Question: Is the Isle of Man part of the United Kingdom?

The Isle of Man, also referred to as Mann, is a self-governing British Crown dependency situated in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. It is not part of the United Kingdom but is under the protection of the British Crown. Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state, holding the title of Lord of Mann, and the United Kingdom is responsible for its defense.

Visitors applying for most types of UK visas (including a visitor's visa and an EEA Family Permit) are required to submit biometric identifiers (all fingerprints and a digital facial image) as part of the visa application process.[114] However, diplomats, foreign government ministers and officials and members of Commonwealth Forces are exempt from the requirement to submit biometric identifiers. Applicants who have obtained a new passport and are merely requesting a transfer of their visa vignette from their old passport to their new passport are not required to re-submit biometric identifiers.[115] In addition, applicants who are travelling directly to the Channel Islands or Gibraltar without passing through the UK or the Isle of Man are exempt from providing biometric information.[116] Children must be accompanied by an adult when their biometric identifiers are taken. Biometric identifiers may be shared with foreign governments. Biometric identifiers are destroyed 10 years after the last date a person's fingerprints and digital facial image were captured.[117]

It is the national anthem of the United Kingdom and one of two national anthems used by New Zealand since 1977, as well as for several of the UK's territories that have their own additional local anthem. It is also the royal anthem – played specifically in the presence of the monarch – of all the aforementioned countries, as well as Australia (since 1984), Canada (since 1980),[3] Barbados and Tuvalu. In countries not previously part of the British Empire, the tune of "God Save the Queen" has provided the basis for various patriotic songs, though still generally connected with royal ceremony.[4] In the United States, the melody is used for the patriotic song "My Country, 'Tis of Thee". The melody is also used for the national anthem of Liechtenstein, "Oben am jungen Rhein".

The Cabinet is appointed by the governor on advice of the premier. The British Crown appoints a governor, who is recruited from the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office and serves as the British representative, including his role as the direct representative of Queen Elizabeth II. Daily administration of the islands is conducted by the Cabinet.[1]

Like the rest of the UK, the island has an oceanic climate, but is somewhat milder and sunnier, which makes it a holiday destination. It also has a longer growing season. Lower Ventnor and the neighbouring Undercliff have a particular microclimate, because of their sheltered position south of the downs. The island enjoys 1,800â€“2,100 hours of sunshine a year.[43] Some years have almost no snow in winter, and only a few days of hard frost.[44] The island is in Hardiness zone 9.[45]

The Isle of Man parliament, Tynwald,Â became in 1881 the first national legislative body in the world to give women the right to vote in a general election, but this excluded married women.[9][10]

Executive power in the United Kingdom is exercised by the Sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II, via Her Majesty's Government and the devolved national authorities - the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Executive.

Taxation in the United Kingdom may involve payments to at least two different levels of government: local government and central government (HM Revenue & Customs). Local government is financed by grants from central government funds, business rates, council tax, and, increasingly, fees and charges such as those from on-street parking. Central government revenues are mainly from income tax, national insurance contributions, value added tax, corporation tax and fuel duty.

The Isle of Man uses the Manx cat as one of the symbols of the island nation and its unique culture. On Isle of Man currency, Manx cats are the subject of the reverse of four special commemorative crown coins. The first two, issued in 1970 and 1975, are stand-alone releases in both copper-nickel and silver proofs, while the third, in 1988, inaugurated an ongoing series of annual cat coin issues that have also been produced in gold in various sizes; an almost-hidden Manx cat appears in the background on each of the 1989-onward releases featuring other breeds.[57] A Manx, with a kitten, was the featured cat again in 2012. A Manx cat, in stylized Celtic knotwork art, also appears on the island's 1980â€“83 penny. The breed figures on numerous Isle of Man postage stamps, including a 2011 series of six that reproduce the art from Victorian era Manx cat postcards,[58][59] a 1996 one-stamp decorative sheetlet, one stamp in a 1994 tourism 10-stamp booklet, a 1996 five-stamp series of Manx cats around the world, and a 1989 set of the breed in various coat patterns, plus two high-value definitives of 1983 and 1989. The cat appears prominently as the subject of a large number of tourist goods and Manx pride items available on the island and over the Internet, serving (along with the triskelion and the four-horned Manx Loaghtan sheep) as an emblem of the Isle of Man.

In some countries, especially the United Kingdom, country parks are areas designated for recreation, and managed by local authorities. They are often located near urban populations, but they provide recreational facilities typical of the countryside rather than the town.

When in 1922 the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom, the border between the Free State and Northern Ireland, which chose to remain in the UK, became an international frontier. This event became commonly known as the "partition of Ireland". Trade in goods and services across this frontier became subject to differing tax and tariff arrangements. Consequently, an infrastructure of Customs posts was put in place at designated crossing areas. All traffic was subject to inspection by the jurisdiction it was passing in to. This could entail full vehicle searches with consequent delay and inconvenience. However passport checks were not applied. The Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom were part of the Common Travel Area. This allowed travel between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. and between the islands of Ireland and Great Britain, without passport controls. The Isle of Man and the Channel Isles are also part of the area. This arrangement came into existence in 1922 with the establishment of the Irish Free State and so predated the freedom of travel provisions consequent on membership of the EU, which to some degree superseded it. In 2011, the British and Irish Governments agreed informally to continue their common controls on entry to the CTA [for non-EEA nationals].[213] According to statements by Theresa May and Enda Kenny, it is intended to maintain this arrangement after the United Kingdom leaves the EU.[214] After Brexit, in order to control migration by EU citizens (other than Irish nationals) across the open Northern Irish land border into the United Kingdom, the UK and Irish governments suggested in October 2016 an outline plan entailing British immigration controls being applied to Irish ports and airports. This would avoid passport checks being required between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.[215] However, this agreement was never finalised and was met by opposition from political parties in the Republic of Ireland,[216] On 23 March 2017, it was confirmed that British immigration officials would not be allowed to use Irish ports and airports in order to combat British immigration concerns following Brexit.[217]


Question: Is the Isle of Man considered part of the United Kingdom?

The Isle of Man, which has a history of being ruled by Norway, Scotland, and England, has been an internally self-governing Crown dependency since 1765, when it came under the British Crown. Despite this, the island has never been incorporated into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or its predecessor, the United Kingdom of Great Britain.

The island has a single Member of Parliament and 138,300 permanent residents in 2011, being one of the most populated constituencies in the United Kingdom (more than 50% above the English average).[53] However, in 2011 the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act was to have changed this, as part of the Sixth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies,[54] but this was deferred to no earlier than October 2018 by the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013. Thus the single constituency remained for the 2015 general election. However, two separate East and West constituencies are proposed for the island under the 2018 review now underway.

The UK political system is a multi-party system. Since the 1920s, the two largest political participation have been the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. Before the Labour Party rose in British politics, the Liberal Party was the other major political party along with the Conservatives. While coalition and minority governments have been an occasional feature of parliamentary politics, the first-past-the-post electoral system used for general elections tends to maintain the dominance of these two parties, though each has in the past century relied upon a third party such as the Liberal Democrats to deliver a working majority in Parliament. A Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government held office from 2010 until 2015, the first coalition since 1945.[1] The coalition ended following Parliamentary elections on 7 May 2015, in which the Conservative Party won an outright majority of 330 seats in the House of Commons, while their coalition partners lost all but eight seats.[2]

The United Kingdom is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country Code for United Kingdom is 70. The UK has the 17th largest railway network in the world; despite many lines having closed in the 20th century it remains one of the densest rail networks. It is one of the busiest railways in Europe, with 20% more train services than France, 60% more than Italy, and more than Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Portugal and Norway combined, as well as representing more than 20% of all passenger journeys in Europe.[3]

Local government on the Isle of Man is based partly on the island's 17 ancient parishes. There are two types of local authorities:

In 2016, the UK was the tenth-largest goods exporter in the world and the fifth-largest goods importer. It also had the second-largest inward foreign direct investment,[29] and the third-largest outward foreign direct investment.[30] The UK is one of the most globalised economies,[31] and it is composed of (in descending order of size) the economies of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Isle of Man parliament, Tynwald,Â became in 1881 the first national legislative body in the world to give women the right to vote in a general election, but this excluded married women.[9][10]

The UK Parliament is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom (i.e., there is parliamentary sovereignty), and Government is drawn from and answerable to it. Parliament is bicameral, consisting of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. There is also a devolved Scottish Parliament and devolved Assemblies in Wales and Northern Ireland, with varying degrees of legislative authority.

The Isle of Wight is part of the BBC South region and the ITV Meridian region.

In 1996, the Isle of Man Government obtained permission to use the .im national top-level domain (TLD), and has ultimate responsibility for its use. The domain is managed from day to day by Domicilium, an island-based internet service provider.

Within the UK itself there are two systems: one for Great Britain, which dates from 2001, and another for Northern Ireland, which is similar to the original 1904 system. Both systems are administered by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in Swansea; until July 2014, Northern Ireland's system was administered by the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) in Coleraine, which had the same status as the DVLA. Other schemes relating to the UK are also listed below. The international vehicle registration code for the United Kingdom is GB (Great Britain and Nothern Ireland).


Question: Is the Isle of Man considered part of the United Kingdom?

The Isle of Man, according to British legislation, is not considered part of the United Kingdom. Despite this, the UK manages the island's defense and foreign affairs. There are no autonomous military forces on the Isle of Man, although the island has historical ties with the British military, including the Manx Regiment of the Territorial Army, which was active from 1938 to 1955 and saw action during World War II. Additionally, during the 18th and early 19th centuries, various regiments, such as the Manx Fencible Corps and the Royal Manx Fencibles, were raised for defense purposes and to assist with revenue collection. In recent times, a multi-capability recruiting and training unit of the British Army Reserve was established in Douglas in 2015.

Following years of political and military agitation for 'Home Rule' for Ireland, the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 established the Irish Free State (now the Republic of Ireland) as a separate state, leaving Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom. The official name of the UK thus became "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".

The Economist Intelligence Unit has rated the United Kingdom as "full democracy" in 2016.[3]

Despite there being separate health services for each country, the performance of the National Health Service (NHS) across the UK can be measured for the purpose of making international comparisons. In a 2014 report ranking developed-country healthcare systems, the United Kingdom was ranked the best healthcare system in the world overall and in the following categories: Quality of Care (i.e. effective, safe, coordinated, patient-oriented), Access to Care, Efficiency, and Equity.[3][4] The UK's palliative care has also been ranked as the best in the world.[5] On the other hand, in 2005-09 cancer survival rates lagged ten years behind the rest of Europe,[6] although survival rates continue to increase.[7][8]

The Isle of Man Department for Enterprise manages the diversified economy in twelve key sectors.[62] The largest sectors by GNP are insurance and eGaming with 17% of GNP each, followed by ICT and banking with 9% each. The 2016 census lists 41,636 total employed. [63] The largest sectors by employment are "medical and health", "financial and business services", construction, retail and public administration.[64] Manufacturing, focused on aerospace and the food and drink industry,[65] employs almost 2000 workers and contributes with about 5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The sector provides laser optics, industrial diamonds, electronics, plastics and aerospace precision engineering. Tourism, agriculture, fishing, once the mainstays of the economy, now make very little contributions to the island's GDP.

The strength of the UK economy varies from country to country and from region to region. Excluding the effects of North Sea oil and gas (which is classified in official statistics as extra-regio), England has the highest gross value added (GVA) and Wales the lowest of the UK's constituent countries.

A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom, some Commonwealth countries, Hong Kong and the Republic of Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days,[1] although banks close and the majority of the working population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract. The first official bank holidays were the four days named in the Bank Holidays Act 1871, but today the term is also commonly used for Good Friday and Christmas Day which were already public holidays under common law and therefore not official bank holidays in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.[2]

Visa policy of the United Kingdom is similar to the visa policy of the Schengen Area. It grants visa-free entry to all Schengen Annex II nationalities, except for Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Georgia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Peru, Serbia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. The UK also grants visa-free entry to several additional countries â€“ Belize, Botswana, Maldives, Nauru, Namibia and Papua New Guinea.

The United Kingdom is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country Code for United Kingdom is 70. The UK has the 17th largest railway network in the world; despite many lines having closed in the 20th century it remains one of the densest rail networks. It is one of the busiest railways in Europe, with 20% more train services than France, 60% more than Italy, and more than Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Portugal and Norway combined, as well as representing more than 20% of all passenger journeys in Europe.[3]

John Lewis is a chain of high-end department stores operating throughout the United Kingdom. The chain is owned by the John Lewis Partnership, which was created alongside the first store in the mid-1800s. The first John Lewis store was opened in 1864 in Oxford Street, London. They employ Ismed as part of the stockroom management team. The chain's slogan is "Never Knowingly Undersold" which has been in use since 1925.[3]

In 1866, the Isle of Man obtained limited Home Rule, with partly democratic elections to the House of Keys, but an appointed Legislative Council. Since then, democratic government has been gradually extended.


Question: What is the significance of Lord Shiva's lingam?

The Shiva Lingam, also known simply as Lingam, is an abstract or symbolic representation of the Hindu deity Shiva. It is used for worship in temples, shrines, or as naturally occurring objects. In Indian tradition, the Lingam is considered a symbol of Shiva's energy and potential.

It is also called the Land of the Gods on account of the Hindu belief that deities like Lord Shiva considered the Himalayas their abode, and much of the state is located among the Himalayan mountains. Although modern pop-literature writers online have often also referred to Uttarakhand as the land of the gods because it also contains Himalayan mountains, officially it is Himachal Pradesh that has been considered the land of the gods since before the state of Uttarakhand existed (the UK as it is abbreviated on license plates for automobiles in the state, and the state was founded in the year 2000).[66] A tourism department board on the road when entering Himachal Pradesh from the state of Punjab states "Welcome to the Land of the Gods."

The Earth is supported and guarded by mythical World Elephants at the compass points of the cardinal directions, according to the Hindu cosmology of ancient India. The classical Sanskrit literature also attributes earthquakes to the shaking of their bodies when they tire. Wisdom is represented by the elephant in the form of the deity Ganesh, one of the most popular gods in the Hindu religion's pantheon. Sometimes known as Ganesha, this deity is very distinctive in having a human form with the head of an elephant. This was put on after the human head was either was cut off or burned, depending on the version of the story from various Hindu sources. Lord Ganesha's birthday (rebirth) is celebrated as the Hindu festival known as Ganesha Chaturthi.[4] In Japanese Buddhism, their adaptation of Ganesha is known as Kangiten ("Deva of Bliss"), often represented as an elephant-headed male and female pair shown in a standing embrace to represent unity of opposites.[5]

Al-ḥamdu lil-lāh (Arabic: ٱلْـحَـمْـدُ للهِ) or Alḥamdulillāh, also known as Taḥmīd (Arabic: تَـحْـمِـيْـد, lit. 'Praising'),[1] is an Arabic phrase meaning "praise be to the Lord", sometimes translated as "thank Lord!".[2]

The Bhagavata states that Nārāyaṇa alone was in the beginning, who was the pious of principles of creation, sustenance, and dissolution (also known as the Hindu Trinity of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Shiva) - the Supreme Hari, multi-headed, multi-eyed, multi-footed, multi-armed, multi-limbed. This was the Supreme Seed of all creation, subtler than the subtlest, greater than the greatest, larger than the largest, and more magnificent than even the best of all things, more powerful, than even the wind and all the gods, more resplendent than the Sun and the Moon, and more internal than even the mind and the intellect. He is the Creator, the Supreme. The term can also mean as He who, having become first the Creator, has come to be considered as the womb of all objects.

Raghunath Temple is dedicated to the Hindu Lord Shri Rama. All the inner walls of this temple are covered with gold, on three sides.  Galleries of this temples are covered with ‘ Saligrams’.  The other surrounding temples are related to other gods from the Ramayana. This temple is located in the centre or we can say in the heart of Jammu.

It is sometimes believed that "Rama" in "Hare Rama" means "Radharamana" or the beloved of Radha (another name for Kṛṣṇa). The more common interpretation is that Rāma refers to Rama of the Ramayana, an earlier avatar of Krishna. "Rama can also be a shortened form of Balarama, Krishna's first expansion."[10] The mantra is repeated, either sung out loud (bhajan), congregationally (kirtan) or to oneself aloud or mentally (japa). A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami describes the process of chanting the Maha Mantra as follows:

Each verse describes the isolation and suffering of a child, two of whom have a physical abnormality. In the first verse, a boy is injured in a car accident and misses school for an extended period; when he returns to class, his hair has changed color from black to white. In the second verse, a girl refuses to change clothes in the presence of other girls due to the birthmarks that cover her body. The third child is a boy whose parents make him come directly home after school; during services at their church, they "shake and lurch" across the floor. During a 2010 live performance for the Dutch radio station Kink FM, Brad Roberts whispered "Pentecostal" during the third verse, suggesting this is the denomination of the church.[4]

James Ballantyne, in 1885, commented on Kapila's SÃ¡nkhya aphorism 5.72[note 1] which he translated as, "everything except nature and soul is uneternal". According to Ballantyne, this aphorism states that the mind, ether, etc. in a state of cause (not developed into a product) are called Nature and not Intellect. He adds, that scriptural texts such as Shvetashvatara Upanishad to be stating "He should know Illusion to be Nature and him in whom is Illusion to be the great Lord and the world to be pervaded by portions of him'; since Soul and Nature are also made up of parts, they must be uneternal".[53] However, acknowledges Ballantyne,[53] Edward Gough translates the same verse in Shvetashvatara Upanishad differently, 'Let the sage know that Prakriti is Maya and that Mahesvara is the Mayin, or arch-illusionist. All this shifting world is filled with portions of him'.[54] In continuation of the Samkhya and Upanishadic view, in the Bhagavata philosophy, Maya has been described as 'that which appears even when there is no object like silver in a shell and which does not appear in the atman'; with maya described as the power that creates, maintains and destroys the universe.[55]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that Jesus died on a cross, however, their prophet Gordon B. Hinckley stated that "for us the cross is the symbol of the dying Christ, while our message is a declaration of the living Christ." When asked what was the symbol of his religion, Hinckley replied "the lives of our people must become the only meaningful expression of our faith and, in fact, therefore, the symbol of our worship."[41][42] Prophet Howard W. Hunter encouraged Latter-day Saints "to look to the temple of the Lord as the great symbol of your membership."[43] Images of LDS temples and the Angel Moroni (who is found in statue on most temples) are commonly used to symbolize the LDS faith.[44]

Ashtavinayak (Marathi: अष्टविनायक) literally means "eight Ganeshas" in Sanskrit.  Ganesh is the Hinduism/Hindu deity of unity, prosperity & learning and removes obstacles. The term refers to eight Ganeshas. Ashtavinayaka yatra trip refers to a pilgrimage to the eight Hindu temples in Maharashtra state of India that house eight distinct idols of Ganesh, in a pre-ascertained sequence. The Ashtavinayak yatra or pilgrimage covers the eight ancient holy temples of Ganesh which are situated around Pune. Each of these temples has its own individual legend and history, as distinct from each other as the murtis in each temple. The form of each murti of Ganesh and His trunk are distinct from one another. However, there are other temples of eight Ganesh in various other parts of Maharashtra; the ones around Pune are more well known than the former.


Question: What is the significance of Lord Shiva's lingam?

The lingam, a column-like or oval (egg-shaped) representation of Shiva, is crafted from stone, metal, or clay. This symbol, known as the Shiva Linga, is a reminder of the omnipresent and formless Lord Shiva. In Shaivite Hindu temples, the lingam takes the form of a smooth cylindrical mass, signifying Shiva's presence. It is typically situated at the heart of the temple, resting within a rimmed, disc-shaped structure that symbolizes Shakti.

The wheel is also the main attribute of Vishnu, the Vedic god of preservation.[5] Madhavan and Parpola note Chakra sign appears frequently in Indus Valley civilization , on several seals.[6] Notably, in a sequence of ten signs on the Dholavira signboard, four are the chakra.[7]

A variation of this legend is commonly known in South India. Ganesha is said to have caused the axle in Shiva's chariot to break, as the latter headed to battle the demon without saluting Ganesha before he set out. Upon realizing his act of omission, Shiva saluted his son Ganesha, and then proceeded victoriously to a short battle against the powerful demon. (See Acharapakkam  - an ancient temple in Tamil Nadu glorified by the 1st millennium Tamil hymns enshrining Shiva associated with this legend, as well as Tiruvirkolam and Tiruvatikai - both over 1200 years old, associated with the legend of Tripurasamhaaram).

The Shrutisagar Ashram, located at Phulgaon off the Nagar road, houses the Vedanta Research Centre and a unique temple of Dakshinamurthy, located near the confluence of the Bhima, Bhama, and Indrayani rivers. It was established in 1989 by Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati. Here one can find detailed explanations of śruti and smriti (including the Vedas, Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads and Puranas) in Marathi and English. As of the 2011 census, the population of Pune is as follows.[70]

The anthropologist Lawrence Babb in an article about Sathya Sai Baba asks the question "Who is a saint?", and responds by saying that in the symbolic infrastructure of some religions, there is the image of a certain extraordinary spiritual king's "miraculous powers", to whom frequently a certain moral presence is attributed. These saintly figures, he asserts, are "the focal points of spiritual force-fields". They exert "powerful attractive influence on followers but touch the inner lives of others in transforming ways as well".[11]

The handsome Prince Rukmangad refused sage Vachaknavi's wife Mukunda's illicit call, and was cursed to suffer from leprosy. Mukunda was satisfied by Indra who deceived her as Rukmangad and she bore a child by name Grutsamad. When Grutsamad came to know about the real story he cursed his mother Mukunda to become the tree of Bori and she in turn cursed him to bore a demon son named Tripurasur, the one who was defeated by Shiva after praying the Ranjangaon Ganesha. Grutsamad after getting cursed went to the forest of Pushpak and worshipped Ganesha. Sage Grutsamad is famous for the mantra GaNanaN Tva. He founded the temple and called this Ganesha: Varada-Vinayak.

The above Maya-bheda hymn discerns, using symbolic language, a contrast between mind influenced by light (sun) and magic (illusion of Asura). The hymn is a call to discern one's enemies, perceive artifice, and distinguish, using one's mind, between that which is perceived and that which is unperceived.[24] Rig veda does not connote the word Māyā as always good or always bad, it is simply a form of technique, mental power and means.[25] Rig veda uses the word in two contexts, implying that there are two kinds of Māyā: divine Māyā and undivine Māyā, the former being the foundation of truth, the latter of falsehood.[26]

There are also examples of "mutually opposing symbols", distinguishing a "white" shaman who contacts sky spirits for good aims by day, from a "black" shaman who contacts evil spirits for bad aims by night.[84] (Series of such opposing symbols referred to a world-view behind them. Analogously to the way grammar arranges words to express meanings and convey a world, also this formed a cognitive map).[15][85] Shaman's lore is rooted in the folklore of the community, which provides a "mythological mental map".[86][87] Juha Pentikäinen uses the concept "grammar of mind".[87][88] Linking to a Sami example, Kathleen Osgood Dana writes:

Bulls have held a place of significance in human culture since before the beginning of recorded history. They appear in cave paintings estimated to be up to 17,000 years old. The mythic Bull of the Heavens plays a role in the ancient Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh, dating as far back as 2150 BC. The importance of the bull is reflected in its appearance in the zodiac as Taurus, and its numerous appearances in mythology, where it is often associated with fertility. See also Korban. In Hinduism, a bull named Nandi, usually depicted seated, is worshipped as the vehicle of the god Shiva and depicted on many of the images of that God. Symbolically, the bull appears commonly in heraldry, and, in modern times, as a mascot for both amateur and professional sports teams.

According to Harrison, the symbolism of "the wheel of the law" and the order of Nature is also visible in the Tibetan prayer wheels. The moving wheels symbolize the movement of cosmic order (á¹›ta).[14]

It is also called the Land of the Gods on account of the Hindu belief that deities like Lord Shiva considered the Himalayas their abode, and much of the state is located among the Himalayan mountains. Although modern pop-literature writers online have often also referred to Uttarakhand as the land of the gods because it also contains Himalayan mountains, officially it is Himachal Pradesh that has been considered the land of the gods since before the state of Uttarakhand existed (the UK as it is abbreviated on license plates for automobiles in the state, and the state was founded in the year 2000).[66] A tourism department board on the road when entering Himachal Pradesh from the state of Punjab states "Welcome to the Land of the Gods."


Question: What is the significance of Lord Shiva's lingam?

The Lingam, according to Hindu scriptures like the Shiva Purana and the Linga Purana, represents the cosmic pillar of fire, symbolizing the infinite nature of Lord Shiva. This pillar is described as the origin of Shiva, emerging from it to demonstrate his supremacy over other deities. The lingam is a comprehensive symbol, with the oval stone representing the universe and the base symbolizing the Supreme Power that sustains it. The Skanda Purana also interprets the lingam as the embodiment of the universe and the earth as its foundation. In yogic traditions, the lingam is the first manifestation during creation and the last before dissolution, acting as a gateway to Shiva or the realm beyond physical existence. The Mahabharata suggests that in the Kali Yuga, Lord Shiva will manifest not in a specific form but as the omnipresent and formless essence.

There is a Nandi (Shiva's bull mount) sitting in front of this temple entrance, which is unique, as Nandi is normally in front of only Shiva temples. However, the story says
that this statue was being carried to some Shivamandir during which the vehicle carrying it
broke down and the Nandi statue could not be removed from its current place.

The Vamana grew and covered everything Mahabali ruled over in just two paces. For the third pace, Mahabali offered himself, an act which Vishnu accepted as evidence of Mahabali's devotion.[8] Vishnu granted him a boon, by which Mahabali could visit again, once every year, the lands and people he previously ruled. This revisit marks the festival of Onam, as a reminder of the virtuous rule and his humility in keeping his promise before Vishnu. The last day of Mahabali's stay is remembered with a nine-course vegetarian Onasadya feast.[8][19]

The Shiva Sutras describe a phonemic notational system in the fourteen initial lines preceding the Ashtadhyayi. The notational system introduces different clusters of phonemes that serve special roles in the morphology of Sanskrit, and are referred to throughout the text. Each cluster, called a

A Hindu temple is a symmetry-driven structure, with many variations, on a square grid of padas, depicting perfect geometric shapes such as circles and squares.[6][2] Susan Lewandowski states that the underlying principle in a Hindu temple is built around the belief that all things are one, everything is connected. A temple, states Lewandowski, "replicates again and again the Hindu beliefs in the parts mirroring, and at the same time being, the universal whole" like an "organism of repeating cells".[21]:68, 71 The pilgrim is welcomed through mathematically structured spaces, a network of art, pillars with carvings and statues that display and celebrate the four important and necessary principles of human life - the pursuit of artha (prosperity, wealth), the pursuit of kama (desire), the pursuit of dharma (virtues, ethical life) and the pursuit of moksha (release, self-knowledge).[22][23]

The need to understand Maya is like the metaphorical need for road. Only when the country to be reached is distant, states Shankara, that a road must be pointed out. It is a meaningless contradiction to assert, "I am right now in my village, but I need a road to reach my village."[48] It is the confusion, ignorance and illusions that need to be repealed. It is only when the knower sees nothing else but his Self that he can be fearless and permanent.[47][48] Vivekananda explains the need to understand Maya as follows (abridged),[49]

In Vedic mythology, Rudras are described as loyal companions of Rudra, who later was identified with Shiva. They are considered as friends, messengers and aspects of Rudra. They are fearful in nature. The Satapatha Brahmana mentions that Rudra is the prince, while Rudras are his subjects. They are considered as attendants of Shiva in later mythology.[3]

The architectural principles of Hindu temples in India are described in Shilpa Shastras and Vastu Sastras.[4][5] The Hindu culture has encouraged aesthetic independence to its temple builders, and its architects have sometimes exercised considerable flexibility in creative expression by adopting other perfect geometries and mathematical principles in Mandir construction to express the Hindu way of life.[6]

It is said that this is the place from where the Hindu god Rama built a bridge across the sea to Lanka to rescue his wife Sita from her abductor Ravana. The Ramanathaswamy Temple, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, is located at the centre of the town and is closely associated with Rama. The temple, along with the town, is considered a holy pilgrimage site for both Shaivas and Vaishnavas.[2][3]

In the 7th century there was an intellectual exchange between Taoists and Shaktas in India, with the translation of the Daodejing in Sanskrit. Some breathing techniques practised in Shaktism are known as Cīnācāra ("Chinese Practice"), and the Shakta tantras that discuss them trace their origin to Taoism. Two of these tantras report that the Shakta master Vaśiṣṭha paid visit to China specifically with the purpose of learning Cīnācāra from the Taoists.[363]:133–134 According to the Tamil text Śaivāgama of Pashupata Shaivism, two of the eighteen siddha of southern Shaktism, Bogar and Pulipani, were ethnically Chinese.[363]:133–134 Shaktism itself was practised in China in the Tang period.[363]:135

The temple is North-facing and is on a small hillock. The main road towards the temple was believed to be built by Peshwa's general Haripant Phadake. The inner sanctum, 15 feet high and 10 feet wide is built by Punyashloka Ahilyabai Holkar. The idol is 3feet tall and 2.5feet wide. The idol faces North-direction. The stomach of the murti is not wide, but Riddhi and Siddhi murtis are sitting on one thigh. This murti's trunk is turning to the right. The right-sided-trunk Ganesha is supposed to be very strict for the devotees. To make one round (pradakshina) around the temple one has to make the round trip of the hillock. This takes about 30 minutes with moderate speed.


Question: What is the connection between Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and Bach?

"A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum has been described by Dutch author and Bach enthusiast Maarten 't Hart as an "original adaptation" of Johann Sebastian Bach's work. The song's Hammond organ line is reminiscent of Bach's "Sleepers, Wake!" and "Air on the G String," both featuring a similar stepwise bass motion. This similarity has been acknowledged in the 1982 play "The Real Thing" by Tom Stoppard and the 1991 film "The Commitments." Another, less frequently cited, melodic influence can be found in Bach's organ choral prelude "O Mensch bewein dein' Sünde groß" (O Man, Lament Your Sin So Great), BWV 622, from his Orgelbüchlein (Little Organ Book). The music of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" also draws inspiration from "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge.

Recitative has also sometimes been used to refer to parts of purely instrumental works which resemble vocal recitatives. One of the earliest examples is found in the slow movement of Vivaldi's violin concerto in D, RV 208 which is marked 'Recitative', although it is perhaps more virtuosic and flashy than most operatic recitative. C. P. E. Bach included instrumental recitative in his "Prussian" piano sonatas of 1742, composed at Frederick the Great's court in Berlin. In 1761, Joseph Haydn took his post at Esterhazy Palace and soon after composed his Symphony No. 7 ("Le Midi") in concertante style (i.e. with soloists). In the second movement of that work, the violinist is the soloist in an instrumental recitative.

"...Baby One More Time" is a teen pop and dance-pop song that lasts for three minutes and 30 seconds. The song is composed in the key of C minor and is set in the time signature of 4/4 common time with a moderate tempo of 93 beats per minute (Andante moderato). Songwriting and production is largely based on previous Cheiron productions, most notably Robyn Carlsson's "Show Me Love" which shows similar song scheme, drum patterns, wah guitars and piano hits. Spears's vocal range spans over two octaves from E♭3 to the high-tone of G5.[15][16] The song begins with a three-note motif in the bass range of the piano, an opening that has been compared to many other songs, such as "We Will Rock You" (1977), "Start Me Up" (1981), "These Words" (2004) and the theme song of the film Jaws due to the fact the track "makes its presence known in exactly one second".[10] According to magazine Blender, "...Baby One More Time" is composed by "wah-wah guitar lines and EKG-machine bass-slaps".[10]

"Death of a Clown" is a song by Dave Davies, member of British rock group The Kinks, released as his debut solo single in 1967. The song was co-written with his brother Ray Davies, who contributed the 5-bar "La la la" hook; Ray's first wife, Rasa, sings this phrase as well as descant in the second verse, while Ray himself sings harmony in the refrain. Nicky Hopkins played the distinctive introduction, using fingerpicks on the strings of a piano. The single was credited to Dave Davies but the song also appeared on the Kinks' album Something Else by The Kinks, released later in 1967.

In 1965, the Yardbirds popularized the song as an early psychedelic blues rock song, due largely to Jeff Beck's fuzz-toned guitar work. Theirs soon became the most copied arrangement with recordings by a variety of musicians.  After guitarist Jimmy Page joined the group, the Yardbirds recorded an updated version with new lyrics as "Stroll On" for the film Blowup in 1966.  With a highly charged rhythm section and a dual lead guitar attack by Beck and Page, it is seen as a forerunner to heavy metal.

"What Child Is This?" is a Christmas carol whose lyrics were written by William Chatterton Dix, in 1865. At the time of composing the carol, Dix worked as an insurance company manager and had been struck by a severe illness. While recovering, he underwent a spiritual renewal that led him to write several hymns, including lyrics to this carol that was subsequently set to the tune of "Greensleeves", a traditional English folk song. Although it was written in Great Britain, the carol is more popular in the United States than in its country of origin today.[1]

"Paranoid Android" is a song by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, released as the lead single from their third studio album OK Computer (1997) on 26 May 1997. The darkly humorous lyrics were written primarily by singer Thom Yorke following an unpleasant experience in a Los Angeles bar. The song is more than six minutes long and contains four distinct sections. "Paranoid Android" takes its name from Marvin the Paranoid Android of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series.

The tonality of Tristan was to prove immensely influential in western Classical music. Wagner's use of musical colour also influenced the development of film music. Bernard Herrmann's score for Alfred Hitchcock's classic, Vertigo, is heavily reminiscent of the Liebestod, most evident concerning the resurrection scene. The Liebestod was incorporated in Luis Buñuel's Surrealist film L'Age d'Or. Not all composers, however, reacted favourably: Claude Debussy's piano piece "Golliwog's Cakewalk" mockingly quotes the opening of the opera in a distorted form, instructing the passage to be played 'avec une grande emotion'. However, Debussy was highly influenced by Wagner and was particularly fond of Tristan. Frequent moments of Tristan-inspired tonality mark Debussy's early compositions.

This chord sequence is not commonly used, and Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull has pointed out its similarity to his song "We Used to Know" from their 1969 album Stand Up, suggesting the Eagles heard it when they toured together.[50] While the Eagles did open for Jethro Tull in June 1972, Don Felder, who wrote the music, did not join the band until 1974 and would not have been in the audience or backstage.[51] Felder has said that he had never heard "We Used to Know", and that he was unfamiliar with Jethro Tull apart from the fact the frontman plays a flute.[52]

The song is written in the key of E♭, with a tempo of 126 beats per minute. It generally follows an A♭–B♭–Cm–Gm chord progression, and has a vocal range for the various parts of G3–C5.[6] Hurwitz composed the song with a fast-paced tempo predominantly using major keys, but often using minor keys as well, making it "more bittersweet than it may seem on its face" according to Hurwitz.[7] The song also has densely layered background vocals and a full 95-piece orchestra and 40-person choir.[7][8] Hurwitz tried to feature different elements of the orchestration as the visuals followed different members of the ensemble.[7]

"The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)" is a song released as an iTunes single from American alternative rock band Weezer's sixth album, Weezer (2008). "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)" was released to radio on December 9, 2008.[1] The song bears a resemblance to the Shaker song "Simple Gifts" hence the "(Variations on a Shaker Hymn)" in the title. According to lead vocalist and writer Rivers Cuomo, "The Greatest Man" has 11 different themes, including rapping and imitations of other bands such as Nirvana and Aerosmith (both of whom also recorded for Weezer's then-label Geffen Records at one point).


Question: What are the five pillars of faith in Islam?

The Five Pillars of Islam, which are agreed upon by the Shia, Ahmadiyya, and Sunni sects in terms of their fundamental execution and observance, encompass various facets of Muslim life. These include prayer, acts of charity, personal purification, and the Hajj pilgrimage, which is incumbent upon those who are physically and financially capable.[10] While the terminology may differ among sects (Twelvers refer to them as Ancillaries of the Faith, and Ismailis as Seven Pillars), the essence and practice remain consistent across these Islamic communities.

In Sikhism, the world is regarded as both transitory and relatively real.[94] God is viewed as the only reality, but within God exist both conscious souls and nonconscious objects; these created objects are also real.[94] Natural phenomena are real but the effects they generate are unreal. m훮y훮 is as the events are real yet m훮y훮 is not as the effects are unreal. Sikhism believes that people are trapped in the world because of five vices: lust, anger, greed, attachment, and ego. Maya enables these five vices and makes a person think the physical world is "real," whereas, the goal of Sikhism is to rid the self of them. Consider the following example: In the moonless night, a rope lying on the ground may be mistaken for a snake. We know that the rope alone is real, not the snake. However, the failure to perceive the rope gives rise to the false perception of the snake. Once the darkness is removed, the rope alone remains; the snake disappears.

Meyerism is a fictional movement in the series founded by Dr. Stephen Meyer. In the show's mythology, on October 28, 1974, Meyer literally climbed a ladder of burning light to receive the message of universal truth. Meyer gave to his followers the instructions for their spiritual development, written in the first book of Meyerism, The Ladder. Meyerists believe that all people are damaged which is the cause of the world's suffering. Through personal enlightenment, they seek to become aware of suffering in themselves and others, and to heal the world, caring deeply about family, humanity and the environment. In this way and others, they create the heavenly Garden of Meyer's vision here on earth. However, The Ladder foretells that their efforts will be thwarted by non-believers or Ignorant Systemites (I.S.) whose selfish actions will result in an apocalypse; but those who ascend The Ladder of Enlightenment will live forever in The Garden.

Islam is the majority religion in areas inhabited by the Hui Muslims, particularly the province of Ningxia, and in the province of Xinjiang that is inhabited by the Uyghurs. Many ethnic minority groups in China follow their own traditional ethnic religions: Benzhuism of the Bai, Bimoism of the Yi, BÃ¶n of the Tibetans, Dongbaism of the Nakhi, Miao folk religion, Qiang folk religion, Yao folk religion, Zhuang folk religion, Mongolian shamanism or Tengerism, and Manchu shamanism among Manchus.

Modern oral traditions also related that the Mandinka kingdoms of Mali or Manden had already existed several centuries before Sundiata's unification as a small state just to the south of the SoninkÃ© empire of Wagadou, better known as the Ghana Empire.[15] This area was composed of mountains, savannah and forest providing ideal protection and resources for the population of hunters.[16] Those not living in the mountains formed small city-states such as Toron, Ka-Ba and Niani. Through the oral tradition of griots, the Keita dynasty, from which nearly every Mali emperor came, traces its lineage back to Lawalo, one of the sons of Bilal,[17] the faithful muezzin of Islam's prophet Muhammad, who was said to have migrated into Mali and his descendants established the ruling Keita dynasty through Maghan Kon Fatta, father of Sundiata Keita.[18]

The Muslim commentators explain that Balaam was a Canaanite who had been given knowledge of some of the books of God. His people asked him to curse Moses (Musa) and those who were with him, but he said, "How can I curse one who has angels with him?" They continued to press him, however, until he cursed the Israelites, and, as a consequence, they remained 40 years in the Wilderness of the Wanderings. Then, when he had cursed Moses, his tongue came out and fell upon his breast, and he began to pant like a dog.

A major difference between Shia fundamentalism in Iran and mainstream Islamic fundamentalism is that the former has nothing to do with Salafism. According to Gary Legenhausen: "The term Islamic Fundamentalism is one that has been invented by Western journalists by analogy with Christian Fundamentalism. It is not a very apt term, but it has gained currency. In the Sunni world it is used for groups descended from the Salafiyyah movement, such as the Muslim Brotherhood." It is worth noting that the concept of "Salaf" (السلف) does not exist in Shia theology in contrast to Sunni Islam as well as Christianity (a similar concept referred to as "original Christianity").[28] Political Islam consists of a broad array of mass movements in the Muslim world, which share a conviction that political power is an essential instrument for constructing a God-fearing society. They believe that Muslims can fulfill their religious obligations only when public law sanctions and encourages pious behavior. To this end, the majority of these movements work to take control of state power, whether by propaganda, plebiscite, or putsch.[29]

The Islamic scholar, ibn Kathir, titled the section in his tafsir (i.e., explanation of the Qur'an), the Tafsir ibn Kathir, regarding this verse, The Command to say Salah upon the Prophet (Muhammad).

The history of Islamic Principlism in Iran covers the history of Islamic revivalism and the rise of political Islam in modern Iran. Today, there are basically three types of Islam in Iran: traditionalism, modernism, and a variety of forms of revivalism usually brought together as fundamentalism.[1] Neo-fundamentalists in Iran are a subgroup of fundamentalists who have also borrowed from Western countercurrents of populism, fascism, anarchism, Jacobism and Marxism.[2]

An early American to publicly convert to Buddhism was Henry Steel Olcott. Olcott, a former U.S. army colonel during the Civil War, had grown interested in reports of supernatural phenomena that were popular in the late 19th century. In 1875, he, Helena Blavatsky, and William Quan Judge founded the Theosophical Society, dedicated to the study of the occult and influenced by Hindu and Buddhist scriptures. The leaders claimed to believe that they were in contact, via visions and messages, with a secret order of adepts called the "Himalayan Brotherhood" or "the Masters". In 1879, Olcott and Blavatsky travelled to India and in 1880, to Sri Lanka, where they were met enthusiastically by local Buddhists, who saw them as allies against an aggressive Christian missionary movement. On May 25, Olcott and Blavatsky took the pancasila vows of a lay Buddhist before a monk and a large crowd. Although most of the Theosophists appear to have counted themselves as Buddhists, they held idiosyncratic beliefs that separated them from known Buddhist traditions; only Olcott was enthusiastic about following mainstream Buddhism. He returned twice to Sri Lanka, where he promoted Buddhist education, and visited Japan and Burma. Olcott authored a Buddhist Catechism, stating his view of the basic tenets of the religion.

Muhammad passed away a few months after the event of Ghadir Khumm. As Ali buried Muhammad and led his funeral prayer, a group of Muslims gathered at Saqifa. At Saqifa, Umar pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr,[9][10] despite the sermon that the Prophet had delivered at Ghadir Khumm, and despite Umar's pledge of allegiance to Ali. A group of Muslims supported Abu Bakr, and became known as the Sunni; another group of Muslims kept their allegiance to Ali, and became known as the Shia.


Question: How did the Peaks of Otter receive their name?

The Peaks of Otter, located at milepost marker 86 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, have a history that dates back at least 8,000 years with Native American visits for hunting, travel, and rest. European settlers arrived in the mid-1700s, including Thomas Wood and his family from Pennsylvania who established a homestead in the area. The Peaks' name may have originated from the Ewing brothers, Charles and Robert, who settled nearby and named the peaks after their Scottish Gaelic surname, Clann Eóghain na h-Oitrich or "Clan Ewing of Otter." This theory is supported by similar Otter-themed place names in Scotland and the resemblance of Flat Top to Beinn Dorain in the Ewing ancestral area of Argyll and Bute. Alternative theories suggest the name could be an anglicized version of the Cherokee word "Otari," meaning "high places," or derived from the Otter River, which starts nearby and may have been named for otters found downstream.

The state's name appears to originate from an earlier Spanish name, Arizonac, derived from the O'odham name alĭ ṣonak, meaning "small spring," which initially applied only to an area near the silver mining camp of Planchas de Plata, Sonora.[11][12][13][14] To the European settlers, their pronunciation sounded like "Arissona".[15] The area is still known as alĭ ṣonak in the O'odham language.[16] Another possible origin is the Basque phrase haritz ona ("the good oak"), as there were numerous Basque sheepherders in the area.[17][18][19]

Other possible derivations include aux arcs meaning "[land]of the arches"[5] in reference to the dozens of natural bridges formed by erosion and collapsed caves in the Ozark region. These include Clifty Hollow Natural Bridge (actually a series of arches) in Missouri,[6] and Alum Cove in the Ozark – St. Francis National Forest. It is even suggested aux arcs is an abbreviation of aux arcs-en-ciel, French for "toward the rainbows" which are a common sight in the mountainous regions. After the Louisiana Purchase, American travelers in the region referred to various features of the upland areas using the term Ozark, such as Ozark Mountains and Ozark forests. By the early 20th century, the Ozarks had become a generic term.[7][8]

A trade caravan of 60 men led by the Mexican merchant Antonio Armijo was charged with establishing a trade route to Los Angeles.[2][3][4][5][6][7] Las Vegas was named by Mexicans in the Antonio Armijo party.[8] By following the Pike and Smith routes through a tributary of Colorado River they came upon the Las Vegas Valley, described by Smith as the best point to re-supply before going onto California. The travelers named the area "Las Vegas" which is Spanish for "The Meadows".[9]

In the afternoon, all members of the expedition returned to the gully to section off the site and prepare it for careful excavation and collection, which eventually took three weeks. That first evening they celebrated at the camp; at some stage during the evening they named fossil AL 288-1 "Lucy", after the Beatles' song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", which was being played loudly and repeatedly on a tape recorder in the camp.[17]

Initially known as the Kingston Demolition Range, the site was officially renamed the Clinton Engineer Works (CEW) in early 1943.[83] While Stone & Webster concentrated on the production facilities, the architectural and engineering firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed and built a residential community for 13,000. The community was located on the slopes of Black Oak Ridge, from which the new town of Oak Ridge got its name.[84] The Army presence at Oak Ridge increased in August 1943 when Nichols replaced Marshall as head of the Manhattan Engineer District. One of his first tasks was to move the district headquarters to Oak Ridge although the name of the district did not change.[85] In September 1943 the administration of community facilities was outsourced to Turner Construction Company through a subsidiary, the Roane-Anderson Company (for Roane and Anderson Counties, in which Oak Ridge was located).[86] Chemical engineers, including William J. Wilcox Jr. and Warren Fuchs, were part of "frantic efforts" to make 10% to 12% enriched uranium 235, known as the code name "tuballoy tetroxide", with tight security and fast approvals for supplies and materials.[87] The population of Oak Ridge soon expanded well beyond the initial plans, and peaked at 75,000 in May 1945, by which time 82,000 people were employed at the Clinton Engineer Works,[74] and 10,000 by Roane-Anderson.[86]

At their first concert, They Might Be Giants performed under the name El Grupo De Rock and Roll (Spanglish for "Rock and Roll Group"), because the show was a Sandinista rally in Central Park, and a majority of the audience members spoke Spanish.[4] Soon discarding this title, the band assumed the name of a 1971 film They Might Be Giants (starring George C. Scott and Joanne Woodward), which is in turn taken from a Don Quixote passage about how Quixote mistook windmills for evil giants, which itself was taken[citation needed] from Dante's Inferno Canto 34. According to Dave Wilson, in his book Rock Formations, the name They Might Be Giants had been used and subsequently discarded by a friend of the band who had a ventriloquism act.[5] The name was then adopted by the band, who had been searching for a suitable name.

In 1778, Alexander Hamilton visited the falls and was impressed by its potential for industry. Later when Hamilton was the nation's Secretary of Treasury, he selected the site of the nation's first planned industrial city, which he called a "national manufactory." In 1791, Hamilton helped found the Society for the Establishment of Useful Manufactures (S.U.M.), state-chartered private corporation to fulfill this vision. The town of Paterson was founded by the society and named after New Jersey Governor William Paterson in appreciation of his efforts to promote the society.

The original townsite follows a unique design. It is laid out on northeast-to-southwest and northwest-to-southeast roads. It is purported that the reason this was done was to allow sun to come into every room in the home at some point during the day. The northwest-to-southeast roads were numbered and called avenues, while the northeast-to-southwest roads were numbered and called streets. Only two central streets, the northwest-to-southeast Main Avenue and the northeast-to-southwest Shoshone Street, were named. This system created situations where one side of a street may have an entirely different address than the other, and where the corner of "3rd and 3rd," for example, was in more than one location. In 2003 the numbered northeast-to-southwest streets were renamed to alleviate decades of confusion. Later city roads, such as Blue Lakes Boulevard, Addison Avenue and Washington Street, are laid out in standard north–south and east–west orientations. Addison Avenue is named after Addison T. Smith, an early 20th Century United States Congressman from Twin Falls.[21]

There are many legends behind the origin of the name Vijayawada. Goddess Durga killed the demon and relaxed in this place for some time. As she was victorious (vijaya), the place came to be known as Vijayawada (vijaya translates to victory and wada as place/location, literally "The Place of Victory").[14]

Chinese, Korean, and Japanese scribes regularly wrote Wa or Yamato "Japan" with the Chinese character 倭 until the 8th century, when the Japanese found fault with it due to its offensive connotation, replacing it with 和 "harmony, peace, balance".  Retroactively, this character was adopted in Japan to refer to the country itself, often combined with the character 大, literally meaning "Great", so as to write the preexisting name Yamato (大和) (in a manner similar to e.g. 大清帝國 Great Qing Empire, 大英帝國 Greater British Empire).  However, the pronunciation Yamato cannot be formed from the sounds of its constituent characters; it refers to a place in Japan and is speculated to originally mean "Mountain Gate" (山戸).[3] Such words which use certain kanji to name a certain Japanese word solely for the purpose of representing the word's meaning regardless of the given kanji's on'yomi or kun'yomi, a.k.a. jukujikun, is not uncommon in Japanese. Other original names in Chinese texts include Yamatai country (邪馬台国), where a Queen Himiko lived.  When hi no moto, the indigenous Japanese way of saying "sun's origin", was written in kanji, it was given the characters 日本.  In time, these characters began to be read using Sino-Japanese readings, first Nippon and later Nihon, although the two names are interchangeable to this day.


Question: When is the release date for season 8 of Vampire Diaries?

The eighth season of The Vampire Diaries, an American supernatural drama series, was confirmed to be its final season by The CW on July 23, 2016. This announcement came after the network had renewed the show for its eighth season on March 11, 2016. The season, consisting of 16 episodes, made its debut on October 21, 2016, and the series finale aired on March 10, 2017.

The film is scheduled to be released on February 8, 2019.[24] It was originally scheduled to be released on May 26, 2017,[25] but the release date was later assigned to The Lego Batman Movie, which was itself in February 2015 rescheduled for release on February 10, 2017.  At that time, it was planned to release on May 18, 2018.[24]  On June 17, 2016, it was delayed to its current release date.

In May 2017, Lionsgate announced the film would be released on October 20, 2017.[8] It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on January 30, 2018.

The season was ordered in May 2017, and production began the following month. Ben McKenzie stars as Gordon, alongside Donal Logue, David Mazouz, Morena Baccarin, Sean Pertwee, Robin Lord Taylor, Erin Richards, Camren Bicondova, Cory Michael Smith, Jessica Lucas, Chris Chalk, Drew Powell, Crystal Reed and Alexander Siddig. The fourth season premiered on September 21, 2017, on Fox, while the second half premiered on March 1, 2018.[1]

On May 8, 2014, the CW renewed the show for its fourth season.[4] On July 18, 2014, CW president Mark Pedowitz announced that Hart of Dixie would have ten episodes for its fourth season, which premiered on December 15, 2014.[5] On March 14, 2015, Leila Gerstein revealed that season four of Hart of Dixie would be its last.[6][7] The CW officially cancelled the show on May 7, 2015.[8]

The season was originally set to air on September 28, 2017, on Fox in the United States.[75] However, on July 28, 2017, Fox decided to move up the premiere to September 21, 2017 in order to give its companion newcomer series The Orville a continuous run.[76] The fourth season is moving to a Thursday timeslot, alongside The Orville, after airing its past seasons on Mondays.[77]

In all regions outside the United States, the series is distributed by Amazon Video.[28] The series premiered on March 1, 2018, in the United Kingdom and subsequent episodes were released weekly for the following seven weeks.[29] In Germany and Austria, the series premiered on March 9, 2018.[30]

On April 24, 2017, Krakow announced via the Hallmark Channel website that the show would return for a fifth season,[6] which premiered with a two-hour Christmas special broadcast as part of Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas event and resumed in February 2018, ending in April.[7] On March 21, 2018, Hallmark renewed the series for a sixth season.[8]

Filming for season five began in Vancouver on August 22, 2017, and ended on December 21, 2017.[17][18]

The 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike resulted in the series being on hiatus. When the strike ended, new episodes began airing on April 19, 2008. The show eventually ended for good with its series finale, a total of three seasons and 87 episodes on September 1, 2008.[10]

My Babysitter's a Vampire (Quebec French: Ma gardienne est un vampire) is a 2011 Canadian television series, based on the television film of the same name. In Canada, the series premiered in French on Télétoon on February 28, 2011, in English on Teletoon on March 14, 2011, and on Disney Channel in the United States on June 27, 2011[1] and finished airing October 5, 2012 on Disney and April 11, 2013 on Télétoon. The show was created by Fresh TV, creators of 6teen, Total Drama, and Stoked. The show follows Ethan Morgan (Matthew Knight), who, in the television film, learns that his babysitter Sarah (Vanessa Morgan) is a vampire. In the film, he learns he is able to have visions and his best friend Benny Weir (Atticus Mitchell) is a spellmaster. The series follows the three as they take on supernatural forces and have adventures, with occasional help from fellow vampires Rory (Cameron Kennedy) and Erica (Kate Todd), while dealing with the troubles of regular high school life.


Question: What is the Batman and Robin episode titled "Only Fools and Horses"?

In the Only Fools and Horses episode titled "Heroes and Villains," which aired on December 25, 1996, as part of the 1996 Christmas trilogy, Del and Rodney attend a fancy dress party dressed as Batman and Robin. This episode attracted a record-breaking UK television audience of 21.3 million viewers, making it the most watched episode in the show's history.

Batman confronts Councilman Franklin Claypool, who confesses to being LeRoi's accomplice and providing him with information for his attack. Claypool secretly owns a large portion of Gotham City's slum housing, which he expected to sell profitably through his proposed redevelopment program, but the program was pushed aside by Tolliver in favor of the fair. LeRoi agreed to target Claypool's properties, allowing Claypool to collect a lucrative insurance payout, but Claypool never intended the deaths LeRoi's actions caused, and so does not resist when Gordon arrives to arrest him.

In October 1990, Boyle suffered a near-fatal stroke that rendered him completely speechless and immobile for nearly six months. After recovering, he went on to win an Emmy Award in 1996 as Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his appearance on The X-Files. In the episode, "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose", he played an insurance salesman who can see selected things in the near future, particularly others' deaths. Boyle also guest starred in two episodes as Bill Church Sr. in Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. He appears in Sony Music's unaired Roger Waters' music video "Three Wishes" (1992) as a scruffy genie in a dirty coat and red scarf, who tries to tempt Waters at a desert diner.[15][16]

Didi (played by Tracy Ashton) is the one-legged girl from whom Earl stole a car after telling her he loved her. She works at Yummy's Donut Shop (episode "Monkeys in Space") and has a fast one-armed, no-legged boyfriend named Jake (played by Cameron Clapp), whom she met while hopping after Earl's winning lottery ticket as it blew in the wind (episode "Number One"). She is still angry at Earl and had her boyfriend chase him away when he tried to apologize. Didi gets around by hopping (although she does possess a prosthetic leg, the only use it gets is when her dog humps it), whereas her boyfriend uses prosthetic limbs and is quite agile. She lives across the street from Donny Jones. She always called Earl a "Son of a Bitch" when she sees him, and chases after him. The exact cause of her losing a leg is unknown; however, in "Our Other Cops Is On", Didi states that "she already survived one explosion". She finally forgives Earl in the season 3 finale where she has Earl try to live a day on one leg.

During a confrontation with a returned minor villain the Getaway Genius, Damian is initially angry that Grayson failed to capture the foe – as well as the implication that his father failed as well during the Genius' original run back when Grayson was Robin – but when Dick explains to him that Bruce let the Genius go because he discovered that the Genius' robberies were only him stealing medicines that he needed so that he could live long enough to see his daughter grow up, Damian realises that he never really knew his father as a person, and admits that there was more to him than Batman.[22]

Despite becoming Robin to Grayson's Batman, Damian reveals that he cares little for his older brother and has no respect for him as Batman and that the latter would have to earn it. In an act of defiance, Damian decides to make the Robin mantle independent from that of Batman and decides to stop Dr. Phosphorus from breaking into Project Cadmus, but fails miserably and is saved by Dick. Dick then begins to train Damian as to how to properly become the new Robin and the two develop their own unique crime fighting style. Damian then begins to mock Tim Drake for not being chosen as Robin, causing Tim to severely beat Damian, only to be stopped by Dick.

Sylvester and Twan go to visit an apparent mobster named Joey. Sylvester informs Joey of some job that could get them a lot of money. While there, Joey accuses Twan of being a cop, as well as calling him "LL Fool J," deeply offending Twan. Sylvester, trying to defuse the situation, asks Twan to wait outside the office while he and Joey discuss business. As Twan leaves the room, he remarks, "I'll be listening from the outside." Joey replies, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Mama said knock you out, fuck outta here." While waiting outside, Twan has a nightmare of Sylvester and him in the same situation, being pointed at with guns. In the end, Sylvester wakes Twan up, then Joey and Sylvester say their goodbyes, and Joey asks Sylvester to tell Gwendolyn he says hello, as their deal is sealed.

"Death of the Family" is a 23-issue comic book story arc first published by DC Comics in 2012 featuring the fictional superhero Batman and his family of supporting characters. The arc spans several titles featuring characters of the Batman family including: Batman, Batgirl, Batman and Robin, Catwoman, Detective Comics, Nightwing, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Suicide Squad, and Teen Titans. The story involves the return of Batman's arch-enemy, the Joker, and his plan to destroy all of the people Batman has come to rely on over the years: the multiple Robins, Batgirl, Catwoman, Alfred Pennyworth, and Commissioner James Gordon. The title is a reference to the classic Batman story arc "A Death in the Family" (1988), in which the Joker murders Jason Todd.

O'Brien continued writing musicals with arranger Richard Hartley, including: T. Zee (1976), Disaster (1978), The Stripper (1982â€“ based on the Carter Brown novel and produced in Australia), and Top People (1984). O'Brien and Hartley also provided three songs for the film The Return of Captain Invincible (1983), starring Alan Arkin. O'Brien wrote his one-man revue Disgracefully Yours (1985) singing as Mephistopheles Smith. O'Brien became a serial bit-part film actor and has appeared in Jubilee (1977), Flash Gordon (1980), Dark City (1998), Ever After (1998) and Dungeons & Dragons (2000), among others. Additionally he guest starred in five episodes in the third season of the HTV dramatisation of Robin of Sherwood, as the corrupt druid Gulnar. A music CD of the songs from Disgracefully Yours entitled Absolute O'Brien was released in 1998.[8]

New neighbours, The Umbleby's, move in and are surprised that they are living next to Ashdene Ridge, prompting them to record a crime log and hold a meeting. Sasha is annoyed with Bailey hanging around with Dexter, so gets her stepbrother Roddy to coach Dexter's football. Sasha finds out Roddy is a bad influence on Dexter by getting Dexter to help break in and that her mother is involved. Bailey and Mischief leave for college in the USA, taking Roddy's place.[4][5][6][7] Ryan overhears a conversation between Mike and May-Li and thinks he is leaving and encourages the young people to hold a vote to choose who leaves, wanting Joseph to go. Joseph volunteers to go, but it's revealed Ryan was picked to represent the home at a theme park and Chloe tells Ryan she does not trust him.[8][9] Chloe meets Candi-Rose, whilst shopping and Chloe claims she goes to boarding school, like her. Candi-Rose moves into The Dumping Ground and both are hurt with telling each other lies. Mr Umbleby is annoyed with Edward spending time on his guitar and with Kazima and Kazima chooses to keep away so Edward gets his guitar back.[10][11] Jody and Tyler are surprised the young people see them as a couple, so Jody and Tyler arrange for him to ask Sophie from the skate park out, but they argue, however, Jody and Tyler want to remain friends. Archie becomes attached to May-Li, seeing her as a mum, but is reassured he is special and his phase is normal.[12][13] Floss gets a part in a commercial and struggles to play a daughter without ever having a mother. The young people want money, so Mike suggests they split in teams to come up with and pitch a business. Floss decides she wants to be adopted, accepting her mum won't come for her.[14][15] A parcel for Archie goes missing and Sasha decides to catch the culprit, who turns out to be Dexter. Billie and Toni suspect Archie is ageing backwards after singing an old song, but the parcel, from his father, explains why he believed he was ageing backwards.[16][17] Sam,a careworker, is brought in to cover May-Li whilst she goes on holiday and Kazima makes friends with a homeless boy, Alex, who is living in a squat. Floss pretends she has magic powers after falling down the steps.[18][19] Tyler undertakes work experience at a radio station and meets Ralph, a man who is refusing to sell his home to property developers, and Tyler's boss, Ms Bloomfield, shows Tyler what Ralph is being offered. Ralph tells Tyler he has memories of his late wife in the house. A public meeting about the potential closure of the skate park is held and the young people resort to banging pots and pans, but Chloe tells everyone what the skate park means to them.[20][21] Alex turns up unexpectedly at The Dumping Ground with George, who is poorly, whilst on a farm trip, Dexter and Sam develop crushes on a farm employee, Anjli and try to impress her. Candi-Rose lets the animals out of their enclosures, but they are rounded up and George harshly rejects Alex, but tells Kazima he did it for Alex's sake. The young people aren't happy that Alex is allowed to stay.[22][23] A new wardrobe for Kazima arrives, which Mike says is cursed, but Joseph gets trapped inside. Manny, a friend of Mike's relative, takes away the wardrobe with Joseph inside and Kazima and Ryan go to the docks to get Joseph. They think they are late when the boat leaves, but Joseph says he escaped through the back.[24][25] Kazima receives a message on her online appeal from someone claiming to know where her father is and she later receives a video call from him. Kazima finds out he is in Denmark and wants her to join him, which she agrees to. Alex is hurt that Kazima is leaving, but Kazima gives him advice and in Denmark, she is reunited with her father and brother. Floss is pleased when she has nits and May-Li is the one who passed them on from her own children.[26][27]

Part 1 begins as the group heads off to Ross's wedding in London leaving behind a heavily pregnant Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), who has declined the invitation. In London, Joey (Matt LeBlanc) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) go see the sights in a musical montage featuring The Clash's song "London Calling", with Joey filming everything on his camcorder. Chandler becomes embarrassed by his friend's enthusiasm, and after Joey buys a large Union Flag hat from a vendor (played by guest star Richard Branson), they part company. They reunite in their hotel room and Chandler apologizes. Joey impresses him with a video recording of Sarah, Duchess of York (who played herself). Emily takes Ross to the hall where the wedding will be, but they discover it is being demolished earlier than originally scheduled. Monica later suggests Emily postpone the wedding until everything is perfect. She passes the thought on to Ross, angering him; he tells her people have flown from America to be there and that it is "now or never"; she chooses "never". Monica berates Ross for his insensitivity and Ross apologizes to Emily, showing her the ceremony can still take place in the half-demolished hall that he has tidied up. She agrees. In New York, Rachel realizes she still loves Ross, and flies to London to tell him.[1]


Question: When did the events of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone occur?

The events of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (released in the United States as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) take place during Harry Potter's first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This is where Harry, played by Daniel Radcliffe, discovers his wizarding heritage and embarks on his magical education alongside friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson). The film, directed by Chris Columbus and released in 2001, is the first in the Harry Potter film series, based on J.K. Rowling's popular novel.

After his marriage to Angela Scoular in 1982 Phillips decided to move away from the kind of lecherous twits with suave chat-up lines which had characterised much of his previous work. Phillips has remained busy in both stage and television productions, along with character roles in films like Empire of the Sun (1987) directed by Steven Spielberg and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001). Phillips also provided the voice for the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter films appearing in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) as well as reprising his role in the final film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011). He has also appeared in British television sitcoms including Honey for Tea with Felicity Kendal and appeared in cameo roles in the popular series such as The Bill.

Lily Luna Potter is the daughter of Harry and Ginny, the youngest of their three children. Her name honors two women important to her parents—her paternal grandmother Lily Potter, and her parents' good friend Luna Lovegood.[39] She is two years younger than her brother Albus Severus, making her around nine, and is close in age to her cousin Hugo. It is also stated that she has her mother's and possibly both of her own grandmothers' red hair. In the epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, she accompanied her parents as they escorted James and Albus Potter to Platform 9¾ to the Hogwarts express.

The film had its world premiere on 4 November 2001, in London's Leicester Square, with the cinema arranged to resemble Hogwarts School.[72] The film was greatly received at the box office. In the United States, it made $32.3 million on its opening day, breaking the single day record previously held by Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. On the second day of release, the film's gross increased to $33.5 million, breaking the record for biggest single day again. In total, it made $90.3 million during its first weekend, breaking the record for highest-opening weekend of all time that was previously held by The Lost World: Jurassic Park.[73] It held the record until the following May when Spider-Man made $114.8 million in its opening weekend.[74] The film held onto the No. 1 spot at the box-office for three consecutive weekends.[75][76] The film also had the highest grossing 5-day (Wednesday-Sunday) Thanksgiving weekend record of $82.4 million, holding the title for twelve years until both The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Frozen surpassed it with $110.1 million and $94 million respectively.[77] Similar results were achieved across the world. In the United Kingdom, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone broke the record for the highest-opening weekend ever, both including and excluding previews, making £16.3 million with and £9.8 million without previews.[78] The film went on to make £66.1 million in the UK alone, making it the country's second highest-grossing film of all-time (after Titanic), until it was surpassed by Mamma Mia!.[79]

It has been speculated that the fraught relationship between Rowling and the press was the inspiration for the author to develop the character. However, Rowling noted in 2000 that the character actually predates her rise to fame.[29] Rita was intended to be in Philosopher's Stone, as Rowling revealed in an interview: "you know when Harry walks into the Leaky Cauldron for the first time and everyone says, "Mr. Potter you're back!", I wanted to put a journalist in there. She wasn't called Rita then but she was a woman. And then I thought, as I looked at the plot overall, I thought, that's not really where she fits best, she fits best in Four when Harry's supposed to come to terms with his fame."[30]

Since 2004, private tour operator Beyond Boundaries Travel has commissioned the train each summer for use on its Harry Potter Fan Trips tours of the United Kingdom. On 11 March 2007, vandals targeted the coaches, causing £75,000 worth of damage at West Coast Railway Company's depot in Carnforth. Ten youths, aged between twelve and fourteen years, were arrested in connection with the incident — in which 337 windows on several coaches were smashed.[3]

Albus Severus Potter is Harry and Ginny's second-born child. He is said to look much like Harry and to be the only one of his siblings to have inherited Lily Potter's green eyes. He is named after Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape, and would be eleven at the time of the epilogue. Albus is played by Arthur Bowen in Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

John Williams was selected to compose the score.[58] Williams composed the score at his homes in Los Angeles and Tanglewood before recording it in London in August 2001. One of the main themes is entitled "Hedwig's Theme"; Williams retained it for his finished score as "everyone seemed to like it" and therefore it was a recurring theme throughout the Harry Potter movies.[59]

The second book returns us to the Sorenson siblings the following year, where a strange new student has infiltrated the school in disguise, causing mischief and Kendra is the only one who can see the charade. The Society of the Evening Star, an ancient organization determined to overthrow magical preserves and use them for their own intents and purposes, is on the move and is determined to infiltrate Fablehaven. New characters are introduced who mentor Kendra and Seth with their knowledge of magical potions, animals, and items. In addition, these three specialists have a more perilous assignmentâ€”find an artifact of great power hidden on the grounds. When the Evening Star pervades the gates of Fablehaven, it is assumed that someone inside the preserve is a traitor. If the artifact falls into the wrong hands, it could mean the downfall of other preserves and possibly the world.

Later, he finds out that Harry and his friends are hunting and destroying his Horcruxes. After offering the occupants of Hogwarts mercy if they give up Harry, he assembles a large army and launches an invasion of the castle, where Harry is searching for Ravenclaw's Lost Diadem, one of the Horcruxes.[29] Voldemort orders his pet snake Nagini to execute Snape, believing it would make him the true master of the Elder Wand, since Snape killed Dumbledore.[30] He then calls an hour's armistice, in exchange for Harry.[31] When Harry willingly walks into Voldemort's camp in the Forbidden Forest, Voldemort strikes him down with the Elder Wand.[31] However, the use of Harry's blood to resurrect Voldemort's body proves to be a major setback: while Harry's blood runs in Voldemort's veins, Harry cannot be killed as his mother's protection lives on now in Voldemort too. Instead, Voldemort destroys the part of his own soul that resides in Harryâ€™s body. Voldemort forces Rubeus Hagrid to carry Harry's apparently lifeless body back to the castle as a trophy, sparking another battle during which Nagini, his last Horcrux, is destroyed by Neville Longbottom. The battle then moves into the Great Hall, where Voldemort fights Minerva McGonagall, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Horace Slughorn simultaneously. Harry then reveals himself and explains to Voldemort that Draco became the true master of the Elder Wand when he disarmed Dumbledore; Harry, in turn, won the wand's allegiance when he took Draco's wand. Refusing to believe this, Voldemort casts the Killing Curse with the Elder Wand while Harry uses a Disarming Charm with Draco's, but the Elder Wand refuses to kill its master and the spell rebounds on Voldemort who, with all of his Horcruxes destroyed, finally dies. His body is laid in a different chamber from all the others who died battling him.[32]

Several people have drawn a parallel between Voldemort and some politicians. Rowling has admitted that Voldemort was "a sort of" Adolf Hitler, and that there is some parallel with Nazism in her books.[55][56] Rowling also compared Voldemort with Joseph Stalin, with whom he shares several traits, including that of renouncing his family name in favour of one which would invoke fear and strength.[57] Alfonso Cuarón, director of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban compared Voldemort with George W. Bush and Saddam Hussein, as the two of them "...have selfish interests and are very much in love with power. Also, a disregard for the environment. A love for manipulating people."[58] Andrew Slack and the Harry Potter Alliance compare media consolidation in the US to Voldemort's regime in Deathly Hallows and its control over the Daily Prophet and other media saying that "Once Voldemort took over every form of media in the wizarding world, Dumbledore's Army and the Order of the Phoenix formed an independent media movement called 'Potterwatch'. Now the HP Alliance and Wizard Rock have come together to fight for a Potterwatch movement in the real world to fight back against Big VoldeMedia from further pushing out local and foreign news, minority representation, and the right to a Free Press."[59] Julia Turner from Slate Magazine also noted similarities between the events of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and the current War on Terror. She said that Voldemort takes up terrorism by destroying bridges, murdering innocents, and forcing children to kill their elders.[60]


Question: Who is the golfer that went to the golf majors in 1998?

In 1998, Mark O'Meara had a late resurgence in his PGA Tour career, winning two major championships: The Masters and the British Open. O'Meara's triumph at The Masters came after 15 attempts. He credited his success partly to the influence of Tiger Woods, a rising star in the sport with whom he had developed a close friendship. That year, O'Meara also clinched the Cisco World Match Play Championship and achieved his highest ranking of second in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Sanders later signed with the Atlanta Braves for the 1991 MLB season. On July 31, Sanders hit a key three-run homer to spark a comeback win against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the Braves' run to the National League West Division title. However, he had to leave the Braves the very next day to report to the Atlanta Falcons because of a clause in his NFL contract and missed the postseason. Before the 1992 season, Sanders reworked his NFL deal whereby he still reported to the Falcons for training camp in August, but was allowed to rejoin the Braves for the postseason.

Mayo retained the Connacht title in 1997, beating Galway, Leitrim and Sligo in the final. The Galway win was notable as it was Mayo's first victory in Tuam in over 30 years. Mayo went on to reach their second successive All-Ireland Final following a 0–13 to 0–7 victory over the Leinster Champions, Offaly. However, Mayo again lost out in the final, losing by 0–13 to 1–7 to Kerry in a poor game illuminated by the skill of Kerry forward Maurice Fitzgerald. Mortimer was again honoured with an All Star, with only Pat Fallon joining him from the ranks of the Mayo team.

Sanders returned to the Reds in 2001, but was released after playing in only 29 games and batting just .173. Following his release from the Reds he signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays triple-A affiliate, Syracuse Chiefs. Sanders was hitting .252 for Syracuse before the Washington Redskins found a loophole in his contract which compelled him to return to the Redskins. His football contract had been negotiated to allow for Sanders to play both baseball and football, but the terms of the contract stated that Sanders could miss NFL training camp and the first few games of the season only if he were playing Major League Baseball. Since he was not then on an MLB roster, Sanders had to leave Syracuse and return to the Redskins so he would not violate his NFL contract. But before arriving at training camp, Sanders informed Redskins personnel he was retiring from professional baseball. In his final professional baseball game, Sanders hit a solo home run and an RBI single in Syracuse's 12-6 win over the Toledo Mud Hens.[21] As those in MLB and the NFL urged Sanders to concentrate on only one sport, he would often explain, "football is my wife and baseball is my mistress."[22]

Furman has also been a pioneer in setting records in several new activities including landrowing. Using a converted indoor rower with wheels and brakes, Furman rowed 1,500 miles (2,400 km) in 16 days in Bali in 1991. Furman also developed the sport of gluggling, underwater juggling, which he did for 48 minutes at Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World in Auckland, New Zealand in 2002 and distance sack racing, which Furman did for a mile while racing against a yak in Mongolia in 2007. On January 30, 2008, Furman unveiled his giant pencil – 76 feet (23 m) long, 22,000 pounds (with 4,000 solid pounds of Pennsylvania graphite). The pencil was built in three weeks as a birthday gift for teacher Sri Chinmoy on 27 August 2007. Longer than the 65-foot (20 m) pencil outside the Malaysia HQ of stationers Faber-Castell, it was transported from Queens, New York, to the City Museum in St. Louis.[11] In April 2009 Furman became the first person to hold 100 Guinness World Records at once.[12]

In 2007, O'Meara began play on the Champions Tour; he had many top-10 finishes in his first three seasons including several runner-up finishes, but no wins. In 2010, he broke through with a win in the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf with Nick Price, followed by his first senior major victory in the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship. O'Meara was sidelined by a rib injury for several months starting in April 2012; he missed the majors on both tours and did not compete until August.[6][7]

After Tommy West's dismissal following the 1998 season, Clemson hired Tommy Bowden, son of Bobby Bowden and coach at Tulane. Bowden led the Tigers to a 6–6 record and a Peach Bowl bid in 1999, with the team that navigated its way through a schedule that included MAC champions and undefeated Marshall, Big East champion and BCS runner-up Virginia Tech (who went undefeated during the regular season), and eventual National Champion Florida State (who finished the year undefeated). The 1999 meeting between the Tigers and Seminoles was dubbed the "Bowden Bowl" and was the first time that a father and son coached against each other in Division I football. FSU won the game 17– 14 in front of the largest crowd in the history of Death Valley. [46]

Off field, the club remained in serious turmoil. In the first sign of troubles in February 2008, CEO Steve Harris resigned. Paul Gardner addressed the media in response to comments from the club's auditors spelling disaster for the club. Gardner reiterated that the club had posted a $97,000 profit at the end of 2007.[12] Harris was replaced by the high-profile former Wimbledon tennis champion Paul McNamee.[13] Despite celebrating the club's birthday with an official mid-season function at Crown Casino,[14] shortly afterward chairman Paul Gardner resigned, handing the presidency to former club champion Jim Stynes who inherited a $4.5 million debt, which media pundits suggested would cripple the club.[15] Hawthorn's president Jeff Kennett caused controversy with remarks about relocating the Demons to the Gold Coast,[16] something which Stynes spoke against. AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou dispelled the notion that the club's future was in doubt, but admitted that Stynes' board faced a huge challenge.[17] Demons legend, games and goalkicking record holder, David Neitz, announced his immediate retirement due to injury on 19 May.[18]

In 1998, under recently acquired head coach Dan Reeves, quarterback Chris Chandler and running back Jamal Anderson the "Dirty Bird" Falcons had their greatest season to date. On November 8, they beat the New England Patriots 41–10, ending a streak of 22 losses at cold-weather sites. The team finished with a franchise-best 14–2 regular season record and the NFC West division championship. On January 17, 1999, the Falcons upset the top-seeded Vikings at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in the NFC Championship Game 30–27, in an exciting overtime victory. However, in their first-ever Super Bowl appearance, they lost 34–19 to the defending champion Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII.

Rutigliano was a gambler: he tinkered with offenses, took chances on trick plays and was not afraid to break with the play-calling conventions of his time.[160] The coach, who earned the nickname "Riverboat Sam" for his risk-taking approach, once said that security was "for cowards". "I believe in gambling", he said. "No successful man ever got anywhere without gambling."[161] This seat-of-your-pants philosophy began to manifest itself on the field in 1979. The campaign started with a nail-biter against the New York Jets that the Browns won in overtime on a Cockroft field goal as time expired. "If we continue to play 'em that way all year, I'll be gone before the 10th game because my heart just won't take it", Rutigliano said after the game.[162] In the second week, Cleveland beat the Kansas City Chiefs 27–24 on a Sipe touchdown to Rucker with 52 seconds left.[163] The third game was an equally improbable 13–10 win against the Baltimore Colts.[163] Cleveland Plain Dealer sports editor Hal Lebovitz wrote after the game that these "Kardiac Kids" were lucky to have pulled off the win after Colts kicker Toni Linhart missed three field goals.[164]

Jacqueline Joyner was born March 3, 1962, in East St. Louis, Illinois, and was named after Jackie Kennedy. As a high school athlete at East St. Louis Lincoln Senior High School, she qualified for the finals in the long jump at the 1979 Olympic Trials, finishing 8th behind another high schooler, Carol Lewis.[6] She was inspired to compete in multi-disciplinary track & field events after seeing a 1975 made-for-TV movie about Babe Didrikson Zaharias. Interestingly, Didrikson, the trackster, basketball player, and pro golfer, was chosen the "Greatest Female Athlete of the First Half of the 20th Century. Fifteen years later, Sports Illustrated for Women magazine voted Joyner-Kersee the greatest female athlete of all time, just ahead of Zaharias.