Fauna

Fauna is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora. Flora, fauna and other forms of life such as fungi are collectively referred to as biota. Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess Shale fauna". Paleontologists sometimes refer to a sequence of faunal stages, which is a series of rocks all containing similar fossils.

Etymology

Fauna comes from the Latin names Fauna, a Roman goddess of earth and fertility, the Roman god Faunus, and the related forest spirits called Fauns. All three words are cognates of the name of the Greek god Pan, and panis is the Greek equivalent of fauna. Fauna is also the word for a book that catalogues the animals in such a manner. The term was first used by Linnaeus in the title of his 1745 work Fauna Suecica.

Subdivisions

Cryofauna

Cryofauna are animals that live in, or very close to, ice.

Fauna (album)

Fauna is the debut album by Danish recording artist Oh Land. It was released in Denmark on 10 November 2008 by Danish independent label Fake Diamond Records. The album received generally positive acclaim in her home country.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Oh Land. 

Personnel

Credits for Fauna adapted from liner notes.

Fauna (deity)

In ancient Roman religion, Fauna is a goddess said in differing ancient sources to be the wife, sister, or daughter of Faunus (the Roman counterpart of Pan).Varro regarded her as the female counterpart of Faunus, and said that the fauni all had prophetic powers. She is also called Fatua or Fenta Fauna.

Names

Varro explained the role of Faunus and Fauna as prophetic deities:

Fauni are gods of the Latins, so that there is both a male Faunus and a female Fauna; there is a tradition that they used to speak of (fari) future events in wooded places using the verses they call 'Saturnians', and thus they were called 'Fauni' from 'speaking' (fando).

Servius identifies Faunus with Fatuclus, and says his wife is Fatua or Fauna, deriving the names as Varro did from fari, "to speak," "because they can foretell the future." The early Christian author Lactantius called her Fenta Fauna and said that she was both the sister and wife of Faunus; according to Lactantius, Fatua sang the fata, "fates," to women as Faunus did to men.Justin said that Fatua, the wife of Faunus, "being filled with divine spirit assiduously predicted future events as if in a madness (furor)," and thus the verb for divinely inspired speech is fatuari.

Floor

A floor is the walking surface of a room or vehicle. Floors vary from simple dirt in a cave to many-layered surfaces modern technology. Floors may be stone, wood, bamboo, metal, or any other material that can support the expected load.

The levels of a building are often referred to as floors although a more proper term is story or storey.

Floors typically consist of a subfloor for support and a floor covering used to give a good walking surface. In modern buildings the subfloor often has electrical wiring, plumbing, and other services built in. As floors must meet many needs, some essential to safety, floors are built to strict building codes in the first world.

Special floor structures

Where a special floor structure like a floating floor is laid upon another floor then both may be referred to as subfloors.

Special floor structures are used for a number of purposes:

Floor (legislative)

The floor of a legislature or chamber is the place where members sit and make speeches. When a person is speaking there formally, they are said to have the floor. The House of Commons and the House of Lords In the United Kingdom, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate all have "floors" with established procedures and protocols.

Activity on the floor of a council or legislature, such as debate, may be contrasted with meetings and discussion which takes place in committee, for which there are often separate committee rooms. Some actions, such as the overturning of an executive veto, may only be taken on the floor.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom's House of Commons a rectangular configuration is used with the government ministers and their party sitting on the right of the presiding Speaker and the opposing parties sitting on the benches opposite. Members are not permitted to speak between the red lines on the floor which mark the boundaries of each side. These are traditionally two sword lengths apart to mitigate the possibility of physical conflict. If a member changes allegiance between the two sides, they are said to cross the floor. Only members and the essential officers of the house such as the clerks are permitted upon the floor while parliament is in session.

Floor (band)

Floor is an American doom/stoner band from Miami, Florida, United States.

History

Initially from Miami, Floor was formed in 1992 by Steve Brooks (guitar), Anthony Vialon (guitar/bass), and Betty Monteavaro (drums). Jeff Sousa became the drummer in late 1993, and Brooks and Vialon changed their sound by implementing two uniquely low-tuned guitars, forgoing the need of a bassist. Material was recorded for two full-length albums (Dove 1994, Saturnine and Tears 1995) but neither were released until after their eponymous album years later. During that time several vinyl-only 7" EPs were released, followed by their first break in 1996. They reformed with a new line-up for one show in 1997 with Henry Wilson on drums and practiced only occasionally until 2001. Finally they released their first full-length album, self-titled Floor, before splitting up in 2003. The Self-Titled album went on to garner accolades from the underground music scene and the bands' cult-following grew in their absence. Brooks would go on to form the band Torche. Henry Wilson went on to form the bands Dove and House of Lightning. Anthony Vialon, having also played several years with Miami outfit Cavity, focused on theology.