wikipedia

A jacquemart (sometimes jaquemart and also called a quarter-jack) is an automaton, an animated, mechanised figure of a person, usually made from wood or metal, which strikes the hours on a bell with a hammer. Jacquemarts are usually part of clocks or clocktowers, and are often near or at the top of the construction. The figurine is also known as Jack of the Clock or Jack o'Clock.

While there is some uncertainty, the prevailing view among chess historians is that chaturanga is the common ancestor of the board games chess, xiangqi (Chinese), janggi (Korean), shogi (Japanese), sittuyin (Burmese), makruk (Thai), ouk chatrang (Cambodian) and modern Indian chess. It was adopted as chatrang (shatranj) in Sassanid Persia, which in turn was the form of chess brought to late-medieval Europe.

Xiangqi (/ˈʃɑːŋtʃi/; Chinese: 象棋; pinyin: xiàngqí), commonly known as Chinese chess or elephant chess, is a strategy board game for two players. It is the most popular board game in China. Xiangqi is in the same family of games as shogi, janggi, Western chess, chaturanga, and Indian chess. Besides China and areas with significant ethnic Chinese communities, this game is also a popular pastime in Vietnam, where it is known as cờ tướng, literally 'General's chess', in contrast with Western chess or cờ vua, literally 'King's chess'.

Castor and Pollux (or Polydeuces) are twin half-brothers in Greek and Roman mythology, known together as the Dioscuri or Dioskouroi.

In Latin, the twins are also known as the Gemini ("twins") or Castores, as well as the Tyndaridae or Tyndarids. Pollux asked Zeus to let him share his own immortality with his twin to keep them together, and they were transformed into the constellation Gemini. The pair were regarded as the patrons of sailors, to whom they appeared as St. Elmo's fire.

A dumbwaiter is a small freight elevator or lift intended to carry food. Dumbwaiters found within modern structures, including both commercial, public and private buildings, are often connected between multiple floors. When installed in restaurants, schools, hospitals, retirement homes or private homes, they generally terminate in a kitchen.

A lazy Susan is a turntable (rotating tray) placed on a table or countertop to aid in distributing food. Lazy Susans may be made from a variety of materials but are usually glass, wood, or plastic. They are circular and placed in the centre of a table to share dishes easily among diners.

A fascinating read of an article. How long are you willing to suffer before eating human flesh? How far till you eat your own parents? This episode of westward expansion is an example of natural selection and human group psychology. Hope you enjoy it!

Uline is a privately held American company that offers shipping and packing supplies, as well as other industrial supplies and bulk business goods. It was founded in 1980 by Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein. It has more than 9,000 employees and is headquartered in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. It has distribution centers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Liz and Richard Uihlein are megadonors to conservative and Republican causes. The company and its employees have also extensively donated to conservative and Republican-affiliated political action committees; they were among the largest contributors to political campaigns during the 2020 election cycle, contributing over $31 million before June 2020. The company donated $3 million to the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin to help it build housing in 2023.

King won Maine's 2012 Senate election to replace the retiring Republican Olympia Snowe and took office on January 3, 2013. He was reelected to a second term in 2018, following the state's inaugural instant-runoff voting elections, and won a third term in 2024 against Republican nominee Demi Kouzounas and Democratic nominee David Costello. For committee assignment purposes, he caucuses with the Democratic Party. He is one of two independents in the Senate; the other is Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who also caucuses with the Democrats.

The Independent is an online newspaper covering news, opinions and local events, trends, and issues in Newfoundland and Labrador. The original weekly (paper) version of The Independent was founded in 2001. The online version was launched in February 2011.

In 2012, author and academic Maura Hanrahan published a paper in Native Studies Review that stated "The Independent is considered the most progressive newspaper in the province [of Newfoundland and Labrador]"

"Eat the rich" is a political slogan associated with anti-capitalism and left-wing politics, as well as sometimes anarchist violent extremism. It may variously be used as a metaphor for class conflict or a demand for wealth redistribution. The phrase is commonly attributed to political philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, from a quote first popularized during the French Revolution: "When the people shall have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich".

« Quand le peuple n'aura plus rien à manger, il mangera le riche. »

A prion is a misfolded protein that induces misfolding in normal variants of the same protein, leading to cellular death. Prions are responsible for prion diseases, known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSEs), which are fatal and transmissible neurodegenerative diseases affecting both humans and animals.

"Here be dragons" (Latin: hic sunt dracones) means dangerous or unexplored territories, in imitation of a medieval practice of putting illustrations of dragons, sea monsters and other mythological creatures on uncharted areas of maps where potential dangers were thought to exist.

Early autopens used a plastic matrix of the original signature which is a channel cut into an engraved plate in the shape of a wheel. A stylus driven by an electric motor followed the x- and y-axis of a profile or shape engraved in the plate (which is why it is called a matrix). The stylus is mechanically connected to an arm which can hold almost any common writing instrument, so the favourite pen and ink can be used to suggest authenticity. The autopen signature is made with even pressure (and indentation in the paper), which is how these machines are distinguishable from original handwriting where the pressure varies.

The invention of dotted patterns is believed to have happened in the Middle Ages, but because of a lack of fabric machines and modern medicine, the pattern of irregularly spaced dots made people think of the rashes caused by diseases like leprosy, syphilis, smallpox, bubonic plague, and measles. Hence, the pattern was associated with plague and uncleanliness. The modern version of polka dots is believed to have become widespread during the Industrial Revolution (c. 1760) and the invention of the first sewing machine (in 1790), when perfectly round and evenly spaced dots could be created because of mechanized weaving.

However, starting in middle of the 19th century, the pattern started to spread among the lower classes of society at that time, who were looking for more interesting colors and patterns but could not afford the silks of the upper classes.

The building has a dark interior, and the walls are covered with a large number of holes to allow wind to pass through and assist in the drying process through evaporation.

Some raisin producers are reported to buy grapes elsewhere (e.g. in Hami) and bring them to Turpan to dry in the local chunche, as this drying method is believed to produce a superior product.

Avro Canada was a Canadian aircraft manufacturing company. It was founded in 1945 as an aircraft plant and within 13 years became the third-largest company in Canada, one of the largest 100 companies in the world, and directly employing over 50,000. Avro Canada was best known for the CF-105 Arrow, but through growth and acquisition, it rapidly became a major, integrated company that had diverse holdings.

Interac is a Canadian interbank network that links financial institutions and other enterprises for the purpose of exchanging electronic financial transactions. Interac serves as the Canadian debit card system and the predominant funds transfer network via its e-Transfer service. There are over 59,000 automated teller machines that can be accessed through the Interac network in Canada, and over 450,000 merchant locations accepting Interac debit payments.

The campaign was instigated by the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), and was a part of their wider campaign for women's suffrage. The campaign, led by key WSPU figures such as Emmeline Pankhurst, targeted infrastructure, government, churches and the general public, and saw the use of improvised explosive devices, arson, letter bombs, assassination attempts and other forms of direct action and violence.

At least four people were killed in the attacks, and at least 24 were injured (including two suffragettes). The campaign was halted at the outbreak of war in August 1914 without having brought about votes for women, as suffragettes pledged to pause the campaign to aid the war effort.

The Republican Party of Alberta is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. The party launched in 2022, and was originally known as the Buffalo Party of Alberta, until 2025.

In peacetime, military vessels are limited in number, tonnage and weaponry, with specific provisions governing their mode of entry and duration of stay. If they want to pass through the Strait, warships must provide advance notification to the Turkish authorities, which, in turn, must inform the parties to the convention.

In wartime, if Turkey is not involved in the conflict, warships of the nations at war may not pass through the Straits, except when returning to their base. When Turkey is at war, or feels threatened by a war, it may take any decision about the passage of warships as it sees fit. The United States is not a signatory to the Convention.