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.
Rai, or stone money (Yapese: raay), are large, circular stone disks carved out of limestone formed from aragonite and calcite crystals. Rai stones were quarried on several of the Micronesian islands, mainly Palau, but briefly on Guam as well, and transported for use as money to the island of Yap.ai stones are circular disks with a hole in the middle. The stones vary widely in size: the largest are 3.6 meters (12 ft) in diameter, 0.5 meters (1.5 ft) thick and weigh 4 metric tons (8,800 lb). The largest rai stone is located on Rumung island, near Riy village.