Why does Cyprus have no national anthem? They use that of Greece.
Cyprus has had a troubled past as the country has both Greek and Turkish heritage, with Turkey claiming part of the country as its own. Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a de facto state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus, recognised only by Turkey. Cyprus has not had a national anthem because of its long-standing disagreement between the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities. Cyprus gained independence from the United Kingdom on August 16, 1960, which involved a Greek Cypriot guerrilla war against British rule. The subsequent 1960 constitution was created, but there was no inclusion or mention of an anthem, so an instrumental piece was used until 1966, when the Greek anthem was adopted by the Greek Cypriot Council of Ministers at the time. (The "Hymn to Liberty" ). A United Nations intervention with a peace plan in 2004 proposed a new and unified, wordless anthem. This was rejected by voters, leaving the Greek national anthem as the de facto but not official anthem for the Republic of Cyprus.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Cyprus_(1878-present)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymn_to_Liberty
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Cyprus
https://cyprus-mail.com/2025/09/07/when-flags-and-anthems-cause-a-spat
(1nn1)
1 answer
Today
by Thesuperyoshi
Are there snakes that build nests where they raise young?
The King Cobra ist the only snake that constructs an above-ground nest for its eggs, which are purposefully and meticulously gathered and protected by the female throughout the incubation period.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_cobra
(pehinhota)
1 answer
Oct 13 25 by chabenao1
The first flag of which nominally independent state (1921 - 1944) featured a Kholro, a Buddhist prayer wheel?
The Tuvan People's Republic. Now then, there are a couple of caveats to this answer, the Uryankhay Krai which was a Russian protectorate that immediately preceded Tannu Tuvan People's Republic (1918 - 1921) had a blue flag with a Kholro on it. The first two flags of the Tannu Tuvan People's Republic that also featured a Kholro (1921 - 1926) however both of these were considered "unofficial". The first "official" flag (1926 - 1930) and all subsequent flags do not feature a Kholro.
[quote]On August 12, 1921, the Tannu Tuvan People's Republic came into being and the TPRP took control, immediately recognizing Soviet Russia as its overlord, and only the Soviets and Mongolia recognized its separate existence.
DISGRACEFULLY, the world looked on as Tuva ceased to exist as an independent sovereign state in 1944. The growing dependence of Tuva on the Soviet Union had been displayed after Nazi Germany invaded Russia in Operation Barbarossa in June 1941.[/quote]
https://www.thenational.scot/news/19513472.republic-tannu-tuva-country-voted-independence/
History of Tuvan flags.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Tuva (elburcher)
1 answer
Oct 11 25 by pehinhota
Which word meaning "narrowing" in Spanish applies to a bottle or bottle-shape?
I think word you're looking for is "estrechamiento" which literally means narrowing or tapering and refers to the narrowing at the neck of the bottle.
The neck of the bottle itself is referred to as "cuello", the shoulders as "hombros" and the mouth as "boca"
https://www.spanishdict.com/translate/narrowing
https://dictionary.reverso.net/english-spanish/narrowing
(GoodwinPD)
1 answer
Oct 10 25 by chabenao1
Why did Simon Fraser University, located in Vancouver, Canada, join the U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rather than the similar Canadian organization, U Sports?
In short, it's all about the money.
The original SFU athletic program, dating back to the university's founding in 1965, competed against American schools. SFU initially played in the American-based National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) for decades. When many of its NAIA rivals moved to the NCAA in the late 1990s, SFU considered the move to the NCAA to maintain them. Being part of the NCAA also has its monetary benefits, in terms of exposure, endorsements, and funding.
The NCAA allows member schools to offer "full-ride" scholarships that cover tuition, housing, and other university costs. U Sports has stricter limitations on athletic scholarship value (which only allow them to cover tuition), making the NCAA a major recruiting advantage for SFU to attract top Canadian and international athletes who might otherwise go to American schools. Again, more students means more money.
https://archives.universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/canadian-varsity-teams-barred-from-joining-us-leagues/#:~:text=In%201997%2C%20however%2C%20many%20of,interest%20in%20joining%20that%20body.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/sfu-ncaa-2017-1.4267951#:~:text=SFU%20played%20in%20the%20National,for%20its%20first%2036%20years. (LeoDaVinci)
1 answer
Oct 08 25 by Thesuperyoshi
1 answer
Oct 07 25 by gmackematix
1 answer
Oct 06 25 by pehinhota
Why was Lennox Lewis stripped of his IBF belt?
According to Wikipedia, in 2002 he declined to face his mandatory challenger and retired the following year in 2003, after wins against Tyson and Klitschko.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lennox_Lewis (TriviaFan22)
1 answer
Oct 06 25 by Thesuperyoshi
Do people born in the Philippines while it was still under U.S. control still have American citizenship?
As a side note, Filipino's could and still can gain citizenship by serving in the US military. This avenue was a bit easier while the US maintained bases in the Philippines.
[quote]Under the Nationality Act of 1940, aliens who served honorably in the armed forces for three years or more could be naturalized as US citizens without having to meet certain normal requirements of naturalization such as lawful admission into the United States for permanent residence. The Nationality Act of 1940, however, was repealed on 27 June 1952, effective 24 December 1952 by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (8 USC 1101 et seq) which contains many provisions similar to those of the 1940 Act, but in the case of an alien who served honorably in the armed forces for three years requires that he shall have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence. Under this law, aliens are normally admitted for permanent residence under the quota system.[/quote]
https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/f/filipinos-in-the-united-states-navy.html (elburcher)
2 answers
Oct 05 25 by Thesuperyoshi
Do people born in the Philippines while it was still under U.S. control still have American citizenship?
They lost automatic citizenship in 1946, and it became necessary to apply for naturalization. Not that there are a lot of people to whom this applies!
[quote]As the U.S. State Department explains: "Filipinos continued as non-citizen U.S. nationals until July 4, 1946 when, through Presidential Proclamation 2695, the United States recognized the Philippines as an independent nation."
The Luce-Celler Bill, passed on July 2, 1946, granted both Filipinos and Indian immigrants the access to naturalization. More than 10,000 Filipinos who were in the United States before 1934 were able to receive naturalization as a direct result.[/quote]
https://www.studycountry.com/wiki/are-filipinos-considered-us-citizens#google_vignette (looney_tunes)
2 answers
Oct 05 25 by Thesuperyoshi
1 answer
Oct 04 25 by chabenao1
What is the difference between "auto da fe" and "bonfire of the vanities"?
The difference between an Auto de Fe and the Bonfire of the Vanities is the Bonfire was an actual bonfire for the purpose of burning objects deemed sinful, while the Auto de Fe (Act of Faith) is the ritual of public penance of condemned heretics and apostates that took place when the Spanish or Portuguese Inquisitions had decided their punishments.
[quote]The bonfires
Savonarola started to encourage his followers to destroy anything which could be considered luxuries - books, works of art, musical instruments, jewellery, silks and manuscripts were burnt during the period of carnival around Shrove Tuesday.
These events became known as the 'bonfire of the vanities': the biggest of these happened on 7 February 1497, when more than one thousand children scoured the city for luxuries to be burned. The items were thrown on to a huge fire while women, crowned with olive branches, danced around it.
Such was Savonarola's influence that he even managed to get contemporary Florentine artists like Sandro Botticelli and Lorenzo di Credi to destroy some of their own works on the bonfires. Anyone who tried to resist was set upon by Savonarola's ardent supporters, known as piagnoni (weepers).[/quote]
https://www.historyhit.com/1497-bonfire-vanities/
[quote]The phrase auto de fe (Act of Faith) refers to the ritual of public penance of condemned heretics and apostates that took place when the Spanish Inquisition or the Portuguese Inquisition had decided their punishment (that is, after the trial). The phrase also commonly occurs in English in its Portuguese form auto da fé.[/quote]
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/auto-de-fe (elburcher)
1 answer
Oct 02 25 by chabenao1
Are there countries that ban the number 88 on sport shirts?
Yes, in Italy, due antisemitic references, the number 88 cannot be worn (The 88 is in fact used in neo-Nazi groups to symbolize the Heil Hitler salute (h is the eighth letter of the alphabet).
[quote]A declaration of intent for fight against anti-Semitism in football was signed today at Interior Ministry between the Minister of the Interior Matteo Planting yourself, the Minister for Sport and Youth Andrea Abodi, the National Coordinator for the fight against anti-Semitism Giuseppe Shepherd and the president of the FIGC Gabriele Gravina. "Today - explained Piantedosi - we are finalizing an objective that we set ourselves some time ago. There is a lot to do on the topic and we also aim to dispel the doubt that there may be some resistance on these issues in the world of sport."
The number 88 is prohibited on shirts, that's why
In the document there is the prohibition for the footballers of wear shirt number 88. The 88 is in fact used in neo-Nazi groups to symbolize the Heil Hitler salute (h is the eighth letter of the alphabet). Furthermore, Pientedosi continued, "the reference to the international definition of anti-Semitism is incorporated into the companies' code of ethics. There is therefore a ban on the use by fans of symbols that may recall Nazism; the responsibility of members to hold a non-discriminatory language in all public events; the definition of the methods for interrupting matches in the event of incidents of discrimination. The proactive attitude of companies in this field will also be positively evaluated."[/quote]
https://sport.quotidiano.net/en/calcio/perche-vietato-numero-88-antisemitismo-t8jlzz7o
[quote]From the 2023/24 season on, no player in Serie A will be seen wearing the no.88 on the back of their shirt, as per a decision taken by the Italian Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Sport and the FIGC - the Italian football association. There is now a ban on the No.88 being worn by players in Italian football.
The ban comes as part of a bigger movement seeking to eliminate anti-Semitism from Italian football, and there will now also be a protocol to follow that could see games be stopped in the event of anti-Semitic chants or displays. The move had been rumoured for some time, but was confirmed on June 27, as reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport.[/quote]
https://total-italianfootball.com/serie-a-ban-number-88-anti-semitism-neo-nazi/ (elburcher)
1 answer
Sep 30 25 by chabenao1
Who were the only two journalists murdered while working during the Northern Ireland conflict?
Lyra McKee and Martin O'Hagan
[quote]Lyra McKee, 29
Derry, Northern Ireland
18 April 2019
Freelance journalist McKee was shot while reporting on rioting in Derry. The New IRA has since admitted to being behind the killing. McKee had tweeted from the scene and spoken to journalist colleagues just minutes before she was shot.
Martin O'Hagan, 51
Lurgan, Co Armagh, Northern Ireland
28 September 2001
O'Hagan was an investigative journalist who worked for the Dublin and Belfast-based Sunday World. He was shot while walking home from his local pub after refusing to bow to pressure to stop publishing stories about the activities of Loyalist gangsters. The Loyalist Volunteer Force claimed responsibility for his murder but nobody has been prosecuted.[/quote]
https://pressgazette.co.uk/news/uk-journalists-who-lost-their-lives-covering-conflict-2000/ (elburcher)
1 answer
Sep 29 25 by pehinhota
2 answers
Sep 26 25 by Thesuperyoshi
What is the average length of time a tennis player spends in the top ten over their career?
The average time a male tennis player spends in the top ten is about 108 to 122 weeks, that is, around two years. It's higher for men in the top four. For women there's less data so the average is unknown, but thought to be around the same.
Most top ten men and women professional tennis players spend about 16 years in the career game, with women slightly less and men slightly more than that. (Godwit)
1 answer
Aug 25 25 by VegemiteKid
2 answers
Sep 24 25 by chabenao1
1 answer
Aug 24 25 by pehinhota
After the death of her husband in 2018, which woman became the president and sole resident of which "independent nation"?
The micronation of 'Akhzivland' was declared by Eli Avivi in 1971. It occupies an area that was once a Palestinian fishing village, but which was abandoned when it was conquered by Israel in 1948. It is located on the Mediterranean coast just north of the Israeli town of Nahariya near the Lebanese border. Avivi created the state in protest of Israeli government plans to demolish the dilapidated buildings he had taken residence in some two decades earlier.
Avivi led Achzivland along with his wife Rina until his death from pneumonia in 2018. They were the only two residents of the micronation. Though not gaining recognition from other nation states, Achzivland has its own economy, a National Museum, a flag, anthem, political system and foreign relations policy (albeit rather tongue-in-cheek in most of these respects). It attracts tourists, celebrities and has been branded a 'hippy' establishment. It is not clear what will happen to the micronation now, though his wife and sole-remaining resident has expressed her plans to preserve Achzivland as a permanent memorial to her late husband.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-44142794
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31800580
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhzivland (patrickk)
1 answer
Sep 26 25 by pehinhota
What world record did Ivan Cervantes break in 2023? Here's a hint: he broke it with a motorcycle.
Iván Cervantes recently achieved a Guinness World Record for "the greatest distance on a motorcycle in 24 hours (individual)." Cervantes broke the previous record of 2,116.39 miles with a new record of 2,493.28 miles on a Triumph Tiger 1200 GT Explorer. Cervantes made this attempt on the 7.8-mile long High-Speed Ring at the Nardò Technical Center in Italy on April 29, 2023.
ridermagazine.com/2023/06/13/ivan-cervantes-breaks-guinness-world-record-on-triumph-tiger-1200-gt-explorer/
(pehinhota)
2 answers
Sep 26 25 by Thesuperyoshi
1 answer
Sep 26 25 by serpa
In which US state is a driver least likely to have a collision with a deer?
Hawaii and Arizona are tied according to this source. Only .01% of drivers filed a claim for car-deer collisions in those two states in the 12 months ending June 30, 2016. By contrast West Virginia is the state in which a car-deer collision is likely to occur with a 2.44% probability.
https://www.bestdeerfences.com/blog/deer-vehicle-collisions-statistics-by-state/ (Sweeper11)
1 answer
Sep 25 25 by serpa
When were the phrases "white collar" and "blue collar" first used in reference to the workforce and who coined them?
"White Collar" appeared first in 1910 followed by "Blue Collar" in 1924, both seemed to have originated from News Papers
[quote]Interestingly, white collar was the first to appear, in 1910. A Nebraska newspaper used the term to contrast office workers and farmworkers in the Midwest. Men would often wear clean, starched white-collared shirts to church on Sundays. Who wouldn't, the paper wondered, choose a job where they could wear a white collar to work and remain clean over the dirty, grimy, sweaty physical work of the farmer?
Once white collar entered the language, it didn't take long for its workplace corollary to emerge. Blue collar first appeared in 1924 in a newspaper in Iowa to refer to men working in the trades, such as carpentry. These men didn't really wear blue-collared shirts all that often, but they did wear blue-dyed jeans and overalls to do their jobs. The shirts they wore were usually darker colors to help hide the stains that came with doing their work.[/quote]
https://people.howstuffworks.com/white-collar-and-blue-collar.htm (elburcher)
1 answer
Sep 24 25 by elvislennon
Why do Finland and Estonia use the same melody for their national anthems, but with different lyrics?
The reason Finland and Estonia use the same melody for their national anthems is a result of shared cultural history, strong national movements, and the rapid, widespread popularity of the tune across both regions in the mid-19th century. It is also, actually, the tune for the anthem of the Livonians.
The melody was composed by Fredrik Pacius, a German-born composer and music lecturer who lived and worked in Helsinki, which was then the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland, back then, an autonomous part of the Russian Empire.
https://www.nordicestonia.com/nordic/why-finland-and-estonia-have-the-same-anthem/#:~:text=The%20only%20difference%20between%20the,wrote%20a%20melody%20to%20it. (LeoDaVinci)
1 answer
Sep 24 25 by Thesuperyoshi
2 answers
Sep 24 25 by chabenao1
Who was the first Christian cleric to be executed for religious reasons by the now Christian Roman Empire in the late 4th century?
[quote]Priscillian (born c. 340, Spain-died 385, Trier, Belgica, Gaul [now in Germany]) was an early Christian bishop who was the first heretic to receive capital punishment. A rigorous ascetic, he founded Priscillianism, an unorthodox doctrine that persisted into the 6th century.[/quote]
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Priscillian
[quote] In AD 155, the beloved Bishop Polycarp of Smyrna was martyred after a mob cried out for the 'atheist' to be killed.
He famously refused to renounce his commitment to Christ and was burned at the stake.[/quote]
https://www.historyskills.com/classroom/ancient-history/medieval-history/persecution-and-martyrs/ (elburcher)
1 answer
Sep 19 25 by pehinhota
What do you call a group of owls?
These colorful terms, "a Parliament of owls," or "an exaltation of larks," were never technically "official" and were never regularly used, certainly not by zoologists or ornithologists and so forth, who rather roll their eyes at them.
See below:
https://www.themarginalian.org/2024/01/04/brian-wildsmith-birds-company-terms/ (lanfranco)
3 answers
Sep 11 25 by S0N1CB01
Which song from the musical "Evita" was revised to remove an insecticide sub-plot and what was the sub-plot about?
The song that Tim Rice revised was "The Lady's Got Potential", sung by the narrator "Ché" (who at the time was directly identified as Ernesto "Ché" Guevara) and opening with a discussion of his development of an insecticide (which really happened; the insecticide was named Vendaval but it flopped). To quote from the original lyrics on the concept album:
"The Lady's got potential, she ought to go far
She always knows exactly who her best friends are
The greatest social climber since Cinderella
But Eva's not the only one who's getting the breaks
I'm a research chemist who's got what it takes
And my insecticide's gonna be a best-seller
(Che brandishes a large bicycle pump type insecticide sprayer, and is joined by a shrill and enthusiastic trio of girls for his fly-killing choruses)
"Just one blast and the insects fall like flies!
Kapow! Die!
They don't have a chance
In the fly-killing world
It's a major advance
In my world
It'll mean finance
I'm shaping up successful capitalist-wise."
But the surprising image of Ché Guevara as a research chemist was cut as a distraction, and Rice cut the song and added "The Art of the Possible" instead to show the rise of Juan Peron. In the movie, as the question states, Rice wrote new lyrics for "The Lady's Got Potential" that build into "The Art of the Possible". Or, as the Wikipedia entry states:
[quote]Elements of the original plotline on this album were removed before the show was staged in London in 1978. "Che" here was much more explicitly based on Che Guevara, including a subplot about Guevara's failed efforts to market the insecticide Vendaval, most significantly highlighted in the song "The Lady's Got Potential". The track was cut from the score and a new song written to include the key plotline of Juan Perón's rise to power: "The Art of the Possible".[/quote]
https://www.squareone.org/evita/conlyric2.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evita_(album) (AyatollahK)
1 answer
Sep 16 25 by gmackematix
In which people's legend was the universe and humanity created by a praying mantis?
In the mythology of the San people of southern Africa, the creation of the universe and humanity is attributed to ?Kaggen, a trickster god. He is most famously depicted as a praying mantis, but can also shapeshift into other animals, such as a bull eland, a louse, a snake and a caterpillar.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C7%80Kaggen
https://maypoleofwisdom.com/2022/10/04/the-noble-mantis-wisdom-of-the-san-people/ (wellenbrecher)
1 answer
Sep 16 25 by pehinhota
What do you call a group of owls?
"Parliament" is technically correct but mostly used in a literary or whimsical sense. In everyday conversation or in birdwatching, people usually just say "a group of owls" or "a flock of owls" rather than "a parliament of owls."
Besides, owls are mostly solitary, so you rarely see them in parliaments, flocks, groups or councils anyway. (wellenbrecher)
3 answers
Sep 11 25 by S0N1CB01
Why is Woodrow Wilson the only president buried in Washington DC?
It was decided by his wife Edith, because she felt he had done his greatest work there.
[quote]First Lady Edith Wilson chose the Cathedral as her husband's final resting place for several reasons (although it was not the first site she considered). She felt he had done his most important work in the nation's capital, and her image of her husband matched the Cathedral's ambitions to be a place where the heroes of democracy could be celebrated and commemorated.[/quote]
https://cathedral.org/blog/100-years-ago-today-woodrow-wilsons-cathedral-burial/ (elburcher)
1 answer
Sep 15 25 by chabenao1
1 answer
Sep 15 25 by WesleyCrusher
1 answer
Sep 14 25 by pehinhota
1 answer
Sep 11 25 by chabenao1
What do you call a group of owls?
A parliament.
"a "Parliament" of owls refers to their perceived knowledge and wisdom. Owl groups also have been called a "Congress" or "stare," but the 1950s children's book "The Chronicles of Narnia" (which later became a movie), cemented Parliament as the go-to word for a group of owls."
https://www.the-daily-record.com/story/sports/outdoors/2022/05/16/wise-old-owl-parliament-reason-frogs-and-snakes-knot/9713698002/ (TriviaFan22)
3 answers
Sep 11 25 by S0N1CB01
What do you call a group of koalas?
A group of koalas is called colony.However,that is not an official term,but it is ofen applied to the creatures for simplicity but koalas dont spend most time with their members,so are usually not in groups.
source from -
https://a-z-animals.com/blog/what-is-a-group-of-koalas-called/ (S0N1CB01)
9 answers
Feb 04 03 by Chase
What is the main means of transport in the country of Nepal?
It also depends on the region of Nepal to which the OP is referring to. Having been there, in Kathmandu and the surrounding area, the primary form of transportation is a vehicle. Up in the mountains, everything is done on foot. (LeoDaVinci)
2 answers
Sep 11 25 by pehinhota
What is the main means of transport in the country of Nepal?
This site seems aimed at tourists. Even so, it references traveling by road as the most common mode of transport in Nepal. Common road vehicles in Nepal include various busses as well as trucks, cars and motorcycles.
https://www.himalayanglacier.com/nepal-travel-guide/local-transport/
(Triviaballer)
2 answers
Sep 11 25 by pehinhota
Two European nations mention each other in their respective national anthems. Which ones?
The above link gives the wording of the Polish national anthem that mentions Italy. Here's the wording from the Italian national anthem that mentions Poland (fifth verse, translated into English):
"The mercenary swords
Are feeble reeds.
Already the Eagle of Austria
Hath lost its plumes.
The blood of Italy,
The blood of Poland
It with Cossacks did drink,
But will burn its heart."
As is mentioned in the Reddit thread above, Poland (or the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth) and Italy (pre-unification) had a common enemy in the 1700s and 1800s: the Austrian Empire (explicitly mentioned in the Italian song), which is why the two national anthems reference each other's country. In fact, the Polish national anthem ("Mazurek D?browskiego" in Polish, or "Poland Is Not Yet Lost" in English) was originally titled ""Song of the Polish Legions in Italy" ("Pie?? Legionów Polskich we W?oszech" in Polish).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Il_Canto_degli_Italiani
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poland_Is_Not_Yet_Lost
(AyatollahK)
2 answers
Sep 09 25 by wellenbrecher
2 answers
Sep 09 25 by wellenbrecher
Post a New Question
