Of the months of the year, which would score highest on plain squares as a word in the game of scrabble ?

Innuo | Machine learning, statistics etc. Machine learning, statistics etc. October 31, 2010 mlstat 3 comments The question is frequently raised as to why the theory and practice of machine learning are so divergent. Whereas if you glance at any article about classification, chances are that you will find symbol upon lemma & equation upon inequality, making claims about the bounds on the error rates, that should putatively guide the engineer in the solution of her problem. However, the situation seems to be that the engineer having been forewarned by her pragmatic colleagues (or having checked a few herself) that these bounds are vacuous for most realistic problems, circumvents them altogether in her search for any useful nuggets in the article. So why do these oft-ignored analyses still persist in a field that is largely comprised of engineers? From my brief survey of the literature it seems that one  (but, by no means, the only) reason is the needless preponderance of worst-case thinking. (Being a panglossian believer of the purity of science and of the intentions of its workers, I am immediately dismissing the cynical suggestion that these analyses are appended to an article only to intimidate the insecure reviewer.) The cult of universality An inventive engineer designs a learning algorithm for her problem of classifying birds from the recordings of their calls. She suspects that her algorithm is more generally applicable and sits down to analyze it formally. She vaguely recalls various neat generalization error bounds she learned about during her  days at the university, and wonders if they are applicable. The bounds made claims of the kind “for my classifier whose complexity is , if trained on examples, then for any distribution that generated the data, it is guaranteed that the generalization error rate error rate on the training set + some function of (c,m) with high probability”. Some widely used measures of the complexity of a classifier are its VC dimension and its Rademacher complexity, both of which measure the ability of the classifier to separate any training set. The intuition is that if the classifier can imitate any arbitrary labeling of a set of vectors, it will generalize poorly. Because of the phrase “for any distribution” in the statement of the bound, the bound is said to be universally applicable. It is this pursuit of universality which is a deplorable manifestation of worst-case thinking. It is tolerable in mathematicians that delight in pathologies, but can be debilitating in engineers. The extent of pessimism induced by the requirement of universality is not well appreciated. The following example is designed to illustrate this by relaxing the requirement from “any distribution” to “any smooth distribution”, which is not much of a relaxation at all. Assume that I have a small training data set in drawn from a continuous distribution .  Assume further that is reasonably smooth. I now build a linear classifier under some loss (say an SVM). I then take all the training examples that are misclassified by the linear classifier and memorize them along with their labels. For a test vector , if is within of a memorized training example I give it the label of the training example. Otherwise I use the linear classifier to obtain my prediction. I can make very small and since the training examples will be in general position with probability one, this classification scheme is unambiguous. This classifier will have zero error on all training sets and therefore will have high complexity according to the usual complexity measures like VC, Rademacher etc. However, if I ignore the contribution of the memorized points (which only play a role for a set of vanishingly small probability), I have a linear classifier. Therefore, although it is reasonable to expect any analysis to yield very similar bounds on the generalization error for a linear classifier and my linear+memorization classifier, the requirement of universality leads to vacuous bounds for the latter. Even if I assume nothing more than s


Which country produces 70 % of all European olive oil ?

Top 25 Olive Oil Producing Countries | PEAS Health About Top 25 Olive Oil Producing Countries With Italy the largest importer/exporter and Spain the largest producer, the Mediterranean basin is considered to be the hub of olive oil production and related business. With the growing awareness, advance research and increased concerns for health hazards, the demand of for this healthy oil is rising. Apart from the traditionally popular Mediterranean basin, the cultivation of the olive tree is spreading to other countries like the United States, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other Asian, African and Middle Eastern countries.  In the United States, the indigenous quality is getting better and people are putting more and more trust on the locally produced oil. In fact, the state of California is becoming the Mediterranean of the United States. Following is the percentage production of the total world oil production. Spain 45% Other 9.5% List of Countries World Wide with Olive Cultivation The following list contains names of the countries that produce a significant amount of the total global production.  1. Spain The largest producer of Olive Oil in the world cultivates more than 300 million olive trees covering an area of five million acres. The Spaniards lack the art of blending. Italy is the biggest purchaser from Spain where the Italian skills convert it into different labels and re-export it to the rest of the world. Only 20% of the total Spanish production is extra virgin. There is rich variety of cultivars in Spain and the different cultivars produce different varieties of oil.  2. Italy The annual production in Italy ranges between 500,000 to 700,000 tonnes. The country is famous for being rich in local cultivars. According to an estimate there are 700 different locally grown cultivars in Italy. Italians have the ability to blend oil from other places and convert them into bigger brands of high quality and price. This particular skill makes Italy the biggest importer and exporter. It sells more oil than its production.  3. Greece The Greek’s attachment with olive oil is deeper than any other nation. They are historically, culturally and economically attached to it. They eat more olive oil than any other nation in the world. Greece produces 400,000 tonnes of oil per year. One hundred and fifty million olive trees cover a land of 2.4 million acres in Greece. There are more than 2800 mills running and ready for crushing olives and extraction oil from the local produced fruit. Greek oil comes from more than 100 different cultivars.  4. Turkey Turkey has a long history of olive trees and oil. Currently, the country cultivates the number of trees which are tipple of its own population. According to the World Bank, the total population of Turkey is 73 million while the number of olive tree is 250 million. That means on average for every one person there are three olive trees. Most of these are grown along the Aegean Seas cost in the West of the country. There are many different types of olives in Turkey of which the most popular is the Ayvalik also known as Adremittion. It tastes like the Italian Tuscany oil. Turkey produces more oil than it consumes and exports the surplus. 5. Tunisia It is surprising to know some sources claiming that Tunisia is the fourth largest exporter of olive oil. Why is it not known to the world? The reason for that, according the sources, is that Tunisian Oil is exported in bulk to countries like Italy and Spain where it is bottled and sold under different brands. May be not known to the world market, but it is the fact is that Tunisia olive oil is still produced more traditionally and mechanically in large quantities than anywhere else. Recently, there have been efforts to bottle the oil within the country and sell them as Tunisian oil. According to Hamman Marketing  they launched a campaign in 2009 to 100% market Tunisian Oil in the US and since then they were able to increase it by 500%. 6. Portugal The olive industry in Portugal has been the victim of neglect for a long time. The good news is i


Performed in French with projected English translations Performance running time: 4 hours 40 minutes including 2 intermissions Les Troyens Opera Overview “With touches of Homer, Shakespeare, and music like none ever written before... [Les Troyens] is the grandest French opera. Every performance is an occasion.” - Los Angeles Times The drama of the Trojan War, replete with heroes and tragedy, has captivated audiences from literature to film, and nowhere does it come to life more vividly than in French opera’s most astounding work, Les Troyens. Grand and glorious in its musical and dramatic breadth, this operatic retelling of Virgil’s Aeneid is rarely performed because of its enormous scale. Experience the tidal wave of sound from Lyric’s massive chorus and orchestra and the exciting ballet as this theatrical tour de force unfolds with a powerhouse cast. Sir Andrew Davis conducts this much-anticipated Lyric premiere that will draw opera lovers from all over the world!   Photo: Michael Cooper/Canadian Opera Company #LyricTroyens Les Troyens (The Trojans) Opera Resources Les Troyens Post-Performance Audience Discussions:  Stay after your matinee performance for a 30-minute talk with General Director Anthony Freud and artists from the production. Synopsis Part 1 — The Taking of Troy The Greeks’ siege of Troy seems to have ended after ten years when they leave an enormous wooden horse, apparently as a parting gift, but the Trojan princess Cassandra prophecies disaster. She is proven correct: Greek soldiers emerge from the horse and wreak catastrophe on what remains of the city. The women of Troy join Cassandra in committing suicide rather than submit to the Greeks. The hero Aeneas escapes, ready to fulfill his destiny by founding a new Troy in Italy. Part 2 — The Trojans at Carthage Aeneas and his men lead Carthage’s army to victory in battle. Queen Dido of Carthage and Aeneas fall in love, but their idyll ends when the hero realizes that fate is too strong: he must leave for Italy. The despairing Dido mounts a funeral pyre and, after proclaiming the coming of a Carthaginian general (Hannibal) who will avenge her, she stabs herself with Aeneas’s sword. She dies envisioning Carthage’s eventual destruction at the hands of Rome, as her people curse Aeneas and his descendants.     ACT FIVE ACT ONE The Trojans are ecstatic to discover that the Greeks have apparently abandoned the siege of their city and sailed away. A huge wooden horse has been left outside the city gates, and everyone assumes this is an offering the Greek army has made to Pallas Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom. Cassandra, daughter of Troy’s king, Priam, is beset by visions of destruction threatening Troy, and laments that her father and the people will not listen to her warnings. Cassandra’s betrothed, Chorebus, cannot convince her to join in the people’s celebrations. Instead she begs him to leave Troy before disaster strikes, but he refuses. King Priam and Queen Hecuba lead the people in thanking the gods for the departure of the Greeks. Everyone is shocked at the despair of Andromache, the grieving widow of the fallen hero Hector. Then Aeneas, a Trojan warrior, brings awful news: the priest, Laocoön, believing the wooden horse was some kind of trick, pierced it with his spear and urged the Trojans to burn it, but moments later two sea serpents devoured him. Thinking that the serpents are a sign of Pallas Athena’s anger at Troy’s rejection of her gift, Aeneas leads the people to bring the horse into the city, despite Cassandra’s terrified feelings of foreboding. ACT TWO That night the ghost of Hector comes to Aeneas. He tells him that Greek soldiers have poured out of the wooden horse to take the city, that Troy is burning, and that Aeneas must escape to found a new city in Italy. Cassandra convinces the terrified Trojan women that they must commit suicide, rather than be defiled and enslaved by the Greeks. When enemy soldiers appear, Cassandra and her companions kill themselves, consoled by the knowledge that Aeneas has escaped and that he will build a new Troy.


In the electromagnetic spectrum, which type of wavelength has the longest wavelength. It's main uses are in communication.

Electromagnetic Spectrum - Introduction Electromagnetic Spectrum - Introduction Basic The Electromagnetic Spectrum The electromagnetic (EM) spectrum is the range of all types of EM radiation . Radiation is energy that travels and spreads out as it goes  the visible light that comes from a lamp in your house and the radio waves that come from a radio station are two types of electromagnetic radiation. The other types of EM radiation that make up the electromagnetic spectrum are microwaves , infrared light , ultraviolet light , X-rays and gamma-rays . You know more about the electromagnetic spectrum than you may think. The image below shows where you might encounter each portion of the EM spectrum in your day-to-day life. The electromagnetic spectrum from lowest energy/longest wavelength (at the top) to highest energy/shortest wavelength (at the bottom). (Credit: NASA's Imagine the Universe) Radio: Your radio captures radio waves emitted by radio stations, bringing your favorite tunes. Radio waves are also emitted by stars and gases in space. Microwave: Microwave radiation will cook your popcorn in just a few minutes, but is also used by astronomers to learn about the structure of nearby galaxies . Infrared: Night vision goggles pick up the infrared light emitted by our skin and objects with heat. In space, infrared light helps us map the dust between stars. Visible: Our eyes detect visible light . Fireflies, light bulbs, and stars all emit visible light. Ultraviolet: Ultraviolet radiation is emitted by the Sun and are the reason skin tans and burns. "Hot" objects in space emit UV radiation as well. X-ray: A dentist uses X-rays to image your teeth, and airport security uses them to see through your bag. Hot gases in the Universe also emit X-rays. Gamma ray: Doctors use gamma-ray imaging to see inside your body.  The biggest gamma-ray generator of all is the Universe. Is a radio wave the same as a gamma ray? Are radio waves completely different physical objects than gamma-rays? They are produced in different processes and are detected in different ways, but they are not fundamentally different. Radio waves, gamma-rays, visible light, and all the other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum are electromagnetic radiation. Electromagnetic radiation can be described in terms of a stream of mass-less particles, called photons , each traveling in a wave-like pattern at the speed of light . Each photon contains a certain amount of energy. The different types of radiation are defined by the the amount of energy found in the photons. Radio waves have photons with low energies, microwave photons have a little more energy than radio waves, infrared photons have still more, then visible, ultraviolet, X-rays, and, the most energetic of all, gamma-rays. Measuring electromagnetic radiation Electromagnetic radiation can be expressed in terms of energy, wavelength, or frequency . Frequency is measured in cycles per second, or Hertz . Wavelength is measured in meters . Energy is measured in electron volts . Each of these three quantities for describing EM radiation are related to each other in a precise mathematical way. But why have three ways of describing things, each with a different set of physical units? Comparison of wavelength, frequency and energy for the electromagnetic spectrum. (Credit: NASA's Imagine the Universe) The short answer is that scientists don't like to use numbers any bigger or smaller than they have to. It is much easier to say or write "two kilometers" than "two thousand meters." Generally, scientists use whatever units are easiest for the type of EM radiation they work with. Astronomers who study radio waves tend to use wavelengths or frequencies. Most of the radio part of the EM spectrum falls in the range from about 1 cm to 1 km, which is 30 gigahertz (GHz) to 300 kilohertz (kHz) in frequencies. The radio is a very broad part of the EM spectrum. Infrared and optical astronomers generally use wavelength. Infrared astronomers use microns (millionths of a meter) for wavelengths, so their part of the EM spec


"Which chemical element, discovered in 1898 by Ramsay and Travers was given a Greek name associated with ""new thing"" ?"

Neon, Chemical Element - water, uses, elements, metal, gas, number, name, symbol PRONUNCIATION NEE-on Neon has relatively few uses. The most familiar is neon lighting. Today,    neon signs of every color, shape, and size exist. Neon signs are often    filled with neon gas, but they may also contain other gases as well. The    gas contained in the sign tube determines the color of light given off.    The color given off by neon itself is reddish-orange. Discovery and naming It took humans centuries to understand air. At one time, philosophers    thought air was an element. Among the ancient Greeks, for example, the    four bask elements were air, fire, water, and earth. The first research to disprove that idea was done in the 1770s. In that    decade, two new elements were discovered in air: nitrogen and oxygen. For some time, chemists were convinced that these two gases were the only    ones present in air. That idea is easy to understand. Between them,    nitrogen and oxygen make up more than 99 percent of air. But over time, chemists became more skilled at making measurements. They    recognized that something else was in air besides nitrogen and oxygen.    That "something else" accounted for the remaining one    percent that is not nitrogen or oxygen. In 1894, a third element was    discovered in air: argon. Argon makes up about 0.934 percent of air. So,    nitrogen, oxygen, and argon together make up about 99.966 percent of air. But what was responsible for the remaining 0.034 percent of air? Chemists    knew that other gases must be present in very small amounts. But what were    those gases? That question was answered between 1895 and 1900. Five more inert gases    were discovered in air. One of those was neon. Detecting gases in very small amounts was very difficult in the 1890s.    Equipment was often not good enough to capture a tiny fraction of a    milliliter of gas. But a new method, called spectroscopy, was developed    that "sees" even small amounts of an element. Spectroscopy    is the process of analyzing the light produced when an element is heated.    The light pattern, or spectrum, produced is different for every element.    The spectrum (plural: spectra) consists of a series of very specific    colored lines. In 1898, Ramsay and Travers were studying the minute amount of gas that    remained after oxygen, nitrogen, and argon had been removed from air. They    heated the sample of gas and studied the spectrum produced by it. Ramsay    and Travers found spectral lines they had never seen before. They    described their discovery: A computer-generated model of a neon atom. The blaze of crimson light from the tube told its own story, and it was a    sight to dwell upon and never to forget. It was worth the struggle of the    previous two years; and all the difficulties yet to be overcome before the    research was finished. The undiscovered gas had come to light in a manner which was no less than dramatic. For the    moment, the actual spectrum of the gas did not matter in the least, for    nothing in the world gave a glow such as we had seen. Ramsay's son was one of the first people to hear about the    discovery. He wanted to name the new element novum, meaning "new." His father liked the idea, but suggested    using the Greek word for "new," neos. Thus, the element was named neon. "The blaze of crimson light from the tube told its own story, and     it was a sight to dwell upon and never to forget.' Physical properties Neon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas. It changes from a gas to a    liquid at -245.92°C (-410.66°F) and from a liquid to a solid at    -248.6°C (-415.5°F). Its density is 0.89994 grams A man bends a glass tube that will be used for neon lighting. The       completed, glowing tubes are in the background. per liter. By comparison, the density of air is about 1.29 grams per    liter. Chemical properties Neon is chemically inactive. So far, it has been impossib


The battle for Stalingrad was one of the turning points of the second world war. Who was the commander of the Russian forces in this battle ?

Battle of Stalingrad - World War II - HISTORY.com Battle of Stalingrad A+E Networks Introduction The Battle of Stalingrad (July 17, 1942-Feb. 2, 1943), was the successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in the U.S.S.R. during World War II. Russians consider it to be the greatest battle of their Great Patriotic War, and most historians consider it to be the greatest battle of the entire conflict. It stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked the turning of the tide of war in favor of the Allies. The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest battles in history, with combined military and civilian casualties of nearly 2 million. Google The Russians hailed it a “contemporary Cannae,” and the Germans condemned it as a Rattenkrieg (Rat War). Both descriptions were fitting. In the Battle of Stalingrad, Soviet forces surrounded and crushed an entire German army under General Friedrich Paulus, emulating Hannibal’s encirclement and destruction of a Roman army under Aemilius Paulus in 216 B.C. For both sides, Stalingrad became a desperate ordeal of rodentlike scurrying from hole to hole. This monumental battle is justly considered a turning point in the war on the Eastern Front and one of the most crucial engagements of World War II . The invading Germans saw the conquest of Stalingrad as essential to their campaign in southern Russia, since from this strategic point on the Volga River they could launch further assaults in the Caucasus. The Russians were determined to defend the city as a vital industrial and transportation center. Both Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler understood the symbolic importance of the only city to bear the Soviet dictator’s name. On September 3, 1942, the German Sixth Army under Paulus reached the outskirts of Stalingrad, expecting to take the city in short order. But the Russians had built up their defenses and continued to bring in reinforcements. A very able general, V. I. Chuikov, took command of the main defending force, the Sixty-second Army, while Marshal Georgii K. Zhukov, Soviet Russia’s greatest general, planned a counteroffensive. In subsequent days the invaders fought their way into Stalingrad against fierce resistance. This was urban street fighting of the most bitter sort, occasioning tremendous losses on both sides. The blasted ruins of houses and factories began to stink as hot winds carried the smell of decaying corpses into every nook and cranny. By late September the Germans could raise the swastika flag over the Univermag department store in the center of town, but they could not dislodge the Russians from the sprawling industrial quarters along the Volga. In mid-November, as the stalled invaders were running short of men and munitions, Zhukov launched his counteroffensive to encircle the enemy. At this point the Germans probably could have fought their way out, but Hitler would not allow them to: they were ordered to hold their ground at all costs. Air Marshal Hermann Goring promised to resupply the Sixth Army from the air but proved unable to do so. As winter set in, Field Marshal Erich von Manstein mounted a rescue mission, but it was halted short of its goal, and the freezing and starving Germans in Stalingrad were forbidden to try to reach their would-be rescuers. On February 2, 1943, General Paulus surrendered what remained of his army-some 91,000 men. About 150,000 Germans had died in the fighting. The Soviet victory at Stalingrad was a great humiliation for Hitler, who had elevated the battle’s importance in German opinion. He now became more distrustful than ever of his generals. Stalin, on the other hand, gained confidence in his military, which followed up Stalingrad with a westward drive and remained largely on the offensive for the rest of the war. The Reader’s Companion to Military History. Edited by Robert Cowley and Geoffrey Parker. Copyright © 1996 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Tags


Which guitarist was awarded an O.B.E. In January 1995 ?

Guitar Player Magazine Backissues Guitar Player Magazine Backissues Hard To Find Magazine Backissues Good, Clean Fun. No Wait Period. No registration. No Taxes. Think about it...Where can you have this much fun for so cheap? You've seen some of the absolute junk people spend twenty bucks on. Here you're getting a vintage magazine backissue with great guitar transcriptions, really interesting articles and useful information ....along with some of the coolest full page color ads...No better way to spend a few bucks and get yourself feeling good. Say good-bye to those pesky anti-depressant side effects. When's the last time you've heard any police negotiator or distraught mother shouting ...."Put down the magazine and come down from there..."? You see what I'm saying... Please Note: Prices are for magazine backissues only...add postage at bottom of list Item Includes: Chet Atkins, Charlie Byrd, Barney Kessel,The Jefferson Airplane,etc Very Good Condition. February 1967 Guitar Player February 1967.... Includes: Flamenco - Juan Serrano, History of the Guitar Part I, Country Joe and the Fish, Pass on Jazz - Joe Pass, The One Armed Yankee-Jack Northrup, Full page ads- Richie Havens for OVATION, SUNN amps, DANELECTRO,The Animals Noel Redding Andy Kulberg Billy Blue for HAGSTROM , two-page ad spread for EKO guitars, Glen Campbell for MOSRITE guitars,entire back cover is Fender (Herman's Hermits, Don Baldwin, Francois Vaz,) etc Very Good Condition. (B) April 1967 - LAS VEGAS GUITAR Guitar Player April 1967....vol 2. No 2 Includes: Las Vegas Guitar, Making a Classical guitar (Jose Oribe), Joe and Rose Lee Maphis, History of the Guitar part II, taping TV with the Grass Roots, cool full page ads ....Lovin' Spoonful for Temple Sound Columns, Bobby Joe Fenster for MARTIN GUITAR, Buffy Sainte-Marie for OVATION GUITAR, SUNN MUSICAL, Joe Maphis for STANDEL amps, Joe and Rosie Lee Maphis for MOSRITE guitars! two-page ad spread for EKO guitars, entire back cover is Fender (Telecaster Trio, Mustang Bass, Bronco ,etc) Very Good Condition. (A) October 1967 Guitar Player October 1967.... Includes: Teaching Them Folk - Laura Weber, Really Smashing - The Who, Mance and His Music - Mike Birnbaum, Johnny Smith, Buck Owens Music, Why Can't You Read Music? - Gene Leis, full page ads: VOX guitars, Joe Maphis for STANDEL AMPS, MARTIN GUITARS, GIBSON guitars, DOBRO (by Mosrite...shows Californian), HALLMARK SWEPT WING GUITAR, LA BAYE "2 by 4" GUITAR, entire back cover is Fender (Bass VI, Banjos, Wildwood Coronado Bass,etc) Very Good Condition. (B) December 1967 Guitar Player December 1967.... Includes: Pete Seeger, Bola Sete, George Van Eps and the 7-string, A Night At The Fillmore, music by George Van Eps ("Midnight"), music by Pete Seeger ("Living In The Country"), Full page ads for VOX amps, GRETSCH guitars (Viking), SUNN amps, DANELECTRO (Coral Sitar, guitars, Turtles, the Cyrkle), Richie Havens for OVATION, HALLMARK Swept Wing Guitar, two-page ad spread for EKO guitars, entire back cover is Fender (Bass VI, Banjos, Wildwood Coronado Bass,etc)...pg 35 has portion torn away... Good Condition. (A) Articles on Cream, Theo Bikel,etc Very Good Condition. October 1968 - THE STRING THING Guitar Player October 1968.... Includes: Dave Guard's Colour Guitar, Dobro, Beck, Zap, The String thing ,etc Very Good Condition. Mailing Label on front. (B) in stock Articles on Jimi Hendrix, Nashville Celebration, The String Thing... ,etc Very Good Condition. Mailing Label on front. (A) in stock August 1969 - PETER PAUL & MARY Guitar Player August 1969.... Articles on Albert King, Peter Paul & Mary, Creedence Clearwater Revival,etc Very Good Condition. Mailing Label on front. in stock Guitar Player December 1969....Volume 3, Number 6 Includes: B.B. King, Manuel Ramos, Phil Upchurch, Gabor Szabo ,etc Very Good Condition. Mailing Label on front. in stock March 1970 - SPECIAL ISSUE Guitar Player March 1970.... Includes: Simon & Garfunkel, Roger McGuinn, Jorge Morel, Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter, Glen Campbell, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Kenny Burrell, Van Eps, Joh


"In Italy, if you were served ""Pomodori"", what foodstuff would you be about to eat ?"

A History of Food A BRIEF HISTORY OF FOOD By Tim Lambert FOOD IN THE ANCIENT WORLD Food In Ancient Egypt For most people in ancient Egypt food was plain and dull. The staple food of the Egyptians was bread and beer. Bread was baked outside and because of the desert sand was often blown into dough. In time eating bread with grains of sand in it wore down peoples teeth. In ancient Egypt as in all early civilizations meat was a luxury and only the rich could afford to eat it frequently. Nevertheless the Egyptians ate sheep, pigs, cows and goats but meat often came from ducks and geese. However fish were plentiful in Egypt. Egyptian food included many vegetables, such as marrows, beans, onions, lentils, leeks, radishes, garlic and lettuces. They also ate fruit like melons, dates and figs. Pomegranates were quite expensive and were eaten mainly by the rich. The Egyptians grew herbs and spices and they made cooking oil. Beer was made from crumbled barley bread and barley with water so it was lumpy. It was strained before it was drunk. Even so it was still lumpy so it had to be drunk through a wooden straw with a filter. Better off Egyptians drank wine. Food in Ancient Greece Like Egyptians ordinary Greeks ate plain food. They lived on a staple diet of bread (made from barley or, if you could afford it, wheat) and goats cheese. Meat was a luxury but fish and vegetables were plentiful. Ordinary Greeks ate pulses, onions, garlic and olives. They also ate hens eggs. Peasants caught small birds to eat. The Greeks also ate fruit such as raisins, apricots, figs, apples, pears and pomegranates. Rich Greeks ate many different types of food such as roasted hare, peacocks eggs or iris bulbs in vinegar. Poor people drank mainly water. If they could afford it they added honey to sweeten it. Wine was also a popular drink. Usually wine was drunk diluted with water. Roman Food Roman Food A Roman dining room was called a triclinium. The Romans ate a breakfast of bread and fruit called the ientaculum. At midday they ate a meal called the prandium of fish, cold meat, bread and vegetables. The main meal was called the cena and was eaten in the evening. The Romans were also very fond of fish sauce called liquamen. They also liked oysters, which were exported from Britain. The Romans turned cooking into a fine art. They are also known for their fine cookware . FOOD IN THE MIDDLE AGES Saxon Food Saxon women brewed beer. Another Saxon drink was mead, made from fermented honey. (Honey was very important to the Saxons as there was no sugar for sweetening food. Bees were kept in every village). Upper class Saxons sometimes drank wine. The women cooked in iron cauldrons over open fires or in pottery vessels. They also made butter and cheese. Saxons ate from wooden bowls. There were no forks only knives and wooden spoons. Cups were made from cow horn. Saxons were fond of meat and fish. However meat was a luxury and only the rich could eat it frequently. The ordinary people usually ate plain food such as bread, cheese and eggs. They ate not just chickens eggs but eggs from ducks, geese and wild birds. Food in the Later Middle Ages After 1100 rich people ate a very good diet. They ate beef, mutton, pork and venison. They also ate a great variety of birds, swans, herons, ducks, blackbirds and pigeons. However the church decreed that Wednesday, Friday and Saturday were fast days when people were not allowed to eat meat. Rich people usually had fish ponds so they could eat pike and carp. They also ate fish caught in rivers or the sea. The rich ate breakfast in private but they ate dinner at mid-morning and supper at 5 or 6 in the great hall. On special occasions they had huge feasts. The Lord and his lady sat at a table on a raised wooden platform so they could look down on the rest of the household. Often musicians entertained them while they ate. Rich people ate their food from slices of stale bread called trenchers. Afterwards they were given to the poor. Poor people ate simple and monotonous food. For them meat was a luxury. If they were lucky they had rab


Which country produces more than 50 % of all Europe's rice ?

Countries With Most Rice Producing Countries - World Top Ten Disclaimer Close Disclaimer : All efforts have been made to make this image accurate. However Compare Infobase Limited,its directors and employees do not own any responsibility for the correctness or authenticity of the same. China tops the list of top 10 rice producing nations with a production of 144,560 million tons. The latest data puts India in the second spot as the country produces 104,800 million tons. The list, which is dominated by the Asian countries, puts Brazil on the 9th position 8,465 million tons and Japan on the 10th position with 7,842 million tons. Indonesia, Bangladesh and Vietnam have found place among the top five rice producing countries. India and China produce about 250,000 million tons of rice between them. While half of China's total grain output is dedicated to rice, India manages to keep its output high by virtue of large swatches of agricultural land and cheap labor.   Japan 7,842 Rice production is a key component of China's economy. The country accounts for 26% of all world rice production and the crop is prized by consumers as a food grain. As world's largest producer of what rice, India accounts for 20% of the world's rice production. As one of the chief grains of India, rice is harvested using the traditional methods. As the third-largest producer of rice in the world, Indonesia has rice as its staple food and a source of livelihood for about 20 million households. As the dominant food crop of Bangladesh, rice accounts for about 75 percent of agricultural land use. Cultivation of rice in the country varies as per seasonal changes in water supply. Rice production is vital for the food production and economy of Vietnam. The country is the seventh largest consumer of rice and has a land area of 33 million dedicated to cultivation of rice. Thailand's economy and labor force is being represented by rice production. It has the fifth largest amount of land under rice cultivation in the world. Once Asia's largest exporter of rice, Burma has this crop as the most crucial agricultural commodity. Additionally, livestock is also being raised as a source of food and labor. Vital to the food supply and economy in Philippines, rice production had made the country world's largest rice importer in 2010. The country accounts for 28% of global rice production. Agriculture is one of the principal bases of Brazil's economy. The nation is also called the 'breadbasket of the world' and has become the world's largest exporter of rice, coffee, soybeans, sugarcane and beef. Rice is a staple part of Japanese diet. With intensively cultivated land, Japan has a rich history of rice and rice production. Rice imports are banned in Japan, excluding the processed forms. Top 10 Rice Producing Countries video Last Updated on: June 8, 2016


"Who wrote the opera ""Dido and Aeneas"" ?"

Purcell - Dido and Aeneas - Classic FM Schedule Purcell - Dido and Aeneas English Baroque composer Henry Purcell wrote his first opera based on the story of Dido, Queen of Carthage, and the Prince of Troy, Aeneas, based on a libretto by Nahum Tate. It was first performed in 1689. Based on book IV of Virgil’s epic poem, The Aeneid, Henry Purcell may have composed his first and only all-sung work around 1685, or perhaps even earlier. The English composer John Blow produced his opera Venus and Adonis, which was partly based on Ovid’s Metamorphoses, with a text by Aphra Behn. It was first performed at the court of Charles II and Purcell was almost certainly sitting in the audience taking it all in. He substituted Virgil for Ovid and the Aeneid for Metamorphoses. Librettist Nahum Tate, rather than Aphra Behn, wrote the text. And instead of the court of Charles II, he favoured the unlikely venue of Josias Priest’s Boarding School for Girls, in Chelsea. Dido and Aeneas was first performed there around December 1689. As well as a corking overture and some great operatic moments, only slightly dulled by Tate’s occasionally ditty-esque words, Purcell hits the operatic jackpot in terms of a tune at the moment Dido dies. ‘When I am laid in earth’, is an aria of melancholic beauty perhaps unsurpassed in all opera, let alone those written by English composers. 'Ah Belinda' comes in at a close second as a mournful classic. Hailed as a great English Baroque composer, it's perhaps surprising that Dido and Aeneas was Purcell's only official opera. In the ten years that followed, he wrote a five other semi-operas, including Dioclesian in 1690, King Arthur in 1691, The Fairy-Queen in 1692, Timon of Athens 1694, and The Indian Queen 1695. Purcell News


In the electromagnetic spectrum, which type of wavelength has shortest wavelength. Its main uses are in medical diagnosis.

Space Today Online - What is the Electromagnetic Spectrum? Electromagnetic Spectrum? The electromagnetic spectrum is a vast band of energy frequencies extending from radio waves to gamma waves, from the very lowest frequencies to the highest possible frequencies. The spectrum is arranged by the frequency of its waves, from the longest, lowest energy waves to the shortest, highest energy waves. Our ability to tune in the more exotic electromagnetic waves has grown in recent decades. For instance, radio is part of the spectrum, and it was only in the 20th Century that humans began to be able to use any of the electromagnetic spectrum, starting with radio at the long-wave end of the spectrum. Today, living and working in the 21st century, we make great use of the electromagnetic spectrum in all of our vocations and avocations. All of the frequencies we use for transmitting and receiving energy are part of the electromagnetic spectrum. For instance: RADIO. We use the radio portion of the electromagnetic spectrum for many things, including television and radio broadcasting, telephones and other wireless communications, navigation and radar for a variety of measurements including police speed traps, and even microwave cooking ovens. Our AM broadcast stations transmit signals in what is referred to as the medium-wave portion of the spectrum. FM music stations use very high frequency (VHF) transmitters. Television stations use the VHF and ultra high frequency (UHF) regions of the spectrum. Where are AM and FM radio signals? »       What is VHF and UHF? » INFRARED LIGHT. Infrared light is on the spectrum at frequencies above radio and just below the range of human vision. Infrared light is heat. Three-quarters of the radiation emitted by a light-bulb is IR. We use infrared transmitters to remotely control our TV sets. We can record infrared light on photographic film and we have equipment that can see hot bodies in deep space in the infrared light they send out. electromagnetic spectrum VISIBLE LIGHT. Visible light, which we receive with our eyes, is along the spectrum between infrared and ultraviolet light, which we can't see. Of course, we can collect visible light with photographic film. ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT. On the spectrum, ultraviolet light is above visible light. UV is dangerous to living organisms. So, it is used to sterilize medical instruments by killing bacteria and viruses. We have photographic film that can capture ultraviolet light. Ten percent of the energy radiated by our star, the Sun, is ultraviolet light. X-RAYS. Farther along the spectrum are X-rays. Their invisible energy is produced when gas is heated to millions of degrees. X-ray energy is absorbed by matter it penetrates depending upon the atomic weight of that matter. Because X-rays can change a photographic emulsion just as visible light does, we use them to take pictures of the insides of people and things. GAMMA RAYS. Gamma rays are beyond X-rays on the electromagnetic spectrum. Gamma rays that we find arriving at Earth from deep space are the result of violent cosmic events such as supernovas, other nuclear explosions, and radioactive decay. Earth's atmosphere shields life on the surface from gamma rays. What are frequencies, wavelengths and the energy spectrum? sine wave It's all about waves. A wave is a disturbance traveling through space, transferring energy from one point to the next without permanently changing space itself. Physicists have depicted a wave graphically as the passage of such a disturbance over time.   sine wave graphic » Frequency. The rate of change in the wave is its frequency. Notice in the graphic at right how the wave undulates up and down from peaks to valleys to peaks. The time from one peak to the next peak is one cycle. A single unit of frequency is equal to one cycle per second. Hertz. Scientists refer to a single cycle as one Hertz, which commemorates 19th century German physicist Heinrich Hertz whose discovery of electromagnetic waves led to the development of radio. Sine waves have frequency. A sine wave is a deviating w


"Which Irish actor, born in Dublin, starred in the movies ""in Bruges"" ""Fright Night"" and ""Total Recall"" ?"

Colin Farrell - IMDb IMDb Actor | Soundtrack | Producer Colin Farrell is one of Ireland's best rising stars in Hollywood and abroad today. His film presence has been filled with memorable roles that range from an inwardly tortured hit man, to an adventurous explorer, a determined-but-failing writer, and the greatest military leader in history. Farrell was born on May 31, 1976 in Castleknock, Dublin, ... See full bio » Born:


Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner | president of Argentina | Britannica.com Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner Emilio Fermin Mignone Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, née Cristina Fernández (born February 19, 1953, La Plata , Argentina ), Argentine lawyer and politician who in 2007 became the first female elected president of Argentina. She succeeded her husband, Néstor Kirchner , who had served as president from 2003 to 2007. Argentine Pres. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Markus Schreiber/AP Fernández attended the National University of La Plata, where she met Kirchner, a fellow law student. In 1975 she and Kirchner married. One year later, after the military junta seized control of Argentina, the couple fled La Plata for Néstor’s hometown of Río Gallegos in the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz . There they opened a law practice and, with the return of democracy in 1983, became active in electoral politics. Fernández de Kirchner was a provincial delegate to the Justicialist ( Peronist ) Party (PJ) convention in 1985 and was later elected to the provincial legislature. Her husband won election as mayor of Río Gallegos in 1987, and in 1991 she became the first lady of Santa Cruz when her husband was elected to the first of three consecutive four-year terms as provincial governor. Fernández de Kirchner twice represented Santa Cruz in the Argentine Senate (1995–97, 2001–05). She also served (1997–2001) in the Chamber of Deputies. During her tenure in Congress, she was one of the PJ’s most vocal critics of the Peronist administration of Pres. Carlos Menem , voting frequently against his legislative initiatives . Her husband assumed the presidency on May 25, 2003, after Menem—facing a certain loss to Kirchner in a second-round runoff—withdrew from that year’s presidential race. In 2005 Kirchner was in a struggle with former president Eduardo Duhalde for control of the PJ in the crucial province of Buenos Aires , where 38 percent of the Argentine population resided. The struggle peaked in October when Fernández de Kirchner squared off against Duhalde’s spouse, Hilda González de Duhalde, in the Buenos Aires province senatorial election. In that contest Fernández de Kirchner won 46 percent of the vote, easily defeating González de Duhalde, who claimed just 20 percent. While the high-profile victory helped her husband win acknowledgment as the undisputed leader of Peronism, it also reaffirmed Fernández de Kirchner’s growing political influence and helped insulate her against charges of inexperience during her own run for the presidency in 2007. In 2007 Kirchner decided not to run for reelection, and Fernández de Kirchner began campaigning for the presidency. She held a commanding lead in the polls, and in the election on October 28 she captured 45 percent of the final presidential vote tally, nearly double that of her closest competitor, Elisa Carrió, who garnered 23 percent. Fernández de Kirchner formally assumed office on December 10, 2007, to begin a four-year term. Almost immediately she encountered criticism from the United States , which claimed it had intercepted campaign funds sent from the Venezuelan government of Hugo Chávez . Ringling Bros. Folds Its Tent The following spring Fernández de Kirchner imposed a new tax system to significantly increase export taxes on grains in an attempt to control Argentine food prices. Her actions were met with large-scale strikes and protests by farmers’ unions throughout the country, who complained that the increase would reduce their profits. Roadways were blocked so grain trucks could not pass, resulting in food shortages. The strikes continued for four months and split the country into sides: those who supported the government and those who advocated for the farmers. In June Fernández de Kirchner agreed to submit the measure to Congress. The increase in taxes was approved by the Chamber of Deputies but was rejected by the Argentine Senate by one vote. In the midterm legislative elections held in June 2009, the president’s ruling coalition lost power in both houses of Congress. The results r


The Animal Gavial - KidsBiology.com   About                                  Gavial The Gavial Crocodile is a little different from other crocodiles. Their back feet are webbed because they spend most of their time in the water (most crocodiles spend most of their time on land). And this crocodile has a very slender snout, which is great for catching fish, which is its main source of food. It has many small teeth that are razor sharp. After it catches a fish, it lifts its snout in the air to flick the fish around so it can swallow it head first.   What is this animal's name? Gavial What class is this animal assigned to? Reptiles What does this animal eat? Fish Where did this animal live? Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal


Bush Baby | African Wildlife Foundation Eagles, owls, genets, and large snakes Habitat Where do bush babies live? Bush babies are found throughout East Africa as well as in woodlands and bushlands in sub-Saharan Africa. They generally do not inhabit areas above altitudes of 6,500 feet. Most often, they live in tree hollows that provide shelter. Sometimes, they construct nests in the forks of branches, but these are not as commonly used as are natural holes. Bush babies prefer trees with little grass around them, probably as a precaution against wildfires. They will also seek shelter in man-made beehives. Physical Characteristics What is a bush baby? The lesser galago, also called a bush baby, is one of the smallest primates, about the size of a squirrel. Its plaintive cries and cute appearance may account for the name "bush baby." Bush babies have large, round eyes for good night vision and bat-like, delicate ears that enable them to track insect prey in the dark. As they jump through thorn bush or thick growth, they fold the ears flat against their heads to protect them. They fold them during rest, too. Behavior & Diet The bush baby enjoys a varied, seasonal diet. The majority of its diet is made up of what is most abundant at that time of the year, including insects, leaves, and fruit. They cry like human infants. Despite its small size, the bush baby produces loud, shrill cries surprisingly like those of a human baby. Aside from these baby-like cries, they make croaking, chattering, and clucking sounds or shrill whistles in case of danger. Bush babies travel in leaps and bounds. In a series of leaps, a bush baby can easily cover 10 yards in seconds. The tail (longer than the length of the head and body) powers the leaps made to catch prey, escape from enemies, or get around obstacles. The bush baby's other methods of locomotion are kangaroo-like hops or simply walking or running on four legs. They frequently mark their routes with urine. By following their own scent, they can jump onto exactly the same branches each time when they go to or from their nest. Males also urine-mark the boundaries of their territories and will sometimes become aggressive toward intruders. The tiny newborn weighs less than half an ounce. Females may have singles, twins, or triplets, with each newborn weighing less than half an ounce. The first three days or so the mother keeps the infants in constant contact with her. She picks them up with her hands or mouth, and they cling to her. The young are suckled for six weeks and can feed themselves at two months. They grow rapidly, causing the mother to walk slowly and awkwardly as she transports them. Sometimes, the mother will take just one young with her, leaving the others in the nest.


"The trilogy of comedy plays known as ""The Norman Conquests"" were written by which playwright ?"

The Norman Conquests: Comedic trilogy a scathing attack on society, marriage | Ottawa Citizen The Norman Conquests: Comedic trilogy a scathing attack on society, marriage More from Patrick Langston Published on: August 24, 2015 | Last Updated: August 24, 2015 11:49 AM EST AL Connors plays Norman while Margo MacDonald plays Sarah in the production of Alan Ayckbourn's The Norman Conquests at the Gladstone. David_Whiteley Share Adjust Comment Print You’d be forgiven for suspecting British playwright Alan Ayckbourn is a closet sadist. Ayckbourn’s The Norman Conquests, the farcical comedic trilogy that opens the new season at The Gladstone starting Aug. 28, requires the same six actors to play the same six characters in three different full-length plays that share the same, overlapping plot set in a country house on one summer weekend. As if that’s not sufficiently daunting for all involved, the three shows – Table Manners, Living Together, and Round and Round the Garden – will, in a variation on their usual brutal scheduling, each open two weeks apart at The Gladstone, then run in repertory at the beginning of October with each show getting two performances per week, and finally all be presented on Oct. 10. “It’s a huge bloody challenge to get this thing to work,” says John P. Kelly, who’s directing the Gladstone shows. The shows are a presentation of Plosive Productions and Kelly’s own company, SevenThirty Productions which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. On the plus side, says Kelly, because the characters are the same in all three plays, “by the time you get to the third play, you don’t have to do much character development.” The trilogy is about a dysfunctional family who gather over a weekend. Things get complicated thanks to sex (Norman is a man of conquests), boredom, anger, and other age-old human wants and failings. The action, as suggested by the titles of the three plays, takes place in a different part of the house each day: the dining room, the living room, the garden. While normally billed as a comedy, the 1973 trilogy isn’t really that at all according to Kelly, who has directed other Ayckbourn shows at The Gladstone including a splendid How the Other Half Loves. Despite being funny, “These plays are scathing attacks on the middle class … on modern society and marriage,” he says. “They ask serious questions about relationships and commitment. Like a Neil Simon play, they make you wince at the same time you laugh. “I’m guessing the author is saying, ‘This is a satire on British society of the ‘70s, and if (audiences) get too involved in who goes in this door or out that one, they are missing the point.’” The Norman Conquests is a perennially popular work by the prolific Ayckbourn. Now 76 years old, the London native has written 79 plays. Many, including Sisterly Feelings and Absurd Person Singular, have been produced in London’s West End, at the Royal National Theatre and elsewhere including Broadway. His plays have been translated into dozens of languages and won multiple awards including an Olivier and a Tony. Not all have been successful. Jeeves, a musical co-written with Andrew Lloyd Webber and based on the novels of P.G. Wodehouse, was a storied flop. However, so much of his canon has remained in repertory that light-hearted speculation continues about whether Ayckbourn or Shakespeare is the most-produced playwright in the U.K. each year. Ayckbourn, known as a private man whose public honours include a knighthood, not only writes quickly but reportedly doesn’t bother with rewrites, says Kelly. If that rewrite business is true, it may be as much a result of his extensive directing experience as it is the result of his skill as a writer. He has directed in London’s West End, at the Royal National Theatre and elsewhere. For 37 years he was the artistic director of the regional Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, England where he also directed and where all but four of his own plays premiered. This summer he returned to the Stephen Joseph Theatre to direct a revival of his own Confusions to help celebr


In 1314, Robert the Bruce and a small Scottish army inflicted a massive defeat on a huge English army at Bannockburn. Who was the leader of the English forces ?

Scotland Fights Its Way to Freedom, 700 Years Ago - History in the Headlines Scotland Fights Its Way to Freedom, 700 Years Ago June 24, 2014 By Jesse Greenspan Robert the Bruce, leader of Scottish forces at the Battle of Bannockburn Share this: Scotland Fights Its Way to Freedom, 700 Years Ago Author Scotland Fights Its Way to Freedom, 700 Years Ago URL Google During eight previous years of warfare with the English, Scottish King Robert the Bruce had never engaged his numerically superior foes in a major pitched battle. But on June 24, 1314, he finally stood his ground near the present-day town of Bannockburn, using tightly packed formations of pikemen to send the English into a wild retreat. From that point forward, Scotland was on the offensive, and in 1328 it officially won its independence. In 1291, following a century of peace between the two kingdoms, English King Edward I pronounced himself the feudal overlord of Scotland, and he cemented his authority five years later with a successful invasion. Although a Scottish rebellion then broke out led by William Wallace, Edward I once again emerged victorious. He let most of the Scottish leaders opposed to him off the hook with little punishment, except for Wallace, who was captured and tortured to death. Robert the Bruce, a noble who believed himself the heir to the Scottish throne, sat out much of this fighting. But in 1306 he stabbed a political rival inside a church and left him bleeding at the high altar for two of his men to finish off. Subsequently declared an outlaw by Edward I and excommunicated by the pope, Robert crowned himself king of the Scots in a desperate bid to take power. Immediate defeats at the hands of his English and Scottish enemies forced him to take refuge on a small island near Ireland. His wife was placed under house arrest, three of his brothers were captured and brutally executed, his sister was displayed in a cage like an animal at the zoo and his daughter was sent off to a nunnery. Nonetheless, Robert gained a toehold on the mainland through the use of guerilla warfare and then gradually extended his dominion, making new allies, holding a series of parliaments and even raiding northern England. By 1314 every province in Scotland had accepted him as king, and English forces essentially all had disappeared with the exception of a garrison at Stirling Castle. Early that year, England’s Edward II, who had succeeded his father, began mobilizing a massive army to put down the uprising. Historians roughly estimate that he had about 15,000 infantrymen and archers and at least 2,000 heavily armed cavalry at his disposal when he crossed into Scotland on June 17, 1314. By comparison, Robert’s army consisted of approximately 6,000 poorly equipped troops, including perhaps 500 on horseback. After a couple of days of hard marching, Edward II’s troops reached the city of Edinburgh, from where they followed an ancient Roman road northwest toward Stirling Castle. They soon found themselves blocked by Robert’s men, who had positioned themselves along a section of the road surrounded by nearly impenetrable bogs, thickly wooded hills and tidal streams. To make the terrain even more difficult to navigate, the Scots dug small hidden pits and built barricades out of felled trees. Meeting with Edward II, the English governor of Stirling Castle warned that a direct attack would be difficult. Yet the king decided to press ahead anyway. On June 23, front-line English knights came across a group of Scots withdrawing into the woods. Recognizing one of the Scots as Robert the Bruce himself, Sir Henry de Bohun charged with his lance extended. Rather than flee, Robert turned his horse to meet the challenge, swerved to avoid Bohun’s lance, raised himself up on his stirrups and then cleaved Bohun’s head in two with a powerful swing of his axe. Having witnessed this duel, the rest of the Scots rushed out and forced the English to retreat. Later that day, on a different section of the battlefield, other English knights were similarly unsuccessful. Unable to penetrate the tig


"Who was the German painter and sculptor who was a founder of the surrealist movement ? Among his works are ""The Elephant Celebes"" and "" Le Grand Amoreux""."

1000+ images about Surrealism on Pinterest | The games, Salvador dali and Man ray The Game of Marseille - 50 Watts - Tarot cards by Andre Breton, Rene Char, Oscar Dominguez, Victor Brauner, Max Ernst, Jacques Herold, Wilfredo Lam, Andre Masson, Benjamin Peret. 1940-41. See More


"The highly acclaimed stage comedy ""Noises Off"" was written by which playwright ?"

Noises Off Study Guide *Member Actors Equity Association Michael Frayn Michael Frayn is an English playwright, novelist, and translator, currently living outside of London with his wife Claire Tomalin, an English biographer and journalist. He is best known as the playwright for the farce comedy Noises Off (1982), and the dramas Copenhagen (1998) and Democracy (2003). His novels, Towards the End of the Morning (1967), Headlong (1999), and Spies (2002), have also received critical acclaim, making Mr. Frayn one of a handful of English language writers to succeed in both drama and prose fiction. Michael was born in Ewell (a suburb of London) on September 8, 1933. His father, Thomas Allen Frayn, was a sales representative for an asbestos company, and his mother, Violet Alice Lawson Frayn, was a shop assistant. Frayn was educated at the prestigious Kingston Grammar School until age twelve when the death of his mother left the family with some financial hardships. He was transferred to a public school where we was very successful academically, particularly in the areas of writing and music. During his two years of National Service, Frayn learned Russian at the Joint Services School for Linguists. He went on to study Philosophy and graduated in 1957 from Emmanuel College in Cambridge. After graduation, Michael worked as a reporter and columnist for The Guardian and The Observer. He established a reputation as a satirist and comic writer and began publishing novels. By 1970, Michael had published three popular novels, The Tin Men, The Russian Interpreter, and A Very Private Life. His journey as a playwright was not as easy. He wrote a number of rejected scripts and even produced an evening of his own short plays that was not received well by the audience or critics. However, Frayn kept on writing. In 1982, with the publication of Noises Off, Michael Fryan earned his third Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy of the Year. The first two were Alphabetical Order (1972) and Make or Break (1980), both are typical English office comedies. Copenhagen (1998) won Michael his fourth Evening Standard Award for Best Play of the Year in 1998, as well as the 2000 Tony Award for Best Play. In addition to his extensive playwrighting and fiction career, Michael Frayn is noted to be one of Britain’s foremost translators of Chekov, adapting The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, and The Cherry Orchard. Frayn has also written screenplays for the films Clockwise, starring John Cleese, First and Last, starring Tom Wilkinson, and the TV series Making Faces starring Eleanor Bron. About Noises Off Critic Frank Rich has claimed that "Noises Off is, was, and probably always will be the funniest play written in my lifetime.” And we certainly agree with that! The idea for the piece came when Michael Frayn was standing in the wings watching a performance of Chinamen, a farce that he had written for Lynn Redgrave. Frayn said that the show was funnier from backstage than in the audience and he wanted to write a farce from behind the scenes. It began as a one-act play called Exits in 1977 and was expanded and rewritten a number of times. Michael Frayn wrote Noises Off in 1982 and it became an instant commercial hit with continuing international fame. It premiered at the Lyric Theatre in London to ecstatic reviews and quickly moved to the West End at the Savoy Theatre, where it ran until 1987, passing the 1000th performance mark. It won the Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy in 1982. The Broadway premiere was on December 11, 1983 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. It ran for 553 performances and earned a Tony Award for Best Play and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble. Noises Off has become a staple of professional theatre companies, university theatre programs, and community theatres all over the world. Frayn has rewritten the play over the years, with the latest revision in 2000. One of the newest sequences is the introduction to act three, where Tim and Poppy make simultaneous apologies that delay


"When asked about the role of Prime Minister, which 20th century prime minister replied ""The main essentials required for this job are sleep and a sense of history"" ?"

The Margaret Thatcher I knew | Politics | The Guardian Margaret Thatcher The Margaret Thatcher I knew What was the former PM really like to work with and against, to live with and to help dress? Those who knew her best remember Mikhail Gorbachev and Margaret Thatcher in 1993. Photograph: Boris Yurchenko/AP Margaret Thatcher The Margaret Thatcher I knew What was the former PM really like to work with and against, to live with and to help dress? Those who knew her best remember Mikhail Gorbachev , Lech Walesa, Cynthia Crawford, Carol Thatcher, Charles Powell, Geoffrey Howe, Shirley Williams , Tony Benn , Kenneth Clarke, Nancy Reagan, Nigel Lawson, Paddy Ashdown , David Owen , Edwina Currie , Steve Kemp, Norman Tebbit t, Roy Hattersley , Bernard Ingham, Kenneth Baker and James Baker Monday 8 April 2013 18.51 EDT First published on Monday 8 April 2013 18.51 EDT Mikhail Gorbachev President of the USSR, 1985-1991 Others may have known her better than I and will have a lot to tell about her life and work, but my memories may be no less valuable, for they go back to the time of our co-operation at a pivotal moment in the history of Europe and of the world. We had stayed in touch, exchanging letters from time to time. I have read books about her and I'm familiar with her articles and memoirs. I read her book Statecraft. Though there are statements and judgments with which I do not share, I agree with the high marks the book got from many political leaders, scholars and journalists for its author as a political writer and historian. I met Margaret Thatcher in late 1984 when I visited Great Britain at the head of a Soviet parliamentary delegation. We arrived in London on a Sunday, warmly welcomed by members of the British parliament. The following day, I, Alexander Yakovlev and Leonid Zamyatin were invited to Chequers. After the welcome and introductions, for Margaret was with several ministers of her government, we were invited to lunch. The conversation that began was without precedent. It was open and friendly. Nevertheless, our ideological differences immediately became apparent. Sometimes jokingly, and sometimes more seriously, unflattering remarks were made about capitalism and communism. It was clear even then that this was a woman of character. At some point, our conversation became so tense that some of those present thought that it would have no continuation. And then I said to Margaret that I had no instructions from the Politburo to persuade her to join the Communist party of the Soviet Union. She broke into laughter, and I hastened to add that we respected her views and I was hoping that she would treat my views the same way. We soon found that although we represented two opposing alliances and ideologies, we could engage in a real political dialogue on the most critical issues. We argued and we disagreed. But we had joined the dialogue. And that, in and of itself, was important – for the confrontation had reached a dangerous point. On many issues, our outlook was different, but the need to look for a way out was clear to both of us. Her famous remark, "I like Mr Gorbachev, we can do business together," was later helpful to me. When I became general secretary of the Communist party, it made it easier to seek contacts and mutual understanding with Ronald Reagan and with leaders of other countries. I might add to my account of the Chequers meeting one detail that brought into focus the way the atmosphere between the parties was changing during the course of just a few hours. After lunch we retired to a small room for a talk. First, I took out my papers prepared in Moscow, and Margaret opened her ever-present purse to get quite a pile of pages that contained notes for the conversation. I began, putting aside my papers. She did the same, putting aside hers. She even took off her shoes and made herself comfortable in her armchair. It was all happening by an open fire. It was, after all, December – and a harsh one at that. Yet it was warm inside and as we went along, the atmosphere was improving. I then unfolded in front of


The chrysanthemum is the national symbol for which country ?

Japanese flag, country name and anthem Sign In National Symbols The Japanese flag is called Hinomaru (circle of the sun). The red circle on the white background symbolizes the sun. Japan's Imperial Crest is a sixteen petaled chrysanthemum. The Japanese anthem is called Kimigayo: May the reign of the Emperor continue for a thousand, nay, eigth thousand generations and for the eternity that it takes for small pebbles to grow into a great rock and become covered with moss. In Japanese, the country is called Nihon or Nippon. The two Chinese characters may be translate as "origin of the sun" or "land of the rising sun". The name Japan is believed to have come from European pronunciation attempts of Chinese words for "Japan". National Flower: Japan has no official national flower. Most people, however, consider the cherry blossom the unofficial national flower of Japan. Furthermore, the chrysanthemum is the symbol for Japan's Emperor. Share this:


"Who played Wanda in the film ""A fish called Wanda"" ?"

A Fish Called Wanda (1988) - 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 Fish Called Wanda ( 1988 ) R | In London, four very different people team up to commit armed robbery, then try to doublecross each other for the loot. Directors: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 21 titles created 14 Mar 2011 a list of 30 titles created 28 Dec 2011 a list of 26 titles created 25 Nov 2015 a list of 41 titles created 9 months ago a list of 37 titles created 9 months ago Title: A Fish Called Wanda (1988) 7.6/10 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. Won     1     Oscar. Another    8 wins & 15 nominations. See more awards  » Photos Zookeepers struggle to deal with the policies of changing directors. Directors: Fred Schepisi, Robert Young Stars: John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline Six unemployed steel workers form a male striptease act. The women cheer them on to go for "the full monty" - total nudity. Director: Peter Cattaneo The comedy team takes a look at life in all its stages in their own uniquely silly way. Directors: Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam Stars: John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle Incompetent police detective Frank Drebin must foil an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II . Director: David Zucker Brian is born on the original Christmas, in the stable next door. He spends his life being mistaken for a messiah. Director: Terry Jones A fearless, globe-trotting, terrorist-battling secret agent has his life turned upside down when he discovers his wife might be having an affair with a used car salesman. Director: James Cameron Edit Storyline In London, George Thomason, his seductive American girlfriend Wanda Gershwitz, and their associate Ken Pile are planning their latest crime, a diamond heist that should net them £13 million. They plan on leaving the country with the goods after the heist. On Wanda's recommendation, they enlist the help of her brother, Otto, a weapons expert, for this heist. In reality, Otto is not Wanda's brother, but her latest lover, a dimwit who gets off on his own body odor, who believes he's an intellectual because he reads Nietzsche, and who does not tolerate being called stupid by anyone. Wanda has one weakness in men which is how Otto was able to get her to be his lover: speaking Italian in seduction. Wanda and Otto plan to double cross George by having him arrested for the heist, while they abscond with the jewels. Wanda further plans to triple cross Otto by eliminating him from the picture after she has the jewels. They are able to get George arrested with him not knowing who tipped the ... Written by Huggo The role of Jamie Lee Curtis was written for her. See more » Goofs The second getaway car is an Austin Metro City X 5 door model, it has two wing mirrors. However, the car they get out of in the lock-up is a Metro City as it has only one wing mirror and no 'X' decal on the rear wing. See more » Quotes Wanda : [after Otto breaks in on Wanda and Archie in Archie's flat and hangs him out the window] I was dealing with something delicate, Otto. I'm setting up a guy who's incredibly important to us, who's going to tell me where the loot is and if they're going to come and arrest you. And you come loping in like Rambo without a jockstrap and you dangle him out a fifth-floor window. Now, was that smart? Was it shrewd? Was it good tactics? Or was it stupid? Otto West : Don't call me stupid. Wanda : Oh, right! To call you stupid... [...] See more » Crazy Credits At the very end of the closing credits is the word FIN -- which is how French films say THE END, but in English a "fin" is a part of a fish. See more » Connections


What is the S.I. Unit of radioactivity ?

Units of Radioactivity and Dose Appendix Units of Radioactivity and Dose The original unit for measuring the amount of radioactivity was the curie (Ci)first defined to correspond to one gram of radium-226 and more recently defined as: 1 curie = 3.7x1010 radioactive decays per second [exactly]. In the International System of Units (SI) the curie has been replaced by the becquerel (Bq), where 1 becquerel = 1 radioactive decay per second = 2.703x10-11 Ci. The magnitude of radiation exposures is specified in terms of the radiation dose . There are two important categories of dose: The absorbed dose, sometimes also known as the physical dose, defined by the amount of energy deposited in a unit mass in human tissue or other media. The original unit is the rad [100 erg/g]; it is now being widely replaced by the SI unit, the gray (Gy) [1 J/kg], where 1 gray = 100 rad. The biological dose, sometimes also known as the dose equivalent, expressed in units of rem or, in the SI system, sievert (Sv). This dose reflects the fact that the biological damage caused by a particle depends not only on the total energy deposited but also on the rate of energy loss per unit distance traversed by the particle (or "linear energy transfer"). For example, alpha particles do much more damage per unit energy deposited than do electrons. This effect can be represented, in rough overall terms, by a quality factor, Q. Over a wide range of incident energies, Q is taken to be 1.0 for electrons (and for x-rays and gamma rays, both of which produce electrons) and 20 for alpha particles. For neutrons, the adopted quality factor varies from 5 to 20, depending on neutron energy. The biological impact is specified by the dose equivalent H, which is the product of the absorbed dose D and the quality factor Q: H = Q D. The unit for the dose equivalent is the rem if the absorbed dose is in rads and the sievert (Sv) if the absorbed dose is in grays. Thus, 1 Sv = 100 rem. As discussed below, 1 rem is roughly the average dose received in 3 years of exposure to natural radiation. 1 Sv is at the bottom of the range of doses that, if received over a short period of time, are likely to cause noticeable symptoms of radiation sickness. The dose equivalent is still not the whole story. If only part of the body is irradiated, the dose must be discounted with an appropriate weighting factor if it is to reflect overall risk. The discounted dose is termed the effective dose equivalent or just the effective dose, expressed in rems or sieverts.   last updated: August 9, 2000 webmaster


Horse racing - Welsh trainer Evan Williams trained which horse to come second in the 2013 Grand National ?

Grand National runner-up trainer Evan Williams vows to win race for Wales - Wales Online Grand National horse trainer, Evan Williams (foreground)  Share Get rugby updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email It was the day that the Grand National was almost brought home to Wales – ending an agonising 108-year wait for a winner. It had looked as if that unwanted statistic was about to be erased with two Welsh horses vying for the lead in the world’s greatest steeplechase. Emerging Pembrokeshire trainer Rebecca Curtis’ 10/1 shot Teaforthree led coming up to the last fence, where it was pipped into second place by the Evan Williams’ trained Cappa Bleu (12/1) – both horses eventually losing out to the surprise winner, 66/1 outsider Auroras Encore – trained by Sue Smith, which stunned the field by romping home by nine lengths. Despite finishing runner up Williams, 41, whose racing stables are based in Llancarfan, Vale of Glamorgan, said: “I was delighted that it went so well for the Grand National and great that there were no casualties as far as horses or jockeys were concerned. “And it was fantastic for great people like Sue and her husband Harvey Smith, who are massive supporters of racing and great personalities.” Williams has come nearer than most to finding a Welsh winner to follow 6-1 shot Kirkland who triumphed over Aintree’s famous fences in 1905. In his last five attempts he’s had a second place, a third place and three third place finishers – and he admitted that as he watched the race unfold he genuinely thought this year his luck was about to change. “I thought throughout the race we had such a great run and I did think we were travelling like the winner. “When they kicked three furlongs from home that’s a long way, and I wanted them to go and kick on in front but it turned into more of a stamina test. “The winner won well in the end. Second was always going to be one of the most disappointing places to finish. However, when you analyse it, it’s actually fantastic to finish there. “We keep getting a bit closer without actually hitting the jackpot, but in sport you can’t worry about things like that, sometimes it’s being part of the bigger picture. “I’ll just have to make sure I pull my finger out and get the Grand National back to Wales one day. “As long as I’ve got breath in my body, and as long as I’m healthy and can give it a go I will. “I’ll probably kill myself and bankrupt myself but I’m going to win that Grand National before I die. Curtis, whose nine-year-old gelding faded in the final stages was hoping to be only the third woman in history to train the winner of the race in 174 years. Teaforthree, formerly owned by Sky Sports’ Soccer AM  programme, had enjoyed an outstanding campaign which included victory at the Cheltenham  Festival. But despite the last-gasp nature of the loss 32-year-old Curtis said her horse, which is trained as one of 50 at stables in Newport, Pembrokeshire had “run a blinder”. And she vowed to return to Aintree with Teaforthree again next year. She said: “He stayed all the way to the line and just got pipped for second. “He’s run a blinder and I’m really pleased with him. “He’ll come back here next year, all being well, and go for the Welsh National again first probably. “Third in the Grand National at my first attempt is not bad and we’ll try again.” Other Welsh finishers of the race included Saint Are in ninth,  Always Waining in 10th and Major Malarkey in 11th. A Welsh note to the 2013  National had first been  struck by Katherine Jenkins, albeit performing God Save The Queen in  front of a crowd of more than 150,000 in the grandstands after arriving at the Aintree course in a black helicopter. Meanwhile Welsh Guardsmen, in their  world-famous red tunics and  bearskins, had also played their  part in the day. They lined the steps to the jockeys’ weighing room at Aintree and two more guardsmen carried the Grand National Trophy, leading the jockeys out as they made their way to the paddock to mount their ho


Horse racing - Welsh trainer Rebecca Curtis trained which horse to come third in the 2013 Grand National ?

Grand National: Pinstickers' guide to Aintree runners & riders - BBC Sport BBC Sport Grand National: Pinstickers' guide to Aintree runners & riders By Frank Keogh From the section Horse Racing Share this page Grand National 2015, Aintree Date: Saturday, 11 April. Race time: 16:15 BST Coverage: Live commentaries of all the big races on BBC Radio 5 live and live text commentary online BBC Sport's Frank Keogh's verdict: "My hunch is the winner will come from the lowest-weighted horses as per the last two runnings. I'm a Soll man, but feel there are plenty with chances down the bottom including Royale Knight. Rocky Creek and Balthazar King are class horses, while I wouldn't want to jinx the fairytale farewell by plumping for Shutthefrontdoor." 1 Soll, 2 Royale Knight, 3 Balthazar King, 4 Rocky Creek, 5 Spring Heeled 1 LORD WINDERMERE (IRE) Trainer: Jim Culloty Jockey: Brian O'Connell (replaced injured Robbie McNamara) Weight: 9 11-10 Form: 1-373P Landed the 2014 Cheltenham Gold Cup, but pulled up in this year's race. No top weight has won the National since Red Rum in the 1970s, and the bottom weight will carry nearly two stone less. Trainer won the Gold Cup three times as a jockey with Best Mate. Controversially ditched jockey Davy Russell, who was subsequently injured in a fall, after reportedly being unhappy with his Cheltenham ride. But his replacement Robbie McNamara was then hospitalised in a fall at Wexford on Friday and Brian O'Connell will now ride Lord Windermere. Odds: 50-1 Rating: 6/10 Trainer: Oliver Sherwood Jockey: Leighton Aspell Weight: 8-11-09 Form: 4-1116 Brilliant Hennessy winner was a well beaten sixth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Is this an afterthought? Jockey won the race last year on Pineau De Re. Trainer, the older brother of Desert Orchid's jockey Simon, enjoying a revival. Owned by Trevor Hemmings, the man behind Pontins holidays, who has enjoyed days in the sun before with Ballabriggs (2011) and Hedgehunter (2005). Odds: 40-1 Rating: 6/10 Trainer: Paul Nicholls Jockey: Noel Fehily Weight: 7 11-06 Form: 38-613 Same owner and trainer as 2012 winner Neptune Collonges, a fellow grey. Followed January win at Sandown with decent third to subsequent Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Coneygree at Newbury in February. Solid jumper. Last seven-year-old to triumph was Bogskar in 1940, although Unioniste started early and has claimed six steeplechase victories. Odds: 33-1 Rating: 7/10 Trainer: Paul Nicholls Jockey: Sam Twiston-Davies Weight: 9 11-03 Form: 25-2P1 Ran well last year for eight-time champion trainer and was impressive winner at Kempton last time. Rocky Creek finished fifth at Aintree after an interrupted season which included a bout of piles. Jockey, fifth on Hello Bud in 2010 and tipped as future champion, is 21 and wasn't born when current top rider AP McCoy won his first race in 1992. Odds: 10-1 Rating: 8/10 Trainer: Mouse Morris IRE Jockey: Nina Carberry Weight: 10 11-03 Form: 24863 Talented and a little quirky, like his canny trainer Mouse, who was christened Michael. Classy on his day, but uncharacteristically poor this season and must prove stamina under a big weight. Owned by Gigginstown House Stud, headed by Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary. Jockey bids to become first female rider to triumph. Her brother Paul won on Bobbyjo for their trainer father Tommy in 1999. Odds: 20-1 Rating: 7/10 Trainer: Philip Hobbs Jockey: Richard Johnson Weight: 11 11-02 Form: 12-F11 Thrives on expected good ground and skipped Cheltenham to be kept fresh for this. Big chance if overcomes a touch of seconditis in the camp. Horse was second in 2014 National. Somerset trainer also had the 2002 second What's Up Boys, both ridden by jockey who has been second 15 times to AP McCoy in title race. Odds: 12-1 Rating: 8/10 Trainer: Jonjo O'Neill Jockey: AP McCoy Weight: 8 11-02 Form: 2461-1 Horse nicknamed Rupert (after the bear) by stable staff as he's "a little bit cheeky". The 2014 Irish National victor is set to go off hot favourite in 19-time champion jockey's final National. Back For Good by Take That was number one single


From which of Shakespeare's plays does this quotation come :- We happy few, we band of brothers ?

'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers' - the meaning and origin of this phrase Famous Last Words Browse phrases beginning with: We few, we happy few, we band of brothers Meaning One of the well-known lines from the St. Crispin's Day Speech of Shakespeare's Henry V. Origin From Shakespeare's Henry V, 1598: KING HENRY V: This story shall the good man teach his son; And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by, From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remember'd; We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition: And gentlemen in England now a-bed Shall think themselves accursed they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.


Which gland, secreting various hormones essential for growth and other bodily functions, is situated in the brain ?

You & Your Hormones | Glands | Pituitary gland You & Your Hormones   Email article to a friend | Last updated: January 21, 2015 The pituitary gland is a small pea-sized gland that plays a major role in regulating vital body functions and general wellbeing. It is referred to as the body’s ‘master gland’ because it controls the activity of most other hormone-secreting glands. Computer artwork of a person's head showing the left hemisphere of the brain inside. The highlighted area (centre) shows the pituitary gland attached to the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain. Alternative names Hypophysis. Where is my pituitary gland? The pituitary gland is a pea-sized gland. It sits in the sella turcica (‘Turkish saddle’), a bony hollow in the base of the skull, underneath the brain and behind the bridge of the nose. Although the pituitary gland looks like one gland, it actually has two distinct parts, the anterior pituitary gland and the posterior pituitary gland. The gland is attached to the hypothalamus , the part of the brain that controls its activity. The anterior part of the pituitary gland consists of gland cells, which are connected to the brain by very short blood vessels. The posterior pituitary gland is actually part of the brain and it secretes hormones directly into the bloodstream under the command of the brain.  What does my pituitary gland do? The pituitary gland is called the ‘master gland’ as the hormones it produces control so many different processes in the body. It senses the body’s needs and sends signals to different organs and glands throughout the body to regulate their function and maintain an appropriate environment. It secretes a variety of hormones into the bloodstream which act as messengers to transmit information from the pituitary gland to distant cells, regulating their activity. For example, the pituitary gland produces prolactin , which acts on the breasts to induce milk production. The pituitary gland also secretes hormones that act on the adrenal glands , thyroid gland , ovaries and testes , which in turn produce other hormones. Through production of its hormones, the pituitary gland controls metabolism , growth, sexual maturation, reproduction, blood pressure and many other vital physical functions and processes. What hormones does my pituitary gland produce? The anterior pituitary gland produces the following hormones and releases them into the bloodstream: Adrenocorticotropic hormone , which stimulates the adrenal glands to secrete steroid hormones, principally cortisol   Thyroid stimulating hormone , which stimulates the thyroid gland to secrete thyroid hormones. There are also some hormones that are produced by the hypothalamus and then stored in the posterior pituitary gland prior to being released into the bloodstream. These are: Anti-diuretic hormone , which controls water balance and blood pressure. It is made by the hypothalamus but is stored in the posterior pituitary gland prior to being released into the bloodstream.   Oxytocin , which stimulates uterine contractions during labour and milk secretion during breastfeeding. It is made by the hypothalamus but is stored in the posterior pituitary gland prior to being released into the bloodstream. Each of these hormones is made by a separate type of cell within the pituitary gland, except for follicle stimulating hormone and luteinising hormone, which are made together by the same cell.  What could go wrong with my pituitary gland? The pituitary gland is an important gland in the body and the hormones it produces carry out varied tasks and regulate the function of many other organs. This means that the symptoms experienced when the pituitary gland stops working correctly can be varied depending on which hormone is affected.    Conditions that affect the pituitary gland directly can be divided into three main categories: Conditions that cause the pituitary gland to produce too much of one or more hormone(s). Examples include acromegaly , Cushing's disease and prolactinoma .   Conditions that cause the pituitary gland to p


"Which female singer had a number 1 hit record with ""I Feel Love"" which topped the charts in July 1977 ?"

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"Which female singer had a number 1 hit record with ""I'll never fall in love again""which topped the charts in August 1969 ?"

Reba McEntire | New Music And Songs | Reba McEntire About Reba McEntire Reba McEntire was the most successful female recording artist in country music in the 1980s and 1990s, during which time she scored 22 number one hits and released five gold albums, six platinum albums, two double-platinum albums, four triple-platinum albums, a quadruple-platinum album, and a quintuple-platinum album, for certified album sales of 33.5 million over the 20-year period. While she continued to sell records in healthy numbers into the 21st century, she expanded her activities as an actress in film and on the legitimate stage, and particularly on television, where she starred in a long-running situation comedy. Such diversification made her the greatest crossover star to emerge from country music since Dolly Parton. Reba Nell McEntire was born March 28, 1955, in McAlester, Oklahoma, the second daughter and third of four children of Clark Vincent McEntire, a professional steer roper, and Jacqueline (Smith) McEntire, a former school teacher. Her older brother Del Stanley ("Pake") McEntire also became a country singer, while her younger sister Martha Susan ("Susie") McEntire Luchsinger became a gospel singer. McEntire was raised on the 7,000-acre family ranch in Chockie, Oklahoma, traveling with her parents and siblings to the rodeos at which her father competed. Clark McEntire was named World Champion Steer Roper three times, in 1957, 1958, and 1961. (McEntire's grandfather, John McEntire, had won the same title in 1934.) McEntire's mother had aspired to a career in music but never pursued it. She encouraged her children to sing and taught them songs and harmony during the long car trips between rodeos. Alice McEntire, the oldest child, did not actively seek a musical career, but the other three were members of a country group, the Kiowa High School Cowboy Band, as early as 1969, when McEntire began attending Kiowa High School in Kiowa, Oklahoma. She also entered local talent contests on her own. In 1971, the Kiowa High School Cowboy Band recorded a single, "The Ballad of John McEntire," for the tiny Boss Records label, which pressed 1,000 copies. As the early '70s went on, the band gave way to a trio, the Singing McEntires, consisting of the three siblings, which performed at rodeos. McEntire also followed in the family tradition of competing, becoming a barrel racer, the only rodeo event open to women. McEntire graduated from high school in June 1973 and enrolled at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. While attending the National Rodeo Finals in Oklahoma City on December 10, 1974, she sang the national anthem on network television. Also present at the rodeo was country star Red Steagall, who was impressed by her voice and asked her to go to Nashville to record some demos for his song publishing company. After she did so in March 1975 during her spring break from college, he took the tapes around town trying to get her a record deal and succeeded with Mercury Records, which signed her to a contract on November 11, 1975, that called for her to record two singles for the label. On January 22, 1976, she entered a Nashville recording studio and cut the first of those singles, "I Don't Want to Be a One Night Stand," which, upon its release, climbed to number 88 in the Billboard country singles chart in May. On June 21, 1976, she married Charlie Battles, a champion steer wrestler she had met at a rodeo. Battles later became her business manager. On September 16, 1976, McEntire did her second Mercury recording session, which produced her second single, "(There's Nothing Like the Love) Between a Woman and a Man." It peaked at number 86 in March 1977. In the meantime, on December 16, 1976, she graduated from college on an accelerated three-and-a-half-year program with a major in elementary education and a minor in music, freeing her to pursue her career full-time. Her record label, however, seemed in no particular hurry, although it picked up her option for further recordings. Her third single, "Glad I Waited Just for You," recorded on April 13,


Which gland, secreting a hormone affecting circulation and muscular action, is situated above the kidneys ?

Click here to view an animation of the endocrine system   The endocrine system is a set of hormone secreting glands within the body of an animal. The function of the endocrine system is homeostasis, communication and response to stimuli. The endocrine system regulates the internal environment of the animal for growth, survival and reproduction as well as allowing it to respond to changes in its external environment. The endocrine systemï¿½s glands secrete chemical messages we call hormones . These signals are passed through the blood to arrive at a target organ, which has cells possessing the appropriate receptor. Exocrine glands (not part of the endocrine system) secrete products that are passed outside the body. Sweat glands, salivary glands, and digestive glands are examples of exocrine glands. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The other communication method in the body is the nervous system. Although there are differences between them, they complement each other in many responses, e.g., response to danger. The difference between nervous and endocrine control are as follows: 1. Nervous response is faster. 2. Nervous response is shorter in duration. 3. Nervous response stops quicker. Nervous response is   much more local. Nerve ï¿½messagesï¿½ are conducted electrically; endocrine ï¿½messagesï¿½   are carried chemically. Hormones Most hormones are made of protein. They are called peptides. Peptides are short chains of amino acids ; most hormones are peptides. They are secreted by the pituitary , parathyroid, heart , stomach , liver, and kidneys. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Some hormones are steroid based. Steroids are lipids derived from cholesterol. Testosterone is the male sex hormone . Estradiol, similar in structure to testosterone, is responsible for many female sex characteristics. Steroid hormones are secreted by the gonads , adrenal cortex, and placenta . ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Hormones are usually slow to act but, once they act, they remain active for long periods of time and, also, their effects remain for a long time.ï¿½ Endocrine Glands There are 10 endocrine glands. As stated previously, other organs such as the stomach, intestines, kidneys, heart, brain, and placenta also make hormones. ï¿½ Click here to view an animation of the pituitary gland ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The pituitary gland is often called the master gland. That is because the pituitary gland produces hormones that regulate other endocrine glands. Some hormones produced by the pituitary gland are: 1.                Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH): Will be discussed in a later Chapter of the syllabus.ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 2.                Luteinising Hormone (LH): Will be discussed in a later Chapter of the syllabus. 3.                Growth Hormone (GH): Causes body cells to absorb amino acids and form protein for growth. The main function is to cause the elongation of bones. 4.                Prolactin: stimulates milk formation by the breast after the birth of the baby. 5.                Oxytocin: stimulates muscle contraction of uterus during birth, stimulates muscle contraction in the milk ducts during breast-feeding. 6.                Antidiuretic Hormone (ADH): causes increased water reabsorption by kidneys. 7.                Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH): Combines with iodine at the thyroid gland to produce thyroxine. Overproduction of GH causes gigantism and underproduction causes dwarfism. The Hypothalamus ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The hypothalamus links the nervous system with the endocrine system. It produces hormones that control the pituitary glandï¿½s responses to messages from the brain and other hormones. Some these hormones, called releasing hormones, stimulate the pituitary gland to make other hormones. Others, called release inhibiting hormones, prevent the production of pituitary hormones. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ An example is growth hormone releasing factor. This causes the production of growth hormone (GH) by the pituitary gland. The Pineal Gland ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ This gland is in the brain. One hormone produced there is mela