Qu Yuan (343–278 BCE)
Qu Yuan (Chinese: 屈原; pinyin: Qū Yuán; Wade–Giles: Ch'ü Yüan; EFEO: K'iu Yuan) (343–278 BCE)[1][2][3] was a Chinese poet who lived during the Warring States Period of ancient China. He is known for his contributions to classical poetry and verses, especially through the poems of the Chu Ci anthology (also known as The Songs of the South or Songs of Chu): a volume of poems attributed to or considered to be inspired by his verse writing. Together with the Shi Jing, the Chu Ci is one of the two great collections of ancient Chinese verse.
Historical details about Qu Yuan's life are few, and his authorship of many Chu Ci poems have been questioned at length.[4] However, he is widely accepted to have written Li Sao, the most well-known of the Chu Ci poems, and possibly several others in the collection, as well. The first known reference to Qu Yuan appears in a poem written in 174 BCE by Jia Yi, an official from Luoyang who was slandered by jealous officials and banished to Changsha by Emperor Wen of Han. While traveling, he wrote a poem describing the similar fate of a previous "Qu Yuan."[5] Eighty years later, the first known biography of Qu Yuan's life appeared in Han Dynasty historian Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian, though it contains a number of contradictory details.[6]
Notes
[1]^ Classe, Olive (2000). Encyclopedia of Literary Translation into English, Volume 2. Taylor & Francis. p. 1506. ISBN 9781884964367.
[2]^ Stephen Owen, ed. (2008). The Cambridge History of Chinese Literature, Volume 1. Cambridge University Press. p. 76. ISBN 9780521855587.
[3]^ Judge, 55
[4]^ Zhao Kuifu 趙逵夫, "Riben xin de Qu Yuan fouding lun Chansheng de Lishi Beijing yu Sixiang Genyuan Chutan" 日本新的 “屈原否定論” 產生的歷史背景與思想根源初探, in Fuyin Baokan Ziliao, Zhongguo Gudai Jindai Wenxue Yanjiu 複印報刊資料，中國古代近代文學研究, (1995: 10): 89–93.
[5]^ Quoted in Ban Gu's Book of Han biography of Jia Yi 《漢書·賈誼傳》, also appears in Wenxuan, "Diào Qū Yuán fù" 弔屈原賦.
[6]^ Hawkes, David. Ch'u tz'u: The Songs of the South, an Ancient Chinese Anthology. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1959), 52.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qu_Yuan
People: 屈原 (Qu Yuan)
China: 屈原 (Qu Yuan)
人物: 屈原 (Qu Yuan, 굴원)
Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603)
Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603)
Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called "The Virgin Queen", "Gloriana" or "Good Queen Bess", Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty. The daughter of Henry VIII, she was born a princess, but her mother, Anne Boleyn, was executed two and a half years after her birth, and Elizabeth was declared illegitimate. Her half-brother, Edward VI, bequeathed the crown to Lady Jane Grey, cutting his two half-sisters, Elizabeth and the Catholic Mary, out of the succession in spite of statute law to the contrary. His will was set aside, Mary became queen, and Lady Jane Grey was executed. In 1558, Elizabeth succeeded her half-sister, during whose reign she had been imprisoned for nearly a year on suspicion of supporting Protestant rebels.
Elizabeth set out to rule by good counsel,[1] and she depended heavily on a group of trusted advisers led by William Cecil, Baron Burghley. One of her first moves as queen was the establishment of an English Protestant church, of which she became the Supreme Governor. This Elizabethan Religious Settlement later evolved into today's Church of England. It was expected that Elizabeth would marry and produce an heir so as to continue the Tudor line. She never did, however, despite numerous courtships. As she grew older, Elizabeth became famous for her virginity, and a cult grew up around her which was celebrated in the portraits, pageants, and literature of the day.
In government, Elizabeth was more moderate than her father and half-siblings had been.[2] One of her mottoes was "video et taceo" ("I see, and say nothing").[3] In religion she was relatively tolerant, avoiding systematic persecution. After 1570, when the pope declared her illegitimate and released her subjects from obedience to her, several conspiracies threatened her life. All plots were defeated, however, with the help of her ministers' secret service. Elizabeth was cautious in foreign affairs, moving between the major powers of France and Spain. She only half-heartedly supported a number of ineffective, poorly resourced military campaigns in the Netherlands, France, and Ireland. In the mid-1580s, war with Spain could no longer be avoided, and when Spain finally decided to attempt to conquer England in 1588, the failure of the Spanish Armada associated her with one of the greatest military victories in English history.
Elizabeth's reign is known as the Elizabethan era, famous above all for the flourishing of English drama, led by playwrights such as William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe, and for the seafaring prowess of English adventurers such as Sir Francis Drake. Some historians are more reserved in their assessment. They depict Elizabeth as a short-tempered, sometimes indecisive ruler,[4] who enjoyed more than her share of luck. Towards the end of her reign, a series of economic and military problems weakened her popularity. Elizabeth is acknowledged as a charismatic performer and a dogged survivor, in an age when government was ramshackle and limited and when monarchs in neighbouring countries faced internal problems that jeopardised their thrones. Such was the case with Elizabeth's rival, Mary, Queen of Scots, whom she imprisoned in 1568 and eventually had executed in 1587. After the short reigns of Elizabeth's half-siblings, her 44 years on the throne provided welcome stability for the kingdom and helped forge a sense of national identity.[2]
Quotes·Quotations by Queen Elizabeth I
Past
¶ The past cannot be cured.
Notes
[1]^ "I mean to direct all my actions by good advice and counsel." Elizabeth's first speech as queen, Hatfield House, 20 November 1558. Loades, 35.
[2]^ a b Starkey Elizabeth: Woman, 5.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_I_of_England
Queen Victoria (1819-1901)
Queen Victoria (1819-1901)
Queen Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India.
Victoria was the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III. Both the Duke of Kent and the King died in 1820, and Victoria was raised under close supervision by her German-born mother Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She inherited the throne at the age of 18 after her father's three elder brothers died without surviving legitimate issue. The United Kingdom was already an established constitutional monarchy, in which the Sovereign held relatively few direct political powers. Privately, she attempted to influence government policy and ministerial appointments. Publicly, she became a national icon, and was identified with strict standards of personal morality.
She married her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1840. Their nine children and 26 of their 34 grandchildren who survived childhood married into royal and noble families across the continent, tying them together and earning her the nickname "the grandmother of Europe". After Albert's death in 1861, Victoria plunged into deep mourning and avoided public appearances. As a result of her seclusion, republicanism temporarily gained strength, but in the latter half of her reign, her popularity recovered. Her Golden and Diamond Jubilees were times of public celebration.
Her reign of 63 years and 7 months, which is longer than that of any other British monarch and the longest of any female monarch in history, is known as the Victorian era. It was a period of industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military change within the United Kingdom, and was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire. She was the last British monarch of the House of Hanover; her son and successor Edward VII belonged to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Quotes·Quotation
Victory·Defeat
¶ We are not interested in the possibilites of defeat.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria
Qin Gang (秦剛)
Qin Gang (秦剛)
Qin Gang (秦刚) is the official PRC Foreign Ministry Spokesman.
Quotes·Quotations by Qin Gang (秦剛)
Japan
¶ The essence of Japanese leaders' visits to the Yasukuni shrine is to beautify Japan's history of militaristic aggression and colonial rule. It is an attempt to overturn international society's just ruling on Japan's militarism and to challenge the results of World War II and the post-war international order. [Dec 26, 2013, immediately after Abe's visit to the shrine]
¶ We strongly protest and seriously condemn the Japanese leader's acts. [Dec 26, 2013, immediately after Abe's visit to the shrine]
Nami (ナミ) from One Piece (ワンピース)
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| Nami by Eiichiro Oda From Wikipedia |
Nami (ナミ) from One Piece (ワンピース)
Nami (Japanese: ナミ) is a fictional character in the One Piece franchise created by Eiichiro Oda. She is based on Ann and Silk, two characters from Oda's previous manga Romance Dawn. She is introduced as a thief and pickpocket who possesses skills to tell the climate and draw sea charts. At first, she is a subordinate of the fishman Arlong, but she is eventually freed of this service and permanently joins Monkey D. Luffy for her dream to write the complete map of the Grand Line. She is the first main character to appear in the anime series (excluding the intro).
Quotes·Quotations by Nami from One Piece
Strange
¶ Zoro: Oh crap I'm going to faint! I can't move!
Nami: Of course. If you could move, you guys wouldn't be human.
Luffy: Why was I included?
Nami: YOU are the strangest of them all!(mad)
[1.8 Show Down Between the True Powers of the Devil]
Fair Use Rationale for Nami (One Piece)
Though this image is subject to copyright, its use is covered by the U.S. fair use laws when:
. It illustrates an educational article about the television show from which the screenshot was taken.
. The use of the film poster illustration will not affect the value of the original work or limit the copyright holder's rights or ability to distribute the original. In particular, copies could not be used to make illegal copies of the television show.
. It is a low resolution image.
. It is not replaceable with an uncopyrighted or freely copyrighted image of comparable educational value.
Sources / References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nami_(One_Piece)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nami_face.jpg
P. J. O'Rourke
P. J. O'Rourke
Quotes·Quotations by P. J. O'Rourke
Appearance
@ The weirder you're going to behave, the more normal you should look. It works in reverse, too. When I see a kid with three or four rings in his nose, I know there is absolutely nothing extraordinary about that person.
¶
Quotes·Quotations by P. J. O'Rourke
Appearance
@ The weirder you're going to behave, the more normal you should look. It works in reverse, too. When I see a kid with three or four rings in his nose, I know there is absolutely nothing extraordinary about that person.
¶
P.C Cast (1960- )
P.C Cast (1960- )
Phyllis Christine Cast[3] (born 1960) is an American romance/fantasy author, known for the House of Night series she writes with her daughter Kristin Cast, as well as her own Goddess Summoning and Partholon book series.[4]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._C._Cast
Biography
P.C. Cast was born in the Midwest, and grew up being shuttled back-and-forth between Illinois and Oklahoma, which is where she fell in love with Quarter Horses and mythology (at about the same time). After high school she joined the United States Air Force and began public speaking and writing. After her tour in the USAF, she taught high school for 15 years before retiring to write full time. Ms. Cast is a New York Times Best-Selling author and a member of the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame. Her novels have been awarded the prestigious: Oklahoma Book Award, YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Prism, Holt Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, Booksellers’ Best, and the Laurel Wreath. P.C. Cast is an experienced teacher and talented speaker. If your organization is interested in information about her appearances, please contact her publicist, Sherry Rowland, at lsherryr@aol.com Ms. Cast lives in Oklahoma with her fabulous daughter, her spoiled cat, her adorable Scotties, and a bunch of not totally normal horses!
http://www.pccast.net/biography.html
Quotes·Quotations by P.C. Cast
Beauty
¶ The best part of beauty is that which no picture can express.
References
[1]^ Zi de nastere pe Amazon
[2]^ (English)Interviu cu P.C. Cast si Kristin Cast
[3]^ Vit Wagner, "Fame's at stake for Cast of two: Mother and daughter team's vampire formula", Toronto Star, March 29, 2009.
[4]^ a b c d Constance Drogranes,"Vampire love spikes in new book 'Hunted'", CTV News, March 26, 2009.
http://www.pccast.net/biography.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._C._Cast
John Weitz (1923-2002)
John Weitz (1923-2002)
(born May 25, 1923, Berlin, Ger.—died Oct. 3, 2002, Bridgehampton, N.Y.), German-born American fashion designer, novelist, and historian who , enhanced his renown as a menswear designer—and greatly increased his income—when he became one of the first to lend his name to the licensing of products.
Quotes·Quotations by John Weitz
Appearance
¶ Even overweight cats instinctively know the cardinal rule: when fat, arrange yourself in slim poses.
Publilius Syrus (1C BC-?)
Publilius Syrus (1C BC-?)
Publilius (less correctly Publius) Syrus, a Latin writer of maxims, flourished in the 1st century BC. He was a Syrian who was brought as a slave to Italy, but by his wit and talent he won the favour of his master, who freed and educated him.[1]
His mimes, in which he acted himself, had a great success in the provincial towns of Italy and at the games given by Caesar in 46 BC. Publilius was perhaps even more famous as an improviser, and received from Caesar himself the prize in a contest in which he vanquished all his competitors, including the celebrated Decimus Laberius.
All that remains of his works is a collection of Sentences (Sententiae), a series of moral maxims in iambic and trochaic verse. This collection must have been made at a very early date, since it was known to Aulus Gellius in the 2nd century AD. Each maxim consists of a single verse, and the verses are arranged in alphabetical order according to their initial letters. In the course of time the collection was interpolated with sentences drawn from other writers, especially from apocryphal writings of Seneca; the number of genuine verses is about 700. They include many pithy sayings, such as the famous "iudex damnatur ubi nocens absolvitur" ("The judge is condemned when the guilty is acquitted") adopted as its motto by the Edinburgh Review.
As of 1911, the best texts of the Sentences were those of Eduard Wölfflin (1869), A. Spengel (1874), and Wilhelm Meyer (1880), with complete critical apparatus and index verborum; editions with notes by O. Friedrich (1880), R. A. H. Bickford-Smith (1895), with full bibliography; see also W. Meyer, Die Sammlungen der Spruchverse des Publilius Syrus (1877), an important work.
Quotes·Quotation by Publilius Syrus
¶ Far from idleness being the root of all evil, it is rather the only true good.
¶ He who helps the guilty, shares the crime.
¶ He who loses credit can lose nothing further.
¶ If you wish to reach the highest, begin at lowest.
¶ The prompter the refusal, the less the disappointment.
Death·Immortality, Death, Immortality
¶ As men, we are all equal in the presence of death.
¶ Prosperity makes friends, adversity tries them.
¶ The anger of lovers renews the strength of love.
¶ A good reputation is more valuable than money.
¶ To do two things at once is to do neither.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publilius_Syrus
Portugal
Portugal
Portugal i/ˈpɔrtʃʉɡəl/; Portuguese: Portugal, IPA: [puɾtuˈɣaɫ], officially the Portuguese Republic (Portuguese: República Portuguesa, is a country located in Southwestern Europe, on the Iberian Peninsula. It is the westernmost country of mainland Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east. The Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira are Portuguese territory as well. The country is named after its second largest city, Porto, whose Latin name was Portus Cale.[1]
As of 2011, the population of Portugal was 10,562,178, of which 547,733 live in Lisbon, the country's capital and largest city, located in the South, and 237,591 in Porto, also known as Oporto, the second-largest city, located in the North. The country is a democratic republic with a president (currently Aníbal Cavaco Silva) and prime minister (currently Pedro Passos Coelho). Since the 1990s, Portugal's economic development model has been slowly changing from one based on public consumption to one focused on exports, private investment, and development of the high-tech sector. The Portuguese currency is the euro (€) and the country's economy is in the eurozone.
Portugal is a developed country with a very high Human Development Index, the world's 19th-highest quality-of-life as of 2005, and a strong healthcare system. It is one of the world's most globalized and peaceful nations:[4] a member of the European Union and the United Nations, and a founding member of the Latin Union, the Organization of Ibero-American States, OECD, NATO, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, the eurozone and the Schengen Agreement.
Portuguese Proverb
Love
¶ An old man in love is like a flower in winter.
Notes
[1]^ "Leite de Vasconcelos, José. Cale e Portucale. Opúsculos Vol. V – Etnologia (Parte I) Lisboa, Imprensa Nacional, 1938" (in Portuguese).
[2]^ Brian Jenkins, Spyros A. Sofos, "Nation and identity in contemporary Europe", p. 145, Routledge, 1996, ISBN 0-415-12313-5
[3]^ Melvin Eugene Page, Penny M. Sonnenburg, p. 481
[4]^ Global Peace Index. Institute for Economics and Peace. visionofhumanity.org (June 2012)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Portugal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal
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