Renowned sportsman Michael Phelps decided in 2014 to come out of retirement and compete in what sport?

Michael Phelps - Swimmer, Athlete - Biography.com Michael Phelps Swimmer Michael Phelps has set the record for winning the most medals, 28, of any Olympic athlete in history. IN THESE GROUPS “Records are always made to be broken no matter what they are.” “Anybody can do anything that they set their mind to.” “Dream as big as you can dream and anything is possible.” “It goes to show you that not only is this guy the greatest swimmer of all time and the greatest Olympian of all time, he's maybe the greatest athlete of all time.” “I'll make a million mistakes in my life but as long as I never make the same mistake again, then I've been able to learn and grow.” “You’re going to have bumps in the road. It all depends on how you deal with those bumps. If you want something bad enough, you’re not going to give up until you get it.” “I finished my career the way I wanted to. I think that's pretty cool.” “I don't want to put a limit on anything. The more you dream the more you achieve.” “I feel most at home in the water. I disappear. That's where I belong.” “Everything I've done, I've been able to learn from - mistakes I've made in the pool, mistakes I've made out of the pool. That's how I've grown up. They haven't always been good times but I've learned from them.” “I hate to lose. I despise it.” “Throughout my career I've been all over the world, but all I've seen have been hotels and swimming pools. So once I retire I want to travel and see what places are really about.” Michael Phelps Michael Phelps - Mini Biography (TV-14; 4:14) A short biography of Michael Phelps who became the first athlete to win eight gold medals in a single Olympics at the Beijing Games. Synopsis Born on June 30, 1985, in Baltimore, Maryland, Michael Phelps competed in his first Olympics at the age of 15, as part of the U.S. men's swim team. He went on to win medals at the Olympic Summer Games in Athens, Beijing, London and Rio, accumulating a total of 28 medals—23 gold, three silver and two bronze—and setting the record for the most medal wins by any Olympic athlete. Phelps announced his retirement in 2012, however, in April 2014, he announced he was coming out of retirement and would return to professional competition at the age of 28. In June 2016, he clinched his spot on the 2016 U.S. Olympic swim team, making him the first American male swimmer to earn a spot on five Olympic teams. At the 2016 Olympic Games, he won one silver and five gold medals, becoming the oldest individual gold medalist in Olympic swimming history, as well as the first swimmer to win four consecutive golds in the same event, the 200-meter individual medley. Early Life Michael Fred Phelps was born on June 30, 1985 in Baltimore, Maryland, to Fred and Debbie Phelps. The youngest of three children, Michael Phelps and his sisters grew up in the neighborhood of Rodgers Forge. His father, Fred, an all-around athlete, was a state trooper; mother Debbie was a middle-school principal. When Phelps's parents divorced in 1994, he and his siblings live with their mother, with whom Michael grew very close. Phelps began swimming when his two older sisters, Whitney (born in 1978) and Hilary (born in 1980), joined a local swim team. Whitney tried out for the U.S. Olympic team in 1996, at the age of 15, but injuries derailed her career. At age 7, Phelps was still "a little scared" to put his head under water, so his instructors allowed him to float around on his back. Not surprisingly, the first stroke he mastered was the backstroke. After he saw swimmers Tom Malchow and Tom Dolan compete at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, Phelps began to dream of becoming a champion. He launched his swimming career at the Loyola High School pool. He met his coach, Bob Bowman, when he started training at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club at the Meadowbrook Aquatic and Fitness Center. The coach immediately recognized Phelps's talents and fierce sense of competition and began an intense training regime together. By 1999, Phelps had made the U.S. National B Team. At the age of 15, Phelps became the youngest Ameri


What is the word for a mat placed under a glass or cup to protect a surface?

mat - definition and meaning mat Definitions from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition n. A flat piece of coarse fabric or other material used for wiping one's shoes or feet, or in various other forms as a floor covering. n. A small flat piece of decorated material placed under a lamp, dish of food, or other object. n. Sports  A floor pad to protect athletes, as in wrestling or gymnastics. n. A densely woven or thickly tangled mass: a mat of hair. n. The solid part of a lace design. n. A heavy woven net of rope or wire cable placed over a blasting site to keep debris from scattering. transitive v. To cover, protect, or decorate with mats or a mat. transitive v. To pack or interweave into a thick mass: High winds matted the leaves against the base of the fence. intransitive v. To be packed or interwoven into a thick mass; become entangled. n. A decorative border placed around a picture to serve as a frame or provide contrast between the picture and the frame. n. A dull, often rough finish, as of paint, glass, metal, or paper. n. A special tool for producing such a surface or finish. n. Printing  See matrix. transitive v. To put a mat around (a picture). transitive v. To produce a dull finish on. adj. Having a dull finish. from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License n. A flat piece of coarse material used for wiping one’s feet, or as a decorative or protective floor covering. n. A small flat piece of material used to protect a surface from anything hot or rough; a coaster. n. A floor pad to protect athletes. n. A thickly tangled mess, of hair etc. n. A thick paper or paperboard border used to inset and center the contents of a frame. n. A thin layer of woven, non-woven, or knitted fiber that serves as reinforcement to a material. v. To cover, protect or decorate with mats. v. To form a thick, tangled mess. from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English adj. Cast down; dejected; overthrown; slain. n. A name given by coppersmiths to an alloy of copper, tin, iron, etc., usually called white metal. n. A thick flat fabric of sedge, rushes, flags, husks, straw, hemp, or similar material, placed on the floor and used for wiping and cleaning shoes at the door, for covering the floor of a hall or room to protect its surface, and for other purposes. n. Any similar flat object made of fabric or other material, such as rubber or plastic, placed flat on a surface for various uses, as for covering plant houses, putting beneath dishes or lamps on a table, securing rigging from friction, and the like. n. Anything growing thickly, or closely interwoven, so as to resemble a mat in form or texture n. An ornamental border made of paper, pasterboard, metal, etc., put under the glass which covers a framed picture. intransitive v. To grow thick together; to become interwoven or felted together like a mat, as hair when wetted with a sticky substance. transitive v. To cover or lay with mats. transitive v. To twist, twine, or felt together; to interweave into, or like, a mat; to entangle. from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia To cover or overlay with mats or matting. To make like a mat; cause to resemble a mat; twist together; interweave like a mat; entangle: as, matted hair. To grow thick together; become interwoven like a mat. An obsolete form of mate. Having a dull or dead surface: unpolished; lusterless: as, mat gold; mat silver. n. A dull or dead surface, without luster, produced in metals, as gold or silver, by special tools. n. [⟨ mat, verb] An implement by which a mat surface is produced, as in gold or silver. To produce a rough or unpolished surface on (metal), whether by means of a mat or by engraving with a sharp tool. n. An article plaited or woven of more or less coarse material, as rushes, straw, coir, rope, twine, or thick woolen yarn, of various sizes and shapes according to the use to which it is to be put. n. A web of rope-yarn used on ships to secure the standing rigging from the friction of the yards, etc. n. Matting; woven rushes or


As at 2014, when will the next Winter Olympics be held?

Winter Olympics 2014 | Sport | The Guardian Winter Olympics 2014 After the damning second part of Richard McLaren’s report into Russia’s state doping programme, what now for world sport Published: 10 Dec 2016 Russia could be banned from competing at the Rio Olympics after a damning report from the World Anti-Doping Agency lifted the lid on a state-sponsored doping cover-up Published: 4:37 PM Australian actor will also produce film about Harding’s 1994 battle with rival Nancy Kerrigan, which attracted some of the highest US TV viewing figures in Winter Olympics history Published: 22 Mar 2016 Last week 80 skiers from around the world competed for glory at the Afghan Ski Challenge in the Hindu Kush. Does skiing have a future in Afghanistan? Published: 12 Mar 2016 The British halfpipe specialist was left with psychological scars after a horrific fall in 2014 but she tells Sean Ingle that, despite the fear factor, her medal dream for Pyeongchang 2018 remains Published: 9 Jan 2016 The violinist Vanessa Mae is expected to return to competitive skiing in March after it was ruled that she would not be disqualified from the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, meaning she will be allowed to call herself an Olympian Published: 4 Jan 2016 Household names and raft of youngsters are enjoying huge success in skiing and sliding this winter – and it bodes well for Pyeongchang in 2018 Published: 17 Dec 2015 Dick Pound has told Russia that fixing their doping problems should be ‘child’s play’ for a country that spent billions building the venues for the Winter Olympics in Sochi from scratch in seven years Published: 18 Nov 2015 Cas has cleared Vanessa-Mae of blame after lifting the four-year ban imposed on the musician for rigging low-level races in Slovenia in her attempt to qualify for the Sochi Olympics Published: 3 Jul 2015 Allies of murdered government critic publish the findings of his investigation into the Kremlin’s secret military involvement across the border. RFE/RL reports Published: 12 May 2015 2014: the year a baboon chased Luke Donald, Jonathan Pearce nailed technology, and Felix Magath wowed Fulham with his cheese Published: 27 Dec 2014 Outside in: how foreign photographers see the post-Soviet world Russia maybe be under perennial scrutiny but it is a challenge to find photography that provides fresh perspective of the country, or its post-Soviet neighbours. Can outsiders offer anything new? The Calvert Journal profiles 25 international photographers who’ve turned their lens on the region Published: 22 Dec 2014


What name is given to the external set of floral leaves or sepals in a flower?

Sepals Sepals Adrienne HK Roeder, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA Published online: May 2010 References Abstract Sepals are the outermost organs of a flower. They are sterile and generally green leaf‐like organs that surround and protect  the developing reproductive structures inside the bud before the flower blooms. The sepals are the first organs initiated  from the floral meristem and quickly grow to cover the floral meristem and initiating organ primordia. Sepal organ identity  is traditionally thought to be specified by the A function in the ABC model. Sepals often contain specialised cell types such  as hair cells or giant cells, which are present on the outer surface of Arabidopsis sepals. The sepals and petals in the flower interact with the environment by both attracting pollinators as well as defending  against predators and abiotic factors such as the weather. Current and future research on the development of sepals will lead  to a better understanding of floral organ formation as well as underlying principles of cell division and growth. Key Concepts: The perianth is composed of the sterile organs of the flower, which are the set of sepals (calyx) and the set of petals (corolla). Although generally sepals are green photosynthetic protective organs, some sepals are showy organs similar to petals and designed       for attracting pollinators. Sepals serve their protective function by overlapping such that they completely cover the developing bud. Sepals generally contain defensive cell types including hair cells and produce toxic chemicals to defend the developing reproductive       organs from predators. Arabidopsis sepals have a characteristic pattern of diverse cell sizes including giant cells on the outer surface. The four Arabidopsis sepals are the first organs initiated from the floral meristem and are formed in a whorled phyllotaxy. APETALA1 (AP1), APETALA2 (AP2) and SEPALLATA1–4 (SEP1–4) specify sepal organ identity. After fertilisation, sepals often senesce and abscise. Keywords: flowers; reproduction; angiosperms; bracts; buds; giant cells Figure 1. Arabidopsis sepals. (a) Mature Arabidopsis flower (stage 14) showing the outer whorl of four sepals, followed by four petals, six stamens and two carpels at the centre  of the flower. (b) Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the outer (abaxial) side of the sepal showing the characteristic cell size pattern including giant cells (false coloured  red). (c) High magnification view of the abaxial sepal epidermis showing the diversity of cell sizes (giant cells are false  coloured red) and the presence of stomata (false coloured green) for gas exchange. (d) High magnification view of the inner  (adaxial) side of the sepal showing that the cells are of a more uniform size and interspersed with a few stomata (false coloured  green). Two ball‐shaped pollen grains are present. Figure 2. Development of the Arabidopsis sepal. (a) Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the inflorescence meristem (m) from an Arabidopsis thaliana Landsberg erecta plant. The surrounding flower primordia are visible. The sepal primordia emerge as ridges on the flanks  of the late stage 3 floral meristem. The sepal primordia grow to cover the floral meristem, whereas the stamen primordia initiate  at stage 5. The sepals completely cover the floral meristem at stage 6. (b) A stage 9 bud shows the development of the specialised  cell size pattern including giant cells (g) and the differentiation of guard cells (gc) proceeding basipetally (from top to  bottom). Note the trichome (t) at the top of the sepal. (c) At stage 12 bud, the sepals remain closed. (d) In stage 13, the  petals and stamens push the sepals open as the flower blooms. (e) At stage 14, the flower is completely open and the sepal  is fully mature. (f) At stage 16, the sepals senesce, turn yellow and are abscised. Figure 3. ABC model of floral organ identity. The ABC model postulates that there are three activities that act alone or concert to  specif


"Who wrote the poem ""The Love Song of J Albert Prufrock""?"

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock    The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Introduction In A Nutshell "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is totally a modernist poem. Whoa, whoa, hold on there a sec – what’s this all about? OK, so you might have heard of a little movement called "modernism." Nobody out there has a great definition of modernism, but here’s ours. For most of history, most people lived really far away from one another in small villages. They didn’t travel much or interact with one another. This is the pre-modern world. Then, along come all these new technologies – everything from sewer systems to railroads – and suddenly lots of people are living close together in cities, and even those who aren’t living close together are able to find out what’s going on with the help of (from oldest to most recent) telegrams, newspapers, telephones, cell phones, and the internet. Welcome to the modern world – but, of course, you were here already, Mr. or Mrs. Internet User. Nowadays, we’re all used to living in the modern world, but it wasn’t always that way. The "modernists" basically include all the artists and writers who were living smack in the middle of the huge, massive transformation from olden days to modern times, which was roughly the end of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century. In their work, they try to make sense of all these changes, which no one quite understands. Got it? So "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is totally a modernist poem. Its author, T.S. Eliot , was an American who moved to Britain in 1914. Eliot wrote most of "Prufrock" when he was 22 years old (!), in the years before the start of World War I . At that time, Britain was considered the most modern country in the world. The poem is set in a big, dirty city, and its speaker is a very unhappy man who is afraid of living and therefore bored all the time. War, cities, boredom, and fear: these are all classic modernist themes. Eliot got "Prufrock" published in Poetry magazine in 1915 with the help of his buddy Ezra Pound, who was like a friendly uncle-figure to a lot of the European modernists. In 1917 it was published as part of a small book called Prufrock and Other Observations . It was considered pretty experimental at the time, and a lot of people hated it. The "Literary Supplement" of The London Times had this to say: "The fact that these things occurred to the mind of Mr Eliot is surely of the very smallest importance to anyone, even to himself. They certainly have no relation to poetry…" (Times Literary Supplement 21 June 1917, no. 805, 299). A lot of people still hate the poem, mostly because they had it pounded into them by overly strict teachers in school, which is the quickest way to suck the fun out of anything. Fortunately, Eliot has fallen a bit out of style lately, so now’s the perfect time to pick up the poem and decide for yourself how you feel about it. After the publication of "Prufrock," Eliot went on to publish some of the most important poems of the 20th century, including "The Wasteland," his best known. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1948.   Why Should I Care? First off, we've got to address the haters. Garrison Keillor , a humorous newspaper columnist and radio host, has called "Prufrock" "a small, dark mope-fest of a poem." He writes: "This poem pretty much killed off the pleasure of poetry for millions of people who got dragged through it in high school" ( source ). This is a standard reaction to many of T.S. Eliot ’s poems. You, too, may be in the process of being dragged through the poem in one of your classes. It would definitely be a chore to have to find all of Eliot’s smarty-pants references to classic works of literature, and, read from a certain angle, the poem is pretty dark. BUT…we also think this is one of the funniest works of the century. Come on, it’s about a skinny, bald guy who talks in nursery rhymes and wishes he were a crab. Forget Eliot the bookworm; this is Eliot the wicked satirist, poking fun at "the man." If he had wanted


The Richter Scale used for measuring the energy released by earthquakes, mostly replaced since 1979 by the MMS (moment magnitude scale), was developed by Charles Richter and which other scientist?

Richter magnitude scale | Open Access articles | Open Access journals | Conference Proceedings | Editors | Authors | Reviewers | scientific events Open Access Articles- Top Results for Richter magnitude scale Richter magnitude scale The Richter magnitude scale (also Richter scale) assigns a magnitude number to quantify the energy released by an earthquake . The Richter scale is a base-10 logarithmic scale , which defines magnitude as the logarithm of the ratio of the amplitude of the seismic waves to an arbitrary, minor amplitude. As measured with a seismometer , an earthquake that registers 5.0 on the Richter scale has a shaking amplitude 10 times that of an earthquake that registered 4.0, and thus corresponds to a release of energy 31.6 times that released by the lesser earthquake. [1] Developed in the 1930s, it was succeeded in the 1970s by the Moment Magnitude Scale (MMS) which is now the scale used to estimate magnitudes for all modern large earthquakes by the United States Geological Survey. However, earthquake magnitudes are still sometimes incorrectly reported as "an earthquake of XX on the Richter scale", when the correct terminology using the MMS is "a magnitude XX earthquake". [2] Contents Charles Francis Richter , c. 1970 In 1935, the seismologists Charles Francis Richter and Beno Gutenberg , of the California Institute of Technology , developed the (future) Richter magnitude scale, specifically for measuring earthquakes in a given area of study in California, as recorded and measured with the Wood-Anderson torsion seismograph. Originally, Richter reported mathematical values to the nearest quarter of a unit, but the values later were reported with one decimal place; the local magnitude scale compared the magnitudes of different earthquakes. [1] Richter derived his earthquake-magnitude scale from the apparent magnitude scale used to measure the brightness of stars. [3] Richter established a magnitude 0 event to be an earthquake that would show a maximum, combined horizontal displacement of 1.0 µm (0.00004 in.) on a seismogram recorded with a Wood-Anderson torsion seismograph 100 km (62 mi.) from the earthquake epicenter . That fixed measure was chosen to avoid negative values for magnitude, given that the slightest earthquakes that could be recorded and located at the time were around magnitude 3.0. However, the Richter magnitude scale itself has no lower limit, and contemporary seismometers can register, record, and measure earthquakes with negative magnitudes. <math>M_\text{L}</math> (local magnitude) was not designed to be applied to data with distances to the hypocenter of the earthquake greater than 600 km (373 mi.). [2] For national and local seismological observatories the standard magnitude scale is today still <math>M_\text{L}</math>. This scale saturates[ clarification needed ] at around <math>M_\text{L}</math> = 7, [4] because the high frequency waves recorded locally have wavelengths shorter than the rupture lengths[ clarification needed ] of large earthquakes. Later, to express the size of earthquakes around the planet, Gutenberg and Richter developed a surface wave magnitude scale (<math>M_\text{s}</math>) and a body wave magnitude scale (<math>M_\text{b}</math>). [5] These are types of waves that are recorded at teleseismic distances. The two scales were adjusted such that they were consistent with the <math>M_\text{L}</math> scale. That adjustment succeeded better with the <math>M_\text{s}</math> scale than with the <math>M_\text{b}</math> scale. Each scale saturates when the earthquake is greater than magnitude 8.0, and, therefore, the moment magnitude scale (<math>M_\text{w}</math>) was invented. The older magnitude-scales were superseded by methods for calculating the seismic moment , from which derived the moment magnitude scale . About the origins of the Richter magnitude scale, C.F. Richter said: I found a [1928] paper by Professor K. Wadati of Japan in which he compared large earthquakes by plotting the maximum ground motion against [the] distance to the epicenter. I tried a similar pro


What is the word for the minimum number of people that must be at a meeting for it to become official?

MEETING SKILLS Meeting Skills How to take decisions in meetings How to chair the meeting How to write minutes What do we use meetings for? Meetings are very important for the work of any organisation. Good meetings  are important for collective decision-making, planning and follow-up,  accountability, democracy, and other practices that will help you to build a  good organisation. If meetings are used in the correct way, they can help an  organisation to be efficient. However, like all organising tools, meetings can  be used badly and end up not serving the purpose that they are supposed to.  Sometimes we seem to attend too many long meetings, which discuss the same  thing over and over again without seeming to move forward. Meetings can become  places where conflict is played out. Some people can also see attending  meetings as working for the organisation instead of seeing it as a tool for  getting work done. We should try to make our meetings places where we get  democratic and constructive participation and involvement from our members. Important things to know about meetings The purpose of meetings Most people do not like attending meetings � especially if they are not  sure what the purpose of the meeting is, or if it goes on too long and  achieves too little. Meetings must not be too frequent or held just for the  sake of it. There must be a need for a meeting. There should be decisions  about the different types of meetings needed. For example, some meetings could  be to discuss policy and others to discuss organisation (practical work). Wherever possible the members must know what type of meeting they are going  to and what the meeting is for � in other words, the PURPOSE of the meeting.  Sometimes an organisation might call a special or extraordinary meeting. There are different types of meetings and planning and it should take  account of this. Different types of meetings Most organisations will hold the following types of meetings: The general members meeting:  This is the most common meeting, which    usually happens once a month or once every two weeks. The general members    meeting should be the place where members are informed of developments,    involved in decisions and given education and information that will help    them to become more active in the organisation. General meetings are    usually the places where decisions are made and where the executive    reports on work they and other sub-committees have done. Special meetings:  These can be called to discuss specific issues, for    example preparing for a national conference or work on planning activities    for the year. Any members who are interested should be invited to attend    special meetings. They should not be run like general members meetings    (with minutes, reports etc) but should only focus on the issues they�ve    been called to discuss. Executive meetings:  The executive should meet more regularly than the    general members, and executive meetings should have a more business-like    focus. The executive has to plan implementation for the organisation,    monitor the work that has been done, deal with problems, and often (if you�re    part of a larger organisation) relate to other levels of the organisation.    They should discuss correspondence in detail and address problems as they    come up. The executive should also keep an eye on the finances of the    organisation and monitor income and expenditure. Every executive meeting    should have an item on the agenda that plans for the next general members    meeting. They should provide both leadership and administration to the    organisation. Annual General Meeting:  Most organisations have an Annual General    Meeting laid down in their constitution. The AGM is the place where the    executive accounts to all members about the activities of the year as well    as the finances of the organisation. The AGM is also the place where new    leaders are elected and are given a mandate to run


"Which album by Fleetwood Mac including the single releases ""Go Your Own Way"", ""Don't Stop"", ""Dreams"" and ""You Make Loving Fun"" was #1 on album charts in Australia, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, the UK & the USA?"

Singers' Pages - Jana Anderson Please be patient. It may take a few minutes for your question to be submitted. If your browser has problems with this form, send your question to webmaster@rockalittle.com . Questions and Answers : (newest questions are on top) Note: Please read through the questions before asking one. Your best chance of getting a question answered is to ask something that hasn't been answered before. from Linda Hi Jana I read in one of your answers that to keep healthy while you are on tour you walk alot. Do people recognize you or do you go looking different so no one knows who you are. Jana's answer: Hi Linda. Well, I try to keep healthy. I eat well and still have a treat every day. However, I fell backstage and twisted my ankle so I havenï¿½t been able to run for a couple months and gained 5 lbs. I canï¿½t stay 100 lbs. unless I work out. I do still walk a lotï¿½just slowerï¿½and I canï¿½t run. So, thatï¿½s that. It hasnï¿½t kept me from enjoying life to itï¿½s fullest out here. ? As far as people recognizing me, well, sometimes they do. I donï¿½t look a lot different, but I think people might think I do. The stage and exciting lighting and fancy clothes can make a person look different, I think. I donï¿½t wear as much make up or have my hair done as much, but, I look the same unless Iï¿½m working out and have a ponytail. Then I look scary. ?  Iï¿½m not trying to be incognito. Iï¿½m not famous, so I donï¿½t need to. from Barbara in Philadelphia Hi Jana, I read the article that was done on you from "Country Stars Central" that was posted on Stevie's website. Besides being a loyal Stevie fan I am also a huge country music fan especially "Little Big Town" for me today's country is today's rock. I love what country music stands for and how they are not shy to speak about God in their music and its more about the music and the lyrics. Anyway I wish you good luck and I hope to see your videos on CMT and GAC real soon and I will spread the word to all of my fellow country music lovers. Jana's answer: Hi Barbara. Thank you for taking time to read the ï¿½Country Stars Centralï¿½ interview. Oh, I love ï¿½Little Big Townï¿½ too! Rascal Flatts is my favorite. I love the values in the lyrics, the stories, the integrity of the songwriting. Itï¿½s not just talking about feeling in love, itï¿½s setting up a story about love, heartbreak, etc. Itï¿½s crafted and special in country music. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your luck. I hope so much to see my video(s) or CMT too. I will need everybody possible to spread the word as the music industry has changed so much and itï¿½s harder than ever to sell music. Find my music for sale very soon on CDbaby and iTunes. Love you for your encouragement and support. from Linda in El Paso Hi Jana I am wondering do people who see the bus Stevie's band travels in during tours know that it belongs to the band???? Jana's answer: Hi Linda. I donï¿½t know if they know and sometimes I wonder how anyone knows where to go to find any of us. It always surprises me. Maybe they stand there for hours and just guess. We have no marking outside the buses. And, many are for crew, a couple for the band. You just never know who is in what bus. I just know that the stars arenï¿½t in any of the buses ever. from Spence in London, UK Hey Jana, I'm still on such a high after the first and last Fleetwood Mac shows at London Wembley Arena. The whole band were so solid, and it was great to see you three ladies looking and sounding absolutely great too. I have to say that the performance of 'Silver Springs' on the last night blew everyone away - I was lucky enough to be at the stage in front of Stevie's mike on both October 30th and November 6th, and Stevie was absolutely on fire that last night! Wow!!! Please pass on my sincere thanks and compliments to her for an outstanding performance - I've posted a review on the Nicks Fix for the November 6th show as a tribute too. Anyway, to my question - what did you get up to on your 3 days off in London from 4th -


When Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 was brought down by hostile fire over East Ukraine on 17 July 2014 what was the death toll of passengers and crew?

Malaysia Airlines MH17 'shot down' over Ukraine carrying 295 people | Daily Mail Online Putin blames Ukraine for loss of Flight MH17 with 298 innocent souls but DOESN'T deny Russian separatists shot it down with missile - as McCain warns there will be 'Hell to pay' Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 shot down over territory held by Pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the Ukrainians for not having 'peace' in the land But he did not deny that pro-Kremlin separatists brought down the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur U.S. Senator John McCain said there would be 'Hell to pay' if this was the case Ukrainians called it 'terrorism' and released a recording between a fighter they claimed was a Russian Intelligence Officer and a separatist who apparently shot down the plane and admitted it was 'civilian' Ukrainian interior ministry says plane was shot down by a Russian-made BUK surface-to-air missile Dutch authorities say at least nine Britons, 154 Dutch and 27 Australians are among the dead Reuters reported earlier that 23 Americans were among the dead but the State Department have not confirmed any President Obama was criticized for saying it was a 'terrible tragedy' in very brief remarks ahead of a speech Questions over why the flight was flying over Ukrainian airspace in what is effectively a war zone All airlines now saying they are avoiding the area


"What town is the setting for the film ""It's a Wonderful Life""?"

It's a Wonderful Life (1946) - Plot Summary - IMDb It's a Wonderful Life (1946) Plot Summary Showing all 6 plot summaries George Bailey has spent his entire life giving of himself to the people of Bedford Falls. He has always longed to travel but never had the opportunity in order to prevent rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town. All that prevents him from doing so is George's modest building and loan company, which was founded by his generous father. But on Christmas Eve, George's Uncle Billy loses the business's $8,000 while intending to deposit it in the bank. Potter finds the misplaced money and hides it from Billy. When the bank examiner discovers the shortage later that night, George realizes that he will be held responsible and sent to jail and the company will collapse, finally allowing Potter to take over the town. Thinking of his wife, their young children, and others he loves will be better off with him dead, he contemplates suicide. But the prayers of his loved ones result in a gentle angel named Clarence coming to earth to help George, with the promise of earning his wings. He shows George what things would have been like if he had never been born. In a nightmarish vision in which the Potter-controlled town is sunk in sex and sin, those George loves are either dead, ruined, or miserable. He realizes that he has touched many people in a positive way and that his life has truly been a wonderful one. - Written by alfiehitchie A young George Bailey, overwhelmed by family obligations and a sense of responsibility toward his community, feels tied down to a company he never had an interest in working for, and a life he never wanted to live. As he ages, he sees his youth, dreams and opportunities pass him by. Unknown to George, all of his friends and family have been praying for him to get through those hard times. Told through the point of view of a group of angels, he is met by his guardian angel Clarence, as he contemplates ending his life. - Written by Marielle <msaz.movies@gmail.com> George Bailey never got a chance to fulfill his life's ambitions of exploring the world and building skyscrapers. As he watches his friends and family become success stories he dreads on running his fathers building and loan business, rivaling the grumpy old Mr. Potter. When a financial discrepancy puts George in a difficult position, an angel comes to show him what life would have been like if he had never been born. - Written by Eric Johnson George Bailey spends his entire life giving up his big dreams for the good of his town, Bedford Falls, as we see in flashback. But in the present, on Christmas Eve, he is broken and suicidal over the misplacing of an $8000 loan and the machinations of the evil millionaire Mr. Potter. His guardian angel, Clarence, falls to Earth, literally, and shows him how his town, family, and friends would have turned out if he had never been born. George meant so much to so many people; should he really throw it all away? - Written by Tommy Peter On the Christmas Eve of Bedford Falls, the guardian angel Clarence is assigned to convince the desperate George Bailey not to commit suicide. George is a good man that sacrificed his dreams and his youth on behalf of the citizens of his small town. He inherited the loan business of his father and he gave up traveling the world and joining University as scheduled. Later he resisted the proposals of the evil banker Mr. Potter, and never sold his business to protect the poor community of Bedford Falls and offer a means to afford to buy their own house. He married his beloved Mary Hatch Bailey and had four children with her and a tough life with his family. When his uncle Billy loses US$ 8,000.00, found and stolen by Mr. Potter, George decides to commit suicide, since he believes he worth more dead than alive. When Clarence sees that he is not able to persuade George to give up his intention, he decides to show the life in town if George had never existed.


Who plays the role of Hagrid in the Harry Potter series of films?

Robbie Coltrane - IMDb IMDb Actor | Soundtrack | Writer Robbie Coltrane, one of Britain's most popular comedians who was head of debating society at school and won prizes for his art, is now a film star who played in two James Bond films and in the "Harry Potter" franchise. Coltrane was born Anthony Robert McMillan on March 30, 1950, in Rutherglen, a suburb of Glasgow, Scotland, UK. His mother, Jean ... See full bio » Born:


An isotherm is a line denoting equal what?

Isotherm | Define Isotherm at Dictionary.com isotherm Meteorology. a line on a weather map or chart connecting points having equal temperature. 2. Also called isothermal line. Physics. a curve on which every point represents the same temperature. Origin of isotherm 1855-60; back formation from isothermal Dictionary.com Unabridged Examples from the Web for isotherm Expand Historical Examples This is shown by the isotherm for -4.5, which surrounds the point Q, the melting point of the ternary salt. Butterflies Worth Knowing Clarence M. Weed On a second blank weather map draw an isotherm through your station inclined from northwest to southeast. British Dictionary definitions for isotherm Expand a line on a map linking places of equal temperature 2. (physics) a curve on a graph that connects points of equal temperature Also called isothermal, isothermal line Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for isotherm Expand 1860, from French isotherme (Humboldt, 1817), from Greek iso- (see iso- ) + therme "heat" (see thermal ). Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper


Founded in 1934, the IBF was the international governing body for what?

1934, Formation of IBF - Badminton England BADMINTON ENGLAND 1934, Formation of IBF 1934, Formation of IBF The International Badminton Federation was founded in 1934 and was reported in the Badminton Gazette, November 1934, page 8 as follows:           1934 - THE FOUNDING OF THE INTERNATIONAL BADMINTON FEDERATION   On Thursday, July 5th, 1934, at Bush House, Aldwych, London, duly appointed representatives of the Badminton Association met representatives of all known Badminton associations (or corresponding organisations) for the purpose of forming an International Badminton Federation. The following were present: Colonel R. Bruce Hay, D.S.O., Mr. B.L. Bisgood and Mr. A.D. Prebble, representing the Badminton Association: Mr. A. E. Hollings (Canada), Mr. A.C.J. Van Vossen and Mr. H.M. Speight (Denmark), Sir George Thomas, Bart., Mr. E. Hawthorn, Mr. D.L.H. Mercer, Mr. G.E. Mills and Mr. L.T. Wickham (England), Mr, Rene Gathier (France), Mr. Edw. Den Hoed (Netherlands), Mr. J. Plunkett Dillon and and Major J.D.M. McCallum , D.S.O. (Ireland), Mr E.D. Andrews (New Zealand), M. J.A. Gibson and Mr. Jackson Millar (Scotland), Mr. T.W. Hughes and Mr. E. Trevor-Williams (Wales). Mr. F.W. Hickson, Secretary of the Badminton Association, acted as Secretary to the Meeting.  Mr. A.D. Prebble, in taking the Chair, said that it was his privilege on behalf of the Badminton Association to give a hearty welcome to the Delegates and to thank them for their attendance. Mr. Prebble gave a brief history of the game of Badminton, and of the Association which had been responsible for making the Laws of the game since 1893. He said that other nations were taking up the game very strongly and the time had now arrived when the Badminton Association felt they should hand over the existing Laws of the game to an international body. They therefore proposed the formation of an International Badminton Federation, which would in future be responsible for any amendment of the Laws and which amendments would be agreed to by every National Badminton Governing Organisation before becoming part of those Laws. Mr. Prebble concluded his remarks by stating that in his humble opinion, Badminton is the finest indoor game there is, and he hoped that in years to come we may be able to travel to any town in the whole world and find friends on a Badminton court. The Chairman formally proposed and Sir George Thomas seconded the following Resolution:- “That this meeting, consisting of duly authorised representatives of National Badminton Organisations, shall and hereby does form an International Badminton Federation; and that the Draft Rules already circulated to each National Organisation by the Badminton Association be and hereby are adopted as the Constitution of the Federation.” After a short discussion this Resolution was then put to the meeting and carried unanimously.  The meeting now resolved itself into the first General Meeting of the International Badminton Federation, and Messrs. G.E. Mills, D.L.H. Mercer, H.M. Speaight and L.T. Wickham retired officially from the meeting. The Chairman said that before proceeding with the business of the meeting, he wished to announce that the Badminton Association desired , through its representatives now present, to accord its full recognition and support to the International Badminton Association just formed, and to hand over to that Federation the International control of the game and its Laws. F.W. Hickson Mr. Plunkett Dillon (Ireland) said that before the meeting dealt with business on the Agenda, he would like to take this opportunity of expressing the thanks of all Badminton players to the Badminton Association, and especially to its chief members, for the work it, and they, had always done for the game. The Officers for the ensuing year were then elected as follows:- President: Sir George Thomas, Bart. Vice-Presidents: Mr. B.I. Bisgood, Mr. E. Hawthorn, Colonel R. Bruce Hay, D.S.O., Mr. A.D. Prebble. Hon Treasurer: Mr. D.L.H. Mercer. Mr. F. W. Hickson, of 74 Grange Drive, Winchmore Hill, London, N.21, England, was a


After what or who is the continent to the north of Africa named?

North African History     "New" DEEP Search All of Realhistory using Keyword or Phrase Ancient Man and His First Civilizations North African History (Excluding Egypt)   In many cases, the demographic history of North Africa closely parallels that of the United States: In that Europeans, and in this case Turks also: first colonize, and then the descendants of the colonizers fight a war of liberation from their original homelands, for sole claim to the conquered territories. And as in the Americas, the native populations were massacred, marginalized, impoverished, and relegated to the hinterlands. The difference being that Americans don't claim to be the native and original people. Thus one of the oddities of modern times is found in North Africa: where the Mulattoes, Quadroons, and Octoroons of the White invaders, and even the White invaders themselves: proclaim themselves BERBERS and the INDEGENOUS inhabitants of North AFRICA!!! To make the ridiculous even more ridiculous; many of these people also practice racial prejudice against Africans IN Africa! In North Africa, many of these people declare themselves Berber under the banner of "Amazigh" possibly meaning "free people" or "free and noble men" (the word has probably an ancient parallel in the Roman name for some of the Berbers, "Mazices").   The Amazigh   This has apparently so distressed one actual Berber group - the Touareg: that they are now disavowing their Berber heritage, and are instead proclaiming themselves to be ARABS!!   Touareg reject allegations of the Congress Amazigh World (Computer translation of the letter) Link to letter From: Mr. Mansour Mohamed Ali Ag Hudyata his capacity as Chairman of the Assembly of Mali called "Youth Society North of the Republic of Mali", rejects the allegations of the World Amazigh Congress, that the Tuareg people are Amazigh. The Assembly of the Republic of Mali Youth North strongly rejects such nonsense and false stories claimed by Congress Amazigh World through the media that the Tuareg of Mali and Niger, are Amazigh, and stresses that this claim is false is not based on a scientific basis. And that Mr. Belkacem Lyons specializes in chemistry who viewed this trend shameless does not have any historical background to prove this myth, but proven by all history books, trusted that the Tuareg are of Arab descent, and crafts Targi has to do with Arabic calligraphy, this is the asset Targip known since a long time immemorial, and we believe such stories would fall within the Tuareg of the elements of client-related third-party suspicious. And thus confirm and strongly that we will not allow the Congress of the World Amazigh has nothing to do with us as an intervention in our affairs and talk about our origins, this we, children of the Tuareg in Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu, we are proud Bootanna (Mali and Niger) to which we belong, and our religion, Islam, and declare that our is to achieve security and stability, peace and development in the Sahara for the happiness of our peoples and coexistence with the sons of the tribes of the Sahara, and that this is the position of all the Tuareg, who are struggling to achieve, and to work strenuously for it in every time and place. Mansour Mohamed Ali Ag Hudyata President of the General Assembly (There is no telling what will happen when the Touareg find out that the very SAME type of invader descends people, are in the north and Arabia, also proclaiming themselves to be ARABS).   Before going on, let us first investigate another term for Berbers - MOORS! "Moor" is problematic because of its shifting  significance. Isidore of Seville, who died well before Islam came to Iberia, follows Roman  usage in referring to northwest Africa as Mauritania (from which maurus/moro is derived)  on account, he says, of its inhabitants' blackness. Similarly, the Visigothic chronicler John  of Biclaro refers to the inhabitants of pre-Islamic North Africa as Moors (Wolf 1990: 64).  The so-called Mozarabic Chronicle of 754, written by a Christian living in al-Andalus  under Muslim rule, and the earl


When was the Company of Scottish Archers, thought to be one of the oldest sporting bodies in the world, formed?

Archery history | Centenary Archers You can go straight to the Australian History section here. Pre 25,000 BC The discovery of the first stone arrowheads in Africa tends to indicate that the bow and arrow were invented there, maybe as early as 50,000 BC. It was probably developed in conjunction with the invention of the spear thrower. A short bow would be a better hunting weapon when used to stalk animals in wooded areas, rather than carry around long spears. The shape of the earliest bows can only be guessed at, as broken or worn out bows would probably end up on the cooking fire, reshaped into different tools or just thrown away. 5,000 – 18,000 BC Fig. 1: 7,500 BC – Tassili rock fresco depicting archer in Egypt. Fire hardened points used on the arrows. Flint arrowheads shaped to a point and inserted into a slot and tied with sinew to the front of the arrow. Feathers were glued and tied with sinew to the arrow shafts. 18,000 – 9,000 BC 11,000 BC – In a burial tomb in San Teodoro Cave, Sicily, a skeleton was found with a fragment of a flint arrow head embedded in the pelvis. Arrow shafts found in Germany are dated to approx. 9,000 BC. 9,000 – 6,000 BC Bows are found in Denmark that date from approx. 8,000 – 6,000 BC. These bows are one piece made from yew or elm and are ’tillered’. (Even amount of bend on top and bottom limbs.) 7,500 BC – Fresco in Tassili depicting an Egyption archer dated at 7,500 BC (Fig. 1) Fig. 2: 5,000 BC – the Egyptians use the bow for hunting and in warfare against the Persians. 6,000 – 3,000 BC 5,000 BC – the Egyptians use the bow for hunting and in warfare against the Persians (Fig. 2). 3,300 BC A 45 yr. old man dies on the Similaun Glacier in the Alps near the present day border between Italy and Austria. His preserved body is found on 11th. September, 1991. After many years of research, “Oetzi” has revealed how he once lived and worked. He was dressed in leather clothes with a grass waterproof cloak and shoes stuffed with grass as protection against the weather. He also had a framed backpack, a utility belt containing tools, a quiver containing 14 arrows, a flint dagger and most amazing of all, a copper axe. The reason why the discovery of the copper axe caused such interest is that it pre-dates the generally accepted development of copper smelting by almost 1,000 years. (So now the history books may have to be revised with a new date.) After detailed analysis of body tissue and hair, it was discovered to contain high amounts of copper and arsenic, which can only come about from prolonged exposure to copper ore and the smelting process. This indicates that he mined the copper ore, probably from ancient mines found 120km. to the South in Italy and then melted the ore in a furnace to create the copper axe. His quiver had a protective flap to keep the feathers dry on the arrows. The wooden arrows were fitted with flint arrowheads. Some of his arrows were shorter than the others and seemed to have been made by a right-handed person indicated by the direction of the thread used to tie on the feathers. The other arrows were longer and made by a left-handed person. Why he had two different lengths of arrows remains unknown. One possible scenario on how he lived his life is that during the winter he would travel to the copper mines. There he would mine the ore and make copper axes, possibly to trade for other items. During the summer, he would take flocks of sheep up the mountain passes to graze, maybe using his bow and arrow to protect the sheep from wolves and also for hunting. He may have traded some arrows for one of his copper axes during his travels. (For more details, see the BBC Horizon TV documentary “Ice Mummies”.) Refer also to the Primitive Archer Magazine at http://www.primitivearcher.com for more recent information. More recent investigation of the body, a flint arrowhead has been found embedded in his left shoulder. Someone had shot him in the back with an arrow not long before he died. It may be the cause of his death from loss of blood and hypothermia after fleeing from the person wh


When Britain fought the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, the forces it opposed were from France and which other country?

Battle of Trafalgar | Military Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement fought by the Royal Navy against the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies , during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815). The battle was the most decisive naval victory of the war. Twenty-seven British ships of the line led by Admiral Lord Nelson aboard HMS Victory defeated thirty-three French and Spanish ships of the line under French Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve off the southwest coast of Spain, just west of Cape Trafalgar. The Franco-Spanish fleet lost twenty-two ships, without a single British vessel being lost. The British victory spectacularly confirmed the naval supremacy that Britain had established during the previous century and was achieved in part through Nelson's departure from the prevailing naval tactical orthodoxy , which involved engaging an enemy fleet in a single line of battle parallel to the enemy to facilitate signalling in battle and disengagement, and to maximise fields of fire and target areas. Nelson instead divided his smaller force into two columns directed perpendicularly against the larger enemy fleet, with decisive results. Nelson was mortally wounded during the battle, becoming one of Britain's greatest war heroes. The commander of the joint French and Spanish forces, Admiral Villeneuve, was captured along with his ship Bucentaure . Spanish Admiral Federico Gravina escaped with the remnant of the fleet and succumbed months later to wounds sustained during the battle. Contents Main article: Trafalgar Campaign In 1805, the First French Empire , under Napoleon Bonaparte , was the dominant military land power on the European continent, while the Royal Navy controlled the seas. During the course of the war, the British imposed a naval blockade on France, which affected trade and kept the French from fully mobilising their own naval resources. Despite several successful evasions of the blockade by the French navy, it failed to inflict a major defeat upon the British. They were able to attack French interests at home and abroad with relative ease. When the Third Coalition declared war on France, after the short-lived Peace of Amiens , Napoleon was determined to invade Britain. To do so, he needed to ensure that the Royal Navy would be unable to disrupt the invasion flotilla , which would require control of the English Channel. The main French fleets were at Brest in Brittany and at Toulon on the Mediterranean coast. Other ports on the French Atlantic coast harboured smaller squadrons . France and Spain were allied, so the Spanish fleet based in Cádiz and Ferrol was also available. The British possessed an experienced and well-trained corps of naval officers. [3] By contrast, most of the best officers in the French navy had either been executed or dismissed from the service during the early part of the French Revolution . As a result, Vice-Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve was the most competent senior officer available to command Napoleon's Mediterranean fleet. However, Villeneuve had shown a distinct lack of enthusiasm for facing Nelson and the Royal Navy after the French defeat at the Battle of the Nile in 1798. Napoleon's naval plan in 1805 was for the French and Spanish fleets in the Mediterranean and Cádiz to break through the blockade and join forces in the Caribbean. They would then return, assist the fleet in Brest to emerge from the blockade, and together clear the English Channel of Royal Navy ships, ensuring a safe passage for the invasion barges. The Caribbean Edit Early in 1805, Admiral Lord Nelson commanded the British fleet blockading Toulon. Unlike William Cornwallis , who maintained a tight grip off Brest with the Channel Fleet, Nelson adopted a loose blockade in the hope of luring the French out for a major battle. However, Villeneuve's fleet successfully evaded Nelson's when the British were blown off station by storms. While Nelson was searching the Mediterranean for him, erroneously s


December 31 1960 was the last day for which coin, first minted in England in the 13th century, to be legal tender in the United Kingdom?

December 1960 - Virtual Newsstand - Comic Book Plus Next » December - African and Malagasy Organisation for Economic Cooperation (OAMCE) (Organisation Africain et  Malagache de Coopération Économique) is established. - Édith Piaf's recording of "Non, je ne regrette rien" is released in France. December 1 - Patrice Lumumba, the deposed premier of the Republic of the Congo, is arrested by the troops of Colonel Joseph Mobutu. - A Soviet satellite containing live animals and plants is launched into orbit. Due to a malfunction it burns up during re-entry. December 2 - The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Geoffrey Francis Fisher, talks with Pope John XXIII for about one hour in Vatican City. This is the first time that any chief of the Anglican Church had ever visited the Pope. - U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorizes the use of $1.0 million for the relief and resettlement of Cuban refugees, who had been arriving in Florida at the rate of about 1,000 per week. December 4 - The admission of Mauritania to the United Nations vetoed by the Soviet Union. December 5 - Pierre Lagaillarde, who led the insurrections in 1958 and 1960 in Algeria, fails to appear in court in Paris, France. He had reportedly[citation needed] fled with his four fellow defendants to Spain en route to Algeria. - Boynton v. Virginia: The Supreme Court declares that segregation in public transportation is illegal in the United States. December 7 - The United Nations Security Council is called into session by the Soviet Union in order to consider Soviet demands for the Security Council to seek the immediate release of the former Congolese Premier Patrice Lumumba. December 8 - For the first time, the Mary Martin Peter Pan is presented as a stand-alone two-hour special on NBC instead of as part of an anthology series. This version, rather than being presented live, is shown on videotape, enabling NBC to repeat it as often as they wish without having to restage it. Although nearly all of the adult actors repeat their original Broadway roles, all of the original children have, ironically, outgrown their roles and are replaced by new actors. December 9 - French President Charles de Gaulle's visit to Algeria is bloodied by European and Muslim rioters in Algeria's largest cities. These riots caused 127 deaths. - The classic British TV series Coronation Street premieres. Planned as a 13-part drama, it becomes such a success among viewers it continues to be shown five times per week through 2012. December 11 - MGM's The Wizard of Oz is rerun on CBS only a year after its previous telecast, thus beginning the tradition of annual telecasts of the film. December 12 - The Supreme Court of the United States upholds a lower Federal Court ruling that the State of Louisiana's laws on racial segregation laws are unconstitutional, and overturns them. December 13 - While Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia visits Brazil, his Imperial Bodyguard leads a military coup against his rule, proclaiming that the emperor's son, Crown Prince Asfa Wossen, is the new emperor. - The countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua announce the formation of the Central American Common Market. - The U.S. Navy's Commander Leroy Heath (pilot) and Lieutenant Larry Monroe (bombardier/navigator) establish a world flight-altitude record of 91,450 feet (27,874 m), with payload, in an A-5 Vigilante bomber carrying 1,000 kg (2,200 lb), and better the previous world record by over four miles (6 km). December 14 - Antoine Gizenga proclaims in Republic of the Congo, that he has taken over as the premier. December 15 - King Mahendra of Nepal deposes the democratic government there and he takes direct control himself. - King Baudouin of Belgium marries Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragon. December 16 - Secretary of State Christian Herter announces that the United States will commit five nuclear submarines and eighty Polaris missiles to the defense of the NATO countries by the end of 1963. - New York air disaster: a United Airlines DC-8 collides in mid-air with a T


Where did the car manufacturer Renault originate?

Over 100 Years of Renault History | Renault 100% Electric Over 100 Years of History Even though we've been creating some of the world's best cars for over 100 years, chances are you don't really know a lot about us. Louis Renault Louis Renault was born in Paris in February 1877. His first car was the Voiturette, produced in 1898. The Renault company, Renault Frères (Renault Brothers) was officially formed in 1899, by Louis and his brothers Marcel and Fernand. The Early Years Renault patented the invention of the direct drive gearbox – adopted by other manufacturers and registered a number of other patents including the turbocharger.  From 1903, Renault established sales outlets outside France in England, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Spain and the USA. In 1905, received an order for 250 taxis which generated a switch from workshop to mass production, becoming the leading French car makers. By 1907, 50% of London’s taxis were Renaults. The Company Develops In World War l, Renault played an important role. Two events were significant. The Marne Taxis”. 500 Renault taxis were used as troop transport to halt the German advance on Paris. The Marne Taxis was one of the famous events of World War I. The Light Tank, designed in 1917 which was a major factor in the Allies success. At war’s end Renault was France’s main manufacturer with plants by 1929 in Belgium, England and Spain. Louis Renault died in 1945. Renault is Nationalised After the war Renault was nationalised, and remained State-owned for the next 50 years. Its philosophy was unchanged, and it introduced many innovative models, also continuing in motorsport. Renault and Australia With the Renault-Nissan Alliance established on March 27, 1999, Renault has drawn on Nissan’s strengths in the Asia Pacific markets to extend its presence in Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia and Malaysia. In Australia, Renault is sold through a wholly owned subsidiary of Nissan Australia named Vehicle Distributors Australia (VDA). Renault (VDA) has established its own Executive Committee and management structure including administration and sales staff. Renault is totally supported by Nissan’s operational management and draws on the comprehensive resources of the well-established Japanese company. A comprehensive network of Australian dealers has been appointed to market and service the Renault brand nationally. Located in Australia’s major cities and selected provincial centres, these dealers have been selected according to Renault’s exacting corporate requirements to provide first-class service standards and an exemplary first-contact point for all Renault customers. A strong emphasis is placed on after-sales strategy and service and all Renault service staff undergo significant training in the company’s landmark Training Centre to ensure Renault’s standards of mechanical excellence are met.


The 1984 Winter Olympics were the first conducted under the presidency of whom?

Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics - results & video highlights Official Reports arrow Trouble-free Games The Games ran smoothly, giving no indication of the tragic war that would engulf the city eight years later. Skier Jure Franko claimed silver in the giant slalom to win Yugoslavia’s first Olympic Winter Games medal. Memorable champions In speed skating, Canada’s Gaétan Boucher and East Germany’s Karin Enke each won two gold medals. Norwegian biathlete Eirik Kvalfoss earned a complete set of medals, and twin brothers Phil and Steve Mahre of the US took first and second place in the slalom. Historic performer Marja-Liisa Kirvesmiemi-Hämäläinen from Finland became the only woman to have competed in six editions of the Olympic Winter Games. She dominated all three women’s cross country skiing events, winning by at least 10 seconds each time. She also won a bronze medal in the 4 x 7.5km relay. A perfect bolero British figure skaters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean mesmerised the judges and the world with their interpretation of Maurice Ravel's Bolero. The judges awarded them perfect scores across-the-board for artistic impression. NOCs: 49 Athletes: 1,272 (274 women, 998 men) Events: 39 Media: 7,393 (2,363 written press, 5,030 broadcasters) President Samaranch These were the first Games under the presidency of Juan Antonio Samaranch. Role of television Revenues gained from broadcast fees took a big leap upward, rising from the US$ 20,726,000 received for Lake Placid in 1980 to a figure of US$ 102,682,000 for Sarajevo. 20km for the women One event was added to women's Nordic skiing - the 20km race, which gave women a total of four races. Ceremonies Sarajevo, 8 February 1984. Arrival of the Olympic Flag. Official opening of the Games by: President Mika Spiljak. Lighting of the Olympic Flame by: Sandra Dubravcic (figure skating) Officials' Oath by: Dragan Perovic (Alpine skiing) It symbolizes a stylized snowflake with the Olympic rings above. It also features the traditional design of the embroidery produced in the Sarajevo region. On the obverse, the official emblem, a stylized snowflake with the Olympic rings above, and the words "XIV Zimske Olimpijske Igre - Sarajevo 1984". On the reverse, the stylized head of an athlete crowned with a laurel wreath. In all, 285 medals were struck at the Majdanpek mint in Belgrade, and 222 were awarded. More info Vučko The 1984 Winter Games mascot came in the guise of a wolf, an animal typically found in the forests of the Dinaric Alps region. Through his smiling, frightened or serious facial expressions, Vučko gave the wolf a rather friendly appearance and even helped to change the usually ferocious image of this animal. More info Number of torchbearers: around 1 600 in Yugoslavia Total distance: 5 289 km in Yugoslavia. A second flame was created from the original sacred one and the relay was divided and conducted in two separate routes from Dubrovnik to Sarajevo. Countries crossed: Greece, Yugoslavia More info It features the official emblem, a stylised snowflake with the Olympic rings above. The “Final report Sarajevo'84” is a fairly modest official report which does, however, contain the main pieces of useful information, available as a trilingual French, English and Serbo-Croat edition.


What programme would feature James May, Richard Hammond, and Jeremy Clarkson as presenters?

Top Gear stars Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond in ITV talks | Media | The Guardian Top Gear stars Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond in ITV talks Ex-presenters of BBC show meet rival’s programme chief along with its former executive producer, Andy Wilman Former Top Gear presenters James May, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond have been in talks with ITV. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA Friday 8 May 2015 06.05 EDT Last modified on Thursday 11 August 2016 06.28 EDT Close This article is 1 year old Top Gear stars Jeremy Clarkson , James May and Richard Hammond took a step closer to moving to ITV after it emerged the three presenters held talks with its programme chief Peter Fincham along with the show’s former executive producer, Andy Wilman. ITV has been touted as the most likely UK broadcaster to pick up the trio after Clarkson was axed from the show after his assault on a producer and his fellow co-presenters both quit the BBC2 show. The three met Fincham, a former controller of BBC1, along with ITV’s director of entertainment and comedy Elaine Bedell, who had previously worked closely with Clarkson at the BBC. The meeting took place on Wednesday evening at Fincham’s home in west London. Although the three would not be able to bring with them the Top Gear name, which belongs to the BBC, a motoring show fronted by the three presenters would be hugely appealing to ITV which has suffered a tough year in the ratings. With the channel set to lose UEFA Champions League football at the beginning of next season, its needs more programmes that will bring in a male audience. Top Gear, which pulled in 6 million viewers on BBC2, about two-thirds of them men, would meet that need. Clarkson, Wilman and the show’s other presenters have also been linked with a move to US video-on-demand service Netflix, with the programme, which has global appeal, shown in more than 200 countries, a natural fit with the worldwide subscription service. An ITV spokesman said last night: “We haven’t commented and aren’t planning to comment on the continual Top Gear speculation which is swirling around the television industry.” May ruled out a return to the BBC2 show last month saying it would be “lame” to do it with a “surrogate Jeremy”. Top Gear: James May rules out returning without Jeremy Clarkson Read more Hammond later appeared to join him, although BBC2 controller Kim Shillinglaw refused to rule out their return . Shillinglaw has been tasked with reinventing Top Gear for BBC2 next year without any of the three stars on board. It will be no easy task, especially if the three begin presenting a rival show on ITV. With Clarkson and his fellow presenters on board, Top Gear was one of the BBC’s most valuable properties, generating about £50m a year.


What is the name for Government House, Canberra, the official residence of the Governor-General of Australia?

Official Residences | Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia Contact Official Residences The Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General administers the two heritage listed vice-regal properties – Government House Canberra and Admiralty House Sydney – on behalf of the Commonwealth Government as the official residences of the Governor-General. Schools are encouraged to contact Government House to arrange a guided tour. Government House Government House Canberra is located in the suburb of Yarralumla with a boundary to Lake Burley Griffin. This is the principal residence of the Governor-General and the main administrative centre for the Office. A large number of events and activities are conducted at Government House including receptions; investiture and credential ceremonies; state dinners for visiting Royalty and heads of state; and functions for community and special needs groups. The property is made available on request to charitable organisations as a venue to raise funds for those groups. The 54 hectare property is listed on the Commonwealth Heritage list and comprises both heritage buildings and landscape elements. Government House, Canberra, in its origins and architecture, is quite unlike Government Houses of the State capitals. Most State Government Houses were built more> Admiralty House Admiralty House is the Sydney residence of the Governor-General located in the suburb of Kirribilli where many events and activities are also held each year. The story of Admiralty House and of its site at Kirribilli begins in the 18th century with Thomas Muir, the Scottish constitutional reformer more>


The Mesa Verde National Park with its ancient cliff cities is found where?

Mesa Verde National Park (U.S. National Park Service) Contact Us Preserving the “Works of Man” Mesa Verde, Spanish for green table, offers a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from AD 600 to 1300. Today the park protects nearly 5,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States.


"Which English poet, Roman Catholic convert, and Jesuit priest, whose 20th-century fame established him posthumously among the leading Victorian poets, was praised because ""his experimental explorations in prosody ... and his use of imagery established him as a daring innovator in a period of largely traditional verse""?"

Gerard Manley Hopkins | Religion-wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Share Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J. (28 July 1844 – 8 June 1889), was an English poet, Roman Catholic convert, and Jesuit priest , whose 20th-century fame established him posthumously among the leading Victorian poets. His experimental explorations in prosody (especially sprung rhythm) and his use of imagery established him as a daring innovator in a period of largely traditional verse. Contents [ show ] Life Hopkins was educated at Highgate School from 1854 to 1863 and then Balliol College, Oxford, where he studied classics. Hopkins was an unusually sensitive student and poet, as witnessed by his class-notes and early poetic pieces. It was at Oxford that he forged a friendship with Robert Bridges (eventual Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom) which would be of importance in his development as a poet, and his posthumous acclaim. Hopkins began his time in Oxford as a keen socialite and prolific poet, but he seemed to have alarmed himself with the changes in his behaviour that resulted, and he became more studious and began recording his "sins" in his diary. As an undergraduate he engaged in friendships that may be viewed as romantic, though they tended to be idealised and spiritualised. In particular, he found it hard to accept his sexual attraction to other men - including a deep infatuation for Digby Mackworth Dolben. There is nothing to suggest, however, any physical consummation and indeed he seems to have remained celibate throughout his life. He exercised a strict self-control in regard to his homosexual desire, especially after he became a follower of Henry Parry Liddon and of Edward Pusey, the last, lingering member of the original Oxford Movement. It was during this time of intense scrupulosity that Hopkins seems to have especially begun confronting his strong homoerotic impulses . (See section below on Erotic influences) [1] . In 1866, following the example of John Henry Newman , he converted from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism . This decision estranged him from both his family and a number of his acquaintances. After his graduation in 1867 Hopkins was provided a teaching post at The Oratory School by Newman, but the following year he decided to enter the priesthood, pausing only to visit Switzerland, which officially forbade Jesuits to enter [2] . Hopkins's attempts at poetry began at an early age, influenced by his father's own attempts at the art. His decision to become a Jesuit led him to burn much of his early poetry as he felt it incompatible with his vocation. Writing would remain something of a concern for him as he felt that his interest in poetry prevented him from wholly devoting himself to his religion. However, after reading Duns Scotus in 1872, he saw that the two did not necessarily conflict. [3] He continued to write a detailed journal until 1874. Unable to suppress his desire to describe the natural world, he also wrote music, sketched, and for church occasions he wrote some "verses," as he called them. He would later write sermons and other religious pieces. While he was studying in the Jesuit house of theological studies, St Beuno's, near St Asaph in North Wales, he was asked by his religious superior to write a poem to commemorate the foundering of a German ship in a storm. So in 1875 he was moved to take up poetry once more and write a lengthy poem, The Wreck of the Deutschland. This work was inspired by the Deutschland incident, a naval disaster in which 157 people died including five Franciscan nuns who had been leaving Germany due to harsh anti-Catholic laws (see Kulturkampf ). The work displays both the religious concerns and some of the unusual meter and rhythms of his subsequent poetry not present in his few remaining early works. It not only depicts the dramatic events and heroic deeds but also tells of the poet's reconciling the terrible events with God's higher purpose. The poem was accepted but not printed by a Jesuit publication, and this rejection fuelled his ambivalence about his poetry. Most of his poetry remained


Who did Rock Hudson play opposite in a series of romantic comedy films in the 1960s?

Film History of the 1960s Film History of the 1960s 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s Literary-Based Films: During the early to mid 1960s, Hollywood looked to literary works and     the history books for many of its films. The studios were increasingly     willing to pay for film rights to various novels and literary works. Examples    of literary works translated to the screen in the 60s include: American      International Pictures (AIP), with director Roger Corman, released a      cycle of eight higher-budget, colorful widescreen films loosely based      on Edgar Allan Poe tales, often with big-name actor Vincent Price, including The Fall of the House of Usher (1960), The Pit and the Pendulum      (1961), The Premature Burial (1962), Tales of Terror (1962), The Raven (1963), The Haunted Palace (1963), The Masque of      the Red Death (1964), and The Tomb of Ligeia (1964) Richard Brooks' absorbing adaptation of Sinclair Lewis'      novel Elmer Gantry (1960) - a tale of      a 1920's huckster, phony evangelist on the Midwest circuit of revival      meetings, a flamboyant role for which Burt Lancaster won a Best Actor      Award Otto Preminger's Exodus (1960) with Oscar-winning      music , based upon Leon Uris' novel about the establishment of the independent      state of Israel, with an unlikely blue-eyed Paul Newman as Jewish leader      Ari Ben Canaan a dramatization of the actual Scopes 'monkey trial'      courtroom battle about the teaching of evolution (between the legendary      Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan), in the film's adaptation      between defense attorney Henry Drummond (Spencer Tracy) and prosecutor      Matthew Harrison Brady (Fredric March) - based upon Jerome Lawrence's      and Robert E. Lee's play Inherit the Wind (1960) A      Raisin in the Sun (1961) - after its successful run as a Broadway      play, was a ground-breaking work on race-relations by Lorraine Hansberry,      during the early years of the civil rights movement, with Sidney Poitier      and Ruby Dee Elia Kazan's direction of an adaptation of William      Inge's psychosexual drama Splendor in the Grass      (1961) with Warren Beatty (in his debut film) and Natalie Wood      - a Depression-era Romeo and Juliet plot; it marked the first screenplay of playwright Inge MGM's Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) with Clark Gable and Charles Laughton, based on a true story of the      British navy in the 1700s, was remade as Mutiny on the Bounty (1962),      with odd-accented Marlon Brando as Fletcher Christian and Trevor Howard      as Captain Bligh Otto Preminger's The Cardinal (1963), adapted      from Henry Morton Robinson's best-selling novel, following the life      of a young Rome-educated American priest rising from a backwoods clergyman      to Cardinal [the film was the first film in Panavision 70, a film process      in which a 35 mm film was enlarged to 70 mm for wide-screen projection] writer-director Elia Kazan's own semi-autobiographical America, America (1963) about his Turkish-Greek uncle's immigrant      experience John Huston's The Night of the Iguana (1964) - based on a Tennessee Williams play about an alcoholic former clergyman      (Richard Burton) and Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967) based      on a Carson McCuller novel about a homosexual army officer (Marlon Brando)      in the South Harold      Robbin's steamy novel that was made into a garish saga of the career      of a Howard Hughes-like millionaire/industrialist in The Carpetbaggers      (1964) (actor Alan Ladd's last film) George Stevens' big-budget religious epic The Greatest      Story Ever Told (1965) was an adaptation of Fulton Oursler's best-selling      book, with Max Von Sydow in the role of Jesus, Telly Savalas as Pontius      Pilate, David McCallum as Judas, and many other stars in the


What name is given to the stage of a butterfly's life when it lives in a chrysalis?

Butterfly Life Cycle | Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University Home » Explore » Online Exhibits » Butterflies! » Butterfly Life Cycle Butterfly Life Cycle The butterfly and moth develop through a process called metamorphosis. This is a Greek word that means transformation or change in shape. Insects have two common types of metamorphosis. Grasshoppers, crickets, dragonflies, and cockroaches have incomplete metamorphosis. The young (called a nymph) usually look like small adults but without the wings. Butterflies, moths, beetles, flies and bees have complete metamorphosis. The young (called a larva instead of a nymph) is very different from the adults. It also usually eats different types of food. There are four stages in the metamorphosis of butterflies and moths: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Egg Eggs are laid on plants by the adult female butterfly. These plants will then become the food for the hatching caterpillars. Eggs can be laid from spring, summer or fall. This depends on the species of butterfly. Females lay a lot of eggs at once so that at least some of them survive. Butterfly eggs can be very small. Caterpillar: The Feeding Stage The next stage is the larva. This is also called a caterpillar if the insect is a butterfly or a moth. The job of the caterpillar is to eat and eat and eat. As the caterpillar grows it splits its skin and sheds it about 4 or 5 times. Food eaten at this time is stored and used later as an adult. Caterpillars can grow 100 times their size during this stage. For example, a monarch butterfly egg is the size of a pinhead and the caterpillar that hatches from this tiny egg isn't much bigger. But it will grow up to 2 inches long in several weeks. Pupa: The Transition Stage When the caterpillar is full grown and stops eating, it becomes a pupa. The pupa of butterflies is also called a chrysalis. Depending on the species, the pupa may suspended under a branch, hidden in leaves or buried underground. The pupa of many moths is protected inside a coccoon of silk. This stage can last from a few weeks, a month or even longer. Some species have a pupal stage that lasts for two years. It may look like nothing is going on but big changes are happening inside. Special cells that were present in the larva are now growing rapidly. They will become the legs, wings, eyes and other parts of the adult butterfly. Many of the original larva cells will provide energy for these growing adult cells. Adult: The Reproductive Stage The adult stage is what most people think of when they think of butterflies. They look very different from the larva. The caterpillar has a few tiny eyes, stubby legs and very short antennae. The adults have long legs, long antennae, and compound eyes. They can also fly by using their large and colorful wings. The one thing they can't do is grow. The caterpillar's job was to eat. The adult's job is to mate and lay eggs. Some species of adult butterflies get energy by feeding on nectar from flowers but many species don't feed at all. Flying comes in handy. The adult female can easily fly from place to place to find the right plant for its eggs. This is important because caterpillars can't travel far. Most adult butterflies live only one or two weeks, but some species hibernate during the winter and may live several months.


Mascagni's one act opera Cavalleria Rusticana is often performed as a double bill with which other opera?

Opera Circle to stage Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana at First Baptist Opera Circle to stage Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana at First Baptist November 18, 2014 Download article as PDF by Daniel Hathaway One of the most popular of all opera titles came about through a contest. 27-year-old Pietro Mascagni barely made the deadline for a new opera competition set up by Milanese publisher Edoardo Sonzogno in 1888, but won out over 72 other aspiring young Italian composers who fulfilled the entrance criterion of never before having had an opera staged. His winning entry, the one-act opera Cavalleria rusticana, received its premiere in Rome in 1890. Although Mascagni lived until 1945 and penned fourteen other stage works, none ever received the attention that “Cav” attracted. Cleveland’s Opera Circle, having previously produced Mascagni’s second opera, L’Amico Fritz, will mount two staged performances of Cavalleria rusticana on Friday evening, November 21 and Sunday afternoon, November 23, at First Baptist Church in Shaker Heights. The cast includes Mihail Urusov as Turiddu, Rachel Morrison as Santuzza, Christopher Aldrich as Alfio, Katie Fowler as Lola and Laura Avdey as Lucia. The Opera Circle Choral Ensemble will form the chorus and a reduction of the orchestration will be played by Jacek Sobieski, conducting from the piano, violinist Hristo Popov and cellist Kent Collier. We spoke briefly with Opera Circle’s executive director, Dorota Sobieska, stage director Philip Formes and music director Jacek Sobieski to get some of their insights into the upcoming production. “Phil’s and my idea is that the main character of the whole story is the village, and the mother who represents the village is the central character,” Sobieska told us. “It took us a long time to work that out because so many big name singers take on Cavalleria rusticana. That puts the focus on the soloists rather than the chorus. But if you don’t put the chorus in the foreground, the opera becomes very thin, like a prelude to something else.” Formes agrees, and has developed his staging of the opera around the chorus. “In a chamber production with no set and no large orchestra, you try to use the chorus as the scenery.” There are challenges that come with that. “Everybody has to become actors. Many choristers are afraid to move onstage, so I’ve set up some theatrical games to help them create a visual scene. The chorus shouldn’t sing to the audience, but engage with each other. I have to help them develop their bravery to create characters with each other.” The chorus in Opera Circle’s productions has served another important role: generating soloists for future productions. While tenor Mihail Urusov, who recently arrived in Northeast Ohio from Moscow, came to his role through an artist representative, some of the soloists in Cav started out as chorus members. “Rachel Morrison and Katie Fowler both came up through the chorus,” Sobieska said. “It gives you an opportunity to be heard, to work with the company and prove yourself.” Philip Formes also sang in the chorus for previous Opera Circle productions. After studying at the New England Conservatory and doing musical theater at CCM in Cincinnati, Formes toured with road shows and ended up singing in New Orleans Opera. Hurricane Katrina inspired his move to Ohio. “I took the backdoor route to stage directing,” he said, “but it’s great fun for me. I’ve had lots of experience being directed, and as a singer, you always have your opinions about how it could be done better. And now here I am.” Part of the charm of producing Cavalleria rusticana in a church is that the opera takes place on Easter morning outside a church, so the performance space is already part of the plot. “We have embraced that environment to give emotional impact to the meaning of the text,” Formes said. “Using the Greek theater principle that good characters come from the right and evil ones from the left, stage left will represent the inn where Lucia runs her wine shop, and stage right will represent the church. Santuzza, Lola and Lucia will ent


In which year did the space shuttle Challenger explode 73 seconds after lift off?

The Challenger Disaster | 25 Years Ago The Challenger Disaster   On January 28, 1986 the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after take-off and killed seven astronauts. It was the 25th shuttle launch since NASA started service in 1981. For the first time a teacher was a member of the crew. Christa McAuliffe had won a contest against thousands of other teachers. The explosion took place 73 seconds after liftoff. Investigators found out that the accident was caused by rubber rings that became smaller because of the cold weather. These rings were supposed to separate parts of the rocket as it travelled into space. Gas and flames leaked out and created a fire around the spacecraft. The crew probably did not die immediately but were not able to survive the impact in the ocean.   Thousands of people watched on the ground at Cape Canaveral and millions more watched the disaster happen on television . However, space flights were becoming routine during the 1980s. They turned into everyday events that the public did not care about any more. People thought NASA was perfect and nothing could happen.   The Challenger blows up 73 seconds after launch   The Challenger disaster was the first time that America had lost astronauts during a flight. In January 1967 three American astronauts were killed in Apollo 1 during a ground test. After America had lost one of its three space shuttles all missions were canceled and President Ronald Reagan appointed a committee to look into the disaster. In the following years NASA started to redesign its rockets. Major changes and improvements were made on the shuttle. In 1988 it took off again. NASA had begun building space shuttles in the 1970s. They wanted to create a spacecraft that could transport cargo into space and be used over and over again. The first shuttle, Columbia was launched in 1981. Three other shuttles, Challenger, Atlantis and Discovery followed. In 1991 the Endeavour replaced the Challenger as the fourth shuttle. In 2003, disaster struck another space shuttle. Seven astronauts were killed on board the Columbia when it disintegrated over Texas. The days of the space shuttle are over. The last mission will take place in 2011 . In the past few years NASA has helped build a space station in orbit and currently there are plans for a return to the moon and a manned Mars mission.   Cape Canaveral = place in Florida where American space missions lift off cargo = freight, not passengers caused = what made something happen committee = group of people disintegrate = break up, fall to pieces explode = blow up flame = hot , bright burning gas that you see when something is one fire however = but improvement = changes that make something work better investigate = to look into, examine to see what had happened launch = start into space leak out = a small hole, that lets something escape into the open lift-off = take-off manned = with people on board mission = flight orbit = a curved path around an object public = the people replace = to take the place of routine = usual, everyday service = here: to send the space shuttle into space spacecraft = spaceship supposed to = thought to, believed to survive = to live on after a dangerous situation take-off = start


The Leakey family who concentrated their studies in Kenya were working in what area?

The Leakey Foundation |  The Leakey Family Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey Louis Leakey in Kenya in 1955. Louis Leakey (b. 1903, d. 1972) was a tireless promoter of the study of human origins. With his theoretical and paleontological work in the field, he had a considerable impact on the science of early human evolution. In addition to the 20 books and over 150 articles he wrote in his lifetime as well as the multiple fossil and stone tool discoveries that contributed so significantly to our understanding of the field, he was also largely responsible for convincing other scientists that Africa was the key location in which to search for evidence of human origins. In the face of great opposition, he strongly supported Darwin’s assertion that human evolution began in Africa. As it turns out, Leakey’s early, controversial, yet unwavering position that Africa was the cradle of humanity has held up against modern scientific scrutiny and is now universally accepted. Louis was born on August 7, 1903, at Kabete Mission (near Nairobi) in Kenya, where his parents Harry and Mary (Bazett) Leakey were English missionaries to the Kikuyu tribe. Louis grew up speaking Kikuyu as fluently as English, and at age thirteen he was initiated as a member of the Kikuyu tribe. He later wrote a definitive study of their culture in 1937. Leakey began his university career at Cambridge University in 1922, but a rugby injury caused him to postpone his studies. He then left to help manage a paleontological expedition to Africa. He graduated with degrees in both anthropology and archaeology in 1926. After completing his degrees, Leakey began leading expeditions to Olduvai, a river gorge in Tanzania, where he found important fossils and Stone Age tools. In 1948 he reported finding a 20-million-year-old skull he named Proconsul africanus on Rusinga Island in Lake Victoria, Kenya. Though now considered to be too specialized to have been a direct ancestor of current ape and human populations, Proconsul is still deemed scientifically valuable as a model for early human ancestors. Louis and Mary Leakey with the jaw of Zinjanthropus. Photo by Des Bartlett from The Leakey Foundation archive. The first significant hominid fossil attributed to Leakey, a robust skull with huge teeth dated to 1.75 million years ago, was found by Louis’ collaborator and second wife Mary Leakey. She found it in deposits that also contained stone tools. Louis claimed it was a human ancestor and called it Zinjanthropus boisei. It is now understood to be a form of Australopithecus. Another important discovery was the 1964 reporting of Homo habilis (named by Louis, Phillip Tobias and John Napier), which Leakey believed was the first member of the actual human genus as well as the first true toolmaker. Though the interpretations Leakey’s fossil finds were and still are controversial, their significance to the field of human origins is generally acknowledged. Leakey had a significant effect on not only the field of paleoanthropology but also primatology. He was responsible for initiating Jane Goodall’s long-term field study of chimpanzees in the wild, and he helped obtain and coordinate funding for similar projects such as Dian Fossey’s work with mountain gorillas in Rwanda and Birute Galdikas’ work with orangutans in the Sarawak region of Indonesia. Always a dynamic and energetic man, Leakey kept up a rigorous schedule of lecturing and fundraising. In 1972, while on route  to a speaking engagement in London, Louis Leakey suffered a heart attack and died. Louis Leakey radically changed the way we now view early humans. Though he always had his detractors, Louis Leakey is considered to be a significant contributor to the understanding of our origins. He pushed back the known dates for the existence of various species, changed phylogenies to include the existence of parallel lines of evolution in the human family, stimulated research in new fields like primatology, and generated interest and publicity for the study of human origins.   Mary Douglas Leakey Mary Leakey. Photo from The Leakey Foun


What is the principal language on the Galapagos Islands?

Galapagos Islands Facts on Largest Cities, Populations, Symbols - Worldatlas.com (conversion rates) One US Dollar Ethnicity: The Galapagos Islands is one of the few places in the world without a native population. It is a mix of Ecuadorian Mestizos, Spanish descendants, American descendants, and others. GDP total: $155.8 billion (Ecuador) GDP per capita: $10,200 (Ecuador)


In Los Angeles, California, USA, African-American Rodney Glen King III was beaten severely by police after leading them on a high speed chase and resisting arrest, leading to massive rioting by African-Americans in the Los Angeles area when the police officers involved were acquitted. When did the beating happen?

1000+ images about Operation Monarch. L. A. Riots 1992 on Pinterest | Radios, Florence and Los angeles Forward Rodney Glen King (April 2, 1965 – June 17, 2012) was an African-American construction worker who while on parole for robbery became nationally known after being beaten with excessive force by Los Angeles police officers following a high-speed car chase on March 3, 1991. George Holliday, witnessed the beating and videotaped much of it from the balcony of his nearby apartment. Generally considered to have triggered the 1992 Los Angeles riots. He died of accidental drowning See More