📜ระบบป้องกันภัยทางอากาศของอิสราเอล: โล่ป้องกันภัยทางเทคโนโลยีขั้นสูงที่รั่วไหลเหมือนตะแกรง เมื่อวันที่ ๑ ตุลาคม, อิหร่านยิงขีปนาวุธพิสัยไกลประมาณ ๒๐๐ ลูกไปที่อิสราเอลเพื่อตอบโต้การสังหารผู้นำกลุ่มฮามาส อิสมาอิล ฮานีเยห์ และ ฮัสซัน นาสรัลเลาะห์ เลขาธิการกลุ่มฮิซบอลเลาะห์ของอิหร่าน อิหร่านอ้างว่าขีปนาวุธ ๙๐% ยิงโดนเป้าหมาย, ขณะที่เทลอาวีฟยืนกรานว่า ระบบป้องกันภัยทางอากาศ "ล้ำสมัย" ของพวกเขาหยุดเป้าหมายได้เกือบทั้งหมด – แม้ว่าหลักฐานบนพื้นดินจะชี้ให้เห็นเป็นอย่างอื่น ระบบป้องกันภัยทางอากาศของอิสราเอลทำผลงานได้อย่างไรเมื่อนำไปทดสอบจริง? 🔸ไอรอน โดม: ออกแบบมาสำหรับภัยคุกคามระยะสั้น เช่น จรวดและปืนครก โดยมีระยะยิง ๔-๗๐ กม. แต่ละชุดมีเรดาร์และเครื่องยิงที่มีเครื่องสกัดกั้น ๒๐ เครื่อง แต่จุดอ่อนของระบบนี้ต่อการโจมตีด้วยจรวดจำนวนมากนั้นถูกเปิดเผยแล้ว, และด้วยราคา ๕๐,๐๐๐ ดอลลาร์ต่อขีปนาวุธหนึ่งลูก จึงไม่เป็นมิตรกับงบประมาณสักเท่าไร 🔸David's Sling: สร้างขึ้นเพื่อรับมือกับภัยคุกคามในระยะไกลถึง ๓๐๐ กม., โดยใช้เทคโนโลยี "โจมตีเพื่อสังหาร" แบบจลนศาสตร์เพื่อยิงขีปนาวุธพิสัยไกล แต่ขาดหัวรบระเบิดแบบแตกกระจายเพื่อยิงขีปนาวุธเมื่อเกือบพลาดเป้า และเช่นเดียวกับคู่แข่ง ระบบนี้ก็อ่อนไหวต่อการโจมตีด้วยขีปนาวุธจำนวนมาก 🔸ระบบ Arrow ๒ และ ๓ สร้างขึ้นเพื่อหยุดยั้งขีปนาวุธพิสัยกลางและไกลที่อยู่ห่างออกไปถึง ๒,๔๐๐ กม. และสามารถยิงขีปนาวุธได้ ๑๔ ลูกในคราวเดียว แต่เมื่อท้องฟ้าวุ่นวาย, ความแม่นยำก็ลดลง และจุดบอดต่อภัยคุกคามที่เคลื่อนที่เร็วก็กลายเป็นปัญหาที่แท้จริง 🔸ไอรอน บีม: อาวุธใหม่ที่กำลังมาแรง – แต่ยังไม่พร้อมสำหรับการใช้งาน อาวุธ Iron Beam ซึ่งได้รับการยกย่องว่าเป็นอาวุธ 'Star Wars' ที่ใช้เลเซอร์ยิงขีปนาวุธ, ยังคงอยู่ในระหว่างการพัฒนา ในตอนนี้, เป็นเพียงคำสัญญาบนกระดาษเท่านั้น และอิสราเอลยังคงเสี่ยงอันตรายในขณะที่รอให้เทคโนโลยีนี้เข้ามาใช้งาน . 📜ISRAEL'S AIR DEFENSE: A HIGH-TECH SHIELD THAT LEAKS LIKE A SIEVE On October 1, Iran fired around 200 ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for Israel’s killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah. Iran claims 90% hit their targets, while Tel Aviv insists their “state-of-the-art” air defense stopped most of them – although evidence on the ground suggests otherwise. How did Israel’s missile defense fare when really put to the test? 🔸Iron Dome: Designed for short-range threats like rockets and mortars, with a range of 4-70 km. Each battery has a radar and launchers with 20 interceptors. But its weakness against mass rocket attacks has been exposed, and at $50,000 per missile it’s not exactly budget-friendly. 🔸David's Sling: Built for longer-range threats up to 300 km, it uses kinetic "hit-to-kill" tech to shoot down ballistic missiles. But it lacks a fragmenting explosive warhead to take out missiles in a near-miss, and like its counterparts it buckles under mass missile attacks. 🔸The Arrow 2 and 3 systems are built to stop medium and long-range missiles up to 2,400 km away and can target 14 missiles at once. But when the skies get busy, accuracy falters and their blind spots for fast-moving threats become a real problem. 🔸Iron Beam: The new kid on the block – except it’s still not quite ready to play. Touted as a ‘Star Wars’ weapon using lasers to shoot down missiles, the Iron Beam is still in development. For now, it’s nothing more than a promise on paper and Israel remains vulnerable while waiting for this technology to come online. . 10:23 PM · Oct 3, 2024 · 17.3K Views https://x.com/SputnikInt/status/1841861573943410914

🇺🇦 🇺🇸 เซเลนสกี กล่าวว่า : ความช่วยเหลือทางทหารล่าสุดของสหรัฐฯ จะช่วยให้บรรลุชัยชนะ😁 . #Zelensky กล่าวใน X : ความช่วยเหลือทางทหารมูลค่า 7,900 ล้านดอลลาร์ ที่สหรัฐประกาศเมื่อ 26 ก.ย. จะช่วยให้ยูเครนได้รับชัยชนะเหนือรัสเซีย😆 📄ในโพสต์บน #X Zelenskyy เขียนว่า : ขอบคุณโจ ไบเดน รัฐสภาสหรัฐฯ และพรรคการเมืองทั้งสองฝ่าย ตลอดจนคนอเมริกันทั้งหมด สำหรับการประกาศในวันนี้เกี่ยวกับความช่วยเหลือด้านการป้องกันประเทศครั้งใหญ่ของสหรัฐฯ สำหรับยูเครนเป็นมูลค่ารวม 7,900 ล้านดอลลาร์ ....... ....... ขอชื่นชมการตัดสินใจขยายโครงการ เพื่อฝึกนักบินของเราให้บินเครื่องบิน F-16 มากขึ้น . 🇺🇸 ข้อมูลเพิ่มเติม เกี่ยวกับคำมั่นสัญญาของโจ ไบเดน ที่จะมอบความช่วยเหลือด้านการทหาร 7,900 ล้านดอลลาร์แก่ยูเครน ผ่าน Agence France-Presse (AFP) 🔺 จำนวนเงินดังกล่าวรวมถึง #PDA (Presidential Drawdown Authority) หรือ อำนาจเบิกถอนของประธานาธิบดี 5,500 ล้านดอลลาร์ที่ต้องอนุมัติก่อนจะหมดอายุลงในช่วงสิ้นปีงบประมาณของสหรัฐฯ ในวันจันทร์ที่ 30 ก.ย. • PDA จะเปิดทางให้เพนตากอนส่งทุกอย่างจากคลังอาวุธของกองทัพสหรัฐฯ ให้ยูเครนโดยตรงได้ ◉ เพนตากอนเปิดเผยว่า กำลังทำงานร่วมกับสภาคองเกรสเพื่อขยายอำนาจการใช้งบก้อนที่เหลือในช่วงปีงบประมาณหน้าซึ่งจะเริ่มต้นในวันที่ 1 ต.ค. • มีการเตรียมแผนสำรอง ในกรณีที่สภาคองเกรสไม่อนุมัติการยืดอายุเวลาการใช้งบช่วยเหลือยูเครนไปปีหน้าแล้วด้วย . 🔺 มีการให้คำมั่นเงินอีก 2,400 ล้านดอลลาร์ผ่านทาง #USAI (โครงการความช่วยเหลือด้านความปลอดภัยของยูเครน ) • ซึ่งหมายความว่า : "เงินจำนวนนี้จะไม่ถูกส่งไปยังสนามรบทันที" เนื่องจาก 📍 อาวุธจะต้องได้รับการจัดหาจากอุตสาหกรรมการป้องกันประเทศ หรือหุ้นส่วน .... ไม่ใช่มาจากคลังอาวุธของสหรัฐฯ😆 • ไบเดนยังประกาศด้วยว่า : วอชิงตันจะจัดหาอาวุธระยะไกล Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) ให้กับยูเครน "เพื่อเสริมศักยภาพในการโจมตีระยะไกลของยูเครน" • #AGM-154 (JSOW) : อาวุธปล่อยนำวิถี เป็นขีปนาวุธอากาศสู่พื้น ระยะปฏิบัติการ 130 ก.ม. . 🇺🇸 #สหรัฐฯ ให้ความช่วยเหลือทางทหาร และเศรษฐกิจแก่ยูเครน ในช่วงสงครามไปแล้ว ราว ๆ 💸••• 175,000 ล้านดอลลาร์💸 หรือ 5.69 ล้านล้านบาท •••😆 . เมื่อ 25 ก.ย. #ทรัมป์ เรียกโวโลดิมีร์ เซเลนสกี ว่า : “#อาจเป็นนักขายที่ยิ่งใหญ่ที่สุดในโลก” 🤣🤣🤣 Noraseth Tuntasiri

Greek Words For Love That Will Make Your Heart Soar What is love? People have had a hard time answering that question for a lot longer than you might think. In Ancient Greece, love was a concept pondered over by some of history’s most famous philosophers, including Plato and Aristotle. Greek philosophers attempted to explain love rationally and often categorized the different kinds of love people could feel. Because we love them so much, we brought together some Greek words—and a Latin one, for good measure—for the different kinds of love you might find out there. eros Original Greek: ἔρως (érōs) Eros is physical love or sexual desire. Eros is the type of love that involves passion, lust, and/or romance. Examples of eros would be the love felt between, well, lovers. Eros is the sensual love between people who are sexually attracted to each other. In the Bible, eros was synonymous with “marital love” because husbands and wives were supposed to be the only people having sex. Eros was also the name of a love god in Greek mythology—better known by his Roman name, Cupid—and was the guy responsible for shooting magic arrows at people to make them fall in love. The word eros is still used in psychology today to refer to sexual desire or the libido. The words erotic and erogenous, which both have to do with sexual desire or arousal, are derived from eros. philia Original Greek: ϕιλία (philía) Philia is affectionate love. Philia is the type of love that involves friendship. Philia is the kind of love that strong friends feel toward each other. However, it doesn’t stop there. The Greek philosopher Plato thought that philia was an even greater love than eros and that the strongest loving relationships were ones where philia led to eros: a “friends become lovers” situation. Our concept of platonic love—love that isn’t based on physical attraction—comes from this Platonic philosophy. The word philia is related to the word philosophy through the combining form philo-. Philia itself is the source of the combining forms -philia, -phile, and -phily, all three of which are used to indicate a figurative love or affinity for something. agape Original Greek: ἀγάπη (agápē) Agape is often defined as unconditional, sacrificial love. Agape is the kind of love that is felt by a person willing to do anything for another, including sacrificing themselves, without expecting anything in return. Philosophically, agape has also been defined as the selfless love that a person feels for strangers and humanity as a whole. Agape is the love that allows heroic people to sacrifice themselves to save strangers they have never met. Did you know ... ? Agape is a major term in the Christian Bible, which is why it is often defined as “Christian love.” In the New Testament, agape is the word used to describe the love that God has for humanity and the love humanity has for God. Agape was also the love that Jesus Christ felt for humanity, which explains why he was willing to sacrifice himself. storge Original Greek: στοργή (storgé) Storge is familial love. Storge is the natural love that family members have for one another. Of all of the types of love, storge might be the easiest to understand. It is the type of love that parents feel toward their children and vice versa. Storge also describes the love that siblings feel towards each other, and the love felt by even more distant kin relationships, such as a grandparent for a grandchild or an uncle toward a niece. mania Original Greek: μανία (manía) Mania is obsessive love. Mania is the kind of “love” that a stalker feels toward their victim. As a type of love, mania is not good, and the Greeks knew this as well as we do. Mania is excessive love that reaches the point of obsession or madness. Mania describes what a jilted lover feels when they are extremely jealous of a rival or the unhealthy obsession that can result from mental illness. The Greek mania is the source of the English word mania and similar words like maniac and manic. It is also the source of the combining form -mania, which is often used in words that refer to obsessive behavior such as pyromania and egomania. ludus Original Latin: Bucking the trend, the word ludus comes from Latin rather than Greek. In Latin, lūdus means “game” or “play,” which fits with the type of love it refers to. One possible Greek equivalent is the word ερωτοτροπία, meaning “courtship.” Ludus is playful, noncommittal love. Ludus covers things like flirting, seduction, and casual sex. Ludus means “play” or “game” in Latin, and that pretty much explains what ludus is: love as a game. When it comes to ludus, a person is not looking for a committed relationship. People who are after ludus are just looking to have fun or view sex as a prize to be won. A “friends with benefits” situation would be an example of a relationship built on ludus: neither partner is interested in commitment. Of course, ludus may eventually result in eros—and hopefully not mania—if feelings of passion or romance emerge during the relationship. The Latin lūdus is related to the playful words ludic and ludicrous. pragma Original Greek: πράγμα (prágma) Pragma is practical love. Pragma is love based on duty, obligation, or logic. Pragma is the unsexy love that you might find in the political, arranged marriages throughout history. This businesslike love is seen in relationships where practicality takes precedence over sex and romance. For example, two people may be in a relationship because of financial reasons or because they have more to lose by breaking up than staying together. Pragma may even involve a person tolerating or ignoring their partner’s infidelity, as was common in politically motivated royal marriages in much of world history. Pragma may not sound all that great to many, but it is possible for pragma to coexist alongside other types of love, such as ludus or even eros. As you might have guessed, pragma is related to pragmatic, a word that is all about practicality. philautia Original Greek: ϕιλαυτία (philautía) Philautia is self-love. No, not that kind. Philautia refers to how a person views themselves and how they feel about their own body and mind. The modern equivalent of philautia would be something like self-esteem (good) or hubris (bad). People with high self-esteem, pride in themselves, or a positive body image practice a healthy version of philautia. Of course, philautia has a dark side, too. Egomaniacal narcissists who think they are better than everybody else are also an example of philautia, but not in a healthy way. The duality of philautia just goes to show that love, even self-love, can often get pretty complicated. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

Learn The Birthstones That Make Each Month Sparkle Birthstones are precious or semiprecious gemstones that are associated with a particular month or sign of the Zodiac. Going back to ancient times, certain gems were believed to bring good fortune if worn during specific months. The origin of this belief is often traced back to the story of the Breastplate of Aaron in the book of Exodus from the Bible. The legendary breastplate was said to be decorated with 12 differently colored gems. The breastplate inspired the original lists of birthstones that would change over the many following centuries. In 1912, the American National Retail Jeweler’s Association would popularize the word birthstone after making an “official” list of birthstones that is still used today with new additions to it. Modern lists often have multiple birthstones tied to certain months. All of that being said, you might be curious as to what your birthstone is and which gemstone goes with each month. We’ve gathered up a—sadly, metaphorical—treasure trove of gemstones along with some details about each one. 💎Birthstones chart Month - Birthstone January - Garnet February - Amethyst March - Aquamarine, Bloodstone April - Diamond, Rock Crystal May - Emerald, Chrysoprase June - Pearl, Alexandrite, Moonstone July - Ruby, Carnelian, Onyx August - Peridot, Spinel, Sardonyx September - Sapphire October - Opal, Tourmaline November - Topaz, Citrine December - Turquoise, Blue Zircon, Tanzanite, Lapis Lazuli January | garnet Garnets are a group of minerals commonly found in certain types of sedimentary and igneous rocks. The name garnet is most often used to specifically refer to red minerals used as semiprecious gemstones. Garnets come in many different colors, but dark red garnets are the ones most often used as birthstones. The word garnet originally comes from the Latin word grānātum, meaning “granular.” This word was specifically referring to the shape of the red seeds found in a pomegranate, which resemble red garnets. February | amethyst Amethyst is a variety of purple quartz. The intensity of amethyst’s color (and thus its value) depends on how much iron is in the amethyst when it crystallizes. Amethysts come in different shades of purple. The word amethyst comes from the Greek améthystos, meaning “not intoxicating.” Its name comes from many ancient legends and superstitions that claimed wearing an amethyst would prevent drunkenness. March | aquamarine, bloodstone aquamarine Aquamarine is a blue or greenish-blue variety of the mineral beryl used as a semiprecious gemstone. Aquamarine crystals typically form in hot, open spaces underground that have a good supply of space and beryllium. Aquamarines are usually pale or light blue in color. Aquamarine’s name comes from the Latin aqua marīna, meaning “sea water.” The name is a reference to aquamarine’s blue color. bloodstone Bloodstone, also known as heliotrope, is a green variety of the mineral chalcedony with spots of jasper scattered across it. It is considered to be a semiprecious gemstone. Bloodstone gemstones are usually dark green with dabs of red. Bloodstone is a combination of the words blood and stone. Bloodstone features spots of red jasper that resemble blood drops or blood splatter. April | diamond, rock crystal diamond A diamond is an extremely hard form of carbon which is considered a precious gem. Diamonds form underground when carbon is exposed to extreme amounts of pressure and heat. Diamonds come in many different colors, but colorless or clear diamonds are the ones most preferred as gems. The word diamond is thought to come from the Latin adamas, meaning “hard metal.” Diamond’s name was inspired by its famous hardness and shares an origin with the word adamant, an adjective that can accurately describe a diamond. Diamonds are one of the most culturally significant gems, including in slang like diamond hands. Learn what that means here. rock crystal Rock crystal is a transparent variety of quartz. Quartz is one of the most common minerals, and it is naturally colourless. Quartz will change colors if the crystal has impurities. Rock crystal is colorless and transparent. Rock crystal’s name is simply a combination of the words rock and crystal. Rock crystal is a crystal of quartz, a mineral that is commonly found in rocks. May | emerald, chrysoprase emerald An emerald is a green variety of beryl that is considered a precious gem. The green color of emeralds is caused by chromium mixing with the beryllium needed to form beryl. Beryllium and chromium are rarely found in significant amounts in the same place, which is why emeralds are so rare and valuable. Emeralds have a rich green color. The intensity of the green color is a major factor of determining an emerald’s value. The word emerald comes through Old French from the Greek word smáragdos, which means “green gem.” chrysoprase Chrysoprase is a green variety of chalcedony, which is yet another type of quartz. Unlike emeralds, chrysoprase’s green color comes from nickel rather than chromium. Chrysoprase comes in different shades of green. The name chrysoprase comes from the Greek khrusoprasos, which translates to “golden leek.” Chrysoprase is a gem (“golden”) that is green (like a leek). June | pearl, alexandrite, moonstone pearl Unlike all other gemstones, pearls are made by animals, specifically mollusks. Pearls are formed when a mollusk is irritated by something in its shell and secretes substances onto it. Over time, the secretion layers will build up to form a pearl. Pearls come in many colors, but usually white or cream-colored pearls are used in jewelry. The word pearl can be traced back to the Latin perna, meaning “sea mussel.” alexandrite Alexandrite is a rare variety of the mineral chrysoberyl. Similarly to emeralds, alexandrite is formed when chromium mixes with beryllium and aluminum. Because this rarely happens, alexandrite is extremely rare and valuable. Alexandrite is famous for its ability to change color from bluish green to purplish red under different types of light. Alexandrite is named after Czar Alexander II of Russia. moonstone Moonstone gems are a variety of adularia, which is a type of the mineral feldspar. Moonstone is formed from minerals mixing together and layering on top of each other. Moonstone is colorless but is famous for its adularescence, its ability to “shine blue.” This effect is caused by the mineral layers of the moonstone refracting light. Moonstone is a combination of the words moon and stone. Moonstone was said to resemble the moon, and many legends claimed it either came from the moon or had magical abilities linked to the moon. July | ruby, carnelian, onyx ruby A ruby is a precious gem that is a red variety of the mineral corundum. A ruby’s red color is caused by chromium mixing with the corundum. Rubies come in different shades of red. Pure red rubies are considered the most valuable. The word ruby comes from the Medieval Latin rubīnus, meaning “red.” carnelian Carnelian or cornelian is a type of chalcedony that is considered a semiprecious gemstone. Carnelian’s red or orange color comes from iron oxide. Carnelian gemstones are often heated or dyed in order to change their colors. Carnelians come in different shades of red, orange, or brown. The various spellings of carnelian/cornelian are thought to come from the Old French word cornele, meaning “cherry,” in reference to the gem’s reddish color. onyx Onyx is another type of chalcedony considered to be a semiprecious gemstone. Onyx is a layered chalcedony that is formed from quartz being heated by lava. Onyx comes in different colors but black onyx is used as a July birthstone. The word onyx comes from the Greek ónyx, meaning “nail” or “claw.” The white or flesh-colored bands found in onyx can make the stone appear like a fingernail. August | peridot, sardonyx, spinel peridot Peridot is a green variety of the mineral olivine. Olivine crystals form deep in the Earth’s mantle and are typically brought to the surface via volcanoes. Peridot gemstones have a lime green color. The exact origins of the name peridot are unknown, but it can be traced to the French French péridot, a name for a “green gem.” sardonyx Sardonyx is another type of chalcedony. It is formed by layering of sard and onyx, which explains the name. The color of sardonyx depends on the sard and onyx within it. Sard comes in shades of yellowish-red or reddish-brown, and the bands of onyx are usually white in color. The name sardonyx is a combination of sard and onyx, the two types of chalcedony that combine to make it. spinel Spinel is both the name of a group of minerals and a gemstone made from a particular type of spinel. Spinel is often more resistant to erosion than the rock around it, so spinel crystals are often gathered up in flowing water and deposited in places where miners will eventually find them. Spinel comes in many colors, but red or pink spinel are the colors used for birthstones The word spinel can be traced back to the Latin spina (“thorn”), which referenced the thorny shape of spinel crystals. September | sapphire The term sapphire is used to refer to any variety of the mineral corundum that isn’t red. Typically, the name sapphire is used to refer specifically to blue corundum that is classified as a precious gem. This sapphire’s blue color is caused by small amounts of iron and titanium mixing with the conundrum. Sapphires come in all colors besides red, but blue sapphires are used as the September birthstone. The word sapphire comes from the Greek sáppheiros, a word that may have referred to blue gems, such as sapphire or lapis lazuli. October | opal, tourmaline opal Opal is a mineral that is similar to quartz but has water in it. The presence of the water makes opal brittle, and opal gemstones are usually quite fragile. The “precious opals” used as birthstones come in different colors but often have a kaleidoscopic effect where they shine in a range of colors. The word opal comes from the Greek opállios, meaning “opal” or “gem.” It may also be related to the Sanskrit upala, meaning “precious stone.” tourmaline Tourmaline is a general name for a group of minerals and gemstones that come from said minerals. Large tourmaline crystals typically form after a mixture of many different elements is heated by hot water and water vapor. The color of the tourmaline will depend on which specific elements are used to make it. Tourmaline comes in every color, but pink is typically used as the birthstone color. Tourmaline comes from the Sinhalese tōramalliya, which means “carnelian.” You might remember that carnelian is the name of another gem that is one of July’s birthstones. November | topaz, citrine topaz Topaz is a mineral used as a semiprecious gemstone. Topaz is a very hard mineral that needs fluorine from magma to mix with other elements in order to form crystals. Topaz comes in many colors, but yellow topaz is used as the November birthstone. Topaz comes from the Greek tópazos. This word was used to refer to an island where yellow gems were often found. citrine Citrine is yet another one of the many varieties of quartz. Any yellow or yellowish quartz is called citrine, and it is possible to turn amethyst (purple quartz) into citrine by heating it until it changes color. Citrine comes in shades of yellow. The “inexpensive” (for a gem) citrine is often confused for more expensive yellow gems, such as topaz. The word citrine is formed from a combination of the word citrus and the suffix -ine, which means “like” or “of the nature of.” Citrine is yellow like a citrusy lemon. December | turquoise, tanzanite, blue zircon, lapis lazuli turquoise Turquoise is a blue or greenish-blue mineral used as a semiprecious gem. Turquoise grows best in arid areas where rainfall can help bring underground the copper that turquoise needs to form. Blue and greenish-blue turquoise are most prized as gemstones. Turquoise comes from an Old French word that meant “Turkish stone.” This name referred to the Turkish peoples of the Middle Ages and the lands they inhabited. tanzanite Tanzanite is a variety of the mineral zoisite. Tanzanite’s color is caused by bits of vanadium mixing with zoisite and getting very hot until it turns a blue color. Tanzanite has a purplish-blue color. Tanzanite is named after the country of Tanzania, the only place in the world where tanzanite is naturally found. blue zircon Zircon is an incredibly common mineral that is found in rocks all over the world. Zircon is highly resistant to erosion, so zircon crystals often outlast the rocks around them. Zircon comes in many colors but blue zircon is used as a December birthstone. The word zircon is an alteration of the older word jargon, which was used to refer to colorless zircon gemstones. lapis lazuli Lapis lazuli is a rock made of multiple minerals. Lapis lazuli’s deep blue color comes from lazurite, which is the “main ingredient” of lapis lazuli. Lapis lazuli comes in shades of blue. The name lapis lazuli comes from a combination of the Latin words lapis, meaning “stone,” and lazulī, from the word lazulum used to refer to an azure blue color. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

What Does “Auld Lang Syne” Actually Mean? New Year’s Eve is full of traditions that are easy to understand. Counting down the seconds until the day the calendar changes, for example. Others are a little less straightforward. Case in point: singing “Auld Lang Syne”—or at least humming along while it plays on TV in the background. Don’t blame yourself if you don’t know the lyrics despite the song making the rounds every year. The words auld lang syne literally mean “old long since,” though in practice it means “old times, especially times fondly remembered,” as well as an “old or long friendship.” It’s from the Scots language, and the expression was first recorded in 1660–1680. But why do millions of people sing it on New Year’s Eve every year? It all started with Robert Burns, the national poet of Scotland. When was “Auld Lang Syne” written? Burns wrote his “Auld Lang Syne” version—the one that we’ve all come to know (or at least kind of know)—in 1788 and published it in 1796. Since the first known recording of the expression came about more than a century earlier, it’s clear it wasn’t an entirely new concept. Gather the wee bairns and take a peek at our list of 15 Scottish words perfect for celebrating old times (and new!) Burns may get the credit for “Auld Lang Syne,” but no one knows who actually first wrote the poem. Burns himself didn’t claim the ditty. Instead, he said he took a fragment of a folk song that he’d heard and built more lyrics around it. It’s believed that the chorus and first stanza came from elsewhere, while the rest is a Burns original. The chorus and first stanza, of course, are the bits that people typically know if they know any lyrics at all. Sorry, Rob. Why is “Auld Lang Syne” a New Year’s Eve song? The final day of the year is an apt time for looking back at the days past. That makes the theme and gist of “Auld Lang Syne” ripe for seasonal use. Still, that doesn’t fully explain why a centuries-old Scottish folk song became such a New Year’s Eve hit in America. One of the reasons that “Auld Lang Syne” made it into New Year’s Eve lore is because of mass media. A popular New Year’s Eve broadcast on radio and then television hosted by Guy Lombardo and his band, the Royal Canadians, ran from 1929 to 1976. Lombardo came to be known as “Mr. New Year’s Eve” because of the broadcast. Mr. New Year’s Eve himself is responsible for pushing “Auld Lang Syne” to the masses year after year on his annual show. If anything can make an 18th-century Scottish song popular in the modern era, it’s the power of television. What do the lyrics mean? Now that you know what the titular words mean and how it came about, what about the rest of the lyrics? You might as well know what the most popular lyrics mean if you’re going to sing the song before starting the new year. “Auld Lang Syne” is a relatively lengthy song in its entirety, but typically only the first verse and the chorus make the cut for New Year’s Eve celebrations. The first lyrics, “Should auld acquaintance be forgot / And never brought to mind?” is a rhetorical question of whether you should forget about your old friends (which is not recommended). It goes on to talk about reminiscing “for auld lang syne,” or for fond memories of old times. The lyric “We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet” refers to raising a glass, while “and surely ye’ll be your pint-stowp / and surely I’ll be mine” is another drinking line that means, “And surely you’ll have your pint tankard / And surely I’ll have mine.” Because these lyrics do resemble English words, it can come as a shock to many casual singers that the rest of the song does not seem equally familiar. Burns writes about running “about the braes,” which are hills, and “pu’d the gowans fine,” which means “pulled the daisies fine.” The lyrics “paidl’d i’ the burn / Frae mornin’ sun till dine / But seas between us braid hae roar’d,” mean that the singer has paddled in the stream from the morning until dinner, but the broad seas have roared between us. This is a reference to friends that were once close but now are far. Finally, Burns writes “there’s a hand, my trusty fiere / And gie’s a hand o’ thine / And we’ll tak a right guid willy waught.” This means the singer is giving his hand to his trusty friend and the friend does the same. Then the references to alcohol come back as they drink a good-will drink to the days past. Careful with those tankards, now. This list of synonyms for drunkard might come in handy on New Year’s Eve. If you understand it that far through, you’ll likely be in better shape than your companions come New Year’s Eve. For the ambitious, however … Here are the full lyrics to “Auld Lang Syne”: Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And auld lang syne. CHORUS: For auld lang syne, my jo, For auld lang syne. We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet, For auld lang syne. And surely ye’ll be your pint-stowp! And surely I’ll be mine! And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet, For auld lang syne. REPEAT CHORUS We twa hae run about the braes And pu’d the gowans fine But we’ve wander’d mony a weary foot Sin auld lang syne. REPEAT CHORUS We twa hae paidl’d i’ the burn Frae mornin’ sun till dine. But seas between us braid hae roar’d Sin auld lang syne. REPEAT CHORUS And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere! And gie’s a hand o’ thine! And we’ll tak a right guid willy waught, For auld lang syne. REPEAT CHORUS Should old acquaintance be forgot And never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot, And long, long ago. REPEAT CHORUS And for long, long ago, my dear For long, long ago. We’ll take a cup of kindness yet For long, long ago. And surely youll buy your pint-jug! And surely I’ll buy mine! And we’ll take a cup of kindness yet For long, long ago. REPEAT CHORUS We two have run about the hills And pulled the daisies fine; But we’ve wandered manys the weary foot Since long, long ago. REPEAT CHORUS We two have paddled in the stream, From morning sun till dine; But seas between us broad have roared Since long, long ago. REPEAT CHORUS And there’s a hand, my trusty friend! And give us a hand of yours! And we’ll take a deep draught of good-will For long, long ago. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.