Asp may refer to:
The asp (Aspius aspius) is a European freshwater fish of the Cyprinid family. It is protected by the Bern Convention of endangered species and habitats (Appendix III). Asps are also on the IUCN Red List of endangered species.
Normally, asps are between 10 and 80 cm in length, with some reaching 120 cm, and weighing up to 12 kg. They inhabit lakes and lower reaches of rivers and estuaries. In spring, in April–June, asps migrate from lakes to streams for spawning. Spawning is triggered by the rise in temperature and usually starts at 6°C. The eggs attach to rocks, gravel, and water plants. After around two weeks, they hatch and the fry drift downstream to calmer waters.
Asps can be found in Estonia, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Russia, Switzerland, Slovenia, the Netherlands, and Belgium. In Switzerland, asps have migrated through the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal, as in Croatia, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia. In the eastern regions of Europe, it is a common species in flowing waters, and popular for fly and other types of fishing.
"Asp" is the modern Anglicisation of the word "aspis," which in antiquity referred to any one of several venomous snake species found in the Nile region. It is believed that the aspis referred to in Egyptian mythology is the modern Egyptian cobra.
Throughout dynastic and Roman Egypt, the asp was a symbol of royalty. Moreover, in both Egypt and Greece, its potent venom made it useful as a means of execution for criminals who were thought deserving of a more dignified death than that of typical executions. In some stories of Perseus, after killing Medusa, the hero used winged boots to transport her head to Mount Olympus. As he was flying over Egypt some of her blood fell to the ground, which transformed into asps and amphisbaenae.
According to Plutarch (quoted by Ussher), Cleopatra tested various deadly poisons on condemned persons and concluded that the bite of the asp (from aspis - Egyptian cobra, not European asp) was the least terrible way to die; the venom brought sleepiness and heaviness without spasms of pain. The asp is perhaps most famous for its alleged role in Cleopatra's suicide when Marc Anthony (husband) killed himself by falling on his sword due to false report of Cleopatra killing herself. (some believe it to have been a horned viper), though in 2010, German historian Christoph Schaefer and toxicologist Dietrich Mebs, after extensive study into the event, came to the conclusion that rather than enticing a venomous animal to bite her, Cleopatra actually used a mixture of hemlock, wolfsbane and opium to end her life.
Das or DAS may refer to:
Dus (Hindi: दस, translation: Ten) is a 2005 Bollywood action spy thriller film based on the Indian Special Investigation Team (SIT) Officers. The film is directed by Anubhav Sinha and produced by Nitin Manmohan. It stars Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty, Abhishek Bachchan, Shilpa Shetty, Zayed Khan and Esha Deol in lead roles. The film is a tribute to celebrated director Mukul S. Anand, who had died while filming the 1997 incomplete film of the same name, and which had also starred Sanjay Dutt in the lead role. The film was commercial and critical success at the Indian Box Office.
The film follows the head of the ATC, played by Dutt, and his team, as they embark on a mission to prevent a deadly terrorist attack orchestrated by an international terrorist and criminal, Jamwaal with only 7 days to do so. The incident was to take place on 10 May, thus explaining the name of the film.
In the opening scene, Siddhant Dheer (Sanjay Dutt), the head of the Anti-Terrorist Cell (a fictitious organisation), narrates how rampant terrorism has become in the world and goes on to tell the story of 7 of the hardest days in his life.
DAS (ダスッ!, Dasu!) is a Japanese adult video (AV) production company located in Tokyo, Japan.
DAS is part of Japan's largest group of AV companies, the Hokuto Corporation, located in Ebisu, Tokyo. DAS specializes in simulated rape, bukkake, nakadashi (creampie) and humiliation videos using well-known actresses. The company was founded in 2007 and released its first four videos on April 25, 2007. These videos starred Maria Ozawa, Rin Suzuka, Reina Matsushima and Rin Aoki, four actresses who moved to the new company from another Hokuto Corporation company, S1 No. 1 Style.
DAS releases a total of about four original and compilation videos per month. The studio uses product codes beginning with "DASD" for their original videos and "DAZD" for compilation works. As of April 2014, the latest videos were DASD-250 and DAZD-057. The DMM website, the distribution arm for companies in the Hokuto Corporation, listed more than 200 DVDs under the DAS studio name in September 2011. The company also releases videos in the Blu-ray format. In March 2010 DAS announced the debut of a new label "Platinum" (プラチナ, Purachina).