Opal

Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silica (SiO₂·nH₂O); its water content may range from 3 to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6 and 10%. Because of its amorphous character, it is classed as a mineraloid, unlike crystalline forms of silica, which are classed as minerals. It is deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of rock, being most commonly found with limonite, sandstone, rhyolite, marl, and basalt. Opal is the national gemstone of Australia.

The internal structure of precious opal makes it diffract light; depending on the conditions in which it formed, it can take on many colors. Precious opal ranges from clear through white, gray, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, magenta, rose, pink, slate, olive, brown, and black. Of these hues, the black opals are the most rare, whereas white and greens are the most common. It varies in optical density from opaque to semitransparent.

Precious opal

Precious opal shows a variable interplay of internal colors, and though it is a mineraloid, it has an internal structure. At microscopic scales, precious opal is composed of silica spheres some 150 to 300 nm in diameter in a hexagonal or cubic close-packed lattice. It was shown by J. V. Sanders in the mid-1960s, that these ordered silica spheres produce the internal colors by causing the interference and diffraction of light passing through the microstructure of the opal. The regularity of the sizes and the packing of these spheres determines the quality of precious opal. Where the distance between the regularly packed planes of spheres is around half the wavelength of a component of visible light, the light of that wavelength may be subject to diffraction from the grating created by the stacked planes. The colors that are observed are determined by the spacing between the planes and the orientation of planes with respect to the incident light. The process can be described by Bragg's law of diffraction.

List of recurring The Simpsons characters

The Simpsons includes a large array of supporting characters: co-workers, teachers, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, fictional characters within the show, and even animals. The writers originally intended many of these characters as one-time jokes or for fulfilling needed functions in the town. A number of them have gained expanded roles and have subsequently starred in their own episodes. According to the creator of The Simpsons, Matt Groening, the show adopted the concept of a large supporting cast from the Canadian sketch comedy show Second City Television.

Agnes Skinner

Agnes Skinner (voiced by Tress MacNeille) is the mother of Principal Skinner and first appeared in the first season episode "The Crepes of Wrath" as an old woman who embarrassingly calls her son "Spanky". However, as episodes progressed, the character turned bitter. She is very controlling of her son and often treats him as if he is a child. She hates Edna Krabappel due to her son's feelings for the other woman. Agnes has married four times. Several Springfield residents (including the Simpsons) are afraid of her. When "the real Seymour Skinner" arrives in Springfield, Agnes ends up rejecting him in part because he stands up to her, but also because unlike Skinner/Tamzarian, her biological son is independent and doesn't need her anymore, while Skinner immediately reverts to a good-for-nothing without her.

List of EastEnders characters (2008)

The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 2008, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by executive producer Diederick Santer. Santer introduced four characters in January, Mr Lister, a new market inspector; Christian Clarke, the brother of Jane Beale and two members of the Branning family, Selina and Penny. In March, he introduced Jalil Iqbal, a new love interest for Shabnam Masood and in April he introduced Ricky Butcher's fiancée, Melinda as well as Bianca Jackson's children, Whitney, Morgan and Tiffany. Also in April he introduced Denise Fox's ex-husband, Lucas Johnson, and Opal Smith, the aunt of Gus and Juley Smith. In May he extended the Johnson family and introduced Lucas's son, Jordan as well as introducing Brenda Boyle, a new love interest for Charlie Slater. In July, he introduced two members of the long-established Mitchell family, Archie Mitchell and Danielle Jones. In August, he introduced Callum Monks, the son of Vinnie and in September, Tony King, arrived as the partner of Bianca, and Poppy Merritt, the new GP of Walford. November saw the only birth of the year, Amy Mitchell, the child of Roxy Mitchell and Jack Branning. The final introduction of the year was Dotty, Nick Cotton's daughter.

Tama

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Tama (cat)

Tama (たま, April 29, 1999 – June 22, 2015) was a female calico cat who gained fame for being a station master and operating officer at Kishi Station on the Kishigawa Line in Kinokawa, Wakayama, Japan.

Early life and adoption

Tama was born in Kinokawa, Wakayama, and was raised with a group of stray cats that used to live close to Kishi Station. They were regularly fed by passengers and by Toshiko Koyama, the informal station manager at the time. The station was almost shut down in 2004 because of financial problems. Around this time, Koyama adopted Tama. Eventually the decision to shut down the station was withdrawn after the citizens demanded it stay open. In April 2006, the Wakayama Electric Railway destaffed all stations on the Kishigawa Line to cut costs. Station masters were selected from employees of local businesses near each station, and Koyama was officially chosen as the station manager. In January 5, 2007, railway officials decided to officially name Tama the station master. As station master, her primary duty was to greet passengers. The position came with a station master's hat; in lieu of a salary, the railway provided Tama with cat food.

Masami Shiratama

Masami Shiratama (白玉 雅己, Shiratama Masami, born April 27, 1974), also known as Tama or Shiratama (シラタマ) is a Japanese musical composer and multi-instrumentalist from Innoshima and a bass guitarist of Porno Graffitti in September 1999. After leaving the band in June 2004, he released the album Great Pleasure in December 2005.

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Great Pleasure (December 21, 2005)