What is the second largest castle in England and Wales ?

Famous Castles in Wales | Famous Medieval Castles in England, Scotland and Wales | Planning a Trip to Wales Castles of Wales Wales is home to some of the United Kingdom's most well-known castles,  which were mainly built by the English to control the Welsh, who proved very  capable at thwarting the English lords. Wales is a unique and scenic  region that has much to offer and is a great place for a vacation.  For more  information, see our Guide to the Best Places to Visit in Wales .  Caerphilly Castle     Located in the town of Caerphilly, Wales  and surrounded by purpose built, defensive lakes, Caerphilly Castle  dates from the 13th century.  It was the first concentric castle in Britain (defensive walls surrounded by defensive walls) and is considered one the greatest medieval castles in the world. In addition, it is one of the largest castles in  Great Britain and was built to defend southern Wales (Glamorgan) from Welsh  nationalists.  It is thought that the design of this castle  inspired Edward 1 to adapt many facets  of its construction to the  castles he would build to conquer and control Wales.  For information on  visiting see this site from the Caerphilly County Borough Council Caernarfon Castle Caernarfon  Castle (13th century) is regarded as the most impressive of the castles  built by Edward I. In addition to its role in the defensive strategy of the  English, historians  believe that its massive style was purposeful and designed to convince the  Welsh  of Edwardï¿½s  determination to establish the English dominance over Wales. While  Caernarfon may not have met the latter goal, it is one of the most inspiring  of the castles in Wales.   In  addition, Caernarfon is  famous for its ornamentation.  It was built  with an unusual number of towers and its curtain walls include alternating rows of  different colored stones.  In 1969, Caernarfon served as the location for the  investiture of Charles, Prince of Wales.  See the Castle's official  website for more information on visiting. Conwy Castle Castle Conwy was sited to overlook the River Conwy and control its  traffic both for supply and defensive purposes.  The castle, built in  the late 13th century for Edward I as part of his plan to subjugate the  Welsh, is known for its eight massive towers and a location that was both  strategic and easy to defend.  Size, however was a constraint and Conwy  was built without concentric walls.  However, its eight turrets allowed  full visibility of the surrounding area. The construction effort at Conwy also included a town that is considered  one of the premier examples of medieval fortified towns.  Castle Conwy,  along with the castles of  Caernarfon, Harlech and Beaumaris were the four largest and most  expensive of Edward I's castle building efforts in Wales. For details on visiting, see this official site.                 Beaumaris Castle Beaumaris  Castle was the last and largest of the string of castles built by Edward I.  The fortress  was built to guard the eastern end of Menai strait, a body of water that  separates Angelsey from mainland Wales.  Many regard Beaumaris as the most  beautiful of Edward's castles in Wales.  Its moat has been partially  restored and its walls remain in good shape, although the castle was never  finished due to a lack of funds and changing strategies.  Beaumaris  Castle has a concentric design and was constructed to allow direct supply by  boat.  See this official site   for more details on visiting    Harlech Castle Harlech  Castle (close to the town of Harlech) is sited in an attractive location on  the shore of Cardigan Bay. A harbor was dug to supply the castle by sea (late 13th century), enhancing its strong  defensive characteristics.  Harlech Castle, which is small and compact  is another of Edward I's "Ring  of Iron" surrounding Wales.    Harlech is known for its powerful gatehouse that  included a number of defensive options for punishing uninvited guests.  Your entry to the castle  will be through the gatehouse, so take a


Alphabetically speaking, which British prime minister of the 20th century would come first ?

BBC NEWS | UK | Politics | Churchill 'greatest PM of 20th Century' Tuesday, 4 January, 2000, 15:23 GMT Churchill 'greatest PM of 20th Century' Sir Winston Churchill: World War II leader topped the poll Wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill was the greatest prime minister of the 20th Century, according to a BBC survey. The Conservative, whose leadership and speeches inspired the UK through the Second World War, beat the last Liberal prime minister David Lloyd George into second place. The results in full 2. David Lloyd George (Lib) 3. Clement Attlee (Lab) 7. Marquess of Salisbury (Con) 8. Stanley Baldwin (Con) 9. Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman (Lib) 10. Harold Wilson (Lab) 13. Andrew Bonar Law (Con) 14. Ramsey MacDonald (Lab) 15. Sir Alec Douglas-Home (Con) 16. Arthur Balfour (Con) 19. Sir Anthony Eden (Con) Churchill's successor, Labour's Clement Attlee, was voted third greatest. Twenty prominent historians, politicians and commentators were asked by BBC Radio 4's The Westminster Hour to rank the 19 prime ministers from Lord Salisbury at the turn of the century through to John Major in the 1990s. Britain's current leader Tony Blair was not included because his spell in Downing Street is not complete. The programme announcing the results of the poll was being broadcast on Boxing Day on Radio 4. Andrew Rawnsley was asking five of the "voters" to have their say - political heavyweights Roy Jenkins, Barbara Castle and Kenneth Baker; and the historians Professor Ben Pimlott and Andrew Roberts. Winston Churchill led Britain during the Second World War after returning from the political wilderness. He lost the first election after the war but returned as a peacetime prime minister in the fifties. David Lloyd George took over as PM at the height of the First World War, replacing another contender, Herbert Henry Asquith. He was voted fourth in the list while free market champion and union law reformer Margaret Thatcher was fifth Her successor, John Major, whose premiership was blighted by Tory infighting over Europe, fared badly, rated 17th out of 19. Only Neville Chamberlain (18th) and Sir Anthony Eden (19th) did worse. Who do you think was the greatest? Send us your views using the form below. Here is what you have said so far. The best 20th Century Prime Minister is Clement Attlee for the foundation of the welfare state, still a model of welfare worth preserving. The previous Liberal model proved woefully inadequate as Beveridge found, and the free market left to it's own devices will provide neither security nor choice for the majority. This was evident to the Liberals almost a century ago. Margaret Thatcher is unquestionably the worst 20th Century Prime Minister. Not just for her appalling record in government - the massive wealth distribution from poor to rich, the battering of workplace rights, the attacks on health and welfare provision etc. - but more insidiously for her poisonous political legacy. Thatcher has so mesmerised Labour that they see no alternative to actively supporting such disasterous Thatcherite measures as the privatisation of the health service through Public Private Partnerships, the impoverishment of pensioners and the preservation of massive and increasing inequality! The result being that we will continue to pay a heavy price for Thatcher for many years to come. Keith MacAskill, UK Two of the rankings excite particular surprise: the high placing of Herbert Asquith and the relatively low placing of Margaret Thatcher. Mr Asquith's overall record should not, I think, justify him being placed in the top ten, let alone the top five. Many of the 'reforms' which occured during his Administration were the work of men other than him. If Mr Asquith is ranked too highly, then, Mrs Thatcher is, surely, ranked too low. Whatever one's personal views about Mrs Thatcher, her impact - both politically and otherwise - on the life of the nation was, and continues to be, profound, much more so than any of the other Prime Ministers of the century, including Mr Churchill during his 1955-55 occupation of the Premie


Thick footballers ? Which Liverpol footballer is currently halfway through a Maths degree course with the Open University ?

Liverpool defender Glen Johnson reveals he is studying for maths degree in his downtime from playing - Telegraph Liverpool defender Glen Johnson reveals he is studying for maths degree in his downtime from playing For two hours a day Glen Johnson opens his textbooks and continues his studies. Head screwed on: Liverpool defender Glen Johnson (left) is studying for a maths degeree in his spare time Photo: GETTY IMAGES Follow “I’m doing a mathematics degree,” he says. “I was good at maths at school but I didn’t really think of anything else but football.” As he talks he rubs his left wrist. Above it is a tattoo. “Tell me I can’t and I will show you I can,” it reads. “It was a spur of the moment thing,” he said, shrugging, of the tattoo. “My teachers at school used to say ‘you ain’t going to do anything, you ain’t going to achieve anything’. So I was thinking ‘I’ll show you’. “Now the last thing they’d be expecting me to do is a maths degree but then until they saw me become a footballer they thought I couldn’t do that either. "I’m a firm believer that anyone can do anything if they put their minds to it. If you get the opportunity take it – more importantly you have to want to take it.” Related Articles Giggs: Liverpool is the big derby 06 Dec 2012 Johnson is now slightly embarrassed at the angry tone of the tattoo because he’s far from angry. Another tattoo – “everything happens for a reason” – means more to him. “I always try and be positive and challenge myself to the limit.” The Liverpool and England defender is halfway through the second year of his Open University degree, having passed his first year. “I love the planning and problem solving, equations, working out, for example, how much fuel a plane needs,” Johnson, whose other passions include Formula One and MotoGP — he might one day get involved in the sports — says. “They have tutorials at the weekend. But, of course, I’m busy at the weekends.” Johnson does a nice line in humour. At times both self-deprecating and forthright, he is an engaging interviewee and readily offers up his thoughts on what it is like to be a Premier League defender and the criticism he has had, his friendship with Luis Suárez, the social network site Twitter, Chelsea – where he became the first signing of the Roman Abramovich era – Brendan Rodgers and Jose Mourinho. It helps that Johnson, now 28, is in the form of his life. Suárez has grabbed the goals and the headlines but inside Anfield the consensus is that, so far, Johnson is probably the player of the season. Now into his fourth campaign at the club, life at Liverpool is good. There is, Johnson says, a real sense of “direction”, of “foundations being put in place to get back to the top” under Rodgers even if he is, astonishingly, the fourth manager he has worked under in just over three years. Johnson has great belief in him — helped by the fact the two were “friends” from their time at Chelsea together where Rodgers was reserve team coach. “Coley [Joe Cole] knew him as well and I remember him saying that Brendan would be a Premier League manager one day,” Johnson says. “And I could definitely see that.” Nevertheless, Liverpool lie in the bottom half in the Premier League table, a position Johnson can barely believe. “If you got points for performances then we’d probably be top of the league. With a killer instinct we’d have 12, 15 more points.” Suárez provides some of that killer instinct. Johnson is close to the Uruguayan and fiercely defended him in the Patrice Evra race row. And does so now as he discusses the power of Twitter, which he is on — so that he can “get my point across”. “All I put on there was that I work with him every day and he’s one of the best lads I get on with that this club and there’s no way he’s a racist,” Johnson says. “I can speak a bit of Spanish and there are cultural differences. I supported him on Twitter and I’ve supported him every time I’ve spoken about it. It wasn’t good for Luis, his family or, of course, for Patrice Evra. So it’s good it’s over now.” Although he has not been through anything like


Much in the news at budget time,exactly what body is known by the acronym IFS ?

Budget Resolutions and Economic Situation - Hansard Online Hansard Online Debate resumed (Order, 8 July). Question again proposed, That— (1) It is expedient to amend the law with respect to the National Debt and the public revenue and to make further provision in connection with finance. (2) This Resolution does not extend to the making of any amendment with respect to value added tax so as to provide— (a) for zero-rating or exempting a supply, acquisition or importation; (b) for refunding an amount of tax; (c) for any relief, other than a relief that— (i) so far as it is applicable to goods, applies to goods of every description, and (ii) so far as it is applicable to services, applies to services of every description. 11.29 am  Share this contribution Good morning, Madam Deputy Speaker. When one cuts through the rhetoric and the headlines that the Chancellor spun, one sees that yesterday’s Budget leaves working people worse off. It is the working families of Britain on low incomes, trying their hardest to do the right thing, who will pay the price for the gap between what the Chancellor said and the truth of what his Budget actually means. The Office for Budget Responsibility has flatly contradicted the right hon. Gentleman’s claim to have lowered taxes, pointing out on the first page of its analysis that tax increases are twice as big any tax cuts over the course of this Parliament. It is a Budget that is entirely concerned with chasing headlines to further the Chancellor’s well known political ambitions, rather than putting the working people of Britain first. Pulling the rug from under people on low incomes with a hefty work penalty in the tax credits system— 3.3 million working families will lose out from these changes, with 500,000 families losing tax credits entirely—despite Tory denials before the election, will hurt those in work.    Share this contribution I did not realise that the hon. Lady was a conduit for the former Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer. I will certainly look closely at what he said, but I did not hear him say those words this morning. I want to ask Ministers about the work penalty that they have introduced into the tax credits system. Did they know before the election that they were going to hit those who needed tax credits to make work pay, or was it deliberately hidden from public view because of the shock that such a cut to incomes would create? This was a Budget that exposed the Chancellor’s skewed priorities—a Budget that failed to build the more productive economy that we need, that ducked long-term decisions on vital infrastructure projects, and that sought to substitute spin for the support people need to go to work.    Share this contribution I will give way to the very eager Conservative Members in a moment, but I want to make a little progress. We do recognise that sensible savings are needed to get the deficit down, and we will support measures that tackle tax avoidance and control overall household benefit levels. We regret that the Budget fails to address the overpayments and errors in welfare expenditure, which have ballooned in recent years during the welfare Secretary’s time in office, let alone his lamentable record on delivering the mythical universal credit, for which so many people are still waiting. As my right hon. and learned Friend the acting Leader of the Opposition said yesterday, we will be a responsible Opposition; we will not oppose for opposition’s sake, and we welcome a number of the Budget measures.    Share this contribution I have not used those words. The hon. Gentleman is reporting words that have apparently been said. I believe it is important that the Opposition today look at the spin and the headlines that the Chancellor created in his Budget yesterday. Less than 24 hours later, the Budget is beginning to unravel—[Interruption.] Have I said something wrong? The Budget is beginning to unravel and I will explain why, but in the spirit of magnanimity I want to explain that there are Budget measures that we welcome. The Budget fails to address the long-te


"What Japanese dish is described as ""beef and vegetables in soy sauce"" ?"

Japanese Beef and Vegetable Stew recipe | Epicurious.com Special equipment : a deep 12-inch heavy skillet (3 1/2-quart capacity) Advertisements Preparation Wrap beef tenderloin in plastic wrap and freeze until firm but not frozen solid, about 45 minutes. Discard plastic wrap, then slice beef across the grain with a sharp knife into very thin slices (less than 1/8 inch thick). Arrange slices in 1 layer on a plate and chill, covered, until ready to use. Cover noodles with cold water by 2 inches in a large bowl and let stand until softened, at least 15 minutes, then drain in a colander and transfer to a bowl. Quarter cabbage lengthwise and reserve three quarters for another use. Cook remaining cabbage wedge (including core) in a large pot of boiling unsalted water, covered, 3 minutes, then drain in colander and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Squeeze out any excess liquid with your hands, then pat dry. Transfer cabbage to a cutting board and cut out and discard core, keeping cabbage wedge intact. Cut cabbage crosswise into 2-inch pieces, keeping leaves stacked, and transfer to a plate, blotting any excess liquid. Cut tofu into 8 (1/2-inch-thick) slices and pat dry between several layers of paper towels. Trim spongy root ends from enoki mushrooms. Stir together water, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Cook beef suet in skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until skillet bottom is coated well with fat, about 3 minutes, then discard solids with a slotted spoon. Add negi and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add soy sauce mixture, then arrange noodles evenly on top. Arrange cabbage, tofu, and shiitake mushrooms on top of noodles. Divide enoki into small clusters and tuck in and around vegetables, leaving cap ends protruding. Arrange greens evenly on top and bring liquid just to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and gently simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Remove from heat and arrange raw beef slices in 1 layer on top of greens (some slices will overlap), then cover again. Let stand off heat until meat is cooked rare to medium-rare, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve sukiyaki in shallow bowls. If desired, beat eggs (1 per guest) in separate small bowls to serve as a dipping sauce. Cooks' notes: ·In place of the sliced tenderloin, you can use beef cut for shabu-shabu (paper-thin slices of meat available in Asian markets). ·If used, the eggs in this recipe will not be cooked, which may be of concern if salmonella is a problem in your area. Related Video


Which Welsh town is near to the old Roman fort of Segontium ?

Segontium Roman Fort, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales | The Journal Of Antiquities The Journal Of Antiquities Ancient Sites In Great Britain & Southern Ireland Segontium Roman Fort, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales by sunbright57 Segontium Roman Fort(Barrack Blocks) by Alan Fryer (Wikipedia)     OS grid reference: SH 4854 6243. The fort of Segontium lies in a well-defended position at the tip of a ridge between the rivers Seiont and Cadnant, some 150 feet above sea-level, commanding wide views of the surrounding area. Today the remains of the Roman fort look down over Caernarfon Castle.  The fort lies on the A4085 road to Beddgelert on the outskirts of Caernarfon.  The name ‘Sego’ is Celtic for ‘strong’, while the Roman name Segontium means ‘forceful river’; the name may, therefore, have links with the names of the two rivers, Seiont and Cadnant. Segontium Roman fort was built in AD 77-78.     The fort has had an interesting 20th Century history. The site was saved from builders in 1913, excavated by (Sir) Mortimer Wheeler from 1920-23, purchased by a John Robert’s of Caernarfon who was responsible for erecting the museum, and in 1937 willed by him to the National Trust who in 1958 placed it in the guardianship of Ministry of Public Buildings and Works, who also bought the vicarage area of the site to the south – with a view to further excavation. The SE section was subsequently excavated during the year’s 1975 to 1979. Responsibility for the site now lies with CADW the Historic Environment Service of the Welsh Government. The Museum seems to be managed by a local trust Segontium Cyf. There are references on-line to visitors finding it closed. A Guidebook can be bought at other CADW sites including Caernarfon Castle. Plan of Segontium Roman Fort (after Collingwood, 1930)     Segontium fort faces south-east. In shape it is an imperfect rectangle with rounded corners 550 ft by 470 ft with four gateways. The buildings within are of a standard pattern with some exceptions and closely packed though a clear space (intervallum) which runs around the foot of the rampart separating the buildings from the wall. The buildings are arranged in three lateral blocks with the administrative buildings in the centre. Like other forts of its date the defences were originally of earth and timber as would have been the buildings. Coins relating to the reign of Edward I show the fort was used as a quarry for the building of Caernarfon Castle. A Roman Road connected Segontium with the legionary fortress at Chester (Deva).     There are several elements to the visible remains: A wall with backing mound (the original rampart), counterforts on the interior face of the wall, corner turrets, and three gateways – the fourth at the SE having been lost during the laying of the A4085 which crosses the site. The wall dates from about AD 150 and is about 4’ thick at the base. The wall would originally have had a parapet standing in total about 18 feet high. Evidence of the original holes for scaffolding is still visible. The so-called ‘counter forts’ in base of the wall probably allowed access to the parapet via steps or ladders. Some of the turrets are, or would have been solid to carry the weight of a heavy ballista, a spring mechanism to discharge stone balls. The gateways would have been arched to carry the weight of the gatehouse. The gatehouses structure changed over the centuries as threats and needs varied.     The internal buildings are of various dates though none earlier than 150 AD. Most show a rebuilding phase in the 4th century AD. Segontium Roman Fort (The Principia) by JThomas (Wikipedia)     Taking the middle section the Headquarters Building (Principia) succeeded an earlier timber structure. It includes an enclosed courtyard with porticoes and flagging, a roofed assembly hall later subdivided to provide additional office space, and a row of five rooms at the rear – the central room being the regimental chapel where the standard was kept. In the 3rd century an underground strong room was built into the chapel. Also in the 3rd century an apsidal roo


What is the world's highest capital city, at a height of 11,942 feet ?

Which Capital City Is The Highest In Elevation? Which capital city is the highest in elevation?   Answer by  PZ (1206) In the United States, it's Sante Fe, New Mexico. The highest capital city in the world is La Paz, Bolivia, at an elevation of about 12,000 feet above sea level. Answer by  ralphralpho (79) The capital city which has the highest in elevation is La Paz, Bolivia. It is located at an elevation of 3,660 meters above sea level, making it the world's highest "de facto" capital city, or administrative capital.As it grows, La Paz climbs the hills, resulting in varying elevations from 3,000 meters to 4,100 meters (9,840 ft to 13,450 ft).


What is the Europe's highest capital city, at a height of 1,929 feet ?

Madrid, Spain : Image of the Day News & Notes   download large image (2 MB, JPEG, 2500x2000) The white, mottled area in the right-center of this image from NASA�s Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) is Madrid, the capital of Spain. Located on the Meseta Central, a vast plateau covering about 40 percent of the country, this city of 3 million is very near the exact geographic center of the Iberian Peninsula. The Meseta is rimmed by mountains and slopes gently to the west and to the series of rivers that form the boundary with Portugal. The plateau is mostly covered with dry grasslands, olive groves and forested hills. Madrid is situated in the middle of the Meseta, at an elevation of 646 meters (2,119 feet). To the northwest of Madrid, and visible in the upper left of the image, is the Sistema Central mountain chain that forms the �dorsal spine� of the Meseta and divides it into northern and southern subregions. Rising to about 2,500 meters (8,200 feet), these mountains display some glacial features and are snow-capped for most of the year. Offering almost year-round winter sports, the mountains are also important to the climate of Madrid. Three visualization methods were combined to produce this image: shading and color coding of topographic height and radar image intensity. The shade image was derived by computing topographic slope in the northwest-southeast direction. North-facing slopes appear bright and south-facing slopes appear dark. Color coding is directly related to topographic height, with green at the lower elevations, rising through yellow and brown to white at the highest elevations. The shade image was combined with the radar intensity image in the flat areas. Size: 172 by 138 kilometers (107 by 86 miles) Location: 40.43 degrees North latitude, 3.70 degrees West longitude Orientation: North toward the top Image Data: shaded and colored SRTM elevation model, with SRTM radar intensity added Original Data Resolution: SRTM 1 arcsecond (about 30 meters or 98 feet) Date Acquired: February 2000


Tennis - How many Wimbledon singles titles did Billie Jean King win?

BBC SPORT | Tennis | Wimbledon History | Wimbledon legends: Billie-Jean King Wimbledon legends: Billie-Jean King Wimbledon titles: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1975 Runner up: 1963, 1969, 1970 Grand Slam titles: 12 Prize money: $1,996,487 Billie-Jean King, who won 39 Grand Slam titles in total, was probably the greatest-ever competitor at Wimbledon. She won 20 titles in all at SW19 when you add 10 doubles and four mixed doubles to her six singles titles. King competed 22 times in 23 years and played a record 265 matches at the All England Club. losing just 41 of them. In 1973, she was the last player to win the triple crown of the singles and two doubles championships, with Owen Davidson and Rosie Casals. She first came to Wimbledon as a bespectacled 17-year-old in 1961, under her maiden name of Billie-Jean Moffat. Over the next two decades she dominated women's tennis with fearsomely confident and aggressive play, a style perfectly suited to Wimbledon. Her great rival was Australian Margaret Court, who beat her in the finals of 1963 and 1970. She will be best remembered for a match that has no place in the official records of tennis. In 1973, aged 29, she played 55-year-old Bobby Riggs in a contest titled the Battle of the Sexes. It was watched by the largest crowd ever to witness a tennis match, 30,492, and 50 million around the world on television. King won 6-4, 6-4, 6-3. It is away from the court that King has had her greatest, and continuing, influence. She was a prime mover in the creation of her sport's ruling body, the Women's Tennis Association, and the creation of a professional tour in 1970. King worked tirelessly to promote the women's game, fighting for equal prize money at Wimbledon as long ago as 1973.


"Which Roman poet's most famous work is known simply as ""ODES"" ?"

Tu ne quaesieris (Odes, Book 1, Poem 11) - Horace - Ancient Rome - Classical Literature Back to Top of Page �Tu ne quaesieris� (�Do not ask�) is the most famous of the odes of the Roman lyric poet Horace , published in 23 BCE as Poem 11 in the first book of Horace�s collected �Odes� or �Carmina�. The poem takes the form of a short rebuke to a woman, Leucono�, who is worrying about the future, and uses agricultural metaphors to urge us to embrace the pleasures available in everyday life rather than relying on remote aspirations for the future. The poem is often also known as �Carpe Diem� for the famous phrase in the final line, or sometimes as �Ad Leuconoem� for its initial dedication. Synopsis Back to Top of Page The poet advises Leucono� not to question what fate the gods have in store for her, nor to rely on astrological predictions as the ancient Babylonians used to. Rather, she should just submit and make the best of whatever years are granted us, drinking wine and living life to the full with no thought for the future, because, even as she reads the poem, valuable time is passing. Analysis Back to Top of Page Horace developed his �Odes� in conscious imitation of the short lyric poetry of Greek originals such as Pindar , Sappho and Alcaeus. His genius lay in applying these older forms, largely using the ancient Greek Sapphic and Alcaic metres, to the social life of Rome in the age of Augustus. The first three books of the �Odes�, including this one, were published in 23 BCE, with the earliest positively-dated poem in the collection ( �Nunc est bibendum� ) dating from around 30 BCE. We have no exact date for the writing of this particular poem. It is addressed to Leucono�, an unknown younger female companion (probably not her real name, as it translates as something like �empty head�). It seems likely from hints in the poem that, at the time of its writing, Horace and Leucono� were together in a villa on the shores of the Bay of Naples (the �Tyrrhenian Sea�) on a wild winter�s day. There is a definite music in the poem, especially when read aloud, and Horace manages to conjure vivid imagery in the sparest, most economical phrases. It closes with the famous line �carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero� (�seize the day, trusting tomorrow as little as possible�). Resources


"Which Italian composer who lived from 1678 to 1741 was nicknamed ""The Red Priest"" after taking holy orders in 1703 ?"

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741) - Genealogy Antonio Lucio Vivaldi Share your family tree and photos with the people you know and love Build your family tree online Share photos and videos "il Prete Rosso ("The Red Priest")" Birthdate: Mar 4 1678 - Venezia, Italy Death: July 28 1741 - Vienna, Wien, Austria Parents: Giovan Battista Vivaldi, Camilla Calicchio Siblings: ...co Gaetano Vivaldi, Margarita Gabriela Vivaldi, Iseppo ( Giuseppe) Vivaldi, Zanetta ( Gianetta) Anna Vivaldi, Cecilia Maria Vivaldi, Vavaldi Mar 4 1678 - Venice, Republic of Venice Death: Giovanni Battista Vivaldi, Camilla Calicchio Siblings: Giovanni Battista Vivaldi, Camilla Vivaldi (geb. Calicchio) Partner: Giovanni Battista Vivaldi, Camilla Vivaldi (nata Calicchio) Siblings: Francesco Gaetano Vivaldi, Zanetta Anna Vivaldi, Bonaventura Tomaso Vivaldi, Cecilia Maria Mauro (nata Vivaldi), Maragarita Gabriela Vivaldi The Four Seasons: Summer Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741), nicknamed il Prete Rosso ("The Red Priest") because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe. Vivaldi is known mainly for composing instrumental concertos, especially for the violin, as well as sacred choral works and over 40 operas. His best known work is a series of violin concertos known as The Four Seasons. Many of his compositions were written for the female music ensemble of the Ospedale della Pietà, a home for abandoned children where Vivaldi worked from 1703 to 1715 and from 1723 to 1740. Vivaldi also had some success with stagings of his operas in Venice, Mantua and Vienna. After meeting the Emperor Charles VI, Vivaldi moved to Vienna hoping for preferment. The Emperor died soon after Vivaldi's arrival, and the composer died a pauper, without a steady source of income. Though Vivaldi's music was well received during his lifetime, it later declined in popularity until its vigorous revival in the first half of the 20th century. Today, Vivaldi ranks among the most popular and widely recorded Baroque composers. Childhood Antonio Lucio Vivaldi was born in Venice, the capital of the Republic of Venice in 1678. He was baptized immediately after his birth at his home by the midwife, which led to the belief that his life was somehow in danger. Though not known for certain, the immediate baptism was most likely due either to his poor health or to an earthquake that shook the city that day. In the trauma of the earthquake, Vivaldi's mother may have dedicated him to the priesthood. Vivaldi's official church baptism (the rites that remained other than the baptism itself) did not take place until two months later. Vivaldi's parents were Giovanni Battista Vivaldi and Camilla Calicchio, as recorded in the register of San Giovanni in Bragora. Vivaldi had five siblings: Margarita Gabriela, Cecilia Maria, Bonaventura Tomaso, Zanetta Anna, and Francesco Gaetano. Giovanni Battista, a barber before becoming a professional violinist, taught Antonio to play the violin, and then toured Venice playing the violin with his young son. He probably taught him at an early age, judging by Vivaldi's extensive musical knowledge at the age of 24 when he started working at the Ospedale della Pietà. Giovanni Battista was one of the founders of the Sovvegno dei musicisti di Santa Cecilia, an association of musicians. The president of the Sovvegno was Giovanni Legrenzi, a composer of the early Baroque and maestro di cappella at St. Mark's Basilica. It is possible that Legrenzi gave the young Antonio his first lessons in composition. The Luxembourg scholar Walter Kolneder has discerned in the early liturgical work Laetatus sum (RV Anh 31, written in 1691 at the age of 13) the influence of Legrenzi's style. Vivaldi's father may have been a composer himself: in 1689, an opera titled La Fedeltà sfortunata was composed by a Giovanni Battista Rossi, and this was the name under which Vivaldi's father had joined the S


"Which Italian composer who lived from 1792 to 1868 was nicknamed ""Monsieur Crescendo"" ? He was a gourmet and had a famous meat dish named after him."

TIMELINE OF WORLD HISTORY TIMELINE OF WORLD HISTORY Gioachino Rossini, photographed by ï¿½tienne Carjat, 1865     Gioachino Rossini, in    full Gioachino Antonio Rossini (born February 29, 1792,    Pesaro, Papal States [Italy]ï¿½died November 13, 1868, Passy,    near Paris, France), Italian composer noted for his operas,    particularly his comic operas, of which The Barber of    Seville (1816), Cinderella (1817), and Semiramide (1823) are    among the best known. Of his later, larger-scale dramatic    operas, the most widely heard is William Tell (1829). Gioachino Rossini, painted c. 1815 by Vincenzo Camuccini   Early years Gioachino Rossini was the son of Giuseppe Rossini, an    impoverished trumpeter who played in miscellaneous bands and    orchestras, and Anna Guidarini, a singer of secondary roles.    Thus, Rossini spent his entire childhood in the theatre.    Though a lazy student, the young Rossini found it easy to    learn to sing and play. At age 14 he entered Bolognaï¿½s    Philharmonic School (now the G.B. Martini State Conservatory    of Music) and composed his first opera seriaï¿½Demetrio e    Polibio (1806; staged in 1812)ï¿½for the Mombelli, a family of    singers. At 15 he had learned the violin, horn, and    harpsichord and had often sung in public, even in the    theatre, to earn some money. When his voice broke and he    was unable to continue singing, Rossini became an    accompanist and then a conductor. He had already realized    the importance of the German school of composition,    perceiving the new elements by which Joseph Haydn and    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had enriched music. These influences    can be found in the early cantata he wrote for the    Philharmonic School, performed there in 1808. During the    next 20 years (from 1808) this genial lazybones was to    compose more than 40 operas. Portrait of Gioachino Rossini in 1820   Italian period By taste, and soon by obligation, Rossini threw himself into    the genre then fashionable: opera buffa (comic opera). His    first opera buffa, La cambiale di matrimonio (1810; The Bill    of Marriage), was performed in Venice and had a certain    success, although his unusual orchestration made the singers    indignant. Back in Bologna again, he gave the cantata La    morte di Didone (1811; The Death of Dido) in homage to the    Mombelli family, who had helped him so much, and he scored a    triumph with the two-act opera buffa Lï¿½equivoca stravagante    (1811; The Extravagant Misunderstanding). The following    year, two more of his comic operas were produced in Venice. Rossini had already broken    the traditional form of opera buffa: he embellished his    melodies (he was the true creator of bel canto, a florid    style of singing), animated his ensembles and finales, used    unusual rhythms, restored to the orchestra its rightful    place, and put the singer at the service of the music. In    1812 Rossini wrote the oratorio Ciro in Babilonia (Cyrus in    Babylon) and La scala di seta (The Silken Ladder), another    comic opera. The same year, Marietta    Marcolini, who had already sung in Rossiniï¿½s operas and who    was interested in the young composer, recommended Rossini to    the committee of La Scala opera house in Milan. It was under    contract to them that he wrote La pietra del paragone (1812;    The Touchstone), a touchstone of his budding genius. In its    finale, Rossiniï¿½for the first timeï¿½made use of the crescendo    effect that he was later to use and abuse indiscriminately. By this time Rossiniï¿½s    experience in writing seven operas and several cantatas and    his intimate contact with the theatre had given him a    profound knowledge of his profession. Singers no longer held    terrors for him. He was now ready for his major works.    Venice, the most-refined city in Italy, was to offer him his    true glory. After the comic opera Il signor Bruschin


The Co-operative acquired which building society in 2009 ?

Co-operative Bank loses £709m | Business | The Guardian Co-operative Bank loses £709m Corporate loans acquired with Co-op Bank's disastrous takeover of Britannia Building Society in 2009 continue to deteriorate Co-operative Bank has posted steep losses for 2013 so far. Photograph: John Stillwell/PA Press Association Thursday 29 August 2013 05.04 EDT First published on Thursday 29 August 2013 05.04 EDT Close This article is 3 years old The Co-operative Group has plunged to a £559m first-half loss as bad debts in its banking arm wiped out profits from its supermarkets. The group said there would be no quick fixes as it embarked on a four-year turnaround plan, after reporting pre-tax losses of £709.4m in the Co-operative Bank in the six months to the end of June. The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) , the City regulator, said the scale of the losses did not alter its demand that the Co-op plug the £1.5bn hole in its balance sheet. The Co-op, which employs more than 100,000 people, warned of job losses as it restructures the wider group as well as the bank - but did not say how many staff will go. New boss Euan Sutherland said: "It's inevitable in a restructuring of this size that there will be some jobs at risk." He said the Co-op has "no plan B" for rescuing its bank, as it finalises plans to inject £1.5bn into the embattled division. Bondholders ranging from pensioners to hedge funds will have to take a loss on their investment under plans for a "bail-in" in coming months. They will be forced to contribute £500 m through an "exchange offer", which will result in a stock market listing for the bank. The Co-op will inject £1bn itself into the bank. The bank, which employs about 10,000 staff, slashed the value of its loans by £496m, as corporate loans acquired with its disastrous takeover of Britannia Building Society in 2009 continue to deteriorate. It also wrote down almost £150m on a new IT system, which had been planned by former management. And the bank booked another £61m to cover the cost of previous misconduct – including £25m for mis-sold payment protection insurance, £26m for credit card and identity theft protection and £10m for mis-sold interest rate swaps. The bank's £709.4m losses compare with £59m losses a year earlier, while at group level, the losses compare with £18m of profits in the first half of 2012. Sutherland, who replaced former boss Peter Marks in May, said: "We are sorry but we are a new team and grasping the nettle and getting on with fixing the situation." He said while there has been a small trickle of deposits leaving the bank, customers have largely been loyal. The PRA said it factored in the scale of the losses when it signed off the Co-op's turnaround plan in June. It said: "The Prudential Regulation Authority anticipated the likely scale and source of these losses when it made its assessment of the bank's capital position in June. "Consequently, the announcement today does not affect the PRA's assessment that the Co-operative Bank has a capital shortfall of £1.5bn relative to 7% core equity capital after adjustments." Profits in the food arm, which is the UK's fifth-biggest grocer with more than 2,700 supermarkets and convenience stores, dipped to £117.4m from £119m a year earlier in a "challenging market". The Co-op said it expects a better second half from the retailer, as a turnaround focusing on better stock availability and store refits gathers pace. Operating profits in its pharmacy business dipped to £14.3m from £16.1m a year earlier as it was hit by government funding cuts to medicines. But profits in its funeralcare arm advanced 15% to £41.8m. Neville Richardson counters regulator's claims that Co-op's problems stemmed from bad debts on loans by Britannia building society Published: 4 Sep 2013


Tennis - How many Wimbledon singles titles did Steffi Graf win?

Ranking the Greatest Champions in Wimbledon History | Bleacher Report Ranking the Greatest Champions in Wimbledon History By Jake Curtis , Featured Columnist Jul 1, 2015 Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse the slideshow Pool/Getty Images Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Rod Laver 12.9K 47 Comments Roger Federer is shooting for his eighth Wimbledon title this year. Serena Williams is going for her sixth. With those credentials, they belong in the discussion regarding the greatest Wimbledon champions. But does either rank at the very top? In our ranking of the greatest champions in Wimbledon history, we considered only players who won Wimbledon titles in the Open Era (since 1968). However, we included two players who won Wimbledon titles in both the pre-Open Era and the Open Era. This excludes pre-Open Era stars such as Helen Wills (eight Wimbledon singles titles), Suzanne Lenglen (who never lost a completed Wimbledon singles match) and Bill Tilden (who won his last Wimbledon title at age 37). The rankings are based primarily on the number of Wimbledon singles titles won, although consideration also was given to the quality of the opposition, the dominance the player demonstrated at Wimbledon and the player's overall fame as measured by the Tennis Channel's 2012 rankings of the 100 greatest players of all time. In some cases, factors that made a player's accomplishment special were included in the evaluation. We pared the candidates down to a dozen then ranked the 12 greatest champions in Wimbledon history. Getty Images/Getty Images Wimbledon titles: Three (1974, 1976, 1981) Chris Evert was almost unbeatable on clay during her prime years, but she had the misfortune of playing in an era occupied by perhaps the best women's grass-court player in history, Martina Navratilova. Evert reached the Wimbledon final 10 times but won only three titles, losing to Navratilova all five times the two met in the tournament's climax. However, Evert did beat Navratilova in the 1976 semifinals before taking out Evonne Goolagong Cawley in the final for her second Wimbledon crown. Evert was only 21 at the time, but she would win Wimbledon on just one more occasion. Evert's run through the 1981 tournament was by far her most impressive. She did not lose a set during the tournament and lost no more than four games in any of her final four matches. She took apart Hana Mandlikova 6-2, 6-2 in the final. Mandlikova had already done Evert a favor by beating Navratilova in the semifinals. Although grass was Evert's least favorite surface, she was able to challenge for the title virtually every year, and she was clearly among tennis' all-time greats. She was placed No. 9 on the Tennis Channel's rankings of the top 100 players in history. DAVE CAULKIN/Associated Press Wimbledon titles: Three (1985, 1986, 1989) Boris Becker won two Wimbledon titles before he reached his 19th birthday, suggesting he might rule the All England Club like nobody in history. His powerful serve, excellent volley and ability to dive and bounce around the grass court made it appear he would dominate Wimbledon for years to come. He won his third Wimbledon title in 1989, still at the tender age of 21, but never won it again. Becker's most dramatic Wimbledon title was his first, when, at age 17, he became the youngest male to win Wimbledon and the first unseeded player to do it. He did it with a flamboyant style that made him a spectator's delight. His second and third Wimbledon titles were more impressive from a tennis standpoint. Becker knocked off No. 1-seeded Ivan Lendl in straight sets in the 1986 final and defeated No. 1-seeded Lendl and No. 2-seeded Stefan Edberg in his final two matches in 1989, the latter in straight sets. Becker's flair was nearly as important as his results in earning him a spot on this list. Adam Stoltman/Associated Press Wimbledon titles: Three (1981, 1983, 1984) Considering the way John McEnroe dominated the 1984 Wimbledon tournament at the age of 25, it's hard to believe he never won the event again. In fact, McEnroe never won any Grand Sla


"Which Roman poet's famous work is known simply as ""SATIRES"" ?"

Juvenal - Ancient Rome - Classical Literature Back to Top of Page Juvenal was a Roman poet of the Silver Age of Latin literature, the last and most powerful of all the Roman satirical poets. His biting �Satires� could be read as a brutal critique of pagan Rome, although their exaggerated, comedic mode of expression makes such an assumption at best debatable. Biography Back to Top of Page Decimus Iunius Iuvenalis (known in English as Juvenal) was born in Aquino, a small town in the Lazio region of Italy, either the son or the adopted son of a rich freedman (freed slave). Trustworthy biographical information is extremely sparse. Some sources place his date of birth at 55 CE, and other traditions have him surviving for some time past the year of Hadrian's death (138 CE), but these dates are at best imprecise. As he did not dedicate his work, it is usually assumed that he did not have a patron and so may have been independently wealthy, although for a time it seems that he was also very poor and dependent on the charity of the rich people of Rome. He became an officer in the army as a first step to a career in the administrative service of the Emperor Domitian, but grew embittered when he failed to obtain promotion. Most biographers have him living out a period of exile in Egypt, possibly due to a satire he wrote declaring that court favourites had undue influence in the promotion of military officers, or possibly due to an insult to an actor with a high level of court influence. It is not clear whether the banishing emperor was Trajan or Domitian, nor whether he died in exile or was recalled to Rome before his death (the latter seems the most likely). Writings Back to Top of Page Juvenal is credited with sixteen numbered poems, the last unfinished or at least poorly preserved, divided into five books. They are all in the Roman genre of �satura� or satire, wide-ranging discussions of society and social mores in dactylic hexameter. Book One, containing "Satires 1 - 5", which describe in retrospect some of the horrors of Emperor Domitian�s tyrannical reign, was probably issued between 100 and 110 CE. The remaining books were published at various intervals up to an estimated date for Book 5 of about 130 CE, although firm dates are not known. Technically, Juvenal�s poetry is very fine, clearly structured and full of expressive effects in which the sound and rhythm mimic and enhance the sense, with many trenchant phrases and memorable epigrams. His poems attack both the corruption of society in the city of Rome and the follies and brutalities of mankind in general, and show a wrathful scorn towards all representatives of what Roman society of the time thought of as social deviance and vice. Satire VI, for example, more than 600 lines long, is a ruthless and vitriolic denunciation of the folly, arrogance, cruelty and sexual depravity of Roman women. Juvenal�s "Satires" are the source of many well-known maxims, including �panem et circenses� (�bread and circuses�, with the implication that these are all that the common people are interested in), �mens sana in corpore sano� (�a sound mind in a sound body�), �rara avis� (�rare bird�, referring to a perfect wife) and �quis custodiet ipsos custodes?� (�who will guard the guardians themselves?� or �who will watch the watchers?�). The originator of the genre of verse satires is usually deemed to have been Lucilius (who was famed for his vitriolic manner), and Horace and Persius were also well-known proponents of the style, but Juvenal is generally considered to have taken the tradition to its height. However, he was clearly not that well known in Roman literary circles of the period, being all but unmentioned by his contemporary poets (with the exception of Martial) and completely excluded from Quintilian's 1st Century CE history of satire. In fact, it was not until Servius, in the late 4th Century CE, that Juvenal received some belated recognition. Major Works


Which unusually named bird fits the following description ? Found in Africa, this bird is 5 foot high, coloured grey and black with a distinctive crest above the head. It is long-legged and runs on the ground catching snakes and small mammals.

Full text of "Kenya birds" See other formats m - & 8/£D    Volume 4, Number I   ISSN 1023-3679 August 1995   Department of Ornithology, National Museums of Kenya and BiidLife Kenya.  Editors: Leon Bennun, Joseph Oyugi and John Fanshawe Department of Ornithology, National Museums of Kenya, P O Box 40658, Nairobi   Editorial  Yes, it's World Birdwatch time again! Once more, on the weekend of 7-8 October 1995, BirdLife International is organising a global celebration of birds. This time the focus is on the habitats they live in, many of which are under severe threat.  In Kenya we hope that birders will use the weekend as an excuse to dust off their binoculars and field guides, get out into the field and enjoy themselves — while at the same time collecting useful data on where our birds are and what they are doing.  There's something for everyone in World Birdwatch '95:  • Join in the National Birdmap. Whether you feel birding should be a solitary activity or a social event, whether you are a beginner or an expert, all you need is three spare hours on Saturday or Sunday (or both), somewhere to go birding and a set of instructions from the Ornithology Department. The idea is to collect data this weekend from as many places as possible for our computerised bird distribution database. You don't have to visit an exotic location, though — all records will be valuable. To take part, just send off the enclosed form and we will forward the details and a checklist.  8 Join the Sunday Special Birdwalk in Nairobi, Kisumu or Mombasa. We will be finding out how many birds we can see in one morning in each of our major towns. Meet at 08:30 sharp on Sunday 8 October at the National Museum, Nairobi; Sunset Hotel, Kisumu; or Bamburi Nature Trail, Mombasa. The Kisumu walk will be led by Jeam Agutu, the Mombasa one by Marlene Reid and Lorna Depew. We'll do our best to provide transport for those who need it — if you have a vehicle and can help, that would be much appreciated. All are welcome for what should be a great morning out.  • Join us on Saturday 7 October at the Louis Leakey Memorial Hall, National Museums of Kenya for a day of bird videos, a special guest lecture with slides, and other activities. Videos will start at 11 a.m.; the guest lecture will be at 3 p.m. (speaker to be announced).  See you in October. In the meantime, good birding!   Subscription rates, Volume 4  Kenya Abroad (airmail)  Sponsor KSh 500 UK £10.00  EANHS member KSh 120 UK £6.00  Non-member KSh 200 UK £7.50  Special (student/exchange/library) please write please write   Please make cheques payable to 'BirdLife Kenya'. Subscribers outside Kenya may pay in any convertible currency. Back issues are available at KSh 100/= each.  Please address all correspondence to: The Editors, Kenya Birds, Department of Ornithology, National Museums of Kenya, P O Box 40658 Nairobi, Kenya.  Front cover illustration: Grey-capped Social Weavers Pseudonigrita arnaudi by Edwin Selempo. Typesetting and layout by BirdLife Kenya; printed by Omnia Printers, Nairobi.   Kenya Birds Volume 4, Number 1, August 1994   News from Kenya and abroad  Department of Ornithology  Grassland birds prefer grass  The Department's study of two montane grassland species with restricted ranges, Sharpens Longclaw Macronyx sharpei and Jackson's Widowbird Euplectes jacksoni (see Kenya Birds 3(2)), is ongoing. Fieldwork on the Kinangop Plateau, supported by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, has now produced some preliminary results.  Following a brief survey made on 31 October 1994, we have made four two- day field trips. During the first of these (29-30 March 1995), fifty-eight 4 ha plots were selected along a 60 km-long transect that runs from Kirima via North Kinangop town towards Njabini and back to the so-called 'fly-over'. They cover various types of montane grassland (41 plots), ranging from heavily grazed areas to less disturbed patches along small stream valleys, as well as shambas (9 plots) and woodlots (8 plots). By co


What country has 3 capital cities, depending on the function ?

Countries With Multiple Capital Cities Countries With Multiple Capital Cities Countries With Multiple Capital Cities Countries With More Than One Capital Cape Town, South Africa. Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa, which has three capital cities.  Tom Brakefield/Getty Images Share By Matt Rosenberg Twelve countries around the world have multiple capital cities for a variety of reasons. Most split administrative, legislative, and judicial headquarters between two or more cities. Malaysia has moved many administrative functions from Kuala Lumpur to a suburb of Kuala Lumpur called Putrajaya. continue reading below our video 10 Facts About the Titanic That You Don't Know Putrajaya is a new high-technology complex 25km (15 miles) south of Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysian government has relocated administrative offices and the Prime Minister's official residence. Nonetheless, Kuala Lumpur remains the official capital. Putrajaya is part of a regional "Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC)." The MSC itself is also home to Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the Petronas Twin Towers. Myanmar On Sunday, November 6, 2005 civil servants and government officials were ordered to move immediately from Rangoon to a new capital, Nay Pyi Taw (also known as Naypyidaw), 200 miles north. While governmental buildings in Nay Pyi Taw had been under construction for more than two years, its construction was not widely publicized. Some report the timing of the move was related to astrological recommendations. The transition to Nay Pyi Taw continues so both Rangoon and Nay Pyi Taw retain capital status. Other names might be seen or used to represent the new capital and nothing is solid as of this writing.


Anthony Trollope - Biography and Works. Search Texts, Read Online. Discuss. Anthony Trollope Biography of Anthony Trollope Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) post office official and prolific English novelist from the Victorian Era, penned The Barset Chronicles series. Anthony Trollope was born on 24 April, 1815 at 6 Keppel Street, Bloomsbury, London, the fourth son of Thomas Anthony Trollope (1774-1835) and Frances (nï¿½e Milton) (1779-1863). His father, who suffered from bouts of depression, was an unsuccessful lawyer and farmer. The family's humiliating state of poverty formed a lasting impression on Trollope, who was a tall, lanky, poorly dressed unhappy lad amongst the aristocratic youth of the famous schools he attended. In 1827, while Trollope attended his father's old school, Winchester, his mother left for America to assist in the set up of an English goods bazaar in Cincinnati. It was an architectural monstrosity and a total failure, pushing the Trollope family to the last stages of financial ruin. The family moved to Bruges, Belgium in 1834, where Frances supported the family with her writing which she was quite successful at. Her Domestic Manners of the Americans (1832) was well received in England. Trollope's father Thomas died in Bruges in 1835. His older brother Henry and his younger sister Emily died in Bruges too the following year. Trollope started work as a clerk with the post office when he was nineteen years old and in 1841 went on to become the postal surveyor for Banagher, Ireland, which finally gave him some financial freedom and self-confidence and whereupon he picked up the sport of fox-hunting. This career of his was to provide much fodder for his future literary works, which he wrote in his spare time, such as The West Indies and the Spanish Main (1859). He travelled to Egypt, Scotland and the West Indies in 1858 and 1859 and the United States in 1861 on postal missions. In 1859 Trollope moved to Waltham Cross, just outside of London, to be surveyor general to the Post Office for ï¿½800 a year. Trollope is credited with the introduction of "pillar boxes", the now ubiquitous red British postal mail boxes. In 1844 Trollope married Rose Heseltine and they had two sons, Henry (b.1846) and Frederick (b.1847). Trollope's study into Irish discontent, The MacDermots of Ballycloran (1847) was his first book, however, while in England he wrote The Warden (1855) the first of his famous Barchester Chronicles series, based on English upper middle-class Victorian life, which was his first acknowledged success. Barchester Towers (1857), Doctor Thorne (1858), Framley Parsonage (1861), The Small House at Allington (1864), and The Last Chronicle of Barset (1867) completed the series, readers especially enjoying his intense study of everyday social life, ecclesiastical politics and character developments in the imaginary cathedral city (modeled on Winchester) and the surrounding county of Barchester (modeled on Somerset). Trollope had finally come into his mï¿½tier. He was successful and prosperous, much sought after by publishers and became friends with many literary figures including W. E. Forster and George Eliot . He was involved in some business dealings concerning various magazines and gazettes and even tried his hand at editorship for St. Paul's Magazine in 1867. Trollope's Palliser series: Can You Forgive Her? (1864), Phineas Finn (1869), The Eustace Diamonds (1873), Phineas Redux (1876), The Prime Minister (1876) and The Duke's Children (1880) were well-received, and he also produced insightful novels on political and social issues of the day during this time. In 1867 Trollope resigned from the post office and unsuccessfully ran an election campaign as a Liberal parliamentary candidate. In 1871 to 1872 he gave up his Waltham house and traveled to visit his son in Australia, tirelessly writing along the way. In 1872 he moved back to London, following his strict regime of writing for many hours before breakfast, whether he was travelling to Ceylon and Australia in 1875, South Africa in 1877 or Iceland in 1878,


Which playwright was born on this day on 1564 and died also on this day, on his 52nd birthday, in 1616 ?

Birth and death of William Shakespeare celebrated - Apr 23, 1564 - HISTORY.com Birth and death of William Shakespeare celebrated Share this: Birth and death of William Shakespeare celebrated Author Birth and death of William Shakespeare celebrated URL Publisher A+E Networks Historians believe Shakespeare was born on this day in 1564, the same day he died in 1616. Although the plays of William Shakespeare may be the most widely read works in the English language, little is known for certain about the playwright himself. Some scholars even believe the plays were not written by William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon but by some other well-educated, aristocratic writer who wished to remain anonymous. Shakespeare’s father was probably a common tradesman. He became an alderman and bailiff in Stratford-upon-Avon, and Shakespeare was baptized in the town on April 26, 1564. At age 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, and the couple had a daughter in 1583 and twins in 1585. Sometime later, Shakespeare set off for London to become an actor and by 1592 was well established in London’s theatrical world as both a performer and a playwright. His earliest plays, including The Comedy of Errors and The Taming of the Shrew, were written in the early 1590s. Later in the decade, he wrote tragedies such as Romeo and Juliet (1594-1595) and comedies including The Merchant of Venice (1596-1597). His greatest tragedies were written after 1600, including Hamlet (1600-01), Othello (1604-05), King Lear (1605-06), and Macbeth (1605-1606). He became a member of the popular theater group the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, who later became the King’s Men. The group built and operated the famous Globe Theater in 1599. Shakespeare ultimately became a major shareholder in the troupe and earned enough money to buy a large house in Stratford in 1597. He retired to Stratford in 1610, where he wrote his last plays, including The Tempest (1611) and The Winter’s Tale (1610-11). Meanwhile, he had written more than 100 sonnets, which were published in 1609. Although pirated versions of Titus Andronicus, Romeo and Juliet and some other plays were published during Shakespeare’s lifetime, no definitive collection of his works was published until after his death. In 1623, two members of Shakespeare’s troupe collected the plays and printed what is now called the First Folio (1623). Related Videos


Which 73 year old King of Munster was killed at the Battleof Clontarf, near Dublin, on this day in 1014 ?

Battle Of Clontarf | Clontarf.ie Battle of Clontarf Click here to view the Official 2014 Commemoration area where you can see latest news and events Background The events that took place at the Battle of Clontarf on Good Friday, April 23rd, 1014 were the culmination of two centuries of strife, treachery, failed alliances and treaties between the Irish Celtic chieftains themselves on the one hand and their relationships with the invading Norsemen who had taken a foothold in Ireland. The first Norsemen or Vikings had arrived in Ireland some two centuries before, initially plundering the gold, chalices, crosses and manuscripts of the monasteries and the corn harvests of the settled communities. Gradually they established Viking settlements around Ireland and engaged in trade and commerce. There was, however, significant opposition to their presence in Ireland, not least in Munster where King Brian Boru had defeated their armies on several occasions. Brian’s aim was to unite all the warring Celtic kingdoms under one rule and one High King. Prelude to Battle In 1013, Mael Mordha, the king of Leinster went into revolt after inter-marriage alliances with Brian had broken down, and joined forces with the Vikings. Together, they initially attacked the kingdom of Mael Sechlainn of Meath who summoned the help of King Brian. Brian set off towards Dublin with 4,900 troops made up 2,000 Munster men, 1,400 Dalcassians (also Munster men), and 1,500 Connacht clansmen. Opposing them were Mael Mordha’s army of 4,000 Leinster men allied to 3,000 Viking warriors. The Battle Ground Although but a small segment of the battle was fought close to the seafront at Clontarf, the historic encounter of Good Friday 1014 entered the annals as the Battle of Clontarf. This was largely because some 2,000 Vikings had by sunrise on that morning of April 23rd, landed in longboats at Clontarf. As the two opposing armies faced one another that day the Vikings and the Leinster men were lined across the sloping plains bounded by the sea and the River Tolka, while King Brian’s army occupied the rising ground near Tomar’s Wood in Phibsboro. The most ferocious part of the battle was fought at ‘the Battle of the Fishing Weir’, which approximates to the site of the former D.W.D. Whiskey Distillery on Richmond Road. Historic accounts of the battle also refer to the ‘savage encounters’ fought on the ‘Bloody Fields of Marino’ and what is today Phibsboro and Cross Guns. Battle Victory for Brian The result of the bloodiest day in ancient Ireland was a rout for King Brian, although some 4,000 of his troops lay dead on the battlefield. In contrast some 6,000 Leinster men and Vikings were slaughtered including every single Viking leader. King Brian’s army drove the fleeing Vikings back towards the sea at Clontarf, an account of which is descriptively told in a translation from the Gaelic manuscript by J.H. Todd in ‘The Wars of the Gaedhil with the Gaill’, (London, 1867). “It was at the full tide the foreigners came out to fight the battle in the morning, and the tide had come to the same place again at the end of the day when the foreigners were defeated; and the tide had carried away their ships from them, so they had not at last any place to fly to, but into the sea; after the mail-coated foreigners had all been killed by the Dal Cais….and the foreigners were drowned in great numbers by the sea, and they lay in heaps and in hundreds.” A French historical account written at that time tells us that: “The victory was won over the strangers and the Leinster people by the force of war, superior exertion and indomitable bravery”. Death of King Brian & Outcome Although Brian had won the greatest victory of his long career, he did not live long to enjoy it. As he knelt praying in his tent near Cross Guns, the Isle of Man Viking Leader, Brodir, who was hiding in the adjacent woods, ran into his tent slaying the 84-year-old Brian with his axe. Brodir was later captured and slaughtered by Wolf the Quarrelsome, the younger brother of King Brian. The Battle of Clontarf was the watershe


On this day in 1993, in a UN backed referendum, Eritreans voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence from which country ?

History (ታሪኽ) - Eritrea Eritrea All published and unpublished written materials about Eritrean history. Text Box   Early history Archaelogical evidence of pre-humans has been discovered in the Buya region of Eritrea, near Adi Keyh. The discovery may be one of the oldest ever found, and is similar to the famous "Lucy" find. Evidence of human presence begins in the 8th millennium B.C., beginning with Pygmoid, Nilotic, Cushitic (the Afar) and Semitic (Tigrinya) peoples. In the sixth century B.C., Arabs spread to the coast of present day Eritrea, in search of ivory and slaves for trade with Persia and India. Their language evolved into Ge'ez, related to today's Amhara, still spoken by Christian priests in Eritrea and Ethiopia.   Ancient rock paintings.   During the 3rd and 4th century AD, Eritrea was part of the kingdom of Axum which spread from Meroe in Sudan right across the Red Sea to Yemen. The capital of Axum was in the highlands of Tigray (now a province in Ethiopia), and the main port was at Adulis which is now called Zula in Eritrea. This Kingdom was based upon trade across the Red Sea and was founded by Semitic people originally from Arabia. Christianity was the predominant faith of Axum introduced through contact with traders throughout the region. By the 6th century AD the Persian Empire expanded and with it went the expansion of Islam. In 710 AD Muslims destroyed Adulis and the ancient kingdom of Axum declined until it was reduced to a small Christian Enclave. For the next few centuries, the region settled into being a remote, isolated community only re-emerging by the early 16th century as Abyssinia. The Abyssinian Kingdom covered the Ethiopian highlands ruled by kings and peopled by Christian Tigrinyans and remaining fairly isolated. The community had little or no contact with the lowlands of the region which was home to predominantly Muslim communities. This period in Eritrea's history is highly contentious. Ethiopians claimed Eritrea had been an integral part of historic Ethiopia but though there are some common practices and religious beliefs between Eritreans and Ethiopia, these ties do not extend throughout Ethiopia. In fact, large parts of Eritrea, it would seem, were linked to other empires. The Ottoman Empire and Egypt had relations with the northern and eastern part of the country, and various Sudanic Empires to the west and north-west have had their influence. 19th century expansion Abyssinia was subject to the expansionism of the Egyptians and some European powers (French, Italian and British). In the early parts of the century, Ali Pasha invaded Sudan and gradually pushed on the Western Lowlands of present-day Eritrea. By mid-century, European interest in the area was increasing. The British had a consulate in Massawa, and the French already had a presence. Italian missionaries were established in Keren.   Painting of Dejazmach Hailu, governor of Hamasien in the Asmara region, armed with a long, sickle shaped sword, shotel. Dejazmach Hailu held office during the reign of Emperor Tewodros II (1855-68).   Emperor Tewodros II, who ruled Abyssinia from 1855-68, also had to deal with rebel forces in Tigray and Shoa, who chose Ras Kassa as their ruler. Tewodros was defeated in 1868 after the British General Sir Robert Napier had landed in Zula to release the Consul and other prisoners held by the emperor. After Tewodros's defeat, Ras Kassa was crowned Emperor Yohannes IV in 1872. Yohannes's forces won a significant battle against the Egyptians at Gura in 1875. From this victory, Yohannes' foremost General, Ras Alula, became governor of the province of Hamasien and prince of Eritrea. Italian influence The first Italian mission in Abyssinia was at Adua in 1840, under Father Giuseppe Sapeto. He was the vehicle through which the Italian government brought up pieces of land near Assab, initially on behalf of the national Rubattino Shipping Company. But as the European 'Scramble for Africa' gathered pace, the Italian government took over the land in 1882 and began to administer it directly. They also ousted the


How old is former Mid-Ulster MP Bernadette Devlin today ? Is she 60, 62 or 66 ?

Project MUSE - Irish America, Race, and Bernadette Devlin’s 1969 American Tour Irish America, Race, and Bernadette Devlin’s 1969 American Tour Matthew J. O’Brien Throughout the 140-year-long history of Irish nationalist tours of the United States, few episodes can match the energy and emotion generated by Bernadette Devlin’s transatlantic visit in 1969. Moments after her arrival at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City on August 22, Devlin plunged into a hastily arranged press conference, demonstrating the confidence and charisma that had inspired one senior republican commentator to label her “the greatest envoy Ireland ever sent to America.” 1 From there, she was whisked off on a whirlwind tour of New York City, greeted by adoring crowds “everywhere she goes—whether it’s Gaelic Park, the various Irish ballrooms or at meetings in church or fraternal halls.” 2 This popular appeal soon extended far beyond Devlin’s ethnic base, leading to private meetings with Mayor John Lindsay and United Nations Secretary-General U Thant, along with appearances on national television programs from Meet the Press to Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. 3 By the end of Devlin’s two-week visit, a number of developments had drained her seemingly inexhaustible spirit. Contending with her relentless schedule of appearances, constant sniping from conservative Irish Americans, and the duplicity of her erstwhile sponsors had sapped Devlin’s spirit and direction, and that of the once-impressive transatlantic campaign. Donning a makeshift disguise, Devlin slipped out of a private event in New Jersey and abandoned plans for further appearances in Boston and Washington, DC to return to Northern Ireland. Given the exhausting and bewildering nature of her tour, Devlin was understandably relieved to return home—even if home was a place that the American media presented as innately chaotic and violent. 4 [End Page 84] According to most subsequent accounts, this dramatic reversal was caused by the racial prejudice displayed by Devlin’s ethnic hosts. Contemporary commentators contrast the Irish leader’s irrepressible support for the American civil rights movement with the reticence, or outright hostility, to the cause among many older ethnics. Early in her tour Devlin weathered reproachful glares and angry departures when she impetuously jumped onstage for a duet version of “We Shall Overcome” with an African-American singer at a Philadelphia rally. In California, she received a clerical admonition to stop talking about controversial matters like socialism and racial equality. Each instance only strengthened Devlin’s will, and by the time that she made it to the Midwestern “Rust Belt,” on the way back from the West Coast, Devlin had become more outspoken, and even confrontational, on racial matters. When the sponsors of a rally in Detroit would not allow young African Americans to enter Ford Hall, Devlin refused to take the stage. In Chicago, she refused to pay tribute to the ruling Daley political machine (which she had criticized in the wake of the violence outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention), and instead visited Jesse Jackson’s controversial Operation Breadbasket program. The last decade has brought renewed attention to the disillusioning episode of Devlin’s tour. Those scholars who focus on Irish-American racial prejudice speak with increased certainty that race was the primary, if not exclusive, source of the Devlin tour’s problems. This recent work has drawn from two major interpretive developments that emerged during the early 1990s: the “ethnic fade” thesis and the rise of Whiteness Studies, each of which sought to revise the anodyne narrative of Irish America that emerged during the mid-twentieth century. Building on Herbert Gans’s earlier scholarship on symbolic ethnicity during the late 1970s and 1980s, Mary Waters’s Ethnic Options: Choosing Identities in America (1990) offered a sociological deconstruction of European ethnicity in the United States. Focusing largely on Irish America, with more than one hundred references to Irish ethni


What was the name of the son of Ethelred the Unready who was crowned King of England on this day in 1016, but died in November the same year, shortly after being defeated in battle by hios successor, Canute ?

Wikijunior:Kings and Queens of England/The Whole Book - Wikibooks, open books for an open world Wikijunior:Kings and Queens of England/The Whole Book From Wikibooks, open books for an open world This is the latest reviewed version , approved on 25 September 2016. (+)  Quality: good   Introduction[ edit ] Welcome to the Wikijunior book on Kings and Queens of England. In this book we start by looking at the very first Anglo-Saxon Kings of England. We then move on to show how the Crown changed hands many times as a result of conquest. We see some powerful kings and some weak ones. We see how the Crown has battled Parliament. We look at the period where power finally did transfer to Parliament through to the times of our current queen, Elizabeth II. At the end we also look at who the next kings of England may be. We will find out about eleven Kings called Edward and nine called Henry. We will find out about a nine-day queen and a King Philip, who most people have now forgotten about. But first let's start way back in 871 with the Anglo-Saxons and the only king of England to be called "Great," Alfred. The Anglo-Saxons (871-1016)[ edit ] Our history of the kings of England starts with the Anglo-Saxons, at the beginning of the 9th century. Because it was so long ago, the dates, and even the years are uncertain. At this point in time, England, as you know it, doesn't exist yet. The land is divided into several small kingdoms, and the people who live there are called Anglo-Saxons. It was during this time, around the year 830, that the Vikings realized that England was a very interesting country to loot and plunder. Between 830 and 865 they came by more and more often, much to the dismay of the people living there. In 865 these Vikings formed a "Great Army". While their previous raids were aimed at looting and plundering, the Great Army was sent to actually conquer England. They were surprisingly good at that - in only three years they had conquered northern and eastern England. Even in the west, one by one the small kingdoms fell until only one of them remained independent. It was the kingdom of Wessex. It's here that we find Alfred the Great, the first of the Kings and Queens of England. Alfred the Great (871-899)[ edit ] King Alfred the Great Alfred the Great was born around 850 in Wantage, in what is now Oxfordshire. Alfred was the fourth son of King Ethelwulf of Wessex. He became king of the southern Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex in 871, when his brother Ethelred I died. When the Danish Vikings had conquered most of England, they finally came to Wessex. Alfred had only just been crowned, and now had to face the invaders at his borders. During a fierce series of battles, he managed to drive them from Wessex. Defeated, the Vikings retreated. However, seven years later they returned in full force. In May of 878, Alfred had to confront his enemies once more, and crushingly defeated them near Edington in Wiltshire. This victory earned him the name "the Great", making him the only English monarch called by that name. With the Danes defeated, the way was cleared to unite England. By building a system of fortifications, the kingdom of Wessex managed to expand its borders. Alfred encouraged education, being educated himself, and improved the kingdom's laws. Under his guidance, the kingdom began to prosper. Public life[ edit ] Very little is known about what Alfred did during the short reigns of his two eldest brothers, but when his third brother, Ethelred, became king in 866, Alfred became active in public life. In particular, he worked hard to free England from the influence of the Danes, and Alfred was appointed as Ethelred's successor. In 868, Alfred tried unsuccessfully to relieve the central English kingdom of Mercia from Danish influence. For nearly two years after, though, the Danes did not attack Alfred's native Wessex. At the end of 870 this era of peace ended, and the next period of time became known as "Alfred's year of battles". The Kingdom of Wessex fought nine battles in 870 and 871, winning some, and losing others. In A


On this day in 1968, the first two decimal coins were introduced in the UK. Name either of them.

Decimal Coins of the UK - The Change to Decimal Coinage The Change to Decimal Coinage Pictures of Decimal Coins Decimalisation Day D-Day was February 15th 1971. On that day the United Kingdom changed from the centuries old tradition of using 12 pence to the shilling and 20 shillings to the pound to a new decimal 100 new pence to the pound. Options considered There had been much debate as to the best way of implementing the switch. Australia used a dollar valued at ten old shillings, making the new cent equal to 1.2 old pence, a small change in value. An alternative was to go to a pound-mil system, with a mil equal to 0.24 old pence, a latter-day successor to the farthing. Another was to keep the penny and have a new unit at 100 pence (eight shillings and fourpence). However, in the UK the pound was considered to be particularly important because of the UK's international trading status. In addition, having a new penny worth 2.4 old pence was less of a problem as inflation had made its purchasing power insignificant. As a temporary measure a half new penny was introduced, but as will be seen this had a short life. There was even a pattern quarter penny made in aluminium, but this was not proceeded with. It was realised at the time that the decision was made that the life of the halfpenny would be very short, but it was felt necessary despite the considerable extra cost of having to mint the coin. Banks never accepted transactions involving an odd halfpenny. The Timetable for the Change The change was made gradually over three years, in a number of stages. In 1968 new shillings and florins were issued as 5 new pence and 10 new pence coins. The older shillings and florins continued to  circulate long after decimalisation until the size of the coins was reduced. Theoretically  silver coins from 1816 could still have been found in change, but the active  withdrawal of silver in the years following the change in 1947, followed  by the combination of a dramatic rise in the price of silver with devaluation  in 1967 meant that silver coins rapidly vanished from circulation. Blue plastic wallets containing the new 5p and 10p coins dated 1968, along with 1/2p, 1p and 2p  coins dated 1971 were put on sale. These wallets are still very common. In October 1969 the 50 new pence piece replaced the 10 shilling note, which ceased to be legal tender on 22nd November 1970. The old halfpenny was demonetised on 1st August 1969. The half-crown was demonetised on 1st January 1970. The remaining decimal coins became legal tender on 15th February 1971.  Maundy coins (and silver threepenny pieces of Maundy design, i.e. with  a crowned three on the reverse) were revalued as being in new pence at the same time. The changeover was so rapid that the old penny and nickel brass threepence pieces  had been removed from circulation by the end of 1971, although I know  of one shop in the Yorkshire Dales which continued to use the old currency  for a long time on the basis that 'this new-fangled stuff will never catch on'. The old penny and threepence coins ceased to be legal tender on 31st August 1971, just over six months after D-day. It is no longer possible to exchange them for current coins at a bank. Later Developments The sixpence , which was allowed to continue circulating at 2½ new pence, was eventually withdrawn at the end of June 1980. I am indebted to Brian Dominic for the following quote from John Glover's book "London's Underground": "The adoption of decimal currency on 15 February 1971 posed a few problems for London Transport, which had favoured the £ Sterling being halved in value and divided into 100 pence - what today might be termed a '50p pound'. With their extensive use of coin operated machines, the Board took strong exception to the proposed introduction of ½p coins, the lack of any coin between 2p and 5p, and the lack of a close relationship of old values and coins with the new. It was all too difficult for them, and it was indeed at London Transport's behest that the 2½p (sixpence) was retained in the coinag


On this day in 1941 the reigning monarch, King George II and his government left which European country as German troops invaded ?

George II (Greek: Γεώργιος Β', Βασιλεύς των Ελλήνων) (20 July 1890 - 1 April 1947) ruled Greece from 1922 to 1924 and from 1935 to 1947. Early life, first period of kingship and exile George was born at the royal villa at Tatoi, near Athens, the eldest son of Constantine I, King of the Hellenes and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia. He was a gr...eat-grandson of Queen Victoria and grandson of George I of Greece, the Danish prince of Glucksburg who had been selected as King in 1863. He was a direct descendant of five Greek imperial (Byzantine) dynasties (Monomachos, Comnenos, Laskaris, Angelos, and Paleologos). George pursued a military career, training with the Prussian Guard at the age of 18, then serving in the Balkan War as a member of the 1st Greek Infantry. When his grandfather was assassinated in 1913, George became the crown prince (Diadochos) as well as the Duke of Sparta. After a coup deposed King Constantine during the First World War, Crown Prince George, by then a Major, followed his father into exile in 1917 (see National Schism); his brother Alexander was installed as king by prime minster Eleftherios Venizelos, an avowed Republican. When Alexander I died following an infection from a monkey bite in 1920, Venezelos was voted out of office, and a plebiscite restored Constantine to the throne. Crown Prince George served as a colonel, and later a major general in the war against Turkey. During this time he married, on 27 February 1921 in Bucharest, Princess Elisabeth of Romania, daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Marie of Romania. When the Turks defeated Greece at the Battle of Smyrna, the military forced the abdication of Constantine, and George succeeded to the Greek throne on September 27, 1922. Following a failed royalist coup (by Ioannis Metaxas) in October 1923, the Revolutionary Committee "asked" him to depart Greece while the National Assembly considered the question of the future form of government. He complied and, although he refused to abdicate, he left on December 19, 1923 for exile in his wife's home nation of Romania. When a republic was proclaimed on March 25, 1924, he was officially deposed, stripped of his Greek nationality and his property confiscated. His wife stayed in Bucharest whilst he spent more and more time abroad visiting Britain, and his mother in Florence. In 1932 he left Romania permanently and moved to Britain. Elisabeth and he had no children, and were divorced on July 6, 1935. Restoration of monarchy and the Metaxas regime In Greece between 1924 and 1935 there were 23 changes of government, a dictatorship and 13 coups. General Georgios Kondylis, a former Venizelist, overthrew the government in October 1935 and appointed himself Prime Minister. He then arranged a plebiscite both to approve his government and to bring an end to the Republic. On November 3, 1935, over 95% of the reported votes supported restoration of the monarchy. The balloting was not secret, and participation was compulsory. As Time magazine described it at the time, "A voter one could drop into the ballot box a blue vote for George II and please General George Kondylis... or one could cast a red ballot for the Republic and get roughed up." George, who had been living at Brown's Hotel in London, returned to Greek soil on November 25. Almost immediately he and Kondylis disagreed over the terms of a general amnesty the King wanted to declare, and George appointed an interim Prime Minister, Professor Konstantinos Demertzis. New elections were held in January, which resulted in a hung parliament with the Communists (who were anti-monarchist) holding the balance of power. A series of unexpected deaths amongst the better-known politicians (including Kondylis and Demertzis) as well as the uncertain political situation, led to the rise to power of Ioannis Metaxas. On August 4, 1936, George endorsed Metaxas's establishment of dictatorship - the "4th of August Regime", signing decrees that dissolved the parliament, banned political parties, abolished the constitution, and created a "Third Hellenic Civilization. The


Born on this day in 1775, what was the first name of the painter JMW Turner?

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851 (J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours) | Tate Self-Portrait c.1799 Tate N00458 Joseph Mallord William Turner was born, it is thought, on 23 April 1775 at 21 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London, the son of William Turner (1745–1829), a barber and wig-maker, and his wife Mary, née Marshall (1739–1804). His father, born in South Molton, Devon, had moved to London around 1770 to follow his own father’s trade. His mother came from a line of prosperous London butchers and shopkeepers. Joseph Mallord William Turner was baptised at the local church, St Paul’s in Covent Garden, on 14 May. A sister, Mary Anne, was born in 1778 but died in 1783, just before her fifth birthday. In 1796 the family moved to 26 Hand Court, on the other side of Maiden Lane (fig.2). Turner remained a Londoner and kept a Cockney accent all his life, avoiding the veneer of social polish acquired by many artists of the time as they climbed the professional ladder. John Wykeham Archer J.M.W. Turner's birthplace in Maiden Lane, Covent Garden 1852 © The Trustees of the British Museum Perhaps because his mother was already showing signs of the mental disturbance for which she was admitted first to St Luke’s Hospital for Lunaticks in Old Street in 1799 and then Bethlem Hospital in 1800, Turner was sent to stay with uncles at Brentford in 1785 and Sunningwell in 1789, and to Margate in 1786 where he also attended school. At home his father encouraged his artistic talent and showed off his drawings in his shop. In December 1789, after a term’s probation, Turner entered the Royal Academy Schools, where he progressed from the Plaister Academy, drawing from casts of ancient sculpture, to the life class in 1792. He augmented his studies with other work experience, with architects and architectural draughtsman including Thomas Malton whom he later described as ‘my real master’, 1 and painting scenery for the London stage – the origin, presumably, of a lifelong love of music and opera. By 1794, with his friend Thomas Girtin, he attended the evening ‘academy’ hosted by Dr Thomas Monro at his house in the Adelphi, copying works by other artists. A specialist in mental illness, Monro would later be responsible for his mother’s care at Bethlem. Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851 View in the Avon Gorge 1791 Pen and ink and watercolour on paper support: 233 x 294 mm Tate D00114 View in the Avon Gorge 1791 Tate D00114 Turner’s varied activities indicate wide interests as well as a need to fund his Academy education. The flourishing market for landscape and antiquarian topography, whether watercolours for exhibition and sale or reproduction in prints and books, provided his first real income. Early trips outside London, including a visit to friends of his father’s at Bristol in 1791, alerted him to the value of sketching on the spot as the basis of studio and commercial work; he seems to have thought of having his views of the Avon Gorge – which won him the nickname ‘Prince of the Rocks’ – published as prints (fig.3). From the mid-1790s he settled on the routine he maintained for much of his life: touring in summer and working in the studio in the winter months, for the following year’s exhibitions, on commissions or for the engraver. The first engravings after his topographical drawings appeared in the Copper-Plate Magazine (1794–8) and the Pocket Magazine (1795–6). Post-revolutionary wars in Europe confined his first tours to home ground; the Midlands in 1794, the North in 1797 and Wales on several occasions up to 1799. In 1801 he visited Scotland. Turner exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1790, showing watercolours until 1796 when he sent his first oil, Fishermen at Sea (Tate T01585 , fig.4), its marine subject signalling wider ambitions as a painter and his refusal to be typecast as a topographer. In the following years his exhibited works diversified into history, literature and myth, challenged the styles of the Old Masters and made rapid advances in technique. While some of his first important commissions wer


Based in Swindon, which is thge largest building society in the world ?

List of Current Building Societies List of Current Building Societies Below is a list of current building societies and their current group assets. Nationwide Building Society - £191397m The Nationwide Building Society is the largest building society in the world and it maintains its headquarters in Swindon, England. The Nationwide Building Society also has a number of divisions: Cheshire Building Society, Derbyshire Building Society, Dunfermline Building Society and the Nationwide Independent Financial Services Ltd. The Nationwide Building Society was originally called the Co-operative Permanent Building Society. The building society has over one million members. The first debit card to be released by a building society was achieved by the nationwide building society, and it was also the first building society to launch the UK's first internet banking service (1997). Yorkshire Building Society - £36135m The second largest building society in the world. The building society's assets now exceed £20 billion. It is one of the major mutual building societies, one of few. Because of this, the Yorkshire building society continues to answer only to its members unlike other building societies that answer to shareholders. Coventry Building Society - £21139m The Conventry Building Society, as a member of the Building Society Association, is currently the third largest building society in the world and it was founded in 1884. The building society was originally called the Coventry Economic Building Society. The Conventry Building Society uses Lady Godiva as an icon for the building society. Skipton Building Society - £15800m The Skipton Building Society was created in 1853. The building society to this day has over 830000 members and the building society also has over 19 subsidiary companies. The building society bailed out the Scarborough Building Society in 2009. Leeds Building Society - £9545m The Leeds Building Society was formed in 1875. It was originally called the Leeds and Holbeck (Permanent) Building Society. The Leeds Building Society was voted as the best building society in Britain by Mortgage Magazine. West Bromwich Building Society - £8336m The West Bromwich Building Society is a member of the Building Societies Association. The building society was the official sponsor of the West Bromwich Albion F.C. football team from 1997 to 2004. Principality Building Society - £6219m The Principality Building Society is based in Wales and it is the largest building society in Wales. The Principality Building Society is one of the few building societies that are owned by its members rather than shareholders making it a mutual building society. Newcastle Building Society - £4620m The Newcastle Building Society is a member of the Building Societies Association and it was formed in 1980. It merged with the Universal Building Society in 2006. Norwich & Peterborough Building Society - £4248m The Norwich & Peterborough Building Society has over £4.9billion assets and the building society is mainly based in East Anglia, but it has branches all over England and even has a branch located in Gibraltar.