Zao may refer to:
The James Bond novels and films are notable for their memorable villains and henchmen. Each Bond villain has numerous henchmen to do their bidding.
There is typically one particularly privileged henchman who poses a formidable physical threat to Bond and must be defeated in order to reach the employer. These range from simply adept and tough fighters, such as Donald 'Red' Grant, to henchmen whose physical characteristics are seemingly superhuman, such as Jaws.
Zao /ˈzeɪ.oʊ/ is a metalcore band from Parkersburg, West Virginia. Founded in March 1993, Zao has hosted several musicians and endured numerous roster changes to the point where no original members remain. Former drummer Jesse Smith, singer Daniel Weydant, and guitarists Scott Mellinger & Russ Cogdell are seen by most fans as the "core" of Zao.
Christianity has been a key influence in the band's work; because the founding members claimed to have a strong relationship with God, they were considered a devoted Christian band, which changed as time passed. Former drummer Jesse Smith slowly changed the band's vision. Because only half the band's members identified themselves as Christians, Zao no longer considered itself a Christian band but rather a group of open-minded artists. Lyrics in future productions may or may not include Christian messages, but Zao has stated they would have loved to return to the Christian Cornerstone Festival when it was still active. As of 2015, only one member of the band claims Christianity as their beliefs.
Casimir, an English, French and Latin form of the Polish name Kazimierz.
The name may mean "someone who destroys opponent's prestige/glory during battle", and is derived from the Slavic elements: kaziti "to destroy" and měr "prestige, fame". The latter element is also found in Vladimir, and is cognate to the Germanic and Celtic name element -mer or -mar (e.g. Dietmar) with similar meaning. It is often conflated with mir "peace, world", thus some researchers translate the name as "the one who reveals or establishes peace". Some sources give the meaning as "proclamation of peace". Several Polish kings have borne this name, including Casimir III the Great and Saint Casimir, a patron saint of Poland and Lithuania. The name was imported into Western Europe via Germany, where it was borne by some royalty. Feminine forms are: Casimira, Kazimiera. Kazimierz could be also related with a Turkish name Kazim.
Casimir, an anthropomorphic orange dinosaur with yellow and red spots, was the main host of the French TV show l'Île aux enfants, played by Yves Brunier in a costume.
He appeared for the first time on television on September 14, 1974 on French television. The show was broadcast first on FR3 before being broadcast for seven consecutive seasons on TF1. The show was cancelled on June 30, 1982.
Casimir are an alternative band from Bristol, England. Formed between school friends Jed Hampson and Joey Edwards, Casimir went through various lineup changes before becoming fully active in 2012, releasing 'Lucid' on the Fear Of Fiction FOF008 compilation vinyl. On 23 January 2013 their video for 'Balancing Act' was premiered on NME.com, taken from their debut EP 'Not Mathematics'.
On 23 June 2012 Casimir's track 'Lucid' was featured on the Fear Of Fiction released compilation vinyl, gaining comparisons to bands such as Interpol, Mystery Jets, and We Are Scientists. Their debut video was premiered on NME.com January 2013, in order to promote the release of debut EP 'Not Mathematics'. This was shortly followed by release of singles 'Like Whistles' and a rerecorded 'Lucid', in February and March respectively.
In October 2013 the band moved to London to commence their studies at Goldsmiths.