Y así

"Y así" ("Like that") was the Austrian representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, performed in English and Spanish by Global Kryner.

The song was performed first in the semi-final, preceding by Lithuania's Laura & The Lovers with "Little by Little". At the close of voting, it had received 30 points, placing 21st in the 25-strong field - thus missing out on the final and ensuring that Austria will have to qualify through the semi-final at their next Contest appearance.

The song is performed in something of the folk traditions of the Austrian alps, with yodelling and a large brass section. Lyrically, it tells the story of "The girl who came from Cuba" and fell in love with an Austrian boy, in the process proving "inspiration to change the rhythm of our songs". The chorus, delivered in Spanish, exhorts everyone to dance like the girl would.

The performance drew further on the folk traditions, with the lead singer in an Austrian folk outfit, while the rest of the band were dressed more casual in matching sweatsuits.

Ash (deity)

Ash was the ancient Egyptian god of oases, as well as the vineyards of the western Nile Delta and thus was viewed as a benign deity. Flinders Petrie in his 1923 expedition to the Saqqara (also spelt Sakkara) found several references to Ash in Old Kingdom wine jar seals: "I am refreshed by this Ash" was a common inscription.

In particular, he was identified by the Ancient Egyptians as the god of the Libu and Tinhu tribes, known as the "people of the oasis". Consequently Ash was known as the "lord of Libya", the western border areas occupied by the Libu and Tinhu tribes, corresponds roughly with the area of modern Libya. It is also possible that he was worshiped in Ombos, as their original chief deity.

In Egyptian mythology, as god of the oases, Ash was associated with Set, who was originally god of the desert, and was seen as protector of the Sahara. The first known reference to Ash dates to the Protodynastic Period, but by the late 2nd Dynasty, his importance had grown, and he was seen as protector of the royal estates, since the related god Set, in Lower Egypt, was regarded as the patron deity of royalty itself. Ash's importance was such that he was mentioned even until the 26th Dynasty.

As, Belgium

As is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. On January 1, 2006, As had a total population of 7,497. The total area is 22.07 km² which gives a population density of 340 inhabitants per km².

History

In 1971 the municipality was formed by the merger of two villages - As and Niel-bij-As, which both lie on the Bosbeek brook on the Campine plateau between the Demer and Meuse Rivers.

The location of the settlements close to a water course in this dry region gave rise to the villages' names: "As" is a prehistoric name for water ("Aska") which first referred to the Bosbeek brook and later the village itself.

Archaeological finds indicate an early prehistoric settlement, including objects made of flint dating from the earliest Stone Age. The area was inhabited from 500 BC as shown by a cemetery in the field between Genk and As. The Romans built the road from Tongeren to Venlo via Munsterbilzen and As. The current road next to the brook and the roads to Niel and Dorne follow the course of the Roman road. However, the Romans did not establish any settlements in the area as the sandy soil was not fertile enough. After the fall of Rome, the Francs invaded the area and established themselves in As. The Merovingian cemetery indicates that As was an important village from 500 - 700. The region started to be Christianised from the eighth century, and the first church was built on the site of the current Saint Aldegonde's Church. The church is first mentioned in a letter dated 1108 in which Otbert, Prince-Bishop of Luik reported to the abbey of Rolduc about "income from the churches of Riemst, Genk, As and Gellik".

As (Roman coin)

The as (plural asses), also assarius (rendered into Greek as ἀσσάριον, assarion) was a bronze, and later copper, coin used during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire.

Republican era coinage

The Romans replaced the usage of Greek coins, first by blocks and then by disks made of bronze Aes rude. The system thus named as was introduced in ca. 280 BC as a large cast bronze coin during the Roman Republic. The following fractions of the as were also produced: the bes (2/3), semis (1/2), quincunx (5/12), triens (1/3), quadrans (1/4), sextans (1/6), uncia (1/12, also a common weight unit), and semuncia (1/24), as well as multiples of the as, the dupondius (2), sestertius (2.5), tressis (3), quadrussis (4), quinarius (5), denarius (10) and aureus (250).

After the as had been issued as a cast coin for about seventy years, and its weight had been reduced in several stages, a sextantal as was introduced (meaning that it weighed one-sixth of a pound). At about the same time a silver coin, the denarius, was also introduced. Earlier Roman silver coins had been struck on the Greek weight standards that facilitated their use in southern Italy and across the Adriatic, but all Roman coins were now on a Roman weight standard. The denarius, or 'tenner', was at first tariffed at ten asses, but about 140 B.C. it was retariffed at sixteen asses. This is said to have been a result of financing the Punic Wars.