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MEXICO - *Passport, or proof of citizenship (such as original birth certificate or naturalization certificate) and photo ID. Tourist card is required. Tourist card valid 3 months for single entry up to 180 days, $20 fee, requires proof of U.S. citizenship, photo ID, and proof of sufficient funds. Visa not required of U.S. citizens for tourist/transit stay of up to 30 days. Obtain tourist cards in advance from Consulate, Tourism Office, and most airlines serving Mexico upon arrival. Departure tax $10 is paid at airport when not included in the cost of the airline ticket. Notarized consent from parent(s) required for children under age 18 traveling alone, with one parent, or in someone else?s custody. For additional information, check with the Embassy of Mexico, 1911 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20006 (202/736-1000) or nearest Consulate General: AZ (602/242-7398), CA (213/351-6800, 415/392-5554 and 619/231-8414), CO (303/331-1110), FL (305/716-4977), GA (404/266-1913), IL (312/855-1380), LA (504/522-3596), NY (212/217-6400), PR (809/764-0258) or TX (210/227-1085, 214/630-7341, 713/542-2300, 512/478-9031 and 915/533-4082). Internet: http://www.embassyofmexico.org/

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CUBA - *Passport and visa required. For specific requirements, consult the Cuban Interests Section, 2630 16th St., NW, Washington, DC 20009 (202/797-8518). HIV test required for those staying longer than 90 days. Attention: U.S. citizens need a U.S. Treasury Department license in order to engage in any transactions related to travel to and within Cuba (this includes the use of U.S. currency). Before planning any travel to Cuba, U.S. citizens should contact the Licensing Division, Office of Foreign Assets Control, U.S. Department of Treasury, (202/622-2480) or on the Internet at www.treas.gov/ofac

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CHINA, PEOPLE?S REPUBLIC OF - *Passport and visa required. Due to tightened visa policy, travelers may be required to undergo a personal interview. Transit visa required for any stop (even if you do not exit the plane or train) in China. Business travelers are required to obtain formal invitation from their Chinese business contact. Tourist visas are issued only after receipt of a confirmation letter from a Chinese tour agency or letter of invitation from a relative in China. Single-entry visa requires $50 processing fee, double-entry visa fee $75 (no personal checks). A multiple-entry visa requires $100 for a 6-month visa, and $150 for a 12-24 month visa. 1 tourist visa application form, and 1 photo required. Allow at least 4 business days for processing. Visa valid 90 days from date of issue. If applicant is HIV positive, entry not permitted for any purpose. For more detailed information, contact the Visa Section of the Chinese Embassy, 2201 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20007 (202/338-6688) or nearest Consulate General: Chicago (312/573-3070), Houston (713/521-9859), Los Angeles (213/807-8006), New York (212/868-2078) or San Francisco (415/674-2940). Internet: www.china-embassy.org

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IRAN, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF - *Passport and visa required. The United States does not maintain diplomatic or consular relations with Iran. For visa information, contact the Embassy of Pakistan, Iranian Interests Section, 2209Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20007 (202/965-4990). Internet: www.daftar.org. Attention: U.S. citizens may need a U.S. Treasury Department license in order to engage in any transactions related to travel to and within Iran. Before planning any travel to Iran, U.S. citizens should contact the Licensing Division, Office of Foreign Assets Control, U.S. Department of Treasury, (202/622-2480) or www.treas.gov/ofac. Authorities may confiscate U.S. passports of U.S.-Iranian dual nationals upon arrival. Therefore, the Department of State suggests leaving U.S. passports at the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate overseas prior to entering Iran and to use an Iranian passport to enter.

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ALGERIA
March 22, 2007

This Travel Warning is being updated to alert Americans to recent terrorist attacks directed against foreigners in Algeria. The threat from terrorism in many areas of the country continues to pose a significant security risk. This supersedes the Travel Warning issued on December 20, 2006.

The Department of State urges U.S. citizens who travel to Algeria to evaluate carefully the risk posed to their personal safety. Sustained small-scale terrorist attacks including bombings, false roadblocks, kidnappings, ambushes, and assassinations occur regularly. Additionally, a bomb attack targeted a bus transporting foreign workers of a U.S. company in the western part of Algiers in December 2006, and in March 2007, terrorists carried out a bomb attack against a bus transporting Russian and Ukrainian workers near Ain Defla.

The Department of State recommends that U.S. citizens avoid overland travel in the mountainous northern part of the country, and particularly in the area stretching from Algiers east to the Tunisian border.

The U.S. Government considers the potential threat to U.S. Embassy personnel assigned to Algiers sufficiently serious to require them to live and work under strict security restrictions. These practices limit, and may occasionally prevent, the movement of U.S. Embassy officials in certain areas of the country. The Government of Algeria requires U.S. Embassy personnel traveling outside the province of Algiers or to the Casbah within Algiers to seek permission and to have a security escort. Travel to the military zone established around the Hassi Messaoud oil center requires Government of Algeria authorization. U.S. Government personnel are permitted by the Embassy to move freely in many areas in the center of Algiers, but are required to maintain prudent security practices. Travel by personnel to areas of the city outside this zone requires prior coordination with the Embassy?s Regional Security Office. American visitors are encouraged to contact the Embassy?s Consular Section for the most recent safety and security information concerning travel in the city of Algiers.

The Department of State cautions Americans who reside or travel in Algeria to take prudent security measures while in the country, including making provisions for reliable and experienced logistical support. This support should include being met upon arrival and accompanied for the duration of the visit. Visitors should ensure that tour operators and host organizations perform all notifications and coordination with Algerian police and security officials during their stay. Visitors to Algeria are advised to stay only in hotels where adequate security is provided. All visitors to Algeria should remain alert and adhere to prudent security practices such as avoiding predicable travel patterns and maintaining a low profile.

American citizens in or traveling to Algeria also are urged to register and to obtain updated information on travel and security in Algeria at the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Algiers or on our travel registration website at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/. The Embassy is located at 4 Chemin Cheikh Bachir El-Ibrahimi, B.P. 408 (Alger-Gare) 16000, in the capital city of Algiers. The Embassy can be reached at telephone [213] (21) 691-425; [213] (21) 691-186; fax [213] (21) 693-979; or email ConsularAlgiers@state.gov. U.S. citizens who require emergency services may telephone the Embassy at [213] (21) 691-255. Up-to-date information on security conditions as well as general information concerning Algeria and the U.S. Embassy is also available on the Embassy's website http://algiers.usembassy.gov/.

For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department?s Internet website at http://travel.state.gov where the Consular Information Sheet for Algeria and the current Worldwide Caution and Middle East and North Africa Public Announcements can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or, for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

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In American culture, the number 420 (pronounced four-twenty) relates to the consumption of cannabis and elements of its associated culture. The exact origin of the term is unknown. Marijuana users gather on April 20 every year to celebrate and consume marijuana.

Accepted origin
Snopes.com, High Times magazine, The Marijuana-Logues, and The Straight Dope claim that in the early 1970s, a group of teenagers at San Rafael High School in San Rafael, California used to meet every day after school at 4:20 p.m. to smoke marijuana at the water tower. One piece of evidence supporting an origin of the term from the time 4:20 is the fact that the number is always said "four twenty" and not "four hundred twenty." This theory is also the most cited, and the most widely-accepted.

Other plausible suggested origins
Marijuana grew wild on or near Highway 420 in Ontario in the 1960s. Whether or not this is true, Highway 420 is the location for an annual legalisation protest every April 20th.
At some American junior or senior high schools, "after-school detention" ends at 4:20. Thus 4:20 signifies the time when the detainees are finally free to smoke after the school day.
420 degrees Fahrenheit is the temperature at which marijuana burns, the primary method of use.
The term came from H. P. Lovecraft's Within The Walls of Eryx which contains the line "My route must have been far from straight, for it seemed hours before I was free of the mirage-plant's pervasive influence... When I did get wholly clear I looked at my watch and was astonished to find that the time was only 4:20".

Refuted urban legends
420 is a police code for a drug bust or for "marijuana smoking in progress," or that 4:20 is or was the shift change for the police. However, there is no 420 police code.
There are 420 chemicals in marijuana (there are actually 315).
April 21 is the last day on which one is supposed to plant cannabis seeds (with the variety of planting regions and cannabis genetics, no such date can logically apply to all growing operations).
April 20 is approximately the last frost in the American climate, making it time to move pot plants outdoors. In actual fact the date varies from year to year, and from region to region.
420 Day is celebrated as April 20th was the date of Bob Marley's death. Marley actually died on May 11, 1981.

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A geek (pronunciation /gi:k/ ) is a person who is fascinated, perhaps obsessively, by obscure or very specific areas of knowledge and imagination. Geek may not always have the same meaning as the term nerd

Various definitions
The definition of geek has changed considerably over time, but the use is colloquial and there is no definite official meaning. The social and rather derogatory connotations of the word makes it particularly difficult to define. Below are some definitions of the word; all are still in use to varying degrees.

A person who is interested in technology, especially computing and new media. Comparable with the classic definition of hacker. (Late 20th century and early 21st century.)
A person who has chosen concentration rather than conformity; one who pursues skill (especially technical skill) and imagination, not mainstream social acceptance. Geeks usually have a strong case of neophilia. Most geeks are adept with computers and treat hacker as a term of respect, but not all are hackers themselves - and some who are in fact hackers normally call themselves geeks anyway, because they (quite properly) regard 'hacker' as a label that should be bestowed by others rather than self-assumed.
A person with a devotion to something in a way that places him or her outside the mainstream. This could be due to the intensity, depth, or subject of their interest. This definition is very broad, and allows for mathematics geeks, aviation geeks, band geeks, computer geeks, politics geeks, modelmaking geeks, music geeks, theatre geeks, history geeks, linguistics geeks, sports geeks, SCA geeks (SCAdians), gaming geeks, Comics geeks, ham radio geeks, public transit geeks (metrophiles), literature geeks, anime and manga geeks (otaku), Star Wars geeks, Star Trek geeks (Trekkies and Trekkers, the latter noted for costuming), Tolkien or fantasy geeks, and even Wikipedia geeks. (Late 20th century and early 21st century.)
G.E.E.K., as an acronym, reputedly came from the United States Military; it stands for General Electrical Engineering Knowledge. It is unclear if this was the origin of the current meaning for geek, or if the acronym was used as a humorous reference toward the pre-established meaning for geek (i.e., a backronym).
A derogatory term for one with low social skills, regardless of intelligence. Similar to common use of the word dork. (Late 20th century.)
A performer at a carnival who swallows various live animals and bugs. Sometimes this extends to biting off the heads of chickens. The Geek would usually perform in a "geek pit". This sense of the word dates back to the 1920s, and possibly comes from the 16th century word geck, originally of Low German origin. In English the precursor word "geck" or "gecke" was used by Shakespeare: "Why have you suffer'd me to be imprison'd, kept in a dark house, visited by the priest, and made the most notorious geck and gull That e'er invention play'd on?" (Twelfth Night, V.i). The word also thought to appear in Cymbeline (wordorigins.org).

Reclaiming and self-identification
Geek has always had negative connotations within society at large, where being described as a geek tends to be an insult. The term has recently become less condescending, or even a badge of honor, within particular fields and subcultures; this is particularly evident in the technical disciplines, where the term is now more of a compliment denoting extraordinary skill. There is an increasing number of people who self-identify with the term, even when they don't fit the classic geek profile which emphasizes high intelligence but social isolation and loneliness as a result.

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Nontechnical geeks
Because geek is no longer purely pejorative there are many self-labeled geeks who disagree over the use of the label. Similarly many older geeks in whatever field of devotion become upset when their field becomes popular and wish to set up standards that exclude late adopters or whole subjects of interest as not being truly geeky. While in the past the dispute would not have been over use of the term geek this is not a new phenomenon by any means. There were loud disagreements in the 1960s and 1970s among sf fans over the use of sci-fi or science fiction, with some science fiction geeks trying to get sci-fi to be only used for what they defined as bad sf. Later there were fierce debates among geeks over the use of hacker and cracker and the adoption of leet speak by less technically adroit computer users.

Today geeks devoted to technical pursuits want to distinguish themselves from people they see as falsely holding themselves out to be intellectuals, in particular people who are most interested in the arts or entertainment rather than techie subjects. For the most part the general public and even most geeks are unaware of the distinction and would be likely to see the computer geek and the genre fandom geek as being more similar than dissimilar.

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Jonathan was a prince of the Kingdom of Israel, son of King Saul, and beloved of the subsequent King David (see David and Jonathan). Contrary to popular belief, most biblical chronologists believe him to be far older than David, approximately fifty years to David's twenty. He was killed along with his father at the Battle of Mount Gilboa. Jonathan was also the name of one son of Jada. See 1 Chronicles 2:32-33.

Jonathan is a common given name. Nicknames include Jon or Jonny/Jonni or Jonno or Jonty and less frequently Nathan or Nate. Common alternative spellings of Jonathan include Jonathon, Johnathan, and Johnathon. The name became closely associated with all-American wholesomeness in the 1950s when it was frequently incorporated into song lyrics referencing romantic interests of the song's protagonist. ("Johnny Angel", "It's My Party")

Names with similar meanings include Theodore in Greek and Bogdan in Slavonic.

The Jonathan is also a variety of apple.

Brother Jonathan was a national personification of America, used mostly during the Revolutionary War but occasionally in the Civil War era. The character has been largely replaced by Uncle Sam.

In France the name day for Jonathan is 1st March.

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The numerous urban legends about Coca-Cola have led the Urban Legends Reference Pages to devote a whole section of their site to "Cokelore". One false legend claims that Coke was once green, or was accidentally carbonated when a clerk squirted syrup into the wrong glass.

Coca-Cola has been the target of urban legends decrying the drink for its supposedly copious amounts of acid (its pH value of 2.5 is midway between vinegar and gastric acid), or the "life-threatening" effects of its carbonated water. These urban legends usually take the form of "fun facts" — for example, "highway troopers use Coke to clean blood from highways after accidents," "somebody once died in a Coke-drinking competition," or "Coke can dissolve a tooth overnight." All of these claims are false. (While highway troopers do not use Coca-Cola for this purpose, the television program MythBusters showed that Coca-Cola could be used as a blood cleaning agent.) Although it has been proven in many a high school biology experiment that coca cola can disolve a human tooth in three days,[citation needed] claims of Coca-Cola's unique tooth dissolving properties have been debunked as urban legend.[4] For more on acidity and health concerns, see the Acidity subsection below.

One unusual use for Coke is as a rust-control substance—the phosphoric acid in coke converts iron oxide to iron phosphate, and as such can be used as an initial treatment for corroded iron and steel objects being renovated, etc. The acid can be used to anodize titanium according to various websites.[5]

Contrary to popular belief, the coca leaf extract cocaine was never added to Coca-Cola, per se. Because cocaine is naturally present in untreated coca leaves, small amounts of cocaine were also present in the beverage. Today's Coca-Cola uses "spent" coca leaves, those that have been through a cocaine extraction process, to flavor the beverage. Since this process cannot extract the cocaine alkaloids at a molecular level, the drink still contains trace amounts of the stimulant[6]. The United States DEA oversees the importation of coca for Coca-Cola, and later sale of the extracted cocaine to the drug industry where it is used in the creation of many of the common drugs whose names end in "-aine" (such as Procaine).[7]

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Coke is a solid carbonaceous residue derived from low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. The volatile constituents of the coal (including water, coal-gas and coal-tar) are driven off by baking in an airless oven at temperatures as high as 1,000 degrees Celsius so that the fixed carbon and residual ash are fused together.


Properties & usage
Coke typically has a specific gravity in the range 1.85 - 1.9. It is highly porous, and a mass of coke has 40% greater volume than the equivalent mass of coal.

Since the smoke-producing constituents are driven off during the coking of the coal, coke forms a desirable fuel for stoves and furnaces in which conditions are not suitable for the complete burning of bituminous coal itself. Coke may be burned with little or no smoke under combustion conditions which would result in a large amount of smoke if bituminous coal were the fuel.

Bituminous coal must meet a set of criteria for use as coking coal, determined by particular coal assay techniques. These include moisture content, ash content, sulphur content, volatilte content, tar and plasticity.

Coke is used as a fuel and as a reducing agent in smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Coke from coal is grey, hard, and porous and has a heating value of 28 megajoules/kilogram.


History
The use of coke as a fuel was pioneered in 17th century England in response to the ever-growing problem of European deforestation. Wood was becoming increasingly scarce and expensive, and coal's fumes, particularly smoke and sulfur compounds, disqualified it from many applications, including cooking and iron smelting. In 1603, Sir Henry Platt suggested that coal might be charred in a manner analogous to the way charcoal is produced from wood. This process was not put into practice, however, until 1642, when coke was used for roasting malt in Derbyshire. (Coal could not be used in brewing, because its sulfurous fumes would impart a foul taste to the resulting beer.) Perhaps more significantly, in 1709, Abraham Darby set up a coke-fired blast furnace to produce cast iron. The ensuing availability of inexpensive iron was one of the factors leading to the European industrial revolution.


Other varieties
The solid residue remaining from the refinement of petroleum by the "cracking" process is also a form of coke. Petroleum coke has many uses besides being a fuel, such as the manufacture of dry cells, electrodes, etc. Gas works that manufacture syngas also produce coke as an end product, called gas house coke.

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Andrea is a given name common in North America, South America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. It is the feminine form of Andrew or Andreas which in turn comes from a Greek word meaning manly (áíçñ means man). It stands to reason that the female name translates to womanly, and that is in fact the definition in various baby name books. In Italy, however, Andrea is a masculine name, the equivalent of Andrew.

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International Talk Like a Pirate Day is a parodic holiday invented in 1995 by two Americans, John Baur ("Ol' Chum Bucket") and Mark Summers ("Cap'n Slappy"), who proclaimed September 19 each year as the day when everyone in the world should talk like pirates. For example, instead of "hello," an observer of this holiday would greet his mates with "Ahoy, me hearty!" The date was selected because it is the birthday of Summers' ex-wife and would consequently be easy for him to remember.

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No Pants Day is an international 'holiday' observed in several Anglo-Saxon and other countries on the first Friday in May by not wearing pants (trousers). The idea of the holiday is to celebrate the freedom associated with not wearing pants.

The recommended No Pants Day attire is thick, appropriately modest boxer shorts. Other types of underwear, including bloomers, slips, briefs, and boxer briefs all work as well.

Wearing pants substitutes, such as skirts and dresses, shorts, and kilts does not count as not wearing pants