The NBA team the Supersonics is based in which US city?

SuperSonics, Seattle reach last-minute settlement SuperSonics, Seattle reach last-minute settlement comment SEATTLE -- Clay Bennett finally found a dollar amount that would sever his contentious relationship with the city of Seattle -- $75 million. As a result, the SuperSonics are headed to Oklahoma City with Bennett leading the way, leaving behind the team name, colors and 41 years of history. Oklahoma City will have an NBA franchise for the 2008-09 season after a settlement announced Wednesday between the team and the city of Seattle, severing the bond with the city that culminated in a six-day federal trial over terms of the team's KeyArena lease. The judge was scheduled to rule Wednesday afternoon. "We made it," Bennett said after stepping to an Oklahoma City podium featuring the NBA logo and the letters OKC. "The NBA will be in Oklahoma City next season." The settlement calls for Bennett and his Professional Basketball Club LLC to pay as much as $75 million to the city in exchange for the immediate termination of the lease. The team's name and colors will be staying in Seattle. Bennett said the move would start Thursday and the first focus would be on the SuperSonics' players. "In a perfect world I would have liked to see Clay Bennett leave, without the team at all," said Steven Pyeatt, the co-founder of Save Our Sonics. It's a victory for Bennett, who purchased the Sonics in 2006 from Starbucks Corp. chairman Howard Schultz for $350 million, and will take the franchise to his hometown. Bennett faced harsh criticism in Seattle for his efforts in trying to build a new arena as a replacement for KeyArena, and the presumption he wanted to move the franchise all along. "It was a tough experience for all of us that were involved in it. There was just so much that happened on both sides, so much misinterpreted, miscommunicated and misunderstood that it was difficult," Bennett said. Bennett announced that the settlement calls for a payment of $45 million immediately, and would include another $30 million paid to Seattle in 2013 if the state legislature in Washington authorizes at least $75 million in public funding to renovate KeyArena by the end of 2009 and Seattle doesn't obtain an NBA franchise of its own within the next five years. The settlement could become a victory for Seattle as well. In a statement, NBA commissioner David Stern reversed his previous stance and said that a renovated KeyArena could be a suitable venue for an NBA franchise in Seattle. But the time is short. "We understand that city, county, and state officials are currently discussing a plan to substantially rebuild KeyArena for the sum of $300 million," Stern said in a statement. "If this funding were authorized, we believe KeyArena could properly be renovated into a facility that meets NBA standards relating to revenue generation, fan amenities, team facilities, and the like." However, Stern added, "given the lead times associated with any franchise acquisition or relocation and with a construction project as complex as a KeyArena renovation, authorization of the public funding needs to occur by the end of 2009 in order for there to be any chance for the NBA to return to Seattle within the next five years." Bennett said he and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels signed a binding agreement Wednesday, which would be formalized later, that keeps the SuperSonics' name, logo and colors available if Seattle gets a replacement franchise. Bennett said his franchise would create duplicate championship banners and trophies, leaving one set in Seattle and using the second set for undetermined purposes in Oklahoma City. Sonics owner Clay Bennett smiles in front of a backdrop with an Oklahoma City NBA logo.  AP Photo/The Oklahoman, Bryan Terry "We have 30 million reasons why we have support for a future NBA team," Seattle city attorney Tom Carr said. In April, the NBA board of governors approved Bennett's application to move the team to Oklahoma City, pending the outcome of the trial between the team and the city. The settlement came six days after the trial concluded.


What word is applied to a Muslim devotee, usually a monk or wandering mendicant?

monasticism | religion | Britannica.com Monasticism Saint Benedict Monasticism, an institutionalized religious practice or movement whose members attempt to live by a rule that requires works that go beyond those of either the laity or the ordinary spiritual leaders of their religions. Commonly celibate and universally ascetic , the monastic individual separates himself or herself from society either by living as a hermit or anchorite (religious recluse) or by joining a community (coenobium) of others who profess similar intentions. First applied to Christian groups in antiquity, the term monasticism is now used to denote similar, though not identical, practices in religions such as Buddhism , Hinduism , Jainism , and Daoism . A Benedictine monk restoring incunabula at the monastery of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, Tuscany, Italy. © Pedro Coll/A.G.E. FotoStock The word monasticism is derived from the Greek monachos (“living alone”), but this etymology highlights only one of the elements of monasticism and is somewhat misleading, because a large proportion of the world’s monastics live in cenobitic (common life) communities . The term monasticism implies celibacy , or living alone in the sense of lacking a spouse, which became a socially and historically crucial feature of the monastic life. Even this aspect of monasticism does not extend beyond the cultures and languages that perpetuate the religious terminology of the so-called Abrahamic (tracing their origin to the biblical figure Abraham ) or prophetic religions of Judaism , Christianity, and Islam . In the Islamic world , Arabic and Persian terms that can be translated as monk or monastic do not mean “solitary,” as in the Greek. Instead, they are etymologically derived from other terms associated with monastic life in Islam (e.g., zuhd, “asceticism”). None of the many Indic terms for monk (e.g., the Sanskrit apabhramsha or the Pali prakrit) mean “single” or “living alone,” though monastics in those traditions—most notably Hinduism , Buddhism , and Jainism —live alone or in groups that are set off from the rest of society. The etymologies of the Indian and some of the Arabic and Persian terminology connote poverty, ecstatic states of mind, dress conventions, and so on, while other terms imply single, celibate living. Nature and significance yinyang Monastics have been instrumental in creating, preserving, and enhancing institutions of religious and secular learning and in transmitting cultural goods, artifacts , and intellectual skills down through the generations. Monastic institutions have also fulfilled medical, political, and military functions, though since 1500 the latter two have become completely secularized in most societies. A definition of monasticism that covers all its forms would be so broad that particulars would have to be relegated to the analysis of specific monastic systems. Such a definition might be: religiously mandated behaviour (orthopraxy), together with its institutions, ritual , and belief systems, whose agents, members, or participants undertake voluntarily (often through a vow) religious works that go beyond those required by the religious teachings of the society at large. Such behaviour derives from the example of religious and spiritual founders who interpreted more radically the tenets that apply to all believers or to the whole society. Beyond such a statement, one can speak only of the principal characteristics of the monastic life and its institutions, since none of them is universal. Celibacy is fundamental to the majority of the world’s monastic orders but is by no means universal, as shown by the case of Buddhism in modern Japan. Another characteristic, asceticism , is universal, provided the term is defined widely enough so as to include all supererogatory (voluntarily undertaken rather than wholly prescribed) religious practices. The truly universal characteristic of monasticism follows from its definition: the monastic separates from society, either to abide alone as a religious recluse (hermit or anchorite) or to join a community o


Which Roman goddess is the equivalent of the Greek goddess Aphrodite?

APHRODITE - Greek Goddess of Love & Beauty (Roman Venus) Aphrodite Venus Aphrodite riding goose, Athenian red-figure kylix C5th B.C., British Museum APHRODITE was the Olympian goddess of love, beauty, pleasure and procreation.  She was depicted as a beautiful woman often accompanied by the winged godling Eros (Love). Her attributes included a dove, apple, scallop shell and mirror. In classical sculpture and fresco she was usually depicted nude. MYTHS Some of the more famous myths featuring the goddess include:-- Her birth from the sea foam. << More >> Her adulterous affair with the god Ares. << More >> Her love for Adonis, a handsome Cypriot youth who was tragically killed by a boar. << More >> Her love for Ankhises (Anchises), a shepherd-prince. << More >> The judgement of Paris in which the goddess was awarded the prize of the golden apple in return for promising Paris Helene in marriage. << More >> The Trojan War in which she supported her favourites Paris and Aeneas and was wounded in the fighting. << More >> The race of Hippomenes for Atalanta, which was won with the help of the goddess and her golden apples. << More >> The death of Hippolytos, who was destroyed by the goddess for scorning her worship. << More >> The statue of Pygmalion which was brought to life by Aphrodite in answer to his prayers. << More >> The persecution of Psykhe (Psyche), the maiden loved by the goddess' son Eros. << More >> Many other myths are detailed over the following pages. APHRODITE PAGES ON THEOI.COM This site contains a total of 18 pages describing the goddess Aphrodite, including general descriptions, mythology, and cult. The content is outlined in the Index of Aphrodite Pages (left column or below). FAMILY OF APHRODITE PARENTS [1] Born from the castrated genitals of OURANOS in the sea's foam (Hesiod Theogony 188, Cicero De Natura Deorum 3.21, Apuleius 6.6, Nonnus Dionysiaca 1.86, et al) [2] ZEUS & DIONE (Homer Iliad 5.370; Euripides Helen 1098; Apollodorus 1.13, Cicero De Natura Deorum 3.21, et al) [3] OURANOS & HEMERA (Cicero De Natura Deorum 3.21) OFFSPRING ENCYCLOPEDIA Aphrodite "Venus de Milo", Greek marble statue C2nd B.C., Musée du Louvre APHRODI′TE (Aphroditê), one of the great Olympian divinities, was, according to the popular and poetical notions of the Greeks, the goddess of love and beauty. Some traditions stated that she had sprung from the foam (aphros) of the sea, which had gathered around the mutilated parts of Uranus, that had been thrown into the sea by Kronos after he had unmanned his father. (Hesiod. Theog. 190; compare Anadyomene.) With the exception of the Homeric hymn on Aphrodite there is no trace of this legend in Homer, and according to him Aphrodite is the daughter of Zeus and Dione. (Il. v. 370, &c., xx. 105.) Later traditions call her a daughter of Kronos and Euonyme, or of Uranus and Hemera. (Cic. De Nat. Deor. iii. 23; Natal. Com. iv. 13.) According to Hesiod and the Homeric hymn on Aphrodite, the goddess after rising from the foam first approached the island of Cythera, and thence went to Cyprus, and as she was walking on the sea-coast flowers sprang up under her feet, and Eros and Himeros accompanied her to the assembly of the other great gods, all of whom were struck with admiration and love when she appeared, and her surpassing beauty made every one desire to have her for his wife. According to the cosmogonic views of the nature of Aphrodite, she was the personification of the generative powers of nature, and the mother of all living beings. A trace of this notion seems to be contained in the tradition that in the contest of Typhon with the gods, Aphrodite metamorphosed herself into a fish, which animal was considered to possess the greatest generative powers. (Ov. Met. v. 318, &c.; comp. Hygin. Poet. Astr. 30.) But according to the popular belief of the Greeks and their poetical descriptions, she was the goddess of love, who excited this passion in the hearts of gods and men, and by this power ruled over all the living creation. (Hom. Hymn. in Ven. ; Lucret. 15, &c.) Ancient mythology furnishes


"What sport is featured in the film ""Blades of Glory"", starring Will Ferrell and Jon Heder?"

Blades of Glory | Figure Skating Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit At the 2003 World Winter Sport Games, rival men's singles skaters Chazz Michael Michaels ( Will Ferrell ), a skillful skater but raunchy sex addict and Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder), a talented but girly skater tie for gold and an argument ensues on the awards podium. It quickly develops into a fight. Having disgraced their sport, they both were stripped of their gold medals, and receive a lifetime ban from men's singles competition. Jimmy's billionaire adoptive father Darren MacElroy ( William Fichtner ) disowns him and leaves him on the side of the road. Three and a half years later, Jimmy is working at a winter sporting goods store and gets demoted to sorting out the stock when he refuses to listen to a customer telling him her skating boot is too tight. Chazz skates in the kiddie skating show 'Grublets on Ice' as the 'Evil Wizard,' has gained a lot of weight, and gets fired from his job for being in a drunken stupor on stage. Jimmy's stalker Hector ( Nick Swardson ) tells him of a loophole in the ban: he is banned only from singles skating and can still compete in pair skating or Ice dancing. Jimmy contacts his old coach (Craig T. Nelson) but is unable to find a female partner. Jimmy's search for a partner leads him to Chazz, and his coach convinces the two of them to join up as same-sex pairs team, because of a loophole in the regulations (also found by Jimmy's stalker Hector) that fails to state the genders of the pairs and dance team. The reigning U.S. national pairs champions, the brother-sister team of Stranz and Fairchild van Waldenberg ( Will Arnett and Amy Poehler), see the new pair as a threat to their dominance and begin to conspire against Chazz and Jimmy. The pair convince their sister Katie (Jenna Fischer) to spy on the new team. They always take advantage of her by reminding her of the death of her parents, who were in a car accident while driving young Katie to her ice skating practice. In the process, she becomes acquainted with Jimmy and they develop a relationship. Although Chazz and Jimmy are initially disgusted by each other, they eventually develop a friendship. They compete at the United States Figure Skating Championships and earn a chance to compete at the Winter Sport Games once again, this time as a pairs team. Chazz and Jimmy’s coach informs them that, in order to win, they will need to perform a technique that has never before been performed successfully. The technique, called the Iron Lotus, is an extremely complicated maneuver that Coach developed years ago while he was still training pairs. However, it is also extremely dangerous: the only known attempt of the maneuver took place in North Korea and resulted in the man Decapitating the woman with his skate blade. Nonetheless, they decide to attempt it as the coach is convinced that the shortcomings of the Korean attempt was that the physics were off - and two males would be better suited for the move. They then begin to train. Meanwhile, Jimmy and Katie begin a romantic relationship with some help from Chazz and Fairchild. Seeking to exploit this new friendship, Fairchild commands Katie to disrupt the duo by having sex with Chazz, threatening to harm Jimmy physically if Katie does not comply. Katie invites Chazz to her room, where she tries to seduce him. Chazz refuses to have sex with Katie, citing his friendship with Jimmy as the reason, but cannot resist Groping her chest. Jimmy witnesses this and is outraged at Chazz's and Katie's betrayals. The next day, Chazz and Jimmy are both kidnapped and restrained, separately, by Stranz and Fairchild, who are determined to prevent the two from competing. Katie gets tired of her siblings and accepts that their parents weren't properly safe while driving. While handcuffing Jimmy in a bathroom, Fairchild reveals that she and Stranz had commanded Katie to have sex with Chazz yet she did not go through with it, to Jimmy's relief. Chazz escapes but is pursued by Stranz through the city: the pursuit is on ice (with skates) at first but


The now-extinct Elephant Bird, believed to have been 3 metres tall and weigh 500 kg, was believed to have inhabited what area?

Rare & Extinct Creatures - Moa & Elephant Bird ELEPHANT BIRD AND MOA ELEPHANT BIRD The Elephant Bird (Aepyornis maximus) inhabited the island of Madagascar, off the eastern coast of Africa. Madagascar was settled around 2000 years ago by African and Indonesian peoples. Legends of the giant roc (rukh) in Arab folklore were probably based on the elephant bird. During the 9th century, Saracen and Indian traders visited Madagascar and other parts of the African coast and would have encountered these birds. In 1298, while imprisoned in Genoa, Marco Polo wrote his memoirs, covering 26 years of travel. In chapter 33, "Concerning the Island of Madagascar" he wrote that the Great Khan had sent him to investigate curious reports of giant birds.   The Malagasy people had had contact with Arab traders over several centuries, but had fiercely resisted colonisation. The first Europeans to visit the island were the Portuguese in 1500. Dutch and French expeditions established coastal settlements after 1509, penetrating the interior 150 years later. In the 16th century, Dutch, Portuguese and French sailors returned from the Indian Ocean with huge eggs taken as curios. The French established a settlement in 1642, by which time the Elephant Bird had become very rare. The last one probably died in 1649. The first French Governor of Madagascar and Director of the French East India Company, Étienne de Flacourt, wrote, in 1658, "vouropatra - a large bird which haunts the Ampatres and lays eggs like the ostriches; so that the people of these places may not take it, it seeks the most lonely places". In the face of human hunters, the elephant bird was retreating to remoter regions. By 1700, it was gone forever. The elephant bird was the largest bird ever to have lived. It was a ratite, related to ostriches and emus, though it was unlikely to have been a swift runner. It had massive legs and taloned claws, vestigial wings and a long, powerful neck. Its body was covered in bristling, hair-like feathers, like those of the emu, and its beak resembled a broad-headed spear. It had evolved at a time when birds ruled the earth and had probably existed on Madagascar for 60 million years. In spite of its fearsome appearance (the legendary roc was fierce and ate elephants), it was a herbivore. It had little to fear from other native creatures on Madagascar; it was protected by its huge size and if needs be, could use its feet and heavy beak to protect itself in conflicts with others of its own kind. The birds resembled heavily built ostriches, with small heads, vestigial wings, and long, powerful legs. They stood 10 ft (3 metres) tall and weighed approximately 1000 lbs (455 kg); although some moas were taller, the elephant bird was more robustly built. Their eggs had a circumference of about 3 ft (91 cm), were about 13 inches (33 cm) long and a capacity of 2 imperial gallons (9 litres). This is the equivalent of 200 hen's eggs and three times the size of the eggs of the largest dinosaurs. Fossilised eggs are still found buried on the island. The photo here is of a replica exhibited at Ipswich Museum, Ipswich, Suffolk, UK. The island would have supported only a small, slow-breeding population and the birds were probably driven into extinction by hunting and the theft of their eggs by humans. The fact that it had existed for 60 million years (much longer than humans) and adapted to a changing world, shows it to have been a very successful species. However, it was also specialised to an island environment with no large predators and was, therefore, not adapted to survive contact with aggressive European humans. In 1867, Ferdinand von Hochstetter's book "New Zealand" also mentioned the Elephant Bird in Chapter IX "Kiwi and Moa, the wingless Birds of New Zealand" and suggested it still survived: The number of species living is very small. In all there are only about 12 species known; two, perhaps three species of ostrich in Africa, three cassuary [cassowary] species 1 in southern Asia, two Emu's (Dromaeus) in Australia, an East and a West Australian, three speci


"Who wrote the play ""Still Life"", on which the 1945 film ""Brief Encounter"" was based?"

Brief Encounter (1945) - The Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection   Spine #76 After a chance meeting on a train platform, a married doctor (Trevor Howard) and a suburban housewife (Celia Johnson) begin a muted but passionate, and ultimately doomed, love affair. With its evocatively fog-enshrouded setting, swooning Rachmaninoff score, and pair of remarkable performances (Johnson was nominated for an Oscar), this film, directed by David Lean and based on Noël Coward’s play Still Life deftly explores the thrill, pain, and tenderness of an illicit romance, and has influenced many a cinematic brief encounter since its release. Cast Muir Mathieson Disc Features High-definition digital transfer of the BFI National Archive’s 2008 restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray Audio commentary from 2000 by film historian Bruce Eder Interview from 2012 with Noël Coward scholar Barry Day A Profile of “Brief Encounter,” a short documentary from 2000 on the making of the film David Lean: A Self Portrait, a 1971 television documentary on Lean’s career Trailer PLUS: An essay by historian Kevin Brownlow Current Posts Reintroducing David Lean’s Brief Encounter April 25, 2016 Brief Encounter, David Lean’s heartbreaking 1945 tale of forbidden love (out on Blu-ray tomorrow), remains one of the screen’s all-time most romantic films. Adapted for the screen by Noël Coward . . . Read more » Photo Galleries “Riskiest Thing I Ever Did”: Notes on Brief Encounter By Kevin Brownlow March 27, 2012 At a turning point in his career, David Lean adapted a short Noël Coward play into one of the greatest screen romances. Read more » Film Essays When Noël Met David . . . By Ian Christie March 27, 2012 In which an already iconic playwright comes to appreciate cinema and a soon-to-be legendary filmmaker finds his voice. Read more » Film Essays Brief Encounter By Adrian Turner June 26, 2000 Brief Encounter was the fourth and final film that David Lean made in association with Noël Coward. Derived from Still Life, a one-act play which Coward included in the portmanteau Tonight 8:30, . . . Read more » Film Essays “Riskiest Thing I Ever Did”: Notes on Brief Encounter By Kevin Brownlow March 27, 2012 At a turning point in his career, David Lean adapted a short Noël Coward play into one of the greatest screen romances. Read more » Film Essays When Noël Met David . . . By Ian Christie March 27, 2012 In which an already iconic playwright comes to appreciate cinema and a soon-to-be legendary filmmaker finds his voice. Read more » Film Essays Brief Encounter By Adrian Turner June 26, 2000 Brief Encounter was the fourth and final film that David Lean made in association with Noël Coward. Derived from Still Life, a one-act play which Coward included in the portmanteau Tonight 8:30, . . . Read more » Announcements Essential Art House On Sale November 30, 2016 Catch up on the classics! Select Essential Art House DVD releases are on sale starting at $9. Makes a great stocking stuffer! Read more » Video Reintroducing David Lean’s Brief Encounter April 25, 2016 Brief Encounter, David Lean’s heartbreaking 1945 tale of forbidden love (out on Blu-ray tomorrow), remains one of the screen’s all-time most romantic films. Adapted for the screen by Noël Coward . . . Read more » Photo Galleries “Riskiest Thing I Ever Did”: Notes on Brief Encounter By Kevin Brownlow March 27, 2012 At a turning point in his career, David Lean adapted a short Noël Coward play into one of the greatest screen romances. Read more » Film Essays When Noël Met David . . . By Ian Christie March 27, 2012 In which an already iconic playwright comes to appreciate cinema and a soon-to-be legendary filmmaker finds his voice. Read more » News Noël Coward in New York March 07, 2012 A celebration of one of the great cosmopolites of the twentieth century, in one of the cosmopolises he adored. Read more » News From Stage to Screen to Stage December 04, 2009 Brief Encounter, that eternal model of restraint, is coming out of its shell in a play opening this week in New York. A touring productio


In September 2010, The Beach Boys allegedly threatened a lawsuit due to a line in which song by Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg?

California Gurls (song) | The Katy Perry Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia This box: view  •  talk "California Gurls" is a song written by Katy Perry , Bonnie McKee , Calvin Broadus , Max Martin , and Dr. Luke for Perry's sophomore mainstream album, Teenage Dream . It was released as the lead single on May 7, 2010. Snoop Dogg is also featured on the song by contributing an intro and a rap verse. The song was originally intended to be sent to radio on May 25, 2010, however, after clips from Perry's new album were leaked online, her label rushed released the song to radio on May 7, 2010. They also began to stream the song on her website. It was subsequently released to iTunes on May 11, 2010. It was announced on June 9, 2010 on Capitol Records ' website that the song had broken the record for more than 13,000 spins in one week on both BDS and Mediabase charts with 13,167 spins, which adds up to 13 times per day. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for six consecutive weeks, giving Perry her second US number-one single and Snoop Dogg his third. The song reached number one in over 10 countries, including United States, UK, Canada, Australia, Scotland, Ireland, and New Zealand. This song is registered on Perry's ASCAP and BMI twice. Once as the album version and again as the "(Non Rap Version)". Contents [ show ] Recording process and inspiration Katy Perry stated during a Rolling Stone photoshoot that the song is meant to be a response to Jay Z and Alicia Key's "Empire State of Mind": “ It's so great that "Empire State of Mind" is huge and that everyone has the New York song, but what the fuck? What about LA? What about California? It's been a minute since we had a California song and especially from a girl's perspective. We took the references of Prince, which is always a great reference, and some of the '90s, almost house music references. ” —Katy Perry The inspiration of the song came to Katy Perry while she was at a party. "Everybody was holding their drinks in the air and dancing, and I thought, ‘We’re not in New York, we’re in Los Angeles! What about California? What about all the homies, the gin and juice, the swaying palm trees, the sun-kissed skin 24-7? So, I decided that we needed to make a response. I want people to want to book a ticket to California the first time they hear it!" Initially the song was titled "California Girls", but Perry changed the spelling to "California Gurls" at the request of her manager in tribute to Big Star, which had recently lost one of its members, as a reference to their song "September Gurls" and also so that it wouldn't be confused with the surf classic by the Beach Boys. After the song was leaked online, Capitol Records decided to release it early, and posted it on Perry's site. Next to that, the radio date was moved up from May 25, 2010, to the 7th. The artwork was also released, featuring Perry laying out on the beach sand with a bejeweled bikini. Perry used Wikipedia to research which rapper she wanted to collaborate with for this track, browsing West Coast artists before selecting Snoop Dogg. Perry decided to include Snoop Dogg in the song because "We thought it would sound so cool and give the song another dimension. Snoop is as West Coast as it gets." She hoped the reference to gin and juice would attract his attention. The Beach Boys have allegedly threatened a lawsuit due to Snoop Dog's line "I wish they could all be California Girls", which they consider to be one of their classic lines. When the album was released, the line was removed from the song. Chart performance The song sold 294,000 digital downloads in its first week and debuted at number one on the Billboard Digital Songs chart. It debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Perry's highest debut on the chart since 2008 with her debut single " I Kissed a Girl ". On the issue dated June 19, 2010, the song reached number one, becoming Perry's second number-one song and Snoop Dogg's third. The song became the first single by an artist signed to Capitol Records in nearly 43 years to asc


What street leads to the front of Buckingham Palace in London?

Buckingham Palace: A complete tourist's guide Posted on February 26, 2015 by David Few tourist attractions in London carry as much history and prestige as Buckingham Palace, the Royal Family’s main London residence. Whether you just want to get a picture of the front while imagining Queenie inside drinking her 10am gin and tonic, or if you want to explore the incredible Staterooms, you’ll want to take a look at our extensive guide below.  Getting there There’s no way you’ll be able to enjoy the delights Buckingham Palace has to offer without getting there in the first place. There are a number of Underground stations in the vicinity that allow for a quick and simple journey to the palace. The best option is perhaps Green Park – the walk through verdant and emerald surroundings is thoroughly pleasant. Simply emerge from the exit, cross the road if necessary and continue straight on into the park. The palace is straight ahead. A slightly longer – but no less pleasant – option is Hyde Park Corner, which once again takes you through grassy surrounds on a trip to the palace. While you can’t quite see the building from the exit of the Tube station, there are only three paths available to you and the Palace is clearly signposted. The walk should take no more than 15 minutes. Another option is to travel to London Victoria. Emerge from the station opposite the Shakespeare pub, cross over the road and turn the corner opposite Grosvenor Square. Continue right and walk past the Rubens at the Palace Hotel (instantly identifiable thanks to its living wall) until you reach a crossroads. Turn left and proceed through the gate to find Buckingham Palace. London Victoria is the best connected of all the stations with access to various Underground lines, national rail services and even coaches that depart for destinations across the country. On the flipside, however, the Tube station is currently undergoing refurbishment (due for completion in 2018) and it becomes absolutely chaotic during busy periods. If you require easier access, opt for Green Park or  Hotel Near Hyde Park Corner. Worthwhile attractions When it comes to actually exploring the palace, it’s worth considering the plethora of options available. The State Rooms are open for tours during both the summer and the winter, although numbers are dramatically reduced in the cooler months. This being England, that’s from October all the way through until May. So you’ll need to check the list of selected dates on the Palace website if you’re interested in visiting during this time. Choose the attraction you want to visit. Do you fancy a look inside the State Rooms? Or would you rather take a trip along the nearby Royal Mews? The Queen’s Gallery is another worthwhile attraction, as is the legendary Clarence House, a royal residence situated a stone’s throw away from the Palace on the Mall. The last of these is only open during the month of August, however, when much of the Royal Family is up in Scotland. It’s also worth seeing if you can gain access to the Royal Residence’s gardens (and we don’t mean by scaling the walls – that sort of thing will get you locked up). They are particularly pleasant during the warmer months and you never know – you might even spy the Queen’s corgis (Willow and Holly) and dorgis (Candy and Vulcan) being walked. Ticket prices for these attractions vary depending on the time of year but particular enthusiasts will find that a so-called ‘group’ ticket will allow them access to several of them. It’s probably worthwhile if you intend to visit more than one royal attraction during your stay. Another great activity is the Changing of the Guard, which takes place on certain days every month and allows visitors to watch a fantastic display from the crimson-clad furry-headed guardsmen that are so iconic. On the days that the performance takes place, the fun usually kicks off at 11:15, with the guards and bands arriving for the official start time of 11:30. It’s all finished by 12 noon. For kids Buckingham Palace is great for children and there are plenty of family ac


In the USA, what name is given to an isolated hill with steep sides and a small flat top?

Mesa (geology) | Article about Mesa (geology) by The Free Dictionary Mesa (geology) | Article about Mesa (geology) by The Free Dictionary http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Mesa+(geology) Also found in: Dictionary , Thesaurus , Medical , Wikipedia . Mesa (mā`sə), city (1990 pop. 288,091), Maricopa co., S central Ariz., in the irrigated Salt River valley; inc. 1883. Electronic components, fabricated metals, aircraft, and machine tools are among its various manufactures. One of the fastest-growing U.S. cities, Mesa's population has more than doubled since 1980. Tourism is important, and the citrus and farm products of the area are packed and processed in Mesa. The Mormons who founded the city in 1878 used old Native American irrigation canals for farming in the Salt River valley. In Mesa are the Mesa Art Center, a Mormon temple, and the chief agricultural experiment farm of the Univ. of Arizona. The Chicago Cubs baseball team also has a spring training camp there. mesa (mā`sə) [Span.,=table], name given in the SW United States to a small, isolated tableland or a flat-topped hill. Two or more of the sides are steep and usually perpendicular and some have all four sides practically perpendicular. Their bold lines make them a picturesque part of the landscape, and they are frequently deep red or yellow in color. Mesas originate from the erosion erosion , general term for the processes by which the surface of the earth is constantly being worn away. The principal agents are gravity, running water, near-shore waves, ice (mostly glaciers), and wind. ..... Click the link for more information.  of plateaus plateau, elevated, level or nearly level portion of the earth's surface, larger in summit area than a mountain and bounded on at least one side by steep slopes, occurring on land or in oceans. ..... Click the link for more information.  that were capped by hard rock, usually in arid regions. Cliffs form, retreating as the soft layers beneath the cap rock are eroded. As the soft rock wears away, the upper cliff breaks along cracks and eventually produces a mesa. A butte butte, an isolated hill with steep sides and a flat top, resulting from the more rapid erosion of the surrounding areas. Buttes are characteristic of the plains of the W United States. See mesa. ..... Click the link for more information.  is the last stage of the sequence, before the feature's complete consumption by erosion. The strata, or layers of rock, in a mesa are horizontal, or nearly so. The many "table mountains" are mesas. Two celebrated mesas are the Mesa Verde in Colorado and the Enchanted Mesa (Mesa Encantada) in New Mexico. Mesa   a name given to small tablelands resulting from erosion dissection of vast plateaus that for the most part are capped with layers of basaltic lava. mesa


What is the stringy substance used to clean between the teeth?

Caring for Braces | Orthodontist Aurora | Theresa Shaver Successful orthodontic treatment is a team effort between you, Dr. Shaver and your family dentist. We all share the same goal – for you to have a sensational, healthy smile with beautiful, straight, white teeth. Dr. Shaver straightens your teeth with an individualized treatment plan. Your family dentist helps keep your smile healthy with regular professional cleanings and check-ups. You, however, are the one who must take special care of your teeth every single day throughout the length of your treatment — and that takes a little extra time and effort, but will result in a much better orthodontic outcome. Follow Your Oral Hygiene Instructions We strongly recommend that you closely follow the oral hygiene instructions provided to you during your initial treatment. These instructions are detailed below for quick an easy reference throughout your treatment. When you wear braces, it's very important to carefully brush, floss and thoroughly rinse your mouth after you eat anything — or at least four times a day (after you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, and before you go to bed). That's because braces, wires, bands and even retainers all trap food particles that can cause plaque (say: plak) to build up on your teeth. Plaque is a thin, sticky, colorless deposit of bacteria that constantly forms on everyone's teeth. As plaque increases, it becomes gooey white stuff – you can see it and sometimes feel it on your teeth (they feel kind of "fuzzy"). Bacteria ("Sugar Bugs & Starch Slugs") live in the plaque. Whenever you eat, the sugars and starches in your food cause the bacteria to produce damaging acids that attack your tooth enamel and gums. With time and repeated acid attacks the tooth enamel breaks down, causing cavities, permanent marks and stains on teeth. Plaque build-up also causes bad breath and gum disease. To make sure none of these things happen to your smile, make a habit of brushing and flossing after you eat anything. If you can't brush, at least swish your mouth with water. Swishing with water will help clear your braces of large food particles until you can brush. Keep your smile healthy. Remember to brush and floss throughout the day whenever you eat anything, and swish when you can't brush! Brushing & Flossing Brushing Brushing Techniques with Braces Dr. Shaver recommends that you use a soft bristled toothbrush using moderate force and a toothpaste that contains fluoride. Place the toothbrush at an angle so that you feel the bristles under your gum line and use small circular motions. Completely clean each surface of each tooth in your mouth, including the areas above, below and between each brace. The surface of every tooth should be scrubbed with about 10 strokes of the toothbrush. Brush every tooth slowly. Brush the upper teeth down. Brush the lower teeth up. Also brush your tongue and the roof of your mouth. This should take 2-3 minutes – or about the length of an average song. You should be brushing at least four times per day: After breakfast After lunch (or as soon as you get home from school) After supper At bedtime That means your toothbrush will wear out faster because of your appliances, so be sure to replace it whenever the bristles start to fray. Remember: Your toothbrush might not reach the areas under the archwire properly. Proper oral hygiene also involves flossing and the use of an interdental toothbrush (Proxabrush), an antiseptic mouth rinse (Peroxyl) and a topical fluoride (NutraCare). Flossing Flossing with Superfloss Dental floss is a nylon thread that is used to remove food particles and plaque from between the teeth. Flossing is more difficult when you have braces on your teeth, but it's more important than ever! Flossing With Superfloss A piece of Superfloss has three parts: A stiff, straight end A spongy middle section A normal floss end Step 1: Pass the stiff, straight end of the floss under the wire between two teeth. Step 2: Sneak the normal floss end carefully through the contact between the two teeth and pass up and down in a


In jazz, what kind of singing is vocal improvisation with nonsense syllables or without words at all, whereby singers have the ability to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice?

Scatting | JazzSkool.org | Fandom powered by Wikia And just about everyone did: Ella Fitzgerald, Eddie Jefferson , Betty Carter , Anita O’Day , Joe Carroll , Sarah Vaughan , Carmen McRae , Jon Hendricks , Babs Gonzales , and Dizzy Gillespie all were important singers in the idiom. [1] Fitzgerald once hailed herself as the “best vocal improviser jazz has ever had”, and critics since then have been in almost universal agreement with her. [11] In the 1960s, traditional scatting gave way to the free-jazz movement, which allowed scat singers to include sounds in their repertoire that had before been considered non-musical, such as screams, cries, and laughter. Free jazz and the influence of world musicians on the medium pushed jazz singing nearer to avant-garde art music. [1] In the 60s Ward Swingle was the product of an unusually liberal musical education. He took the scat singing idea and applied it to the works of Bach, creating The Swingle Singers . The BeBop revival of the 1970s renewed interest in bop scat singing, and young scat singers viewed themselves as a continuation of the classic bop tradition. The medium continues to evolve, and vocal improvisation now often develops independently of changes in instrumental jazz. [1] The future of scatting was reshaped by the explosive popularity of vocalist Bobby McFerrin after one of his next-generation scat songs was featured on the hit television series "The Cosby Show" as a revamp of their opening credits for season four. 01:00 The Cosby Show Season 4 Opening Characteristics Edit Scat singing is improvised, but the melodic lines are often variations on scale and arpeggio fragments, stock patterns and Riffs , as is the case with instrumental improvisers. As well, scatting usually incorporates musical form . All of jazz vocalist Ella Fitzgerald's scat performances of " How High the Moon ", for instance, use the same tempo . They begin with a chorus of a straight reading of the lyric, move to a "specialty chorus" introducing the scat chorus, and then the scat itself. [12] The deliberate choice of scat syllables also is a key element in vocal jazz improvisation. Syllable choice influences the pitch articulation , coloration , and resonance of the performance. [13] Syllable choice also differentiated jazz singers' personal styles. Sarah Vaughan Betty Carter was inclined to use sounds like "louie-ooie-la-la-la" (soft-tongued sounds or liquids) while Sarah Vaughan would prefer "shoo-doo-shoo-bee-ooo-bee" ( fricatives , stop consonants , and open vowels ). [14] The choice of scat syllables can also be used to reflect the sounds of different instruments. The comparison of the scatting styles of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan reveals that Fitzgerald’s improvisation mimics the sounds of swing-era big bands with which she performed, while Vaughan’s mimics that of her accompanying bop -era small combos. [15] [a] Humor Humor is an important element of many scat performances. Cab Calloway exemplified the use of humorous scatting. [16] 02:59 Cab Calloway - Minnie the Moocher Another classic example of humorous scatting is a recording by Slim Gaillard , Leo Watson , and Bam Brown in , " Avocado Seed Soup Symphony ", in which they scat variations on the word "avocado" for much of the recording. [17] In addition to such nonsensical uses of language, humor is communicated in scat singing through the use of musical quotation . Leo Watson , who performed before the canon of American popular music, frequently drew on nursery rhymes in his scatting. This is called using a compression . [18] Ella Fitzgerald, who performed later, was able to draw extensively on popular music in her singing. For example, in her classic recording of " How High the Moon " live in Berlin, she quotes over a dozen songs, including " The Peanut Vendor ", " Heat Wave ", " A-Tisket, A-Tasket ", and " Smoke Gets in Your Eyes ". [19] Technical difficulty Edit In the opinion of Jeff Pressing, a psychologist who has studied improvisation extensively, vocal improvisers lack the benefit of "feedback redundancy" that instrumen


What musical instrument is Woody Allen known for playing?

Did You Know? 10 Celebs Who Play Musical Instruments Did You Know? 10 Celebs Who Play Musical Instruments  October 14, 2013 – 4:53 PM  – 0 Comments Cheers Premiered 33 Years Ago! See the Cast Then and Now Getty Images Did you know that Clint Eastwood is an accomplished pianist? Before he made it big as an actor, he reportedly intended to pursue a career in music. He’s also a skilled composer, and he composed the film scores of several of the movies he directed, including Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River, Changeling, and Hereafter. A recent piece in the New York Times suggests that learning music as a child often correlates with professional success later in life. There are many possible explanations for the relationship between music and professional success, but in any case, music appears to have paid off for these celebrities! Click through to find out which other stars have hidden musical talents! 1 of 10 Getty Images Condoleezza Rice Rice began taking piano lessons as a teenager and reportedly dreamed of becoming a concert pianist. While her career took a different turn, she still plays piano often, and she had the chance to accompany renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma for the 2002 National Medal of Arts Awards. Here, she performs with the Philadelphia Orchestra on July 27, 2010. 2 of 10 Getty Images Woody Allen The actor and director is a skilled clarinetist and performs weekly at a small jazz venue in Manhattan. Here, he plays with his New Orleans jazz band in Berlin, Germany in 2004. 3 of 10 Richard Gere The actor excelled at the trumpet in high school, and he reportedly played his own cornet solos in the 1984 film The Cotton Club. He also sang and played piano in the movie. 4 of 10 Getty Images Keanu Reeves Keanu Reeves was a member of the alternative rock group Dogstar from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s. The actor played bass guitar and also sang backing vocals. Here, he performs with Dogstar at Irving Plaza in New York City on July 7, 2000. 5 of 10 Getty Images Johnny Depp Depp is an accomplished guitarist and played slide guitar on Oasis’s 1997 song “Fade In-Out.” He played acoustic guitar in Chocolat and on the soundtrack to Once Upon a Time In Mexico, and he’s appeared a handful of music videos, making a cameo as the Mad Hatter in Avril Lavigne’s 2010 “Alice.” Above, he performs with Marilyn Manson during the 2012 Revolver Golden Godes Awards Show. 6 of 10 Getty Images Jennifer Garner The actress was a band geek in high school! She played saxophone and “was proud of it,” she told People . But, she says, “I picked it up again a couple of years ago, and I sound God-awful now!” 7 of 10 Getty Images Steve Martin Martin reportedly picked up the banjo as a teenager, and went on to become an accomplished player. His banjo rendition of Earl Scruggs’s remake of “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” won a Grammy in 2002 for Best Country Instrumental Performance. He also plays regularly at jazz festivals, and has even played Carnegie Hall with the bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers. Here, he performs at Club Nokia in 2009. 8 of 10 Getty Images Hugh Laurie The House actor apparently began piano lessons at age 6, and he also sings and plays the guitar, drums, harmonica and saxophone. He has also released two blues and jazz albums since 2010. Here, he performs at the 'Evening with Ray Kennedy and Friends' hosted by the Guitar Center Music Foundation at the Avalon on March 14, 2006. 9 of 10 Getty Images Ryan Gosling Gosling formed the indie rock band Dead Man’s Bones with his friend Zach Shields, and he apparently sings and plays piano, guitar, bass guitar, and cello. Here, he performs with Dead Man’s Bones at the FYF Fest 2010 in Los Angeles, Calif. 10 of 10


Which musical by Elton John and Lee Hall, which revolves around a motherless boy who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes and is based on a 2000 film, opened in London's West End in 2005?

Billy Elliot Billy Elliot Billy Elliot by Lee Hall, music is by Elton John Billy Elliot the Musical is a musical based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot. The music is by Sir Elton John, and book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film’s screenplay. The plot revolves around motherless Billy, who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes. The story of his personal struggle and fulfillment are balanced against a counter-story of family and community strife caused by the UK miners’ strike (1984–1985) in County Durham, in Northern England. Hall’s screenplay was inspired in part by A. J. Cronin’s novel, The Stars Look Down, to which the musical’s opening song pays homage.[1] The musical premiered in London’s West End in 2005 and was nominated for nine Laurence Olivier Awards, winning four including Best New Musical. The production is still running strongly, and its success led to productions in Australia, on Broadway and elsewhere. In New York, it won ten Tony Awards and ten Drama Desk Awards, including, in each case, best musical. It has also won numerous awards in Australia including a record-tying seven Helpmann Awards.     Original London Production The musical premiered in March 2005 at the Victoria Palace Theatre in the West End, where it is still running. It reportedly cost £5.5 million to produce (the original film version cost $5 million).[2] The producers were Working Title Films, Old Vic Productions Plc and David Furnish. It was directed by Stephen Daldry and choreographed by Peter Darling, as was the original film. Liam Mower, James Lomas and George Maguire were the original actors who alternated the title role, and the supporting cast included Haydn Gwynne as Mrs. Wilkinson and Tim Healy as Billy’s father. The sets were designed by Ian MacNeil, and the costumes were by Nicky Gillibrand. Lighting was by Rick Fisher, with sound by Paul Arditti. The original cast album was released on 10 January 2006. The musical received favourable reviews: the Daily Telegraph’s Charles Spencer called it “the greatest British musical I have ever seen”, and The Daily Mail thought it “a theatrical masterpiece”.[3] Billy Elliott the Musical won four Laurence Olivier Awards: Best New Musical, Best Actor (awarded jointly to James Lomas, George Maguire and Liam Mower, the boys who played Billy), Best Sound design and Best Choreographer. It also won the Evening Standard Award as well as the Critics Circle Award and the Theatregoers Choice Award, all for Best Musical.[4] On 12 May 2006, the three original Billys appeared together in a performance of the musical to celebrate its first anniversary. The three rotated the role during the performance and were joined at the end by Sir Elton John.   Original Australian Production The musical opened at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre on 13 November 2007, directed by Daldry in association with Julian Webber, and choreographed by Darling.[5] Rhys Kosakowski, Lochlan Denholm, Rarmian Newton, and Nick Twiney alternated in the title role. The production earned good notices, and in January 2008 it won Best Musical at the 2008 Sydney Theatre Awards.[6] The show also won seven Helpmann Awards, including the awards for Best Musical, Best Direction, Best Choreography, Best Actress (Genevieve Lemon as Mrs. Wilkinson) and Best Actor, awarded jointly to the four boys who played Billy Elliot.[7] The production concluded in Sydney on 9 November 2008 with all eight Sydney Billys in the finale. The Sydney production transferred to Melbourne’s Her Majesty’s Theatre, opening on 13 December 2008.[8] The Melbourne production closed on 14 June 2009 after a successful run.[9]   Original Broadway Production The Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre on 1 October 2008 in previews and officially on 13 November 2008.[10] The London production’s creative team directed and designed the Broadway production.[4] The title role was rotated among three young actors, David Álvarez, Kiril Kulish and Trent Kowalik, the last of whom had played the role in London.[11] The supporting cast included Haydn Gwynne, reprising her role of


Port Said is at the entrance to which canal?

Keyword: peacecanal Woo hoo!! And the first 19% is in!! Thank you all very much!! God bless. Keyword: peacecanal 08/03/2013 9:11:43 AM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 15 replies CNN ^ | January 9, 1997 | Gayle Young Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak set off an explosion Thursday, launching an ambitious and controversial plan to make the Western Desert bloom with water channeled from the Nile River. When the canal is done, if all goes according to plan, water will wind its way 190 miles (310 kilometers) across the Western Desert to irrigate 500,000 acres (200,000 hectares) of virgin land. And, if all goes according to plan, the newly irrigated land will be populated by hundreds of thousands of people. The explosion Thursday was the first step in the construction on a pumping station that Egypt claims will be... 07/12/2010 11:06:07 AM PDT · by Willie Green · 19 replies Reuters ^ | Monday, July 12, 2010 | ??? CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt plans to build a $1 billion tunnel under the Suez Canal at Port Said and will begin seeking finance as soon as the designs are completed, Al-Akhbar newspaper on Monday quoted the investment minister as saying. The tunnel, to be built 19 km (12 miles) south of the Canal's northern entrance, will have 3 passageways, one for rail and two for cars, the newspaper quoted Mahmoud Mohieldin as telling a conference in Dahab in the eastern Sinai Peninsula. The conference was called to discuss investment in the cities along the canal and in the Sinai, which...


"Who was the first to be quoted as saying ""There are three types of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics""?"

'There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics' - the meaning and origin of this phrase Famous Last Words Browse phrases beginning with: There are three kinds of lies... Meaning Literal meaning. Origin This quotation is often attributed to Benjamin Disraeli, the 19th century British Prime Minister. The source for this view is the autobiography of Mark Twain, where he makes that attribution. Nevertheless, no version of this quotation has been found in any of Disraeli's published works or letters. An early reference to the expression, which may explain Twain's assertion is found in a speech made by Leonard H. Courtney, (1832-1918), later Lord Courtney, in New York in 1895: 'After all, facts are facts, and although we may quote one to another with a chuckle the words of the Wise Statesman, "Lies - damn lies - and statistics," still there are some easy figures the simplest must understand, and the astutest cannot wriggle out of. There's no indication that by 'Wise Statesman' Courtney was referring to any specific person, although it may be that Twain thought that he meant Disraeli. The earliest citation that I know of of the current usage of the phrase, that is, "there are three kinds of falsehoods, lies, damned lies and statistics" is from Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, as quoted in the Manchester Guardian, 29th June 1892: “Professor [Joseph] Munro reminded him of an old saying which he rather reluctantly proposed, in that company, to repeat. It was to the effect that there were three gradations of inveracity - there were lies, there were d-d lies, and there were statistics." It is quite possible that earlier examples may be found in print. There are certainly numerous earlier examples that approximate to the phrase - "a fib, a lie and statistics" (1891), "simple liars, damned liars and experts" (1885) etc. There are several other examples from the 1880s and 1890s of different wordings of what is the same thought, that is, the distrust of misleadingly interpreted statistical data. In 1885, Leonard Huxley, published The Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley, a memoir of his distinguished zoologist father. Included in this is T. H. Huxley's account of a meeting of the X Club, which was a gathering of eminent thinkers who aimed to advance the cause of science, especially Darwinism: "Talked politics, scandal, and the three classes of witnesses - liars, d-d liars, and experts.” The same idea was also current in the USA around the same date. The New Albany Daily Ledger printed this opinion in July1887: The total value of the entire agricultural crop for 1886 is given at $219,531... There is nothing lies like statistics. As more printed material from the late 19th century becomes digitally available I've little doubt that the dates above will be pushed backwards. As things stand, the earliest example of the phrase comes from Balfour in 1892.


"What book introduced ""the Thought Police""?"

Thought Police 1984 Thought Police 1984 In 1984, who are the Thought Police and what is Thoughtcrime? Asked on mrs-campbell | High School Teacher | (Level 1) Educator Emeritus Posted on February 9, 2010 at 7:37 AM In 1984, the government, or the Party, is a very controlling force in the lives of the citizens.  It puts up cameras everywhere to watch the people, and to enforce good, patriotic behavior.  So, no matter where you go, you are always being watched.  That way, if you say something negative against the Party, it is recorded, and the government comes after you.  It is wrong to say anything against the Party, to rebel, or even to not be super-enthusiastic about the Party in any way.  And, it isn't only actions and words that are punished; they attempt to punish even your rebellious thoughts. So, the Thought Police are the people hired by the government to monitor all of the screens, and to hunt down and find anyone who has committed crimes against the party.  Those crimes are speaking out, not participating in activities, appearing to not enjoy Party activities, and even thinking badly about activities.  How do they monitor thoughts?  Well, sometimes when you are sleeping, you talk in your sleep, and those words reflect your inner thoughts.  Sometimes, you might hesitate before chanting a Party ritual.  Sometimes, you might not be yelling out hatred during the set-aside Hate times during the day.  Any hesitation, any apparent lack of enthusiasm or patriotism, is considered Thoughtcrime, becuase it indicates that your thoughts are rebellious, that in your head and heart you aren't loyal to the Party.  So, the Thought Police punish you not only for blatant crimes, but subtle things too, labeled as Thoughtcrimes.  It's a pretty scary situation, and one that stresses Winston out.  He is always worried that the Thought Police are going to know that he hates the party, and come after him.  I hope that those thoughts helped; good luck! like 3 dislike 0 February 9, 2010 at 7:31 AM In this book, Thoughtcrime is just what it sounds like.  It is the crime of having incorrect thoughts.  In the case of this society, it means having basically any thoughts that are not approved.  So Winston is committing Thoughtcrime when he writes "Down With Big Brother" because that is not a thought that is permitted.  But it doesn't even take anything that overt -- you can be guilty of thoughtcrime just by talking in your sleep (if you say the wrong thing).  You can even be guilty of Thoughtcrime if you feel sexual desire. The Thoughtpolice are the people who enforce the laws against Thoughtcrime.  They listen to people's phone calls, watch them on the screens, etc. like 1 dislike 0


What is the fluid in which the human foetus grows?

Fetal Hair, Skin and Nails | What to Expect Pregnancy Soothe Nausea and Morning Sickness In the weeks after conception, your baby starts out as an embryo made up of three distinct germ layers: the endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm, all of which form at just 3 weeks gestation . It’s in the last of these “derms”  — the ectoderm  — where the vast majority of skin, hair and nails develop. Fetal skin development Skin — the body’s largest organ — first starts to emerge between week 5 and week 8 . At this point, your baby’s epidermis (i.e., skin) consists only of two layers: basal cells (the inner layer of cells) and periderm cells (the outer layer of cells). Hair begins developing immediately after skin, with initial hair buds sewing their seeds after just 8 weeks. When you’re around 9 weeks or 10 weeks pregnant, something called epidermal stratification begins, or the development of a new intermediate cell layer. This one is right in between the basal and periderm layers, and it’s where your little one’s hair follicles emerge. Over the coming weeks, more stratification occurs. By month 4 , all layers of the epidermis are developed and close to adult-quality. Fingernail and toenail development Before your baby’s hair starts to actually sprout, something exciting happens: Your baby’s fingernail and toenail beds begin to form at week 11 , with the nails themselves starting to grow at week 12 . By about 34 weeks , give or take, your little one’s itty-bitty finger- and toenails have will be just about ready for their first postpartum mani and pedi. Fetal hair development Around week 14 or week 15 , teeny tiny baby hairs start to poke through the skin at a slight angle, with the stage set for your baby’s hairline very soon. Throughout pregnancy, his or her hair actually goes through two cycles of shedding and regrowth. And a precise pattern emerges, with all follicles perfectly and evenly spaced (in fact, not a single follicle forms after birth). Eyelashes and eyebrows are looking pretty good too right around week 22 . Fun fact: Your baby-to-be’s brain is busy with a growth spurt, too, with the delicate skin on little one’s scalp stretching to accommodate her growing brain. And even before hair sprouts, this stretch results in the parietal hair whorl — that clockwise (or counterclockwise) twirl of hair on the back of your head. (More than half of all whorls are located left of the middle of the head, likely because the left side of the brain is a bit larger than the right.) Lanugo Hair growth is not limited to baby’s head. At week 14 , she’s covered with something called lanugo, a downy coating of hair to keep her warm. Alas, your baby (most likely) will not be sporting her “fur coat” upon birth: As fat accumulates on your baby’s body, it’ll take over the job of keeping her warm — which means the lanugo will shed around week 30 . Vernix caseosa Come week 19 , your baby-to-be’s still-transparent and fragile skin is covered with vernix caseosa (which roughly translates to “cheese varnish” in Latin). This greasy, white layer is made up of shed skin cells and sebaceous secretions, like oil. It protects baby’s skin from amniotic fluid — without it, at birth your little one would look even more wrinkled than she often already does after her 9-month-long acidic bath. By about week 34, baby-to-be’s protective vernix thickens up, only to be (mostly) shed of couple weeks later. At that point it combines with baby’s departing lanugo in the amniotic fluid; your baby actually swallows the mix, and it becomes the contents of her meconium (or her first poop). Skin complexion Up until the very last weeks of pregnancy, your baby has very little body fat, making her skin look transparent. But at around 32 weeks , as your baby steadily fattens up her transparent appearance takes a turn for the opaque. When she’s finally born, she’ll have a reddish-purple complexion, no matter your (or your partner’s) skin color. Her complexion will slowly change to its permanent tone once her circulatory system adjusts to out-of-womb life, a process that can take up to


The Tuareg and the Berber inhabit which desert?

Tuareg nomads of Niger: Blue Men of the Desert The Blue Men of the Desert   a legendary culture Legendary herders and caravaners of the Sahara desert, the Tuareg are among the last nomads on earth. Their ancient written language, Tifinagh (or Tamasheq), their music, dance and culture have been the subject of fascinated study and speculation by generations of explorers, archaeologists and scholars. Tifinagh is thought to have derived from the ancient Berber script. The word Tifinagh means 'the Phoenician letters," or possibly comes from the Greek word for writing tablet, pínaks. It is not taught in schools, but is still used occasionally by the Tuareg for private notes, love letters and in decoration.  "Men and women towards each other are for the eyes and the heart, and not only for the bed." Tuareg people have a long tradition of music and poetry. Many of the songs sing the praises of women. At festivals and gatherings, women clap and sing together in tende drum circles A matrilineal society, the Tuareg trace their families through women. For example, men hold political power, but when a chief dies, the title goes to his sister’s son. In each family, it is the wife who owns the portable family home. She has her own herd of goats, sheep and camels – affording her financial independence should her husband leave her through death or divorce.  At left, a Tuareg women on her way to her wedding. "Salt doesn't say it's salty." The camel is the primary mode of transportation for Tuareg men, and is a badge of joy and pride. Each year, Tuareg men engage in camel races at the annual Cure Salee (Salt Cure) festival in Ingall.  Women prefer donkeys for their transport, and children also use donkeys to fetch water.  Men are the sole creators of the famous Tuareg jewelry, while women work in straw and leather. Tuareg men cover their heads and mouths, to protect from dust and wind as well as observing respect for the power of the spoken word. Modesty in speech, manner and dress is expressed in both genders; however, women are not expected to veil themselves as the men.  "trust in Allah, but tether your camel." The Cross of Agadez is the most famous among the 21 emblems of the Tuareg - 21 different designs, each representing a specific nomadic enclave of Niger. One interpretation among many of the cross design is a representation of the Four Corners of the Earth - a metaphysical and spiritual compass for a people who are always on the move.    "Houses are the graves of the living."  These legendary desert nomads live in the most severe of environments, yet their love of the desert and the freedom they find there is core to their identity. Many are finding it a challenge to adjust to a more sedentary lifestyle as they lose pastureland to farming and herds to increasing drought. Often, men must live in "exod," migrating to difficult lives on the outskirts of cities such as Agadez and Niamey.    Tuareg men participating in camel racing at the annual Cure Salee festival.     An ancient silversmith tradition The Tuareg are famous for their stunning silver jewelry, hand etched in traditional designs. Often using silver melted down from vintage coins, Kel Inaden (as the blacksmiths are referred to) was traditionally a calling you are orn into - and jewelry making a distict profession for men only.   OWN A PIECE OF TUAREG ARTISTRY - SHOP OUR NOMADIC MARKETPLACE Our Work


Gregory Peck played attorney Sam Bowden in what 1962 film?

Cape Fear | film by Thompson [1962] | Britannica.com film by Thompson [1962] Cape Fear, American thriller film , released in 1962, that was a suspenseful tale of revenge, especially noted for Robert Mitchum ’s chilling performance. Gregory Peck (foreground) and Robert Mitchum in Cape Fear (1962), directed … © 1962 Universal Pictures Company, Inc. Gregory Peck portrayed Sam Bowden, a defense attorney who, along with his family, is terrorized by a man he once prosecuted and sent to jail, the sadistic ex-convict Max Cady (played by Mitchum). Bowden and Cady match wits throughout the film before their final showdown on an isolated houseboat in Cape Fear, North Carolina . Cape Fear, which was directed by J. Lee Thompson , features a number of elements associated with Alfred Hitchcock ’s movies: unusual lighting angles and close-ups, eerie music, and scenes in which violence is hinted at instead of graphically portrayed. The sexual menace at the heart of Mitchum’s character, especially the threat of raping a minor—at one point Cady says, “I got somethin’ planned for your wife and kid they ain’t never gonna forget”—was daring to depict in its day, leading to problems with censors and the removal of the word rape from the script. The film was remade in 1991 by Martin Scorsese with Robert De Niro and Nick Nolte as Cady and Bowden, respectively. The remake also featured cameos by original cast members Peck, Mitchum, and Martin Balsam . Scorsese retained the chilling original score by Academy Award -winning composer Bernard Herrmann , whose many credits include scores for Citizen Kane (1941), Vertigo (1958), Psycho (1960), and Taxi Driver (1976). Production notes and credits


Which country, between 1964 and 1973, became the most bombed country in the world?

Laos: The World’s Most Bombed Country | Oxfam Australia Laos: the world’s most bombed country Laos: the world’s most bombed country Rights in crisis article written on the 18 Nov 2010 By Anna MacDonald Oxfam International, Head of Control Arms Campaign Laskamy – age 17 – lost his right eye, right hand, and 3 fingers when he unknowingly picked up a live cluster munition. Its not every day you get on a small plane with a Princess and several Government Ministers. But early yesterday morning I found myself doing just that. I boarded a small plane at Lao’s Vientiane airport, with Princess Astrid of Belgium, Ministers from New Zealand, Luxembourg, Norway and Zambia, and fellow Cluster Munition Coalition campaigners. The 30 minute flight took us to Xieng Khuang province, in the north of the country, for a VIP field trip to see the reality of cluster munitions in the world’s most bombed country. We are all here for the First Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions – which basically means the first annual meeting since the cluster bomb treaty was agreed. It’s a very relevant location, as more than 2 million tons of bombs were dropped on Laos during America’s “secret war” between 1964 and 1973. At least 30% failed to detonate, and decades later, up to 80 million cluster bomblets lie undetonated across the country. Stepping off the plane at Xieng Khuang province we were in a very rural area. Fields with water buffalos and rice paddies abound, and the hilly countryside is criss-crossed with farmer’s fields and small traditional wooden houses. It’s a gentle, peaceful setting that belies the deadly war-time legacy which is all around – 100% of villages here have UXO (unexploded ordenance) in their fields and surroundings. The clearance operations are well organised, professional and painstakingly slow. We visited Ban Tontai village, where the day before, the well-organised men and women in the clearance teams from UXO Lao had swept their metal detectors across the field, gently digging down each time they had a beep, like an archaeologist might excavate a valuable historic site. Except that instead of an ancient artefact, clearance operatives risk their lives uncovering deadly bomblets or “bombies”. We walked around a field where the ground was literally littered with small holes and flags, marking the dangerous bomblets buried inches beneath the surface. There must have been 50 munitions scattered across a field the size of a basketball court. A detonator is placed next to each munition as they are too dangerous to move. BLU 24 is one of the most common cluster bomblets in Laos, and there were at least 20 of these amongst mortars, shells and other unexploded ordnance in the field. At a safe distance the clearance team manager did the safety checks – she radioed allocated “sentries” around the village, to make sure no villager was anywhere near. Then Princess Astrid of Belgium and the Ministers from New Zealand and Luxembourg had the dubious honorary task of detonating the explosions. Even when you’re expecting it, the “boom” is a shock, like a massive firework going off withplumes of black smoke curling up in the sky. In Laos there are lots and lots of cluster bomb survivors. Many organisations including Oxfam run training in safe agricultural practices (like how to dig gently in a way that won’t trigger a bomblet if a spade hits it), and there are awareness raising programmes in villages, especially to train children of the dangers, so they understand not to pick up the strange metallic tennis-ball sized objects they might find when playing. But its going to take many decades to rid Laos of its deadly war-time legacy. The Convention on Cluster Munitions is a fantastic achievement, you can feel the pride in our Lao colleagues almost bursting out of them – this international conference is a massive deal for a highly impoverished and often very marginalised country to run. And run it well they have. An outcome document which set out an ambitious vision for implementing the Treaty, and increasing the number o


The Australian species of what bird has the longest beak in the world?

Pelican Species of the World: Australian Pelican with the Longest Beak of any Bird in the World P. philippensis Southeast Asia In the United States the Brown Pelican along with the American White Pelican is protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 . *Listed on the IUCN Redlist of Threatened Species both species having a signficant downward drop in breeding pairs (recent counts show only 250-400 pairs remain) and under special effort “recovery programs” to try to reestablish healthy colonies. As always, we hope you enjoyed this article featured as part of TigerHomes Sanctuary's continuing Educational Series . We also hope you will take this opportunity to visit our world renowned Animal Cams . You are invited to take your own snapshots and enter your pictures into our Viewer Gallery Contest for a chance to win monthly prizes! The SANCTUARY is a permanent home to Rare White Tigers , Golden Tigers , Bengal Tigers , Siberian Tigers , African Lions and Lemurs . Our residents are quite the characters and simply amazing to watch in their natural habitats. It is our Mission to preserve and protect these many Endangered Species. You can help save Endangered Species right now by visiting our Gift Shop .   Many animals of the Everglades can be seen first-hand in our TigerHomes Educational DVD Series , Florida's Wild Future.  Become a proud Sponsor ! Please help us by sponsoring the animals & our work. TigerHomes Sanctuary welcomes and needs your support!  More on Florida Everglades:


On a roulette wheel, what colour is the number 5?

ROULETTE WHEEL | Colors | Numbers | Layout | Sequence Roulette W heel 's The European roulette wheel  is the same as the French roulette wheel The European roulette wheel is the most played game of online roulette games because of its lower house edge (2.7%). European / French Roulette Wheel shown. The French roulette wheel is a contrasting theme of reds and blacks, broken by a single green slot. There are 37 numbered compartments from 0 to 36, though no ordered numerical sequence is adopted, there is a correlation between the color and whether a number is odd or even. As there are '8 RED EVEN' and '10 RED ODD' and in comparison '8 BLACK ODD' and '10 BLACK EVEN' roulette wheel/table numbers. French and European roulette wheels have only one green coloured slot, the zero number. Each number changes color repeatedly between the roulette signature colors of red and black. American roulette wheel The American roulette wheel has an extra green compartment for a double zero '00' number. Shown in the picture below. Double Zero '00' the extra compartment added to the American roulette wheel, diagonally opposes the single zero '0'. But the extra double zero isn't the only modification made. The American roulette wheels number sequence in comparison to the European/French wheel, is completely different too. Though each numbers color hasn't changed i.e. black 22 is still black 22 in both wheel types. The frenetic randomness of the French wheel sequence is less so in the American wheel with regards to diagonally opposing numbers bearing some relation to each other like 1 and 2  oppose each other, the pattern continues up to 35 opposing 36 possibly done this way as the zero and double zero face one another to bring about a pleasing symmetry when in designing the American roulette wheel.   with the Best Chance   The Roulette Wheel with the single  green slot marked as a [0], is of the European and French Roulette wheel  games. Compare this to the American Roulette Wheel which has one more green  slot on the wheel marked as a [00] and you can see that your chances of  winning are reduced by this additional green slot.   The Casino has nearly a 3 percent  advantage over the player with the Roulette Wheel pictured on the left and  just over a 5 percent advantage with the American Roulette Wheel. Playing  online you have the choice of both wheels.


Which religion is most associated with kosher food?

Why is Kosher Food So Attractive… and Profitable? – Sam Mollaei, Esq. – Medium Online entrepreneur, writer, and business lawyer for entrepreneurs @ MollaeiLaw.com | Contact me: sam@mollaeilaw.com Feb 19, 2016 Why is Kosher Food So Attractive… and Profitable? The religious procedure most universally associated with Judaism is the intricate dietary laws many Jews observe — kosher. Over the past twenty-five years, the demand for kosher certified products has increased dramatically. [1] As of 2014, more than 40% of the United State’s new packaged food and beverage products are labeled as kosher. Further, there are approximately 12 million kosher consumers in the United States. [2] At any given time, 21% of Americans either regularly or occasionally purchase kosher products because they are kosher. [3] The number of kosher products in U.S. supermarkets exceeds 125,000. [4] The value of the U.S. kosher market is also very significant- the dollar value of kosher market exceeds $12 billion dollars while enjoying an annual growth of approximately 15%. [5] In comparison, non-kosher food sales in American supermarkets are growing at approximately 4% a year. [6] In order to meet this demand, companies are pursuing kosher certification in order to magnify their existing market and improve sales strategies. A certificate assuring kosher can now be found on hundreds of thousands of processed foods including restaurants, airlines, hotels, and caterings throughout the world. Non-Jewish Consumers An increasing number of non-Jewish consumers also purchase kosher food today because they perceive it as better quality and healthier. [7] Because the Food and Drug Administration has many issues dealing with stereoids and drugs, many consumers believe that current food standards do not adequately supervise the food market as they should. For many kosher food consumers, the kosher designation serves as a check. Kosher designation means that a rabbi has been to the food processor’s company and has inspected the equipment. This leads many consumers to determine that the product is going to be more clean and healthier. Business Motivation Behind Kosher Business motivation is the primary reason for the increased number of kosher certified products and food processors seeking kosher certification. Rabbi Hillel Klavan, chairman of the Rabbinical Council of Greater Washinton, explains that, “very few of these establishments are in it for the love of religion. It’s a marketing system, a profit-making endeavor.” [8] Many food processors try to separate themselves from the rest of the kosher food market by attaching their own kosher seal of approval. For example, Rabbi Menachem Genack’s seal of approval, a circle with a U inside, is the best known and most widely used kosher food symbol. [9] Many companies have benefited from placing kosher designations on their packaging. For example, a study done by Dannon Yogurt Company showed Empire Kosher Poultry Inc.’s sales jumped 14% to $7 million by entering their frozen pizzas and prepackaged luncheon meats into the kosher food market. [10] It does not cost much to be labeled as “kosher” and the labeling may bring higher sales. “With companies very aggressive in terms of trying to gain market share, even the smallest edge… is significant.” [11] Regulation of Kosher Labeling It was exactly this profit-seeking incentive that encouraged the State of New York to enact legislation in 1915 regulating the sale of kosher food products. [12] In the late nineteenth century, profiteers were passing off non-kosher food as kosher. [13] The State of New York wanted to prevent such misleading and fraudulent practices in order to protect the consumer by regulating the market. A number of states followed New York, adopting kosher food laws modeled after the New York Statute. [14] Since the enactments of these legislations, there have been many various constitutional challenges to these kosher food laws based on the Equal Protection, Due Process, vagueness, and First Amendment grounds. [15] Until the New Jersey Supreme Court case


The Pilton Festival that started in 1970 and is held annually is now called what?

A History of Music Festivals - by POPSUGAR 2 Comments shares Where did Woodstock come from and how did Austin City Limits come about? Find out the origins of your favorite festivals. From Woodstock to Austin City Limits, POPSUGAR brings us the history of music festivals . These festivals have made history, marked time, and brought the best acts in the world to our stages. Music festivals are nothing new, but the popularity of events like Coachella and Bonnaroo has grown even larger in recent years. The alternative, counterculture spirit of festivals has evolved into more mainstream, all-encompassing events. And although 1969’s Woodstock may be the most talked-about music festival in history, it wasn’t the first of its kind. Pinpointing the origins of these events depends largely on your definition of “music festival,” but we’re taking a look at some of the most popular, history-making festivals from the past century. Just in time for Coachella, take a look at this brief timeline of music festivals through the years. The Newport Jazz Festival In 1954, the  Newport Jazz Festival  in Newport, RI, marked America’s first annual jazz festival. That year, the event brought more than 11,000 people to the East Coast resort town for a mix of academic panels and live performances. Over the years, iconic acts like Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Miles Davis hit the stage, and although the festival moved to New York for a five-year span in the ’70s, it returned to Rhode Island in 1981 where it still takes place each year. The Newport Folk Festival Founded by George Wein, the same man behind the jazz version, the  Newport Folk Festival  is known for bringing major folk stars like Joan Baez and Bob Dylan into the national spotlight. Commonly linked to the Blues Revival of the 1960s, the festival featured Johnny Cash and Howlin’ Wolf during that decade, then added reggae, rock, and indie artists in the ’80s and ’90s. The Monterey International Pop Festival The 1967  Monterey International Pop Festival  is known as the first-ever major rock festival. Held at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, CA, the three-day event was planned in just six weeks. Hoping to create a lineup with a variety of genres from eras past, present, and future, the Board of Governors — which included music icons like Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney — agreed that all acts would be treated the same, with first-class travel and accommodations. The festival featured some of the biggest names in the industry: Otis Redding, The Who, Simon & Garfunkel, The Mamas and the Papas, The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix, who famously set his guitar on fire while playing “Wild Thing.” Woodstock Held on a dairy farm in Bethel, NY, 1969’s Woodstock Festival was called “An Aquarian Exposition.” The three-day event featured 32 acts including The Grateful Dead, Canned Heat, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin. Although organizers planned for around 50,000 people, around 200,000 tickets were sold and when over 500,000 people showed up, they were forced to remove the fence and turn it into a free concert. As the most famous festival of all time, it’s left a legacy that captures the free-love spirit of the decade. A 1970 documentary called Woodstockcaptured the epic concert weekend and revival festivals took place in ’79, ’89, ’94, ’99, and 2009. That same year, 40 years after the original festival, Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstockbrought a comic spin to the event. Isle of Wight Festival Located on the Isle of Wight in England, the original festival took place in 1968. The event grew rapidly in the following years, featuring big-name performers like Bob Dylan, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Chicago, The Doors, and Joni Mitchell. After the popular 1970 festival, though, Parliament passed an act that required a license for gatherings of more than 5,000 people. In 2002, the festival returned — this time at Newport’s Seaclose Park — and in the past decade, it’s brought artists like David Bowie, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, and Coldplay to the stage. Gl


BBC - Religions - Buddhism: Dalai Lama Dalai Lama Last updated 2006-09-21 The institution of the Dalai Lama is a relatively recent one. There have been only 14 Dalai Lamas in the history of Buddhism. On this page The rôle of the Dalai Lama Potala Palace, the Dalai Lama's residence until 1959 The Dalai Lama is the head monk of Tibetan Buddhism and traditionally has been responsible for the governing of Tibet, until the Chinese government took control in 1959. Before 1959, his official residence was Potala Palace in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. The Dalai Lama belongs to the Gelugpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, which is the largest and most influential tradition in Tibet. The institution of the Dalai Lama is a relatively recent one. There have been only 14 Dalai Lamas in the history of Buddhism, and the first and second Dalai Lamas were given the title posthumously. According to Buddhist belief, the current Dalai Lama is a reincarnation of a past lama who decided to be reborn again to continue his important work, instead of moving on from the wheel of life. A person who decides to be continually reborn is known as tulku. Buddhists believe that the first tulku in this reincarnation was Gedun Drub, who lived from 1391-1474 and the second was Gendun Gyatso. However, the name Dalai Lama, meaning Ocean of Wisdom, was not conferred until the third reincarnation in the form of Sonam Gyatso in 1578. The current Dalai Lama is Tenzin Gyatso. Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama, as a child © Choosing a Dalai Lama After the death of a Dalai Lama it has traditionally been the responsibility of the High Lamas of the Gelugpa Tradition and the Tibetan government to find his reincarnation. The High Lamas search for a boy who was born around the same time as the death of the Dalai Lama. It can take around two or three years to identify the Dalai Lama, and for the current, 14th Dalai Lama, it was four years before he was found. There are several ways in which the High Lamas might find out where the next reincarnation will be found. Dream One of the High Lamas may dream about some mark or location that will identify the boy. Smoke If the previous Dalai Lama was cremated, High Lamas will watch the direction of the smoke and search accordingly. Oracle Lake High Lamas go to a holy lake, called Lhamo Lhatso, in central Tibet and watch for a sign from the lake itself. This may be either a vision or some indication of the direction in which to search.The home and village of Tenzin Gyatso was identified in a vision from this lake. Once the High Lamas have located the home and the boy, they present a number of artefacts which they have brought with them in preparation, to the child. Amongst these artefacts are a number of items that belonged to the deceased Dalai Lama. If the boy chooses the items that belonged to the previous Dalai Lama, this is seen as a sign, in conjunction with all of the other indications, that the boy is a reincarnation. This procedure, however, as Tenzin Gyatso has said himself, is not set in stone; if two thirds of the Tibetan people wish to change the method of identifying the next reincarnation, this would be just as valid. The search for the Dalai Lama has usually been limited to Tibet, although the third tulku was born in Mongolia. However, as Tibet has been taken by the Chinese government, Tenzin Gyatso says that if he is reborn it will not be in a country run by the People's Republic of China, or any other country which is not free. In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions Interestingly, Tenzin Gyatso has also expressed doubts over whether he will be reborn at all, suggesting the function of the Dalai Lama may be over. However, until Tibet is reunited with its spiritual leader, it seems likely that there will continue to be a Dalai Lama. Top Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso is the fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibetan Buddhism. He was born in 1935 and recognised as the reincarnation of Thubten Gyatso at a young age. Tenzin


"The Central Criminal Court, London, which is also known as ""The Old Bailey"", stands on the site of what structure, now demolished?"

Historical Background - History of The Old Bailey Courthouse - Central Criminal Court History of The Old Bailey Courthouse London's Central Criminal Court, 1673-1913 The Old Bailey, also known as Justice Hall, the Sessions House, and the Central Criminal Court, was named after the street in which it was located, just off Newgate Street and next to Newgate Prison, in the western part of the City of London. Over the centuries the building has been periodically remodelled and rebuilt in ways which both reflected and influenced the changing ways trials were carried out and reported. Contents of this Article Introductory Reading Location The Old Bailey is located about 200 yards northwest of St Paul's Cathedral, just outside the former western wall of the City of London. It is named after the street on which it is located, which itself follows the line of the original fortified wall, or "bailey", of the City. The initial location of the courthouse close to Newgate Prison allowed prisoners to be conveniently brought to the courtroom for their trials. More generally, its position between the City of London and Westminster meant it was a suitable location for trials involving people from all over the metropolis, north of the river Thames. Introductory Reading The Courtroom Although the Old Bailey courthouse was rebuilt several times between 1674 and 1913, the basic design of the courtrooms remained the same. They were arranged so as to emphasise the contest between the accused and the rest of the court. The accused stood at “the bar” (or in “the dock”), directly facing the witness box (where prosecution and defence witnesses testified) and the judges seated on the other side of the room. Before the introduction of gas lighting in the early nineteenth century a mirrored reflector was placed above the bar, in order to reflect light from the windows onto the faces of the accused. This allowed the court to examine their facial expressions assess the validity of their testimony. In addition, a sounding board was placed over their heads in order to amplify their voices. Early in the period the jurors sat on the sides of the courtroom to both the left and the right of the accused, but from 1737 they were brought together in stalls on the defendant's right, sufficiently close together to be able to consult each other and arrive at verdicts without leaving the room. Seated at a table below where the judges sat were clerks, lawyers, and the writers who took the shorthand notes which formed the basis of the Proceedings. Introductory Reading 1673 Open Air Building The medieval courthouse was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. In 1673 the Old Bailey was rebuilt as a three storey Italianate brick building, described by John Strype in 1720 as "a fair and stately building". In front of the courthouse was the Sessions House Yard, a place where litigants, witnesses, and court personnel could gather. The area inside the wall, where prisoners awaited trial, was called the bail dock. They were separated from the street by a brick wall with spikes on top to keep them from escaping. A surprising feature was that the ground floor of the building, where the courtroom was located, was open on one side to the weather; the upper stories were held up by doric columns. A wall had been left out in order to increase the supply of fresh air to reduce the risk that prisoners suffering from gaol fever (typhus) would infect others in court. On the first floor there was a "stately dining room" for the justices. Inside the courtroom there was a bench for judges at the far end, and, on both sides, partitioned spaces for jurors and balconies for court officers and privileged observers. Other spectators crowded into the yard. The trials attracted a mixed audience of London's more and less respectable inhabitants, and it was alleged that criminals attended in order to devise strategies for defending themselves should they find themselves on trial. The crowd's presence could influence or intimidate the jurors sitting inside. Introductory Reading 1737 Refronti


Lake Titicaca is in which mountain range?

Titicaca Lake - Bolivia Travel Titicaca Lake Country news Titicaca Lake Best known as the "Sacred Lake", Lake Titikaka is the highest navigable lake in the world (3810 meters above mean sea level), and is shared between Peru and Bolivia, with a total extension of 8400 km2. It is divided in two basins: the great lake, sprinkled with islands beholders of archeological remains, which are a testament of the domain that the Aymara civilization exerted in this region. The minor lake has an exceptional landscape as the Royal Andean Mountain range can be appreciated on the northern side. The Tiwanaku civilization, one of the most representative of our country, lived around this part of the lake.  In the Island of the Sun is one of the most attractive hotels with a fantastic view of the Andes mountain range. It is the ecolodge La Estancia www.ecolodge-laketiticaca.com . In 2011 it was considered by National Geographic as one of the best hotels in Bolivia, see the NatGeo's report here .  Places of interest: Copacabana, Suriki Island, Sampaya, Island of the Sun, Island of the Moon.


What was the alliance of Eastern European nations, the counterpart of NATO, during the Cold War?

Formation of NATO and Warsaw Pact - Cold War - HISTORY.com Formation of NATO and Warsaw Pact Formation of NATO and Warsaw Pact Author Formation of NATO and Warsaw Pact URL A+E Networks Introduction In 1949, the prospect of further Communist expansion prompted the United States and 11 other Western nations to form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The Soviet Union and its affiliated Communist nations in Eastern Europe founded a rival alliance, the Warsaw Pact, in 1955. The alignment of nearly every European nation into one of the two opposing camps formalized the political division of the European continent that had taken place since World War II (1939-45). This alignment provided the framework for the military standoff that continued throughout the Cold War (1945-91). Google A Divided Europe Conflict between the Western nations (including the United States, Great Britain, France and other countries) and the Communist Eastern bloc (led by the Union of Soviet Socialists Republics or USSR) began almost as soon as the guns fell silent at the end of World War II (1939-45). The USSR oversaw the installation of pro-Soviet governments in many of the areas it had taken from the Nazis during the war. In response, the U.S. and its Western allies sought ways to prevent further expansion of Communist influence on the European continent. In 1947, U.S. leaders introduced the Marshall Plan , a diplomatic initiative that provided aid to friendly nations to help them rebuild their war-damaged infrastructures and economies. Did You Know? NATO continued its existence beyond the Cold War era and gained new member nations in Eastern Europe during the late 1990s. That development was not well received by leaders of the Russian Federation and became a source of post-Cold War tension between the East and the West. Events of the following year prompted American leaders to adopt a more militaristic stance toward the Soviets. In February 1948, a coup sponsored by the Soviet Union overthrew the democratic government of Czechoslovakia and brought that nation firmly into the Communist camp. Within a few days, U.S. leaders agreed to join discussions aimed at forming a joint security agreement with their European allies. The process gained new urgency in June of that year, when the USSR cut off ground access to Berlin, forcing the U.S., Britain and France to airlift supplies to their sectors of the German city, which had been partitioned between the Western Allies and the Soviets following World War II. NATO: The Western Nations Join Forces The discussions between the Western nations concluded on April 4, 1949, when the foreign ministers of 12 countries in North America and Western Europe gathered in Washington , D.C., to sign the North Atlantic Treaty. It was primarily a security pact, with Article 5 stating that a military attack against any of the signatories would be considered an attack against them all. When U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson (1893-1971) put his signature on the document, it reflected an important change in American foreign policy. For the first time since the 1700s, the U.S. had formally tied its security to that of nations in Europe–the continent that had served as the flash point for both world wars. The original membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) consisted of Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and the United States. NATO formed the backbone of the West’s military bulwark against the USSR and its allies for the next 40 years, with its membership growing larger over the course of the Cold War era. Greece and Turkey were admitted in 1952, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) in 1955 and Spain in 1982. Unhappy with its role in the organization, France opted to withdraw from military participation in NATO in 1966 and did not return until 1995. Warsaw Pact: The Communist Alliance The formation of the Warsaw Pact was in some ways a response to the creation of NATO, although it did not occur until six years after the