title: "Hassan Tower" content: the minaret based on the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech, but also drew influence from the ancient Egyptian Lighthouse of Alexandria for its height and method of ascendancy, a series of ramps. Yaqub al-Mansur conducted other works in Rabat, most notably reconstruction of the Kasbah of the Udayas and conversion of the Chellah ancient complex, built by the Phoenicians and Romans, to a necropolis usage. The mosque is strategically placed on the high south bank of the Bu Regreg river to provide an imposing spectacle visible for miles around. Since the area surrounding was suburban at the time of construction and


title: "Hassan Tower" content: lacked the population to regularly fill the mosque, historians have been led to believe that it was built to serve double-duty as both a place of worship and as a fortress. Instead of stairs, the tower is ascended by ramps, which would have allowed the muezzin to ride a horse to the top to issue the call to prayer. At the center of each of the six floors would have been a vaulted chamber surrounded by the ramps and lit by the horseshoe-shaped windows set into the sides of the tower. Its exterior is decorated with panels of sebka patterning


title: "Hassan Tower" content: as well as engaged columns and capitals carved from the same sandstone as the tower itself, but retains one marble capital of Andalusi spolia. Notably, the mosque was given cylindrical stone columns rather than the brick piers more commonly seen in Almohad architecture. These columns were to be formed from drums of differing height, an idea that, while innovative at the time, slowed down construction significantly and contributed to the mosque's unfinished state. The plan originally included three small inner courtyards, one in the back, parallel to the "qibla", and the other two on either side of the prayer hall,


title: "Hassan Tower" content: allowing daylight and fresh air to flow in through the arcades. In addition to being incomplete, the mosque sustained some damage in the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake. This site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on July 1, 1995 in the Cultural category. It was granted World Heritage Status in 2012. Hassan Tower Hassan Tower or Tour Hassan () is the minaret of an incomplete mosque in Rabat, Morocco. Commissioned by Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur, the third Caliph of the Almohad Caliphate in 1195, the tower was intended to be the largest minaret in the world along with


title: "Strathmore (Maryland)" content: Strathmore (Maryland) Strathmore is a cultural and artistic venue and institution in North Bethesda, Maryland, United States. Strathmore was founded in 1981 and consists of two venues: the Mansion and the Music Center. It is the home to hundreds of performances and events per year presented by Strathmore Hall Foundation, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, National Philharmonic, Levine Music, City Dance, interPLAY Orchestra, and others. The Strathmore arts complex is connected to an upper floor of the parking garage at the Grosvenor-Strathmore Washington Metro station via an elevated pedestrian walkway, the Carlton R. Sickles Memorial Sky Bridge, named after late Congressman


title: "Strathmore (Maryland)" content: Carlton R. Sickles. The complex is thus accessible for patrons coming from Washington, D.C., as well as the northern part of Montgomery County, Maryland via the Metro rail system. The center's President & CEO is Eliot Pfanstiehl. More than 5,000 artists and 2 million visitors have attended exhibitions, concerts, teas, educational events and outdoor festivals since 1983. Highlights include hosting the first National Kaleidoscope Exhibition, the world premiere of the Rhodes-Nadler Art Collection, the opening of the 1,976-seat Music Center at Strathmore in February 2005, described as “…the best place to hear an orchestra the Washington area has ever known”;


title: "Strathmore (Maryland)" content: and producing the world premiere concert of "cELLAbration: A Tribute to Ella Jenkins". The Mansion features a 100-seat Dorothy M. and Maurice C. Shapiro Music room. This room hosts the Music in the Mansion series with performances of chamber music, vocal and instrumental recitals, jazz and folk music. There is an 1850 Broadwood piano, restored in 1994. There are free outdoor concerts in summer, as well as the Backyard Theater for Children every Thursday morning. The art of Strathmore brings in thousands of visitors each year. There are more than two dozen exhibitions each season from local artists and from


title: "Strathmore (Maryland)" content: collaborations with renowned museums, such as the Baltimore Museum. The Gudelsky Gallery Suite, located at the top of the grand staircase, was named after philanthropists, Homer and Martha Gudelsky. Supported by a donation from the Gudelsky Family Foundation, this gallery features four galleries. It is the only venue of its kind in Montgomery County. There is also a Sculpture Garden that winds through the complex's . The Neo-Georgian mansion has columned porticos, Palladian windows and a hilltop setting, It was designed by Appleton P. Clark, Jr., and constructed in 1902 as a summer home for Captain and Mrs. James Oyster


title: "Strathmore (Maryland)" content: and their family. In 1908, the Oysters sold the residence and its to Charles I. Corby and his wife, Hattie. It was used as a summer home until 1914 when it was remodeled by architect Charles Keene, and became the permanent abode for the Corby family. Mr. Corby died in 1926 after acquiring nearly of surrounding land and maintaining a fully operational dairy farm and a private golf course. With the death of Mrs. Corby in 1941, the home was purchased by the Sisters of the Holy Cross in 1943 and became known as St. Angela Hall, serving as a


title: "Strathmore (Maryland)" content: convent and school. In 1977, the Sisters of the Holy Cross sold the mansion to the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) as a temporary headquarters. In 1979, Montgomery County purchased the property from ASHA for an Arts Center. On June 21, 1983, after major restoration of the facility, Strathmore opened its doors to the public. Anchored by the founding partners, Strathmore and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, resident artistic partners include the National Philharmonic, Washington Performing Arts Society, CityDance Ensemble, Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras, and Levine School of Music. The venue presents over 150 performances a year and over 75


title: "Strathmore (Maryland)" content: arts and music education classes each week. Designed by William Rawn Associates Architects, Inc. of Boston along with Grimm & Parker Architects of Bethesda, MD, acousticians Kirkegaard Associates of Chicago, and Theatre Projects Consultants of South Norwalk, Connecticut, the result is a critically acclaimed venue that Tim Smith from "The Baltimore Sun" proclaims a, “first-class space for music-making.” The Music Center at Strathmore features an undulating roof that outlines the sloping form of the concert hall. Inspired by the rolling hills of the Strathmore grounds, the building is nestled into an park-like setting. The German limestone façade is punctuated by


title: "Strathmore (Maryland)" content: large glass walls. A six-story, high glass wall in the Lockheed Martin Lobby features 402 panes of glass, and opens to the outdoor Trawick Terrace that overlooks the Strathmore campus. The concert hall was designed in the traditional “shoebox” form of many international concert halls. Above the stage, a mechanized canopy of 43 individually controlled acrylic panels can be adjusted to fine-tune sound for clarity and reverberation. Tunable sound-absorbing curtains behind the bronze grilling and banners in the ceiling can be deployed out of sight to dampen or enliven the sound. The Education Center, located at the opposite end of


title: "Strathmore (Maryland)" content: the building, features four expansive rehearsal spaces, including a dance studio with a sprung floor and two rehearsal rooms with high ceilings. This wing of the building also features a children’s music classroom, a small two-story rehearsal room and nine solo and small group practice spaces. Strathmore, which began as a turn-of-the-century mansion featuring small chamber performances and art exhibitions in 1983, developed its plans for the Music Center over 20 years ago. In 1985, Strathmore’s Board of Directors and President and CEO Eliot Pfanstiehl began discussions about the need for a larger educational and performance space. In 1996, the


title: "Strathmore (Maryland)" content: Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, under the leadership of former president John Gidwitz, expressed interest in creating a second home in Montgomery County, and joined Strathmore as a founding partner of the Music Center at Strathmore. In 1998, the Montgomery County Council and the Maryland State Legislature approved matching capital support ($48 million each) for the Music Center at Strathmore. After the design team was selected in 2001, work began under the direction of the county. The public-private partnership between Strathmore Hall Foundation, Inc. assumes the day-to-day management and artistic programming of the Music Center and Mansion. Hundreds of donors stepped forward


title: "Strathmore (Maryland)" content: to help build, equip and sustain the operation of the Music Center. The grounds contain 23 commissioned and donated sculptures by various local and national artists, including works by Stefan Saal, Barton Rubenstein, Carol Gellner Levin, Foon Sham and Wendy Ross. Located on the Bou Family Terrace, "Tetra Con Brio," a monumental sculpture of cast bronze, steel, and polished concrete, stands tall and weighs 4,500 pounds. Created by California artist Roger W. Stoller. The statue is dedicated to Benjamin O'Brien, founder of Music & Arts Centers. A flagship program of Strathmore’s Institute for Artistic and Professional Development, the Artist in


title: "Strathmore (Maryland)" content: Residence (AIR) program was created more than a decade ago to support artists as they transition to professional careers. Since its inception in 2005, the program has mentored 58 musicians ages 16–32. Every year a class of six is chosen after a competitive selection program. Strathmore Artists in Residence benefit from the support of mentor musicians, participate in professional development seminars, and are offered extensive performance opportunities throughout the 10-month program. Artists who have been a part of the program are: Strathmore (Maryland) Strathmore is a cultural and artistic venue and institution in North Bethesda, Maryland, United States. Strathmore was


title: Jazz-funk content: of the World formed by Breeze McKrieth, Kenny Wellington, Jean-Paul 'Bluey' Maunick, Paul 'Tubbs' Williams, Peter Hinds and David Baptiste. Offshoots of the band also formed Beggar & Co and Incognito. Some heavy producers (Jazzanova), some of whom are trained in classical music and jazz, are taking the elements of jazz-funk and using them in the full-electronic and computer assisted era. These movements are called nu jazz, and broken beat and are however heavily dominated not by instrumentalists, but rather by DJs. Yet some (including those quoted) are outstanding achieved arrangers and producers, heavily influenced by jazz-funk, and therefore full


title: "Chris Auchinvole" content: in support of the bill during its second reading was well received. On 2 October 2013 Auchinvole confirmed that he would be stepping down at the 2014 election. Auchinvole was replaced for the 2014 election by Maureen Pugh, Former Westland District Mayor as the West Coast-Tasman Candidate however she did not win the seat but later entered Parliament on the list following Tim Groser's resignation. Following the 2014 election Auchinvole has retired with his wife to raise Highland Cattle on their West Coast properties in Moana near Lake Brunner on the West Coast. Chris Auchinvole Chris Auchinvole JP (born 7


title: "Richard E. Hawes" content: Congress in recognition of his services in salvaging the "S-51" and "S-4". In January 1940 Lieutenant Hawes assumed command of and was serving in that role when the United States entered World War II. On December 10, 1941 the "Pigeon" was docked at the Cavite Navy Yard on Manila Bay for repairs to her steering gear when Japanese warplanes attacked. Since Pearl Harbor three days before, Hawes had main steam pressure up and the full crew aboard, ready to get underway at an instant. Lashed to the minesweeper , which provided steering for both, "Pigeon" cleared the docks and headed


title: "Agnes Booth" content: died in 1883, and in 1885 she married John B. Schoeffel, manager of Boston's Tremont theatre. Her last major performance was in "L'Arlesienne" in 1897. Agnes Booth Agnes Booth (October 4, 1843 – January 2, 1910), born Marian Agnes Land Rookes, was an Australian-born American actress and in-law of Junius Brutus Booth, John Wilkes Booth, and Edwin Booth. Although there are no records of Agnes Booth's birth or her family's residence in Australia, by her own account she was born in Sydney, New South Wales. She migrated to California with her family in 1858, at the age of about 14.


title: "Montreal City Hall" content: Montreal City Hall The five-story Montreal City Hall (French: "Hôtel de Ville de Montréal") is the seat of local government in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was designed by architects Henri-Maurice Perrault and Alexander Cowper Hutchison, and built between 1872 and 1878 in the Second Empire style. It is located in Old Montreal, between Place Jacques-Cartier and the Champ de Mars, at 275 Notre-Dame Street East. The closest Metro station is Champ-de-Mars, on the Orange Line. As one of the best examples of the Second Empire style in Canada, and the first city hall to have been constructed in the country


title: "Montreal City Hall" content: solely for municipal administration, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1984. Construction on the building began in 1872 and was completed in 1878. The original building was gutted by fire in March 1922, leaving only the outer wall and destroying many of the city's historic records. The architect Louis Parant was commissioned for the reconstruction, who decided to build an entirely new building with a self-supporting steel structure built inside the shell of the ruins. This new building was modelled after the city hall of the French city of Tours. Other changes included a remodelling of


title: "Montreal City Hall" content: the Mansard roof into a new Beaux-Arts inspired model, with a copper roof instead of the original slate tiles. In 1967 Charles de Gaulle, the president of France, gave his Vive le Québec libre speech from the building's balcony. Montreal City Hall The five-story Montreal City Hall (French: "Hôtel de Ville de Montréal") is the seat of local government in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was designed by architects Henri-Maurice Perrault and Alexander Cowper Hutchison, and built between 1872 and 1878 in the Second Empire style. It is located in Old Montreal, between Place Jacques-Cartier and the Champ de Mars, at


title: "Rose Marie Pangborn" content: Award, and in 1988 an Outstanding Alumna Award from New Mexico State University. In 1984, she was awarded her the Doctor Honoris Causa in Food Science from the University of Helsinki. Pangborn died on March 17, 1990 in El Macero, California, after battling cancer for five years. There is a scholarship in her honor, the Pangborn Sensory Science Scholarship Fund (SSSF) is a $15,000 award given each year to a Ph.D. student who intends to teach and conduct research in the area of Sensory Science at the University level. At the IFT Annual Meeting (Institute of Food Technologists), the Sensory


title: "Euonymus europaeus" content: Euonymus europaeus Euonymus europaeus (spindle, European spindle, common spindle) is a species of flowering plant in the family Celastraceae, native to much of Europe, where it inhabits the edges of forest, hedges and gentle slopes, tending to thrive on nutrient-rich, chalky and salt-poor soils. It is a deciduous shrub or small tree. Other names include fusoria, fusanum, ananbeam, shemshad rasmi (Iran), while it may have given its name to the ancient Greek settlement of Euonymeia. "Euonymus europaeus" grows to tall, rarely , with a stem up to in diameter. The leaves are opposite, lanceolate to elliptical, 3–8 cm long and


title: "Euonymus europaeus" content: 1–3 cm broad, with a finely serrated edge. Leaves are dark green in summer. Fall color ranges from yellow-green to reddish-purple, depending on environmental conditions. The hermaphrodite flowers are produced in late spring and are insect-pollinated; they are rather inconspicuous, small, yellowish green and grow in cymes of 3–8 together. The capsular fruit ripens in autumn, and is red to purple or pink in colour and approximately 1–1.5 cm wide. When ripe, the four lobes split open to reveal the orange seeds. It is a popular ornamental plant in gardens and parks due to its bright pink or purple fruits


title: "Euonymus europaeus" content: and attractive autumn colouring, in addition to its resistance to frost and wind. It has been introduced to North America where it has become an invasive species in some areas. In cultivation in the UK, the cultivar 'Red Cascade' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. European spindle wood is very hard, and can be cut to a sharp point; it was used in the past for making spindles for wool-spinning and for butchers' skewers. Parts of the plant have been used medicinally. However, the fruit is poisonous, containing, amongst other substances, the alkaloids theobromine and caffeine,


title: "Euonymus europaeus" content: as well as an extremely bitter terpene. Poisonings are more common in young children, who are enticed by the brightly coloured fruits. Ingestion can result in liver and kidney damage and even death. Euonymus europaeus Euonymus europaeus (spindle, European spindle, common spindle) is a species of flowering plant in the family Celastraceae, native to much of Europe, where it inhabits the edges of forest, hedges and gentle slopes, tending to thrive on nutrient-rich, chalky and salt-poor soils. It is a deciduous shrub or small tree. Other names include fusoria, fusanum, ananbeam, shemshad rasmi (Iran), while it may have given its


title: "Manufacture nationale de Sèvres" content: public organisation "Sèvres - Cité de la céramique", (Sèvres - Ceramic City), along with the Musée national de la céramique. On 1 May 2012, the musée national de la porcelaine Adrien-Dubouché was also made part of this public organisation, whose name was changed to Cité de la céramique - Sèvres et Limoges. Since becoming a public organisation, its mission, in accordance with its origins in 1740, is to produce ceramic works of art using artisanal techniques, including both reproductions of old models and contemporary creations. It produces good both for state needs and commercial sale and is charged with promoting


title: "Timeline of golf history (1945–99)" content: player to win the U.S. Masters. Lyle sweeps his approach shot to the last green out of a fairway bunker to within , and sinks the resulting birdie putt for a one-shot victory over Mark Calcavecchia. Seve Ballesteros wins his third British Open championship in the first-ever Monday finish to the 72 holes, after the whole of Saturday's scheduled third round at Royal Lytham was lost to torrential rain. The victory, one of several around the globe for Ballesteros in 1988, helps him to finish the year on top of the Sony World Rankings. Curtis Strange wins the season-ending Nabisco


title: "Capital budgeting" content: have in the future and adds these values to the NPV. The real value of capital budgeting is to rank projects. Most organizations have many projects that could potentially be financially rewarding. Once it has been determined that a particular project has exceeded its hurdle, then it should be ranked against peer projects (e.g. - highest Profitability index to lowest Profitability index). The highest ranking projects should be implemented until the budgeted capital has been expended. Capital budgeting investments and projects must be funded through excess cash provided through the raising of debt capital, equity capital, or the use of


title: "Frederick William Whitehouse" content: gained him international recognition. On his return to Queensland, Whitehouse was appointed government geologist. In 1926, he began lecturing in geology at the University of Queensland; over three decades he was to alternate between working for the State government and the university. He helped to map the geology of western Queensland while studying the region's fossil fauna. In 1940, he was president of the Royal Society of Queensland. In 1941 he was awarded the Royal Society of New South Wales's Walter Burfitt prize and medal for his work on the stratigraphy of the Great Artesian Basin. In 1946-47, Whitehouse was


title: "Great frigatebird" content: Great frigatebird The great frigatebird ("Fregata minor") is a large seabird in the frigatebird family. There are major nesting populations in the tropical Pacific (including the Galapagos Islands) and Indian Oceans, as well as a tiny population in the South Atlantic. The great frigatebird is a lightly built, large seabird up to 105 cm long with predominantly black plumage. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism; the female is larger than the adult male and has a white throat and breast, and the male's scapular feathers have a purple-green sheen. In the breeding season, the male is able to distend its striking


title: "Great frigatebird" content: red gular sac. The species feeds on fish taken in flight from the ocean's surface (mostly flying fish), and indulges in kleptoparasitism less frequently than other frigatebirds. They feed in pelagic waters within 80 km (50 mi) of their breeding colony or roosting areas. When German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin first described the great frigatebird in 1789, he thought it was a small pelican, and so named it "Pelecanus minor". Due to the rules of taxonomy, its species name of "minor" was retained despite being placed in a separate genus by the Australian ornithologist Gregory Mathews in 1914. This has


title: "Great frigatebird" content: led to the discrepancy between "minor", Latin for "smaller" in contrast with its common name. It is one of five closely related species of frigatebird that make up their own genus ("Fregata") and family (Fregatidae). Its closest relative within the group is the Christmas Island frigatebird ("F. andrewsi"). A Late Pleistocene fossil wing phalanx and proximal end of humerus indistinguishable from the living great frigatebird were recovered from Ulupau Head on Oahu. Five subspecies are usually recognised: The great frigatebird measures in length and has a wingspan of . Male great frigatebirds are smaller than females, but the extent of


title: "Great frigatebird" content: the variation varies geographically. The male birds weigh while the heavier female birds weigh . Frigatebirds have long narrow pointed wings and a long narrow deeply forked tail. They have the highest ratio of wing area to body mass and the lowest wing loading of any bird. This has been hypothesized to enable the birds to use marine thermals created by small differences between tropical air and water temperatures. The plumage of males is black with scapular feathers that have a green iridescence when they refract sunlight. Females are black with a white throat and breast and have a red


title: "Great frigatebird" content: eye ring. Juveniles are black with a rust-tinged white face, head, and throat. The great frigatebird has a wide distribution throughout the world’s tropical seas. Hawaii is the northernmost extent of their range in the Pacific Ocean, with around 10,000 pairs nesting mostly in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. In the Central and South Pacific, colonies are found on most islands groups from Wake Island to the Galapagos to New Caledonia with a few pairs nesting on Australian possessions in the Coral Sea. Colonies are also found on numerous Indian Ocean islands including Aldabra, Christmas Island, the Maldives and Mauritius. The


title: "Great frigatebird" content: Atlantic population, restricted to Trindade and Martin Vaz, is very small. Great frigatebirds undertake regular migrations across their range, both regular trips and more infrequent widespread dispersals. Birds marked with wing tags on Tern Island in the French Frigate Shoals were found to regularly travel to Johnston Atoll (873 km), one was reported in Quezon City in the Philippines. One male great frigatebird relocated from Europa Island in the Mozambique Channel to the Maldives 4400 km away for four months, where it fed on rich fishing grounds. Despite their extended range, birds also exhibit philopatry, breeding in their natal colony


title: "Great frigatebird" content: even if they travel to other colonies. The great frigatebird forages in pelagic waters within 80 km (50 mi) of the breeding colony or roosting areas. Flying fish from the family Exocoetidae are the most common item in the diet of the great frigatebird; other fish species and squid may be eaten as well. Prey is snatched while in flight, either from just below the surface or from the air in the case of flying fish flushed from the water. Great frigatebirds will make use of schools of predatory tuna or pods of dolphins that push schooling fish to the


title: "Great frigatebird" content: surface. Like all frigatebirds they will not alight on the water surface and are usually incapable of taking off should they accidentally do so. Great frigatebirds will also hunt seabird chicks at their breeding colonies, taking mostly the chicks of sooty terns, spectacled terns, brown noddies and black noddies. Studies show that only females (adults and juveniles) hunt in this fashion, and only a few individuals account for most of the kills. Great frigatebirds will attempt kleptoparasitism, chasing other nesting seabirds (boobies and tropicbirds in particular) in order to make them regurgitate their food. This behaviour is not thought to


title: "Great frigatebird" content: play a significant part of the diet of the species, and is instead a supplement to food obtained by hunting. A study of great frigatebirds stealing from masked boobies estimated that the frigatebirds could at most obtain 40% of the food they needed, and on average obtained only 5%. Great frigatebirds are seasonally monogamous, with a breeding season that can take two years from mating to the end of parental care. The species is colonial, nesting in bushes and trees (and on the ground in the absence of vegetation) in colonies of up to several thousand pairs. Nesting bushes are


title: "Great frigatebird" content: often shared with other species, especially red-footed boobies and other species of frigatebirds. Both sexes have a patch of skin at the throat that is the gular sac; in male great frigatebirds this skin is red and can be inflated to attract a mate. Groups of males sit in bushes and trees and force air into their sac, causing it to inflate over a period of 20 minutes into a startling red balloon. As females fly overhead the males waggle their heads from side to side, shake their wings and call. Females will observe many groups of males before forming


title: "Great frigatebird" content: a pair bond. Having formed a bond the pair will sometimes select the display site, or may seek another site, to form a nesting site; once a nesting site has been established both sexes will defend their territory (the area surrounding the nest that can be reached from the nest) from other frigatebirds. Pair bond formation and nest-building can be completed in a couple of days by some pairs and can take a couple of weeks (up to four) for other pairs. Males collect loose nesting material (twigs, vines, flotsam) from around the colony and off the ocean surface and


title: "Great frigatebird" content: return to the nesting site where the female builds the nest. Nesting material may be stolen from other seabird species (in the case of black noddies the entire nest may be stolen) either snatched off the nesting site or stolen from other birds themselves foraging for nesting material. Great frigatebird nests are large platforms of loosely woven twigs that quickly become encrusted with guano. There is little attempt to maintain the nests during the breeding season and nests may disintegrate before the end of the season. A single dull chalky-white egg measuring is laid during each breeding season. If the


title: "Great frigatebird" content: egg is lost the pair bond breaks; females may acquire a new mate and lay again in that year. Both parents incubate the egg in shifts that last between 3–6 days; the length of shift varies by location, although female shifts are longer than those of males. Incubation can be energetically demanding, birds have been recorded losing between 20–33% of their body mass during a shift. Incubation lasts for around 55 days. Great frigatebird chicks begin calling a few days before hatching and rub their egg tooth against the shell. The altricial chicks are naked and helpless, and lie prone


title: "Great frigatebird" content: for several days after hatching. Chicks are brooded for two weeks after hatching after which they are covered in white down, and guarded by a parent for another fortnight after that. Chicks are given numerous meals a day after hatching, once older they are fed every one to two days. Feeding is by regurgitation, the chick sticks its head inside the adults mouth. Parental care is prolonged in great frigatebirds. Fledging occurs after four to six months, the timing dependent on oceanic conditions and food availability. After fledging chicks continue to receive parental care for between 150–428 days; frigatebirds have


title: "Great frigatebird" content: the longest period of post-fledging parental care of any bird. The length of this care depends on oceanic conditions, in bad years (particularly El Niño years) the period of care is longer. The diet of these juvenile birds is provided in part by food they obtained for themselves and in part from their parents. Young fledglings will also engage in play; with one bird picking up a stick and being chased by one or more other fledglings. After the chick drops the stick the chaser attempts to catch the stick before it hits the water, after which the game starts


title: "Great frigatebird" content: again. This play is thought to be important in developing the aerial skills needed to fish. Great figatebirds take many years to reach sexual maturity and only breed once they have acquired the full adult plumage. This is attained by female birds when they are eight to nine years of age and for male birds when they are 10 to 11 years of age. The average lifespan is unknown but is assumed to be relatively long. As part of a study conducted in 2002 on Tern Island in Hawaii, 35 ringed great frigatebirds were recaptured. Of these 10 were 37


title: "Great frigatebird" content: years or older and one was at least 44 years old. Because of the large overall total population and extended range the species is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being of Least Concern. In the South Atlantic, great frigatebirds (subspecies "F. m. nicolli") once bred on both Saint Helena and Trindade. The Saint Helena population disappeared in ancient times and is only known from subfossil remains, estimated to be a few hundred years old. The Trindade archipelago is part of a Brazilian military area and the human population consists only of a few Brazilian Navy


title: "Great frigatebird" content: personnel, limiting easy access for ornithologists. Once abundant, it has disappeared as a breeding bird from the main island of Trindade, but small numbers remain elsewhere in this archipelago. The main island was once covered in forest but after this was destroyed, overgrazing by the introduced goats prevented any recovery. A series of eradication programs in the second half of the 20th century eliminated all the introduced vertebrates other than house mice. Feral cats that had seriously depleted ground nesting birds were finally eradicated in 1998. In Brazil, the only country where "F. m. nicolli" survives, the great frigatebird is


title: "Great frigatebird" content: considered critically endangered. Great frigatebird The great frigatebird ("Fregata minor") is a large seabird in the frigatebird family. There are major nesting populations in the tropical Pacific (including the Galapagos Islands) and Indian Oceans, as well as a tiny population in the South Atlantic. The great frigatebird is a lightly built, large seabird up to 105 cm long with predominantly black plumage. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism; the female is larger than the adult male and has a white throat and breast, and the male's scapular feathers have a purple-green sheen. In the breeding season, the male is able to


title: "Trinny and Susannah" content: out on their television partnership should something unforeseen happen. Woodall and Constantine have been accused of being patronising, but reject these claims. They gained recognition for their work on the show and won a Royal Television Society Award in 2002 in the category of best factual presenter. They have also given different celebrities makeovers which include Jeremy Clarkson, Lesley Joseph, Jo Brand, Sophie Raworth and Ingrid Tarrant. Woodall and Constantine became the faces of Nescafé in 2003. After success with the ratings on BBC Two, their programme was promoted to the more mainstream BBC One in 2004. Together, they have


title: "Nitrogen trifluoride" content: trillion (ppt) by volume, which will provide less than 0.001 Wm of IR forcing. The mean global tropospheric concentration of NF has risen from about 0.02 ppt (parts per trillion, dry air mole fraction) in 1980, to 0.86 ppt in 2011, with a rate of increase of 0.095 ppt yr, or about 11% per year, and an interhemispheric gradient that is consistent with emissions occurring overwhelmingly in the Northern Hemisphere, as expected. This rise rate in 2011 corresponds to about 1200 metric tons/y NF emissions globally, or about 10% of the NF global production estimates. This is a significantly higher


title: "Carlina acaulis" content: Carlina acaulis Carlina acaulis, the stemless carline thistle, dwarf carline thistle, or silver thistle, is a perennial dicotyledonous flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to alpine regions of central and southern Europe. The specific name "acaulis" (New Latin for "without a stem," from Latin "caulis" "stem" or "stalk") and common names are descriptive of the manner in which its flower head rests directly upon a basal leaf rosette. The spiny, pinnatilobate leaves grow in a basal rosette approximately 20 cm in diameter. The flowers are produced in a large (up to 10 cm) flowerhead of silvery-white ray florets around


title: "Carlina acaulis" content: a central disc. The disc florets are tubular and yellow-brown in colour. To protect the pollen, the head closes in wet weather, a phenomenon folklore holds to presage forthcoming rain. The flowering time is between August and September. It prefers chalky soils and dry pastures in environments from valleys up to an altitude of 2,800 m. There are two subspecies: The rhizome contains a number of essential oils, in particular the antibacterial carlina oxide. The root was formerly employed in herbal medicine as a diuretic and cold remedy. While young, the flowerhead bud can be cooked and eaten in a


title: "Carlina acaulis" content: similar manner to the Globe artichoke, which earned it the nickname of "hunter's bread". It is sometimes cultivated as a rockery plant, or dried and hung as a house decoration. In Basque culture it was traditionally used as symbol of good fortune, fixed into the frontal door of the house and was given by the goddess Mari. Carlina acaulis Carlina acaulis, the stemless carline thistle, dwarf carline thistle, or silver thistle, is a perennial dicotyledonous flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to alpine regions of central and southern Europe. The specific name "acaulis" (New Latin for "without a stem,"


title: "Hazel Grove railway station" content: than the former route via Romiley and New Mills Central. The chord also enables Sheffield trains to serve Stockport and run to/from Liverpool Lime Street. Hazel Grove railway station Hazel Grove railway station is on the Stockport to Buxton / Sheffield line, serving the village of Hazel Grove, Greater Manchester, England. It was built for the Stockport, Disley and Whaley Bridge Railway by the London and North Western Railway and opened on 9 June 1857. From 1923 until 1948 it was owned by the London Midland and Scottish Railway and following nationalisation it was operated by the London Midland Region


title: "Bernard Newman (politician)" content: Bernard Newman (politician) Bernard Newman (August 4, 1914 – November 6, 1995) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1959 to 1987 who represented the riding of Windsor—Walkerville. Newman was born in Windsor, Ontario. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Assumption College at the University of Windsor, and began working as a secondary school teacher in 1934. He also reached the rank of Lieutenant in the Canadian Armed Forces. A star athlete in high school, Newman served as national chairman of gymnastics for the Amateur Athletic Union


title: "Crotalus scutulatus" content: Crotalus scutulatus Crotalus scutulatus (common names: Mojave rattlesnake, Mojave green,) is a highly venomous pit viper species found in the deserts of the southwestern United States and central Mexico. It is perhaps best known for its potent neurotoxic-hemotoxic venom, which is considered the world's most potent rattlesnake venom. Two subspecies are recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here. This species grows to an average of less than in length, with a maximum of . The color varies from shades of brown to pale green depending on the surroundings. The green hue found among Mojave rattlesnakes has led to them being


title: "Crotalus scutulatus" content: known as "Mojave greens" in some areas. Like "C. atrox" (the western diamondback rattlesnake), which it closely resembles, "C. scutulatus" has a dark diamond pattern along its back. With "C. scutulatus", the white bands on the tail tend to be wider than the black, while the band width is usually more equal in "C. atrox". Additionally, "C. scutulatus" has enlarged scales on top of the head between the supraoculars, and the light postocular stripe passes behind the corner of the mouth. In "C. atrox", the crown is covered in small scales, and the light postocular stripe intersects the mouth. Campbell


title: "Crotalus scutulatus" content: and Lamar (2004) support the English name "Mohave rattlesnake", but do so with some reluctance because so little of the snake's range lies within the Mojave Desert. They do not support the spelling "Mojave", because the name "Mohave" derives from the Native American term "hamakhava". This snake is found in the southwestern United States in southern California, southern Nevada, extreme southwestern Utah, most of Arizona, southern New Mexico, and some of Texas. It also ranges southward through much of Mexico to southern Puebla. It is found in deserts and other areas with xeric vegetation from near sea level to about


title: "Crotalus scutulatus" content: 2500 m altitude. No type locality is given. Smith and Taylor (1950) proposed "Wickenburg, Maricopa County, Arizona" (USA), while Schmidt (1953) listed the type locality as "Mojave Desert, California" (USA). Primarily a snake of high desert or lower mountain slopes, it is often found near scrub brush such as mesquite and creosote, but may also reside in lowland areas of sparse vegetation, among cacti, Joshua tree forests, or grassy plains. It tends to avoid densely vegetated and rocky areas, preferring open, arid habitats. This species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (v3.1,


title: "Crotalus scutulatus" content: 2001). Species are listed as such due to their wide distribution, presumed large population, or because they are unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category. The population trend was stable when assessed in 2007. "C. scutulatus" is most active from April to September, and brumates alone or in small groups during the winter. Ambush predators, they eat mostly small rodents and lizards. Females bear live young, from two to 17 (average about eight), from July through September. Although they have a reputation for being aggressive towards people, such behavior is not described


title: "Crotalus scutulatus" content: in the scientific literature. Like other rattlesnakes, however, they will defend themselves vigorously when disturbed. The Mojave rattlesnake is one of the world's most venomous snakes. The most common subspecies of Mojave rattlesnake (type A) has a neurotoxic venom that is considered to be the most debilitating and potentially deadly of all rattlesnakes, and even matching several elapids. However, chances for survival are very good if medical attention is sought as soon as possible after a bite. In people bitten by venom A Mojave rattlesnakes (those outside the relatively small Venom B area in south-central Arizona), the onset of serious


title: "Crotalus scutulatus" content: signs and symptoms can be delayed, sometimes leading to an initial underestimation of the severity of the bite. Significant envenomations (as with all snakebites, the quantity of venom injected is highly variable and unpredictable) can produce vision abnormalities and difficulty swallowing and speaking. In severe cases, skeletal muscle weakness can lead to difficulty breathing and even respiratory failure. Contrary to popular belief, fatalities are uncommon. This is largely due to the wide availability of antivenom, although estimates for mortality in the early 1900s ranged from 5-25% for all snake bites in the United States. Unlike the rattlesnake antivenom used in


title: "Crotalus scutulatus" content: the United States over the previous 50 years, CroFab antivenom (approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in October 2001) uses Mojave rattlesnake venom A (in addition to venom from three other species) in its manufacture, making it particularly effective for treatment of venom A Mojave rattlesnake bites. Antibodies in CroFab produced by the other three species' venoms effectively neutralize Mojave rattlesnake venom B. All rattlesnake venoms are complex cocktails of enzymes and other proteins that vary greatly in composition and effects, not only between species, but also between geographic populations within the same species. "C. scutulatus" is widely


title: "Crotalus scutulatus" content: regarded as producing one of the most toxic snake venoms in the New World, based on studies in laboratory mice. Their potent venom is the result of a presynaptic neurotoxin composed of two distinct peptide subunits. The basic subunit (a phospholipase A) is mildly toxic and apparently rather common in North American rattlesnake venoms. The less common acidic subunit is not toxic by itself, but in combination with the basic subunit, produces the potent neurotoxin called “Mojave toxin”. Nearly identical neurotoxins have been discovered in five North American rattlesnake species besides "C. scutulatus". However, not all populations express both subunits.


title: "Crotalus scutulatus" content: The venom of many Mojave rattlesnakes from south-central Arizona lacks the acidic subunit and has been designated “venom B,” while Mojave rattlesnakes tested from all other areas express both subunits and have been designated “venom A” populations. Based on median LD values in lab mice, venom A from subspecies A Mojave rattlesnakes is more than ten times as toxic as venom B, from type B Mojave green rattlesnakes, which lacks Mojave toxin. Medical treatment as soon as possible after a bite is critical to a positive outcome, dramatically increasing chances for survival. However, venom B causes pronounced proteolytic and hemorrhagic


title: "Crotalus scutulatus" content: effects, similar to the bites of other rattlesnake species; these effects are significantly reduced or absent from bites by venom A snakes. Risk to life and limb is still significant, as with all rattlesnakes, if not treated as soon as possible after a bite. The subspecific name, "salvini", is in honor of English herpetologist Osbert Salvin. Crotalus scutulatus Crotalus scutulatus (common names: Mojave rattlesnake, Mojave green,) is a highly venomous pit viper species found in the deserts of the southwestern United States and central Mexico. It is perhaps best known for its potent neurotoxic-hemotoxic venom, which is considered the world's


title: "The Voice (newspaper)" content: relaying news from their countries of origin in the Caribbean and Africa. Publications were named accordingly, with titles such as the "West Indian Gazette", "West Indian World", "The Caribbean Times" and "West Africa". According to Beulah Ainley, who worked with McCalla on the "East End News", "nobody thought the Voice would work", however, as "The Independent" has noted: "The previous summer, Brixton had rioted, and Afro-caribbean enterprises of all kinds were now being encouraged in the hope of preventing a repetition. London's councils, in particular, were keen to advertise for black staff, and even keener to do so in an


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: Green and golden bell frog The green and golden bell frog ("Litoria aurea"), also named the green bell frog, green and golden swamp frog and green frog, is a ground-dwelling tree frog native to eastern Australia. Despite its classification and climbing abilities, it does not live in trees and spends almost all of its time close to ground level. It can reach up to in length, making it one of Australia's largest frogs. Coloured gold and green, the frogs are voracious eaters of insects, but will also eat larger prey, such as worms and mice. They are mainly diurnal, although


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: this is mostly to warm in the sun. They tend to be less active in winter except in warmer or wetter periods, and breed in the warmer months. Males reach maturity after around 9 months, while for the larger females, this does not occur until they are two years old. The frogs can engage in cannibalism, and males frequently attack and injure one another if they infringe on one another's space. Many populations, particularly in the Sydney region, inhabit areas of infrequent disturbance, such as golf courses, disused industrial land, brick pits, and landfill areas. Though once one of the


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: most common frogs in south-east Australia, the green and golden bell frog has endured major population declines, particularly in highland areas, leading to its current classification as globally vulnerable. Its numbers have continued to fall and are threatened by habitat loss and degradation, pollution, introduced species, and parasites and pathogens, including the chytrid "Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis". As most of the remaining populations live on private land, the logistics of the conservation effort can be complicated. Despite the situation in Australia, some frog populations have survived with more success in New Zealand and several other Pacific islands, where it has been introduced.


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: However, unfortunately even in these areas the population of green and golden bell has been rapidly declining in the past few decades. The common name, "green and golden bell frog", was first adopted by Harold Cogger in his 1975 book "Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia". Before this, its common names were "golden frog" and "golden tree frog". The green and golden bell frog has many physical and behavioural characteristics representative of ranids, hence its original classification as "Rana". It has a pointy snout, long legs, and almost complete toe webbing; the tympanum is large and distinct; and the overall body


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: shape is similar to many "Rana" species. Like many frogs in the genus "Rana", green and golden bell frogs are mostly aquatic, and only travel over land during periods of rainfall. It was removed from the genus because of anatomical differences with the family Ranidae. The bone and cartilage structural formations of the green and golden bell frog are closest to those of species in the family Hylidae; it was therefore reclassified. The green and golden bell frog was first described as "Rana aurea" by Lesson in 1827. It has changed classification 20 times; it was first named "Litoria aurea"


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: in 1844 by Günther, and changed another 9 times before being named again as "Litoria aurea". The specific epithet "aurea" derived from the Latin "aureus" for 'golden'. The species is now classified within the "Litoria aurea" complex, a closely related group of frogs in the genus "Litoria". This complex is scattered throughout Australia: three species occur in south-east Australia, one in northern Australia, and two in Southwest Australia. The complex consists of the green and golden bell frog ("L. aurea"), growling grass frog ("L. raniformis"), yellow-spotted bell frog ("L. castanea"), Dahl's aquatic frog ("L. dahlii"), spotted-thighed frog ("L. cyclorhyncha") and


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: the motorbike frog ("L. moorei"). The ranges of "L. raniformis" and "L. castanea" overlap with the green and golden bell frog; this, as well as physical similarities, may make it difficult to distinguish between the species, and until 1972, "L. raniformis" and the green and golden bell frog were regarded as the same, when electrophoretic studies proved them to be distinct. The tablelands bell frog has not been seen since 1980 and may now be extinct, although the large yellow spots present on its thighs help distinguish it from the green and golden bell frog. The growling grass frog, which


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: is very similar to the green and golden bell frog, can only be readily distinguished by raised bumps on the dorsal surface. It has also been proposed that some populations of "L. aurea" located near Ulong, New South Wales, be a separate subspecies, "L. a. ulongae", but this was not accepted. "Litorea aurea" is equally and most closely related to "Li. castanes" and "L. ranaformis". A microcomplement fixation technique using serum albumins has indicated the species closest to "L. aurea" is "L. ranifomis". Albumin immunological distance data suggest no differentiation between the two, and the green and golden bell frog


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: evolutionally separated from the other two species about 1.1 million years ago. A 1995 study of protein variations showed four of 19 protein systems had variation and only two had differentiation. Scientists believe the different species can still hybridise, as their distribution areas still overlap, and both "L. raniformis" and "L. aurea" have been seen sharing ponds in the Gippsland area of Victoria. However, little evidence of hybridisation actually occurring has been found. Although there have been reports of frogs of mixed appearance in Gippsland, analysis of proteins and sera of the frogs showed two distinct species. Samples in other


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: area of distribution have shown no evidence of hybridisation in spite of cohabitation. The green and golden bell frog is native to south-eastern Australia. Before its decline in population, its distribution ranged from Brunswick Heads, in northern New South Wales, to East Gippsland, in Victoria, and west to Bathurst, Tumut and the Australian Capital Territory. The bell frog's current distribution now ranges from Byron Bay, in northern New South Wales, to East Gippsland, in Victoria; populations mostly occur along the coast. In New South Wales, it has declined severely in range and abundance since the 1960s, although no similar declines


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: have been reported in Victoria. In New South Wales, it has disappeared from highland areas above , except for a population in Captains Flat. A study of populations along coastal New South Wales indicated many populations were very small, usually of fewer than 20 adults. According to a 1996 study, six populations of more than 300 frogs are known: two in the Sydney metropolitan area, two in the Shoalhaven, and two in the New South Wales mid-north coast. There are now approximately only 40 sites in total where it is found, most of which are in the Sydney area. The


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: green and golden bell frog has disappeared from an estimated 90% of its former range. Some specimens were apparently found in Armidale, but it turned out to be a misidentification of "L. castanea". The declines in Victoria have been more modest and mostly in at inland areas where habitats have disappeared. The green and golden bell frog survives in some areas of Sydney, such as the Brickpit at Sydney Olympic Park (the proposed site for the tennis courts for the 2000 Sydney Olympics). When the green and golden bell frog was found there, the tennis courts were built elsewhere, and


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: the population has since been monitored. This frog has become an unofficial mascot for the Homebush Bay area. It has also been introduced to places in Sydney in its natural habitat, without much success. The green and golden bell frog occurs on three islands off the east coast of Australia: Kooragang and Broughton Islands off Port Stephens, and Bowen Island at Jervis Bay. It was introduced to New Zealand in the 1860s, and it is now common in the part of the North Island north of Rotorua. In most places, it is the only frog species in the vicinity. However,


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: recent declines have been reported, suspected to be due to predatory fish. It was also introduced to the Pacific island countries of New Caledonia and Vanuatu in the 19th century, and has since become common there. No discernible variation in size or appearance in green and golden bell frogs between different geographic areas is found. Fluctuations in size and appearance between different populations are outweighed by variations within the populations themselves. Females are more likely to be found away from breeding sites, while the opposite applies for males. Metamorphlings are divided in roughly equal numbers between males and females, while


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: juvenile frogs are observed less often than their mature counterparts, although scientists are not sure whether this is due to lower abundance or increased reclusiveness. The green and golden bell frog is a large, stout frog; adults range from in length; typical specimens measure . The green and golden bell frog is therefore one of the largest Australian frogs. Mature males are generally smaller than mature females, and the colour on their dorsal surfaces differ greatly from females. It may be almost completely green, of shades from dark pea-green to bright emerald, green with metallic, brassy, dull copper-brown, or gold


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: markings; or almost completely bronze. Generally, females tend to have more green patches than males. During the cooler months (May–August), when the frogs are inactive, colouration may darken almost to black. They can also darken in this way by simply staying in a dark place for a few minutes, and the colour can also change during the frogs' lifetimes. A creamy-white or pale yellow stripe, bordered above with gold and below with black, extends from behind the eye, across the typically copper-coloured tympanum to the groin. This stripe rises to form a dorsolateral fold towards the groin. Another stripe of


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: the same colour begins below the eye and continues to the shoulder. The abdomen is cream or white, and has a coarsely granular texture. The legs are green, bronze, or a combination of both, and the inside thigh and groin are blue-green. Mature males develop a yellowish colouration to the vocal sacs on their throats. The tympanum is distinct and ovular in shape, and the species has enlarged toe discs to aid in climbing. As this species is often found in water, the fingers are free from webbing, while the toes are almost completely webbed. When in breeding condition, males


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: develop nuptial pads on their thumbs, which are used to grip females during mating. These are coloured brown during the breeding season, but are inconspicuous and paler during the rest of the year. During the breeding season, females develop a blueish hue on their feet, while males' legs turn rusty orange. As a member of the tree frog family, the green and golden bell frog spends much time basking in the sun on vegetation, rocks, and reeds, usually near water, or hopping around between such places. Unlike most frog species, it is often active during the day. When handled, this


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: species secretes a slimy acrid mucus, which consists of 17 aurein peptides. Thirteen of these show broad-spectrum antibiotic and anticancer activity. The secretion makes the frog slippery and hard to grip, and is poisonous to some other species of frogs, so it is a useful defensive tool for green and golden bell frogs. Males often fight one another if they come within 1 m of each other, frequently leading to injuries. The green and golden bell frog has been detected in a wide range of habitats. It is generally associated with coastal swamps, wetlands, marshes, dams, ditches, small rivers, woodlands,


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: and forests, but populations have also been found at former industrial sites (for instance, the Brickpit). It has even been found in human vessels such as bathtubs. The requirements of its habitat have been difficult to determine, for it has been found in a wide range of water bodies except fast-flowing streams. It is most typically found in short-lived freshwater ponds that are still, shallow, unshaded, and unpolluted, and it tends to avoid waters that contain predatory fish, whether native or introduced. However, it is most often found in areas that have been affected by human habitation. The frog prefers


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: water bodies that support emergent vegetation, such as reeds and bullrushes, for basking, and winter habitats consist of available shelters around the breeding site, which can be vegetation, rocks, rubbish, or human debris and discarded building materials. Grassy habitats are usually close at hand to provide suitable terrestrial feeding grounds. It prefers waterways with a substrate of sand, rock, or clay, and can tolerate a wide range of water turbidities, pH and oxygen levels, and temperatures, although these can hamper physical growth. Although its legs provide much grip, the frog does not choose to climb trees or live up them


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: to any significant extent. It spends most of its time within 10 cm of the ground and rarely ventures more than a metre above the ground. The green and golden bell frog also has the ability to sit still for several minutes. The green and golden bell frog can travel far in a single day or night; distances of 1.0 to 1.5 km have been recorded. Tagging experiments have shown that some can move up to 3 km in total, and that some travel several kilometres from the closest breeding habitat. However, the species evidently tends to return to or


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: remain at an identified site, provided the habitat stays appropriate for its needs, or else it will move away. The green and golden bell frog also favours areas with the greatest habitat complexity, and as such, this is a core component of habitat-based strategies to protect the species. In general, the frogs stay within areas of 100–700 m The frog is well equipped for survival on land. It can rehydrate by absorbing moisture through its ventral skin, and evaporative water loss occurs at a rate, indicative of a watertight skin. very low Some have been observed up to 400 m


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: from the nearest body of water. During the winter months, the frog tends to be inactive, staying in one place, whereas it moves around during the warmer months to search for food and mating partners. During winter, the frog does become active for brief periods during warm or wet weather. In cold conditions, the frogs are thought to hibernate, based on observations of some being uncovered in a "torpid" state, but this has yet to be proven with rigorous physiological studies. Although the frog is active during the day, this is restricted to leaving its shelter to sunbathe. It tends


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: to not actively feed or forage during the day, hunting insects only if they move into its vicinity. The green and golden bell frog's reproduction depends on salinity and water temperature. Salinity affects tadpoles' development and metamorphosis, and breeding is significantly slowed for ponds that measure or below. The tadpoles can tolerate salinity levels of six parts per thousand (ppt) without any apparent effects, while salinity of 8 ppt or higher decreases growth rates and increases mortality rates. On the other hand, salinity levels of at least 1–2 ppt can be beneficial to the green and golden bell frog because


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: this kills pathogens such as the chytrid fungus. The pH of the pond is not found to affect the likelihood of the eggs to hatch for values between 4 and 10. The voracious adults have very broad diets, including insects such as crickets, larvae, mosquito wrigglers, dragonflies, earthworms, cockroaches, flies, and grasshoppers. They are also known to eat freshwater crayfish and slugs, and other frogs, even of the same species. They have a strong tendency for cannibalism, and frequently these in the same enclosure devour each other. Studies and trials in the wild have shown cannibalism also occurs in the


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: wild. The tadpoles feed on detritus, algae, and bacteria. Tadpoles in more advanced phases of development may show a preference for vegetable matter, but also scavenge or become carnivorous on aquatic life. Captive tadpoles have eaten boiled lettuce and pet food in pellet form. If population density is high, tadpoles have cannibalised one another. In captivity the green and golden bell frog is known to feed on crickets, fruit flies, maggots, silkworms, domestic flies, beetles, mealworms, larvae, slaters, cockroaches, molluscs, plague locusts, spiders, water snails, earthworms, and mice. A case of a small tiger snake being eaten has also been


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: reported. Captive frogs have a habit of not responding to stationary food items, which has helped to form the belief that the frog will eat most things that move. The hunting habits of the frogs change depending on their growth phase and thus physical size. Smaller, still-growing green and golden bell frogs tend to hunt small, especially flying, insects, often jumping to catch their prey. Adult frogs appear to show a distinct preference for larger, land-based insects and frogs, although they also eat aquatic prey, such as tadpoles and other aquatic organisms. Recently metamorphosed individuals have also been seen enter


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: to shallow water to capture mosquito wrigglers. The relative proportion that various prey make up in the frog's diet is not known. In observed studies of captive frogs, they eat less in cooler periods of the year, and frogs in the wild ate less during breeding periods. Younger frogs were also seen to forage longer into the warmer months to build up food stocks than fully matured frogs. Natural predators include wading birds, such as reef egrets, white-faced herons, white ibises and swamp harriers. Other predators include snakes, skinks, red foxes, tortoises, and eels and other fish, such as redfin


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: perch and European carp, several varieties of gudgeon, and a range of invertebrate predators, such as the large brown mantis. Predation on adult frogs has been recorded for the red-bellied black snake, tiger snake, laughing kookaburra, and sacred kingfisher; wading birds and other snakes, such as the green tree snake and the copperhead snake, are also believed to be predators of the frog. The relative magnitude of the various predatorial threats to the frog and its tadpoles is not known. Before the frog became rare, and when subsistence lifestyles were more common, it was hunted and eaten by Australian Aborigines.


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: It was also used in dissection demonstrations in biology classes, and caught by humans for feeding pet reptiles. The green and golden bell frog breeds in the warmer months from October to March, although some cases have been recorded earlier at the end of winter. Reproduction appears to be influenced by geography. More southerly and highland populations appear to have a shorter window for breeding than their more northerly and lowland counterparts. The latter appear commence breeding earlier and end later than the former group. During the breeding season, males call, usually while floating in the water, but sometimes on


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: vegetation at the side of a pond, mainly at night. They do so with a deep growl that has been described as a four-part "walk-walk sound"—likened to the sound of a motorbike changing gears. Males have been found to respond to recordings of the call, and this is why entire groups of males will then call in unison. Males are also more likely to call under certain temperature ranges, 16–23 °C for water temperature, and 14–25 °C in the air. Calling is also more likely immediately after rain has occurred. Males appear to reach maturity at around 45–50 mm, at


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: between 9 and 12 months, and at this size begin to develop a grey to brownish yellow wash beneath the chin. This indicates the development of a vocal sac and thus an ability to commence calling behaviour. Females reach sexual maturity at two years; those smaller than 65 mm are not seen in amplexus; this length is not reached until the second season after metamorphosis. The frog is not of a type that only breeds once. Females can shed up to 26% of their weight when spawning, while males have also been seen to lose weight during breeding, because they


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: are eating less. The weight lost during the breeding season is typically regained from January to September. Amplexus between the male and female occurs mainly in water, but sometimes at substantial distances away on dry land. Observations of breeding sites have shown the males linger around the courting area for much longer times, while females mostly stay at other places to find food before meeting the males there. During amplexus, the males grab the females near their armpits after climbing on their backs. In the wild, amplexus usually takes between 10 minutes and five days. Artificially induced amplexus in the


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: laboratory has been observed to last 50 hours, but there have been reports of five days. Sometimes, amplexus will not result in eggs being laid. The frogs may move up to 100 m during amplexus before the female lays her eggs. During the laying of the eggs, the pair of frogs remain in amplexus and the male is assumed to fertilise the eggs with his sperm. Males are also seen to paddle their rear legs during this time, which is speculated to accelerate fertilisation. The egg-laying and fertilisation process takes around five minutes. An average of 5,000 eggs are deposited


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: amongst aquatic vegetation in a gelatinous mass; however, a clump of 11,682 has been recorded. The female moves around while depositing, leaving a trail of eggs that sometimes entangles upon itself. Initially, the mass floats, but sinks up to 12 hours after laying, or when disturbed. The eggs are distinct from those of other frog species; they are 2–2.5 mm wide upon deposition and are bicoloured, black at one end and white at the other. They immediately begin to expand, quickly reaching around 4 mm across, before sinking. When first laid, they float with the black pointing up, but after


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: sinking, the orientation becomes disordered. Two to five days later, the tadpoles hatch out, but the process can take only a few hours on occasions. The hatching rate varies between 46 and 77%, and peaks at 22 °C. Hatching is less likely in acidic waters, although alkaline conditions do not lead to a lower rate compared to neutral conditions. Given the large number of eggs that hatch per female and given the scarcity of mature frogs, tadpole survival rates are believed to be very low. Upon hatching, the tadpoles are around 2.5–3 mm in snout-vent length (SVL) and about 5–6


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: mm including the tail. Tadpoles in captivity increase exponentially over time in total length; their SVL increases from about 3 to about 9 mm within five weeks, and it triples again in the next five weeks. In all, the growth rate is 0.2 mm per day in the first five weeks. The tadpoles of the green and golden bell frog are large, reaching in length, but size varies greatly and most are much shorter. The body is usually as wide across as it is deep. The fin has a yellow tinge and is considerably arched. The musculature is moderate and


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: tapers to a fine point, as does the fin. The body wall is translucent yellow with darker areas over the abdomen. Just before its limbs form, the tadpole begins to develop the greenish colouration of the adult. Tadpoles usually swim within 30 cm of the water surface, or remain stationary at the bottom. They often move together in groups akin to schools of fish. Towards the end of the tadpole phase, hind legs appear, followed by front limbs, and the phase ends when the front limbs are developed. This normally occurs between October and April due to the breeding season,


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: but tadpoles been observed in the wild throughout the year, suggesting some tadpoles overwinter; this has been seen to occur for captive tadpoles. The length of the tadpole stage, in the wild and in captivity, is usually between 10 and 12 weeks, but can range from five weeks to a year. The slower-growing tadpoles usually progress during winter, as there is a positive correlation between growth rates and temperatures. Variation in growth rate across pH values of 4, 7 and 9 was insignificant. In the first four weeks, there was no significant dependence of the growth rate across the 18–26


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: °C range, but from this point on, growth was significantly hindered at 18 °C. At the beginning of the metamorphing stage, all limbs are present and developed, along with a tail. During this phase, the tail is resorbed, and the only other visible change is the spiracle closing. Metamorphing tadpoles typically have a SVL of 22–28 mm, and will complete metamorphosis between two and 11 months, depending on the temperature of the water and available food. The process is slowed at low temperatures, but generally takes between three and eight days after the tadpole stage is complete. Breeding occurs in


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: a significantly higher proportion of sites where no predatory fish are present, and water bodies are ephemeral rather than permanent. Populations in Victoria, however, have been recorded as breeding in permanent ponds as readily as they do in ephemeral ponds. Metamorphs resemble the adults and average about in length. Recently metamorphosed frogs have been observed to rapidly leave the breeding site, especially when foraging habitat is nearby, and less so if food is not available away from the area. The tendency to migrate is often attributed to cannibalism practised by larger frogs on those that are still developing. After metamorphosis


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: is complete, the frog is around the same length. The juveniles initially grow rapidly, reaching 45 mm within two months, 50–60 mm within half a year, before growth slows. months, and increase in length more slowly after that. Once sexual maturity is reached, the frogs' physical growth is very slow. Metamorphs weigh about 2 g, while the largest adults can reach 50 g. Individual frogs can vary substantially in body weight due to changes in the amount of stored fat, recent eating, and egg formation. While it is known to live 10–15 years in captivity, the frog's lifespan in the


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: wild is not well understood. The numbers of green and golden bell frogs are estimated to have declined by more than 30% in the past 10 years. It is listed as globally and nationally vulnerable, and as endangered under the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act, 1995. Although it is only classified as vulnerable at national level, the National Frog Action Plan classifies the green and golden bell frog as endangered. In contrast to Australia, the frogs are abundant in New Zealand and classified as feral and unprotected. Many factors are thought to be responsible for the dramatic decline


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: of this species in Australia, including habitat fragmentation, erosion and sedimentation of soil, insecticides and fertilisers contaminating water systems, the introduction of predatory fish, and alteration of drainage regimes. Population declines are closely related to the introduction of the eastern mosquitofish ("Gambusia holbrooki"), a species native to North America that was introduced to control mosquito larvae. Laboratory studies have demonstrated the eggs and tadpoles of the green and golden bell frog are extremely susceptible to predation by this fish, and in 77 of the 93 sites in New South Wales where the green and golden bell frog was known to


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: have disappeared before 1990, eastern mosquitofish were found to be present. The frogs have been known to inhabit waters containing the fish, but breeding is rarely successful there, pointing to the fish's voracious eating of eggs and tadpoles. The fish are not yet present in eastern Victoria, where green and golden bell frog numbers have remained solid, but the fish likely will spread to rivers there, possibly inflicting heavy losses on the frogs. Other factors thought to affect this species include predation by introduced mammals, such as cats and foxes, changes to water quality at breeding sites, herbicide use, and


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: loss of habitat through the destruction of wetlands. The amphibian chytrid fungus appears to have led to at least some of the decline in numbers, but the relative importance of the various factors is unclear. The frogs may have become more susceptible to chytrid rather than the fungus being more common. The genetic pool of the frogs has been found to be relatively small, attributed to habitat destruction, which has confined the smaller groups of frogs to isolated pockets and increased the incidence of inbreeding. This has led to proposals for frog populations to be mixed by human intervention in


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: an attempt to reduce negative genetic effects and boost survival rates. The cannibalism of the frog has been speculated to cause its decline in some areas, because the smaller tadpoles can be toxic. Other postulated causes of the decline include increased ultraviolet radiation due to the hole in the ozone layer, global warming, and increased drought. The first theory was tested and the results were inconclusive. Global warming is not thought to be a credible cause, as the extremities of the frog's range have not changed, while declines in population have occurred in both dry and wetter areas. The green


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: and golden bell frog has been the subject of much research and monitoring, important to improving its conservation. Research focuses on the development of management measures to keep the introduced mosquitofish under control. These include poisoning the fish, but the waterways are large and trials have given mixed results. Predators of the mosquitofish have also been tried. Other strategies may allow for the development and improvement of suitable habitat, and to increase the reproductive success of the species. Parallel to these measures, community awareness programmes have also been proposed. One difficulty in protecting the frog is that only 20% of


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: the known populations in New South Wales since 1990 occur in conservation parks. Of the eight populations that occur in conservation parks, only five are wholly located within them and one of these is not breeding. There have been calls for legislation to be introduced to stop habitat degradation on private land to prevent detrimental effects to the frogs. Many proposed developments have been subjected to legal action to protect the habitat, and some communities have started "Friends of the Green and Golden Bell Frog" action groups. As public awareness has increased, documentary and news segments on the deteriorating situation


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: have become more frequent and references to the frog in environmental logos and artworks have increased. The effort to increase public consciousness of the green and golden bell frog has also been aided because its colours are the same as the national colours. Restrictions on logging close to areas inhabited by the frogs have been put in place. As green and golden bell frogs are mostly observed in environments disturbed by humans, targeted environmental interference is seen as a possible means of enhancing habitats. In 1998, a captive-breeding program was set up by the herpetofauna staff at Taronga Zoo in


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: Sydney, sponsored by the ASX Frog Focus. The purpose of the program was to help preserve declining populations of green and golden bell frogs in the Sydney region. It involved the captive breeding of wild frogs and releasing large numbers of tadpoles back into the wild, habitat restoration, and monitoring after releases. The program was initially titled "Frog Focus Botany", as Botany was the original focus site. Thousands of tadpoles were released into a site in Sir Joseph Banks Reserve and postrelease monitoring was done by the local community. It was also the first time that school students had been


title: "Green and golden bell frog" content: involved with endangered species monitoring. The program has since branched off into several other areas. Between 1998 and 2004, tadpoles were released into specially designed ponds and dams on Long Reef Golf Course at Collaroy in northern Sydney, with little success. Although green and golden bell frogs had previously been located in the area, the population had since been lost. Mature male bell frogs are occasionally found there; however, a permanent breeding population has yet to be established. An attempted reintroduction at Marrickville in inner-Sydney has failed due to chytridiomycosis. Green and golden bell frog The green and golden bell


title: "Orgelbüchlein" content: from one or other of the two hymn texts. In the chorale prelude BWV 642, the unadorned cantus firmus in time is in the soprano voice. The two inner voices, often in thirds, are built on a motif made up of two short beats followed by a long beat—an anapaest—often used by Bach to signify joy (for example in BWV 602, 605, 615, 616, 618, 621, 623, 627, 629, 637 and 640). The pedal has a walking bass which also partly incorporates the joy motif in its responses to the inner voices. For the accompaniment symbolised "the joyful feeling of


title: Eisbrecher content: and Switzerland at No. 16. The second single, "Die Hölle muss warten", was released on March 30, 2012. Eisbrecher played at many festivals between May and September 2012, including Mera Luna Festival, Amphi Festival, the Wave-Gotik-Treffen Festival and the Nova Rock Festival among others. During May and December 2012, Eisbrecher supported the German rock band Scorpions for their shows on May 12 & 13 and December 15 & 17, 2012 in Germany. "Die Hölle muss warten: Miststück Edition" was released with four new songs including "Miststück 2012", a DVD with five live clips and all of the "DHMW" music videos,


title: "A Requiem for Homo Sapiens" content: Pilot. When the Timekeeper is confronted it turns out to be a double. The double explodes a hydrogen bomb in an attempt to destroy the city but it was too old. The genuine Timekeeper had already fled the city. Mallory Ringess is briefly made Lord of the Order before departing mysteriously. The Order then goes under a massive restructuring, and is ruled by consortium of the major Lords of the disciplines. After Danlo wi Soli Ringess comes to Neverness, the prevalence of Ringism under Hanuman Li Tosh grows greatly and Lord Pall, head cetic, uses his manipulative powers to make


title: Ummanz content: Ummanz The island of Ummanz lies in the Baltic Sea, off the west coast of the island of Rügen, and belongs, like the latter, to the county of Vorpommern-Rügen in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Ummanz is around 20 square kilometres in area and thus, after Rügen, the second largest island in the former county of Rügen. It is part of the Western Pomerania Lagoon Area National Park. The island is bounded to the west and northwest by the Schaproder Bodden, to the north, by the inlet of Udarser Wiek, to the east by the lake of "Koselower See"


title: "Cincinnati Art Museum" content: state of Ohio. In 2003, the Cincinnati Art Museum deepened its ties with the Greater Cincinnati community by opening the popular and expansive Cincinnati Wing, the first permanent display of a city's art history in the nation. In addition, on May 17, 2003, the Art Museum eliminated its general admission fee forever, made possible by The Lois and Richard Rosenthal Foundation. The art museum has paintings by several European masters, including: Master of San Baudelio, Jorge Ingles, Sandro Botticelli ("Judith with Head of Holofernes"), Matteo di Giovanni, Mattia Preti, Bernardo Strozzi, Frans Hals, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo ("St. Thomas of Villanueva"),


title: "Chad–Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project" content: the oil-spill preparedness plan, as well as the lack of communication between COTCO and the surrounding communities. Non-governmental organizations have played a large role in mediating the concerns of the international community with the needs of the indigenous communities of Chad and Cameroon. Even before construction commenced on the pipeline project in 2000, international and local NGOs were monitoring the situation and meeting with representatives from the World Bank and the Consortium of gasoline companies. After the completion of the project, NGOs were also very involved with documentation of any problems and worked in conjunction with external independent monitoring agencies.


title: Animax content: Kitaro, Pumpkin Scissors, and "Fate/Stay Night". Animax have utilized numerous translation and dubbing studios for the broadcast of numerous of its anime series across its English-language networks in Southeast Asia and South Asia, some of which were not licensed by North American distributors and do not have any English adaptation counterparts, such as "Detective School Q", "Dokkiri Doctor", "Twin Spica", "Absolute Boy", "Emma: A Victorian Romance", "Future Boy Conan", numerous installments of the "World Masterpiece Theater" series, "", and numerous others. Animax have also produced and aired uncensored English versions and dubs of anime series, among the most notable of


title: "Social Democratic Party (Benin)" content: party's President on this occasion, while Felix Adimi was elected as Vice-President and Emmanuel Golou was elected as Secretary-General. Amoussou was the PSD candidate in the 2001 presidential election. He won 8.6% of the popular vote in the first round, held on 4 March 2001, and placed fourth. The second and third place candidates disputed the election and chose to boycott the second round, leaving Amoussou to face President Mathieu Kérékou in the second round, held on 18 March; he received 15.9% of the vote. In the parliamentary election held on 30 March 2003, the party was a member of


title: "Hoya carnosa" content: Hoya carnosa Hoya carnosa, the porcelainflower or wax plant, is an Asclepiad species of flowering plant in the dogbane family Apocynaceae. It is one of the many species of hoya that are native to Eastern Asia and Australia. It is a common house plant grown for its attractive waxy foliage, and sweetly scented flowers. The flowers are typically light pink, but may vary from near-white to dark pink; they are star-shaped, and are borne in clusters that look like tiny wax miniatures. The surface of the flowers is covered in tiny hairs giving them a fuzzy sheen. They are heavily


title: "Hoya carnosa" content: scented and may produce excess nectar that drips from the flowers. Like all Hoyas, this species flowers from specialized perennial structures referred to as spurs. These appear from the axils of the leaves and stem; flowers may not be produced when the spurs first appear, but in time buds emerge from the tips. Each season new flowers are produced on these same spurs, so they should not be damaged or removed. "H. carnosa" has been in cultivation for more than 200 years and has given rise to many cultivars that vary in foliage form or flower color. In cultivation in


title: "Hoya carnosa" content: the UK it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. Recent studies at the University of Georgia have shown "H. carnosa" to be an excellent remover of pollutants in the indoor environment. This "Hoya" species prefers bright light, but will tolerate much less. Though it will tolerate low temperatures (but not freezing), the optimal temperature is . It can be propagated by air layering or by stem cuttings. It benefits from an open potting medium that allows some air to get to the roots. Typical mixes include large-grade drainage material such as perlite, pumice, or ceramic balls.


title: "Hoya carnosa" content: The plants should be fed regularly with a fertilizer suitable for epiphytic plants. There is a persistent piece of folklore that hoyas prefer to be potbound - kept in a small pot. It is said that this will hasten flowering. Hoya carnosa Hoya carnosa, the porcelainflower or wax plant, is an Asclepiad species of flowering plant in the dogbane family Apocynaceae. It is one of the many species of hoya that are native to Eastern Asia and Australia. It is a common house plant grown for its attractive waxy foliage, and sweetly scented flowers. The flowers are typically light pink,


title: "Gallagher (surname)" content: in County Donegal ("Dún na nGall" means "fort of the foreigner"), and thus is very common in Derry, and is the fourteenth most common by birth records in Ireland. In the United States, it was ranked by the 2000 US Census as the 433rd most common name out of over 68,000 surnames found. According to Professor Edward MacLysaght, in the mid 20th century Gallagher was one of the most common Irish surnames, most of the recorded births being located in the northern province, Ulster, and the western province, Connacht, with the majority being recorded in the homeland of the sept


title: "You're the One That I Want" content: stage musical, the other being "Hopelessly Devoted to You." Randal Kleiser, the film's director, was not fond of this song because he felt that it did not mesh well with the rest of the Warren Casey-Jim Jacobs score. Danny Zuko (Travolta), leader of the T-Birds, has recently lettered in cross-country running in an effort to win back his estranged girlfriend Sandy (Newton-John); unbeknownst to him, Sandy, who has been conflicted about her upright and proper etiquette in a school full of brash greasers, has herself transformed into a greaser queen to win Danny back. In the song, Danny expresses pleasant


title: Disa content: Disa Disa is the heroine of a Swedish legendary saga, which was documented by Olaus Magnus, in 1555. It is believed to be from the Middle Ages, but includes Old Norse themes. It was elaborated by Johannes Messenius in his drama "Disa", which was the first historic play in the Swedish language, and was played at the Disting of 1611. It was also presented in an exaggerated version by Olaus Rudbeck in his "Atlantica" (1685–89) In a time when the god-king Freyr (or king Sigtrud) ruled in Sweden, there was a famine. The long peace during Freyr's reign had greatly


title: Disa content: increased Sweden's population until the lands could no longer support it sufficiently. The king and the chieftains decided that the population had to be culled by killing all the elderly, sickly and handicapped, and by sacrificing them to Odin. However, Disa, the daughter of the chieftain Sigsten of Venngarn in Uppland, was upset by this cruel solution. She talked mockingly to the king and chieftains about their "wisdom" and claimed to have wiser words of advice. In order to test her wits, Freyr asked her to visit him, but she could not do so by foot, by horse, in a


title: Disa content: wagon, nor in a boat. She could not visit him either dressed or undressed. The time must not be within a year nor within a month, and neither during daytime nor nighttime, and neither when the moon was waxing nor waning. (Compare the story of Kráka, who was issued a similar test by her future husband.) She passed the test by harnessing two young men to a sled. By the sled, she had a billygoat and she had one leg over the goat and the other leg in the sled. For clothes she had a net, and she arrived during


title: Disa content: full moon at dusk to the king on the third day after Yule, all months had 30 days and the last month was to an end and also the year. The democide was cancelled, and according to the behest of the new queen Disa, there was a drawing of lots so that a part of the population was to leave Sweden (then restricted to Svealand), for the northern regions that were later called Norrland, where they were to settle and cultivate the land. Disa's wisdom was so highly valued that many disputes were relegated to her at the Midwinter blót


title: Disa content: at the Temple at Uppsala, which from this time was called the Disablot and the Disting. The saga has been treated by Johan Celsius in the prose drama "Disa" (1687), which was an adaptation of Messenius' stage play in verse. Later it was adapted by Johan Gabriel Oxenstierna in the poetic letter "Disa" (1795), and in the fourth song of the poem "Skördarne" (1796). In the so-called "Disasal" on the second floor of the castle of Venngarn, there are eight large paintings depicting scenes from Disa's saga. They were previously believed to be works of David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl, but according


title: Disa content: to August Hahr, they are only the work of artisans based on copies of Ehrenstrahl's compositions, which were published as etchings. One of these etchings was the basis of depictions on tapestry which are partly preserved in the Stockholm Palace and Ulriksdal Palace. Under every painting there are verses providing explanations in Latin and Swedish. In Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov, the last Zemblan King's wife is named Disa, and titled Duchess of Payn. Inspiration for name of orchid Genus Disa Botanist Carl Peter Thunberg named the Disa genus of orchids based on the Disa legend. The dorsal sepal of


title: Disa content: some Disa orchids have a net-like appearance reminiscent of the fishnet in which Disa appears before King Freyhr. Disa Disa is the heroine of a Swedish legendary saga, which was documented by Olaus Magnus, in 1555. It is believed to be from the Middle Ages, but includes Old Norse themes. It was elaborated by Johannes Messenius in his drama "Disa", which was the first historic play in the Swedish language, and was played at the Disting of 1611. It was also presented in an exaggerated version by Olaus Rudbeck in his "Atlantica" (1685–89) In a time when the god-king Freyr


title: Euxinograd content: Euxinograd Euxinograd ( , also transliterated as "Evksinograd") is a late 19th-century Bulgarian former royal summer palace and park on the Black Sea coast, north of downtown Varna. The palace is currently a governmental and presidential retreat hosting cabinet meetings in the summer and offering access for tourists to several villas and hotels. Since 2007, it is also the venue of the Operosa opera festival. Euxinograd is situated at an altitude of 49 m. The park and palace were closed until the summer of 2016 due to extensive renovations. Construction of the palace began soon after its site was prented


title: Euxinograd content: to Knyaz Alexander Battenberg by the Greek bishopric on 16 March 1882. At the time, the land was occupied by two small monasteries, St. Demetrius and St. Constantine; these were subsequently converted into the first royal residence on the site. This conversion was constructed to plans drawn the Viennese architect Viktor Rumpelmayer in 1885. Initially, the palace was named "Sandrovo" after the Italian diminutive of Alexander's name — Sandro. Later the knyaz extended the estate to its current area of . However, no further building work was carried out. The palace, as it is today, was constructed during the reign


title: Euxinograd content: of Knyaz (later Tsar) Ferdinand. The pediment and other materials from the right wing of Château de Saint-Cloud in France, a former French royal residence, were brought to Bulgaria by Ferdinand and integrated into his new palace. Ferdinand commissioned Swiss architect Hermann Mayer and Bulgarian architect Nikola Lazarov to complete the design of the palace. In 1893, on the insistence of Princess Marie Louise, Ferdinand's first wife, the palace was renamed "Euxinograd" - the name derives from the Ancient Greek term for the Black Sea, ("Euxeinos Pontos", "hospitable sea") and the South Slavic suffix "–grad", meaning "town" or, historically, "fortress".


title: Euxinograd content: Tsar Ferdinand's second wife, Tsaritsa Eleonore, died in Euxinograd on 12 September 1917. Following the abolition of the monarchy in Bulgaria, the result of a referendum held under the auspices of the Communists in 1946, Euxinograd became a summer residence of the then-Communist authorities. The democratic changes in 1989 made the former royal palace a presidential and governmental residence and it was opened to the public. Euxinograd is often considered to be one of the finest examples of post-Liberation architecture in Bulgaria. The palace was designed in style of an 18th-century French château style, with a high metal-topped mansard roof,


title: Euxinograd content: figured brickwork, balconies and a clock tower Following the demolition of the Château de Saint-Cloud, Ferdinand acquired the pediment of its right wing for the palace in 1890–1891; however, rather than used as an architectural feature for the palace itself, the pediment was incorporated in the foundations of a garden terrace. Euxinograd has three storeys. The first houses the principal reception room, the second: the private apartments of the royal family and the third: the servants. The furniture is made of mahogany and walnut wood. The giant chandelier decorated with a royal crown and gold lilies was a gift from


title: Euxinograd content: the House of Bourbon. The door handles of the toilets bear the coat of arms of Tsar Ferdinand. The sundial was a gift from Queen Victoria. The palace's Winery was established in 1891 to meet the requirements of the Bulgarian Royal Family, its cellars take up two floors. The vineyards continue to produce high-quality white wine (twelve varieties) and brandy (seven varieties). The wines are considered amongst the best in Bulgaria. The Euxinograd cellar has been preserving valuable 125-year-old French wines since the Liberation of Bulgaria. In addition, the Euxinograd complex also includes a former royal stable called "Shtala" (Щала;


title: Euxinograd content: from German "Stall"). The landscaping and design of Euxinograd park, which is surrounded by vineyards, began in 1890, and was executed over several decades. During which time, more than 50,000 trees were purchased from Marseille and fertile soil was brought from the mouth of the Kamchiya River. The park is home to over 310 plant varieties from Asia, South America, North Africa and Southern France, reputed to have been selected by Ferdinand himself, and occupies an area of over 550 decares. The design is a combination of both the English and French landscaping styles, English garden and garden à la


title: Euxinograd content: française, and was mostly designed by Édouard André. French-made bronze figures and a sculpture of Neptune adorn various areas. The tiny Kestrichka Bara River flows through the park, and is spanned by two bridges, one of metal one and one of cement, imitating a fallen tree. The park also features a small lake full of lilies. Contrary to the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Bulgaria, Evksinograd beach is fenced in order to segregate government officials and ordinary citizens. Euxinograd Euxinograd ( , also transliterated as "Evksinograd") is a late 19th-century Bulgarian former royal summer palace and park on


title: "Saint Stepanos Monastery" content: Saint Stepanos Monastery The Saint Stepanos Monastery (, ; , ), also known in Armenian as Maghardavank (), is an Armenian monastery located about 15 km northwest of the city of Julfa in the province of East Azarbaijan, northwestern Iran. It is situated in a deep canyon along the Araxes, on the Iranian side of the border between Iran and Nakhchivan. It was originally built in the ninth century, and was rebuilt during the Safavid era, after being damaged through wars and earthquakes. It is part of the Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran, which are inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage