In 2008, the Democratic Party gathered in Denver for its 2008 convention. There, a donkey named Mordecai became the first official live mascot in the history of the party, giving a new meaning to the expression political animal. This Democratic symbol aimed to provide a few light-hearted moments at the convention.
Variously known as cupstones, anvil stones, pitted cobbles and nutting stones, among other names, these roughly discoidal or amorphous groundstone artifacts are among the most common lithic remains of Native American culture, especially in the Midwest, in Early Archaic contexts.
ear-stone (otolith) A generally oval-shaped, solid, calcareous structure that is enclosed in membranaceous sacs in the inner-ear region of the brain of vertebrates. Although there are usually three ear-stones on each side of the brain, the middle one, the sagitta, is often the largest. Because the ear-stone shows growth zones, or annual rings, it is used by fish biologists to determine the age of fish.