'Count Fosco', 'Sergeant Richard Cuff' and 'Anne Catherick' are characters created by which author?

Wilkie Collins : About the Author @ Classic Reader Member Login About the Author English novelist, whose unconventional private life and determination to tackle social issues disconcerted his audience. Many of Wilkie Collins's novels contain sympathetic portraits of physically abnormal individuals. Critics often credit Collins with the invention of the English detective novel. While he was aware of the work of Poe and Gaboriau, he worked in the mainstream of Victorian domestic and social fiction. Sergeant Cuff from Collins's novel The Moonstone (1868) became a prototype of the detective hero in English fiction. Wilkie Collins was born in London. His father was William Collins, a well-known landscape painter, and mother Harriet (Geddes) Collins, the daughter of a painter. They were a devoted couple, and young Wilkie grew with his brother in a secure household. However, Collins never outgrew his childhood sickliness, he was small and had a slightly deformed skull. Collins was educated privately, he studied painting for several years. At the age of eleven he began attending school, but at the end of the year the family moved to Italy, where William Collins studied the old masters. After nearly two years abroad, the family returned to England. With the help of his father, Collins found work in the office of a tea importer (1841-46). During this period he started to write fiction. Collins' first story. "The Last Stagecoachman" was published in 1943. He studied then law without much enthusiasm and worked industriously on his first novel, Antonina; or, The Fall of Rome (1950), a historical story in the manner of Bulwer Lytton. At the age of 27 Collins became a lawyer. He never practiced law but put his legal knowledge to work in crime writing. His father died in 1847 and Collins set aside other literary aspirations to write his father's biography. It appeared in 1848. In 1851 Collins started his long friendship with Charles Dickens, while they were pursuing a mutual interest in amateur theatricals. Inspired by the success of Dickens's Christmas books, Collins produced Mr Wray's Cash-Box in 1852. He joined in 1856 the staff of Dickens's Household Worlds, and collaborated with him on pieces for the magazine. Dickens helped Collins bring humour and believable characters into his books. In 1858 Collins met Caroline Graves, a widow, who was his life companion until his death. Collins saw her first at a mysterious midnight encounter of which he made use in The Woman in White (1860). He also had relationship with Mrs Martha Rudd, whose three children Collins acknowledged as his own. By 1868 she lived in London as Collins's mistress, Caroline Graves lived with him as a "housekeeper." In 1868 Caroline married Joseph Clow, but returned to Collins within two years. Basil (1852) was Collins's first novel based on crime, mystery, and suspense. The enormously popular suspense thriller Woman in White appeared first in Dickens's periodical All the Year Round in 1859-60. Using a multivocal narrative, Collins imitated the presentation of testimony from a number of witnesses in a court case. The book tells the story of the evil Sir Percival Glyde's plot to steal his wife's inheritance with the help of a sinister Italian, Count Fosco. Walter Hartright goes to Limmeridge House in Cumberland as drawing master to Laura Fairlie and her half-sister Marian Halcombe. He sees Anne Catherick on the night she left an asylum to which she had been committed by Sir Percival. Anne knows a secret about his past - his illegitimacy. Sir Percival burns the parish registry and is killed in the resulting fire. Laura has been committed to an asylum as Anne, but Walter restores Laura to her true identity. In the 1860s Collins published No Name (1862), in which a young woman learns that she and her sister are illegitimite and penniless after the death of their father, but starts her countermove to regain her inheritance. Armadale (1866) was a story of fate, criminal fraud, and an attempted murder. In Moonstone, the first English detective novel, Collins created Sergeant


Which word completes the name of the clothing retailer 'Abercrombie and .....'?

Abercrombie & Fitch Employment Discrimination | NAACP LDF Abercrombie & Fitch Employment Discrimination Sign up to receive email updates from LDF. Related Files LDF Statement on United States Supreme Court Ruling in Abercrombie & Fitch Discrimination Case Find A Case Can't find the case or issue you're looking for? Use our search tool to sort through the complete list. Economic Justice | Employment Discrimination In June 2003, LDF filed a class action lawsuit, Gonzalez v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores, against national clothing retailer, Abercrombie & Fitch. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, charged that in addition to selling so-called "classic" looks, Abercrombie also practiced a classic form of discrimination against African-American, Latino and Asian American applicants and employees. The suit alleged that Abercrombie refused to hire qualified minority applicants as Brand Representatives working on the sales floor while discouraging applications from minority candidates. It also charged that in the rare instances when minorities were hired, they were given undesirable positions to keep them out of the public eye. The suit was filed by nine young adults of color who were refused sales jobs or terminated based on their race and sued on behalf of themselves and others treated similarly. LDF joined with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, and the law firm of Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein to represent the plaintiffs. The suit asked that the court order Abercrombie & Fitch to end its discriminatory policies and practices, as well as award the plaintiffs and class members back pay and monetary damages. The class grew as other minority applicants and employees across the country joined the original plaintiffs. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission then joined the suit in 2004.  The law firms of Kohn, Swift & Graf, P.C. and Minami, Lew & Tamaki were added as co-counsel representing the plaintiffs. In November 2004, LDF and co-counsel reached a settlement with the company, winning $40 million dollars for rejected applicants and employees who had been discriminated against by the company. The settlement’s consent decree also required the company to institute a range of policies and programs to promote diversity among its work force and to prevent discrimination based on race or gender. To ensure compliance with the provisions of the consent decree, Abercrombie & Fitch was instructed to name a Vice-President for Diversity, who reports directly to the CEO, and to provide diversity training for all employees with hiring authority. A new internal complaint procedure also provided employees with a mechanism to report problems. Additionally, the settlement required the store to establish "benchmarks" for the hiring and promotion of African-Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and women while reporting its progress toward these goals at regular intervals to the plaintiffs' attorneys and to a Special Master named by the court. Further, the company was required to hire 25 recruiters to seek out minority employees. The company was also barred from utilizing its previous recruitment strategies, such as targeting particular predominately white fraternities or sororities. LDF, as part of the broad coalition of civil rights groups representing the Plaintiffs, brought an end to Abercrombie & Fitch’s unacceptable employment practices by identifying and preventing the continued use of the company’s discriminatory recruitment, hiring, job assignments, promotion, and training of employees.


Who played 'Aunt Sally', to Jon Pertwee's 'Worzel Gummidge'?

Worzel Gummidge Worzel Gummidge by • Kids TV 1 9 7 9 - 1 9 8 1 (UK) The series of Worzel Gummidge which brought Barbara Euphan Todd's popular talking scarecrow to television had actually been suggested by former  Doctor Who  star Jon Pertwee. Pertwee then starred in the series as the turnip-headed scarecrow from Ten Acre Field at Scatterbrook Farm. The mischievous scarecrow in the straggly straw hat, with a unique line in yokelese, was the friend of young John and Sue Peters who had just moved to the countryside with their dad (having recently lost their mum). Worzel transformed their lives with his clumsy antics and good-natured humour. The Crowman, Worzel's creator, was played by former  Catweazle  star Geoffrey Bayldon, while Una Stubbs played the worst bitch who's ever been on television - Worzel's reluctant skittle doll girlfriend Aunt Sally. She was horrid, she was rude and she was consistently beastly to Worzel who loved her dearly. Worzel also fell for Barbara Windsor's Saucy Nancy (a ship's figurehead) and flirted with a tailor's dummy called Dolly Clothes-Peg (Lorraine Chase). In marked contrast to his role as  Doctor Who , the part of Worzel Gummidge gave Pertwee the chance to show off his comedy skills and the funny voices he had used on many BBC radio shows including The Navy Lark. In 1980 Jon Pertwee even released a novelty single called Worzel's Song which became a minor chart hit. The 1979 ITV blackout stopped filming, and only eight of the planned 13 episodes were filmed. The Christmas edition - made in October in Lymington, Hampshire - snowed more trouble for the production. The fake snow was a white powder used for making toothpaste. Unfortunately, it blew everywhere and clung to the food in shops as well as to furniture and clothes on people's washing lines. Restaurants had to throw out the dish of the day and dress shops had to get rid of ruined items. But the worst was yet to come - Southern Television lost the franchise, and the new company (TVS) declined to continue with Worzel. A saviour appeared in the form of Harlech Television, but eleven days before they were due to start filming more episodes, the project was cancelled because of a dispute with technicians. Channel 4 repeated the series in 1986 but Worzel and Jon remained bumswizzled until an independent New Zealand company came to the rescue and purchased the rights to make Worzel Gummidge Down Under with Worzel taking up residence in the Antipodes (the series was actually filmed in New Zealand) in 1987. TRIVIA Jon Pertwee made Worzel's warts from Sugar Puffs cut in half and his wispy beard from carrot roots. Television's first Worzel Gummidge was Frank Atkinson, who played the part in the 1953 series Worzel Gummidge Turns Detective. Worzel Gummidge


Whose Symphony #45 is called 'The Farewell'?

Haydn, Symphony No. 45 in F-sharp-minor, “Farewell” « earsense blog Haydn, Symphony No. 45 in F-sharp-minor, “Farewell” Joseph Haydn, 1732-1809 Symphony No. 45 in F-sharp-minor, “Farewell”, 1772 During the thirty years Haydn served the Esterházy family, he almost singlehandedly evolved and perfected two extraordinary genres of which he is generally known as the father: the symphony and the string quartet. In the case of the symphony, he was not the originator nor hardly the only practitioner, but his prodigiousness, originality and excellence place Haydn far ahead of any predecessors or contemporaries save Mozart who was, chronologically and historical second after Haydn. Of his 104 symphonies, so many are well-known and beloved that they bear popular nicknames: “Surprise”, “Drum Roll”, “Miracle”, “Clock”, “Queen”, “Bear” and so on. The so-called “Farewell” symphony derives its name from its unique finale and the story, possibly apocryphal, that lead Haydn to compose it. Prince Nikolaus built an elaborate castle at Esterháza near the Austro-Hungarian border some distance from Vienna and his normal residence at Eisenstadt. The prince grew fond of this second Versailles so that the part of the year in which he and his retinue stayed there grew long and longer. The musicians naturally traveled with the prince but were not permitted to bring their families; they felt isolated at Esterháza, which was situated on a vast, isolated marshland. After a particularly long sojourn seemed interminable, the musicians asked Haydn to interceded on their behalf. At the next musical performance before the price, Haydn presented his new symphony in the dark and rare key of F-sharp-minor with an apparent message in the last movement. On the tails of a brisk presto finale, the music abruptly stops, starting afresh with a new adagio, an odd surprise disarming the expected conclusion. A simple, charming promenade tune plays while, one by one, the musicians extinguish their candles and exit until there are but two violinists left to finish the symphony with an intimate, lonely little chamber duo. Nikolaus was supposed to have said, “Well, if they all leave I suppose we had better leave too,” and the next day they all returned to Vienna. Whether this really happened, the music really works that way in one of the several creative formal experiments Haydn conducted during his “Sturm und drang” period. The opening movement is turbulent with a restless urgency characteristic of the “Storm and Stress” movement that swept all the European arts in the 1760’s and 1770’s. Here, Haydn provided a prototype for the shadowy angst eventually associated with Mozart. The second movement adagio (the real one) moves at a moderate pace in a brighter major mode, but the muted strings and the brief flickering of minor tonalities create a slightly unsettling effect. The third movement minuet offers a point of repose (despite a loud, unexpected diminished chord) including a trio highlighting the warm open intervals of mellow horns (slightly stained with still more flashes of something disturbing). The last movement confirms these uneasy hints with a suitably driven and stormy finale until, of course, the legendary “farewell” sweetens the final impression with a delicately whispered “goodbye.” It may simply be, cute story aside, that Haydn could only risk the queer, alien effects of F-sharp-minor by cancelling its gloom with an unforgettably ingenious antidote as a conclusion. This entry was posted       on Friday, March 1st, 2013 at 1:47 am   and is filed under Program Notes .    You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.        Both comments and pings are currently closed.


The headquarters building of which government agency is known as 'The Doughnut' due to its shape?

Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) - Design Build Network Cladding on the link building. Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), United Kingdom Until recently, Britain's major intelligence and security organisation, GCHQ, was spread across two sites in the UK. At a build cost of £337m, a new innovative, environmentally sustainable 1,100,000ft² facility was completed early in 2004 and was officially opened by the Queen at the end of March 2004. It became fully operational in the same year. The project, which brings together 4,000 staff from two sites onto the new 40-acre development, became the largest private finance initiative (PFI) in Europe, with a projected total cost of £1.2bn, as the initiative requires a 30-year service contract covering the provision of security, telephony, maintenance, logistics, cleaning and catering services. The project won the Special Jury Award 2004 by the British Construction Industry Awards. GCHQ contractors The new £337m building was designed by US architectural firm Gensler. Popularly known as the "Doughnut" because of its circular design, it has three identical, interdependent office buildings covering four floors. The building's outer wall provides protection from external threats, while the inner space has been designed to foster integration and community. The construction and service contract was awarded to a consortium of Carillion, Group 4 Falck Global Solutions and British Telecom. This partnership, called Integrated Accommodation Services (IAS), which also included Gensler, managed over 150 subcontractors and more than 11,000 workers. The structural engineer was TPS Consult (part of the Carillion Group) and the main contractor was Carillion Building. PA Consulting Group were responsible for relocating the IT systems from the two old sites to the new hi-tech one, as well as upgrading what was already, prior to the move, the most powerful computer system outside the US. GCHQ design The 600ft-diameter building stands on a 176-acre site and is 70ft high. A circular design was adopted in order to integrate departments for a more dynamic intelligence culture - the new facility is home to teams that occupied over 50 different buildings prior to the move. The building's shape secures itself against incursion. Entry to the three main office buildings was planned deliberately to bring staff together from different divisions. A glass-roofed, bright internal street runs the full circumference of the building, off of which are the entries to the offices. This open-plan workspace means that no one is more than five minutes walk away from any other colleague in the building. Shared services include a restaurant, cafés / bars, a gym and childcare facilities. "The project brings together 4,000 GCHQ staff from two sites onto the new 40-acre development." The new headquarters has a computer hall the same size as the Royal Albert Hall, London, and an electric train, which follows the basement service road that distributes goods to various locations on route. Gensler also planned ahead. Due to the organisation's evolving requirements, it was proposed that each of the three offices should adopt a universal layout and the same furniture, with pedestals and screens that slot together in numerous configurations. This would support quick and easy re-shaping of teams when required. In the centre of the Doughnut is a huge, enclosed and secure landscaped garden, which can only be accessed through the main building. It is for the use of the workers and is yet another effort to encourage inter-departmental staff interaction. The building is composed of steel, aluminium, glass, granite, Cotswold limestone, wood and concrete. Two circular blocks are divided to create a glass-covered street, which allows the workers to eat and drink. There is also an underground road to deliver sensitive documents. GCHQ security and environment The new building has an excellent environmental specification. It approximately uses 40% less energy compared with a conventional office design of the same size. This re


Burgess, Philby, Maclean...... . Who was known as the 'Fourth Man'?

BBC - History -   Historic Figures: The Cambridge Spies The Cambridge Spies z Guy Burgess, one of the 'Cambridge Spies'    © Maclean, Burgess, Philby and Blunt were British members of a KGB spy ring that penetrated the intelligence system of the UK and passed vital information to the Soviets during World War Two and the early stages of the Cold War. The members of the ring were Donald Maclean (1913 - 1983), Guy Burgess (1911 - 1963), Harold 'Kim' Philby (1912 - 1988) and Anthony Blunt (1907 - 1983). Several other people have been suggested as belonging to the ring, including John Cairncross. Blunt became a communist in the early 1930s and was recruited by the NKVD (later KGB), the Soviet security agency. While teaching at Cambridge University, Blunt was influential in recruiting the other three, who were all students there. Burgess became a journalist after he left university, but on the outbreak of war joined MI6. Maclean was in the Foreign Office during the same period. In 1951, tipped off by Philby that they were under suspicion, Burgess and Maclean defected to the Soviet Union, where they spent the rest of their lives. Philby was also a journalist but joined SIS (also known as MI6) in 1940. Just before the war ended, he was appointed head of SIS's anti-Soviet section. Thus the man charged with running operations against the Soviets was a KGB agent. He later became chief British intelligence officer in the United States. After Burgess and Maclean fled to the Soviet Union, Philby came under suspicion and was forced to resign. In 1963, he defected to the Soviet Union, and died there. Blunt worked for MI5 during the war. After the war he had a distinguished career as an art historian. He was director of the Courtauld Institute and Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures. He was knighted in 1956. In 1963, the British government discovered he was a spy but offered him immunity in return for information. In 1979, the story got out and Blunt was stripped of his knighthood.


Which South American country which has had currencies the Cruzeiro and the Cruzado, now uses the Real?

Measuring Worth - What Was the Exchange Rate Then? Information on Exchange   Rates of The Americas Explanation of Exchange Rate You have asked for the exchange rate between the United States dollar and   a currency of another country of the Americas for a given year or years. The   exchange rate is the price of the U.S. dollar in terms of the foreign currency:   the number of units of foreign currency that it took to buy one dollar, or   that one obtains in exchange for one dollar. A higher exchange rate denotes   a stronger dollar; the dollar has appreciated (gained value) compared to the   foreign currency. For example, considering Argentina, the dollar appreciates   from GP 0.97 (0.97 gold pesos) in 1916 to GP 1.00 in 1917. A lower exchange   rate denotes a weaker dollar; the dollar has depreciated (lost value) relative   to the foreign currency. Again considering Argentina, the dollar depreciates   from PMN 3.06 (3.06 pesos moneda nacional) in 1935 to PMN 3.02 in 1936. The importance of the exchange rate is that it enables conversion of a foreign   price or value into dollars, and also a dollar price or value into the foreign   currency. The foreign magnitude is divided by the exchange rate to obtain   the dollar equivalent; because the inverse of the exchange rate is the number   of dollars per unit of foreign currency. For example, for Argentina in 1935,   the inverse exchange rate, 1/(PMN 3.06) = $0.3268, is the number of dollars   per peso moneda nacional. An Argentinian good that cost PMN 100 in that year   would also be worth PMN 100 x $0.3268 = $32.68. Similarly, a dollar price   or value can be expressed in Argentinian currency by multiplying the dollar   magnitude by the exchange rate. Foreign Currencies Dollar exchange rates from 1913 (subject to data availability) are provided   for all North, Central, and South American currencies for which Federal Reserve   publications provide at least one annual exchange-rate observation in the   1946-1999 period. No Central American currency fulfills the criterion. Exchange   rates are for two North American (Canada, Mexico) and six South American currencies   (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela). The data are annual   averages of daily exchange rates. Federal Reserve publications are the primary   data source; but their coverage is insufficient. Therefore the International   Monetary Fund is used as a secondary source. There are two important respects in which the Fund exchange-rate data differ   from those of the Federal Reserve. First, the market of quotation is New York   for the Federal Reserve but the major financial center of the foreign country   (for example, Mexico City for Mexico) for the Fund. Second, while the Federal   Reserve data are always market rates, the Fund data are unambiguously market   rates only since 1974. Prior to that year, the data are the fixed exchange   rate (par value or central rate) if such a rate has been agreed with the Fund,   a market exchange rate otherwise. Changes in Currency Units Of the eight countries, five-- Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Peru   -- experienced one or more changes in currency unit during the period spanning   the observations for the country. The currency unit for the exchange rate   in a given year is the unit in existence for that year. When a new currency   unit is instituted at any time other than January 1, the exchange rate is   expressed in the unit ruling during the greater part of the year; the full-year   exchange rate experience is incorporated (data permitting), via conversion   of the unit pertaining to the lesser part of the year. For example, the Peruvian   monetary unit switched from the sol to the inti on February 1, 1985. For most   of 1985, the inti was the monetary unit; therefore the exchange rate is expressed   as the number of inti per dollar. Specific changes in currency units for each   country are as follows. Argentina: F


In which Lancashire town is Happy Mount Park?

Happy Mount Park - Municipal Park in Morecambe, Morecambe - Visit Lancashire Trip Advisor Happy Mount Park in Morecambe was originally created in the 1920s and has developed into a wonderful, modern, family friendly area with activities for all ages. During the summer, the resort park is brought to life with brass band concerts by many of the area`s finest musicians. There is also a programme of family fun activities and events throughout the season. Happy Mount Park is proud of its reputation as being a traditional park where all ages can sit and relax, take a leisurely stroll in attractive well tended parkland or, for the more adventurous, enjoy the many activities that are on offer including play areas, miniature railway, natural play facility, bowling green, putting green, crazy golf, splash park, trampolines, carousel, multi-purpose sports surface, cafe, and picnic areas. Programmes for the events and the Brass Band concerts will be available shortly. Similar to this The centre’s exhibition space looks at all aspects of electricity production especially... 1.51 miles away Come and celebrate the birds and wildlife of Morecambe Bay. The TERN project is a... 1.75 miles away Morecambe Visitor Centre offers local and national information for tourists,... 1.78 miles away The Platform in Morecambe hosts a strong touring programme from jazz and blues to world... 1.8 miles away Come down and try the ultimate indoor climbing challenge with our 18 exhilarating walls.... 1.87 miles away Jump, climb, slide, swing and explore at Energy, the latest and most exciting indoor soft... 1.87 miles away The River Lune Millennium Park stretches some 15km along the banks of the Lune from Salt... 2.48 miles away Theatre Tickets, gifts, books, artwork, souvenirs, Bus and coach reservations are all... 2.58 miles away The Storey Institute has been remodelled as a newly designed centre for the creative... 2.58 miles away Cultural centre and theatre in Lancaster screening a wide range of films and own produced... 2.71 miles away 12 - 17 Oct - Award-winning FREE annual Music Festival. Over 200 acts at over 40 venues... 2.84 miles away We operate year round cruises along the beautiful Lancaster Canal. During the peak... 2.93 miles away A vibrant and welcoming community centre in the heart of Halton, The Centre has something... 3.1 miles away Highly commended as ‘Best Small Visitor Attraction 2008` Williamson's Park features 54... 3.29 miles away The Old School Brewery is a microbrewery situated at the foot of Warton Crag in North... 5.12 miles away Greenlands Farm Village includes a hands-on open farm experience, farm shop including a... 6.7 miles away


In which country was the Archbishop of York born?

Biography Biography Biographical details for John Sentamu John Tucker Mugabi Sentamu was born into Uganda's Buffalo clan on the 10th June 1949. He is the sixth of thirteen children. Encouraged in his education by English missionaries and teachers, he graduated in law from Makerere University, Kampala and is an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda. He practised Law both at the Bar and at the Bench before he came to the UK in 1974. He read theology at Selwyn College Cambridge where he gained a Masters Degree and a Doctorate. He trained for ordination at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, then part of the Cambridge Federation of Theological Colleges. Following his ordination in 1979 he served as Assistant Chaplain at Selwyn College, Cambridge. From 1979-1982 he was Chaplain at HM Remand Centre Latchmere House and Curate of St Andrew's, Ham in the Diocese of Southwark. From 1982-1983 he was Curate of St Paul's Church, Herne Hill, in South London and from 1983-1984 Priest-in-Charge at Holy Trinity, Tulse Hill and Parish Priest of St Matthias Upper Tulse Hill. He then became Vicar of the joint benefice of Holy Trinity and St Matthias from 1984-1986. Between 1987 and 1989 he was also Priest-in-Charge of St Saviour Brixton Hill. He was appointed Bishop for Stepney in 1996, Bishop for Birmingham in 2002 and Archbishop of York in 2005. He is Primate of England and Metropolitan, a member of the House of Lords and a Privy Councillor. From 1997 to 1999, Dr Sentamu was Adviser to the Stephen Lawrence Judicial Inquiry and he chaired the Damilola Taylor Murder Review, 2002. He chaired the NHS Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Screening Programme from 2001 to November 2013. He supported and advised workers affected by the closure of the Rover car plant in Birmingham and campaigned against guns, knives, drugs and gangs throughout the Midlands, after the killings of Charlene Ellis and Letisha Shakespeare and worked hard to ensure that their killers are brought to trial. Between 2002 and 2004 he was Chairman of the EC1 New Deal. He became President of Youth for Christ in 2004 and President of the YMCA in April 2005. In 2009,  the Archbishop set up his Youth Trust and also launched his online charity Acts435 – for anyone who has need. In 2013, Dr John Sentamu, chaired an independent Commission on the future of the Living Wage; this followed from his work as Sponsor of the Fairness Commission in York.  Dr Sentamu is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. His interests include music, cooking, reading, athletics, rugby and football. He is married to Margaret, and they have two grown-up children, Grace and Geoffrey and two grown-up foster children. Details: Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda, L.L.B. 1971. Selwyn College, Cambridge, B.A. 1976, M.A. 1979, Ph.D. 1984 Ridley Hall, Cambridge. Chaplain, HM Remand Centre, Latchmere House 1979 – 1982 Assistant Curate, Ham St Andrew, Diocese of Southwark, 1979 – 1982 Assistant Curate, Herne Hill St Paul, Diocese of Southwark, 1982 – 1983 Priest-in-Charge, Tulse Hill Holy Trinity, Diocese of Southwark, 1983 – 1984 Vicar, Upper Tulse Hill St Matthias, Diocese of Southwark, 1983 – 1984 Vicar, Tulse Hill Holy Trinity and St Matthias, Diocese of Southwark, 1985 – 1996 Priest-in-Charge, Brixton Hill St Saviour, Diocese of Southwark, 1987 – 1989 Honorary Canon Southwark Cathedral, 1993 – 1996 Area Bishop, Stepney, Diocese of London, 1996 – 2002 Consecrated 25 September 1996 in St Paul's Cathedral Bishop for Birmingham, 2002 – 2005 Inaugurated 16 November 2002 in Birmingham Cathedral Elected as Archbishop of York 21 July 2005 Confirmed as 97th Archbishop of York on 5 October 2005 in St Mary-le-Bow, London Inaugurated 30 November 2005 in York Minster.


How many matches are there in the 5th Round of the FA Cup?

FA Cup match previews - Telegraph FA Cup match previews Match previews of the FA Cup fourth round over the weekend of Jan 25-26 Back in the limelight: Southend manager Phil Brown takes on former club Hull City on Saturday Photo: PA By Bob Williams 4:56PM GMT 24 Jan 2014 TV highlights ITV1, 10.45pm Saturday & ITV1, 10.45pm Sunday Fifth round draw TV ITV1 Chance of a shock 2 (out of 5) Match Notes Liverpool will need to put on a far more impressive performance than that against Oldham to avoid an upset. Brad Jones returns to goal as Brendan Rodgers gives his fringe players another chance. Stat Bournemouth are bidding for a place in the fifth round for the first time since 1989. Referee Lee Probert (Matches 16 R3 Y28) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Birmingham City v Swansea City Birmingham Swansea 1 win Chance of a shock? 3 Match Notes Michael Laudrup will be desperate to end a difficult week on a high note but Birmingham have already beaten Swansea this season, winning 3-1 in the Capital One Cup at St Andrew’s. Stat The only other previous FA Cup meeting took place in January 1950 when Swansea won 3-0. Referee Neil Swarbrick (Matches 18 R1 Y54) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bolton Wanderers v Cardiff City Bolton Draws 2 Chance of a shock? 3 Match Notes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is likely to give full debuts to Magnus Wolff Eikrem and Mats Moller Daehli as he attempts to give Cardiff some much-needed momentum. Stat Bolton are unbeaten in five meetings with Cardiff in all competitions, including an FA Cup victory in December 1999. Referee Jonathan Moss (Matches 21 R2 Y66) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huddersfield Town v Charlton Athletic Huddersfield Draws 1 Chance of a shock 2 Match Notes Chris Powell believes victory could “galvanise” Charlton’s season but Championship rivals Huddersfield will be confident after winning the corresponding league fixture 2-1 in September. Stat Huddersfield are in the fourth round of the FA Cup for the third time in four years. Referee Stuart Attwell (Matches 22 R6 Y76) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Draws 2 Chance of a shock 1 Match Notes Watford manager Beppe Sannino believes this match is a “gift” for his players but the quadruple-chasing City will not take their foot off the gas as they attempt to reach Wembley again. Stat City beat Watford 3-0 in last season’s competition on their way to reaching the final. Referee Kevin Friend (Matches 17 R1 Y53) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Port Vale v Brighton & Hove Albion Port Vale Port Vale 1 win Chance of a shock 2 Match Notes Port Vale manager Micky Adams admits this game “means a lot to him” as he faces the club he twice managed. Brighton are again likely to make do without wantaway midfielder Liam Bridcutt. Stat The only previous FA Cup clash between these sides came 82 years ago when Vale won 2-1. Referee Paul Tierney (Matches 20 R8 Y64) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- None Chance of a shock? 2 Match Notes Rochdale are looking for a Yorkshire double after knocking out Leeds in the third round. Wednesday caretaker Stuart Gray is on the cusp of being named full-time manager after impressing. Stat Rochdale were last in the fourth round in 2003, while they last got to round five in 1991. Referee Simon Hooper (Matches 21 R2 Y79) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- None Chance of a shock 3 Match Notes With a league game against Arsenal on Tuesday, Mauricio Pochettino is likely to start some of his fringe players. Southampton will hope their off-field problems do not translate to the pitch. Stat In five previous meetings in all competitions, Yeovil have never won, losing four and drawing one. Referee Philip Dowd (Matches 21 R2 Y92) -----


Which comedian created the character 'Cosmo Smallpiece'?

Les Dawson - Cosmo Smallpiece - YouTube Les Dawson - Cosmo Smallpiece Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Aug 25, 2010 Les Dawson as Cosmo Smallpiece Category


Which Scot rode the Derby winner four times between 1979 and 1994?

The top 10 Flat jockeys who rode in my lifetime... - - Mirror Online Sport Opinion The top 10 Flat jockeys who rode in my lifetime... Sir Gordon Richards was in many people's eyes, the greatest jockey to ever get the leg-up.  Share Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email Sir Gordon Richards was in many people's eyes, the greatest jockey to ever get the leg-up. But my list details the top 10 Flat jockeys who rode in my lifetime. It may be controversial and you may not agree, but I am sure most of those under the age of 45 concur with my No.1... 1. LESTER PIGGOTT As a teenager, I wanted to be a Flat jockey. Not just any Flat jockey. I wanted to be Lester Piggott. He was my ultimate racing hero. He still is. He was, without doubt, racing's most effective promoter for most of his 47-year career (1948-95). He was not merely the best Flat jockey of his time but also the sport's greatest icon. His record tally of 30 English Classics included an unprecedented nine Derbys. He won 4,493 Flat races in Britain, plus 20 over hurdles, and was champion 11 times. During his long associations with Noel Murless and Vincent O'Brien, he rode some of the best post-war champions, notably Crepello, Petite Etoile, Sir Ivor, Triple Crown hero Nijinsky and dual Arc winner Alleged. His iron self-discipline to keep his body far below its natural weight was legendary, as was the finesse and brute force in the saddle. Best horse: Nijinsky. 2. STEVE CAUTHEN As a 17-year-old 'The Kentucky Kid' won 487 races, a record $6.15million, was champion jockey and voted 1977 Sportsman of the Year in America. A year later he won a yet-to-be-repeated American Triple Crown, riding Affirmed to three stirring victories over Alydar. Then, just as suddenly, his career soured. At one point in 1979, he went winless for 110 straight races in California. He moved to Britain that year and while he took time to get going, when he did, he was unstoppable. Champion three times, he rode 197 winners in 1987, and he was an outstanding judge of pace, riding his two Derby winners Slip Anchor (1985) and Reference Point (1987) from the front. His haul included 10 British Classics. Best horse: Reference Point. 3. PAT EDDERY In terms of numbers, Eddery's 4,632 British winners is second only to Sir Gordon Richards. The Kildare-born jockey was champion 11 times, a record he shares with Piggott, and he won three Derbys - Grundy (1975), Golden Fleece (1982) and Quest For Fame (1990). In total, he landed 14 English and 11 Irish Classics, with his best season coming in 1990, when he won the title with 209 winners. A four-time winner of the Arc de Triomphe, he will forever be remembered for his association with Dancing Brave, whom he partnered to land the race in 1986. Best horse: Dancing Brave. 4. FRANKIE DETTORI Charismatic darling of the public since his unique seven-timer at Ascot on September 28, 1996, and undoubtedly one of the best of his generation, Lanfranco Dettori has won 10 English Classics, including five St Legers. He finally landed the Derby at his 15th attempt, partnering Authorized, who was bred by Michael Kinane. A three-time champion (1994, 1995 and 2004), he is on pace to challenge Ryan Moore this season. Best horse: Dubai Millennium. 5. KIEREN FALLON Controversy may never have been far away from the six-time champion jockey and had it not been for suspension and injury, he would almost certainly have added to his 15 Classic victories, which include three Derbys - Oath (1999), Kris Kin (2003) and North Light (2004). Five times he has recorded 200 or more winners in a season. Best horse: Ouija Board. 6. MICHAEL KINANE The best Flat jockey ever to be based in Ireland, he won the Irish riding title 13 times in a 34-year career in the saddle. The man for the big occasion, he won 10 British Classics including three Derbys - Commander In Chief (1993), Galileo (2001) and Sea The Stars (2009) - and three Arcs. Best horse: Sea The Stars 7. WILLIE CARSON Champion five times between 1972 and 198


Which 1932 novel has characters 'Flora Poste', 'Seth Starkadder' and 'Adam Lambsbreath'?

Cold Comfort Farm definition/meaning Share this page Film "Cold Comfort Farm" is a 1995 British comedy film directed by John Schlesinger and produced by the BBC and Thames Television, an adaptation of Stella Gibbons' 1932 book of the same name, the film stars Kate Beckinsale, Joanna Lumley, Ian McKellen and Rufus Sewell. Originally broadcast on 1 January 1995 on the BBC, it was Schlesinger's final film shot in his home country of Britain, and was picked up for theatrical release in North America through Gramercy Pictures, where it was a small success. also known as I farma tis mavris symforas, La hija de Robert Poste, Uusia tuulia kartanossa, Laihan lohdun tila completed on International Emmy Award for Drama nomination for BBC Television & British Broadcasting Corporation British Academy Television Craft Award for Best Design nomination for Malcolm Thornton British Academy Television Craft Award for Best Make up and Hair Design nomination for Dorka Nieradzik British Academy Television Craft Award for Best Make up and Hair Design, received by Dorka Nieradzik 1997 Satellite Award for Best Film – Musical or Comedy nomination for Gramercy Pictures Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Comedy or Musical nomination for Ian McKellen Writings "Cold Comfort Farm" is a comic novel by English author Stella Gibbons , published in 1932. It parodies the romanticised, sometimes doom-laden accounts of rural life popular at the time, by writers such as Mary Webb. Gibbons was working for the Evening Standard in 1928 when they decided to serialise Webb's first novel, The Golden Arrow, and Gibbons was given the job of summarising the plot of earlier instalments. Other novelists in the tradition parodied by Cold Comfort Farm are D. H. Lawrence, Sheila Kaye-Smith and Thomas Hardy; and going further back, Mary E Mann and the Brontë sisters. In 2003, the novel was listed at number 88 on the BBC's survey The Big Read. also known as "Cold Comfort Farm (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)", "Cold Comfort Farm (Modern Classics)", "Cold Comfort Farm (Penguin Modern Classics)", "Cold Comfort Farm (BBC Radio Collection)", "Cold Comfort Farm (Essential.penguin)", "Cold Comfort Farm (Oxford Bookworms Black)", "Cold Comfort Farm (Isis Large Print Fiction)", "Conference at Cold Comfort Farm" language: English Language Printed dictionaries and other books with definitions for Cold Comfort Farm Click on a title to look inside that book (if available): Oxford Dictionary of Reference and Allusion (2012) by Andrew Delahunty, Sheila Dignen sTELLA GIBBONS Cold Comfort Farm 1932 Colditz [Places] A medieval castle near Leipzig in eastern Germany. It was used as a top-security prison camp during the Second World War, particularly for prisoners who were known as likely ... Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs (2015) by Jennifer Speake GIBBONs Cold Comfort Farm vii. Curses, like rookses, flies home to nest in bosomses and barnses. 1986 Washington Post 10 July A23 The proverb teaches us that 'curses, like chickens, come home to roost. The Supreme Court taught that ... Online dictionaries and encyclopedias with entries for Cold Comfort Farm Click on a label to prioritize search results according to that topic: Photo about Cold Comfort Farm Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons


Which US space project came between 'Mercury' and 'Apollo'?

Project Mercury: America's 1st Manned Space Program Project Mercury: America's 1st Manned Space Program By Elizabeth Howell, SPACE.com Contributor | February 10, 2014 06:50pm ET MORE The National Aeronautics and Space Administration came into being on October 1, 1958. NASA announced the seven Project Mercury Astronauts on April 9, 1959, only six months later. They are: (front, l to r) Walter H. Schirra, Jr., Donald K. Slayton, John H. Glenn, Jr., and Scott Carpenter; (back, l to r) Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Virgil I. Gus Grissom, and L. Gordon Cooper. Credit: NASA Mercury was NASA's first human spaceflight program. Its major aim was to see if humans could function effectively in space for a few minutes or hours at a time. Each mission flew only one person at once into space, starting with 15-minute long missions and gradually expanding to a day's time. The first seven astronauts were chosen in 1959, and they and their families instantly became worldwide celebrities. Their fame was further enhanced with an exclusive contract with Life magazine for $500,000 (or about $4 million today). The stories painted the astronauts as American heroes fighting communism with their space missions. The PR was part of the Mercury program's push to fly a man in space before the Soviet Union did. While Mercury failed in that aim, it did provide a technological basis for the more challenging orbital missions of Gemini and the moon missions of Apollo that took place later in the 1960s. Early Mercury flights There were several tests of the Mercury spacecraft before humans were put on board. The first living creature to fly on Mercury was not a test pilot, but a chimpanzee. The chimp, named Ham (an acronym for Holloman Aerospace Medical Center), blasted off aboard a Mercury Redstone rocket on Jan. 31, 1961. NASA officials wanted to fly Ham first in case the flight ran into technical problems, which it did. The spacecraft flew higher and faster than anticipated and splashed down more than 400 miles off course, but Ham emerged healthy except for mild dehydration and fatigue. [ Related: Laika the Dog & the First Animals in Space ] After one more test flight on March 24, NASA felt ready to bring its first astronaut into space. That person was Alan Shepard , a World War II veteran and Navy test pilot. When he lifted off on May 5, 1961, for a suborbital flight, his milestone came just weeks after the first man (a Russian, Yuri Gagarin ) made it into space on April 12. Shepard's 15-minute flight aboard Freedom 7 was a success, but he was frustrated at not making it first. "We had 'em," Shepard is reported to have said about the Soviets at the time. "We had 'em by the short hairs, and we gave it away." Mercury's next flight on July 21, 1961, ran into a major snag. Gus Grissom 's Liberty Bell 7 performed relatively well on the 15-minute suborbital hop until splashdown, when the door unexpectedly blew open. Grissom found himself in the water as the recovery helicopter tried in vain to rescue the spacecraft. The cause of the door problem was never found. Sadly, Grissom died in a launch pad fire aboard Apollo 1 ; one factor in his death was a hatch door his three-person crew could not open. Reaching orbit While the Mercury missions were technological feats for NASA and its contractors, they were quite short — only 15-minute arcs between Florida and the Atlantic Ocean. The Soviets, meanwhile, had already done orbital missions that circled the Earth several times. Getting the Americans to that stage would require a more powerful rocket, among other mission changes. So when John Glenn aimed for three orbits of Earth, his Friendship 7 spacecraft did it aboard a more powerful Mercury-Atlas rocket combination. He blasted off on Feb. 20, 1962, and during his three-orbit and five-hour mission, discovered strange "fireflies" that were appearing to follow his spacecraft, a phenomenon later explained as ice crystals coming off the hull. Controllers saw an indication that his landing bag had prematurely deployed. They waited to tell Glenn, then close to re-entry instructe


House of Windsor | Victoria Mary of Teck Name: Victoria Mary of Teck Father: Francis of Teck Mother: Mary Adelaide of Cambridge Born: May 26, 1867 at Kensington Palace, London Married: George V, on July 6, 1893 Children: Five sons including Edward VIII and George VI , and one daughter Died: March 24, 1953, aged 85 years, 9 months, and 27 days Buried at: Windsor Mary was the wife and Queen consort of King George V. She was born in London in 1867, and known to her family as �May� after the month of her birth. Her father was a minor Duke Francis of Teck with little wealth, and her mother Mary Adelaide of Cambridge who was a grandchild of George III. The eldest of four children she spent her early years travelling Europe with her family until they settled in London in 1885. In 1891 she was engaged to her 2nd cousin Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence, but shortly afterwards and before they were married he died in 1892. Queen Victoria considered her a suitable candidate for marriage to Albert�s brother Prince George who was second in line to the throne, and they were married in 1893. They became Duke and Duchess of York and lived on the Sandringham Estate, in Norfolk. The marriage was a success and George unlike his father never took a mistress. They had 6 children Edward, Albert, Mary, Henry, George and John. The youngest Prince John suffered from epilepsy and died aged 13. George V became King in 1910 and Mary became Queen consort. They toured India in 1911 as Emperor and Empress of India. During World War I Mary visited wounded serviceman in hospital and was staunch supporter of her husband during difficult times that included not only the war with Germany, but also the Russian revolution and murder of George�s cousin Princess Alix who was Tsarina Alexandra wife of Tsar Nicholas II, civil unrest and Irish and Indian nationalism. In 1917 with anti-German sentiment running high, the family name was changed from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor. Following the death of George in 1936, she became the Queen mother and her son Edward became King Edward VIII. She disapproved of divorce and of Edward�s subsequent abdication and marriage to twice divorced Wallis Simpson, but she supported her second son Albert who came to the throne as King George VI. She died at the age of 85, only 10 weeks before the coronation of Elizabeth II.


Which Prime Minister was MP for two Birmingham constituencies - Ladywood from 1918 to 1929, then Edgebaston from 1929 to 1940?

Neville Chamberlain - History Learning Site Neville Chamberlain Citation: C N Trueman "Neville Chamberlain" historylearningsite.co.uk. The History Learning Site, 26 May 2015. 16 Aug 2016. Neville Chamberlain was Prime Minister of Great Britain in September 1939 as Europe descended into World War Two after the failure of appeasement in the late 1930’s. Chamberlain paid a political price for the failure of Britain in Norway in the spring of 1940 and resigned as Prime Minister to be succeeded by Winston Churchill . He died shortly afterwards.   Neville Chamberlain was born into a famous political family. He was the son of Joseph Chamberlain and his half-brother was Austen. All three were to make their mark in politics, one way or another. Neville Chamberlain was born in 1869. He was educated at Rugby School and after this, he managed his father’s sisal plantation in the Bahamas for seven years. On his return to Britain in 1897, Chamberlain became involved in local politics and in 1915 he was elected Lord Mayor of Birmingham, arguably England’s second city. In 1916, he was appointed director-general of National Service but was dismissed from this position by David Lloyd-George in 1917 who did not understand or appreciate Chamberlain’s method of working – this involved a detailed understanding of the problem at hand which usually led to a solution occurring later than Lloyd-George was used to. In 1918, Chamberlain became the Member of Parliament for Ladywood in Birmingham. He held this constituency until 1929 when he was elected MP for Edgbaston – also in Birmingham. Chamberlain was MP for Edgbaston until his death in 1940 . Chamberlain gained a reputation for thoroughness in his duties as a MP and from 1924 to 1929, he served as Minister for Health under Stanley Baldwin and and he was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer in the National Government of Ramsey Macdonald. Chamberlain held this position from November 1931 to May 1937. In this position, he enhanced his reputation as an efficient administrator and it surprised very few when he became Prime Minister on May 28th, 1937. Chamberlain was suddenly thrust into a position which required him to be involved in European politics. He had no experience in foreign affairs and frequently took the advice of one of his advisors, Sir Horace Wilson, as opposed to the advice of the Foreign Office. In the late 1930’s, Chamberlain is most associated with the policy of appeasement. Polls from the time show that many people in Britain supported what Chamberlain was trying to achieve. It was only after the failure of appeasement that Chamberlain’s decisions and career acquired a more negative image. Two schools of thought exist as to why Chamberlain pursued appeasement. One is that he honestly thought that he could address the grievances that he believed Germany rightly held after the Treaty of Versailles . Chamberlain believed that if was seen as being fair to German concerns, then he could achieve success and stop Europe from declining into war. Another theory is that Chamberlain believed that appeasement was worth trying but that war was inevitable. He also realised that Britain was not well prepared for war and that he needed to buy time to improve Britain’s military position. In particular, it is said that Chamberlain knew that our air defences were weak and that the more time he could gain, the stronger they would become. It is possible that a combination of the two – a desire for peace matched with a desire to ensure Britain was able to defend itself – determined what Chamberlain attempted to do. In March 1939 , Germany’s army swallowed up the rest of Czechoslovakia and destroyed whatever meaning the Munich Agreement ever had. Chamberlain swiftly offered a guarantee to Poland and when Poland was attacked in September 1939, Chamberlain had little choice but to declare war on Germany. Perceived wisdom would have people believe that Chamberlain let down the British people when war was declared. In fact, in September 1939 , his popularity rating was 55% and by Christmas 1939 in the era


On the sleeve of the 'Beatles' album 'Abbey Road', who has a cigarette in his right hand?

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Beatles Abbey Road cigarette airbrushed Tuesday, 21 January, 2003, 18:40 GMT Beatles Abbey Road cigarette airbrushed The Beatles were all heavy smokers in the 1960s United States poster companies have airbrushed the classic Beatles Abbey Road album cover to remove a cigarette from Paul McCartney's hand. The move was made without the permission of either McCartney or Apple Records, which owns the rights to the image. It seems these poster companies got a little carried away Apple Records spokesman The original copy shows a barefoot McCartney third in line on the famous road crossing holding a cigarette. But politically correct US poster companies have airbrushed out the offending cigarette, to the delight of anti-smoking campaigners. "We have never agreed to anything like this," said an Apple spokesman. "It seems these poster companies got a little carried away. McCartney came up with the original idea for the sleeve "They shouldn't have done what they have, but there isn't much we can do about it now." The move comes 14 months after guitarist George Harrison died from cancer, which he blamed on smoking. All of the Beatles were heavy smokers during the 1960s and 70s. The 1969 image has been a poster classic since it was taken near Abbey Road studios in north London, where the group recorded most of their music. The shot is one of pop's most controversial album covers. Photographer Iain Macmillan was given just ten minutes to take the picture outside the studios. He balanced on a stepladder and took six photographs of the four walking across a zebra crossing. Death myth It was McCartney who selected the cover shot. He had, in fact, come up with the original idea for the sleeve and had presented Macmillan with a sketch for it. A myth suggesting that Paul McCartney had died in a car crash and been replaced by a look-a-like grew up around the picture soon after it was released. Clues could supposedly be found in the image. The white-suited John Lennon symbolised the preacher heading the funeral procession, while the bare-footed McCartney was the corpse. According to the rumours, proof positive of the impostor theory was the fact that Paul was holding a cigarette in his right hand, despite being left-handed. See also:


Who assists Alexander Armstrong with the t.v. quiz 'Pointless'?

Pointless | TVmaze Pointless Follow Contestants have to try and score as few points as possible as they compete against one another. Share this on: Episode 40 Episode 16x40; Jan 20, 2017 Quiz in which contestants try to score as few points as possible by plumbing the depths of their general knowledge to come up with the answers no-one else can think of. Presented by Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman.


Which is the most easterly of these Libyan cities: Benghazi, Misrata, Sirte, Tobruk, Tripoli?

The Libyan War, brought to you by Bernard-Henri Levy - France 24 The Libyan War, brought to you by Bernard-Henri Levy Text by Leela JACINTO Follow leelajacinto on twitter Latest update : 2012-06-07 In his new documentary, “The Oath of Tobruk,” Bernard-Henri Levy details how a self-promoting leftist intellectual persuaded a conservative French president to back the Libyan revolt. In his ubiquitous black suit paired with an always crisp, always pristine white shirt unbuttoned to reveal an alarming swathe of chest, France’s most flamboyant public intellectual scampers up sand dunes in the Libyan desert, ushers uninitiated Libyan seniors through the gilded corridors of the French presidential palace and unabashedly attempts to conduct the forces of history. In a documentary titled, “Le Serment de Tobrouk” - or “The Oath of Tobruk” – released in France Wednesday, French philosopher-writer Bernard-Henri Levy is the narrator, director, star of a documentary about his role in the 2011 Libyan intervention. More than a year after UN Security Council Resolution 1973 - which provided the legal basis for the NATO intervention in Libya - was adopted, the documentary charts the unprecedented saga of how one intellectual managed to bulldoze the international agenda on Libya. The storyline of Levy’s extraordinary role in Libya is by now fairly well-known, certainly across France. In early March 2011, Levy – or “BHL” as he’s called in his native France - traveled from Egypt into eastern Libya. There, he met Libyan rebel leaders and proceeded to convince then President Nicolas Sarkozy to support the rebels diplomatically and militarily. For the next few months, the French people witnessed the unusual spectacle of a notoriously self-promoting leftist intellectual joining forces with a notoriously energetic conservative president to wage war in a distant, sandy nation. There’s a new man in the French presidential palace today, and as Libya prepares to hold its first free general elections this summer, “The Oath of Tobruk” provides an opportunity to revisit an unprecedented chapter in international relations. It was France’s recognition of the Libyan NTC (National Transitional Council) back in March 2011 that paved the way for the international intervention that helped oust Muammar Gaddafi. “I think BHL served a very important role for Sarkozy,” says Christopher Dickey, Paris bureau chief of Newsweek and The Daily Beast. “I think Sarkozy was looking to intervene in any case. The question was who to talk to? The key role that BHL played was that he found someone to talk to on his first visit to [the eastern Libyan city of] Benghazi.” An introductory spiel in different countries A self-styled “militant philosopher,” 63-year-old Levy has never been at a loss to find the right person to talk to. “The Oath of Tobruk” features archival footage of a young BHL meeting the late Afghan resistance hero Ahmad Shah Massoud in Afghanistan in 1998. A FRENCH PHILOSOPHER IN LIBYA   Hisham Matar's memoir 'The Return' seeks answers in post-Gaddafi Libya Seated with a battery of Afghan elders on a low divan in a carpeted room, Levy attempts to explain his puzzling presence and his even more puzzling mission to a visibly exhausted Massoud. “We are not journalists. We are writers,” he explains as the resistance hero widely known as “The Lion of the Panjshir” looks on, battle-wearied and unimpressed. Levy goes on to explain that he will try to convince France’s president, Jacques Chirac, about Massoud’s cause. He doesn’t promise anything, he stresses, but he’ll try. In the end, he did not succeed. Massoud was killed two days before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks desperately trying to save his patch of the Panjshir from Taliban forces. He never lived to see the military intervention in his broken, benighted homeland. More than a decade later, Levy finally succeeded in getting the ears of a French president. In early March 2011, as Gaddafi’s troops were advancing on Benghazi, a similar scene unravels - this time in a different country with a different cast of characters


Which England spin bowler won 'Beard of the Year' in 2006?

BBC - Test Match Special: Beard of the Year? Beard of the Year? Share this page Martin Gough | 10:54 UK time, Thursday, 14 December 2006 Monty Panesar was celebrating on the field during day one of the third Ashes Test as he became the first English spinner to take a Test five-wicket haul in Perth, and he returned to the pavilion to more good news. His heroics came too late for the BBC Sports Personality vote but Panesar has been named as one of the favourites for the Beard of the Year award, handed out annually by the Beard Liberation Front, an informal network of beard wearers. Other cricketing personalities among the nominees are Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and Test Match Special statistician Bill "The Bearded Wonder" Frindall , a regular inclusion. Slow left-armer Panesar also faces competition from actor Ricky Tomlinson and Fidel Castro. The ailing president of Cuba was unavailable for comment but BLF organiser Keith Flett found time to speak to BBC Radio Northampton . "He's one of the front-runners for the award this year," said Flett. "He may have a beard for slightly different reasons, but at the end of the day it's still a beard, and it's a magnificent beard. "Obviously it's his bowling, but I think his beard may well play a role there. "The Aussie batsmen are probably a bit bamboozled as they see the beard coming towards them and, you know, that's it - off they go back to the pavilion."


In the 2009 film 'The Gruffalo', who voiced the 'Gruffalo'?

The Gruffalo (TV Movie 2009) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error A cunning mouse goes for a walk in the forest and outwits a succession of predators. Directors: a list of 45 titles created 03 Nov 2011 a list of 43 titles created 08 Mar 2014 a list of 34 titles created 11 months ago a list of 42 titles created 6 months ago a list of 22 titles created 3 months ago Search for " The Gruffalo " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Title: The Gruffalo (TV Movie 2009) 7.5/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for     1     Oscar. Another    7 wins & 3 nominations. See more awards  » Videos The Gruffalo's Child (TV Movie 2011) Animation | Family A little Gruffalo ignores her father's warnings and tiptoes out into the snow in search of the Big Bad Mouse. Directors: Uwe Heidschötter, Johannes Weiland Stars: Helena Bonham Carter, Shirley Henderson, Robbie Coltrane     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.5/10 X   To the annoyance of her cat a kindly witch allows a dog, a bird and a frog who have helped her retrieve things she has lost to ride on her broomstick, making it top heavy. The broom is ... See full summary  » Directors: Jan Lachauer, Max Lang Stars: Simon Pegg, Gillian Anderson, Rob Brydon Stick Man (TV Short 2015) Animation | Short | Family Stick Man lives in the family tree with his Stick Lady Love and their stick children three, and he's heading on an epic adventure across the seasons. Will he get back to his family in time for Christmas? Directors: Jeroen Jaspaert, Daniel Snaddon Stars: Martin Freeman, Jennifer Saunders, Rob Brydon A young boy whose dog has just died moves into the house in whose backyard the snowman was built. Finding a photograph of the snowman the boy rebuilds him,fashioning a snow dog out of the ... See full summary  » Director: Hilary Audus Father Christmas on vacation and on the job. Director: Dave Unwin On Christmas Eve, a young boy builds a snowman that comes to life and takes him to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus. Directors: Dianne Jackson, Jimmy T. Murakami Stars: David Bowie, Raymond Briggs When a little girl loses her teddy bear in the polar bear enclosure at the zoo, she is surprised but very happy when the polar bear turns up at her home to return it. Director: Hilary Audus Edit Storyline Threatened in turn by a fox, an owl and a snake, a little mouse scares them all off by claiming he is waiting for his monstrous friend the Gruffalo. He believes the Gruffalo does not exist but it does and it too wants to eat him. However, the mouse survives by tricking the Gruffalo into believing who is the most scary creature in the wood. Written by don @ minifie-1 9 December 2010 (USA) See more  » Also Known As: (United Kingdom) – See all my reviews Having narrowly avoided a predator herself, a mother squirrel calms the nerves of her two young children by telling them a story of a plucky young mouse who travels deep into the woods in search of food only to find predators at every turn ready to trick him into becoming their next meal. While the satellite channels have pretty much taken away the "big movie premiere" as an event on BBC at Christmas time, the BBC still have their usual weapons by their sides to ensure that people looking for easy festive distraction know they can come to them. As a result we do get several episodes of Eastenders but it does also mean special films of existing shows (such as Dr Who etc) which sometimes can be quite good, but also animated programmes. The usual big winner that everyone thinks of is of course Wallace & Gromit, but this year there was none of them but there was this charming little film sitting comfortably just before the end of David Tenant on Doctor Who. Based on the very successful children's book (which I've not read), the rhyming dialogue of the mouse's spee


To which former model is singer Jamie Cullum married?

Jamie Cullum - Celebs Who Date Much Taller Women - Zimbio Celebs Who Date Much Taller Women Prev 16 of 20 Next 16. Jamie Cullum British singer Jamie Cullum, all 5' 4" of him, is married to former model Sophie Dahl, who's seven inches taller. They don't let the height gap bother them, though: 'We happen to be two people who met, fell madly in love and will probably produce fairly average sized children, hopefully with his more elegant feet, not mine," she said in a past interview. That's the spirit! Sign Up for Our Newsletter Thanks for signing up!


Much of the action in Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is set in a wood near which city?

SparkNotes: A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Plot Overview A Midsummer Night’s Dream A Midsummer Night’s Dream William Shakespeare Context Character List Theseus, duke of Athens, is preparing for his marriage to Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, with a four-day festival of pomp and entertainment. He commissions his Master of the Revels, Philostrate, to find suitable amusements for the occasion. Egeus, an Athenian nobleman, marches into Theseus’s court with his daughter, Hermia, and two young men, Demetrius and Lysander. Egeus wishes Hermia to marry Demetrius (who loves Hermia), but Hermia is in love with Lysander and refuses to comply. Egeus asks for the full penalty of law to fall on Hermia’s head if she flouts her father’s will. Theseus gives Hermia until his wedding to consider her options, warning her that disobeying her father’s wishes could result in her being sent to a convent or even executed. Nonetheless, Hermia and Lysander plan to escape Athens the following night and marry in the house of Lysander’s aunt, some seven leagues distant from the city. They make their intentions known to Hermia’s friend Helena, who was once engaged to Demetrius and still loves him even though he jilted her after meeting Hermia. Hoping to regain his love, Helena tells Demetrius of the elopement that Hermia and Lysander have planned. At the appointed time, Demetrius stalks into the woods after his intended bride and her lover; Helena follows behind him. In these same woods are two very different groups of characters. The first is a band of fairies, including Oberon, the fairy king, and Titania, his queen, who has recently returned from India to bless the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. The second is a band of Athenian craftsmen rehearsing a play that they hope to perform for the duke and his bride. Oberon and Titania are at odds over a young Indian prince given to Titania by the prince’s mother; the boy is so beautiful that Oberon wishes to make him a knight, but Titania refuses. Seeking revenge, Oberon sends his merry servant, Puck, to acquire a magical flower, the juice of which can be spread over a sleeping person’s eyelids to make that person fall in love with the first thing he or she sees upon waking. Puck obtains the flower, and Oberon tells him of his plan to spread its juice on the sleeping Titania’s eyelids. Having seen Demetrius act cruelly toward Helena, he orders Puck to spread some of the juice on the eyelids of the young Athenian man. Puck encounters Lysander and Hermia; thinking that Lysander is the Athenian of whom Oberon spoke, Puck afflicts him with the love potion. Lysander happens to see Helena upon awaking and falls deeply in love with her, abandoning Hermia. As the night progresses and Puck attempts to undo his mistake, both Lysander and Demetrius end up in love with Helena, who believes that they are mocking her. Hermia becomes so jealous that she tries to challenge Helena to a fight. Demetrius and Lysander nearly do fight over Helena’s love, but Puck confuses them by mimicking their voices, leading them apart until they are lost separately in the forest. When Titania wakes, the first creature she sees is Bottom, the most ridiculous of the Athenian craftsmen, whose head Puck has mockingly transformed into that of an ass. Titania passes a ludicrous interlude doting on the ass-headed weaver. Eventually, Oberon obtains the Indian boy, Puck spreads the love potion on Lysander’s eyelids, and by morning all is well. Theseus and Hippolyta discover the sleeping lovers in the forest and take them back to Athens to be married—Demetrius now loves Helena, and Lysander now loves Hermia. After the group wedding, the lovers watch Bottom and his fellow craftsmen perform their play, a fumbling, hilarious version of the story of Pyramus and Thisbe. When the play is completed, the lovers go to bed; the fairies briefly emerge to bless the sleeping couples with a protective charm and then disappear. Only Puck remains, to ask the audience for its forgiveness and approval and to urge it to remember the play as though it had all been a d


The 'Numbat' is a small mammal native to which country?

Mammals of Australia Australian              Aboriginals had been accustomed to them for              millennia, but              early white explorers were amazed by what they              found in Australia, and even today we are              uncovering more and more remarkable facts              about our mammals What is so odd about Australian mammals? Australia is                      the                      only continent (and one of the                      only two countries - the other                      being New Guinea) in the world                      to still have all three of the                      major groups of mammals :                      monotremes,                      marsupials and placentals Half                      of Australia's                      mammal species are marsupials                      (South America has a few dozen                      species -                      all in the opossum family -                      and a couple of species have                      found their                      way into North America, but                      Australia is the only                      continent to have                      such a diverse range or to                      have marsupials as their most                      common and                      conspicuous land mammals) It                      is the                      only country in the world to                      have platypus, kangaroos                      (although                      New Guinea and                      some neighbouring islands do                      have wallabies), koalas,                      wombats,                      marsupial "moles" and numbats It                      is the                      only continent other than                      Antarctica to not have native                      hoofed animals,                      or terrestrial native                      Carnivora (dogs, bears, cats,                      weasels etc., but                      we do have seals and sea                      lions) - the dingo                      appears to have arrived from                      Southeast Asia only about                      4,000 years ago,                      probably with Indonesian                      traders. It is also the only                      continent to have                      rainforests but no monkeys Not only                      do we have mobs of great,                      two-legged hopping herbivores                      taking the                      place of deer and cattle, but                      we have a strange little furry                      creature                      that                      swims, lays eggs, give milk to                      its young, has a venomous


The painting 'Las Meninas' in the Prado includes the artist at work. Who is the artist?

Las Meninas - The Collection - Museo Nacional del Prado Museo Nacional del Prado Search within the 34331 Museum website results Las Meninas Velázquez, Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Sevilla, 1599 - Madrid, 1660 Las Meninas 1656. Oil on canvas, 318 x 276 cm. This is one of Velázquez`s largest paintings and among those in which he made most effort to create a complex and credible composition that would convey a sense of life and reality while enclosing a dense network of meanings. The artist achieved his intentions and Las Meninas became the only work to which the writer on art Antonio Palomino devoted a separate section in his history of Spanish painters of 1724, entitling it In which the most illustrious work by Don Diego Velázquez is described. Since then the painting has never lost its status as a masterpiece. From Palomino we know that it was painted in 1656 in the Cuarto del Príncipe in the Alcázar in Madrid, which is the room seen in the work. He also identifies most of the figures of the court servants grouped around the Infanta Margarita, who is attended by two of the Queen`s meninas or maids-ofhonour: María Agustina Sarmiento and Isabel de Velasco. In addition to that group, we also see the artist himself working on a large canvas, the dwarves Mari Bárbola and Nicolasito Pertusato, the latter provoking a mastiff, and the lady-in-waiting Marcela de Ulloa next to a guardadamas (attendant), with the chamberlain José Nieto standing in the doorway in the background. Reflected in the mirror are the faces of Philip IV and Mariana of Austria, the Infanta`s parents who are watching the scene taking place. The figures inhabit a space that is modelled not just through the laws of scientific perspective but also through aerial perspective. In the definition of this space the multiplication of the light sources plays an important role. Las Meninas has one meaning that is immediately obvious to any viewer: it is a group portrait set in a specific location and peopled with identifiable figures undertaking comprehensible actions. The painting`s aesthetic values are also evident: the setting is one of the most credible spaces depicted in western art; the composition combines unity and variety; the remarkably beautiful details are divided across the entire pictorial surface; and finally, the painter has taken a decisive step forward on the path to illusionism, which was one of the goals of European painting in the early modern age, given that he has gone beyond transmitting resemblance in order to successfully achieve the representation of life or animation. However, as is habitual with Velázquez, in this scene in which the Infanta and the court servants pause in their actions on the arrival of the King and Queen, there are numerous underlying meanings that pertain to different fields of experience and which co-exist in one of the masterpieces of western art that has been the subject of the most numerous and most varied interpretations. One study, for example, has focused on the royal status of the Infanta, which thus endows the entire painting with a political content. There are also, however, important references of an art-historical nature that are expressed through the presence of the painter himself and the paintings hanging on the rear wall, while the inclusion of the mirror makes this work a consideration on the act of seeing and ensures that the viewer reflects on the laws of representation, the limits between painting and reality and his or her own role within the painting. This richness and variety in the content, combined with the complexity of the painting`s composition and the variety of actions depicted, make Las Meninas a portrait in which the artist deploys representational strategies and pursues aims that go beyond the habitual ones in this genre, bringing it closer to history painting. In this sense, it is one of the key works through which Velázquez championed the potential of the pictorial genre to which he had devoted his activities since he arrived at court in 1623 (Text from Portús, J.: Velázquez. Las Meninas an


A character from which Roald Dahl work appeared on a 1st. class issued in January?

The magic of Roald Dahl celebrated on Royal Mail’s stamps The magic of Roald Dahl celebrated on Royal Mail’s stamps 10 January 2012 The magic of Roald Dahl celebrated on Royal Mail’s stamps  Roald Dahl’s timeless children’s classics celebrated on the first Royal Mail  Special Stamps issued in  2012;Set of six stamps featuring iconic Dahl charactersCharlie and the Chocolate FactoryThe Fantastic Mr FoxJames and the Giant PeachMatildaThe TwitsThe Witches30th Anniversary of BFG celebrated on special sheet of four stampsIconic Quentin Blake illustrationsOphelia Dahl: "I'm so excited that Royal Mail has honoured my father, Roald Dahl, with this stamp release”Whether you’re a witch, a fantastic fox or just a plain old twit, you won’t need a Golden Ticket to enjoy Royal Mail’s first special stamps of 2012 – a special set paying tribute to the wonderful work of author Roald DahlA set of six stamps, launched on 10th January, celebrate some of Roald Dahl’s most popular stories and feature illustrations by Quentin Blake, whose iconic drawings are synonymous with Roald Dahl’s children’s classics  Roald Dahl’s timeless children’s classics celebrated on the first Royal Mail  Special Stamps issued in  2012; Set of six stamps featuring iconic Dahl characters Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Fantastic Mr Fox James and the Giant Peach Matilda 30th Anniversary of BFG celebrated on special sheet of four stamps Iconic Quentin Blake illustrations Ophelia Dahl: "I'm so excited that Royal Mail has honoured my father, Roald Dahl, with this stamp release” Whether you’re a witch, a fantastic fox or just a plain old twit, you won’t need a Golden Ticket to enjoy Royal Mail’s first special stamps of 2012 – a special set paying tribute to the wonderful work of author Roald Dahl A set of six stamps, launched on 10th January, celebrate some of Roald Dahl’s most popular stories and feature illustrations by Quentin Blake, whose iconic drawings are synonymous with Roald Dahl’s children’s classics. One of Roald Dahl’s most famous tales, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, appears with a beaming Charlie Bucket on the 1st Class stamp.  Other stamps depict much-loved favourites Fantastic Mr Fox (66p), James and the Giant Peach (68p), Matilda (76p), The Twits (£1) and The Witches (£1.10). The 30th anniversary of The BFG, or Big Friendly Giant, one of Roald Dahl’s hugely popular characters, is marked by a special sheet of four stamps all of which feature scenes from this legendary tale. Ophelia Dahl, daughter of Roald, said: "I'm so excited that Royal Mail has honoured my father, Roald Dahl, with these stamps. My dad wrote thousands of letters home throughout his life and never dreamed that one day one of his own characters would grace a stamp. He'd be thrilled. This is an excellent way for us to kick off a year of celebrations to mark thirty years in print for The BFG and it's great that the stamps include a collector's set, devoted to The BFG and other characters from this book." Stephen Agar, Royal Mail Stamps spokesperson, said: “Roald Dahl’s wonderful stories and timeless creations have touched the lives of children and adults across the UK and around the world. “We are delighted to be featuring some of Roald Dahl’s most loved stories as we start our 2012 special stamp programme. Later in the year we will be celebrating the life of another iconic writer, Charles Dickens, and a separate series on Britons of Distinction will all help make this a year to remember.” Ends NOTES TO EDITORS ROYAL MAIL STAMPS For almost 50 years Royal Mail’s Special Stamp programme has commemorated and celebrated events and anniversaries pertinent to UK heritage and life. Today, there are an estimated 2.5 million stamp collectors and gifters in the UK and millions worldwide. Her Majesty the Queen approves all UK stamp designs before they are printed. Stamps and stamp products are available at all Post Office branches, online at www.royalmail.com/dahl the Royal Mail eBay shop: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Royal-Mail-Stamp-Collections   and from Royal Mail Tallents House (tel. 08457 6


Who played 'Tim the Enchanter' in the film 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'?

Tim the Enchanter - Top 10 Most Beloved Wizards - TIME Top 10 Most Beloved Wizards 2. Tim the Enchanter "There are those who call me ... Tim." In Monty Python and the Holy Grail, King Arthur and his knights meet pyromaniac wizard Tim the Enchanter, played by John Cleese in the 1975 movie and later by Hank Azaria in the Broadway version, Spamalot. The ram-horned, bearded wizard is capable of creating fire without flint or tinder, which he does both frequently and carelessly  during his short scene in the movie, Tim conjures fire close to 20 times. His power elicits applause from Arthur's knights, but when he warns them of the perils of the Rabbit of Caerbannog  who guards the cave containing the Grail  they discount his warning and the bunny's strength. Three are led to their doom before the bunny is killed by the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch. They should have heeded Arthur's earlier words: Tim "knows much that is hidden."


MELPOMENE - Greek Goddess Muse of Tragedy MELPOMENE Celebrate with Song Muse Melpomene, Greco-Roman marble statue C2nd A.D., State Hermitage Museum MELPOMENE was one of the nine Mousai (Muses), the goddesses of music, song and dance. In the Classical era, when the Mousai were assigned specific artistic and literary spheres, Melpomene was named Muse of tragedy. In this guise she was portrayed holding a tragic mask or sword, and sometimes wearing a wreath of ivy and cothurnus boots. Her name was derived from the Greek verb melpô or melpomai meaning "to celebrate with dance and song." FAMILY OF MELPOMENE ZEUS & MNEMOSYNE (Hesiod Theogony 75, Apollodorus 1.13, Diodorus Siculus 4.7.1, Orphic Hymn 76) OFFSPRING THE SEIRENES (by Akheloios ) (Apollodorus 1.18 & 1.63, Lycophron 712, Hyginus Fabulae 141) ENCYCLOPEDIA MELPO′MENE (Melpomenos), i. e. the singing (goddess), one of the nine Muses, became afterwards the Muse of Tragedy. (Hes. Theog. 77) Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. CLASSICAL LITERATURE QUOTES Hesiod, Theogony 75 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.) : "The Mousai (Muses) sang who dwell on Olympos, nine daughters begotten by great Zeus, Kleio (Clio) and Euterpe, Thaleia (Thalia), Melpomene and Terpsikhore (Terpsichore), and Erato and Polymnia (Polyhymnia) and Ourania (Urania) and Kalliope (Calliope)." Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1. 13 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "Mnemosyne [bore to Zeus] the Mousai (Muses), the eldest of whom was Kalliope (Calliope), followed by Kleio (Clio), Melpomene, Euterpe, Erato, Terpsikhore (Terpsichore), Ourania (Urania), Thaleia (Thalia), and Polymnia." Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1. 18 : "Melpomene bore to Akheloos (Achelous) the Seirenes (Sirens), whom we shall discuss in the course of the tale of Odysseus." Lycophron, Alexandra 712 ff (trans. Mair) (Greek poet C3rd B.C.) : "The triple daughters [the Seirenes (Sirens)] of Tethys' son [Akheloos (Achelous)], who imitated the strains of their melodious mother [Melpomene]." Virgil and the Muses Clio and Melpomene, Greco-Roman mosaic A.D., Bardo National Museum Diodorus Siculus, Library of History 4. 7. 1 (trans. Oldfather) (Greek historian C1st B.C.) : "Hesiod even gives their [the Mousai (Muses)] names when he writes: ‘Kleio (Clio), Euterpe, and Thaleia (Thalia), Melpomene, Terpsikhore (Terpsichore) and Erato, and Polymnia, Ourania (Urania), Kalliope (Calliope) too, of them all the most comely.’ To each of the Mousai (Muses) men assign her special aptitude for one of the branches of the liberal arts, such as poetry, song, pantomimic dancing, the round dance with music, the study of the stars, and the other liberal arts . . . For the name of each Mousa (Muse), they say, men have found a reason appropriate to her: . . . Melpomene, from the chanting (melodia) by which she charms the souls of her listeners." Orphic Hymn 76 to the Muses (trans. Taylor) (Greek hymns C3rd B.C. to 2nd A.D.) : "Daughters of Mnemosyne and Zeus . . . Kleio (Clio), and Erato who charms the sight, with thee, Euterpe, ministering delight: Thalia flourishing, Polymnia famed, Melpomene from skill in music named: Terpsikhore (Terpsichore), Ourania (Urania) heavenly bright." Philostratus the Younger, Imagines 13 (trans. Fairbanks) (Greek rhetorician C3rd A.D.) : "[Ostensibly a description of an ancient Greek painting :] Why do you delay, O divine Sophokles (Sophocles) [the tragedian], to accept the gifts of Melpomene? Whey do you fix your eyes upon the ground? Since I for one do not know whether it is because you are now collecting your thoughts, or because you are awe-stricken at the presence of the goddess. But be of good heart, good sir, and accept her gifts; for the gifts of the gods are not to be rejected . . . Indeed you see how the bees fly above you, and how they buzz with a pleasant and divine sound as they anoint you with mystic drops of their own dew, since this more than anything else is to be infused into your poesy. Surely someone will before long cry out, naming you the ‘honeycomb of


Who wrote the plays 'Relatively Speaking' and 'Absent Person Singular'?

Alan Ayckbourn's Official Website FAQs: Other Media Frequently Asked Questions: Film, Television & DVDs This page contains FAQs concerning Alan Ayckbourn on film, video and DVD. If there is a question not listed here which you feel should be listed, please contact the website via the Contact Us page. 1) Which Alan Ayckbourn plays have been adapted into films? 2) Which Alan Ayckbourn plays have been adapted for television? 3) Which of these adaptations have been made available commercially? 4) Is there a specific reason why so few of these adaptations have been made available? 5) Will Season's Greetings or any of the other filmed adaptations be released in the foreseeable future? 6) Has Alan ever written scripts specifically for film and / or television? 7) What was the connection between Alan Ayckbourn and the French film director Alain Resnais? 8) Is A Chorus Of Disapproval available to buy on video or DVD? 9) Where can I obtain the commercially released filmed adaptations of Alan Ayckbourn's plays? 1) Which Alan Ayckbourn plays have been adapted into films? Michael Winner adapted A Chorus Of Disapproval, Malcolm Mowbray adapted The Revengers' Comedies and Alain Resnais adapted Intimate Exchanges into the two films Smoking / No Smoking as well as Private Fears In Public Places and Life Of Riley. 2) Which Alan Ayckbourn plays have been adapted for television? The following plays have been adapted for television in the UK: Absent Friends; Absurd Person Singular; Bedroom Farce; A Cut In The Rates; By Jeeves; Countdown; Ernie's Incredible Illucinations; Just Between Ourselves; Men On Women On Men; The Norman Conquests; Relatively Speaking (1969); Relatively Speaking (1989); The Revengers' Comedies; Season's Greetings; Time And Time Again; Way Upstream. A number of international adaptations have also been made for television. 3) Which of these adaptations have been made available commercially? Very few of the filmed adaptations have been made available commercially. These are: The Norman Conquests; A Chorus Of Disapproval; The Revengers' Comedies; Smoking / No Smoking; By Jeeves; Private Fears In Public Places with Life Of Riley scheduled for a 2015 release. A complete list can be found at the foot of this page. 4) Is there a specific reason why so few of these adaptations have been made available? There is no obvious reason why the television adaptations have not been made available on DVD. In all likelihood it is a commercial decision by the TV film / producer, such as the BBC. Their release is not being blocked by Alan Ayckbourn and he has never expressed any opposition to them being made available commercially. 5) Will Season's Greetings or any of the other filmed adaptations be released commercially in the foreseeable future? At the present time, Alan Ayckbourn is not aware of any plans by the BBC in the foreseeable future to release Season's Greetings or any of the other film adaptations of his work onto DVD or digital download. As mentioned in question 6, the decision to release these programmes on DVD is that of the commercial rights holder (in the case of Season's Greetings, this being the BBC), not Alan Ayckbourn; he has no opposition to films such as Season's Greetings, Absent Friends and Absurd Person Singular being made available commercially. 6) Has Alan ever written scripts specifically for film / and or television? Despite his love of cinema, Alan has never written an original screenplay for film, nor has he adapted any of his plays into filmed screenplays. Contrary to belief, Alan did not write the final screenplay of A Chorus Of Disapproval. Michael Winner adapted the play, this was then given to Alan who spent a day revising it and trying to restore elements which had been lost. This screenplay was then again adapted by Michael Winner into the final product which bears little resemblance to the original play or author's intentions. Alan has written just one screenplay for television. Service Not Included is a 30 minute piece, written for a BBC educational series. Alan also wrote a number of sketches for Ro


'A' is the lowest band for Council Tax in England. What is the highest?

The highest - and lowest - council tax bills - Telegraph The highest - and lowest - council tax bills Some of England's most affluent areas are still enjoying the very lowest bills Westminster has the lowest council tax bills, priced at just £674 this year for a Band D home. Photo: ALAMY Comments Residents in parts of Dorset have again been saddled with the highest council tax bills in England, while those living in some of London’s most affluent boroughs pay the least. In the coastal area of Weymouth & Portland, which includes the Isle of Portland, households in a “Band D” property must pay £1,756 this year, up £30 from last year (see below for an explanation of the band system). This is more than two and a half times the tax paid by some of the capital’s wealthiest households. Interactive: 3110 Council Tax Westminster has the lowest council tax bills, priced at just £674 this year for a Band D home. Residents in Wandsworth, south-west London, pay just £683 and those living in the City of London – where workers earn the highest salaries in Britain, but where the number of residential properties is very small – pay just £943. In fact, eight of England’s 10 cheapest areas for council tax are in the capital including Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham, Southwark, Lambeth and Tower Hamlets. The official figures, from the Department for Communities and Local Government, include council tax set by all authorities in each area including county councils, fire authorities, police and crime commissioners and town and parish councils. The Government has set aside millions of pounds to help councils in England freeze council tax for the past few years. But not every council has taken up the offer of funding. Just 241 out of 421 authorities froze council tax for 2015/16 - 10 fewer than in 2014/15. This means that the average Band D bill in England rose by 1.1pc this year to £1,484. Households in Copeland in western Cumbria were hit with the biggest rise. There Band D bills increased by 3pc this year, while Cornwall imposed a 2.5pc rise and Eden pushed bills up by 2.4pc. In contrast, residents in Windsor & Maidenhead enjoyed the biggest cuts. There the tax fell by 1.4pc, while Hammersmith & Fulham cut bills by 1.1pc and Westminster reduced the tax by 0.6pc. How council tax bands work The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is the government agency responsible for valuing properties for council tax purposes. It gives every home a tax band so the council is able to collect the correct amount of tax. There are eight bands – A to H – which are based on the estimated sale value of a property in April 1991, when properties were assessed for the new tax system. Band A covers properties that were worth up to £40,000 in 1991, while Band H is assigned to properties worth more than £320,000. Band D – properties that in 1991 would have sold for £68,001-£88,000 – are considered the average. The data in the graphic is based on this band. • Martin Lews: 'Best advice I've given? It was on council tax' But the system is far from perfect. Hundreds of thousands of homes could have been assigned the wrong council tax band because the process of assessing properties in 1991 was rushed and many homes were not properly evaluated. Homes that have been extended or altered significantly, affecting their value, are sometimes automatically reassessed by the VOA . You can also apply to the VOA to have your home reassessed, but this can be a risky move because the band could go up or down. An entire street in Hull saw its council tax bills rise after a resident complained to the VOA that their rate was higher than everyone else’s, even though all the properties in the street were identical. The residents of Lynton Avenue in Hull, where council tax bills have been increased.  Photo: Ross Parry Instead of lowering the complainant’s tax, Hull City Council raised taxes for everyone else – shifting them all from band A to band B, resulting in an annual increase of £160. So it’s important to do your homework first. MoneySavingExpert.com has a “check and challenge” sy