The Chase - UKGameshows The Chase ITV Studios (Potato) for ITV1, 29 June 2009 to present Synopsis Four contestants must work for the benefit of the team, as they face a ruthless quiz genius called The Chaser, who is (apparently) determined to stop them winning at all costs. The original Beastie Boy, 'Mark Labbett' The original Darth Vader, 'Shaun Wallace' The first round starts with each contestant takes a turn of answering 60 seconds of general knowledge questions, with each correct answer being worth £1,000. This determines how much money they will be playing for against The Chaser (who this is varies by episode). This part of the round against The Chaser is played on a sloping board, situated between them, and consisting of seven steps (eight in the first series). The contestant starts three spaces ahead of The Chaser on the board. "I have a nice view from up here." Before the game begins, The Chaser offers the contestant the chance to increase this to four spaces, but reduce the amount they are playing for, or they can reduce their head start to two places, but massively increase their potential prize money. Now, THAT'S how you double up. After this is decided, the contestant and The Chaser are each asked the same multiple-choice question. They do this simultaneously; with the first to lock-in an answer starts a five-second countdown for the other to lock-in their answer. For every correct answer the contestant gives, they move one space closer to safety. However, The Chaser also moves one space closer to the contestant with each correct answer. Any incorrect answers given by either the contestant or The Chaser, and they stay where they were on the board. Uh-oh, it's the following arrow of death. The round continues with several more multiple-choice questions until either the contestant reaches the bottom of the board, with the money they were playing for being put into the team bank, or The Chaser answers more questions correctly, and catches the contestant on the board. If this happens, the prize money is lost, and the contestant is out of the game. The above is repeated a further three times, for each of the other three contestants on the team. If all four contestants are caught by The Chaser, their prize fund is set to £4,000 and the team must nominate one contestant to proceed to The Final Chase. The Final Chase In this final round, the remaining contestant(s) must face The Chaser one last time in order to win a share of the prize money. They receive two minutes to answer as many questions as possible. This is done on the buzzer, meaning you have the slightly odd set-up of two or more people trying to be first to buzz, even though they are working together. For every correct answer given, they move one space further ahead, with them having a head start of one space per team member remaining. Unlike the earlier rounds, this game is not played on the board in the studio, but rather the spaces are marked by on-screen graphics. After the two minutes are up, The Chaser is then given two minutes to answer as many questions as they can. Each correct answer moves them one space closer to the contestant(s). If The Chaser answers incorrectly, the clock is stopped, and the question is thrown over to the contestant(s). If they can answer correctly, The Chaser is moved one step backwards, and the games resumes. If The Chaser catches the contestant(s) before the time is up, they lose, and leave with nothing. If The Chaser fails to catch them, they each take an equal share of the prize money. The Final Chase in progress with Shaun Wallace. Worth Chasing? The concept of The Chase is interesting, but in reality it needs a little work. The first round is a bit like watching the same short game show four times over, and as such it feels repetitive. In addition, given it lasts for around three-quarters of the hour long programme, it eats up a lot of time, meaning the show only has two rounds in total, and as such, the final round, comparatively speaking, feels like it's over quite quick. In addition, while allowing the contestant(s


Which prominent Labour MP lost his seat of Morley and Outwood in May’s general election?

15 prominent MPs who have lost their seat in the parliament - BT 15 prominent MPs who have lost their seat in the parliament Will Ed Balls, Charles Kennedy and Esther McVey bid goodbye to politics after shocking defeat?   Print this story It was one of the most unpredictable elections in the UK’s history with dramatic victories and overwhelming defeats. This year’s General Election delivered a crushing blow to prominent faces and political heavyweights like Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls, Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy and the Lib Dem’s Charles Kennedy. Here are a few famous MPs who won’t be returning to parliament this year. 1. Ed Balls (Lynne Cameron/PA) Shadow chancellor Ed Balls has been a prominent fixture on Labour’s campaign trail but unfortunately his hard work didn’t pay off after losing his Morley and Outwood constituency to Conservative MP Andrea Jenkins by a mere 422 votes. 2. Douglas Alexander (Chris Radburn/PA) Labour’s General Election campaign chief and shadow foreign secretary was swept aside by the SNP’s Mhairi Black – a 20-year-old politics student at Glasgow University, with a 26.92% swing from Labour to the SNP in Paisley and Renfrewshire South. 3. Jo Swinson (Andrew Milligan/PA) UK business minister Jo Swinson lost the East Dunbartonshire seat she had held for the Liberal Democrats since 2005 due to a 16.05% swing to the SNP. 4. Jim Murphy (Jane Barlow/PA) The Scottish Labour leader lost the East Renfrewshire seat he had held since 1997 to the SNP’s Kirsten Oswald. 5. Ed Davey (Dan Kitwood/PA) The Liberal Democrat Energy Secretary lost the Kingston and Surbiton seat he had held since 1997 to Conservative James Berry. Davey won 20,415 votes, almost 3,000 less than the Tory tally of 23,249. 6. Simon Hughes (Danny Lawson/PA) The Liberal Democrat lost the Bermondsey and Old Southwark seat he had held for 32 years to Labour by around 5,000 votes. 7. Vince Cable (Dominic Lipinski/PA) The Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable lost the Twickenham seat he has held since 1997 to the Conservatives, defeated by Tania Mathias by 25,580 votes to 23,563. He blamed a campaign of “fear” by the Tories for a “terrible night” for the Liberal Democrats. 8. Esther McVey (Ben Birchall/PA) The Conservative Employment minister was beaten in Wirral West, after Labour’s Margaret Greenwood won the tight marginal – a mere 417 votes. 9. George Galloway (Gareth Fuller/PA) The Respect leader stormed to victory in a by-election in Bradford West three years ago but has now lost out to Labour’s Naseem Shah, who won by nearly 20,000 votes. The Scot vowed he will return to politics. 10. Danny Alexander (Steve Parsons/PA) Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander became the highest-ranking politician in Scotland to lose his seat in the general election. He was elected as the MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey back in 2005, but has now lost that title to nationalist Drew Hendry. 11. David Laws (Dominic Lipinski/PA) The Liberal Democrat minister lost his Yeovil seat to the Conservatives’ Marcus Fysh by 5,313 votes. 12. Lynne Featherstone (Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA) The Lib Dems MP lost to Labour in the key target seat of Hornsey and Wood Green. Rival Catherine West won by a majority of 11,058 votes. 13. Margaret Curran (Danny Lawson/PA) Scottish Labour candidate Margaret Curran lost the Glasgow East Constituency at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow. She was beaten by SNP’s Natalie McGarry by 10,387 votes. 14. Charles Kennedy (Andrew Milligan/PA) Former Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy lost his Highland seat to the SNP after 32 years. He has been an MP since the age of 23 but was defeated by Ian Blackford, who won by 5,124 votes in Ross, Skye and Lochaber. 15. Mark Reckless (John Stillwell/PA) Ukip’s Mark Reckless lost to Tory candidate Kelly Tolhurst in Rochester and Strood by 16,009 votes. The former Conservative MP who defected to Ukip last year, said: “I always knew what I was doing was a risk but nobody should under-estimate Ukip’s achievement. “I am proud to have been a part of that and to have represented the peop


Which clothing retailer founded in 1975 is based in Arteixo in northern Spain?

How Zara became the world's biggest fashion retailer - Telegraph Retail and Consumer How Zara became the world's biggest fashion retailer A rare insight into the story and business model behind Inditex, the owner of  Zara, and its founder Amancio Ortega, the third richest man in the world Staff review items from the latest range in the main design studio at Inditex HQ Photo: INDITEX By Graham Ruddick 9:14AM BST 20 Oct 2014 A digital mirror that allows you to try on clothes without actually taking them off the shelf sits on one side of the room, next to it is a self-service till where shoppers can pay for their clothing and remove the security tag without a shop assistant. This is the future of retail in front of your eyes. They stand in a room full of new technology at a large industrial complex in Arteixo, a small town in northern Spain. From the outside, the industrial estate does not appear that different to the standard collection of offices, warehouse and factories typical in the UK. However, it is home to the biggest fashion retailer in the world, a company that has reset the boundaries for what shoppers expect from a high street clothing store. This is a rare glimpse into the world of Inditex, the owner of Zara – a company that does not advertise, still manufactures products in Europe and relies heavily on its store managers. Inditex is notoriously guarded and private, a legacy of its founder, Amancio Ortega, who was born in 1936 in northern Spain into humble origins and is today the third richest man in the world. Ortega and his business partner Rosalia Mera opened their first store in the city of A Coruna, close to Arteixo, in 1975. They wanted to call the shop Zorba, after their favourite film, Zorba the Greek. However, a bar further down the street had adopted the same name, so Ortega and Mera were forced to adapt. Given that the Zorba name was already on the store, they tried to think of a name that would still use most of the letters. They settled on Zara, a brand now present in every corner of the globe. Related Articles Zara owner posts slowest profit growth in five years 19 Mar 2014 This flexibility and efficiency has remained at the heart of Inditex, the company built from Zara that now runs 6,500 shops in 88 different countries and includes seven other brands, including Bershka, Pull & Bear, and Massimo Dutti. The business model built by Ortega is unique. Zara stores around the world receive deliveries twice a week and products designed at the headquarters in Arteixo reach stores three weeks later. This is a staggering pace, helped by the fact that between 51pc and 55pc of clothing is manufactured in what the company describes as “proximity” markets, Spain, Portugal, Turkey and Morocco, instead of Asia. This model is regularly described as “fast fashion”, but Pablo Isla, chief executive and chairman, insists Inditex is “much more” than that. “It is too narrow for everything that is Inditex,” he explains. “You see the stores and you can’t imagine what is behind them.” If there is a secret to Inditex’s success it is the connection between stores, the in-house designers, and its factories. Twice a week, a store manager will send an order to HQ. This is based on the sales data for the store but also anecdotal evidence from shoppers about what they like and don’t like. The commercial team will then compile the order, adding in new products and balancing out demand with other stores, before sending it to Inditex’s manufacturing hub. Within two days, the order has reached the store. At the same time, the commercial team is a liaising with the in-house designers, who they sit next to in the offices at Inditex HQ. When sales trends are identified – either from evidence in stores or the catwalk – the commercial team will work with the designers to develop new products to meet the trends. New fashions are then produced in relatively small batches, so flops can be disregarded after their first appearance and hits can be followed quickly by similar incarnations. The commercial and design teams are vast – covering


Who composed a Sea Symphony, a London Symphony and a Pastoral Symphony?

Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony, Wasps Overture / ... - Chandos: CHSA 5047 | Buy from ArkivMusic This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players. ----- Iï¿½m not personally a believer in the notion of definitive recordings... But I do think that overall the recording, playing and singing of this Hickox version set a new standard. This is the latest instalment of Richard Hickoxï¿½s cycle of Vaughan Williams symphonies, the first on SACD. It began with his recording in 1997 of Symphony 5, followed by the original version of A London Symphony in 2000, Symphony 4 in 2001, the Pastoral Symphony in 2002 and Symphonies 6 and 8 in 2003. First on this SACD comes a generous bonus, The overture (tr. 1) written for the incidental music to Aristophanesï¿½ Read more comedy The Wasps. The creatures buzz around in the introduction with menacing efficiency. The first theme, the first of the old tunes of Phrymicus, is jauntily introduced by clarinet and bassoon at 0:56 and progresses breezily, as befits its ï¿½scherzandoï¿½, ï¿½playfulï¿½, marking. The second old tune (1:17) is treated with breadth by the horns with the violins. But the tune everyone remembers is the glowing third theme (3:19), a typical big RVW tune which represents the reconciliation of Bdelycleon with his father Philoclean. This Hickox gives the warmth of a perfect summerï¿½s morning, sensitively slightly leaning on the melody at the apex (3:56) and giving it a lift. Itï¿½s followed by a balmy succession of wind solos. The trenchant return of the second theme smoothes out in the strings at 7:54 to a fresh air effect before a creamy celebration of the return of the big tune in combination with the first theme which is now a little more polite. I compared the 2005 recording by the Hallé Orchestra/Mark Elder (Hallé CD HLD 7510). Heï¿½s slightly faster overall at 9:36 against Hickoxï¿½s 9:59 and his variations in tempo are a little more marked in a performance which has more greasepaint about it. His wasps in the introduction are scarier, with more of a sense of swarming attacks in droves. The central idyll isnï¿½t as smooth but more tender and personal, the big tune serenely relaxed in utter contentment. Its return highlights the trumpet solo to more radiant effect, which I prefer to Hickoxï¿½s allowing prominence to the woodwind partial doubling, though this may partly be courtesy of the Chandos surround sound which brings out the percussion, bass drum in particular, more vividly throughout. Hickox and Chandos realize the stringsï¿½ sul ponticello, that nasal, brittle effect achieved by bowing near the bridge, more distinctively, so Hickoxï¿½s wasps are scarier when they return sul ponticello at 1:52 and you notice, after the big tune as the wind solos of individual contentment start with the clarinets a reduced body of sul ponticello strings tremolo in the background at 4:24. The wasps are still there, but contained. Hickox has a gentler, musing feeling to that big tune and his shaping of it emphasises that reflective quality. This ties in well with the following wind solos which are gorgeously done while the horns are superb throughout. All in all, this first recording in surround sound turns out to be a worthy one. A Sea Symphony, like The Wasps, was also completed in 1909 and also enjoys phases of jauntiness, such as the first movement (tr. 2) Allegro, ï¿½Today a rude, brief, recitativeï¿½ (3:11) and, if not a big tune, a big hearted unifying motif, first heard at ï¿½and on its limitless heaving breast, the shipsï¿½ (0:35) which, like the opening chorus harmonic progression (0:09) can be found in all 4 movements. Hickoxï¿½s opening is fresh and arresting, with weight as well as flow. The chorus is enthusiastic and welcoming. And how explicitly chorus and orchestra at ï¿½of waves spreadingï¿½ (4:34) show Vaughan Williams constructing the entries in tiers to illustrate the text. Baritone soloist Gerald Finleyï¿½s golden tone is an excellent match with always a glint of appreciation in his voice. Susan Gritton is an imposing soprano


In the Bible, who succeeded Moses as leader of the Israelites?

Joshua - definition of Joshua by The Free Dictionary Joshua - definition of Joshua by The Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Joshua Related to Joshua: Book of Joshua Josh·u·a 1  (jŏsh′o͞o-ə) In the Bible, a Hebrew leader who succeeded Moses as leader of Israel. [Late Latin Ioshua, from Hebrew yəhôšûa', Yahweh (is) salvation; see hwy in the Appendix of Semitic roots.] Josh·u·a 2 1. (Bible) Moses' successor, who led the Israelites in the conquest of Canaan 2. (Bible) the book recounting his deeds Douay spelling: Josue 1. the successor of Moses as leader of the Israelites. Deut. 31:14, 23; 34:9. 2. a book of the Bible bearing his name. ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend: Noun 1. Joshua - (Old Testament) Moses' successor who led the Israelites into the Promised Land; best remembered for his destruction of Jericho Old Testament - the collection of books comprising the sacred scripture of the Hebrews and recording their history as the chosen people; the first half of the Christian Bible 2. Joshua - a book in the Old Testament describing how Joshua led the Israelites into Canaan (the Promised Land) after the death of Moses Old Testament - the collection of books comprising the sacred scripture of the Hebrews and recording their history as the chosen people; the first half of the Christian Bible Nebiim , Prophets - the second of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures Translations Joshua [ˈdʒɒʃʊə] n → Giosuè m Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content . Link to this page: Gibeonite References in classic literature ? And therefore shall not MOSES, though of God Highly belov'd, being but the Minister Of Law, his people into CANAAN lead; But JOSHUA whom the Gentiles JESUS call, His Name and Office bearing, who shall quell The adversarie Serpent, and bring back Through the worlds wilderness long wanderd man Safe to eternal Paradise of rest. View in context Joshua Rann gave a long cough, as if he were clearing his throat in order to come to a new understanding with himself; Chad Cranage lifted up his leather skull-cap and scratched his head; and Wiry Ben wondered how Seth had the pluck to think of courting her. View in context Over these mysterious figures was written, in large letters, “The Templeton Coffee-house, and Traveller’s Hotel,” and beneath them, “By Habakkuk Foote and Joshua Knapp. It was a very pretty fight, Betty, that the Israelites had on that day with the Amalekites, It seams that they fout on a plain, for Moses is mentioned as having gone on the heights to overlook the battle, and wrestle in prayer; and if I should judge, with my little larning, the Israelites depended mainly on their horse, for it was written ‘that Joshua cut up the enemy with the edge of the sword; from which I infer, not only that they were horse, but well diseiplyned troops.


Muscadet is a white wine from which French wine region?

Muscadet Wine Muscadet   Muscadet is                produced in 4 wine terroirs around the city of                Nantes, in the West of the Loire                Valley . The Muscadet                Sèvre                et Maine is the most important and the best of                them. In                the Muscadet region, wine makers use to                leave the grape juice to rest during winter before                putting the wine in bottle. Muscadet is                a dry white wine that is a fine companion to shellfish. The quality of Muscadet varies very much from                one winery to another.


What is the English equivalent of the French Christian name Étienne?

French/English boy's name French/English boy's name Welcome to the Coffeehouse If this is your first visit, check out the User Guide . You will have to Register or Login before you can post. Hey everyone I'm French, hubby english, we leave in England. Expecting a boy but need a name which us both said & spelt the same in French & English. Any ideas? 1,347 Keelan and Xavier are two that spring to mind ets: Xavier will be pronounced differently won't it? so probably not what you're looking for! Keelan would be said the same though! Last edited by Rachel M(664); 14-03-13 at 20:53. Posts 11 Moi aussi je suis mariee a un anglais. Pour notre fils nous avons choisi Xavier oscar william et notre fille natasha rose florence. bisous et bon courage. 4,593 DH and I are Spanish, and DC were both born in England. DS is Gabriel, we just pronounce it differently depending on what language we are using at the moment... A French friend of mine has a boy called Vincent. 85 Perhaps Paul, Simon or Daniel? We had the same kind of problem, but trying to fit 3 languages and those were some of the options, lol. Originally Posted by Rachel M(664) Keelan and Xavier are two that spring to mind ets: Xavier will be pronounced differently won't it? so probably not what you're looking for! Keelan would be said the same though! How about Sebastian he can be called seb for short Hard to please Thx ladies for the speedy feedback. A few I like but hubby looked at me like I was suggesting girl names, lol. I like Ben, Remy, Julian, Lucas, Nicholas, Bruno Ben & Nicholas are the only ones hubby said maybe to Originally Posted by Karine T Hey everyone I'm French, hubby english, we leave in England. Expecting a boy but need a name which us both said & spelt the same in French & English. Any ideas? I know a Karine in your situation and their little boy is Matteo! Pierre, Louis, Phillip, Martin, Anton Posts 29 Hi there, my brother in law is married to a lady who is French, and they have lived in France since their 7 year old was born. They also wanted a name which was pronounced the same in English and French, and they chose Oscar x 15 I love the name Etienne (I have done since watching The Beach ). The english equivalent for Etienne I believe is Stephen, but I think Etienne is easily pronounced in english too. xx Posts 10 Posts 83 I love french names! Boyfriend and i are looking for a french name for the little boy we are expecting, we like Julien which you mentioned but my sisters said it sounds to feminine over here . Etienne is lovely! Jean-Paul or JP is also quite cool i think. Good Luck x


Which musical features the songs People will say we’re in love and Oh what a beautiful mornin’?

Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’ | Choral Director Magazine Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’ March 22, 2013 Lee Dixon, Celeste Holm, Alfred Drake, Joan Roberts, Joseph Buloff, and ensemble pose near the surrey in the original 1943 production of Oklahoma! Photos courtesy of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization. Stamps courtesy of United States Postal Service. By Keith Mason Oklahoma!, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s first full-length professional collaboration and America’s most popular folk musical, marks its 70 anniversary on March 31. While new audiences keep discovering it, old audiences keep returning to it. This article outlines the history of Oklahoma! and offers activities for the performing arts curriculum. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. History and Background Oklahoma!, originally entitled Away We Go from a square dance call, is based on the mildly successful folk play Green Grow the Lilacs (1931) by Lynn Riggs. Theresa Helburn of the Theatre Guild believed that the Riggs play would fare better as a musical so she approached Rodgers with the idea. He reacted positively to the idea of writing the music but his partner and lyricist Lorenz Hart thought the play would fail as a musical. Hart’s attitude prompted Rodgers to approach Oscar Hammerstein to inquire about collaborating with him, thus paving the way for what would become a seventeen-year partnership [see the sidebar “The Works of Rodgers and Hammerstein” for details about their 11 collaborations]. Hammerstein was not only a lyricist but also a librettist, an added advantage to a budding partnership. Ironically, Hammerstein had tried to convince his regular collaborator Jerome Kern to make a musical out of Green Grow the Lilacs and Kern, like Hart, did not approve of the idea. In 1943, Rodgers found himself with two partners for two separate ventures. Originally, Rodgers was set to do the music, Hart the lyrics, and Hammerstein the book for Oklahoma! Ultimately, Hart rejected the project opting instead to partner with Rodgers to produce a remake of A Connecticut Yankee. Reportedly, this kept Hart working and helped make him not feel excluded while Rodgers worked on Oklahoma! with Hammerstein, a reluctant replacement for Hart who originally declined the offer to collaborate with Rodgers. Rodgers and Hammerstein met at Columbia University when they worked on varsity shows there. Hammerstein, who, like Hart, was seven years older than Rodgers, had worked mainly with Otto Harbach and Kern prior to his partnership with Rodgers. His first musical Always You was done with Herbert Stothart. Five musicals, four of which were major productions in the ‘20s, were written with Harbach: Tickle Me, Wildflower, Rose-Marie, Sunny, and The Desert Song. Hammerstein then wrote both book and lyrics and Kern composed for Show Boat, Sweet Adeline, Music in the Air, and Very Warm for May.  Oklahoma! opened on Broadway on March 31, 1943 at the St. James Theatre, changing musical theatre forever by being hailed as a seamlessly perfect integration of character, story, music, and dance into a cohesive whole. Previous audiences attended musicals simply to enjoy the songs and dances; they attended straight plays for dramatic storylines. Theodore S. Chapin, president of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, also described Oklahoma! in a similar vein: “Oklahoma! was hailed as revolutionary, an odd word, perhaps, to describe a musical play about plain and simple territory folk. But the revolution was simply that all the elements – music, spoken words, sung words, dancing, orchestrations, vocal and dance arrangements, scenery, costumes, etc. – were blended into one cohesive artistic whole for the first time… It may have seemed like an invisible revolution, but once the show opened the musical theatre was never the same again.” Easton (1996:207) also observed that “Oklahoma! was the first musical in which the libretto, score, character development, plot development, decor, stage direction, and choreography all came together: the show worked seamlessly as a whole, without sacrificing the in


Candlemas Home   Calendar   Holidays   Candlemas Candlemas Candlemas is a Christian holiday celebrated annually on February 2. It celebrates three occasions according to Christian belief: the presentation of the child Jesus; Jesus’ first entry into the temple; and it celebrates the Virgin Mary’s purification (mainly in Catholic churches). The Candlemas Bells, also known as Snowdrops, symbolize hope according to Christian belief. The Candlemas Bells, also known as Snowdrops, symbolize hope according to Christian belief. ©iStockphoto.com/ gaspr13 What Do People Do? Many Christians consider Jesus as the “light of the world” so it is fitting that candles are blessed on this day and that a candle-lit procession precedes the mass. It is traditional to eat crepes on Candlemas in some parts of Europe, such as France. Each family member prepares and cooks a crepe while holding a coin in hand. This is believed to assure wealth and happiness until the next Candlemas celebration. Candlemas is also known as Candelaria in Spanish speaking countries. Whoever finds baby figures hidden inside the Rosca de Reyes (Kings Cake) on Epiphany on January 6 is obliged to bring food to a gathering held on February 2. Many Orthodox Christians celebrate this event by bringing beeswax candles to their local church and requesting for these candles to be blessed to be used in the church or at home. Some Christians observe the practice of leaving Christmas decorations up until Candlemas. Public Life Many Christians observe Candlemas but it is not a public holiday in countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. Background Candlemas primarily focuses on Jesus’ early life. Many Christians believe that Jesus’ mother Mary presented him to God at the Temple in Jerusalem after observing the traditional 40-day period of purification (of mothers) following his birth. According to a New Testament gospel, a Jewish man named Simeon held the baby in his arms and said that he would be a light for the Gentiles (Luke 2:32). It is for this reason that this event is called Candlemas. Many people believe that some of Candlemas’ activities stem from pagan observances such as Imbolc, a Gaelic festival, or the Roman feast of Lupercalia. However, others have argued that there is too little evidence to shed light on Candlemas’ substitution for these festivals. Either way, Candlemas occurs at a period between the December solstice and the March equinox , so many people traditionally marked that time of the year as winter’s “halfway point” while waiting for the spring. According to some sources, Christians began Candlemas in Jerusalem as early as the fourth century and the lighting of candles began in the fifth century. Other sources say that Candlemas was observed by blessing candles since the 11th century. An early writing dating back to around 380 CE mentioned that a feast of the Presentation occurred in a church in Jerusalem. It was observed on February 14. The feast was observed on February 2 in regions where Christ's birth was celebrated on December 25. Candlemas is known as the “Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple” in many eastern churches. Other traditional names in the western churches include the “Feast for the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary” as well as the “Meeting of the Lord”. It is also Groundhog Day in the United States and Canada on February 2. According to folklore, the badger comes out to test the weather in the United Kingdom. Symbols Snowdrops (galanthas nivalis) are known as Candlemas Bells because they often bloom early in the year, even before Candlemas. Some varieties bloom all winter (in the northern hemisphere). The superstitious used to believe that these flowers should not be brought into the house prior to Candlemas.  However, it is also believed in more recent times that these flowers purify a home. According to folklore, an angel helped these Candlemas bells to bloom and pointed them as a sign of hope to Eve, who wept in repentance and in despair over the cold and death that entered the world


To which musician is food critic and model Sophie Dahl married?

Jamie Cullum talks love at first sight with wife Sophie Dahl and new album Momentum - Mirror Online Lifestyle Jamie Cullum talks love at first sight with wife Sophie Dahl and new album Momentum Over an al fresco lunch close to the village where he and wife Sophie Dahl live, Jamie is in sparkling, candid form  Share Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email Since his 2004 breakthrough album Twentysomething made him the UK’s biggest-selling jazz artist of all time, Jamie Cullum has totted up around 10 million sales. The piano man has collaborated with Clint Eastwood, Pharrell Williams and Stevie Wonder, and three years ago he married food critic and former model Sophie Dahl. The pair first set eyes on each other at a charity do in 2008 and, for Cullum, it was love at first sight. “When I met her,” says the 33-year-old from Essex, “I was taken off guard by her extraordinary beauty, what an amazing person she was, how interesting she was and how we shared so many cultural things that we enjoyed in common. “But [a relationship] never crossed my mind as a possibility. "Who was I to think she would feel the same way? It seemed like a bizarre thing to even imagine.” Over an al fresco lunch at a hotel close to the Buckinghamshire village where he and Dahl live with their daughters Lyra, two, and Margot, 10 weeks, Jamie is in sparkling, candid form. The infectious enthusiasm that has endeared him to audiences across the globe – and to listeners to his excellent Radio 2 show – is immediately apparent. “Even the bad days are good days,” he smiles, “because I love to play. "As soon as I’m behind the instrument and the band’s there and the sound is good... it’s a huge privilege.” His new, sixth, album Momentum is aptly titled, and is by turns captivating and adventurous. Rather than slip into comfortable married life to a soundtrack of pipe-and-slippers jazz, Jamie has delivered his most personal album to date, teaming with excellent London rapper Roots Manuva, of whom he’s a long-time fan. “This is me wanting to be a songwriter,” Jamie admits. “It’s not my safe place at all – I’ve not done that before. "My last record, although I love it, was like a CV of what I do. On this record I let the songs dictate where it was going to go.” Video Loading


Which radioactive element, atomic number 89, is the first alphabetically in a list of naturally occurring elements?

Element | Article about element by The Free Dictionary Element | Article about element by The Free Dictionary http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/element See also: Elements (table) Elements Element Symbol Atomic Number Atomic Weight1 Melting Point (Degrees Celsius) actinium Ac 89 (227) 1050. 3200. ±300 aluminum Al 13 26.98154 660.37 2467. americium Am 95 (243) 1172. 2600. ..... Click the link for more information. element, in chemistry, a substance that cannot be decomposed into simpler substances by chemical means. A substance such as a compound compound, in chemistry, a substance composed of atoms of two or more elements in chemical combination, occurring in a fixed, definite proportion and arranged in a fixed, definite structure. A compound is often represented by its chemical formula. ..... Click the link for more information.  can be decomposed into its constituent elements by means of a chemical reaction, but no further simplification can be achieved. An element can, however, be decomposed into simpler substances, such as protons and neutrons or various combinations of them, by the methods of particle physics, e.g., by bombardment of the nucleus. The Atom The smallest unit of a chemical element that has the properties of that element is called an atom atom [Gr.,=uncuttable (indivisible)], basic unit of matter; more properly, the smallest unit of a chemical element having the properties of that element. Structure of the Atom ..... Click the link for more information. . Many elements (e.g., helium) occur as single atoms. Other elements occur as molecules made up of more than one atom. Elements that ordinarily occur as diatomic molecules include hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and the halogens, but oxygen also occurs as a triatomic form called ozone. Phosphorus usually occurs as a tetratomic molecule, and crystalline sulfur occurs as molecules containing eight atoms. Atomic Number and Mass Number Regardless of how many atoms the element is composed of, each atom has the same number of protons in its nucleus, and this is different from the number in the nucleus of any other element. Thus this number, called the atomic number (at. no.), defines the element. For example, the element carbon consists of atoms all with at. no. 6, i.e., all having 6 protons in the nucleus; any atom with at. no. 6 is a carbon atom. By 2006, 117 elements were known, ranging from hydrogen with an at. no. of 1 to an as yet unnamed element (temporarily known as ununoctium ununoctium , artificially produced radioactive chemical element; symbol Uuo; at. no. 118. Scientists from the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California collaborated in the discovery of ununoctium in ..... Click the link for more information. ) with an at. no. of 118. (See the table entitled Elements Elements Element Symbol Atomic Number Atomic Weight1 Melting Point (Degrees Celsius) actinium Ac 89 (227) 1050. 3200. ±300 aluminum Al 13 26.98154 660.37 2467. americium Am 95 (243) 1172. 2600. ..... Click the link for more information.  for an alphabetical list of all the elements, including their symbols, atomic numbers, atomic weights, and melting and boiling points.) The nuclei of most atoms also contain neutrons. The total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom is called the mass number. For example, the mass number of a carbon atom with 6 protons and 6 neutrons in its nucleus is 12. Isotopes Although all atoms of an element have the same number of protons in their nuclei, they may not all have the same number of neutrons. Atoms of an element with the same mass number make up an isotope isotope , in chemistry and physics, one of two or more atoms having the same atomic number but differing in atomic weight and mass number. The concept of isotope was introduced by F. ..... Click the link for more information.  of the element. All known elements have isotopes; some have more than others. Hydrogen, for example, has only 3 isotopes, while xenon has 16. Approximately 300 naturally occurring iso


Who was the last British monarch to succeed to the throne before the age of 21?

Frequently Asked Questions | Britroyals Frequently Asked Questions When did the last British King fight in         a battle? George II was the last         British King to lead his army in person, during the War of the         Austrian Succession, at the Battle of Dettingen in Bavaria, 27th         June, 1743. The last English King to die in battle was Richard         III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in Leicestershire on 22         August 1485 defeated by Henry Tudor who became Henry VII ending         the Wars of the Roses between the Houses of York and Lancaster         and starting the Tudor dynasty. The last British King to die in         battle was James IV of Scotland killed at the Battle of Flodden Field in Northumberland on 9 September         1513 when the Scots invaded England hoping to take advantage of         Henry VIII's absence in France, but were defeated by English forces         under Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey. How far back can the British Royal Family         trace their roots? Is Queen Elizabeth II really directly descended         from Alfred the Great? She is the 32nd great granddaughter of King         Alfred who 1,140 years ago was the first effective King of         England. He ruled from 871 to 899. I thought that American Independence was         in 1776. Why is it quoted as 1783? The Continental Congress of the 13 American colonies declared         independence in 1776. However, the war continued and independence         from Britain was not achieved until the Treaty of Paris in 1783. Was George III really mad? For most of his reign King         George III was an astute king and politician with a strong         sense of duty. Later in his reign he suffered from recurrent and         eventually permanent mental illness. This baffled medical science         at the time, although it is now generally thought that he suffered         from the inherited blood disease porphyria. He suffered his first         attack in 1788 and by 1810 was unfit to rule. In 1811 his son         George, Prince of Wales, became Regent for 9 years until his father         died in 1820. Who would now be King or Queen if Edward         VIII had not abdicated? Edward VIII abdicated         in 1936 less than a year after becoming King to marry Wallis Simpson.         His younger brother Bertie became King         George VI and was the father of the present Queen         Elizabeth II . He died in 1952, and Edward who had no children         died in 1972. So even if Edward had not abdicated Elizabeth would         now be Queen. She would have come to the throne in 1972 instead         of 1952. Why did Edward VIII have to give up the throne         to marry a divorcee but Prince Charles is still in line to the         throne? Royals who are divorced or marry divorcees do not lose         their position in the line of succession. Edward VIII had a number         of affairs with married women including Wallis Simpson who was         already divorced and still married to her second husband. His         parents King George V and Queen Mary did not approve and refused         to meet her. When George V died Prime Minister Baldwin made it         clear that the Government, popular opinion in the country and the oversees Dominions (now the Commonwealth nations) did not         approve of his plans to marry Wallis. Social attitudes towards         divorce and a women looking for a third marriage were considered         scandalous at the time, and if Edward married against the advice         of his Ministers it would have caused the Government to resign         and a constitutional crisis. Edward chose to


What Killed Oscar Wilde? - NYTimes.com What Killed Oscar Wilde? Published: March 20, 1988 To the Editor: On page 92 of Richard Ellmann's monumental new biography ''Oscar Wilde'' (reviewed by George Levine, Feb. 21), an unusual footnote appears. In it, Ellmann says that though he is convinced that Wilde had syphilis, ''opinion on the subject is . . . divided, and some authorities do not share my view of Wilde's medical history.'' What is this all about? Richard Ellmann completed his book toward the end of 1986. Shortly before, having suffered for several months from odd speech difficulties, he was diagnosed as having amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - the ailment commonly known in America as Lou Gehrig's disease and in England, where Ellmann lived as the retired Goldsmiths' Professor of English Literature at Oxford, as motor neurone disease. He had by then been working on ''Oscar Wilde'' for some 20 years, constantly revising, digging out new ''choice bits'' of information and fitting them in, shaping the book as a whole. At the beginning of 1987, apart from source notes, picture inserts, index and a few other loose ends, the manuscript was at last ready to go into production for publication. None too soon, either - it was evident to family and friends that Ellmann's condition was getting worse. It was at this point that the question of Wilde's syphilis cropped up. The Wilde family - or rather the Holland family, because Wilde's wife, Constance, changed her name and that of their two sons to Holland after her husband's conviction and imprisonment for sodomy - controls the use of many Wilde letters and unpublished documents. Any book on the scale of Ellmann's would be inconceivable without their cooperation. And until this point he had it. The present spokesman for the family, Wilde's grandson Merlin Holland, a knowledgeable Wildean himself, recognized from the start that the Ellmann biography would be definitive, and had offered -and given - his help. But now there was a sticking point. Mr. Holland, like his father, Vyvyan, Oscar's second son, did not believe that Wilde had been syphilitic. Ellmann did. In his opinion, Wilde caught syphilis as a student about 1878 from an Oxford prostitute - a female - and ultimately died of complications from it at 46. Merlin Holland could not accept this. Precisely because Ellmann's book would be the last word on Wilde, he felt, it was important to get the point right. Misstatements had been in circulation too long. Misstatements or not, the talk of syphilis had certainly been around a long time. Wilde's very first serious critic and biographer, Arthur Ransome (later author of the children's classic ''Swallows and Amazons'' series), writing in 1912, had said flatly that his death was ''directly due to meningitis, the legacy of an attack of tertiary syphilis.'' Subsequent biographers, among them Frank Harris, Hesketh Pearson and H. Montgomery Hyde, also said Wilde had syphilis. What was the evidence, and just how good was it? Ransome had dedicated his book to Robert Ross, who ''has helped me in every possible way . . . and given time out of a very busy life to the verification, from documents in his possession, of biographical facts included in my book.'' Robbie Ross was one of the two friends who stuck by Wilde until the very end, hurrying over from London to Paris to sit by the dying man's bedside (while there he may have heard one of Oscar's last, and best, bons mots: ''My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us has to go''), arranging for medical attention, witnessing the grisly explosion of blood and bodily fluids that occurred a moment after Wilde died. Ross might have been expected to object to Ransome's statement about syphilis if he thought it untrue, and he apparently did not. Yet perhaps he did. The second (1913) edition of the Ransome biography omits mention of syphilis, speaking only of the meningitis. In the preface Ransome notes that he made changes in his text, but only ''to spare the feelings of those who might be pained by the further publi


Suez Crisis - Cold War - HISTORY.com Suez Crisis A+E Networks Introduction On October 29, 1956, Israeli armed forces pushed into Egypt toward the Suez Canal after Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser (1918-70) nationalized the canal in July of that same year, initiating the Suez Crisis. The Israelis soon were joined by French and British forces, which nearly brought the Soviet Union into the conflict, and damaged their relationships with the United States. In the end, the British, French and Israeli governments withdrew their troops in late 1956 and early 1957. Google Suez Crisis: Background The catalyst for the joint Israeli-British-French attack on Egypt was the nationalization of the Suez Canal by Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser in July 1956. The situation had been brewing for some time. Two years earlier, the Egyptian military had begun pressuring the British to end their military presence (which had been granted in the 1936 Anglo-Egyptian Treaty) in the canal zone. Nasser’s armed forces also engaged in sporadic battles with Israeli soldiers along the border between the two countries, and the Egyptian leader did nothing to conceal his antipathy toward the Zionist nation. Did You Know? The 120-mile Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, took 10 years to construct and opened in 1869. The canal was developed by Frenchman Ferdinand de Lesseps, who in the 1880s made an unsuccessful attempt to develop the Panama Canal. Supported by Soviet arms and money, and furious with the United States for reneging on a promise to provide funds for construction of the Aswan Dam on the Nile River, Nasser ordered the Suez Canal seized and nationalized. The British were angry with the move and sought the support of France (which believed that Nasser was supporting rebels in the French colony of Algeria) and Israel (which needed little provocation to strike at the enemy on its border) in an armed assault to retake the canal. Suez Crisis: 1956-57 The Israelis struck first, on October 26, 1956. Two days later, British and French military forces joined them. Originally, forces from the three countries were set to strike at once, but the British and French troops were delayed. Behind schedule, but ultimately successful, the British and French troops took control of the area around the Suez Canal. However, their hesitation had given the Soviet Union–also confronted with a growing crisis in Hungary–time to respond. The Soviets, eager to exploit Arab nationalism and gain a foothold in the Middle East, supplied arms from Czechoslovakia to the Egyptian government beginning in 1955, and eventually helped Egypt construct the Aswan Dam on the Nile River after the United States refused to support the project. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971) railed against the invasion and threatened to rain down nuclear missiles on Western Europe if the Israeli-French-British force did not withdraw. The response of President Dwight Eisenhower’s administration was measured. It warned the Soviets that reckless talk of nuclear conflict would only make matters worse, and cautioned Khrushchev to refrain from direct intervention in the conflict. However, Eisenhower (1890-1969) also issued stern warnings to the French, British and Israelis to give up their campaign and withdraw from Egyptian soil. Eisenhower was upset with the British, in particular, for not keeping the United States informed about their intentions. The United States threatened all three nations with economic sanctions if they persisted in their attack. The threats did their work. The British and French forces withdrew by December; Israel finally bowed to U.S. pressure in March 1957. In the aftermath of the Suez Crisis, Britain and France found their influence as world powers weakened. Tags


What country’s international vehicle code is A?

Country codes Warning! This page is no longer updated regularly. Please see the Country Codes page of Russ Rowlett's "How Many?" dictionary. There you find a list with six types of country codes. Country codes ISO 3166 and car codes I had difficulties finding the car country codes so I made this page. Please note that the car codes are also sometimes used as international postal codes, at least in Europe (CEPT codes). Most of this page is stolen from this FTP document . NEW! Ken Bagnall sent me these sportive country codes which are use by the International Olympic Committee and others. Certainly, these codes are different from the three-letter ISO codes below. After I made this list I have become aware that the car country codes are officially known (in English) as international Distinguishing Signs. I have also found other pages with the codes on them: An     updated one (with flags that take a long time to download) Auto World Symbols' info page gives facts of different kinds. The distinguishing signs were introduced by the UN at the Convention on Road Traffic (Vienna, 1968 November 8th) . Warning: The convention is in GIF image format!) Status of this convention including distingtive letters of some 54 distinguishing signs can be found in the database of UN treaties, chapter XI, B, 19. (You should really register to get the to UN documents linked above.) NEW! There is a new page with ISO and olympic coutry codes: Country Codes , in "How Many?" by Russ Rowlett. ISO 3166 codes                        -----------------------    Car                        /            \  country Country                     A 2   A 3   Number    code ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ AFGHANISTAN                   AF   AFG   004    � (AFG) ALBANIA                     AL   ALB   008    � (AL ) ALGERIA                     DZ   DZA   012    � (DZ ) AMERICAN SAMOA                 AS   ASM   016    �  ANDORRA                     AD   AND   020    � (AND) ANGOLA                     AO   AGO   024    �  ANGUILLA                    AI   AIA   660    �  ANTARCTICA                   AQ   ATA   010    �  ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA               AG   ATG   028    �  ARGENTINA                    AR   ARG   032    � (RA ) ARMENIA                     AM   ARM   051    � (ARM) ARUBA                      AW   ABW   533    �  AUSTRALIA                    AU   AUS   036    � (AUS) AUSTRIA                     AT   AUT   040    � (A ) AZERBAIJAN                   AZ   AZE   031    � (AZ )  BAHAMAS                     BS   BHS   044    � (BS ) BAHRAIN                     BH   BHR   048    � (BRN) BANGLADESH                   BD   BGD   050    � (BD ) BARBADOS                    BB   BRB   052    � (BDS) BELARUS                     BY   BLR   112    � (BY ) [obsolescent (SU )] BELGIUM                     BE   BEL   056    � (B ) BELIZE                     BZ   BLZ   084    � (BH ) BENIN                      BJ   BEN   204    � (DY ) BERMUDA                     BM   BMU   060    �  BHUTAN                     BT   BTN   064    �  BOLIVIA                     BO   BOL   068    � (BOL) BOSNIA AND HERZEGOWINA             BA   BIH   070    � (BIH) BOTSWANA                    BW


Which French writer, born François-Marie Arouet in 1694, wrote Candide?

Voltaire (Author of Candide) Philosophy , Literature & Fiction , History Influences edit data Complete works (1880) : https://archive.org/details/oeuvresco... In 1694, Age of Enlightenment leader Francois-Marie Arouet, known as Voltaire, was born in Paris. Jesuit-educated, he began writing clever verses by the age of 12. He launched a lifelong, successful playwriting career in 1718, interrupted by imprisonment in the Bastille. Upon a second imprisonment, in which Francois adopted the pen name Voltaire, he was released after agreeing to move to London. There he wrote Lettres philosophiques (1733), which galvanized French reform. The book also satirized the religious teachings of Rene Descartes and Blaise Pascal, including Pascal's famed "wager" on God. Voltaire wrote: "The interest I have in believing a thing is not a proof of the exi Complete works (1880) : https://archive.org/details/oeuvresco... In 1694, Age of Enlightenment leader Francois-Marie Arouet, known as Voltaire, was born in Paris. Jesuit-educated, he began writing clever verses by the age of 12. He launched a lifelong, successful playwriting career in 1718, interrupted by imprisonment in the Bastille. Upon a second imprisonment, in which Francois adopted the pen name Voltaire, he was released after agreeing to move to London. There he wrote Lettres philosophiques (1733), which galvanized French reform. The book also satirized the religious teachings of Rene Descartes and Blaise Pascal, including Pascal's famed "wager" on God. Voltaire wrote: "The interest I have in believing a thing is not a proof of the existence of that thing." Voltaire's French publisher was sent to the Bastille and Voltaire had to escape from Paris again, as judges sentenced the book to be "torn and burned in the Palace." Voltaire spent a calm 16 years with his deistic mistress, Madame du Chatelet, in Lorraine. He met the 27 year old married mother when he was 39. In his memoirs, he wrote: "I found, in 1733, a young woman who thought as I did, and decided to spend several years in the country, cultivating her mind." He dedicated Traite de metaphysique to her. In it the Deist candidly rejected immortality and questioned belief in God. It was not published until the 1780s. Voltaire continued writing amusing but meaty philosophical plays and histories. After the earthquake that leveled Lisbon in 1755, in which 15,000 people perished and another 15,000 were wounded, Voltaire wrote "Poème sur le désastre de Lisbonne" ("Poem on the Lisbon Disaster"): "But how conceive a God supremely good/ Who heaps his favours on the sons he loves,/ Yet scatters evil with as large a hand?" Voltaire purchased a chateau in Geneva, where, among other works, he wrote Candide (1759). To avoid Calvinist persecution, Voltaire moved across the border to Ferney, where the wealthy writer lived for 18 years until his death. Voltaire began to openly challenge Christianity, calling it "the infamous thing." He wrote Frederick the Great: "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd, and bloody religion that has ever infected the world." Voltaire ended every letter to friends with "Ecrasez l'infame" (crush the infamy — the Christian religion). His pamphlet, "The Sermon on the Fifty" (1762) went after transubstantiation, miracles, biblical contradictions, the Jewish religion, and the Christian God. Voltaire wrote that a true god "surely cannot have been born of a girl, nor died on the gibbet, nor be eaten in a piece of dough," or inspired "books, filled with contradictions, madness, and horror." He also published excerpts of Testament of the Abbe Meslier, by an atheist priest, in Holland, which advanced the Enlightenment. Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary was published in 1764 without his name. Although the first edition immediately sold out, Geneva officials, followed by Dutch and Parisian, had the books burned. It was published in 1769 as two large volumes. Voltaire campaigned fiercely against civil atrocities in the name of religion, writing pamphlets and commentaries about the barbaric execution of a Huguenot t


Who played Henry VIII in BBC’s recent adaptation of Wolf Hall?

Wolf Hall TV series: Damian Lewis to play Henry VIII in BBC adaptation | The Independent Wolf Hall TV series: Damian Lewis to play Henry VIII in BBC adaptation   Friday 9 May 2014 10:29 BST Click to follow The Independent Culture Damian Lewis will tackle the regal role of Henry VIII in a new BBC adaptation of Hilary Mantel ’s Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies. The Homeland actor, 43, will star opposite Mark Rylance’s Thomas Cromwell as part of a cast that also includes Sherlock’s Mark Gatiss as Henry VIII’s faithful servant, Jonathan Pryce as Cardinal Wolsey and Anton Lesser as Thomas More. Mantel’s bestselling novels follow the rapid rise of Cromwell from poor blacksmith’s son to tough political leader Henry VIII’s first two wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon will have leading roles in the six-part miniseries, due to air on BBC2 in 2015. Claire Foy will play Anne and Joanne Whalley, Catherine. Saskia Reeves, Richard Dillane and Call the Midwife's Jessica Raine are also among the cast. Oscar-nominated Peter Straughan (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) has written the challenging script, with Peter Kosminsky signed on to direct. Filming is set to take place in Bristol and Wiltshire’s Great Chalfield Manor and Lacock Abbey. Rylance has paid tribute to Mantel’s “detailed imagination of the world of Thomas Cromwell” and Straughan’s “ingenious and faithful adaptation”. A Royal Shakespeare Company adaptation of Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies is playing in London at the moment, with Nathaniel Parker and Ben Miles in the roles of Henry VIII and Cromwell respectively. Mantel is currently working on the third instalment of the trilogy, Mirror and the Light, which opens just moments after Boleyn’s beheading.


What is the second largest city, by population, in Ireland?

Ireland Facts on Largest Cities, Populations, Symbols - Worldatlas.com GDP total: $191.5 billion (2012 est.) GDP per capita: $41,700 (2012 est.) Language: English (official) is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official) spoken mainly in areas along the western coast Largest Cities: (by population) Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford, Drogheda, Dundalk Name: Ireland's name is derived from the old Irish word Eriu, which is the name of the matron goddess of Ireland. National Day: March 17, St. Patrick's Day Religion: Roman Catholic 87.4%, Church of Ireland 2.9%, other Christian 1.9%, other 2.1%, unspecified 1.5%, none 4.2% (2006 census)


Divided by half - meaning - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange Divided by half - meaning If someone says "Fifteen divided by half", I would interpret that literally to mean 15/0.5, or 30. However, I usually see it interpreted as 15/2, or 7.5. Which interpretation is correct? 3   If someone says "Fifteen divided by half", it's probably either a slip of the tongue, or an understandable error by a non-native speaker. Most likely the intended expression would have been "Fifteen divided in half". –  FumbleFingers Aug 24 '11 at 21:43 up vote 5 down vote accepted It's simply grammatically incorrect, so it has no literal meaning. (And before anyone shows up to argue against prescriptivism, the very concept of a "literal meaning" contrary to what is meant/understood is prescriptivist at a basic level) You could say "divided by one half", or "divided by 0.5" for one meaning; or "divided in half" for the other. 1   Random832 is right here. I would go further and insist that it's simply a typo/misspeech for "divided in half". For those who insist that it means "15 / 0.5", I would argue it means 15 divided by half of 15. The correct answer is 2. Any number divided by half is going to come out that way (except for zero, infinity, imaginary numbers, etc.) –  JeffSahol Aug 24 '11 at 19:47 1   Whether it is grammatically incorrect depends on the speaker, though I’ll grant that by a half and by one-half are probably significantly more common than by half. The idea that a prescriptively incorrect expression is ipso facto meaningless is not only absurd on its face but obviously false. –  Brian M. Scott Aug 24 '11 at 19:51      @JeffSahol: When 7.5 is intended, it probably is an error for divided in half, but the rest of your comment is, not to put too fine a point on it, nonsense. (And the mathematics is partly wrong as well: dividing an imaginary number other than zero by half of that number does indeed yield 2.) –  Brian M. Scott Aug 24 '11 at 19:54 1   @Random832: Yes, one can. Divided by half has a very clear literal meaning, which may or may not be the one intended by the speaker: it is synonymous with divided by one-half, which is misused and misunderstood in exactly the same way. –  Brian M. Scott Aug 24 '11 at 21:22 2   @Brian I beg to differ. one half or a half is a numerical quantity, but half is not, and cannot be used that way. –  Karl Knechtel Aug 25 '11 at 3:17      For completeness you might add that when 7.5 is intended, 15 divided by half may be an error for 15 divided in half (JeffSahol’s suggestion) or a conflation of half of 15 with 15 divided by 2. Of course this accounts only for errors in production; errors in interpretation are harder to understand. –  Brian M. Scott Aug 24 '11 at 19:59    "Half" is not a number, and that's that. –  Random832 Aug 24 '11 at 20:31      @Random832: Your assertion is contradicted by actual usage. People really do say and write things like three-quarters is more than half. You may, if you wish, deprecate the usage, just as I find your how it is generally understood to mean ungrammatical, but your assertion here is counterfactual rubbish. –  Brian M. Scott Aug 24 '11 at 21:18      "People really do say and write things like three-quarters is more than half." [citation needed] –  Karl Knechtel Aug 25 '11 at 3:18 1


A plane from which budget airline crashed in the Alps in March this year?

Germanwings Plane Crash - Deadly plane crash in French Alps - Pictures - CBS News Deadly plane crash in French Alps Next Germanwings Plane Crash Debris from an Airbus A320 is seen in the mountains, near Seyne-les-Alpes, March 24, 2015 in this still image taken from TV. Credit: Reuters Germanwings Plane Crash A black box voice recorder from the German Airbus operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings budget Airbus A320 crash is seen in this photo released March 25, 2015 by the BEA, France's Bureau d'Enquetes et d'Analyses (Air Accident Investigator). Credit: Reuters Germanwings Plane Crash Aerial view of crash site of Germanwings Flight 4U9525 in Seyne Les Alpes on March 24, 2015, in Seyne Les Alpes, France. A Germanwings passenger jet carrying at least 150 people crashed in a snowy, remote section of the French Alps, sounding like an avalanche as it scattered pulverized debris across the mountain. Credit: Photothek via Getty Images Germanwings Plane Crash Debris from crashed Germanwings Airbus A320 are seen in the mountains, near Seyne-les-Alpes, March 24, 2015. Credit: Reuters Germanwings Plane Crash A file photo of the man believed to be Andreas Guenter Lubit, who was the co-pilot of Germanwings Flight 9525, which crashed March 24, 2015, into the French Alps. Credit: Rex Features via AP Germanwings Plane Crash German police officers stand outside a house believed to belong to crashed Germanwings flight 4U 9524 co-pilot Andreas Lubitz in Montabaur, March 26, 2015. The co-pilot suspected of deliberately crashing a Germanwings jet into the French Alps on Tuesday has been identified as 28-year-old Andreas Lubitz. Announcing his details at a news conference on Thursday, Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin said he had no known links with terrorism."There is no reason to suspect a terrorist attack," he said. Asked whether he believed the crash that killed 150 people was the result of suicide, he said: "People who commit suicide usually do so alone....I don't call it a suicide." The German citizen, left in sole control of the Airbus A320 after the captain left the cockpit, refused to re-open the door and pressed a button that sent the jet into its fatal descent, the prosecutor told a news conference carried on live television. Credit: Reuters Germanwings Plane Crash Rescue helicopters from the French Gendarmerie and the air force are seen in front of the French Alps during a rescue operation next to the crash site of an Airbus A320, near Seyne-les-Alpes, March 24, 2015. Credit: Reuters Germanwings Plane Crash A rescue helicopter flies over debris of the Germanwings passenger jet, scattered on the mountain side, near Seyne les Alpes, French Alps, March 24, 2015. Credit: AP Map showing radar track and crash site of Germanwings Flight 4U9525. Credit: Flightaware/Reuters Germanwings Plane Crash French military personel make their way up the mountain as part of operations as they advance to the crash site of an Airbus A320, near Seyne-les-Alpes, March 25, 2015. Credit: Reuters Germanwings Plane Crash Helicopters of the French air force and civil security services are seen in Seyne, south-eastern France, on March 24, 2015, near the site where a Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed in the French Alps. Credit: Getty Germanwings Plane Crash A student places a lit candle outside the Josef-Koenig-Gymnasium high school in Haltern am See, March, 24, 2015. Students and teachers at a small-town German high school broke out in tears when they realized that 16 classmates and two teachers were on board an ill-fated Germanwings airplane that crashed in France on a flight home to Duesseldorf. Credit: Reuters Germanwings Plane Crash Family members of passengers feared killed in the Germanwings plane crash react at Barcelona's El Prat airport March 24, 2015. Credit: Reuters Family members Germanwings plane crash victims leave Barcelona's El Prat airport March 24, 2015. Credit: Reuters Germanwings Plane Crash Family members of passengers feared killed in the Germanwings plane crash react at Barcelona's El Prat airport March 24, 2015. Credit: Reuters Germanwings P


Which Lib Dem cabinet minister lost his seat - Twickenham - in May’s general election?

Election results: Nick Clegg resigns after Lib Dem losses - BBC News BBC News Election results: Nick Clegg resigns after Lib Dem losses 8 May 2015 Close share panel Media captionNick Clegg: "I must take responsibility'' Nick Clegg has resigned as Liberal Democrat leader after his party was routed at the general election. The Lib Dems ended up with just eight MPs, down from 57 in 2010. Energy Secretary Ed Davey, Business Secretary Vince Cable and Treasury Secretary Danny Alexander all lost their seats. Mr Clegg said the results were "immeasurably more crushing" than he had feared, saying it had been a "huge honour" to lead the party. In a speech in London, he confirmed a leadership election would now take place to replace him. "It's simply heartbreaking to see so many friends and colleagues who have served their constituents over so many years abruptly lose their seats because of forces entirely beyond their control," he said. 'Terrible night' Mr Clegg, who held his seat, added that "fear and grievance have won, liberalism has lost". History would judge his party more kindly than the electorate, he said, pointing to some of the measures the Lib Dems had championed in government. Other senior Lib Dems to fall were former schools secretary David Laws, former party leader Charles Kennedy and former deputy leader Simon Hughes. Image copyright Reuters Image caption Nick Clegg travelled to London to announce his resignation Image caption Former Lib Dem deputy minister Simon Hughes lost his seat of 32 years Mr Davey, previously tipped as a possible party leader, lost his Kingston and Surbiton seat to the Conservatives. Nearby in south west London, Mr Cable lost his Twickenham seat, also to the Conservatives. Both attributed their defeats to a combination of coalition and Conservative warnings about the threat of a Labour/Scottish National Party administration. The Nick Clegg story Image copyright AFP Nick Clegg's political journey has seen him win a bitter Liberal Democrat leadership battle, rise to become deputy prime minister, and face furious criticism over his U-turn on tuition fees. But despite retaining his own parliamentary seat in 2015, he has resigned as Lib Dem leader after disastrous election results saw the party crushed at the polls. He was once mentioned in the same breath as Winston Churchill and took his party up to notable highs and now down to painful lows in its popularity. Mr Davey said his party had "paid some price" for joining a coalition government but he had "lost on Conservative warnings" of a Labour government propped up by the SNP. Mr Cable said it had been "a terrible night", but the party would "bounce back". Mr Alexander told the BBC: "I lost my seat, that's democracy. Worse things happen to people." He said he hadn't expected the results to be "as bad as this", and said the party had "a lot of thinking to do about how to keep the flame of liberalism alive" against what he described as "the forces of nationalism and anti-Europeanism". Former Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown told the BBC he was "immensely proud that we put the national interest first" by forming a coalition in 2010, adding: "We will be back." Norman Lamb, who served as a coalition health minister and who held on to his Norfolk North seat, said it felt like an "unwritten rule of politics" that the smaller party in a coalition "loses out". Veteran Lib Dem MP of 32 years Simon Hughes lost his Bermondsey and Old Southwark seat in London to Labour's Neil Coyle. In Scotland, Charles Kennedy, MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber for 30 years, and leader of the party from 1999 to 2006, lost his seat to the SNP. Lib Dem employment minister Jo Swinson lost her East Dunbartonshire seat to the SNP's John Nicolson with a swing of 16%. Home Office minister Lynne Featherstone and whip Jenny Willott also lost their seats. Former Liberal Democrat president Tim Farron successfully held his seat in Cumbria's Westmorland and Lonsdale. Media captionPaddy Ashdown: "It's the very last time I will question a BBC exit poll" Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael wa


Which clothing retailer was founded in Dublin in 1969 under the name Penneys?

Primark - About Us About Us Associated British Foods About Us Adored by fashion fans and value seekers alike Primark is widely established as the destination store for keeping up with the latest looks without breaking the bank.  We offer a diverse range of products, stocking everything from baby and kids, to womens, mens, home ware, accessories, beauty products and confectionery.  Primark opened its first store in Dublin in 1969 under the name Penneys and today operates in over 320 stores in eleven countries across Europe and America. Timeline 1969 - first store opens in Dublin, Ireland. Ireland now has 38 Primark (Penneys branded) stores in total. 1973 - first store opens in Derby, UK. The UK now has 174 Primark stores in total. May 2006 - Madrid, Spain. Spain now has 42 Primark stores in total. Dec 2008 - Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The Netherlands now has 15 Primark stores in total. May 2009 - stores open in Lisbon, Portugal and Bremen, Germany Dec 2009 - Liege, Belgium opens, our first store in the country  Sep 2012 - Innsbruck, Austria.


Where in the body is the trapezium bone?

Trapezium Bone Area, Definition & Anatomy | Body Maps Your message has been sent. OK We're sorry, an error occurred. We are unable to collect your feedback at this time. However, your feedback is important to us. Please try again later. Close Trapezium There are eight carpal bones in the human wrist. They are arranged in two rows. They are located between the metacarpals and the ends of the radius and ulna bones. The trapezium rests in the row closest to the metacarpals. The scaphoid is located directly behind it, and the trapezoid is located to its side. The trapezium has three contact surfaces. These surfaces provide articulation points with other bones. The superior surface faces an upward and medial direction. It articulates with the scaphoid. The inferior surface is oval in shape. It articulates with the first metacarpal bone. The medial surface has a concave upper facet, which articulates with the trapezoid bone. The trapezium also provides an origination point for the oppenens pollicis and abductor pollicis, which help move the thumb. Most of the muscular tissues attach to the trapezium's palmar surface. However, many ligaments also attach to its lateral surface, which is broad and rough. The dorsal surface of the trapezium is smooth. It does not serve as many functions as its counterparts.


Who composed a London Symphony, a Clock Symphony and a Surprise Symphony?

Haydn - Symphony No. 101 (The Clock) - Classic FM Become a VIP Haydn - Symphony No. 101 (The Clock) Composed around 1793/4 especially for a trip to London, Joseph Haydn 's Symphony No. 101 has a reason for its quirky nickname… Listen to the bassoons and the strings in the second movement of Haydn 's Symphony No. 101, nicknamed 'The Clock', and you'll hear something quite striking. That incessant rhythmic pulse sounds so much like a timepiece going round and round it was given the perfect moniker. Aside from its rather fetching title, 'The Clock' is one of 12 symphonies written by Haydn that were inspired by his times in London. Every inch the anglophile, Haydn loved visiting the capital - perhaps unsurprisingly, Londoners loved his London symphonies too. Most of them were met with blanket praise, and 'The Clock' was no different. Even today it's one of the most performed of Haydn's symphonies in the modern concert hall. So, next time you're wandering past Big Ben, just think of those delicate little bassoon and string parts… you just might be able to get a feel for 'The Clock' as you walk through Haydn's London.


Which French artist painted several views of Rouen Cathedral in the 1890s?

Claude Monet | The Rouen Cathedral series, 1892-1894 | Tutt'Art@ | Pittura * Scultura * Poesia * Musica | maria laterza Art Styles and Categories: 19th century Art , En plein air painter , French Artist , Impressionist art movement , Landscape painter , Series paintings The Rouen Cathedral series was painted in the 1890s by French impressionist Claude Monet . The paintings in the series each capture the façade of the cathedral at different times of the day and year, and reflect changes in its appearance under different lighting conditions. Date The Rouen Cathedral paintings, more than thirty in all, were made in 1892-1893, then reworked in Monet’s studio in 1894. Monet rented spaces across the street from the cathedral, where he set up temporary studios for the purpose. In 1895, he selected what he considered to be the twenty best paintings from the series for display at his Paris dealer’s gallery, and of these he sold eight before the exhibition was over. Pissarro and Cézanne visited the exhibition and praised the series highly. Historically, the series was well-timed. In the early 1890s, France was seeing a revival of interest in Catholicism and the subject was well received. Apart from its religious significance, Rouen Cathedral-built in the Gothic style-represented all that was best in French history and culture, being a style of architecture that was admired and adopted by many European countries during the Middle Ages. Painting Light When Monet painted the Rouen Cathedral series, he had long since been impressed with the way light imparts to a subject a distinctly different character at different times of the day and the year, and as atmospheric conditions change. For Monet, the effects of light on a subject became as important as the subject itself. His Series Paintings, in which he painted many views of the same subject under different lighting conditions, are an attempt to illustrate the importance of light in our perception of a subject at a given time and place. Robert Pelfrey, in Art and Mass Media (Kendall/Hunt, 1996), says: By focusing on the same subject through a whole series of paintings, Monet was able to concentrate on recording visual sensations themselves. The subjects did not change, but the visual sensations - due to changing conditions of light – changed constantly.  The cathedral series was not Monet's first series of paintings of a single subject, but it was his most exhaustive. The subject matter was a change, however, for prior to this series, Monet had painted mostly landscapes. The cathedral allowed him to highlight the paradox between a seemingly permanent, solid structure and the ever-changing light which constantly plays with our perception of it. There were calls for the state to buy the entire series and exhibit them as a whole, but unfortunately these calls were not heeded and the series was divided. Technique Painting the cathedral was a challenging task, even for Monet. Michael Howard, in his Encyclopedia of Impressionism (Carlton, 1997), writes: As always, the pictures gave him intense difficulties, which threw him into despair. He had vivid nightmares of the cathedral in various colors – pink, blue and yellow – falling upon him… [Monet wrote:] 'Things don’t advance very steadily, primarily because each day I discover something I hadn’t seen the day before… In the end, I am trying to do the impossible'. Monet found that the thing he had set out to paint–light–was, because of its ever-changing nature and its extreme subtlety, an almost impossible thing to capture. He was assisted, however, by his ability to capture the essence of a scene quickly, then finish it later using a sketch combined with his memory of the scene. For these paintings, he used thick layers of richly textured paint, expressive of the intricate nature of the subject.  Paul Hayes Tucker, in Claude Monet: Life and Art (Yale University Press, 1995), writes: Monet’s sensitivity to the natural effects he observed are just one factor that make these pictures so remarkable; the way he manipulates his medium contributes t


In the Bible, who succeeded David as King of the Israelites?

David | king of Israel | Britannica.com king of Israel David, (flourished c. 1000 bce), biblical Israelite king and the first monarch of all the Israelite tribes . He was the father of Solomon , who expanded the empire that David built. He is an important figure in Judaism , Christianity , and Islam . David, stained-glass window, 19th century, Winchester Cathedral, England © Ronald Sheridan/Ancient Art & Architecture Collection Background and sources The primary evidence for David’s career is constituted by several chapters in the books 1 and 2 Samuel in the Hebrew Bible ( Old Testament ). The Psalms are also attributed to him, a tribute to his legendary skill as a poet and hymnodist. Material evidence for his reign, while a matter of intense debate among scholars, is scant. Some scholars claim to have discovered artifacts that corroborate the biblical account of David’s kingdom. Others assert that the archaeological record strongly suggests that David was not the grand ruler of a rising kingdom but merely a gifted tribal leader of a pastoral, rather than urban, society. A fragment from a stone stele mentioning the “House of David” (a reference to his political dynasty) was inscribed more than a century after the traditional date of his reign and is not accepted by all scholars. The following article is largely drawn from the biblical account of David’s reign. Early life biblical literature: Samuel: the rise and significance of David The youngest son of Jesse , David began his career as an aide at the court of Saul , Israel’s first king . He so distinguished himself as a warrior against the Philistines that his resultant popularity aroused Saul’s jealousy, and a plot was made to kill him. He fled into southern Judah and Philistia, on the coastal plain of Palestine, where, with great sagacity and foresight, he began to lay the foundations of his career. As an outlaw with a price on his head, David led the life of a Robin Hood on the desert frontier of his tribal domain in Judah (in the south of the Levant). He became the leader and organizer of a group of other outlaws and refugees, who progressively ingratiated themselves with the local population by protecting them from other bandits or, in case they had been raided, by pursuing the raiders and restoring the possessions that had been taken. Those actions eventually ensured that he would be “invited” to become king as the true successor of Saul after the latter was slain in battle against the Philistines on Mount Gilboa. Kingship Ringling Bros. Folds Its Tent According to the biblical account, David was proclaimed king in Hebron . He struggled for a few years against the contending claim and forces of Ishbaal , Saul’s surviving son, who had also been crowned king, but the civil war ended with the murder of Ishbaal by his own courtiers and the anointing of David as king over all of Israel. He conquered the Jebusite-held town of Jerusalem , which he made the capital of the new united kingdom and to which he moved the sacred Ark of the Covenant , the supreme symbol of Israelite religion . He defeated the Philistines so thoroughly that they were never again a serious threat to the Israelites’ security, and he annexed the coastal region. He went on to establish an empire by becoming the overlord of many small kingdoms bordering on Israel, including Edom, Moab , and Ammon. David’s great success as a warrior and empire builder was marred by interconnected family dissensions and political revolts. To tie together the various groups that constituted his kingdom, David took wives from them and created a harem. The resultant family was an extreme departure from the family in the consanguineal context , the traditional clan structure. David’s wives were mostly completely alien to one another, and his children were without the directing support of established social patterns that provided precedents for the resolution of conflict or for establishing the rights of succession. Structures of Government: Fact or Fiction? The authors of the biblical accounts (in 1 and 2 Samuel ) of David’


Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a red wine from which French wine region?

Seek Out Chateauneuf du Pape Wine | Wine Folly Advanced , Articles , Côtes du Rhône , France , Medium-Bodied Red Wine , Wine Regions All about Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine: the blend, the taste, and how to find great wines and awesome values from the Southern Rhône region. Châteauneuf-du-Pape is worthy: the name comes from a fascinating period in Catholic history (when the Pope moved from Rome to Avignon ), it’s been name-dropped by the Beastie Boys (Mike D!), and it’s freaking delicious. Yet, it’s not cheap. A combination of reputation, limited supply, and some expensive techniques means that even the most basic Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines will cost you upwards of $30 (and over $100 for the good stuff). Fortunately, there are a number of similar wines around the area (the Southern Rhône) that offer comparable flavor and complexity at a fraction of the cost. Onward!   Fruit Raspberry, Black Currant, Blueberry, Strawberry Earth/Other Leather, Dust, Violet, Thyme Oak Flavors Smoke, Tobacco, Cedar, Clove, Vanilla, Toast Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines tend to have slightly higher alcohol at 14% ABV. The appellation permits just a touch of residual sugar (RS), which adds body to the taste. Because Châteauneuf-du-Pape has moderately high acidity, you usually can’t taste any sweetness.   The first thing to realize about the Southern Rhône is that virtually all the wines made there are blends. Grenache is the most widely planted grape, followed by Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Cinsault. While single-varietal wines can be found, the vast majority follow the GSM (Grenache/Syrah/Mourvèdre) template. It’s a natural pairing, since Grenache is vigorous and flavorful, but also thin-skinned and lacking pigment. Hence, the darker, more powerful Mourvèdre and the fruitier Syrah are blended together to achieve a more complex, enjoyable wine.   Châteauneuf-du-Pape is covered with stones called ‘galets’ that were deposited by ancient glaciers. source The Southern Rhône is hot. We’re talking long, hot summer days, with only Le Mistral (the summer wind) whipping in off the Mediterranean to keep things from getting too cooked. As a result, you get a lot of ripe, developed flavor in the wines of the area, and also relatively high alcohol levels. So if you like big, burly Aussie Shiraz, the Rhône is another place to look. Yet the better wines from the region have a savory, smoked meat quality that places them firmly in the Old World. Finding Value in the Southern Rhône Understanding the hierarchy of the Southern Rhône wines is essential for finding quality at a good price. Basic Level: The most basic designation for wine from the region is Côtes du Rhône, and the grapes can come from anywhere within a very large region. Sometimes great values can be found, but most base-level Côtes du Rhône are lighter, unstructured reds suitable for easy quaffing and little else.   Mid Level: Moving up the level a bit brings us to Côtes du Rhône-Villages wines. These wines originate within one of the 18 most highly regarded communes within the Southern Rhône, and winemakers there can append the “Villages” tag to their labels, as well as the name of the specific village.   Top Level: Occasionally, a specific village will be judged to produce wines of such a high quality that they are elevated to their own AOP (the top tier of French wine classification). This happened with two separate Southern Rhône villages, and they’re the source of the best combination of value and quality in the area. Vacqueyras and Gigondas are both neighbors of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and both offer similar wines at a much more approachable price point. Like their famous cousin, they pack tons of flavor, body, and structure into a package that starts with lush black and red fruits, mouthwatering savory aromas of cured meats, herbs like sage and rosemary, and even green olives. Silky on the palate, these wines finish with a hint of dusty red earth and a bit of acidity.   Want to geek out on the Côtes du Rhône region? Read this article   What Vintage Should I Buy? Vintages in the Southern Rhône matter less than


Who was Prime Minister of the UK in 1980?

Prime Minister of the 1980’s | Child Of The 1980's Child Of The 1980's Prime Minister of the 1980’s Posted by Big Boo on July 1st, 2008 Margaret Thatcher is the only Prime Minister that I personally remember from my childhood. She was Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990, so when she came to power I was only six,Â which would explain why I don’t remember her predecessor James Callaghan. She is the only female Prime Minister (and female leader of the Conservative party) the UK has ever known, her nickname being the Iron Lady because of her no-nonsense attitude. She was born Margaret Hilda Roberts in 1925, and went on to graduate from Oxford with a degree in Chemistry. In 1959 she became the Conservative MP for Finchley, and in 1970 became the Secretary of State for Education and Science. It was during this post that the country took an instant disliking to her when she abolished the free milk for primary school children, earning her the nickname “Maggie Thatcher, Milk Snatcher“. I guess this particular ruling must have been something that meant the government no longer footed the bill for milk, but local councils could still provide the milk if they wanted to, as I distinctly remember break times at primary school meant dashing for the milk crate for a little half pint bottle of milk and a straw. In 1975 she stood to become leader of the Conservative party and won, then at the next general election in 1979 she became Prime Minister, which was to become one of the longest tenures as Prime Minister in UK history. The following year Ronald Reagan became the President of the United States, and the pair became close allies, particularly when it came to the so called “Cold War” against the Russian government.Â  I wonder if this fact had any bearing on why Thatcher and Reagan were two of the mostÂ popular charactersÂ  from the puppet show Spitting Image? It seems amazing how she managed to stay in charge for so long when so many of her ideas and movements caused so much outrage. She increased the level VAT to 15% which hit businesses hard and led to large scale unemployment. She was also behind the unpopular poll tax, more properly called the community charge, which taxed you on the value of your home, and came down hard on trade unions, yielding mass striking throughout the country, most notably with coal miners who began to face mine closures and loss of jobs. Her tenure also saw the privatisation of public utility companies such as British Telecom andÂ British Gas, which also paved the way for the mess that was and still is the privatisation of the UK railways.Â  Prior to this these companies had been effectively owned by the government, and so didn’t have to answer to shareholders.Â  Now people are outraged when they hear of the profits made by these companies and the bonus payouts paid to bosses and investors, feeling agrieved that they have to pay so much for what often seems like poor quality service, the railways being the biggest example of this. However her leadership during The Falklands War in 1982 impressed the nation enough for her to be re-elected in 1983. Quite why the Falkland Islands are so important to both the UK or Argentina I don’t know, but her resolve to fight and reclaim the islands yielded a huge wave of pride across the UK which was still remembered the following year. By 1990 her popularity was beginning to wane however, and she eventually stepped down and John Major became Prime Minister. She cast a long shadow though, one which Mr. Major found it particularly difficult to escape during his tenure as PM, especially at the beginning of his eight years in office. Margaret Thatcher is still reasonably active in politics today.Â  She was given theÂ life peerage ofÂ Baroness Thatcher which gave her entry to the House of Lords, and has been awarded the Order of the Garter, one of the UK’s highest titles.Â  Whether or not you admire her or loathe her though, it can’t be denied that she certainly left a lasting impression on the country.


In Spain, Paco or Pancho is a nickname for which Christian name?

Pancho - Name Meaning, What does Pancho mean? What does Pancho mean? Pancho [ pa n-cho] as a boys' name is pronounced PAHN-cho. It is of Spanish origin. Nickname for Francisco or Frank . Affiliated boy name: Francis . 1 relation via Francisco, Frank: Franco ▲. Creative forms: Pancho Paris (P.P.), .. How popular is Pancho? Pancho is an unusual given name for males but a very prominent last name for both adults and children (#65133 out of 150436, Top 43%). (2000 U.S. Demographics) Which version is better? with similar and related boy names. Francisco (#247 a year ago), Frank (#355), Francis (#482) and Franco (#878) are the popular alternative forms of Pancho (not ranked) appearing in the Top 2000. These relations of Pancho were at the height of their popularity during the years 1880-1889 (adoption of 3.14%) and have become much less common since (adoption 0.17%, ▼95%). Frank is a perennial favorite, though Franco has grown trendy as well over time, while versions such as Frank are now less popular. (2015 U.S. SSA Records)


What is the name of the Greek dip of yoghurt, cucumber, garlic and mint?

Tzatziki Yoghurt, Cucumber, Garlic And Mint Dip) Recipe - Food.com Katanashrp March 03, 2011 I made This Tzatziki yesterday to serve with Falafel Recipe#101525. I have never had Tzatziki before so I have no mode of comparison for it. I did make a few changes as per my taste. Based on a previous review, someone substituted sour cream for the yogurt and it worked fine, I substituted cream for yogurt, since I am not a big fan of yogurt. I increased the amount of lemon juice and cucumbers and used fresh mint instead of dried. Even with all these changes my family LOVED this tzatziki. This will be made very often now. Thank you!! K's August 30, 2009 This is excellent. I tried one or two others but this is the best. It's a must to do the draining process with the cucumbers otherwise it'll be too runny. Instead of mint I use half mint, half dill (and fresh if possible - well, from a tube anyway). Would you like to attach a photo to your submission? Browse The image has been attached to your submission. Close Are you sure you want to report this post for review? Yes, report it. You must be logged in to interact with the activity feed. Log in now


All Saints' Day in the United States Home   Calendar   Holidays   the United States   All Saints' Day All Saints' Day in the United States Many Catholic churches in the United States celebrate All Saints' Day to honor all the saints, particularly those who do not have their own special feast day, on November 1. On All Saints' Day some people take flowers to the graves of their loved ones. On All Saints' Day some people take flowers to the graves of their loved ones. ©iStockphoto.com/Wojciech Krusinski What Do People Do? All Saints' Day is also known as All Hallows Tide, All-Hallomas, or All Hallows' Day, and it's celebrated in many areas of the United States, especially where there are large Roman Catholic populations. In New Orleans, for example, people gather in local cemeteries and decorate the graves with flowers. The descendants of French Canadian settlers around St Martinsville, Louisiana, observe this day in the traditional French manner by laying wreaths and bouquets and lighting candles on even the most obscure graves. All Saints' Day, which is celebrated globally , is closely tied with All Souls’ Day , which was first instituted at the monastery in Cluny, France in 993 CE and quickly spread among Christians. Some eastern churches in the United States celebrated All Saints' Day on the first Sunday after Pentecost. Day After Halloween All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day are also closely linked with Halloween , which is a shortened for the name “All Hallows' Eve”. In the United Methodist Church, All Saints' Day is observed on the first Sunday in November to remember deceased members of the local church congregation. A candle is lit as each person's name is called out, followed by a prayer offered for each soul.  Many Latin American communities in the United States hold celebrations around November 1 and 2, linking with All Saints’ Day and All Souls' Day (November 2). These celebrations are part of the Day of the Dead, also known as Día de los Muertos. Public Life All Saints’ Day is not a federal public holiday in the United States. Background According to some sources, the idea for All Saints' Day goes back to the fourth century when the Greek Christians kept a festival on the first Sunday after Pentecost (in late May or early June) in honor of all martyrs and saints. Other sources say that a commemoration of “All Martyrs” began to be celebrated as early as 270 CE, but no specific month or date is recorded. Pope Gregory IV made All Saints' Day an authorized holiday in 837 CE. It is speculated that the chosen date for the event, November 1, may have been an attempt to supplant pagan festivals that occurred around the same time. Symbols Symbols commonly associated with All Saints’ Day are: A sheaf of wheat. Rayed Manus Dei (hand of God). The crown.


To which musician was actress Gwyneth Paltrow married; they separated in 2014?

Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Martin announce separation after 11 years of marriage | Fox News Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Martin announce separation after 11 years of marriage Published        March 25, 2014 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Email Print Jan. 11, 2014: Actress Gwyneth Paltrow, left, and her husband, singer Chris Martin at the 3rd Annual Sean Penn & Friends Help Haiti Home Gala in Beverly Hills, Calif.  (Invision/AP) LOS ANGELES –  Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin are separating after more than 10 years of marriage, according to a message posted on the "Iron Man" actress's blog Tuesday. Paltrow, 41, and the 37-year-old musician married in 2003. They have two children: 9-year-old daughter Apple and 7-year-old son Moses. "We have been working hard for well over a year, some of it together, some of it separated, to see what might have been possible between us, and we have come to the conclusion that while we love each other very much we will remain separate," read the message titled "Conscious Uncoupling" on Goop.com. It was signed by both Paltrow and Martin, and a spokeswoman for Martin confirmed the separation. "We are parents first and foremost, to two incredibly wonderful children, and we ask for their and our space and privacy to be respected at this difficult time," the message also said. "We have always conducted our relationship privately, and we hope that as we consciously uncouple and co-parent, we will be able to continue in the same manner." Martin, the Grammy-winning lead vocalist of Coldplay, and Paltrow, who won an Oscar for her performance in "Shakespeare in Love," were among Hollywood's highest profile couples. The duo frequently accompanied each other to public events, such as this year's Golden Globes ceremony and the Help Haiti Home gala earlier this year, but they rarely posed together on red carpets. Advertisement