Topics of Interest

Wall Street
- Jordan Belfort http://www.jbstraightline.com/

Elite
- The Power Elite is a 1956 book by sociologist C. Wright Mills, in which Mills calls attention to the interwoven interests of the leaders of the military, corporate, and political elements of society and suggests that the ordinary citizen is a relatively powerless subject of manipulation by those entities.

- social register of USA

• hkej 7nov16 shum article

- Canada

• social register
• Dau's Society Blue Book

- In continental Europe, the precursors of Burke's were the genealogical almanacs, many of which were maintained more or less informally across Europe, deriving their information from court gazettes and published genealogies. In 1763, the first edition of the Almanach de Gotha appeared, which detailed the ancestry of all of the reigning European dynasties and superseded all others as the standard work of reference.
- https://qz.com/694340/the-richest-families-in-florence-in-1427-are-still-the-richest-families-in-florence/ according to a recent study by two Italian economists, Guglielmo Barone and Sauro Mocetti, who after analyzing compared Florentine taxpayers way back in 1427 to those in 2011. Comparing the family wealth to those with the same surname today, they suggest the richest families in Florence 600 years ago remain the same now. The study adds further evidence on how the rich remain rich. In England, researchers have previously demonstrated how a family’s status in England can persist for more than eight centuries, or more than 28 whole generations. It’s a trait shared by elite families in China, whose high status has persisted since the Mao years. link to download paper https://ideas.repec.org/p/bdi/wptemi/td_1060_16.html

selective breeding in human race
- Rich and powerful people have always selected for the healthiest and best-looking spouses so they could have healthy and good-looking offspring. And it pains me to say that race plays a role in this, too: Black African rulers and multi-millionaires often pair with blue-eyed, blonde spouses.

In Brazil, for example, where this trend has been operating for centuries, this has produced a European-looking upper class and an African-looking lower class in spite of the fact that the taboo against miscegenation was never nearly as powerful as in North America. If this trend applies in countries like Angola or Mozambique, and economic inequality continues as it is, it is entirely possible that two centuries in the future these countries will look like present-day Brazil, with a European-looking upper class and an African-looking lower class. Apart from race, selective breeding may explain why rich people in many countries tend to be taller and have more regular facial features than poor people. In the USA, where many rich and successful white men look for Barbie-like spouses, it is not surprising that they tend to have Barbie-like daughters, who will in their turn look for rich and athletic husbands and give rise to a physically recognizable white upper class. As pretty much the same thing is happening with Blacks, Asians and Latinos, the upper classes in these groups will slowly converge and co-mingle with the white upper class, while the respective lower classes will diverge and become more separated.https://www.quora.com/Did-anybody-in-history-try-to-selectively-breed-humans-and-if-so-what-was-the-result

country name
- **********https://www.quora.com/Why-do-so-many-languages-have-odd-names-for-other-countries-which-dont-match-what-those-countries-call-themselves

National flag
- Vexillology is the scientific study of the history, symbolism and usage of flags or, by extension, any interest in flags in general. The word is a synthesis of the Latin word vexillum ("flag") and the Greek suffix -logia ("study.") The constitution of the International Federation of Vexillological Associations (known by its French acronym, FIAV) formally defines vexillology as "the creation and development of a body of knowledge about flags of all types, their forms and functions, and of scientific theories and principles based on that knowledge." The study of flags, or vexillology, was formalized by the U.S. scholar and student of flags Whitney Smith in 1957. He then moved to organize various flag organizations and meetings including the first International Congress of Vexillology, the North American Vexillological Association, and International Federation of Vexillological Associations. The term was conceived in 1958 by Smith. It has historically and appropriately been considered a sub-discipline of heraldry. Since 1965, an International Congress of Vexillology (ICV) has been organized every two years under the auspices of FIAV. The 2015 ICV was in Sydney, Australia.
- https://www.facebook.com/SimonShenGlobalMicrocosm/photos/a.1780574352221287.1073741827.1778299979115391/2013825332229520/ religious symbols in national flags
- people

• Frederick Gordon Brownell OMSS SM and Bar MMM JCD KStJ, D.Phil (born 8 March 1940) is a South African herald, vexillologist, and genealogist. He designed the flags of Namibia and of South Africa.

• the sun in namibia flag is like the one of taiwan, but yelow in colour

heraldry
- The International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences is a biennial conference discussing topics of heraldic and genealogical interest. The Congress brings together scholars and other interested persons from all the nations of Europe and from many countries around the world. The first Congress was held in Barcelona in 1929; at the second Congress, held in 1953, it was decided that future meetings would be held every two years (there have been two exceptions). 
- canada

• canadian government heraldry page http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?lan=eng&id=2

- note the crosses in heraldry entry in wikipedia
- Blason is a form of poetry. The term originally comes from the heraldic term "blazon" in French heraldry, which means either the codified description of a coat of arms or the coat of arms itself. The Dutch term is Blazoen, and in either Dutch or French, the term is often used to refer to the coat of arms of a chamber of rhetoric.   The term forms the root of the modern words "emblazon", which means to celebrate or adorn with heraldic markings, and "blazoner", one who emblazons. The terms "blason", "blasonner", "blasonneur" were used in 16th-century French literature by poets who, following Clément Marot in 1536, practised a genre of poems that praised a woman by singling out different parts of her body and finding appropriate metaphors to compare them with. Blason draws on Petrarchan conventions of representing the female beloved in Petrarch's Canzoniere of the 14th century. Petrarch never offers a complete picture of his beloved Laura, but depicts her only as parts of a woman. The French Blason tradition can also be considered anti-Petrarchan, as it moves away from the adulatory tone of the Petrarchan sonnet (Petrarchism was so pervasive in the Renaissance, it also included subversion of Petrarchan conventions). The term Blason populaire is a phrase in which one culture or ethnic group increases its own self-esteem by belittling others e.g. Samuel Johnson's description that "The noblest prospect which a Scotsman ever sees, is the high road that leads him to England!". This term originated from Alfred Canel's travelogue Blason Populaire de la Normandie (1859), in which people from Normandy boasted about themselves while sneering at other regions.   
Other cultures have types of blason poetry. For instance, Ethiopia has a genre of poetry called Mälkəˀ, meaning "image" or "portrait,” generally written in the language of Gəˁəz in honor of sacred individuals. Such poems list and eulogize the spiritual powers of the saint, using the metaphor of various body parts, starting with the hair, eyelashes, tongue, and lips, moving down to the throat, breasts, and belly, and from there down to legs and toes, among other parts.

changes in names of places
- https://www.quora.com/Unless-a-sound-cannot-be-pronounced-easily-in-the-English-language-why-do-we-change-the-name-of-a-foreign-city-For-example-we-say-Paris-and-not-paree

common/similar elements in religions
- The 40th Day after death is a traditional memorial service, family gathering, ceremonies and rituals in memory of the departed on the 40th day after his/her death. The 40th Day concludes the 40-day memorial period and has a major significance in traditions of Orthodox Slavs. It is believed that the soul of the departed remains wandering on Earth during the 40-day period, coming back home, visiting places the departed has lived in as well as his fresh grave. The soul also completes the journey through the Aerial toll house finally leaving this world. The rituals during the period aim to let the soul go in order to keep it from returning and bothering the living. In Russian tradition, bread and a glass of water is put in the Icon Corner in the house of the departed. The bread and water are intended for the departed and other deceased ancestors who will visit to remember him. The glass is refilled with fresh water daily while water from previous day is poured out. It is common to make up the bed for the departed during the 40-day period, donating the bedding to poor on the 40th day. A towel for the departed is hung next to the window and brought to the church on the 40th day. The house doors are adorned with spruce branches for the departed to easily find his house and for the passersby to give their respects. On the 40th day the branches are brought to the cemetery or burned. All remaining ritual items in memory of the departed are removed from the house, his cloth is donated to the poor or burned. All ceremonial restrictions are also lifted on the 40th day, it is no longer prohibited to lay on the departed bed, to leave the house empty and locked, to turn off the light in the departed room, to touch the departed cloth, etc. It is also no longer prohibited to decorate the departed grave. The New Testament echoes the 40th Day tradition, the Ascension of Jesus occurs on the 40th Day after his resurrection when Jesus' humanity is taken into Heaven.

• Hinduism, like other great religions, has specific rituals for honoring the deceased and addressing a family's grief. There are a certain number of days, depending on the community, after which the family is re-integrated into the society," says Narayanan. "That can happen after 13 days or 40 days--the specific number of days corresponds with caste and community." 
  Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/hinduism/2003/02/hindu-rituals-for-death-and-grief.aspx#Cv2E72OC9ojJRgMh.99

Christmas
- http://www.whychristmas.com/

cultural icon
- The Aisha-Bibi (Kazakh: Айша бибі) is an 11th or 12th-century mausoleum for a noble woman located in the village of Aisha Bibi, 18 km (11 mi) west of Taraz, Kazakhstan on the Silk Road. It is locally famous as a monument to love and faithfulness.According to legend, the mausoleum was built by a Karakhanid Dynasty ruler for his beautiful fiancée Aisha-Bibi, a daughter of Sufi poet Khakim-Ata. Matching the legend, the mausoleum looks light, well-proportioned, and delicate. The mausoleum's architectural forms and decoration are reminiscent of fine lace. The whole building is covered with carved terracotta tiles using 60 different floral geometric patterns and stylized calligraphy. Aisha Bibi is a direct stylistic descendant of Samanid Mausoleum in Bukhara.

• https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/dec/05/bibi-aisha-afghanistan-disfigured-taliban

Finding latitude
- www.findlatitudeandlongitude.com

Sundial calculator
- www.providence.edu/mcs/rbg/java/sundial.htm

GMT
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11800441/Greenwich-Meridian-line-is-actually-334-ft-east...near-a-rubbish-bin.html The Royal Observatory’s public astronomer Dr Marek Kukula told The Independent that he was frequently asked by puzzled members of the public why their GPS did not align with the meridian. “We’re forever telling this story, making the point that as we refine our measurements and get better technology of course these things change, because we want to have the best possible data,” he said. “I think having a marker in the park would be brilliant to update the story of the Greenwich Meridian into the 21st Century. At the moment, the nearest thing there is to a marker is a litter bin.” To confuse matters further, there are already two other meridian lines at Greenwich, the Halley Meridian and Bradley Meridian, which were used before the current marker. The Prime Meridian was set in 1884 using the large Transit Circle telescope built by Sir George Biddell Airy, the 7th Astronomer Royal. The telescopes tracked the movement of ‘clock stars’ – circumpolar stars which never rise or set. Because these stars are always present in the sky and transit the meridian twice each day their appearance in the telescope cross hairs can be used to set time and longitude. A basin of mercury was used to make sure that Airy’s telescope was kept exactly vertical so that it could align with the clock stars. But astronomers failed to take into account that subtle changes in gravity would impact the telescope alignment and give a wonky reading. The Greenwich Meridian was chosen to be the Prime Meridian of the World in 1884. Forty-one delegates from 25 nations met in Washington DC for the International Meridian Conference. By the end of the conference, Greenwich had won the prize of Longitude 0º by a vote of 22 in favour to one against (San Domingo), with two abstentions (France and Brazil). The USA had already chosen Greenwich as the basis for its own national time-zone system and at the time, 72 per cent of the world's commerce depended on sea-charts which used Greenwich as the Prime Meridian. The decision, essentially, was based on the argument that by naming Greenwich as Longitude 0º, it would inconvenience the least number of people. Therefore, the Prime Meridian at Greenwich became the centre of world time, and the starting point of each new day, year and millennium.

time zone
- 挪威西北部一個島嶼因位處北極圈內，每年夏天足足有六十九天太陽不落的極晝時間，而冬天則長期不見天日，令人日夜不分。當地居民遂於本月向議員提交聯署請願信，要求政府將島嶼列為全球首個沒有時間限制的「無時區域（time free zone）」，務求充分利用時間，揚言「別讓時鐘主宰我們」。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20190621/00180_034.html
Funny stories
- interns http://files.hkmagmedia.com/pdf/hkmagazine/HKMagazine_1054.pdf
- loathed professions http://files.hkmagmedia.com/pdf/hkmagazine/HKMagazine_1056.pdf
- http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/31/brits-abroad-feel-no-shame-germans-summer?CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2
- http://holykaw.alltop.com/6-types-of-toxic-ceos-infographic
- http://www.vox.com/xpress/2014/9/9/6122839/map-passport-colors-around-the-world?utm_content=buffere53da&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
- http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21631025-learn-ruses-international-country-rankings-how-lie-indices, http://www.economist.com/news/international/21631039-international-comparisons-are-popular-influentialand-sometimes-flawed-ranking-rankings
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/11118343/The-Simpsons-One-big-numbers-game.html
- http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/11/19/hunger_games_names_meanings_explanations_for_katniss_everdeen_peeta_mellark.html?wpsrc=fol_tw
- http://qz.com/282081/how-do-pirates-divide-their-treasure-and-other-questions-you-need-to-answer-to-get-into-oxford/?utm_content=buffer9b91b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer, university of oxford interview guide
- http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-do-business-around-the-world-2015-1#when-dealing-with-indians-be-flexible-at-all-times-accept-that-there-is-a-great-deal-of-chaos-and-remember-that-they-manage-it-better-than-you-do-23
- http://topick.hket.com/article/518580/?r=mcsdfb
全球10 間最美書店
- http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/supplement/columnist/左丁山/art/20151202/19395204 細C話：「其實我與阿爺相差好遠，我屋企老早有大把錢，阿爺係大紡織廠老闆，但1948年與工廠廠長來港考察，阿爺唔鍾意香港好似窮鄉下咁樣，與上海繁華相差太遠，唔肯將工廠搬來香港，反而向德國訂購最新紡織機，預備在抗戰後擴充營業。1949年機器到香港預備轉運上海，阿爺派廠長來港接收機器，押運返上海，點知局勢大變，毛澤東佔領上海南京，阿爺郁不得其正，再過半年，交通斷絕，後來清算資本家，阿爺家產全部冇晒，由大富豪變成一貧如洗，好彩還有一啲地方關係，阿爺逝世後，我地可以申請移居香港。講起嚟，就一殼眼淚。」咦，嗰批滯留香港嘅紡織機器呢？細C話：「益晒個廠長，佢人在香港，冇返到上海，接收晒啲機器後，就自己在香港開廠，現在佢嘅後人係大富豪級數！」啊，咁就真係時也命也，在戰亂嘅大時代，有幸有不幸，睇錯邊者（細C阿爺）就成為共產中國犧牲品，夠膽夠運夠拼搏者（廠長）就成為富豪，問細C有冇同大富豪兒孫見面，細C話：「冇！呢啲事一說便俗，又攞唔番嘅，無謂俾人話我係酸葡萄。」
- http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_vault/2016/07/15/history_of_marriage_advice_a_late_19th_century_dime_novel_explaining_when.html


Origin of men
- http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20151016/00180_032.html 目前有理論指最初的智人起源自二十萬年前的非洲再往世界各地繁衍。《自然》雜誌周三刊文指在中國湖南道縣出土的一批人類牙齒，可證明首批現代人類最早在十二萬年前抵亞洲，比目前理論再早七萬年。考古學家早前在道縣福岩洞的灰色沙質黏土層，發現四十七顆大小不一的牙齒，而據其特徵及經分析後，發現與現代人牙齒非常相似。專家認為，智人或於八萬至十二萬年前已到達今日的中國。智人離開非洲的路線仍然未知，但過去研究推斷他們跨越阿拉伯半島和中東地區往亞洲。研究亦意味首批智人先抵中國，才有另一批智人抵達歐洲。倫敦大學學院專家兼共同作者馬蒂農托雷斯指，研究或重繪現代人類的遷移史。研究員稱今次發現衍生另一疑問，為何現代人類抵達距離較近的歐洲時間，會較往亞洲長？他們推斷因歐洲已有尼安德特人，歐洲大陸因冰河時期被冰封，妨礙相對暖和的東非新物種進入。
- another theory - yuanmou man 元謀人

- 国家文物局和河南省文物局2008年01月23日在北京宣布，出土于河南许昌灵井遗址的古人类化石，距今8万～10万年，考古学家将其命名为“许昌人”。专家称，“许昌人”的身份可能有几种推测，一是从北京猿人一直延续下来的中国人种中的一环，二是从非洲来到亚洲的非洲人，也有可能是两个人种进行杂交后的“新人类”。我国专家经过多学科研究倾向于第一种说法，不仅是因为头盖骨信息含量的一致性，遗址中出土的大量石器、骨器都是本土文化面貌，少见外来因素影响。当然，研究刚刚开始，“许昌人”的真实面目会逐步浮出水面。

- Neanderthals, or more rarely Neandertals, (UK /niˈændərˌtɑːl/, us also /neɪ/-, -/ˈɑːndər/-, -/ˌtɔːl/, -/ˌθɔːl/;^[6][7] named for the Neandertal region in Germany) were a species or subspecies of archaic human in the genus Homo that went extinct about 40,000 years ago. Neanderthals and modern humans share 99.7% of their DNA^[8] and are hence closely related.^[9][10] (By comparison, both modern humans and Neanderthals share 98.8% of their DNA with their closest non-human living relatives, the chimpanzees.)^[8]Neanderthals left bones and stone tools in Eurasia, from Western Europe to Central and Northern Asia. Due to accumulating genetic and fossil evidence suggesting Neanderthals evolved in Europe separately from modern humans in Africa for over 600,000 years, paleontologists generally classify them as a distinct species, Homo neanderthalensis. From the 1950s to the early 1980s, however, Neanderthals were widely considered a subspecies of Homo sapiens (H. s. neanderthalensis) and a minority of scholars still hold this view. Several cultural assemblages have been linked to the Neanderthals in Europe. The earliest, the Mousterian stone tool culture, dates to about 160,000 years ago. Late Mousterian artifacts were found in Gorham's Cave on the south-facing coast of Gibraltar. Compared to Homo sapiens, Neanderthals had a lower surface-to-volume ratio, with shorter legs and a bigger body, in conformance with Bergmann's rule, as an energy-loss reduction adaptation to life in a high-latitude (i.e. seasonally cold) climate.
- https://www.quora.com/Why-did-some-ancient-civilizations-have-elongated-skulls
- https://www.quora.com/Has-any-human-ever-been-born-that-appeared-to-be-a-true-throwback-to-the-Neanderthals

Races
- The Caucasian race (also Caucasoid^[1] or Europid)^[2] is a grouping of human beings historically regarded as a biological taxon, which, depending on which of the historical race classifications used, has usually included some or all of the ancient and modern populations of Europe, Western Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, North Africa, and the Horn of Africa. First introduced in the 1780s by members of the Göttingen School of History,^[4] the term denoted one of three purported major races of humankind (Caucasoid, Mongoloid, Negroid).

• https://www.quora.com/Are-Arabs-caucasian-Does-it-depend-on-what-country-they-re-from

- Mongoloid /ˈmɒŋ.ɡə.lɔɪd/ is a term for peoples indigenous to East Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Siberia aka North Asia, Northern Europe, the Arctic, the Americas, parts of thePacific Islands, parts of Africa (Madagascar), and parts of South Asia. Individuals within these populations often share certain associated phenotypic traits, such as epicanthic folds(epicanthus), sinodonty, and neoteny. Epicanthic folds and oblique palpebral fissures are common among most Mongoloid individuals. Most exhibit Mongolian spot from birth to about age four.^[3][4] The vast majority have straight, black hair and dark brown almond-shaped eyes, and most have broad, relatively flat faces as well.^[5] Traits more controversially ascribed to Mongoloids include high intelligence,^[6][7][8] a stoic, taciturn, unaggressive demeanor. The extent to which individual psychological makeup is a social construct, rather than a matter of biology, remains a matter of debate. The earliest systematic use of the term was by Blumenbach in De generis humani varietate nativa (On the Natural Variety of Mankind, University of Göttingen, first published in 1775, re-issued with alteration of the title-page in 1776). Blumenbach included East and South East Asians, but not Native Americans or Malays, who were each assigned separate categories.
- Hamitic (from the biblical Ham) is a historical term inethnology and linguistics for a division of the Caucasian race and the group of related languages these populations spoke. "Hamitic" was applied to the non-Semiticlanguages in the Afroasiatic family, which was thus formerly labelled "Hamito-Semitic". The Hamitic languages were classified as including the Berber, Cushitic andEgyptian branches. However, since these branches have not been shown to form an exclusive (monophyletic) phylogenetic unit of their own, separate from other Afroasiatic languages, linguists no longer use the term in this sense. Each of these branches is instead now regarded as an independent subgroup of the larger Afroasiatic family. Beginning in the 19th century, scholars generally classified the Hamitic race as a subgroup of the Caucasian race, along with the Semitic race – thus grouping the non-Semitic populations native to North Africa and the Horn of Africa, including the Ancient Egyptians. According to theHamitic theory, this "Hamitic race" was superior to or more advanced than Negroid populations of Sub-Saharan Africa. In its most extreme form, in the writings of C. G. Seligman, this theory asserted that virtually all significant achievements in African history were the work of "Hamites" who had migrated into central Africa as pastoralists, bringing new customs, languages, technologies and administrative skills with them. In the early 20th century, theoretical models of Hamitic languages and of Hamitic races were intertwined.  The term Hamitic originally referred to the peoples said to be descended from Ham, one of the Sons of Noahaccording to the Bible. According to the Book of Genesis, after Noah became drunk and Ham dishonored his father, upon awakening Noah pronounced a curse on Ham's youngest son, Canaan, stating that his offspring would be the "servants of servants". Of Ham's four sons, Canaan fathered the Canaanites, while Mizraim fathered theEgyptians, Cush the Cushites, and Phut the Libyans.^[2] During the Middle Ages, believing Jews, Christians, and Muslims incorrectly considered Ham to be the ancestor of all Africans. Noah's curse on Canaan as described in Genesis began to be misinterpreted by some scholers inEurope as having caused visible racial characteristics in all of Ham's offspring, notably black skin. According to Edith Sanders, the sixth-century Babylonian Talmud says that "the descendants of Ham are cursed by being Black and [it] depicts Ham as a sinful man and his progeny as degenerates."^[3] Some Arab slave traders used the account of Noah and Ham in the Bible to justify Negro (Zanj) slavery, and later European and American Christian traders and slave owners adopted a similar argument.^[3][4] However, the Bible itself indicates that Noah restricted his curse to the offspring of Ham's youngest son Canaan, whose descendants occupied the Levant, and it was not extended to Ham's other sons, who had migrated into Africa. According to Sanders, 18th-century theologians increasingly emphasized this narrow restriction and accurate interpretation of the passage as applying to Canaan's offspring. They rejected the curse as a justification for slavery.

How different races are called
- usa

• 1960s - black power revolution - call for use of "black" instead of "negro"
• 1980s - preferred to be identified by individual tribes than by how whites called them : black -->african americans; for mexicans, spanish, hispanics instead of latino; asians instead of orientals; native americans instead of american indians

- uk

• http://collection.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects/co489203/principal-varieties-of-mankind-3-may-1850-diagram-engraving

pure, mixed?
- https://www.quora.com/Are-Spaniards-mixed 


idioms relating to nationality
- https://www.quora.com/What-are-idioms-or-sayings-in-your-language-that-allude-to-another-nationality-Example-Stand-like-an-Egyptian-smoke-like-a-Turk-etc

problem solving
- Occam's razor, also written as Ockham's razor, and lex parsimoniae, Latin for law of parsimony, is a problem-solving principle attributed to William of Ockham (c. 1287–1347), who was an English Franciscan friar, scholastic philosopher and theologian. The principle can be interpreted as stating Among competing hypotheses, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected. In science, Occam's razor is used as a heuristic technique (discovery tool) to guide scientists in the development of theoretical models, rather than as an arbiter between published models. In the scientific method, Occam's razor is not considered an irrefutable principle of logic or a scientific result; the preference for simplicity in the scientific method is based on the falsifiability criterion. For each accepted explanation of a phenomenon, there may be an extremely large, perhaps even incomprehensible, number of possible and more complex alternatives, because one can always burden failing explanations with ad hoc hypotheses to prevent them from being falsified; therefore, simpler theories are preferable to more complex ones because they are more testable.

Origin of currency names
- https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/03/how-the-worlds-currencies-got-their-names

Inspirational
- https://www.facebook.com/lifehackorg/posts/1000213056674270 living things can grow everywhere
- http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/33-mind-bending-paintings-that-will-boost-your-creativity.html?ref=fbp&n=1
- http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/interesting-brain-tricks-you-should-not-miss.html?ref=fbp&n=1

Time
- http://www.economist.com/news/christmas-specials/21636612-time-poverty-problem-partly-perception-and-partly-distribution-why

Forecast
- Edward William Cole (1832-1918), bookseller, was born on 4 January 1832 at Tenterden, Kent, England, son of Amos Cole, labourer, and his wife Harriett. With £20 and very little education Cole migrated in 1850 to the Cape of Good Hope and after some success at farming sailed for Melbourne in the Sebim. His most successful publication, Cole's Funny Picture Book, appeared with great publicity on Christmas Eve 1879 at the catch-price of 1s. In later editions, as in all his works, he included pars, verses and slogans on his theme of the inevitability of a federated world with one religion. His slogans were embossed on a series of 'medals' which he sold for 3d. as admission tokens to the arcade when the crowds became unmanageable.
- http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150120-are-you-a-super-forecaster The Good Judgment Project is one of several funded by Iarpa to participate in a tournament-style challenge, and by far the most successful. It recruited over 2,000 forecasters to assess the likelihood of various world events: using models ranging from soliciting individuals' predictions to assigning forecasters to collaborative teams. Tetlock found that the most successful predictions were made by a concentrated group of skilled “super-forecasters”. Their personality traits, rather than any specialised knowledge, allowed them to make predictions that, according to NPR, outstripped the accuracy of several of the world's intelligence services, despite the fact that forecasters had access to no more classified data than they could access with a Google search.
- http://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21666098-forecasting-talent-luckily-it-can-be-learned-unclouded-vision Philip Tetlock is a rare exception. His most recent book, “Superforecasting”, (written with Dan Gardner, a Canadian journalist with an interest in politics and human psychology) is a scientific analysis of the ancient art of divination. Mr Tetlock, who teaches at the Wharton School of Business, became famous for concluding, on the basis of a 20-year forecasting tournament that ran between 1984 and 2004, that the average expert is “roughly as accurate as a dart-throwing chimpanzee”. His findings were more subtle than that, and his new book is an attempt to set the record straight. It shows that the future can indeed be foreseen, at least in the near term. More interestingly, it shows that some people are much better at it than others. And, crucially, it shows that prophecy is not a divine gift, but a skill that can be practised and improved.

Harry potter symbolism
- https://www.pottermore.com/features/the-macusa-seal-and-other-emblems-of-the-wizarding-world

Pokemon
- Pokémon has been criticized by some Christians over perceived occult and violent themes and the concept of "Pokémon evolution", which they feel goes against the Biblical creation account in Genesis. However, Sat2000, a satellite television station based in Vatican City, has countered that the Pokémon Trading Card Game and video games are "full of inventive imagination" and have no "harmful moral side effects".^[66][67] In the United Kingdom, the "Christian Power Cards" game was introduced in 1999 by David Tate who stated, "Some people aren't happy with Pokémon and want an alternative, others just want Christian games." The game was similar to the Pokémon TCG but used Biblical figures. In 1999, Nintendo stopped manufacturing the Japanese version of the "Koga's Ninja Trick" trading card because it depicted a manji, a traditionally Buddhist symbol with no negative connotations. The Jewish civil rights group Anti-Defamation League complained because the symbol is the reverse of a swastika, which is considered offensive to Jewish people. The cards were intended for sale in Japan only, but the popularity of Pokémon led to importation into the United States with approval from Nintendo. The Anti-Defamation League understood that the issue symbol was not intended to offend and acknowledged the sensitivity that Nintendo showed by removing the product. In 1999, two nine-year-old boys from Merrick, New York sued Nintendo because they claimed the Pokémon Trading Card Game caused their problematic gambling. In 2001, Saudi Arabia banned Pokémon games and cards, alleging that the franchise promoted Zionism by displaying the Star of David in the trading cards (a six-pointed star is featured in the card game) as well as other religious symbols such as crosses they associated with Christianity and triangles they associated with Freemasonry; the games also involved gambling, which is in violation of Muslim doctrine. Pokémon has also been accused of promoting materialism.

Shirking
- http://www.economist.com/news/business/21627649-how-thrive-work-minimum-effort-guide-skiving

lie detection
- http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/1665492/how-spot-liar-coach-crime-fighters-reveals-common-tics

friends
- https://www.facebook.com/maximsmxhk/photos/a.443385942364899.91523.440194716017355/840245689345587/?type=1

treason
- http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/supplement/columnist/%E9%99%B6%E5%82%91/art/20141208/18961184 清末民國史，講到孫中山推翻滿清，有所謂「惠州起義」，失敗之後，又「武昌起義」。但是所謂惠州起義，是由日本駐台灣總督兒玉源太郎與他的副手後藤新平資助而支持的。如果兒玉是中國歷史教科書所說的「帝國主義者」，那麼「惠州起義」，又不知「義」在何處？如果「惠州起義」之說不成立，那麼在邏輯上，「武昌起義」也有問題。以今日中國喜歡這個那個的「定性」，孫中山是一名在「日本等外國勢力支持下推翻當時中國合法之滿清政府之叛亂領袖」，用英文說，反而最客觀：A Japan-sponsored military rebel against the Chinese Ch'ing government，也真正的尊重歷史。
Egglab http://nightjar.exeter.ac.uk/egglab/

Immigration
- http://www.economist.com/news/international/21701753-countries-invented-points-based-immigration-systems-have-concluded-they-do-not

A bullaun (Irish: bullán; from a word cognate with "bowl" and French bol) is the term used for the depression in a stone which is often water filled. Natural rounded boulders or pebbles may sit in the bullaun.^[1] The size of the bullaun is highly variable and these hemispherical cups hollowed out of a rock may come as singles or multiples with the same rock. Local folklore often attaches religious or magical significance to bullaun stones, such as the belief that the rainwater collecting in a stone's hollow has healing properties.^[4] Ritual use of some bullaun stones continued well into the Christian period and many are found in association with early churches, such as the 'Deer' Stone at Glendalough, County Wicklow.

Work related
- http://www.economist.com/news/business/21688872-fashion-making-employees-collaborate-has-gone-too-far-collaboration-curse
- ft 14mar16 lucy kellaway article on email as gift to passive aggressive colleague


交流團
- http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/news/20150813/00176_120.html 放暑假除咗去旅行同做功課，唔少學生都會搵機會離港交流同實習，當中內地係熱門之選。不過，近年有好多團體都相繼舉辦同類型活動，目的地亦大同小異。香港傑出青年協會今年亦有份舉辦北京交流團，協會主席甄韋喬（Mickey）透露，呢類內地交流活動早幾年就吃香，但現時選擇比以前多好多，想吸引學生參加交流團唔係一件易事，意思即係團體之間爭客都爭崩頭。

tech/digital/big data
- http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/5ae55b5e-b047-11e4-a2cc-00144feab7de.html
The strange world of the humans who loaned their voices to Siri

occupation
- https://www.ft.com/content/fa38f3c8-f54a-11e7-88f7-5465a6ce1a00 Deloitte is expanding its legal services offering in the UK, in the latest effort by a member of the Big Four accountancy groups to move in on the territory of traditional law firms. The plans, which follow similar moves by PwC, KPMG and EY, will allow the group to bring its legal arm closer to its other services such as audit and consulting. They will increase its access to a global market that ALM Intelligence, a consulting and legal analyst, valued at $600bn in 2016, compared with $450bn for accounting and $271bn for consultancy.


Tv drama promoting professionals
- http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/news/art/20150911/19290825 近年狀元唔係讀醫，就係讀Law，搞到工程好似變成二奶科目。港鐵工程總監黃唯銘剛當選工程師學會副會長，佢都覺得工程師對社會同樣有好大貢獻，但係專業形象好似唔及醫生同律師，所以上任後其中一個工作重點，就係提升工程師喺公眾心目中嘅形象。之前TVB一套神劇《衝上雲霄》，報讀飛機工程維修嘅人都多咗。如果搵張智霖扮工程師拍番套劇，應該可以令工程師形象更入屋，至少師奶唔會再誤會讀工程即係做地盤無出色。黃唯銘話非正式同TVB接觸過，點知對方開價1,000萬，拍20集，即係一集要50萬。嫌貴？都有平啲嘅方式，可以喺其他劇入面加個工程師角色，但都要300萬。工程師學會唔係大財團，邊有咁多錢，惟有再諗其他方式啦。

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2016/08/26/the_bizarre_true_story_behind_the_this_is_a_work_of_fiction_disclaimer.html

Darth vader
- http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oct/23/darth-vader-statue-erected-ukraine In Odessa, Ukraine, the force really has been awakened with a statue of Vladimir Lenin being converted into one of the dark lord himself, Darth Vader.

While the rest of the world was trying to figure out what The Force Awakens trailer reveals about the new film, artist Alexander Milov – whose work appeared at Burning Man this year – was busy creating what he claims is the world’s first-ever monument to Vader (the Sith lord formerly known as Anakin Skywalker). Milov transformed the Soviet-era statue after new legislation (the “decommunisation” laws) came into force in Ukraine, which demands all remnants and symbols of the country’s communist past be taken down. Fittingly, the statue will radiate a force (the head contains a Wi-Fi hotspot) and Milov hopes that the monument will attract Star Wars fans from around the world. Reports claim the original statue was made of gypsum, which had weakened over time, with Milov strengthening the structure and adding a helmet and cape made of titanium alloy. http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-34594262The statue, in the grounds of a factory in the Black Sea port city, had been earmarked for removal under the country's "de-communisation" law. But instead, it now wears the instantly recognisable shiny black helmet and mask of the Star Wars villain, the local Dumskaya news website reports. "Everything flows and nothing abides," says warehouse manager Semyon Horbunov, taking inspiration from the Greek philosopher Heraclitus. "New heroes replace old ones, and this is how the world goes round." But while the monument is Darth Vader on the outside, deep down it's still Lenin. "The bronze Lenin was left inside, so that the grateful or not-so-grateful descendants could exhume him, if needed," sculptor Alexander Milov is quoted is saying by Ukraine Today. In April, Ukraine's parliament passed a bill banning communist propagandaon monuments, and in the names of places and streets. The law spelled the end for hundreds of statues of Lenin across the country, but as Odessa's newly transformed monument no longer depicts the Bolshevik leader, it will now be spared.

- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/polish-statue-looks-like-darth-vader-snow_us_56a8e541e4b0947efb6615f1A statue of Wejher, that stands in Wejherowo, Poland, -- the town he founded -- was blanketed in snow a few days ago. That’s when Artur Hutnik from the town’s local newspaper, Wejherowo.pl, decided to snap a shot and compare the nobleman to the Sith Lord. The paper posted the funny picture to its Facebook and Instagram pages, and it was an instant hit for the publication, receiving over 2,000 likes on Facebook and 335 likes on Instagram.This is not the first time a modern Slavic city has compared a statue to the "Star Wars" villain. In October, a controversial statue of Vladimir Lenin that stood in the Ukrainian city of Odessa got a facelift when an artist replaced the Soviet founding father’s head with the head of Luke and Leia’s dad.

Hong kong and macau history
- 話說在明代萬曆年間（1573-1619），由郭棐所編的《粵大記》一書載有「廣東沿海圖」，記有七處本港地名：香港（那並不是指港島，而是鐵坑對出的小島，歷史學家大多認為黃竹坑，亦有認為鴨脷洲）、鐵坑（深水灣一帶，有歷史名家指為壽臣山）、舂磑（舂坎角）、赤柱、黃泥埇（黃泥涌）、大潭及稍箕灣（筲箕灣）等。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2015/12/05/b06-1205.pdf

http://hk-magazine.com/article/12337/how-do-absolutely-almost-everything-hong-kong?Weekend_-_June_27%2C_2014=

http://www.redbullcanyoumakeit.com/

http://quipqiup.com/

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-and-worst-colors-to-wear-to-job-interview-2013-11

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-8-lies-most-bosses-tell-2014-7

how should a gentleman respond to finding out that he has been the victim of a cruel practical joke? http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/84283e16-f709-11e3-8ed6-00144feabdc0.html#axzz35u2P2jM9


acronym
- http://edition.cnn.com/2014/12/08/living/internet-acronyms-every-parent-should-know/index.html?hpt=hp_c3

OK
- “OK”如何演变而来，经查有多种说法。传闻最早一名德国记者，每写一篇稿件，末尾都加上“Ohnekovretur”，意思是“没有错误”，从此演变为 “OK”。还有一种说法， 一八四○年美国民主党总统候选人马丁．范布伦在竞选时，用“OK”作为竞选口号，因为他出生于纽约Oldkinderhoek，用地名头两个字母作为竞选 口号，意思必胜，遂演变成后来的OK。也还有一种说法，“OK”来源于美国第七任总统安德鲁．杰克逊，他在批阅公文常写上“Oll Korrect”，即“完全正确可行”，后来演变成“OK”。http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20170306/PDF/b9_screen.pdf

"thing"
- https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-words-that-have-interesting-histories-behind-them

Roger comes from an older version of the spelling alphabet that's used in voice communications to distinguish similar-sounding letters. The alphabet standardized by the US Navy in the early 20th Century was Able, Baker, Charlie, ..., Roger, ..., Zebra. By itself, "Roger" signified "received." The current international standard ("Alpha Bravo") uses Romeo instead of Roger, but the older term has stuck.https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-source-of-the-word-roger-being-used-in-radio-communication


bamboo scaffolding
- http://files.hkmagmedia.com/pdf/hkmagazine/HKMagazine_1053.pdf

Myopia
- http://www.economist.com/news/china/21631113-why-so-many-chinese-children-wear-glasses-losing-focus




Hong Kong street names
- http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2015/03/03/a39-0303.pdf 。寶珊道位於港島區西半山。 韋玉︵1849 年 ︱1921年︶，字寶珊，祖籍香山︵今 辦了保良局和團防局，還被推舉為東華三院主席。一 人議員黃勝長女為妻。他積極投身社會活動，參與創 入有利銀行，協助父親發展業務，娶立法局第二任華 書院，是最早留歐的華人之一。一八七二年回港後加 中山︶，十八歲負笈英國，畢業於蘇格蘭著名的大來 哀榮，港府將西半山一條小街以他的名字命名。 局非官守議員，逝世前兩年成為第二位華人爵士。他死後極盡 必要性，化解了華人不滿。一八九六年他被任命為第四任立法 八九四年香港爆發鼠疫，他奔走呼號，向華人解釋港府措施的 寶珊道往西行，便是四百米長的旭龢道。羅旭龢︵1880 年 ︱1949年︶是帕西華人混血兒，前立法局第七任首席華人 人發展大宅時開闢出的道路，遂以己名命名。 治香港，被中華民國廣東省政府列為漢奸通緝。旭龢道是他私 旋人，歷史評價很高。日治時期，他作為華人領袖協助日軍管 港大罷工期間，他反對武力解決工潮，充當港府與工人間的斡 非官守議員，對香港教育和文化事業貢獻良多。一九二五年省 何東道位於九龍塘，以昔日華人首富何東名字命名。何東的 院，聲名顯赫。 位於西營盤，李陞是香港富商和大慈善家，曾參與創辦東華三 事蹟不必多說，凡對香港歷史有所了解的人都熟知他。李陞街 銅鑼灣是華人街名較為集中的區域，得益於華人巨賈利希 慎。利希慎曾是香港 ﹁鴉片大王 ﹂，祖籍廣東新會，故新會的名流賢士都沾上利家之光。除了希慎道，銅鑼灣有一條以明代著名思想家陳白沙命名的街道，叫白沙道；有以清末戊戌變法名士梁啟超名字命名的啟超道。附近還有一條蘭芳道，我原以為是因京劇大師梅蘭芳而得名，原來是以利氏的太太黃蘭芳名字命名的。中環有以富商金利源名字命名的利源東街；北角的春秧街，以華僑糖商郭春秧的名字命名；屯門的杯渡路，由南北朝時期的佛教僧人杯渡禪師名字而來；香港還有壽臣山道、肇堅里、達之路、曹公街和龍琛路等。  

snow making industry
- http://www.economist.com/news/business/21716659-some-italian-ski-resorts-now-get-complete-coverage-snow-guns-snow-making-companies


Big Bang
- http://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1670653/market-reforms-could-increase-fraud-banks-thatcher-warned, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2891048/Thatcher-warned-Big-Bang-reform-City-create-bubble-pricked-unscrupulous-bankers.html, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-30/thatcher-was-warned-u-k-s-big-bang-plan-might-increase-fraud.html

quarter
- https://www.quora.com/How-did-the-word-quarter-come-to-mean-both-one-fourth-and-the-act-of-providing-lodging

beard
- types

• china daily 24jul19

gossip
- Gossip has been researched in terms of its origins in evolutionary psychology,^[2] which has found gossip to be an important means for people to monitor cooperative reputations and so maintain widespread indirect reciprocity.^[3]Indirect reciprocity is a social interaction in which one actor helps another and is then benefited by a third party. Gossip has also been identified by Robin Dunbar, an evolutionary biologist, as aiding social bonding in large groups.The word is from Old English godsibb, from god and sibb, the term for the godparents of one's child or the parents of one's godchild, generally very close friends. In the 16th century, the word assumed the meaning of a person, mostly a woman, one who delights in idle talk, a newsmonger, a tattler.^[5] In the early 19th century, the term was extended from the talker to the conversation of such persons. The verb to gossip, meaning "to be a gossip", first appears in Shakespeare. The term originates from the bedroom at the time of childbirth. Giving birth used to be a social event exclusively attended by women. The pregnant woman's female relatives and neighbours would congregate and idly converse. Over time, gossip came to mean talk of others. Others say that gossip comes from the same root as "gospel" — it is a contraction of "good spiel", meaning a good story.

• 八卦网 (for catching fish, probably used by hakka people) - english is gossip

foreign relations, history quiz https://www.cfr.org/quiz


http://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/415-what-shakespeare-play-should-i-read-an-infographic

The Nico Colchester Journalism fellowship http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/1d110e10-0b41-11e3-bffc-00144feabdc0.html#axzz36UdpjKmJ

Websites
- http://blog.xkcd.com