In Wicca, a private book containing spells, rituals, potions, and occult knowledge, called a "Book of Shadows", is kept. In some types of Wicca, such as Gardnerian Wicca, the contents of the book are kept secret from anyone but other members of the group, or . However, some versions of the book have been published. Some parts of these published versions, such as the "Wiccan Rede" and the "Charge of the Goddess" have been used by non-Wiccans or Wiccans. Many eclectics create their own personal books, and keep them to themselves.
Wicca music or Wicca rock is music influenced by the Wicca religion and its beliefs relating to nature and conservation.
An early band called Themis toured Canada and the USA singing and talking about Wicca. The Themis body of works promotes things that are Wiccan, such as the divinity of nature; the Lord and Lady (dual deity aspect of Wicca) and an ethical credo (moral code) that resembles Wiccan philosophies.
Another Canadian band, a group of vocalists from Vancouver Canada, the Chalice and Blade, also perform original pieces based on the beliefs of Wicca and "sing songs which show (their) reverence for the earth and the balance of the God and Goddess" -Chalice and Blade
According to The Religion Newswriters Foundation "Wicca is moving into the mainstream" smashing stereotypes as their movement matures. Throughout America, Wiccans are organizing congregations and youth groups, training clergy, pursuing charity work, sharing parenting tips and fighting for civil rights
Indochinese tiger
The Indochinese tiger ("Panthera tigris corbetti") is one of the six living tiger subspecies, and is found in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and southwestern China. The Indochinese tiger is also known as the "Corbett's tiger", named after Jim Corbett. It has been listed as Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. In Myanmar it is the National animal of the country.
Males are around 8–9 ft (2.4-2.7 meters) long, and weigh around 330 to 430 pounds. Females are around 7–8 ft (2.1-2.4 meters) long, and weigh around 221 to 287 pounds. Indochinese tigers are darker in colour than the Bengal tiger, and have narrow stripes which usually break up into a row of spots. Their belly, chin and cheeks are white in colour.
The Indochinese tiger is found throughout Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Burma and Vietnam. It also lived in China, but no Indochinese tiger has been seen in China since 2007.
It is found mostly in lowland and highland tropical deciduous, semi-evergreen and evergreen forests. The Indochinese tiger is also found in hilly and mountainous areas.
Indochinese tigers feed mainly on medium-sized and large-sized wild ungulates. Sambar deer, wild pig, serow, and large bovids such as banteng and young gaur make up most of the Indochinese tiger's diet. Some of its prey, like the kouprey and Schomburgk's deer, are extinct, but some, like the Eld's deer, hog deer and wild water buffalo, are still living but rare. Indochinese tigers also feed on muntjac deer, porcupines, macaques and hog badgers.
They have been known to supplement their diet with birds, fish, monkeys and reptiles.
Female Indochinese tigers are pregnant for around 3–4 months, before giving birth to about 5 cubs. Newborn Indochinese tigers weigh around 1 kg (2 lb), and are blind and helpless. The mother feeds them milk for about 2 months and then the Indochinese tiger cubs are introduced to meat. Indochinese tiger cubs depend on their mother for the first 18 months and then they start hunting on their own.
Office
An office is generally a room or other area where administrative work is done. It may also be a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it. For example, the office of treasurer. An office is a design phenomenon. It can be a small office such as a bench in the corner of a very small business. It can also be anything up to and including large buildings full of offices. In modern use an office usually means the location where white-collar workers are employed.
There are mainly two types of office. They are large office and small office. A small office is small because the amount of work to be done is small. A large office is large because amount of work to be done is large.
Men have done administrative work for many centuries. But it is not clear when the room where paperwork was created began to be thought of an office. In the earliest European history it may have been a room in a palace where some kind of accounting was done for the king. Earlier forms of keeping records were known but were not confined to a room or rooms. For example, in ancient China string was knotted to keep count of things as a record. But the record-keeper's "office" was not a room but wherever he needed to be to count something.
In the early Middle Ages many monasteries had a scriptorium. This was a place where texts of all kinds were written and copied. All of the work was done by hand. This may actually be one of the first uses of a room as an office.
The High Middle Ages (1000–1300) saw the rise of the medieval chancery. This was usually the place where most government letters were written and where laws were copied in the administration of a kingdom.
With the growth of large, complex organizations in the 18th century, the first actual office spaces were constructed. As the Industrial Revolution grew in the 18th and 19th centuries, the industries of banking, rail, insurance, retail, petroleum, and telegraphy grew dramatically. A large number of clerks were needed. As a result, more office space was needed for these activities. The time and motion study, pioneered in manufacturing by F. W. Taylor led to the “Modern Efficiency Desk” with a flat top and drawers below. This was designed to allow managers an easy view of the workers. However, by the middle of the 20th century, it became apparent that offices various degrees of privacy. Gradually the cubicle system evolved.
The main purpose of an office is to support its occupants in performing their job. Work spaces in an office are typically used for conventional office activities such as reading, writing and computer work. There are also meeting rooms, lounges, and spaces for support activities, such as photocopying and filing. Some offices also have a kitchen area where workers can make their lunches. There are many different ways of arranging the space in an office and whilst these vary according to function, managerial fashions and the culture of specific companies can be even more important.
While offices can be built in almost any location and in almost any building, some modern requirements for offices make this more difficult, such as requirements for light, networking, and security. The primary purpose of an office building is to provide a workplace and working environment primarily for administrative and managerial workers. These workers usually occupy set areas within the office building, and usually are provided with desks, PCs and other equipment they may need within these areas.
Phenomenon
A phenomenon (Greek: ", pl. ") is an observable event or, quite literally, something that can be seen.
It comes from the noun ("phainomenon, df. appearance") and is also related to the verb ("phainein, df. to show"). Its plural is phenomena. Its antonym is "lathomenon", meaning "something lying beneath the surface".
Phenomenon can also mean a "surprising development" or "unusually successful person".
In science, "phenomenon" stands for any event which we can sense or detect or record. In science, the word "observe" means more than just "visible to the naked eye". It means "sensible", available to our senses. The senses we are born with are extended by a whole range of instruments which record things we cannot see, and make them visible to us.
So, while some events are easy to observe, others need technology to make observation possible.
Konstantin Chernenko