He is often shown with a yellow face. He carries an umbrella as a sign of his power. He is also sometimes shown with a mongoose, often shown spitting out jewels. The mongoose is the enemy of the snake, which is a symbol of greed or hatred; the spitting out of jewels shows generosity.
In the Pāli writings of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, Vaiśravaṇa is called Vessavaṇa. Vessavaṇa is one of the Four Great Kings, each one of which rules over a direction. Vessavaṇa's direction is the northern quarter of the world.
Vessavaṇa has the name "Kuvera" from a name he had from a past life as a rich mill-owner, who gave all the money he got from one of his seven mills to charity, and gave aid to the poor for 20,000 years.
As with all the Buddhist deities, Vessavaṇa is properly the name of a person who has the god inside him rather than a permanent individual. Each Vessavaṇa is a human, and when he dies, he will be replaced by a new Vessavaṇa. Like other beings of the Cātummahārājika world, his lifespan is 90,000 years, but other sources say nine million years.
When the Buddha was born, Vessavaṇa became his follower. He often brought the Buddha and his followers messages from the gods and other humans, and protected them.
In Japan, Bishamonten (毘沙門天), or just Bishamon (毘沙門) is thought of as a god of war or warriors who wears armor, and a punisher of people who do evil things, a view that is very strange when compared with the more peaceful Buddhist king described above. Bishamon is shown holding a spear in one hand and a small pagoda in the other hand. The Pagoda symbolises the divine treasure house, which holds things that he guards and gives away. In Japanese folklore, he is one of the Japanese Seven Lucky Gods.
In Tibet, Vaiśravaṇa is known to be a worldly protector of the Dharma. He is also known as the King of the North. As guardian of the north, he is often shown on temple wall paintings outside the main door. He is also a god of wealth. Vaiśravaṇa is sometimes shown carrying a citron, the fruit of the "jambhara" tree. The fruit helps pick him out from depictions of Kuvera.
Fugazi
Fugazi were an American alternative rock band that became active in 1987.
Singer and songwriter Ian MacKaye had been in two bands before he joined Fugazi. These bands were Embrace, a band that existed from 1985-86, and the more well-known Minor Threat. Guy Picciotto, who played guitar, was in famous punk/emo band Rites of Spring from 1984-86. Brendan Canty, who played drums, was also in Rites of Spring. For Joe Lally, it was his first major band.
Fugazi are known for their aggressive, "chunky" music. It is difficult to call them one genre of music, as they play many different musical styles. The band wanted to sound different to other bands they knew and had been in. MacKaye and Picciotto also have different styles of singing and songwriting. MacKaye prefers songs that people can sing along to, whereas Picciotto prefers more complex songs.
The members of Fugazi did not use illegal drugs, drink alcohol, or have casual sex. This was called being "straight edge". The term "straight edge" was invented by Minor Threat, MacKaye's previous band.
Fugazi have not officially split up. However, they have not played since late 2002. This is because some of the band members have settled down with their families.
Benzaiten
Benzaiten (弁才天, 弁財天) is the Japanese name of the goddess Saraswati. Worship of Benzaiten arrived in Japan in the 6th to 8th centuries, mainly through the Chinese translations of the "Sutra of Golden Light ".
Her Sanskrit name is "Sarasvatî Devî", which means "flowing water". This is why Benzaiten is the goddess of everything that flows: water, words, speech, and music. The characters used to write her name showed her as the goddess of eloquence. Because of the Sutra of Golden Light, in Japan she became a protector of the people. Lastly, she became one of the Seven Lucky Gods.
In the Rig-Veda (6.61.7) Sarasvati killed the three-headed snake, also known as Vritra. This is probably one of the sources of Sarasvati/Benzaiten's close link with snakes and dragons in Japan. She has a shrine on the Island of Enoshima in Sagami Bay, about 50 kilometers south of Tokyo; and a five-headed dragon and her are the main people in the Enoshima Engi, a history of the shrines on Enoshima written by the Japanese Buddhist monk Kokei (皇慶). According to Kokei, Benzaiten is the third daughter of the dragon-king of Munetsuchi (無熱池; literally "lake without heat"), the lake which is at the center of the world in an ancient Buddhist view.
Purchasing power parity
There are two ways to measure GDP (total income of a country) of different countries and compare them. One way, called GDP at exchange rate, is when the currencies of all countries are converted into USD (United States Dollar). The second way is GDP (PPP) or GDP at purchasing power parity (PPP).
Purchasing power parity (PPP) is measured by finding the values (in USD) of a basket of consumer goods that are present in each country (such as pineapple juice, pencils, etc.). If that basket costs $100 in the US and $200 in the United Kingdom, then the purchasing power parity exchange rate is 1:2.
For example, suppose that Japan has a higher GDP per capita (US$18) than the US (US$16). This means that the average Japanese person makes $2 more than the average American. However, this does not necessarily imply that the Japanese are more affluent. Suppose that one gallon of orange juice costs $6 in Japan, and $2 in the US, i.e. $6 buys a good in Japan that can be purchased in the US for $2. 1 gallon of orange juice is taken as a reference good in this example. Simply, 1 gallon of orange juice can be bought in Japan, versus 3 gallons in America, with an equivalent amount of money. We can calculate a PPP index for Japan vs. the US equal to 1/3.  According to orange juice prices, Americans have stronger purchasing power, or are able to buy more value with their money. The US has a PPP-adjusted GDP of $16, which has not changed since it is the reference currency. Japan's GDP, however, is only $6 when adjusted for PPP. This is calculated by multiplying Japan's unadjusted GDP by the PPP index. In reality, a much wider range of goods that includes much more than just orange juice is taken to calculate the PPP index, so that it accurately reflects the average cost of living.
Now apply this to daily life. The orange juice represents the previously mentioned "basket of goods" which represents the cost of living in a country. Therefore, even if a country has a higher GDP per capita (individual income), that country's people may still live poorer if the cost of living is higher.
There are some problems with how PPP is calculated using the market basket. Because people in different countries buy different goods, it can be very hard to create an accurate market basket. This means that PPP does not always represent the exact real value of money in different countries.
Warren (domestic)
A domestic warren is a man-made, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry that is used for the raising of domestic rabbits for meat and fur.
There was a clear distinction between free warren and domestic warren. But today that is nearly gone. One even speaks of a "prairie dog warren".
Warren
Warren could mean:
Burrow
A burrow is a hole or tunnel in the ground made by an animal. Animals dig burrows to live in. Sometimes animals only use burrows for a short time. Many animals dig burrows.
There are many different kinds of burrows. Different kinds of animals make different kinds of burrows. Lots of mammals make burrows. Some mammals that make burrows are moles, gophers, groundhogs, rabbits, meerkats, and kangaroo mice. The biggest mammal that makes a burrow is the polar bear.
Other kinds of animals that make burrows are: mammals, amphibians, fish (lungfish), crustaceans, reptiles, birds, small dinosaurs, insects, spiders, sea urchins, crustaceans, clams, and worms.