What kind of animal does mutton come from?

What Is the Difference Between Lamb and Mutton Updated January 18, 2017. Question: Lamb vs Mutton: What is the Difference Between Lamb and Mutton? Answer: Both are domestic sheep, but have distinct differences, mainly in age. As you may know, the age of an animal can affect how tender their meat is and the flavor. Lamb is a sheep that is typically under one year of age. There is little fat on lamb and the meat can vary in color from a tender pink to a pale red. Lamb under 3 months of age is called Spring lamb. Most sheep meat sold in the U.S. comes from lambs simply because mutton isn't as popular. Mutton is meat from a sheep that is older than a year, ideally 3 years of age. It is an intense red color and contains a considerable amount of fat. Its flavor is very strong and many have to "acquire" the taste before enjoying mutton. Mutton is much more popular in the Middle East and in Europe than in the United States. The game meat flavor of mutton does tend to appeal more to people who also enjoy other game meats such as deer, wild boar, rabbit and other more exotic animals. Because Americans prefer the more delicate taste of lamb, it is more expensive than mutton but also much easier to find in regular markets. Common cuts in the US are shoulder roast, rack, loin chops and leg of lamb. It's also important to note that domestic lamb tends to be grain fed, contain more fat and a more delicate flavor. Imported (typically Australian or New Zealand) lamb tends to be grass fed, be leaner and have a stronger flavor. According to the American Lamb Association , the three most common cooking methods for lamb are grilling, braising and roasting. Grilling (or barbecuing) over hot coals is great for burgers and lamb chops. They recommend dry brining and salting the meat about 40 minutes before cooking to help break down the proteins. Braising is where meat is first browned in fat and then cooked slowly in a covered pan with a small amount of liquid. This can be done on the stove top or in the oven and this method is great for tougher cuts such as the shoulder. The dry heat of oven roasting is best for more tender pieces like the rack or the leg. The meat is cooked uncovered and produces a brown outside and moist interior. Because mutton is tougher, a slow cooking method like stew helps to tenderize the meat and bring out the flavor.


"Grammatically speaking, the phrase ""to boldly go"" is a split __________"

Common Usage Dilemmas: Split Infinitives: To Boldly Go Where Everyone Else Goes The Good, the Bad, the Ugly As their motto proves, the crew of the USS Enterprise split their infinitives along with their atoms. The motto should read: “To Go Boldly …” They're not alone.  Remember that a split infinitive occurs when an adverb or adverbial phrase is placed between to and the verb. People who feel strongly about their split infinitives really feel strongly about their split infinitives. A famous New Yorker cartoon shows Captain Bligh sailing away from the Bounty in a rowboat and shouting, “So Mr. Christian! You propose to unceremoniously cast me adrift?” The caption beneath the cartoon reads: “The crew can no longer tolerate Captain Bligh's ruthless splitting of infinitives.” You Could Look It Up A split infinitive occurs when an adverb or adverbial phrase is placed between to and the verb. Even though some people get their pencils bent out of shape over this matter, there is no authoritative grammar and usage text that expressly forbids it. Famous writers have been splitting their infinitives with abandon for centuries. George Bernard Shaw, the brilliant Irish playwright, once sent this letter to the Times of London: “There is a busybody on your staff who devotes a lot of time to chasing split infinitives: I call for the immediate dismissal of this pedant. It is of no consequence whether he decides to go quickly or to quickly go or quickly to go. The important thing is that he should go at once.” Quoth the Maven The twentieth-century writer and cartoonist James Thurber had this to say to the editor who rearranged his infinitive: “When I split an infinitive, it is going to damn well stay split!” What should you do? While I do not advocate that you go around town splitting infinitives with abandon, there's no point in mangling a sentence just to avoid a split infinitive. Good writers occasionally split infinitives to create emphasis, achieve a natural word order, and avoid confusion. If splitting an infinitive makes it possible for you to achieve the precise shade of meaning you desire, you have my blessing to split away. Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Grammar and Style © 2003 by Laurie E. Rozakis, Ph.D.. All rights reserved including the right  of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by  arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group  (USA) Inc. To order this book direct from the publisher, visit the Penguin USA website or call 1-800-253-6476. You can also purchase this book at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble .


What small country is famous for producing champion sprinters?

Top Ten Fastest 100 Meter Sprinters in History - Rankings.com Awarding the best products, companies, and more Top Ten Fastest 100 Meter Sprinters in History Sprinters – Men’s 100 Metres (World Record: 9.58) by Usain Bolt at the ’09 World Championships) 1. Usain Bolt (Jamaica) – Fastest Time: 9.58 seconds The 100m Olympic record (9.69) was set by Bolt at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. 2. Tyson Gay (United States) – Fastest Time: 9.69 seconds During the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, Gay also ran a wind-aided 9.68 (once the fastest 100 m under any condition). 3. Asafa Powell (Jamaica) – Fastest Time: 9.72 seconds Asafa Powell ran his fastest time, once the world record, during heats at the 2007 IAAF Rieti Grand Prix. 4. Maurice Greene (United States) – Fastest Time: 9.79 seconds By the widest margin since electronic timing, Greene ran this since passed world record time in 1999. 5. Donovan Bailey (Canada) – Fastest Time: 9.84 seconds Bailey returned Canada to glory with his 9.84 record-breaking run at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. 6. Bruny Surin (Canada) – Fastest Time: 9.84 seconds Surin’s second place finish of 9.84 at the 1999 World Championships was the fastest silver medal time ever. 7. Leroy Burrell (United States) – Fastest Time: 9.85 seconds Burrell had twice set the world record in the 100 metres with a 9.90 in 1991 and a 9.85 in 1994. 8. Justin Gatlin (United States) – Fastest Time: 9.85 seconds Gatlin’s fastest time was set at the 2004 Olympics with a gold metal winning 9.85 second run. 9. Olusoji Fasuba (Nigeria) – Fastest Time: 9.85 seconds Fasuba holds the African 100 metre sprinting mark with a 9.85 at the Doha Grand Prix in 2006. 10. Carl Lewis (United States) – Fastest Time: 9.86 seconds Track and Field star Carl Lewis has won nine Olympic gold medals and eight World Championship gold medals. Sprinters – Women’s 100 Metres (World Record: 10.49 by Griffith-Joyner at the ’88 Olympic Trials) 1. Florence Griffith-Joyner (United States) – Fastest Time: 10.49 seconds The 100m Olympic record (10.62) was set by Flo Jo at the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul. 2. Carmelita Jeter (United States) – Fastest Time: 10.64 seconds Jeter ran a 10.67 at the 2009 World Athletics Final and a 10.64 at the 2009 Shanghai Golden Grand Prix. 3. Marion Jones (United States) – Fastest Time: 10.65 seconds Jones won the 100 metre at the 1998 IAAF World Cup in South Africa with a time of 10.65. 4. Shelly-Ann Fraser (Jamaica) – Fastest Time: 10.73 seconds Fraser, along with her Jamaican teammates, dominated the women’s 100m at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. 5. Christine Arron (France) – Fastest Time: 10.73 seconds Arron placed third in the 100m and 200m sprints at the 2005 World Championships in Paris. 6. Merlene Ottey (Jamaica) – Fastest Time: 10.74 seconds Ottey has won more World Championships medals (14) than any other female sprinter in history. 7. Kerron Stewart (Jamaica) – Fastest Time: 10.75 seconds Stewart won the silver medal in the women’s 100m at the 2008 Olympic Games and the 2009 Worlds. 8. Evelyn Ashford (United States) – Fastest Time: 10.76 seconds A U.S. Track Hall of Fame athlete, Ashford set a later broken Olympic record at the 1984 Olympics. 9. Irina Privalova (Russia) – Fastest Time: 10.77 seconds Privalova is a World Champion in numerous indoor events, and holds the indoor records for the 50m and 60m sprints. 10. Ivet Lalova (Bulgaria) – Fastest Time: 10.77 seconds Lalova’s best 100 metre time was set in Plovdiv, Bulgaria in 2004 when she ran a 10.77. Awarding the best products, companies, and more


"What movie featured ""Iceman"" and ""Maverick""?"

Top Gun (1986) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC As students at the United States Navy's elite fighter weapons school compete to be best in the class, one daring young pilot learns a few things from a civilian instructor that are not taught in the classroom. Director: a list of 32 titles created 10 Sep 2011 a list of 30 titles created 22 Jun 2012 a list of 25 titles created 24 Nov 2012 a list of 41 titles created 20 Oct 2013 a list of 37 titles created 04 Aug 2014 Search for " Top Gun " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Won     1     Oscar. Another    10 wins & 5 nominations. See more awards  » Videos When a sports agent has a moral epiphany and is fired for expressing it, he decides to put his new philosophy to the test as an independent with the only athlete who stays with him. Director: Cameron Crowe Neo military lawyer Kaffee defends Marines accused of murder; they contend they were acting under orders. Director: Rob Reiner A talented New York City bartender takes a job at a bar in Jamaica and falls in love. Director: Roger Donaldson A young lawyer joins a prestigious law firm only to discover that it has a sinister dark side. Director: Sydney Pollack A young hot-shot stock car driver gets his chance to compete at the top level. Director: Tony Scott The biography of Ron Kovic. Paralyzed in the Vietnam war, he becomes an anti-war and pro-human rights political activist after feeling betrayed by the country he fought for. Director: Oliver Stone A Chicago teenager is looking for fun at home while his parents are away, but the situation quickly gets out of hand. Director: Paul Brickman An American military advisor embraces the Samurai culture he was hired to destroy after he is captured in battle. Director: Edward Zwick An American agent, under false suspicion of disloyalty, must discover and expose the real spy without the help of his organization. Director: Brian De Palma A cab driver finds himself the hostage of an engaging contract killer as he makes his rounds from hit to hit during one night in Los Angeles. Director: Michael Mann Selfish yuppie Charlie Babbitt's father left a fortune to his savant brother Raymond and a pittance to Charlie; they travel cross-country. Director: Barry Levinson A self-indulgent and vain publishing magnate finds his privileged life upended after a vehicular accident with a resentful lover. Director: Cameron Crowe Edit Storyline Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell is an expert United States Naval Aviator. When he encounters a pair of MiGs over the Persian Gulf, his wingman is clearly outflown and freaks. On almost no fuel, Maverick is able to talk him back down to the carrier. When his wingman turns in his wings, Maverick is moved up in the standings and sent to the Top Gun Naval Flying School. There he fights the attitudes of the other pilots and an old story of his father's death in combat that killed others due to his father's error. Maverick struggles to be the best pilot, stepping on the toes of his other students and in another way to Charlie Blackwood, a civilian instructor to whom he is strongly attracted. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net> From the Producers of Beverly Hills Cop and Flashdance [UK Theatrical] See more  » Genres: 16 May 1986 (USA) See more  » Also Known As: $1,965,737        (USA) (8 February 2013) Gross: 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)| Dolby (35 mm prints) Color: Did You Know? Trivia Voted #3 Must See Movie of all time by listeners of Capital FM in London. See more » Goofs After Iceman's plane is strafed for the second time, Slider says it's OK both engines are running. After the first strafe, they shut down one engine. The second strafing must have restarted the turned off engi


Batman's Real Name - EnkiVillage Batman's Real Name Other 5 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Batman The question of "Who is batman" has been around for some time now. Despite being used in films, television shows and video games, Batman’s real name is not known to many. Batman has over the years been a household name in America. He is among the highly esteemed superheroes. Quite a number of changes have taken place where different characters have set audience in a confusion of not getting to know the real Batman. Bale, Keaton, Clooney and Kilmer are the four people who have played Batman. Batman lovers have been set in confusion, so it is likely that only a few of them know his real name. Batman's Real Name and Two Historical Figures Batman’s real name is Bruce Wayne. Bill Finger, a partner in the creation of Batman used two historical characters to name the alter ego of Batman. He drew one of the characters, King Bruce I from the British-Scottish War of Independence in Scotland. This character, also known as Robert the Bruce, was a key figure who led in the war. Most notably, in 1298, he succeeded William Wallace as the guardian of Scotland. Other inspiration came from the Revolutionary War in the United Sates. Finger took the name from a hero of that time, Antony Wayne which was later given to the actor Marion Robert Morrison as the stage name. The name later changed to John Wayne. Finally, Bruce Wayne is the final name, but the middle name has remained to be a mystery to date. Other 5 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Batman 1 The Character of Batman Was Inspired Through Other Sources Batman’s character drew inspiration from various sources to highlight his various traits such as investigative abilities and dual identity. One of inspiration was a character of radio show. Batman’s affluent alter ego was inspired by "The Mask of Zorro." His bat identity and costume were generated from "The Bat Whispers" film of 1930. Ideally, it was the main inspiration for his wings particularly from the "ornothopter" device in Leonardo da Vinci's sketch. Batman showed investigative characteristics based on science which Finger copied from Sherlock Holmes and Doc Savage. 2 Batman Hates Guns We might have struggled to know batman's real name but one of the challenges Bob Kane faced in developing the character of Batman is the issue of presenting him as a gunslinger. This early inclination towards guns has been completely written off. Because Batman lost his parents to firearms, Batman hates guns and does not use them anymore.  For this reason, he has taken a strict position of not using guns as he fights crime. Initially, Batman’s job was more investigative than fighting. However, he still had a firearm during his night patrols. Later on, Bob Kane considered it inappropriate for Batman to carry a gun along. 3 Batman Has a History Although He Is Ever the Same Age Bruce Wayne is forever 34 years old, but he still has a history. Through his teenage years, he spent at Sorbonne and Cambridge as well. His 20’s exhibit his investigative qualities at the FBI and later on he went to for martial training in Japan, Korea and China. During this time, he also learnt stealth lessons from friends. Since 1939, Batman took different roles and characters based on the timing of the events. From that time on, he sold bonds of war in the 1940s. He taught courses in criminology in the 50’s. He didn’t stop there. Batman fought aliens in the 60’s and during the next decade of the 70’s, he recalled his comic-book origins. In the 1980’s, Frank Miller add the elements of vigilantism and anger into Batman's character. Despite having a broken spine in the 90’s, he recovered fully later on. This is a summary of Batman’s history throughout the decades. 4 The Relationship Between Batman and Robin Is not That Simple The comic world was ridiculed for its homoeroticism tendencies from about 1954. This did not leave Batman out of the scene especially with regards to Robin. These attacks and accusations went a long way from the authentic tales to the most uncertai


What is the world's largest airline, by number of passengers carried?

The world's largest airlines: Domestic bliss | The Economist purchase-rights icon DELTA AIR LINES remains the world’s most popular carrier, according to the latest data released by IATA, an aviation trade group. Delta carried 129.4m passengers last year, putting it a nose ahead of second place Southwest. Only one of the world's five largest carriers was not American—third-placed China Southern flew 100.7m people in 2014. Yet, tellingly, on international routes just two American carriers squeaked into the top ten—United and Delta in ninth and tenth positions respectively. Both flew a fraction of the international passengers of the market leader, Ryanair, which hauled 86.4m people across national borders. Of course, this shouldn’t be surprising. America is the world’s biggest domestic aviation market. What it does show, however, is how ridiculous it is for US carriers to whinge about competitors from other countries apparently receiving state aid—particularly supercarriers in the Middle East. After all, having their own domestic markets protected by the state is the primary reason that American airlines thrive. Ask United or Delta whether they would welcome competition on their JFK:LAX route from Emirates or Singapore Airlines. If they were being honest, they would admit that the last thing they want is a truly level playing field. World's largest airlines by passengers, 000 1.


What Taiwanese drink is made of sweetened tea and chewy tapioca balls?

Bubble Tea Under Threat From Toxic Fears in Taiwan - China Real Time Report - WSJ China Real Time Report Bubble Tea Under Threat From Toxic Fears in Taiwan May 30, 2013 7:38 pm HKT Deflated: A shop owner shows off a cup of bubble tea in Taipei. More In Taiwan Chinese Official Says Taiwan's President is 'Extreme' Because She's Unmarried In the late 1990′s, Taiwan made its biggest impact on the world through the production of computers and electronic components, but as competition from South Korean and China’s PC makers intensifies, the island is finding another way to cement its place in the world – one tapioca ball at a time. Known as bubble or pearl tea, the combination of chewy tapioca balls and milk tea has come a long way since it was first concocted at a small tea shop in central Taiwan 30 years ago. Not only it is the most popular drink on the island, the beverage has taken the world by its palate. Bubble tea shops can be found in Berlin, Istanbul, Paris, London, Sydney, Japan, Singapore and across China. But all this may come to a screeching halt, thanks to a toxic food starch scandal. Since mid-May, Taiwanese health authorities have confiscated more than 312 tons of food starch – a key ingredient in bubble tea – that was found to have been tainted with maleic acid, a cheap food additive  that can cause kidney failure when consumed in large doses. The toxic starch has also poisoned Taiwan’s food exports. On Wednesday, Malaysia announced an immediate ban on 11 food items imported from Taiwan. Singapore imposed similar ban over the weekend. This is the second island-wide food scare in two years after the discovery of the pervasive use of plasticizer – a chemical additive to use to make food more pliable – in May 2011. Food starch is a common ingredient in many Taiwanese traditional dishes. Apart from bubble tea, it is also used to make gluttonous dumplings, Hakka rice noodles and sweet taro balls. “In Taiwan, deep-fried chicken nuggets and icy bubble tea are as popular and common as pepperoni pizza and cold beer in the U.S.,” said Xiao Lin, a beverage hawker at Danshui night market in New Taipei City. The self-described “food entreprenuer” told China Real Time he can sell as many as 500 cups of bubble tea a day during the peak summer season, but now most customers are opting for cheaper drinks, such as lemonade or plum juice. Frank Chen, a sophomore at nearby Tamkang University said that, although he is a “bubble tea addict,” he and his friends will stop buying bubble tea until it has been proven safe. “The government needs to mete out new food safety measures soon or else get ready for a strong protest. We, the food vendors of the night markets, helped put Taiwan’s food on the map and shouldn’t be punished for government’s oversight. Foreign tourists may not always buy souvenirs but they are always happy to try Taiwan’s food,” Mr. Lin said. According to the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, more than 70% of tourists to Taiwan visit night markets. The Taiwanese government promised after the plasticizer problems in 2011 that it would beef up the island’s food safety standards with an amendment to the Act Governing Food Sanitation. But the amendment remains stuck in the legislative pipeline. “Have we not learned anything in two years?” asked an editorial in the United Daily, a newspaper typically sympathetic to the ruling Kuomintang, or Nationalist Party. Taiwan’s Cabinet on Wednesday called a last-minute news conference to address the scandal, but offered little new information. Instead officials repeated calls for harsher punishment of food safety violators to be included as part of the stalled amendment. “The past law did not impose strict enough regulations on our food manufacturers,” health minister Chiu Wen-ta said, adding that the current system of fines “did not deter some illegal food manufacturers.” In any case, Taiwan can little afford further damage to the reputation of its food industry, particularly as South Korea, not content with burying its Taiwanese competitors in the tech sector, is also making a huge push to


Which Madonna song mentions Grace Kelly, Joe Dimaggio, and Rita Hayworth?

Vogue by Madonna Songfacts Vogue by Madonna Songfacts Songfacts "Vogueing" was a dance craze popular in the gay community where dancers used elaborate hand gestures and frequently stopped to pose. This song brought the dance style to the mainstream and solidified Madonna's standing as an icon in the gay community. Madonna's best friend Debi Mazar first noticed the Vogue craze while they were out clubbing. She was fascinated by the way these men would "Strike a pose" while holding their bodies in strange positions. Madonna took the idea to the New York producer Shep Pettibone, who she had recently begun working with, and they wrote the song together. Pettibone was a DJ at Sound Factory, which is the club where Madonna saw the dancing. This song was originally written as the B-side to "Keep It Together," a single release in America only. However, when Shep Pettibone played "Vogue" to the record company executives at Sire, they decided that the song was too good to waste on a B-side. Madonna mentions many glamorous actors and actresses in the lyrics, including Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire and Jean Harlow. Some of the mentions are a little forced: "They had style, they had grace, Rita Hayworth gave good face." Lauren Bacall was the last surviving legendary actor or actress mentioned in this song. She passed away after a stroke on August 12, 2014. Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Joe DiMaggio (the only non actor mentioned), Marlon Brando, Gene Kelly, Ginger Rogers, Katharine Hepburn, and Lana Turner all previously departed before the husky-voiced Hollywood icon. The video featured the "House Of Extravaganza," a group of New York City dancers who "Vogued" along with Madonna. Before fading into obscurity, they performed on talk shows as America became interested in the Vogue phenomenon. The video was directed by David Fincher, who directed Alien 3. He went on to direct Seven (1995), Fight Club (1999) and Zodiac (2007). Fincher also directed Madonna's " Express Yourself ," " Oh, Father " and " Bad Girl ." This was included on Madonna's album I'm Breathless, which was "inspired by" the movie Dick Tracy. Madonna starred in the movie with Warren Beatty, and they became a couple. Speaking about this song in the October 29, 2009 issue of Rolling Stone, Madonna said, "I wrote it when I was making Dick Tracy. After we shot the movie, Warren Beatty asked me if I could write a song that would fit my character's point of view, that she could have conjured up. She was obsessed with speakeasies and movie stars and things like that. The idea for the lyrics came through that request." One of the dancer's striking a pose in the video was Belgian dancer Salim "Slam" Gauwloos, who went on to choreograph and create ballets. He recalled to Q magazine June 2009: "I first auditioned for her tour with 2000 other hopefuls. People turned up with flowers and gifts for Madonna, which was weird to me - I just danced." He added: "Shooting a video in two days, 16 hours a day, required a lot of focus. David Fincher told me to stand and hit different poses with my body and face. I was ambitious and became frustrated I wasn't dancing that much and thought, 'Great - no one's going to see me.' So I was really surprised I got so much focus in the video." Madonna was the subject of a lawsuit in 2012 claiming that portions of the song borrowed the horns and strings heard in Salsoul Orchestra's 1983 dance tune, "Ooh, I Love It (Love Break)." Music Bosses at American record company VMG Salsoul only discovered the apparent sample thanks to new technology designed to identify specific sounds. VMG claimed that Pettibone had access to "Love Break," because he had been hired by them to remix the song before beginning work on "Vogue." The suit was resolved in November 2013 with a ruling in favor of Madonna and Pettibone. A District Court judge out of California ruled on summary judgment that the sampling of the horns and strings was "trivial," in that they could not be recognized. The word vogue was very fashionable in 1990. Not only did this song top the charts, but the maga


What is the most famous fountain in Rome?

Top 12 most famous and iconic fountains of Rome | Rome Bit by Bite Rome Bit by Bite Your Guide to (re-)discovering Rome and Vatican City Main menu Top 12 most famous and iconic fountains of Rome Posted on 1. Trevi Fountain   The Trevi Fountain is the largest Baroque fountain of Rome and probably one of the most famous fountains in the world, especially after Anita Ekberg bathed in the fountain in the Fellini movie La Dolce Vita.   Anita Ekberg and Marcello Mastroianni photographed by the set photographer Pierluigi Praturlon on the set of La Dolce Vita (Fellini, 1960).     Designed by Nicola Salvi in a style inspired by Bernini, the fountain took 30 years to complete. The original plans for the Trevi fountain had been designed by Bernini, but when Urbano VIII, his commissioner, died in 1644, Bernini fell in disgrace and the project was halted for 60 years. It was taken over by Nicola Salvi under the papacy of Clement XII, but it was not until 3 decades later that the Trevi fountain could finally be inaugurated by Pope Clement XIII. The main theme of the Trevi fountain is the sea, with as central statue Ocean (or Neptune). Next to  Ocean, who rides a shell-shaped chariot pullet by two sea horses and two tritons, stand Salubrity and Abundance (health and well being). The two horses, a calm one and a wild one, represent the two states of the sea.   Trevi Fountain detail The central Statue of the Ocean (1759-62) stands on a shell-shaped chariot, pulled by two finned sea horses lead by two tritons. The name of the fountain is believed to derive from tre vie, referring to the three roads that converge on the eponymous square. Another explanation is that the place was named after the young virgin Trivia who discovered the spring that was used to bring water to Rome through a long canal called Acqua Vergine. As we saw above, it was Clement XII who subsequently commissioned Nicolà Salvi to adorn the end of the canal with a majestic fountain. The fountain also appears as a background in the videoclip of the Bon Jovi song Thank You For Loving Me.   2. Fountain of the Four Rivers (Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi), Piazza Navona   Located at the center of the beautiful Piazza Navona, the Fountain of the Four Rivers was commissioned in 1651 by Pope Innocent X, whose family palace, the Palazzo Pamphilj, faced onto the piazza.     An unusual view of the Fountain of the Four Rivers. Photo © Giampiero Pecorini. The four river Gods, which are the protagonists of the Fountain of the Four Rivers represent the four continents then known: the Danube (Europe), the Rio de la Plata (the Americas), the Nile (Africa) and the Ganges (Asia). To complete the four allegorical characters, Bernini sought the help of several sculptors: Claude Poussin for the Ganges, Giacomo Antonio Fancelli for the Nile, Antonio Raggi il Lombardo for the Danube and Francesco Baratta for the Rio della Plata. Read more at: the Four River Gods of Piazza Navona   Rio de la Plata (“silver river”, representing the Americas)   3. Fontana delle Tartarughe (Turtle Fountain), Piazza Mattei   Created by Taddeo Landini in 1581-1584, probably after a design by Giacomo Della Porta, the late Renaissance fountain was supposed to include four dolphins instead of the four turtles. However, during restoration works led by Bernini in 1658, the empty spaces left by the missing dolphins were filled with four turtles, a recurrent subject of Bernini, which were already used on the Palazzo Barberini fountain. The turtles are so well integrated into the fountain that it is hard to believe that they were added only a century later!   4. Fountain of the Naiads, Piazza della Repubblica   Built in 1870, the Fountain of the Naiads counts four groups of reclining nymphs, symbolizing the spirits of rivers and springs. The nymphs as well as the central Glaucus, the mythical fisherman who became a sea god, are by Mario Rutelli (1901-1911).   5. Triton Fountain (Fontana del Tritone), Piazza Barberini   The Baroque style Triton Fountain on Piazza Barberini was entirely designed and sculpted by Bernini. It is an imp


What was the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage?

Factbox: List of states that legalized gay marriage | Reuters Wed Jun 26, 2013 | 1:07 AM EDT Factbox: List of states that legalized gay marriage Twelve of the 50 U.S. states plus Washington, D.C., have legalized gay marriage. The U.S. Supreme Court was expected on Wednesday to issue rulings in two major cases relating to gay marriage. The first three states to allow gay marriage did so because of court rulings permitting it, rather than through legislative action or putting the issue to voters to decide. Since mid-2009, six states have approved gay marriage laws by passing laws in state legislatures and three states by ballot initiatives. In California, same-sex marriage was legal briefly in 2008 following a court ruling permitting it. Later that year, voters approved Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage. The legal challenge to Proposition 8 went to the U.S. Supreme Court. Here is a look at the states that have approved gay marriage. COURT ORDERS * MASSACHUSETTS - In 2003, Massachusetts became the first state to allow gay marriage after its highest court ruled the state's ban violated the constitutional rights of same-sex couples. * CONNECTICUT - In 2008, the state Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling and found that same-sex couples had a constitutional right to marry. Soon after, the state began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. * IOWA - A unanimous ruling by the state Supreme Court in 2009 legalized same-sex marriage. The next year, a recall campaign by opponents of same-sex marriage forced three judges from the bench. A 2012 effort to oust a fourth judge was unsuccessful. LEGISLATIVE ACTION * VERMONT - In 2009, Vermont became the first state to legalize gay marriage by legislative means. Vermont in 2000 had become the first state to allow civil unions for gay couples. After the state legislature passed the measure, Governor Jim Douglas vetoed it. Legislators then voted to override his veto. * NEW HAMPSHIRE - Two years after New Hampshire began allowing same-sex couples to enter into civil unions, the state approved gay marriage in 2009. * WASHINGTON, D.C. - In 2009, lawmakers in the U.S. capital voted to legalize gay marriage. Because the District of Columbia is not a state, the legislation required congressional approval. In early 2010, efforts to block the law were unsuccessful and it took effect that March. * NEW YORK - After a gay marriage bill failed in New York's Democratic-controlled Senate by a margin of 38 to 24 in 2009, advocates retooled their strategy and applied pressure to lawmakers who had voted "no." In 2011, the Republican-controlled state Senate joined the Democratic-led state Assembly and passed the bill by four votes. * RHODE ISLAND - In 2013, after the state legislature and governor approved a gay marriage bill, Rhode Island became the last of the New England states to legalize same-sex marriage. The law takes effect on August 1. * DELAWARE - In 2013, the Delaware state legislature approved same-sex marriage and the bill was signed into law by the governor. The law takes effect on July 1. * MINNESOTA: 2013 - After Minnesota voters became the first to reject a proposed state constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman in 2012, the state legislature proposed a same-sex marriage legalization bill in 2013. The bill was approved and takes effect on August 1. REFERENDUMS * MAINE - When supporters of same-sex marriage put the issue on the ballot in Maine, it marked the first attempt to legalize same-sex marriage in a popular referendum. It was approved by voters in the November 2012 elections. * MARYLAND, WASHINGTON STATE - After the state legislatures in Washington and Maryland voted in favor of same-sex marriage, the laws were blocked from taking effect until state voters were given an opportunity to decide the matter in ballot initiatives. The issue went to voters in November 2012 and in both states voters sided with legalizing same-sex marriage. (Reporting by Edith Honan; Editing by Howard Goller and Will Dunham) ADVERTISEMENT


If I have a mustache, drink PBR, and liked things before they were cool, what am I?

Pabst Blue Ribbon: There is No Good Reason to Drink This Beer | No Pun Intended 4 Nov Pabst Blue Ribbon: There is No Good Reason to Drink This Beer Posted November 4, 2009 by John S in Advertising , Culture , Food .  Tagged: Advertising , anheuser busch , beer , beers featured prominently in two incredibly bad and overrated films , Blue Velvet , corporate beers , Frank Booth , Gran Torino , hipsters , ironic consumption , ironic downscale chic , MillerCoors , Pabst Blue Ribbon , Pabst Brewing Company , skinny jeans , Walt Kowalski . 28 Comments Pabst Blue Ribbon has undergone a catastrophically successful rebranding over the last decade. What was once a heartland, working-class beer, brewed in Wisconsin and enjoyed by the Walt Kowalskis and Frank Booths of the world, has now become the beer of choice among hipster 20-somethings. In fact, the change has been so successful that the charitable organization that owns the Pabst Brewing Company is looking to sell it (since a charity cannot own a for-profit company and retain nonprofit status) for $300 million, despite the fact that the brewing company doesn’t actually brew anything . The Pabst Brewing Company mainly operates as a marketing company for the beers it sells, specifically PBR, which has significantly upped its sales figures recently. Now, I suppose the company deserves credit for PBR’s recent success, but I’m reluctant to credit people for simply knowing how irrational American consumers are , particularly the brand of consumers commonly known as “hipsters.” I’m reluctant to criticize hipsters because they are an ill-defined, much-maligned breed; like “racists” and “partisans,” “hipsters” are almost universally condemned , even though nobody can agree on what exactly makes one a hipster (although it probably involves skinny jeans). With that said, we all know who drinks PBR, and it’s not people who like how it tastes. These are people who are trying to send one of the following cool, but factually incorrect signals to those seeing them drinking it (and the fact that PBR is rarely on tap means people generally will know what you are drinking): 1) I don’t care about mainstream tastes. Except that PBR is more popular than it’s been in decades. It’s sales and market share are up more than any other beer, and the only beers that outperform it are the corporate “monsters” put out by MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch. 2) I don’t like spending a lot of money. Except that PBR’s prices have actually gone up during its recent success. PBR now costs more than other crappy beers, like Keystone, Natural Light, and Miller High Life. And yet, its sales continue to rise. People are drinking it, then, not because it’s cheap, but because it is perceived to be cheap. 3) I’m not responding to advertising. It’s true that PBR doesn’t spend nearly as much on advertising as its competitors; in fact, I’m not sure it spends any money at all on national advertising. But this doesn’t mean PBR isn’t marketed. In fact, the Pabst Brewing Company has been working on a word-of-mouth campaign since 2004 that has tried to brand the beer as “ironic downscale chic.” 4) I like the way this beer tastes. HA!  5) I don’t drink corporate beer. PBR only qualifies as a non-corporate beer if your only definition of corporate beers are those produced by MillerCoors and Anheuser Busch. As I said before, the Pabst Brewing Company isn’t actually a “brewing company,” but a holding company for over two dozen brands that subcontracts the actual process of brewing. This shouldn’t necessarily factor into your beer selection, but Pabst certainly isn’t an “independent” or “family-owned” brewery. Basically, all the signals that drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon is supposed to send are inaccurate and inauthentic, and yet people persist in drinking it for these reasons. So the next time you’re faced with a choice of beers, remember this: There is no good reason to drink PBR. Share this:


If you are born on July 12th, what is your sign?

July 12 Horoscope | Famous Birthdays July 12 Horoscope July 12th Zodiac As a Cancer born on July 12th, you are characterized by your empathetic and optimistic nature. Led by your intuition, you find it easy to sense exactly what others are thinking and feeling. While your friends and family are impressed with this ability, it has always been a natural ability. Your positive outlook on life allows you to see the best in situations and scenarios, which is also greatly appreciated by those around you. July 12th Element Water is your paired element and your sign has the most fundamental connection with water of all the zodiac signs. Water is connected to emotion, which explains why you often experience emotions in strong waves. While these waves allow you to gain personal understanding in depth, they also assist you in your understanding of others. At times, you can experience even the most subtle ripple of emotions in others. Embracing these positive qualities will allow for continued empathetic growth, but be aware that becoming fully submerged in the influence of water could make you moody or emotionally unstable. July 12th Planetary Influence The moon is the planetary ruler of your sign, but because you were born in the third Decan, or part, of the sign, you are also influenced by the planet Neptune. While the moon's influence is directly seen in your psychic-like intuition and emotional perceptiveness, Neptune's influence is witnessed in your imaginative vision and spirituality. This unique combination makes you a dreamer and a romantic at heart. You take great satisfaction from being romanticized and enjoy the world of fantasy. While your active imagination may make you dissatisfied with reality at times, when used properly it is also one of your most powerful tools for happiness. July 12th Career Your creativity and emotional understanding give you a variety of career options. You may find the greatest satisfaction in expression, whether it be poetry, creative writing or something similar. The revolutionary creative work of Bill Cosby, who was also born on July 12th, should be considered inspiration. Your imagination may be well suited for inventing, which was the path of George Washington Carver, another of your birthday twins. July 12th Sabian Symbol The Sabian Symbol for your birthday is a famous singer giving a virtuous opera performance. While you may be appealed to the idea and glory of success, you must also take time to acknowledge its true price. This is a question that society fails to ask as well. Take time to reevaluate your life's ambition, as you can then accomplish your goals with more certainty. Celebrity Relationships Here are a few Cancer celebrities born on July 12th and their past or present romantic connections:


What tanker spilled oil in Prince William Sound?

Office of Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS) Damage Assessment and Restoration | NOAA Fisheries Alaska Regional Office Home » Habitat Conservation Office of Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS) Damage Assessment and Restoration On March 24, 1989 the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling an estimated 11 million gallons of crude oil across 1,300 miles of coastline - a catastrophic event that lead to one of the most thorough examinations of the effects of oil on the environment. While the vast majority of the spill area now appears to have recovered, pockets of crude oil remain in some locations, and there is evidence that not all resources injured by the spill have recovered to the previous state The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS) Trustee Council was established with funds from the legal settlement between the State of Alaska, the Federal Government and Exxon to develop research, restoration and habitat conservation plans for the spill area. Current studies underway are directed towards long term monitoring and research. The NMFS Alaska Regional Administrator represents NOAA on the Council and oversees the implementation of Cooperative Agreements that NOAA has established on behalf of the EVOS council. Information on these programs can be found through EVOS Trustee Council . General Oil Spill Information


What city hosted the first Modern Olympics in 1896?

First modern Olympics is held - Apr 06, 1896 - HISTORY.com First modern Olympics is held Share this: First modern Olympics is held Author First modern Olympics is held URL Publisher A+E Networks On April 6, 1896, the first modern Olympic Games are held in Athens, Greece, with athletes from 14 countries participating. The International Olympic Committee met for the first time in Paris in June 1984 and chose Greece as the site of the inaugural modern Olympiad. The ancient games are believed to have originated in 776 B.C. in Olympia, Greece, where athletes competed in one event: a foot race. Over the years, other events were added, including chariot racing, boxing, wrestling and the pentathlon. Participants, who were all young men from Greek city-states and colonies, often battled it out in the buff, as a way to celebrate the human body, and winners received olive branches. The last ancient Olympics are thought to have taken place in A.D. 393. At the first modern Olympics, 241 male athletes (and no women) representing 14 nations competed in 43 events. America’s James Connolly became the first modern Olympic champion when he won the triple jump on the opening day of the Games. For his achievement, he was awarded a silver medal and an olive branch. Connolly later finished second in the high-jump event and took third in the long jump. France, Great Britain, Germany and Greece had the largest number of athletes participating. Nevertheless, the U.S. took home the most first-place finishes (11) of any nation, followed by Greece (10) and Germany (6). All told, America placed first, second or third in 20 events while Greece scored in 46 events and Germany placed in 13 competitions. To the delight of the hometown crowd, Greek runner Spyridon Louis won the marathon. The first Olympiad closed on April 15, 1896. The second Olympiad was held in Paris in 1900 with 997 athletes (22 of them women) from 24 countries competing in 95 events. The U.S. hosted the Olympics for the first time in 1904, in St. Louis. The third Olympiad marked the first time gold, silver and bronze medals were given out to first, second and third-place finishers. Starting in 1992, the summer and winter games, which had traditionally been held in the same year every four years, took place two years apart. The Summer Games returned to Athens in 2004, with 10,625 athletes (4,329 women and 6,296 men) from 201 nations participating in 301 events. Related Videos


What is the name of the 3-headed dog that guards Hades?

CERBERUS (Kerberos) - Three-Headed Hound of Hades of Greek Mythology Death-Darkness? Heracles and Cerberus the hound of Hades, Caeretan black-figure hydria C6th B.C., Musée du Louvre KERBEROS (Cerberus) was the gigantic, three-headed hound of Haides which guarded the gates of the underworld and prevented the escape of the shades of the dead. Kerberos was depicted as a three-headed dog with a serpent's tail, mane of snakes, and a lion's claws. According to some he had fifty heads although this count may have included the serpents of his mane. Herakles (Heracles) was sent to fetch Kerberos as one of his twelve labours, a task which he accomplished with the aid of the goddess Persephone . Kerberos' name perhaps means "Death-Daemon of the Dark" from the ancient Greek words kêr and erebos. FAMILY OF CERBERUS [1.1] TYPHOEUS & EKHIDNA (Hesiod Theogony 310, Quintus Smyrnaeus 6.260, Hyginus Pref & Fab 30) [1.2] EKHIDNA (Bacchylides Frag 5, Ovid Metamorphoses 7.412) ENCYCLOPEDIA CE′RBERUS (Kerberos), the many-headed dog that guarded the entrance of Hades, is mentioned as early as the Homeric poems, but simply as "the dog," and without the name of Cerberus. (Il. viii. 368, Od. xi. 623.) Hesiod, who is the first that gives his name and origin, calls him (Theog. 311) fifty-headed and a son of Typhaon and Echidna. Later writers describe him as a monster with only three heads, with the tail of a serpent and a mane consisting of the heads of various snakes. (Apollod. ii. 5. § 12; Eurip. Here. fur. 24, 611; Virg. Aen. vi. 417; Ov. Met. iv. 449.) Some poets again call him many-headed or hundred-headed. (Horat. Carm. ii. 13. 34; Tzetz. ad Lycoph. 678; Senec. Here. fur. 784.) The place where Cerberus kept watch was according to some at the mouth of the Acheron, and according to others at the gates of Hades, into which he admitted the shades, but never let them out again. Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. ALTERNATE NAMES Heracles, Cerberus and Hecate, Apulian red-figure volute krater C4th B.C., Staatliche Antikensammlungen Homer, Iliad 8. 366 ff (trans. Lattimore) (Greek epic C8th B.C.) : "If in the wiliness of my heart I [Athene] had had thoughts like his, when Herakles (Heracles) was sent down to Haides of the Gates, to hale back from Erebos (the Dark) the hound of the grisly death god (Haides Stygeros), never would he have got clear of the steep-dripping water Styx." [N.B. In Homer the dog is just called "the hound of Haides." Hesiod is the first author to give it the name Kerberos (Cerberus).] Homer, Odyssey 11. 623 ff (trans. Shewring) (Greek epic C8th B.C.) : "[The ghost of Herakles addresses Odysseus in Hades :] ‘He [Eurystheus] once sent me even here [to Haides] to fetch away the hound of Haides, for he thought no task could be more fearsome for me than that. But I brought the hound out of Haides' house and up to earth, because Hermes helped me on my way, and gleaming-eyed Athene.’" Hesiod, Theogony 310 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.) : "Typhaon [Typhoeus] . . . was joined in love to her [Ekhidna (Echidna)] . . . And next again she bore the unspeakable, unmanageable Kerberos (Cerberus), the savage, the bronze-barking dog of Haides, fifty-headed, and powerful, and without pity." Hesiod, Theogony 769 ff : "And before them [the halls of Haides and Persephone] a dreaded hound (deinos kunos) [Kerberos (Cerberus)], on watch, who has no pity, but a vile stratagem : as people go in he fawns on all, with actions of his tail and both ears, but he will not let them go back out, but lies in wait for them and eats them up, when he catches any going back through the gates." Bacchylides, Fragment 5 (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric IV) (Greek lyric C5th B.C.) : "Once, they say, the gate-wrecking, unconquerable son [Herakles] of thunder-flashing Zeus went down to the house of slender-ankled Persephone to fetch up to the light from Hades the jagged-toothed dog [Kerberos (Cerberus)], son of unapproachable Ekhidna (Echidna). There he perceived the spirits of wretched mortals by the waters of Kokyt


What is the Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock?

3 Things You Should Know about Uluru's Aboriginal Name Uluru-Ayers Rock: What’s in a Name? Many people ask us what is the Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock means. So we’ve written this page to not only help you to learn what the original name for Ayers Rock is, but also to dispel some of the myths about Ayers Rock’s original name. We often see information written on the internet about Ayers Rock that simply isn’t true. For example, I’ve seen websites stating that Ayers Rock is the heart chakra of the world! Until recently, Wikipedia’s entry claiming that Uluru means ‘island mountain’. I’ve even heard one ignorant tour guide at Uluru’s base spreading this ‘island mountain’ meaning to tourists. Not only is this untrue, it’s also offensive to Aboriginal people who have their own spiritual traditions associated with the Rock. So we want to make sure that you have the real facts about Uluru – and especially about the Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock. On this page, I (Amanda) will share my knowledge as an anthropologist and tell you the real story behind Ayers Rock’s original name. 1. Uluru: The Original Name The Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock is Uluru. Uluru is a Yankunytjatjara word. Yankunytjatjara is the name of the Aboriginal people whose land Ayers Rock is located on. Uluru is not just the name of Ayers Rock itself, but also of the country around Ayers Rock. Uluru is in fact the name of a large tract of land where a particular sub-group of Yankunytjatjara people (anthropologists call this an ‘estate group’) live. 2. What Does Uluru Mean? Uluru is first and foremost a place name. It does not have any specific meaning, although it may have some connection to the Yankunytjatjara words for ‘crying’ and ‘shadows’. As I really wanted to know what the word meant, I asked Senior Traditional owners, Reggie and Cassidy Uluru and well known Alice Springs historian, Richard (Dick) Kimber, about the meaning of Uluru. After a few ignorant comments on this post, I then asked several Yankunytjatjara people who are highly skilled language interpreters about the meaning as well. They all told me that Uluru was the name of the place, and that it had no specific meaning. I also read through the writings of Charles Mountford, one of the first anthropologists to live and work with Yankunytjatjara and Luritja people, and the books of Bill Harney (the first ranger at Ayers Rock). I consulted the anthropological work of Robert Lawton, who worked on land claims in the area during the 1970s. Mountford worked with Aboriginal people at Ayers Rock in the 1930s and 1940s. He records that Uluru is both the name of a Dreaming ancestor, a snake, AND the name of a rockhole that is a Men’s Sacred site located on top of the Rock. Traditionally, only initiated senior men could climb the Rock and visit this special site (this fact is often hidden from public knowledge, but is there in historical and anthropological records for anyone to discover.) Bill Harney arrived at Uluru in the late 1950s. He was told by the Aboriginal custodians of Uluru that it was a place name. Robert Lawton was the anthropologist who interviewed all of the old people for the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Land Claim. He also established that Uluru was a place name. After doing this research and asking expert people, the evidence suggested that the Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock, Uluru, is indeed a place name with no specific meaning. Aboriginal people felt that the connection to ‘crying’ or ‘wailing’ was actually associated with ‘Yulara’, which is the name of the township where Ayers Rock Resort is located. There are several named places on the south western side of the Rock (near the Park HQ) which refer to shade or shadows. (The ‘ul-‘ sound refers to shade or shadow in several Central Australian Aboriginal languages ). There may be some connection of the word ‘Uluru’ to shadows or shade, however, the Aboriginal men I spoke with did not suggest this. So we can conclude that just as Niagara Falls is the name of a place, or London or the Amazon River, so too is Uluru. It does not mean ‘Ear


What musician died in a plane crash along with Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper?

The Story of Rock's First Tragedy: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper Killed in Plane Crash REDDIT Hulton Archive, Getty Images Rock ‘n’ roll was still in its infancy when it suffered its first tragedy. On Feb. 3, 1959, three of its biggest stars — Buddy Holly , Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson, known as the Big Bopper — were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. The three acts, along with Dion and the Belmonts, were on a package tour called the Winter Dance Party, which was to play 24 Midwestern cities in as many days. But the bus’ heating system was ill-equipped and broke down a few days later, which caused some musicians to catch the flu and Holly’s drummer Carl Bunch to be hospitalized for frostbite. By the time they reached the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake on Feb. 2, about a week and a half into the tour, Holly, after the show, decided to charter a plane from nearby Mason City to Fargo, N.D., just across the state line from their next gig in Moorhead, Minn. As a bonus, Holly would be able to do his laundry, which had been neglected since the tour began. The plane, a Beechwood Bonanza, had room for only three passengers — Holly and his band — and the pilot, Roger Peterson. Holly’s bass player, future country legend Waylon Jennings , gave up his seat to Richardson, who was ill. According to Jennings’ autobiography, Holly teased his bass player by saying, “Well, I hope your ol’ bus freezes up.” To which Jennings responded, “Well, I hope your ol’ plane crashes.” There are conflicting stories as to how Valens wound up in the third seat. Tommy Allsup, Holly’s guitarist, claimed that he lost a coin flip to Valens in the dressing room. In 2010, Dion DiMucci, who had been silent about that night for 51 years, claimed that he, not Allsup, was slated for the third seat because he was one of the headliners. But after winning the coin toss, he balked at paying $36 for the flight — the amount his parents paid in monthly rent for the apartment where he grew up — and gave Valens the seat. Local DJ Bob Hale, who was the MC for the concert, agrees that it was between Allsup and Valens, but that he, not Allsup, flipped the coin. Regardless of the contradictions, around 12:55AM on Feb. 3, the plane carrying Holly, Richardson and Valens took off in a snowstorm with strong winds. But the plane traveled only a few miles before crashing, killing all four men instantly. The federal investigation ruled that even though the weather played a large role in the accident, the 21-year-old Peterson was too inexperienced to have been flying in such conditions. In addition, he had most likely misread the altitude indicator, which was different than the one on which he had trained, and inadvertently brought the plane down instead of up. At the time, Holly’s wife of six months, Maria Elena, was two weeks pregnant. The day after the crash, she suffered a miscarriage from the emotional trauma. In March 1980, a long-missing piece of the plane crash was discovered. Holly’s signature black-rimmed glasses had landed in a snow bank and were discovered in the spring of 1959, after the snow melted. They were brought to the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s office, sealed in a manila envelope and forgotten about for 21 years. Upon discovery, the glasses were returned to his widow and are currently on permanent display at the Buddy Holly Center in his hometown of Lubbock, Texas. Rockers Who Died at Age 27 Image of


ABBA and Celine Dion were winners of what European song contest?

Eurovision 2016: The Song Contest's Most Remarkable Winners Ever, From Abba And Celine Dion To Conchita Wurst | The Huffington Post Advertisement ENTERTAINMENT Eurovision 2016: The Song Contest's Most Remarkable Winners Ever, From Abba And Celine Dion To Conchita Wurst 18/05/2015 18:56 | Updated 09 May 2016 Caroline Frost Entertainment Editor, Huffington Post UK EBU The Eurovision Song Contest is upon us once more, with its motley crew of participants from around 'Europe' making their annual offering of synth-folk, punk-pop and chest-thumping balladry to warm our island hearts. But lest ye scoff at the actual music punctuating the spectacle, it seems only right to flag up the amount of world-beating talent that got their first bite of the big time on Eurovision night, and went on to conquer the charts across the globe. Could another ABBA be lurking in the Viennese wings? Ahead of the big night, let's take a flick through the archives to remind ourselves of the great, good and beyond glamorous that have paved the way. Whoever wins on Saturday evening, one thing is certain - they stand on the shoulders of giants. 9 Remarkable Eurovision Winners


Besides the sun, which star appears brightest from Earth?

How bright is the Sun? - The Sun's vital statistics - The Sun as a Star - Sun|trek    the Sun's vital statistics how bright is the Sun?   From Earth the Sun looks very bright. It is the brightest object in the sky!   start exploring here .   We can’t do your home work for you, but if you have a question about the Sun you can always Early morning photo showing Venus with Jupiter                      Photo credit: Dr Russell Cockman   Sun - SOHO / EIT Don’t be misled though.  How bright an object appears depends not only on its true brightness but also on how far away it is.   The Sun is the brightest star in our sky, but that’s because it’s also the closest star to us. Astronomers compare the true brightness of stars by calculating how they would look if viewed from a standard distance of 32.6 light years away.  If the Sun were viewed from this distance it would appear over 300 times fainter than Sirius (the brightest star in our nighttime sky) appears to us on Earth.   The Sun creates daylight on Earth. If you want to know how daylight compares to other forms of light on Earth, check out our Factory entry on illumination .   The Earth's atmosphere scatters the Sun's light and creates a bright sky, so it is difficult to see the stars in the daytime. Even so, planets can often be seen in the early morning or evening sky.   Venus, the brightest of the planets, can often be seen in broad daylight. It is very bright not because of its size - it is slightly smaller than Earth - but because it is close to us and has clouds that reflect almost 75% of the sunlight that falls on it.   We can't usually see stars in the daytime unless we use a telescope. Even then only the very brightest stars can be observed.   However, if we went out in space, we would be able to see the stars all the time, even close to the direction of the Sun.  Here is a picture taken with SOHO-LASCO. In the centre is the Sun but it is blocked out by a disk so that we can see the light shining from the material streaming out from the Sun. The position and size of the Sun are marked by a white circle . The white dots sprinkled across the picture are stars . There’s a comet heading towards the Sun .   SOHO can see the stars and the Sun at the same time because it is out in space and so the Earth's atmosphere does not create the bright background which drowns the light of the stars.


Something that is “prêt-à-porter” is ready to what?

Ready To Wear (Prêt-à-Porter) Movie Review (1994) | Roger Ebert Tweet The truth is, there is a lot of doggy-do in Paris. Robert Altman has been attacked in some quarters for making a Paris movie in which people are always stepping in it and wiping it off their feet. The amazing thing is that all French movies aren't filled with it. Gerard Depardieu should be as famous for his footwork as for his dramatic range. The French take their dogs with them everywhere. I was in a French restaurant once when a guy came in with his dog and had the dog sit right at the table with him. The maitre d' rushed over and told the guy he couldn't be served unless he buttoned his shirt. Advertisement Altman's "Ready to Wear," originally titled "Pret-a-Porter" before it was determined that Americans speak English, uses doggie calling cards as a motif for the French fashion industry, in which people are always stepping in something, so to speak. The fashion industry is the most sublimely silly of human enterprises, making billions by convincing most of the human race to dress interchangeably and the rest to dress like the victims of a cruel jest. Once a year the industry gathers in Paris for the annual "ready to wear" shows, at which designers trot out their new clothes, and the world's fashion press has a great time. Altman has chosen this ritual as the latest target for one of his cheerfully rude human comedies, and boy, has the bleep hit the fan. The movie is a "hate letter" to the fashion industry, sniffed Time magazine's Richard Corliss, adding, "When you hear the word contempt, you think of Robert Altman." Funny. When I hear the word "contempt" I think of Kurt Cobain. So there you are. Lots of other people also are offended by Altman's irreverent view of the fashion industry's delicate egos, but the purpose of a movie like "Ready to Wear" is not to play fair or be objective, but to entertain. Is "Ready to Wear" entertaining? Not as much as I would have preferred. I think Altman and his writer, former Chicago Sun-Times reporter Barbara Shulgasser, should have gone further and been meaner; too many of his jokes are generic slapstick, instead of being aimed squarely at industry's targets. If there had been a way, for example, to work in more about anorexia and bulimia, booming diseases the fashion industry shares responsibility for, that would have been fine with me. Advertisement As it is, Altman assembles a huge cast of characters (the movie is like a reunion of everyone he has ever worked with) and heaves them into a cauldron of a plot that crosses paths, lives and swords. A running narration has been one of his favorite devices since the loudspeaker announcements in " M*A*S*H " and " Brewster McCloud ," and this time it's supplied by Kim Basinger , as a breathlessly dim-witted cable reporter who says everything just a little wrong. Other characters include a smarmy photographer ( Stephen Rea ) and the three fashion magazine editors (short Linda Hunt , tall Sally Kellerman and British Tracey Ullman ) who are all trying to hire him; old lovers from Rome ( Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni ) who meet after many years; a snotty designer ( Richard E. Grant ) who learns his favorite model is pregnant; a transvestite buyer for Marshall Field's ( Danny Aiello ); the mistress ( Anouk Aimee ) of a widely hated fashion czar whose death much cheers everyone, and two American reporters ( Tim Robbins and Julia Roberts ) who spend most of the time in bed, drinking and making love. Advertisement At least one fashion reporter has protested that the depiction of this last couple is libelously inaccurate. I dunno. Maybe things like that don't happen on the fashion beat. At a movie premiere once, I happened upon two of my colleagues having sex in the bathroom of a hospitality suite. So there you are. The movie's many story strands are loosely woven; we glimpse people in the background of one shot and then learn more about them later, as Altman builds the sense of a community. One of the liberating things about his style, in such films as "M*A*S*H," " Mc


Tasmania | history - geography - island and state, Australia | Britannica.com island and state, Australia Alternative Title: Van Diemen’s Land Tasmania Seats in federal House of Representatives 5 (of 150) Australian Eastern Standard Time (GMT + 10) 1Mainland and island areas only; excludes coastal water. Tasmania, formerly Van Diemen’s Land, island state of Australia . It lies about 150 miles (240 km) south of the state of Victoria , from which it is separated by the relatively shallow Bass Strait . Structurally, Tasmania constitutes a southern extension of the Great Dividing Range . The state comprises a main island called Tasmania; Bruny Island , nestling close to the southeastern coast of the main island; King and Flinders islands in Bass Strait; numerous smaller islands off the coast of the main island; and subantarctic Macquarie Island , about 900 miles (1,450 km) to the southeast. The main island is roughly heart-shaped, with a maximum length and width of about 200 miles (320 km), and its latitude and climate are broadly comparable to those of northern California and northwestern Spain. With an area slightly larger than that of Sri Lanka , Tasmania is the smallest of Australia’s states. Hobart is the state capital. Tasmania, Australia. Macquarie Island, Tasmania, Australia. M. Murphy The state owes its name to the Dutch navigator-explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman , who in 1642 became the first European to discover the island. Until 1856, however, the island was known as Van Diemen’s Land , named for Anthony van Diemen , the governor of the Dutch East Indies who had sent Tasman on his voyage of exploration. The island of Tasmania contains some of the most spectacular mountain, lake, and coastal scenery in the country, and much of its land is protected in national parks and reserves. The state also produces a major portion of Australia’s hydroelectric power and possesses a great diversity of natural resources. Nevertheless, Tasmania has remained among the poorest of Australia’s states, with a steadily decreasing share of the country’s population. Although insularity renders much of its political, economic, and social life distinctive, proximity to Melbourne and air travel make Tasmania less isolated and more cosmopolitan than is often assumed in other Australian states. Area 26,410 square miles (68,401 square km). Population (2011) 495,354. Dove Lake in Cradle Mountain–Lake St. Clair National Park, part of a UNESCO World Heritage … Australian Scenics Storm Bay Most Tasmanian soils are leached, acidic, poorly drained, high in humus, and low in fertility. Least fertile and most extensive are the soils of the west and northeast, especially the moor peats. Fertile areas occur extensively in the northwest and locally elsewhere, notably in the northeast and southeast. Brown earths occupy the drier areas east of the Central Plateau; black earths, the southeast; and alluvial soils, the narrow valley floors to the east. Other fertile soils are those of former swamps in the far northwest and the Bass Strait islands. Climate Tasmania, located in the midlatitude westerly wind belt and dominated by southern maritime air masses, generally enjoys a moist, equable climate, with mild to warm summers, mild winters in most settled areas, and rain during all seasons. However, the southwest has much rugged weather, and the southeast can suffer drought. Collision between tropical air masses—in summer from the continent and in spring and autumn from the eastern Tasmanian coast—and the mountainous surface results in greater climatic variety than in other parts of Australia. Annual precipitation, seasonal moisture deficiencies, and temperatures range widely and irregularly across the state. Average annual precipitation exceeds 100 inches (2,500 mm) on the western ranges and declines eastward to less than 20 inches (510 mm) in some places; along the north coast it exceeds 30 inches (760 mm) in all locations. The seasonal incidence in the north and west is greatest in winter, and in the south and east it is greatest in spring. Summer rainfall may


Throughout most of the series, who was the headmaster at Hogwarts?

Headmaster | Harry Potter Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia ↑ LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 ↑ 8.0 8.1 In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban , Chapter 18 (Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs), Remus Lupin says "I was a very small boy when I received the bite...But then Dumbledore became Headmaster, and he was sympathetic." Lupin was attacked shortly before his fifth birthday and visited by Headmaster Dumbledore shortly before his eleventh birthday. This makes the date Dippet left and Dumbledore became Headmaster between March 1965 - March 1971 ↑ 2007 Accio Quote! Bloomsbury Chat : Laura Trego: Was the absence of snapes portrait in the headmasters office in the last scene innocent or deliberate J.K. Rowling: It was deliberate. Snape had effectively abandoned his post before dying, so he had not merited inclusion in these august circles.. ↑ J.K. Rowling at Carnegie Hall Q: Is Severus Snape’s portrait in the headmaster’s office? JKR: Some have been asking why hasn’t the portrait appeared immediately. It doesn’t. The reason is that the perception in the castle itself and everyone who was in the castle, because Snape kept his secret so well was that he abandoned his post. So all the portraits you see in the headmaster’s study are all headmasters and mistresses who died, it’s like British royals. You only get good press if you die in office. Abdication is not acceptable, particularly if you marry and [sic] American. I’m kidding! [laughter] I digress. I know, because I thought this one through, because it was very important to me, I know Harry would have insisted that Snape’s portrait was on that wall, right beside Dumbledore’s. [Applause.]


History of Musketeers The History of Musketeers Contributed by: Ted Anthony Roberts In  1600 A.D., King Henri IV gave himself bodyguards. Arming them with Carbine  firearms, they became known as the King's Carabineers: a special  group of men that no ordinary soldier could match in firing, swordplay, or  battle. King Louis XIII, his son,  re-armed these men in 1622 with the more advanced flintlock musket, calling  them the King's Musketeers. They were daredevils and extraordinarily  gifted soldiers. But what of our Three Musketeers: Athos, Porthos and Aramis? Did they actually exist? Happily,  they did! Unhappily, we have very little details. Gatien de Courtilz de  Sandras, in his Memoirs of Monsieur d'Artagnan, gave the world the  first glimpse of these men. Courtilz would have us believe that they were  all brothers, but this is not true, even though Athos and Aramis were  actually related, and related also to Treville, captain of the musketeers. Athos was, in real life, Armand de Sillegue d'Athos d'Auteville. Born around 1615, he joined  the Musketeers at the age of 25 in the late 1630's or early 1640's, and died  in Paris from a duel in 1643. His name was found listed amongst the fallen  duelists in a monastery. Aramis was Henri  d'Aramitz, born in Gascony, joined the musketeers in 1640, married in  1654, had four children, became a churchman, and died around 1674. He was  never, however, involved with the Jesuits. Porthos was Isaac de  Portau, born in Pau, Gascony, a town close to one from which d'Artagnan  came. They were, perhaps, excellent friends in life. Both were Guards at the  same time Athos and Aramis were already Musketeers, and they entered the  Musketeers almost at the same time. As far as d'Artagnan is  concerned? Well, that is another story... Read more at: www.swashbucklingpress.com/tedanthonyroberts.htm


What two words were added to the US Pledge of Allegiance in 1954?

The Pledge of Allegiance Historic Documents The Pledge of Allegiance The Pledge of Allegiance was written in August 1892 by the socialist minister Francis Bellamy (1855-1931). It was originally published in The Youth's Companion on September 8, 1892. Bellamy had hoped that the pledge would be used by citizens in any country. In its original form it read: "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." In 1923, the words, "the Flag of the United States of America" were added. At this time it read: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." In 1954, in response to the Communist threat of the times, President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words "under God," creating the 31-word pledge we say today. Bellamy's daughter objected to this alteration. Today it reads: "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." Section 4 of the Flag Code states: The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.", should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. When not in uniform men should remove any non-religious headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute." The original Bellamy salute, first described in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, who authored the original Pledge, began with a military salute, and after reciting the words "to the flag," the arm was extended toward the flag. At a signal from the Principal the pupils, in ordered ranks, hands to the side, face the Flag. Another signal is given; every pupil gives the flag the military salute — right hand lifted, palm downward, to a line with the forehead and close to it. Standing thus, all repeat together, slowly, "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands; one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all." At the words, "to my Flag," the right hand is extended gracefully, palm upward, toward the Flag, and remains in this gesture till the end of the affirmation; whereupon all hands immediately drop to the side. The Youth's Companion, 1892 Shortly thereafter, the pledge was begun with the right hand over the heart, and after reciting "to the Flag," the arm was extended toward the Flag, palm-down. In World War II, the salute too much resembled the Nazi salute, so it was changed to keep the right hand over the heart throughout.


What is thought to be at the center of the Milky Way?

Journey to the Center of the Galaxy INTRODUCTION What is located at the center of the Milky Way? Well, it might not be the chewy nougat and caramel found on the inside of that famous candy bar, but the unique collection of exotic objects found at the center of our Galaxy have been feeding the interests of astronomers for many decades. The Galactic Center harbors a variety of intriguing puzzles, including a strangely quiescent supermassive black hole, a collection of wispy magnetic filaments, a few dense stellar superclusters which host mysterious and massive stars, a star with a tail, and a family of gas streamers spiraling toward a central dark mass. Just to name a few The Galactic Center is obscured from our view by a prodigious amount of absorbing gas and dust that lies along the 25,000 light year (2.5X10^17 mile) distance from there to our Sun. As a result, most of what we know about this part of our galaxy comes from observations of radio and infrared radiation, whose long wavelengths can pass through the dense absorbing medium and reach our telescopes on Earth. Picture of the Galactic Center as seen from a dark site Above are two images: One of the Andromeda galaxy (M31), the nearest spiral galaxy to our own. While the picture below it is a photomosaic of the Milky Way galaxy as seen from Earth. Our solar system lies within the Orion spiral arm which puts us within the flat plane of the Milky Way which is why it appears as a fuzzy band of light stretching majestically across the sky. The diffuse light is actually the combined light from millions and millions of stars some which are obscured by immense clouds of dust which is why we see irregular dark patches along the plane. To the right, is a map so you can find the Galactic Center yourself.  It is located near the constellation Sagittarius along with a number of pretty nebula including the Trifid Nebula (M20) and Eagle Nebula (M16) . Both of these Messier objects can be viewed nicely with binoculars. Sagittarius, which is close to Scorpio, is visible primarily during the summer months from April-August.


"What Billy Joel song contains the lyric: ""Son can you play me a memory, I'm not really sure how it goes""?"

BILLY JOEL LYRICS - Piano Man BILLY JOEL LYRICS It's nine o'clock on a Saturday The regular crowd shuffles in There's an old man sitting next to me Making love to his tonic and gin He says, "Son can you play me a memory I'm not really sure how it goes But it's sad and it's sweet And I knew it complete When I wore a younger man's clothes." Sing us a song you're the piano man Sing us a song tonight Well we're all in the mood for a melody And you've got us feeling alright Now John at the bar is a friend of mine He gets me my drinks for free And he's quick with a joke or to light up your smoke But there's someplace that he'd rather be He says, "Bill, I believe this is killing me." As a smile ran away from his face "Well, I'm sure that I could be a movie star If I could get out of this place." Now Paul is a real estate novelist Who never had time for a wife And he's talking with Davy, who's still in the Navy And probably will be for life And the waitress is practicing politics As the businessmen slowly get stoned Yes they're sharing a drink they call "Loneliness" But it's better than drinking alone Sing us a song you're the piano man Sing us a song tonight Well we're all in the mood for a melody And you've got us feeling alright It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday And the manager gives me a smile 'Cause he knows that it's me they've been coming to see To forget about life for a while And the piano it sounds like a carnival And the microphone smells like a beer And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar And say, "Man, what are you doing here?" Sing us a song you're the piano man Sing us a song tonight Well we're all in the mood for a melody And you've got us feeling alright


In political cartoons, what animal represents the Democratic Party?

Political Animals: Republican Elephants and Democratic Donkeys   |   Arts & Culture | Smithsonian Contact Privacy Policy Terms of Use Political Animals: Republican Elephants and Democratic Donkeys Politicians and parties may flip-flop but for more than 100 years, the political iconography of the Democratic donkey and the Republican elephant has remained unchanged Politicians Are More Persuasive During Interactive Town Hall Meetings Typical contemporary illustrations of the Democratic donkey and the Republican elephant In a few days, America will elect our next president. It’s been a particularly contentious and divisive campaign, with party lines not so much drawn as carved: red states vs. blue states; liberals vs. conservatives; Republicans vs. Democrats. While party platforms change and politicians adapt their beliefs in response to their constituency and their poll numbers, one thing has remained consistent for more than 100 years: the political iconography of the democratic donkey and the republican elephant. The donkey and elephant first appeared in the mid-19th century, and were popularized by Thomas Nast , a cartoonist working for Harper’s Magazine from 1862-1886. It was a time when political cartoons weren’t just relegated to a sidebar in the editorial page, but really had the power to change minds and sway undecided voters by distilling complex ideas into more compressible representations. Cartoons had power. And Thomas Nast was a master of the medium, although one who, by all accounts, was churlish, vindictive and fiercely loyal to the Republican party. In fact, it’s said that President Lincoln referred to Nast as his “best recruiting general” during his re-election campaign. These very public “recruiting” efforts led Nast to create the familiar political symbols that have lasted longer than either of the political parties they represent. The 1870 Harpers cartoon credited with associating the donkey and the Democratic Party On January 15, 1870, Nast published the cartoon that would forever link the donkey to the Democrat. A few ideas should be clear for the cartoon to make sense: First, “republican” and “democrat” meant very different things in the 19th century than they do today (but that’s another article entirely); “jackass” pretty much meant the exact same thing then that it does today; and Nast was a vocal opponent of a group of Northern Democrats known as “ Copperheads .” In his cartoon, the donkey, standing in for the Copperhead press, is kicking a dead lion, representing President Lincoln’s recently deceased press secretary (E.M. Stanton). With this simple but artfully rendered statement, Nast succinctly articulated his belief that the Copperheads, a group opposed the Civil War, were dishonoring the legacy of Lincoln’s administration. The choice of a donkey –that is to say, a jackass– would be clearly understood as commentary intended to disparage the Democrats. Nast continue to use the donkey as a stand-in for Democratic organizations, and the popularity of his cartoons through 1880s ensured that the party remained inextricably tied to jackasses. However, although Thomas Nast is credited with popularizing this association, he was not the first to use it as a representation of the Democratic party. An 1837 lithograph depicting the first appearance of the Democratic donkey. In 1828, when Andrew Jackson was running for president, his opponents were fond of referring to him as a jackass (if only such candid discourse were permissible today). Emboldened by his detractors, Jackson embraced the image as the symbol of his campaign, rebranding the donkey as steadfast, determined, and willful, instead of wrong-headed, slow, and obstinate. Throughout his presidency, the symbol remained associated with Jackson and, to a lesser extent, the Democratic party. The association was forgotten, though, until Nast, for reasons of his own, revived it more than 30 years later. “The Third Term Panic: An ass, having put on the Lion’s skin, roamed about in the forest, and amused himself by frightening all the foolish Anima


Bikini Bottom | Encyclopedia SpongeBobia | Fandom powered by Wikia [ show ] Location Bikini Bottom is located in the Pacific Ocean at the bottom of the sea, below its signature island, Bikini Atoll , found by Kevin Atalay and Lochem Pouw, according to Stephen Hillenburg . There are many instances of evidence of this in the show: After being scared off by "ghosts,"  Sandy Cheeks evacuated to Texas. She was seen flying east from the Pacific Ocean. In the Employee of the Month computer game, a fish mentions that Bikini Bottom is located in the Pacific Ocean. In The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie , when SpongeBob was singing the "Goofy Goober Rock," the camera rose out of the water into outer space. When it did, it came out of the Pacific Ocean. In the TV commercial " Plankton's Holiday Hits ," Bikini Bottom is revealed to be part of the United States Of America, and its residents Americans. In SpongeBob's Last Stand , Bikini Bottom is on the Outskirts of Nowhere. Landscapes/Geography Bikini Bottom's geography is shown as consisting of mountains, dense forests, lakes, lagoons, caves, grasslands, reefs and rivers. In The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, volcanoes, trenches, and deserts are shown in the surrounding region. Major geographic features have colorful names such as: Chum Bucket The city is divided by its main road, Conch Street , which runs from downtown, past the homes of SpongeBob, Squidward, and Patrick, through the Krusty Krab restaurant, Chum Bucket and the Reef Cinema . In every episode in which the skyline of Bikini Bottom is shown, features such as buildings, houses, and an anchor can be seen. In earlier episodes of the series, a red flower arch can be seen, which no longer appears in the skyline. In some episodes, a lighthouse appears in the skyline, most likely Mrs. Puff's Boating School . Other episodes feature the Krusty Krab's Marquee. A large clam-shaped structure, most likely a propeller from a ship, is seen in some episodes. In the center of Bikini Bottom, the citizens work and live in large, gray buildings made of metal. There are some other forms of buildings, mostly aquatic-themed as seen above. Further out from the town citizens need to use whatever is available and easy to live in, such as Patrick's rock, SpongeBob’s hollowed-out pineapple and the stone monument Squidward lives in. Architecture Bikini Bottom seems to mostly be made up of scrap metal and whatever stuff falls down from the surface, and nobody knew how it got there. This seems to allude to the fact that undersea life is mostly scrap living wherein a stable sea-wide society has not yet, or may never be formed. The structures of the buildings in the main part of town have a relatively wavy structure, probably due to undersea currents. These buildings may be apartments. The homes that are made of different items from the surface may be a more residential or suburban area, possibly close to Goo Lagoon and Jellyfish Fields . In the episode Bubblestand  (in the aerial view when Squidward is floating away) behind the neighborhood, but it's unknown what it is. It could possibly be another neighborhood because a road goes through a medium sized arch. Three buildings are there: two regular (with roads connecting to each of their doors) another building is seen over there: a large building that's shaped like a low (in height) cylinder with something atop and what appears to be a window. Another building a few hundred feet to the east is seen. It appears to be a pavilion of some sort with three sections and a small road (thinner than the usual road) leading to it. These buildings don't appear again in the series. Inhabitants Although the population of Bikini Bottom is uncertain, Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of the show, confirmed that Bikini Bottom is a large city. Before almost leaving the city, Sandy Cheeks sang a song about the city, describing it as "crowded and smoggy," which are the characteristics of Los Angeles, although the physical look and feel of Bikini Bottom suggests that it is in fact a much smaller city. A one-time Pretty Patties j


"What common poison was known as ""inheritance powder"" in the early 19th century?"

Arsenic and the Forgotten Serial Killer | Speakeasy Science Arsenic and the Forgotten Serial Killer Posted February 10, 2012 by Deborah Blum in arsenic , poison , science history , Speakeasy Science Mary Ann Cotton (source: Wikipedia Common) Early this week, a British criminology professor wrote a slightly plaintive essay about the 19th century serial poisoner, Mary Ann Cotton. Why, he wondered, did no one remember the evil Mary Ann and her remarkable homicidal career: poisoning  an estimated 21 people, including her mother, children and five husbands before being hanged in 1873? In retrospective, I worry that my first reaction to these questions is not what he wanted to elicit.  Oh, yeah, Mary Ann Cotton, I thought. Arsenic. In the 19th century, arsenic (specifically arsenic trioxide (AsO3), also called white arsenic) was used so often that its nickname was “the inheritance powder.” That began to change in the mid-19th century after chemists – notably a determined British scientist named James Marsh – learned out to detect it in a corpse. Cotton was hanged, in fact, in part due to forensic evidence from the Marsh test. And then my next thought was, well, yeah, but Cotton was kind of a dreary, sneaky kind of  serial killer, a carefully drab woman who liked to slip into the kitchen and mix arsenic  into porridge, soup, a cup of milk.  The author of the Cotton essay, David Wilson, attempts to give her more flamboyance, arguing she enjoyed the deaths themselves, got a charge out of watching people suffer, that “she was, in other words, a psychopath.” No argument from me.  Cotton did kill some 21 people including her own children. Even if she didn’t get a charge out of watching, I think we could all agree that she possessed the most famous characteristic of a psychopath: “a profound absence of guilt or empathy.”  Whether she was enjoying herself or whether she just possessed a kind of gray, sneaking evil, it’s the body count that really gives her away. But Wilson, I think, underestimates the role of arsenic here, misses the seductive lure of the poison itself. An analysis of 19th century crime statistics by the American forensic chemist, Rudolph Witthaus of Columbia University (author of the 1896 book, Medical Jurisprudence, Forensic Medicine and Toxicology ) found that arsenic alone accounted for about 40 percent of poison homicides in Europe from about 1835 and 1880. At the time,  poison was astonishingly easy to acquire – it was used in tonics, Frederick Seddon (source: Wikipedia Commons) cosmetics, to color everything from wallpaper to jewelry, as the lethal agent in fly papers and rat poisons. (Several decades after Cotton’s execution, a British insurance collector named Frederick Seddon was executed for killing a boarder in his house with arsenic obtained by soaking flypaper in water.) It slipped easily enough into food and drink. Witthaus interviewed 822 people who had survived arsenic poisoning attempts. Only 15 had noticed the strange metallic taste in their morning cereal or evening cordial.  And equally seductive for the killer, the poisoning symptoms of arsenic were frequently misdiagnosed as natural illness – the nausea and cramping as gastroenteritis, the joint pains as rheumatism, the sore throats and labored breathing as respiratory infections. Arsenic, Witthaus noted, of 19th century crime statistics has been “in almost every instance, the agent used by those who, having succeeded in a first attempt at secret poisoning, have seemed to develop a lust for murder and have continued to add to their victims until their very number has aroused suspicion and led to detection.” And that pattern would continue until the Marsh test was so refined, the ability to detect a bare whisper of arsenic in corpse so good, that the poison lost its homicidal charm. Herbert Rowse Armstrong (source: Murderpedia.org) A notorious  arsenic case of the 1920s – the murder of his wife by the British solicitor Herbert Rowse Armstrong – illustrated this effect perfectly. Armstrong’s wife, Katherine, died in 1921; her death certificate cit


What neurotoxin is used to prevent wrinkles?

Elizabeth Morgan, MD, PhD Dr. Elizabeth Morgan discusses the different types of neurotoxins, such as Botox and Dysport, as well as what to expect when having neurotoxins injected.

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What is the only U.S. state that starts with R?

The End of Apartheid Other State Department Archive Sites The End of Apartheid Apartheid, the Afrikaans name given by the white-ruled South Africa's Nationalist Party in 1948 to the country's harsh, institutionalized system of racial segregation, came to an end in the early 1990s in a series of steps that led to the formation of a democratic government in 1994. Years of violent internal protest, weakening white commitment, international economic and cultural sanctions, economic struggles, and the end of the Cold War brought down white minority rule in Pretoria. U.S. policy toward the regime underwent a gradual but complete transformation that played an important conflicting role in Apartheid's initial survival and eventual downfall. Although many of the segregationist policies dated back to the early decades of the twentieth century, it was the election of the Nationalist Party in 1948 that marked the beginning of legalized racism's harshest features called Apartheid. The Cold War then was in its early stages. U.S. President Harry Truman's foremost foreign policy goal was to limit Soviet expansion. Despite supporting a domestic civil rights agenda to further the rights of black people in the United States, the Truman Administration chose not to protest the anti-communist South African government's system of Apartheid in an effort to maintain an ally against the Soviet Union in southern Africa. This set the stage for successive administrations to quietly support the Apartheid regime as a stalwart ally against the spread of communism. Inside South Africa, riots, boycotts, and protests by black South Africans against white rule had occurred since the inception of independent white rule in 1910. Opposition intensified when the Nationalist Party, assuming power in 1948, effectively blocked all legal and non-violent means of political protest by non-whites. The African National Congress (ANC) and its offshoot, the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), both of which envisioned a vastly different form of government based on majority rule, were outlawed in 1960 and many of its leaders imprisoned. The most famous prisoner was a leader of the ANC, Nelson Mandela, who had become a symbol of the anti-Apartheid struggle. While Mandela and many political prisoners remained incarcerated in South Africa, other anti-Apartheid leaders fled South Africa and set up headquarters in a succession of supportive, independent African countries, including Guinea, Tanzania, Zambia, and neighboring Mozambique where they continued the fight to end Apartheid. It was not until the 1980s, however, that this turmoil effectively cost the South African state significant losses in revenue, security, and international reputation. The international community had begun to take notice of the brutality of the Apartheid regime after white South African police opened fire on unarmed black protesters in the town of Sharpeville in 1960, killing 69 people and wounding 186 others. The United Nations led the call for sanctions against the South African Government. Fearful of losing friends in Africa as de-colonization transformed the continent, powerful members of the Security Council, including Great Britain, France, and the United States, succeeded in watering down the proposals. However, by the late 1970s, grassroots movements in Europe and the United States succeeded in pressuring their governments into imposing economic and cultural sanctions on Pretoria. After the U.S. Congress passed the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act in 1986, many large multinational companies withdrew from South Africa. By the late 1980s, the South African economy was struggling with the effects of the internal and external boycotts as well as the burden of its military commitment in occupying Namibia. Defenders of the Apartheid regime, both inside and outside South Africa, had promoted it as a bulwark against communism. However, the end of the Cold War rendered this argument obsolete. South Africa had illegally occupied neighboring Namibia at the end of World War II, and since the mid-1970s, Pretor


If you are at John Lennon airport, which city are you in?

Destinations | Flights to and from Liverpool John Lennon Airport View Amsterdam, Netherlands Amsterdam originated in the 12th Century as a small fishing village. The city’s rich history and status as the cultural capital of the Netherlands has seen the iconic 17th Century canals, as well as the Defence Lines of Amsterdam, added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. When you’ve finished sightseeing, you can take advantage of Amsterdam’s vibrant nightlife. View Barcelona, Spain On the Mediterranean coast and with the Serra de Collserola mountain range to the west, Barcelona was originally established as a Roman military camp in 15 BC and has grown to become Spain’s second largest city, as well as the capital of the country’s Catalan community. View Bacau, Romania Bacau sits on the Btriţa River at the foothills of the stunning Carpathian Mountains, connected to historic Transylvania by the Ghimeş Pass. One of Romania’s cultural centres, there is a puppet theatre sure to delight big and little kids alike, while music lovers will flock to the Mihail Jora Athenaeum and the Philharmonic Orchestra to take in the sounds of Romania. View Bari, Italy Sitting pretty on the Adriatic coast, Bari is an alternative holiday destination which is full to the brim with culture. Offering endless sightseeing scenes and all the fresh seafood you can wish for, plan your trip to Bari. View Belfast City, United Kingdom When choosing to fly to Belfast City (BHD) from Liverpool John Lennon airport, make sure you plan ahead as there are many great sights to see, activities to enjoy and nightclubs, restaurants and pubs to visit. View Belfast International, United Kingdom For those looking to take in Belfast’s rich history, few places in the world have better stories to tell, not to mention a myriad of beautiful views, breath taking landscapes and a nightlife scene that is world renowned. View Bergerac, France Lovers of wine, let Liverpool John Lennon Airport help you realise your dreams and whisk you away to the gorgeous city of Bergerac. If you’re looking to explore the wine country, or simply want a weekend escape with a loved one, we offer regular flights leaving from Liverpool to Bergerac. View Berlin, Germany Berlin is home to 138 museums and more than 400 art galleries. It even has an area dedicated solely to museums – Museum Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After a day of sightseeing, visitors can sit down at a wide variety of restaurants (12 feature in the Michelin Guide). Then it’s time to take in the vibrant nightlife with the city’s many nightclubs.