title: "Slow loris" content: ("N. pygmaeus"), Javan slow loris ("N. javanicus"), Philippine slow loris ("N. menagensis"), Bangka slow loris ("N. bancanus"), Bornean slow loris ("N. borneanus"), and Kayan River slow loris ("N. kayan"). The group's closest relatives are the slender lorises of southern India and Sri Lanka. Their next closest relatives are the African lorisids, the pottos, false pottos, and angwantibos. They are less closely related to the remaining lorisoids (the various types of galago), and more distantly to the lemurs of Madagascar. Their evolutionary history is uncertain since their fossil record is patchy and molecular clock studies have given inconsistent results. Slow lorises


title: "Slow loris" content: have a round head, a narrow snout, large eyes, and a variety of distinctive coloration patterns that are species-dependent. Their arms and legs are nearly equal in length, and their trunk is long and flexible, allowing them to twist and extend to nearby branches. The hands and feet of slow lorises have several adaptations that give them a pincer-like grip and enable them to grasp branches for long periods of time. Slow lorises have a toxic bite, a trait rare among mammals and unique to lorisid primates. The toxin is obtained by licking a gland on their arm, and the


title: "Slow loris" content: secretion is activated by mixing with saliva. Their toxic bite is a deterrent to predators, and the toxin is also applied to the fur during grooming as a form of protection for their infants. The secretion from the arm contains a chemical related to cat allergen, but may be augmented by secondary toxins from the diet in wild individuals. Slow lorises move slowly and deliberately, making little or no noise, and when threatened, they stop moving and remain motionless. Their only documented predators—apart from humans—include snakes, changeable hawk-eagles and orangutans, although cats, civets and sun bears are suspected. Little is


title: "Slow loris" content: known about their social structure, but they are known to communicate by scent marking. Males are highly territorial. Slow lorises reproduce slowly, and the infants are initially parked on branches or carried by either parent. They are omnivores, eating small animals, fruit, tree gum, and other vegetation. Each of the slow loris species that had been identified prior to 2012 is listed as either "Vulnerable" or "Endangered" on the IUCN Red List. The three newest species are yet to be evaluated, but they arise from (and further reduce the ranks of) what was thought to be a single "vulnerable" species.


title: "Slow loris" content: All four of these are expected to be listed with at least the same, if not a higher-risk, conservation status. All slow lorises are threatened by the wildlife trade and habitat loss. Their habitat is rapidly disappearing and becoming fragmented, making it nearly impossible for slow lorises to disperse between forest fragments; unsustainable demand from the exotic pet trade and from traditional medicine has been the greatest cause for their decline. Deep-rooted beliefs about the supernatural powers of slow lorises, such as their purported abilities to ward off evil spirits or to cure wounds, have popularized their use in traditional


title: "Slow loris" content: medicine. Despite local laws prohibiting trade in slow lorises and slow loris products, as well as protection from international commercial trade under Appendix I, slow lorises are openly sold in animal markets in Southeast Asia and smuggled to other countries, such as Japan. Due in part to the large eyes that are an adaptation to their nocturnal lifestyle, they have also been popularized as 'cute' pets in viral videos on YouTube. Slow lorises have their teeth cut or pulled out for the pet trade. They make poor pets that are difficult to care for, and often die from infection, blood


title: "Slow loris" content: loss, improper caring and handling or inadequate nutrition. Slow lorises (genus "Nycticebus") are strepsirrhine primates and are related to other living lorisoids, such as slender lorises ("Loris"), pottos ("Perodicticus"), false pottos ("Pseudopotto"), angwantibos ("Arctocebus"), and galagos (family Galagidae), and to the lemurs of Madagascar. They are most closely related to the slender lorises of South Asia, followed by the angwantibos, pottos and false pottos of Central and West Africa. Lorisoids are thought to have evolved in Africa, where most living species occur; later, one group may have migrated to Asia and evolved into the slender and slow lorises of today.


title: "Slow loris" content: Lorises first appear in the Asian fossil record in the Miocene, with records in Thailand around 18 million years ago (mya) and in Pakistan 16 mya. The Thai record is based on a single tooth that most closely resembles living slow lorises and that is tentatively classified as a species of "Nycticebus". The species is named ? "Nycticebus linglom", using open nomenclature (the preceding "?" indicates the tentative nature of the assignment). Several lorises are found in the Siwalik deposits of Pakistan, dating to 16 to 8 mya, including "Nycticeboides" and "Microloris". Most are small, but an unnamed form dating


title: "Slow loris" content: to 15–16 mya is comparable in size to the largest living slow lorises. Molecular clock analysis suggests that slow lorises may have started evolving into distinct species about 10 mya. They are thought to have reached the islands of Sundaland when the Sunda Shelf was exposed at times of low sea level, creating a land bridge between the mainland and islands off the coast of Southeast Asia. The earliest known mention of a slow loris in scientific literature is from 1770, when Dutchman Arnout Vosmaer (1720–1799) described a specimen of what we know today as "N. bengalensis" that he had


title: "Slow loris" content: received two years earlier. The French naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, later questioned Vosmaer's decision to affiliate the animal with sloths, arguing that it was more closely aligned with the lorises of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and Bengal. The word "loris" was first used in 1765 by Buffon as a close equivalent to a Dutch name, "loeris". This etymology was later supported by the physician William Baird in the 1820s, who noted that the Dutch word "loeris" signified "a clown". In 1785, the Dutch physician and naturalist Pieter Boddaert was the first to officially describe a species of slow


title: "Slow loris" content: loris using the name "Tardigradus coucang". This species was based on the "tailless maucauco" described by Thomas Pennant in 1781, which is thought to have been based on a Sunda slow loris, and on Vosmaer's description of a Bengal slow loris. Consequently, there has been some disagreement over the identity of "Tardigradus coucang"; currently the name is given to the Sunda slow loris. The next slow loris species to be described was "Lori bengalensis" (currently "Nycticebus bengalensis"), named by Bernard Germain de Lacépède in 1800. In 1812, Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire named the genus "Nycticebus", naming it for its nocturnal behavior.


title: "Slow loris" content: The name derives from the , genitive form of (, "night"), and (, "monkey"). Geoffroy also named "Nycticebus javanicus" in this work. Later 19th-century authors also called the slow lorises "Nycticebus", but most used the species name "tardigradus" (given by Linnaeus in 1758 in the 10th edition of "Systema Naturæ") for slow lorises, until mammalogists Witmer Stone and James A. G. Rehn clarified in 1902 that Linnaeus's name actually referred to a slender loris. Several more species were named around 1900, including "Nycticebus menagensis" (originally "Lemur menagensis") by Richard Lydekker in 1893 and "Nycticebus pygmaeus" by John James Lewis Bonhote


title: "Slow loris" content: in 1907. However, in 1939 Reginald Innes Pocock consolidated all slow lorises into a single species, "N. coucang", and in his influential 1953 book "Primates: Comparative Anatomy and Taxonomy", primatologist William Charles Osman Hill also followed this course. In 1971 Colin Groves recognized the pygmy slow loris ("N. pygmaeus") as a separate species, and divided "N. coucang" into four subspecies, while in 2001 Groves opined there were three species ("N. coucang", "N. pygmaeus", and "N. bengalensis"), and that "N. coucang" had three subspecies ("Nycticebus coucang coucang", "N. c. menagensis", and "N. c. javanicus"). In 2006, the Bornean slow loris was


title: "Slow loris" content: elevated to the species level (as "Nycticebus menagensis") based on molecular analysis of DNA sequences of the D-loop and the cytochrome "b" gene. In 2008, Groves and Ibnu Maryanto confirmed the promotion of the fifth species, the Javan slow loris, to species status, a move that had been suggested in previous studies from 2000. They based their decision on an analysis of cranial morphology and characteristics of pelage. Species differentiation was based largely on differences in morphology, such as size, fur color, and head markings. To help clarify species and subspecies boundaries, and to establish whether morphology-based classifications were consistent


title: "Slow loris" content: with evolutionary relationships, the phylogenetic relationships within the genus "Nycticebus" were investigated by Chen and colleagues using DNA sequences derived from the mitochondrial markers D-loop and cytochrome "b". Previous molecular analyses using karyotypes, restriction enzymes, and DNA sequences were focused on understanding the relationships between a few species, not the phylogeny of the entire genus. The analyses published in 2006 by Chen and colleagues' proved inconclusive, although one test suggested that "N. coucang" and "N. bengalensis" apparently share a closer evolutionary relationship with each other than with members of their own species, possibly due to introgressive hybridization since the tested


title: "Slow loris" content: individuals of these two taxa originated from a region of sympatry in southern Thailand. This hypothesis was corroborated by a 2007 study that compared the variations in mitochondrial DNA sequences between "N. bengalensis" and "N. coucang", and suggested that there has been gene flow between the two species. In 2012, two taxonomic synonyms (formerly recognized as subspecies) of "N. menagensis"—"N. bancanus" and "N. borneanus"—were elevated to species status, and a new species—"N. kayan"—was also distinguished from the same. Rachel Munds, Anna Nekaris and Susan Ford based these taxonomic revisions on distinguishable facial markings. With that, the "N. menagensis" species complex


title: "Slow loris" content: that had been collectively known as the Bornean slow loris became four species: the Philippine slow loris ("N. menagensis"), the Bornean slow loris ("N. borneanus"), the Bangka slow loris ("N. bancanus"), and the Kayan River slow loris ("N. kayan"). Slow lorises have a round head because their skull is shorter than in other living strepsirrhine. Like other lorisids, their snout does not taper towards the front of the face as it does in lemurs, making the face appear less long and pointed. Compared with the slender lorises, the snout of the slow loris is even less pointed. As with other


title: "Slow loris" content: members of Lorisidae, its interorbital distance is shorter than in lemurs. The skull has prominent crests (ridges of bone). A distinguishing feature of the slow loris skull is that the occipital bone is flattened and faces backward. The foramen magnum (hole through which the spinal cord enters) faces directly backward. The brains of slow lorises have more folds (convolutions) than the brains of galagos. The ears are small, sparsely covered in hair, and hidden in the fur. Similar to the slender lorises, the fur around and directly above the eyes is dark. Unlike the slender lorises, however, the white stripe


title: "Slow loris" content: that separates the eye rings broadens both on the tip of the nose and on the forehead while also fading out on the forehead. Like other strepsirrhine primates, the nose and lip are covered by a moist skin called the rhinarium ("wet nose"), which is a sense organ. The eyes of slow lorises are forward-facing, which gives stereo vision. Their eyes are large and possess a reflective layer, called the tapetum lucidum, that improves low-light vision. It is possible that this layer blurs the images they see, as the reflected light may interfere with the incoming light. Slow lorises have


title: "Slow loris" content: monochromatic vision, meaning they see in shades of only one color. They lack the opsin gene that would allow them to detect short wavelength light, which includes the colors blue and green. The dental formula of slow lorises is , meaning that on each side of the mouth there are two upper (maxillary) and lower (mandibular) incisors, one upper and lower canine tooth, three upper and lower premolars, and three upper and lower molars, giving a total of 36 permanent teeth. As in all other crown strepsirrhines, their lower incisors and canine are procumbent (lie down and face outwards), forming


title: "Slow loris" content: a toothcomb, which is used for personal and social grooming and feeding. The toothcomb is kept clean by the sublingua or "under-tongue", a specialized structure that acts like a toothbrush to remove hair and other debris. The sublingua extends below the tip of the tongue and is tipped with keratinized, serrated points that rake between the front teeth. Slow lorises have relatively large maxillary canine teeth, their inner (mesial) maxillary incisors are larger than the outer (distal) maxillary incisors, and they have a diastema (gap) between the canine and the first premolar. The first mandibular premolar is elongated, and the


title: "Slow loris" content: last molar has three cusps on the crown, the shortest of which is near the back. The bony palate (roof of the mouth) only goes as far back as the second molar. Slow lorises range in weight from the Bornean slow loris at to as much as for the Bengal slow loris. Slow lorises have stout bodies, and their tails are only stubs and hidden beneath the dense fur. Their combined head and body lengths vary by species, but range from between all species. The trunk is longer than in other living strepsirrhines because they have 15–16 thoracic vertebrae, compared


title: "Slow loris" content: to 12–14 in other living strepsirrhines. This gives them greater mobility when twisting and extending towards nearby branches. Their other vertebrae include seven cervical vertebrae, six or seven lumbar vertebrae, six or seven sacral vertebrae, and seven to eleven caudal vertebrae. Unlike galagos, which have longer legs than arms, slow lorises have arms and legs of nearly equal length. Their intermembral index (ratio of arm to leg length) averages 89, indicating that their forelimbs are slightly shorter than their hind limbs. As with the slender lorises, their arms are slightly longer than their body, but the extremities of slow lorises


title: "Slow loris" content: are more stout. Slow lorises have a powerful grasp with both their hands and feet due to several specializations. They can tightly grasp branches with little effort because of a special muscular arrangement in their hands and feet, where the thumb diverges at nearly 180° from the rest of the fingers, while the hallux (big toe) ranges between being perpendicular and pointing slightly backwards. The toes have a large flexor muscle that originates on the lower end of the thigh bone, which helps to impart a strong grasping ability to the hind limbs. The second digit of the hand is


title: "Slow loris" content: short compared to the other digits, while on the foot, the fourth toe is the longest. The sturdy thumb helps to act like a clamp when digits three, four, and five grasp the opposite side of a tree branch. This gives their hands and feet a pincer-like appearance. The strong grip can be held for hours without losing sensation due to the presence of a rete mirabile (network of capillaries), a trait shared among all lorises. Both slender and slow lorises have relatively short feet. Like nearly all lemuriforms, they have a grooming claw on the second toe of each


title: "Slow loris" content: foot. Slow lorises have an unusually low basal metabolic rate, about 40% of the typical value for placental mammals of their size, comparable to that of sloths. Since they consume a relatively high-calorie diet that is available year-round, it has been proposed that this slow metabolism is due primarily to the need to eliminate toxic compounds from their food. For example, slow lorises can feed on "Gluta" bark, which may be fatal to humans. Slow lorises are found in South and Southeast Asia. Their collective range stretches from Northeast India through Indochina, east to the Sulu Archipelago (the small, southern


title: "Slow loris" content: islands of the Philippines), and south to the island of Java (including Borneo, Sumatra, and many small nearby islands). They are found in India (Northeastern states), China (Yunnan province), Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, and Singapore. There are currently eight recognized species. The pygmy slow loris ("N. pygmaeus") occurs east of the Mekong River in Yunnan, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. The Bornean slow loris ("N. menagensis"), found on Borneo and nearby islands, including the Sulu Archipelago, and in 2012 was split into four distinct species (adding "N. bancanus", "N. borneanus", and "N. kayan"). The


title: "Slow loris" content: Javan slow loris ("N. javanicus") is only found on the island of Java in Indonesia. The Sunda slow loris ("N. coucang") occurs on Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula, including Singapore and southern Thailand (the Isthmus of Kra). The Bengal slow loris ("N. bengalensis") has the largest distribution of all the slow lorises and can be found in Bangladesh, Cambodia, southern China, Northeast India, Laos, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam. Slow lorises range across tropical and subtropical regions and are found in primary and secondary rainforests, as well as bamboo groves and mangrove forests. They prefer forests with high, dense canopies, although


title: "Slow loris" content: some species have also been found in disturbed habitats, such as cacao plantations and mixed-crop home gardens. Due largely to their nocturnal behavior and the subsequent difficulties in accurately quantifying abundance, data about the population size or distribution patterns of slow lorises is limited. In general, encounter rates are low; a combined analysis of several field studies involving transect surveys conducted in South and Southeast Asia determined encounter rates ranging from as high as 0.74 lorises per kilometer for "N. coucang" to as low as 0.05 lorises per kilometer for "N. pygmaeus". Little is known about the social structure of


title: "Slow loris" content: slow lorises, but they generally spend most of the night foraging alone. Individuals sleep during the day, usually alone but occasionally with other slow lorises. Home ranges of adults may significantly overlap, and those of males are generally larger than those of females. In the absence of direct studies of the genus, primatologist Simon Bearder speculated that slow loris social behavior is similar to that of the potto, another nocturnal primate. Such a social system is distinguished by a lack of matriarchy and by factors that allow the slow loris to remain inconspicuous and minimize energy expenditure. Vocal exchanges and


title: "Slow loris" content: alarm calls are limited; scent marking with urine is the dominant form of communication. Adult males are highly territorial and are aggressive towards other males. Vocalizations include an affiliative (friendly) call "krik", and a louder call resembling a crow's caw. When disturbed, slow lorises can also produce a low buzzing hiss or growl. To make contact with other individuals, they emit a single high-pitched rising tone, and females use a high whistle when in estrus. Slow lorises are slow and deliberate climbers, and often hold on to branches with three of their four limbs. To move between trees, they carefully


title: "Slow loris" content: grip the terminal branches of the neighboring tree and pull themselves across the small gap. They will also grip branches with only their hind feet, lift themselves upright, and quickly launch forward with their hands to catch prey. Due to their slow movement, all lorises, including the slow lorises, have a specially adapted mechanism for defense against predation. Their slow, deliberate movement hardly disturbs the vegetation and is almost completely silent. Once disturbed, they immediately stop moving and remain motionless. In Indonesia, slow lorises are called "malu malu" or "shy one" because they freeze and cover their face when spotted.


title: "Slow loris" content: If cornered, they may adopt a defensive posture by curling up and lunging at the predator. The Acehnese name, "buah angin" ("wind monkey"), refers to their ability to "fleetingly but silently escape". Little is known about the predation of slow lorises. Documented predators include snakes, the changeable hawk-eagle ("Nisaetus cirrhatus"), and Sumatran orangutans ("Pongo abelii"). Other potential predators include cats, sun bears ("Helarctos malayanus"), binturongs ("Arctictis binturong"), and civets. Slow lorises produce a secretion from their brachial gland (a scent gland on the upper arm near the axilla) that is licked and mixed with their saliva. In tests, three predators—binturongs,


title: "Slow loris" content: clouded leopards ("Neofelis nebulosa"), and sun bears—retreated or showed other signs of displeasure when presented with cotton swabs anointed with a mixture of the toxic secretion and the saliva, whereas the toxic secretion alone generated mild interest. Before stashing their offspring in a secure location, female slow lorises will lick their brachial glands, and then groom their young with their toothcomb, depositing the toxin on their fur. When threatened, slow lorises may also lick their brachial glands and bite their aggressors, delivering the toxin into the wounds. Slow lorises can be reluctant to release their bite, which is likely to


title: "Slow loris" content: maximize the transfer of toxins. This toxic bite is a rare trait among mammals and unique to lorisid primates. It may also be used for defense against other slow lorises and parasites. According to Nekaris, this adaptation—along with vocalizations, movement, and coloration patterns similar to those of true cobras—may have evolved through Müllerian mimicry to protect slow lorises when they need to move across the ground due to breaks in the canopy. Studies suggest that slow lorises are polygynandrous. Infants are either parked on branches while their parents find food or else are carried by one of the parents. Due


title: "Slow loris" content: to their long gestations (about six months), small litter sizes, low birth weights, long weaning times (three to six months), and long gaps between births, slow loris populations have one of the slowest growth rates among mammals of similar size. Pygmy slow lorises are likely to give birth to twins—from 50% to 100% of births, depending on the study; in contrast, this phenomenon is rare (3% occurrence) in Bengal slow lorises. A seven-year study of captive-bred pygmy slow lorises showed a skewed sex distribution, with 1.68 males born for every 1 female. Breeding may be continuous throughout the year. Copulation


title: "Slow loris" content: often occurs while suspended with the hands and feet clinging to horizontal branches for support. In captive Sunda slow lorises, mating primarily occurs between June and mid-September, with the estrus cycle lasting 29 to 45 days and estrus lasting one to five days. Likewise, gestation lasts 185 to 197 days, and the young weigh between at birth. Females reach sexual maturity at 18 to 24 months, while males are capable of reproducing at 17 months. However, the fathers become hostile towards their male offspring after 12 to 14 months and will chase them away. In captivity, they can live 20


title: "Slow loris" content: or more years. Slow lorises are omnivores, eating insects and other arthropods, small birds and reptiles, eggs, fruits, gums, nectar and miscellaneous vegetation. A 1984 study of the Sunda slow loris indicated that its diet consists of 71% fruit and gums, and 29% insects and other animal prey. A more detailed study of another Sunda slow loris population in 2002 and 2003 showed different dietary proportions, consisting of 43.3% gum, 31.7% nectar, 22.5% fruit, and just 2.5% arthropods and other animal prey. The most common dietary item was nectar from flowers of the Bertram palm ("Eugeissona tristis"). The Sunda slow


title: "Slow loris" content: loris eats insects that other predators avoid due to their repugnant taste or smell. Preliminary results of studies on the pygmy slow loris indicate that its diet consists primarily of gums and nectar (especially nectar from "Saraca dives" flowers), and that animal prey makes up 30–40% of its diet. However, one 2002 analysis of pygmy slow loris feces indicated that it contained 98% insect remains and just 2% plant remains. The pygmy slow loris often returns to the same gum feeding sites and leaves conspicuous gouges on tree trunks when inducing the flow of exudates. Slow lorises have been reported


title: "Slow loris" content: gouging for exudates at heights ranging from to as much as ; the gouging process, whereby the loris repetitively bangs its toothcomb into the hard bark, may be loud enough to be heard up to away. The marks remaining after gouging can be used by field workers to assess loris presence in an area. Captive pygmy slow lorises also make characteristic gouge marks in wooden substrates, such as branches. It is not known how the sympatric pygmy and Bengal slow lorises partition their feeding niches. The plant gums, obtained typically from species in the family Fabaceae (peas), are high in


title: "Slow loris" content: carbohydrates and lipids, and can serve as a year-around source of food, or an emergency reserve when other preferred food items are scarce. Several anatomical adaptations present in slow lorises may enhance their ability to feed on exudates: a long narrow tongue to make it easier to reach gum stashed in cracks and crevices, a large cecum to help the animal digest complex carbohydrates, and a short duodenum to help quickly pass potentially toxic exudates. Slow lorises can use both hands to eat while hanging upside down from a branch. They spend about 20% of their nightly activities feeding. The


title: "Slow loris" content: secretion from the brachial gland of captive slow lorises is similar to the allergen in cat dander, hence the secretions may merely elicit an allergic reaction, not toxicosis. Loris bites cause a painful swelling, and the single case of human death reported in the scientific literature was believed to have resulted from anaphylactic shock. Slow lorises (of the genus "Nycticebus") are accepted as the only known venomous primate. Slow loris venom was known in folklore in their host countries throughout southeast Asia for centuries; but dismissed by western science until the 1990s. Animal dealers in Southeast Asia keep tanks of


title: "Slow loris" content: water nearby so that in case of a bite, they can submerge both their arm and the slow loris to make the animal let go. It is thought all nine recognised species of this small-bodied nocturnal primate are venomous. They possess a dual composite venom consisting of saliva and brachial gland exudate, a malodourous fluid forming from an apocrine sweat gland on the animal's forearm. Both fluids have been demonstrated as being venomous individually and creating a more potent venom when mixed. Slow loris brachial gland exudate (BGE) has been shown to possess up to 142 volatile components, and possesses


title: "Slow loris" content: a variant of the cat allergen protein Fel-D1. The BGE has several ecological functions including anti-parasitic defence and communication. Slow loris saliva has been shown to be cytotoxic to human skin cells in laboratory experiments without the admix of BGE. The venom is administered through morphologically distinct dentition in the form of an adapted toothcomb. In the wild, envenomation occurs from intraspecific competition; whereby two slow lorises fight for mates, food or territory. Slow loris inflicted wounds is a major cause of premature death in zoo and wildlife slow loris populations; often resulting in festering and necrotic wounds. Slow loris


title: "Slow loris" content: envenomation in humans is rare; but can result in near fatal anaphylactic shock. A suite of additional effects of the venom have been documented including ranging from mild to permanent disfigurement and mobility loss and near-death. Furthermore, secondary toxins may be introduced from the consumption of wild food, augmenting the toxicity. The combined brachial secretion and saliva of recently captured wild lorises was shown to contain batrachotoxins, which were not found in slow lorises held in captivity for more than a year. The study of slow loris venom was brought to the public attention in 2012 by the research of


title: "Slow loris" content: the world-renowned Professor K.A.I Nekaris and in her award-winning BBC documentary 'The jungle gremlins of Java'. Beliefs about slow lorises and their use in traditional practices are deep-rooted and go back at least 300 years, if not earlier based on oral traditions. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was reported that the people from the interior of Borneo believed that slow lorises were the gatekeepers for the heavens and that each person had a personal slow loris waiting for them in the afterlife. More often, however, slow lorises are used in traditional medicine or to ward off


title: "Slow loris" content: evil. The following passage from an early textbook about primates is indicative of the superstitions associated with slow lorises: Many strange powers are attributed to this animal by the natives of the countries it inhabits; there is hardly an event in life to man, woman or child, or even domestic animals, that may not be influenced for better or worse by the Slow Loris, alive or dead, or by any separate part of it, and apparently one cannot usually tell at the time, that one is under supernatural power. Thus a Malay may commit a crime he did not premeditate,


title: "Slow loris" content: and then find that an enemy had buried a particular part of a Loris under his threshold, which had, unknown to him, compelled him to act to his own disadvantage. ... [a slow loris's] life is not a happy one, for it is continually seeing ghosts; that is why it hides its face in its hands. In the Mondulkiri Province of Cambodia, hunters believe that lorises can heal their own broken bones immediately after falling from a branch so that they can climb back up the tree. They also believe that slow lorises have medicinal powers because they require more


title: "Slow loris" content: than one hit with a stick to die. In the province of North Sumatra, the slow loris is thought to bring good luck if it is buried under a house or a road. In the same province, slow loris body parts were used to place curses on enemies. In Java, it was thought that putting a piece of its skull in a water jug would make a husband more docile and submissive, just like a slow loris in the daytime. More recently, researchers have documented the belief that the consumption of loris meat was an aphrodisiac that improves "male power".


title: "Slow loris" content: The gall bladder of the Bengal slow loris has historically been used to make ink for tattoos by the village elders in Pursat and Koh Kong Provinces of Cambodia. Loris wine is a traditional Cambodian medicine supposed to alleviate the pain of childbirth, made from a mixture of loris bodies and rice wine. The two greatest threats to slow lorises are deforestation and the wildlife trade. Slow lorises have lost a significant amount of habitat, with habitat fragmentation isolating small populations and obstructing biological dispersal. However, despite the lost habitat, their decline is most closely associated with unsustainable trade, either


title: "Slow loris" content: as exotic pets or for traditional medicine. Each of the slow loris species that had been identified prior to 2012 are currently listed as either "Vulnerable" or "Endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on their Red List. When they were all considered a single species, imprecise population data together with their regular occurrence in Southeast Asian animal markets combined to erroneously suggest that slow lorises were common. This manifested as incorrect Red List assessments of "Least Concern" as recently as 2000. The three newest species are yet to be evaluated by the IUCN, although each were


title: "Slow loris" content: once thought to be subpopulations of the Bornean slow loris—which was evaluated as "Vulnerable" in 2008. With this division of its range and population, the Bornean slow loris and the three new species face a higher risk of extinction than before. Since 2007, all slow loris species have been protected from commercial international trade under Appendix I of CITES. Furthermore, local trade is illegal because every nation in which they occur naturally has laws protecting them. Despite their CITES Appendix I status and local legal protection, slow lorises are still threatened by both local and international trade due to problems


title: "Slow loris" content: with enforcement. Surveys are needed to determine existing population densities and habitat viability for all species of slow loris. Connectivity between protected areas is important for slow lorises because they are not adapted to dispersing across the ground over large distances. Populations of Bengal and Sunda slow lorises are not faring well in zoos. Of the 29 captive specimens in North American zoos in 2008, several are hybrids that cannot breed, while most are past their reproductive years. The last captive birth for these species in North America was in 2001 in San Diego. Pygmy slow lorises are doing better


title: "Slow loris" content: in North American zoos; from the late 1980s (when they were imported) to 2008, the population grew to 74 animals, with most of them born at the San Diego Zoo. Until the 1960s, the hunting of slow lorises was sustainable, but due to growing demand, decreased supply, and the subsequent increased value of the marketed wildlife, slow lorises have been overexploited and are in decline. With the use of modern technology, such as battery-powered search lights, slow lorises have become easier to hunt because of their eye shine. Traditional medicine made from loris parts is thought to cure many diseases,


title: "Slow loris" content: and the demand for this medicine from wealthy urban areas has replaced the subsistence hunting traditionally performed in poor rural areas. A survey by primatologist Anna Nekaris and colleagues (2010) showed that these belief systems were so strong that the majority of respondents expressed reluctance to consider alternatives to loris-based medicines. Slow lorises are sold locally at street markets, but are also sold internationally over the Internet and in pet stores. They are especially popular or trendy in Japan, particularly among women. The reasons for their popularity, according to the Japan Wildlife Conservation Society, are that "they're easy to keep,


title: "Slow loris" content: they don't cry, they're small, and just very cute." Because of their "cuteness", videos of pet slow lorises are some of the most frequently watched animal-related viral videos on YouTube. In March 2011, a newly posted video of a slow loris holding a cocktail umbrella had been viewed more than two million times, while an older video of a slow loris being tickled had been viewed more than six million times. According to Nekaris, these videos are misunderstood by most people who watch them, since most do not realize that it is illegal in most countries to own them as


title: "Slow loris" content: pets and that the slow lorises in the videos are only docile because that is their passive defensive reaction to threatening situations. Despite frequent advertisements by pet shops in Japan, the World Conservation Monitoring Centre reported that only a few dozen slow lorises were imported in 2006, suggesting frequent smuggling. Slow lorises are also smuggled to China, Taiwan, Europe, Russia, the United States, and Saudi Arabia for use as pets. Within their countries of origin, slow lorises are very popular pets, particularly in Indonesia. They are seen as a "living toy" for children by local people or are bought out


title: "Slow loris" content: of pity by Western tourists or expatriates. Neither local nor foreign buyers usually know anything about these primates, their endangered status, or that the trade is illegal. According to "National Geographic", slow lorises are protected by both local laws in southern Asia and by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Furthermore, few know about their strong odor or their painful bite, which may lead to anaphylaxis in some cases. According to data compiled from monthly surveys and interviews with local traders, nearly a thousand locally sourced slow lorises exchanged hands in the Medan bird market in North


title: "Slow loris" content: Sumatra during the late first decade of the 21st century. International trade usually causes a high mortality rate during transit, between 30% and 90%. Slow lorises also experience many health problems due to both local and international trade. In order to give the impression that the primates are tame and appropriate pets for children, to protect people from their potentially toxic bite, or to deceive buyers into thinking the animal is a baby, animal dealers either pull the front teeth with pliers or wire cutters or they cut them off with nail cutters. This results in severe bleeding, which sometimes


title: "Slow loris" content: causes shock or death. Dental infection is common and is fatal in 90% of cases. Without their teeth, the animals can no longer fend for themselves in the wild, and must remain in captivity for life. The slow lorises found in animal markets are usually underweight and malnourished, and have had their fur dyed, which complicates species identification at rescue centers. As many as 95% of the slow lorises rescued from the markets die of dental infection or improper care. As part of the trade, infants are pulled prematurely from their parents, leaving them unable to remove their own urine,


title: "Slow loris" content: feces, and oily skin secretions from their fur. Slow lorises have a special network of blood vessels in their hands and feet, which makes them vulnerable to cuts when pulled from the wire cages they are kept in. Slow lorises are also stress-sensitive and do not do well in captivity. Common health problems seen in pet slow lorises include undernourishment, tooth decay, diabetes, obesity, and kidney failure. Infection, stress, pneumonia, and poor nutrition lead to high death rates among pet lorises. Pet owners also fail to provide proper care because they are usually asleep when the nocturnal pet is awake.


title: "Slow loris" content: Slow loris Slow lorises are a group of several species of nocturnal strepsirrhine primates that make up the genus Nycticebus. Found in Southeast Asia and bordering areas, they range from Bangladesh and Northeast India in the west to the Sulu Archipelago in the Philippines in the east, and from Yunnan province in China in the north to the island of Java in the south. Although many previous classifications recognized as few as a single all-inclusive species, there are now at least eight that are considered valid: the Sunda slow loris ("N. coucang"), Bengal slow loris ("N. bengalensis"), pygmy slow loris


title: "Ostoja coat of arms" content: below are of noble families and linked "en masse" to Ostoja simply because the moon or the sword in the shield. The list of imaginary Ostoja coats of arms might be longer than here presented. There are also Russian families that where ennobled and given the coat of arms that also looked like Ostoja during the partition time and that some call Ostoja. It is also possible that coats of arms where painted with error during the nobility verification process in the time of partition. Families that are members of the Clan of Ostoja: Below, CoA from the left: Błyszczanowicz


title: "Film Roman" content: settling into another location at Starz Plaza on Hollywood Way in Burbank, which it shares with the former Hub Network and Hasbro Studios, and finally settling into its present location in Woodland Hills. Subcontracted from others: for 20th Century Fox Television/Animation: for Marvel Animation: various other studios: Puppet/CGI shows: Film Roman Film Roman is an American animation studio owned by Waterman Entertainment, the production company of producer Steve Waterman, and Starz Inc., which is now a division of Lionsgate. Founded by veteran animator and director Phil Roman in 1984, it is best known for producing source animation for series such


title: Podzol content: with percolating water from the A (or E horizon) to the B-horizon. As a result of this, the E horizon (or Ae horizon in the Canadian system of soil classification) is left bleached and ash-grey in colour, while the B horizon becomes enriched with relocated organo-mineral complexes. The colour of B horizon is consequently red, brown or black, depending on the dominance of metal ions or organic matter. Usually, the boundary between the B and eluvial Ae (or E) horizon is very distinct, and sometimes a hardpan (or Ortstein) can form, as the relocated Fe and Al and organic matter


title: "James Yorke Scarlett" content: base at Balaklava. As Scarlett led his column of the Heavy Brigade across the sprawling tented camp of the Light Brigade, a Russian cavalry force of approximately 2000 was spotted just 800 yards from their left flank, at the top of the heights. The 55-year-old Scarlett quickly assembled just 300 of his Inniskillings and Scots Greys (of Waterloo fame) at the foot of the heights, organising them into parade-perfect formation, and sounded the charge. As astounded onlookers watched from the rear, Scarlett led his red-clad Heavies into the centre of the grey mass of Russians. His attack was soon followed


title: "Rangitikei District" content: Highway 1 goes through Bulls. The North Island portion of this national state highway, one of only eight in New Zealand, begins at Cape Reinga and ends at Wellington International Airport—passing through Bulls at 925 km. State Highway 3 passes through Bulls. This highway connects Woodville (25 km east of Palmerston North) and Hamilton via New Plymouth. State Highway 54 connects Palmerston North and SH 1 at Vinegar Hill via Feilding. InterCity runs five daily and three non-daily bus services in Marton and Bulls. These include Wanganui–Wellington, Palmerston North–Auckland, Tauranga–Wellington, Wellington–New Plymouth and Auckland–Palmerston North. Marton used to be serviced


title: "Fore River Shipyard" content: first ship constructed to carry refrigerated chemicals. General Dynamics Quincy Shipbuilding Division, as it eventually came to be known, ended its career as a producer of various LNG tankers and merchant marine ships. According to one theory, the yard was the origin of the "Kilroy was here" pop culture reference, and was home to the second-largest shipbuilding crane in the world. During the period in which it was operable, the yard had two sub-yards: the first was the Victory Destroyer Plant in Quincy during World War I, and the second was the Bethlehem Hingham Shipyard in Hingham during World War


title: "Impatiens glandulifera" content: Impatiens glandulifera Impatiens glandulifera is a large annual plant native to the Himalayas. Via human introduction it is now present across much of the Northern Hemisphere and is considered an invasive species in many areas. Uprooting or cutting the plants is an effective means of control. The common names Policeman's Helmet, Bobby Tops, Copper Tops, and Gnome's Hatstand all originate from the flowers being decidedly hat-shaped. Himalayan Balsam and Kiss-me-on-the-mountain arise from the plant originating in the Himalayan mountains. Ornamental jewelweed refers to its cultivation as an ornamental plant. The genus name "Impatiens", meaning "impatient", refers to its method of


title: "Impatiens glandulifera" content: seed dispersal. The "species" name "glandulifera" comes from the Latin words "glándula" meaning 'small gland', and "ferre" meaning 'to bear', referring to the plant's glands. It typically grows to high, with a soft green or red-tinged stem, and lanceolate leaves long. The crushed foliage has a strong musty smell. Below the leaf stems the plant has glands that produce a sticky, sweet-smelling, and edible nectar. The flowers are pink, with a hooded shape, 3 to 4 cm ( to in) tall and 2 cm ( in) broad; the flower shape has been compared to a policeman's helmet. After flowering between


title: "Impatiens glandulifera" content: June and October, the plant forms seed pods 2 to 3 cm ( to in) long and 8 mm broad ( in), which explode when disturbed, scattering the seeds up to . The green seed pods, seeds, young leaves and shoots are all edible. The flowers can be turned into a jam or parfait. The plant was rated in first place for per day nectar production per flower in a UK plants survey conducted by the AgriLand project which is supported by the UK Insect Pollinators Initiative. (However, when number of flowers per floral unit, flower abundance, and phenology were


title: "Impatiens glandulifera" content: taken into account it dropped out of the top 10 for most nectar per unit cover per year, as did all plants that placed in the top ten along with this one for per day nectar production per flower, with the exception of Common Comfrey, "Symphytum officinale".) Himalayan Balsam is native to the Himalayas, specifically to the areas between Kashmir and Uttarakhand. In its native range it is usually found in altitudes between 2000-2500 m above sea level, although it has been reported in up to 4000 m above sea level In Europe the plant was first introduced in the


title: "Impatiens glandulifera" content: United Kingdom where it has become naturalized and widespread across riverbanks . Presently it can be found almost everywhere across the continent In North America it has been found in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland In the United States it is found on both the east and west coast, seemingly restricted to northern latitudes . In New Zealand it is sometimes found growing wild along riverbanks and wetlands Himalayan Balsam is sometimes cultivated for its flowers. It is now widely established in other parts of the world


title: "Impatiens glandulifera" content: (such as the British Isles and North America), in some cases becoming an invasive species weed. The aggressive seed dispersal, coupled with high nectar production which attracts pollinators, often allows the Himalayan Balsam to outcompete native plants. Himalayan Balsam also promotes river bank erosion due to the plant dying back over winter, leaving the bank unprotected from flooding. Invasive Himalayan Balsam can also adversely affect indigenous species by attracting pollinators (e.g. insects) at the expense of indigenous species. It is considered a "prohibited noxious weed" under the "Alberta Weed Control Act 2010". In the UK the plant was first introduced


title: "Impatiens glandulifera" content: in 1839 at the same time as Giant Hogweed and Japanese Knotweed. These plants were all promoted at the time as having the virtues of "herculean proportions" and "splendid invasiveness" which meant that ordinary people could buy them for the cost of a packet of seeds to rival the expensive orchids grown in the greenhouses of the rich. Within ten years, however, Himalayan balsam had escaped from the confines of cultivation and begun to spread along the river systems of England. Today it has spread across most of the UK and some local wildlife trusts organise "balsam bashing" events to


title: "Impatiens glandulifera" content: help control the plant. However, a recent study (Hejda & Pyšek, 2006) concludes that in some circumstances, such efforts may cause more harm than good. Destroying riparian stands of Himalayan Balsam can open up the habitat for more aggressive invasive plants such as Japanese knotweed and aid in seed dispersal (by dropped seeds sticking to shoes). Riparian habitat is suboptimal for "I. glandulifera", and spring or autumn flooding destroys seeds and plants. The research suggests that the optimal way to control the spread of riparian Himalayan Balsam is to decrease eutrophication, thereby permitting the better-adapted local vegetation that gets outgrown


title: "Impatiens glandulifera" content: by the balsam on watercourses with high nutrient load to rebound naturally. They caution that these conclusions do probably not hold true for stands of the plant at forest edges and meadow habitats, where manual destruction is still the best approach. The Bionic Control of Invasive Weeds in Wiesbaden, Germany, is trying to establish a self-sufficient project to conserve their local biodiversity by developing several food products made from the Impatiens flowers. Eventually, if all goes well, this project will have the Himalayan Balsam financing its own eradication. In August 2014, CABI released a rust fungus in Berkshire, Cornwall and


title: "Impatiens glandulifera" content: Middlesex in the United Kingdom as part of field trials into the biological control of Himalayan Balsam. Some research also suggests that "I. glandulifera" may exhibit allelopathy, in which it excretes toxins that negatively affect neighboring plants, thus increasing its competitive advantage. The Royal Horticultural Society and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology recommend that pulling and cutting is the main method of non-chemical control, and usually the most appropriate. Natural Resources Wales has used manual methods such as pulling plants and using strimmers to largely eradicate Himalayan Balsam from reaches of the River Ystwyth. Impatiens glandulifera Impatiens glandulifera is


title: "Point Fortin" content: the early 1970s as a result of the Oil boom and the acquisition of Shell Trinidad Limited by the government. Point Fortin's Mayor is His Worship Alderman Abdon Mason. Point Fortin is ruled by the People's National Movement. The MP for Point Fortin is Edmund Dillon. Culture Sports Public service Others Primary schools Secondary schools Other Educational/Training Institutions Point Fortin Point Fortin, officially the Republic Borough of Point Fortin, the smallest Borough in Trinidad and Tobago is located in southwestern Trinidad, about southwest of San Fernando, in the historic county of Saint Patrick. After the discovery of petroleum in the


title: "Black-footed albatross" content: upper bill called naricorns. Although the nostrils on the albatross are on the sides of the bill. The bills of Procellariiformes are also unique in that they are split into between seven and nine horny plates. Finally, they produce a stomach oil made up of wax esters and triglycerides that is stored in the proventriculus. This is used both against predators and as an energy rich food source for chicks and for the adults during their long flights. They also have a salt gland that is situated above the nasal passage that helps desalinate their bodies, to compensate for the


title: "Independent Gay Forum" content: he considered an unrepresentative but highly visible gay subculture that equated homosexuality with promiscuity, hedonism, political correctness or stereotypes like being effeminate or "different" in general. In 1995, Andrew Sullivan published the book "Virtually Normal". Sullivan was a longtime critic of decadence in the gay community, but the book also did something that Bawer did not do. Sullivan criticized what he called the prohibitionist, liberationist, liberal, and conservative approaches to gay rights in favor of a more "classical liberal" or libertarian approach. In 1996, Bawer edited a collection of writings by mostly gay men and women titled "Beyond Queer: Challenging


title: Montaillou content: heresy also known as Catharism. Fournier, then the local bishop, launched an extensive inquisition involving dozens of lengthy interviews with the locals, all of which were faithfully recorded, as well as the arrest of the entire village in 1318. When Fournier became Pope he took the records of the investigation with him and they remain in the Vatican Library. The medieval village has been abandoned and the modern village is located a short distance downhill. There are visible remains of houses and there are also old tracks and field markings. In medieval times, the old village was guarded by the


title: "Kevan Barlow" content: Kevan Barlow Kevan Courtney Barlow (born January 7, 1980) is a former American football running back. Barlow was born and raised in Pittsburgh where he played high school football for Peabody High School. He played college football at the University of Pittsburgh where he finished 7th on their list for career rushing yards with 2,234. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft and played a total of five seasons for the 49ers. He is also a former member of the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers. Barlow has recently been


title: "Mystère (Cirque du Soleil)" content: in the album "", was a score that reflects the diverse compositional styles of both composers. "Mystère: Live in Las Vegas" is a live, in-house recording of the new score, featuring Nathalie Gauvin and Wendy Talley on vocals; the album was released on November 12, 1996. After the release of the live album, the music was rearranged and altered once again. While the album resembles the current live music closely, it is not identical. Below are the track lists for the 1994 and 1996 "Mystère" soundtrack albums. Acts are listed next to the songs they have accompanied in the show.


title: Cheque content: the years. These range from things like writing a cheque so it is difficult to alter after it is drawn, to mechanisms like crossing a cheque so that it can only be paid into another bank's account providing some traceability. However, the inherent security weaknesses of cheques as a payment method, such as having only the signature as the main authentication method and not knowing if funds will be received until the clearing cycle to complete, have made them vulnerable to a number of different types of fraud. Taking advantage of the float period (cheque kiting) to delay the notice


title: Sarmatism content: clothing and looks, such as the żupan, kontusz, sukmana, pas kontuszowy, delia, and szabla. Thereby it served to integrate the multiethnic nobility by creating an almost nationalist sense of unity and pride in the szlachta's political Golden Freedoms. It also differentiated the Polish szlachta from Western nobility (which szlachta called "pludracy", a reference to their hose, an item of clothing not worn by the szlachta but popular among Westerners). Sarmatians strongly valued social and family ties. Women were treated with honour and gallantry. Conversation was one of the favourite preoccupations. Guests were always welcomed – relatives, friends, even strangers, especially


title: "Metering mode" content: this metering pattern. Clipping is reduced by using a high resolution metering sensor and analyzing each area for washed-out ("blown") highlights or underexposed shadows. Although there are some similarities with multi-zone, matrix, or evaluative metering, this mode uses a high-resolution sensor for detailed detection and gives more "weight" to reduce clipping. Metering mode In photography, the metering mode refers to the way in which a camera determines exposure. Cameras generally allow the user to select between "spot", "center-weighted average", or "multi-zone" metering modes. The different metering modes allow the user to select the most appropriate one for use in a


title: "Adolescent cliques" content: and dress, the types of cliques commonly found in schools can vary significantly. Some of the more common types of cliques found include: jocks, tomboys, cheerleaders, mean girls, foreigners, gamers, hipsters, hippies, troublemakers, peacemakers, class clowns, "cool kids", arty intellectuals, gangsters, wangsters, "ghetto kids", stoners/slackers, girly girls, scenesters, scene kids, punks, preps, skaters, goths, emos, skinheads, geeks/nerds, and drifters. Sociologists Patricia and Peter Adler claim that Middle School cliques can fall under four specific labels: The friendship circles can be divided into some categories, such as... TLC (TV channel) mentions and describes some typical types of teen cliques observable in


title: "Fightin' Texas Aggie Band" content: to." Lieutenant Colonel Ray E. Toler, a Texas Christian University graduate, replaced Haney when he stepped down in 1989. As a veteran of many Air Force Bands and with a Grammy Award nomination under his belt, Toler was quick to realize the potential and traditions of the Aggie Band and quickly set about publicizing it. Under his direction, the Aggie Band began a weekly television show (the "Texas Aggie Band Show") that showcased the band, the Corps of Cadets, and the daily life of a band member. As of 2007, the Aggie Band is the only university or college band


title: Valaam content: Valaam Valaam (Russian: Валаам or Валаамский архипелаг), also known historically by the Finnish name Valamo, is an archipelago in the northern portion of Lake Ladoga, lying within the Republic of Karelia, Russian Federation. The total area of its more than 50 islands is 36 km². The largest island is also called Valaam. Other known islands are: Skitsky (second by size), Lembos, Sviatoy, Bayonny, Moskovsky, Predtechensky, Nikonovsky, Divny, Emelyanov, Oboronny, Goly, Savvaty's, Zosima's, Skalisty, Lukovy, Ovsiany, Rzhanoi, Nikolsky. It is best known as the site of the 14th century Valaam Monastery on Valaam Island and for its natural environment. In the


title: Valaam content: 12th century, the islands were a part of the Novgorod Republic. In the 17th century, they were captured by Sweden during the Time of Troubles, but Russia reconquered them less than a century later. When the Grand Duchy of Finland was set up in the early 19th century as an autonomous part of the Russian Empire, Alexander I of Russia made Valaam a part of Finland. In 1917, Valaam became a part of newly independent Finland, but it was annexed by the USSR after the Winter War and Continuation War. The name of the island is from the Finno-Ugric word


title: Valaam content: "valamo", which means the high, mountain, ground. The climate and natural history of the island are unique because of its position in Lake Ladoga. Spring begins at the end of March and a typical summer on Valaam consists of 30-35 sunny days, which is more than on the mainland. The average temperature in July is 17 °C. The winter and snow arrive in early December. In the middle of February the ice road to the nearest city of Sortavala (42 km) is traversable. The average temperature of February is minus 8 °C. More than 480 species of plants grow on


title: Valaam content: the island, many of which have been cultivated by monks. The island is covered by coniferous woods, about 65% of which are pine. Ten species of mammals and more than 120 avian species call the archipelago home. The island was visited repeatedly by emperors Alexander I, Alexander II, and other members of the imperial family. Other famous visitors include Tchaikovsky and Mendeleyev. The island is permanently inhabited by monks and families. In 1999, there were about 600 residents on the main island; including army service personnel, restoration workers, guides and monks. There is a kindergarten, an arts and sports venue,


title: Valaam content: a school, a small museum and a medical centre. The community on Valaam at the moment has no official administrative status. During the summer, the main island can be reached by tour boats which leave St. Petersburg at night and arrive at the island the following morning. The president of the Russian Federation has a dacha on one of the islands of Valaam, but its precise location is not publicly known. Selby, N. "St. Petersburg", 2nd. edition, 1999, Lonely Planet Publications Valaam Valaam (Russian: Валаам or Валаамский архипелаг), also known historically by the Finnish name Valamo, is an archipelago in


title: "Paul Dudley White" content: graduated with a B.A. with honors in 1908 and went on to Harvard Medical School, from which he received his M.D. in 1911. He then began his long association with the Massachusetts General Hospital through an internship in pediatrics and internal medicine. During that time he co-authored, with Dr. Roger I. Lee, his first scientific paper, on the coagulation of blood. The Lee-White coagulation time is still used today as a method of measuring the speed of blood coagulation. In 1913, White was offered a Harvard traveling fellowship to study cardiovascular physiology with the eminent cardiologist, Thomas Lewis, in London.


title: Nimodipine content: of "meta"-nitrobenzene (1) and the subsequent reaction of the intermediate with enamine (4) gives nimodipine. Nimodipine contains a stereocenter and consists of two enantiomers. This is a racemate, ie a 1: 1 mixture of (" R ") - and the (" S ") - form: Nimodipine Nimodipine (sold under the brandname Nimotop) is a calcium channel blocker originally developed for the treatment of high blood pressure. It is not frequently used for this indication, but has shown good results in preventing a major complication of subarachnoid hemorrhage (a form of cerebral hemorrhage) termed vasospasm; this is now the main use


title: "Power Metal (album)" content: makes his first appearance on vocals, having replaced original singer Terry Glaze. Guitarist Dimebag Darrell (then credited as "Diamond Darrell") also performs vocals on "P*S*T*88". "Proud to Be Loud" was written and produced by Keel guitarist Marc Ferrari and was originally intended to appear on their 1987 self-titled album; however, Keel would not record their own version until "" in 1998. Pantera's version was used as the party song in the theatrical cut of the 2001 film "Donnie Darko", credited to "The Dead Green Mummies". The song also appears on "Trail to Doomsday", a "MacGyver" TV movie from 1994, as


title: "Phantom of the Opera (1943 film)" content: film. The original storyline was completely revised and there was no attempt to film the masked ball sequence, although the famous falling of the chandelier was re-enacted on an epic scale, using elaborate camera set-ups. It is also the only Universal horror film to win an Oscar, for Art Direction and Cinematography. Violinist Erique Claudin is dismissed from the Paris Opera House after revealing that he is losing the use of the fingers of his left hand. Unbeknownst to the conductor, who assumes Claudin is able to support himself, the musician has used all his money to help anonymously fund


title: "George Tucker (politician)" content: literature along with that in the law, and in 1814–1815 the Philadelphia "Port Folio" published a series of his essays entitled "Thoughts of a Hermit". Financial success was for once his as a result of these endeavors; he also realized profits from land sales near the Dan River, and the sale of Woodbridge when the family moved again, to Lynchburg, Virginia in 1818. The death of daughter Harriett had been painful enough, but Maria's depression became uncontrollable and chronic when daughter Rosalie died unexpectedly at age 14 in 1818. Also during this period Maria's father, Charles Carter, encountered his own


title: "Pool (cue sports)" content: Pool (cue sports) Pool is a classification of cue sports played on a table with six pockets along the , into which balls are deposited. Each specific pool game has its own name; some of the better-known include eight-ball, eightball pool and its variant blackball, nine-ball, ten-ball, seven-ball, straight pool, one-pocket, and bank pool. The generic term pocket billiards is sometimes also used, and favored by some pool-industry bodies, but is technically a broader classification, including games such as snooker, Russian pyramid, and kaisa, which are not referred to as pool games. There are also hybrid games combining aspects of


title: "Pool (cue sports)" content: both pool and carom billiards, such as American four-ball billiards, bottle pool, cowboy pool, and English billiards. The etymology of "pool" is uncertain. The "Oxford English Dictionary" speculates that "pool" and other games with collective stakes is derived from the French "poule" (literally translated "hen"), in which the "poule" is the collected prize; alternatively it could derive from the verb "to pool" in the sense of combining objects or stakes. The oldest use of the word "pool" to describe a billiards-like game was made in 1797 in a Virginia newspaper. The OED defines it as generally "any of various types


title: "Pool (cue sports)" content: of billiards for two or more players" but goes on to note that the first specific meaning of "a game in which each player uses a cue ball of a distinctive colour to pocket the balls of the other player(s) in a certain order, the winner taking all the stakes submitted at the start of the contest" is now obsolete, and its other specific definitions are all for games that originate in the United States. In the United States, although the original "pool" game was played on a pocketless carom billiards table, the term later stuck to all new games


title: "Pool (cue sports)" content: of pocket billiards as the sport gained in popularity, and so outside the cue sports industry, which has long favored the more formal term "pocket billiards", the common name for the sport has remained "pool". The "OxfordDictionaries.com" definition no longer even provides the obsolete meaning found in the print edition, and refers only to the typical game "using two sets [each] of seven coloured and numbered balls ... with one black ball and a white cue ball" on a table with pockets. Pool is played on a six pocket table. Modern pool tables generally range in size from by ,


title: "Pool (cue sports)" content: to by . The balls range from in diameter to in diameter. Under the WPA/BCA "(see below)" equipment specifications, the weight may be from 5.5 to 6 oz. (156–170 g) with a diameter of 2.25 in. (57.15 mm), plus or minus 0.005 in. (0.127 mm). Modern coin-operated pool tables generally use one of three methods to distinguish and return the cue ball to the front of the table while the numbered balls return to an inaccessible receptacle until paid for again: the cue ball is larger and heavier than the other balls, or denser and heavier, or has a magnetic


title: "Pool (cue sports)" content: core. Modern cue sticks are generally long for pool while cues prior to 1980 were designed for straight pool and had an average length of . By comparison, carom billiards cues are generally shorter with larger tips, and snooker cues longer with smaller tips. In the United States, the most commonly played game is eight-ball. The goal of eight-ball, which is played with a full rack of fifteen balls and the cue ball, is to claim a suit (commonly stripes or solids in the US, and reds or yellows in the UK), pocket all of them, then legally pocket the


title: "Pool (cue sports)" content: 8 ball, while denying one's opponent opportunities to do the same with their suit, and without sinking the 8 ball early by accident. In the United Kingdom the game is commonly played in pubs, and it is competitively played in leagues on both sides of the Atlantic. The most prestigious tournaments including the World Open are sponsored and sanctioned by the International Pool Tour. Rules vary widely from place to place (and between continents to such an extent that British-style eight-ball pool/blackball is properly regarded as a separate game in its own right). Pool halls in North America are increasingly


title: "Pool (cue sports)" content: settling upon the World Pool-Billiard Association International Standardized Rules. But tavern eight-ball (also known as ""), typically played on smaller, coin-operated tables and in a "winner keeps the table" manner, can differ significantly even between two venues in the same city. The growth of local, regional and national amateur leagues may alleviate this confusion eventually. Nine-ball uses only the 1 through 9 balls and cue ball. It is a rotation game: The player at the table must make legal contact with the lowest numbered ball on the table or a foul is called. The game is won by legally pocketing


title: "Pool (cue sports)" content: the nine ball. Nine-ball is the predominant professional game, though as of 2006–2008 there have been some suggestions that this may change, in favor of ten-ball. There are many local and regional tours and tournaments that are contested with nine-ball. The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) and its American affiliate, the Billiard Congress of America (BCA), publish the World Standardized Rules. The European professional circuit has instituted rules changes to make it more difficult to achieve a legal break shot. The largest nine-ball tournaments are the independent US Open Nine-ball Championship and the WPA World Nine-ball Championship for men and women.


title: "Pool (cue sports)" content: Male professionals have a rather fragmented schedule of professional nine-ball tournaments. The United States Professional Poolplayers Association (UPA) has been the most dominant association of the 1990s and 2000s. A hotly contested event is the annual Mosconi Cup, which pits invitational European and U.S. teams against each other in one-on-one and nine-ball matches over a period of several days. The Mosconi Cup games are played under the more stringent European rules, as of 2007. A variant using only three balls, generally played such that the player at turn continues shooting until all the balls are pocketed, and the player to


title: "Pool (cue sports)" content: do so in the fewest shots wins. The game can be played by two or more players. Dispenses with some fouls common to both nine- and eight-ball. One-pocket is a strategic game for two players. Each player is assigned one of the corner pockets on the table. This is the only pocket into which he can legally pocket balls. The first player to pocket the majority of the balls (8) in his pocket wins the game. The game requires far more defensive strategy than offensive strategy, much unlike eight-ball, nine-ball, or straight pool. Most times, accomplished players choose to position


title: "Pool (cue sports)" content: balls near their pocket instead of trying to actually pocket them. This allows them to control the game by forcing their opponent to be on defense instead of taking a low percentage shot that could result in a loss of game. These low percentage shots are known as "flyers" by one-pocket aficionados. Bank pool can be played with a full rack (can be a "long" game), but is more typically played with nine balls (frequently called "nine-ball bank"). The balls are racked in nine-ball formation, but in no particular order. The object of the game is simple: to be the


title: "Pool (cue sports)" content: first player to bank five balls in any order (eight balls when played with a full rack). Penalties and fouls are similar to one pocket in that the player committing the foul must spot a ball for each foul. This must be done before the incoming player shoots. Fifteen-ball is a variant of pool played with all fifteen balls racked in the standard diamond pattern with the 15-ball in the center. Standard 9-ball rules apply. As a competitive sport, pool is governed internationally by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), which has multi-national, regional affiliates comprising the All Africa Pool Association


title: "Pool (cue sports)" content: (AAPA), Asian Pocket Billiard Union (APBU, including the Middle East), Billiard Congress of America (BCA, Canada and the US), Confederación Panamericana de Billar (CPB, Latin America and Caribbean), European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF, including Russia and the Near East), and Oceania Pocket Billiard Association (OPBA, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific islands). The WPA represents pool in the World Confederation of Billiards Sports, which in turn represents all forms of cue sports (including carom billiards and snooker) in the International Olympic Committee. Pool (cue sports) Pool is a classification of cue sports played on a table with six pockets along the ,


title: "Beilschmiedia tawa" content: Beilschmiedia tawa Beilschmiedia tawa, the tawa tree, is a New Zealand broadleaf tree common in the central parts of the country. Tawa is often the dominant canopy species in lowland forests in the North Island and the north east of the South Island, but will also often form the subcanopy in primary forests throughout the country in these areas, beneath podocarps such as kahikatea, matai, miro and rimu. Individual specimens may grow up to 30 metres or more in height with trunks up to 1.2 metres in diameter, and they have smooth dark bark. The word "tawa" is the Maori


title: "Beilschmiedia tawa" content: name for the tree. Tawa trees produce small inconspicuous flowers followed by 2 - 3.5 cm long fruit of a dark red plum colour. With such large fruits the tawa is notable for the fact that it relies solely on the New Zealand pigeon (kereru) and, (where present), the North Island kokako for dispersal of its seed. These are the only remaining birds from New Zealand's original biota large enough to eat the fruits of this tree and pass the seeds through their guts and excrete them unharmed. Tawa can also support significant epiphyte gardens in their canopies, which are


title: "Beilschmiedia tawa" content: one of the few habitats known to be frequented by the enigmatic, arboreal striped skink. This tree gives its name to a northern suburb of Wellington, Tawa. One of the few hardwood trees in the country with good timber, the wood of this tree can be used for attractive and resilient floorboarding. Although largely protected in conservation areas and by robust environmental legislation, licences are occasionally granted for the odd fallen tree to be milled for its timber. The kernel of the tawa berry was used by Māori as food. The berries were steamed in an "umu" (earth oven) for


title: "Beilschmiedia tawa" content: two days, then washed to remove the turpentine-flavoured pulp. The dried kernels were stored. When required, they were soaked in hot water and pounded, sometimes flavouring being added to the mashed meal. Beilschmiedia tawa Beilschmiedia tawa, the tawa tree, is a New Zealand broadleaf tree common in the central parts of the country. Tawa is often the dominant canopy species in lowland forests in the North Island and the north east of the South Island, but will also often form the subcanopy in primary forests throughout the country in these areas, beneath podocarps such as kahikatea, matai, miro and rimu.


title: Rajbiraj content: history with the ruins and stone samples from local Rajdevi Temple dating back to 8th century AD.. The said temple is known to be family temple of Kushadhwaja. The City is historical twin city of Janakpur also known to be a seat of Kushadhwaja the brother of King Janka whose 3 daughters Mandavi, Urmila and Shrutkirti were married to Bharata, Ramayana, Lakshmana, Ramayana and Satrughna. Kushdhwaja later left the area to his ministers and moved to Kashi after his brother won a war against Kashi when Kashi attacked Janakpur. Around Rajbiraj there were small shrines dedicated to Mandavi, Urmila and


title: "Colonization of the Congo" content: buying sovereignty in exchange for bolts of cloth and trinkets; playing one tribe off another; and if need be, simply shooting an obstructive chief and negotiating with his cowed successor instead. However, as he approached Stanley Falls at the junction between the Congo proper and the Lualaba (close to the general vicinity of Central Africa where he had found Livingstone six years before), it soon became clear that Stanley's men were not the only intruders. Tippu Tip, the most powerful of the Zanzibari slave traders of the 19th century, was well-known to Stanley, as was the social chaos and devastation


title: "Tobias Wolff" content: when he was an adolescent. After she remarried, they lived in Newhalem, a small company town in the North Cascade Mountains, where his stepfather, Robert Thompson, worked at Seattle City Light. His father and brother lived on the East Coast during this period. Geoffrey knew nothing about where his brother was until he entered Princeton. As a kid Wolff had a local paper route and was a Boy Scout. After attending Concrete High School in Concrete, also in the North Cascades, Wolff applied to and was accepted by The Hill School, located 35 miles from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He had applied


title: Meralco content: case. On October 6, 2008, the Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 71 dismissed the syndicated "estafa" case filed against the Meralco board of directors, for the prosecution failed to establish all the elements of syndicated "estafa". Presiding Judge Franco Falcon, pointed out in the ruling that the board is not the kind described by the law as being formed to perpetrate an illegal act for the board of directors were elected by stockholders. The court explained, “Therefore, the accused can never be charged of taking part in the commission of syndicated "estafa" not only because they are not part


title: Cup-tied content: the replay. A notable example of non-enforcement was in the 1957–58 FA Cup. Stan Crowther and Ernie Taylor would normally have been cup-tied and thus ineligible to play for Manchester United. However they were granted an exemption and allowed to play because the club had suffered the Munich air disaster earlier that season. In that air crash, eight United players died and two others were so seriously injured that they never played again, while five others had still not fully recovered from their injuries when the match was played. The Football Association therefore waived the cup-tied rule. UEFA's rules regarding


title: Staminode content: A spectacular example of staminode is given by "Couroupita guianensis", a tropical tree growing in South America also known as cannonball tree. Staminode In botany, a staminode is an often rudimentary, sterile or abortive stamen, which means that it does not produce pollen. Staminodes are frequently inconspicuous and stamen-like, usually occurring at the inner whorl of the flower, but are also sometimes long enough to protrude from the corolla. Sometimes, the staminodes are modified to produce nectar, as in the Witch Hazel "(Hamamelis)". Staminodes can be a critical characteristic for differentiating between species, for instance in the orchid genus "Paphiopedilum",


title: "Jump 'n Bump" content: it in 2013. The N++ developers cited in 2014 Jump 'n Bump as inspiration for the Deathmatch mode in their game. Due to the popularity and source code availability the game was ported to newer systems and platforms like Windows, Android, Sony Playstation 2, Wii and several others. Jump 'n Bump Jump 'n Bump is a 1998 freeware and open-source MS-DOS platform multiplayer video game by Brainchild Design. "Jump 'n Bump" has no plot, other than that it involves up to four rabbits in multiplayer deathmatch: "Dott", "Jiffy", "Fizz", and "Mijji", trying to hop onto each other's heads to squish


title: "William Irwin Thompson" content: genre is the epic, an "Iliad". In an industrial-bourgeois society, the genre is the novel, a "Moll Flanders". In our electronic, cybernetic society, the genre is "Wissenkunst": the play of knowledge in a world of serious data-processors. The scholarly fictions of Jorge Luis Borges, or the reviews of non-existent books by Stanislaw Lem, are examples of new art forms of a society in which humanity live, not innocently in nature nor confidently in cities, but apocalyptically in a civilization cracking up to the universe. At such a moment as this the novelist becomes a prophet, the composer a magician, and


title: "Windows Mobile" content: many front end enhancements, allowing a home user to sync PIM information with Microsoft Outlook 2003 and later, photos from Windows Photo Gallery, videos or music from Windows Media Player and favorites with Internet Explorer; without the need for a server back end. Devices at this time also included a base driver compatible with Mobile Device Center so a user can connect to a computer without a need for any configuration. Windows Mobile Windows Mobile is a discontinued family of mobile operating systems developed by Microsoft for smartphones and Pocket PCs. Its origin dated back to Windows CE in 1996,


title: Walhaz content: this term specifically referred to the Celtic Volcae, because application of Grimm's law to that word produces the form "*Walh-". Subsequently, this term "*Walhōz" was applied rather indiscriminately to the southern neighbours of the Germanic people, as evidenced in geographic names such as Walchgau and Walchensee in Bavaria. These southern neighbours, however, were then already completely Romanised. Thus, Germanic speakers generalised this name first to all Celts, and later to all Romans. Old High German "Walh" became "Walch" in Middle High German, and the adjective OHG "walhisk" became MHG "welsch", e.g. in the 1240 Alexander romance by Rudolf von Ems


title: "Jon Huntsman Jr." content: his experience in the region and proficiency in Mandarin Chinese. His nomination was formally delivered to the Senate on July 6, 2009, and on July 23, 2009, he appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which favorably reported his nomination to the full Senate on August 4, 2009. On August 7, 2009, the Senate unanimously confirmed Huntsman and he formally resigned as governor of Utah and was sworn in as ambassador to China on August 11, 2009. Huntsman arrived in Beijing on August 21, 2009, to begin his assignment, and he delivered his first press conference on August 22 after


title: "U.S. Route 1/9 Truck" content: addition to replacing the St. Paul's Avenue viaduct, the approaches to US 1-9 Truck between Route 7 and the Tonnele Circle were improved. In anticipation of a general increase of activity in Port of New York and New Jersey and new development on West Side and Hackensack Riverfront studies are being conducted to make the intersection with Route 440 a multi-level traffic circle and northern and southern (Route 440) approaches to it into a multi-use urban boulevard that includes grade separations and additional medians. U.S. Route 1/9 Truck U.S. Route 1-9 Truck (US 1-9 Truck) is a United States highway


title: "Sacred Heart Cathedral (Guangzhou)" content: Sacred Heart Cathedral (Guangzhou) The Sacred Heart Cathedral, properly the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and also known as the Stone House by locals, is a Gothic Revival Roman Catholic cathedral in Guangzhou, China. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Guangzhou. The cathedral is located at 56 Yide Road (in Chinese: 一德路56号), on the north bank of the Pearl River at the heart of the old town. It is one of the few churches in the world to be entirely built of granite, including all the walls, pillars, and towers (the other three are Notre Dame


title: "Sacred Heart Cathedral (Guangzhou)" content: de Paris, Westminster Abbey and Cologne Cathedral). The site of the cathedral was originally the residence of the Viceroy of Guangdong and Guangxi Provinces in the Qing dynasty. During the Second Opium War, the residence was completely destroyed and Viceroy Ye Mingchen was captured by the British. Based on the terms of an imperial edict issued by the Daoguang Emperor in February 1846 which promised compensation for churches destroyed and properties taken from the mission, the Société des Missions Etrangères de Paris obtained the site by signing an agreement with the Qing government on January 25, 1861. In his decree


title: "Sacred Heart Cathedral (Guangzhou)" content: of approval, the Xianfeng Emperor wrote "from now on, war should be stopped and peace be sincerely kept forever". With financial support from Napoleon III and donations from French Catholics, bishop Philippe François Zéphirin Guillemin, M.E.P. ), the first vicar apostolic of Guangdong, was in charge of the construction project. A French architect from Nancy, , was asked to design the cathedral, in collaboration with Charles Hyacinthe Humbert, also from Nancy, and Antoine Hermitte from Paris who together served as executive architects. Bishop Guillemin himself did not witness the completion of the cathedral, as he died at the age of


title: "Sacred Heart Cathedral (Guangzhou)" content: 72 in Paris in 1886, two years before the cathedral was finished. The construction was then supervised by his successor, bishop Augustin Chausse, M.E.P. (). Construction of the foundation began on June 28, 1861, the Feast of the Sacred Heart, and concluded in 1863. On December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, with surrounding Chinese houses and streets decorated, a grand ceremony was held, attended by the Viceroy of Liangguang, all senior Mandarins, a detachment of 300 Manchu troops, all consuls in Canton as well as the missionaries and a score of priests. The bishop and the consul of


title: "Sacred Heart Cathedral (Guangzhou)" content: France, Baron Gilbert de Trenqualye, delivered speeches. Two foundation stones were blessed and laid. The words "Jerusalem 1863" were engraved on the east one and "Roma 1863" on the west one, in reference to the Catholic Church's origin in Jerusalem in the east and evolution in Rome in the west. One kilogram of soil taken from Rome and one stone from Jerusalem were laid under the respective foundation stones. The construction of the cathedral turned out to be very challenging, mostly because of its all-granite structure and the lack of machinery, which meant the cathedral had to be built by


title: "Sacred Heart Cathedral (Guangzhou)" content: hand. None of the Chinese workers at that time had seen a western cathedral before, not to mention had any experience of building one. Communication was another major problem when the French and the Chinese didn't speak the other language. The construction progress was slow for the first few years. Eventually the French employed a Chinese named Cai Xiao () from Jiexi County as foreman. Cai had many years of experience in building stone houses in his hometown, which enabled him to bring in a lot of unique and creative methods. He barely left the site since being employed. The


title: "Sacred Heart Cathedral (Guangzhou)" content: construction of the cathedral took most of his youth but was able to be finished in his lifetime. The cathedral was constructed at a time when most local Cantonese, after suffering from the First and Second Opium Wars, still remained xenophobic. Tensions between the two sides often existed and conflicts and disputes were often solved by the bishop or the French consul taking the matters directly to senior officials in the province or Peking. On August 11, 1880, a fire broke out in the houses just outside the church's fence. Local residents tried to get water from wells located within


title: "Sacred Heart Cathedral (Guangzhou)" content: the boundary of the cathedral's construction site, but they were denied by the workers. The argument turned into a fight and several people were injured in the subsequent crackdown by the Qing government. In the end the dispute was solved as the local community compensated the church for the allegedly damaged houses and stolen property in the chaos. Due to the site chosen by the church, construction of the cathedral as well as its affiliated school, hospital and orphanage required the demolition of many houses and relocation of local residents. Meanwhile, in the 19th century, almost all houses in Canton


title: "Sacred Heart Cathedral (Guangzhou)" content: were no more than 2 storeys high, so the high-rise cathedral and its pointed twin spires created an unusual scene among the city's skyline, which locals feared would influence the city's feng shui and consequently bring misfortune and disasters to its people. This resulted in more suspicion and resentment towards the church. The cathedral was mostly funded by Napoleon III. When bishop Guillemin met him in Paris in 1858, the emperor, urged by his wife Eugénie, offered a personal grant of 500,000 francs. In 1873, a bill was passed in the National Assembly of France with 491 ayes against 100


title: "Sacred Heart Cathedral (Guangzhou)" content: nays, allocating another 75,000 francs to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be used on the cathedral. The cathedral was finished in 1888 after 25 years of construction. The facade of the cathedral was modelled on the Basilica of St. Clotilde in Paris and its nave and apse were inspired by the Toul Cathedral. The cathedral features a nave of 28.2 metres high, flanked by two lower aisles and 14 small side-chapels. With a floor area of 2,924 square metres, it is the largest Roman Catholic church in the Guangzhou archdiocese and the largest cathedral in the Gothic style in


title: "Sacred Heart Cathedral (Guangzhou)" content: China and Southeast Asia. The cathedral is 32.85 metres wide, 77.17 metres long, and the twin towers rise 52.76 metres high. The west tower is a clock tower while the east tower serves as a bell tower, inside which there used to be five gigantic bronze bells shipped in from France in the 19th century, although nowadays only four remain as one was given to a local church in Guangxi province in the early 1980s. The cathedral, like most of the great Gothic cathedrals of Europe, is built of solid masonry. It is one of the few churches in the


title: "Sacred Heart Cathedral (Guangzhou)" content: world to be entirely built of granite, including all the walls, pillars and the twin towers. The stones were transported from Kowloon, Hong Kong by sailing ships. Since its completion in 1888, the cathedral has undergone three major repairs. The first time was in the 1920s and 1930s, when then Bishop Antoine-Pierre-Jean Fourquet, M.E.P. (), replaced the timber roof, beams and steel staircases with concrete ones. A second repair took place after the Cultural Revolution in the 1980s. Recently between 2004 and 2006 the largest repair works were carried out. The church paid ¥3 million and local Catholics donated about


title: "Sacred Heart Cathedral (Guangzhou)" content: ¥2 million for the ¥26 million project, while the rest was covered by the local government. The aim of the restoration was to solve the problem of leakage by rebuilding the whole roof, which was the most challenging task as the rib vault below needed to remain untouched and intact. Most of 19th century stained glass was damaged during wartime and smashed in the Cultural Revolution, so new stained glass was ordered from a Philippine company specialising in church glass. It resulted in the new stained glass carrying English descriptions instead of Latin and French texts of the original French


title: "Sacred Heart Cathedral (Guangzhou)" content: glass. New lighting, audio and CCTV systems were also installed. The original French mechanical clock has long gone, so a new 750,000-yuan clock tailored for the clock tower was ordered from a Chinese clock factory. Weekdays: 06:45 (Cantonese) Saturday: 06:45 (Cantonese), 16:00 (Korean), 19:30 (Mandarin) Sunday: 07:00 (Cantonese), 08:30 (Cantonese), 10:30 (Mandarin), 15:30 (English) Sacred Heart Cathedral (Guangzhou) The Sacred Heart Cathedral, properly the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and also known as the Stone House by locals, is a Gothic Revival Roman Catholic cathedral in Guangzhou, China. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Guangzhou. The


title: "Michèle Mouton" content: rivals attracted a great deal of publicity. As the Audi Quattro, the first rally car to have over 300 bhp and both a turbocharger and four-wheel-drive, had not yet gained FIA homologation, Audi could only enter rallies as zero cars and not as competitive entries. Hannu Mikkola debuted the car in the Algarve Rally in October, and would have won by about thirty minutes had his times been officially registered. Mouton joined Freddy Kottulinsky for the final round of the Finnish Rally Championship, the Northern Lights, and also showed encouraging pace on the slippery surfaces. Mouton initially found the car


title: "Jovo Stanisavljević Čaruga" content: home to Osijek, where he went to a locksmith school. When World War I broke out, he stopped his studies and enrolled in the Austro-Hungarian Army. However, he posed as an officer and deserted the front lines. Shortly afterwards, he killed a man who was courting his girlfriend, and after a local nobleman threatened to arrest him, he killed him too. He was eventually apprehended, tried, and convicted, and started serving his sentence in the Sremska Mitrovica penitentiary. He managed to escape from prison and had a warrant for his capture, returning home where he was unwelcomed. Čaruga left for


title: "Standard Schnauzer" content: Standard Schnauzer The Standard Schnauzer (Mittelschnauzer) is a dog breed that originated in Germany from at least 14th-15th century, of Schnauzer breed type and progenitor of the Giant Schnauzer and Miniature Schnauzer. Initially it was called Wire-Haired Pinscher, while Schnauzer was adopted in 1879. The literal translation is "snouter" from the German word for "snout" and means colloquially "moustache", or "whiskered snout", because of the dog's distinctively bearded snout. Generally classified as a working or utility dog, this versatile breed is robust, squarely built, medium-sized dog with aristocratic bearing. It has been claimed that it was a popular subject of


title: "Standard Schnauzer" content: painters Sir Joshua Reynolds, Albrecht Dürer and Rembrandt, but actual proof remains elusive. Standard Schnauzers are either salt-and-pepper or black in color, and are known for exhibiting many of the "ideal" traits of any breed. These include high intelligence, agility, alertness, reliability, strength, and endurance. This breed of dog has been very popular in Europe, specifically Germany, where it originated. The breed was first exhibited at a show in Hanover in 1879, and since then has taken top honors in many shows, including the prestigious "Best in Show" at Westminster Kennel Club" in the United States in 1997. In the


title: "Standard Schnauzer" content: Middle Ages, Schnauzer-type dogs of medium size were developed as a versatile multifunctional breed from herding and working breeds in Germany (Württemberg and Bavaria). It is claimed that it appears in German artwork from 14th-16th centuries; in a 14th century statue in Mecklenburg which shows a hunter with the dog at his feet, that if was painted by Albrecht Dürer ("Madonna of the Animals") and Rembrandt in several village scenes, Lucas Cranach the Elder in his tapestry from 1501 depicting Christ's crowning with thorns, shown in 1620 statue "The Night Watchman" located in Stuttgart (probably meant 19th century statue ""


title: "Standard Schnauzer" content: by ), and since early 18th century even in English artwork, but actual proof remains elusive. Historians and cynologists theorize that it has a common ancestry with German Pinscher as a rough-coated variant of the Pinscher breed, and that it was possibly crossed with black German Poodle and gray Wolf Spitz to which influence is attributed black soft coat and salt-and-pepper wiry coat, and perhaps also Bolognese dog. Such a variety would have been more useful in winter, and livestock-driving and vermin-hunting roles. A dog of the peasant farmers for centuries, with the advent of dog showing in the 19th


title: "Standard Schnauzer" content: century they finally captured the interest of German dog fanciers, who began to standardize their look and temperament for the show ring. By 1850 was recognized as a distinct purebred dog. Those early dogs had many recognizable features, such as thick facial hair, wiry double coat, elegant necks, and cropped tails. The breed takes its name from one of their kind, a medium-sized show dog named "Schnauzer", who won at the 1879 Hanover Show in Germany. Since the 1900s the breed universally started to be called as Schnauzer. It is considered that the word itself appeared for the first time


title: "Standard Schnauzer" content: in 1842 when Jeremias Gotthelf used it as a synonym for the Wire-Haired Pinscher, which was also known as Wire-Haired German Pinscher, Rauhaar Pinscher (Rough-Haired Terrier), Rattenfanger, Ratter. By the name "Wire-Haired German Pinscher" it received first German breed standard in 1880 (or 1884), and initially having a wide variety of coat colors, between 1885-1890 were introduced black and pepper-and-salt color variations which would become dominant colors in 1907 breed standard. In this period has developed a standard with more elegant head, more prominent beard, and eyebrows, as well as overall appearance. The Pinscher-Schnauzer Club was founded in 1895 and


title: "Standard Schnauzer" content: is still active. Although it is claimed that the first Standard Schnauzer in the United States was shown in the Miscellaneous Class at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City in 1899, and European immigrants could have brought it with them, the first official import was recorded in 1905, named Fingal. However, it became more popular only after World War I, where the Germany army used it to carry small packages while the Red Cross for guard duty and other aides. The Wire-Haired Pinscher Club of America was founded in 1925. The club was for both Standard


title: "Standard Schnauzer" content: and Miniature Schnauzers, but since 1933 the club was divided for separate promotion, one of them being Standard Schnauzer Club of America. Initially, American Kennel Club (AKC) classified it in the Working Group, but in 1926 were moved to Terrier Group, which was reverted in 1945 or 1946. It was imported into England circa 1926, within two years, was formed Schnauzer Club of Great Britain, and in the late 1930s received challenge certificates. CKC also includes it in the Working Group, UKC includes it in Guardian Group, the KC, ANKC and NZKC include it in the Utility Group, while by