Which creature, according to Pliny, had a glance that meant certain death ?

D&D Monster Origins A-C The balor comes from the balrog in the Lord of the Rings . By the final printing of the original D&D boxed set, the name was changed to Balor at the behest of the Tolkien estate. The new name comes from Celtic myth, although the character of Balor has no relation to the D&D creature. Legolas turned and set an arrow to the string, though it was a long shot for his small bow. He drew, but his hand fell, and the arrow slipped to the ground. He gave a cry of dismay and fear. Two great trolls appeared; they bore great slabs of stone, and flung them down to serve as gangways over the fire. But it was not the trolls that had filled the Elf with terror. The ranks of the orcs had opened, and they crowded away, as if they themselves were afraid. Something was coming up behind them. What it was could not be seen: it was like a great shadow, in the middle of which was a dark form, of man-shape maybe, yet greater; and a power and terror seemed to be in it and to go before it. It came to the edge of the fire and the light faded as if a cloud had bent over it. Then with a rush it leaped across the fissure. The flames roared up to greet it, and wreathed about it; and a black smoke swirled in the air. Its streaming mane kindled, and blazed behind it. In its right hand was a blade like a stabbing tongue of fire; in its left it held a whip of many thongs. Ai! ai! A Balrog! A Balrog is come! J. R. R. Tolkien (1892–1973), The Lord of the Rings (1954). Book II, chapter 5. Lugh and Balor of the Piercing Eye met in the battle. An evil eye had Balor the Fomorian. That eye was never opened save only on a battlefield. Four men used to lift up the lid of the eye with a polished handle which passed through its lid. If an army looked at the eye, though they were many thousands in number they could not resist a few warriors. It had a poisonous power. Once when his father's druids were concocting charms, he came and looked out of the window, and the fume of the concoction came under it , so that the poison of the concoction afterwards penetrated the eye that looked. He and Lugh met. Lift up mine eyelid, my lad, said Balor, that I may see the babbler who is conversing with me. The lid was raised from Balor's eye. Then Lugh cast a sling-stone at him, which carried the eye through his head while his own army looked on. And the sling-stone fell on the host of the Fomorians, and thrice nine of them died beside it, so that the crowns of their heads came against the breast of Indech son of Dea Domnann, and a gush of blood sprang over his lips. Ancient Irish Tales , tr./ed. Tom P. Cross and Clark Harris Slover (1936) Barghest Brand says that in the northern parts of England, ghost is pronounced gheist and guest. Hence bar-guest, or bar-gheist. Many streets are haunted by a ghost, who assumes many strange appearances, as a mastiff-dog, &c. It is a corruption of the Anglo-Saxon gast, spiritus, anima. Brand might have added that bar is a term for gate in the north, and that all the gates of York are named bars, so that a bar-gheist is literally a gate-ghost… The Barguest, or Barn-ghaist of the Teutons, is also reported to be a frequent visitor in Lancashire. The appearance of this sprite is considered as a certain death-sign, and has obtained the local names of Trash Thierbuch (1563), illus. unknown. Public domain; thanks to Treasures of Keio University for the photo. The basilisk and the cockatrice were originally understood to be the same monster, one which could kill by breath or glance. It was thought to come from Cyrenaica (northern Libya). The like propertie [that is, killing those who look upon its eyes] hath the serpent called a Basiliske: bred it is in the province Cyrenaica, and is not above twelve fingers-breadth long: a white spot like a starre it carrieth on the head, and setteth it out like a coronet or diademe: if he but hisse once, no other serpents dare come neere: he creepeth not winding and crawling by as other serpents doe, with one part of the bodie driving the other forward, but goeth upright and aloft from the ground


Pacific Horticulture Society | California Buckeye: A Tree for All Seasons California Buckeye: A Tree for All Seasons More From This Author A California buckeye in full bloom. Photographs by Phil Van Soelen Think of any image of California’s natural beauty, and there’s almost certainly a tree in it. It might be a coast redwood, giant sequoia, valley oak, or Monterey cypress. In fact, California may be over-endowed with emblematic trees that evoke some portion of this large and diverse state. There is the coast live oak, Santa Lucia fir, incense cedar, California nutmeg, bay laurel, and the weeping Brewer spruce. The pines alone reflect much of the state’s geographic diversity: Monterey, knobcone, sugar, Torrey, foothill, ponderosa, foxtail, pinyon, or bristlecone—to name only a few. Just the sight of them would cause many to heave a sigh of fond remembrance of places lived, loved, and enjoyed. Close-up of a single inflorescence of California buckeye California buckeye (Aesculus californica) recalls the foothills, valley margins, oak savannah and forest, and chaparral openings. It is not as massive or showy as some of the aforementioned trees, nor do you find many parks devoted specifically to its splendor, yet it is much loved. It is a true California endemic, not occurring elsewhere in the world! A tree of subtle elegance and evocative presence, it is lovely alone but is usually found in drifts or thickets filling winter-cool swales or rippling across rolling hillsides and bursting out of deep and craggy canyons.   Expanding buckeye buds in late winter A Plant Out of Synch? The California buckeye is a plant to enjoy throughout the year, although it may sometimes seem like the tree is unclear on which month it actually is. Leaping ahead by at least a season, the buckeye is actually finely tuned to California’s versions of a mediterranean climate. Why wait until April to leaf out when water is more likely to be available in February? Why hold onto your green leaves until October when it gets really parched in June? The sequence of seasonal delights begins not long after the first fall rains. In the cool damp shadows, the glossy mahogany-colored seeds that litter the ground under their mother-tree begin to come to life. A large creamy finger-like projection creeps out of the seed and curves downward to impale the earth, in a way that might suggest the erotic. After penetrating the damp earth a secondary furl of growth occurs where the “finger” meets the soil. It produces a glossy rose pink or red stem, topped with tiny chartreuse green, fingered-foliage; this is the infant tree. A sentimentalist may see this energetic nursery of incipient trees as a sign of re-growth, regeneration, and revival. But the harsh reality is that most will not survive long, especially as conditions and competition heat up in late spring. A surprising number of seedlings may germinate as albino- or golden-foliaged, all or in part, but these never survive in the wild. Winter Delight All this regenerative rustling in the underbrush is visually remarkable and life affirming, but it is really the winter branch display that shines. The silvery branches are especially dramatic when catching the winter light—bold simple branches sweeping up and out, so even the largest trees can resemble enormous shrubs from a distance. And it seems as if no two are exactly the same! Often those layers of branches will be encrusted with multicolored lichens, sometimes clothed in cascades of soft mosses, or hosting colonies of polypody fern (Polypodium spp.). The winter branch display may be the sparkle, but the often irregular, gnarled and lumpy, multi-branched trunk provides the substance. Young trees may not be exceptional in this feature, but old buckeyes are worthy of veneration. Their stocky bases, often with branches crossing and fused together in odd patterns, are one-of-a-kind works of art. Some are reminiscent of the fanciful water-worn stones found in Chinese gardens, others of some woodcarver’s fantasy on prancing pachyderms. Buckeye seed sprouting An Early Sp


What relation is Prince Philip to Queen Victoria ?

How Is Queen Elizabeth II Related to Queen Victoria? How Is Queen Elizabeth II Related to Queen Victoria? Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II.  L:Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images R: Picture Post/IPC Magazines/Hulton Archive/Getty Image Updated December 17, 2016. Question: How is Queen Elizabeth II related to Queen Victoria? Queen Elizabeth II is obviously a member of the royal family, as was Queen Victoria . Both are long-ruling British queens who wielded their power in their own right, rather than being queens by marriage. So what exactly is their genealogical relationship? How is Queen Elizabeth II related to Queen Victoria? And while we're at it—how is Prince Philip, Elizabeth's husband related to Queen Victoria? Answer: Queen Elizabeth II is a great great granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Elizabeth's father was George VI  (1895 - 1952). He married Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900 - 2002) in 1925, and they had two daughters, Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret. George VI's father was George V  (1865 - 1936), Elizabeth's grandfather. He married Mary of Teck (1867 - 1953) in 1893, a German princess raised in England. George V's father was Edward VII  (1841 - 1910). Elizabeth's great grandfather. He married Alexandra of Denmark (1844 - 1925), a Danish princess.  continue reading below our video Profile: Elizabeth II of Britain Edward VII's mother was Queen Victoria (1819 - 1901), Elizabeth's great great grandmother. She married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819 - 1861) in 1840. Prince Philip to Queen Victoria Elizabeth's husband, Prince Philip (1921 - ), Duke of Edinburgh, is a great great grandson of Queen Victoria, making Elizabeth and Philip third cousins through this relationship. Philip's mother, Princess Alice of Battenburg (1885 - 1969), was the daughter of Princess Victoria of Hesse and by the Rhine.  Philip's father was Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (1882 - 1944); is parents married in 1903. Princess Alice's mother was Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine (1863 - 1950), Philip's maternal grandmother.  Princess Victoria was married to Prince Louis of Battenburg (1854 - 1921) in 1884. Princess Victoria of Hesse and by the Rhine was the daughter of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom  (1843 - 1878), Philip's great-grandmother. Princess Alice was married to Louis IV (1837 - 1892), Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine.  Another daughter of Princess Victoria and Grand Duke Louis IV was Alexandra, the last Tsaritsa of Russia, married to Nicholas II. Princess Alice's mother was Queen Victoria, Philip's great great grandmother. More Facts About Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II Until 2015, Queen Victoria had been the longest-ruling monarch in the history of England or the United Kingdom or Great Britain.  Then Queen Elizabeth outlived that record of 63 years, 216 days, on September 9, 2015.  George III of the United Kingdom ranks the third longest-reigning at 59 years, James VI is the fourth longest-reigning at almost 58 years (including his time ruling Scotland alone), Henry III of England ruled for just over 56 years, and Edward III of England reigned for more than 50 years. Queen Victoria's first name was Alexandrina, and her second name was Victoria. Queen Elizabeth's birth name was Elizabeth Alexandra Mary. Both became queen through chance.  Queen Victoria's father was fourth in line for the throne, but none of his older brothers had children.  Queen Elizabeth's father unexpectedly became king when his brother abdicated. Both remained active as monarch well into their elder years, living to celebrate Diamond Jubilees.  The Diamond Jubilee celebrations were different, though, as Victoria was in frail health, and Elizabeth in good health.  The celebration of Victoria's Jubilee was at a height of British power, and Elizabeth's a considerably less powerful nation.  This was reflected, for instance, in the finale of the 1897 celebration involving 165 ships in a royal naval review.  Heads of state of commonwealth nations traveled to London for Victoria's Jubilee; for Elizabeth's, members of t


What legal verdict is available in Scotland but not in England and Wales ?

Scotland Guide - General information - Legal questions The Law Society of Scotland, http://www.lawscot.org.uk/ provides a search facility to find contact details of Solicitors firms, including their websites. Making a will A site specifically for Scots to make their Will:- Without a Solicitor and completely legally. Only takes a few minutes and site is a member of Which? webtrader. You can also print it off and sign it - all online See the site for more info. Introduction to Scots Law Article by Angus MacCulloch mailto: msrlsam@fs1.ec.man.ac.uk Scotland has a completely separate legal system from that of England and Wales. Although it does share some institutions, the legislature and the House of Lords (sitting as a Court). This stems from Scotland's independence before 1707 and is enshrined in the Act of Union. Scots law stems from two main sources, enacted law and common law. Enacted law has the authority of a body with legislative powers. Enacted law can come from many sources, some include Royal proclamation or order, Acts of Parliament (either the old Scots Parliament or the UK Parliament), the European Community Treaty or European legislation, or local authority bye-laws. Common law derives it authority from the courts and is based on Scots legal tradition. Both forms of law have equal authority and often operate in the same areas. Under the theory of the "supremacy of Parliament," as partially recognised in Scotland, enacted law will override common law, but common law cannot override an enacted law. Common law develops through the judgements of the courts. To predict how it will deal with a given situation one must examine the decisions of the courts in similar cases. Common law initially derived from the Roman law, as codified under the Emperor Justinian, and canon law, the law of the church. One of the other sources of law was the writings of eminent legal scholars such as Lord Stair, Erskine and Bell, Hume, and Alison. The Scottish courts separate into two streams, those which deal with criminal cases, and those that deal with civil cases. The criminal law regulates the relationship between the individual and the state. Civil law regulates relationships between individuals. The criminal courts are, in ascending order of authority: The District Court, the Sheriff Court, and the High Court of Justiciary. The civil courts are, in ascending order of authority: The Sheriff Court, the Court of Session, and the House of Lords. The doctrine of "precedent" means that the decision of a higher court will be binding on a lower court. The High Court of Judiciary and the House of Lords are not bound by their own decisions. The decision of an English court is never binding upon a Scottish court. The decisions of the House of Lords sitting as an English court will be of a persuasive nature in a Scottish case. There are also specialist courts which deal with particular areas, such as industrial disputes, land matters, criminal charges against children, and heraldry. The courts have a long history. The Sheriff courts date back to the 12th century, the Court of Session was established in 1532, and the High Court of Justiciary was established in 1672. Scottish judges will sit on both criminal and civil courts, although some may be seen as specialising in particular areas. The judges are appointed by the Crown from practising lawyers, both solicitors and advocates. The Not Proven Verdict Scots law is unusual in allowing three alternative verdicts in a criminal trial. Although the "Not Proven" verdict is known, incorrectly, as the third verdict, it has a 300 year history in Scotland. Even though it has a long history it has been the subject of criticism since 1827 when Sir Walter Scott, novelist and Sheriff, described the not proven verdict as "that bastard verdict, not proven." The verdict of not proven is essentially one of acquittal. In all respects the verdicts of not guilty and not proven have exactly the same legal effects. In practice it is thought that a verdict of not proven simply means that the judge or jury have reason


The adjective ' caprine ' refers to which type of animal ?

animal adjectives [was: ratto, Ratte, raton] - Google Groups animal adjectives [was: ratto, Ratte, raton] Showing 1-9 of 9 messages While trying find the pronunciation of the word "munger", I encountered the nearby word    murine [MYOO-ryn] = relating to mice or rats    [from Latin _murinus_, which derives from _mus_,    mouse, whose genetive form is _muris_] So if you need an adjective to refer to lab rodents like _ratto_ or _mausu_, "murine" it is. (I would never have discovered this except in an alphabetically arranged dictionary.) There are a lot of animal adjectives of this type, such as ovine (sheep), equine (horse), bovine (bull, cow, calf), aquiline (eagle), murine (rats and mice).   But what is needed is a way to lookup an animal and find what the proper adjective is.  For example, is there an adjective form for "goat"? for "seal"? for "elephant"? for "whale"? for "walrus"? By the way, I never did find out how "munger" is pronounced; the answer is not found in


Who is to succeed Hilary Clinton as U.S. Secretary of State ?

Kerry to replace Hillary at State Dept.: report  - NY Daily News Obama will name John Kerry to replace Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State: news report  Kerry to replace Hillary at State Dept.: report Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts  is now believed to be President Obama’s pick to replace Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP) NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Saturday, December 15, 2012, 10:56 AM  President Obama has chosen Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) to succeed Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, according to a report. Obama will announce his choice of Kerry in the coming weeks, the Chicago Sun-Times reported , citing a source. The White House has not confirmed the selection. It is widely known that Kerry was interested in the job, and the former presidential nominee emerged as the clear favorite after another contender, UN Ambassador Susan Rice, withdrew from consideration last week. Rice, who many believe was Obama's first choice, backed out before facing a contentious confirmation battle. Several key Republicans vowed to fight her selection, believing that she misled Congress and the American public about the investigation into September's deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Rice is expected to stay in her current post and may eventually take another position — perhaps national security adviser — within the administration. Kerry, who is rumored to be Clinton's choice to follow her to the State Department, is widely respected on the international stage and currently chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. His spot on the prestigious committee will be filled by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), according to the Sun-Times. Kerry's looming departure from the Senate could trigger a fascinating political battle in Massachusetts. It is widely expected that Republican Scott Brown, who lost his own Senate seat to Elizabeth Warren last month, would run in a special election to fill Kerry's vacant seat. Evan Vucci/AP UN Ambassador Susan Rice has withdrawn from consideration for Secretary of State after vocal opposition from several key Republican senators. Brown won Sen. Ted Kennedy's old seat in 2010 and, despite his defeat, retains a high favorability rating in the Bay State. It is not known who Democrats would choose to run against him. Several prominent Republicans have signaled that they would not oppose Kerry's nomination — in part because it would open up the seat in Massachusetts. Obama will continue to fill out his national security team in the coming days and Beltway gossip has him leaning toward choosing former Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, a Republican, to become Secretary of Defense. Clinton had long said she was only interested in serving one term as Secretary of State, and she is expected to step down next month. She has said she will take some time off before deciding on her next career move — which could include a run for the White House in 2016. Tags:


Because of an uprising that began in France and quickly spread to Italy, the Austrian Empire and Germany, which year of the 19'th century became known as the ' Year of Revolutions ' ?

SparkNotes: Europe (1815-1848): Germany and Prussia in 1848 Germany and Prussia in 1848 Germany and Prussia in 1848 → 1848 Revolutions: The Austrian Empire Germany and Prussia in 1848, page 2 page 1 of 2 Summary Prussia In Prussia, the old king, Frederick William III, had always been opposed to giving the Prussian people a constitution. Frederick William IV, who was generally as weak and unskilled as his father, similarly feared giving the people a constitution. However, the success of Prussia in the last few decades had been almost entirely due to the skilled group of bureaucrats and administrators serving the government, and all of these administrators were pushing hard for a constitutional monarchy. In March 1848, rioting began in Berlin, as the 1848 revolution fever crossed from Austria into Prussia. Frederick William IV quickly mobilized the disciplined Prussian army to suppress the revolution. However, he surprised everyone by taking a liberal stance and allowing an election to take place to elect a Prussian assembly. The elected radical revolutionaries wanted to unite Prussia with all of Germany to create a force that could challenge Russia. The Assembly also desired to grant the Polish minorities living in eastern Prussia a right of self-government. Deciding that the experiment in democratic government had gone on long enough, Frederick William IV changed his mind and dissolved the Prussian Assembly. Germany The 1848 revolutions inspired a similar nationalist movement in Germany proper.  In May 1848, a group of German nationalists met at the Frankfurt Assembly. The goals of the assembly included creating a unified Germany that was Liberal and constitutionally governed. The Frankfurt assembly argued over various topics, including the question of who (the Prussian or Austrian ruler?) should rule a unified Germany. In December of 1848, the Frankfurt Assembly issued the Declaration of the Rights of the German People, based on the Declarations of the Rights of Man in France and the Declaration of Independence in the United States. Following the Nationalist rather than Enlightenment ideal, this declaration ignored the universal rights of all mankind and simply proclaimed the rights of Germans. In 1849, the Frankfurt Assembly offered Germany to Frederick William IV. Though he coveted the territory, Frederick William knew that an acceptance would lead to war with Austria and make him into a constitutional monarch, neither of which he desired. He turned the offer down. Thus, all the deliberation of the Frankfurt Assembly resulted in nothing. Germany remained fragmented after 1848, and the small rulers of the various small German states came back to power. Commentary Wanting to maintain the power they held within the loose confederation of the Bund, the leaders of the small German states staunchly opposed revolution.  Furthermore, Prussia and Austria, who combined to dominate Germany, liked a weak Germany, primarily because they feared the possibility of a united, powerful Germany on their borders. 1


Which Welsh Rugby Union team plays its home games at the Gnoll ?

BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | Welsh | Wales U18s start new combination Printable version Wales U18s start new combination The new combined Wales Under-18 team will play its first match on Thursday tonight against Italy at the Gnoll. The Welsh Rugby Union took over the side after a controversial merger of the separate schools and youth teams. Scarlets, Coleg Sir Gar and Pontyberem prop Hugh Gustafson leads a match squad that contains 10 Dragons players. Fly-half Rhys Jones is the son of former Wales captain Kingsley, while half-back partner Rob Lewis is the son of current WRU general manager Steve. The match against Italy is the first of nine games scheduled this year for the new Wales Under-18 team. Wales Under-18: Martin Thomas (Scarlets/Tre-gib School/ Llandeilo RFC); Will Harries (Exiles/Millfield School), Alex Wilkins (Ospreys/Bishop Gore School/Mumbles RFC), Ashley Smith (Dragons/Caerleon School/Newport HSOB RFC), Jimmy Norris (Dragons/Bettws School/ Newport HSOB RFC); Rhys Jones (Dragons/Cwmcarn School/Newport RFC), Robert Lewis (Dragons/Hereford Cathedral School/Newport RFC); Hugh Gustafson (Scarlets/Coleg Sir Gar/Pontyberem RFC, capt), Marc Jones (Blues/Pencoed School/Treorchy RFC), Jamie Corsi (Dragons/Bassaleg School/Newport RFC), Bryn Jenkins (Exiles/Ivybridge School/Liskeard-Looe RFC), Josh Turnbull (Scarlets/Ysgol Gyfun Emlyn/Newcastle Emlyn RFC), Lloyd Phillips (Scarlets/Coleg Sir Gar/Narberth RFC), Ben Flower (Dragons/St Cenydd School/Newport RFC), Lewis Evans (Dragons/St Joseph's School/Newport HSOB RFC). Replacements: Mark Breeze (Ospreys/Neath College/Aberavon Quins RFC), Gwesyn Price-Jones (Dragons/Ysgol Gwyn Llyw/Newport RFC), Adam Brown (Dragons/Bassaleg School/ Pontypool Utd RFC), Matthew Larson (Blues/Tonyrefail School/Treorchy RFC), Darren Allinson (Scarlets/Ysgol y Gwendraeth/Pontyberem RFC), Rhys Priestland (Scarlets/Bro Myrddin School/Carmarthen Ath RFC), Gareth Maule (Dragons/St Alban's School/Newport RFC). *Players are credited with regional, school and club representation.


What was the name of Oasis's first UK No. 1 hit single ?

Revealed: Official Top 20 Biggest Selling Oasis Songs 06 October 2016 Revealed: Official Top 20 Biggest Selling Oasis Songs As new documentary Supersonic lifts the lid on Oasis's early years, we look at their biggest sellers. Google + As introductions to rock bands go, Definitely Maybe is certainly a strong one. 20 years ago, all the way back in 1994, Oasis’ bolshy debut album went straight in at Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart. The band are known for their mega-selling albums, with five of them selling over a million, Their second album, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory is one of the biggest selling albums of all time, shifting over four million copies. But what about the songs? Oasis weren’t exactly shy of a smash hit single either, with eight Official Singles Chart Number 1s to their name. So, we look back at that massive debut album, we count down the songs that made it happen. You can’t have an album without the tunes, after all… 5: Roll With It(1995) A single that was part of the biggest chart battle of all time and, infamously, lost… Roll With It was the spark that lit a fire under the now-legendary Blur vs Oasis rivalry and had to settle for second place behind their rivals’ Country House when both tracks were released in the same week. The tension went beyond this race to be Number 1, with the bands generally disliking each other for years to come. The truce nobody thought would ever happen did come along eventually, and Noel is now pals with Blur frontman Damon Albarn, who he’d previously called “condescending”. Oddly, The battle for Number 1 wasn’t as close as you might think – Blur romped to victory with Country House finishing almost 50,000 copies ahead. It's sold 520,000 copies.   4: Whatever (1994) Another anthemic song, Whatever was something of an oddity among Oasis singles, as it didn’t feature on any studio album. Intended to bridge the gap between debut album Definitely Maybe and follow-up (What’s The Story) Morning Glory, Whatever saw the band go Top 3 for the very first time – every single they released after would chart no lower until Who Feels Love broke the run in April 2000. It wasn’t until a greatest hits collection in 2009 that Whatever was finally included on an album and available digitally for the very first time – it even broke back into the Top 75 that very week. Its sales tally stands at 553,000.   3: D’You Know What I Mean (1997) Few albums have been more highly anticipated than Oasis’s third album Be Here Now. Its lead single D’You Know What I Mean was an eight-minute epic, with a blockbuster-type video and the band turned up to full-on swagger. Selling over 370,000 copies in its first week on sale, D’You Know What I Mean gave Oasis its first pair of consecutive Number 1s – they’d go on to score two more. D’You Know What I Mean was the fifth bestselling single of 1997 and has shifted 745,000 copies. 2: Don’t Look Back In Anger (1996) The band’s second Number 1 was their first chart-topper to feature Noel on lead vocals. The chorus’s “So Sally can waaaaait” actually came about by accident. Noel was strumming away singing nothing in particular, when Liam asked him who Sally was, thinking he was singing “So Sally can wait”. Noel liked it so much it became the actual lyrics. And it was a good shout, Don’t Look Back In Anger was the fourth bestselling single of 1996 and has shifted 948,000 copies. 1: Wonderwall (1995) Wonderwall, Noel Gallagher’s love letter to his then girlfriend, is the band’s top seller but never reaching Number 1. According to legend, despite the song’s subject, Liam insisted on singing it – he obviously knew an anthem when he heard one. Trouble was, it was such an anthem that the band eventually got sick of having it sang back to them at concerts. If it’s any comfort to Oasis, it is one of the biggest selling songs of all time.  Wonderwall sold over 140,000 copies in its first week on sale. It finally passed the million mark in 2009. It's shifted 1.34 million copies. Altogether now: “And all the roads we have to walk are wiiiiinding… What’s happening in the rest


In the forthcoming trilogy of films based on Tolkien's The Hobbit , which British actor plays Bilbo Baggins ?

Martin Freeman crawls out of his 'Hobbit' hole FacebookEmail Twitter Google+ LinkedIn Pinterest Martin Freeman crawls out of his 'Hobbit' hole Private British actor Martin Freeman enters Middle-earth as Bilbo Baggins, the reluctant traveler at the center of 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.' Post to Facebook Martin Freeman crawls out of his 'Hobbit' hole Private British actor Martin Freeman enters Middle-earth as Bilbo Baggins, the reluctant traveler at the center of 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.' Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/RrLmk6 CancelSend A link has been sent to your friend's email address. Posted! A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. 5 To find out more about Facebook commenting please read the Conversation Guidelines and FAQs Martin Freeman crawls out of his 'Hobbit' hole Susan Wloszczyna, USA TODAY Published 7:30 p.m. ET Dec. 13, 2012 | Updated 7:38 p.m. ET Dec. 13, 2012 CLOSE Bilbo (Martin Freeman) reviews the contract for the quest and finds some interesting clauses. The private British actor stars as Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's latest epic. Martin Freeman stars in 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.' (Photo: Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY) Story Highlights Martin Freeman stars a Bilbo Baggins in 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,' which opens Friday NEW YORK — As Bilbo Baggins, the reluctant traveler at the center of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Martin Freeman survives encounters with all manner of Middle-earth menace, from rock creatures who burst forth from mountainsides and hurl giant boulders to a hygiene-deprived troll who mistakes our wee hero for a tissue. It is odd, then, that during an interview, the British actor — who stars in the first of three films based on J.R.R. Tolkien's literary precursor to The Lord of the Rings, opening nationwide Friday — is thrown for a loop by a wooden stirrer that is topped by an ornate lump of rock-candy crystals. "Is that sugar?" Freeman, 41, inquires while staring incredulously at the fancy utensil he just plopped into his room-service latte. "Is that a real thing here?" Assured that the item is not considered a necessity in most American households, he looks relieved. "This is not part of Obamacare, then." Such wit has served Freeman well throughout a career that began in U.K. sitcoms, including the original version of The Office as the prankster cubicle drone played by John Krasinski in the long-running U.S. knockoff. For some reason, his Tim was changed to Jim on this side of the Atlantic. "Are there many Tims in America?" asks Freeman, once again stymied by Yankee customs. "I don't know if I can think of many American Tims." The specialist in awkwardly self-effacing Everymanliness moved on to features such as 2003's Love Actually, finessing a role as a shy movie double in explicit sex scenes who chastely falls for his female counterpart. The yuletide-set ensemble romance has evolved into a holiday perennial on TV. As Freeman observes, "People watch it whether they want to or not. It's become a new Wizard of Oz for Christmas." The actor has boldly dared to take on such cultish icons as sci-fi nomad Arthur Dent in 2005'sThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, as well as placing a contemporary spin on Dr. Watson (he blogs!) opposite Benedict Cumberbatch's antisocial sleuth in Sherlock on PBS, which starts shooting its third season in March. But none carry as much baggage as the Shire's Bilbo, who is recruited by wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen, reprising his Rings role) to assist a gang of rowdy dwarves on a quest to reclaim their treasures from fierce dragon Smaug. It's not just that Tolkien's 1937 fantasy is a childhood rite of passage that has sold more than 100 million copies and has never been out of print. Or that the epic adventures based on the Rings trilogy — also directed by Peter Jackson at his New Zealand-based filmmaking empire — have grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide and won 17 Oscars, lifting expectations for The Hobbit to oxygen-depriving heights. But just as Bilbo is coerced out of his comfort zone, the


In which year did the Peterloo Massacre take place ?

Peterloo Massacre Peterloo Massacre ▼ Primary Sources ▼ Peterloo Massacre In March 1819, Joseph Johnson , John Knight and James Wroe formed the Manchester Patriotic Union Society. All the leading radicals in Manchester joined the organisation. Johnson was appointed secretary and Wroe became treasurer. The main objective of this new organisation was to obtain parliamentary reform and during the summer of 1819 it was decided to invite Major Cartwright , Henry Orator Hunt and Richard Carlile to speak at a public meeting in Manchester . The men were told that this was to be "a meeting of the county of Lancashire, than of Manchester alone. I think by good management the largest assembly may be procured that was ever seen in this country." Cartwright was unable to attend but Hunt and Carlile agreed and the meeting was arranged to take place at St. Peter's Field on 16th August. The local magistrates were concerned that such a substantial gathering of reformers might end in a riot. The magistrates therefore decided to arrange for a large number of soldiers to be in Manchester on the day of the meeting. This included four squadrons of cavalry of the 15th Hussars (600 men), several hundred infantrymen, the Cheshire Yeomanry Cavalry (400 men), a detachment of the Royal Horse Artillery and two six-pounder guns and the Manchester and Salford Yeomanry (120 men) and all Manchester's special constables (400 men). At about 11.00 a.m. on 16th August, 1819 William Hulton , the chairman, and nine other magistrates met at Mr. Buxton's house in Mount Street that overlooked St. Peter's Field . Although there was no trouble the magistrates became concerned by the growing size of the crowd. Estimations concerning the size of the crowd vary but Hulton came to the conclusion that there were at least 50,000 people in St. Peter's Field at midday. Hulton therefore took the decision to send Edward Clayton, the Boroughreeve and the special constables to clear a path through the crowd. The 400 special constables were therefore ordered to form two continuous lines between the hustings where the speeches were to take place, and Mr. Buxton's house where the magistrates were staying. Print of the Peterloo Massacre published by Richard Carlile The main speakers at the meeting arrived at 1.20 p.m. This included Henry 'Orator' Hunt , Richard Carlile , John Knight , Joseph Johnson and Mary Fildes . Several of the newspaper reporters, including John Tyas of The Times , Edward Baines of the Leeds Mercury , John Smith of the Liverpool Mercury and John Saxton of the Manchester Observer , joined the speakers on the hustings. At 1.30 p.m. the magistrates came to the conclusion that "the town was in great danger". William Hulton therefore decided to instruct Joseph Nadin , Deputy Constable of Manchester , to arrest Henry Hunt and the other leaders of the demonstration. Nadin replied that this could not be done without the help of the military. Hulton then wrote two letters and sent them to Lieutenant Colonel L'Estrange , the commander of the military forces in Manchester and Major Thomas Trafford, the commander of the Manchester & Salford Yeomanry . Major Trafford, who was positioned only a few yards away at Pickford's Yard, was the first to receive the order to arrest the men. Major Trafford chose Captain Hugh Birley , his second-in-command, to carry out the order. Local eyewitnesses claimed that most of the sixty men who Birley led into St. Peter's Field were drunk. Birley later insisted that the troop's erratic behaviour was caused by the horses being afraid of the crowd. The Manchester & Salford Yeomanry entered St. Peter's Field along the path cleared by the special constables. As the yeomanry moved closer to the hustings, members of the crowd began to link arms to stop them arresting Henry Hunt and the other leaders. Others attempted to close the pathway that had been created by the special constables. Some of the yeomanry now began to use their sabres to cut their way through the crowd. Print of St. Peter's Massacre When Captain Hugh Birley and his men reached


Which coffee chain opened its first branch in Seattle in 1971 ?

The first Starbucks coffee shop, Seattle - a history of cities in 50 buildings, day 36 | Cities | The Guardian A history of cities in 50 buildings The first Starbucks coffee shop, Seattle - a history of cities in 50 buildings, day 36 When the now-infamous chain first opened its doors in Seattle on 30 March 1971, its sign bore not a green mermaid but a (more anatomically detailed) brown one, and its mission was purely to sell freshly roasted coffee beans Not quite where it all began: No 1912 Pike Place, Seattle, is actually the second location of the ‘original’ Starbucks cafe Cities is supported by Thursday 14 May 2015 05.45 EDT Last modified on Tuesday 26 May 2015 06.52 EDT Share on Messenger Close With more than 21,500 stores in 64 countries and territories, the Starbucks coffee chain has enjoyed the image of omnipresence for so long that jokes about walking across the street from one branch straight into another have themselves become clichéd. In certain cities, it’s simply the reality: Seattle, for instance, where the now universally recognised green mermaid got her humble start. But when the very first Starbucks opened on 30 March 1971, its sign bore not a green mermaid but a brown one — and a more anatomically detailed one at that. Founders Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker (friends from the University of San Francisco, all instructed in the art of roasting by Peet’s Coffee and Tea founder Alfred Peet) drew the theme of their new coffee company from nautical mythology, commissioning that first version of the company’s signature siren and picking a name out of Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick – “Starbucks” having narrowly pipped the second-place contender, “ Pequod ”. You can still see Starbucks’ original mermaid, baring her breasts and spreading her tails, on the window of the “original Starbucks” (actually the second location of the original Starbucks, to which it moved in 1977) at Seattle’s tourist-beloved Pike Place market. A site of pilgrimage for Starbucks habitués the world over, the store offers not just all the drinks on the company’s modern menu — from normal coffee and espresso to chai tea lattes and caramel Frappuccinos — but a sense of just how much the operation has changed over the decades. You can still see Starbucks’ original mermaid, baring her breasts and spreading her tails, on the window of the store Pinterest The Seattle cafe has become a site of pilgrimage for Starbucks habitués the world over. Photograph: Kevin P Casey/AP Those who visit the original Starbucks will find themselves at the back of a line stretching well past the small building’s door, and once inside will see nowhere to sit and linger — just as Baldwin, Siegl and Bowker intended. They founded Starbucks not as a place to drink freshly brewed coffee, but as a place to buy freshly roasted beans. The home-brewing coffee aficionados of 1970s Seattle loved it, and demand had grown sufficiently by decade’s end that a curious Howard Schultz – then the general manager of their filter supplier, Hammarplast – paid a visit to No.1912 Pike Place to watch this booming small business in action. Impressed, Schultz joined Starbucks as director of marketing in 1982 and, on a buying trip to Milan, experienced the cultural awakening that would give the company its destiny – in the form of the Piazza del Duomo’s many coffee bars, all of them serving high-grade espresso, all of them providing quasi-public meeting places for Milanese society. There, amid “the light banter of political debate and the chatter of kids in school uniforms”, the question hit Schultz: why couldn’t American cities have the same thing? And if they could, why couldn’t they serve coffee made with Starbucks-roasted beans? Unable to convince Starbucks’ founders of the viability of a concept as novel as coffee bars in Seattle, Schultz left the company in 1985. The next year he opened a coffee bar of his own, named “Il Giornale” after one of Milan’s newspapers. Two years after that, he found enough investors to purchase Starbucks outright, which put him in a position, as CEO, to


Andy Murray's victory over which sporting rival made him Britain's first male grand slam tennis champion for 76 years ?

Andy Murray becomes first British man to win Wimbledon in 77 years after beating Djokovic in straight sets | Daily Mail Online He's done it! Murray the Magnificent becomes first British man to win Wimbledon in 77 years after beating Djokovic in straight sets Andy Murray from Dunblane, Scotland, becomes the first British Wimbledon champion since Fred Perry in 1936 He said the 15,000-strong crowd helped him through some tough battles on the court right up to his victory today Conditions were tough on Centre Court for both players in SW London as temperatures soared to more than 30C Girlfriend Kim Sears was at the forefront of the supporters in the players' box with Judy Murray, the Scot's mother Prime Minister David Cameron, Hollywood actor Bradley Cooper, and footballer Wayne Rooney also in the crowd


For how long does Rip Van Winkle sleep in Washington Irving's story ?

Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle: Summary and Analysis - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle: Summary and Analysis Watch short & fun videos Start Your Free Trial Today An error occurred trying to load this video. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. You must create an account to continue watching Register for a free trial Are you a student or a teacher? I am a student Start Your Free Trial To Continue Watching As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you             succeed. Coming up next: The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving: Summary and Analysis You're on a roll. Keep up the good work! Your next lesson will play in 10 seconds 0:06 Rip Van Winkle Add to Add to Add to Want to watch this again later? Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course. Custom Courses are courses that you create from Study.com lessons. Use them just like other courses to    track progress, access quizzes and exams, and share content. Teachers Organize and share selected lessons with your class. Make planning easier by creating your own custom course. Students Create a new course from any lesson page or your dashboard. From any lesson page: Click "Add to" located below the video player and follow the prompts to name your course and save your lesson. From your dashboard: Click on the "Custom Courses" tab, then click "Create course". Next, go to any lesson page and begin     adding lessons. Edit your Custom Course directly from your dashboard. Personalize: Name your Custom Course and add an optional description or learning objective. Organize: Create chapters to group lesson within your course. Remove and reorder chapters and lessons at any time. Share your Custom Course or assign lessons and chapters. Teacher Edition: Share or assign lessons and chapters by clicking the "Teacher" tab on the lesson or chapter page you want to     assign.     Students' quiz scores and video views will be trackable in your "Teacher" tab. Premium Edition: You can share your Custom Course by copying and pasting the course URL. Only Study.com members will be able to access the     entire course. Create an account to start this course today Try it free for 5 days! Lesson Transcript Instructor: Heather Carroll Heather teaches high school English. She holds a master's degree in education and is a National Board Certified Teacher. The story of 'Rip Van Winkle' is one of enchantments and escape. In this lesson, we look at how Washington Irving uses his words and Romantic characteristics to create the story's theme. Rip Van Winkle Like many of Washington Irving's other famous stories, 'Rip Van Winkle' was inspired by German folklore . The general plot of the story, a man who mysteriously sleeps for 20 years to find himself in a changed world, is easy enough even for children to understand, which is probably why its story line has often been adapted in other works and forms of entertainment. Even my personal first encounter with the story was an old Pac Man cartoon version called 'Pac Van Winkle.' And there's a reason this story is still so fun to read. It has all the fixings of a great story: a nagging wife, dogs, guns, ghosts, liquor and of course, long, gray beards. Characters Rip Van Winkle is depicted as a henpecked husband. The story starts before the American Revolution, when King George is ruling the colonies. Right away, Irving explains that Rip is a pretty good man. He is friendly, and people in town tend to like him. If someone needs an extra hand, Rip is always ready to lend one. He is often flocked by children and has a loyal dog companion named Wolf. Rip's problem, we quickly learn, is that he isn't terribly motivated to do much work around his house or even enough to really take care of his family. As a result, his wife Dame Van Winkle, isn't exactly his biggest fan. Here, Irving paints Rip as the henpecked husband, a


Which magician was the first TV partner of Basil Brush ?

Basil Brush Show, The Basil Brush Show, The 1 9 6 8 - 1 9 8 0 (UK) 152 x 30 minute episodes Basil Brush - a mischievous upper-class fox, created and voiced by Ivan Owen (formerly the operator of Yoo-Hoo the Cuckoo in the 1950s'  Billy Bean and His Funny Machine  and dog Fred Barker in  Tuesday Rendezvous  and  Five O'Clock Club ) - started off on the telly in a little-known puppet show called The Three Scampis as a sidekick to a Scottish hedgehog called Spike McPike (voiced by Wally Whyton) and a human called Howard Williams. The puppet was made for Owen by Peter Firmin, half of the Smallfilms team who devised  Ivor The Engine ,  Noggin The Nog  and many other superior children's television shows.   Dressed in waistcoat, tartan cape and sporting a cravat, Basil shone head and shoulders above his co-stars and got his big break in 1967 when he was signed for a regular guest spot on magician David Nixon's The Nixon Line, accompanied by Mr Rodney (Rodney Bewes from  The Likely Lads ) as his first straight man. Basil soon got his own show now accompanied by Mr Derek (Derek Fowlds from  Yes, Minister  and  Heartbeat ) whose chunky sweaters and comparatively stern demeanour seemed to keep the Deerstalkered One in check to some degree. Basil was also accompanied at different times by Mr Roy (North), Mr Billy (Boyle) and Mr Howard (his old sidekick from the Three Scampis days). At the show's peak when it pulled in millions of viewers a week, artists such as  Herman's Hermits , Cilla Black ,  The Kinks ,  Lulu  and Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich  clamoured to appear on the show. Derek managed to exert some control over Basil and on occasion even managed to read more than a page of the story, such as 'Buccaneering Basil' and 'Blast off Basil'. Basil's disrespect for authority appealed to kids, while innuendo and topical gags at the expense of British Rail, Margaret Thatcher and 'Mrs Lighthouse' ( Mary Whitehouse ) kept parents amused. The song at the end of the story at the end of each show - with the same melody every time with different words - reunited Basil and the current Mr. after the inevitable fallings out each week caused by: Basil rustling the bag of jelly babies and offering one during a particularly exciting moment of the tale Basil unwrapping a toffee noisily and then getting his jaws locked together by it Basil's nose literally out of joint after getting it tweaked at the end of one more interruption Basil going "Yes, yes, yes" every ten seconds The inevitable appearance of his toy dog that could do back flips Basil's interruptions were probably the main reason for the short tenure of each of the successive Misters. The Roy North pairing was a mismatch from the start - Basil was in complete control by now and Roy (looking like a soppy black-haired Peter Noone - pictured below) let him run riot. No guest was safe from insult during this period and we only ever got about two lines of the story per show. Mr Billy was no better - despite his excellent showing as Danny Taurus on  EastEnders  - and the less said about Mr. Howard the better. Basil reappeared in schools programme Let's Read . . .With Basil Brush (ITV, 1982-83) and  Crackerjack  (BBC), with his last TV engagement Basil's Joke Machine (ITV, 1986). A stroke in the late 1980s left Ivan Owen listless and depressed, meaning retirement for the cheeky fox. Owen died in 2000 at the age of 73 - having never once been photographed with his puppet friend, so preserving Basil's 'reality'. Boom Boom! In 2002, a new BBC series, with a slick children's sitcom format, a new voice artist and a fatter, furrier new puppet, lost the spontaneity that had made a flea-ridden puppet seem so alive. Guest appearances on  Blue Peter  in early 2003 were more in keeping with the Basil of old. Basil Brush


Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better is a song from which show ?

Anything you can do I can do better.avi - YouTube Anything you can do I can do better.avi 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 Jun 6, 2011 Anything you can do I can do better - Annie Get Your Gun - Betty Hutton and Howard Keel Category


What is the rugby union equivalent of a throw-in in football ?

American Football vs Rugby - Difference and Comparison | Diffen American Football vs. Rugby Diffen › Sports American football is a game played between two teams and consists of 11 players in each of the two teams, with unlimited substitutions. American football is a game of intense physical play with complex strategy to score points by advancing the ball to the opponent team’s end-zone. Rugby is best described as a blend of the contact of American football, the running of soccer , and the transition of basketball. It is a game played between two teams with 15 players in each, played on a rectangular field, with the object being to run with an oval ball across the opponent’s goal line or kick it through the upper portion of the goal posts . Both the games differ in a variety of parameters. Comparison chart American Football versus Rugby comparison chart American Football 11 players per team on the field at any point of time Team consists of 15 players for Union Time limit Four 15-minute quarters, with a half-time intermission after the second quarter. The game clock stops frequently between plays. Two 40 minute halves with a ten minute half time. Clock only stops for prolonged injuries. Object of the Game Object of the game is to score points by carrying the ball beyond the opponents touch line. (Each such instance is called a touch down). Also scoring by kicking it between the goal post called a Field Goal. Object of the game is to carry the ball and place the ball down on the opponents touch line (called a Try) or kick it between the goal posts. Major League National Football League (NFL) Major comps include"(domestic) super 15, Aviva prem, RFU, top 14, Nat league 1 & 2, rugby pro d2, ITM cup, currie cup, rebo pro d12, super 10, shut shield, NSW suburb rugby(+more) (internation) RWC, four nat, six nat, pacific nat, asian 5 nat(+more) Ball A prolate spheroid which is about 11 inches (28 cm) long and about 22 inches (56 cm) in circumference at the center and weighs around 0.875lbs. A prolate spheroid shaped football. The accepted international size is called the "size 5" and is approximately 27 cm long and 60 cm in circumference at its widest point and weighs around 1lb. Countries Worldwide What is it? American football is a game with intense physical aggression with players that have speed, power, and explosiveness that requires helmets and padding to be worn. Rugby is a game with intense physical aggression and necessary endurance that only requires a mouth guard for play. Certain possesions require speed and agility, others require strength. Current World Champions New Zealand All Blacks (Rugby Union World Cup) Substitution Unlimited Up to 7 substitutions allowed (depending on the tournament rules) Once pulled out cannot be substituted back in unless there is an injury and no other substitutes. Player Size NFL player brandon banks 70 kg. (155 lbs.) was at one point 67 kg. (149 lbs.) is the lightest NFL player since 2010 while the largest NFL player was 162.3kg (358 lbs.) The largest running back is 122kg (268 lbs.) Brandon jacobs. The lightest rugby player to ever play international rugby was Gordon McGhie at just 58kg. largest rugby international bill cavubati (165.3kg) his heaviest at 201.7kg (442.5lbs). Number of Umpires / Referees 3 to 6 referees plus booth review 4 referees including TMO (television match official) who declares tries valid or invalid via cameras for tries which aren't visible for the ref or caused after an illegal infringement and 2 assistant referees. Protective gear Helmet, Shoulder/Chest pad/protector, upper leg padding and mouthguard are rightfully required. Players are only allowed modest padding on Head, Shoulders, Collarbone etc. Only a mouthguard is required. Major Tournaments Rugby World Cup Field Length: 120 yards (109.728 meters) in total (100 yards (91.44 meters) of playing field, with two 10-yard (9.144 meters) end zones) Width: 160 feet (48.768 meters) 100 (120m if end zone "goal area" is included) meters long by 70 meters wide with 20-meter in try area. Average contact per game Aver


In 2012 , who became the first woman writer to win the Booker Prize for the second time ?

Hilary Mantel wins Man Booker prize for second time | Books | The Guardian Hilary Mantel Hilary Mantel wins Man Booker prize for second time Bring Up the Bodies is first sequel to triumph in prize's 43-year history, and author is first woman and first Briton to win twice Tuesday 16 October 2012 18.34 EDT First published on Tuesday 16 October 2012 18.34 EDT Close This article is 4 years old Hilary Mantel has made Man Booker prize history by becoming the first woman and the first British writer to win the literary award twice. Receiving the prize, Mantel joked: "You wait 20 years for a Booker prize and then two come along at once." Bring Up the Bodies, the blistering and bloody second instalment of her trilogy charting the life of Thomas Cromwell, was also the first sequel to triumph in the prize's 43-year history. The first instalment, Wolf Hall, won three years ago. The chairman of the Booker judges, Sir Peter Stothard, called Mantel "the greatest modern English prose writer" working today, and said she had "rewritten the book on writing historical fiction". "We are very proud to be reading English at the time she is writing. I don't think I've read any English novelist in recent years who has such complete control over the way she uses prose to do what she wants to do, like a singer or a pianist," Stothard said. Mantel, 60, joins the Australian Peter Carey and the South African JM Coetzee as a double Booker winner. She triumphed from a shortlist that was striking in its contrast to last year, when judges emphasised readability. This year it was about the power of prose and re-readability. "There is no point in having a text for this prize that is dead as soon as it is read," Stothard said. "There are many perfectly good books for which that is true – they are a good read, but you wouldn't want to read them again. This prize is for books that will be read in decades to come and each time you read them they reveal something different." The 2012 shortlist included challenging books, not least the hotly tipped Umbrella, by Will Self, written in a high modernist stream of consciousness with barely a paragraph break, let alone chapters. The others were The Garden of Evening Mists, the second novel from the Malaysian writer Tan Twan Eng; Deborah Levy's Swimming Home; and two first novels – Alison Moore's The Lighthouse and Jeet Thayil's Narcopolis. Mantel, who has embarked on writing the third instalment, said the award was a "vote of confidence" and "act of faith". But is it not also enormous pressure? She told journalists: "When I start writing it I'll forget all of this because every day has its new problems … it's you struggling with your subject matter and a blank screen." She said Bring Up the Bodies was "a more fully achieved book than Wolf Hall. Formally, it probably has the edge." Three years ago, she said she would be spending the prize money on "sex, drugs and rock'n'roll". On Tuesday night, she said it would be spent on rehab, before adding a more pragmatic answer – "my pension, probably". The judges' decision, reached in two hours and 16 minutes, came after "a rigorous process of literary criticism", said Stothard, who edits the Times Literary Supplement. There was no vote, which he said would have been an act of desperation. "We didn't allow anybody to say 'I like this', 'I really enjoyed it', 'this is the one for me'. By the very nature of that, each book was analysed and argued over and the ones for which arguments were weaker than others fell away." Stothard said he thought Bring Up the Bodies "utterly surpassed" the achievement of Wolf Hall, although he stressed the judges did not discuss that first novel. "It is an extraordinary book in its own right but it is tighter. I think she has learned lessons from Wolf Hall in the way that the prose is written." Bring Up the Bodies is more condensed than Wolf Hall in that it charts the nine months of events in 1535 that lead to the execution of Anne Boleyn. It is one of the greatest, best-known stories in English history, yet Mantel "is able to bring it to life as th


"Who said at the time of her resignation from public office: "" It's a funny old world "" ?"

BBC ON THIS DAY | 22 | 1990: Thatcher quits as prime minister About This Site | Text Only 1990: Thatcher quits as prime minister Margaret Thatcher is to stand down as prime minister after her Cabinet refused to back her in a second round of leadership elections. She will remain in office until a successor is elected, but will not continue to fight Michael Heseltine for the Conservative Party leadership. The former secretary of state for the environment threw down the gauntlet after a string of serious disputes over Britain's involvement in the European Union. The prime minister said pressure from colleagues had forced her to conclude that party unity and the prospect of victory in the next general election would be better served if she stepped down. Once again Margaret Thatcher has put her country's and party's interests before personal considerations Conservative Party Chairman Kenneth Baker Downing Street issued a statement at 0930 GMT after Mrs Thatcher had informed her Cabinet and the Queen of her intention. By 1200 GMT, Chancellor John Major and Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd had announced they would now stand against Mr Heseltine in the next stage of the leadership contest. The decision comes less than 24 hours after the Iron Lady had vowed to "fight on and fight to win" after winning the first round - but not with the required majority. Tory Party Chairman Kenneth Baker said it was a typically brave and selfless decision from the prime minister. "Once again Margaret Thatcher has put her country's and party's interests before personal considerations," he said. And there were tributes to Mrs Thatcher from both sides of the House of Commons during Prime Minister's Questions. Labour leader Neil Kinnock said the prime minister's decision showed she amounted to more than those who had recently turned against her. But the outgoing Tory leader refused a request from Mr Kinnock to hold a general election so the British people could make their own choice about her successor.


Who punched her way into the history books in 2012 by becoming the first woman ever to win Olympic gold in boxing ?

The IoS Pink List 2012 | The Independent News The IoS Pink List 2012 Olympic year; an olympic Pink List. More than 1,500 of you voted for the influential lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people who, you feel, make Britain safer, fairer, better and more entertaining. More than 250 nominees' names were run past our panel of judges: two magazine editors, a teacher and LGBT schools adviser, a film maker, a charity CEO, and the Chief Executive of Stonewall. They wrestled with the knotty question of who was most influential in 2012. Not surprisingly, sports people are high on the list. We hope it surprises, amuses, challenges and inspires you. Please let us know what you think Sunday 4 November 2012 00:00 BST Click to follow The IoS Pink List 2012 1/50 1 (new entry) - Nicola Adams Olympian Nicola Adams punched her way into the history books this year, becoming the first woman ever to win an Olympic medal in boxing. Since the 30-year-old flyweight from Leeds floored China’s Ren Cancan to win the gold she has become an inspiring role model for young people in Britain and around the world. Rarely seen without the smile that is now emblazoned on billboards and buses around the country, Adams is modest, hardworking and friendly. Everything, in short, that you would hope from a sporting hero. Adams, who is bisexual, persevered with the sport for more than a decade when representing her country — let alone getting an Olympic medal — was not an option for girls. This year, her talent and charm have won over many of the chauvinists who queued up before the Games to say that putting a woman in the ring was 'unnatural'. 'It's amazing to be on top of a list of such inspiring and influential people,' Adams said. 'Thanks to everyone for their continued support.' PA 2 (4) - Clare Balding Presenter and author Ordinarily, being queen of the Olympics, a best-selling memoirist, champion of women's sport and darling of Twitter would be enough for a number-one slot. We love her, and her partner, Alice Arnold. We hope she'll be chuffed to come second to a London 2012 gold medallist. PA 3 (re-entry) - Peter Tatchell Legend Last year the Pink List committed the unforgivable error of forgetting the veteran campaigner. He forgave us with typical good grace. Director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, he has tackled neo-Nazis, President Mugabe and the British parliament. Indefatigable, brave and unforgettable. Getty Images 4 (new entry) - Lee Pearson Paralympic equestrian He told The IoS that he prepared for the Paralympic Games with curry, Malibu and Coke, but that didn't stop Pearson from taking home his 10th gold medal from four summer Olympics. At London 2012, the MBE also added a bronze and a silver to his trophy cabinet. Getty Images 5 (new entry) - Carl Hester Olympic equestrian One of the most established dressage riders in the country, Carl Hester worked with Charlotte Dujardin and Laura Bechtolsheimer to win Britain's first Olympic dressage gold in the team event. He also made history as the only Team GB Olympian to be "out" at the time of the Games. Getty Images 6 (judge) - Greg Barker Climate-change minister Conservative MP who is defending the interests of the green movement inside DECC against anti-wind farms minister John Hayes. Barker is also chairman of the 2020 group of Tory MPs, who want David Cameron to return to the progressive centre and stand up to the Conservative right. PA 9 (re-entry) - David Laws Cabinet office minister Reinstated to Government in September after being forced to resign over his expenses in 2010, Laws, whose responsibilities include schools policy, attends Cabinet and is close to both Michael Gove and Nick Clegg — making him a key influence on the coalition. AFP/Getty Images 10 (new entry) - Luke Anderson Winner, Big Brother 13 Anderson rose to prominence as a hugely popular winner of Channel 5's Big Brother 13. While in the house, Anderson revealed he had been born a woman and hoped that his appearance on the show "will help to show trans guys that you can lead a normal life". 9/50 12 (6) - Evan Davis TV


Which island is the source of the fortified wine , Marsala ?

Marsala Wine Is Coming Back. Here’s Where to Get the Best of It - Bloomberg Bloomberg the Company & Its Products Bloomberg Anywhere Remote LoginBloomberg Anywhere Login Bloomberg Terminal Demo Request Bloomberg Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world. Customer Support Advertising Bloomberg Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world. Customer Support Source: Giò Martorana/Florio via Bloomberg Marsala Wine Is Coming Back. Here’s Where to Get the Best of It It's not just for chicken anymore. (But you can still use it for chicken—that's cool now) by More stories by Mark Ellwood Sicily has been a major wine producer since it was ruled by the ancient Greeks. The island is ideal for viticulture, thanks to its combination of a balmy climate (around 300 days of fine weather each year) and fertile, volcanic soil. Unfortunately, during much of the modern era, Sicily’s bountiful harvest resulted in low-caliber, bulk vino, often used to add a dose of sunshine-fueled punch to bland blends from the north of Italy. In the 1990s, though, Sicilian vineyards saw the opportunities in focusing on quality rather than quantity , according to Bill Nesto, author of The World of Sicilian Wine, and began promoting premium Sicilian wines for the first time. He points to the arrival of winemakers such as Frank Cornelissen  and Andrea Franchetti as critical for the improvement of both harvest and reputation. Annual exports from the region hit almost  99 million in 2013 , up 16.8 percent since 2008. Vineyards at Sambuca, Sicily Photographer: Maremagnum/Getty Images One Sicilian wine staple, though, still languished unloved amid this Sicilian wine renaissance—at least until recently: marsala, the local fortified wine which acts as a response to Portugal’s Madeira or port. It’s appearing on prestige wine lists stateside—offered by the glass at Nick Anderer’s Maialino in New York or Suzette Gresham’s white-tableclothed Italian Acquerello  in San Francisco. Carbone , the lavish Greenwich Village restaurant trying to reclaim Italian-American traditions from conventions of kitsch, even has a vintage marsala from 1930 on its wine list for $375 per bottle. Italian producers are responding to this uptick overseas by getting more ready for visitors—last year, one of the oldest vineyards, Cantine Florio , even introduced a glossy new tasting facility. In the U.S. Stateside, where marsala suffered from its association with that Atomic Era dinner party staple, chicken marsala, higher-grade vintages are displacing cooking-quality wine in stores and on shelves. Cocktail maestros such as  Death & Co’s  David Kaplan are experimenting with it as a new ingredient to add to their menus, and it’s slowly surfacing on high-end wine lists. “I always make sure to have one or two good quality marsalas,” explains Dusan Vranic, sommelier of Moshulu  in Philadelphia. “Once you start interacting with a guest who knows about port or sherry, marsala is something I have to talk to them about.” He pauses: “It’s not only for chicken.”  Keith Wallace founded the Wine School of Philadelphia , where Vranic studied; speaking by phone from there, Wallace argues that marsala can be “ridiculously good.” He sees a parallel between its revival and the rise of retro-minded millennial drinkers, who are increasingly “looking backwards at great, old styles.” (There’s certainly a whiff of 1970s nostalgia  in Pantone’s choice of marsala as its color of the year 2015.) He likens marsala’s rise more to a coming out than a rebirth, though. “Gay marriage is good, but sweet red wine is bad,” Wallace laughs, “We’ve all loved [marsala] behind close doors: high alcohol, delicious, tannic, and sweet.” Struggling for Cachet Marsalas from Marco de Bartoli, Carlo Pellegrino, and Cantine Florio Source: (from left)


Cleopatra was said to have bathed in the milk of which animal in order to preserve her complexion ?

Namibia: Donkey Meat Is '//Îb Ge' - the One - allAfrica.com Namibia: Donkey Meat Is '//Îb Ge' - the One more By Kuzeeko Tjitemisa If you should ask anyone about the taste of donkey meat, the general response in the dusty streets of Tseiblaagte, is most likely to be: "//Khoa xa a donki //gan i ge," which loosely translates as "donkey meat is tasty." In this community, as in many others around the country, the colloquial reference to donkey meat or '//îb ge' or 'the one' in the Damara/Nama language or Khoekhoegowab carries a deep sentiment, one elder remarked. Unlike in some parts of the country where eating donkey meat is taboo, in the east, the northwestern, as well as the southern parts of the country donkey meat is a delicacy that is hugely popular. What is forgotten by the younger generation though, is that in ancient Egypt sour donkey milk was widely sought after, not for consumption, but for use as skin treatment therapy and a disinfectant. Egypt's Queen Cleopatra VII, it is said, bathed in the milk of 700 donkeys to preserve the beauty and youthfulness of her skin. In fact, there are expensive skin products available today that promise consumers to "enjoy a swim [with] Cleopatra" with a skin moisturiser that contains a 50 percent donkey milk equivalent. Moreover, said to be the secret of Cleopatra's flawless complexion, donkeys' milk also works wonders on waistlines, according to research. Opinions on the consumption of donkey meat are polarised, and are not necessary confined to any particular tribe. However, proponents of donkey meat, even those who would not eat it, point out that donkey meat is healthier than beef. The Chief Animal Technician in the Karas Region, Mbuze Albert, says laboratory research findings and analysis on donkey meat revealed that the meat is actually healthier than beef. Donkeys are among the very few domestic animals that are not prone to diseases so the meat is very healthy and tender. "Many people who eat donkey meat do not suffer from gout or meat related diseases," said Albert. Donkey meat is still one of the most popular delicacies among communities scattered in the eastern, southern and northwestern towns of Namibia. It was also the inspiration to the first ever donkey meat cooking competition this year, organised by //Ib Ge! Donkey Meat Suppliers. The competition took place in Windhoek and was meant to encourage local consumption of donkey meat as a local delicacy. Stephanus Jacobs, a pensioner from Tseiblaagte south of Keetmanshoop says he has been eating donkey meat for the last 60 years of his life. "As you can see I am very healthy. The meat is healthier compared to beef and donkey meat is not disease prone, they just do not need to be overworked. Many people believe that the meat is smelly, but I am not of that opinion," said Jacobs. Adries Eigub, a 36-year-old resident of Tseiblaagte, is a butcher specialising in donkey meat. "I have been doing this business for most of my life time and I have been making good money," he says with a wry smile on his face. Eigub is an ardent consumer of donkey meat and he also agrees that it is healthier and tastier although it takes a little bit longer to cook than beef. "I have paid the school fees of my children, and some are at high school now through the sale of donkey meat. The market is available in the region and if anyone is interested just approach me, then I will be happy to render support and assistance to interested business people," he enthused. The meat is slaughter on a farm 30 kilometres from Tses then it gets transported to Keetmanshoop where it is sold. A live donkey costs about N$1000 and the fresh meat is sold for N$10 per kilogram.   Copyright © 2013 New Era. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media ( allAfrica.com ). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. AllAfrica publishes around 700 reports a day from more than 140 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , represent


Which city was the Russian capital during the 11'th century ?

HISTORY OF RUSSIA Enjoy the Famous Daily Vladimir's descendants: 1019-1169 The 35-year reign of Vladimir's son Yaroslav establishes Russia, with its capital at Kiev, as a kingdom in the mainstream of medieval Europe. It also secures the throne for a dynasty which survives in direct descent for six centuries (till the time of Boris Godunov ), even though those centuries see much diminution of Russian territory and a shift of power from Kiev to Moscow. Yaroslav turns Kiev into a glorious Christian city in the Byzantine tradition, founding monasteries, adding a spectacular Golden Gate to the town's fortress, and building a cathedral dedicated, like Justinian's great example in Constantinople, to holy wisdom - Santa Sophia.   He also follows Justinian in commissioning a codification of Russia's laws. The legal code known as Russkaya Pravda (Russian Truth) is founded in his reign. On the international stage Yaroslav plays the medieval game of matrimonial diplomacy as assiduously as any of his contemporaries. He marries his three daughters to kings of Norway, France and Hungary. He also has four sons, guaranteeing on past evidence a frenzy of bloodshed after his death. To avoid this Yaroslav devises a code of inheritance. Surprisingly, for two generations at least, it works.   Under Yaroslav's system of inheritance all Russia is to be jointly held by the ruling family. His eldest son is to rule in Kiev, while others are assigned to territories elsewhere. When a prince of Kiev dies, there is to be general post. The next senior brother will move to Kiev, with equivalent adjustments throughout the realm. The principle that brothers take precedence over sons is an essential element of the scheme, for it gives the younger brothers a chance to inherit without risking all in warfare. As a measure of the success of Yaroslav's plan, he is peacefully succeeded by three of his sons in succession over a span of nearly forty years (1054-1093).   After the second generation, with the family structure becoming more diffuse, one line of descent prevails over all the others. It is that of Yaroslav's third son, married to a Greek princess from the imperial family in Constantinople. A little more than a century after Yaroslav's death, cousins in this line of descent are fighting each other for the succession. Kiev , from 1169, is no longer the capital city. There are several reasons: new dangers in the south, threatening Kiev; the independence of Novgorod , granted to the city by Yaroslav himself; and a shift of power towards the north, around Moscow .   The decline of Kiev: 12th - 14th century Part of Kiev's initial trading advantage has been its access to the wide steppes of eastern Europe and central Asia. But the steppes are also a source of danger. A Russian chronicle of 1054 provides the first mention of the arrival on the steppes of a fiercely marauding group of nomads, the Kipchak Turks (known to the Russians as the Polovtsy). The Kipchaks frequently disrupt Kiev's trade, and it is a weakened city which is conquered in 1169 by a rival member of the royal family based in Vladimir. A greater disaster follows in the form of the Mongols , who destroy the city in 1240. And during the following century holy Kiev , the birthplace of Russian Orthodox Christianity, is annexed by pagan Lithuania.   Independent Novgorod: 1019-1478 The special advantages of Novgorod as a trading centre (linking the Baltic with the fur-rich forests of northern Russia and the developed civilizations of eastern Europe) caused it to be the first important settlement of the Rus . These same advantages continue to bring the town prosperity. Like other great mercantile centres of Europe in the Middle Ages, it acquires the status of a commune. The grand prince Yaroslav , helped to the throne of Kiev in 1019 with the active support of Novgorod, grants the city in that year a charter of self-government.   Novgorod is ruled from 1019 by an assembly of citizens known as the veche. The city still has a prince, whose main function is military. But the prince of Novgorod is selec


What's the name of King Lear's eldest daughter in the Shakespeare play ?

King Lear's Daughters: Names & Character Analysis - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com King Lear's Daughters: Names & Character Analysis Watch short & fun videos Start Your Free Trial Today An error occurred trying to load this video. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. You must create an account to continue watching Register for a free trial Are you a student or a teacher? I am a student Start Your Free Trial To Continue Watching As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you             succeed. Coming up next: King Lear: Character Analysis & Sketch You're on a roll. Keep up the good work! Your next lesson will play in 10 seconds 0:02 Characters and Plot Add to Add to Add to Want to watch this again later? Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course. Custom Courses are courses that you create from Study.com lessons. Use them just like other courses to    track progress, access quizzes and exams, and share content. Teachers Organize and share selected lessons with your class. Make planning easier by creating your own custom course. Students Create a new course from any lesson page or your dashboard. From any lesson page: Click "Add to" located below the video player and follow the prompts to name your course and save your lesson. From your dashboard: Click on the "Custom Courses" tab, then click "Create course". Next, go to any lesson page and begin     adding lessons. Edit your Custom Course directly from your dashboard. Personalize: Name your Custom Course and add an optional description or learning objective. Organize: Create chapters to group lesson within your course. Remove and reorder chapters and lessons at any time. Share your Custom Course or assign lessons and chapters. Teacher Edition: Share or assign lessons and chapters by clicking the "Teacher" tab on the lesson or chapter page you want to     assign.     Students' quiz scores and video views will be trackable in your "Teacher" tab. Premium Edition: You can share your Custom Course by copying and pasting the course URL. Only Study.com members will be able to access the     entire course. Create an account to start this course today Try it free for 5 days! Lesson Transcript Instructor: James Fleming In William Shakespeare's tragic play, 'King Lear,' Lear's daughters - Goneril, Regan and Cordelia - serve as dramatic examples of good and evil, characteristics that lead them to either reject or redeem their father. In this lesson, you'll find a synopsis of the play and explore the familial relationships of some of the main characters. Characters and Plot In King Lear, the elderly king of England decides to retire and divide his kingdom evenly between his three daughters: Regan, Goneril and Cordelia. Before dividing his kingdom, Lear asks each of his daughters to demonstrate the extent of their love for him. Much to his delight, Lear's eldest daughters, Regan and Goneril, offer over-the-top assertions of their love. However, Lear's youngest and more beloved daughter, Cordelia, remains silent. Cordelia's response sends King Lear into a fit of rage, and he exiles her from his kingdom. Cordelia accepts an offer of marriage from the King of France and leaves. Not long afterwards, Regan and Goneril betray their father, depriving him of his right to knights and servants. Goneril even drives him out of her house. After fleeing his kingdom, a disheartened and increasingly mad Lear wanders the countryside during a violent thunderstorm with his loyal Fool. Meanwhile, Cordelia sends French forces to England to rescue her father. After English forces subdue the French, Cordelia and Lear, who regrets his previous treatment of her, are imprisoned. Towards the end of the play, the adulterous Goneril poisons Regan and then commits suicide after learning that the philandering Edmund, the man they both love, is dead. When, Cordelia, the daughter who truly loved her father, is ha


Which actor plays the villain, Silva, in the 2012 James Bond film Skyfall ?

Raoul Silva | James Bond Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Spoiler warning : This article contains spoilers ! Plot and/or ending details follow. Tiago Rodriguez Born Tiago Rodriguez on 1969, little is known about Silva's early though he seems to be Hispanic. He later relates a childhood story to a captive James Bond , describing how he spent time with his grandmother on an island, where she taught him how to rid the island of its rat infestation by capturing them in oil drums. He utilizes the image of the trapped rats turning to cannibalism as a metaphor for what the life of a spy does to its participants - namely himself. During his years in the Intelligence Service, Silva had worked alongside  Olivia Mansfield (who would later be promoted to 'M') in Hong Kong from 1986 to 1997. Mansfield, who was section chief at the time, noticed that the operative had engaged in unauthorized hacking of the Chinese . With the Chinese closing in on Rodriguez and the upcoming transition of Hong Kong from a British colony to a special administrative region, (Transfer of Sovereignty) Mansfield sacrificed the hacker in exchange for six prisoners held by the Communist Chinese government and a smooth transition. During his five month captivity, torture and imprisonment by the Chinese, Silva attempted to take his own life using a hydrogen cyanide implant in one of his molars. The suicide attempt failed, horrifically scarring Silva both mentally and physically and he claimed it burned his insides. The botched attempt is shown to have severely damaged his upper jaw so that his left cheek is sunken, leaving him with a drooping eyelid, bloodshot eyes and a slurred raspy speech. Silva's Hispanic tan is replaced with a pale demeanor. He is also shown to have rotten decaying gums and all but a few teeth have melted away with the few remaining having been mutilated and deformed, requiring Silva to wear a prosthesis to replace the teeth and inflate his left cheek and also to presumably help him breathe. The false teeth might have some sort of inhalers and Electrolanryx. When taken out his face is disfigured. Revenge Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva in a promotional shoot for the movie. Years later, he improves his hacking skills and rises in the criminal empire. He takes former prostitute Sévérine under his wing, but the merciful man she thought he was was a lie. He causes a fake leak at a chemical Plant on the island of Hashima then claiming it. It is implied that he rigged the 2011 national Ugandan elections and recently crippled economies through Stock Exchanges. After he does this MI6 face a crisis when the mercenary Patrice steals a hard drive containing the identities of every NATO agent currently in the field, who were all embedded in terrorist organizations across the globe, and delivered it to Silva. (After this he is shown in the opening Sequence as a silhouette) Silva ensures that M is at the centre of the crisis by decrypting the drive using M's personal computer, via a hack, and sending her a message advising her to "think on her sins" before bombing her office (knowing that she isn't inside), bringing her under pressure from the government to resign. He then posts videos on YouTube of their names and threatens that he will persistently post five more every week. Later on as M meets with Mallory to discuss what to do with Raoul Silva they watch the news which shows agents being executed in an abandoned warehouse. (Later revealed to be Hashima Island) Despite the injuries he sustained on a botched mission to retrieve the drive from Patrice, and ignoring the poor results of his re-entry test, M dispatches James Bond to Shanghai after receiving a tip from the CIA about Patrice's next contract. Patrice has been assigned by Silva to kill an art critic. Though he is unsuccessful in learning Silva's identity after Patrice falls to his death from a skyscraper, Bond is able to locate Patrice's contact in a casino in Macau: Silva's mistress, Sévérine , who desperately asks that he kills Silva. Bond boards Sévérine's yacht at night, which departs to a remo


What is the sum of the interior angles of a pentagon ?

Interior Angles of Polygons Interior Angles of Polygons An Interior Angle is an angle inside a shape Triangles The Interior Angles of a Triangle add up to 180° Let's try a triangle: It works for this triangle Now tilt a line by 10°: 80° + 70° + 30° = 180° One angle went up by 10°, and the other went down by 10° Quadrilaterals (Squares, etc) (A Quadrilateral has 4 straight sides) Let's try a square: 90° + 90° + 90° + 90° = 360° A Square adds up to 360° Now tilt a line by 10°: 80° + 100° + 90° + 90° = 360° It still adds up to 360° The Interior Angles of a Quadrilateral add up to 360° Because there are 2 triangles in a square ... The interior angles in a triangle add up to 180° ... ... and for the square they add up to 360° ... ... because the square can be made from two triangles! Pentagon A pentagon has 5 sides, and can be made from three triangles, so you know what ... ... its interior angles add up to 3 × 180° = 540° And when it is regular (all angles the same), then each angle is 540° / 5 = 108° (Exercise: make sure each triangle here adds up to 180°, and check that the pentagon's interior angles add up to 540°) The Interior Angles of a Pentagon add up to 540° The General Rule Each time we add a side (triangle to quadrilateral, quadrilateral to pentagon, etc), we add another 180° to the total:


What is the principal product of the Douro Valley of Portugal ?

Santa Mafalda, Douro Valley, Portugal | Almond Blossom Rental Villas Santa Mafalda Santa Mafalda The pictures may wow you, but they are just a hint of the luxurious and indulgent experience that awaits you when you stay in this lavish rental villa for 8 guests, with its spectacular views, panoramic infinity pool and Jacuzzi, perched high above Pinhão on the Douro Valley! An unique holiday villa, Santa Mafalda is surrounded by 8,000 sq meters of land and all the 4 en-suite double bedrooms as well as the social areas, have been designed to enjoy the very special landscape and views over olive trees and vineyard terraces, slopping all the way down to the river Douro. The villa has high standard contemporary interiors where slate (local to the Douro), glass and wood are the principal materials; and its fitted with air-conditioning for those very hot Douro summer days, as well as central heating and fireplaces for off-season rentals, making it suitable for year round rentals. And while the gracious and accommodating staff prepare fantastic daily breakfasts as well as other meals on request, the panoramic terraces are perfect for “al fresco” meals. Then in the evenings, the outlook from the swimming pool and the Jacuzzi transforms into something quite magical – whilst the pool is flood-lit, the Jacuzzi’s ceiling is all lit-up with tiny stars and you look out onto to the faint twinkling lights of distant villages. A very spacious games room includes a pool table, a piano and a bar. There is also an outdoor chill-out area amidst vineyards and olive trees, providing the ideal set up for a private wine tasting (on request) or just somewhere to relax the hours away, with a book and a glass of port in your hand of course. One week (or longer) rentals also benefit from a complimentary “local gastronomy” meal during the stay, a visit to one of the Port producing Quintas with wine tasting, and weather permitting a vineyard terraces picnic plus a two hour Rabelo boat ride on the Douro, all included in rental as well as other offers.The Douro Valley in Portugal is an UNESCO World Heritage Site recognizing the area around the Douro River where wine has been produced for the past two thousand years. Port wine is produced exclusively in the Douro and you can visit numerous Quintas, learn about the process, taste their production and buy Port directly. You will feel “far from the madding crowd”, yet with plenty to explore and enjoy locally, from nature walks to river cruises, as well as some excellent eateries (both simple and sophisticated) to be sampled. Not to be missed is the unforgettable historic train trip up-river from Pinhão to Foz Tua: never leaving the riverside and passing Douro Quintas and damn locks, with the landscape of terraced vineyards changing to dramatic rocky outcrops, making this one of Europe´s great rail journeys! Please note – Due to some unprotected drops this property is not suitable for children under 5 years but a baby of non-walking age would be accepted! ACCOMMODATION – 8 GUESTS FIRST FLOOR – Entrance hall; guest WC; master double bedroom suite with shower bathroom (rain and hand held showers), double sinks and opening to private terrace and garden access to pool area; double bedroom suite with full bathroom (bath and shower) opening to private terrace and garden access to pool area; double bedroom suite with shower bathroom (rain and hand held showers); kitchen and larder with service door to exterior as well as access to dining area and terrace; very spacious open plan dining/sitting room with surrounding panoramic windows, TV lounge area and fireplace, access to terrace. GROUND FLOOR – Double bedroom suite with shower bathroom (rain and hand held showers); very spacious games room with pool table, piano, bar, another TV lounge area and fireplace; shower bathroom & WC; fully equipped laundry room; access to the Jacuzzi or swimming pool terrace with barbeque and oven plus another outdoor dining area. STAFF & SERVICES MAID SERVICE – Included x 2 hours per day after breakfast is served – the swimming pool and t


Clara Wieck Schumann | Biography & History | AllMusic Clara Wieck Schumann Biography by Robert Cummings Clara Wieck Schumann was a major female figure among the German Romantics as a pianist, composer, and muse to Schumann and Brahms. google+ Artist Biography               by Robert Cummings Clara Wieck Schumann has often been misleadingly referred to as the wife of composer Robert Schumann , and as one of the leading pianists of her day, rather than as a composer in her own right. Beginning in the last quarter of the twentieth century however, her stature as a composer finally became recognized. Still, she cannot by any reasonable measure be ranked as a major composer, owing in great part to her relatively small output. She nonetheless wrote significant compositions in both the keyboard and vocal realms. Had she been able to devote more time to composition -- she was occupied by maternal matters much of the time, having given birth to eight children -- she might well have risen to the artistic heights of her husband. Some of her later works -- the Six Lieder, Op. 23, for instance -- demonstrate considerable subtlety and depth. Clara Wieck was born on September 13, 1819, in Leipzig. She began studying the piano with her domineering and difficult father, whom her mother, a talented singer, later divorced. Mr. Wieck was a piano teacher of high repute. Clara gave her debut concert in Leipzig at the age of seven playing Kalkbrenner 's duet, Variations on a March from Moses, with him. In 1830, Robert Schumann began study with Wieck, at which time he first met Clara. At twelve Clara toured Europe with her father, achieving great success in Paris and throughout Germany. By 1837 she was recognized as one of the leading virtuosos in Europe, and her career as a composer was blossoming as well. Her first compositions date from 1830, but her 1836 Soirées musicales, Op. 6, already shows considerable sophistication. In 1837 she and Schumann became engaged, with boisterous objections from her father. Clara seems to have broken from her father's influence when she toured Paris alone in 1839. The break was made complete the following year when she married Robert Schumann . They would have eight children, and Clara would slowly watch her sensitive husband lose his sanity. The couple at first lived in Leipzig, where both taught at the University. Clara did not write much in the early years of her marriage, though she did complete the Six Lieder, Op. 13 (1842-1843), and some piano pieces, including the Three Preludes and Fugue (1845). In 1853, the Schumanns moved to Düsseldorf, and Clara had a very productive summer, producing several significant works, including her Op. 20 Variations on a theme of Robert Schumann and the aforementioned Op. 23. In 1854, Robert Schumann suffered a mental collapse and attempted suicide, after which he was committed to an asylum where he lived for the rest of his life. He passed away in 1856. Johannes Brahms , who had been introduced to the Schumanns in 1853 through the violin virtuoso Joseph Joachim , became an increasingly important figure in Clara's life. To this day, their exact relationship is unclear, but it is difficult to refute claims they had an affair. Brahms was 14 years Clara's junior, and possibly felt their age difference too great an obstacle for marriage. Clara composed little in the years following Robert 's death, even after her children were grown. She lived in Berlin from 1857 to 1863, at which time she moved to Baden-Baden. After briefly returning to Berlin in 1873, she took a teaching post at the Frankfurt Hoch Conservatory (1878). She continued to concertize until 1891. She died of a stroke on May 20, 1896.


Give the title of the second U.K. No. 1 hit single for the Spice Girls.

Best Spice Girls Songs - Top Ten List - TheTopTens® Best Spice Girls Songs The Top Ten 1 Wannabe I was about 13 when Wannabe came out and had no interest in music whatsoever and wannabe just instantly cheered me up and was automatically catchy and fun. It goes well with their spirits and concept. What makes spice girls unique to every single artist or group to have ever existed is that back when they were 5 they literally were like animated, real life cartoons with such a charisma YO! The Spice Girls' first single became #1 WORLD OVER! - TheSudhanva I'll tell what I want what I really really want... I really really really wanna want this song to be the best. I love this song! It's so catchy, fun, and smartly written. One of the best songs of the 90's. 2 Viva Forever My Favourite Spice Girls Song So Sad every time I Hear It And Such A Lovely Song Somewhat... mystical. The Girls really do have some great voices. - TheSudhanva SImply beautiful and so poignant...it was the last song the band sung with Geri as part of the group. 24 year old guy, but got to say I love this song! 3 Spice Up Your Life I like it because its catchy and it was the first spice girls song I've ever heard This has to be the best Spice Girl song how is it second VOTE VOTE VOTE We moonwalk the foxtrot then polka the salsa Shake it shake it shake it. HAKA! V 3 Comments 4 Say You'll Be There I love it but there is no need to say I love you but really there is great single 5 Too Much Memories of watching spiceworld for the first time I loved this song from the very first time I heard it, the opening to the Spiceworld movie. Too Much of something is baad enough~ 6 2 Become 1 It's my favourite along with Viva Forever. I know these girls can't sing at all, but in 2 become 1 editors did wonderful job and the song sounds great. Beautiful. The chorus, in particular, is touching. - TheSudhanva 8 Mama 9 Goodbye Viva Forever and Goodbye -- the two greatest Spice ballads. One with Ginger, and the second about her.. Sad cause its about geri but great song V 1 Comment 10 Holler Underrated. This should have been a bigger worldwide hit... I wish the girls did a bit more promo as a foursome for this. The Contenders 11 Who Do You Think You Are Maybe her most disco-friendly song. The one that even a non fan will dance. Remember this song gave us the iconic Geri's Union Jack Dress The Brit Awards. Geri's Union Jack dress. "Who do they think they are? " Superstars! Great song and my favourite song they performed at the brits 12 Let Love Lead The Way 13 If U Can't Dance 14 Never Give Up On the Good Times 15 Saturday Night Divas 16 Move Over Pepsi new a good song when saw one, and licensed it for a massive ad campaign. Yet it remains underrated.