Which country were runners-up to Germany in the association football World Cup?

World Cup 2014: Runners-up Argentina Receive Heroes' Welcome at Home – NDTV Sports Team members left the plane with grim expressions and had few if any words for waiting journalists. ( Lionel Messi: Golden Ball, a Tribute to the Perfect Playmaker ) "I would have liked a different kind of homecoming," said midfielder Javier Mascherano, one of the star performers in the run to Sunday's final. ( Mix of Cheers, Tears and Violence for Argentina ) Messi, who had his head down and a pained look on his face, did not speak to the media. But to their adoring fans, the team were heroes for battling Germany to the bitter end of a nail-biting 1-0 defeat in extra time. "We came to support the team because they gave everything for us and they deserve our support," said Matias Ruiz, 17, one of about 500 fans who braved the cold to greet the team's charter flight from Rio de Janeiro. Thousands more fans lined the team's route from the airport, waving sky blue and white flags and swarming the convoy, which moved forward at a snail's pace. Nationwide the atmosphere was one of pride as much as disappointment after the team played its first World Cup final since 1990 and Messi claimed the Golden Ball award for best player of the tournament. Newspaper Pagina/12 ran two large photographs, one of the Argentine players locked in an embrace at Rio's Maracana Stadium, the other of a little boy in a Messi jersey sitting atop his father's shoulders at the iconic Obelisk monument in the Argentine capital after the match. "Love is stronger," said its banner headline. After the match the Obelisk, the place where the country traditionally rallies, initially drew tens of thousands of revellers. Waving the flag, setting off fireworks and climbing onto traffic lights and bus stops to dance and sing, Argentines showed their determination to celebrate despite the bittersweet end of the nation's World Cup campaign. But after several hours of partying, dozens of hardcore fans known as "barras bravas" started throwing stones at police, who responded by firing rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon. The clashes sent families with children scurrying for refuge in restaurants or hotel lobbies as looters smashed windows and stole what they could, including tables and chairs from a restaurant. Police arrested around 120 people over the violence, which left 70 wounded, including 15 police and one rioter in serious condition with a punctured lung, said the government and health officials. Security Secretary Sergio Berni accused the hooligans of planning the violence "with great cruelty" to create an opportunity for looting. "There was a plan to make this happen to generate mass chaos," he told Radio La Red. Violence also broke out in the cities of La Plata and Mar del Plata, the government said. Most fans however voiced their pride. "It was still a good World Cup. Reaching the final against Germany isn't too bad. I'm proud of the team," said Leandro Paredes, a 27-year-old mason. Argentines found consolation in knowing they had at least done better than arch rivals and hosts Brazil, who finished in fourth place. "Brazil, tell me how it feels to have your daddy in your house," the crowd at the airport gloated, the song that was Argentina's unofficial anthem throughout the World Cup. Others sang "I'm Argentine, go Argentina, every day I love you a little more."


Who famously lived to regret saying “You can’t win anything with kids”?

You'll never win anything with kids - Everything2.com You'll never win anything with kids by theboy Wed Mar 19 2003 at 11:24:03 Thus spake former Liverpool defender turned Match of The Day pundit Alan Hansen , after Manchester United had been brushed aside 3-1 in front of a packed house of mainly jubilant fans at Villa Park on the opening day of  the 1995/1996 Premiership season, having fielded a young and inexperienced side. It is a moment Hansen will never be allowed to forget. After United's failure to beat West Ham Utd on the last day of the previous season had gifted Blackburn Rovers their first title for 81 years (despite themselves losing 2-1 at Anfield), for non-United fans it was  almost too good to be true. Had Alex Ferguson lost the plot, and miscalculated in selling club stalwarts Mark Hughes and Paul Ince , as well as the pacey right-winger Andrei  Kanchelskis before the start of the season? Not quite. United were unbeaten in their next ten Premiership fixtures, the run ending with a 1-0 defeat at Highbury , thanks to an early Dennis Bergkamp strike (only his fourth goal since signing for Arsenal). From then to christmas, United's patchy away form prevented them from making the running at the top of the Premiership, while an exuberant, attacking, Newcastle United side, managed by Kevin Keegan was leading the way. When Spurs beat Man Utd 4-1 at White Hart Lane on New Years Day (United's 5th league defeat away from home), Newcastle were well clear. United, though, went on to win 13 of their remaining 16 Premiership fixtures, picking up 41 points in the process,  losing only once more, away at Southampton . In the process, Ferguson successfully wound up Keegan with suggestions that teams were making less effort to beat Newcastle to make sure United didn't win the league - claims which prompted Keegan's famous "I'd love it if we beat them. Love it!" outburst in an interview with Sky Sports. In the end, United took the title, finishing four points ahead of Newcastle, in second, and 11 ahead of Liverpool, in third. But worse was to come, as United faced Liverpool in the FA Cup final eleven days later. Liverpool, arriving in ludicrous  designer suits, were desperate not to allow Utd a second league and FA Cup double since the start of the Premiership, and would  have loved nothing more than to inflict United's second consecutive FA Cup Final defeat at Merseyside hands - Everton having won 1-0 the previous year in a largely forgettable encounter. Sadly, Liverpool goalkeeper David James chose the occasion to live up to his billing as clown-in-chief , by weakly punching a late United corner towards Eric Cantona at the edge of the area. Cantona did what Cantona did best ( kung-fu aside), striking the ball - off-balance but with technical perfection - on the half-volley through a crowd of Liverpool defenders and into the back of the net . Reading a comment about the Villa game a few days ago, I wondered what happened to those so-called kids, and who exactly it  was who played that day. Here's the skinny, courtesy of soccerbase.com: Aston Villa v Man Utd, Villa Park, 19 August 1995 Aston Villa 3(3)-1(0) Man Utd Taylor 14       Beckham 82 Draper 27 Yorke 36 (p) Aston Villa: Bosnich, Charles, McGrath, Ehiogu, Wright, Southgate, Taylor, Draper, Townsend, Milosevic (Tommy Johnson, 50), Yorke (Scimeca, 86)  Subs not used: Spink  Man Utd: Schmeichel, Parker, Irwin, Gary Neville, Pallister ( O'Kane, 59 ), Sharpe, Butt, Keane, McClair, Scholes, Phil Neville ( Beckham, 45 )  Subs not used: Davies  Bookings: Scholes (Man Utd)  Attendance: 34655  Referee: R Hart (Darlington) The Protagonists (Ages on the date of the game given in brackets) Peter Schmeichel (31yrs 9 months 1 day) Currently playing just down the road for Manchester City , Schmeichel has had spells at Aston Villa and Sporting Lisbon,  and retired at least once since leaving Old Trafford . Made over 400 appearances for the club. Paul Parker (31 yrs 4 months 15 days) Left United at the end of that season. Currently coaching non-league side Chel


What is the chemical formula for calcium chloride? | Reference.com What is the chemical formula for calcium chloride? A: Quick Answer The chemical formula for calcium chloride is CaCl2. Calcium chloride contains one calcium atom that is bound to two chlorine atoms. It has a molecular weight of 110.984. Full Answer Calcium chloride is a white, flaky inorganic salt that can be dissolved in water. It has a melting point of 782°C and a boiling point of over 160°C. Calcium chloride is often used to melt snow, to control dust and as a preservative in food. It melts ice on roads faster than the more common salt, sodium chloride. Calcium chloride also has several medical purposes: it can treat magnesium toxicity and internal hydrofluoric acid burns. Calcium chloride can also quickly help prevent heart attacks that can occur as a side effect of drugs such as diltiazem.


Greta Garbo uttered her most famous line in ‘Grand Hotel’ (1932). What was it?

listography: facts (Greta Garbo) facts (Greta Garbo) Garbo's favorite TV program during her later years was Matlock and she greatly admired star Andy Griffith. A cigarette butt smoked by Greta Garbo once fetched $352 at a Hollywood auction. Garbo's brother emigrated to the United States in the 1930's and owned a ranch in New Mexico where she frequently went to relax. Kata, was her childhood nickname and also in later life by her family and friends. Garbo was pictured on a U.S. commemorative postage stamp issued on September 23, 2005. In the early 1930s, it is said that Garbo had two cats which she named Laurel and Hardy. Garbo's older sister, Alva, appeared in a couple of Swedish films and showed great promise as an actress but died of tuberculosis in 1926 at the age of 23. Once voted by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most beautiful woman who ever lived. Garbo's favorite of her films was Camille. Popularized trenchcoats & berets in the 1930s. Greta was also known as The Face, The Dream Princess of Eternity & The Swedish Sphinx. When she looked for a new house, she visited the old Charlie Chaplin's mansion; she noticed in his library a barrel organ and exclaimed 'everything is mechanic here like Charlie!' One reason Garbo refused to sign autographs was because her handwriting was poor. Jean Cocteau was a strong admirer of Garbo; he had written the part of Elisabeth in Les enfants terrible with her in mind. Garbo frequently used the alias Harriet Brown when traveling. Won the New York Film Critics Award for Best Actress in 1935 and 1936 for her performances in Anna Karenina and Camille. Garbo's first speaking words on-screen in the movie Anna Christie were, "Gimme a whiskey with ginger ale on the side and don't be stingy, baby." MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer reportedly told Garbo to lose weight when he signed her to a contract. Garbo enjoyed gardening and growing flowers. Legally changed her name to Greta Garbo on November 9, 1923. Was a Virgo. Voted the 25th greatest movie star of all-time by Entertainment Weekly magazine. Garbo's male co-star in her last two films, Ninotchka and Two Faced Woman, was Melvyn Douglas. He was reportedly her favorite leading man after John Gilbert. Garbo has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6901 Hollywood Boulevard. Garbo was rumored to have written an autobiography in her later years but it has yet to surface. In the mid-50's, Garbo purchased a seven room apartment in New York City at 450 East 52nd Street. She lived there for the remainder of her life. Garbo had blue eyes and dark blond (natural color) hair. In her "Hollywood years" she bleached her hair and even permed it sometimes. For The Torrent, Garbo allowed her stylist to dye her hair black, a color more befitting as a Spanish diva. Garbo's favorite colors were pink and apricot. Measurements were 35½-28-33½ according to MGM designer Adrian. In 1954, Garbo was awarded a special Academy Award for her contributions to motion pictures. Garbo became a naturalized U.S. citizen on February 9, 1951. In 1949, Garbo filmed a screen test and considered re-entering the movies but the project she was considering fell through. Garbo had a contract dispute with MGM in 1932 and did not appear on-screen again for two years. Garbo always had a closed set to all visitors. Only the movie crew themselves were allowed to watch her scenes being shot. Garbo studied at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm from 1922 to 1924. Garbo's first film appearances came in a series of advertising shorts made by the department store where she was employed. Garbo left school at age 14 after her father's death. Her first job was as a lather girl in a barber shop. Garbo had an older sister named Alva and an older brother named Sven. Like her father, Garbo's sister also died at a young age. Garbo was the youngest of three children born to Karl and Anna Lovisa Gustaffson. Garbo's favorite drink was reportedly Cutty Sark Scotch whiskey. Garbo, as befitting her aloof personna, never gave interviews, signed autographs, or answered fan mail. Garbo wa


If a pair of adult shoes are European size 42, what is their British equivalent?

Size conversion chart for US/UK/EUROPEAN clothing/shoes | eBay Size conversion chart for US/UK/EUROPEAN clothing/shoes Here are some very useful size conversion charts for US, UK, and EURO SIZE CONVERSION CHART European                   34          36         38         40         42         44          46          48 UK                             6            8           10        12         14          16          18          20 USA                           4            6            8         10         12          14          16          18 Shoes Birkenstocks             37            37          38            38           39             39      40       40 European                   38            38           39            39           40              41     41      42 UK                             4.5            5            5.5            6           6.5              7      7.5       8 USA                           6               6.5         7             7.5           8               8.5     9        79.5 ___________________________________________________________________________________ European                 46          48         50          52           54          56             58           UK                            36         38         40          42           44          46             48 USA                          36         38         40          42           44          46             48   Shirts European                 36         37        38          39             40        41            42        43 UK                           14        14.5      15         15.5          16        16.5          17        17.5 USA                         14        14.5      15         15.5          16        16.5          17        17.5 Shoes European                 41            42         43             44            45             46 UK                           7              7.5        8.5            9.5           10.5          11            USA                         8              8.5        9.5            10.5         11.5          12 Socks European                39          40          41          42            43               44 UK                          9.5         10          10.5       11            11.5            12 USA                        9.5         10          10.5       11            11.5            12 ___________________________________________________________________________________ European (cm)           125             135              150                  155                 160 UK(inches)                 43               48                55                    58                   60 USA                            4                  6                  8                     10                   12 Chilrens shoes European                  24   25   26   27   28   29   30  31   32   33   34   35   36   37 USA                          7      8    8.5   9    10   11   12  13    1      2    3      4    5    6 ___________________________________________________________________________________ Bra Size Conversions: US                    32AA  32A  32B  32C  32D    34AA 34A 34B 34C 34D    34DD 36AA 36A 36B  36C UK                   32A     32B  32C  32D  32DD 34A    34B 34C 34D 34DD 34E     36A   36B  36C 36D France             35A     35B  35C  35D  35DD  90A   90B 90C 90D 90DD  90E    95A   95B   95C 95D International   70A    70B   70C  70D  70DD  75A  75B  75C 75D 75DD  75E    80A   80B   80C 80D US                   36D   36DD   38AA   38A   38B   38C   38D     38DD   40A  40B   40C    40D   40DD UK                  36DD 36E      38A     38B    38C   38D   38DD  38E      40B   40C  40D   40DD  40E  France            95DD    95E  100A    100B  100C 100D 100DD 100E  105B 105C 105D 105DD 105E International  80DD  80E     85A     85B    85C    85D   85DD  85E      90B  90C  90D    90DD   90E For Earth Friendly Organic clothing for the family check out my Ebay Store Natural Living


From which country did Madagascar gain independence in 1960?

MADAGASCAR: Independence, the First Republic, and the Military Transition, 1960-75 MADAGASCAR: Independence, the First Republic, and the Military Transition, 1960-75 The following is excerped from the Country Studies--Area Handbook program of the U.S. Department of the Army. The original version of this text is available at the Library of Congress . Full index of Country Studies-Madagascar Madagascar Independence, the First Republic, and the Military Transition, 1960-75 View of Antananarivo from the Royal Hill Courtesy Brian Kensley After France adopted the Constitution of the Fifth Republic under the leadership of General Charles de Gaulle, on September 28, 1958, Madagascar held a referendum to determine whether the country should become a self-governing republic within the French community. The AKFM and other nationalists opposed to the concept of limited self-rule mustered about 25 percent of votes cast. The vast majority of the population at the urging of the PSD leadership voted in favor of the referendum. The vote led to the election of Tsiranana as the country's first president on April 27, 1959. After a year of negotiations between Tsiranana and his French counterparts, Madagascar's status as a self-governing republic officially was altered on June 26, 1960, to that of a fully independent and sovereign state. The cornerstone of Tsiranana's government was the signing with France of fourteen agreements and conventions designed to maintain and strengthen Franco-Malagasy ties. These agreements were to provide the basis for increasing opposition from Tsiranana's critics. A spirit of political reconciliation prevailed in the early 1960s. By achieving independence and obtaining the release of the MDRM leaders detained since the Revolt of 1947, Tsiranana had coopted  the chief issues on which the more aggressively nationalist elements had built much of their support. Consistent with Tsiranana's firm commitment to remain attached to Western civilization, the new regime made plain its intent to maintain strong ties to France and the West in the economic, defense, and cultural spheres. Not entirely sanguine about this prospect, the opposition initially concurred in the interest of consolidating the gains of the previous decade, and most ethnic and regional interests supported Tsiranana. Similar to other African leaders during the immediate independence era, Tsiranana oversaw the consolidation of his own party's power at the expense of other parties. A political system that strongly favored the incumbent complemented these actions. For example, although the political process allowed minority parties to participate, the constitution mandated a winner-take- all system that effectively denied the opposition a voice in governance. Tsiranana's position was further strengthened by the broad, multiethnic popular base of the PSD among the c�tiers, whereas the opposition was severely disorganized. The AKFM continued to experience intraparty rifts between leftist and ultranationalist, more orthodox Marxist factions; it was unable to capitalize on increasingly active but relatively less privileged Malagasy youth because the party's base was the Merina middle class. A new force on the political scene provided the first serious challenge to the Tsiranana government in April 1971. The National Movement for the Independence of Madagascar (Mouvement National pour l'Ind�pendance de Madagascar--Monima) led a peasant uprising in Toliara Province. The creator and leader of Monima was Monja Jaona, a c�tier from the south who also participated in the Revolt of 1947. The main issue was government pressure for tax collection at a time when local cattle herds were being ravaged by disease. The protesters attacked military and administrative centers in the area, apparently hoping for support in the form of weapons and reinforcements from China. Such help never arrived, and the revolt was harshly and quickly suppressed. An estimated fifty to 1,000 persons died, Monima was dissolved, and Monima leaders, including Jaona and several hundred protesters,


Floated earlier this year, Saga started with one hotel in which town?

Saga shares offered to public in IPO of insurance and holidays group | This is Money Royal Mail shares slide as lock-up of Government stake expires and price probe looms The Saga flotation will also represent a big pay day for an estimated 6,000 current and former employees of Saga and its sister business the AA. They own about 13 per cent of the business, with executive chairman Andrew Goodsell having a 7 per cent holding. Customers first: Saga boss Andrew Goodsell said: 'Our customers are at the heart of our brand and I am delighted that they will have an opportunity to become shareholders in the company and to be part of the next stage of our journey.' Saga, which started as an out-of-season holiday provider in 1950, now offers services ranging from cruises and  holidays, home and motor insurance, savings and share dealing through to the UK's best-selling Saga Magazine. Goodsell said: ‘What began 60 years ago in a small hotel in Folkestone is today one of Britain's most trusted and respected companies. This is in huge part due to the hard work and dedication of our employees. ‘Our customers are at the heart of our brand and I am delighted that they will have an opportunity to become shareholders in the company and to be part of the next stage of our journey.’ Proceeds of around £550million from the float will be used to reduce debt to around £700 million, while existing shareholders will sell a proportion of their holdings. Expectations for a flotation were raised last week after Saga’s current owners, private equity houses Permira, Charterhouse and CVC Capital. completed a crucial £1.25billion debt refinancing, extending the terms of their loans as well as securing lower interest rates. Insiders had described that move as ‘the last piece of the jigsaw’. The Saga float continues the flood of new companies which have, or are seeking to list on the London Stock Markets this year. Earlier this week, discount shoe chain Shoe Zone announced plans to float on London's AIM market, home to junior firms, in a move that will value the business at around £100million. Last week, private equity-backed Card Factory also announced it was looking to tap into the appetite for stock market floats. These are the latest in a string of flotations in the retail sector in recent months, which have included Pets at Home and  discount store Poundland. indicating growing confidence on the high street. Read more:


On which pop hit classic did Bob Holness famously not play the sax solo?

Why do we think Bob Holness was the Baker Street saxophonist? - BBC News BBC News Why do we think Bob Holness was the Baker Street saxophonist? 5 January 2011 Close share panel Image copyright BBC elvis As the nation mourns the sad passing of singer Gerry Rafferty, the myth involving his famous song Baker Street and a certain quiz show host has received a fresh airing. So how, asks the Magazine, did it come about? Mention Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street and it's not long before someone pipes up with the classic "Did you know…" associated with the song. The story goes that quiz show host Bob Holness, a radio and television presenter known to millions for his 12 years on ITV's Blockbusters, played the saxophone solo that defined the track. It's not true, of course. The real saxophonist was a Scottish musician named Raphael Ravenscroft. So firmly is this untruth embedded in people's minds that in Twitter discussions following Rafferty's death, it was Holness's name that came up time and again, although sometimes in a very knowing way. It is thought the myth first appeared as a blatant spoof in the Believe It Or Not column in NME's Thrills page, in 1990. Music writer Stuart Maconie, who was once NME's assistant editor, has claimed responsibility. "My personal and silly part in a sad story is that as an NME writer I invented the urban myth claiming that Bob played the sax solo on Gerry's 1978 hit Baker Street," he said, writing this week. THE ANSWER The real saxophonist was Raphael Ravenscroft The myth is widely thought to have been started by a spoof column in NME Broadcaster Tommy Boyd and Ravenscroft himself have also claimed responsibility "That's not true. What is, is that Gerry's enigmatic, wry songcraft and his way with a nagging melody made him a reluctant star in successive eras of 70s pop. "But most famously his single Baker Street was a worldwide hit - helped by his melancholic delivery and that unforgettable sax line, played not by Blockbusters host Bob but Raphael Ravenscroft." But Maconie may not provide the whole story. Tommy Boyd has also said he was the first to make the connection, years before Maconie, while a DJ on London's LBC, looking for false stories for a quiz. WHO, WHAT, WHY? Image copyright bbc A part of BBC News Magazine, Who, What, Why? aims to answer questions behind the headlines "The idea of someone as neat and tidy as Bob being able to swing out a raunchy sax came easily, and I ran 'True or false: Bob Holness played sax on Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street?' for one night." And Ravenscroft himself also says he came up with the idea. He told the Magazine: "I made that up because I used to be asked 20 or 30 times if I was the person who did it, so to a foreign journalist I said it was Bob Holness, because I had been working with him on a Robinson's advert. It was just a bit of fun." Whatever the exact genesis, the story gained momentum and Holness was often questioned about it. Years later, he said: "I would have loved to have been responsible for that tremendous sax solo but I can't play a note." It's one of those pop legends that has been repeated many times, says Simon Warner, lecturer in popular music studies at the University of Leeds. 'SO LUDICROUS' The saxophone solo was so ubiquitous in the late 70s that it was fertile ground for this kind of fanciful tale, says Neil McCormick, rock critic on the Daily Telegraph. "It probably took hold because it was so ludicrous that people would repeat it as a fact. "When you're a kid and someone tells you something , then 20 years later you realise that they were lying, and your dad wasn't actually a cowboy, just as the words leave your mouth." "It used to pop up in pub quizzes and pub conversations - was Bob Holness the man who played the sax or not? "I remember Baker Street being out and the sax solo had quite a memorable quality to it. The riff left its mark on pop fans. It was a hit and everyone knew the line, so when this rumour was put around, people took an interest. "Blockbusters was beginning to make an impression at the time so there was this d


Mama Cass did not choke to death by eating what? (Two words.)

Mama Cass Death Rumors : snopes.com - - Claim:   "Mama" Cass Elliot of The Mamas and the Papas choked to death on a ham sandwich. Status:   False. Origins:   Although many rumors swirled in the wake of the sudden death of 33-year-old "Mama" Cass Eliot on 29 July 1974 (e.g., that she died from a drug overdose, that FBI had plotted to assassinate her, that she was pregnant with John Lennon's child), the one that has become permanently entwined with her image is that she choked to death on a ham sandwich. The legend has a particularly cruel irony in that Cass Eliot's weight was fodder for many brutish jokes about her physical appearance, and the choking rumor fostered the impression that she had somehow brought death upon herself through her "gluttony." Even the minor details of the rumor were unkind to her legend: She supposedly choked to death on a sandwich (a cheap, pedestrian form of food), and the main ingredient of that sandwich was ham (which comes from pigs, an animal to whom overweight people are frequently likened). According to the biography Dream a Little Dream of Me, it was Dr. Anthony Greenburgh, the first physician to examine Cass Eliot after her death, who mistakenly sowed the seeds of the "choked on a ham sandwich" legend: Greenburgh immediately offered a straightforward explanation for Cass's death. His first impression, he told the press, was that it appeared to have been a simple case of asphyxia. "From what I saw when I got to the flat," he told the Daily Express, "she appeared to have been eating a ham sandwich and drinking Coca-Cola while lying down — a very dangerous thing to do. This would be especially dangerous for someone like Cass who was overweight and who might be prone to having a heart attack. She seemed to have choked on a ham sandwich," he continued, unwittingly giving rise to the myth that would still be circulation more than three decades later. What Greenburgh had presumably overlooked is the small but pertinent fact that the sandwich by Cass's bed had not in fact been touched (as recorded by Inspector Kenneth Humm once the police were called). The official findings of the coroner's inquest were that Cass Eliot died from "fatty myocardial degeneration due to obesity" (i.e., a heart attack brought about by fatty degeneration of the heart muscle fiber), and nothing was found to have been blocking her mouth or throat. Cass Elliot had long been overweight and more than once undertook crash diets to lose a large amount of weight in a relatively short period of time; the prolonged, combined effects of obesity and severe dieting had weakened her heart to the point of failure. Sightings:   Look for a mention of this legend in the 1997 film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and in the 1996 film Beautiful Thing . Last updated:   19 January 2007


In 2009, which judge on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ was told to Foxtrot Oscar?

Strictly Come Dancing: judge Alesha Dixon 'could be replaced by Liza Minnelli' - Telegraph Strictly Come Dancing Strictly Come Dancing: judge Alesha Dixon 'could be replaced by Liza Minnelli' The BBC have denied reports that Strictly Come Dancing judge Alesha Dixon  could be replaced by entertainer Liza Minnelli in future series.   Image 1 of 2 Reports have suggested that Liza Minnelli (left) could replace Alesha Dixon as a Strictly Come Dancing judge. Photo: AP   Image 1 of 2 Dixon replaced Arlene Phillips as a judge on the show, which sparked a heated ageism row. Photo: GETTY IMAGES 9:03AM GMT 28 Jan 2010 BBC executives are due to meet next week to discuss the 31 year-old’s future with the dance competition . But a spokeswoman denied reports that had suggested one option being considered by corporation bosses was for Dixon, who rose to fame with Mis-Teeq, to be replaced by Miss Minelli, the Oscar-winning star. Sources had said the 63 year-old cabaret legend, who toured Britain in 2008 , where she performed some of her most famous songs, including Cabaret, Maybe This Time and New York, New York, would be a “real coup” for the show if she signed. But a BBC spokeswoman said in a statement to The Daily Telegraph: "There is absolutely no truth whatsoever in this story - Liza Minnelli is not being lined up as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing. "Alesha did a great job on the last series and we're looking forward to working with her again." Related Articles Strictly split into two shows 18 Nov 2009 The entertainer, daughter of the Hollywood star Judy Garland and director Vincente Minnelli, is currently recovering from replacement knee surgery and is expected to miss this weekend's Grammys. Last year Dixon replaced 66-year-old choreographer Arlene Phillips on the judging panel of the show, with the decision prompting a heated ageism row. There has been speculation that the singer, whose initial appearance as a judge was heavily criticised but who later appeared to have grown in confidence in her role, may bow out to focus on her music career. "After such a hooha getting Alesha in for Arlene in the first place, it would be embarrassing to get rid of her so soon,” a source told the Daily Mirror. "But Alesha has divided public opinion – and that of the panel. “While head judge Len Goodman likes her, there are concerns she did not appeal to the younger viewers she was brought in to attract.” They added: “Alesha got off to a very shaky start but did improve. Despite this, her future is believed to be hanging by a thread. “Liza has international appeal and real star billing. She is a singer and dancer, and Hollywood through and through. “Her experience in the showbiz industry would be a real coup – plus she has the personality to match." The source said another option being considered was for a five-person panel or even Miss Minnelli getting an “advisory role”.


Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman co-starred in which 1995 film?

Se7en (1995) Official Trailer - Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman Movie HD - YouTube Se7en (1995) Official Trailer - Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman Movie HD Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Feb 18, 2014 Se7en (1995) Official Trailer - Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman Movie HD Subscribe to CLASSIC TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/1u43jDe Subscribe to TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/sxaw6h Subscribe to COMING SOON: http://bit.ly/H2vZUn Like us on FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/1QyRMsE Follow us on TWITTER: http://bit.ly/1ghOWmt Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his modus operandi. Welcome to the Fandango MOVIECLIPS Trailer Vault Channel. Where trailers from the past, from recent to long ago, from a time before YouTube, can be enjoyed by all. We search near and far for original movie trailer from all decades. Feel free to send us your trailer requests and we will do our best to hunt it down. Category


In the 2013 Oscar ceremony, which film won the most awards, with four?

Oscars winners and nominees 2013: Complete list - LA Times ENTERTAINMENT MOVIES Movies Now Oscars winners and nominees 2013: Complete list A look at the top nominees for the 85th Academy Awards including "Lincoln," "Zero Dark Thirty" and "Argo." Winners  |  Red carpet  |  Show highlights  |  Quotes  |  Backstage  |  Winners' room  |  Best & worst moments  |  Best dressed  |  Worst dressed  |  Complete list  |  Timeline  |  Full coverage Ben Affleck 's film "Argo" took the best picture Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards. Other marquee winners were Daniel Day-Lewis for lead actor for “Lincoln,” Jennifer Lawrence for lead actress for “Silver Linings Playbook,” and Ang Lee for director for “Life of Pi,” which won four Oscars, the most for any film. Anne Hathaway won supporting actress for “ Les Miserables, ” and Christoph Waltz received supporting actor for “Django Unchained.” The slave revenge Western also won original screenplay for Quentin Tarantino. Check out the complete list of winners and nominees below. "Les Misérables" Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner , Debra Hayward and Cameron Mackintosh, Producers "Life of Pi" Gil Netter, Ang Lee and David Womark, Producers "Lincoln" Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers "Silver Linings Playbook" Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen and Jonathan Gordon, Producers "Zero Dark Thirty" Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow and Megan Ellison, Producers Director "Beasts of the Southern Wild" Benh Zeitlin WINNER "Life of Pi" Ang Lee "Silver Linings Playbook" David O. Russell Lead actor Bradley Cooper in "Silver Linings Playbook" WINNER Daniel Day-Lewis in "Lincoln" Hugh Jackman in "Les Misérables" Joaquin Phoenix in "The Master" Denzel Washington in "Flight" Jessica Chastain in "Zero Dark Thirty" WINNER Jennifer Lawrence in "Silver Linings Playbook" Emmanuelle Riva in "Amour" Robert De Niro in "Silver Linings Playbook" Philip Seymour Hoffman in "The Master" Tommy Lee Jones in "Lincoln" WINNER Christoph Waltz in "Django Unchained" Supporting actress Amy Adams in "The Master" Sally Field in "Lincoln" Helen Hunt in "The Sessions" Jacki Weaver in "Silver Linings Playbook" Animated feature film "ParaNorman" Sam Fell and Chris Butler "The Pirates! Band of Misfits" Peter Lord WINNER "Life of Pi" Claudio Miranda "Lincoln" Janusz Kaminski WINNER "Anna Karenina" Jacqueline Durran "Les Misérables" Paco Delgado "5 Broken Cameras" Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi "The Gatekeepers" Dror Moreh, Philippa Kowarsky and Estelle Fialon WINNER "Inocente" Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine "Kings Point" Sari Gilman and Jedd Wider "Mondays at Racine" Cynthia Wade and Robin Honan "Open Heart" Kief Davidson and Cori Shepherd Stern "Redemption" Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill Film editing "Life of Pi" Tim Squyres "Lincoln" Michael Kahn "Silver Linings Playbook" Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers "Zero Dark Thirty" Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg Foreign language film "Hitchcock" Howard Berger, Peter Montagna and Martin Samuel "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane WINNER "Les Misérables" Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell Original score WINNER "Life of Pi" Mychael Danna "Lincoln" John Williams "Before My Time" from "Chasing Ice"  Music and Lyric by J. Ralph "Everybody Needs A Best Friend" from "Ted"  Music by Walter Murphy; Lyric by Seth MacFarlane "Pi's Lullaby" from "Life of Pi" Music by Mychael Danna; Lyric by Bombay Jayashri "Skyfall" from "Skyfall" Music and Lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth "Suddenly" from "Les Misérables" Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; Lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil Production design "Anna Karenina" Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" Production Design: Dan Hennah; Set Decoration: Ra Vincent and Simon Bright "Les Misérables" Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Anna Lynch-Robinson "Life of Pi" Production Design: David Gropman; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock WINNER "Lincoln" Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson Animated short film "Adam and Dog" Minkyu Le


With which type of foodstuff do you associate the name of Levi Roots?

About Time You Heard: Levi Roots | About Time Magazine Life / Commentary / About Time You Heard: Levi Roots About Time You Heard: Levi Roots SHARE ARTICLE / If anyone mentions Levi Roots, you’ll associate him as the guitar strumming, reggae singing Dragons Den contestant who managed to seal £50,000 funding to kick start his Reggae Reggae Sauce business. Pre sauce and microwaveable meals, Roots was an established reggae artist, having released the politically motivated album Free Your Mind in 1998 and later that year was nominated at the MOBO Awards for Best Reggae Act. We sit down with Roots to discuss Dragons Den, Brixton’s food scene and his latest album. Not before we order a cuppa. I’m so glad I woke up in music it was the right place for me. The next time I slept I woke up in food. It’s always been the dream for me. I was always in the kitchen cooking and I was always on stage performing – that was my formula. The music is the soundtrack to the food I have to offer. Tell us more about your new album?  On my new album when I was trying to find the new Levi Roots, I had to  think about these new sets of people buying the products that weren’t listening to my music before, who didn’t know the hell who Levi Roots was. We had to write these songs that were quite different to the political songs I sang about before. It was very high political, Rastafarian, religious stuff. It was about Africa and rebelling, fantastic music it was back then and  it got me to where I am now. This new album is a little bit more subtler. Can you play it in your car with your mum?  Yes, absolutely. I don’t think my mum would have enjoyed my music before but I think now she would listen to my new songs. You’ve gone in a new direction with your music – why is that?  I’ve had to because it’s the discovery of who you are and your eyes have got to be open at all times. It’s good to be focused but you have to have an eye open as well. Even though I love Roots and Culture and the music that I did before, I recognise now that people listening to my music probably don’t want to listen to political stuff – they just want to hear generic things about how I see the world, what my passions are, my love life and the stories I want to tell them, but also their love lives and their stories. I think that’s my responsibility now with my new found audience. How long did the album take to make? It took me about a year to get the songs together and about a year to record. We travelled to Jamaica to record it, I really wanted to get that Bob Marley connection so we went and used the studio he used for about 5 or 6 of his albums, using some of his musicians. Everyone recognises you as the face of Reggae Reggae Sauce. Has it been hard for you to separate yourself from it for your music?  I actually think it has been easier, music was the reason why people liked me in the first place. You did come on Dragons Den with a guitar..  I did and that was the hook. If I had just come on as me without the guitar and just stood there, it would have been a completely different Dragons Den and that would have been it. I think people now are expecting some music. They saw me with the guitar and they think what do you do with that. We’ve had the food, we’ve eaten it and it tastes fantastic and we’re still buying the sauces 8 years after, but where is that music you’ve talked to us about. I feel like people have been waiting 8 years for it and they’ve kept on hearing this one song. Where did your reggae song come from?  I like to call it ‘inspired action’ I like that word and I used it a lot – inspired action. A lot of the time we get inspired and we never act on it. I just woke up one day and fused these two things that I love together. I love cooking and I love food and my kids recognise that and the only way to do that was to write a song about the product, about what it did and how it inspired us as a family. I don’t think it was the sort of moment when you think of something and it sort of comes to you, we just wrote the song even though my kids were like ‘Dad, please don’t sin


In Gilbert and Sullivan’s ‘The Mikado’, with whom is Nanki-Poo in love?

The Mikado Introduction THE MIKADO Introduction Adapted from the book "Tit-Willow or Notes and Jottings on Gilbert and Sullivan Operas" by Guy H. and Claude A. Walmisley (Privately Printed, Undated) �THE MIKADO, or The Town of Titipu," was produced at the Savoy Theatre on 14 March, 1885 and proved to be one of the most famous of all the Gilbert and Sullivan Operas, running, as it did, for 672 nights. The plot of "The Mikado", as Mr. Adair Fitzgerald mentions in his book "The Story of the Savoy Opera", came to Gilbert through a Japanese sword, which hung on the walls of his study, suddenly falling down. Act I opens with a scene of Japanese nobles, richly dressed in flowing silks and each carrying a fan, standing or sitting in the court-yard of Ko-Ko's Palace in Titipu.. Ko-Ko, formerly a cheap tailor, under sentence of death for flirting, was reprieved at the last moment and, on being "taken from the county jail by a set of curious chances", was raised to the exalted rank of Lord High Executioner. Nanki-Poo, in reality the Mikado's son and in love with Yum-Yum, Ko-Ko's ward, enters disguised as a Second Trombone and sings his beautiful song, "A wand'ring minstrel Ia thing of shreds and patches", and then explains to the assembled nobles that he had hurried back to claim Yum-Yum, who was betrothed to her guardian Ko-Ko, as she would now be free since he understood that Ko-Ko was to be beheaded. However Pooh-Bah (Lord High Everything Else) and Pish-Tush (a noble lord) point out to Nanki-Poo that not only has Ko-Ko been reprieved but on "this very day from school Yum-Yum will wend her way and homeward come ... to wed the Lord High Executioner!" Ko-Ko then enters and tells in song how he obtained his exalted position, and in case he should ever be called upon to act professionally he has "got a little list of society offenders who might well be underground". Soon the beautiful Yum-Yum appears with her two sisters, Peep-Bo and Pitti-Sing, who are also wards of Ko-Ko, and together they sing an enchanting Trio, "Three little maids from school are we", which received a treble encore on the first night and thunderous acclamations ever since. Naturally Yum-Yum is delighted to see Nanki-Poo, who discloses his identity to her and explains that he fled in disguise from his father's Court in order to avoid the misfortune of having to marry Katisha, an elderly lady who claimed him in marriage. Later Ko-Ko receives a letter from the Mikado, who is struck by the fact that no executions have taken place in Titipu for a year and decrees that unless somebody is beheaded within one month, the post of Lord High Executioner shall be abolished, and the city reduced to the rank of a village. Consternation reigns! but after various schemes and victims have been suggested and rejected Nanki-Poo conveniently walks in with a rope in his hands intending to hang himself and so put an end to an unendurable existence since he cannot marry his adored Yum-Yum. Ko-Ko quickly persuades this heaven-sent victim to give up the idea of suicide and, instead, be beheaded handsomely in a months time at the hands of the Public Executioner; and in return Ko-Ko reluctantly agrees to let Nanki-Poo marry Yum-Yurn the following day as, after all, she will soon be a widow and can then become Ko-Ko's bride. Yum-Yum and her companions are singing and dancing with Nanki-Poo to celebrate the month-long wedding when the tall, grim Katisha suddenly enters and tries to claim her perjured lover Nanki-Poo, but is told by Pitti-Sing, in a delightfully haunting air, that she is too late, "for he's going to marry Yum-Yum". Katisha is furious, and tries in vain to tell them all that the disguised Nanki-Poo is in reality the only son of the Mikado, but they drown her voice and will not let her speak; the act closes as Katisha, threatening to wreak vengeance on all who have thwarted her, storms angrily through the crowd on her way to inform the Mikado that his son has been found. As the curtain rises on act II Yum-Yum is discovered seated at her bridal toilet in Ko-Ko's garden surround


Which noun, often used in drug testing, comes from the Latin for “I shall please”?

10 Foreign Words You Thought Were English - Toptenz.net Toptenz.net Posted by Shannon Harris on July 28, 2010 in Humor , Literature | 5,252 Views | 39 Responses “English; A language that lurks in dark alleys, beats up other languages, and rifles through their pockets for spare vocabulary.”  (Bumper Sticker) A humorous quote that is quite accurate, actually. Of 80,000 English words, roughly 28% originate from Latin, 28% from French, and 25% from Germanic languages (Pie Chart: Wikipedia ). So, to honor those countries that have shared their vocabulary, by choice or by force, here is a list of ten words that native English speakers may not know as foreign. Granted, there are thousands of words to choose from, and to pick ten was difficult. After all, how many know that tycoon comes from the Japanese word “taikun” (great lord)? Or, that gung ho is Mandarin Chinese for “gongye hezhoushe” (work in harmony)? Impress your friends with your new knowledge of the English language as you explain the interesting origin of words like robot (robota, Czech for “drudgery”), chic (originally schick, German for “elegance”), and kiosk (Turkish for “pavilion” or “palace”): 10. Poltergeist As so vividly demonstrated in the numerous Poltergiest and Amityville Horror movies, a poltergeist is some sort of paranormal (and usually violent) activity taking place around those who are deeply troubled or have been traumatized. The word itself comes from the German words “poltern”, meaning to make noise, and “geist”, meaning ghost . Most of this activity has been attributed to various physical or electrical explanations by skeptics, but like with anything paranormal, there are cases that are too weird for explanation. 9. Placebo You’ve probably heard of the placebo effect, especially in drug testing. A placebo is “an innocuous or inert medication; given as a pacifier or to the control group in experiments on the efficacy of a drug” ( wordnetweb.princeton ). The noun placebo comes from a Latin verb, meaning “I shall please”, in reference to some participants’ belief that the “medication” had an effect. What is actually happening however is that the participant may be unwilling to say that they experienced nothing out of fear of failure or of disappointing the researcher. 8. Loot Loot, swag, plunder. No matter what word you use, you know that you’re talking about treasure. The word loot itself is an Anglo-Indian word with a root in the Hindi word “lut”. As a Hindi word, loot is an item stolen during war or riot. The word came into the English language during the British occupation of India during the eighteenth century. 7. Kudos An ancient Greek word that means “glory” or “reknown”. In ancient Greek culture, glory was found on the battlefield, much like every other civilization. When a solider was refused his earned due, or kudos, it was considered a very serious insult. One of the most famous examples of kudos is in the Iliad when Agamemnon takes the maiden Briseis from the soldier Achilles as a gift of honor- kudos earned from his glory in battle. 6. Khaki If there is one thing that the British Army was known for up until the nineteenth century, it was their bright red uniforms, earning them the nickname “redcoats”. This made them an easy target no matter where they went, and in combination with their emphasis on holding their formation, they were sitting ducks especially during the American Revolution. However, if one looks at the British Army now, they wear a different and more sensible color : khaki. The British began using the cloth and color found in their colonization of India, hence the name khaki, which means “dusty” or “earth” in Hindi. 5. Juggernaut While most people think of the X-Men villain when they hear this word, it actually dates back to pre-colonial times. Juggernaut is actually Sanskrit for “lord of the universe”, and is a form of the Hindu deity Krishna. The word came into the English language when British visitors to India witnessed a parade famous to the Jagannath Temple, in which statues of deities that were forty-five feet tall


‘Love Fool’ was the first UK Top 10 hit for which group, in 1997?

First Band On The Moon by The Cardigans: Amazon.co.uk: Music Add all three to Basket One of these items is dispatched sooner than the other. Show details Buy the selected items together This item:First Band On The Moon by Cardigans Audio CD Â£4.21 Only 2 left in stock. Sold by best_value_entertainment and sent from Amazon Fulfillment. FREE Delivery on orders over Â£20. Details Life by Cardigans Audio CD Â£5.15 Only 1 left in stock. Sold by positivenoise and sent from Amazon Fulfillment. FREE Delivery on orders over Â£20. Details Emmerdale by Cardigans Audio CD Â£4.17 Only 1 left in stock. Sold by best_value_entertainment and sent from Amazon Fulfillment. FREE Delivery on orders over Â£20. Details Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1 This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. Audio CD (3 May 1999) Number of Discs: 1 Sample this album Artist (Sample) 1


A type of cancer arising from the melanocyte cells of the skin is known as what?

Malignant melanoma | definition of malignant melanoma by Medical dictionary Malignant melanoma | definition of malignant melanoma by Medical dictionary http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/malignant+melanoma   Definition Malignant melanoma is a type of cancer arising from the melanocyte cells of the skin. Melanocytes are cells in the skin that produce a pigment called melanin. Malignant melanoma develops when the melanocytes no longer respond to normal control mechanisms of cellular growth. They may then invade nearby structures or spread to other organs in the body (metastasis), where again they invade and compromise the function of that organ. Description Melanocytes are derived from a structure in the human embryo called the neural crest. They are distributed in the epidermis and thus are found throughout the skin. They produce a brown pigment known as melanin and are responsible for racial variation in skin color as well as the color of moles . Malignant degeneration of the melanocyte gives rise to the tumor known as melanoma, which has four subtypes. These are: superficial spreading, nodular, lentigo maligna, and acral lentiginous melanomas, accounting for 70%, 15% to 30%, 4% to 10%, and 2% to 8% of cases, respectively. Malignant melanoma may develop anywhere on the body. In men, it is most common on the trunk. In women, it is most common on the back or legs. The subtype also may influence where the tumor develops; lentigo melanoma is more common on the face while acral lentiginous melanoma is more common on the palms of the hand, soles of the feet, or in the nail beds. The locally invasive characteristic of this tumor involves vertical penetration through the skin and into the dermis and subcutaneous (under-the-skin) tissues of the malignant melanocytes. With the exception of the nodular variety of melanoma, there is often a phase of radial or lateral growth associated with these tumors. Since it is the vertical growth that characterizes the malignancy, the nodular variant of melanoma carries the worst prognosis. Fortunately, the superficial spreading type is most common. The primary tumor begins in the skin, often from the melanocytes of a pre-existing mole. Once it becomes invasive, it may progress beyond the site of origin to the regional lymph nodes or travel to other organ systems in the body and become systemic in nature. Lymph is the clear, protein-rich fluid that bathes the cells throughout our body. Lymph will work its way back to the bloodstream via small channels known as lymphatics. Along the way, the lymph is filtered through cellular stations known as nodes, thus they are called lymph nodes. Nearly all organs in the body have a primary lymph node group filtering the tissue fluid, or lymph, that comes from that organ. Different areas of the skin have different primary nodal stations. For the leg, they are in the groin. For the arm, the armpit or axilla. For the face, it is the neck. Depending where on the torso the tumor develops, it may drain into one groin or armpit, or both. Cancer, as it invades in its place of origin, may also work its way into blood vessels. If this occurs, it provides yet another route for the cancer to spread to other organs of the body. When the cancer spreads elsewhere in the body, it has become systemic in extent and the tumor growing elsewhere is known as a metastasis. Untreated malignant melanoma follows a classic progression. It begins and grows locally, penetrating vertically. It may be carried via the lymph to the regional nodes, known as regional metastasis. It may go from the lymph to the bloodstream or penetrate blood vessels, directly allowing it a route to go elsewhere in the body. When systemic disease or distant metastasis occur, melanoma commonly involves the lung, brain, liver, or occasionally bone. The malignancy causes death when its uncontrolled growth compromises vital organ function. Of the anticipated new cases of cancer for the year 2003 in the United States, malignant melanoma will account for 5% of malignancies in men and 4% in women, being


Which historic Derbyshire building is said to be ‘more glass than wall’?

Hardwick Hall, "More Glass Than Wall" Ancient Britain ï¿½ Castles ï¿½ Churches/Cathedrals ï¿½ Houses/Manors ï¿½ Museums ï¿½ Towns ï¿½ Countryside ï¿½ London ï¿½ History & Folklore ï¿½ Travel Tips Test daily news Hardwick Hall, "More Glass Than Wall" by Julia Hickey Ascend the hill towards the dramatic silhouette on the Derbyshire skyline. Here, looking towards the patchwork hills of the Peak District, is Hardwick Hall, an icon of Tudor architecture. The ruins of the nearby Old Hall are an imposing reminder of earlier times. Both buildings are part of the legacy left by a singleminded Derbyshire lass: Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury, who began life as plain Bess of Hardwick. Her mark is upon everything, from the grand ES turrets that proclaim her ownership of the glittering symmetrical sandstone Hall to the curling Cavendish snakes that twist around the lead drainpipes. The house is her creation and her monument. It took just seven years to build following the death of her estranged husband and one-time gaoler to Mary Queen of Scots -- the Earl of Shrewsbury -- in 1590. Pass through the portals of the porter's lodge into a walled garden. Its symmetry mirrors the house and it doesn't seem to matter what the season is, for the gardeners always provide a riot of color and texture. Walk up the path to the wide porch with its tapering columns. It is often possible to encounter a Tudor housekeeper here. In the summer months she relates tales of Bess of Hardwick, who seemed driven to create the most magnificent house in the kingdom. Little wonder she was also called "the costly countess." Proceed into the baronial hall dominated by Bess's coat of arms supported by two stags, cross the creamy flags and take in the assorted weaponry, mounted stags heads, enormous hearth and long oak table with matching benches. This room is not only the main entrance, but harks back to a time when servants were part of the household dining in the hall, sleeping in the same rooms or near their masters and mistresses rather than being kept below stairs. All of it is presided over by a portrait of Bess. Study the delightful patchwork screens before continuing out of the hall. The images are created from a rich patchwork of velvets, silks and cloth of gold. Much of the material comes from medieval ecclesiastical vestments. The colour and the detail can only be maintained by carefully controlled lighting. It is for this reason that Hardwick, despite the number of windows it boasts, seems dimly lit. The needlework collection here is of national importance -- indeed, the screens are perhaps the most important part of the collection as they represent a complete set of Tudor hangings. All kinds of needlework techniques and fabrics are on display throughout the house -- many examples worked by Bess herself, others by her embroiderer called Webb. Visitors must also wonder how Beth must have been influenced by the other great Tudor needlewoman, Mary Queen of Scots. Take advantage of the Threads of Time exhibition housed in the ground floor nursery to see some of the needlework in more detail, learn about the techniques that created the golden caterpillars and butterflies that decorate much of the furniture and find out how important the symbolism contained in the tapestries was to Beth and her contemporaries. It is perhaps of no surprise that much of Bess's needlework portrays family crests and it is not hard to imagine hawk-eyed Bess selecting tapestries from Brussels that she believed told her own story and celebrated her own characteristics. Continue through the Evidence Room, where countless wooden boxes are filled with documents detailing every aspect of Bess's kingdom, and into a room dominated by a partially completed hanging. Take advantage of a book or audio commentary to discover the fascinating process from selecting and creating a design to the countless hours of painstaking stitchery required for a finished piece. Walk through twisting hallways partitioned by sturdy doors fitted with stout bolts and heavy locks to the broad sta


In ‘The Big Bang Theory’, what are Amy’s other names?

TBBT’s Mayim Bialik on Amy & Sheldon’s Big Night -- Vulture Print Share Mayim Bialik didn’t begin her tenure as Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory until the end of season three, but her character has become so integral to the show that it’s hard to believe she wasn’t present since day one. A whip-smart neuroscientist with a penchant for playing the harp and conducting unusual scientific experiments, Amy was initially written in as a female-counterpart-love-interest hybrid for Sheldon — she was cold, awkward, and condescending to those around her, and not well-liked in return. But with each season, Amy’s personality grew for the better, and she’s now a confident, bold woman who enjoys knocking back glasses of merlot and exchanging hot gossip with Penny and Bernadette. At the end of last season, Amy became fed up with her now-ex-boyfriend Sheldon’s lack of physical intimacy (and lots of other signature Sheldon quirks), and “terminated” the relationship as a result. She goes back on the dating scene, though not before it’s revealed to the audience that Sheldon was going to propose. But don’t fret, “Shamy” enthusiasts. Not only are they back together, they’ll finally be having sex for the very first time in tonight’s episode . Bialik, who holds a PhD in neuroscience herself, has received four consecutive Emmy nominations for her supporting role on the massively popular show, and she feels grateful for the career renaissance that it provided. “I’ve had a second opportunity to be on a successful sitcom, and it’s an unbelievable blessing,” she says, referencing her tenure as the lead child actress on Blossom in the 1990s. “I had it once when I was a teenager and left the industry, never thinking I would work like this again. To be a regularly employed actor is unbelievable.” Bialik recently spoke with Vulture to discuss Amy and Sheldon’s big night, being typecast in Hollywood, and the biggest misconception about The Big Bang Theory. Do you recall how Amy was initially pitched to you? It wasn’t “pitched” to me exactly. I was an actress looking to audition for anything and everything that I could. I had left the industry for 12 years, I had gotten my undergraduate and graduate degrees, I had two kids. I didn’t have the Hollywood industry at my disposal to have things pitched to me. [Laughs] So the audition came in, and it said they needed a female Jim Parsons. I had no idea who that was because I had never seen the show. After my manager was done being annoyed with me, I googled it and looked at about ten seconds of Jim Parsons doing what he does, and I was like, oh, I know people like that. And then I just did my best female impression of him. That was the end of season three, and they made me a regular in season four. Were there any difficulties you faced early on to make Amy a distinctive character, as opposed to being strictly labeled as a “female Sheldon”? Yeah, honestly, in the first episode I was in, I only had maybe three lines. When I came back in season four, [show co-creators] Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady said, “We can definitely flesh this out a little more,” because there really wasn’t much to her in that first episode. We had to be very careful because people are very protective over Sheldon and that character. People were very worried about this; they didn’t want him to change. There were two versions of Amy that I first presented. One, she did not make eye contact at all, and we actually recorded a version of that. Then they decided to have her make eye contact, and that’s what we ended up going with. I have my own physicality and way about me, but it’s really the writers that would decide what would come out of her mouth. Amy has certainly turned into a more confident, social woman as the seasons have progressed. When did you first notice this shift taking place? When she started having more scenes with Penny and Bernadette, we started to see that. We always knew she could stand her own against Sheldon intellectually, but it was really in the social arena where she got to explore more of the features of h


After a row over her expenses claims, who resigned as Culture Secretary in April 2014?

Maria Miller quits as culture secretary after expenses row - BBC News BBC News Maria Miller quits as culture secretary after expenses row 9 April 2014 Close share panel Media captionMaria Miller: "I wish I could have stayed" Maria Miller has insisted it was her decision to resign as culture secretary amid claims she was forced out by No 10 after a row over her expenses. She said the row had been an "enormous distraction" from "the incredible achievements of this government". In the Commons, Labour leader Ed Miliband accused PM David Cameron of having "undermined trust in politics" with his handling of the row. Conservative MP Sajid Javid has been named as the new culture secretary. The MP for Bromsgrove has been promoted from his current role as Financial Secretary to the Treasury. Image copyright AFP Image caption Mr Javid, a former banker, was elected to the Commons in 2010 But Prime Minister David Cameron said he hoped Mrs Miller would return to the cabinet "in due course". Mrs Miller was cleared of funding a home for her parents at taxpayers' expense, but was told to repay £5,800 of the expenses she claimed. The independent parliamentary commissioner for standards had previously recommended she repay £45,000. But the lower sum was approved by the Commons Standards Committee, which has the final say on whether to accept the commissioner's recommendations - a decision which sparked a backlash across the political spectrum and calls for changes in how complaints against MPs are investigated. 'Enormous distraction' The committee also criticised her "attitude" during the investigation, which it ruled was a breach of the parliamentary code of conduct. This decision is a defeat for a minister who believes she has been found not guilty on the central charge of asking the taxpayer to pay for a home for her elderly parents Nick Robinson, BBC political editor More from Nick Mrs Miller apologised in the Commons, but was criticised for the brevity of the statement she made. David Cameron's official spokesman said the PM and Mrs Miller discussed her future on Tuesday night and her resignation was confirmed on Wednesday morning. In a TV interview, she dismissed speculation that she had been pushed into resigning by Downing Street, saying: "I take full responsibility for my decision to resign. I think it's the right thing to do." She continued: "I was cleared of the central allegation made about me by a Labour MP. "I hoped that I could stay, but it has become clear to me over the last few days that this has become an enormous distraction, and it's not right that I'm detracting from the incredible achievements of this government. "I continue to support, obviously, my colleagues here in Parliament, the government, and above all the prime minister." Media captionEd Miliband accused the prime minister of a "terrible error of judgment" At Mr Cameron's weekly Commons question session, Mr Miliband said: "The reason the public was so appalled was that if it had happened in any other business, there would have been no question of them staying in their job." He asked of the PM: "Why was he the last person in the country to realise her position was untenable?" The Labour leader concluded: "His failure, even now, to recognise what went wrong has undermined trust not only in his government but in politics." But Mr Cameron accused him of "playing politics" and "jumping on a bandwagon," asking why he had not called for Mrs Miller's resignation when she was still in her job. The prime minister invited the opposition leader to join him and other party leaders and work out "what can we do to put beyond doubt that this is a good and honest Parliament, with hardworking people" in it. Image copyright PA Image caption Mr Gove said politicians still needed to reflect on the level of public anger about expenses Education Secretary Michael Gove said he was "saddened" by Mrs Miller's resignation. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "She has done some brave and right things, not least that equal marriage is now on the statute book." Mr Gove, a former journ


Which retro film character frequently referred to his ‘Number One son’ in his films?

The Crosby Family – Bing Crosby No products in the cart. The Crosby Family GARY CROSBY Gary Evan Crosby, born June 25, 1933 and named after his father’s friend Gary Cooper, was often referred to by his father as “number one son.” In 1941 he auditioned for the part of the young boy who grows up to be Bing’s character in Birth of the Blues, but his screen debut occurred the next year in Star Spangled Rhythm. Gary next appeared in 1945 along with his brothers in two more movies identified with Bing: Duffy’s Tavern and Out of this World. Like all of his brothers, Gary was educated at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, later enrolling at Stanford University where he studied animal husbandry (having spent summers at the family cattle ranch in Elko, Nevada) and played football. He did not graduate. Gary became a teen sensation in 1950 when, credited as “Gary Crosby and Friend”, a two-sided hit boasted of back-to-back million sellers: “Sam’s Song” and “Play a Simple Melody.” The duo waxed several more recordings: “Moonlight Bay,” “When You and I Were Young, Maggie Blues,” and “Down by the Riverside.” By now a Bing look-alike, Gary appeared regularly on his father’s radio show; and even hosted his own series as a summer replacement for Bing’s show in 1954. Gary made several solo records and albums, showing promise as a jazz vocalist. In 1955 he recorded “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue” with his father’s friend, Louis Armstrong. Gary was inducted into the Army in 1956, serving in Germany. Upon discharge in 1958, Gary and his brothers formed “The Crosby Boys,” headlining at several top nightclubs and appearing on the cover of Life magazine. After internecine quarrels and disputes, Gary left to pursue a movie career; and through the intercession of his father, secured a Fox contract, appearing in Mardi Gras, Holiday for Lovers, and Girl Happy, among others. But major stardom eluded him, and Gary, along with his brothers, constantly struggled with alcoholism and had embarrassing scrapes with the law. He appeared on television, frequently joining his father; and made guest appearances on a variety of programs (most famously as the bedeviled troubadour Floyd Burney on “Come Wander with Me,” a 1964 episode of The Twilight Zone.) Gary was a semi-regular on The Bill Dana Show from 1963-64. He was perhaps best known as Officer Ed Wells on the police series, Adam 12, running from 1968-75. Several years after Bing died, Doubleday approached Gary to write an autobiography. To guarantee success, he was asked to wildly exaggerate Bing’s self-acknowledged paternal strictness. Going My Own Way, published in 1983 and co-authored by Ross Firestone, was Gary’s controversial attempt to transfer his professional and personal shortcomings onto his father; and to achieve the long desired leading role – playing Bing, no less – should his book be adapted to the screen. This wasn’t to be, as the book created considerable turmoil within the Crosby family. Subsequently, Gary recanted large portions of his unfortunate memoir. To further the rehabilitation Gary decided in 1995 to record an album overdubbing his father’s classic recordings. This came too late. With one side complete, a persistent cough interfered with the endeavor. A doctor’s visit confirmed that he had advanced lung cancer. Gary died on August 24, 1995. Twice divorced, he was survived by his third wife and his adopted son. PHILLIP CROSBY Phillip Lang Crosby, born on July 13, 1934, was the twin of Dennis. His middle name was given in tribute to Bing’s close friend, guitarist Eddie Lang. Phillip’s first recording was the Decca two-side medley, A Crosby Christmas, on which the twins sang a duet, “The Snowman.” He attended college with Dennis at Washington State College at Pullman and was inducted into the Army on January 5, 1955. Before the formation of The Crosby Boys, the twins sang “The Jones Boy” on Bing’s Oldsmobile special of March 2, 1959. Gary’s early departure from the group did not deter the others, and the act recorded an album for their father’s Project Records label, which was


With which song did Pharrell Williams top the charts in ten countries in 2013?

Pharrell Williams' 20 Biggest Billboard Hits | Billboard Pharrell Williams' 20 Biggest Billboard Hits Mimi Valdes Pharrell In music and entertainment, Pharell Williams can do it all. A creative force to be reckoned with, he wears many hats other than the now-famous Vivienne Westwood mountain hat he sported at the Grammys: he's a s singer, songwriter, rapper, producer, fashion designer and much more ( look at his resume! ) – and he's been behind both his own and many other artists' memorable hits. His soundscapes and songwriting have shaped the sonic style of many, while never falling short of making listeners simply feel good. Pharrell's 'G I R L': Track-By-Track Review In celebration of the success of his recent single, “Happy,” and the release of his album ‘G I R L,’ we’ve compiled this special list of Pharrell’s 20 biggest Hot 100 hits, including those he’s written and produced. Pharrell is credited as a writer on all 20 songs, and he's credited as a producer on all but one, "Get Lucky." This ranking is based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 chart. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least. 20 "Like I Love You" - Justin Timberlake Hot 100 Peak: 11, Peak Date: 10/12/2002 19 "Wind It Up" - Gwen Stefani Hot 100 Peak: 6, Peak Date: 12/16/2006 18 "I Just Wanna Love U" - Jay Z Hot 100 Peak: 11, Peak Date: 12/30/2000 17 "Lookin' At Me" - Mase feat. Puff Daddy Hot 100 Peak: 8, Peak Date: 9/19/1998 16 "Excuse Me Miss" - Jay Z Hot 100 Peak: 8, Peak Date: 4/12/2003 15 "Happy" - Pharrell Williams Hot 100 Peak: 1 (3 weeks to date), Peak Date: 3/8/2014 14 "Nothin'" - N.O.R.E. Hot 100 Peak: 10, Peak Date: 8/10/2002 13 "Beautiful" - Snoop Dogg feat. Pharrell & Uncle Charlie Wilson Hot 100 Peak: 6, Peak Date: 4/26/2003 12 "Girlfriend" - N' Sync feat. Nelly Hot 100 Peak: 5, Peak Date: 4/6/2002 11 "Luv U Better" - LL Cool J Hot 100 Peak: 4, Peak Date: 11/16/2002 9 "Frontin'" - Pharrell feat. Jay Z Hot 100 Peak: 5, Peak Date: 9/20/2003 8 "Milkshake" - Kelis Hot 100 Peak: 3, Peak Date: 12/27/2003 7 "U Don't Have To Call" - Usher Hot 100 Peak: 3, Peak Date: 5/4/2002 6 "Money Maker" - Ludacris feat. Pharrell Hot 100 Peak: 1 (2 weeks), Peak Date: 10/28/2006 5 "Get Lucky" - Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Hot 100 Peak: 2, Peak Date: 6/29/2013 4 "Drop It Like It's Hot" - Snoop Dogg feat. Pharrell Hot 100 Peak: 1 (3 weeks), Peak Date: 12/11/2004 3 "Hollaback Girl" - Gwen Stefani Hot 100 Peak: 1 (4 weeks), Peak Date: 5/7/2005 2 "Hot In Herre" - Nelly Hot 100 Peak: 1 (7 weeks), Peak Date: 6/29/2002 1


Whose real name is revealed to be Oscar Diggs, in a 2013 prequel to a 1939 film?

Oz the Great and Powerful - YouTube Oz the Great and Powerful Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Jul 31, 2014 Oz the Great and Powerful is a 2013 American fantasy adventure film directed by Sam Raimi, produced by Joe Roth, and written by David Lindsay-Abaire and Mitchell Kapner. The film stars James Franco as the titular character, Mila Kunis as Theodora, Rachel Weisz as Evanora, and Michelle Williams as Glinda. Zach Braff, Bill Cobbs, Joey King, and Tony Cox are featured in supporting roles. The film is based on L. Frank Baum's Oz novels and is a prequel to the 1939 MGM film The Wizard of Oz. Set 20 years before the events of the original novel, Oz the Great and Powerful focuses on the origin of the Wizard of Oz, whose real name is revealed to be Oscar Diggs, and who arrives in the Land of Oz and encounters three witches: Theodora (the Wicked Witch of the West whose non-canon origin is elaborated upon), Evanora (the Wicked Witch of the East), and Glinda. Oscar is then enlisted to restore order in Oz, while struggling to resolve conflicts with the witches and himself. This video is targeted to blind users. Attribution: Article text available under CC-BY-SA Creative Commons image source in video Category


What is the name of the orphan girl raised by Miss Havisham in ‘Great Expectations’?

SparkNotes: Great Expectations: Character List Great Expectations Plot Overview Analysis of Major Characters Pip -  The protagonist and narrator of Great Expectations, Pip begins the story as a young orphan boy being raised by his sister and brother-in-law in the marsh country of Kent, in the southeast of England. Pip is passionate, romantic, and somewhat unrealistic at heart, and he tends to expect more for himself than is reasonable. Pip also has a powerful conscience, and he deeply wants to improve himself, both morally and socially. Read an in-depth analysis of Pip. Estella -  Miss Havisham’s beautiful young ward, Estella is Pip’s unattainable dream throughout the novel. He loves her passionately, but, though she sometimes seems to consider him a friend, she is usually cold, cruel, and uninterested in him. As they grow up together, she repeatedly warns him that she has no heart. Read an in-depth analysis of Estella. Miss Havisham -  Miss Havisham is the wealthy, eccentric old woman who lives in a manor called Satis House near Pip’s village. She is manic and often seems insane, flitting around her house in a faded wedding dress, keeping a decaying feast on her table, and surrounding herself with clocks stopped at twenty minutes to nine. As a young woman, Miss Havisham was jilted by her fiancé minutes before her wedding, and now she has a vendetta against all men. She deliberately raises Estella to be the tool of her revenge, training her beautiful ward to break men’s hearts. Read an in-depth analysis of Miss Havisham. Abel Magwitch (“The Convict”) -  A fearsome criminal, Magwitch escapes from prison at the beginning of Great Expectations and terrorizes Pip in the cemetery. Pip’s kindness, however, makes a deep impression on him, and he subsequently devotes himself to making a fortune and using it to elevate Pip into a higher social class. Behind the scenes, he becomes Pip’s secret benefactor, funding Pip’s education and opulent lifestyle in London through the lawyer Jaggers. Joe Gargery -  Pip’s brother-in-law, the village blacksmith, Joe stays with his overbearing, abusive wife—known as Mrs. Joe—solely out of love for Pip. Joe’s quiet goodness makes him one of the few completely sympathetic characters in Great Expectations. Although he is uneducated and unrefined, he consistently acts for the benefit of those he loves and suffers in silence when Pip treats him coldly. Jaggers -  The powerful, foreboding lawyer hired by Magwitch to supervise Pip’s elevation to the upper class. As one of the most important criminal lawyers in London, Jaggers is privy to some dirty business; he consorts with vicious criminals, and even they are terrified of him. But there is more to Jaggers than his impenetrable exterior. He often seems to care for Pip, and before the novel begins he helps Miss Havisham to adopt the orphaned Estella. Jaggers smells strongly of soap: he washes his hands obsessively as a psychological mech-anism to keep the criminal taint from corrupting him. Herbert Pocket -  Pip first meets Herbert Pocket in the garden of Satis House, when, as a pale young gentleman, Herbert challenges him to a fight. Years later, they meet again in London, and Herbert becomes Pip’s best friend and key companion after Pip’s elevation to the status of gentleman. Herbert nicknames Pip “Handel.” He is the son of Matthew Pocket, Miss Havisham’s cousin, and hopes to become a merchant so that he can afford to marry Clara Barley. Wemmick -  Jaggers’s clerk and Pip’s friend, Wemmick is one of the strangest characters in Great Expectations. At work, he is hard, cynical, sarcastic, and obsessed with “portable property”; at home in Walworth, he is jovial, wry, and a tender caretaker of his “Aged Parent.” Biddy -  A simple, kindhearted country girl, Biddy first befriends Pip when they attend school together. After Mrs. Joe is attacked and becomes an invalid, Biddy moves into Pip’s home to care for her. Throughout most of the novel, Biddy represents the opposite of Estella; she is plain, kind, moral, and of Pip’s own social class. Dolge Orlick -  Th


Which noted French writer lived in exile in the Channel Islands from 1855-1870?

St. Peter Port, Guernsey Photos - Channel Islands Map, Europe Maps Andp Information - World Atlas St. Peter Port, Guernsey Photos - Channel Islands Map, Europe Maps andp Information Print this map St. Peter Port, Guernsey Positioned just off the coast of France within the English Channel, the beautiful Channel Islands, all British Crown dependencies, are fiercely independent and justifiably proud of their history and traditions. They are considered the remnants of the Duchy of Normandy, and are not part of the United Kingdom. They include the two separate territories (or bailiwicks) of Guernsey and Jersey, both administered separately since the late 13th century. The islands are quite famous for their stoic resistance during German occupation in World War II, with remnants of that war still dotting the local landscape. Saint Peter Port is the capital of Guernsey as well as the main port in the islands. In fact, Guernsey's capital has been a busy port since Roman times. This small town has a number of interesting attractions and a fascinating history. With its cobbled streets and picturesque seafront marina, it is easy to see why St Peter Port is considered one of Europe's most attractive harbor towns. Victor Hugo, the French poet, playwright and novelist lived on Guernsey in exile for a number of years. In fact, while there, he wrote "Les Miserables." The town of St. Peter Port is built on hills and this is a look at some steps leading up one of the hills. This narrow pathway is named Constitution Way, and if you were to climb it, it would certainly challenge your constitution Born in Guernsey, Thomas de la Rue founded De La Rue plc, a company which is now the world's largest commercial security printer and papermaker. This is an island of colors, and local phone booths, mailboxes and buses are no exception. Traditional Fish & Chips served here. The island's namesake cow, the Guernsey, and the cheese produced from its milk has made the breed world famous Guernsey Island lives by and from the sea, and boats are everywhere; ferries, ocean-going tankers, sailboats and small rowboats cover the harbor. Cruise shops are common in the summer months. Tide movement is strong in the English Channel, and there are times of the day when all boats in the Guernsey Island harbor have no where to go, so they just sit in the mud until the tide rises. These are typical houses and rooftops on the island. I can see the French influence. The classic stone architecture of Guernsey's Salem Church. It stands in the middle of town, and is quite striking. Castle Cornet fronts St. Peter Port's harbor, and this ancient and historic castle is an imposing site. This is a slice of one of the outside walls. It was first fortified as a castle between 1206 and 1256 and served as the official residence of the Governor of Guernsey until 1672 when the keep was catastrophically destroyed. A bolt of lightning struck the magazine of the castle, destroying the keep and a number of living quarters. And of course...anywhere you have narrow, hilly roads in the UK, you will have sports cars. It's a given! Racing model boats is very popular on Guernsey Island, and on a large enclosed harbor side pool dozens and dozens of boats compete for bragging rights. These are two of the sailboats in the competition.


The ‘A’ represents ‘Amyotrophic’. For what do the L and the S stand?

Donate What is ALS? ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. A-myo-trophic comes from the Greek language. "A" means no. "Myo" refers to muscle, and "Trophic" means nourishment – "No muscle nourishment." When a muscle has no nourishment, it "atrophies" or wastes away. "Lateral" identifies the areas in a person's spinal cord where portions of the nerve cells that signal and control the muscles are located. As this area degenerates it leads to scarring or hardening ("sclerosis") in the region. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their demise. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, people may lose the ability to speak, eat, move and breathe. The motor nerves that are affected when you have ALS are the motor neurons that provide voluntary movements and muscle control. Examples of voluntary movements are making the effort to reach for a smart phone or step off a curb. These actions are controlled by the muscles in the arms and legs. There are two different types of ALS, sporadic and familial. Sporadic which is the most common form of the disease in the U.S., is 90 – 95 percent of all cases. It may affect anyone, anywhere. Familial ALS (FALS) accounts for 5 to 10 percent of all cases in the U.S. Familial ALS means the disease is inherited. In those families, there is a 50% chance each offspring will inherit the gene mutation and may develop the disease. French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot discovered the disease in 1869. During the 2014 ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, millions of people started talking about ALS. Keep the conversation going to increase understanding of the disease. View Infographic Recent years have brought a wealth of new scientific understanding regarding the physiology of this disease. There is currently one FDA approved drug, riluzole, that modestly slows the progression of ALS in some people. Although there is not yet a cure or treatment that that halts or reverses ALS, scientists have made significant progress in learning more about this disease . In addition, people with ALS may experience a better quality of life in living with the disease by participating in support groups and attending an ALS Association Certified Treatment Center of Excellence or a Recognized Treatment Center. Such Centers provide a national standard of best-practice multidisciplinary care to help manage the symptoms of the disease and assist people living with ALS to maintain as much independence as possible for as long as possible. According to the American Academy of Neurology’s Practice Paramater Update , studies have shown that participation in a multidisciplinary ALS clinic may prolong survival and improve quality of life.  To find a Center near you, visit http://www.alsa.org/community/centers-clinics/ . ALS usually strikes people between the ages of 40 and 70, and approximately 20,000 Americans can have the disease at any given time (although this number fluctuates). For unknown reasons, military veterans are approximately twice as likely to be diagnosed with the disease than the general public.  Notable individuals who have been diagnosed with ALS include baseball great Lou Gehrig, theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author Stephen Hawking, Hall of Fame pitcher Jim "Catfish" Hunter, Toto bassist Mike Porcaro, Senator Jacob Javits, actor David Niven, “Sesame Street” creator Jon Stone, boxing champion Ezzard Charles, NBA Hall of Fame basketball player George Yardley, golf caddie Bruce Edwards, musician Lead Belly (Huddie Ledbetter), photographer Eddie Adams, entertainer Dennis Day, jazz musician Charles Mingus, former vice president of the United States Henry A. Wallace, U.S. Army General Maxwell Taylor, and NFL football players Steve Gleason, O.J. Brigance and T


Which former US President accepted the challenge on August 21st?

George Bush Challenges Bill Clinton To Ice Bucket Challenge : NPR George Bush Challenges Bill Clinton To Ice Bucket Challenge Embed Embed George Bush Challenges Bill Clinton To Ice Bucket Challenge George Bush Challenges Bill Clinton To Ice Bucket Challenge Embed Embed Heard on Morning Edition Former President George W. Bush declined the ice water and was going to write a check to the ALS charity. But instead, former first lady Laura Bush doused him. Bush then challenged Clinton. DAVID GREENE, HOST: Good morning. I'm David Greene. Former president George W. Bush has responded to the Ice Bucket Challenge. (SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "TODAY SHOW") PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: I do not think it's presidential for me to be splashed with ice water. So I'm simply going to write you a check. GREENE: But, then former first lady Laura Bush raised a bucket. BUSH: (Water splashing) Ow. GREENE: Of course, then he had to mark someone else for dousing. President Obama already declined the challenge so President Bush picked Bill Clinton. You're listening to MORNING EDITION. Copyright © 2014 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc. , an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.


Which Canadian/US actress declined the challenge because of ALS’s testing on animals?

Pamela Anderson Rejects Ice Bucket Challenge Because Of ALS Animal Testing History (UPDATE) | The Huffington Post Pamela Anderson Rejects Ice Bucket Challenge Because Of ALS Animal Testing History (UPDATE) 08/22/2014 06:02 am ET | Updated Aug 24, 2014 13k Liat Kornowski Deputy Director of Growth and Analytics, The Huffington Post While many celebrities have accepted the now-viral ice bucket challenge , meant to raise awareness and money for the ALS Association, Pamela Anderson has decided to turn the challenge down. In a Facebook post written Wednesday, August 20, Anderson explains she would like to "challenge ALS to stop Animal testing." The former "Baywatch" star, 47, further explains that experiments made on animals to find a cure for ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) in humans have been unfruitful, and encourages her fans to "support charities that never harm animals and which pour their time and resources into advanced, promising, human-relevant cures." As of Thursday, August 21, The ALS Association has received $41.8 million in donations , reads its official website. If you would like to donate and help spread awareness about ALS, head over to www.alsa.org . UPDATE 8/24: The Daily Banter reached out to the ALS Association for comment. The following is their official statement on animal testing, as sent to reporter Ben Cohen: Significant advances have been made in ALS and other neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease using model systems such as rodents, flies and worms to better understand disease mechanisms and to develop therapies. With advances in technology made possible through research funding from The ALS Association, different approaches to minimize the use of these model systems are being developed. Similar to organizations globally, The ALS Association supports laboratories and scientists that strictly adhere to the guidelines provided by the National Institutes of Health. The Association is committed to honoring donor intent. If a donor is not comfortable with a specific type of research, he or she can stipulate that their dollars not be invested in that particular area. Also on HuffPost:


What is the first name of Bottom, in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’?

SparkNotes: A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Character List A Midsummer Night’s Dream A Midsummer Night’s Dream William Shakespeare Plot Overview Analysis of Major Characters Puck -  Also known as Robin Goodfellow, Puck is Oberon’s jester, a mischievous fairy who delights in playing pranks on mortals. Though A Midsummer Night’s Dream divides its action between several groups of characters, Puck is the closest thing the play has to a protagonist. His enchanting, mischievous spirit pervades the atmosphere, and his antics are responsible for many of the complications that propel the other main plots: he mistakes the young Athenians, applying the love potion to Lysander instead of Demetrius, thereby causing chaos within the group of young lovers; he also transforms Bottom’s head into that of an ass. Read an in-depth analysis of Puck. Oberon -  The king of the fairies, Oberon is initially at odds with his wife, Titania, because she refuses to relinquish control of a young Indian prince whom he wants for a knight. Oberon’s desire for revenge on Titania leads him to send Puck to obtain the love-potion flower that creates so much of the play’s confusion and farce. Titania -  The beautiful queen of the fairies, Titania resists the attempts of her husband, Oberon, to make a knight of the young Indian prince that she has been given. Titania’s brief, potion-induced love for Nick Bottom, whose head Puck has transformed into that of an ass, yields the play’s foremost example of the contrast motif. Lysander -  A young man of Athens, in love with Hermia. Lysander’s relationship with Hermia invokes the theme of love’s difficulty: he cannot marry her openly because Egeus, her father, wishes her to wed Demetrius; when Lysander and Hermia run away into the forest, Lysander becomes the victim of misapplied magic and wakes up in love with Helena. Demetrius -  A young man of Athens, initially in love with Hermia and ultimately in love with Helena. Demetrius’s obstinate pursuit of Hermia throws love out of balance among the quartet of Athenian youths and precludes a symmetrical two-couple arrangement. Hermia -  Egeus’s daughter, a young woman of Athens. Hermia is in love with Lysander and is a childhood friend of Helena. As a result of the fairies’ mischief with Oberon’s love potion, both Lysander and Demetrius suddenly fall in love with Helena. Self-conscious about her short stature, Hermia suspects that Helena has wooed the men with her height. By morning, however, Puck has sorted matters out with the love potion, and Lysander’s love for Hermia is restored. Helena -  A young woman of Athens, in love with Demetrius. Demetrius and Helena were once betrothed, but when Demetrius met Helena’s friend Hermia, he fell in love with her and abandoned Helena. Lacking confidence in her looks, Helena thinks that Demetrius and Lysander are mocking her when the fairies’ mischief causes them to fall in love with her. Read an in-depth analysis of Helena. Egeus -  Hermia’s father, who brings a complaint against his daughter to Theseus: Egeus has given Demetrius permission to marry Hermia, but Hermia, in love with Lysander, refuses to marry Demetrius. Egeus’s severe insistence that Hermia either respect his wishes or be held accountable to Athenian law places him squarely outside the whimsical dream realm of the forest. Theseus -  The heroic duke of Athens, engaged to Hippolyta. Theseus represents power and order throughout the play. He appears only at the beginning and end of the story, removed from the dreamlike events of the forest. Hippolyta -  The legendary queen of the Amazons, engaged to Theseus. Like Theseus, she symbolizes order. Nick Bottom -  The overconfident weaver chosen to play Pyramus in the craftsmen’s play for Theseus’s marriage celebration. Bottom is full of advice and self-confidence but frequently makes silly mistakes and misuses language. His simultaneous nonchalance about the beautiful Titania’s sudden love for him and unawareness of the fact that Puck has transformed his head into that of an ass mark the pinnacle of his foolish arrogance. Read