Ayyavazhi is a belief system that originated in South India in the 19th century. Many consider it a Hindu sect—including the majority of its followers—however, academics often define it as an independent monistic religion. While its ideology is quite similar to that of Hinduism, some Ayyavazhi beliefs and practices differ from the Hindu tradition, especially those relating to the concepts of good and evil as well as dharma. On whose teachings is Ayyavazhi based? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
A legendary pagan spirit later adopted by the Christian church, the Green Man is often depicted as a male figure covered in foliage or as a face surrounded by, made of, or sprouting leaves. He is represented in a variety of English church carvings made between the 11th and 20th centuries. From the Renaissance onward, elaborate variations on the Green Man theme began to appear in many other media. Which popular folklore characters are associated with the Green Man? 
A Rube Goldberg machine is an exceedingly complex apparatus that performs a very simple task in an incredibly indirect and convoluted way. Named for cartoonist Rube Goldberg, who was known for illustrating such contraptions, the machines are now the subject several competitions in which teams are judged on their machine’s ability to complete a certain task using as many steps as possible. What is an example of a simple task performed by one of Goldberg’s illustrated mechanisms? 
Often used for card tricks or to cheat when gambling, card marking is the process of altering playing cards so that the suit, rank, or both are surreptitiously revealed to the card marker or a conspirator. The practice has evolved over the years from adding bends or bumps to cards to using various inks and scratches, and today’s card markers use sophisticated “shade” technology to add marks that can only be read with special sunglasses, contact lenses, or what other high-tech system? 
Sickle-cell disease is an inherited blood disorder in which abnormalities in the red blood cells’ oxygen-carrying hemoglobin protein cause the cells to assume distorted, sickle-like shapes. The abnormal cells can clog blood vessels, depriving tissue of blood and oxygen and resulting in painful “crises.” The genetic disease is found predominantly in the black community, especially among those of W African descent. Scientists believe the mutation may help protect against what infectious disease? 
A parasitoid is an organism that spends a significant part of its life attached to or inside a single host, which it feeds on and ultimately kills. Parasitoid larvae are dependent on a host during development, but adult parasitoids are free-living insects. In a typical parasitic relationship, the parasite and host coexist without lethal damage to the host. However, in a parasitoid relationship, the host is killed, typically before it can produce offspring. What is a hyperparasite? 
Held in Olympia, Greece, from 776 BCE to 393 CE, the Olympic Games were a series of athletic competitions between various city-states. Originally, the games were comprised of just one event: the stadion race, a short sprint of about 624 ft (190 m), or the length of the stadium. Eventually, other events were added, including wrestling, chariot racing, a pentathlon, and the hoplitodromos, a race participants ran wearing heavy armor. What did competitors wear during other events? 
The Nommo are ancestral spirits worshipped by the Dogon tribe of Mali. Recognized by the Dogon as the first living beings, they are usually described as amphibious, hermaphroditic, fish-like creatures. The Nommo bear resemblance to several mythical beings from other cultures, and there are parallels between their story and that of Jesus. What details about Nommo mythology—which have since led to controversy—were reportedly revealed to two French anthropologists by the Dogon in the 1940s? 
Random processes are repeating processes whose outcomes follow no describable deterministic pattern. In mathematical, social, and religious settings, the term randomness refers to an innate “fairness” or lack of order or bias. Although randomness is an objective property, people often question whether a process is truly random. Many superstitions rest on the idea that seemingly random processes are actually governed by a hidden set of rules. How is randomness tied to the notion of free will? 
This classical and Western medieval conception of the order of the universe is composed of myriad hierarchical links that organize all things—from the most basic, matter-based elements to purely spiritual beings—into a structured system. Each level of the hierarchy moves closer to perfection, incorporating the positive attributes of the previous link as well as at least one other. Angels surpass humans, and they, in turn, are surpassed by God or the “prime mover.” What is at the lowest level?