with the further claim that nothing that can produce different arrangements of words so as to give an appropriately meaningful answer to whatever is said in its presence can be a machine. Given the further assumption—which one suspects that Descartes would have been prepared to grant—that only things that think can produce different arrangements of words so as to give an appropriately mean