Shortly after federal authorities took down a national college admissions scam in March, officials at USC launched their own investigation with emails to dozens of students.
They did not mince words: The school wanted to know whether the 33 students had lied on their applications to USC. Some of the students understood what was happening because their parents had been charged in the federal case. Others were in the dark.
The reason for the emails would soon become clear to them all. They had been linked to William “Rick” Singer, the confessed leader of the admissions con, and they now faced expulsion, depending on what university investigators discovered.
Username: Tumake_Chai Published on 2020-07-03 15:30:24 ID NUMBER: 2230
The best Mario games remind us why everybody's favorite platforming plumber is still so beloved. In the company of his taller brother Luigi, Mario is one of the most recognizable faces in gaming, having starred in a frankly boggling range of experiences over the years.
Today is the start of Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim festival that signals the end of Ramadan - and which is celebrated with feasts and prayer.
To mark this important date in the Muslim calendar, we've taken a whistlestop tour of the world's most beautiful mosques...
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By Lizzie Porter
Image: Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
As we celebrate the Holy Month of Ramadan, Agoda , one of the world’s fastest growing online travel agents (OTA), highlights destinations around the world where travelers will find some of the most awe-inspiring mosques ever built.
In the early days of Islam, mosques were modest affairs. The first ones had neither domes nor minarets. The Prophet Muhammad used his courtyard as a prayer hall. But Arab autocrats now see things differently. Many hope to leave a legacy in stone in keeping with their proclaimed grandeur.
If you ever need help remembering the sacred spaces for Muslims, just think of the three Ms: mosques, Mecca, and Medina.
The most common Islamic holy site is their place of worship: the mosque. Muslims are required to pray five times a day, and though Muslims can pray anywhere, dedicated Muslims strive to participate in the prayer time inside the mosque. Every Friday, Muslims meet at the mosque for special prayer and teaching from the imam, the local Islamic leader of the mosque. Most mosques have classes on the Qur’an, the Muslim holy book, for children and new converts to the Islamic faith.
Muslims consider every mosque a holy place. There are two mosques, however, that, due to the history of their geographical locations, are the most significant: the Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina. Understanding these two mosques and the cities that host them can help Christians gain a better understanding of the Islamic faith and know how to reach out to Muslims with the gospel.
Roughly one-quarter of the world is Muslim. With facades dressed in mosaics, glowing marble, crowning domes, and spiraling towers, mosques are awe-strikingly stunning from the outside. In off-prayer hours, wander inside these magnificent structures and you'll find exquisite prayer halls accentuated by gorgeous Persian carpets or valleys of chandeliers.
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En 2017, l’Inde a accueilli plus de 10 millions de touristes. Ce pays attire autant de visiteurs étrangers grâce notamment à la richesse de sa culture et la beauté de ses nombreux sites touristiques. Mais pour profiter de son séjour en Inde et éviter les mauvaises surprises, il faut prendre le temps de bien préparer son voyage. Vous avez envie de passer vos prochaines vacances en Inde ? Nous vous donnons 5 conseils avisés pour organiser des vacances réussies dans ce pays.
« L'Inde est un véritable festival de couleurs. Partout, vous trouverez des bâtiments magnifiques qui enchantent avec leurs décorations artistiques et vous raconteront l'histoire fascinante du pays. Tout comme la culture impressionnante, les parcs nationaux avec des tigres du Bengale, le calme de l'Himalaya ou les plages de Goa peuvent apporter d'autres accents inoubliables à votre voyage en Inde. »
Are you planning an itinerary for your visit to North India? This article presents our findings in this country that we were eager to visit, but that we had also been so apprehensive about after reading so many things, both negative and positive. In the end, this country completely surprised us, in every sense of the word!
SPIRIT UNTAMED - Only in theaters June 4. An epic adventure about a headstrong girl longing for a place to belong who discovers a kindred spirit when her life intersects with a wild horse, Spirit Untamed is the next chapter in the beloved story from DreamWorks Animation. Lucky Prescott (Isabela Merced, Dora and the Lost City of Gold) never really knew her late mother, Milagro Navarro (Eiza González, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw), a fearless horse-riding stunt performer from Miradero, a small town on the edge of the wide-open frontier. Like her mother, Lucky isn’t exactly a fan of rules and restrictions, which has caused her Aunt Cora (Academy Award® winner Julianne Moore) no small amount of worry. Lucky has grown up in an East Coast city under Cora’s watchful eye, but when Lucky presses her own luck with one too many risky escapades, Cora picks up stakes and moves them both back with Lucky’s father, Jim (Oscar® nominee Jake Gyllenhaal), in Miradero. Lucky is decidedly unimpressed with the sleepy little town. She has a change of heart when she meets Spirit, a wild Mustang who shares her independent streak, and befriends two local horseback riders, Abigail Stone (Mckenna Grace, Captain Marvel) and Pru Granger (Marsai Martin, Little). Pru’s father, stable owner Al Granger (Emmy winner Andre Braugher, Fox’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine), is the best friend of Lucky’s father. When a heartless horse wrangler (Emmy nominee Walton Goggins, FX’s Justified) and his team plan to capture Spirit and his herd and auction them off to a life of captivity and hard labor, Lucky enlists her new friends and bravely embarks on the adventure of a lifetime to rescue the horse who has given her freedom and a sense of purpose, and has helped Lucky discover a connection to her mother’s legacy and to her Mexican heritage that she never expected. Spirit Untamed is the next chapter in DreamWorks Animation’s beloved franchise that began with the 2002 Oscar-nominated film Spirit: Stallion of Cimarron and includes an Emmy-winning TV series. The film is directed by Elaine Bogan (Netflix and DreamWorks Animation Television’s Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia) and is produced by Karen Foster (co-producer, How to Train Your Dragon). The film’s co-director is Ennio Torresan (head of story, The Boss Baby), and the film’s score is by composer Amie Doherty (Amazon’s Undone, DreamWorks Animation’s Marooned).
Plump bird with small head and straight, thin bill. Plumage is variable, but most common form has gray back, 2 black bars in the wing, and blue-gray head.
The pigeon feather, often seen as mere urban waste, actually holds a rich and varied symbolism across cultures and traditions.
Far from being mundane, it has deep and sometimes unexpected meanings that invite us to reconsider this common object from a new perspective.
Feral Pigeons
Feral Pigeons are commonly found in urban areas, nesting in places such as a block of flats, a bit of Victorian Gothic architecture, or a railway arch. They are descended from the Wild Rock Dove and, over the years, they have become semi domesticated. Measuring 32-37cm, they can be identified by their distinctive twin black wing bars.
Their nesting can block chimneys, flues, and guttering, which can cause issues with carbon monoxide and water overflow from gutters. It’s also common to find parasites such as mites, ticks, fleas, and beetles in their nests. So, if you don’t solve your pigeon problem, you may find you suffer from a parasite infestation too.
Pigeon droppings are acidic and can corrode/erode metals, stonework, and brickwork. Not only can they destroy materials and look and smell unpleasant, they can transmit a variety of diseases from Listeria to E-coli. When dry, their droppings can become airborne in small particles, which can lead to respiratory complaints.
As I walked by a huge flock of pigeons, all at once they took flight with power and sync. But what I was suddenly curious about was why there are so many of them in every city in the world?
And by the way, when you say pigeon, be specific! There are over 300 species.
Woody Allen famously defined them as “rats with wings” in his movie Stardust Memories, though It was originally coined by Thomas Hoving, New York City’s parks commissioner, in 1966. The movie, however, spread the negative rap on pigeons like fire. They were ״officially״ bullying parasites who spread diseases.
Thankfully there are many who, despite the gloomy pigeon outlook, still spread bread crumbs in their town square. Washington square - NYC, Trafalgar Square - London, Melbourne/Sydney - Australia, Buenos Aires - Argentina, Mumbai - India…the list goes on.
Makes you think: these guys have taken over the world!
Except for the passenger pigeon who went from their millions to extinct within 40 years!
Why these massive numbers? Why pigeons, of all species? And do they really deserve Woody Allen’s marque of infamy?
Here are a few facts I learned.
And maybe after you read them…
You might, just like me, change your mind.
A common sight in cities around the world, Rock Pigeons crowd streets and public squares, living on discarded food and offerings of birdseed. In addition to the typical blue-gray bird with two dark wingbars, you'll often see flocks with plain, spotted, pale, or rusty-red birds in them. Introduced to North America from Europe in the early 1600s, city pigeons nest on buildings and window ledges. In the countryside they also nest on barns and grain towers, under bridges, and on natural cliffs.
Catching a glimpse of this cactus’ blooms, also known as Kadupul flowers, takes a fair bit of patience. Not only do the plants rarely bloom, but the flowers emerge at night and wither by dawn. While the plants are native to Mexico and South America, you can grow them indoors. Additionally, cultivated plants have escaped and can now be found throughout countries like Sri Lanka.
A type of protea, this flower is perhaps the most attractive member of the group of fireworks pincushion flowers. While you may think the elongated portions are petals, they are actually individual flowers. This protea species is considered endangered in its native South Africa.
While the ghost orchid’s white flowers are unique, what really sets it apart is its lack of leaves. Unlike most plants, this orchid photosynthesizes via its roots rather than its leaves! Like a ghost, it can be a bit elusive to find since the species is endangered in its native habitat of Florida and Cuba.
A member of the slipperwort family, this plant is native to the southern tip of South America. While the name suggests the flowers look like a pair of slippers, some people think they resemble flocks of orange penguins or aliens with their mouths wide open. These plants are quite rare, and it’s not uncommon to find counterfeit seeds.
Native to the Philippines, the jade vine produces hanging clusters that can contain up to 75 of the stunning turquoise flowers. Since the flowers resemble claws, the plant also goes by the name tiger claws. The hanging flowers are pollinated by bats, but deforestation in the Philippines is threatening both the flowers and the bats.
Although these flowers are orchids, they look quite different from the ones you may have growing in your home. They emerge from forest floors across the United States and other temperate areas, but finding one can take some patience as well as knowledge of your local area. There are numerous species of lady’s slippers, including the showy lady’s slipper pictured above.
While this flowering vine is native to the Southeastern United States, it certainly provides an exotic look! Since each flower blooms for only a day, it’s a treat to come across the wild blooms. If left to mature, the flowers will transform into sweet and juicy passionfruit. The purple passionflower is also the state flower of Tennessee – check this out if you’re interested in learning all 50 state flowers.
While flowers come in all kinds of colors, true blue blooms can be a bit difficult to find. Himalayan poppy flowers bloom for only a few days, but they make a stunning display while they last. Like most poppies, you can grow the delicate flowers from seed. However, before you plant these flowers in your garden, you should be aware they can be a bit difficult to grow.
You may already have some pink or white cosmos flowers in your garden. But how about chocolate cosmos? These tuberous perennials are native to Mexico, where they thrive in sunny and dry environments. With the right care, these plants will produce handfuls of dark red blooms that smell like chocolate! While they may smell enticing, these flowers don’t taste like the candy bars we love.
Native to forests in China, the bleeding heart plant will thrive in many temperate gardens. These large, herbaceous plants produce hundreds of pink flowers that resemble the namesake bleeding hearts. Since these plants thrive in shade, they make a great addition to forest understories or shade gardens.
Catching a glimpse of this cactus’ blooms, also known as Kadupul flowers, takes a fair bit of patience. Not only do the plants rarely bloom, but the flowers emerge at night and wither by dawn. While the plants are native to Mexico and South America, you can grow them indoors. Additionally, cultivated plants have escaped and can now be found throughout countries like Sri Lanka.
A type of protea, this flower is perhaps the most attractive member of the group of fireworks pincushion flowers. While you may think the elongated portions are petals, they are actually individual flowers. This protea species is considered endangered in its native South Africa.
While the ghost orchid’s white flowers are unique, what really sets it apart is its lack of leaves. Unlike most plants, this orchid photosynthesizes via its roots rather than its leaves! Like a ghost, it can be a bit elusive to find since the species is endangered in its native habitat of Florida and Cuba.
A member of the slipperwort family, this plant is native to the southern tip of South America. While the name suggests the flowers look like a pair of slippers, some people think they resemble flocks of orange penguins or aliens with their mouths wide open. These plants are quite rare, and it’s not uncommon to find counterfeit seeds.
Native to the Philippines, the jade vine produces hanging clusters that can contain up to 75 of the stunning turquoise flowers. Since the flowers resemble claws, the plant also goes by the name tiger claws. The hanging flowers are pollinated by bats, but deforestation in the Philippines is threatening both the flowers and the bats.
Although these flowers are orchids, they look quite different from the ones you may have growing in your home. They emerge from forest floors across the United States and other temperate areas, but finding one can take some patience as well as knowledge of your local area. There are numerous species of lady’s slippers, including the showy lady’s slipper pictured above.
While this flowering vine is native to the Southeastern United States, it certainly provides an exotic look! Since each flower blooms for only a day, it’s a treat to come across the wild blooms. If left to mature, the flowers will transform into sweet and juicy passionfruit. The purple passionflower is also the state flower of Tennessee – check this out if you’re interested in learning all 50 state flowers.
While flowers come in all kinds of colors, true blue blooms can be a bit difficult to find. Himalayan poppy flowers bloom for only a few days, but they make a stunning display while they last. Like most poppies, you can grow the delicate flowers from seed. However, before you plant these flowers in your garden, you should be aware they can be a bit difficult to grow.
You may already have some pink or white cosmos flowers in your garden. But how about chocolate cosmos? These tuberous perennials are native to Mexico, where they thrive in sunny and dry environments. With the right care, these plants will produce handfuls of dark red blooms that smell like chocolate! While they may smell enticing, these flowers don’t taste like the candy bars we love.
Native to forests in China, the bleeding heart plant will thrive in many temperate gardens. These large, herbaceous plants produce hundreds of pink flowers that resemble the namesake bleeding hearts. Since these plants thrive in shade, they make a great addition to forest understories or shade gardens.
