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Clinking Glasses
Clinking glasses is a drinking ritual where the participants make contact between their drinking vessels, producing bell-like sounds in order to express congratulations or greetings, Clinking is more likely after a Toast (honor), toast that involves a subject of joint interest (like the just-wedded couple). Symbolism The origin of the tradition is unknown. One explanation suggests that spilling a neighbor's drink and letting some of it get into one's own glass was a demonstration of the absence of poison. In medieval France, people would clink glasses and then swap them, a variation of this explanation is that clinking indicated declining the suggested swap. Another theory derives the custom from the belief that the sounds of colliding vessels force the evil spirits out of alcohol, similar in function to the beliefs about the church bells in the past (thus suggesting that the ritual started in the Christian era). Warding off the evil spirits is also offered as an explanation for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wedding Favor
A party favor is a small gift given to the guests at a party as a gesture of thanks for their attendance, a memento of the occasion, or simply for fun. History While the term "party favor" is modern, the practice dates back to the classical Graeco-Roman tradition, where food or flowers were gifted to the attendees of an event. In the Middle Ages entertainers were throwing small objects at the spectators, and the elaborate table decorations were sometimes gifted to important guests after the party. The origins of elaborate party favors at the weddings can probably be traced to the 20th-century marriage of Victor Emmanuel of Savoy to Elena of Montenegro, where the guests received silver items of significant value. The tradition of sharing a wedding cake also represents gifting food to ensure good life and prosperity. The almost extinct in Britain, but revived in the US, tradition of the groom's cake involved boxing its pieces to be given away to the guests. Wedding traditi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
G♯ (musical Note)
G♯ (G-sharp) or sol dièse is the ninth semitone of the solfège. In the German pitch nomenclature, it is known as ''gis''. It lies a chromatic semitone above G and a diatonic semitone below A, thus being enharmonic to ''la bémol'' or A (A-flat). When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of the G♯ semitone is approximately 415.305 Hz. See pitch (music) for a discussion of historical variations in frequency. The notes A and G are the only notes to have only one enharmonic, since they cannot be reached in any other way by a single or double sharp or a single or double flat from any of the seven white notes. In the medieval period the musical note G# was known as gesolreut within the Guidonian hand hexachord system. Designation by octave Scales Common scales beginning on G * G major: G A B C D E F G * G natural minor: G A B C D E F G * G harmonic minor: G A B C D E F G * G melodic minor ascending: G A B C D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
F (musical Note)
F is a musical note, the fourth above C or fifth below C. It is the fourth note and the sixth semitone of the solfège. It is also known as fa in fixed-do solfège. It is enharmonic equivalent with E (E-sharp) and G (G-double flat), amongst others. When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of Middle F (F4) is approximately 349.228 Hz. See pitch (music) for a discussion of historical variations in frequency. Designation by octave Scales Common scales beginning on F * F major: F G A B C D E F * F natural minor: F G A B C D E F * F harmonic minor: F G A B C D E F * F melodic minor ascending: F G A B C D E F * F melodic minor descending: F E D C B A G F Diatonic scales * F Ionian: F G A B C D E F * F Dorian: F G A B C D E F * F Phrygian: F G A B C D E F * F Lydian: F G A B C D E F * F Mixolydian: F G A B C D E F * F Aeolian: F G A B C D E F * F Locrian: F G A B C D E F Jazz melodic minor * F ascending me ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lead Crystal
Lead glass, commonly called crystal, is a variety of glass in which lead replaces the calcium content of a typical potash glass. Lead glass contains typically 18–40% (by mass) lead(II) oxide (PbO), while modern lead crystal, historically also known as flint glass due to the original silica source, contains a minimum of 24% PbO. Lead glass is often desirable for a variety of uses due to its clarity. In marketing terms it is often called crystal glass. The term ''lead crystal'' is, technically, not an accurate term to describe lead glass, because glass lacks a crystalline structure and is instead an amorphous solid. The use of the term remains popular for historical and commercial reasons, but is sometimes changed to simply ''crystal'' because of lead's reputation as a toxic substance. It is retained from the Venetian word to describe the rock crystal (quartz) imitated by Murano glassmakers. This naming convention has been maintained to the present day to describe dec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lead(II) Oxide
Lead(II) oxide, also called lead monoxide, is the inorganic compound with the molecular formula Pb O. It occurs in two polymorphs: litharge having a tetragonal crystal structure, and massicot having an orthorhombic crystal structure. Modern applications for PbO are mostly in lead-based industrial glass and industrial ceramics, including computer components. Types Lead oxide exists in two polymorphs: * Red tetragonal (α-PbO), obtained at temperatures below * Yellow orthorhombic (β-PbO), obtained at temperatures above Synthesis PbO may be prepared by heating lead metal in air at approximately . At this temperature it is also the end product of decomposition of other oxides of lead in air: :PbO2->[] Pb12O19 ->[] Pb12O17 ->[] Pb3O4 ->[] PbO Thermal decomposition of lead(II) nitrate or lead carbonate, lead(II) carbonate also results in the formation of PbO: :2 → 2 PbO + 4 + : → PbO + PbO is produced on a large scale as an intermediate product in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Venetian Glass
Venetian glass () is glassware made in Venice, typically on the island of Murano near the city. Traditionally it is made with a soda–lime "metal" and is typically elaborately decorated, with various "hot" glass-forming techniques, as well as gilding, enamel, or engraving. Production has been concentrated on the Venetian island of Murano since the 13th century. Today Murano is known for its art glass, but it has a long history of innovations in glassmaking in addition to its artistic fame—and was Europe's major center for luxury glass from the High Middle Ages to the Italian Renaissance. During the 15th century, Murano glassmakers created '' cristallo''—which was almost transparent and considered the finest glass in the world. Murano glassmakers also developed a white-colored glass ( milk glass called ''lattimo'') that looked like porcelain. They later became Europe's finest makers of mirrors. During the Early Middle Ages, Venice was originally controlled by the Eastern R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Margaret Visser
Margaret Visser (born May 11, 1940) is a Canadian writer and broadcaster who lives in Toronto, Paris, and South West France. Her subject matter is the history, anthropology, and mythology of everyday life. Biography Born in South Africa, she attended school in Zambia, Zimbabwe, France (the University of Paris, Sorbonne) and the University of Toronto where she earned a PhD in Classics. Visser taught Greek and Latin at York University in North York, Toronto for 18 years. For several years Visser regularly appeared on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's popular radio program ''Morningside (radio program), Morningside'' in conversations with Peter Gzowski. Her writing has won many awards, including the Glenfiddich Award for Food Book of the Year in Britain in 1989, the International Association of Culinary Professionals' Literary Food Writing Award, and the Jane Grigson Award. Visser delivered the 2002 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, CBC Massey Lectures. Her topic was "Beyond ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Acoustic Beat
In acoustics, a beat is an interference pattern between two sounds of slightly different frequencies, ''perceived'' as a periodic variation in volume whose rate is the difference of the two frequencies. With tuning instruments that can produce sustained tones, beats can be readily recognized. Tuning two tones to a unison will present a peculiar effect: when the two tones are close in pitch but not identical, the difference in frequency generates the beating. The volume varies as in a tremolo as the sounds alternately interfere constructively and destructively. As the two tones gradually approach unison, the beating slows down and may become so slow as to be imperceptible. As the two tones get further apart, their beat frequency starts to approach the range of human pitch perception, the beating starts to sound like a note, and a combination tone is produced. Mathematics and physics of beat tones This phenomenon is best known in acoustics or music, though it can be found in any ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Resonant Frequencies
Resonance is a phenomenon that occurs when an object or system is subjected to an external force or vibration whose frequency matches a resonant frequency (or resonance frequency) of the system, defined as a frequency that generates a maximum amplitude response in the system. When this happens, the object or system absorbs energy from the external force and starts vibrating with a larger amplitude. Resonance can occur in various systems, such as mechanical, electrical, or acoustic systems, and it is often desirable in certain applications, such as musical instruments or radio receivers. However, resonance can also be detrimental, leading to excessive vibrations or even structural failure in some cases. All systems, including molecular systems and particles, tend to vibrate at a natural frequency depending upon their structure; when there is very little damping this frequency is approximately equal to, but slightly above, the resonant frequency. When an oscillating force, an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hearing
Hearing, or auditory perception, is the ability to perceive sounds through an organ, such as an ear, by detecting vibrations as periodic changes in the pressure of a surrounding medium. The academic field concerned with hearing is auditory science. Sound may be heard through solid, liquid, or gaseous matter. It is one of the traditional five senses. Partial or total inability to hear is called hearing loss. In humans and other vertebrates, hearing is performed primarily by the auditory system: mechanical waves, known as vibrations, are detected by the ear and transduction (physiology), transduced into nerve impulses that are perceived by the brain (primarily in the temporal lobe). Like touch, audition requires sensitivity to the movement of molecules in the world outside the organism. Both hearing and touch are types of mechanosensation. Hearing mechanism There are three main components of the human auditory system: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. Outer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Drinking Ritual
Drinking culture is the set of traditions, rituals, and social behaviors associated with the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Although alcoholic beverages and social attitudes toward drinking vary around the world, nearly every civilization has independently discovered the processes of brewing beer, fermenting wine, and distilling spirits, among other practices. Alcohol has been present in numerous societies over the centuries with the production and consumption of alcoholic beverages date back to ancient civilisations. Drinking is documented in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, in the Qur'an, in Greek and Roman literature as old as Homer, in Confucius’ ''Analects'', and in various forms of artistic expression throughout history. Drinking habits vary significantly across the globe with many countries have developed their own regional cultures based on unique traditions around the fermentation and consumption of alcohol as a social lubricant, which may also be known as a b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
