Rum-running

Rum-running, or bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting (smuggling) alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law. Smuggling is usually done to circumvent taxation or prohibition laws within a particular jurisdiction. The term rum-running is more commonly applied to smuggling over water; bootlegging is applied to smuggling over land.

It is believed that the term "boot-legging" originated during the American Civil War, when soldiers would sneak liquor into army camps by concealing pint bottles within their boots or beneath their trouser legs. Also, according to the PBS documentary Prohibition, the term "bootlegging" was popularized when thousands of city dwellers would sell liquor from flasks they kept in their boot leg all across major cities and rural areas. The term "rum-running" most likely originated at the start of Prohibition in the United States (1920–1933), when ships from Bimini in the western Bahamas transported cheap Caribbean rum to Florida speakeasies. But rum's cheapness made it a low-profit item for the rum-runners, and they soon moved on to smuggling Canadian whisky, French champagne, and English gin to major cities like New York City and Boston, where prices ran high. It was said that some ships carried $200,000 in contraband in a single run.

Pottery Barn

Pottery Barn is a United States-based upscale home furnishing store chain with retail stores in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Mexico and Australia. Pottery Barn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Williams-Sonoma, Inc., since September 1986, when it was purchased from GAP, Inc.

The Pottery Barn was co-founded in 1949 by Paul Secon and his brother Morris. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Pottery Barn also operates several specialty stores under the titles Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen. Pottery Barn has two retail catalogues, the traditional Pottery Barn catalogue and Pottery Barn Bed + Bath to focus only on its bed and bath lines.

PBteen

PBteen is the first home retailer to focus on teenagers in the 13–19 age range. It was launched in 2003. The first PB Teen store opened in Georgia in 2009, as well as in New York City and Chicago. The store now has a sub brand PB Dorm aimed at young people starting college life.

In popular culture

Pottery Barn is referenced a number of times in the US TV Show Friends, for example when Rachel buys furniture for Phoebe's house (which she is staying in at the time), and claims that it's all authenticly old furniture, it's actually all from Pottery Barn. Another example is in TV show Seinfeld, Kramer talks with Jerry about how he is receiving too many catalogs from Pottery Barn. He saves the collected catalogs, takes them and throws them into the store. Also Sheldon Cooper references it often in the show The Big Bang Theory.

Running

Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is in contrast to walking, where one foot is always in contact with the ground, the legs are kept mostly straight and the center of gravity vaults over the stance leg or legs in an inverted pendulum fashion. A characteristic feature of a running body from the viewpoint of spring-mass mechanics is that changes in kinetic and potential energy within a stride occur simultaneously, with energy storage accomplished by springy tendons and passive muscle elasticity. The term running can refer to any of a variety of speeds ranging from jogging to sprinting.

It is assumed that the ancestors of mankind developed the ability to run for long distances about 2.6 million years ago, probably in order to hunt animals. Competitive running grew out of religious festivals in various areas. Records of competitive racing date back to the Tailteann Games in Ireland in 1829 BCE, while the first recorded Olympic Games took place in 776 BCE. Running has been described as the world's most accessible sport.