Rose
A rose (/ˈroʊz/) is a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus Rosa, in the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species and thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be erect shrubs, climbing or trailing with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers vary in size and shape and are usually large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows and reds. Most species are native to Asia, with smaller numbers native to Europe, North America, and northwest Africa. Species, cultivars and hybrids are all widely grown for their beauty and often are fragrant. Rose plants range in size from compact, miniature roses, to climbers that can reach seven meters in height. Different species hybridize easily, and this has been used in the development of the wide range of garden roses.
The name rose comes from French, itself from Latin rosa, which was perhaps borrowed from Oscan, from Greek ρόδον rhódon (Aeolic βρόδον wródon), itself borrowed from Old Persian wrd- (wurdi), related to Avestan varəδa, Sogdian ward, Parthian wâr.
Rose (symbolism)
Roses have been long used as symbols in a number of societies. Roses are ancient symbols of love and beauty. "Rose" means pink or red in a variety of languages (such as the Romance languages and Greek).
The Classical Era
The rose was sacred to a number of goddesses including Isis, whose rose appears in the late classical allegorical novel The Golden Ass as "the sweet Rose of reason and virtue" that saves the hero from his bewitched life in the form of a donkey. The ancient Greeks and Romans identified the rose with the goddess of love, Aphrodite (Greek name) and Venus (Roman name).
In Rome a wild rose would be placed on the door of a room where secret or confidential matters were discussed. The phrase sub rosa, or "under the rose", means to keep a secret — derived from this ancient Roman practice.
Islam and Sufism
The cultivation of geometrical gardens, in which the rose has often held pride of place, has a long history in Iran and surrounding lands. In the lyric ghazal, it is the beauty of the rose that provokes the longing song of the nightingale - an image prominent, for example, in the poems of Hafez.
Rosé
A rosé (from French rosé; also known as rosado in Portugal and Spanish-speaking countries and rosato in Italy) is a type of wine that incorporates some of the color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the skin contact method. The pink color can range from a pale "onion"-skin orange to a vivid near-purple, depending on the varietals used and winemaking techniques. There are three major ways to produce rosé wine: skin contact, saignée and blending. Rosé wines can be made still, semi-sparkling or sparkling and with a wide range of sweetness levels from bone-dry Provençal rosé to sweet White Zinfandels and blushes. Rosé wines are made from a wide variety of grapes and can be found all around the globe.
When rosé wine is the primary product, it is produced with the skin contact method. Black-skinned grapes are crushed and the skins are allowed to remain in contact with the juice for a short period, typically one to three days. The must is then pressed, and the skins are discarded rather than left in contact throughout fermentation (as with red wine making). The longer that the skins are left in contact with the juice, the more intense the color of the final wine.
Liberman (album)
Liberman is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton, released on October 23, 2015, through Dine Alone Records. It is the follow up to Carlton's 2011 album Rabbits on the Run and marks her first release since signing with Dine Alone Records. The title of the album comes from an oil painting made by Carlton's late grandfather, whose given surname was Liberman.
Background and writing
Following the 2011 release Rabbits on the Run, Carlton took time off to get married, start a family and write another album. She tells CBS News that these changes in her life are reflected in Liberman's songs and that she "wanted the whole album to feel like an escape type of album, where you put it on and you feel like you're in this dreamy state."
To avoid preconceived notions, demos recorded were sent to Dine Alone Records without Carlton's name attached. Label president Joel Carriere recalls hearing the demos and tells The Toronto Star, "The songs were amazing, it was atmospheric, it kind of fit into what we’re all into ... and we never would have guessed it was Vanessa Carlton because her voice has developed so much since her pop songs 14 years ago and the songwriting had obviously changed. We were, like: 'Yeah, we want to do this. But what is it we’re doing?'"
River (AKB48 song)
"River" is the 14th major single by the Japanese idol group AKB48, released on 21 October 2009. It was the first AKB48's single to top the Oricon weekly singles chart, having sold 179,000 copies in its first week. Thus it became the group's best selling single, beating "Namida Surprise!", which by then had sold 144,000 copies in 18 weeks.
Music video
The music video was filmed at Iruma Air Base.
Release
The single was released in two versions: Regular Edition (通常盤) (CD+DVD, catalog number KIZM-43/4); and Theater Edition (劇場盤) (CD only, catalog number NMAX-1087). The bonuses for the first-press limited edition included a handshake event ticket for various locations (Sendai, Nagoya, Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Sapporo, Tokyo), as well as a voting card for the AKB48 Request Hour Set List Best 100 2010. On the theater edition, the bonuses included a handshake event ticket (Tokyo Big Sight, SKE48 Theater), a special performance ticket lottery (live stage performances, karaoke competition, AKB meeting), and a random member photo.
Black River (Asia)
The Black River (from the Vietnamese name sông Đà, from đà "dark-brown"), also known upstream as the Lixian River in China, is a river located in China and northwestern Vietnam.
Course
Its source is in Yunnan province of China. From China, the river's course passes through the Vietnamese provinces of Lai Châu (where it forms part of the border with Điện Biên Province), Sơn La and Hòa Bình.
The Black River is the most important tributary of the Red River, which it joins in Tam Nông District near Việt Trì in Phú Thọ Province. It also forms part of the border between Phú Thọ Province and Hanoi (previously the border with Hà Tây Province).
The river's total length is 910 km, with approximately 427 km in China and 527 km in Vietnam.
Hydroelectric power
The Black River yields substantial hydroelectric power.
In China, seven dams are planned of which six, the Yayangshan Dam, Shimenkan Dam, Longma Dam, Jufudu Dam, Gelantan Dam, and Tukahe Dam, have been completed. The Xinpingzhai Dam is still in the planning stage. The total installed power capacity of this series of dams is approximately 1,300 megawatts.
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