In 1818, the Austrian Franz Gruber composed his only published work, the music to a poem by the curate of his church; by what name do we know this Christmas carol?

Silent Night History SILENT NIGHT: The Song Heard 'Round The World by Bill Egan, Christmas Historian 180 years ago the carol "Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht" was heard for the first time in a village church in Oberndorf, Austria. The congregation at that Midnight Mass in St. Nicholas Church listened as the voices of the assistant pastor, Fr. Joseph Mohr, and the choir director, Franz Xaver Gruber, rang through the church to the accompaniment of Fr. Mohr's guitar. On each of the six verses, the choir repeated the last two lines in four-part harmony. On that Christmas Eve, a song was born that would wing its way into the hearts of people throughout the world. Now translated into hundreds of languages, it is sung by untold millions every December from small chapels in the Andes to great cathedrals in Antwerp and Rome. Today books, films and Internet sites are filled with fanciful tales purporting to tell the history of "Silent Night." Some tell of mice eating the bellows of the organ creating the necessity for a hymn to be accompanied by a guitar. Others claim that Joseph Mohr was forced to write the words to a new carol in haste since the organ would not play. A recent film, created for Austrian television places Oberndorf in the Alps and includes evil railroad barons and a double-dealing priest, while a recent book by a German author places a zither in the hands of Franz Gruber and connects Joseph Mohr with a tragic fire engulfing the city of Salzburg. You can read claims that "Silent Night" was sung on Christmas Eve in 1818 and then forgotten by its creators. Of course, the latter are easily discounted by manuscript arrangements of the carol by both Mohr and Gruber which were produced at various times between 1820 and 1855. In this age of tabloid journalism, it's not surprising that some feel it necessary to invent frivolous anecdotes and create fables for a story that is quite beautiful in its simplicity. The German words for the original six stanzas of the carol we know as "Silent Night" were written by Joseph Mohr in 1816, when he was a young priest assigned to a pilgrimage church in Mariapfarr, Austria. His grandfather lived nearby, and it is easy to imagine that he could have come up with the words while walking thorough the countryside on a visit to his elderly relative. The fact is, we have no idea if any particular event inspired Joseph Mohr to pen his poetic version of the birth of the Christchild. The world is fortunate, however, that he didn't leave it behind when he was transferred to Oberndorf the following year (1817). On December 24, 1818 Joseph Mohr journeyed to the home of musician-schoolteacher Franz Gruber who lived in an apartment over the schoolhouse in nearby Arnsdorf. He showed his friend the poem and asked him to add a melody and guitar accompaniment so that it could be sung at Midnight Mass. His reason for wanting the new carol is unknown. Some speculate that the organ would not work; others feel that the assistant pastor, who dearly loved guitar music, merely wanted a new carol for Christmas. Later that evening, as the two men, backed by the choir, stood in front of the main altar in St. Nicholas Church and sang "Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!" for the first time, they could hardly imagine the impact their composition would have on the world. Karl Mauracher, a master organ builder and repairman from the Ziller Valley, traveled to Oberndorf to work on the organ, several times in subsequent years. While doing his work in St. Nicholas, he obtained a copy of the composition and took it home with him. Thus, the simple carol, began its journey around the world as a "Tyrolean Folk Song." Two traveling families of folk singers from the Ziller Valley, similar to the Trapp Family Singers of "The Sound of Music" fame, incorporated the song into their repertoire. According to the Leipziger Tageblatt, the Strassers sang the song in a concert in Leipzig in December 1832. It was during this period, several musical notes were changed, and the carol evolved into the melody we know today. On another occasion, accordin


Tom Hanks co-stars with Emma Thompson in Saving Mr Banks, what part does he play?

Saving Mr. Banks Interview: Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks Talk Disney | Collider SHARE TWEET 0 Saving Mr. Banks tells the tale of when Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) invited Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) to his studio in Los Angeles in 1961, to discuss his interest in obtaining the movie rights to her beloved book and character.  While there, Travers, who had been resistant for 20 years, spent two weeks uncompromisingly fighting every idea and suggestion, on the road to bringing this classic to the big screen. At a press conference to promote the film’s release, co-stars Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks talked about bringing the essence of these people to life without doing an exact imitation, what they learned about these individuals from playing them, the characters they were each obsessed with, growing up, and what P.L. Travers might have thought of this film.  Thompson also addressed whether there might ever be another Nanny McPhee movie.  Check out what they had to say after the jump.  Question:  In bringing these two real people to life, what were the little breadcrumbs that you used to follow the trail to get the essence of who these people were, rather than doing imitations? TOM HANKS:  There was a bit of a vocal cadence and a rhythm that Mr. Disney had, that took awhile to figure out.  A lot of the little anecdotes that we found, specifically from the likes of Richard Sherman, were already in screenplay, like Walt’s cough.  Walt smoked three packs a day.  Richard Sherman said that you always knew when Walt was coming to visit your office ‘cause you could hear him coughing from down by the elevator.  So, you’re able to put that stuff into it, and it just ends up being one of the delightful cards in the deck.  EMMA THOMPSON:  My search for P.L. Travers was very breadcrumb-y.  She went everywhere, so she was like going into a maze.  Around some corners, you’d find this terrible monster.  And around other corners, you’d find a beaten child.  She was the most extraordinary combination of things.  I suppose that was the scary thing.  In films, we often get to play people who are emotionally, or at least morally, consistent, in some way, and she wasn’t consistent, in any way.  You would not know what you would get, from one moment to the next.   Tom, what were the challenges of playing such an iconic individual, and how did your research inform your performance? HANKS:  There was a lot of anecdotal information that kept coming to us.  There were people who knew Walt, and they still have access to the studio ‘cause they still have their cards that let them in.  They searched us out.  Richard Sherman was literally a never-ending fountain of stories, of facts, of anecdotes, and of bits and pieces of everything that had happened.  And Diane Disney Miller, his daughter, gave me unlimited access to the archives and the museum in San Francisco.  I made a couple of visits there.  And I had a lot of video and audio that I could work with.  The only handicap was that a lot of it is Walt Disney playing Walt Disney.  There was a cadence to the man.  He believed everything that he said about his projects and he completely embraced the possibilities of wonder in the movies that he was going to make, as well as the rides he was going to come up with and the things that he was going to build.  So, I had a great road map, in searching it out. Emma, you won an Oscar for a screenplay and you played a nanny in Nanny McPhee, and here you’re playing a person who is helping write a screenplay about a nanny.  Did any of that affect your approach to this film?  THOMPSON:  P.L. Travers used to talk a lot about Buffalo Bill.  While I was researching her, I found out that she referred to Mary Poppins in very similar ways.  She had understood that there was a spot of Zen mastery, in the way in which she worked.  This is my theory, but because women have traditionally been locked out of the superstructures or the power structures that we all live in, Buffalo Bill is a very good example.  I’ve always thought that Nanny McPhee was essentially a


Who recorded the 1968 album 'Astral Weeks'?

Van Morrison: Astral Weeks - Music on Google Play 1 0 A Google User Art in a rare form I only recently began to explore the Folk music Genre. I of course had heard of Van Morrison growing up, however I had no knowledge of his earlier works. In their entirety I must say a masterful form of self expression. Dane Cunningham Astral weeks van morrison Youth sentiment, after all these years still brilliant. Listen to comfortably numb live with pink floyd at the Berlin wall Janet Chambless Life Changing This album will change your life. And if you're suicidal, this album will save your life. Michael Reilly All time greats. Incredible record, one of the best ever.  Beauty in the music, musicianship, and poetry being sung as only Van can. Headphones, a great bottle of wine, and a quiet peaceful place is highly recommended when going on this Astral Weeks journey. Gordon Russell Full Review Dane Cunningham October 8, 2015 Astral weeks van morrison Youth sentiment, after all these years still brilliant. Listen to comfortably numb live with pink floyd at the Berlin wall Full Review Janet Chambless May 14, 2016 Life Changing This album will change your life. And if you're suicidal, this album will save your life. Full Review Michael Reilly March 5, 2016 All time greats. Incredible record, one of the best ever.  Beauty in the music, musicianship, and poetry being sung as only Van can. Headphones, a great bottle of wine, and a quiet peaceful place is highly recommended when going on this Astral Weeks journey. Gordon Russell March 7, 2014 Astral Peaks A unique album that neither he nor anyone else has surpassed. Full Review Kanenee Johnson January 29, 2014 Classic His voice is warm, spicy and rich! One of the most passionatly raw voices ive ever heard...mesmerizing! Full Review Susan Hicks December 18, 2013 Archetypal Astral Weeks is archetypal. Give it a chance: it will grab your soul and never let go. Classic David Dunkin December 3, 2014 Ballerina I played this when my niece was doing ballet in 1980. She still loves it today Tonya Johnson November 17, 2013 Beyond the Cosmos One of the most important albums of all time.Nothing but pure magic ! Robert Moore April 23, 2015 astral weeks class Mark Kelly October 9, 2014 One of the best albums ever made,simple Mike Uxx February 21, 2013 One of the best albums... Of all time. Ann Rutledge April 6, 2014 Astral Weeks Real loving cosmic michael saddler May 5, 2015 astral weeks . magical Steve Danis June 3, 2015 Bestartistofalltime Gavin Valle May 25, 2014 Amazing. Transcendental. Vince s June 17, 2014 Unreal...and surreal.. Kati Radder June 23, 2014 Mystical! plumber p October 29, 2015 Hypnotizing


Selina Kyle is the alter ego of which comic book (and film) super heroine?

Catwoman | Batman Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Anne Hathaway Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman, is a fictional character associated with DC Comics ' Batman franchise and created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane . Currently portrayed as an orphan who learned to survive on Gotham City's streets, Selina took to thievery to survive... but determined to do it in style, she learned martial arts and trained extensively to perfect her skills in cat burglary. Her criminal activities are often tempered by a reluctant altruism, making her an inconstant villain and occasional ally to Batman. She regularly eludes capture by the Dark Knight and maintains a complicated, adversarial relationship with Batman that frequently turns flirtatious and occasionally, legitimately romantic. She's one of Batman's best known loves. Contents Catwoman and Batman Tangled origins A revision in Catwoman's origin, and the introduction of the modern version of the character, came in 1986 when writer Frank Miller and artist David Mazzucchelli published Batman: Year One, a revision of Batman’s origin. In the course of the story, the origin of Catwoman was also re-envisioned. Selina Kyle is reintroduced as a cat-loving prostitute/dominatrix who is inspired to become a costumed cat burglar when she sees Batman in action. In this story, Holly Robinson is introduced as Selina's roommate, a young runaway and prostitute Kyle has taken in. The 1989 Catwoman limited series (collected in trade paperback form as Catwoman: Her Sister's Keeper) by writer Mindy Newell and artist J.J. Birch expanded on Miller's Year One origin. Her Sister's Keeper explores Selina's early life as a prostitute and the start of her career as Catwoman. This is a dark and tragic period which culminates with Selina's former pimp Stan abducting and violently abusing her sister Maggie. Selina kills Stan to save her sister, and is able to do so with impunity. Catwoman also appears in the Knightfall saga, where she is approached by Bane 's henchmen while robbing a house. Bane asks her to work for him, but she refuses, giving as her reason that Bane broke Batman. Later in the story, she boards a plane with Bruce Wayne to fly to Santa Prisca. She next appears in the KnightQuest saga. Batman: Dark Victory, the sequel to The Long Halloween, implies that Catwoman suspects she is the long-lost illegitimate daughter of Carmine Falcone , although she finds no definitive proof of this. Selina's connection to the Falcone family is further explored in the miniseries Catwoman: When in Rome. Though more circumstantial evidence is added to the theory of Selina's Falcone heritage, no definitive proof is provided. Portions of Her Sister's Keeper and the Year One origin conceived by Frank Miller remain canonical to Catwoman’s origin, while other portions have been dropped over the years. It has been implied that Her Sister's Keeper was rendered non-canonical by the events of Zero Hour, and subsequent writers have rejected Miller's choice to make the post-Crisis Catwoman a prostitute. In an attempt to harmonize the various versions, some writers have posited that Catwoman, early in her career, pretended to be a prostitute in order to scam lonely men and rob them. However, characters associated with Catwoman's past as a prostitute have remained a part of her supporting cast. Holly, from Batman: Year One, and her sister Maggie (from Her Sister's Keeper) have appeared regularly in the Catwoman series. Selina is the older of two sisters (Maggie being the younger) born to Brian and Maria Kyle. Catwoman v.1 #0, which provides details about Selina's childhood, neglects Maggie's existence. Maria Kyle was a distant parent who preferred to spend her time with cats, and committed suicide when Selina was very young. Brian Kyle, a drunken layabout angry at his wife for killing herself, disliked Selina for resembling her mother and eventually drank himself to death. Selina took to the streets for a time before being caught and sent first to an orphanage, then Juvenile Hall (Catwoman v.1 #0), "where Selina began to see how hard th


The Anti-Federalist League was the fore-runner of which political party?

anti federalist league : definition of anti federalist league and synonyms of anti federalist league (English) This article does not cite any references or sources . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (February 2008) The Anti-Federalist League was a small cross-party organisation in Britain, formed in 1991 to campaign against the Maastricht Treaty . It is mainly remembered now as the forerunner of the United Kingdom Independence Party . The main founder of the Anti-Federalist League was Alan Sked , lecturer at the London School of Economics , leading figure in the Bruges Group and former official of the Liberal Party . The Maastricht Treaty, which greatly increased the powers of the European Commission , was widely unpopular according to opinion polls, but all three of the main parties had pledged to support its ratification in the House of Commons. Sked and others felt that this denied voters a say on a crucial constitutional issue. Running AFL candidates was supposed to make good this shortfall in the democratic process. The League stood about twenty candidates in the 1992 General Election, but failed to make any impact or attract any press attention. It lost all its deposits. The following year, Alan Sked represented it in by-elections in Newbury (gaining 1% of the vote) and Christchurch (1.6%). Amidst extraordinary scenes in the House of Commons, and in the teeth of intense opposition from a minority of Conservative MPs known as the Maastricht Rebels , the Maastricht Treaty finally passed into law. Many members of the Anti-Federalist League concluded that with the Treaty in place, the only option for anti-federalists was to campaign for complete British withdrawal from the European Union . To this end, Sked and others met in late 1993 to set up a full-blown political party: the United Kingdom Independence Party . Not all members of the League followed Sked into the new organisation, but the party did effectively supersede the League, which ceased to exist.


Who wrote the 1915 poem 'In Flanders Fields'?

First World War Poems - In Flanders Fields by John McCrae by John McCrae, May 1915 In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. Inspiration for “In Flanders Fields” Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, 1st Brigade Canadian Field Artillery. (1) During the early days of the Second Battle of Ypres a young Canadian artillery officer, Lieutenant   Alexis Helmer, was killed on 2nd May, 1915 in the gun positions near Ypres. An exploding   German artillery shell landed near him. He was serving in the same Canadian artillery unit as a friend   of his, the Canadian military doctor and artillery commander Major John McCrae. As the brigade doctor, John McCrae was asked to conduct the burial service for Alexis because the chaplain had been called away somewhere else on duty   that evening. It is believed that later that evening, after the burial, John began the draft for his now famous poem “In Flanders Fields”. For the story behind the inspiration for “In Flanders Fields”, see our page at: The Story Behind the Remembrance Poppy One of the first material poppies sold in aid of The Haig Fund . Also known as “The Poppy Lady” find out how this poem inspired the American teacher, Moina Belle Michael, to write a   poem in response to “In Flanders Fields”. Discover how she and Frenchwoman Madame Anna Guérin, known as “The French Poppy Lady”, encouraged people to use the red Flanders poppy   as a way of remembering those who had suffered in war, and how the Flanders Poppy became the symbol of remembrance that we know so well today: The Story Behind the Remembrance Poppy Essex Farm Advanced Dressing Station, Ypres Find out more about the battlefield location where the poem is believed to have been composed on the   evening of 2nd May 1915. by Linda Granfield The story of John McCrae's World War I poem interweaves the poet's words with information about the war, details of daily life in the trenches,   accounts of McCrae's experience in his field hospital, and the circumstances that contributed to the poem's creation. A Crown of Life - The World of John McCrae. by Dianne Graves The words of John McCrae, a soldier, doctor and poet, are called to mind every year on 11 November.   It was his poem, In Flanders Fields, that was the inspiration for the poppy as a symbol of remembrance.   This book charts the story of his life. Inspiration for The Poppy Umbrella Lieutenant Colonel Graham Parker, OBE, founder of The Poppy Umbrella in Ypres on 11th November 2008. On 11th November 1995 Lieutenant Colonel Graham Parker, OBE was in   Ypres (Ieper) to take part in the annual Armistice Day ceremonies. As he led The Poppy Parade to the Menin Gate Memorial   to the Missing, there was a heavy rainstorm and the crowds lining the route began putting up umbrellas. The Armistice Day service at the Menin Gate Memorial that year was commemorating the 70th anniversary   of the battles of 1915 in the Ypres Salient. Graham's thoughts turned to images of poppies growing among   the graves as portrayed in the “In Flanders Fields” poem. The images of   poppies on the old Flanders battlefields and the umbrellas on a wet November day in Ypres were   Graham's inspiration for the Poppy Umbrella is not only a practical and imaginative way to help   us “Remember” all through the year, but also helps to raise funds for ex-Service charities   and good causes.


Who was the singer who had big hits with 'In The Midnight Hour' and 'Mustang Sally'?

'Mustang Sally' Singer Wilson Pickett Dies Of Heart Attack - MTV mtv Jennifer Vineyard 01/19/2006 Soul legend Wilson Pickett had a heart attack and died while seeking help at a hospital in Reston, Virginia, near his home in Ashburn on Thursday (January 19); he was 64 years old. Pickett, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, helped shape modern R&B with his stripped-down classics like "In the Midnight Hour" and "Mustang Sally." His gruff voice, raw sexuality and sweaty style earned him the nickname of "the Wicked Pickett." Pickett's 40-plus-year career started when he sang gospel in Southern Baptist churches in Pratville, Alabama. Later as a teen in Detroit, Pickett joined the vocal group the Violinaires and eventually the Falcons, who had a hit with "I Found a Love," which Pickett wrote. Going solo, he had hits with "If You Need Me" and "It's Too Late." After signing to Atlantic in 1964, producer Jerry Wexler took him to Stax Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, where Pickett recoreded with Booker T. and the MG's. Within a year, Pickett co-wrote his best-remembered song — and Stax's first breakout hit — "In the Midnight Hour," which introduced a deeper and more forceful style of soul music. Much of the flurry of songs that followed, most of which were recorded at Stax and at the Fame Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama — such as "Funky Broadway" and "Land of 1000 Dances" — were pop hits as well. He collaborated with Philadelphia producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff for his hits "Engine Number 9" and "Don't Let the Green Grass Bring You Down," which became part of the cornerstone of the emerging Philly sound. One Philadelphia DJ called his music "psychedelic soulization." "Wilson was a consummate entertainer," his longtime manager Margo Lewis said. "He truly loved to perform, and when he took the stage, he would give the audience every last bit of energy in his body. The unique sound and quality of his voice only got better with age, singing his hits in their original keys well into his 60s. He influenced generations of singers and musicians. No matter what your age is, his records will pull you out of your seat onto the dance floor. Soulful and intense, that was Pickett, the music and the man." Although he didn't actually appear in the "The Commitments," it helped introduce him to a new audience, since the hit film focused on the efforts of a fledgling Dublin soul band to meet and perform with Pickett, who was their idol. Pickett performed with the Commitments at the film's premieres in New York and Los Angeles. Pickett is survived by his fiancee, Gail Webb, his sons Lynderrick and Michael, his daughters Veda and Saphan, as well as several brothers and sisters. A viewing of his body is being arranged in Virginia for next week, and then he'll be interred with his mother, Lena, in Louisville, Kentucky.


Which famous group, that have had several instrumental hits in their own name, were Wilson Pickett's backing group in the 1960s?

Music history Final 08/09 Flashcards The collective changing of a song Term The appalachian music tradition gets most of its Celtic music tradition from what countries? Definition Scotland, Ireland, England, Wales, and the Hebrides Term What artist was called "America's tuning fork" by poet Carl Sandburg; stayed on the forefront of music and politics through the 1960s ; was blacklisted by the McCarthy era's HUAC Committee; and wrote 60s civil rights and folk anthems We Shall Overcome, If I Had A Hammer and Turn, Turn, Turn? Definition Peter Seeger Term What East Coast folk artist openly opposed the Vietnam War by organizing hte Institute of for the study of Non-Violence, and also made the song We Shall Overcome, co-written by Pete Seeger, the 1960s antiwar anthem? Definition Joan Baez Term Bob Dylan traveled from his Minnesota home to New York City, allowing him to see what dying folk artist, who was also his most important single influence? Definition Woody Guthrie Term The majority of music on the air during the early days of radio came from what source? Definition Local talent performing live Term Hillbilly music's first multi-million seller, The Prisoner's Song, was recorded on many record labels by the same artist. What was his name used on his first recording with Victor? Definition Vernon Dalhart Term Which artist became the first Western Movie Star by batlling the Phantom Empire from his horse and singing songs like That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine in the 1930s science fiction movie series? He later went on to star in over 80 films and started producing the first ever made for TV series. Definition Gene Autry Term What artist combined country and rhythm and blues to create the first rock and roll million selling hit? Definition Bill Haley and the Comets Term Besides Don Law, what 2 Nashville producers created the "Nashville Sound"? Definition Owen Bradley and Chet Atkins Term Where did Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson go in the early 1970s when they left Nashville to start a fresh country sound? Definition Austin, Tx Term What country movement/style is associated with the early 1980s that blends disco-ized country songs and electronic rodeos? Definition In regards to entertainment, the term Broadway is synonymous with: Definition American Musical Theater Term Before radio and television shows, what was considered by the music business to be the most important quality for a song's success Definition Good Songwriting Term What turn of the century piano style was first popularized by Scott Joplin and used in minstretl shows, becoming crucial in the development of early jazz? Definition Ragtime Term British team Gilbert and Sullivan were immensely popular in What category of entertainment does their work fall? Definition Operettas Term What type of staged variety show of the late 1800s early 1900s contained a lineup of 10 acts by a group of musicians, acrobats, family acts, comedians, jugglers, magicians and trained animals? Definition Vaudevilles Term What underclass groups were the predominant creative sources fro the first major trends in American pop music? Definition Jews and African Americans Term George Gershwin became famous for his upbeat, witty shows and film scores, but is best remembered for his opera masterpiece of 1935 called: Definition Porgy and Bess Term Which songwriter was on the staff at Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, MGM, and Paramount Studios from 1933 through 1961, and is the most successful songwriter in the history of motion pictures? Definition Harry Warren Term When did the record companies begin to use electricity to cut grooves instead of the acoustic power inherent in sound. Definition 1925 Term What instrument designer cited the Theremin as the major influence for his own most popular product? Definition Robert Moog Term 1. The term “blues” and the music it describes was first notated by a university in what century? Definition . 20th Term 2. The first sales of blues music on records opened an entirely new market of black music for black consumers. What was this market called by the r


How is the Prince described in the title of a ballet by Bela Bartok first performed in 1917?

Infernal Dance: Inside the world of Béla Bartók - Philharmonia Orchestra - : Bartok: Notes And Articles: Bartok On Stage Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 Although he wrote a number of other important works during the 1910s, including the Second String Quartet and the five Ady Songs, it is the three stage works that show most clearly Bartók's breathtakingly rapid development as a musician during this decade. Composers, like all human beings, come in a wide range of types with regard to personal and intellectual development. Some catch fire early, in their teenage years, or, in the case of prodigies like Mozart and Mendelssohn, while still children. Others come to composing later, only acknowledging the primacy of their composing instinct after pursuing other career alternatives. Bartók falls somewhere in the middle of these two basic types. Although he started writing music very early, it took him an unusually long time to find what scholars like to call his ‘mature voice'. Well into his twenties and early thirties, spending energy equally in the areas of piano performance and, after 1904, in folk song collecting, he was still putting in place the building blocks of his modernist style. In hindsight we can see that the path was a long one for him, and the way uncertain. Bluebeard's Castle, his first and only opera, was written in 1911-12. The Wooden Prince, a ballet, came almost immediately after. The Miraculous Mandarin was finished in 1919, but had to wait four more years to be orchestrated. After these works he never returned to the world of musical theatre. In Bluebeard and The Wooden Prince one can still detect outside influences at work, particularly the newer orchestral scores of Stravinsky and Debussy. By the time of the Mandarin, however, something had happened. Bartók's style is now wholly original: muscular, lyrical at times in a plangent way, and increasingly comfortable when ranging around the remoter boundaries of tonality. Few whiffs of outside influence remain. Bartók's mature style had developed. He was thirty-eight years old. While some observers downplay the scores of the early 1910s as ‘transitional', in truth what we hear in them is a remarkably original mind grappling his way past the powerful, and productive, influences of Debussy and Stravinsky to the fully individual style he would soon discover in the Second Quartet and the Mandarin. Alert listeners will hear the occasional distant voices of other composers in The Wooden Prince and Bluebeard, as well as in the still infrequently performed Four Orchestral Pieces, conceived in 1911-12. Yet the result is no less Bartók's own: the influences are filtered and integrated into a wholly personal musical language. At the time he wrote Bluebeard's Castle Bartók was thirty years old and had been teaching piano at the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest for four years. Although respected in Hungary for his pianistic skills, and deeply admired by his students, he had already encountered difficulties trying to expand his performing career beyond the Hungarian borders. He found himself gradually easing into the divided career he would maintain for the next two decades: teaching piano at the Academy during the school year, and collecting folk music across Eastern Europe during holiday periods and summertime. He composed during what time was left. Of Bluebeard's Castle, he wrote simply: "It was simultaneously my first stage and first vocal work." The opera received its première at the Royal Opera House in Budapest on May 24, 1918. Written to a text by Béla Balázs, a young Hungarian playwright and intellectual who later became a prominent figure in the early film industry, Bluebeard's Castle is a modern version of the old European folk tale about the cruel, blue-bearded prince and his many disappearing wives. In Bartók's hands, this well-known tale becomes a metaphor for the impossibility of complete love between a man and a woman. The opera is still permeated by the legend's historic undertow of violence, as well as the larger theme of human curiosity that cannot be que


In which zodiacal constellation is the bright star Aldebaran?

Taurus | Define Taurus at Dictionary.com Taurus [tawr-ahy] /ˈtɔr aɪ/ (Show IPA), for 1. 1. Astronomy. the Bull, a zodiacal constellation between Gemini and Aries, containing the bright star Aldebaran. 2. the second sign of the zodiac: the fixed earth sign. a person born under this sign, usually between April 20th and May 20th. Origin of Taurus a mountain range in S Turkey: highest peak, 12,251 feet (3734 meters). Dictionary.com Unabridged Examples from the Web for Taurus Expand Contemporary Examples Horoscopes for June 5-11, 2011 Starsky + Cox June 3, 2011 Historical Examples And down the line, in the Taurus or beyond it, where there were no British officers, I believe our men broke more than one. "Unto Caesar" Baroness Emmuska Orczy Taurus Antinor emerged alone from the peristyle of Caius Nepos' house. "Unto Caesar" Baroness Emmuska Orczy It was Taurus Antinor who received the swooning Cæsar in his strong arms. "Unto Caesar" Baroness Emmuska Orczy And while the panther fell back roaring, and before it could prepare for a new spring, Taurus Antinor had seized the swooning man. "Unto Caesar" Baroness Emmuska Orczy British Dictionary definitions for Taurus Expand noun (Latin genitive) Tauri (ˈtɔːraɪ) 1. (astronomy) a zodiacal constellation in the N hemisphere lying close to Orion and between Aries and Gemini. It contains the star Aldebaran, the star clusters Hyades and Pleiades, and the Crab Nebula 2. (astrology) Also called the Bull. the second sign of the zodiac, symbol ♉, having a fixed earth classification and ruled by the planet Venus. The sun is in this sign between about April 20 and May 20 a person born when the sun is in this sign adjective born under or characteristic of Taurus Also (for senses 2b, 3) Taurean (ˈtɔːrɪən; tɔːˈrɪən) Word Origin Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for Taurus Expand n. zodiac constellation, late Old English, from Latin taurus "bull, bullock, steer," from PIE *tauro- "bull" (cf. Greek tauros, Old Church Slavonic turu "bull, steer;" Lithuanian tauras "aurochs;" Old Prussian tauris "bison"); often said to be from PIE *steu-ro- "be big, be strong, be sturdy" (cf. Sanskrit sthura- "thick, compact," Avestan staora- "big cattle," Middle Persian stor "horse, draft animal," Gothic stiur "young bull," Old English steor, see steer (n.)). Klein proposes a Semitic origin (cf. Aramaic tora "ox, bull, steer," Hebrew shor, Arabic thor, Ethiopian sor). Meaning "person born under the sign of the bull" is recorded from 1901. Hence also tauromachy "bull-fighting," from Greek tauromakhia (see -machy ). What form great Jove would next devise, And when his godship would again Taurise? [William Somerville, 1727]


Which element, atomic number 12, is named after a district in Greece?

Why are many chemical elements named after countries? - Quora Quora Updated Sep 15, 2014 The people who discovered them were citizens of that country. They named the elements in honor of their country. When Marie and Pierre Curie discovered the element with atomic number 84, they named it Polonium in the honor of Marie's country Poland. Similarly, when Marguerite Catherine Perey, a French chemist discovered the element with atomic number 87, she named it Francium in honour of her country France. Same goes for Germanium, Scandium, Strontium and many other elements. Magnesium was named after the province of Magnesia (a district in Greece) because it was exclusive to Magnesia in ancient times. The term 'milk of magnesia' has similar origins. Interesting, right?


Poundland started in 1990 as a single store, in which Midlands town?

Poundland's Incredible Rise Explained As Company Moves To Buy '99p Stores' | The Huffington Post Poundland's Incredible Rise Explained As Company Moves To Buy '99p Stores' 25/08/2015 13:05 | Updated 25 August 2015 Aubrey Allegretti News reporter, The Huffington Post UK Poundland's status as a high-street staple looks set to be cemented, following its takeover of its biggest rival firm being "provisionally cleared" by the Government's competition authority on Tuesday. In a deal tipped to be worth £55 million to the retailer, Poundland edged closer to buying out the '99p' franchise and its more than 200 stores. We take a look back at the chain's dramatic journey -- from its humble beginnings to the latest high-street shakeup. 1 From humble beginnings FlameFlynet.Uk.Com Founder Steve Smith, 52, now a millionaire (pictured), hasn't always had it so good. The self-made businessman, who used to sleep in a box under his parents' stall, started his own company, known now as 'Poundland', selling assorted items for a low, fixed price on a Bilston market in the West Midlands. Smiths' firm began with a £50,000 startup loan, borrowed from his parents in 1990, which was later to be paid back five hundred-times-fold. 2 Baby steps Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images He opened his first store at just age 18 in Burton upon Trent, a success which paved the way for a succession of others -- 13 in total within just two years of Smiths' first cash injection. Despite financial difficulties, including heavy profit losses following a 12,000-meter squared warehouse-building investment and high levels of stock theft, Smith steered the business to recovery and continued to expand store numbers. 3 International investment didbygraham/Flickr In 1996, a Hong Kong office opened to support the UK operation, to capitalise on cheap product sourcing. It gave a much need injection to the company's trade, and caused the business' value to soar. It was worth £50 million to Smith when he finally sold it on in 2002. His parents received their £50,000 starter injection back, along with a cool £24.95 million Just a year later, amidst the chain's insurgent popularity, 'Poundland' celebrated the opening of its 100th store in the West Midlands suburb of Shirley. 4 Slow and steady Over the next six years, Poundland built a new 300,000 square foot distribution centre, and had a new CEO, Jim McCarthy (pictured), appointed. Both were touted as sustaining growth that led the firm into an incredibly successful next few years. 5 The boom years Bloomberg via Getty Images 'Poundland' was famed for being one of few high-street companies to weather the storm precipitated by 2008/09's global financial crisis. Though thrifty consumers' spending rates slowed, low, fixed-price shops were all the range, and managed to maintain healthy profits. By 2010, when most business were only just beginning to recover, Poundland heralded success with the opening of its 300th story in the south west market town of Cirencester. 6 2015: The year of the Poundland Bloomberg via Getty Images This year the company reported a turnover of over £1 billion for the first time, stocked 3,500 products - including branching out into the adult sex toys market - and served 5.5 million customers across the country every week. In August, competition regulators provisionally cleared the comapny's takeover of fierce rivals '99p Stores Limited', paving the way for Poundland to further its success, and embed itself as an iconic feature on the landscape of Britain's high-street. READ MORE:


The yellow-Winged Darter is a species of which insect?

TrekNature | Yellow-winged Darter Photo [ Note Guidelines ] Photographer's Note The yellow-winged darter, Sympetrum flaveolum, is a dragonfly found in Europe and mid and Northern China. Breeding is confined to stagnant water, usually in peat bogs. Although not resident in the United Kingdom it occasionally migrates there in some numbers. Such 'Invasion Years' occurred in 1906, 1926, 1945, 1953, and 1995. On each occasion a small breeding colony appeared, but they have invariably died out after a few years. An almost unmistakable darter, red-bodied in the male, with both sexes having large amounts of saffron-yellow colouration to the basal area of each wing, which is particularly noticeable on the hind-wings. Other Sympetrum species may have limited yellow-orange colouration near the extreme wing-bases, especially in females, but never so extensively as in this species. Sites which are likely to attract this species have thick rushy margins. The yellow-winged darter tends to make quite short flights when settled at a site, and frequently perches quite low down on vegetation. The yellow-winged darter has bred but is not established in the UK. It has occurred in Cumbria as single individuals on very few occasions. The most recent record was at Killington Reservoir in August 1995. In Southern Europe, the nymphs of this dragonfly live in oligotrophic lakes with submerged vegetation, at high altitudes. Temperature and vegetation of these habitats are likely to be altered by Climate Change. As an abundant predator the species has an important role in food webs of high altitude lakes. Its disappearance will lead to changes in food webs. A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking. Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic. Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. When laying eggs, some species will submerge themselves completely in order to lay their eggs on a good surface. The eggs then hatch into nymphs. While in the nymph stage they eat mosquito larva. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the nymph form, beneath the water's surface, using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier. The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months. Ref : Wikipedia


Who won an Oscar for playing the title role in the film Capote?

Philip Seymour Hoffman won Oscar for role in Capote - ITV News 2 February 2014 at 6:50pm Philip Seymour Hoffman won Oscar for role in Capote Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was reportedly found dead at his Manhattan apartment today, won an Academy Award for his role as writer Truman Capote in the film Capote. His performance received numerous high-profile accolades including the Golden Globe for Best Actor and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Last updated Wed 5 Feb 2014


Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) - 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 Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb ( 1964 ) PG | An insane general triggers a path to nuclear holocaust that a war room full of politicians and generals frantically try to stop. Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 30 titles created 12 Sep 2014 a list of 33 titles created 06 May 2015 a list of 46 titles created 15 Oct 2015 a list of 28 titles created 1 week ago a list of 48 titles created 5 days ago Title: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) 8.5/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for     4     Oscars. Another    13 wins & 6 nominations. See more awards  » Videos     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.3/10 X   In future Britain, Alex DeLarge, a charismatic and psycopath delinquent, who likes to practice crimes and ultra-violence with his gang, is jailed and volunteers for an experimental aversion therapy developed by the government in an effort to solve society's crime problem - but not all goes according to plan. Director: Stanley Kubrick After refusing to attack an enemy position, a general accuses the soldiers of cowardice and their commanding officer must defend them. Director: Stanley Kubrick A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue. Director: Stanley Kubrick Humanity finds a mysterious, obviously artificial object buried beneath the Lunar surface and, with the intelligent computer H.A.L. 9000, sets off on a quest. Director: Stanley Kubrick A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future. Director: Stanley Kubrick A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run, and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother. Director: Alfred Hitchcock During the Vietnam War, Captain Willard is sent on a dangerous mission into Cambodia to assassinate a renegade colonel who has set himself up as a god among a local tribe. Director: Francis Ford Coppola Following the death of a publishing tycoon, news reporters scramble to discover the meaning of his final utterance. Director: Orson Welles A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent-film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity. Director: Billy Wilder A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbours from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder. Director: Alfred Hitchcock An Irish rogue wins the heart of a rich widow and assumes her dead husband's aristocratic position in 18th-century England. Director: Stanley Kubrick A mentally unstable Vietnam War veteran works as a night-time taxi driver in New York City where the perceived decadence and sleaze feeds his urge for violent action, attempting to save a preadolescent prostitute in the process. Director: Martin Scorsese Edit Storyline Paranoid Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper of Burpelson Air Force Base, believing that fluoridation of the American water supply is a Soviet plot to poison the U.S. populace, is able to deploy through a back door mechanism a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union without the knowledge of his superiors, including the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Buck Turgidson, and President Merkin Muffley. Only Ripper knows the code to recall the B-52 bombers and he has shut down communication in and out of Burpelson as a measure to protect this attack. Ripper's executive officer, RAF Group Capta


Who was the Premier League player bitten by Luis Suarez?

Did Luis Suarez try to bite a Manchester City player? (Video) Comment Some grainy video from the Champions League looks like Barcelona striker Luis Suarez tried to bite yet another player. Barcelona striker Luis Suarez embarrassed himself and his country this summer when he was caught biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini. It was the third such biting incident of his career and seems to be a real issue for him, and roughly a year after biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanović in the Premier League. Of course he vowed not to do it again and apologized profusely, but it looks like he hasn’t learned his lesson. Roughly four months after returning from the ban for that incident, it looks like he could be back to his old ways. This time, in Barcelona’s game against Manchester City in the Champions League round of 16, it looks like Suarez attempted to bite at Martin Demichelis. You can see in the video that his head goes down towards Demichelis’ hand, but he doesn’t seem to react like he was bitten. Of course this isn’t clear evidence that he bit at yet another player, but it looks bad either way. In fairness to Suarez, when trying to find the incident in the broadcast film there were multiple incidents of Demichelis putting his hand up high on Suarez. That doesn’t mean that Suarez didn’t try to,  but check it out and judge it for yourself. Pretty sure Suarez tried to bite Demichelis here.. Not again pic.twitter.com/7hyTDT7wg6 We went back and found the incident in the broadcast footage to try and get a clearer look: Here is a close up of that again: He clearly wasn’t the only one to think that is what it looked like. “ @zachsadri : Pretty sure Suarez tried to bite Demichelis here.. Not again pic.twitter.com/Wig7Dg3LyK ” definitely has a nibble!


In which country was the 1950 Football World Cup held?

History of FIFA - The first FIFA World Cup™ - FIFA.com History of FIFA - The first FIFA World Cup™ © FIFA.com The success of the Olympic Football Tournament intensified FlFA's wish for its own world championship. Questionnaires were sent to the affiliated associations, asking whether they agreed to the organisation of a tournament and under what conditions. A special committee examined the question, with President Jules Rimet the driving force. He was aided by the untiring Secretary of the French Football Federation, Henri Delaunay. Following a remarkable proposal by the Executive Committee, the FIFA Congress in Amsterdam on 28 May 1928 decided to stage a world championship organised by FIFA. Now, the organising country had to be chosen. Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden submitted their candidatures. Right from the start, Uruguay was the favourite and not simply for its Olympic gold medal wins in 1924 and 1928 - the country was celebrating its 100th anniversary of independence in 1930 at great expense. Moreover, its national association was willing to cover all the costs, including the travel and accommodation of the participating teams. Any possible profit would be shared, while Uruguay would take on the deficit. These arguments were decisive. The FIFA Congress in Barcelona in 1929 assigned Uruguay as first host country of the FIFA World Cup ™. The other candidates had withdrawn. With Europe in the midst of an economic crisis, not everything went to plan during the countdown to these first finals. Participation did not only involve a long sea journey for the Europeans; the clubs would have to renounce their best players for two months. Consequently, more and more associations broke their promise to participate and it took much manoeuvring by Rimet to ensure at least four European teams - France, Belgium, Romania and Yugoslavia - joined him on the Conte Verde liner bound for Buenos Aires. The first FIFA World Cup opened at the brand-new Estadio Centenario in Montevideo on 18 July 1930. It was the beginning of a new era in world football and the inaugural event proved a remarkable success, both in a sporting and a financial sense. Of course, the organisers were disappointed that only four European sides had participated. The anger in Montevideo was so intense in fact that four years later, world champions Uruguay became the first and only team to refuse to defend their title. When the Congress convened in Budapest in 1930, it thanked Uruguay for staging the world championship for the first time in difficult conditions. It also noted its regret at seeing only a minimum number of teams participating from Europe. The significance of the new tournament only increased following the setback FIFA suffered in the lead-up to the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. After failing to settle differences of opinion over the amateur status of footballers with the International Olympic Committee regarding the amateur status of football players, plans to organise the Olympic Football Tournament were abandoned. FIFA chose Italy ahead of rival candidates Sweden to host the second FIFA World Cup and this time it took qualifying matches to arrive at the 16 finalists. Unlike in 1930 there were no groups and only knockout rounds, meaning Brazil and Argentina went home after playing just one match each. Once again, the home team prevailed, Italy winning the Final against Czechoslovakia in extra time. For the first time, the Final was transmitted on the radio. Four years later, Rimet saw his wish fulfilled when the third FIFA World Cup took place in France, his home country. Again not everything ran according to plan: Austria had disappeared from the scene and so Sweden did not have an opponent in the first round. Uruguay still did not wish to participate and Argentina withdrew. This is why the national teams from Cuba and the Dutch East Indies came to France. This time, there was no home victory and Italy successfully defended their title. The FIFA World Cup should have taken place for the fourth time in 1942 but the outbreak of W


Who plays Inspector George Gently on the TV?

Inspector George Gently (TV Series 2007– ) - 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 With the help of DS John Bacchus, Inspector George Gently spends his days bringing to justice members of the criminal underworld who are unfortunate enough to have the intrepid investigator assigned to their cases. Creator: Gently and Bacchus look into the suspicious death of Gently's old friend and ex-snout, China. 8.7 The investigation of a GP's suspected suicide leads Rachel to the village community she grew up in, which stirs up tragic memories. 8.6 The Newcastle police have arrested rioters as they tried to clear a slum due for demolition. The next morning, one of the protesters is discovered dead in the cells by WPC Rachel Coles. 8.6 a list of 29 titles created 11 Jul 2013 a list of 38 titles created 30 Nov 2014 a list of 45 titles created 01 Jan 2016 a list of 30 titles created 11 months ago a list of 28 titles created 10 months ago Title: Inspector George Gently (2007– ) 7.9/10 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. Inspector Robert Lewis and Sergeant James Hathaway solve the tough cases that the learned inhabitants of Oxford throw at them. Stars: Kevin Whately, Laurence Fox, Clare Holman With her caustic wit and singular charm, DCI Vera Stanhope and her trusted right-hand man DS Joe Ashworth face a series of captivating murder mysteries set against the breathtaking Northumberland landscape. Stars: Brenda Blethyn, Jon Morrison, David Leon Inspector Morse has an ear for music, a taste for beer and a nose for crime. He sets out with Sergeant Lewis to solve each intriguing case. Stars: John Thaw, Kevin Whately, James Grout DCI Banks (TV Series 2010) Crime | Drama | Mystery The tenacious and stubborn DCI Banks unravels disturbing murder mysteries aided by his young assistants, DS Annie Cabbot and DI Helen Morton. Stars: Stephen Tompkinson, Jack Deam, Andrea Lowe Set in the 1960s, the show follows Endeavour Morse in his early years as a police constable. Working alongside his senior partner DI Fred Thursday, Morse engages in a number of investigations around Oxford. Stars: Shaun Evans, Roger Allam, James Bradshaw British crime investigation series based around aristocratic, Oxford-educated Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his working-class assistant Sergeant Barbara Havers. Stars: Nathaniel Parker, Sharon Small, Lesley Vickerage Midsomer Murders (TV Series 1997) Crime | Drama | Mystery A veteran DCI and his young sergeant investigate murders around the regional community of Midsomer County. Stars: John Nettles, Jane Wymark, Barry Jackson     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.4/10 X   As WW2 rages around the world, DCS Foyle fights his own war on the home-front as he investigates crimes on the south coast of England. Later series sees the retired detective working as an MI5 agent operating in the aftermath of the war. Stars: Michael Kitchen, Honeysuckle Weeks, Anthony Howell DI Jack Frost is an unconventional policeman with sympathy for the underdog and an instinct for moral justice. Sloppy, disorganized and disrespectful, he attracts trouble like a magnet. Stars: David Jason, Bruce Alexander, John Lyons A Cambridgeshire clergyman finds himself investigating a series of mysterious wrongdoings in his small village of Grantchester. Stars: James Norton, Robson Green, Morven Christie Dalziel and Pascoe (TV Series 1996) Crime | Mystery | Drama Supt. Dalziel and partner DI Pascoe investigate murders, and find a bond forming between them despite their blatantly differing personalities. Stars: Warren Clarke, Colin Buchanan, David Royle DI Jimmy Perez and his team investigate crimes within the close knit island community of Shetland. Stars: Douglas Henshall, Steven Robertson, Alison O'Donnell Edit Storyline The show throws Chief Inspector George Gently


Jane Austen's House Museum | Home Discover Britain's most-loved writer   Jane Austen's House Museum in Chawton, Hampshire is the only house where Jane lived and wrote which is open to the public as a museum.   Jane Austen's House Museum is currently closed to the public.    We are now closed from 2 January until the end of February, including weekends, while we prepare the House for the bicentenary commemorations of Jane Austen's life. The Museum will reopen on 3 March 2017.


VND - Vietnamese Dong rates, news, and tools VND - Vietnamese Dong Viet Nam, Dong The Vietnamese Dong is the currency of Viet Nam.   Our currency rankings show that the most popular Viet Nam Dong exchange rate is the VND to USD rate .   The currency code for Dong is VND, and the currency symbol is ₫.   Below, you'll find Vietnamese Dong rates and a currency converter.   You can also subscribe to our currency newsletters with daily rates and analysis, read the XE Currency Blog ,   or take VND rates on the go with our XE Currency Apps and website.


La Fenice Opera House in Venice, | Expedia La Fenice Opera House La Fenice Opera House, current page Previous image, 9 total items. Next image, 9 total items. La Fenice Opera House Tour the lavish interior of one of Italy's most prestigious music venues then enjoy an evening of classic or experimental opera. To experience an operatic performance at La Fenice Opera House is to watch some of the world's best singers in a lavishly decorated auditorium. The 18th-century theater is one of Europe's premier locations for the introduction of new operas. Performing at La Fenice Opera House helped launch the careers of Verdi and Rossini. Among the operatic stars to have graced its stage are Luciano Pavarotti and Joan Sutherland. The English translation of the venue's name is “the phoenix” and it has lived up to its mythical namesake by rising from the ashes of three fires. Each time, the building has been restored to its original splendor. The last reconstruction began in 2001; the designers studied photographs and the first few minutes of a 1950s film which had been shot there.   Before watching an operatic spectacle, take the time to marvel at your surroundings. Look up at the beautiful ceiling with its large chandelier and the carvings of cherubs. Appreciate the ornate decor of the rows of private boxes. Note the extensive gold leaf work throughout the auditorium. For a supplementary fee, go on a guided tour of the theater. They take place during the day and include backstage areas and the royal box. For details of opera, ballet, classical and chamber music performances, visit the official website of La Fenice Opera House. See if there are any experimental performances scheduled during your visit. The opera house has a program which supports young composers. Tours take place from morning until early evening and there are various options available, including with an English speaking guide or audio guide.  La Fenice Opera House is less than 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) from Piazza San Marco. If you are driving to the city, park in one of the parking garages at Piazzale Roma. To reach the theater from the water, take a ferry to Santa Maria del Giglio. Explore More of Venice


Sergey Brin Stock Market A To Z: 26 Names, Themes And Trends To Watch In 2017 It’s easy to forget that 2016 began with a steep market selloff and plenty of doubts about the longevity of the bull market. Stocks righted themselves in February though, and survived bouts of volatility around June’s Brexit vote and the U.S. election. Since Donald Trump’s Nov. 8 victory stocks have been off to the races, prompting attempts to read » Top 5 Gadget Stories Of 2016 2016 was a huge year for hardware gadgets. Here are some of the biggest stories that went down: 1. Exploding Galaxy Note 7s Samsung was at the forefront of what is arguably the biggest consumer safety disaster in the history of the smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy read » What To Expect From Networking In 2017 Each year we try to lay out what businesses should expect in the upcoming year in the networking market. This year we expect to see a lot of changes as the traditionally conservative networking market begins to feel the pressure of years of networking status quo and resistance to change. This is our view of the more significant impacts to read » Five Things To Watch In Enterprise Storage In 2017 Enterprise storage has historically been a market that is slow to change, but a number of factors are making this an interesting space to watch right now. Vendors like Dell EMC, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), NetApp, IBM, Pure Storage and others are servicing the storage market with on-premise traditional storage systems and server-based read » Internet Of Things (IoT) Outlook For 2017 As we say goodbye to 2016, it’s almost required, as analysts, that we put together an outlook for the year to come. For the internet of things (IoT), 2017 will be another year of growth—and potentially some contraction. IoT is still in its infancy in terms of dollars and deployments, and that can’t last much longer, before market frustration read » ODG's New R-8 And R-9 Mixed Reality Headsets Are Powered By Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Osterhout Design Group (ODG) announced with Qualcomm that they would bring two new headsets to the market that are capable of both AR and VR. Both the ODG R-8 and the ODG R-9 head mounted displays (HMD) feature Qualcomm’s latest flagship system on a chip (SoC), the Snapdragon 835. While I have not had a chance to try out the ODG R-8 or R-9 yet, read » Five Things To Watch In AI And Machine Learning In 2017 Without a doubt, 2016 was an amazing year for Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). During the year, we saw nearly every high tech CEO claim the mantel of becoming an “AI Company”. However, only a few companies were actually able to monetize their significant investments in AI, notably Amazon, Baidu, Facebook, Google, IBM, read » What To Expect in 2017 From AMD, INTEL, NVIDIA, XILINX And Others For Machine Learning Without a doubt, 2016 was an amazing year for Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). I have opined on the 5 things to watch in AI for 2017 in another article, however the potential dynamics during 2017 in processor and accelerator semiconductors that enable this market warrant further examination. It is interesting to note that read »


In which constellation is the star Sirius?

Sirius is Dog Star and brightest star | Brightest Stars | EarthSky Sirius is Dog Star and brightest star By Deborah Byrd in Brightest Stars | Science Wire | February 10, 2016 Sirius – in the constellation Canis Major the Greater Dog – is the sky’s brightest star.  It’s very easy to spot on winter and spring evenings. The star Sirius and the nearby star cluster M41 caught on January 2, 2016 in Weatherly, Pennsylvania. Photo by Tom Wildoner at LeisurelyScientist.com The brightest star visible from any part of Earth is Sirius in the constellation Canis Major the Greater Dog. Sirius is sometimes called the Dog Star. Follow the links below to learn more about Sirius, the Dog Star and brightest star. The Greater Dog looking super cute in this photo Tom Wildoner ! Brightest star is Sirius. Orion’s Belt points to Sirius How to see Sirius. Most people in the Northern Hemisphere notice Sirius in the southeast – south – or southwest on evenings from winter to mid-spring. February evenings are a grand time to see it. It’s also fun to spot Sirius as it ascends in the east before dawn on late summer mornings. Whenever you see Sirius, you’ll recognize it easily because it is our sky’s brightest star. Although white to blue white in color, Sirius might be called a rainbow star, as it often flickers with many colors. The brightness, twinkling and color changes sometimes prompt first-time observers to report Sirius as a UFO. But these changes have nothing to do with Sirius. Rather, they are what happens when such a bright star as Sirius shines through the blanket of Earth’s atmosphere. The light from Sirius, which often appears fairly low in the sky from the mid-north latitudes, passes through a long column of air before it reaches our eyes. Changes in density and temperature of this air affect the light and cause the flickering and shimmering we see when we gaze at this star. This happens for other stars, too, but it is more noticeable for Sirius because it is so bright, and because it appears low in the sky. From the mid-northern latitudes such as most of the U.S., Sirius rises in the southeast, arcs across the southern sky, and sets in the southwest. In December, you’ll find Sirius rising in mid-evening. By mid-April, Sirius is setting in the southwest in mid-evening. Sirius is always easy to find. It’s the sky’s brightest star! Plus, anyone familiar with the constellation Orion can simply draw a line through Orion’s Belt, to the left. This line will point to Sirius, which is roughly 8 times as far from the Belt as the Belt is wide. The Egyptian god Osiris History and mythology of Sirius. Sirius is also well known as the Dog Star, because it is the chief star in the constellation Canis Major, the Big Dog. Have you ever heard anyone speak of the dog days of summer? Sirius is behind the sun as seen from Earth in Northern Hemisphere summer. In late summer, it appears in the east before sunrise – near the sun in our sky. The early stargazers might have imagined that the double-whammy of Sirius and the sun caused the hot weather, or dog days. Sirius has been known since ancient times, and its name signified its nature as “scorching” or “sparkling.” It was associated with the Egyptian god Osiris and other gods. Ancient Egyptians noted that Sirius rose just before the sun each year immediately prior to the annual flooding of the Nile River. Although the floods could bring destruction, they also brought new soil and new life. Fittingly, Osiris, whom Sirius may have represented, was a god of life, death, fertility and rebirth of plant life along the Nile. In India, Sirius is sometimes known as Svana, the dog of Prince Yudhistira. The prince and his four brothers, along with Svana, set out on a long and arduous journey to find the kingdom of heaven. However, one by one the brothers all abandoned the search until only Yudhistira and Svana were left. At long last they came to the gates of heaven. The gatekeeper, Lord Indra, welcomed the prince but denied Svana entrance. Yudhistira was aghast and told Lord Indra that he could not forsake his good


Which is the largest lake in the World, by area?

Largest Lakes in the World by Area, Volume and Depth Share By Matt Rosenberg This page includes three lists of the world's largest lakes. They are ranked by surface area, volume, and depth. The first list is surface area: Largest Lakes by Surface Area 1. Caspian Sea - Asia - 371,000 sq km (143,000 sq mi)* 2. Lake Superior - North America - 82,100 sq km (31,698 sq mi) 3. Lake Victoria - Africa - 68,800 sq km (26,563 sq mi) 4. Lake Huron - North America - 59,600 sq km (23,011 sq mi) 5. Lake Michigan - North America - 57,800 sq km (22,316 sq mi) 6. Lake Tanganyika - Africa - 32,900 sq km (12,702 sq mi) 7. Great Bear Lake - North America - 31,328 sq km (12,095 sq mi) 8. Baikal - Asia - 30,500 sq km (11,776 sq mi) 9. Lake Malawi (Lake Nyasa) - Africa - 30,044 sq km (11,600 sq mi) 10. Great Slave Lake - North America - 28,568 sq km (11.030 sq mi) Source: The Times Atlas of the World Largest Lakes by Volume 1. Baikal - Asia 23,600 cubic km** 2. Tanganyika- Africa - 18,900 cubic km 3. Superior - North America - 11,600 cubic km 4. Lake Malawi (Lake Nyasa) - Africa - 7,725 cubic km 5. continue reading below our video 4 Tips for Improving Test Performance Lake Michigan - North America - 4900 cubic km 6. Lake Huron - North America - 3540 cubic km 7. Lake Victoria - Africa - 2,700 cubic km 8. Great Bear Lake - North America - 2,236 cubic km 9. Issyk-Kul (Ysyk-Kol) - Asia - 1,730 cubic km 10. Lake Ontario - North America - 1,710 cubic km Source: Wikipedia Deepest Lakes in the World 1. Lake Baikal - Asia - 1,637 m (5,369 ft) 2. Lake Tanganyika - Africa - 1,470 m (4,823 ft) 3. Caspian Sea - Asia - 1,025 m (3,363 ft) 4. O'Higgins Lake (San Martin Lake) - South America - 836 m (2,742 ft) 5. Lake Malawi (Lake Nyasa) - Africa - 706 m (2,316 ft) Source: Wikipedia * Some consider the Caspian Sea not to be a lake but it is surrounded by land and thus meets the generally accepted definition of a lake. ** Lake Baikal holds one-fifth of the world's freshwater.


Which American State has, as a nickname, 'The First State'?

The State of Delaware - An Introduction to the First State from NETSTATE.COM The State of Delaware Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge On December 7, 1787, Delaware, became the first state to ratify the United States Constitution. Before that, it was the only colony to be claimed by Sweden, Holland and England. And before that, there is some evidence that Egyptian explorers found their way to the state. The log cabin was introduced by the Swedes. The first regularly operated steam railroad began operations in New Castle in 1831. Today, Delaware has become a farming and industrial state. At one time the center of this country's flour industry, it is today the leading producer of chemicals in the United States and, because of its corporate laws, more corporations are headquartered in Delaware than in any other state. THE STATE NAME: One name goes a long way in this small state. The Indians and the state were both named after the Delaware River. And where did the river get its name? The Delaware River was named after Sir Thomas West (Lord de la Warr), the Virginia Company's first governor. The Old State House, Dover The First State (Official) Delaware was the first state to ratify the United States Constitution in 1787. There is only one First State and Delaware is it.   "The First State" became the official State nickname on May 23, 2002 following a request by Mrs. Anabelle O'Malley's First Grade Class at Mt. Pleasant Elementary School.   The State of Delaware The Diamond State This nickname for Delaware is echoed in the State Flag. The buff colored diamond serves as a frame for the state Coat of Arms. This nickname originated with Thomas Jefferson who compared Delaware to a diamond; small but very valuable. According to the Delaware Government Information Center , Thomas Jefferson described Delaware as "...a 'jewel' among states due to its strategic location on the Eastern Seaboard." The Blue Hen State This historical nickname, sometimes Blue Hen Chicken State, originated during the Revolutionary War. According to W.A. Powell's History of Delaware, 1928, the story traces back to a Captain Caldwell from Kent County who carried with him a pair of fighting game cocks. These chickens, descendents of a famous Blue Hen, were well known in Kent County for their superior fighting qualities. It is said that upon seeing these game cocks fight, one soldier cried "We're sons of the Old Blue Hen and we're game to the end" comparing the fighting prowess of the chickens to the fighting prowess of the Delaware soldiers. These regiments from Kent County became known as "Blue Hen's Chickens." This name was soon applied state wide. In 1939, the Blue Hen Chicken was adopted as Delaware's official State Bird. The Peach State In the 1500s, the Spanish brought peaches to Delaware. By the 1600s, peaches were so plentiful in the state that farmers used them to feed their pigs. Supported by the Delaware Railroad in the early nineteenth century, Delaware became the leading producer of peaches in the United States. Almost 6,000,000 baskets of peaches were shipped to market in 1875, Delaware's peak production year. Many problems beset peach farmers throughout the latter part of the century. The peach blight, called the "yellows" forced the collapse of the industry and, in the early 1900s, many peach farmers faced bankruptcy. The Corporate Capital Delaware has been called the "Corporate Capital" because so many corporations have incorporated in the state because of its business-friendly law. According to the Delaware Division of Corporations (2002), more than 308,000 companies are incorporated in Delaware. This includes 60% of the Fortune 500 and 50% of the companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Small Wonder A new nickname developed to promote the state's contributions to the nation and its natural beauty. New Sweden Refers to the first permanent settlement in Delaware in the present day Wilmington. Delaware was under Swedish rule from 1638 to 1655. The first Swedish settlement was at "The Rocks," on the Christina River, near the foot


Who was the leader of Albania from 1944 to 1985?

BBC News - Albania timeline Albania timeline A chronology of key events: 1939 - Shortly before the start of World War II, Italy invades. King Zog flees to Greece. ENVER HOXHA Some still revere Communist leader who ruled with iron fist Born in 1908 1940 - Italian army attacks Greece through Albania. 1941 - Enver Hoxha becomes head of new Albanian Communist Party. 1943 - German forces invade and occupy Albania following Italian surrender. 1944 - Germans withdraw after Communist resistance. Enver Hoxha installed as new leader. 1945 - Tribunals begin against thousands of "war criminals". 1946 - Purges of non-communists from government positions. 1948 - Albania breaks ties with Yugoslavia; Soviet Union begins economic aid to Albania. 1950 - Britain and US back landings by right-wing guerillas, who fail to topple communists. 1955 - Albania becomes a founding member of the Warsaw Pact. Isolationist state 1961 - Albania allies itself with China, after Soviet Union breaks diplomatic relations over ideological rift. TIRANA Capital city became a magnet for incomers in the 1990s Founded in 17th century 1967 - Violent clampdown on religious activity. Albania declared the world's first atheist state. 1968 - Albania withdraws from Warsaw Pact over Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia. 1978 - China ends economic and military aid to Albania after relations become strained by China's reconciliation with the US. 1985 - Hoxha dies, replaced by Ramiz Alia. Political upheavals 1989 - Communist rule in Eastern Europe collapses. Ramiz Alia signals changes to economic system. 1990 - Independent political parties formed. Albanians granted right to travel abroad. Thousands try to flee through Western embassies. Thousands more seize ships at port and sail illegally to Italy. 1991 - In multiparty elections, the Communist Party and allies win 169 of the 250 seats, the newly-formed Democratic Party takes 75. General amnesty for political prisoners. First opposition newspaper published. Alia re-elected president. Prime Minister Fatos Nano resigns after protests at economic conditions and killing of opposition demonstrators. New government headed by Vilson Ahmeti. 1992 - Democratic Party wins elections. Party leader Sali Berisha, a former cardiologist, becomes first elected president. Aleksander Meksi is prime minister. 1993 - Ex-communist leaders, including Fatos Nano and Ramiz Alia, convicted and jailed for corruption. Anger on streets 1994 - National referendum rejects new constitution which opponents said allowed president too much power. 1995 - Alia released from prison following appeal-court ruling. 1996 - Democratic Party general election victory tainted by accusations of fraud. 1997 - Leka, son of late King Zog, returns from exile in bid to take throne. Referendum on restoration of monarchy fails. He is accused of trying to stir up an armed insurrection and flees back into exile. KOSOVO CRISIS Fraudulent pyramid investment schemes collapse, costing thousands of Albanians their savings and triggering anti-government protests. Up to a million weapons are looted from army stores as angry mobs take to the streets. Government resigns and Socialist-led coalition sweeps to power. Fatos Nano, now released from prison, returns as prime minister. Sali Berisha resigns as president in wake of financial crisis, succeeded by Socialist leader Rexhep Mejdani. Convictions of communist-era leaders overturned. 1998 - Escalating unrest in Kosovo sends refugees across border into Albania. September - Violent anti-government street protests after prominent opposition Democratic Party politician, Azem Hajdari, shot dead by unidentified gunmen. PM Fatos Nano quits. Former student activist, Pandeli Majko, named as new prime minister. Refugee influx 1999 - Nato air strikes against Yugoslav military targets. In Kosovo thousands flee attacks by Serb forces. Mass refugee exodus into Albania. October - Majko resigns as prime minister in October 1999, after losing Socialist Party leadership vote. 30-year-old Iler Meta becomes Europe's youngest prime minister. 2001 January -


Where do Leicester Tigers R.U. side play home games?

Home : The Official Website of Leicester Tigers : Leicester Tigers Tickets update: Tigers v Newcastle Falcons 19 Jan 17 Tickets for the Leicester Tigers home match against Newcastle Falcons in Round 20 of the Aviva Premiership season go on sale from the Welford Road ticket office this Saturday (January 21). Jonathan McConnell Unique insight into lives of Tigers 19 Jan 17 Leicester Tigers supporters were treated to an evening in the company of two generations of players in the Beers With The Boys night at Welford Road on Tuesday. Jonathan McConnell Williams named in Wales Six Nations squad 17 Jan 17 Owen Williams says he hopes to fulfil every child's dream of playing for their country after being selected in the Wales squad for the RBS 6 Nations. Jonathan McConnell BGL backs Tigers Guard of Honour 17 Jan 17 Leicester Tigers have secured a new partnership with BGL Group as sponsors of the Guard of Honour on matchdays at Welford Road. Jonathan McConnell Matchday bus service timetable this Saturday 16 Jan 17 Centrebus matchday services will be in operation on four routes for Saturday's 5.30pm kick-off between Leicester Tigers and Glasgow in the European Champions Cup at Welford Road. Jonathan McConnell Murderball coaches share unique evening 16 Jan 17 Leicester Tigers Foundation and the Tigers Wheelchair coaches have delivered a unique 'Murderball' experience for the Round Table Societies from Loughborough and Melton Mowbray. Rebecca Underwood


Which poet wrote novels using the pseudonym Nicholas Blake?

Nicholas Blake (Author of The Beast Must Die) edit data Nicholas Blake is the pseudonym of poet Cecil Day-Lewis C. Day Lewis who was born in Ireland in 1904. He was the son of the Reverend Frank Cecil Day-Lewis and his wife Kathleen (nee Squires). His mother died in 1906 and he and his father moved to London where he was brought up by his father with the help of an aunt. He spent his holidays in Wrexford and regarded himself very much as anglo-irish, although when the Republic of Ireland was declared in 1948 he chose British citizenship. He was married twice, to Mary King in 1928 and to Jill Balcon in 1951 and during the 1940s he had a long love affair with novelist Rosamond Lehmann. He had four children from his two marriages with actor Daniel Day-Lewis, documentary filmmaker and television chef Nicholas Blake is the pseudonym of poet Cecil Day-Lewis C. Day Lewis who was born in Ireland in 1904. He was the son of the Reverend Frank Cecil Day-Lewis and his wife Kathleen (nee Squires). His mother died in 1906 and he and his father moved to London where he was brought up by his father with the help of an aunt. He spent his holidays in Wrexford and regarded himself very much as anglo-irish, although when the Republic of Ireland was declared in 1948 he chose British citizenship. He was married twice, to Mary King in 1928 and to Jill Balcon in 1951 and during the 1940s he had a long love affair with novelist Rosamond Lehmann. He had four children from his two marriages with actor Daniel Day-Lewis, documentary filmmaker and television chef Tamasin Day-Lewis and TV critic and writer Sean Day-Lewis being three of his children. He began work as a schoolmaster and during World War II he worked as a publications editor in the Ministry of Information. After the war he joined Chatto & Windus as a senior editor and director and then in 1946 he began lecturing at Cambridge University. He later taught poetry at Oxford University, where he was Professor of Poetry from 1951-1956 and from 1962-1963 he was the Norton Professor at Harvard University. But he was by then earning his living mainly from his writings, having had some poetry published in the late 1920s and early 1930s and then in 1935 beginning his career as a thriller writer with 'A Question of Proof', which featured his amateur sleuth Nigel Strangeways, reputedly modelled on W H Auden. He continued the Strangeways series, which finally totalled 16 novels ending with 'The Morning After Death' in 1966. He also wrote four detective novels which did not feature Strangeways. He continued to write poetry and became Poet Laureate in 1968, a post he held until his death in 1972. He was also awarded the CBE. He died from pancreatic cancer on 22 May 1972 at the Hertfordshire home of Kingsley Amis and Elizabeth Jane Howard, where he and his wife were staying. He is buried in Stinsford churchyard, close to the grave of one of his heroes Thomas Hardy, something that he had arranged before his death. ...more


50 Years of Motoring 50 Years of Motoring Search Become a MINI Insider Join our email list to receive the updates about the Clubman, general MINI news, and more. And don’t worry, we won’t share your information with anyone else. First Name This is a required field. Last Name This is a required field. Email Please enter a valid email address. ZIP code Please enter a valid Zip code. After we receive your information it may be used by MINI USA and your MINI Dealer to contact you. Submit We've received your information, so keep an eye out for communications from MINI USA. Whoops. Sorry about this. Something went wrong, please come back and try again later. Our Heritage THE (SHORT) STORY OF MINI. Over 50 years of motoring have added up to hundreds of innovations and checkered flags, millions of models on the road, legions of devoted fans and one International Car of the Century award. Let's start from the beginning. A MINI HISTORY A FAMILIAR DILEMMA. The year was 1957, and in post-World War II England the Suez Crisis had sent fuel prices soaring, leading many to start wondering if the large, gas-guzzling vehicles of the day made much sense. A CAR BUILT FOR EVERYONE. So Sir Leonard Lord of the Morris Company issued his top engineer, Alec Issigonis, a challenge: design and build a small, fuel-efficient car capable of carrying four adults, within economic reach of just about everyone. As fate would have it, the challenge of fitting so much function into such a small package inspired a couple of historic innovations. REINVENTING THE WHEELS. The two most important innovations Issigonis came up with were to create more room in the cockpit: pushing the wheels all the way out to the corners and turning the engine sideways giving the car more stability in tight turn and more passenger space on the inside. The world had never seen a car quite like it. And when the first Mini launched in 1959, the public was a bit baffled. THE SPIRIT OF THE STREETS. Soon enough, people began to recognize that the Mini was not merely a car. The unique combination of classic British style in a low-cost, small size, fun and nimble package came to symbolize independence and spontaneity. The very essence of the youthful 1960s culture. A CULTURAL PHENOMENON. One of the most remarkable elements of the Classic Mini’s popularity was how its infectious spirit transcended traditional class barriers. From hipsters and mods to milkmen, rock stars and royalty to rally racers. Everyone could have efficiency, fun and freedom, motoring in a Mini. A THRILL RIDE. It soon became apparent that, while intended to create more passenger room, Issigonis’s numerous layout innovations also helped make the Mini a standout performance car. Wheels at the corners meant a wide, go-kart stance and nimble handling. And the transverse engine kept weight over the front tires, helping provide great balance and grip. BIRTH OF A RACER. It was 1961 when the humble little people-mover fell into the hands of British racing legend John Cooper. A more powerful engine, bigger brakes and a few tuning tweaks later, the Classic Mini Cooper 997 was introduced. And a rally demon was born. Modern Motorsports A GIANT KILLER. Before long, the nimble little Classic Mini was outracing and outlasting the larger, more powerful, but clumsier sedans of the day. Visits to the winner’s circle became a regular event as Mini chalked up numerous international race wins – including 3 at the prestigious Monte Carlo rally from 1964 to 1967. YOU-NIQUE. In addition to being exhilarating to drive, owners loved how easily their Mini became an extension of themselves. A dynamic expression of their individuality and a personality-packed sidekick that was always up for a bit of spontaneous fun. A WORKHORSE. By 1969, over 2 million Mini had been sold around the world. Pickup and station wagon versions were introduced and all were incredibly durable – whether rallying or doing the daily errands. Owners knew they could depend on their Mini to get the job done. And inspire smiles the entire time. AMERICA WOULD HAVE TO WAIT. By 19


Who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921?

The Nobel Prize in Physics 1921 The Nobel Prize in Physics 1921 Albert Einstein The Nobel Prize in Physics 1921 Albert Einstein Prize share: 1/1 The Nobel Prize in Physics 1921 was awarded to Albert Einstein "for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect". Albert Einstein received his Nobel Prize one year later, in 1922. During the selection process in 1921, the Nobel Committee for Physics decided that none of the year's nominations met the criteria as outlined in the will of Alfred Nobel. According to the Nobel Foundation's statutes, the Nobel Prize can in such a case be reserved until the following year, and this statute was then applied. Albert Einstein therefore received his Nobel Prize for 1921 one year later, in 1922. Photos: Copyright © The Nobel Foundation Share this: To cite this page MLA style: "The Nobel Prize in Physics 1921". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 20 Jan 2017. <http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1921/>


Which is the heaviest naturally occurring element?

The heaviest naturally occurring element on Earth? | Chemical connections The heaviest naturally occurring element on Earth? Posted on May 15, 2014 by stu OK, let’s make sure that we’re clear on the question first. By ‘heaviest’, I mean the element with the largest atomic number. By ‘naturally occurring’, I mean pretend that humans have never existed on this planet (probably would have turned out much nicer, eh?). Right, you can’t argue about the question anymore, and if you still want to, go and do it somewhere else – all I want now are arguments about the answer. A lot of people (well, science-y types I guess) when posed with this question will say ‘uranium’. But hang on, naturally occurring uranium can apparently undergo neutron capture reactions followed by beta decay to produce transuranium elements… but I’m struggling to find (primary) literature sources confirming just how far this process goes. Also note that plutonium is thought to be a primordial element (there might be some on Earth that has been around longer than the Earth itself) – the Nature paper is here and a potential rebuttal is here (thanks to Brett Thornton for pointing this out on Twitter ). After digging around Wikipedia for a while (and lots of the sources it links to), I’m fairly convinced that it is safe to say that neptunium and plutonium are found in nature – in naturally occurring uranium deposits and natural nuclear reactors such as the one found at Oklo in Gabon. What about the next few elements though? Well, here’s what Wikipedia has to say: Am: A few atoms of americium can be produced by neutron capture reactions and beta decay in very highly concentrated uranium-bearing deposits. [ link ] Cm: A few atoms of curium can be produced by neutron capture reactions and beta decay in very highly concentrated uranium-bearing deposits. [ link ] Bk: A few atoms of berkelium can be produced by neutron capture reactions and beta decay in very highly concentrated uranium-bearing deposits, thus making it the rarest naturally occurring element. [ link ] Cf: Very minute amounts of californium have been found to exist on Earth due to neutron capture reactions and beta decay in very highly-concentrated uranium-bearing deposits. [ link ] The Wikipedia page on californium also states that: It is the heaviest element to occur naturally on Earth; heavier elements can only be produced by synthesis. Notice that the wording for all of these elements is very similar. And they all cite the same (and only) source – John Emsley’s book Nature’s Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements. I don’t have a copy of Emsley’s book to hand and so I’m still in the dark about primary literature sources to back up these claims (I’m not doubting the book, I’d just like to find the original sources). When it comes to the next two elements, einsteinium and fermium , Wikipedia notes that: Einsteinium and fermium did occur naturally in the natural nuclear fission reactor at Oklo, but no longer do so. The source of that claim? Emsley’s book. I really need to get my hands on a copy. In fact, the Wikipedia articles kinda contradict themselves (I think). They say that einsteinium and fermium did occur in the Oklo reactor at some point, but each article also states that: Synthesis of einsteinium/fermium from naturally occurring actinides uranium and thorium in the Earth crust (sic) requires multiple neutron capture, which is an extremely unlikely event. So, how far does neutron capture get you in nature? As far as fermium or not past plutonium? I’ve kinda had this debate before (see here and here ), but it was focused more on the number of naturally occurring elements, not the heaviest. Looking back at those posts does remind me to point out this link that states: All six of these elements (93-98) have been found in very small amounts in samples of uranium-rich pitchblende. Alas, there is no primary source to back up that claim either. So, what is the heaviest element that has shown up on this notional human-free Earth that I’ve dreamed up? I think I’m sticking with plutonium for now,


Which boxer was nicknamed 'The Ambling Alp'?

Primo _, Italian world heavyweight boxing champion who was nicknamed the "Ambling Alp" - crossword puzzle clues & answers - Dan Word «Let me solve it for you» Primo _, Italian world heavyweight boxing champion who was nicknamed the "Ambling Alp" Today's crossword puzzle clue is a general knowledge one: Primo _, Italian world heavyweight boxing champion who was nicknamed the "Ambling Alp". We will try to find the right answer to this particular crossword clue. Here are the possible solutions for "Primo _, Italian world heavyweight boxing champion who was nicknamed the "Ambling Alp"" clue. It was last seen in British general knowledge crossword. We have 1 possible answer in our database. Possible answer:


Which M.P. was the first man in Britain to be killed by a train?

BBC - Primary History - Famous People - George Stephenson George Stephenson   Why is George Stephenson famous? Why is he famous? George Stephenson was an engineer . He built steam locomotives for the first railways. Sometimes people call him 'the Father of the Railway'. When did he live? George Stephenson was born in 1781. At this time Britain was starting to change from a land of farms and small villages to a land of factories and big cities. We call this change the Industrial Revolution . By the time George Stephenson died in 1848, its new railways and factories had made Britain the richest country in the world. Stephenson and son George Stephenson's son Robert helped him build railways. Robert was born in 1803 and died in 1859. He became as famous as his father. Robert Stephenson built bridges too, and was a Member of Parliament . Early life Where did George live? George Stephenson was born on 9 June 1781. His home was at Wylam, near Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Near where he lived there were coal mines . George's father worked at a coal mine. He looked after steam engines , used to pump water out of the mine. George's home The Stephensons were not rich. George lived in a small cottage. The cottage is now looked after by the National Trust . Visitors come from all over the world to see it. Did George go to school? George was interested in machines. He helped his dad. That's how he learned about steam engines. George didn't go to school. From the age of 8, he went to work. He looked after cows on a farm. He drove horses that worked at the mine. How did George learn to read? When George was 14, he helped his father at the coal mine. George took machines to bits, to see how they worked. He wanted to learn to read, write and count so he could get a better job. He went to school 3 nights a week after work. Family life George's father was Robert Stephenson. His mother's name was Mabel Carr. To earn extra money, George mended shoes. He taught himself to mend clocks. He was saving up to get married. In 1802, George married Frances Henderson. She was a servant at a farm. They had a son called Robert. In 1806 Frances became ill and died. The first railways George the engineer George was very clever. He invented a lamp for miners to use underground. But his real interest was in steam engines . Some steam engines drove machines in factories. One or two were made to run on wheels, along roads. Steam powered road engines were slow and could not go up hills. George worked out that a steam engine needed to run along rails. First railways In 1814 he made his first 'railway locomotive'. In 1819 George was asked to build a small railway at Hetton Colliery . The track was 8 miles long. In 1820 George married again. His second wife was Elizabeth Hindmarsh. Locomotion No. 1 In 1825 a new railway was opened between the towns of Stockton and Darlington. George and his men built the track and the locomotive . It was the first passenger steam railway in the world. George drove the first train. The engine was called 'Locomotion No. 1'. It pulled a train with 450 passengers at a speed of 15 miles an hour. Liverpool to Manchester In 1829, another railway was planned, between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester. Not everyone was pleased. Some farmers did not want the railway to cross their fields. George Stephenson built the railway. He built track across a bog called Chat Moss. The owners of the railway wanted to find the best locomotive. They offered a prize of £500. Trials were held at Rainhill, near Liverpool. Crowds came to watch. Stephenson's rocket The Rainhill trials Only 3 locomotives took part in the trials in October 1829. They ran backwards and forwards along a track . 'Novelty' was a favourite with the crowd. Another locomotive was called 'Sans Pareil', which means 'without equal'. But both engines kept breaking down. George and his son Robert had built the 'Rocket'. It puffed along faster than the others. It did not break down. Everyone agreed, the Rocket had won! The Rocket The Rocket had four wheels. It pulled a tender , a water tank on