- Inflation (Wikipedia)
In economics, inflation is a general increase in the prices of goods and services in an economy. This is usually measured using the consumer price index (CPI). When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation corresponds to a reduction in the purchasing power of money. The opposite of CPI inflation is deflation, a decrease in the general price level of goods and services. The common measure of inflation is the inflation rate, the annualized percentage change in a general price index. As prices faced by households do not all increase at the same rate, the consumer price index (CPI) is often used for this purpose.
- Menkalinan (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
MENKALINAN (Beta Aurigae). Beautifully shaped Auriga, the Charioteer, rides high in northern winter skies, dominated by brilliant Capella at the northwestern corner of the prominent pentagon that makes the figure. Almost immediately to the east lies a mid-second magnitude star, Menkalinan (Men-KAL-in-an), at the northeast corner, the Arabic name meaning “the shoulder of the rein-holder.”
- Beta Aurigae (Wikipedia)
Beta Aurigae (Latinized from β Aurigae, abbreviated Beta Aur, β Aur), officially named Menkalinan /mɛŋˈkælɪnæn/, is a binary star system in the northern constellation of Auriga. The combined apparent visual magnitude of the system is 1.9, making it the second-brightest member of the constellation after Capella. Using the parallax measurements made during the Hipparcos mission, the distance to this star system can be estimated as 81.1 light-years (24.9 parsecs), give or take a half-light-year margin of error.
