What did Basutoland change its name to in 1966?

BASUTOLAND (Hansard, 21 June 1966) My Lords, before my noble friend pursues this point much further, I wonder whether he can say if these sums are any greater, or less, than the sums of money received by the other Parties from Russia and China? § LORD BROCKWAY My Lords, I intended to do that later. I have met representatives of the other Parties. They deny absolutely that they have received a single halfpenny, either from Russia or from China. They have been very frank about this. The Party which has been mostly concerned is the Basutoland Con- 262 gress Party. They say they have received money as pan-Africanists, from Ghana and from the Committee of Nine al Dar-es-Salaam, which is the Committee for the Organisation of African Unity; but they deny absolutely that they have received anything from Russia or from China. If this allegation is to be made, I hope that some evidence will be given of a charge, of which at present there is no evidence whatsoever. May I now continue my quotation of the statement by Chief Jonathan, the head of the minority Government in Basutoland? I will begin it again, because I was interrupted while I was making the quotation. It is as follows: To date, says the Chief, he has received R.20,000 from South Africa and R.10.000 from West Germany. With money from Germany he has bought four vehicles for electioneering, and with South African money he has bought six. He has been promised funds to see him right through to the elections on April 29—and after, if he wins. His propaganda in the election was printed in South Africa and distributed by South African vehicles. No wonder that the South African Sunday Times claims that the Chief won the election by South African assistance! Secondly, when a drought occurred in Basutoland, the South African Government sent to Chief Jonathan, even before he was Prime Minister and when he was still only the leader of his Party, 100,000 bags of maize for the relief of the consequences of the drought. Every Member of this House will welcome the fact that that aid was sent, but I want to point out that it was sent by the South African Government to the leader of a Party, and that that leader used this gift of maize mostly in the area of three by-elections which his Party were then contesting. VISCOUNT STONEHAVEN My Lords, would the noble Lord agree with me that at that time Chief Jonathan was a Paramount Chief, and that this gift was given to the Chief of Basutoland and not to a political leader? § My Lords, I do not think it is the case that be was Paramount Chief. VISCOUNT STONEHAVEN LORD FRASER OF LONSDALE My Lords, it is indeed a strange turn of the wheel of fortune which leads to my supporting Her Majesty's Government and to my old friend, one time Member for Eton and Slough, the noble Lord opposite, opposing them so eloquently. I think that Her Majesty's Government have done the right thing in Basutoland, and I praise the Colonial Secretary, Her Majesty's Government, and Chief Jonathan, who is a very old friend of mine, as indeed are the leaders of all the Parties in Basutoland. I declare an interest in Basutoland and in South Africa, where my family has been resident and concerned in business for very nearly one hundred years. The noble Lord has used fearful words, some of which I took down. He used the words "critical", "uneasiness", "deplorable". He is well-informed as to one side of the picture, but it is only right that the House should know the whole of the story if it is to be asked to judge. I propose to deal briefly with various aspects raised by the noble Lord and one or two other points. To clear one aspect out of the way, I would make one observation about British troops. It would indeed be a tragedy if British troops had to be sent into Basutoland to maintain law and order. But if they have to go there it will be largely because of the kind of incitement represented by the noble Lord's speech today. That is exactly the kind of speech that makes trouble in our Colonial and ex-Colonial Empire. May I remind noble Lords that two or three countries in So


"In 1453, the Ottomans used a cannon called ""the Great Turkish Bombard"", which required an operating crew of 200 men and 70 oxen, and 10,000 men to transport it, during their siege of which city?"

Cannon | Military Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia e A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellants to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber , range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees, depending on their intended use on the battlefield. The word cannon is derived from several languages, in which the original definition can usually be translated as tube, cane, or reed. In the modern era, the term cannon has fallen into decline, replaced by "guns" or "artillery" if not a more specific term such as "mortar" or "howitzer", except for in the field of aerial warfare , where it is usually shorthand for autocannon . First invented in China , cannon were among the earliest forms of gunpowder artillery, and over time replaced siege engines —among other forms of aging weaponry—on the battlefield. In the Middle East, the first use of the hand cannon is argued to be during the 1260 Battle of Ain Jalut between the Mamluks and Mongols . The first cannon in Europe were probably used in Iberia in the 11 and 12th centuries, and English cannon were first deployed in the Hundred Years' War , at the Battle of Crécy , in 1346.[ citation needed ] On the African continent, the cannon was first used by the Somali Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi of the Adal Sultanate in his conquest of the steppes of Ugaden in 1529. [1] It was during this period, the Middle Ages , that cannon became standardized, and more effective in both the anti-infantry and siege roles. After the Middle Ages most large cannon were abandoned in favor of greater numbers of lighter, more maneuverable pieces. In addition, new technologies and tactics were developed, making most defences obsolete; this led to the construction of star forts , specifically designed to withstand artillery bombardment though these too (along with the Martello Tower ) would find themselves rendered obsolete when explosive and armour piercing rounds made even these types of fortifications vulnerable. Cannon also transformed naval warfare in the early modern period , as European navies took advantage of their firepower. As rifling became commonplace, the accuracy and destructive power of cannon was significantly increased, and they became deadlier than ever, both to infantry who belatedly had to adopt different tactics, and to ships, which had to be armoured. In World War I , the majority of combat fatalities were caused by artillery; they were also used widely in World War II . Most modern cannon are similar to those used in the Second World War, although the importance of the larger caliber weapons has declined with the development of missiles . Contents Edit Jaivan Cannon - World's largest cannon on wheels, cast in India during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah by his Kiladar , Jai Singh II . Cannon is derived from the Old Italian word cannone, meaning "large tube", which came from Latin canna, in turn originating from the Greek κάννα (kanna), "reed", [2] and then generalized to mean any hollow tube-like object; cognate with Akkadian term qanu and Hebrew qāneh, meaning "tube" or "reed". [3] [4] [5] The word has been used to refer to a gun since 1326 in Italy, and 1418 in England. Cannon serves both as the singular and plural of the noun, although in American English the plural cannons is more common. [3] Cannon materials, parts, and terms Edit Side elevation of a typical 19th century cannon. Negative spaces such as the "bore" are labeled in white text outlined in black; all other text in black only. Cannon in general have the form of a truncated cone with an internal cylindrical bore for holding an explosive charge and a projectile. The thickest, strongest, and closed part of the cone is located near the explosive charge. As any explosive charge will dissipate in all directions equally, the thickest portion of the cannon is useful for containing and directing this force. The backward motion of the cannon as its projectile leaves the


"Who dies at the end of Shakespeare's tragedy ""Troilus and Cressida""?"

Shakespeare's Sick and Twisted Troilus and Cressida - Waggish 3 Replies From a Maori production of Troilus and Cressida Troilus and Cressida is certainly sick and twisted, but not in the same way that Measure for Measure is. They are nearly perfect complements to each other, as if Shakespeare had set himself twin challenges: for Measure for Measure, to write an unfunny comedy, and for Troilus and Cressida, to write a silly tragedy. People very nearly die in the “comedy” Measure for Measure, while Troilus and Cressida survive their “tragedy,” albeit unhappily. In both cases the cross-genre pollution doesn’t yield a healthy hybrid, but a self-conscious mutant. But the two don’t mix their enzyme and substrate in the same way. Measure for Measure sucks the life and humor from its antics while leaving plot and character more or less intact and merely darkening them, while Troilus and Cressida trivializes the Trojan War by lowering the intelligence and dignity of its characters. Measure for Measure is overseen by a frequently malevolent manipulative demigod, the Duke, while absolutely no one at all seems to have much of a clue in Troilus and Cressida, and everyone is out of their depth. And while Measure for Measure holds together narratively and tonally, Troilus and Cressida fragments like mad, frequently and jarringly shifting tone, moving into abstract philosophy at times and ending with a ten car pile-up in the last act that ends the play quickly and clumsily. At some point mid-20th century, people didn’t believe Shakespeare had written the messy, chaotic last act with its dozen short scenes, but that claim seems to have died down. The fragmentation and general confusion makes Troilus and Cressida less powerful than Measure for Measure, which has a cogent and visceral build-up of increasingly serious horrors. Troilus and Cressida doesn’t even attempt that, since whenever something “serious” occurs, it’s quickly followed by something that makes it much harder to take it seriously. The question then is what to make of it, since the lack of coherence is clearly a deliberate strategy but only seems to be make things more diffuse. I’ve read a fair number of analyses claiming that it holds together in spite of itself or that the chaos powerfully subverts narrative expectation, but they’ve all been quite unconvincing (though I. A. Richards’ “Troilus and Cressida and Plato” is memorably strange), since we aren’t dealing with King Lear here. Jan Kott’s assessment in Shakespeare Our Contemporary is probably the most powerful–he makes the play sound amazing, more amazing and coherent than it actually is. Rosalie Colie , having made extensive studies on Renaissance paradox, was especially well-suited to analyze the play, and her explanation of how the play undermines the very shared conventions of linguistic use is brilliant: The lovers demonstrate the reduction of expressive intentional language to social and linguistic counters. As they milk language of meaning, so their names lose private, individual meaning too, to signify impersonal morality-functions. Rosalie Colie, Shakespeare’s Living Art The language, which Colie and others treat at great length, is often remarkable at a conceptual level. I won’t dare analyze it here, other than to say that the excesses of the language make the banality of the plot and character that much more evident. Trivialization clearly seems to be the order of the day, but the question of why one would write a play that merely trivializes its subjects remains. Shakespeare shows off his genre-savvy here, but to what end? My answer is that the play is a reductio ad absurdam, an attempt to mimic the analysis and response of the most jaded and cynical theater-goer, and yet let some modicum of human dignity remain. I think that unlike Measure for Measure, which leaves an uneasy sick feeling, Troilus and Cressida is ultimately affirming of something, though not a lot. By taking a Euripidean plot but writing it in the style of Aristophanes (via Plautus or Terence), he makes it difficult to cling on to anything


What is the only geometric shape that has infinite lines of symmetry?

Symmetry | Think Math! Think Math! Resources Symmetry Although there are many kinds of symmetry, elementary school generally presents only reflective symmetry (or "mirror symmetry"). As a result, school materials tend to use the word symmetry as if it had only that one meaning. This article will focus on that one meaning, but illustrate others as well. This photograph shows a simple picture with a mirror placed along the line of symmetry. The result that one sees -- half of the original and the mirror image of that half -- exactly matches the original figure. We say that the original figure is "symmetric" with respect to the mirror; it has reflective symmetry. Reflective symmetry and "line of symmetry" Mirror-symmetric objects have at least one line of symmetry, a line along which the figure can be folded into two precisely matching parts, parts that are mirror images of each other. This figure has two lines of symmetry: the horizontal line of symmetry cuts the figure into a top and bottom that are mirror images of each other; the vertical line of symmetry cuts the figure into a left and right that are mirror images of each other. The star below has 5 lines of symmetry, five lines on which it can be folded so that both sides match perfectly. A common misconception found even in many glossaries and texts: Not all lines that divide a figure into two congruent parts are lines of symmetry. For example, the diagonal of a (non-square) rectangle is not a line of symmetry. When a mirror is placed along the diagonal of a rectangle, the result does not look the same as the original rectangle, so the diagonal is not a line of symmetry. This new shape --- the combination of the triangular half of the original rectangle and its image in the mirror --- is called a kite. Mirror Play Well before children begin any formal study of symmetry, playing with mirrors -- perhaps on Pattern Block designs that they build -- develops experience and intuition that can serve both their geometric thinking and their artistic ideas. The colorful design above has only vertical and horizontal lines of symmetry, but placing a mirror on it at another angle can create a beautiful new design. The first figure below shows that the letter A has a vertical line of symmetry, but it's rather "tame" play. More intrepid experiments give other interesting results. The same is true of the letter M. Letters like B and D have a horizontal line of symmetry: their top and bottom parts match. Some letters, for example, X, H, and O, have both vertical and horizontal lines of symmetry. And some, like P, R, and N, have no lines of symmetry. Rotational symmetry Another symmetry that children sometimes use in their Pattern Block designs is "Rotational Symmetry." A figure has rotational symmetry if some rotation (other than a full 360° turn) produces the same figure. For example, these figures, when rotated just the right amount --- 360°/3 for the "name" picture and 360°/5 for the star --- look precisely as they did before rotation. The letters, N, Z, and S also share that property. Note that some figures, like the star and the colorful blob at the top of the page, but not the letters N, Z, or S, have both reflective and rotational symmetry. The most symmetric shape A circle has infinitely many lines of symmetry: any diameter lies on a line of symmetry through the center of the circle. Any rotation of any amount around the center of the circle also leaves the circle unchanged. Books for children Make a Bigger Puddle Make a Smaller Worm, by Marion Walter For older children, grade 2 and up: The Mirror Puzzle Book, by Marion Walter What's in a word? The "metry" in symmetry and geometry and metric refers to measurement. People who liked this article... You may also like Length, width, height, depth, volume and right angle.


At the 2010 Grammy Awards, who set a new record for the most wins by a female artist in one night, winning six?

Grammys 2010: Beyonce makes history; Swift takes best album - NY Daily News Grammys 2010: Beyonce makes history with 6 wins; Taylor Swift takes best album Grammys 2010: Beyonce makes history; Swift takes best album Musician Beyonce performs onstage at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards. She set the record for most wins by a female in one night. (Caulfield/WireImage.) BY The Associated Press Sunday, January 31, 2010, 11:07 PM Beyonce became the most decorated female on a Grammy night as she collected six trophies, including song of the year for her anthem "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)," but it was another diva — Taylor Swift — who nabbed the top honor, album of the year, for her best-selling "Fearless." Swift, who won a total of four awards, jumped around like the 20-year-old kid that she is when beat out Beyonce, the Dave Matthews Band , Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas for the honor. "Oh wow — thank you so much! I just hope that you know how much this means to me.... that we get to take this back to Nashville ," said Swift, whose "Fearless" was last year's best-selling album of any genre. "Oh my God, our families are freaking out in their living rooms," she added. "My dad and my little brother are losing their minds in the living room right now." Although Beyonce also lost out on record of the year, which went to the Kings of Leon 's "Use Somebody," the entertainer still owned the most awards of the evening. Beyonce, who in 2004 won five Grammys on the strength of her debut album "Dangerously in Love," a mark tied by the likes of Alicia Keys , Norah Jones and Lauryn Hill , Amy Winehouse and Alison Krauss , reached that milestone again Sunday en route to the new record. She is the first to reach that mark twice. She shared the song of the year trophy with three writers for "Single Ladies" and also won best R&B contemporary album for "I Am ... Sasha Fierce." "This has been such an amazing night for me and I'd love to thank the Grammys," Beyonce said after winning best female pop vocal for "Halo." The Kings of Leon were a bit more entertaining when they picked up their record of the year trophy, the family quartet's third of the night. "I'm not going to lie, we're all a little drunk. But we're happy drunks," said lead singer Caleb Followill . Lady Gaga won two Grammys during the pre-telecast ceremony but didn't get a chance to show her multitude of outrageous dresses during the primetime show, losing out on record, song and album of the year. But she made her presence felt when she kicked off the night with a sequined green leotard with massive shoulders as she sang her Grammy-nominated hit "Poker Face," then brought out Elton John as they melded her song "Speechless" and his classic "Your Song" together in a performance that featured dueling pianos, and glitter-painted faces. Swift, who was second to Beyonce in Grammy nominations with eight nods, also won best country album among her other awards. The victory capped an amazing run for Swift, whose "Fearless" is only her second album. Her self-titled debut was a platinum success but "Fearless," with songs like "You Belong With Me," took her into the superstar stratosphere, as she won accolades across genres. Another country act to take a top award was the Zac Brown Band , which won best new artist. The Black Eyed Peas also had three trophies, as well as Jay-Z , who won for best rap solo performance and two awards for "Run This Town" with Rihanna and Kanye West . Rihanna — who was forced to bow out of last year's awards as a performer after being assaulted by then-boyfriend Chris Brown , accepted the trophy along with Jay-Z and with Beyonce's young nephew in tow. West — who has kept a relatively low profile since his dustup with Swift a few months back — was a notable no-show. Maxwell, up for six awards, also won his first Grammys — best R&B male vocal for the ballad "Pretty Wings" and best R&B album for "BLACKsummers' night." The album marked the R&B crooner's return after an absence of eight years from the music business. Many participants in the program wore red cross bu


What is a localised, blood-filled dilation of a blood vessel caused by disease or weakening of the vessel wall, which most commonly occurs in arteries at the base of the brain and in the aorta?

Aneurysm – Causes and Symptoms of Aneurysm Aneurysm – Causes and Symptoms of Aneurysm May 07, 2008 • By peterhutch • • 2,106 Views An aneurysm (or aneurism) is a localized, blood-filled dilation (balloon-like bulge) of a blood vessel caused by disease or weakening of the vessel wall. Aneurysms most commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain (the circle of Willis) and in the aorta (the main artery coming out of the heart), a so-called aortic aneurysm. The bulge in a blood vessel can burst and lead to death at any time. The larger an aneurysm becomes, the more likely it is to burst. Aneurysms also can happen in arteries in the brain, heart and other parts of the body. If an aneurysm in the brain bursts, it causes a stroke. An aneurysm is a bulge or "ballooning" in the wall of an artery. Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart to other parts of the body. If an aneurysm grows large, it can burst and cause dangerous bleeding or even death. Most aneurysms occur in the aorta. The aorta is the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. The aorta comes out from the left ventricle (VEN-trih-kul) of the heart and travels through the chest and abdomen. An aneurysm that occurs in the aorta in the chest is called a thoracic (tho-RAS-ik) aortic aneurysm. An aneurysm that occurs in the aorta in the abdomen is called an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Causes of Aneurysm Most brain aneurysms develop as a result of the wear and tear on arteries that comes with aging. Aneurysms often form at forks or branches in arteries because those sections of the vessel are weaker. Rarely, a blow to your head or an infection in an artery can weaken an artery wall and result in an aneurysm. Aneurysms that result from an infection in the arterial wall are called mycotic aneurysms. Cancer-related aneurysms are often associated with primary or metastatic tumors of the head and neck. Drug abuse, particularly the habitual use of cocaine, can inflame blood vessels and lead to the development of brain aneurysms. Aneurysms can be congenital (people can be born with the defect) or they can occur as a result of aging or disease. The most common disease associated with aneurysms is atherosclerotic disease. A group of 8 genetic disorders of the nervous system that primarily affect the development and growth of nerve cell tissues (These disorders cause tumors to grow on nerves and produce other abnormalities such as skin changes and bone deformities.) Symptoms of Aneurysm Symptoms will depend upon the location of the aneurysm. Common sites include the abdominal aortic artery, the intracranial muscles (supplying blood to the brain), and the aorta (supplying blood to the chest area). Some individuals may have seizures. Individuals may lose consciousness briefly or go into prolonged coma. People experiencing this "worst headache," especially when it is combined with any other symptoms, should seek immediate medical attention. The signs and symptoms of an aneurysm depend on its type, location, and whether it has ruptured or is interfering with other structures in the body. Aneurysms can develop and grow for years without causing any signs or symptoms. It is often not until an aneurysm ruptures or grows large enough to press on nearby parts of the body or block blood flow that it produces any signs or symptoms. About the Author peterhutch Read about Breast Enlargement. Also read about Home Remedies and Hair Loss Products Hair Loss Solution (show bio)


Who created the character of James Bond?

Category:James Bonds | James Bond Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia "Bond... James Bond." ― The iconic James Bond introduction. [src] Royal Navy Commander James Bond, CMG, RNVR, is a fictional character created by British journalist and novelist Ian Fleming in 1953. He is the main protagonist of the James Bond series of novels, films, comics and video games. The Bond character is a Secret Service agent, code number 007, residing in London but active internationally. Bond was a composite character who was based on a number of commandos who Fleming knew during his service in the Naval Intelligence Division during World War II, to whom Fleming added his own style and a number of his own tastes. The character of James Bond first appeared in the 1953 Ian Fleming novel Casino Royale , and appeared in the thirteen subsequent novels, as well as short stories by Fleming and other writers. He first appeared on the silver screen in the 1962 film Dr. No , portrayed by Sean Connery . He has since been portrayed by George Lazenby , Roger Moore , Timothy Dalton , Pierce Brosnan , and is currently helmed by Daniel Craig . He also appears in many video games and other branches of the James Bond franchise. There have also been legal disputes regarding Ian Fleming's works, so some non-EON versions of James Bond exist. Contents Shared background Bond's Chelsea apartment. In the novels, James' parents (Andrew Bond of Scotland and Monique Delacroix-Bond of Switzerland) were tragically killed during a climbing accident in the French Alps when he was eleven. He had acquired a first-class command of the French and German languages during his early education, which he received entirely abroad. After the death of his parents, Bond goes to live with his aunt, Miss Charmian Bond, where he completes his early education. Later, he briefly attends Eton College at "12 or thereabouts", but is removed after two halves because of girl trouble with a maid. After being sent down from Eton, Bond was sent to Fettes College in Scotland, his father's school. [1] Chart showing an estimate of the various 007's portrayals, body counts, women bedded and number of famous quote utterances. After leaving Fettes, the EON films note that Bond studied at Cambridge University. [2] [3] There, he achieved a first in Oriental languages. [4] In Fleming's novels, Bond alluded to briefly attending the University of Geneva (as did Fleming), before being taught to ski in Kitzbühel. [5] Following his graduation, Bond joined the Ministry of Defence and became a lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserves, rising though the ranks to commander. Bond applied to M for a position within the " Secret Service ", part of the Civil Service, and rose to the rank of principal officer. Shared characteristics Personal tastes Bond has a number of character traits which run throughout the books and movies, including an enjoyment of cars, women, gambling, food and drink. In the novels, Bond is portrayed as a heavy drinker and smoker, largely mirroring Fleming's own personal tastes. Age Because the James Bond Film Franchise has lasted nearly sixty years, the characters do not age in relation to release of the first film. Rather, Bond is always mid-aged. Likewise, in Ian Fleming's stories, James Bond is in his mid-to-late thirties. Firearms & Gadgets Main article: List of firearms , Gadgets In the Fleming novels prior to Dr. No , Bond's firearm of choice had been the Beretta 418 . However, following suggestions from firearms collector Geoffrey Boothroyd, from Dr. No on-wards Bond was equipped instead with the Walther PPK . Aside from this weapon, 007 also carried a revolver for long-range shooting and made use of weapons as an when he obtained them. From his first EON film appearance in 1962 through to 1997 Bond's primary firearm was the Walther PPK . Similar to his novel counterpart, M notes that Bond's Beretta almost cost the secret agent his life and insists that he replace it with the Walther PPK . Following 1997 the character was armed instead with the modern Walther P99 until Quantum of Solac


"In Rudyard Kipling's ""The Jungle Book"", what animal was Kaa?"

Kaa | Disney Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia “It's like you said... You can't trust anyone!” ―Kaa to Mowgli Kaa is a sly and seductive character, speaking with a soft, often entrancing tone to either lure his victims into a weary, dreamlike state or manipulate them into bestowing their trust, thus allowing him to devour them unexpectedly. He furthers this by the use of his iconic ability to hypnotize his prey with his eyes, rendering them enchanted and under his command. A powerful and dangerous ability, Kaa is a feared member of the jungle, as evidenced by his interaction with the often composed and fearless Bagheera . Such fear, however, does not resonate with the unofficial ruler of the jungle, Shere Khan the tiger, who Kaa holds a disliking for, believing the act of killing for pleasure, as opposed to survival, to be dishonorable. The two beasts are often at odds, though Shere Khan views Kaa as an "eyes and ears" of the jungle, relying on him to assist his quest in finding Mowgli at one point in the film, though the manipulative Kaa was able to steer even Khan in the wrong direction, further showcasing his intelligence. While not as cruel and bloodthirsty as Shere Khan, Kaa is still a fairly villainous character. His first attempt to devour Mowgli was a casual means to eat and survive, but over time, his goal to eat the man-cub was mainly driven out of spite, evidenced by his lines "Just you wait 'till I get you in my coils!" Furthermore, he is perfectly willing to kill those who get in the way of his meals, as seen when he sadistically tormented, and nearly killed, Bagheera. Though dangerous and cunning, Kaa is not without his faults, as he can be clumsy and easily sidetracked from his primary objective: to kill and eat Mowgli. This results in his interactions with the man-cub to often end in humiliation to some degree. Designs Kaa is a python that has grown to be extremely large in width. He was animated by Frank Thomas in his entrance appearance where he first met Mowgli and nearly ate him. Later on in the film, he was animated by Milt Kahl whose design for Kaa may be more iconic, being that his scene was longer and included his trademark song and Shere Khan's talk with the snake. Kaa also has a slight Wile E. Coyote-like facial expression. Abilities Hypnosis/Mind Control: Kaa's most infamous power is his unique ability to hypnotize anyone through eye contact and make others follow his commands. This ability also works when someone sees his reflection in the water. Though despite this, it is implied that certain individuals of high willpower (or simply intelligence) can resist his hypnosis (as displayed by Shere Khan). Appearances The Jungle Book Kaa in The Jungle Book. Kaa comes across Mowgli and Bagheera in the branches of a large tree that the pair has chosen to spend the night in. As Bagheera is nearly asleep, he is unaware of Kaa as he investigates Mowgli. Annoyed, Mowgli angrily tells Kaa to leave him alone. Bagheera sleepily orders Mowgli to go to sleep, as he has assumed Mowgli was speaking to him. Kaa decides to take advantage of the situation, and hypnotizes Mowgli, wrapping the boy in his coils, with the intent of devouring him. During the hypnosis and coiling, Mowgli tries to call for help but is silenced when Kaa wraps and tightens Mowgli's neck with his tail and then squeezes the boy with all his coils, from legs to neck. But Mowgli's struggles awaken Bagheera, and he is able to rescue Mowgli by hitting Kaa in the face just before Mowgli is eaten. However, Kaa is angered by the interference and begins to hypnotize Bagheera. By now, the coils around Mowgli unravel and he has awakened, and he shoves Kaa's massive coils off the branch, resulting in Kaa falling to the ground in a heap. While Mowgli awakens Bagheera by slapping him, Kaa begins to slither off, swearing revenge. However, his slithering is inhibited by a knot in his tail, which Mowgli laughs at. Kaa later reappears coming across the now bitter Mowgli, who is lost in the jungle. He tries to hypnotize Mowgli again, who has learned from his last


Held annually since 1923 which is the oldest active endurance race for sports cars?

Le Mans 24 Hours | Test Drive Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Le Mans 24 Hours Share The 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: 24 Heures du Mans) is the world's oldest active sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since 1923 near the town of Le Mans, France.[1] It is one of the most prestigious automobile races in the world and is often called the "Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency". Racing teams have to balance speed with the cars' ability to race for 24 hours without sustaining mechanical damage, and manage the cars' consumables, primarily fuel, tyres, and braking materials. It also tests endurance, with drivers frequently racing for over two hours before a relief driver can take over during a pit stop while they eat and rest. Current regulations mandate that three drivers share each competing vehicle. The race is organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and runs on the Circuit de la Sarthe, which contains a mix of closed public roads and a specialist racing circuit that tests both speed and endurance. Competing teams race in groups called "classes", or cars of similar specification, while also competing simultaneously for outright placing amongst all classes. Originally, the race showcased cars as they were sold to the general public, then called "Sports Cars", compared to the specialised racing cars used in Grand Prix motor racing. Over time, the competing vehicles evolved away from their publicly available road car roots, and today the race is made of two classes—enclosed-bodywork two-seat prototypes, and two classes of Grand Touring cars similar to sports cars sold to the public).[2] Competing teams have had a wide variety of organisation, ranging from competition departments of road car manufacturers (eager to prove the supremacy of their products) to professional motor racing teams (representing their commercial backers, some of which are also car manufacturers who want to win without paying for their own teams) to amateur teams (racing as much to compete in the famous race as to claim victory for their commercial partners). The race is held in June, leading at times to very hot conditions for drivers, particularly in closed vehicles with poor ventilation; rain is not uncommon. The race begins in mid-afternoon and finishes the next day, at the same hour the race started.[3] Over the 24 hours, modern competitors often cover distances well over 5,000 km (3,110 mi). The record is 2010's 5,410 km (3,360 mi),six times the length of the Indianapolis 500, or approximately 18 times longer than a Formula One Grand Prix.[4] The race has over the years inspired imitating races all over the globe, popularising the 24-hour format at places like Daytona, Nürburgring, Spa-Francorchamps, and Bathurst. The American Le Mans Series and Europe's Le Mans Series of multi-event sports car championships were spun off from 24 Hours of Le Mans regulations. Other races include the Le Mans Classic, a race for historic Le Mans race cars of years past held on the Circuit de la Sarthe, a motorcycle version of the race which is held on the shortened Bugatti version of the same circuit, a kart race (24 Heures Karting), and a truck race (24 Heures Camions). The race has also spent long periods as a round of the World Sportscar Championship, although Le Mans has always had a stronger reputation than the World Championship, and is a round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The race is also known as a leg of the informal Triple Crown of Motorsport which links Formula One, IndyCar, and sports car racing to represent a career achievement for drivers. Additionally, it is seen as a leg of the Triple Crown of endurance racing, which links the three largest sports car races together, with 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Daytona forming the other legs. Since 1998, the American Le Mans Series held a second endurance race along with the 12 hours of Sebring every year called "Petit Le Mans" Petit Le Mans, as a 10-hour or 1,000-mile American version. In 2014, the Tudor Sports Car Championship (a merger


Grassland of the world Joseph G. Boonman and Sergey S. Mikhalev SUMMARY The steppe crosses the Russian plain, south of the taiga, penetrating deep into Siberia. It comprises three main types, which run in roughly parallel bands from east to west: forest steppe in the north, through steppe, to semi -desert steppe in the south. Within these belts, zones of temporary inundation on floodplains or in zones of internal drainage provide valuable hay land. The steppe was increasingly ploughed for crops during the twentieth century; initially crops were rotated with naturally regenerated grassland, but from mid-century cultivation was increasingly intensive. During the collective period, the emphasis was on industrial stock rearing, with housed cattle and high inputs; since decollectivization, intensive enterprises are closing for economic reasons, and systems have yet to stabilize. If ploughed land is left undisturbed it will return naturally to steppe vegetation in six to fifteen years. Hay is very important for winter feed, and much is made from seasonally flooded meadows. Many marginal, semi-arid areas of the steppe have been put under crops, but are not economically viable; much of the cereals so produced are fed to livestock, but grain yields are very low and yield no more livestock products than would natural grassland, but at far higher cost. Marginal cropland should return to grass. Introduction North of the Black and Caspian Seas, straddling both Don and Volga catchments, lies a stretch of steppe that saw some of the last horse-mounted nomadic tribes of Europe in action as late as the end of the fifteenth century. These were the Tatar of the Golden Horde. Then an equally heroic force, now of self-proclaimed free farmer-soldiers, whose mixed -farming with crop and livestock was community- and family-based, later called Cossacks, emerged to hold the newly acquired frontiers of Tsarist Russia. Throughout history, the Russian steppe had been a natural boundary that deterred major civilizations or migrations from entering through its southern gateways. Not physical obstacles - in fact both Don and Volga are major navigable rivers and run from north to south - but the sheer size and emptiness of country that had to be traversed effectively separated the north from the south. Although in search of new granaries, ancient Greek colonization did not extend much further than the coastal rims of the Black Sea. In a similar fashion, the empires of Rome and even nearby Byzantium made very few inroads into what would develop, at the start of this millennium, into the Russian heartland. The only, yet major, exceptions were invasions by the Huns in the fourth and by the Mongols in the thirteenth century, but these emerged from the same long stretch of steppe, near its far eastern fringe. Figure 10.1 Extent of grasslands in the Russian Federation. This vast Eurasian plain - with taiga in the north, forest in the middle and the steppe as its southern flank - stretches over 10 000 km from west to (south)east, from the Baltic Sea and crosses the Dnepr, Don and Volga rivers, deep into Siberia across the Urals, which convention has designated as the border between Europe and Asia (Figure 10.1). Most of the countrys farm land is in the so-called "fertile triangle", with its base along the western border from the Baltic to the Black Sea and that tapers eastward to the southern Urals, where it narrows to a strip about 400 km wide extending across the southwestern fringes of Siberia. This chapter discusses the steppe; an overall description of Russian pastures  and ruminant production systems is given in the Country Pasture Profile for  the Russian Federation (Blagoveshchenskii et al., 2002), to be found  on the FAO Grassland Web site < http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPC/doc/Counprof/russia.htm >. The steppe in perspective Truly virgin steppe has become a rarity, especially west of the Urals. The last major onslaught took place in the 1950s, when huge campaigns to raise agricultural production led to 43 million hectares of steppe being sacrifi


Which is the youngest of these New Zealand actresses ?

Star Kiwi actors - Tourism New Zealand Media Star Kiwi actors Star Kiwi actors New Zealand is the homeland of star Hollywood actors, including Russell Crowe, Sam Neill, Anna Paquin, Temuera Morrison, Cliff Curtis and Keisha Castle-Hughes. This content can be shared and edited for the purpose of promoting New Zealand as a visitor destination. Not for use in paid advertising. Please credit Tourism New Zealand. Copy page URL to clipboard Copied Please manually copy this URL Images (1) Some rights reserved The breathtaking Karekare beach in Auckland's Waitakere Ranges was made famous in the 1993 movie The Piano, the film that landed Anna Paquin an Oscar and and launched her international career Credit: Tourism New Zealand Download image from visuals.newzealand.com   ID:2743 Anna Paquin Anna Paquin was born in Winnipeg, Canada, in 1982, but moved to New Zealand with her family when she was four. She grew up in the Hutt Valley, north of Wellington. Paquin was the first New Zealand actor to win an Academy Award, and is one of the youngest ever Oscar winners. She was just 11-years-old when awarded 'best supporting actress' for her role of Flora in The Piano - directed by Jane Campion in 1993. While this early success brought Paquin immediate international fame, the young actress continued her schooling in the US before launching into a career that has included film, television and stage roles. Anna Paquin - who now lives in Hollywood - won a Golden Globe award in 2009 for her role in the long-running HBO television series True Blood. Other films include: Franco Zeffirelli's Jane Eyre, Steven Spielberg's Amistad, A Walk on the Moon, and the X-Men movies. Cliff Curtis Cliff Curtis retains strong ties to his Maori cultural identity, even though he's often mistaken for Latino, Arab or Mexican ethnicity. Growing up in Rotorua, Curtis learned the traditional Maori fighting art of mau rakau and performed in Maori kapa haka song and dance groups. He also appeared as a break-dancer and in rock 'n' roll dance competitions. After studying drama in New Zealand and Switzerland, Curtis' first feature film was The Piano (1993), directed by fellow Kiwi Jane Campion. Then followed Once Were Warriors (1994) directed by Lee Tamahori, and Whale Rider (2002). Curtis hit the big time in Hollywood with three big movies released in 2001: The Majestic, Collateral Damage and Training Day. He starred as Wiremu in New Zealand director Vincent Ward's River Queen (2005). In 2014 Curtis returned to the big screen in the James Napier Robertson (NZ) directed film The Dark Horse and The Last Knights with Clive Owen and Morgan Freeman. Since 2004, Cliff Curtis has been involved in promoting New Zealand's indigenous film-making industry through his independent film production company Whenua Films. The company produced Taika Waititi’s Academy Award-nominated Kiwi short film, Two Cars, One Night. Keisha Castle-Hughes Born to a Maori mother and an English-Australian father in Western Australia, Keisha Castle-Hughes was four when her family moved to New Zealand. She became a New Zealand citizen in 2001. Castle-Hughes is the youngest person ever nominated for a 'best leading actress' Oscar. She received the nomination for her role as Paikea - a young Maori girl who challenges tribal culture - in Whale Rider (2002). Directed by Niki Caro, the film was set in a remote East Coast (North Island) village. Whale Rider was Castle-Hughes' first film and acting role. She was chosen from a casting of 700 girls by the same agent who discovered Anna Paquin (The Piano, True Blood) Other starring roles have included Mary in The Nativity Story (2006), Star Wars III (2005), and Niki Caro's The Vintner's Luck (2009). In 2014 it was announced that Castle-Hughes had landed a role in the world-wide television hit Game of Thrones. Kerry Fox Wellington-born Kerry Fox won international attention for her award-winning breakthrough portrayal of New Zealand author Janet Frame in the 1990 movie, An Angel at My Table (directed by Jane Campion). Fox was nominated for an Australian Film Institute a


Which play by Arthur Miller used events from early US history to mirror Senator McCarthy's communist witch hunts in the 1950's?

Example Essays: McCarthyism Arthur Miller 1. The Crucible - Why Did Arthur Miller Write the Crucible The CrucibleWhy did Arthur Miller write The Crucible? ... There are two very distinct contexts that influenced Arthur Miller as he wrote The Crucible. ... Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible to express his feelings towards the issue of McCarthyism and the witchcraft hysteria of Salem. ... I believe Arthur Miller has intentionally aimed "The CrucibleaE towards the events that took place during the McCarthyism time period. In conclusion Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in regards to the McCarthyism event because he believed that the anti-communist crusade was essentially like a witch-hunt. ... Word Count: 528 2. The crucible Arthur Miller"s The Crucible depicts the events of the Salem Witch Trials. Miller wrote the play in the 1950's during McCarthyism, while politician Joseph McCarthy sought to find hidden communists in the United States government. ... I saw Goody Howe with the DevilaE (Miller 48). ... Miller shows how  Miller illustrates the ridiculousness of blindly accusing other people. ... Miller attempts to correlate the Salem Witch Trials with McCarthyism to show the detrimental effects of false accusations. ... Word Count: 491 3. The Crucible Annie Yingling10/22/03English 2The Crucible McCarthyism in America was a time of fear and distrust in fellow Americans. ... Through his subtle connections, Arthur Miller"s play The Crucible efficiently shows the tyranny of consensus during the Salem Witch Trials, and during the period of McCarthyism. Although The Crucible debuted in 1953 while, McCarthyism was still at large it was not very effective in providing social commentary and promoting change.Miller wrote about the injustices against the disensus during the Salem Witch Trials. ... Just as in McCarthyism, if someone spoke out again... Word Count: 385 4. The Crucible and McCarthyism Arthur Miller"s The Crucible explores the Salem witch trials in great detail. ... In Arthur Miller"s The Crucible, there are plenty of parallels between Salem 1692 and America during the early 1950"s when the spread of McCarthyism was at its height.During the 1950"s the original suspects charged with communist affiliation were often in the lower or less respected ranks of society. ... aE it is reminiscent of the warnings of those who spoke out against McCarthyism in its early stages, such as Miller himself.Another similarity between McCarthyism and The Crucible is that those who were acc... Word Count: 804 5. Crucible This perception was caused by a number of factors, the main two being Millers public disapproval of McCarthyism and the parallels between the Salem Witch trials of The Crucible and the McCarthy hearings of Miller"s time. ... Arthur Miller opposed the views of Senator Joe McCarthy, and The Crucible was a way for him to express an opinion in the matter. Arthur Miller had never supported the McCarthy hearings or the hunt for Communist spies becoming a dominating fixation of the American psyche.  ... The atmosphere in America during McCarthy's peak of power was such that Miller could not w... Word Count: 981 6. The Crucible and McCarthyism The Crucible and McCarthyismThe Communist "witch huntsaE of the 1950s prompted Arthur Miller to write about the mass hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials in his play, The Crucible. Miller captured the paranoia and hatred of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials and made a controversial reference to his own society"s Witch Hunts during the 1950s. ... "In his presence, a fool felt his foolishness instantly; consequently, a Proctor is always marked for slander and defamationaE (Miller 20). ... The Crucible, more than anything else, was a kind of a social commentary on the era of McCarthyism tha... Word Count: 2143 7. The Crucible and McCarthyism In the play "The Crucible," by Arthur Miller, the language is used to intensify the struggle between individual morality and social law. ... Miller utilizes powerful color imagery to emphasize the struggle to conform to a society. ... This conformity i


What ocean borders the US state of California?

US Border Patrol Western California Area West California, Part 1 California's border with Mexico is comprised of two general geographies:         Pacific and mountain, and desert. A peninsular mountain range comes up from Mexico and splits the         border region in half. To the west lies snow capped mountains,         green pines and oaks, green pastures and major cities. To the         east of that peninsular range lies a burning white oven of desert         sands, and rock. Wedged between the Pacific Ocean and the peninsular         range is California's western border with Mexico. The western edge of this border extends a hundred         yards out into the Pacific Ocean. The waters of the Pacific, carried by the winds and currents from         magical and romantic lands we may consider paradise, are here         defiled by millions of gallons of raw sewage and industrial wastes         gurgling from the Tijuana metropolis. This is the last official border monument in the string of nearly         2,000 monuments from Brownsville, Texas to this one at the edge         of the Pacific. This monument once was considerably taller but constant attacks         and repairs reduced it to this shadow of itself. To finally stop         the attacks, the United States built that protective barrier on         its south side.   The border here is part of California's         Border Field State Park. This is probably the only "park" on earth where sewage flows across it freely, where RICIN grows         as a weed, and that is an uncleared bombing range. This very real         California State Park is so bad that the U.S. Border Patrol's         labor union filed suit in the Federal Court of Claims seeking         damages for its members who had to even stand in this place. The         union received $15,000,000.00 for the hundreds of members damaged         by this place's fumes and fluids. Somehow, park visitors are never         told, in English.


What relation was Mary I of England to Elizabeth I?

The Elizabeth Files » Elizabeth and Mary Part 1 Elizabeth and Mary Part 1 Posted By claire on October 15, 2009 Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth Today’s post is the first about two sisters (or rather half-sisters): Mary and Elizabeth, their relationship as children and what they both were like when Mary became Queen Mary I of England. A Royal Childhood Mary had hated Elizabeth’s mother Anne Boleyn, after all she was responsible in Mary’s eyes for the break-up of her parents’ marriage, for her change in circumstances – from Princess to bastard, for her deteriorating relationship with her father, for the suffering and deaths of good Catholic men like Thomas More, and for the poor treatment, even cruel treatment, which was being dished out to her and her mother. So, did this hatred of “the concubine” rub off on Elizabeth? Did Mary hate Elizabeth as much as she had hated her mother? It seems not. Although Mary saw herself as Henry VIII’s true legitimate daughter, it seems that she doted on the young Elizabeth even though she had been ordered originally to Elizabeth’s household at Hatfield to help care for her. Just a few months after Anne Boleyn’s fall and execution in 1536, Mary wrote to her father saying: “My sister Elizabeth is in good health, and such a child toward as I doubt not but your Highness shall have cause to rejoice of in time coming.” Those don’t seem to be the words of a bitter and twisted young woman, but, instead, the words of a woman who delighted in her sister and wanted to share this with her father and encourage him to spend time with the much neglected Elizabeth. Although she had been deliberately placed in what Linda Porter  (“Mary Tudor: The First Queen”) calls “a hostile relationship” with her baby sister, we have to credit Mary with rising above the situation and showing no animosity towards the baby. After Anne Boleyn’s fall, Tracy Borman (“Elizabeth’s Women”) wonders if Mary’s attitude towards Elizabeth softened because they were now both illegitimate and were therefore equals. It may also be that Mary felt genuinely sorry for the motherless little girl and wanted to mother her and be protective of her. When the future Edward VI was born in 1537, Mary was Edward’s godmother and Porter writes of how she was attentive to the little prince and left the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court holding Elizabeth’s hand. They may have been a dysfunctional family in many respects, but Mary seemed to have a true affection for her siblings and Borman writes of how while Lady Bryan concentrated on caring for Prince Edward, Mary supervised Elizabeth’s lessons, taught her games and showered her with small gifts and pocket money. So where did it all go wrong? Kathy Burke as Mary I Difference and Divides I think things began to go wrong after their father Henry VIII’s death in 1547. Mary had been close to her stepmother Catherine Parr but shortly after Henry’s death Catherine remarried and set up home with her husband Thomas Seymour and also with the teenage Elizabeth. Mary was horrified by this arrangement because she did not agree with Catherine remarrying so quickly and so offered Elizabeth a place in her own household, an offer that was quickly turned down. Mary was left to her own household and it could be that her disgust over this arrangement and this separation between the sisters had an adverse effect on their relationship. Linda Porter also points out that by this time Elizabeth was 13 years old and had a mind of her own, along with what Borman calls “a confidence and independence of spirit that jarred with Mary’s reserved nature.” Although Mary had once delighted in Elizabeth’s precociousness “what was attractive in a child was suddenly less so in a woman” and all of a sudden Elizabeth wasn’t looking up to her big sister with admiration and devotion. Elizabeth had received a better education than Mary had and had learned new ideas and concepts, including instruction in theological ideas that Mary did not agree with – the sisters really didn’t have much in common now and the divide between them was growing steadily.


Speculation about the possibility of a southern land mass has been around for at least 2,000 years. When was the first recorded sighting of the Antarctic continent?

Antarctica, Science, Pseudoscience, News - Crystalinks Antarctica Antarctica is the most southerly continent and encompasses the South Pole. It is surrounded by the Southern Ocean and divided in two by the Transantarctic Mountains. On average, it is the coldest, driest, windiest, and highest of all the continents. With 98% of it covered in ice, Antarctica, at 14 million kms, is the third-smallest continent (after Europe and Australia), but the third highest. Because there is little precipitation, the entire continent is technically a desert and is thus the largest in the world. There are no permanent human residents and only cold-adapted plants and animals survive there, including penguins, fur seals, mosses, lichens, and many types of algae. The name "Antarctica" comes from the Greek (antarktikos), meaning "opposite the Arctic." Although myths and speculation about a Terra Australis ("Southern Land") go back to antiquity, the first sighting of the continent is commonly accepted to have occurred in 1820 by the Russian expedition of Mikhail Lazarev and Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen. The continent was largely neglected in the 19th century because of its hostile environment, lack of resources, and isolated location.The Antarctic Treaty, which was signed in 1959 by 12 countries and prohibits any military activity, supports scientific research, and protects the continent's ecozone. Ongoing experiments are conducted by more than 4000 scientists of many different nationalities and with many different research interests. Exploration and History Belief in the existence of a Terra Australis - a vast continent located in the far south of the globe to "balance" the northern lands of Europe, Asia and north Africa - had existed since Ptolemy suggested the idea in order to preserve symmetry of landmass in the world. Depictions of a large southern landmass were common in maps such as the early 16th century Turkish Piri Reis map. Even in the late 17th century, after explorers had found that South America and Australia were not part of "Antarctica," geographers believed that the continent was much larger than its actual size. However, as Antarctica has no indigenous population, it was mostly unexplored until the 19th century. European maps continued to show this land until Captain James Cook's ships, Resolution and Adventure, crossed the Antarctic Circle on January 17, 1773 and again in 1774. The first confirmed sighting of Antarctica can be narrowed down to the crews of ships captained by two individuals. According to various organizations (the National Science Foundation, NASA, the University of California, San Diego, and other sources, ships captained by three men sighted Antarctica in 1820: Fabian von Bellingshausen (a captain in the Russian Imperial Navy), Edward Bransfield (a captain in the British Navy), and Nathaniel Palmer (an American sealer out of Stonington, Connecticut). Von Bellingshausen supposedly saw Antarctica on January 27, 1820, three days before Bransfield sighted land, and ten months before Palmer did so in November 1820. On that day the expedition led by Fabian von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev on two ships reached a point within 32 km (20 miles) of the Antarctic mainland and saw ice fields there. In 1841, explorer James Clark Ross sailed through what is now known as the Ross Sea and discovered Ross Island. He sailed along a huge wall of ice that was later named the Ross Ice Shelf. Mount Erebus and Mount Terror are named after two ships from his expedition: HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. During an expedition led by Ernest Shackleton, parties led by T. W. Edgeworth David became the first to climb Mount Erebus and to reach the South Magnetic Pole. On December 14, 1911, a party led by Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen from the ship Fram became the first to reach the South Pole, using a route from the Bay of Whales and up the Axel Heiberg Glacier. This area previously colonized by the famous "Claus Expedition". Richard Evelyn Byrd led several voyages to the Antarctic by plane in the 1930s and 1940s


"What actor had the title role in the film ""The 40-Year-Old Virgin""?"

The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) Create a character page for: Create » director of photography (as Jack Green) Film Editing by  stunt double: Steve Carell (uncredited) Camera and Electrical Department  the filmmakers wish to thank: you rock! Crew believed to be complete See also a list of 30 titles created 04 Feb 2015 a list of 32 titles created 23 Dec 2015 a list of 43 titles created 11 months ago a list of 30 titles created 7 months ago a list of 39 titles created 4 months ago   IMDb Everywhere Find showtimes, watch trailers, browse photos, track your Watchlist and rate your favorite movies and TV shows on your phone or tablet!


"The parable of ""The Good Samaritan"" is in which Christian gospel?"

Luke 10:25-37 NIV - The Parable of the Good Samaritan - On - Bible Gateway Luke 10:25-37New International Version (NIV) The Parable of the Good Samaritan 25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[ a ]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[ b ]” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[ c ] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Footnotes:


What was the first robotic probe to land on the Moon and return a sample to Earth?

During the First U.S. Lunar Landing, the Soviets Crashed Into the Moon | Mental Floss During the First U.S. Lunar Landing, the Soviets Crashed Into the Moon AerospaceWeb Like us on Facebook While Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were concluding humanity's first Moonwalk, the Soviets made an oopsie: their Luna 15 probe crashed into the Moon. The crash site was about 530 miles from the Sea of Tranquility. On July 21, 1969, people around the world were glued to TV images of the Apollo 11 astronauts on the Moon. But space specialists were also tracking the Soviet Luna 15 probe, which had launched three days before the Apollo mission. Luna 15 was just one in a long line of Soviet probes that had made it to the Moon—Luna 2 was the first human-made object to crash into the Moon way back in August 1959 (other Luna missions included the first lunar flybys, first photographs of the far side of the Moon, and so on). Robots and Radios Luna 15's primary mission, although the Soviets didn't admit it at the time , was to land, collect samples of the lunar surface, and then return the sample via a small capsule. If that had worked, the sample would have been the first robotic return of lunar material, scoring a PR victory for the Soviet space program. Of course, that didn't work out. Frank Borman on the Apollo 8 mission. Image courtesy of NASA.  The timing of the Luna 15 mission was a little freaky for NASA, as it would orbit the Moon at the same time as Apollo 11, and both would be transmitting radio signals to Earth. NASA enlisted Apollo 8 commander Frank Borman to get some intelligence on Luna 15's flight plan; Borman was friendly with the Soviets, and had just returned from a trip to the USSR (indeed, he was the first astronaut to do so). NASA's concern was that Luna 15 might introduce radio interference if its orbit was too close to that of Apollo 11. Borman's info from the Soviets confirmed that it wouldn't be a problem, and a worldwide sigh of relief followed. Luna 16 image courtesy of NASA. The Luna 16 mission (pictured above) later succeeded where Luna 15 had failed. Luna 16 was the first robotic probe to land on the Moon and return a sample to Earth; the sample came back on September 24, 1970. It brought home 101 grams of lunar regolith. (The Apollo 11 astronauts brought back well over 20 kilograms of material, though it was a dramatically larger and more expensive mission. It's notable that in 1970, the Soviets had robots capable of doing this work—that's a huge achievement.) Drama of the Highest Order There is an audio recording of scientists monitoring the Luna 15 mission (spanning July 19-21, 1969). The audio was released in 2009 to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Moon landing. The audio is from British scientists at the Jodrell Bank Observatory , and features astronomer Sir Bernard Lovell and others who were listening in to both American and Soviet radio transmissions via the Lovell radio telescope. The recordings span various sessions, with the first drama being a Luna 15 course change on Sunday, July 20.  That course change brought it closer to the landing site of Apollo, which was a bit of a shocker given the Soviet flight plan previously provided. The next dramatic moment came on July 21 when the probe began to descend; it suddenly became clear to Lovell's team that Luna 15 was designed to land, not just take orbital photos as the Soviets had indicated. This surprised everyone in the listening room, and you can hear them discuss a rumor from a source in Moscow suggesting that the probe was designed to return a sample.  The team proceeds to listen as the probe lands, exclaiming "It's landing!" and "Phew!"  The very last line is classic: "I say, this has really been drama of the highest order!"


"Who ""is watching you"" in George Orwell's book ""Nineteen Eighty-Four""?"

Editorial Reviews: Product Description Orwell depicts a gray, totalitarian world in which privacy does not exist, news is manufactured according to the authorities' will, and those with unorthodox ideas are brainwashed or put to death. Orwell's 1949 nightmare vision of the world we were becoming is still the great modern classic of negative Utopia. Amazon.com Review "Outside, even through the shut window pane, the world looked cold. Down in the street little eddies of wind were whirling dust and torn paper into spirals, and though the sun was shining and the sky a harsh blue, there seemed to be no color in anything except the posters that were plastered everywhere." The year is 1984; the scene is London, largest population center of Airstrip One. Airstrip One is part of the vast political entity Oceania, which is eternally at war with one of two other vast entities, Eurasia and Eastasia. At any moment, depending upon current alignments, all existing records show either that Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia and allied with Eastasia, or that it has always been at war with Eastasia and allied with Eurasia. Winston Smith knows this, because his work at the Ministry of Truth involves the constant "correction" of such records. "'Who controls the past,' ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.'" In a grim city and a terrifying country, where Big Brother is always Watching You and the Thought Police can practically read your mind, Winston is a man in grave danger for the simple reason that his memory still functions. He knows the Party's official image of the world is a fluid fiction. He knows the Party controls the people by feeding them lies and narrowing their imaginations through a process of bewilderment and brutalization that alienates each individual from his fellows and deprives him of every liberating human pursuit from reasoned inquiry to sexual passion. Drawn into a forbidden love affair, Winston finds the courage to join a secret revolutionary organization called The Brotherhood, dedicated to the destruction of the Party. Together with his beloved Julia, he hazards his life in a deadly match against the powers that be. Newspeak, doublethink, thoughtcrime--in 1984, George Orwell created a whole vocabulary of words concerning totalitarian control that have since passed into our common vocabulary. More importantly, he has portrayed a chillingly credible dystopia. In our deeply anxious world, the seeds of unthinking conformity are everywhere in evidence; and Big Brother is always looking for his chance. --Daniel Hintzsche Qty 1 In Stock ProjectMed360.com. | Powered by: Bytase . In association with Amazon, Inc. All pictures and registered trademarks are owned by their respective owners. A-Z money back guarantee .


"Which boxer was known as the ""Manassa Mauler""?"

Jack Dempsey – The Manassa Mauler - World in Sport Home / Boxing / Jack Dempsey – The Manassa Mauler Jack Dempsey – The Manassa Mauler Share Tweet Jack Dempsey – The Manassa Mauler In every sport there emerges one person who stands out so prominently that he is referred to as “The Idol.” Such as a man was Jack Dempsey in boxing. While in there tossing punches, he was the one of the most spectacular heavyweights since John L Sullivan. Jack Dempsey was one of the toughest heavyweights in the world. He was born William Harrison Dempsey, in Manassa, Colorado, on 24th June 1895. He grew up in Colorado, West Virginia, and Utah, in a poor family. Desperate for the money, Dempsey would occasionally visit saloons and challenge for fights saying “I can’t sing and I can’t dance, but I can lick any SOB in the house.” If anyone accepted the challenge, bets would be wagered. According to Dempsey’s autobiography, he rarely lost these barroom brawls. A little known fact about Dempsey is that for a short time he was a part-time bodyguard for Thomas F. Kearns, president of The Salt Lake Tribune and son of Utah’s U.S. Senator Thomas Kearns. The two men remained friends for years afterward. Dempsey participated in the first million dollar gate at $1,789,238 when he fought Georges Carpentier and before he hung up his gloves, the receipts of four other contests he fought exceeded those figures. His last fight with Gene Tunney grossed $2,658,660 for a grand total in five bouts of $8,453,319. Every time Jack defended his crown an epic battle ensued, his sensational mix-up with Luis Angel Firpo, the Wild Bull of Pampas, was one of the most thrilling in pugilistic annals, and his joust with Tunney in Chicago, the “Battle of the Long Count,” is the most controversial. He scored the quickest knockout in a heavyweight bout of national importance when he flattened big Carl Morris in New Orleans in fourteen seconds, bettering by four seconds the time in which he disposed of Fred Fulton, the Sepulpa Plasterer in Harrison, New Jersey, on July 27th of the same year. Both were non-championship affairs, since the Manassa Mauler had not won a title yet. It was the start of his career as world champion that got the Golden Era of Boxing underway with him as the ace pugilist. Jack Kearns, as his manager was the king of the ballyhoo artists who beat the publicity drum; and Tex Rickards as the promoter. Jack Dempsey with Wife Maxine and Manager Jack Kearns The most spectacular fighter-manager combination in ring history was dynamic Dempsey and flamboyant Jack Kearns. Their partnership began with a casual meeting in a San Francisco bar in 1917. Dempsey, then 22, was a small-time slugger who, except of one brief and not impressive visit to New York, had done his battling on the tank-town circuits of Colorado, Utah and Nevada. He had just drifted to California looking for fights and a manager. Destiny steered him to Kearns, an experienced pilot, colourful showman and ballyhoo artist. The tie-up was an immediate success. Within a year Dempsey became the outstanding contender for the championship. Promoter Tex Rickard entered the scene and the “Golden Triangle” of Rickard, Dempsey and Kearns introduced the million-dollar gate in Boxing. Rickard promoted most of Dempsey’s important bouts, the one in which Dempsey won the title from Jess Willard and his subsequent clashes with Bill Brennan, Georges Carpentier, Luis Angel Firpo, Jack Sharkey, and the two with Gene Tunney. Five of the bouts drew $1,000,000 or more in receipts.  The second Tunney fight set an all time record of $2,658,660 at the time. It was the fall of 1917 that Dempsey was born in Manassa, Colorado, June 24, 1895, six feet, once inch tall and scaling 180 pounds, he met Kearns, the man who through extraordinary ballyhoo steered Dempsey into the million dollar class of fighters and a world crown. It was the turning point in young Dempsey’s career and a lucky stroke for the kid from Colorado. Up to the time that Jack Dempsey had stopped Willard, he had scored forty-two knockouts, but it wasn’t until after


In which city is the Imperial Spanish Riding School?

Spanish Riding School -   VIENNA – Now. Forever Spanish Riding School Morning Exercise with music The Spanish Riding School in Vienna is the only institution in the world where the classic equestrian skills (haute école) has been preserved and is still practiced in its original form. Many years of training fuse horse and rider into an inseparable unit. The audience is treated to an unforgettable experience by the precision of movement of the Lipizzan horses in perfect harmony with the music. In the course of gala performances, visitors experience unique presentations of the Lipizzans in the most beautiful riding hall in the world, which was impressively outfitted by baroque architect Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach between 1729 and 1735. It was originally built to provide aristocratic youths with the opportunity to take riding instruction. Since December 2015, the horsemanship of the Spanish Riding School has been classified as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. Morning training with music gives a good impression into the training program of the White Stallions; the guided tours include visits to the stables. Dates for performances and morning training as well as information on how to obtain tickets at www.srs.at . A Tribute to Vienna The Vienna Boys' Choir are once again set to collaborate with the Spanish Riding School in 2016: In "A Tribute to Vienna”, Lipizzaners and choir boys perform alternately with highlights of their program. All dates in our event database The café at the Spanish Riding School invites you to enjoy coffee and culinary delicacies from Tuesdays to Sundays (9.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m.).


What is the name of a Japanese dish consisting of noodles and broth?

Ramen Noodles - definition of Ramen Noodles by The Free Dictionary Ramen Noodles - definition of Ramen Noodles by The Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Ramen+Noodles  (rä′mən) n. 1. A Japanese dish of noodles in broth, often garnished with small pieces of meat and vegetables. 2. A thin white noodle served in this dish. [Japanese rāmen, from Mandarin lāmiàn, pulled noodles : lā, pull + miàn, noodle; see chow mein in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] ramen (ˈrɑːmən) n (Cookery) a Japanese dish consisting of a clear broth containing thin white noodles and sometimes vegetables, meat, etc pl n


What is the best known work by German composer Carl Orff?

Orff - Composers - Classic FM Classic FM Carl Orff (1895-1982) was a German composer best known for Carmina Burana. Life and Music Orff’s family were army officers by profession but they loved music. Carl began to learn the piano, organ and 'cello aged five. His musical influences were as diverse as Debussy, Schoenberg and Renaissance period music. He was conscripted into the army in 1917 and nearly died when a trench caved in. He was declared unfit for active service and spent the rest of the war at the Nationaltheater in Mannheim and then the Hoftheater in Darmstadt. In 1924, Orff founded the Günther School of gymnastics, dance, and music with Dorothee Günther. He also published the Orff-Schulwerk and developed various percussion instruments, which have been widely used in education. Carmina Burana, premiered in Frankfurt in June 1937, was Orff’s first composition success. He ordered his publisher to destroy all his previous works. The Carmina Burana is an important collection of Latin and German 11th-, 12th- and 13th-century poems, which were discovered in a Benedictine monastery in Bavaria in 1803. Orff selected some of the poems to set to music in his scenic cantata. Orff has been accused for cooperating with the Nazis. Carmina Burana was hugely popular in Nazi Germany. The Nazis banned Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream because Mendelssohn was a Jew. Orff was the only composer to answer their call for Germans to write new incidental music for the play. However, Orff was not a member of the Nazi party, nor is there evidence to suggest that he had close friends within the regime. Increasingly, Orff drew on fables and ancient Latin texts in his works. Did you know? Carmina Burana has been used in films, adverts and television programmes, including Natural Born Killers, the advertising campaign for Old Spice aftershave and The X-Factor.


How many countries surround the Gulf of Mexico?

Geography of the Gulf of Mexico - Border States Geography of the Gulf of Mexico Geography of the Gulf of Mexico States Learn about the States Surrounding the Gulf of Mexico Geography Expert By Amanda Briney The Gulf of Mexico is an ocean basin located close to the southeastern United States . It is one of the largest bodies of water in the world and it is a part of the Atlantic Ocean . The basin has an area of 600,000 square miles (1.5 million sq km) and most of it consists of shallow intertidal areas but there are some very deep portions. The Gulf of Mexico is bounded by five U.S. states. The following is a list of the five Gulf states and some information about each. 1.  Alabama Alabama is a state located in the southeastern United States. It has an area of 52,419 square miles (135,765 sq km) and a 2008 population of 4,4661,900. Its largest cities are Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile. Alabama is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida to the south and Mississippi to the west. Only a small portion of its coastline is on the Gulf of Mexico ( map ) but it has a busy port located on the Gulf in Mobile. More » continue reading below our video 10 Facts About the Titanic That You Don't Know 2.  Florida Florida is a state in the southeastern United States that is bordered by Alabama and Georgia to the north and the Gulf of Mexico the the south and east. It is a peninsula that is surrounded by water on three sides ( map ) and it has a 2009 population of 18,537,969. The area of Florida is 53,927 square miles (139,671 sq km). Florida is known as the "sunshine state" because of its warm subtropical climate and many beaches, including those on the Gulf of Mexico. More » 3.  Louisiana Louisiana ( map ) is located between the Gulf of Mexico states of Texas and Mississippi and is south of Arkansas . It has an area of 43,562 square miles (112,826 sq km) and a 2005 population estimate (prior to Hurricane Katrina ) of 4,523,628. Louisiana is known for its multicultural population, its culture and events such as Mardi Gras in New Orleans . It is also known for its well established fishing economy and ports on the Gulf of Mexico. More » 4.  Mississippi Mississippi ( map ) is a state located in the southeastern United States with an area of 48,430 square miles (125,443 sq km) and a 2008 population of 2,938,618. Its largest cities are Jackson, Gulfport and Biloxi. Mississippi is bordered by Louisiana and Arkansas to the west, Tennesse to the north and Alabama to the east. Most of the state is forested and undeveloped aside from the Mississippi River delta and the Gulf coast area.  Like Alabama, only a small portion of its coastline is on the Gulf of Mexico but the area is popular for tourism. More » 5.  Texas Texas ( map ) is a state located on the Gulf of Mexico and it is the second largest of the contiguous states based on both area and population. The area of Texas is 268,820 square miles (696,241 sq km) and the state's 2009 population was 24,782,302. Texas is bordered by the U.S. states of New Mexico , Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana as well as by the Gulf of Mexico and Mexico. Texas is known for its oil-based economy but its Gulf Coast areas are quickly growing and are some of the most important areas for the state. More »


What is the base for the common logarithm?

The Common and Natural Logarithms Sections: Introduction    to logs , Simplifying log expressions , Common    and natural logs A logarithm can have any    positive value as its base, but two log bases are more useful than the    others. The base-10,    or "common", log is popular for historical    reasons , and is    usually written as "log(x)".    For instance, pH (the measure of a substance's acidity or alkalinity),    decibels (the measure of sound intensity), and the Richter scale (the    measure of earthquake intensity) all involve base-10 logs. If a log has no base written, you should generally (in algebra    classes) assume that the base is 10. The other important log    is the "natural", or base-e,    log, denoted as "ln(x)" and usually pronounced as "ell-enn-of-x".    (Note: That's "ell-enn", not "one-enn" or "eye-enn"!)    Just as the number e arises naturally in math and the sciences, so also does the natural log,    which is why you need to be familiar with it. Warning: If you eventually    progress to much-more advanced mathematics, you may find that sometimes "log(x)" means the base-e log or even base-2 log, rather than the common log. Because the common and    natural logs are pretty much the only logs that are used "in real    life", these are the only two for which you have calculator keys.    Make sure you know where these keys are, and how to use them. Aside: Why would the "natural    log" be denoted by "ln",    rather than by "nl"?    One popular idea relates to Euler ("OY-lur"), the guy who discovered    (invented?) the natural    exponential . Euler    was Swiss and spoke French, so he might have called the function "le    Logarithme Naturel", rather than "the natural log", in    which case, "ln" makes sense. However, history shows that Euler actually used just "l(x)" for the logarithm using "his" number e as its base.   ADVERTISEMENT   The first published use of the "ln" notation for the base-e logarithm was Stringham's, in his 1893 text "Uniplanar Algebra".    Prof. Stringham was an American, so I have no idea why he would have used    the notation "ln",    other than perhaps to reflect a common, though mistaken, idea that Napier's    log was a base-e log. That is, "ln" might have meant to stand for "Log of Napier". It is even possible that the "ln" notation is a mistake: A European mathematician once proposed abbreviating "log" as "lg" and then using a script "l" for the function, with, effectively, a little squiggle afterwards which    was meant to indicate a subscripted italic "g".    But in the graphic I've seen, the "g" looks much more like an "n".    Some of the other proposed notations for the natural logarithm were even    more odd. Mercator (not the map guy) used a Latin    form of the term, "log naturalis" in his 1668 book on logarithms,    and, as of the late 1800s, various English-speakers were using the notation "log.nat." for the natural logarithm. In short, the origin of this notation seems    somewhat obscure, perhaps even unknown, which is unusual for such a recent "invention". Simplify log(100). Since 100     = 102,     then log(100)     = log(102) = 2,     because "log(100)     = y" means "10 y = 100 = 102",     so y = 2. log(100)      = 2 Plug "log(100)" into your calculator, and you'll get the same answer. Simplify log(98). Since 98 is not a nice neat power of 10 (the way that 100 was), I cannot be clever with exponents to arrive at an exact answer.     On this exercise, I am stuck with using my calculator to get an approximate     value. So I'll plug this into my calculator, remembering to use the "LOG" key (not the "LN" key), and I get log(98)     = 1.99122607569..., or: log(98)      = 1.99, rounded to two decimal      places Simplify ln(e4.5). Remember that "ln(     )" means the     base-e log, so "ln(e4.5)" might be thought of as "loge(e4.5)".


What stands at the west end of the Champs lyses?

Champs-Elysées, Paris The Avenue des Champs-Elysées is probably the most famous avenue in the world. This impressive street stretches from the Place the la Concorde to the Place Charles de Gaulle, the site of the Arc de Triomphe . Orientation from the Arc de Triomphe Jardins des Champs-Elysées The Champs-Elysées is almost two kilometers long and seventy meters wide. At its western end the street is bordered by cinemas, theaters, cafés and luxury shops. On the opposite end, near the Place de la Concorde , the street is bordered by the Jardins des Champs-Elysées, beautifully arranged gardens with fountains and some grand buildings including the Grand and Petit Palais at the southern side and the Elysée at its northern side. The latter has been the residence of the French Presidents since 1873. Celebrations The Champs-Elysées is used for all the major celebrations. This is where Parisians celebrate New Year's Eve and where the military parades are held on the 14th of July. Historic national events, like the Liberation at the end of the second World War or the victory in the World Cup football were also celebrated on this wide avenue. Seventeenth century - The Elysian Fields Champs-Elysées In the sixteenth century this area was nothing but fields outside the center of Paris. In 1616 Marie de Medicis decided to create a long tree-lined path going east from the Tuileries . The route was redesigned in 1667 by renowned landscape designer André Le Nôtre as an extension of the Jardins des Tuileries . The promenade, now called 'Grande Allée du Roule' or 'Grand-Cours' had become a fashionable place but was still isolated from the city with few buildings surrounding the area. Twenty-seven years later the promenade was renamed to 'Champs-Elysées', or Elysian Fields in English. The name was derived from Greek mythology where 'Elusia' is a place where heroes come to relax. Eighteenth & nineteenth centuries - Further Development In 1724 the Champs-Elysées was extended all the way to the Chaillot hill (now known as l'Etoile, the site of the Arc de Triomphe ). Its current form took shape in 1838 when French architect Ignaz Hittorf - who was redesigning the Place de la Concorde - created the Jardins des Champs-Elysées. He also installed sidewalks, gas lamps and fountains. The Champs-Elysées started to attract more and more restaurants and hotels, especially after 1900 when the Paris metro line no. 1 reached the Etoile station. Current Design The lastest redesign of the prestigious avenue was done in 1994 by Bernard Huet. The side lanes were converted into pedestrian zones, an underground parking lot was created and new trees were planted. Cars now only occupy half the width of this grand avenue.


What name was commonly used for the struggle that emerged after World War II between capitalism and communism that centred around the USSR & the USA and their partners, that lasted from about 1947 to 1991?

Christopher Bassford: Policy, Politics, War, and Military Strategy There is a relevant video of Bassford speaking at the Pentagon on 30 OCT 2015 on our Videos page. See also " The Relationship Between Political Objectives and Military Objectives in War ," a very long, self-paced, instructor-training PowerPoint slideshow, 2005-14. TABLE OF CONTENTS POLICY, POLITICS, WAR, and MILITARY STRATEGY by Christopher Bassford INTRODUCTION The Study of Strategy "A nation that draws a demarcation between its thinking men and its fighting men will soon have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools." —Sir William Francis Butler Warfare may appear at first glance to be a simple thing—a cut-and-dried matter of "us against them," a violent clash between two nations or ideologies. Strategy, in turn, may seem a simple matter of deciding how best to use the resources at our disposal to accomplish some clearly defined objective. This apparent simplicity is a cruel illusion. Warfare is in fact an extraordinarily complex phenomenon. The word "war" itself is nearly impossible to adequately define. States, empires, whole societies and civilizations have gone down in bloody ruin because they failed to master this inherently difficult subject. Our point here is not that these societies were defeated by outsiders because of military ignorance or incompetence, although that has occasionally happened. Rather, many societies—sometimes embodied in a single political structure, sometimes in a multi-member system—have destroyed themselves through internal warfare. The problem is twofold. Warfare is often used in attempts to resolve problems that simply are not susceptible to a military solution. At the same time, there are always elements in any human society who are willing to use violence to impose their will on others and whose ambitions can be thwarted only via violent means. Accordingly, responsible political leaders must neither overuse nor underuse the military instrument. Either error can cause a society to sink into warlordism or simple anarchy. The fatal step onto the road to self-destruction is as likely to result from an over-reliance on violent solutions as from moderate elements' failure to use force when it is necessary—a classic example of the latter being the Western powers' appeasement of Hitler at Munich in 1938. Oddly, we sometimes fail to consider the vast social importance of military success, thinking of  military victory and defeat as abstractions of importance only to soldiers and politicians. Aside from the obvious dangers faced by a society overrun and conquered by invaders, consider the more subtle social divisions and loss of national self-confidence engendered by the American failure in Vietnam. Those problems were comparatively mild. The French Revolution was preceded by losses in a series of wars—failures that destroyed both the prestige and the finances of the royal government. The Russian revolutions of 1905 and 1917 were both the consequences of military defeat, as was the German revolution of 1918. These revolutions eventually brought us Hitler and Stalin. It is clear that defeat in Afghanistan was a catalyst leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union. We stress these consequences of war in order to remind the reader that war is brutally dangerous. This is true, not merely for the combatants and the innocent bystanders caught in the war zone, but for the larger societies they represent. War means social disruption and the breaking of moral bonds. It breeds hatred, bitterness, and more war. Defeat in war breeds revolution. The path of revolution—however justified the overthrow of the old ruling class, however superior the new society that may eventually emerge—usually passes through a great deal of turmoil, terror, internal strife, and external warfare. It usually leads to dictatorship. Military events trigger powerful feelings of group identity. They have a disproportionate political impact because of the emotional impact of violence across group boundaries. The political sensitivity of all things mi


Neolithic: the New Stone Age Neolithic: the New Stone Age GO The dawn of the civilization Mar 25, 2008 16:27 GMT  ·  By Stefan Anitei  ·  Share:  The Neolithic (New Stone Age) was a period in the technological development of Homo sapiens that started at the end of the Ice Age, 10,000 years ago, and ended around the Mediterranean Sea and other areas about 5,500 years ago, when the Bronze Age started. It was the period when first human settlements appeared. People left caves for huts made of branches, stones, adobe or bricks, depending on the resources of the place. The gathered huts formed small villages that could be defended easier. The main reason for the settling of the people was the emergence of the agriculture during the Neolithic. Neolithic clay-made figurines reproduced both animal and human figures. In many cases, human figures represented gods or goddesses. The stone and bone tools got even more complex than those of the Paleolithic. Neolithic was the time when pottery emerged. Paleolithic people kept liquids and foods in wood bowls and baskets. Now, people found that clay could be molded, and once burned, the items could guard foods and beverages. The pottery gave birth to a new class: the potters. The Neolithic people not only made complex pottery items, but also used to adorn them with geometrical paintings and images of humans, animals and plants. The Neolithic hunter could not rely on megafauna, of which a great part had disappeared (like mammoths and woolly rhinoceroses). But this was the period when the domestication of many animals occurred. The only animal domesticated during the previous Upper Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) was the dog, in China, about 15,000 years ago. Sheep and cattle were domesticated during the Neolithic; the appearance of the livestock led to the emergence of the first shepherds and the transhumant lifestyle, as the people were always on the move searching for pasture and water for their livestock. To the fishing methods employing hooks, Neolithic people added more complex tools, like fishing baskets and nets, using plant stems and fibers. In shallow water, Neolithic people could use wooden sticks for catching fish. The first 'vessels' appeared in the shape of canoes made of carved tree trunks or skiffs made of a branch scaffold covered by tarred skins. Navigation was made using long poles and only in shallow waters. Death was a mystery for Neolithic people, who imagined dead people went into another world, where spirits continued their activities. Dead people were, for this purpose, buried in special places, together with some food and tools. In some places, people were buried in big stone constructions, called dolmens, made of stone slabs weighing several tons. The tombs were covered by mounds. Neolithic people in Western Europe also raised large stone blocks called menhirs. The menhirs were decorated with zigzag rays, squares, rhombuses and circles, carved on one or several sides. Menhirs could have signaled borders between tribes, sacrifice places or worship places. The most famous menhir area is at Carnac (Brittany, France). The Neolithic is the period when humans started to trade, as people began to differentiate in classes of farmers, shepherds and craftsmen. In markets, people interchanged food, pottery, baskets and various crafted issues. With the metallurgy, the humans had stepped out of the Stone Age. Probably, one of the first metals known was the gold, whose nuggets were collected from the sand of the rivers. But gold did not have a technological importance, being used mainly for making adornments. The first processed metals were copper, tin, silver and gold. 8,000 years ago, European populations were using malachite (a copper oxide) to get colorants. Probably ancient people noticed the transformations suffered by this mineral in contact with the fire. At the end of the Neolithic (the last Stone Age), about 6,300 years ago, people from Indus Valley (today northwestern India-Pakistan) to Central Asia started to process the copper. Mining activity for achieving copper ore