Agkistrodon piscivorus
Agkistrodon piscivorus is a venomous snake, a species of pit viper, found in the southeastern United States. Adults are large and capable of delivering a painful and potentially fatal bite. When antagonized, they will stand their ground by coiling their bodies and displaying their fangs. Although their aggression has been exaggerated, individuals may bite when feeling threatened or being handled. This is the world's only semiaquatic viper, usually found in or near water, particularly in slow-moving and shallow lakes, streams, and marshes. The snake is a strong swimmer and will even enter the sea. It has successfully colonized islands off both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
The generic name is derived from the Greek words ancistro (hooked) and odon (tooth), and the specific name comes from the Latin piscis (fish) and voro (to eat); thus, the scientific name translates into “hooked-tooth fish-eater”. Common names include variants on water moccasin, swamp moccasin, black moccasin, cottonmouth, gapper, or simply viper. Many of the common names refer to the threat display, where this species will often stand its ground and gape at an intruder, exposing the white lining of its mouth. Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here. Its diet consists mainly of fish and frogs but is otherwise highly varied and, uniquely, has even been reported to include carrion.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Coordinates: 2°52′48″S 23°39′22″E / 2.88°S 23.656°E / -2.88; 23.656
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (/ˈkɒŋɡoʊ/; French pronunciation: [kɔ̃ɡo]; French: République démocratique du Congo), also known as DR Congo, DRC, DROC, RDC, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply Congo is a country located in Central Africa. From 1971 to 1997 it was named Zaïre. The DRC borders the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan to the north; Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania to the east; Zambia and Angola to the south; and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. It is the second largest country in Africa by area, the largest in Subsaharan Africa, and the eleventh largest in the world. With a population of over 75 million, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most populated officially Francophone country, the fourth most populated nation in Africa and the nineteenth most populated country in the world.
The Congolese Civil Wars, which began in 1996, brought about the end of Mobutu Sese Seko's 31-year reign and devastated the country. The wars ultimately involved nine African nations, multiple groups of UN peacekeepers and twenty armed groups, and resulted in the deaths of 5.4 million people.
Regions of the African Union
The member states of the African Union are divided into five geographic regions of the African Union.
List
North
Southern
East
West
Central
Sixth Region
The AU considers the African diaspora as its sixth region.
References
TCM
TCM may refer to:
Chemistry and physics
Companies
Computing and telecommunications
Places
.22 TCM
The 22TCM (.22 Tuason Craig Micromagnum) is a proprietary bottle-necked cartridge developed by Fred Craig and Rock Island Armory. Before the cartridge was commercialized, it was called the 22 Micro-Mag. Standard factory loads are 40-grain jacketed soft hollow point. Armscor has announced a new round the 22TCM9R which will be the same case as the 22TCM but have an overall length of the 9×19mm round. The company plans to release this round in summer of 2015 with a Glock 22TCM9R conversion slide to allow the 22TCM to fit in a 9mm length magazine, hence the "9R" designation. The 22TCM9R will in fact still be a 39 grain bullet but will be a fully jacketed hollow point instead.
The 22TCM is based on the 5.56×45mm NATO case, shortened so that the shoulder is at approximately the same length as a .38 Super cartridge. The cartridge is designed to feed from a Para-Ordnance-style double-column .38 Super magazine. Currently only Rock Island Armory catalogs firearms chambered in 22TCM: a 1911 style semi-auto pistol (also available with optional additional 9mm barrel and recoil spring), and a bolt-action rifle (which reportedly can use the same magazines as the pistols); and only Armscor (the parent company of Rock Island Armory) manufactures ammunition.
M45 Quadmount
The M45 Quadmount (nicknamed the "meat chopper" and "Krautmower" for its high rate of fire) was a weapon mounting consisting of four of the "HB", or "heavy barrel" .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns (of the M2 Turret Type (TT) variant) mounted in pairs on each side of an open, electrically powered turret. It was developed by the W. L. Maxson Corporation to replace the earlier M33 twin mount (also from Maxson). Although designed as an anti-aircraft weapon, it was also used against ground targets. Introduced in 1943 during World War II, it remained in US service as late as the Vietnam War.
History
In order to develop a mobile anti-aircraft weapon, several 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) twin machine gun mounts were tested on the chassis of the M2 half-track including Bendix, Martin Aircraft Company, and Maxson. The Maxson M33 turret mount was preferred and - on the larger M3 half-track (T1E2) - was accepted for service in 1942 as the M13 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage. The mount was also used on the similar M5 half track as the M14 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage.
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