SOME INFORMATION TO INCREASE YOUR KNOWLEDGE

How did Metallica lead to Megadeth?
In early 1982, desperate for a full time lead guitarist, Ulrich advertised in a local newspaper. Dave Mustaine responded and Ulrich and Hetfield were so impressed they asked him to join before immediately. However, shortly after arriving in New York in 1983, Ulrich and Hetfield decided that Mustaine's aggressive and disruptive behaviour (relating to his extensive alcohol and drug problems) was becoming too much to handle and he was asked to leave the band. Mustaine would go on to create the hugely-successful band Megadeth.


What other cultural touchstone has Bugs Bunny managed to achieve?
In 1997, Bugs appeared on a U.S. postage stamp, the first toon to be honored, beating even the iconic Mickey Mouse. The stamp is number seven on the list of the ten most popular U.S. stamps, as calculated by the number of stamps purchased but not used. In 2002, TV Guide compiled a list of the 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time as part of the magazine's 50th anniversary. Bugs Bunny was given the honor of number one. In a CNN broadcast on July 31, 2002, a TV Guide editor explained why Bugs pulled top billing: "His stock...has never gone down...Bugs is the best example...of the smart-aleck American comic. He not only is a great cartoon character, he's a great comedian. He was written well. He was drawn beautifully. He has thrilled and made many generations laugh. He is tops."

When did the renewed interest in the Shroud of Turin begin?
On May 28, 1898, amateur Italian photographer Secondo Pia took the first photograph of the shroud and was startled by the negative in his darkroom. The negative gave the appearance of a positive image, which implies that the shroud image is itself effectively a negative of some kind, as a negative of a negative is a positive. Observers often feel that the detail and heft of the man on the shroud is greatly enhanced in the photographic negative. Pia's results intensified interest in the shroud and sparked renewed efforts to determine its origin.


What are the origins of alchemy?
Western alchemy has always been closely connected with Hermeticism, a philosophical and spiritual system that traces its roots to Hermes Trismegistus, a syncretic Egyptian-Greek deity and legendary alchemist. These two disciplines influenced the birth of Rosicrucianism, an important esoteric movement of the seventeenth century. In the course of the early modern period, as mainstream alchemy evolved into modern chemistry, its mystic and Hermetic aspects became the focus of a modern spiritual alchemy, where material manipulations are viewed as mere symbols of spiritual transformations.

What do the different colored jerseys in the Tour de France signify?
The maillot jaune (yellow jersey), which is worn by the overall time leader, is the most prized. It is awarded by calculating the total combined race time up to that point for each rider. The maillot vert (green jersey) is awarded for sprint points. At the end of each stage, points for this jersey are earned by the riders who finish first, second, etc. The "King of the Mountains" wears a white jersey with red dots (maillot a pois rouges), referred to as the "polka dot jersey". At the top of each climb in the Tour, there are points for the riders who are first over the top. The maillot blanc (white jersey) is like the yellow jersey, but only open for young riders who are under 25 years old on January 1 of the year the Tour is ridden. Finally, the "fighting spirit" award goes to the most combative rider of the previous stage. Each day, a group of judges awards points to riders who made particularly attacking moves the day before, and the rider with most points in total gets a white-on-red (instead of a black-on-white) identification number.