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Halil to Halil's feed, History
The Melisende Psalter (London, British Library, Egerton MS 1139) is an illuminated manuscript commissioned around 1135 in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, probably by King Fulk for his wife Queen Melisende. It is a notable example of Crusader art, which resulted from a merging of the artistic styles of Roman Catholic Europe, the Eastern Orthodox Byzantine Empire and the art of the Armenian illuminated manuscript. https://en.m.wikipedia.or...

9 years ago from Android - Comment - Hide - - [ 4 ] -

Watching documentary about the crusades! Brutul times! - Halil - -

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Off topic but just had a thought, I often discuss royal/nobility stuff with my neighbour one question we've pondered on is what dukedom Prince Harry will be offered; York is the obvious choice but it's already taken, can't have Clarence too tainted, can't have Albany too controversial, was looking stuff up tonight and up pops Cumberland in my reading and it struck me, Duke of Cumberland is a pretty good bet, even though the Hanoverian one was bloody. Thoughts...? If anyone even cares? - Halil - -

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Halil to Halil's feed, History, Linguistics
crusignatus - apparently this is the root word for crusade and crusaders, but I can't find any info/links to verify this. http://www.etymonline.com...

9 years ago from Android - Comment - Hide - - [ 2 ] -

Do I have the correct spelling? - Halil - -

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maybe you mean crucisignatus? http://medieval_terms.ena... - astridula - [ 1 ] -

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Halil to Halil's feed, Linguistics
Manchu, Former Empire’s Language, Hangs On at China’s Edge http://mobile.nytimes.com...

9 years ago from Android - Comment - Hide - - [ 2 ] -

QAPQAL XIBE AUTONOMOUS COUNTY, China — Loyal to the core and prized for their horsemanship, several thousand Manchu soldiers heeded the emperor’s call and, with families and livestock in tow, embarked in 1764 on a trek that took them from northeastern China to the most distant fringes of the Qing dynasty empire, the Central Asian lands now known as Xinjiang. It was an arduous, 18-month journey, but there was one consolation: After completing their mission of pacifying the western frontier, the troops would be allowed to take their families home. “They were terribly homesick here and dreamed of one day going back east,” said Tong Hao, 56, a descendant of the settlers, from the Xibe branch of the Manchus, who arrived here emaciated and exhausted. “But sadly, it was not to be.” - Halil - -

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The Xibe, sent to garrison the area by the Qing Dynasty, were divided into eight niru (companies); each niru established a settlement. https://en.m.wikipedia.or... - Halil - -

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Halil to Halil's feed, Linguistics
Why We Don’t Call the Oregon Militia Members ‘Terrorists’ - Linguistic xenophobia is in the eye of the beholder http://time.com/4167857/w...

9 years ago - Comment - Hide - - [ 6 ] -

In the wake of the standoff between the white armed protesters in Oregon and the authorities there, many have complained that these men are not being called terrorists. The idea is that we seem to apply the terrorist label more readily to Muslims. And let’s face it, this is true. Sure, we call Timothy McVeigh a terrorist, too—but we have to remind one another to do so—like mentioning that tomatoes are actually a fruit. - Halil - [ 1 ] -

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thanks; I take back my comment, then. - naltro - -

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Halil to Halil's feed, Science
Here Be Dragons: Hostile aliens, tall people and black holes To anticipate even some of the risks that come from our research, we must vigorously debate the future, urges a provocative book by Olle Häggström https://www.newscientist....

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THE year is 2056, and scientists have just created the first computer with superhuman intelligence. Aware of the risks, the programmers trained it in ethics. The machine functions flawlessly. Aiming to maximise happiness in the universe, and calculating that sentient beings are happy less than half the time, the computer exterminates all sentient life. The balance of happiness increases from negative to zero – only there’s nobody left to enjoy it. - Halil - -

Futurologists refer to this sort of misunderstanding as perverse instantiation, and Olle Häggström is concerned about it. He’s also worried that genocidal ETs might annihilate Earth, that the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) could produce an uncontrollable black hole, and, more prosaically, that increased use of human growth hormone could have some strange and unpleasant consequences. - Halil - -

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Halil to Halil's feed, Linguistics
grok (v.) "to understand empathically," 1961, arbitrary formation by U.S. science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein (1907-1988) in his book "Stranger in a Strange Land." In popular use 1960s; perhaps obsolete now except in internet technology circles. http://www.etymonline.com...

9 years ago from Android - Comment - Hide - - [ 6 ] -

I think this is a great word although it conjures images of Tolkien monsters, maybe time for a revival of this word? - Halil - -

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I see it, but mostly in context with technology (or spaces popular with people who are involved in that industry in some way.) I do like it though, especially when you're trying to explain the depth at which you understand something. - Jennifer D. - [ 2 ] -

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Halil to Halil's feed, British and Irish Residents
From Deutschland 83 to The Legacy and Gomorrah, British viewers can't get enough of foreign-language dramas http://www.independent.co...

9 years ago - Comment - Hide - - [ 2 ] -

Fifteen years ago, if you'd mentioned to a colleague that you'd spent Saturday night glued to a subtitled European drama, you'd have been quietly declared pretentious, dull and, possibly, a little odd. Skip to today and foreign-language dramas aren't even on-trend, they're fully mainstream. Now we are as likely to discuss the latest Danish thriller over a morning flat white at our desks as we are a new season on HBO. - Halil - -

The first line is 100% true because that's more or less how some percived me! :( I had a big thing for independent films, especially foreign language films in the early 1990s and people thought I was odd! - Halil - -

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Halil to Halil's feed, History, Science
This Is The Earliest Known Reference To The 'Demon Star' Ancient Egyptians appear to have tracked the bright-to-dim cycles of the distant star system with the naked eye. http://m.huffpost.com/us/...

9 years ago from Android - Comment - Hide - - [ 6 ] -

The researchers analyzed the text of the ancient Cairo Calendar found on a papyrus (above) that dates to sometime between 1244 and 1163 B.C. - Halil - [ 1 ] -

Halil to Halil's feed, Plant Love, History, Nature
The Cathedral Fig Tree in Famagusta - In front of the main entrance to the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque (St Nicholas Cathedral) is a very old tree of huge size as seen in the picture. It throws magnificent shade over the courtyard, very necessary in those hot days of summer when visitors are streaming into the cathedral. According to the botanists, the tree was planted here when the cathedral was built in 1220 A.D. making it 700 years old. http://www.cypnet.co.uk/n...

9 years ago - Comment - Hide - - [ 3 ] -

Halil to Halil's feed, British and Irish Residents, Nature
779 raptors killed illegally in Scotland during last 20 years says new report - A detailed 20 year review of the illegal killing of birds of prey in Scotland, published by RSPB Scotland, confirms that 779 protected raptors were illegally killed between 1994 and 2014. http://www.wildlifeextra....

9 years ago - Comment - Hide - - - [ 3 ]

In total, 468 birds of prey were poisoned, 173 were shot and 76 were caught in illegal traps. There were also seven attempted shootings. The figures include 104 red kites, 37 golden eagles, 30 hen harriers, 16 goshawks and 10 white-tailed eagles. - Halil - -

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Grouse hunting is a nasty business. - John B. - -

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Halil to Halil's feed, Linguistics
When researching the development of a phrase it is usually the origin that is difficult to determine; the spelling and the meaning are generally pretty well established. With 'for (or to) all intents and purposes' it is the other way about. The origin is unambiguous, as the first recorded use was in an Act of Parliament under Henry VIII, in 1546: "to all intents, constructions, and purposes" http://www.phrases.org.uk...

9 years ago from Android - Comment - Hide - - [ 4 ] -

Halil to Halil's feed, Linguistics
When words taste like meatballs: What it’s like to have synaesthesia http://metro.co.uk/2015/1...

9 years ago from Android - Comment - Hide - - [ 4 ] -

Halil to Halil's feed, British and Irish Residents, History
190 years ago the first railway service began at Stockton and Darlington in 1825

9 years ago from Android - Comment - Hide - - [ 3 ] -

Halil to Halil's feed, History, Science
Frances Kelsey, scientist - obituary - Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.u... )

9 years ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - [ 2 ] -

Frances Kelsey, the scientist and doctor, who has died aged 101, became a national heroine for her efforts to keep thalidomide off pharmacy shelves in America; her refusal to approve the morning-sickness drug spared a generation from the catastrophic birth deformities that occurred in other countries around the world. - Halil - [ 4 ] -

Halil to Halil's feed, British and Irish Residents, Nature
Lake District forests hit by ash dieback disease | Environment | The Guardian (http://www.theguardian.co... )

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Trees at four different sites in the Lake District have been found infected with ash dieback disease, according to the Forestry Commission. The sites include areas of woodland near Ambleside and Keswick. It is not known how the trees became infected with the Hymenoscyphus fraxineus fungus (which was originally called Chalara fraxinea). Charlton Clark, a spokesman for the Forestry Commission, said: “The disease can be spread either by spores of the fungus being carried by the wind or by movement of infected ash plants, whose spores can then be blown to neighbouring trees. It could have arrived in the Lake District by either or both these means.” - Halil - -

afaik London is still ok, but it's still looking grim for UK ash trees! :( - Halil - -

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Halil to Halil's feed, Nature, JustDuckie
Meet the African Golden Wolf: New Canine Discovered After 150 Years : News : Nature World News (http://www.natureworldnew... )

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Characteristic of the wile canines of oral tradition, jackals, it seems, had us tricked. Researchers have found what they are calling concrete evidence that a species of golden jackal living in Africa and Asia is actual two separate species - marking the first discovery of a new canine group in over 150 years. - Halil - -

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Cool! Thanks, Halil! - JustDuckie - -

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Halil to Halil's feed, British and Irish Residents, History
British Museum - Room 2a: Waddesdon Bequest (http://www.britishmuseum.... )

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The Waddesdon Bequest is a superb collection of nearly 300 objects, left to the Museum in 1898 by Baron Ferdinand Rothschild. It consists of exceptionally important and beautiful medieval and Renaissance pieces, as well as a number of 19th-century fakes. Together, they paint a fascinating picture of the development of the art market in the late 19th century. Baron Ferdinand originally displayed the collection in the specially designed New Smoking Room at Waddesdon Manor, his mansion in Buckinghamshire, after which he named the Bequest. - Halil - -

well the family certainly does have lots of dosh and we all know how they made their fortune so make of it what you will... - Halil - -

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Halil to Halil's feed, Science
Sci-Fi Cloaking Device Could Protect Soldiers from Shock Waves (http://www.livescience.co... ) http://i.livescience.com/...

9 years ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - [ 1 ] -

A researcher at the defense company Boeing has filed a patent for a sci-fi-esque cloaking device that would protect soldiers from intense shock waves generated by explosions. - Halil - -

Halil to Halil's feed, Nature
Can any arachnids fangs penetrate a gastropods skin? I only ask as I saw a spider try to bite a slug, it didn't look like any penetration took place as it simply darted on the slug several times attempting to bite it and then gave up. It was quite shocking, the slug slithered away but curious if any venom might have been injected during these attempts. Thanks

9 years ago - Comment - Hide - - [ 4 ] -

also, why hasn't anyone made a giant mutated gastropod sci fi monster movie yet? ;-) - Halil - [ 1 ] -

There are fishing spiders, which are known to catch fish and slugs, among other things: http://www.uark.edu/ua/ar... - John B. - [ 2 ] -

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Halil to Halil's feed, British and Irish Residents
IMDb: 22 Christopher Lee & Peter Cushing Pairings - a list by vincent.verstraete (http://www.imdb.com/list/... )

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In an interview included on the DVD release of The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959), Lee said of his friend's death: "I don't want to sound gloomy, but, at some point of your lives, every one of you will notice that you have in your life one person, one friend whom you love and care for very much. That person is so close to you that you are able to share some things only with him. For example, you can call that friend, and from the very first maniacal laugh or some other joke you will know who is at the other end of that line. We used to do that with him so often. And then when that person is gone, there will be nothing like that in your life ever again." - Halil - -

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The other master of horror is obviously Vincent Price!!! - Halil - [ 2 ] -

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Halil to Halil's feed, History
Re-examining the decision to bomb Hiroshima (http://blog.physicsworld.... )

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Today marks the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima – the first time that a nuclear weapon was used in war. Many argue that the bombing of Hiroshima, and three days later Nagasaki, was a necessary evil that saved hundreds of thousands of lives by ending the war and avoiding an allied invasion of Japan. - Halil - -

Over on The Nuclear Secrecy Blog, the science historian Alex Wellerstein asks “Were there alternatives to the atomic bombings?”. Wellerstein argues that the choice facing the US in 1945 was not as simple as whether to bomb or to invade. He points out that some physicists working on the Manhattan Project – which built the bombs – argued for a “technical demonstration” of the weapons. In June 1945 the Nobel laureate James Franck and some colleagues wrote a report that argued that the bomb should first be demonstrated to the world by detonating it over a barren island. Wellerstein surmised that “If the Japanese still refused to surrender, then the further use of the weapon, and its further responsibility, could be considered by an informed world community”. Another idea being circulated at the time was a detonation high over Tokyo Bay that would be visible from the Imperial Palace but would result in far fewer casualties than at Hiroshima, where about 140,000 people were killed. On the other hand, Wellerstein points out that Robert Oppenheimer and three Nobel laureates wrote a report that concluded “we can propose no technical demonstration likely to bring an end to the war; we see no acceptable alternative to direct military use”. This report was written for a US government committee, which decided to use the weapon against a “dual target” of military and civilian use. - Halil - -

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Halil to Halil's feed, British and Irish Residents, Nature
Pine marten seen in England for the first time in a hundred years - Nature - Environment - The Independent (http://www.independent.co... ) https://upload.wikimedia....

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A dark shape moved rapidly through the woods and moments later, with a flash of its bushy tail, disappeared into the undergrowth. Keen nature-watcher Dave Pearce’s first instinct was to reach for his camera – and in doing so he took the photograph of a lifetime, capturing what is believed by some to be the first confirmed sighting of a wild English pine marten in a century. - Halil - -

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La martora eurasiatica! Wonderful animal, glad to know it still survives in England. - StefanoHBS - -

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Halil to Halil's feed, History
Bedesten - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/... ) https://upload.wikimedia.... https://upload.wikimedia.... https://upload.wikimedia.... https://upload.wikimedia....

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A Bedestan (or bezistan or bedesten) is a covered market usually for haberdashery and craftsmanship.[1] Bezistans were built in Ottoman Empire and their design is based on the design of the mosques.[2] A Bedestan, in the most basic definition, is the central building of the commercial part of the town. It has its origins in the Greco-Roman Basilica or Kaiserion, which served a similar purpose[citation needed]. The Bedestan was such an important building that during Ottoman times cities were often classified under two categories, cities with a Bedestan and cities without a Bedestan. [3] - Halil - -

The origin of the word is Arab word bez, which means clothes, linen but also indicating embroidery and other precious items, and Persian suffix istan.[4] - Halil - [ 1 ] -

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Halil to Halil's feed, Science
Pushy bacteria create their own superfluids - physicsworld.com (http://physicsworld.com/c... )

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Certain types of swimming bacteria can lower the viscosity of an ordinary liquid, sometimes even turning it into a superfluid, according to work done by researchers in France. The team studied how the collective swimming motion of bacteria can substantially alter a fluid's hydrodynamic properties. In some cases, the change is so great that highly active bacteria create a "negative-viscosity" liquid and are then pushed along by the fluid itself. The researchers suggest that the energy from such bacterial suspensions could be used to drive tiny mechanical motors in microfluidic systems. - Halil - -

Halil to Halil's feed, Plant Love, Nature
Rare Snake flower adds beauty to Khamasom peak (http://www.thesangaiexpre... ) http://www.thesangaiexpre...

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Ukhrul, Jul 30 : Unsighted for long, a typical and peculiar flower called Khamasom Van resembling as snake has been seen blooming at Khamasom Khayuipam , Khamasom village in Ukhrul district. The flower called Khamasom Van (meaning only Khamasom village flower) in the local dialect closely resembles a snake. - Halil - [ 1 ] -

The flower blooms during the monsoon season and this is one reason why it has not been detected for many years as trekkers and hunters seldom venture out during the rainy season. The flower starts to grow from mid May and blooms till July, that is for a span of 3 months. Despite its unique feature, Khamasom Van/snake flower is yet to be included in the botanical families of the world. - Halil - -

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Halil to Halil's feed, British and Irish Residents
Is it time to ditch the term ‘black, Asian and minority ethnic’ (BAME)? | Lola Okolosie, Joseph Harker, Leah Green, Emma Dabiri | Comment is free | The Guardian (http://www.theguardian.co... )

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Trevor Phillips: existing purely “to tidy away the messy jumble of real human beings who share only one characteristic – that they don’t have white skin” - Halil - -

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bentley & waltcrawford, I should point out that I've never ever heard/seen/read the term either until the post, I actually came across it while looking up some British police custodial death stats and there was a separate graph named BAME, so i had to look it up. Now here's the interesting thing, I check government stats all the time for various things including custodial deaths and I have never seen the term BAME until now. Also, I've never seen it on any forms or letters etc requiring ethnic minority origins. - Halil - -

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Halil

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