The Antichrist is a compilation of the four beasts from Daniels first vision (Dan 7.3-7)—beast like a lion, beast like a bear, beast like a leopard, and the fourth beast. Some religious theorists posit that the Beast is representative of the Greek empire post- Alexander the Great (323 B.C.E.). At this point, the empire was divided into four parts: Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece and Rome: analogous to the four animals that compose the Beast. Moreover, the seven heads are elucidated later in Revelations 17:9-10: “seven mountains on which the woman sits, and they are seven kings,” symbolizing seven successive rulers. The ten horns are metaphors for power. Yet, applied to this particular passage the horns represent ten subordinate kings or kingdoms.

In the Greek parallel, the transfer of power from Dragon to Beast symbolizes Rome and its emperors are Satanic emissaries.

A pentimento (plural pentimenti) is an alteration in a painting, evidenced by traces of previous work, showing that the artist has changed his or her mind as to the composition during the process of painting. The word is Italian for repentance, from the verb pentirsi, meaning to repent.

This line specifically is a direct allusion to the poem’s title.

The definition of the poem’s namesake becomes clear at the end of the poem. The painting metaphors that emerge throughout the poem rings truest at the end: the speaker has no regrets and wouldn’t change a thing to his canvas of life.

Petrus, or Pieter de Jode I (1570, Antwerp – 9 August 1634, Antwerp) was a Flemish Baroque painter and engraver.

He learned drawing and engraving first from his father, the map maker Gerard de Jode, and later from Hendrik Goltzius. His engravings of Italian master paintings became a source for Karel van Mander. He travelled to Rome in 1590 where he made his engravings of Titian, Giulio Romano and Jacopo Bassano. He travelled back home and in 1599 he joined the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp. He made engravings after Bartholomäus Spranger, Sebastiaen Vrancx, Otto van Veen, Antoon van Dyck and Peter Paul Rubens. In 1631 he travelled to Paris. He is registered as the teacher of his son Pieter de Jode II, Pieter de Bailliu, Johann Caspar Dooms, and Nicolaes Rijckmans.

A euphemism for the term “trigger happy” or “my trigger finger is itching” meaning that he will not hesitate to shoot you. Stinger tips are hollow point bullets. They do an extraordinary amount of damage. Nickelus F is shooting to kill!

In the United States, Medicare is a national social insurance program, administered by the U.S. federal government since 1965, that guarantees access to health insurance for Americans ages 65 and older and younger people with disabilities as well as people with end stage renal disease (Medicare.gov, 2012). As a social insurance program, Medicare spreads the financial risk associated with illness across society to protect everyone, and thus has a somewhat different social role from for-profit private insurers, which manage their risk portfolio by adjusting their pricing according to perceived risk.

Medicare offers all enrollees a defined benefit. Hospital care is covered under Part A and outpatient medical services are covered under Part B. To cover the Part A and Part B benefits, Medicare offers a choice between an open-network single payer health care plan (traditional Medicare) and a network plan (Medicare Advantage, or Medicare Part C), where the federal government pays for private health coverage. A majority of Medicare enrollees have traditional Medicare (76 percent) over a Medicare Advantage plan (24 percent) (Medicare.gov, 2012). Medicare Part D covers outpatient prescription drugs exclusively through private plans or through Medicare Advantage plans that offer prescription drugs.

In 2010, Medicare provided health insurance to 48 million Americans—40 million people age 65 and older and eight million younger people with disabilities. Medicare serves a large population of old and disabled individuals. On average, Medicare covers about half (48 percent) of health care costs for enrollees. Medicare enrollees must cover the rest of the cost. These out-of-pocket costs vary depending on the amount of health care a Medicare enrollee needs. They might include uncovered services—such as long-term, dental, hearing, and vision care—and supplemental insurance.

Medicaid is the United States health program for certain people and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, and is managed by the states. People served by Medicaid are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents, including low-income adults, their children, and people with certain disabilities. Poverty alone does not necessarily qualify someone for Medicaid. Medicaid is the largest source of funding for medical and health-related services for people with limited income in the United States.

In the United States, Social Security refers to the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) federal program.The original Social Security Act (1935) and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs.

Social Security is primarily funded through dedicated payroll taxes called Federal Insurance Contributions Act tax (FICA). Tax deposits are formally entrusted to the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund, the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund, the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, or the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund which comprise the Social Security Trust Fund.

By dollars paid, the U.S. Social Security program is the largest government program in the world and the single greatest expenditure in the federal budget, with 20.8% for Social Security, compared to 20.5% for discretionary defense and 20.1% for Medicare/Medicaid. According to economist Martin Feldstein, the combined spending for all social insurance programs in 2003 constituted 37% of government expenditure and 7% of the gross domestic product. Social Security is currently estimated to keep roughly 40 percent of all Americans age 65 or older out of poverty.

The Social Security Administration is headquartered in Woodlawn, Maryland, just to the west of Baltimore.

Proposals to partially privatize Social Security became part of the Social Security debate during the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush presidencies.