The Gospel of Mark introduces John as a fulfilment of a prophecy from the Book of Isaiah about

a messenger being sent ahead, and a voice crying out in the wilderness. John is described as
wearing clothes of camel's hair, living on locusts and wild honey. John proclaims baptism of
repentance for the forgiveness of sin, and says another will come after him who will not baptize
with water, but with the Holy Spirit.

Jesus comes to John, and is baptized by him in the river Jordan. The account describes how; as
he emerges from the water, the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descends on him 'like a dove'.
A voice from heaven then says, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
(Mark 1:11)

Later in the gospel there is an account of John's death. It is introduced by an incident where the
Tetrarch Herod Antipas, hearing stories about Jesus, imagines that this is John the Baptist raised
from the dead. It then explains that John had rebuked Herod for marrying Herodias, the ex-wife
of his brother (named here as Philip). Herodias demands his execution, but Herod, who 'liked to
listen' to John, is reluctant to do so because he fears him, knowing he is a 'righteous and holy
man'.

The account then describes how Herod's daughter Herodias (NRSV; other translations refer to
the girl as the daughter of Herodias) dances before Herod, who is pleased and offers her
anything she asks for in return. When the girl asks her mother what she should request, she is
told to demand the head of John the Baptist. Reluctantly, Herod orders the beheading of John,
and his head is delivered to her, at her request, on a plate. John's disciples take the body away
and bury it in a tomb.(Mark 6:17–29)

There are a number of difficulties with this passage. The Gospel refers to Antipas as 'King'[35]
and the ex-husband of Herodias is named as Philip, but he is known to have been called Herod.
[36] Although the wording clearly implies the girl was the daughter of Herodias, many texts
describe her as "Herod's daughter, Herodias". Since these texts are early and significant and the
reading is 'difficult', many scholars see this as the original version, corrected in later versions and
in Matthew and Luke.[36][37][38] Josephus says that Herodias had a daughter by the name of
Salome.

Scholars have speculated about the origins of the story. Since it shows signs of having been
composed in Aramaic, which Mark apparently did not speak, he is likely to have got it from a
Palestinian source.[39] There are a variety of opinions about how much actual historical material
it contains, especially given the alleged factual errors.[40] Many scholars have seen the story of
John arrested, executed, and buried in a tomb as a conscious foreshadowing of the fate of Jesus.
[41]

Cheese is a dairy product derived from milk that is produced in a wide range of flavors, textures,
and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk,
usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, the milk is usually acidified,
and adding the enzyme rennet causes coagulation. The solids are separated and pressed into
final form.[1] Some cheeses have molds on the rind, the outer layer, or throughout. Most
cheeses melt at cooking temperature.

Over a thousand types of cheese from various countries are produced. Their styles, textures and
flavors depend on the origin of the milk (including the animal's diet), whether they have been
pasteurized, the butterfat content, the bacteria and mold, the processing, and aging. Herbs,
spices, or wood smoke may be used as flavoring agents. The yellow to red color of many
cheeses, such as Red Leicester, is produced by adding annatto. Other ingredients may be added
to some cheeses, such as black pepper, garlic, chives or cranberries.

For a few cheeses, the milk is curdled by adding acids such as vinegar or lemon juice. Most
cheeses are acidified to a lesser degree by bacteria, which turn milk sugars into lactic acid, then
the addition of rennet completes the curdling. Vegetarian alternatives to rennet are available;
most are produced by fermentation of the fungus Mucor miehei, but others have been extracted
from various species of the Cynara thistle family. Cheesemakers near a dairy region may benefit
from fresher, lower-priced milk, and lower shipping costs.

Singularity Sky is a science fiction novel by author Charles Stross, published in 2003. It was
nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2004.[1][2] A sequel, Iron Sunrise, was
published that same year. Together the two are referred to as the Eschaton novels, after a near-
godlike intelligence that exists in both.

The novel follows the ill-fated military campaign by a repressive state, the New Republic, to
retaliate for a perceived invasion of one of its colony worlds. In actuality, the planet has been
visited by the Festival, a technologically advanced alien or posthuman race that rewards its hosts
for "entertaining" them by granting whatever the entertainer wishes, including the Festival's
own technology. This causes extensive social, economic and political disruption to the colony,
which was generally limited by the New Republic to technology equivalent to that found on
Earth during the Industrial Revolution. Aboard the New Republic's flagship, an engineer and
intelligence operative from Earth covertly attempt to prevent the use of a forbidden technology
—and fall in love along the way.