Which actor, comedian, writer and musician rowed for Cambridge in the 1980 Boat Race?

King of American prime time - Telegraph King of American prime time     Image 1 of 3 'I don't want to think I may be doing something right. Because then game is over. Isn't it?'    With the cast of House  12:01AM BST 24 May 2005 Up to 18 million American viewers are tuning in every week to watch Hugh Laurie star as a grouchy doctor in the TV series 'House'. So is he satisfied? Far from it, he tells Tim Geary My dad knows Hugh Laurie. Well, he knows of him. "He's that funny chap!" he says. That is how most Britons know the Hugh Laurie who has been making us laugh since 1981 when he was part of a Cambridge Footlights revue that included Stephen Fry, Tony Slattery and Emma Thompson. Since then, Laurie has done plenty to cement his image. He was one of two funny chaps in the sketch show A Bit of Fry and Laurie. He played an assortment of rubber-faced fools on seasons of Blackadder and a bumbling, pitch-perfect Bertie in Jeeves and Wooster. Laurie's movie roles, most notably in Peter's Friends and Sense and Sensibility, displayed his depth as a performer but hardly supplanted his persona. We already knew him for the funny man he was. It might come as a surprise in Britain, then, to learn that Laurie has recently become famous in America for playing someone serious and mean. His star has risen thanks to a medical drama, House, in which his character, Dr Gregory House, is a self-centred misanthrope with a pronounced limp, a groggy demeanour and an addiction to heavy-duty pain medication. Oh, and an American accent that has fooled every viewer ignorant of Laurie's provenance. House is a less schmaltzy version of ER that pits Dr House against a new, peculiar disease each week. Laurie's anti-hero has helped make House one of the most highly rated and exuberantly reviewed shows of the season. A writer in the Seattle Times gave "three reasons to watch the show: Hugh Laurie, Hugh Laurie and Hugh Laurie". It is a remarkable achievement that would make anyone proud. Well, almost anyone. Laurie doesn't deal in self-congratulation. The reverse is true. Despite being a successful actor and comedian, a skilled musician, writer and athlete (he rowed for Cambridge in the 1980 Boat Race when they famously lost by five feet), he goes to great lengths to remind others of his failings. "I still think it's a terrible mistake they made," he says, referring to the producers who gave him the role as House. "I have smacked the set many times cursing them for not hiring an American actor. American actors have natural selves that are appealing. They've usually got a pleasing pair of eyebrows or a nice voice or a nice something. I don't have any of that. I'm not easy on the eye or the ear or anything else so I have to come up with something which one could loosely describe as acting." It is hard to know what to make of such self-deprecation, especially when it comes at you in waves, as it did over lunch at New York's Soho House. It is very British, of course, to be humble about one's achievements, but Laurie's self-flagellation is something more - a constant battle he fights inside. "It's predictable," says Katie Jacobs, the executive producer of House. "Every day at about 4 or 5 o'clock, Hugh's sitting on the kerb completely despondent. I tell every director before they start, don't think it's you: it's him! He's miserable no matter what he does. Never thinks he's good enough, never thinks he's got it right." It's a measure of the Eton- and Cambridge-educated Laurie's thoughtfulness and intelligence that he examines his life and his work with such thoroughness, but at no point does he seem satisfied with what he finds. "Even talking to you now, a part of my brain is thinking, how is that going to sound, what's he going to make out of that? But that sounds asinine in the extreme. If I was to read that in a newspaper I would immediately loathe the person who said that." For an actor trying to free himself, to be instinctive, such doubt must be a double burden. Laurie simultaneously judges the performer and the performance, as when he speaks with his Amer


"""An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!"" is the last line of the chorus of which of Kipling's Barrack-Room Ballads?"

Mandalay by Kipling By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin' lazy at the sea, There's a Burma girl a-settin', and I know she thinks o' me; For the wind is in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say: "Come you back, you British soldier; come you back to Mandalay!"              Come you back to Mandalay,              Where the old Flotilla lay:              Can't you 'ear their paddles chunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay?              On the road to Mandalay,              Where the flyin'-fishes play,              An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay! 'Er petticoat was yaller an' 'er little cap was green, An' 'er name was Supi-yaw-lat -- jes' the same as Theebaw's Queen, An' I seed her first a-smokin' of a whackin' white cheroot, An' a-wastin' Christian kisses on an 'eathen idol's foot:              Bloomin' idol made o'mud --              Wot they called the Great Gawd Budd --              Plucky lot she cared for idols when I kissed 'er where she stud!              On the road to Mandalay . . . When the mist was on the rice-fields an' the sun was droppin' slow, She'd git 'er little banjo an' she'd sing "Kulla-lo-lo!" With 'er arm upon my shoulder an' 'er cheek agin' my cheek We useter watch the steamers an' the hathis pilin' teak.              Elephints a-pilin' teak              In the sludgy, squdgy creek,              Where the silence 'ung that 'eavy you was 'arf afraid to speak!              On the road to Mandalay . . . But that's all shove be'ind me -- long ago an' fur away, An' there ain't no 'busses runnin' from the Bank to Mandalay; An' I'm learnin' 'ere in London what the ten-year soldier tells: "If you've 'eard the East a-callin', you won't never 'eed naught else."              No! you won't 'eed nothin' else              But them spicy garlic smells,              An' the sunshine an' the palm-trees an' the tinkly temple-bells;              On the road to Mandalay . . . I am sick o' wastin' leather on these gritty pavin'-stones, An' the blasted English drizzle wakes the fever in my bones; Tho' I walks with fifty 'ousemaids outer Chelsea to the Strand, An' they talks a lot o' lovin', but wot do they understand?              Beefy face an' grubby 'and --              Law! wot do they understand?              I've a neater, sweeter maiden in a cleaner, greener land!              On the road to Mandalay . . . Ship me somewheres east of Suez, where the best is like the worst, Where there aren't no Ten Commandments an' a man can raise a thirst; For the temple-bells are callin', an' it's there that I would be -- By the old Moulmein Pagoda, looking lazy at the sea;              On the road to Mandalay,              Where the old Flotilla lay,              With our sick beneath the awnings when we went to Mandalay!              On the road to Mandalay,              Where the flyin'-fishes play,              An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay! Rudyard Kipling Notes by Jerry: 1- This poem first appeared in Kipling's book "Barrack Room Ballads" published in 1892. Most of the poems in that book are written (like this one) as if spoken by a British soldier with a London Cockney accent. 2- The first line is often written "...lookin' eastward to the sea," but my "Definitive Edition" of Kipling's verse has "...lookin' lazy at the sea," the same as in the last stanza. 3- Moulmein (present-day Mawlamyine) is on the eastern bank of the Thanlwin River 45 km from the sea. This was British Burma's administrative center from 1827 to 1852. Perhaps the British army transport ships stopped here before the troops were taken up the Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady) River to attack Mandalay in 1885, but it seems unlikely to me. Kipling was inspired by a lovely young woman he saw at a Moulmein pagoda which he visited in 1887. 4- The British troops were taken up the Irrawaddy by paddle steamers, which explains the flotilla's "...paddles chunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay." Rangoon (present-day Yangon) is 695 km south of Mandalay, so it was quite a trip. 5- There are no flying fish in Burma's rivers, bu


Which word that begins 'sol' is a coil of wire that acts as a magnet when an electric current flows through it?

Solenoid (electricity) - definition of Solenoid (electricity) by The Free Dictionary Solenoid (electricity) - definition of Solenoid (electricity) by The Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Solenoid+(electricity)  (sō′lə-noid′) n. 1. A current-carrying coil of wire that acts like a magnet when a current passes through it. 2. An assembly used as a switch, consisting of a coil and a metal core free to slide along the coil axis under the influence of the magnetic field. [French solénoïde, from Greek sōlēnoeidēs, pipe-shaped : sōlēn, pipe + -oeidēs, -oid.] so′le·noi′dal (-noid′l) adj. so′le·noi′dal·ly adv. solenoid (ˈsəʊlɪˌnɔɪd) n 1. (Electronics) a coil of wire, usually cylindrical, in which a magnetic field is set up by passing a current through it 2. (Electronics) a coil of wire, partially surrounding an iron core, that is made to move inside the coil by the magnetic field set up by a current: used to convert electrical to mechanical energy, as in the operation of a switch 3. (Automotive Engineering) such a device used as a relay, as in a motor vehicle for connecting the battery directly to the starter motor when activated by the ignition switch [C19: from French solénoïde, from Greek sōlēn a pipe, tube] ˌsoleˈnoidal adj


In which novel did James Hilton describe the 'mystical, harmonious valley' of Shangri-La?

Strategic Plan of Shangri-La Hotel Research Paper - 2525 Words 3.3.1Shangri-La Care 1: Shangri-La Hospitality from Caring People9 3.3.2Shangri-La Care 2: Delighting Customers9 3.3.3Shangri-La Care 3: Recover to Gain Loyalty9 3.3.4Shangri-La Care 4: Take Ownership10 4.0SWOT chart for the Shangri-La Hotel11 5.0Conclusion14 6.0Reference15 1.0 Introduction Our group have chosen Shangri La as our topic of discussion for our report writing. Shangri La is a cooperation that has a lot of hotels and resorts in the whole wide world. The name of ‘Shangri La’ was actually from a novel published in 1933 named, ‘Lost Horizon’ written by James Hilton. In present days, the name ‘Shangri La’ has become famous in the worldwide. In 1971, Shangri La has its own deluxe hotel in Singapore. After that, Shangri La had grew into a huge cooperation which own 72 hotels and resorts in different countries, such as, Asia Pacific, North America, the Middle East, Europe and yet Shangri La is planning to develop more hotels in different countries. Besides that, Shangri La has two Asia’s most prestigious recreational clubs, that is, the Aberdeen Marina Club in Hong Kong, and the Xili Golf and Country Club in Shenzhen. Furthermore, Shangri La’s always follow Asian Hospitality as their unique hospitality to treat their customer. In order to compete with other hotels and resorts, Shangri La had emphasized on hospitality towards their customer. The main thing that makes Shangri La being successful and being different from the other hotels and resorts is offering high level of Asian standards of hospitality and caring for people. Therefore, Shangri La hotels and resorts will care for each and every customer. They will make sure that every customer will satisfied with their services. Shangri La search for trendsetters and professionals to serve their customer and to achieve the goal, that is, to make sure every customer has great experience once they stay in the hotels and resorts. Strategic planning is critical to business success. Different from classic business planning, the strategic variety involves vision, mission and outside-of-the-box thinking. Strategic planning describes where you want your company to go, not necessarily how you're going to get there. However, like all other "travel plans," without knowing where you want to go, creating details on how to arrive are meaningless. Strategic planning defines the "where" that your company is heading. In order for a business to be successful, there needs to be a roadmap for success. A strategic plan helps to provide direction and focus for all employees. It points to specific results that are to be achieved and establishes a course of action for achieving them. A strategic plan also helps the various work units within an organization to align themselves with common goals. Building a strategic plan is not difficult. It will take some thought and some feedback from customers and others, but businesses should be routinely garnering feedback from appropriate constituent groups on an on-going basis. The process of developing a strategic plan should be rewarding for all involved and usually helps develop stronger communications between members of the planning team. Once developed, the key to making the plan work is a commitment to seeing it through and sound implementation. Many businesses have developed strategic plans only to put them on a shelf to gather dust. Managers need a well-developed strategic plan in order to effectively establish expectations for their employees. Without a plan, expectations are developed in a void and there is little or no alignment with common goals. A good strategic plan looks out 2 to 5 years and describes clearly how the business will grow and prosper over that... Shangri-La Hotel Essay ...MGT103 Case Study Report The Shangri-la Hotel Francesca Donovan Identify any Loyalty Programs and evaluate the effectiveness of it? In the past the hospitality industry offered loyalty programs, usually formed with an alliance such as an airline. Due to the fact airlines have segregated t


Three of the Galilean moons of Jupiter are Io, Europa and Callisto. Which is the fourth?

What are the Galilean Moons? - Universe Today   Universe Today What are the Galilean Moons? Article Updated: 26 Apr , 2016 by Matt Williams It’s no accident that Jupiter shares its name with the king of the gods. In addition to being the largest planet in our Solar System – with two and a half times the mass of all the other planets combined – it is also home to some of the largest moons of any Solar planet. Jupiter’s largest moons are known as the Galileans, all of which were discovered by Galileo Galilei and named in his honor. They include Io , Europa , Ganymede , and Callisto , and are the Solar System’s fourth, sixth, first and third largest satellites, respectively. Together, they contain almost 99.999% of the total mass in orbit around Jupiter, and range from being 400,000 and 2,000,000 km from the planet. Outside of the Sun and eight planets, they are also among the most massive objects in the Solar System, with radii larger than any of the dwarf planets. Discovery: The Galileans take their name from Galileo Galilee, the famous Italian astronomer who discovered them between January 7th and 13th, 1610. Using his improved telescope , which he designed himself, he observed what he described at the time as “three fixed stars, totally invisible by their smallness”. All three of these luminous objects were close to Jupiter, and lay on a straight line through it. Subsequent observations showed that these “stars” changed position relative to Jupiter, and in a way that was inexplicable as far as the behavior of stars was concerned. On January 10th, Galileo noted that one of them had disappeared, an observation which he attributed to it being hidden behind Jupiter. Within a few days, he concluded that they were orbiting Jupiter and were in fact moons. Galileo Galilei’s telescope with his handwritten note specifying the magnifying power of the lens, at an exhibition at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Credit: AP Photo/Matt Rourke By January 13th, he had discovered a fourth moon, and named them the Medicean stars, in honor of his future patron – Cosimo II de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany – and his three brothers. However, Simon Marius – a German astronomer who also claimed to have found these four moons – prescribed the names Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto (after Zeus’ lovers in the Greek mythology) in 1614. While these names fell out of favor for many centuries, they became commonplace by the 20th century. Together, they also became known as the Galileans, in honor of their discoverer. Io: The innermost is Io , which is named after a priestess of Hera who became Zeus’ lover. With a diameter of 3,642 kilometers, it is the fourth-largest moon in the Solar System. With over 400 active volcanoes , it is also the most geologically active object in the Solar System. Its surface is dotted with over 100 mountains, some of which are taller than Earth’s Mount Everest. This global view of Jupiter’s moon, Io, was obtained during the tenth orbit of Jupiter by NASA’s Galileo spacecraft. Credit: NASA Unlike most satellites in the outer Solar System (which are covered with ice), Io is mainly composed of silicate rock surrounding a molten iron or iron sulfide core. Io has an extremely thin atmosphere made up mostly of sulfur dioxide (SO2). Europa: The second innermost Galilean moon is Europa , which takes its name from the mythical Phoenician noblewoman who was courted by Zeus and became the queen of Crete. At 3121.6 kilometers in diameter, it is the smallest of the Galileans, and slightly smaller than the Moon. Europa’s surface consists of a layer of water surrounding the mantle which is thought to be 100 kilometers thick. The uppermost section is solid ice, while the bottom is believed to be liquid water, which is made warm due to heat energy and tidal flexing. If true, then it is possible that extraterrestrial life could exist within this subsurface ocean, perhaps near a series of deep-ocean hydrothermal vents . The surface of Europa is also one of the smoothest in the Solar System, a fact which supports the idea of liquid wat


The Allied forces at the 1704 Battle of Blenheim were led by the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of where?

Battle of Blenheim | Military Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit By 1704, the War of the Spanish Succession was in its fourth year. The previous year had been one of success for France and her allies, most particularly on the Danube, where Marshal Villars and the Elector of Bavaria had created a direct threat to Vienna, the Habsburg capital. [1] Vienna had been saved by dissension between the two commanders, leading to the brilliant Villars being replaced by the less dynamic Marshal Marsin. Nevertheless, by 1704, the threat was still real: Rákóczi 's Hungarian revolt was already threatening the Empire's eastern approaches, and Marshal Vendôme's forces threatened an invasion from northern Italy. [2] In the courts of Versailles and Madrid, Vienna's fall was confidently anticipated, an event which would almost certainly have led to the collapse of the Grand Alliance . [3] To isolate the Danube from any Allied intervention, Marshal Villeroi 's 46,000 troops were expected to pin the 70,000 Dutch and English troops around Maastricht in the Low Countries, while General de Coigny protected Alsace against surprise with a further corps. [1] The only forces immediately available for Vienna's defence were Prince Louis of Baden's force of 36,000 stationed in the Lines of Stollhofen [4] to watch Marshal Tallard at Strasbourg; there was also a weak force of 10,000 men under Field Marshal Count Limburg Styrum observing Ulm. Both the Imperial Austrian Ambassador in London, Count Wratislaw , and the Duke of Marlborough realised the implications of the situation on the Danube. The Dutch, however, who clung to their troops for their country's protection, were against any adventurous military operation as far south as the Danube and would never willingly permit any major weakening of the forces in the Spanish Netherlands . [5] Marlborough, realising the only way to ignore Dutch wishes was by the use of secrecy and guile, set out to deceive his Dutch allies by pretending to simply move his troops to the Moselle – a plan approved of by The Hague – but once there, he would slip the Dutch leash and link up with Austrian forces in southern Germany. [5] "My intentions", wrote the Duke from The Hague on 29 April to his governmental confidant, Sidney Godolphin , "are to march with the English to Coblenz and declare that I intend to campaign on the Moselle. But when I come there, to write to the Dutch States that I think it absolutely necessary for the saving of the Empire to march with the troops under my command and to join with those that are in Germany ... in order to make measures with Prince Lewis of Baden for the speedy reduction of the Elector of Bavaria." [6] Prelude Edit A scarlet caterpillar, upon which all eyes were at once fixed, began to crawl steadfastly day by day across the map of Europe, dragging the whole war with it. – Winston Churchill . [7] The Duke of Marlborough 's march from Bedburg (near Cologne) to the Danube. His 250-mile (400-kilometre) march to prevent Vienna falling into enemy hands was a masterpiece of deception, meticulous planning and organisation. Marlborough's march started on 19 May from Bedburg, Script error north-west of Cologne. The army (assembled by the Duke's brother, General Charles Churchill ) consisted of 66 squadrons , 31 battalions and 38 guns and mortars totalling 21,000 men (16,000 of whom were English troops). [1] This force was to be augmented en route such that by the time Marlborough reached the Danube, it would number 40,000 (47 battalions, 88 squadrons). Whilst Marlborough led his army, General Overkirk would maintain a defensive position in the Dutch Republic in case Villeroi mounted an attack. The Duke had assured the Dutch that if the French were to launch an offensive he would return in good time, but Marlborough calculated that as he marched south, the French commander would be drawn after him. [2] In this assumption Marlborough proved correct: Villeroi shadowed the Duke with 30,000 men in 60 squadrons and 42 battalions. [3] The military dangers in such an enterprise were numerous: Marlbor


"""Can't Sing!"" - a musical comedy written by Harry Hill that lasted 6 weeks and 3 days in London last year, was based on which TV reality show?"

X Factor musical I Can't Sing! to close after less than two months | Stage | The Guardian West End X Factor musical I Can't Sing! to close after less than two months West End show written by comedian Harry Hill and staged at London Palladium to close on 10 May Former EastEnders actor Nigel Harman led the cast, which included characters based on X Factor regulars. Photograph: Tristram Kenton Press Association Saturday 26 April 2014 20.05 EDT First published on Saturday 26 April 2014 20.05 EDT Close This article is 2 years old Spoof X Factor musical I Can't Sing! is to close on 10 May, just six weeks and three days after opening. The show, written by comic Harry Hill, opened on 26 March in London's West End . Preview performances at the London Palladium were postponed twice in a week with producers citing technical problems. Rebecca Quigley, chief executive of Stage Entertainment UK, said: "We are sad to be bringing I Can't Sing! to a close but are immensely proud to have co-produced the show. "The West End can be an unpredictable place as the closure of a number of high profile productions recently has shown. I Can't Sing! has had audiences on their feet night after night, four and five-star reviews from the critics and an amazing company and creative team, but it seems that isn't always enough. "To open any big musical, and particularly a brand new British musical comedy at the London Palladium, is no mean feat and hundreds of dedicated people have played a part in bringing this unique and wonderful show to the stage. I thank every one of those people and the audiences who have come to see the production." People who have already bought tickets for the show that had been due to be held after 10 May were urged to "contact their original point of purchase". The musical tells the story of a young woman who lives in a caravan with a talking dog and finds fame on the talent show. Former EastEnders actor Nigel Harman led the cast, which included characters based on X Factor regulars such as Cowell, Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh. In an magazine interview in March to promote I Can't Sing!, Cowell joked that it would have to last longer than the Spice Girls stage show to be considered a success after Viva Forever! ran for seven months and was deemed a flop. Asked what would count as a success, he joked: "Seven months and a day," before adding: "I'm not au fait with the numbers. "From day one there was a cloud over that musical. The critics had a field day. "You've got to be confident in what you do, otherwise you'd be paralysed. I've always thought if I like something then other people will like it." Cowell told the magazine: "It's bloody risky, but so is making the TV show. "Every new season you go in with the highest hopes, and sometimes you get a bum year. You wait for those numbers to come in, oh my God it's stressful, and it's a delicious thrill." After the short-lived stage show's sudden closure was confirmed, Nigel Hall, of Syco Entertainment, said: "From the moment Harry Hill and (composer) Steve Brown told us their idea for I Can't Sing! we knew this was going to be a fun project. "Alongside Stage Entertainment we'd like to thank the cast and crew who have worked so hard on this show. "To everyone at Really Useful Theatres and the ever-supportive staff at the London Palladium, and everyone involved in I Can't Sing!, I'd like to say a huge thanks and the very best of luck with their next venture." Following news that Harry Hill and Steve Brown's X Factor musical is to close, we'd like to hear from those who've paid to see it Published: 28 Apr 2014 Despite the early closures of I Can't Sing, Stephen Ward and From Here to Eternity, musical theatre is not on its last legs, writes Lyn Gardner Published: 28 Apr 2014 Harry Hill and Steve Brown's show was staged too late – and felt conflicted. We were asked to laugh at the vacuousness of it all yet also care about the characters, writes Mark Lawson Published: 28 Apr 2014 £6m parody penned by Harry Hill and Steve Brown latest West End flop despite warm reviews and a divine Simon Co


In which BBC TV drama is Doctor Thomas Chamberlain the Head of the Lyell Centre supported by pathologist Nikki Alexander and forensic scientist Jack Hodgson?

'Silent Witness' Series 17 start date confirmed Email The BBC has announced that the new series of crime drama Silent Witness will begin next month. Series 17 begins at 9pm on Thursday 2 January on BBC One. The second episode of the opening two-part story, ‘Commodity’, will air the following night. Emilia Fox returns as Forensic Pathologist Dr. Nikki Alexander alongside Forensic Scientist Jack Hodgson (David Caves) and Forensic Lab Scientist Clarissa Mullery (Liz Carr), and is joined by new cast member Richard Lintern (Spies of Warsaw, White Heat) as Forensic Pathologist Dr. Thomas Chamberlain, the new head of The Lyell Centre. ‘Commodity’ follows Premiership footballer Isaac Dreyfus as he finds his days at the top are numbered when a sex tape links him to the brutal murder of a young woman, threatening to destroy his reputation and marriage. Dreyfus desperately fights to prove his innocence, while disillusioned Adam Freedman turns to a mysterious source for help to avenge the murder of his wife and child. Are you looking forward to the return of Silent Witness? Let us know below…


Wyndham Lewis was a major figure in which short-lived British avant-garde Art movement which had its only exhibition in 1915?

1000+ images about WUNDHAM LEWIS -VORTICISMO- on Pinterest | Artworks, Museums and Portrait Forward Lewis, Wyndham (1882-1957) - 1912 The Creditors Percy Wyndham Lewis was an English painter and author. In the years 1913-15 that he developed the style of geometric abstraction, a style which his friend Ezra Pound dubbed "Vorticism". Lewis found the strong structure of Cubist painting appealing, but said it did not seem "alive" compared to Futurist art, which, conversely, lacked structure. Vorticism combined the two movements in a strikingly dramatic critique of modernity. See More


Which US state lies immediately to the north of North Carolina?

North Carolina travel guide - Wikitravel Time Zone UTC -5/-4 North Carolina [1] is a quintessentially Southern state in the United States of America offering visitors endless variety with three distinct regions. Visitors can enjoy outdoor activities from hiking and mountain climbing, along with a taste of Appalachian music and culture in the Blue Ridge and Smokey mountains. Increasingly diverse and fast-growing cities dot the Piedmont- from Charlotte's skyscrapers, Raleigh's museums and historic neighborhoods, and Chapel Hill's college nightlife. Kite-surfing, fishing, sun, and sand await visitors to the state's coastal region- with secluded barrier islands in the Outer Banks and the bustling beach-side city of Wilmington. The state's Subtropical climate is highly acclaimed for its year-round living comforts. Rainfall is adequate and dispersed over the entire year. More than 56 million visitors traveled to North Carolina in 2008, ranking the state sixth behind California, Florida, Texas, New York, and Pennsylvania. Eighty-nine percent of all travelers traveled to North Carolina by auto, truck or camper/RV. As North Carolina lies in the center of the eastern seaboard of United States, nearly half of the country lives within a 500-mile radius of the state. Murphy is the westernmost town of significance and Manteo is the easternmost town of significance; "From Murphy to Manteo" is a popular saying. "The Carolinas" are comprised of both North Carolina and South Carolina immediately to the south. Cities[ edit ] Raleigh - North Carolina's capital city and the location of many of the state's cultural institutions and the largest university in the Carolinas. Asheville - Scenic and very fun mountain city, with extensive cultural establishments, microbreweries and liberal culture. Boone - A fun-loving mountain and college town along the Blue Ridge Mountains close to a variety of outdoor activities, including white water rafting. Chapel Hill - One of the country's best college towns, with college basketball, live music venues, vibrant nightlife, world-class restaurants and a beautiful magnolia-lined campus. Charlotte - North Carolina's largest city and the seventeenth largest city in the United States, known for financial sector, its cosmopolitan take on southern hospitality, world-class museums, the Carolina Panthers, the Charlotte Hornets, NASCAR and other professional sports. Durham - Home of Duke University, the Sarah P. Duke Gardens, and a revitalized downtown tobacco district. Greensboro - Home to six colleges and universities, historic neighborhoods, civil rights history, and seasonal sports venues. New Bern - Their motto is "North Carolina begins here", original capital and second oldest town in North Carolina. North Carolina Historical Museum, Tryon Place, Fireman's Museum, birthplace of Pepsi Cola. One of the most beautiful cities on the East Coast. Wilmington - Colonial Port City, home of EUE Screen Gem studios. The main coastal city, a great destination for the beach lover. Winston-Salem - Mid-sized city, home of a famous Moravian settlement (Old Salem), RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company, Wake Forest University and Krispy Kreme. Understand[ edit ] North Carolina, in many ways, represents the very best of both the New South and old Dixie. Booming, diverse cities lie just "down the road" from quiet Southern towns where not much has changed since the Civil War. The state's metro areas, and especially the Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham metros, have seen a rapid influx of migrants since the 1980's, with a significant number coming from the northeast and midwest, and the state's internationally-born population has sky-rocketed in recent decades. These newcomers have added layers of culture and dynamism to the down-home Southern way of life that has defined the state since colonial days. Because of this, visitors will find no shortage of cultural and culinary wonders throughout the state-- whether in experiencing the native Southern culture, which is very much alive and well, or the multitude of ethnic restaurants, off-Broad


In the Hall of the Mountain King was composed by Edvard Grieg as part of which play by Henrik Ibsen?

In the Hall of the Mountain King (Peer Gynt) - Edvard Grieg - YouTube In the Hall of the Mountain King (Peer Gynt) - Edvard Grieg Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Jan 3, 2014 In the Hall of the Mountain King, "Peer Gynt" 6th scene of act 2 by Edvard Grieg. Category


Which newspaper editor was played by Peter Capaldi in the film The Fifth Estate?

The Fifth Estate: Toronto 2013 - first look review | Film | The Guardian First look review The Fifth Estate: Toronto 2013 - first look review 3 / 5 stars Benedict Cumberbatch shines as Julian Assange in Bill Condon's over-ambitious take on WikiLeaks, which opens this year's Toronto film festival Friday 6 September 2013 01.41 EDT First published on Friday 6 September 2013 01.41 EDT Share on Messenger Close For an employee of the Guardian, particularly one with jetlag, Bill Condon's WikiLeaks thriller can seem more hallucination than movie. An account of the ascent of Julian Assange and his collaboration with this newspaper (among others) in the publication of classified documents, it plays like one of those dreams in which your office looks normal enough from the outside, but step within and everything's subtly different. It's more Scandinavian, somehow; with car park pillars and glass walls to which people attach crucial bits of paper, as on Crimewatch. The editor has developed a sudden taste for shagpile rugs. And why did you never notice the deputy is a dead spit for the dishy one on Downton Abbey? Such tweaks will not get an artistic licence revoked. In fact, in adapting both a book on the affair by Guardian journalists David Leigh and Luke Harding, as well as tech activist Daniel Domscheit-Berg's account of working for Assange, The Fifth Estate is a project in whose sources one can place considerable faith. Certainly, Condon does. At times it can feel he's risked coherence for chronology, giving us his own surfeit of data without offering sufficient kit with which we can sift it. The plot tracks Assange from the time he recruited Domscheit-Berg, through early online celebrity, before his meeting with Guardian investigative reporter Nick Davies ( David Thewlis ), who, in consultation with editor Alan Rusbridger ( Peter Capaldi ) and deputy Ian Katz (Dan Stevens), began working with Assange towards a coordinated launch of hundreds of thousands of secret diplomatic cables and war reports. The timeline bumps a bit, but still pushes forward confidently, with our hacker heroes forever arriving in a new city, before some fresh turn of events requires them to slam shut their laptops and rush off again. The template is David Fincher's The Social Network , which took the creation of Facebook and turned it into the character study of a neurotic loner with the world at his fingertips. Both films go big with the swishy visuals, this one deploying a bombardment of text and newsreel to suggest the morass of info, plus flight map-style graphics illustrating its flood across the globe. Both films are eager to show that computing is an arena for creative genius, with much clacking on laptops like Steinways. Both also suffer from the problem that watching someone type isn't, after a while, that exciting. Condon further ups the dramatic ante with Lynchian visualisations of Domscheit-Berg's inner life, plus a lot of techno. And both films choose as their key arc the relationship between men most closely associated with the site's inception. But while The Social Network kept the focus on the anti-hero, relegating Eduardo Saverin's role to support, this one bumps up the best friend to a lead, overestimating our interest in Domscheit-Berg's lovelife. Not that the film is really that interested either. At heart, The Fifth Estate is a good, old-fashioned bromance – Assange even gets to meet the parents (spoiler: it doesn't go well). As for Cumberbatch, he's both the asset and the slight undoing; so magnetic as to render hopes of a two-hander redundant. It's a virtuoso impersonation, from the deep drawl to louche geek twitches. Suited, he could pass for Nick Cave after a night or two in the fridge. Mostly, though, this Assange is as extraterrestrial as Cumberbatch's Khan in last year's Star Trek , a lip-smacking vampire typing through the night. From a distance, he looks like a lizardy angel, courageously saving the world; close up he squints and snuffles like a bleached, greasy mouse. Introducing the film last night, Condon said he wanted to


.is is the internet code for which country?

Iceland Country Code 354 Country Code IS About Iceland Hide CountryCode.org is your complete guide to make a call from anywhere in the world, to anywhere in the world. This page details Iceland phone code. The Iceland country code 354 will allow you to call Iceland from another country. Iceland telephone code 354 is dialed after the IDD. Iceland international dialing 354 is followed by an area code. The Iceland area code table below shows the various city codes for Iceland. Iceland country codes are followed by these area codes. With the complete Iceland dialing code, you can make your international call. Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken Electricity


What is the surname of sisters Elinor, Margaret and Marianne in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility?

SparkNotes: Sense and Sensibility: Overall Analysis and Themes Overall Analysis and Themes Chapters 46-50 Questions for Study The dichotomy between "sense" and "sensibility" is one of the lenses through which this novel is most commonly analyzed. The distinction is most clearly symbolized by the psychological contrast between the novel's two chief characters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. According to this understanding, Elinor, the older sister, represents qualities of "sense": reason, restraint, social responsibility, and a clear-headed concern for the welfare of others. In contrast, Marianne, her younger sister, represents qualities of "sensibility": emotion, spontaneity, impulsiveness, and rapturous devotion. Whereas Elinor conceals her regard for Edward Ferrars, Marianne openly and unashamedly proclaims her passion for John Willoughby. Their different attitudes toward the men they love, and how to express that love, reflect their opposite temperaments. This dichotomy between "sense" and "sensibility" has cultural and historical resonances as well. Austen wrote this novel around the turn of the eighteenth century, on the cusp between two cultural movements: Classicism and Romanticism. Elinor represents the characteristics associated with eighteenth-century neo-classicism, including rationality, insight, judgment, moderation, and balance. She never loses sight of propriety, economic practicalities, and perspective, as when she reminds Marianne that their mother would not be able to afford a pet horse or that it is indecorous for her to go alone with Willoughby to Allenham. It was during the Classical period and its accompanying cultural Enlightenment that the novel first developed as a literary genre: thus, with the character of Elinor, Austen gestures toward her predecessors and acknowledges the influence of their legacy on her generation. In contrast, Marianne represents the qualities associated with the emerging "cult of sensibility," embracing romance, imagination, idealism, excess, and a dedication to the beauty of nature: Marianne weeps dramatically when her family must depart from "dear, dear Norland" and willingly offers a lock of her hair to her lover. Austen's characterization of Marianne reminds us that she was the contemporary of Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Walter Scott, the luminaries of the English Romantic literary scene. Austen's depiction of Elinor and Marianne thus reflects the changing literary landscape that served as a backdrop for her life as a writer. However, this novel cannot simply be understood as a straightforward study in contrast. Elinor, though representing sense, does not lack passion, and Marianne, though representing sensibility, is not always foolish and headstrong. Austen's antitheses do not represent epigrammatic conclusions but a starting- point for dialogue. Although Austen is famous for satirizing the "cult of sensibility," in this novel she seems to argue not for the dismissal of sensibility but for the creation of a balance between reason and passion. Fanny Dashwood's violent outbreak of feeling towards the end of the novel reveals that too little feeling is as dangerous as too much. Both Elinor and Marianne achieve happiness at the end of the novel, but they do so only by learning from one another: together they discover how to feel and express their sentiments fully while also retaining their dignity and self-control. The novel's success is not a result of the triumph of sense over sensibility or of their division; rather, we remember Sense and Sensibility as a conjunction of terms that serve together as the compound subject of Austen's novel. More Help


Two twentieth century Prime Ministers were Home Secretary before they were Premier. One was Winston Churchill. Who was the other?

BBC - History -   British History in depth: Prime Ministers and Politics Timeline On This Day Prime Ministers and Politics Timeline Do you know which prime minister brought 'fallen women' to 10 Downing Street? Or which one fought a duel? Or who was known as 'the Goat'? Take a political journey through nearly 300 years of high ideals and low cunning, from Gordon Brown to the first man to hold prime ministerial powers, Robert Walpole. Margaret Thatcher Conservative, 1979 - 1990 Britain's first female prime minister came to power with the country descending into industrial and economic chaos. A relatively inexperienced politician, she nonetheless adopted a personal style of indomitable self-confidence and brooked no weakness in herself or her colleagues. Derisively dubbed the 'Iron Lady' by the Soviet press, she wore the moniker with pride. Her government's free-market policies included trade liberalisation, deregulation, sweeping privatisation, breaking the power of the unions, focus on the individual and the creation of an 'enterprise culture'. 'Thatcherism' has had a profound and lasting economic and social impact on Britain, and still sharply divides opinion to this day. The first PM to serve three consecutive terms (including two 'landslide' victories) she was eventually toppled by her own party following the disastrous imposition of a 'poll tax'. Nonetheless, she is generally considered to be one of the best peace time prime ministers of the 20th Century. James Callaghan Labour, 1976 - 1979 Callaghan inherited the office of prime minister following the surprise resignation of Harold Wilson. With only a tiny parliamentary majority to support him, he faced an increasingly one-sided confrontation with organised labour in the form of rampant strike action. Things came to a head in the so-called 'Winter of Discontent', a phrase from Shakespeare borrowed by Callaghan himself to describe the events leading up to February 1979. Britain was 'strikebound', with public servants staging mass walk outs, leaving food and fuel supplies undelivered, rubbish uncollected and - most notoriously - bodies unburied. Things became so bad in Hull it was dubbed 'the second Stalingrad'. The tabloid press has since been accused of overstating the severity of the situation (and wrongly quoting him as saying 'Crisis? What Crisis?') but it was enough at the time to sound the death knell for Callaghan's government later in the same year. Harold Wilson Labour, 1974 - 1976 In March 1974, Wilson became prime minister for the third time at the head of a minority government, following the first hung parliament (one where no party holds a majority) for 45 years. Often described as a wily fixer and negotiator, it took all of his skills to hold on to power in the face of economic and industrial turmoil. His party was also sharply divided, with many Labour members of parliament (MPs) bitter about Wilson's manoeuvring against his colleagues. He called another general election in October 1974, thereby ending the shortest parliament since 1681, and was returned to office with a majority of just three seats. He presided over a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Economic Community (EEC), and a collapse in the value of the pound which prompted a humiliating 'rescue operation' by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Exhausted, Wilson resigned saying 'politicians should not go on and on'. Edward Heath Conservative, 1970 - 1974 Heath succeeded in taking Britain into the European Economic Community (EEC), the precursor to the European Union, despite two previous failed attempts by Britain to gain entry, in 1961 and 1967. But his government was dogged by torrid industrial relations and recurrent economic crises. Things came to a head in January 1974, when industry was put on a 'three-day week' to conserve fuel. Fuel was in dangerously short supply following a combination of domestic industrial action (coal miners on 'work-to-rule') and a quadrupling of prices by Middle Eastern oil exporting nations in the wake of Israel's victory in the Yom Kipp


In the Bible what relation was Lot to Abraham?

LOT, HIS FAMILY AND UNCLE ABRAHAM LOT, HIS FAMILY AND UNCLE ABRAHAM LOT, HIS FAMILY AND UNCLE ABRAHAM    Lot went with Uncle Abraham 1 to Egypt and saw his Uncle give Sarah his Aunt away to Pharaoh out of ‘fear’ of his life. When Lot invited two messengers to his home for hospitality and he ‘feared’ for their lives (and his own) he decided to give his virgin daughters away to protect the strangers. Later when his daughters ‘feared’ that the world had been destroyed in an apocalypse and no men were available to marry they had intimate relations with him to survive for themselves and the world. INTRODUCTION: Lot was the son of Haran, Abraham’s brother. Haran died relatively young during his father Terah’s lifetime and Abraham ‘adopted’ his nephew. We are not told of Lot’s mother’s name, but she too apparently died before the family moved toward Canaan. ‘The Lord told Abraham Go forth from your land and your birthplace [or kindred] and your father’s house to the land I will show you’ (12:1). In fact Abraham departed with his father Terah  and his ‘adopted’ son Lot as well with his wife Sarah. They left Terah in Haran (a place presumably named after Lot’s dead father). Terah lived another sixty years and was presumably in good health when Abraham left. 2 God later told Abraham that he would become a ‘great nation and you shall be a blessing . . .  And Abraham went forth as the Lord had spoken to him and Lot went with him’ (12:3-4). In the previous chapter we were introduced to Sarah plight as Abraham’s barren wife (11:29). It would appear that if Abraham were to become a ‘great nation’ it might have to come from Lot as Abraham’s adoptive son. Thus despite leaving his ‘father’s house’ Lot appears the instrument necessary to fill Abraham’s destiny. THE SEPARATION: Abraham traveled through Egypt and became rich, he and ‘Lot with him’ (13:1). We are then told that ‘there was strife between the herdsmen of Abraham flocks and the herdsmen of Lot’s flocks (13:7). Why Master Abraham and his esteemed nephew would allow their herdsmen’s conflict to separate them seems unclear. Rashi (1040-1105), the medieval commentator, suggests that Lot herdsmen ‘knew’ their master was Abraham’s heir and therefore the eventual owner of the land and felt entitled to use that land immediately (on 13:7 and Gen. Rabbah 41.6). Abraham was willing to await patiently for God’s gift. Abraham understands that more is at stake than the simple strife herdsmen, ‘Let there be no strife between you and me’ (13:8). Was Abraham concerned that the strife represented his and Lot’s view of God’s power in the world? We cannot at this point know. ‘If you take the left hand, then I shall go right, and of you take the right hand, I shall go left’ (13:9). Was Abraham suggested they split the land of Canaan which was promised to him? Right hand or left hand is a strange and unclear way to define land. If they were facing eastward right is south and left if north; but if they were facing westward the opposite is true. And where were they geographically? If they were situated on the Mediterranean coast (near current day Tel Aviv) south is Philistine land (Gaza) and north up to Lebanon. If they were in the current day center of Israel they would have been in the promised land of Canaan. Abraham may have expected Lot to choose northern Canaan or Southern Canaan, but he did not make that choice. Lot looked west and with Abraham’s permission he chose a land he or the narrator described as ‘the garden of the Lord’, almost an Eden irrigated by the Jordan River and the cities the plains. But it does not appear to be the land God promised Abraham’s descendants; it seems to be today’s Jordan.  Numerous scholars have claimed that the cities of the plains were not considered part of Canaan but rather were a separate geo-political entity. 3 Lot who may be seen as an opportunist chooses the better land not knowing that it includes land whose potential was for annihilation. Is there a lesson to be learned from this transaction? Is the narrator suggesting that despite its evil in Sodom Lot


Three African countries have a shoreline on Lake Malawi - Tanzania, Malawi and which other?

Tanzania: Malawi-Tanzania Border Dispute an Eye-Sore in 2013 - allAfrica.com Tanzania: Malawi-Tanzania Border Dispute an Eye-Sore in 2013 Local communities bordering Lake Nyasa on the Malawi, Tanzania border. column By Mangengesa Mdimi WHETHER we like it or not, we will soon, much sooner, in fact, pay our last respect to this odd thing called 2013. To be frank, it has done more physical and mental harm than good to us mortals; for it cut short the life of the son of Africa, a freedom fighter, a winner and a true democrat who drew inspiration from almost all reputable leaders in the world, Nelson Mandela. This 2013 monster did a lot of other social and financial damage to many a people in this country although it helped a few others like us to continue contributing to the survival of our families and very recently, it disgraced some high profile people leaving their families celebrating Christmas in sour moods. On a larger scale, it was during the reign of this 2013 bully that our country nearly went to war with our neighbours in the south west. Actually, the 2013 guy simply opened up old wounds of a border dispute between Tanzania and Malawi because the dispute had briefly gone to sleep. It is a long standing on and off issue. It is important to note that all the time, as it is this time, it is Malawi who are the provocateurs. Malawi has always claimed that the whole lake belongs to them, claims which are baseless much as they are outrageous as all world maps and the fact on the ground shows that the lake transcends the common border and each country has got an equal right to it. First to make such outrageous claim was Malawi's first president, Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda, who repeatedly in the 1960s and 1970s claimed 'full ownership' of the lake and at some stage even deployed military boats to patrol its waters' expanse, which was a pure act of provocation against Tanzania. Kamuzu Banda did not in fact stop at the shores of the lake, but even claimed the border was about 40 kilometres beyond the lake shore inside Tanzania, saying that parts of Mbinga, Ludewa and Kyela districts belonged to Malawi. The claims fizzled out after Tanzania had deployed military units along the lake. The fact, as we all know it and as the world knows it, is that Lake Nyasa, one of the largest lakes in the Great African Rift Valley area, is bordered by three African countries of Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique. It is the third largest lake in Africa after Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika. It even gave Malawi its pre-independence era name, Nyasaland. Located in the southwest of Tanzania, the lake is spread over an area of 11,400 square kilometres. The depth of the lake also reaches to 700 metres in certain places. Lake Nyasa has some special features, which make the lake very attractive. Fourteen rivers flow into this large lake, but only River Shire flows out from Lake Nyasa to the sea. The source of the border dispute between the two nations has nothing to do with Malawi or Tanzania. It is purely one of those colonialists-made disputes. Malawi's argument is based on an agreement of 1890 between former colonial powers that stipulates the border between the two countries as lying along the Tanzanian shore of the lake. On the other hand, Tanzania's argument is based on the 1982 UN Convention on Law of the Sea that stipulates that in case nations are bordered by a water body (sea or lake), the border of the two nations will always be on the middle of the water body. In perspective, Lake Malawi (Lake Nyasa or Lago Niassa in Mozambique), is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. The third largest and second deepest lake in Africa, it is also the ninth largest in the world. It is reportedly the habitat of more species of fish than any other body of freshwater, including more than 1000 species of cichlids and was officially declared a reserve by the Government of Mozambique on June 10, 2011. Lake Malawi is a Meromictic lake; permanent stratification and the oxic


Atomic Kitten's second Number One was Eternal Flame, a cover of the 1989 Number One by which band?

Atomic Kitten : Whole Again.LIve At Top Of The Pops.UK(2002) - YouTube Atomic Kitten : Whole Again.LIve At Top Of The Pops.UK(2002) Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Sep 23, 2008 Atomic Kitten was formed in 1997 by Andy McCluskey of '80s band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, and included Heidi Range in the original line-up. However, Range left the group and was only featured on the demo recordings. In 2001, Range joined another girl group, Sugababes. Atomic Kitten was originally named "Honeyhead", but later renamed "Automatic Kittens", the name of the label of its designer. "Automatic Kittens" was eventually changed to "Atomic Kitten." [1] The group's first single "Right Now" debuted in December of 1999 and ended up reaching the British top 10. After the initial success Atomic Kitten made an Asian tour during which it scored their first hit with "Cradle". The album, also titled Right Now, was first released in Japan on March 16, 2000 and subsequently released in the United Kingdom on October 23, 2000 with a slightly modified track list. In July 2000, the group released a cover version of "The Locomotion" for the movie Thomas and the Magic Railroad Right Now was a modest success upon its release. Initially, there were no plans to focus on the global market and Atomic Kitten's record label, Innocent Records, was even considering dropping them because of their limited success, however they persuaded to record one more single.[2] This one single changed the career of Atomic Kitten because they scored their first No. 1 hit in the UK in 2001 with "Whole Again". The song and video for "Whole Again" originally featured Kerry Katona, however, she left the group several days prior to the number-one position because of her pregnancy.[3] The single was remade when Jenny Frost was added to the line-up as Kerry's replacement. The success was such that it was decided to remaster and re-release the album, which then went to number one on its second appearance on the chart. The next single "Eternal Flame", a cover version of the 1989 hit by The Bangles, also became a No. 1 hit. Category


Who joined the cast of East Enders last year playing Stan Carter?

Timothy West: why I swapped King Lear for Albert Square - Telegraph TV and Radio Timothy West: why I swapped King Lear for Albert Square Actor Timothy West tells Dominic Cavendish about his wife Prunella Scales's  illness and why he's proud to be starring in EastEnders. Timothy West as Stan Carter in 'EastEnders' Photo: BBC Follow Sitting in a wheel-chair in drab, bottom-of-the-range clothes, his remaining hair a mass of wild tufts, Timothy West is a commanding presence. We are in a sterile BBC meeting room in Elstree where West is in rehearsals for EastEnders . He has been brought in to play Stan Carter, a former Billingsgate fishmonger who is the long divorced and long estranged head of the Carter clan. Approached and tapped for cash by his mistrustful brood, his recent debut saw him slouched in a chair, swigging lager, looking distinctly sly and shifty – before meeting his unforgiving daughter Shirley (Linda Henry) for the first time in 25 years. Bit by bit, he’s being drawn into the heart of Albert Square and the life of the Queen Vic by his publican son Mick, played by Danny Dyer . Timothy West as Stan Carter on EastEnders Photo: BBC It would take longer than I have, and more finesse than a code-breaker, to get West, 79, to reveal what’s on the cards, and you sense too that he’s only up to speed with what he’s told, which isn’t everything – his involvement just part of a revitalising package of storyline improvements designed to hook those of us who had slightly given up on the soap. Although there’s no trace of a cockney accent, he might almost be in character: after a courteous introduction and fleeting, practised smile, he barely meets my gaze, giving away just enough of himself as is required. His manner of no-nonsense concision is partly an old pro’s immersion in the job at hand. I suspect it also has a little to do with the media frenzy that followed recent revelations - ahead of his touching More4 travel-doc series Great Canal Journeys - that his wife Prunella Scales was suffering from “a sort of mild Alzheimer’s”. “She sometimes has fairly severe memory loss,” he confirms. “It has always seemed to me to be unfair and slightly deceitful not to talk about it because people know or if they don’t know they suspect - and you’re insulting their intelligence by pretending it doesn’t happen.” Prunella Scales and husband Timothy West in the series ‘Great Canal Journeys’ Photo: Channel 4 “People who have Alzheimer’s are often in denial as long as they can be,” he continues, “but so many people have it and are capable of getting on with their lives in a normal way, which is what we wanted to show in the canal series.” No sooner has he started to elaborate than he clams up – “I think we’ve said what we wanted to say”. READ: Prunella Scales suffering a 'sort of mild Alzheimer's' The wheel-chair is something West brought to the part - by accident. Out walking in Wales, he slipped down a wet grassy bank and broke his ankle, a slip-up that required an operation to fix. But the script-writers have risen to the challenge and incorporated his immobility. This has lent him an added degree of manipulative control, West believes: “It has meant everyone around me has had more to do.” From the little we have seen so far, it’s hard not to think of some of the major stage roles West has played. He excels at portraying stubborn-willed, bull-headed and goaded men with short fuses. He was the fading yet still terrifying patriarch Max in the first West End revival of Pinter’s The Homecoming in 1978 and has braved King Lear three times now (the first, in 1971, aged just 36). “Max has something of Stan – or Stan has something of Max,” he agrees. “He sees himself as the head of this disjointed, dysfunctional family. He’d like to be a Victorian family boss. It’s a fascinating portrait of someone getting to the end of their life with very few friends and needing acceptance.” And Lear? “Yes, there are parallels. He feels he has been treated badly by his descendants.” REVIEW: King Lear at the National Theatre It’s his stage work that particul


In which county is Borstal which gave its name to a youth prison?

Rochester Prison information Menu ≡ Rochester Prison information Rochester prison was originally built in 1874 on a former military site above the Medway river. It was rebuilt in the early 20th century as the Borstal Institution taking its title from an adjacent village. Its pioneering methods in dealing with young men and boys were used as a model for the creation of other borstal institutions which were given statutory authority in 1908 and lasted until their abolition in 1983, when Rochester converted to a youth custody centre. In 1988 it became a remand centre for the Kent courts and sentenced category C and D adult males. Further changes in role resulted in a mixed site holding immigration detainees, a resettlement unit for adult male prisoners at the end of their sentences and a remand and allocation centre for under 21 year old males. In June 2011 Rochester became a dual purpose site catering for YO and Adult Cat C offenders. Address: Fax: 01634 803101 Governor: James Carmichael Accommodation: Single and double accommodation cells contained on a mixture of Victorian style wings and new residential units opened in 2008. Category: YO and Adult Category C Operational capacity: 658 as of June 2011 Reception criteria: Sentenced Young Offenders (18 to 21 years), serving determinate sentences of up to 7 years, where closed conditions are required.  Sentenced category C adult offenders who are serving determinate sentences of up 10 years and have at least 6 months to serve prior to their conditional release date.  Rochester also accepts both Adult and YO indeterminate sentence prisoners up to a maximum of 3 years tariff for YO’s and 5 years tariff for Adults, providing they have been assessed as suitable for Rochester’s available interventions and that is included within their MARAP.  Facilities for Life Sentence Prisoners will be available in late 2011 subject to final discussions with PMU. Regime: Rochester regime provision offers work activity, education and training as well as various offending behaviour programmes.  Work opportunities include, vocational training such as Painting & Decorating, and construction skills, Gymnasium courses, catering, horticulture, community work placements and various contract workshop activities.  Other wider ranging interventions based around offending behaviour needs are available.  These include TSP, For a Change (Resettlement Programme), Victim Awareness, Parenting Courses, Alcohol Courses, Financial Awareness Training, Transit to Work and other pathway lead interventions. Updated: Tuesday, 25 October 2016 Contact


What is the capital of the former Russian state of Georgia?

Georgia country profile - BBC News BBC News Read more about sharing. Close share panel Situated at the strategically important crossroads where Europe meets Asia, Georgia has a unique and ancient cultural heritage, and is famed for its traditions of hospitality and cuisine. Over the centuries, Georgia was the object of rivalry between Persia, Turkey and Russia, before being eventually annexed by Russia in the 19th century. Since emerging from the collapsing Soviet Union as an independent state in 1991, Georgia has again become the arena of conflicting interests. Increasing US economic and political influence in the country has long been a source of concern for neighbouring Russia, as have Georgia's aspirations to join NATO and the EU. Tense relations with Russia have been further exacerbated by Moscow's support for the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Area 69,700 sq km (26,911 sq miles) Major languages Georgian, Russian widely spoken Major religion Christianity Life expectancy 71 years (men), 77 years (women) UN, World Bank President: Giorgi Margvelashvili Image copyright Getty Images Giorgi Margvelashvili took office in November 2013, bringing to an end the decade-long presidency of charismatic reformer Mikhail Saakashvili. Mr Margvelashvili, a former philosophy lecturer, assumed a weakened role because constitutional changes that come into force with his inauguration transferred a raft of key powers from the president to the prime minister. Prime Minister: Giorgi Kvirikashvili Image copyright AFP Giorgi Kvirikashvili took over as prime minister following the sudden resignation of his predecessor Irakli Garibashvili in December 2015. Both men belong to the Georgian Dream coalition, which was founded by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili and drove the party of then President Mikheil Saakashvili from power in parliamentary elections in 2012. Many observers suspect Mr Ivanishvili continues to run the show from the sidelines - an accusation he denies. MEDIA Image copyright Getty Images Television is the main source of news, and accounts for the lion's share of the advertising market. There are dozens of cable operators and a handful of major commercial stations. Newspaper readership is generally low. Government-funded Georgian Public Broadcasting has replaced the former state radio and TV. The state has relinquished other media assets, including newspapers and a news agency. The constitution provides for freedom of speech, and journalists often criticise officials. US-based Freedom House says Georgia "has the freest and most diverse media landscape in its region," although "objective news is only available from a few sources." Some key dates in Georgia's modern history: 1801-04 - Most of present-day Georgia becomes part of the Russian Empire. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption A religious procession outside Tbilisi's Holy Trinity Cathedral 1879 - History's best-known Georgian, future Soviet leader Iosif Dzhugashvili (Joseph Stalin), is born in the town of Gori. 1918 - Independent Georgian state declared in wake of Russian Revolution. 1921 - Red Army invades, Georgia absorbed into emerging Soviet Union. 1956 - Protests against Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev's de-Stalinisation policy turn violent and prompt calls for secession from the USSR; they are brutally crushed by Soviet forces. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Houses in old Tbilisi 1989 - Demands for more autonomy in the South Ossetia region lead to violent clashes between Georgians and Ossetians. Soviet - later Russian - peacekeepers are deployed. 1991 - Georgian parliament declares secession from the Soviet Union after independence is overwhelmingly supported in a referendum. 1993 - Separatists drive Georgian troops driven out of almost all of Abkhazia, which becomes an internationally unrecognised breakaway state under Russian tutelage. 2008 - Georgia is drawn into a war in breakaway South Ossetia, which sees Russian forces intervene and evict Georgia's forces from its remaining areas of control in the region, as well as Abkhazia.


Who was the manager of 'The Sex Pistols'?

Sex Pistols' former manager McLaren dead at 64 Sex Pistols' former manager McLaren dead at 64 by Raphael G. Satter - Apr. 8, 2010 02:20 PM Associated Press LONDON - The former manager of the Sex Pistols and one of the seminal figures of the punk rock era, Malcolm McLaren, died Thursday, his son said. He was 64. Joe Corre said his father died of an aggressive form of cancer in Switzerland, declining to give the exact location because he said he wanted to avoid a media scrum. "He was the original punk rocker and revolutionized the world," Corre told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "He's somebody I'm incredibly proud of. He's a real beacon of a man for people to look up to." The multitalented McLaren rose to fame as the colorful manager of The Sex Pistols, but the art college dropout is also known for the infamous clothes shop he opened on London's King's Road with his then-girlfriend Vivienne Westwood in 1971. The shop changed its name and focus several times, operating as "SEX" and "World's End" and "Seditionaries" at various times before she and McLaren split. Music journalist Jon Savage, who wrote "England's Dreaming," a history of the Sex Pistols and punk, said that "without Malcolm McLaren there would not have been any British punk." "He's one of the rare individuals who had a huge impact on the cultural and social life of this nation." Although the Sex Pistols broke up after only one album, 1977's "Never Mind the Bollocks," their rebellious antics and raucous music would set the bar for bands to come. Their bassist, Sid Vicious, died of a heroin overdose in 1979 after he was accused of killing his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, in New York City in 1978. McLaren's career in music wasn't limited to managing the Pistols. He also had a regarded solo career in which he blended genres and acted as a kind of music curator. In the early 1980s, he had key songs in hip-hop, including the hit "Buffalo Gals," and bringing different textures to the developing genre; in his career, he worked in electronica, pop - even opera. In addition to music and fashion, McLaren also dabbled in journalism and filmmaking - working in Hollywood with directors such as Quentin Tarantino and Steven Spielberg. Corre, his son with Westwood, would continue the family tradition of blending shock with success, co-founding designer lingerie chain Agent Provocateur, which sells its risque, high-end wares across the world. Earlier, the AP spoke with Les Molloy, which British media identified as McLaren's agent. Molloy said McLaren had died in New York but Corre said that was wrong, that Molloy was no longer McLaren's agent and that he was not authorized to speak for the family. Repeated calls to Molloy since then have not been answered. McLaren is survived by Corre and his longtime partner Young Kim. Corre said that while funeral arrangements have yet to be made, McLaren had wanted to be buried in north London's stately Highgate cemetery, near where he was born.


What is a computer called that controls access to a network, as well as acting as a file storage device?

Operating system | Article about operating system by The Free Dictionary Operating system | Article about operating system by The Free Dictionary http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/operating+system Related to operating system: Application software operating system the set of software that controls the overall operation of a computer system, typically by performing such tasks as memory allocation, job scheduling, and input/output control operating system [′äp·ə‚rād·iŋ ‚sis·təm] (computer science) A set of programs and routines which guides a computer or network in the performance of its tasks, assists the programs (and programmers) with certain supporting functions, and increases the usefulness of the computer or network hardware. Operating system The software component of a computer system that is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the resources of the computer. The operating system (OS) acts as a host for application programs that are run on the machine. As a host, one of the purposes of an operating system is to handle the details of the operation of the hardware. This relieves application programs from having to manage these details and makes it easier to write applications. Almost all computers, including hand-held computers, desktop computers, supercomputers, and even modern video game consoles, use an operating system of some type. See Computer systems architecture Operating systems offer a number of services to application programs and users. Applications access these services through application programming interfaces (APIs) or system calls. By invoking these interfaces, the application can request a service from the operating system, pass parameters, and receive the results of the operation. Users may also interact with the operating system by typing commands or using a graphical user interface (GUI, commonly pronounced “gooey’’). For hand-held and desktop computers, the GUI is generally considered part of the operating system. For large multiuser systems, the GUI is generally implemented as an application program that runs outside the operating system. See Computer programming , Human-computer interaction Modern operating systems provide the capability of running multiple application programs simultaneously, which is referred to as multiprogramming. Each program running is represented by a process in the operating system. The operating system provides an execution environment for each process by sharing the hardware resources so that each application does not need to be aware of the execution of other processes. The central processing unit (CPU) of the computer can be used by only one program at a time. The operating system can share the CPU among the processes by using a technique known as time slicing. In this manner, the processes take turns using the CPU. Single-user desktop personal computers (PCs) may simplify this further by granting the CPU to whichever application the user has currently selected and allowing the user to switch between applications at will. The main memory of a computer (referred to as random access memory, or RAM) is a finite resource. The operating system is responsible for sharing the memory among the currently running processes. When a user initiates an application, the operating system decides where to place it in memory and may allocate additional memory to the application if it requests it. The operating system may use capabilities in the hardware to prevent one application from overwriting the memory of another. This provides security and prevents applications from interfering with one another. See Computer storage technology The details of device management are left to the operating system. The operating system provides a set of APIs to the applications for accessing input/output (I/O) devices in a consistent and relatively simple manner regardless of the specifics of the underlying hardware. The operating system itself will generally use a software component called a device driver to control an I/O device. This allows the o


Castleford Rugby League team are known by the name of which animal?

Official Castleford Tigers web site   History Castleford Tigers joined the Rugby League in 1926 having previously been a successful junior club and since 1927 has always played home games at the current stadium on Wheldon Road which will be known as The Mend-A-Hose Jungle in 2014. The Tigers have grown into one of the most famous Rugby League Clubs in the United Kingdom and has consistently produced players who have achieved worldwide status in the game of Rugby League while playing in the famous black and amber colours. 32 players have become Great Britain Internationals and 29 have played for England, plus numerous other representing county and other international countries. As well as a successful team on the field, the off-field operation boasts a pro-active and forward thinking set up which includes the Tigers Trust, the community arm of the club which has charitable status. The region has always been, and continues to be a rich nursery of Rugby League talent, competing at the top level whilst being centre of its local community. International players from the area include legends such as half backs Alan Hardisty & Keith Hepworth, who starred for the club in the 1960's to early 1970's, Malcolm Reilly who made his name at the club before becoming a legend of the game internationally and John Joyner who is the player to have represented the club most with 585 + 28 appearances. Arguably the greatest achievements in Castleford Tigers history, have been four Wembley Challenge Cup victories in 1935, 1969, 1970 & 1986. partners Castleford Tigers is the trading name of Castleford Tigers Rugby League Football Club Ltd, registered in England and Wales with company number 00214373. The address is The Mend-A-Hose Jungle, Wheldon Road, Castleford, West Yorkshire, WF10 2SD. The VAT Registration Number is 181507372 BUY YOUR TICKET IN ADVANCE ONLINE AND SAVE MONEY


Which animal has the scientific name 'dama dama'?

Dama dama (Fallow Deer, Mesopotamian Fallow Deer, Persian Fallow Deer) Geographic Range [top] Range Description: This is a western Palaearctic species. Its original range is unclear, but current knowledge suggests that Turkey and southern Europe (southern Italy, Sicily and the southern Balkan peninsula) were the post-glacial refuges of the species (Heidemann, 1976 and 1986; Chapman and Chapman, 1980; Bökönyi, 1986; Masseti and Rustioni, 1988; Masseti, 1996, 1999 and 2002; Burgio et al., 1998), though the palaeontological and archaeozoological evidence of the species’ diffusion in all these areas is very fragmentary. Records from Iran and the Middle East refer to Dama mesopotamica. Only one undoubtedly natural wild population survives, in the Düzlerçami Game Reserve in the Termessos National Park in southern Turkey, though this is now largely fenced. Other populations in Turkey, at Ayvalik Adalar, Gokova, Adakoy and Stavros-tis-Psokas appear to have died out in recent years (M. Masseti pers. comm.). The population on the island of Rhodes (Greece) is said to have been introduced in Neolithic times (Masseti 2007; Masseti et al. 2005, 2008). Certainly, fossils of fallow deer on Rhodes go back to Neolithic times, and there are no signs of prolonged periods of domestication, and so it could be considered a native population (D. Mertzanidou pers. comm.). The population on Cyprus was introduced in the 20th century (Masseti 1999). The animals on Rhodes are genetically very distinct from all others, as are those in Termessos National Park (Masseti 2007; Masseti et al. 2005, 2008). The species was introduced to the western Mediterranean by the Phoenicians, and to central and northern Europe by the Romans and Normans. However, most of the currently existing populations in Europe result from much more recent introductions (with the exception of some older ones in, for example, the United Kingdom, and at Castel Porziano in Italy). The distribution in Europe is much more scattered and patchy than indicated on the map (which shows its general extent of occurrence). Furthermore, most European populations are fenced and closely managed, and there are rather few truly free-ranging populations (though some are in the United Kingdom). The population on Rhodes is, however, free-ranging. In most places the fallow deer is managed as a park animal, as almost the whole of its present geographic range is attributable to humans. In Portugal, for example, most of the specimens occur within confined areas, such as parks and private hunting areas, and apart from a few scattered individuals there is no wild population (Cabral et al. 2005). Also in other areas such as Sicily and Calabria (Italy) there are only fenced and managed populations (M. Masseti pers. comm.). Most European animals (with the excepton those in Termessos National Park and on Rhodes) are essentially descended from domestic stock, and there are colour varieties that are considered to be a result of domestication. More recently, the species has been introduced to many countries worldwide (not included in the distribution map), including South Africa, Australia, New Zealand (considered a pest there), the United States, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay, as well as islands in Fijian group, the Lesser Antilles, and off the Pacific coast of Canada (Apollonio 1999). (Apollonio 1999). Countries occurrence: Population [top] Population: Most introduced populations in Europe are stable (Apollonio 1999). However, in its native range in Turkey, this species has suffered severe declines and has disappeared most of its former distribution (M. Masseti pers. comm.). There is only one surviving population of D. dama that is considered to be an original native population. This population is restricted to Telmessos National Park in Turkey and numbers fewer than 30 individuals (Masseti 2007), with apparently fewer than ten animals remaining outside the fended area. It has declined by over 50% in the last ten years and is genetically distinct from D. dama occurring elsewhere (Masseti 2002, 2007). The po


Which English city has districts called Manningham, Horton and Heaton?

manningham bradford : definition of manningham bradford and synonyms of manningham bradford (English) 5 External links   Geography It (very roughly) covers the area bordered by Manningham Lane to the east, Thornton Road (B6145) to the south west, and Oak Lane to the north. Other important roads in the area are Lumb Lane, Carlisle Road and White Abbey Road/Whetley Hill. Manningham Lane, part of the A650 , stretches from Hamm Strasse to Lister Park where it becomes Keighley Road. It is a busy road in terms of both traffic and commerce: it is lined with shops and businesses for practically its entire length. White Abbey Road (which becomes Whetley Hill at the junction with Whetley Lane and Carlisle Road), part of the B6144 , is similarly active, with several large clothing outlets and jewellery shops. Oak Lane is quieter in terms of traffic but similarly commercialised, although with a tendency towards smaller shops and food outlets. Lumb Lane, running parallel to and between Manningham Lane and White Abbey Road, is widely regarded as the centre of the city's "red light" district.[ citation needed ] Historically, this was certainly the case; however, recent actions by community groups have lessened the prevalence of prostitutes in the area.   History Manningham holds a wealth of industrial history including mill buildings and back-to-back terraced houses. Whilst Manningham holds a strong cultural and historical value, it was also the location for the Manningham Riot in June 1995 and the Bradford Riots in July 2001.   Landmarks   Lister Mills . The most dominant landmark in Manningham is arguably the most dominant landmark in the entire city, Lister Mills . The mills stand in the most elevated part of Manningham, at the top of Oak Lane (although, more accurately, the mills are on the corner of Lilycroft and Heaton Roads). The mills have recently been converted into luxury modern apartments. Another key landmark is Lister Park (also known as Manningham Park). This triangular park, situated between Keighley Road, North Park Road and Emm Lane in the north of Manningham, is one of the city's largest parks. It houses Cartwright Hall (a museum and art gallery), a large boating lake and the Mughal Water Gardens as well as extensive botanical gardens. [1] Manningham also contains Valley Parade football stadium, which has been the home of Bradford City football club since they were founded in 1903 and where the Bradford Bulls played in recent years whilst their Odsal home was redeveloped. In 1985 the Valley Parade ground was the site of the disastrous fire which killed 56 spectators and injured at least 265 at the final game of the season, against Lincoln City, and led to improved safety regulations at British sports grounds. As was once common with English football stadiums, the stadium takes its name from the road on which it is situated, Valley Parade being the name of a road that slopes down Bradford's valley off the A650.   References ^ "Lister Park" . Bradford District Parks. Bradford Council. http://www.bradforddistrictparks.org/sites/parks/parks.php?ID=41 . Retrieved 15 September 2011.    External links


Who won the 2001 Turner Prize for his exhibit of empty gallery space with lights turned on and off?

Turner Prize won by man who turns lights off - Telegraph Turner Prize won by man who turns lights off By Nigel Reynolds, Arts Correspondent 12:01AM GMT 10 Dec 2001 THE £20,000 annual Turner Prize, sometimes also known as the Prize for the Emperor's New Clothes, was awarded last night to an artist who exhibited an empty room with lights that flicker on and off every five seconds. Martin Creed had warned that people should not look for too much meaning in his Work 227: The lights going on and off. Enthusiasts had called it a statement against the clutter and consumerism in the world. When his entry for the Turner Prize exhibition was unveiled at the Tate Britain in London last month, it met with a mixture of incredulity, attempts at deep philosophising and plain outrage. Several visitors walked out, saying the exhibit was unfit to be considered for the most celebrated prize in the art world. Even by the standards of a prize that has been contested by Chris Offili's elephant dung paintings , Tracey Emin's soiled bed and dirty knickers and Damien Hirst's sliced and pickled animals , Creed's work is widely considered exceptionally odd and is likely to quicken debate about the prize's future. Related Articles Hirst's shark is too rotten for the French 17 Jun 2000 After seeing the work of the four artists shortlisted this year, many critics said the prize, for British artists under 50, had plumbed new depths, was run by a self-selecting cabal and should, after a 17-year run, be put out of its misery. Artists are selected for the exhibition on the basis of their body of work and then choose what they display. The other shortlisted artists were: Mike Nelson, favourite with bookmakers to win, who works with rubbish and exhibited a labyrinth of planks; Richard Billingham, who exhibited photos and videos of his family, notably his alcoholic father who lives in a Glasgow slum; and Isaac Julien, who exhibited short films featuring homosexual cowboys. At the award ceremony last night, Creed, 33, was presented with his prize by the singer Madonna. Other guests included the designer Stella McCartney and the comedian Graham Norton. Previous work by Creed, who was brought up in Glasgow by Quaker parents, include a scrunched-up piece of plain A4 paper, a ball of Blu Tak stuck to a wall, and several neon signs bearing messages such as The Whole World + The Work = The Whole World and Everything Is Going To Be All Right. The artist, who recently moved to the island of Alicudi, near Sicily, says his work is about the qualities of "nothing". He has said of The lights going on and off that "it activates the whole of the space it occupies without anything physically being added and I like that because in a way it's a really big work with nothing being there". He added: "If I can make something without adding any objects I feel more comfortable. It's like, if I can't decide whether to have the lights on or off then I have them both on and off and I feel better about it. "My work is about 50 per cent what I make of it and 50 per cent what people make of it. Meanings are made in people's heads. I can't control them." The judges of the prize, chaired by Sir Nicholas Serota, director of the Tate Galleries, were more assertive. They insisted last night that The lights going on and off had qualities of "strength, rigour, wit and sensitivity to the site". Mr Simon Wilson, the Tate's communications curator, said: "Creed has said we live in a world full of objects. He wants to make art that doesn't contribute to that clutter. He wants to make art where he is doing as little as possible that is consistent with doing something. "One year we have dirty knickers on show and people complain about that - and then when you have something as pure and as spiritual as this they still complain. "Creed is a kind of very pure extreme kind of artist. The fact that many people find his work so baffling indicates that he's working on the edge." As to why the flickering lights are artistic, Mr Wilson said: "He's making a work of art by manipulating the existing mechanism of


"Which town was the Roman soldier in the Victorian painting ""Faithful Unto Death"", guarding?"

POMPEII POMPEII Skeletons in the prop closet POMPEII 88 370 2363 4   The chief attraction of the ruins of Pompeii has always been the bodies. There are other places in the Roman world where you can step back in time and walk through an ancient city. Rome's port of Ostia is almost as well preserved as the sites destroyed by Vesuvius; in Rome itself, the Markets of Trajan, next to his column, still give the visitor the authentic experience of stepping into an ancient multi-storey shopping-mall cum office-block. What Pompeii has to offer is corpses: more than a thousand of them - skeletons or, even better, the famous casts which (thanks to an ingenious technique of injecting plaster into the cavities left in the solid volcanic debris) can capture the bodily shape, the clothes, even the facial expressions of the long-decomposed victims of the eruption. These, far more powerfully       than the crumbling streets and peeling wall-painting, have inspired the novels, poetry, paintings, operas and movies of "the Last Days of Pompeii". Their death agonies, their brave and futile attempts at escape, their seemingly tender last embraces frozen in plaster, have launched countless stories. It is a thriving industry powered by ghoulish curiosity, occasionally dressed up with some wistful reflections on the transience of human existence. So it has been since the city was first excavated. In the eighteenth century, skeletons were artfully posed around the excavations to impress visiting dignitaries and, according to Mrs Piozzi, light-fingered travellers helped themselves to smaller bones as a piquant souvenir. The nineteenth century saw not only the bestseller of Bulwer-Lytton (and there have been at least a dozen "Last Days" novels in English alone between him and Robert Harris), but also the obsessional novella of Thï¿½ophile Gautier, Arria Marcella. This featured a young Frenchman transported to a love affair in AD 79, after becoming infatuated with the imprint of a woman's breast set in the lava, which had been discovered in the so-called Villa of Diomedes, then hacked out and put on display in the Naples Museum. "To think", sighed the young man as he gazed fixedly at the object in the museum cabinet, "that the form of a breast has survived the centuries when so many lost empires have left not a trace." He spoke too soon. When in the 1950s Amadeo Maiuri, then Director of Pompeian excavations, tried to search out this notorious imprint, he discovered that it too had vanished. The most charitable, if somewhat implausible, explanation was that it had been exposed to so many different and corrosive chemical tests that it had disintegrated. When no bodies were discovered, they could always be invented. One of the favourite myths of Pompeii's destruction is the story of the sentry, whose remains were supposedly found in a guardbox outside one of the town gates, where he had died on duty without deserting his post; or "Faithful unto Death", as Edward Poynter's painting of this noble scene is dubbed. The unlikely tale tickled the imagination of Mark Twain, who wrote in The Innocents Abroad of the soldier who "stood to his post by the city gate, erect and unflinching, till the hell that raged around him burned out the dauntless spirit it could not conquer", before going on to reflect, characteristically, that if the soldier had been a policeman he would probably have been asleep anyway. In fact, as Eric M. Moorman explains in a fascinating essay in Tales from an Eruption (a collection published to accompany a major exhibition of Pompeian material recently transferred from Naples to the Musï¿½es Royaux in Brussels), the story is a complete touristic fantasy: the guardbox is nothing other than a semi-circular funeral monument, the shape of which may have caused the confusion; no bones were ever found there at all, and certainly no hand still clutching its spear. The BBC documentary Pompeii: The last day is very much part of this tradition; a predictable combination of ancient history lesson, time t


Who was pardoned 12 years after his execution for murders carried out by John Christie?

John Christie (murderer) - Serial Killers Profiles and News - Criminal Motives Serial Killers Profiles and News Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire, England Died: 15 July 1953 (aged 55) Pentonville Prison, London, England August 1943–6 March 1953 Country: Date apprehended: 31 March 1953 John Reginald Halliday Christie (8 April 1898 – 15 July 1953), born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, was an English serial killer active in the 1940s and 1950s. He murdered at least six women—including his wife, Ethel—by strangling them in his flat at 10 Rillington Place, Notting Hill, London. He was arrested, tried, and hanged in 1953 for his wife’s murder, after his victims’ bodies were found in the flat by a new tenant. Christie had served in World War I, and was injured in a gas attack in 1918. After his return to civilian life he took to crime, and was convicted and imprisoned several times for offences including theft and assault. He moved to Rillington Place in 1938, and on the outbreak of war in 1939 was accepted for service as a Special Constable without revealing his criminal record. He committed his murders between 1943 and 1953, his general modus operandi being to strangle his victims after he had rendered them unconscious with domestic gas. While they were unconscious, Christie also raped his victims and continued to do so as they died, ensuring his reputation as a necrophiliac. [2] Substantial controversy exists as to whether Christie was responsible for the murders of two additional victims, Beryl Evans and her daughter Geraldine. They, along with Beryl’s husband Timothy, were tenants at 10 Rillington Place during 1948–49. Timothy Evans was charged with both murders, was found guilty of the murder of his daughter and was hanged in 1950. Christie gave evidence that helped secure Evans’s conviction. When Christie’s own crimes were uncovered three years later, serious doubts were raised over the safety of Evans’s conviction, many people believing that Christie had been responsible for their deaths. In an official inquiry conducted in 1965–66, Mr Justice Brabin stated that it was “more probable than not” that Evans killed his wife and that he did not kill his daughter Geraldine. [3] This finding, challenged in subsequent legal processes, nevertheless enabled the then Home Secretary to grant Evans a posthumous pardon because it was for the murder of his daughter that Evans had been convicted in 1950. The question of Christie’s involvement in the Evans murders, and the possible miscarriage of justice, contributed to the suspension of capital punishment for murder in the United Kingdom in 1965. [4] Contents <![CDATA[ // ]]> Early life Christie was brought up in Halifax, West Yorkshire. He was abused by his father, a strict disciplinarian, and dominated by his sisters. His mother in turn overprotected him, which further undermined his self-confidence. In 1907, at the age of eight, he was witness to the open coffin of his maternal grandfather; in later years, Christie spoke of how profound this experience was to him, seeing the dead body of a man who had previously frightened him. [5] Christie won a scholarship to Halifax Secondary School when he was 11. His favourite subject was mathematics, particularly algebra. [6] It was later found he had an IQ of 128. [7] Christie sang in the church choir and was a Boy Scout as a child; upon leaving school at the age of 15 he worked as an assistant film projectionist. [8] Christie had a lifelong problem with impotence; his first attempts at sex were failures, branding him throughout adolescence as “Reggie-No-Dick” and “Can’t-D o-It-Christie”. [9] His difficulties with sex remained throughout his life, and most of the time he could only perform with prostitutes. [10] In September 1916, Christie enlisted as a signalman in World War I. In June 1918, he was hospitalised after a mustard gas attack while serving in France. He spent a month in a military hospital in Calais. Later on in his life, Christie claimed to have been both blinded and rendered mute for three and a half years from the attack. [11] Chr