Website Marketing and Advertising News

Test of the U.S. Constitution

@djplb — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:50:44 +0000

The U.S. Constitution Test

This version of the Test is currently in use by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.
Questions are followed with Answers:

1. What are the colors of our flag?
2. How many stars are there on our flag?
3. What color are the stars on our flag?
4. What do the stars on the flag mean?
5. How many stripes are there on the flag?
6. What color are the stripes?
7. What do the stripes on the flag mean?
8. How many states are there in the Union?
9. Why do we celebrate the Fourth of July?
10. What is the date of Independence day?
11. Independence from whom?
12. What country did we fight during the Revolutionary War?
13. Who was the first President?
14. Who is president today?
15. Who is vice president today?
16. Who elects the president of the United States?
17. Who becomes our president if the president should die?
18. For how long do we elect the president?
19. What is the Constitution?
20. Can the Constitution be changed?
21. What do we call a change to the Constitution?
22. How many changes or amendments are there to the Constitution?
23. How many branches are there in our government?
24. What are the three branches of our government?
25. What is the legislative branch of our government?
26. Who makes federal laws?
27. What is Congress?
28. What are the duties of Congress?
29. Who elects Congress?
30. How many senators are there in Congress?
31. Can you name the senators from your state?
32. For how long do we elect each senator?
33. How many voting members are in the House of Representatives? 34. For how long do we elect the representatives?
35. What is the Executive branch of our government?
36. What is the Judiciary branch of our government?
37. What are the duties of the Supreme Court?
38. What is the supreme law of the United States?
39. What is the Bill of Rights?
40. What is the capital of your state?
41. Who is the governor of your state?
42. Who becomes president if both the president and the vice president die?
43. Who is chief justice of the Supreme Court?
44. Can you name the 13 original states?
45. Who said, “Give me liberty or give me death”?
46. Which countries were our allies during World War II?
47. What is the 49th state added to our Union?
48. How many full terms can a president serve?
49. Who was Martin Luther King Jr.?
50. Who is the head of your local government?
51. According to the Constitution, a person must meet certain requirements in order to be eligible to become president. Name one.
52. Why are there 100 senators in the U.S. Senate?
53. Who nominates judges of the Supreme Court?
54. How many Supreme Court justices are there?
55. Why did the Pilgrims come to America?
56. What is the head executive of a state government called?
57. What is the head executive of a city government called?
58. What holiday was celebrated for the first time by the American colonists?
59. Who was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence?
60. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
61. What is the basic belief of the Declaration of Independence?
62. What is our national anthem?
63. Who wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner?”
64. Where does freedom of speech come from?
65. What is the minimum voting age?
66. Who signs bills into law? 67. What is the highest court in the United States?
68. Who was president during the Civil War?
69. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
70. What special group advises the president?
71. Which president is called the “Father of Our Country”?
72. What is the 50th state of the Union?
73. Who helped the Pilgrims in America?
74. What is the name of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America?
75. What were the 13 original states of the United States called?
76. Name three rights or freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.
77. Who has the power to declare war?
78. Name one amendment that guarantees or addresses voting rights.
79. Which president freed the slaves?
80. In what year was the Constitution written?
81. What are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called?
82. Name one purpose of the United Nations.
83. Where does Congress meet?
84. Whose rights are guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights?
85. What is the introduction to the Constitution called?
86. Name one benefit of being a citizen of the United States.
87. What is the most important right granted to U.S. citizens?
88. What is the United States Capitol?
89. What is the White House?
90. Where is the White House located?
91. What is the president’s official home?
92. Name one right guaranteed by the First amendment.
93. Who is the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Army and Navy?
94. Which president was the first commander in chief of the U.S. Army and Navy?
95. In what month do we vote for president?
96. In what month is the new president inaugurated?
97. How many times may a senator be re-elected?
98. How many times may a congressman be re-elected?
99. What are the two major political parties in the United States today?
100. How many states are there?
ANSWERS

1) Red, white and blue.

2) 50.

3) White.

4) One for each state in the Union.

5) 13.

6) Red and white.

7) They represent the 13 original states.

50.

9) Independence Day.

10) July 4.

11) England.

12) England.

13) George Washington.

14) William Jefferson Clinton.

15) Al Gore.

16) The Electoral College.

17) vice president.

18) Four years.

19) The supreme law of the land.

20) Yes.

21) Amendments.

22) 27.

23) Three.

24) Legislative, Executive and Judicial.

25) Congress.

26) Congress.

27) The Senate and the House of Representatives.

28) To make laws.

29) The people.

30) 100.

31) (Variable).

32) Six years.

33) 435.

34) Two years.

35. The president, Cabinet and departments under the Cabinet members.

36) The Supreme Court.

37) To interpret laws.

38) The Constitution.

39) The first 10 amendments to the Constitution.

40) (Variable).

41) (Variable).

42) Speaker of the House of Representatives.

43) William Rehnquist.

44) Conn., N.H., N.Y., N.J., Mass., Pa., Del., Va., N.C., S.C., Ga., R.I. and Md.

45) Patrick Henry.

46) Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, China, France.

47) Alaska.

48) 2.

49) A civil rights leader.

50) (Variable).

51) Must be a natural-born U.S. citizen; must be at least 35 years old by the time he/she will serve; must have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years.

52) Two from each state.

53) The president.

54) Nine.

55) For religious freedom.

56) governor.

57) mayor.

58) Thanksgiving.

59) Thomas Jefferson.

60) July 4, 1776.

61) That all men are created equal.

62) “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
63) Francis Scott Key.

64) The Bill of Rights.

65) 18.

66) The president.

67) The Supreme Court.

68) Abraham Lincoln.

69) Freed many slaves.

70) The Cabinet.

71) George Washington.

72) Hawaii.

73) The American Indians.

74) The Mayflower.

75) Colonies.

76)

1. The right of freedom of speech, press, religion, peaceable assembly and requesting change of government.
2. The right to bear arms.
3. The government may not quarter, or house, soldiers in private homes during peacetime without the owners’s consent.
4. The government may not search or take a person’s property without a warrant.
5. A person may not be tried twice by the same jurisdiction for the same crime and cannot be forced to testify against him/herself.
6. A person charged with a crime still has many rights, including the right to have a trial and be represented by a lawyer.
7. The right to jury trial by his/her peers in most cases.
8. Protects people against excessive or unreasonable fines or cruel and unusual punishment.
9. The people have rights other than those mentioned in the Constitution.
77) The Congress.

78) 15th, 19th, 24th and 26th.

79) Abraham Lincoln.

80) 1787.

81) The Bill of Rights.

82) For countries to discuss world problems; to provide economic aid to countries; occasionally take action.

83) In the Capitol in Washington D.C.

84) Everyone (citizens and non-citizens living in the United States).

85) The Preamble.

86) Vote for the candidate of your choice; travel with a U.S. passport; serve on a jury; apply for federal employment opportunities, etc.

87) The right to vote.

88. The place where Congress meets.

89) The president’s official residence.

90) Washington, D.C. (1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW).

91) The White House.

92) Freedom of: speech, press, religion, peaceable assembly, and requesting changes in the government.

93) The president.

94) George Washington.

95) November.

96) January.

97. There is no limit.

98) There is no limit.

99) Democratic and Republican.

100) 50.

You know you’re from California if…

@djplb — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:40:14 +0000

WHY I LOVE BEING A CALIFORNIAN
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

1. Your coworker has 8 body piercings and none are visible.

2. You make over $250,000 and still can’t afford a house.

3. You take a bus and are shocked at 2 people carrying on a
conversation in English

4. Your child’s 3rd grade teacher has purple hair, a nose ring,
and is named Breeze.

5. You can’t remember… is pot illegal?

6. You’ve been invited to a baby shower that has two mothers
and a sperm donor.

7. You have a very strong opinion about where your coffee beans
are grown and can taste the difference between Sumatran and Ethiopian.

8. You know which restaurant serves the freshest arugula.

9. You can’t remember… is pot illegal?

10. A really great parking space can move you to tears.

11. A low speed pursuit will interrupt ANY TV broadcast.

12. Gas costs 75 cents per gallon more than anywhere else in
the U.S.

13. A man gets on the bus in full leather regalia and
crotchless chaps. You don’t even notice.

14. Unlike back home, the guy at 8:30 am at Starbucks wearing
the baseball cap and sunglasses who looks like George Clooney IS George
Clooney.

15. Your car insurance costs as much as your house payment.

16. Your hairdresser is straight, your plumber is gay, the
woman who delivers your mail is into BDSM and your Mary Kay rep
is a guy in drag.

17. You can’t remember… is pot illegal?

18. It’s sprinkling and there’s a report on every news station about
“STORM WATCH 2000.”

19. You have to leave the big company meeting early because Billy
Blanks himself is teaching the 4:00 PM Tae Bo class.

20. You pass an elementary school playground and the children are
all busy with their cell phones or pagers.

21. It’s sprinkling outside, so you leave for work an hour
early to avoid all the weather-related accidents.

22. Hey! Is Pot Illegal?

23. You AND your dog have therapists.

History in Video of Bellevue Washington

@djplb — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:28:27 +0000

Madden 10 sack tip play

@djplb — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:49:19 +0000

Play: 3-4 Over- Sting Pinch Zone
Playbook: Many (EX: 34, BAL, KC, NE, NYJ, SF, ETC)

Setup:

Step 1. Re-blitz the DT
Step 2. Take the RILB (left of screen) and place him in the right A Gap
Step 3. Re-blitz the RILB

*Place your fastest LB at RILB (#2 MLB) in your depth chart

Join Madden 10 group here http://maddenplayers.socialgo.com/forum/topic/6

!Wow! Ken Burbary is really into Social Media TRacking = ) XML

@djplb — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 21:19:32 +0000

http://djplb.wordpress.com SEO, SEM, Website marketing Bellingham, PPC, Linking, Web 2.0 en http://djplb.wordpress.comhttp://www.gravatar.com/blavatar/ec8f65b604d791f247d44e5d8ef988e6?s=96&d=http://s.wordpress.com/i/buttonw-com.png http://djplb.wordpress.com/2009/08/14/social-media-monitoring-websites-options-august-2009/ Company Name Platform Name Media Type Coverage URL Country Submitted By Radian6 Radian6 All http://www.radian6.com Canada Ken Burbary Techrigy SM2 All http://www.techrigy.com USA Ken Burbary Google Blogsearch Blogs http://blogsearch.google.com USA Ken Burbary Twitter Twitter Search Twitter http://search.twitter.com USA Ken Burbary Icerocket Icerocket Blogs http://www.icerocket.com USA Ken Burbary TNS Cymfony Maestro All http://www.cymfony.com USA Ken Burbary ScoutLabs ScoutLabs All http://www.scoutlabs.com USA Ken Burbary Brands Eye Brands Eye All http://www.brandseye.com South Africa Ken Burbary Pilgrim Network Trackur All http://www.trackur.com USA Ken Burbary Visible Technologies TruCast, TruReputation All http://www.visibletechnologies.com USA Ken Burbary Twazzup Twazzup Twitter http://www.twazzup.com USA Ken Burbary Effyis Boardreader Forums http://boardreader.com USA Ken Burbary Collective Intellect ci/Listen, ci/Learn All http://www.collectiveintellect.com USA Ken Burbary Networked Insight SocialSense All http://www.networkedinsights.com USA Ken Burbary Backtype Connect Blogs, Twitter, Friendfeed http://www.backtype.com/connect USA Ken Burbary Technorati Blogsearch Blogs http://technorati.com USA Ken Burbary Nielsen Blogpulse Blogs http://www.blogpulse.com/conversation USA Ken Burbary Pidgin Technologies Boardtracker Forums http://www.boardtracker.com USA Ken Burbary Now Metrix Trendrr All http://www.trendrr.com USA Ken Burbary Social Mention Social Mention All http://socialmention.com USA Ken Burbary Monitter Monitter Twitter http://www.monitter.com USA Ken Burbary Spiral16 Spark All http://www.spiral16.com USA Ken Burbary Facebook Search Facebook http://www.facebook.com/search USA Ken Burbary Facebook Lexicon Facebook http://www.facebook.com/lexicon USA Ken Burbary Linkfluence Linkfluence All http://linkfluence.net USA Ken Burbary New Media Strategies AIM All http://newmediastrategies.net USA Ken Burbary JD Power Umbria All http://www.jdpowerwebintelligence.com USA Ken Burbary Sysomos MAP, Heartbeat All http://www.sysomos.com Canada Ken Burbary Moreover [...] Fri, 14 Aug 2009 22:30:28 +0000 http://djplb.wordpress.com/2009/08/14/musical-chord-types-chart/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVadl4ocX0M Fri, 14 Aug 2009 22:03:56 +0000 http://djplb.wordpress.com/2009/08/14/spunky-look-at-musical-key-characteristics/ from Christian Schubart’s Ideen zu einer Aesthetik der Tonkunst (1806) C Major Completely Pure. Its character is: innocence, simplicity, na�vety, children’s talk. C Minor Declaration of love and at the same time the lament of unhappy love. All languishing, longing, sighing of the love-sick soul lies in this key. Db Major A leering key, degenerating into grief and rapture. It cannot [...] Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:59:58 +0000 http://djplb.wordpress.com/2009/08/13/you-know-youre-from-washington-if-jokes/ THIS IS WHAT JEFF FOXWORTHY HAS TO SAY ABOUT ‘LIVING IN Washington! If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don’t work there, you live in Washington. If you’ve worn shorts, sandals and a parka at the same time, you live in Washington. If you’ve had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed the wrong number, you live [...] Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:26:39 +0000 http://djplb.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/race-and-the-job-crunch/ About the Author Patrick Buchanan has been a senior advisor to three Presidents, a two-time candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, and was the presidential nominee of the Reform Party in 2000. He has written ten books, including six straight New York Times best sellers: A Republic, Not an Empire; The Death of the West; Where the Right Went Wrong; State [...] Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:12:12 +0000 http://djplb.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/you-might-be-a-liberal/ You Might Be A liberal If you believe that we have a 2 party system, ….you have a party with all your rich friends and invite the poor ones to come clean up! You Might Be A liberal If you pay more in union dues than you give to charities or your local church You Might Be A [...] Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:45:36 +0000 http://djplb.wordpress.com/2009/08/11/was-einstein-wrong-a-quantum-threat-to-special-relativity/ http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=was-einstein-wrong-about-relativity Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:26:58 +0000 http://djplb.wordpress.com/2009/08/11/dj-record-labels/ DJ Alex dj kiwanch renedj.com DJEROS DJNICK2K6 CORPORACION DJ DJ Hardkid Otters Pocket DJs FreeDJS dj devon productions djorcun djfares www.radiodj.ro Dj honans Dj Strafe ChrissOwn.dj djtommy82 DJ Gab12 dj mamade Dj Prado DJ.BENIN Top DJ Music Family Dj Blondie ( DJ Jeff ) DJERO VOCAL Dj Dargos Ankara Dj Team ANKARA_DJ_TEAM Djanonim DJ-LUDIQ_G Dj Steel DjVetpro dj jam Dj Roice xldj records GDJ rec. Dj N3oX Co. DJ TheWorld Records Dj-zamp djmaxgroove Dj Naveed DJ Martín Durán DJ YAMAN Mister VDJ DJS Management INC DJCuongdiec DJ MUCHOO DJ Michael 2djs4love records Dj_Parsa-A_State_of_Trance_5_-2009-05-30__Mix_75_Min MiStEr_DJ PROMO DJ DjEJanz dj hezry Truedjing Records xldjrecords.com Djfatah djssnd 101.6 FMixstation & EPDJ agustindj muchoo mamboo dj DJJARA Dj Dark Dj SABOTADJ RECORDS DJ Kootval Dj [...] Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:32:00 +0000 http://djplb.wordpress.com/2009/08/11/proof-the-vikings-landed-in-america/ According to the sagas, at precisely A.D. 1000, Leif Eriksson, first son of the notorious Erik the Red, voyaged from Greenland for lands sighted to the west. He then landed on the shores of a beautiful place he named Vinland (Vine land). Later voyagers to Vinland met strange peoples, whom they called skraeling. Ever since these [...] Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:47:48 +0000 http://djplb.wordpress.com/2009/08/11/viking-timeline-based-on-the-sagas/ 845 AD – The Strongbow Saga is a historical young adult series by Judson Roberts. Set inDenmark around the year 845 AD, the Saga is the story about Halfdan Horikkson, a youngViking trying to avenge his brothers murder. The first three books, Viking Warrior, Dragons … Show more From The Strongbow Saga – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Related web pages en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Strongbow_Saga 870 AD – Viking [...] Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:44:43 +0000

WebMasters Experience Directory

Viking Berserker

@djplb — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 18:08:31 +0000

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z86/danskpanserbilleder/viking_med_evig_magt.jpg

Quote:

Description of the Berserk

The modern popular conception of the Viking warrior is one of a murderous savage, clad in animal skins, howling into battle. This conception probably owes more to literary tradition than to historical fact: it reflects not the ordinary Scandinavian warriors, but rather a special group of fighters known as *berserks* or *berserkers*.

The etymology of the term *berserk* is disputed. It may mean “*bare*-sark,” as in “bare of shirt” and refer to the berserker’s habit of going unarmored into battle. Ynglingasaga records this tradition, saying of the warriors of Odhinn that “they went without coats of mail, and acted like mad dogs and wolves” (Snorri Sturluson. Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway. trans. Lee M. Holander. Austin: U of Texas P. 1964. p.10).

Others have contended that the term should be read “*bear*-sark,” and describes the animal-skin garb of ther berserker. Grettirs Saga calls King Harald’s berserkers “Wolf-Skins,” and in King Harald’s Saga they are called *ulfhedinn* or “wolf-coats,” a term which appears in Vatnsdoela Saga and Hrafnsmal (Hilda R. Ellis-Davidson,”Shape-Changing in the Old Norse Sagas, ” in Animals in Folklore. eds. J.R. Porter and W.M.S. Russell. Totowa NJ: Rowman and Littlefield. 1978. pp. 132-133), as well as in Grettirs Saga (Denton Fox and Hermann Palsson, trans. Grettir’s Saga.” Toronto: U of Toronto P. 1961. p. 3).

The berserker is closely associated in many respects with the god Odhinn. Adam of Bremen in describing the Allfather says, “Wodan — id est furor” or “Wodan — that means fury.” The name Odhinn derives from the Old Norse *odur*. This is related to the German *wut*, “rage, fury,” and to the Gothic *wods*, “possessed” (Georges Dumezil. The Destiny of the Warrior. Chicago, U of Chicago P. 1969. p. 36). This certainly brings to mind the madness associated with the berserker, and other Odhinnic qualities are seen to be possessed by the berserk. Ynglingasaga recounts that Odhinn could shape-shift into the form of a bird, fish, or wild animal (Snorri Sturluson, p. 10). The berserker, too, was often said to change into bestial form, or at least to assume the ferocious qualities of the wolf or bear. Kveldulfr in Egils Saga Skallagrimsonar was spoken of as a shapechanger (Hermann Palsson and Paul Edwards, trans. Egil’s Saga. NY: Penguin. 1976. p. 21), and Hrolf’s Saga tells of the hero Bjarki, who takes on the shape of a bear in battle:
Men saw that agreat bear went before King Hrolf’s men, keeping always near the king. He slew more men with his forepaws than any five of the king’s champions. Blades and weapons glanced off him, and he brought down both men and horses in King Hjorvard’s forces, and everything which came in his path he crushed to death with his teeth, so that panic and terror swept through King Hjorvard’s army…” (Gwyn Jones. Eirik the Red and Other Icelandic Sagas. NY: Oxford U.P. 1961. p. 313).

Dumezil refers to this phenomenon as the *hamingja* (“spirit” or “soul”) or *fylgja* (“spirit form”) of the berserker, which may appear in animal form in dreams or in visions, as well as in reality (Georges Dumezil. Gods of the Ancient Northmen. Los Angeles: U of California P. 1973. p. 142).

The berserk was sometimes inherently possessed of this immunity, or performed spells to induce it, or even had special powers to blunt weapons by his gaze. Many tales say of their berserkers, “no weapon could bite them” or “iron could not bite into him.” This immunity to weapons may also have been connected with the animal-skin garments worn by the berserk. As we saw above, while in animal form, “blades and weapons glanced off” Bodvar Bjarki. Similarly, Vatnsdoela Saga says that “those ebrserks who were called *ulfhednar* had wolf shirts for mail-coats” (Ellis-Davidson, “Shape Changing,” p. 133). This concept of immunity may have evolved from the berserker’s rage, during which the berserk might receive wounds, but due to his state of frenzy take no note of them until the madness passed from him. A warrior who continued fighting while bearing mortal wounds would surely have been a terrifying opponent.

It is likely that the berserk was actually a member of the cult of Odhinn. The practices of such a cult would have been a secret of the group’s initiates, although the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII refers in his Book of Ceremonies to a “Gothic Dance” performed by members of his Varangian guard, who took part wearing animal skins and masks: this may have been connected with berserker rites Hilda R. Ellis-Davidson. Pagan Scandinavia. NY: Frederick A. Praeger. 1967. p. 100). This type of costumed dance is also seen in figures from Swedish helmet plates and scabbard ornaments, which depict human figures with the heads of bears or wolves, dressed in animal skins but having human hands and feet. These figures often carry spears or swords, and are depicted as running or dancing. One plate from Torslunda, Sweden, may show the figure of Odhinn dancing with such a bear figure.

Other ritual practices attributed to berserks may represent the initiation of the young warrior into a band of berserkers. Such bands are mentioned in the sagas, oftentimes numbering twelve warriors. Another commin feature of these bands is the name of the leaser, which is often “Bjorn” or a variant, meaning ‘bear.” The form of this initiation is a battle, either real or simulated, with a bear or other fearsome adversary. Grettirs Saga tells of a situation of this sort, when a man named Bjorn throws Grettir’s cloak into the den of a bear. Grettir slays the bear, recovers his claok, and returns with the bear’s paw as a token of his victory (Fox and Palsson, pp. 62-67). Bodvar Bjarki has a protege, Hjalti, who undergoes a simulated encounter as his initiation in Hrolf’s Saga. Bodvar first slays a dragon-like beast, then sets its skin up on a frame. Hjalti then “attacks” the beast and symbolically kills it before witnesses, earning his place among the warriors (Jones, pp. 282-285). Bronze helmet plates from locations in Sweden and designs upon the Sutton Hoo pyrse lid seem to show examples of these initiatory encounters, where a human figure is seen grappling with one, or often two, bear-like animals (Margaret A. Arent. “The Heroic Pattern: Old German Helmets, Beowulf, and Grettis Saga.” in Old Norse Literature and Mythology. ed. Edgar C. Polome. Austin, U of Texas P. 1969. pp. 133-139).

Modern scholars believe that certain examples of berserker rage to have been induced coluntarily by the consumption of drugs such as the hallucinogenic mushroom *Amanita muscaria* (Howard D. Fabing. “On Going Berserk: A Neurochemical Inquiry.” Scientific Monthly. 83 [Nov. 1956] p. 232), or massive quantities of alcohol (Robert Wernick. The Vikings. Alexandria VA: Time-Life Books. 1979. p. 285). While such practices would fit in with ritual usages, other explanations for the berserker’s madness have been put forward, including self-induced hysteria, epilepsy, mental illness or genetic flaws (Peter G. Foote and David m. Wilson. the Viking Achievement. London: Sidgewick & Jackson. 1970. p. 285).

The physical appearance of the berserk was one calculated to present an image of terror. Dumezil draws parallels between the berserk and the tribe of Harii mentioned in Tacitus’s Germania who used not only “natural ferocity” but also dyed their bodues to cause panic and terror in their enemies, just as the berserk combined his fearsome reputation with animal skin dress to suggest the terrifying metamorphosis of the shape changer (Dumezil, Destiny of the Warriro, p. 141). Indeed, berserkers had much in common with those thought to be werewolves. Ulf, a retired berserker, is mentioned in this light in Egils saga Skallagrimsonar:

But every day, as it drew towards evening, he would grow so ill-tempered that no-one could speak to him, and it wasn’t long before he would go to bed. There was talk about his being a shape-changer, and people called him Kveld-Ulf ["Evening Wolf"] (Palsson and Edwards, Egil’s Saga, p.21).

In the sagas, berserks are often described as being fantastically ugly, often being mistaken for trolls, as were Skallagrim and his kinsmen in Egils saga Skallagrimsonar (Palsson and Edwards, Egil’s Saga, p. 66). Egil himself is described as being “black-haired and as ugly as his father” (Ibid., p. 79), and at a feast in the court of the English king Athelstan, Egil is said to have made such terrible faces that Athelstan was forced to give him a gold ring to make him stop:

His eyes were black and his eyebrows joined in the middle. He refused to touch a drink even though people were serving him, and did nothing but pull his eyebrows up and down, now this one, now the other.. (Ibid., pp. 128-129).

Going Berserk – a Description of the Berserkergang

The actual fit or madness the berserk experienced was known as *berserkergang*. This condition is described as follows:
This fury, which was called berserkergang, occurred not only in the heat of battle, but also during laborious work. Men who were thus seized performed things which otherwise seemed impossible for human power. This condition is said to have begun with shivering, chattering of the teeth, and chill in the body, and then the face swelled and changed its color. With this was connected a great hot-headedness, which at last gave over into a great rage, under which they howled as wild animals, bit the edge of their shields, and cut down everything they met without dicriminating bewteen friend or foe. When this condition ceased, a great dulling of the mind and feeble- ness followed, which could last for one or several days (Fabing, p. 234).

During the berserkergang, the berserk seemed to lose all human reason, a condition in which he could not distinguish between friend and enemy, and which was marked by animalistic screaming. In Arrow-Odd’s Saga, Odd remarks upon hearing a group of berserkers, “Sometimes I seem to hear a bull bellowing or a dog howling, and sometimes it’s like people screaming” (Edwards and Palsson, Arrow-Odd, p. 40).

Another characteristic of berserkergang was the great strength showed by the berserk. This strength was sometimes expressed in the sagas by describing the berserker as a giant or as a troll. The berserker was thought not only to have assumed the ferocity of an animal, but also to have acquired the strength of the bear. In token of this, the berserk might assume a “bear name,” that is, a name containing the element *bjorn* or *biorn*, such as Gerbiorn, Gunbiorn, Arinbiorn, Esbiorn or Thorbiorn (Saxo Grammaticus. The History fo the Danes. trans. Peter Fisher. Totowa NJ: Rowman and Littlefield. 1979. Vol II, p. 95). Bjarki, whose name means “Little Bear,” was said to actually take the shape of the bear in combat.
To gain this bear-like strength, the berserk might drink the blood of a bear or wolf (Ibid., p. 45):

Straight away bring your throat to its steaming blood and devour the feast of its body with ravenous jaws. Then new force will enter your frame, an unlooked-for vigor will come to your muscles, accumulation of solid strength soak through every sinew” (Saxo, Vol. I, p. 25).

The aftermath of the berserkergang was characterized by complete physical disability. Egils saga Skallagrimssonar says:

What peoplke say about shape-changers or those who go into berserk fits is this: that as long as they’re in the frenzy they’re so strong that nothing is too much for them, but as soon as they’re out of it they become much weaker than normal. That’s how it was with Kveldulf; as soon as the frenzy left him he felt so worn out by the battle he’d been fighting, and grew so weak as a result of it all that he had to take to his bed (Palsson and Edwards, Egil’s Saga, p. 72).

A common technique used by saga heroes to overcome berserks was to catch them after their madness had left them, as Hjalmar and Arrow-Odd do in Herverar Saga, and slay the berserkers while they lay in their enfeebled state after their fury (Christopher Tolkein, trans. The Saga of King Heidrek the Wise. NY: Thomas Nelson & Sons. 1960. pp. 5-7).

The Role of the Berserker in Viking Society

The berserker’s place in society was limited by the terror and violence that was associated with berserkergang. As superb warriors, they were due admiration. However, their tendency to turn indicriminately upon their friends while the madness was upon them went squarely against the heroic ethic, which demanded loyalty and fidelity to one’s friends. The berserk skirted the classification of *ni(dh)ingr*, one who was the lowest of men and the object of hate and scorn. An eleventh-century monument raised in Soderby in Uppland, Sweden in memory of a brother reads: “And Sassur killed him and did the deed of a *nidingr* — he betrayed his comrade” (Foote and Wilson, p. 426).

The primary role of the berserk was as a warrior attacked to a king’s army. Both King Harald and King Halfdan had berserker shock-troops. Aside from their military value, the berserker’s ties to Odhinn would have been welcome in a royal army, since Odhinn also had a particular association with rulership, being venerated in Anglo-Saxon England as the ancestor of chieftains, and throughout the North as god of kings and protector of their royal power (Dumezil, Gods of the Ancient Northmen, p. 26). Outside of this role, however, the berserker became the stock villain of the sagas, typified as murderous, stupid brutes, or as one modern critic has it, “a predatory group of brawlers and killers who disrupted the peace of the Viking community repeatedly” (Fabing, p. 232). Saxo Grammaticus speaks of such a band in his Gesta Danorum:

The young warriors would harry and pillage the neighborhood, and frequently spilt great quantities of blood. They considered it manly and proper to devastate homes, cut down cattle, rifle everything and take away vast hauls of booty, burn to the ground houses they had sacked, and butcher men and women indicriminately” (Saxo, Vol. I, p. 163).

In addition to their warlike activities within their communities, berserkers are characterized by their sexual excesses, carrying off wives, daughters and betrothed maids who then must be rescued by the heroes of the sagas.

It was no doubt due to these excesses of the berserker that resulted in their demise. In 1015 King Erik outlawed berserks, along with *holmganga* or duels (Fabing, p. 235): it had become a common practice for a berserker to challenge men of property to holmgang, and upon slaying the unfortunate victim, to take possession of his goods, wealth, and women. This was a difficult tactic to counter, since a man so challenged had to appear, have a champion fight for him, or else be named *ni(dh)ingr* and coward.

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=137093

Aegir – Aesir – Alfheim – Alfred (the Great) – Anglo-Saxon Chronicle – Arnulf – Asgard – Art & Architecture – A-Z on the Vikings, their gods & their objects & more -
B
Balder – Beowulf – Berserker – Bifrost – Bragi – Brian Bórú – Brunhild (Frankisch Queen) – Brunhild (Mythology) -
C
Carolingian – the Celts – Clothes – Clovis I -
D
Danish Language – Death, Burial & the Viking Gods -
E
Edmund I – Eric the Red – Eriksson, Leif – Explorers & Exploration -
F
Fenrir – Forseti – the Franks – Freki – Frey – Freya – Frigg(a) -
G
Geri – Gladsheim – Gods A-Z on their objects & more – Gods and Death & Burial – Gods/Goddesses of … – Gods, relations – Gotterdammerung – Grendel -
H
Harald I – Harald III – Heimdall – Helheim – Hod(er) – Huginn -
I
Icelandic Literature – Idun – Invaders & Invasions -
J
Jotunheim -
K
K
L
Language and Literature – Language: Place Names – Leif Eriksson – Lif and Lifthrasir – Lindisfarne Gospels – Links to Viking (related) Sites – Loki -
M
Merovingian – Midgard – Muninn -
N
Nibelungenlied – Niflheim – Nine Worlds – Njord – Norns – Norwegian Literature -
O
Odin – Olaf I – Olaf II -
P
Pepin the Elder – Pepin the Short – Place Names -
Q
Q
R
Ragnarok – Raids – Relations of the Gods – Runic Writing -
S
the Saxons – Settlements – Ships – Siegfried – Sif – Sleipnir – Snorri Sturluson – Sweyn I -
T
Thor – Tyr -
U
U
V
Valhalla – Valkyries – Vanaheim – Vanir – Varangians – Ve – Vidar – Viking Art – Viking A-Z – Viking Links – Vili – Vinland -
W
Wodan – Worlds of Norse Mythology – Writing -
X
X
Y
Yggdrasil -

http://www.angelfire.com/realm/shades/vikings/vik2.htm

You Very Funny American Guy

@djplb — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:26:37 +0000

Random Thoughts of the Day:

I wish Google Maps had an “Avoid Ghetto” routing option.
More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me.
Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.
I don’t understand the purpose of the line, “I don’t need to drink to have fun.” Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they’ve invented the lighter?
Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you’re going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you’re crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.
That’s enough, Nickelback.
I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.
The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase “Regards” again.
Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn’t work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ’s. We just figured it out. Today’s kids are soft.
There is a great need for sarcasm font.
Sometimes, I’ll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the f*ck was going on when I first saw it.
I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I’ll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone’s laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I’m still the only one who really, really gets it.
The other night I hit a new low at an open bar. I had already hopped on highway blackout when, inevitably I had to find a bathroom. Eventually I decided it was probably on the other side of the bar so I tried to walk over there, but ran into a guy coming the other way. We played that, Both go left, Both go right game to no avail, so I finally put out my hand to guide myself past and that’s is when I realized, yup, that’s a mirror I just tried to walk through. And the guy on the other side is me. Even cats can recognize their own image.
How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.
A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.
Was learning cursive really necessary?
Lol has gone from meaning, “laugh out loud” to “I have nothing else to say”.
I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.
My brother’s Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads. Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired about the name. He explained, “Cuz we beat you, and you hate us.” Classy, bro.
Whenever someone says “I’m not book smart, but I’m street smart”, all I hear is “I’m not real smart, but I’m imaginary smart”.
How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear what they said?
I love the sense of camaraderie when a n entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!
Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using ‘as in’ examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss’s last name to an attorney and said “Yes that’s G as in…(10 second lapse)..ummm…Goonies”
What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?
While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it…thanks Mario Kart.
MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.
Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
I would like to officially coin the phrase ‘catching the swine flu’ to be used as a way to make fun of a friend for hooking up with an overweight woman. Example: “Dave caught the swine flu last night.”
I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired.
Bad decisions make good stories
Whenever I’m Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don’t mind if I do!
Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?
If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.
Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I’m from, this shouldn’t be a problem….
You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you’ve made up your mind that you just aren’t doing anything productive for the rest of the day.
Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don’t want to have to restart my collection.
There’s no worse feeling than that millisecond you’re sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
“Do not machine wash or tumble dry” means I will never wash this ever.
I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There’s so much pressure. ‘I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren’t watching this. It’s only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?’
While watching the Olympics, I find myself cheering equally for China and USA. No, I am not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that when Chinese athletes don’t win, they are executed.
I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damnit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What’d you do after I didn’t answer? Drop the phone and run away?
I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
When I meet a new girl, I’m terrified of mentioning something she hasn’t already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.
I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it’s on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.
Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles…
As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.
Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.
I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
I think that if, years down the road when I’m trying to have a kid, I find out that I’m sterile, most of my disappointment will stem from the fact that I was not aware of my condition in college.
Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn’t know what do to with it.
Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey – but I’d bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time…
My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day “Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?” How the hell do I respond to that?
It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.
I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.
I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.
The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimate d that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There’s nothing like being made to feel like a fat bastard before dinner.