Based on census figures, the population of Japan peaked in 2010 at just over 128 million inhabitants. The next census, in 2015, showed a population of 127 million, a decline of 0.8 percent. That was the first time the population had declined since the 1945 census.
Although Japan has one of the world’s highest life expectancies (85 years), its population is declining because of a low birth rate and almost no immigration.
Only five player on this season’s San Jose Sharks roster were also on the 2010 roster: Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and Justin Braun.
Renowned American playwright Thornton Wilder - known for, among other works, The Skin of Our Teeth and Our Town - attended Oberlin College but did not graduate.
A “Made Beaver” (a beaver skin and fur of a certain quality) was one of the effective currencies in use in British North America in the 18th century.
Cowboy hats are rated with Xs stamped on the inside. The quality of the hat body used to make a hat is the main factor that determines the Xs. In a felt hat it is determined by the percentage of furs used in making the hat body. Beaver, mink, chinchilla and other animal furs are used to make hat bodies. The mixture of furs used determines the number of Xs in the marking.
The most famous manufacturer of cowboy hats was and is the John B. Stetson Co. of Philadelphia, whose most famous model is the “Boss of the Plains”. However, Texans were known for their preference for the “Ten Gallon” model. According to Win Blevins’ Dictionary of the American West (p388), the term “ten-gallon” has nothing to do with the hat’s liquid capacity, but derives from the Spanish word galón (braid), ten indicating the number of braids used as a hat band. However, an early Stetson advertising image, a painting of a cowboy dipping his hat into a stream to provide water for his horse, symbolized the cowboy hat as an essential part of a stockman’s gear and was later featured inside every western style hat.
Wikipedia calls John B. Stetson, “in the 1860s, the inventor of the cowboy hat.” Stetson’s ‘Carlsbad Crease’ cowboy hat has a back-to-front crease started by cowboys from Carlsbad NM. Different styles had different creases, like the Montana Peak, with four creases in the crown that created a point, and the Bar Room Floor with a front crease large enough to have been created by a drunken tumble. It got so that a man would put subtle bends in the brim and dents in the crown to identify where he was from.
Comment: my black Stetson is the Carlsbad Crease, but I’m not from NM. It’s the style I prefer.
This is a quote from conservapedia, an extremely conservation, right wing site. The Stonewall riots are considered the start of the gay pride movement in the US and the world.
The political terms “Left wing” and “Right wing” were first used during the French Revolution (1789–1799) and referred to seating arrangements in the French parliament.
When asked about the impact of the French Revolution, Chinese premier Zhou Enlai is reputed to have said: “Too early to say.”
The French Republican calendar, also commonly called the French Revolutionary calendar, was a calendar created and implemented during the French Revolution. It was used by the French government for about 12 years from late 1793 to 1805.
The Republican calendar year began the day the autumnal equinox occurred in Paris, and had twelve months of 30 days each. At the end of each year, there were five extra days (six in leap years), and these days were national holidays. Each month was divided into 3 weeks of 10 days each.
France, sometimes referred to as l’hexagone, is the world’s most-visited country. Some 83.7 million visitors arrived in France, according to the World Tourism Organization report published in 2014.
The parody show Forbidden Broadway does nice quick summing up of the three hour musical Les Miserables"
Enjolras:
Oh no Etienne, you’re simply a confused and worried child.
Let me explain the plot of the show to you
So you can understand the way it’s styled.
Jean Valjean is a convict who is being chased by the policeman Javert
Who doesn’t know that he is now a mayor
And has adopted Cosette the little waif daughter of Fantine who dies in Act One
And that’s why Jean Valjean must run.
Etienne:
Ah yes.
Enjolras:
Then he becomes involved in a French Revolution,
But not the big famous one a little later one you thought you didn’t know anything about
Where Jean Valjean watches everyone get caught except for…
Etienne:
Marius!
Enjolras:
Yes! Marius, who loves Cosette instead of Eponine
Who joins the revolutionaries and runs up the barricade where she gets…
Etienne:
Pregnant?
Enjolras:
Shot. After she sings a long ballad very much like Jean Valjean
Who dies peacefully knowing that he has driven Javert to jump off a bridge
And has significantly changed France by being an all-round nice guy
And C’est Finis our story’s done.
How did you like that?
Etienne:
snores
Mariuswas a legendary king of the Britons during the time of the Roman occupation of Britain, as recounted in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s pseudohistorical Historia Regum Britanniae. He was the son of King Arvirargus and ruled following his father’s death.
According to Geoffrey, he ruled wisely in the time when the Picts first arrived in Britain. A fleet of ships under the leadership of Sodric came from Scythia and landed in Albany. Once there, they began to destroy the lands and Marius was forced to react. Following numerous battles, Marius killed Sodric and set up a stone there to remember that triumph. In addition, that land became known as Westmorland after him. In respect for the people he defeated, he gave them a small portion of Albany called Caithness to live in. Marius refused, however, to give them women to marry so the Picts fled to Ireland and took wives there.
Marius established close ties with Rome and good diplomacy through tribute and respect of the Roman citizens in Britain. He followed the laws of his ancestors and ruled justly. When he died, he was succeeded by his son, Coilus.
Geoffrey the Giraffe was the mascot of the toy store Toys “R” Us. Toys “R” Us filed Chapter 11 in September 2017, largely due to losing sales to online retailers. Geoffrey the Giraffe was originally known as “Dr. G. Raffe” in the 1950s. Toys “R” Us is currently attempting a comeback, with some elements being called Geoffrey’s Toy Box.
Lightning kills 2 giraffes at same Florida wildlife park in ‘billion to one’ tragedy
ETA: I heard this on the news this morning, and what a chance to post it!
That tragedy occurred at Lion Country Safari in Loxahatchee, Florida, near Jupiter. In earlier generations, Vince “Trapper” Nelson, a native of Trenton, NJ, became known as “The Tarzan of the Loxahatchee” for establishing a homestead-turned-zoo on the banks of that river. Nelson’s campsite is now known as the Trapper Nelson Zoo Historic District in Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Hobe Sound, Florida.
Dickinson College, a private liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, was founded in 1773. Originally known as Carlisle Grammar School, Dickinson was chartered on September 9, 1783, six days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris. Thus, it was the first college to be founded after the formation of the United States.
Dickinson was founded by Benjamin Rush, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, and named “John and Mary’s College” in honor of John Dickinson, a signer of the Constitution who was later the Governor of Pennsylvania, and his wife Mary Norris Dickinson. They donated much of their extensive personal libraries to the new college.
Geddy Lee is the lead singer and bass player for Rush.
His birth name was Gary Lee Weinrib. His parents were post-war refugees from Eastern Europe and his mother had a strong accent, resulting in her calling him “Geddy”. He adopted “Geddy Lee” as his stage name.
Noted Canadian musician Geddy Lee is featured on the 1981 Bob and Doug “Hosehead” McKenzie comic song “Take Off.” He sings the chorus. It is still, to date, Lee’s biggest hit.