Which city, originally a monastic settlement founded by Saint Finbarr in the 6th century, built on the River Lee, became a major point of Irish emigration to North America after the Great Irish Famine in the 1840s?

Cork City & Cobh Tourist Attractions Cork City & Cobh Cork City Cork city is built on the River Lee which divides into two channels at the western end of the city. The city centre is located on the island created by the channels. At the eastern end of the city centre where the channels re-converge, quays and docks along the river banks lead to Lough Mahon and Cork Harbour, which is one of the world's largest natural harbours. The city's cognomen of "the rebel city" originates in its support for the Yorkist cause during the War of the Roses. Corkonians often refer to the city as "the real capital" in reference to the city's role as the centre of anti-treaty forces during the Irish Civil War. Cork was originally a monastic settlement founded by Saint Finbarr in the 6th century. Cork achieved an urban character at some point between 915 and 922 when Norseman (Viking) settlers founded a trading port. It has been proposed that, like Dublin, Cork was an important trading centre in the global Scandinavian trade network. In the War of Independence, the centre of Cork was gutted by fires started by the British Black and Tans, and the city saw fierce fighting between Irish guerrillas and UK forces. During the Irish Civil War, Cork was for a time held by anti-Treaty forces, until it was retaken by the pro-Treaty National Army in an attack from the sea.   Blarney Castle & Stone Blarney Castle was built nearly six hundred years ago by one of Ireland's greatest chieftains, Cormac MacCarthy, and has been attracting attention beyond Munster ever since. Over the last few hundred years, millions have flocked to Blarney, making it a world landmark and one of Ireland's greatest treasures. That might have something to do with the Blarney Stone, the legendary Stone of Eloquence, found at the top of our Tower. Kiss it and you'll never again be lost for words.   Blarney Woollen Mill Built in 1823, Blarney Woollen Mills was originally known as Mahony's Mills and provided valuable employment to the people of Blarney and surrounding areas. When the Mill ceased production in 1973, it was purchased and converted into a visitor centre. Today, more than one million visitors pass through the old stone buildings each year. Blarney Woollen Mills is the largest Irish store in the world. We sell clothes, jewelry, pottery, crystal and lots more.   Cork City Gaol Cork City Gaol is located 2km n/w from Patrick’s Street and while the magnificent castle like building is now a major and unique visitor attraction, this Gaol once housed 19th century prisoners. Visitors get a fascinating insight into day to day prison life at a time when the high walls ensured no escape and denied law abiding citizens the opportunity to see one of the finest examples of Ireland’s architectural heritage. Stepping inside visitors are taken back in time to the 19th century. Wandering through the wings of the Gaol, the atmosphere suggests you are accompanied by the shuffling feet of inmates, each representing their particular period in Irish history from pre –famine times to the foundation of the state. The cells are furnished with amazingly life like wax figures; original graffiti on cell walls tell the innermost feelings of some inmates while a very spectacular audio visual tells the social history and contrasting lifestyles of the 19th century Cork and why some people turned to crime, and some ended up in Australia. This exhibition fascinates visitors of all ages and nationalities and the tour is available in up to 13 languages.   English Market The English Market comprises Princes Street Market and Grand Parade  Market, and is a municipal food market in the centre of Cork, Ireland.  The market is well supported locally and has become a tourist attraction  - drawing visitors from throughout the world, including a visit by  Queen Elizabeth II during her 2011 state visit. Since its refurbishment the market has become more multicultural, and  a variety of fresh produce from around the world can be bought there.  The market is still best known however fo


"What is the maximum number of characters (including spaces) that can be used in a ""tweet""?"

Letter Count / Character Count Free online letter count / character counter The LetterCount Joke of the day: This is a free online calculator which counts the number of characters or letters in a text, useful for your tweets on Twitter, as well as a multitude of other applications. Whether it is Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Yelp or just a post to co-workers or business officials, the number of actual characters matters. What you say may not be as important as how you say it. And how many characters you use. To start counting your letters, simply write or paste the text into the text area and Count characters. Character limits: Snapchat 80 • Twitter 140 • SMS txt 160 • LinkedIn Summary 2,000 • Reddit Title 300 Write or paste your text into this online character counter: Character limits: Facebook Status (total): 63,206 — (displayed) 400 — (most effective) 40 • HTML Title Tag (ideal) 55 • Yelp 5,000 • Ebay Title 80 How to count characters using your text editing office software Snapchat's caption character limit is 80. Twitter's character limit is 140. An SMS text message limit is 160. Google AdSense ads can have 25 characters for the title, 70 characters for the ad text, and 35 characters for the displayed URL. N.B: A space or punctuation is a "character". One line break (carriage return) is a "character"; consequently, a new paragraph generates two "characters". Facebook Character Limits: Like any other social media site Facebook has length requirements when it comes to writing on the wall, providing status, messaging and commenting. Understanding how many characters you can use, enables you to more effectively use Facebook as a business or campaign tool. Private messaging is one of the main ways that people interact on Facebook. This type of direct messaging can be either an instant message (chat), or a regular email-type message. For both instant and regular messaging, there is a 20,000 character limit. A Facebook status may have character limits, but considering that it is at 63,206 characters, unless you are writing War and Peace, you should be fine. Facebook has raised this number 12 times to accommodate user’s status and feedback. Facebook wall posts have a 5000 character limit, but truncation begins at 477 characters. This enables someone to write a thoughtful response or create something similar to a blog. An area which is rarely used in Facebook is the Notes section. It is a writing area which many bloggers find useful. The reason is because Facebook Notes does not have a character limit, as of yet. Users are directed to this area if they have very long status or comment to make. This can be used to someone's advantage if they have a longer post to make and wish to share it with their friends through tagging. At Facebook, users upload and post new photos every day. When uploading pictures, users may need to write a description, which has a 5000 character limit. Once uploaded, few friends will comment about the post, which should give them a character limit of 8000 characters. On news feeds, long posts only show the first 1,200 or so characters. To summarize Facebook character limits: instant message (chat): 20,000 total regular message: 5,000 description for mobile browsers: unlimited if description longer than 800 characters: truncated to 250 characters; Ebay generated description summary if description less than 800 characters and using basic HTML, CSS or text: displayed entirely if using more complex HTML or active content or description longer than 800 characters, the summary content can be specified using HTML (line breaks count as 50 characters) Source: Ebay (look at the FAQs tab) When Space Matters: A post for loved ones, friends, co-workers, or probably business officials may be done through Twitter, Facebook, and Yelp. And it is crucial to consider the letter count or the number of actual characters in the text. What you say may not matter as how you said it and the number of characters you intend to use. And many online users worry about word count. In today’s social media sites, typing a letter counts


Who became chairman of the Watford Football Club for the second time in 1997?

Football :EltonJohn.com Football “I never want to be without Watford.” (1982) – Elton John Born in Pinner, just outside London, Elton’s nearest professional club was Watford. In his early teens he naturally gravitated to the club, watching from the terraces as the club’s cult hero of the late ’50s /early ’60s — Cliff Holton — banged in goal after goal. At this stage, Watford were in the lower reaches of English football’s four-tier professional game, but a decade later they came to prominence when they reached The FA Cup semi-final of 1970. At that stage, Elton expressed an interest in getting involved, but it wasn’t until August 1973 that he became a Vice-President of the club —a figurative role in English football, rather than an executive position. Elton in goal at Watford Football Club, 1973 Elton in goal at Watford Football Club, 1973 His first role as a Vice-President was to hold a fund-raising gig at the club’s Vicarage Road Stadium in May 1974 that saw Nazareth in support and Rod Stewart guesting. Some 31,000 packed into the ground in the same month his Caribou album was released. No one was left in any doubt about his love of Watford and soon, his astute knowledge of the game and obvious enthusiasm saw him asked to join the club’s Board of Directors. Then, in the summer of 1976, 29-year-old Elton bought the club’s majority shareholding and he assumed the role of Chairman. Understandably at the time, the notion of a pop star running a football club was treated with some incredulity, but Elton took to the task with the professionalism that has hallmarked his career. Watford were now in the bottom division of English football and things had to change. He was not a figurehead Chairman, and in Easter 1977, he set about find the club a new manager to match his ambition of taking Watford to the top. “I asked Don Revie (then national team manager) who to go after and he didn’t hesitate,” said Elton at the time. “He gave me the name of Graham Taylor.” After an initial courtship while he convinced Graham of the seriousness of his ambitions for the club, it was a marriage made in heaven. One of the great double-acts of the modern football era was born and over the next five years Watford rose from the basement of the game to its penthouse. Having moved through Divisions Four and Three, promotion to the top flight came in May 1982. But it didn’t end there. The Hornets, Watford’s nickname, finished runners-up in their first Division One (now the Premier League) season, qualifying them to play in European club competitions in the 1983/84 campaign. It was at the end at that campaign that a “family circle” was completed. Watford reached the 1984 FA Cup Final, and tearfully, Chairman Elton stepped out on to the turf of Wembley Stadium — the same turf trodden by his cousin Roy 25 years earlier. The Cup Final appearance was the culmination of a period characterised by good management, unflagging commitment and raw enthusiasm. Big money player purchases were not the key to the Hornets’ success. “Elton John’s Taylor-made Army” had an unquantifiable aura which turned it into an unstoppable force. Elton now turned his attention to improving the stadium itself and in 1986 he funded a new 3,500-seater grandstand as the club established itself at the top level of the game. But Graham Taylor left for pastures new the following year —en route to becoming England manager and for Elton, the magic had gone. He remained as Chairman, but in 1990 sold his majority shareholding and was asked to be the club’s Honorary Life-President, a position he still holds. Without the Elton-Taylor axis at the helm, the club drifted back down the divisions in the 1990s. But sport is an unpredictable beast and amazingly, Graham Taylor returned to the club in February 1996, with a point to prove after a difficult stint as England boss. A year on, he took to the club’s pitch before a game to announce to a packed crowd: “Elton’s coming home.” The stadium positively erupted. So did Watford’s fortunes. With Elton back as Chairman and Taylor at the helm too, successi


James Chadwick discovered which sub-atomic particles in 1932?

question 1B: October 2010 Examine the history of the development of the atom. We have already discussed the major players in the development of the atom. Pick out at least 8 major players who helped aid in the development of the concept of the atom. Then explain each experiment in a concise explanation. Then explain how each one aided in the development of the next or how their concept assisted in the further development of the current quantum model of the atom. J.J. Thomson Beginning in 1895 physicist J. J. Thomson theorized that cathode rays produced in Crookes' tubes must be composed of what he called "corpuscles", a single type of negatively charged particle. In 1897, applying his own vacuum technique to the study of these then-mysterious rays, Thomson made a convincing argument for composition based on sub-atomic particles, "this matter being the substance from which all the chemical elements are built up". To make sense of this theory he proposed a "plum pudding model" of the atom, which was debated for several years and disproved by his former student, Ernest Rutherford. Thomson also showed a stream of channel rays could be separated into two or more parts through exposure to electrical and magnetic fields, leading eventually to the invention of the mass spectrograph and discovery of isotopes by another of Thomson's students, Francis W. Aston. Thomson won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1906, and his son, physicist George Paget Thomson, won the same honor in 1937. THOMSON’S FIRST CATHODE RAY EXPERIMENT Thomson had an inkling that the ‘rays’ emitted from the electron gun were inseparable from the latent charge, and decided to try and prove this by using a magnetic field. His first experiment was to build a cathode ray tube with a metal cylinder on the end. This cylinder had two slits in it, leading to electrometers, which could measure small electric charges. He found that by applying a magnetic field across the tube, there was no activity recorded by the electrometers and so the charge had been bent away by the magnet. This proved that the negative charge and the ray were inseparable and intertwined. THOMSON’S CATHODE RAY SECOND EXPERIMENT Like all great scientists, he did not stop there, and developed the second stage of the experiment, to prove that the rays carried a negative charge. To prove this hypothesis, he attempted to deflect them with an electric field. Earlier experiments had failed to back this up, but Thomson thought that the vacuum in the tube was not good enough, and found ways to improve greatly the quality. For this, he constructed a slightly different cathode ray tube, with a fluorescent coating at one end and a near perfect vacuum. Halfway down the tube were two electric plates, producing a positive anode and a negative cathode, which he hoped would deflect the rays. As he expected, the rays were deflected by the electric charge, proving beyond doubt that the rays were made up of charged particles carrying a negative charge. This result was a major discovery in itself, but Thomson resolved to understand more about the nature of these particles. THOMSON’S THIRD EXPERIMENT The third experiment was a brilliant piece of scientific deduction and shows how a series of experiments can gradually uncover truths. Many great scientific discoveries involve performing a series of interconnected experiments, gradually accumulating data and proving a hypothesis. He decided to try to work out the nature of the particles. They were too small to have their mass or charge calculated directly, but he attempted to deduce this from how much the particles were bent by electrical currents, of varying strengths. Thomson found out that the charge to mass ratio was so large that the particles either carried a huge charge, or were a thousand time smaller than a hydrogen ion. He decided upon the latter and came up with the idea that the cathode rays were made of particles that emanated from with the atoms themselves, a very bold and innovative idea. LATER DEVELOPMENTS Thomson came up with the initial idea for the structure o


Jeeves is butler to which fictional character created by P G Wodehouse?

Jeeves | P. G. Wodehouse Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia P. G. Wodehouse Wiki Share Reginald Jeeves is a fictional character in the short stories and novels of P. G. Wodehouse , being the "personal gentleman's gentleman" ( valet ) of Bertie Wooster (Bertram Wilberforce Wooster). Created in 1915, Jeeves would continue to appear in Wodehouse's works until his final, completed, novel Aunts Aren't Gentlemen in 1974, making him Wodehouse's most famous character. The name "Jeeves" comes from Percy Jeeves , a Warwickshire cricketer killed in the First World War. [1] Both the name "Jeeves" and the character of Jeeves have come to be thought of as the quintessential name and nature of a valet , butler , or chauffeur , inspiring many similar characters (as well as the name of the Internet search engine Ask Jeeves ). A "Jeeves" is now a generic term in references such as the Oxford English Dictionary . [2] Jeeves is a valet , not a butler —that is, he serves a man and not a household. However, Bertie Wooster has lent out Jeeves as a butler on several occasions, and notes: "If the call comes, he can buttle with the best of them." [3] Contents Edit The premise of the Jeeves stories is that the brilliant valet is firmly in control of his rich and foppish young employer's life. When Bertie gets into an unwanted social obligation , legal trouble, or engagement to marry, Jeeves invariably comes up with a subtle plan to save him, often without Bertie's knowledge. Jeeves is known for his convoluted yet precise speech and for quoting from Shakespeare and famous romantic poets . In his free time, he likes to relax with "improving" books such as the complete works of Spinoza , or to read " Dostoyevsky and the great Russians". [4] He "glides" or "shimmers" in and out of rooms and may appear or disappear suddenly and without warning. His potable concoctions, both of the alcoholic and the morning-after variety, are legendary. Jeeves frequently displays mastery over a vast range of subjects, from philosophy (his favourite philosopher is Spinoza ; he finds Nietzsche "fundamentally unsound" [5] ) through an encyclopaedic knowledge of poetry, science, history, psychology, geography, politics, and literature. He is also a "bit of a whizz" in all matters pertaining to gambling, car maintenance, etiquette, and women. However, his most impressive feats are a flawless knowledge of the British aristocracy and making antidotes (especially for hangovers). His mental prowess is attributed to eating fish, according to Bertie, and the latter often offers the dish to Jeeves. Jeeves has a distinct—and often negative—opinion of items about which Bertie is enthusiastic, such as a garish vase, an uncomplimentary painting of Wooster created by one of the many women with whom he is briefly infatuated, a moustache, monogrammed handkerchiefs, a straw boater, an alpine hat, a scarlet cummerbund, spats in the Eton colours, white dinner jacket, or purple socks. Wooster's decision to take up playing the banjolele in Thank You, Jeeves almost led to a permanent rift between the two. Jeeves is a member of the Junior Ganymede Club , a London club for butlers and valets, in whose club book all members must record the exploits of their employers to forewarn other butlers and valets. The section labeled "WOOSTER, BERTRAM" is the largest in the book. In Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit it contained "eleven pages", [6] and by Much Obliged, Jeeves it has grown to eighteen pages. [7] However, at the end of Much Obliged, Jeeves, Jeeves informs Wooster that he has destroyed the eighteen pages, anticipating that he will never leave the latter's employment. Only once in the Wodehouse canon does Jeeves appear without Wooster: Ring for Jeeves , in which he is on loan to the 9th Earl of Rowcester while Wooster attends a school where the idle rich learn self-sufficiency in case of social upheaval. The novel was adapted from Wodehouse's play Come On, Jeeves, which he felt needed a more conventional ending; but he was unwilling to marry Wooster off. Jeeves's first job was as a page boy at a gi


What part of New York City is named for Catherine of Braganza?

Catherine of Braganza News - The New York Times A Borough President's Goal: Dethroning the Queen of Queens By E. E. LIPPINCOTT The note that sounded the end of her reign was quiet. Without pomp or circumstance, the new Queens borough president said that, as part of a redecoration of Borough Hall, a large mural featuring a portrait of Queen Catherine of Braganza would be... January 27, 2002, Sunday A Museum Of Tolerance Suggested for Statue Site By E. E. LIPPINCOTT A proposal to build a ''museum of tolerance'' instead of a long-disputed statue on a waterfront site has been quietly gathering support from local historians.  The statue was to depict Catherine of Braganza, a 17th-century queen married to Charles... January 21, 2001, Sunday FOLLOWING UP By TINA KELLEY Not a Face to Launch Many Ships at All   The statue of Queen Catherine of Braganza, once slated for a prime waterfront throne in the borough named for her (Queens, not Braganza), has had a horrible couple of years. Her supporters dwindled, her... June 4, 2000, Sunday To the Editor:  Catherine's benefiting from the slave trade is not the only reason to oppose erection of her statue (''Will a Queen Be Homeless?'' Sept. 13). October 11, 1998, Sunday Will a Queen Be Homeless? By RICHARD WEIR If all had gone as planned, a 35-foot bronze statue of the 17th-century Queen Catherine would have been standing on public land along the Hunters Point riverfront next month. But while the artist, Audrey Flack, has sent her work to a foundry, a... September 13, 1998, Sunday Piece on Catherine Statue Should Have Named Artist To the Editor:  Re ''A Statue Fit for Queens'' (May 3): Seeing that you found it significant to quote Roy Gussow, an artist who -- other than to make a jealous comment -- has nothing to do with the controversy about which you have written, it would... May 17, 1998, Sunday A Statue Fit for Queens? By RICHARD WEIR Reported in newspapers from India to Germany, the furor over a planned statue of a 17th-century Queen Catherine returned last week to Hunters Point, the would-be waterfront home of the 50-foot bronze sculpture honoring the monarch who is widely... May 3, 1998, Sunday The Wrong Place for Queen Catherine There is no comprehensive Who's Who of those involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. But even if one existed, it is highly unlikely that Queen Catherine of Braganza, a Portuguese noblewoman who became the wife of England's Charles II, would merit... January 23, 1998, Friday The Queen of Ethnic Nightmares; Cultural Politics Mires Statue of Borough's Namesake By BARRY BEARAK Among the homeless of New York, there is none more conspicuous than Catherine of Braganza. The Portuguese princess stands five stories high and is bronzed, bejeweled and highlighted with gold leaf. She cost about $2 million to create.  The statue... January 9, 1998, Friday How Queens Got Its Name Queen Catherine? "Most people don't realize that the borough of Queens was named for Catherine of Braganza," says Manuel Sousa. She was the Portuguese-born wife of King Charles II of England.  A 35-foot statue is under construction at the Tallix art... February 5, 1995, Sunday


London's Shaftesbury Avenue is known for what type of establishment?

Shaftesbury Avenue | British History Online CHAPTER V Shaftesbury Avenue In his London and Westminster Improved, published in 1766, John Gwynn suggested that a new street should be formed from the top of the Haymarket to Oxford Street and beyond. (fn. 6) After the formation of Regent Street the need for further improvement in north-south communication in this part of Westminster was recognized in 1838 by the Select Committee of the House of Commons on Metropolis Improvements. The committee was concerned at the volume of traffic from Paddington and Euston Stations that might be expected to converge upon the east end of Oxford Street, and it recommended inter alia an improved line of street from St. Giles's to Charing Cross. (fn. 7) This need was later filled by the formation of Charing Cross Road, but the committee made no recommendation on communication between Piccadilly and Bloomsbury. Thomas Marsh Nelson, an architect who gave evidence to the committee, did, however, propose a road from Piccadilly in the west to Stratford in the east, and this began with 'a new street branching eastward from the County Fire Office corresponding with the Quadrant and similar in width to Regentstreet, to St. Giles's church'. (fn. 8) In the 1860's and 70's the need for improved communication between Piccadilly Circus and Charing Cross, and between Charing Cross and Tottenham Court Road was frequently discussed, (fn. 9) but little more was heard of the Piccadilly to Bloomsbury route until 1876. By that time a long line of improved east-west communication from Shoreditch to Bloomsbury was almost complete, and the Metropolitan Board of Works realized that the amount of additional traffic which would be brought into Oxford Street and which would make its way towards Charing Cross would require the formation of direct communication from Oxford Street to Piccadilly and to Charing Cross. The Board therefore applied to Parliament for the necessary powers, which were granted by the Metropolitan Street Improvements Act, 1877. (fn. 10) This Act authorized the Board to form the streets now known as Charing Cross Road and Shaftesbury Avenue, to widen Coventry Street, and to carry out nine other improvements in various parts of London. The line of these new streets had been drawn up jointly by the Board's superintending architect, George Vulliamy, and the engineer, Sir Joseph Bazalgette, (fn. 11) and the plans approved by the Act defined the limits of deviation within which each street must run and within which the Board was empowered to purchase all the ground that it might require (fig. 8). About half the length of the new street from Piccadilly Circus to Bloomsbury was formed by widening existing streets, thus keeping to a minimum the amount of ground to be acquired. (fn. 12) The history of Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road is a story of lost opportunity. Nearly ten years elapsed between the passing of the Act of 1877 and the opening of the two streets, the general standard of design of the buildings finally erected was deplorable, and in 1888 a Royal Commission was appointed to investigate the dishonest conduct of certain of the Board's officers in the disposal of surplus land in Shaftesbury Avenue. In face of this depressing record it should also be remembered that the final achievement was not merely the formation of over a mile of main thoroughfare sixty feet wide, but also the abolition of some of the worst slums in London and the rehousing of over three thousand of the labouring classes. (fn. 13) The delay in the formation of the two streets was caused by the obligation which was placed by Parliament upon the Board to provide housing for all displaced members of the labouring classes. The Metropolitan Street Improvements Act of 1872 had required the Board to give eight weeks public notice of intention to demolish in any one parish fifteen or more houses occupied by the labouring classes, and had stipulated that certain land bought for each improvement should be set aside for the erection of working-class accommodation. (fn. 14) But in


What are found, although in small amounts, in certain seeds and stones, such as those of apple, mango, peach, and bitter almonds?

Apple Seeds and Cyanide : snopes.com Claim:   Apple seeds contain a harmful cyanide compound. MIXTURE: TRUE:   Apple seeds contain a cyanide compound.   FALSE:   Ordinary consumption of seed-containing apples poses a harm to consumers. Origins:   When we think of dangers lurking in our food, we tend to concentrate on the threats posed by chemical additives or by improper and careless handling. Yet the truth is we routinely come into contact with naturally occurring poisons in a number of the fruits we ingest. Apples are one such fruit: their pips (seeds) contain amygdalin, a cyanide and sugar compound that degrades into hydrogen cyanide (HCN) when metabolized. Cyanide itself is a poison that kills by denying blood the ability to carry oxygen and thereby causes its victims to die of asphyxiation. At least within the realm of murder mysteries, cyanide is the darling of poisoners because it acts quickly and irrevocably: once a fatal dose has been ingested, there is no effective antidote, and death takes place within minutes. It is sometimes described as having a bitter almond smell, but it does not always give off an odor, nor can everyone detect the scent. Cyanide is usually found joined with other chemicals in compounds: hydrogen cyanide, cyanogen chloride, sodium cyanide, and potassium cyanide. In the death camps of World War II, the Nazis used hydrogen cyanide (Zyklon B) for their gas chambers. Luckily for those fond of their Granny Smiths, the body can detoxify cyanide in small doses, and the number of apple seeds it takes to pack a lethal punch is therefore so huge that even the most dedicated of apple eaters is extremely unlikely to ingest enough pips to cause any harm. Yet those who have heard apple seeds house a poison (usually remembered as arsenic, a quite different though equally deadly compound) cling to the frightening belief swallowing a small number of pips spells instant death. We've had folks fret to us that ingesting as few as three apple seeds would do someone in, a "fact" which, if true, would mean each and every one of us was flirting with the grim reaper every time we made a grab for a Delicious. Apple pips also have a tough protective coating which makes swallowing them even less of a risky proposition; unless the pips are pulverized or masticated, the amygdalin they house remains safely contained within. Apple pips have hard, durable shells that allow them to pass intact through the digestive systems of animals, a quality which helps the apple to reproduce by distributing its seeds to new locations far from the originating trees. Were apple pips susceptible to the eroding effects of digestive juices, apple trees could not reproduce nearly as well as they do, as their seeds would not be so widely spread and a good many of the pips would be destroyed before germinating. Cherry, peach, and apricot pits also contain amygdalin; the latter two, at least, in potentially harmful amounts. Fortunately, peach and apricot pits are sufficiently large and hard that few people intentionally swallow or chew them. (The unapproved anti-cancer drug Laetrile is a semisynthetic derivative of amygdalin; a cheaper version of laetrile produced in Mexico came from crushed apricot pits.) A far greater natural source of cyanide is the cassava root, a vegetable favored by many in Africa. (Westerners know this plant best as tapioca.) Drying, soaking, and baking cassava roots renders its cyanide precursor, linamarin, harmless, but if that process is not carried out properly the cassava can remain poisonous. Barbara "pudding on the blitz" Mikkelson Additional information:


When did the United Kingdom convert to decimal currency?

The History of Decimalisation in Britain By  Ben Johnson   |   Comments Prior to 1971, there were 12 pennies to the shilling and 20 shillings to the pound. There were guineas, half crowns, threepenny bits, sixpences and florins. This old system of currency, known as pounds, shillings and pence or lsd, dated back to Roman times when a pound of silver was divided into 240 pence, or denarius, which is where the 'd' in 'lsd' comes from. (lsd: librum, solidus, denarius ). To prepare the nation for the changeover in currency systems, the Decimal Currency Board (DCB) was set up, running a public information campaign in the two years prior to the switchover on Monday 15 February 1971, also known as Decimal Day. Three years before changeover, new 5p and 10p coins were introduced; these were the same size and worth the same amount as the one and two shilling coins. In 1969 a new 50p coin was introduced to replace the old 10 bob (shilling) note. The banks were closed for four days before changeover to prepare. Currency converters were available for everyone, and prices in the shops were shown in both currencies. This went some way to alleviate the feeling many people had, that shopkeepers might use the conversion from old money to new to increase prices! Cafe price list circa 1960 with prices in shillings and pence 'Decimal Day' ran without a hitch. Although the elderly generation found it more difficult to adapt to decimalisation, in general the population readily embraced the new currency and the oft-used phrase of the 1970’s "How much is that in old money?" is now more commonly used in reference to metrication. For a short time the old and new currencies operated in unison, whereby people could pay in pounds, shillings and pence and receive new money as change. Originally it was planned that old money would be phased out of circulation over eighteen months, but as it turned out, the old penny, halfpenny and threepenny coins were officially taken out of circulation as early as August 1971. from l to r:  shilling, farthing, threepenny bit It was originally intended that the new unit of currency would be referred to as ‘new pence’ to distinguish it from the old money, but this was quickly adapted to the abbreviation ‘pee’, which we still use today. The term ‘decimal currency’ describes any currency that is based on one basic unit with a sub-unit which is a power of 10, most commonly 100, and comes from the Latin word decem, meaning ten. In comparison to the rest of the world, Britain lagged behind in the decimalisation stakes. Having converted to the ruble (equal to 100 kopecks) in 1704, Russia became the world’s first country to adopt a decimal currency, followed by the 1795 introduction of the franc in the wake of the French Revolution. from l to r:  sixpence (or tanner), half crown, half penny  Whilst Britain and our nearest neighbour Ireland did not convert to decimalisation until 1971, this was not the first time Britain had considered decimalisation. As far back as 1824 Parliament had considered decimalising the British currency. In 1841,the Decimal Association was founded in support of both decimalisation and use of the SI metric system, the international standard for physical measurements which had been adopted by France in the 1790s and has since been widely introduced across the world (although interestingly the metric system has still not been fully implemented in the UK). However despite the introduction of the two shilling silver florin in 1849, worth one-tenth of a pound, and the double florin (a four-shilling piece) in 1887, there was little development towards decimalisation in Britain for nearly a century. It was not until 1961, in the wake of South Africa’s successful move to decimalisation that the British Government introduced the Committee of the Inquiry on Decimal Currency, whose 1963 report resulted in the final agreement to adopt decimalisation on 1 March 1966, with the approval of the Decimal Currency Act in May 1969.   Whilst various names for a new unit of currency had been suggested – such as the new pou


What is the more common name for polytetrafluoroethylene?

What is PTFE? (with pictures) What is PTFE? Last Modified Date: 09 January 2017 Copyright Protected: You won't believe these 10 facts about people Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic material accidentally invented in the late 1930s while a chemist was endeavoring to develop a new type of perfluorethylene-based refrigerant. Rather than achieving a chlorofluorocarbon, the scientist was surprised to find that the perfluorethylene used in the process reacted with the iron content of its container and polymerized under pressure. Less than a decade later, this new material was being distributed on a commercial scale and was eventually patented under the name Teflon®. It would be another 20 years before this material would hit the frying pan and become known as the first non-stick coating for cookware, however. In fact, this material was used for a variety of other purposes at first. During World War II, PTFE was used to prevent the escape of radioactive materials from the facility designated to produce the first atomic bomb in the U.S., an objective dubbed as the Manhattan Project. This facility represented an impressive piece of real estate with more 2,000,000 square feet (609,600 sq. meters) in which to house uranium hexafluoride. Not only is this substance highly toxic and corrosive in its own right, but it also forms a dangerous gas known as hydrogen fluoride in the presence of water or water vapor. For this reason, PTFE was used as a coating for pipefittings to make them leak proof. Ad The exceptional insulating properties of this material made its use in electronic components ideal. For one thing, it is non-conductive, making it resistant to high electric fields. It is also highly resistant to water, heat, and chemical corrosion . In fact, it continues to be used to produce laboratory equipment and accessories that come into contact with hydrofluoric acid, which would otherwise dissolve other materials, even glass. PTFE also possesses very low frictional properties, which is expressed as frictional coefficient. This measurement is relative and differs according to the materials brought into contact to generate or simulate friction. In terms of plastics, friction is usually observed against polished steel. To put the low friction coefficient of PTFE into proper perspective, it is the only known synthetic surface material to which the toe pads of a gecko fail to stick. This quality makes it suitable for manufacturing parts that need to resist friction, such as gears and ball bearings . This material was eventually introduced to American households by Marion Trozzolo, founder of Laboratory Plasticware Fabricators. While Trozzolo had been producing Teflon®-coated scientific tools for a number of years, he became inspired by a French engineer who found it such an effective non-stick coating for his fishing gear that he later treated his wife’s pots and pans with it. While this experiment led to the production of cookware known as Tefal (T-Fal®) in France in the mid-1950s, Trozzolo became the first U.S. producer of Teflon®-coated cookware. In fact, "The Happy Pan," launched in 1961, earned a place of historical significance in the Smithsonian Institute and Trozzolo a name of distinction in the Plastics Hall of Fame. Ad


Who was the merchant sea-captain who made the first American circumnavigation of the world in 1790, and is known for trading voyages to the northern Pacific coast of North America between 1790 and 1793, which pioneered the fur trade in that region?

About: Robert Gray (sea captain) About: Robert Gray (sea captain) An Entity of Type : person ,   from Named Graph : http://dbpedia.org ,   within Data Space : dbpedia.org Robert Gray (May 10, 1755 – circa July, 1806) was an American merchant sea captain who is known for his achievements in connection with two trading voyages to the northern Pacific coast of North America, between 1790 and 1793, which pioneered the American maritime fur trade in that region. In the course of those voyages, Gray explored portions of that coast and, in 1790, completed the first American circumnavigation of the world. Perhaps his most remembered accomplishment from his explorations was his coming upon and then naming of the Columbia River, in 1792 while on his second voyage. Property abstract روبرت غراي (10 مايو 1755 في رود آيلاند - يوليو 1806 على بحيرة بالقرب من كارولاينا الجنوبية) كان أول أمريكي يبحر حول العالم تحت العلم الأمريكي. أبحر عام 1778 مع جون كيندريك من ميناء بوسطن على اثنين من السفن.متجها نحو شمال الأطلسي عن طريق كيب هورن. وعاد عن طريق الصين وعن طريق رأس الرجاء الصالح عام 1790. ثم أبحر مرة أخرى في الطريق نفسه، كما أبحر نحو مصب نهر كولومبيا عام 1792 وسمي النهر باسم سفينته.32x28pxبوابة الولايات المتحدة32x28pxبوابة ملاحة (ar) Robert Gray (* 10. Mai 1755 in Tiverton, Rhode Island; † Juli 1806 auf See bei Charleston, South Carolina, USA) war der erste US-Amerikaner, der die Welt umsegelte. 1787 verließ Gray zusammen mit John Kendrick den Hafen von Boston auf zwei Schiffen, um an der Nordwestküste Amerikas Handel zu treiben. Danach brach Gray nach China auf und umrundete die Welt. Auf einer zweiten Expedition segelte er 1792 in die Mündung des Columbia River und benannte den Fluss nach seinem Schiff. Grays Erstbefahrung bildete später eine der Grundlagen für die territorialen Ansprüche der USA im Oregon Country. (de) Robert Gray (10 mai 1755 – c. juillet 1806) est un capitaine de marine marchande et un explorateur américain. Il commanda le premier bateau américain qui fui le tour du monde en 1790 et fut le premier à entrer dans le fleuve Columbia en 1792, qu'il nomma d'après le nom de son navire, Columbia Rediviva. Avec ses voyages sur la côte Pacifique du Nord-Ouest de l'Amérique du Nord, il fut le pionnier du commerce américain de fourrure dans cette région. Gray est né à Tiverton, Rhode Island, et on ne connait peu de choses de sa jeunesse. Il aurait participé à la guerre d'indépendance américaine dans la Continental Navy et des éléments prouvent qu'il a participé au commerce triangulaire de la Caroline du Sud à bord du Pacific. Le fait que Gray fut le premier à rentrer dans l'estuaire du Columbia fut utilisé plus tard comme base des revendications territoriales des États-Unis sur l'« Oregon Country » (les rivaux Britanniques utilisaient le nom de « Columbia District », qui recouvrait une zone à peu près similaire, nom dérivé du nom du fleuve choisi par Gray). Ce nom devint aussi, à partir du milieu du XIXe siècle, le nom de la colonie britannique de la Colombie-Britannique qui devint une province du Canada en 1871. Gray ne publia jamais ses découvertes géographiques de l'estuaire du Columbia ni des côtes pacifiques contrairement au Britannique George Vancouver qui les publia après son retour en Angleterre avec ses propres explorations et donnant également crédit à Gray. Néanmoins, les opportunités de commerce de fourrure que Gray avaient commencé à explorer furent suivies par d'autres marchands de la Nouvelle-Angleterre Gray mourut en mer en 1806, au large de Charleston (Caroline du Sud), peut-être de fièvre jaune. Grays Harbor, la Gray River, affluent du Columbia, Gray Bay ainsi que plusieurs écoles en Oregon et dans l'État de Washington sont nommés d'après lui. (fr) Robert Gray (Tiverton, Rhode Island, 10 de mayo 1755 - ca. julio de 1806) fue un comerciante y capitán de barco estadounidense que es conocido por sus logros en dos viajes comerciales en la costa del Pacífico norte de Norteamérica, entre 1790 y 1793, que fueron pioneros en el comercio marítimo de pieles estadounidense en la región. En el curso de esos viajes, Gr


The Jefferson Memorial, completed in 1943, is in which city?

Jefferson Memorial | monument, Washington, District of Columbia, United States | Britannica.com monument, Washington, District of Columbia, United States Written By: Alternative Title: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Related Topics National Capital Parks Jefferson Memorial, in full Thomas Jefferson Memorial, monument to Thomas Jefferson , the third president of the United States , situated in East Potomac Park on the south bank of the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. Authorized in 1934 as part of a beautification program for the nation’s capital, it was opposed by many modernist architects, including Frank Lloyd Wright , who objected to its Classical design. Others objected to the destruction of cherry trees (for which the city was famous) and protested by chaining themselves to trees they thought would be lost; still others feared that the monument would obliterate the spectacular vista of the Potomac River . At the urging of Pres. Franklin Roosevelt , however, construction began in 1938 and continued despite the country’s entrance into World War II in 1941. The memorial was dedicated on April 13, 1943, the 200th anniversary of Jefferson’s birth. The Jefferson Memorial and the Tidal Basin, Washington, D.C. © Richard T. Nowitz/Corbis Jefferson Memorial, Washington, D.C. Geoff Tompkinson/GTImage.com (A Britannica Publishing Partner) The circular colonnade was designed by John Russell Pope , Otto R. Eggers, and Daniel P. Higgins and drew its inspiration from the Pantheon in Rome as well as the Rotunda at the University of Virginia , which Jefferson himself designed. It is situated on 18 acres (7 hectares) and serves as the southern terminus of the north-south axis that includes the White House and the Washington Monument . The pediment over the portico depicts Jefferson reading his draft of the Declaration of Independence . In the centre of the domed, marble-lined interior is a 19-foot bronze figure of Jefferson sculpted by Rudolph Evans; excerpts from Jefferson’s writings—including the Declaration of Independence, the Statute for Religious Freedom, Notes on the State of Virginia, and several of his letters—are inscribed on the four interior panels. Along the frieze in the interior dome is a quotation from Jefferson: “I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.” Thomas Jefferson, bronze statue by Rudolph Evans; in the Jefferson Memorial, Washington, D.C. Hisham F. Ibrahim/Getty Images Jefferson Memorial - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up) The Jefferson Memorial (in full, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial) is a monument to the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. Situated in East Potomac Park on the south bank of the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., the memorial was authorized in 1934 as part of a beautification program for the nation’s capital. Despite the objections of critics who disapproved of the memorial’s site on the Tidal Basin and of the monument’s Classical design, construction began in 1938 at the urging of President Franklin Roosevelt. The memorial was dedicated on April 13, 1943, the 200th anniversary of Jefferson’s birth. Article Contributors


What is an expression used to describe across a number of different sports the apparent loss of certain fine motor skills seemingly without explanation?

NJD-DenPublishingCompany NJD-DenPublishingCompany Agoraphobia and Vitamin B Defined: agoraphobia = fear of open spaces. Imagine being afraid to leave the house. This is VERY real. My [dear] mother suffered from this for years. It turned out she suffered from a chemical imbalance - brought on by the birth of my younger brother. [I also recently, this month, met an Irish man on a cruise, whose wife is still suffering from this = agoraphobia. He was traveling with his son.] That's what's prompting me to post this blog. Because, as I told this Irish man, my mother cured herself (after reading Prevention magazine) with VITAMIN B/B-COMPLEX!!! Posted by I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANYMORE "LOSER" TALK So - you see this 13 year-old on a singing competition, and she "belts it out" like there's no tomorrow & like she's been doing it 20+ years. Your first thought - "I'm such a loser" lol.  I DON'T WANT TO HEAR THAT - HERE'S WHY.  ~I'm sorry, but we're ALL "works in progress".  Unless you have every bit of knowledge** (there is in the Universe), every skill and have helped everyone else, in the universe attain the same, how are we not all - works in progress?! :)  So, given that, the question then becomes what would you like to "accomplish" (either as knowledge or skill, etc.)? Second, how would you like to get there? How much time (& energy) would you like to devote to that?  A few things to remember on this. First, you may think, "Oh, I'm too old to learn something new." Not the case. In fact, colleges find the older students make better students because they're both more serious and more diligent. And, when it comes to starting a business, the older person will make a better business owner - for similar reasons: a more serious and diligent business owner will not only serve their customers better, but they'll make better decisions (from a more learned perspective) to boot! **P.S. When Studying Any New Material, Follow These 3 Basic Rules (Credit Scientology): (1) Never go past a misunderstood word. [If you do, you won't understand the sentence...] (2) If you come to a sentence that you understand each word/s, but the concept it's putting forth is "steep", go back over the sentence one or more times, until you get it. (3) Finally, make sure you have enough examples of the material you're studying. This will help keep it real and meaningful. Otherwise, you'll end up "dead-bored", "exasperated" about it! With warm regards, Vitamins - Be Particular, No Matter What Age You Are REVISION TO THE POST BELOW: I suggest taking as little vitamins as possible - to keep you out of pain (like glucosamine for joints). This I believe will provide you the longest term survival (less stress on your liver...). Vitamins - Be Particular, No Matter What Age You Are: I don't know if you saw the study: ~20 year study, some thousands of people: ~1/2 taking vitamins, the other 1/2 not. Those taking vitamins didn't live as long, believe it or not. I have a theory herein. I believe those who took vitamins, really weren't as careful about how much vitamins they took... Now, if you're 50 like I am, you'd better get used to takin' pills! lol  If you're younger, they can help too, but, do be particular. I do love my pill cutter!  (Yes, I take 1/2, 1/3, or even 1/4 of certain pills (like Multi-vitamin, Ginko, B-Complex and Vitamin C), at various times during the day (depending on what I feel I need, and what I'm heading to do!). One way to know if you're taking too much or if your body is absorbing/using all of it - is via your urine color. If it's bright yellow, you're body didn't absorb all of what you gave it. If it's clear your body absorbed / needed all of what you gave it!!  So, quantity DOES MATTER, when it comes to vitamins. Note: I also take "plenty" of Glucosamine for knees / hips that are starting to "go" / talk to me - if I'm using them a lot. So, the study mentioned above was NOT particular about how much vitamins the participants, on that side of the study took. Be sure you are PARTICULAR!! With warm regards, Golf - Answer for the Putting "Yips" Choke down


"In the British series of ""The Office"", the character of Gareth is played by which actor?"

Mackenzie Crook - IMDb IMDb Official Photos » Mackenzie Crook, one of British comedy's best-known faces, who collected Star Wars figurines as a child, is now immortalized in plastic as a six-inch-high pirate action figure. He was born Paul Mackenzie Crook on September 29, 1971, in Maidstone, Kent, England, UK. His father worked for British Airways. His mother was a hospital manager. He went ... See full bio » Born:


"""Spondulicks"" is another word for what?"

Slang Terms for Money Moolah, marigolds... and a macaroni!?! By Eric Shackle "Always try to rub against money, for if you rub against money long enough, some of it may rub off on you." (from Damon Runyon's story, A Very Honourable Guy). Dough, moolah, rhino, spondulicks... there are more slang words for money than for anything else apart from sex and drink   and since you may need money to obtain the other two, money should take pride of place. When it comes to places, there are villages named Penny Bridge (Cumbria), Shillingford (Devon and Oxfordshire), and Pound Bank (Worcestershire). Scotland's smallest county, Clackmannanshire, has a village named Dollar. The map shows it's near Dollarbank, Dollarbeg and the Burn of Sorrow. The following British places have money names: PENNY: Penny Bridge, Cumbria; Pennyfuir, Argyll & Bute; Pennyghael, Argyll & Bute; Pennyglen, South Ayrshire; Pennygown, Argyll & Bute; Pennymoor, Devon. SHILLING: Shillingford, Devon; Shillingford, Oxfordshire; Shillingford St George, Devon; Shillingstone, Dorset; Shillington, Bedfordshire. POUND: Pound Bank, Worcestershire; Pound Green, East Sussex; Pound Hill, West Sussex; Poundffald, Swansea; Poundgate, East Sussex; Poundisford Park, Somerset; Poundland, South Ayrshire; Poundon, Buckinghamshire; Poundsbridge, Kent; Poundsgate, Devon; Poundstock, Cornwall. DOLLAR: Dollar, Clackmannanshire; Dollar Law, Scottish Borders; Dollarbeg, Clackmannanshire. In the United States, three towns or villages are named Greenback, three are called Dollar, four Buck, and three Bucks (which is the name of counties in both the U.K. and U.S.) If you live in any of those places, you're really in the money. Over the centuries, the U.K. has developed a fund of colorful money slang. Witty Bristol word guru Michael Quinion (whose remarks are copied from his website with his permission) says: "Perhaps the oldest and best established [British slang terms] are the pony and the monkey, respectively ï¿½25 and ï¿½500. Another term for ï¿½25 is macaroni, rhyming slang for pony, which was invented in the 19th century. [Another source claims the term monkey came from soldiers returning from India, where the 500 rupee note had a picture of a monkey on it. They used the term monkey for 500 rupees and on returning to England the saying was converted for sterling to mean ï¿½500.] "ï¿½100 is a one-er, which can also mean ï¿½1,000; another, found in the US but which has not become common in Britain, is C or C-note, derived from the Roman numeral meaning 100. The relatively common US term for $1000, a grand, has become pretty well naturalised in Britain, with most people knowing what you mean by it, though it has become fashionable, at least in London, to call it a K. An alternative US form, big one, is sometimes heard. "The most common slang term in Britain these days for a pound is quid... an older term is nicker. There are many other terms for the pound, now mostly obsolete: note (from the period when paper money was substituted for gold sovereigns), bar and smacker (presumably from the noise it made when you were counting out a sum in pound notes on a counter). "Another obsolete term is marigold, a Victorian term for a sovereign, from the colour of the gold coin, but which in City financial circles at one time could also mean one million pounds. "There have been lots of names for British coins in times past, such as tanner for the old sixpence, bob for a shilling; for the half-crown coin (two shillings and sixpence) there were tosheroon or half a dollar. In the 1870s, the old crown coin, five shillings, was at times called an Oxford, which is rhyming slang (Oxford scholar = dollar). "Another term of long-standing was joey, originally a name given by cabbies to the silver Britannia groat, or fourpenny piece, which was issued in 1836, largely at the insistence of Joseph Hume, the economist and Member of Parliament, who said it would be useful for paying short cab fares and the like, but which stopped being issued in 1855, after which the name was transferred to the then silver threepenny


What science is concerned with the development of an embryo from the fertilization of the ovum to the foetus stage?

Life Begins at Fertilization with the Embryo's Conception Life Begins at Fertilization The following references illustrate the fact that a new human embryo, the starting point for a human life, comes into existence with the formation of the one-celled zygote: "Development of the embryo begins at Stage 1 when a sperm fertilizes an oocyte and together they form a zygote." [England, Marjorie A. Life Before Birth. 2nd ed. England: Mosby-Wolfe, 1996, p.31] "Human development begins after the union of male and female gametes or germ cells during a process known as fertilization (conception). "Fertilization is a sequence of events that begins with the contact of a sperm (spermatozoon) with a secondary oocyte (ovum) and ends with the fusion of their pronuclei (the haploid nuclei of the sperm and ovum) and the mingling of their chromosomes to form a new cell. This fertilized ovum, known as a zygote, is a large diploid cell that is the beginning, or primordium, of a human being." [Moore, Keith L. Essentials of Human Embryology. Toronto: B.C. Decker Inc, 1988, p.2] "Embryo: the developing organism from the time of fertilization until significant differentiation has occurred, when the organism becomes known as a fetus." [Cloning Human Beings. Report and Recommendations of the National Bioethics Advisory Commission. Rockville, MD: GPO, 1997, Appendix-2.] "Embryo: An organism in the earliest stage of development; in a man, from the time of conception to the end of the second month in the uterus." [Dox, Ida G. et al. The Harper Collins Illustrated Medical Dictionary. New York: Harper Perennial, 1993, p. 146] "Embryo: The early developing fertilized egg that is growing into another individual of the species. In man the term 'embryo' is usually restricted to the period of development from fertilization until the end of the eighth week of pregnancy." [Walters, William and Singer, Peter (eds.). Test-Tube Babies. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1982, p. 160] "The development of a human being begins with fertilization, a process by which two highly specialized cells, the spermatozoon from the male and the oocyte from the female, unite to give rise to a new organism, the zygote." [Langman, Jan. Medical Embryology. 3rd edition. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins, 1975, p. 3] "Embryo: The developing individual between the union of the germ cells and the completion of the organs which characterize its body when it becomes a separate organism.... At the moment the sperm cell of the human male meets the ovum of the female and the union results in a fertilized ovum (zygote), a new life has begun.... The term embryo covers the several stages of early development from conception to the ninth or tenth week of life." [Considine, Douglas (ed.). Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia. 5th edition. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1976, p. 943] "I would say that among most scientists, the word 'embryo' includes the time from after fertilization..." [Dr. John Eppig, Senior Staff Scientist, Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, Maine) and Member of the NIH Human Embryo Research Panel -- Panel Transcript, February 2, 1994, p. 31] "The development of a human begins with fertilization, a process by which the spermatozoon from the male and the oocyte from the female unite to give rise to a new organism, the zygote." [Sadler, T.W. Langman's Medical Embryology. 7th edition. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins 1995, p. 3] "The question came up of what is an embryo, when does an embryo exist, when does it occur. I think, as you know, that in development, life is a continuum.... But I think one of the useful definitions that has come out, especially from Germany, has been the stage at which these two nuclei [from sperm and egg] come together and the membranes between the two break down." [Jonathan Van Blerkom of University of Colorado, expert witness on human embryology before the NIH Human Embryo Research Panel -- Panel Transcript, February 2, 1994, p. 63] "Zygote. This cell, formed by the union of an ovum and a sperm (Gr. zyg tos, yoked together), represents the begi


What is the name for about 70 species of insect native to New Zealand that can grow as long as 100 mm (4 in) not including the legs and antennae, and weigh about 20-30 g (1 to 3/4 of an ounce)?

Largest organism - The Full Wiki The Full Wiki More info on Largest organism   Wikis Advertisements    Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article! This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles . Did you know ... the largest organism in the world is a honey fungus which covers more than 3.4 square miles (8.9 km²) and is thousands of years old? the largest body parts do not all belong to the largest animal , and that there are numerous Guinness World Records for the largest human body parts? (Redirected to Largest organisms article) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Satellite image of part of the Great Barrier Reef , considered by some measures to be the world's largest living thing. An aspen grove at Fishlake National Forest , similar in appearance to the one known as Pando . The largest organism found on Earth can be measured using a variety of methods. It could be defined as the largest by volume , mass , height , or length . Some organisms group together to form a superorganism , though this cannot truly be classed as one large organism. (The Great Barrier Reef , the world's largest coral reef (stretching 2,000 km) is a collection of many organisms). The Aspen tree ( Populus tremuloides ) forms large stands of genetically identical trees (technically, stems) connected by a single underground root system . These trees form through root sprouts coming off an original parent tree, though the root system may not remain a single unit in all specimens. The largest known fully-connected Aspen is a grove in Utah nicknamed Pando , and some experts call it the largest organism in the world, [1] by mass or volume. [2] It covers 0.43 km2 (106 acres) and is estimated to weigh 6,600 short tons (6,000 t). [3] A giant fungus of the species Armillaria ostoyae ( honey mushrooms ) in the Malheur National Forest in Oregon was found to span 8.9 km2 (2,200 acres) [4] , which would make it the largest organism by area. Whether or not this is an actual individual organism, however, is disputed: some tests have indicated that they have the same genetic makeup, [5] but unless its mycelium is fully connected, it is a clonal colony of numerous smaller individuals. Another clonal colony that rivals the Armillaria and the Populus colonies in size is a strand of the giant marine plant, Posidonia oceanica , discovered in the Mediterranean Sea near the Balearic Islands . It covers a band roughly 8 km (4.3 miles) in length. [6] The world's largest single stem tree, by volume, is the General Sherman tree, a Giant Sequoia with a volume of 1,487 m3 (52,500 cu ft). [7] This tree stands 83.8 m (275 ft) tall and the trunk alone is estimated to weigh over 2,000 short tons (1,800 t). The largest single-stem tree ever measured was the now deceased Lindsey creek tree , a Coast Redwood with a minimum trunk volume of over 2,500 m3 (88,000 cu ft) and a mass of over 3,600 short tons (3,300 t). It fell over during a storm in 1905. [8] By volume and weight, the largest known living animal is the blue whale , an endangered species whose official record length is 33.58 m (110 ft 2 in), and weight 190 short tons (172 metric tons) (for a pregnant female). The largest living land animals by mass are male ( bull ) African Bush Elephants (Savannah Elephants or Bush Elephants); one known example weighed roughly 27,000 lb (12 t). Some extinct land animals, including many dinosaurs , were much larger still. A 1985 study by the University of Helsinki concluded that the theoretical limit for land-dwelling animals based on known types of body plans was between 100 and 1000 metric tons. [9] Contents Mammals (Mammalia) The Blue Whale is the largest known animal in the world. A member of the order Cetacea , the Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is believed to be the heaviest animal to have ever lived, with the largest extinct sauropods believed to surpass the blue whale in terms of dimensions,[citation needed] but not in weight. The maximum recorded weight was 190 metric


In 1997, who was appointed the first female US Secretary of State?

Madeleine Korbel Albright - People - Department History - Office of the Historian Madeleine Korbel Albright - People - Department History Biographies of the Secretaries of State: Madeleine Korbel Albright (1937–) Introduction Madeleine Korbel Albright was nominated to be the first           woman Secretary of State by President William Jefferson           Clinton on December 5, 1996, confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January           22, 1997, and sworn in the next day. She served in the position for four years           and ended her service on January 20, 2001. Madeleine Korbel Albright, 64th Secretary of State Rise to Prominence Albright was born Marie Jean “Madlenka” Korbel on May 15, 1937, in Prague,           Czechoslovakia. Her father, Josef, was a member of the Czechoslovak Foreign           Service and served as press attaché in Belgrade, Yugoslavia and later became           Ambassador to Yugoslavia. After the communist coup in 1948, the family           immigrated to Denver, Colorado. Albright Americanized her name to Madeleine,           became a U.S. citizen in 1957, and earned a B.A. in political science with           honors from Wellesley College in 1959. She earned the Ph.D. in Public Law and           Government at Columbia University in 1976. Albright served as chief legislative assistant to Senator Edmund Muskie (D-Me)           from 1976 to 1978. From 1978 to 1981, she served as a staff member in the White           House under President Jimmy Carter and on the National           Security Council under National Security Adviser Zbigniew           Brzezinski. In 1982 she was appointed Research Professor of International Affairs at           Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and Director of its Women in           Foreign Service Program. In 1993 she was appointed Ambassador to the United           Nations by President Clinton and served in the position until her appointment as           Secretary of State in 1996. Influence on American Diplomacy As Secretary of State, Albright promoted the expansion of NATO eastward into the           former Soviet bloc nations and the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons from the           former Soviet republics to rogue nations, successfully pressed for military           intervention under NATO auspices during the humanitarian crisis in Kosovo in           1999, supported the expansion of free-market democratization and the creation of           civil societies in the developing world, favored the ratification of the Kyoto           Protocol on Global Climate Change, and furthered the normalization of relations           with Vietnam. Born 1937 Presentation of Credentials: January 27, 1993 Termination of Mission: January 21, 1997 Entry on Duty: January 23, 1997 Termination of Appointment: January 19, 2001


"Lotte Lenya, who played Rosa Klebb in ""From Russia With Love"" and the Contessa in ""The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone"", was married to whom?"

Lotte Lenya - Biography - IMDb Lotte Lenya Jump to: Overview  (3) | Mini Bio  (1) | Spouse  (5) | Trivia  (59) Overview (3) Karoline Wilhelmine Charlotte Blamauer Mini Bio (1) Lotte Lenya was a Tony Award-winning and Academy award-nominated actress and singer who is best remembered for her supporting role as Rosa Klebb in the classic Bond film From Russia with Love (1963). She was born Karoline Wilhelmine Charlotte Blaumauer on October 18, 1898, in Vienna, Austria (at that time Austro-Hungarian Empire), into a working class family. Young Lenya was fond of dancing. In 1914 she moved to Zurich, Switzerland. There she began using her stage name, Lotte Lenya. In Swizerland she studied classical dance, singing and acting and made her stage debut at the Schauspielhaus. In 1921 she moved to Berlin and blended in the city's cosmopolitan cultural milieu. In 1924 she met composer Kurt Weill , and they married in 1926. Lotte Lenya was the inspiration behind Weill's most popular hit 'Mack the Knife'. She performed in several productions of 'The Threepenny Opera', which became an important step in her acting career. In 1933, with the rise of Nazism in Germany, Lotte Lenya escaped from the country. At the same time, being stressed by the circumstances of life, she divorced from Kurt Weil, to be reunited with him two years later. In 1935 both emigrated to the United States and remarried in 1937. After Kurt Weill's death, she dedicated her efforts to keeping Weill's music played in numerous productions worldwide. In 1957 she won a Tony award for her role as Jenny, performed in English, in a Broadway production of 'The Threepenny Opera'. Lotte Lenya shot to international fame with her portrayal of Contessa Magda Terbilli-Gozales, Vivien Leigh's friend in The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961). The role brought Lenya an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress. She gained additional fame after she appeared as Rosa Klebb, former head of operations for SMERSH/KGB, and now a sadistic Spectre agent with poisonous knife in her shoe, in From Russia with Love (1963). She died of cancer on November 27, 1981, in New York. She is entombed with Kurt Weill in a mausoleum, in Mount Repose Cemetery, in Haverstraw, New York, USA. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Steve Shelokhonov Spouse (5) ( 28 January  1926      - 1933) (divorced) Trivia (59) Lenya, as the wife of famous composer Kurt Weill , would often star in his operas and musicals. At the world premiere of his "Threepenny Opera" in 1928, her name was inadvertently left out of the program guide, despite her playing the female lead. Awarded a Tony in 1956 for Supporting Actress in Marc Blitzstein 's version of "The Threepenny Opera". The Bobby Darin version of the song "Mack the Knife" (written by Lotte Lenya's husband Kurt Weill ) mentions her by name. Moved to Zurich in 1914 to be trained in classical dance and gained experience in opera and ballet at the Schauspielhaus. After Kurt Weill 's death in 1950, Lotte, no longer confident of her talent, reluctantly agreed to appear in a memorial concert at Town Hall. The concert was such a huge success that it prompted annual revivals until 1965. She also spent the rest of her life dedicated to keeping Kurt's music alive through exhaustive searches of lost work, administering copyrights and, of course, her legendary concerts. In addition to her husband's legacy, Lenya was also a specialist in Brechtian theatre. Won Broadway's 1956 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Musical) for "TheThreepenny Opera.'" She was also nominated in 1967 as Best Actress (Musical) for "Cabaret", where she created the role of "Fräulein Schneider" and acted as a consultant for the musical styles of 1930s Berlin, especially her husband's. After wearing a pair of shoes with knives sticking out on From Russia with Love (1963), some people looked at her shoes, when she first met them. Is entombed, with Kurt Weill , at the Mount Repose Cemetery, Haverstraw, New York. Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives." Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 49


Over several weeks after the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union agreed to give up its monopoly of power on February 7, 1990, the constituent republics of the USSR held their first competitive elections. How many republics were there?

Why did the soviet union split into so many different countries? Why did the soviet union split into so many different countries? Answers: Essentially the Soviet Union split into either former countries, that prior to the USSR had been sovereign nations that joined or were conquered. There were a few of the countries that were created out of an area that were multiple ethnicities which split into individual countries after the break up of the USSR. The nations were free countries BEFORE the Soviets conquered them ~~~ when the USSR broke up the countries returned to who they were. thats why they called it a union because it was a union of many different countries: unionised by force from the Russians: the other countries (such as latvia, lithuania, ukraine, romania, hungary, etc) were invaded and forced to join. they have differnet languages and culture from the russains. so as soon as they had a chance they split away. The Soviet Union was basically Stalin's action of pushing a bunch of separate countries together and using military force to maintain the combination. This worked as long as they could squeeze resources to maintain an army. Once the soviet union became incapable of using force to maintain a fiction the union broke more-or-less into what would have been the composite pieces. This is why Vietnam merged once the U.S. was no longer around to prevent the Chinese from merging it. Had the Chinese not had the resources to support North Vietnam, they could never have taken over the south. Of course, it could be argued that the country wouldn't have broken apart if it hadn't been partitioned in the first place back in the 1940s. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact the neighboring countries (such asTurkey) don't want it and are willing to use force to stop it,. the northern part of Iraq would have become Kurdistan by now. During the 19th century, more territorial acquisitions were made in Europe and Asia. Repeated devastating defeats of the Russian army in World War I led to widespread rioting in the major cities of the Russian Empire and to the overthrow in 1917 of the imperial household. The Communists under Vladimir LENIN seized power soon after and formed the USSR. The brutal rule of Josef STALIN (1928-53) strengthened Russian dominance of the Soviet Union at a cost of tens of millions of lives. The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the following decades until General Secretary Mikhail GORBACHEV (1985-91) introduced glasnost (openness)* and perestroika (restructuring)** in an attempt to modernize Communism, but his initiatives inadvertently released forces that by December 1991 splintered the USSR into 15 independent republics. Since then, Russia has struggled in its efforts to build a democratic political system and market economy to replace the strict social, political, and economic controls of the Communist period. While some progress has been made on the economic front, recent years have seen a recentralization of power under Vladimir PUTIN and an erosion in nascent democratic institutions. A determined guerrilla conflict still plagues Russia in Chechnya. * Glasnost, meaning "openness", was one of Mikhail Gorbachev's policies introduced to the Soviet Union in 1985. Gorbachev's goal in undertaking glasnost was in part to pressure conservatives within the party who opposed his policies of economic restructuring or perestroika. While in the West the notion of "glasnost" is associated with the freedom of speech, main goal of this policy was to make the management transparent and discutable, to oppose the former situation when major political and management decisions were made by a narrow circle of apparatchiks or within Politburo, and were beyond criticism. Glasnost gave new freedom to the people, such as freedom of speech, which was a radical change because control of ideas had previously been a central part of the Soviet system. Therefore glasnost is considered an important step towards real democracy in Russia. Under glasnost the people could learn significantly more about the horrors committed by the


"What is a disorder of the immune system (called ""type I hypersensitivity"") whereby the human body reacts adversely to normally harmless environmental substances?"

Air Quality Canada A Abatement-the ending, reduction, or lessening of harmful materials or substances. ACH– Air changes per hour. One ACH means a volume of outdoor air equal to the volume of the space being ventilated has entered that space in one hour. Action Level – Level of exposure to a harmful substance or other hazard (present in a work environment or situation) at which an employer or individual must take the required precautions to protect the buildings inhabitants. Allergies – An allergy is a hypersensitivity disorder of the immune system. Symptoms include red eyes, itchiness, and runny nose, eczema, hives, or an asthma attack. Allergic Reaction – Reactions that occur when a person’s immune system reacts to normally harmless substances in the environment. Alpha Particles – Alpha particles (symbol α ) are a type of ionizing radiation ejected by the nuclei of some unstable atoms. They are large subatomic fragments consisting of two protons and two neutrons. Asbestos Cement – Building material made from a watered mixture of cement and asbestos. B Backflow Preventer – A check valve installed on a building drain to prevent backup should the drain line receive floodwaters from outside the building, such as due to area flooding or a septic or sewer line backup. Bacteria – Micro-organisms that have no true nucleus, a single chromosome, and no mitochondria, capable of causing adverse health effects. Bio-aerosols – Tiny airborne particles that are alive, were once alive, or are a part of something that is or once was alive. Biocide – A physical or chemical agent that is capable of killing micro-organisms. Biofilm – A surface layer of micro-organisms. Boroscope – An instrument used to inspect the inside of a structure through a small hole. Breathing Zone – Area of a room in which occupants breathe as they stand, sit, or lie down. BRI – See Building-Related illness Building-Related Illness – A discrete, identifiable disease or illness that can be traced to a specific pollutant or source within a building. (e.g., Legionnaires’ disease, hypersensitivity pneumonitis) (Contrast with sick building C Carcenogen – A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer. Central Air Handling Unit (Central AHU)- This is the same as an Air Handling Unit, but serves more than one area. CFM – Cubic feet per minute. Chemical Sensitivity – Health problems characterized by effects such as dizziness, eye and throat irritation, chest tightness, and nasal congestion that appear whenever individuals are exposed to certain chemicals. People may react to even trace amounts of chemicals to which they have become sensitized. Chronic effects – Those occurring after repeated long-term exposure and are seen months or years after initiation of exposure. Circulation – air moved through the furnace heat exchanger and then through the house to provide heating or cooling. This may not have any outside air CO – Carbon monoxide. CO2 – Carbon dioxide. Coil – Component of HVAC system that acts as a heat exchanger, either adding heat or taking heat away from the air stream. Combustion – additional air brought into the house to allow furnaces, boilers, clothes dryers, ranges and domestic hot water heaters to burn. If the appliance has “sealed” combustion this air will not affect the air within the house. Condensation – The process of changing a vapour to a liquid by extracting heat from the vapour. Conditioned Air – Air that has been heated, cooled, humidified, or dehumidified to maintain an interior space within the comfort zone. (Sometimes referred to as tempered air.) Constant Air Volume (CAY) System – Refers to a type of HVAC system where air volume is constant and air-stream is either heated or cooled so as to maintain a constant temperature. Containment Barrier – Containment Barriers help isolate and contain dust, airborne contaminants, odors and mold spores when performing indoor building construction, mold remediation and day-to-day maintenance activities. Containment barriers provide a durable flo


What Scottish place name is used for a promontory?

Mull | Define Mull at Dictionary.com to mix (clay and sand) under a roller for use in preparing a mold. Origin Expand 1400-50; compare dial.: to crumble, pulverize, Middle English mollen, mullen, orig., to moisten, soften by wetting; see moil Mull an island in the Hebrides, in W Scotland. About 351 sq. mi. (910 sq. km). Dictionary.com Unabridged Examples from the Web for mull Expand Contemporary Examples Residents, both locals and expats, mull it over in daily conversations: whose apartment got robbed last night? Historical Examples The ideal dress is of mull with much or little valenciennes lace (real) and finest hand embroidery. Etiquette Emily Post I was awakened by a cry from mull, who was also by this time at the Duke's side. The Bbur-nma in English Babur, Emperor of Hindustan mull is said to contain six thousand, and Sky fifteen thousand. British Dictionary definitions for mull Expand (transitive) often foll by over. to study or ponder Word Origin (transitive) to heat (wine, ale, etc) with sugar and spices to make a hot drink Derived Forms a light muslin fabric of soft texture Word Origin C18: earlier mulmull, from Hindi malmal mull4 a layer of nonacidic humus formed in well drained and aerated soils Compare mor Word Origin C20: from Danish muld; see mould³ mull5 C14: related to Gaelic maol, Icelandic múli Mull noun 1. a mountainous island off the west coast of Scotland, in the Inner Hebrides, separated from the mainland by the Sound of Mull. Chief town: Tobermory. Pop: 2667 (2001). Area: 909 sq km (351 sq miles) Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for mull Expand v. "ponder," 1873, perhaps from a figurative use of Middle English mullyn "grind to powder, pulverize," from molle "dust, ashes, rubbish" (c.1300), probably from Middle Dutch mul "grit, loose earth," related to mill (n.1). But Webster's (1879) defined it as "to work steadily without accomplishing much," which may connect it to earlier identical word in athletics sense of "to botch, muff" (1862). Related: Mulled; mulling. "sweeten, spice and heat a drink," c.1600, of unknown origin, perhaps from Dutch mol, a kind of white, sweet beer, or from Flemish molle a kind of beer, and related to words for "to soften." Related: Mulled; mulling. n. "promontory" (in Scottish place names), late 14c., perhaps from Old Norse muli "a jutting crag, projecting ridge (between two valleys)," which probably is identical with muli "snout, muzzle." The Norse word is related to Old Frisian mula, Middle Dutch mule, muul, Old High German mula, German Maul "muzzle, mouth." Alternative etymology traces it to Gaelic maol "brow of a hill or rock," also "bald," from Old Celtic *mailo-s (cf. Irish maol, Old Irish máel, máil, Welsh moel). Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper


What does the German surname Schwarzkopf literally mean?

There Are Four Common Types of German Surnames. Which One Is Yours? – Ancestry Blog Wagner (carter/cartwright) Weber (weaver) 2. Patronymic. Often, a person was distinguished by a reference to his or her father, which eventually turned into what we now know as a last name. A man named Simon whose father was named Ahrend might have become Simon Ahrends (Simon, son of Ahrend). Johann Petersohn was Johann, son of Peter. Patronymics most often come from the northern areas of Germany. Because some early German records were written in Latin, last names were sometimes written with the Latin ending “-i” (sometimes spelled “-y”), as in Martin Berendi, who would have been Martin, son of a man named Berend. At first, patronymic names would change with each generation, as they were just describing one person by that person’s father’s name. This continued until laws required adopting a permanent surname that passed down hereditarily. People were sometimes reluctant to comply with these laws, and sometimes several decrees were passed. In the Schleswig-Holstein area of northern Germany, for instance, such laws were passed in 1771, 1820, and 1822. 3. Descriptive. Many German surnames are descriptive names based on a physical characteristic, such as Brun/Braun (brown hair or a swarthy complexion), Krause (curly-haired), Klein (small), Gross (big), Schwarzkopf (black headed), and Hertz (big-hearted). Older, non-Christian names are often of this type. 4. Geographical. These names derive from where a person lived or came from. They may stem from the name of a city or village or the location of someone’s home, such as Kissinger from Kissingen and Schwarzenegger from Schwarzenegg. Someone named Berger may have who lived on a mountain. Since about 1600, only aristocratic families were allowed to use the “von” prefix in Germany. So if someone was baron of a village, his family name would be “von” and the village name. In older names, though, “von” sometimes merely indicated that a person was from an area: Lukas von Albrecht may have been Lukas from Albrecht. German immigrants to North America who used the “von” prefix almost never had used it previously in their native country. A geographical name could also be one that derives from a landmark (Busch was named after a certain bush, or Springborn after a spring or well), or a family might have been named after an inn or farm. Some German surnames had local dialectical characteristics. For instance, in south German, Austrian and Swiss, diminutive endings included -l, -el, -erl, -le, and -li. Some examples are Kleibel, Schauble and Nageli. —Leslie Lang


The constitution of which country is the world's oldest still in effect?

Goodlatte says U.S. has the oldest working national constitution | PolitiFact Virginia The U.S. Constitution is "the oldest written constitution still in use today" among nations. — Bob Goodlatte on Wednesday, September 17th, 2014 in a video. Goodlatte says U.S. has the oldest working national constitution By Sean Gorman on Monday, September 22nd, 2014 at 12:00 a.m. U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte was among many Virginia lawmakers who wished the U.S. Constitution a happy 227th birthday on Sep. 17. "As we reflect with reverence on the oldest written constitution still in use today, let’s also not forget the dangers of an unchecked executive branch," Goodlatte, R-6th, said in a video. We’ll pass on the jab at President Barack Obama for executive overreach. Our goal is to check whether the U.S. really has the oldest active constitution. Beth Breeding, Goodlatte’s spokeswoman, pointed to several documents supporting the congressman’s statement. Among them is a passage from the U.S. Senate website, which says the Constitution is "The world’s longest surviving written charter of government." Breeding noted that similar statements appear on the websites of the National Archives , Encyclopedia Britannica , and The Constitution Center in Philadelphia -- a museum dedicated to the U.S. Constitution. We ran Goodlatte’s statement by Tom Ginsburg , a University of Chicago professor and a principal investigator with the Comparative Constitutions Project, which has examined national constitutions around the world. He agreed with the congressman and directed us to a list his group has compiled on when national constitutions were enacted. The oldest one is the United States’. Although signed in 1787, it needed to be ratified by the states and didn’t go into effect until 1789. Next on the seniority list is Norway, which enacted its constitution in 1814,  and then Belgium, in 1831. Although we may think of constitutions as yellowing pieces of parchment, that’s not always the case. Only half live more than 19 years, according to a summary of a 2009 book that Ginsburg co-wrote about constitutions around the world. While many constitutional experts agree with Goodlatte, his statement does not get unanimous ratification. As our colleagues at PolitiFact noted in 2011, there’s a debate among scholars over whether some countries have an older constitution than the U.S. It all depends on how you define a constitution. Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines the term a couple of ways. One of them is as a governing document. But another way is as a "system of beliefs and laws by which a country, state or organization is governed." Some countries don’t have a formal central constitution like the U.S., but rather pull from a collection of laws, practices and texts that date back centuries. For example, the tiny country of San Marino, landlocked by Italy, bases its government on various "legislative instruments," including a series of written laws enacted in 1600, according to the Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook. The United Kingdom, is said to have an  "unwritten" constitution based on common law, practices and various statutes -- including the Magna Carta, which was written in the 13th century. John Paul Jones, a professor of law emeritus at the University of Richmond, said Goodlatte’s statement is essentially correct. But Jones qualified his conclusion by pointing to the United Kingdom’s constitution. Although largely unwritten, Jones said it does contain some centuries-old texts including "three or four documents that predate 1789." What makes the U.S. Constitution so enduring? We asked Lynn Uzzell, the scholar in residence at Montpelier, the home of President James Madison, who was one of the most frequent speakers at the 1787 Constitutional Convention. Uzzell said she thinks it’s because the document is based on a lot of sound principles guarding against abuse of power. She also said it’s a relatively simple and short document with a lot of flexibility allowing the country to respond to developing circumstances.   A final note: Goodlatte’s office


What medieval coin, first minted around 1140 by Roger II of Sicily, was adopted by Florence in 1252 and Venice in 1283, and was in use in Austria-Hungary until 1914?

Central Europe Introduction This rather lengthy article is the result of my curiosity while planning my first trip to Budapest. I discovered I knew very little of the geography and history of Central Europe, and set out to learn more. My definition of Central Europe embraces the Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. I later added Poland and the Baltic republics, Albania and Macedonia, but Greece is not included, except incidentally. This article is, of course, not a complete treatise, since there is much more material than can be treated in such a limited compass, but investigates the topics that I found interesting. It is assembled from the secondary sources mentioned in the References at the end of the article. It is meant primarily for my own enjoyment, but others may find one or another story interesting. I have tried to be fair, but it is necessary to take positions based on the information I have. There is a great deal of conflict, blood and hate in this history, from the migrations of the first millennium of this era to the Shoah of 1941-45. It is depressing that people have not been better to each other. One also finds pernicious national myths that deserve to be exposed. I am dependent on my sources for information. In controversial cases, I have tried to examine both sides, which the Internet facilitates. In many cases, only one faction has truth on its side. Numerical statistics are always suspect, particularly if there appears to be no rational source of them. We begin with some geography. The Carpathians The geography of Central Europe is dominated by the Carpathian Mountains. This range extends in a 1500-km arc from the Porta Hungarica where they are divided from the Alps by the Danube to the Iron Gate where the Danube separates them from the Balkans. Their arc contains the Hungarian Plain, drained by the Danube, the Tisza and their tributaries. In the east, they curve around the Transylvanian plateau, a hilly region contained by mountains. The Carpathians consist of several independent ranges and form a broad mountainous belt. The White Carpathians are the westernmost range. Then come the West Beskids and the East Beskids, separated by the High Tatra, which is a little south of the main summit line. The eastern, or wooded, Carpathians curve around Transylvania and then join the est-west Southern Carpathians that extend to the Iron Gate near Orsova. These mountains are the outer limits of the Alpine orogeny of early Tertiary age. The western parts are composed of typical Alpine flysch, while the eastern sections are mainly sandstone. The High Tatra are granite. They are not high mountains with Alpine scenery. The highest peak, in the High Tatra of the Slovak Republic, reaches 2655 m (8705 ft.). It was named after Franz Josef, then Gerlachova by the Czechs, who later thought Stalin Peak was a better name. It is back to Gerlachova now. There are many passes through the range. The Breslau-Budapest railway uses the Jablunka Pass, at the northwest corner of the Slovak Republic, the lowest at 1970 ft. Vereczke Pass, in the eastern Carpathians, is famous as the route of the magyars in 896 into the Hungarian plain. The Predeal Pass is at the junction of the eastern and southern Carpathians, just south of Brasov. To the north, towards Poland, is the Galician plain, once a Hapsburg possession. Beyond that, plains extend to the Baltic. To the east is the Ukranian plain, extending into Central Asia. To the south of the Southern Carpathians lies the Wallachian Plain, bounded by the Danube. In the northwest the Carpathians collide with earlier mountains of the Hercynian or Variscian (Carboniferous) orogeny. the Sudeten range (the name means "boar's mountains") runs northwest to the Erzgebirge, which trends southwest to meet the Böhmerwald. These ranges enclose the plateau of Bohemia. The Harz mountains to the west are part of this assembly. All of these mountains are strongly mineralized. The Erzgebirge was an early source of tin and copper, and, therefore, bronze. It


"Which film was notable for the legal battle that ensued when first Madonna then Kim Basinger backed out of the title role, and for winning a ""Worst Director"" award for David Lynch at the Golden Raspberry Awards?"

Boxing Helena (1993) – HORRORPEDIA Boxing Helena is a 1993 American film and the debut feature by Jennifer Chambers Lynch ( XX ), daughter of David Lynch (Twin Peaks; The Elephant Man; Eraserhead). It stars Julian Sands and Sherilyn Fenn as the eponymous Helena. Plot: Nick Cavanaugh (Julian Sands) is a lonely Atlanta surgeon obsessed with a woman named Helena (Sherilyn Fenn). After she is injured in a grievous hit-and-run motor vehicle accident in front of his home, he kidnaps and treats her in his house surreptitiously, amputating both of her legs. Later, he amputates her healthy arms as well. Though Helena is the victim of Nick’s kidnapping and mutilation, she dominates the dialogue with her constant ridiculing of him for all of his shortcomings. After some time living together she becomes lonely and returns his affection. Buy DVD from Amazon.com   A legal battle ensued when first Madonna, then Kim Basinger backed out of the title role — eventually Basinger was the subject of an adverse jury verdict for over $8.1 million dollars. This caused Basinger to enter bankruptcy. The verdict was then set aside on appeal in 1994, but the actress later settled for $3.8 million. Few sensible people objected to either actress being replaced by Twin Peaks star Fenn (Madonna in particular would’ve been a spectacular case of miscasting). The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival . However, the media predictably critically mauled it on its release, the controversial theme and negative publicity surrounding the Basinger case ensuring that conservative critics and bandwagon jumpers had already made their minds up about the movie before seeing it. Boxing Helena won Worst Director for Jennifer Lynch at the Golden Raspberry Awards , a genuinely horrible event that as often ridicules innovation as it does bad films, in 1994. Winning that award should be seen as a badge of honour. Reviews: “As it turns out, Ms. Lynch has both talent and a point … Presented instead as a macabre modern fairy tale, and staged in unexpectedly discreet style (under the circumstances), her Boxing Helena is at least as hypnotically peculiar as it is perverse. Kinky? Very definitely, since the film’s emphasis is on erotic fascination and not on disfigurement. Contemptuous of women? Well, no. Even without her arms, the cruel, beautiful Helena manages to hold all the cards.” New York Times Cast and characters: