What product launched in India called Sakshat ('before your eyes') with the incredible selling price of 500 rupees (about £7)?

DPRK-India09 Bloody Kashmir, Bloody India, and the Bloody Deal Western media is always on the alert for China�s insults to its Uighur and Tibetan minorities. Certainly, China�s occupation of Tibet since 1950 has been a brutal, bloody botch that killed upwards of half a million Tibetans during the rebellion in the 1950s and during the Cultural Revolution. Despite China�s determined efforts to fulfill its enlightened despot role and reduce the body count in recent decades, Tibet�s hostility to Han control is intense, justified, and seemingly terminal. But I think the well-oiled Western outrage machine gives a free ride to India, and brushes aside New Delhi�s ongoing shenanigans in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Nepal, Jammu-Kashmir, Balochistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan as �nothing to see here� efforts by the dominant power (and vibrant democracy!) in the region to secure its sphere of influence. Kashmir is the place where India�s democratic ideals and regional power aspirations collide with the greatest violence. Indian troops stationed in Kashmir: 700,000 Since all Americans are by now counterinsurgency experts, we note immediately that the locals to troops ratio is an eye-popping 14:1.  That�s the sign of a major security problem. In fact, that�s the sign of a major insurgency. If we had gone into the Iraq occupation with those kinds of numbers (instead of Donald Rumsfeld�s ratio of roughly 300,000 troops per 24 million Iraqis for a ludicrous 80:1 or the industry standard of 50:1), we would probably have been able to keep a lid on things, too. Make no mistake: the Indian occupation of Kashmir is as bloody, expensive, oppressive, and unpopular as the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories or, for that matter, the Chinese occupation of Tibet [Separatism] [China India comparison] [Double standards] Reviving India�s manufacturing industry December 19th, 2009 Author: Rajiv Kumar, ICRIER China�s manufacturing boom and export surge is in large part a result of the subsidization of producers through cheap capital, low wages and disciplined labour, combined with the latest technology brought in by foreign direct investment. Additionally, the role of the Chinese armed forces and local governments must be mentioned. The People�s Liberation Army (PLA) regularly places orders on emerging domestic enterprises to generate economies of scale and be globally competitive. They also transfer technology to these firms. Local governments acquire land for both domestic and foreign enterprises and often contribute the proceeds as equity capital, thereby becoming partners and assuring the investors against any future political risk.  Can India follow the same model? During the 1980s, it established a plant in Nepal as well. Then in January 2005, the family�s second generation shifted the entire production to Yuwe in Hangzhou province (sic) in China. This example, which captures the story of the ongoing hollowing out of India�s manufacturing sector, is unfortunately not an isolated one. Manufacturing capacities are being routinely shifted out of India. I have heard senior policymakers argue that it does not matter if growth comes from manufacturing or service industries such as software, Bollywood or tourism. I hope readers will see the dangerous fallacy in this line of thinking. [Development strategy] [FTA] [Services] US, UK protest India's new tight tourism rules By Gethin Chamberlain | Dec 21, 2009 Britain and the US have lodged a diplomatic protest with India after the government in Delhi introduced rules barring tourists from returning to the country within two months of any visit. The new visa rules, which also apply to other foreign nationals, are apparently a reaction to the arrest in the US of a Mumbai terror suspect, David Coleman Headley, who had entered India on a multiple-entry visa. [Terrorism] India Successfully Tests Nuclear-Capable Missile India says it has successfully test fired a short range, nuclear-capable missile. Officials fired the surface-to-surface Dhanush missile Sunday from a ship in th


Who beat Tom Watson in the 2009 British Open Golf Championship play-off?

The Open 2009: Stewart Cink beats Tom Watson in play-off to win 138th Open - Telegraph The Open The Open 2009: Stewart Cink beats Tom Watson in play-off to win 138th Open Stewart Cink beat Tom Watson in a play-off to win the 138th Open at Turnberry  and complete his maiden major victory.   Image 1 of 2 To the victor the spoils: Stewart Cink lifts the Claret Jug after winning The Open at Turnberry in a play-off with Tom Watson Photo: PA   Image 1 of 2 Stewart Cinks it: 36-year-old outsider Stewart Cink defied the odds to win his first major Photo: GETTY IMAGES By Mark Reason 8:39PM BST 19 Jul 2009 Like the giant ogre in a children's scare story Cink stomped all over this Open Championship and crushed our dreams. The big American beat the heroic Watson in a play-off on a day when three different Englishmen had led at various times in the afternoon. Poor Cink, a more than decent American golfer, has just become the biggest villain in Open history. When Tom Watson walked up the final hole needing just a par for victory at the age of 59 maybe even Mrs Cink wanted him to succeed. It would have been the greatest achievement perhaps in all of sport. But our hopes of immortality dribbled past the edge of the hole when Watson wavered over his 10-foot victory putt. Cink had come to the final hole without much of a chance. A few times he had caught a glimpse of the claret jug and the glare had been too much for him. Birdies were followed by bogeys. But when the pressure seemed off the 36-year-old caught a decent bounce up onto the final green and then holed the putt for birdie. Someone should dig up that bit of Scottish land that was the difference between the most romantic victory of all time and another journeyman American scooping a major. Watson hit two beautiful shots down the 18th, but a hard bounce sent his ball skidding over the green and he was unable to get it up and down. As the winner of five Opens Watson knows better than anyone that seaside golf can often depend on a bounce either way. It is the ability to take misfortune as your due that separates the great links golfers from the rest. With this performance Watson must surely now be considered the greatest of them all. Related Articles Old Tom's story too good to be true 20 Jul 2009 Everyone wanted to see the play-off - even Justin Leonard was on the sidelines in his shades - but it turned out to be a desperate anti-climax. Cink got up and down from a bunker on the first of the four holes to take a one-shot lead and then tiredness seemed to smother Tom. Watson's game fell away and the man in green, the Shrek of Turnberry, gobbled him up like a small child. There was an awful Cink-ing feeling. Give Cink his due, he deserves his victory because in the end he took fewer shots. That is golf. Cink hugged his wife and sons on the edge of the final green, but his dream has always been to win the US Open. He once said: "It's the Championship of the greatest nation on this earth," but he was a younger and more foolish man back then. Cink becomes the ninth different American to win the Open since 1995 but he wasn't the one we all wanted. And don't let ignorant people tell you that Watson's display this week proves that golf is just a game. Don't let them tell you that a 59-year-old would not be able to compete in a real 'athletic' sport. These are people who have never swung a golf club or tried to hole a four-footer when your whole soul wants nothing more. They do not understand how many different skills golf tests. They do not understand that golf is perhaps the most public test of a man's heart. They do not understand how easy it is to fray. Watson understands all those things and it makes his performance this week all the more remarkable. He called Tiger Woods's 15 stroke victory at the 2000 US Open the most extraordinary performance in the history of golf. That's the cold-eyed realist in him. My preference is for Tiger winning on a broken leg last year. But does Tom's performance this week top them all. No, finishing second is never enough, however fantastic it may be. W


Who fought extradition to the US for allegedly hacking into Pentagon and NASA computers while investigating UFOs?

UK blocks 'UFO-hacker' McKinnon extradition to US — RT News Tags Scandal , UK , Human rights , Internet , Information Technology , USA , Security , Court , Hacking The home secretary said that there is no doubt McKinnon is seriously ill, that she carefully examined the medical evidence and took legal advice, concluding that his extradition would pose such a high risk that he would end his life, which restricts his human rights. McKinnon, 46, suffers from Asperger’s syndrome. If convicted in the US, he could face up to 60 years in jail. The case of McKinnon has become the first time the British government has refused to extradite someone across the Atlantic since the existing UK-USA extradition treaty came into force in January 2004, The Independent reports.  The agreement is largely contested by dozens of British MPs, who call the current policy one-sided, basically meaning Washington can demand anyone's extradition without proof, while London is obliged to obey. The treaty makes it far easier for the USA to take people from the UK than the other way around. In a treaty with the US, the Americans must only show “reasonable suspicion” if they want to extradite a Briton – compared with “probable cause” going the other way. As a result, more Britons have been extradited than Americans. Between the January 1, 2004, when the treaty came into force, and October15, 2012, some 92 people were extradited from the UK to the US. By comparison, 43 people have been extradited from the US to the UK in the same period. The latest medical study by professors Declan Murphy and Tom Fahy spelled out the risks the British government could face if it went ahead with the extradition. The same experts in July concluded that McKinnon’s risk of suicide was “moderate.” Since then they have studied reports from three experts on Asperger’s and suicide, who examined McKinnon earlier in the year. The new report, dated September 24, read: “It is clear that there is a significant risk of suicidal behavior and that Mr. McKinnon ‘will do’ what he has threatened for the last three to four years if the extradition proceeds. On this specific point, we cannot offer reassurance to the authorities who are dealing with the case.” London Mayor Boris Johnson praised the court’s decision saying that “justice has prevailed." He said that the extradition would have been “extraordinarily cruel and inhumane.” “I applaud the government's stance. If they had approved extradition they would have been saying that extradition on any grounds was OK. It's not," he said. McKinnon's mother Janis Sharp thanked Home Secretary May for made a lifesaving decision for her son. "Thank you Theresa May from the bottom of my heart – I always knew you had the strength and courage to do the right thing," she said. McKinnon's family and supporters have fought a high profile campaign against extradition over the last seven years, since US proceedings to seek his custody began. McKinnon was arrested in March 2002 for allegedly hacking into dozens of NASA and Pentagon computers over a 13-month period from his bedroom in North London. He has admitted the security breaches but said they were unintentional and that he was looking for evidence of UFOs. The United States expressed disappointment with the decision to withdraw the extradition order.  "The United States is disappointed by the decision to deny Gary McKinnon's extradition to face long overdue justice in the United States. We are examining the details of the decision," a State Department spokeswoman told reporters.  ‘Some British citizens more equal than others’ The family of Babar Ahmad, a British citizen who was extradited to the US as a terror suspect two weeks ago, “strongly welcomed” the McKinnon decision, but accused the government of “double standards." Babar was extradited along with four other people, including Talha Ahsan, who just like McKinnon has Asperger’s syndrome. British authorities have refused to prosecute Babar and Talha in the UK due to a lack of evidence. Babar, 38, was accused of running a US-hosted website that


What band won best international album and group awards at the 2009 Brits?

Duffy wins three Brits - TV.com Duffy wins three Brits 2comments Welsh soulstress Duffy was the big winner at last night's Brit awards, picking up three gongs in recognition of her debut album Rockferry. The star beat out competition from the likes of Grammy award-winning Adele to take home the prizes for Best British Breakthrough Act, Best British Female Artist and Best British Album. Rock band Coldplay fared rather less well, leaving the ceremony empty-handed despite having been nominated for four awards. Mercury Music prize winners Elbow beat Coldplay to the Best British Band award. Girls Aloud , meanwhile, performed on the night and scooped their first Brit for Best Single for The Promise. Upon collecting the gong the girls were visibly excited and band member Cheryl Cole exclaimed: "Thank you to everyone that voted--this is the cherry on the cake." American band Kings of Leon won two awards for Best International Group and Best International Album while Katy Perry was named Best International Female Solo Artist. Gavin and Stacey actors James Corden and Matthew Horne hosted the event at London's Earls Court alongside Kylie Minogue. During the evening the trio took to the stage with a comic version of Kylie's pop song 'Can't Get You out Of My Head'. Other performances on the night included U2, Lady GaGa and a collaboration between the Ting Tings and Estelle. Take That also performed their single The Greatest Day but their ex-band mate Robbie Williams was nowhere to be seen despite reports earlier this week that he'd be joining them on stage.


Who topped the Forbes' list of the world's most powerful women in 2009?

Forbes Lists Most Powerful Women Forbes Lists Most Powerful Women ABC News Forbes has released its list of the world's 100 most powerful women of 2012, ranking German Chancellor Angela Merkel number 1 for the second year in a row. Presiding over one of Europe's most vibrant economies in the midst of the recession, Merkel has vowed to preserve the European Union, which is threatening to break apart as countries such an Greece, Portugal, and Italy attempt to deal with a massive debt crisis. United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton remained second on the Forbes list despite her announcement that she intends to retire from public life at the end of 2012. Clinton has been a powerful force in shaping American foreign policy during her tenure, visiting 42 countries this year and 100 during her time as Secretary of State, a record for the position. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff rounded out the top three. A highly popular head of state with a 77 percent approval rating, she has recently launched a new effort to eradicate Brazil's dire poverty and increase access to education and medical services by 2014. Rousseff told Forbes , "What I want my legacy to be is this country to be increasing middle class, to be highly competitive and highly educated." The first female President of Brazil, Rousseff is also the highest ranking unmarried woman on the list, having divorced her second husband in 2000. Melinda Gates, wife of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, came in fourth. She has been a fixture on the list. Gates co-chairs the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which gives out billions of dollars each year in grants and donations to combat poverty and illness around the world. Journalists featured prominently on the list, with Jill Abramson, recently appointed the executive editor of the New York Times, at number 5. The first female executive editor of the paper, Abramson has been spearheading an effort to launch the paper into the digital age. ABC News' own Diane Sawyer came in 23rd. Sawyer, the first female correspondent on CBS' "60 Minutes," spent time anchoring both "Primetime" and "Good Morning America" before moving ABC's nightly newscast, "World News," in 2009. Arianna Huffington, Christiane Amanpour, and Greta van Susteren also made the list at 29, 53, and 94 respectively A testament to the growth of social media, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg was one of the highest ranking executives on the list, coming in tenth. Businesswomen dominated the upper teens and lower twenties with Xerox CEO Ursula Burns at 18, Meg Whitman of HP at 19, Maria das Graças Silva Foster of Petrobras-Petróleo Brasil at 20, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer at 21 and Disney Media Networks Co-Chair and President of the Disney/ABC television group Anne Sweeney at 22. First Lady Michelle Obama was the highest ranked African American woman on the list, coming in 7th. Oprah Winfrey was No. 11. Click here for a look at the full Forbes list of the world's most powerful women of 2012. Reblog


Real name Alecia Moore, which colourful US diva sold out three London O2 dates in May 2009?

Gallery Magazine 52 - 'The Show' by factory - issuu we talk exclusively about her foray into the high street Corker take a trip to the emerald isle Lloyd Yates the live music man of the moment Jersey Live The headliners and the latest 1 refreshing the parts other Jersey media fail to reach. Winner: Best Brand Campaign Winner: Marketing Excellence Gallery is published eleven times a year as a fresh yet discerning guide to all that happens on the Island and beyond, not too arty farty superior or too serious, written by the people of Jersey for people everywhere. issue 52 | May 2009 | ‘the show’ credits&contacts people publisher Russ Atkinson Damon Eastwood Danny Evans Matt Porteus Ceri Milner Jersey VIP Steve Wellum @gallerymagazine.co.uk @gallerymagazine.co.uk 01534 811100 on the magic internet www.gallerymagazine.co.uk with postcards and stamps Gallery Magazine Midbeach House, La Route de la Haule, St Lawrence, Jersey JE3 1BA The Gallery Snappers and all the uploaders! person-that-reads-small-print facts of the month: People putting on a ‘show’ - celebrity real names! Johnny Knoxville (Philip John Clapp) Miley Cyrus (Destiny Hope Cyrus) Jamie Foxx (Eric Bishop) Alice Cooper (Vincent Furnier) Anna Nicole Smith ( Vickie Lynn Hogan) Busta Rhymes (Trevor Smith) Jennifer Aniston (Jennifer Anastassakis) Judy Garland (Frances Gumm) We haven’t got room to say why but turn to page 135 to learn more...... Gallery recycles all its storage and packing materials, boxes and any old magazines that are returned. We love to know our readers hang on to previous copies but when you move or find that they’re taking up too much space, drop them down to the recycling bins in the car park off the Esplanade. If you want to find out more about recycling, call 01534 448586 2 Disclaimer. All rights reserved. Any form of reproduction of Gallery Magazine, in part or whole is strictly prohibited without the written consent of the publisher. Any views expressed by advertisers or contributors may not be those of the publisher. Unsolicited artwork, manuscripts and copy is accepted by Gallery Magazine, but the publisher cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage. All material, copy and artwork supplied is assumed to be copyright free unless otherwise advised. Contributions for Gallery Magazine should be emailed to editorial@ gallerymagazine.co.uk. Why are you still reading the small print? How about running naked down one of our beaches and making a spot frame animation of yourself? 3 THE ROYAL YACHT, ST HELIER 3PM ONWARDS 4 We feature the latest in fashion and beauty every month in Gallery magazine and thought it’d be a great idea to bring together retailers and readers alike by holding our very own fashion and beauty show. Our readers always want to get involved as ‘guinea pigs’ and this is your opportunity to experience the latest fashions and beauty and wellbeing treatments the Island has to offer. covercredits editorial Photography: Danny Evans Styling: Paris Quarrell Model: Rosie 18 ct gold Anoushka Dome by Links from Letto’s £830 9ct gold bracelets from Letto’s starting from £368 édito the bit an editor would write if we’d ever had one. I think it was some guy called Will who once said ‘All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players’. But it’s true, isn’t it? We are all on a stage, playing our roles, fitting into the cast, part of the show. we’re priceless no fake cover prices here... Gallery is free, like a bird. Like Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Why? Because our advertisers love you and contribute the £3 it would cost you otherwise to tell you about themselves. So buy their lovely products and keep it that way! want in? Get Featured in Gallery If you are an artist with work to exhibit, an event or entertainment organiser with an event coming up or a business with some exciting news or a new product to feature, get in touch. We’re keen to feature anything of interest that will entertain our readers. Advertise in Gallery It’s a swear word to some people but it’s what ensures Gallery is free for readers each month. If you h


In which island nation were president Marc Ravalomanama's offices stormed by his own country's army in March 2009?

Shots fired as Madagascar's ex-president denounces 'coup' | News | M&G Shots fired as Madagascar's ex-president denounces 'coup' Lucie Peytermann 25 Mar 2009 18:26 Madagascar police fired shots on Wednesday after supporters of the island’s toppled leader clashed with those backing his foe, as former president Marc Ravalomanana urged his people to “save the nation”. “It is up to us, it is up to you, it is up to me ... to save the nation, defend the union and our national unity,” said Ravalomanana in a pre-recorded message at a rally of about 10 000 people in the capital Antananarivo. “Madagascar was on the road to development and now they are destroying our country with their coup,” said Ravalomanana in his first comments after being forced to resign last week following a three-month power struggle. Police fired warning shots in the air to disperse the crowd, which held up banners dating back to Ravalomanana’s 2006 election campaign and proclaimed, “Father, the country is waiting for you.” The action came after scuffles between the rival political movements broke out towards the end of the rally, after a broadcast of Ravolomanana’s message. Andry Rajoelina, a former mayor of the capital who replaced him, was also backed by street protests but crucially won the support of the large Indian Ocean island nation’s armed forces at the height of the tussle for power. Ravalomanana is currently in Swaziland ahead of a meeting of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), a 15-nation regional bloc which will discuss possible sanctions against Rajoelina at a meeting next week. The crowd gathered in downtown Antananarivo on Wednesday, the third day in a row that Ravalomanana’s supporters have protested against Rajoelina, who was sworn in as president by the Constitutional Court last Saturday. The former president pledged to return to power. “I thank God because I’m alive,” he said in Swaziland. “Already a week ago, power was looted, and that’s why I left. Be confident, I support you and we shall see each other again soon.” The mood of protest toughened in Antananarivo on Wednesday. “Andry miala [Andry get out],” shouted demonstrators at the central May 13 Square, where the new head of state had rallied his own supporters before the backlash. Desire Rakotoramanana, a civil servant who has joined the anti-Rajoelina movement, called from the podium for the resignation by Friday of new Finance Minister Binja Razafimahaleo, who demonstrators accused of “stealing money”. Rajoelina, a one-time disc jockey who was sacked by Ravalomanana as mayor of Antananarivo, also faces growing international opposition after his rise to power with military support. The African Union has already announced Madagascar’s suspension even though it is due to hold the pan-continental body’s next summit while the United States and European Union have condemned his accession as a “coup”. Ravalomanana (59) had resigned as president on March 17, after the army stormed his offices, clearing the way for Rajoelina after a bitter struggle during which around 100 civilians died. After taking power, Rajoelina promptly suspended Parliament and said fresh elections might take two years to organise, drawing a barrage of criticism from Western donors. But on Tuesday night, the transitional government announced that political parties will in April be invited to a national forum in order to arrange for a presidential election. The spokesperson of the TIM party that backs Ravalomanana, Andrianatoandro Raharinaivo, said he “agreed” to such a forum but stressed it should be “organised under the aegis of a totally independent body, like the United Nations”.—Sapa-AFP


Tidjane Thiam became the first black FTSE 100 CEO when appointed to head what UK financial services company?

BBC NEWS | Business | First black FTSE 100 boss at Pru First black FTSE 100 boss at Pru Tidjane Thiam joined Prudential from Aviva in 2007 Tidjane Thiam will become chief executive of Prudential in October, becoming the first black head of a FTSE 100 company. Mr Thiam joined Prudential from Aviva in 2007 and is now finance director at the firm. He will replace Mark Tucker. Originally from the Ivory Coast, Mr Thiam had previously been the country's Minister of Planning and Development. Mr Thiam will be one of a limited number of ethnic minorities who are represented in the UK's boardrooms. Earlier than expected I hope Mr Thiam's achievements will inspire ethnic minority teenagers, entry-level workers and current employees to stand-up and be counted in the race for leadership Sandra Kerr, Director, Race for Opportunity Viewpoint: Watershed moment On Friday, Prudential shares were trading up 5.6% on the news of Mr Thiam's appointment, and on the company's higher-than-expected results released on Thursday. Prudential's operating profits were up 17% to £2.96bn in 2008, and it said it had strong reserves to weather the economic downturn. Mr Thiam, 46, will take up the reins as chief executive on October after Mr Tucker, 51, announced that he would step down earlier than expected. Mr Tucker has led the company for four-and-a-half years and has been at Prudential for 25 years. Commenting on his appointment Mr Thiam said: "It is a privilege to be a successor. In the meantime, I'm the chief financial officer and I have a job to do, that is what I intend to focus on in the next six months." "It is very significant because it sets a wider precedent," said Michael Eboda, the founder of Powerful Media, which publishes a list of Britain's 100 most influential black people. "No one will see this as tokenism - he has an incredibly impressive curriculum vitae." THIAM'S CAREER SO FAR Tidjane Thiam: A life story An avid Arsenal supporter, he studied engineering in Paris and obtained an MBA from INSEAD. Before working at Aviva for five years, he was employed at McKinsey's Paris offices. Mr Thiam joins the few ethnic minorities such as Damon Buffini, boss of private equity firm Permira, represented in the UK's boardrooms. "He is immensely charming," said ING equities analyst Kevin Ryan. "He has a brain the size of two solar systems, he is a very, very clever bloke," he added. Sandra Kerr, director of Race for Opportunity which campaigns for equality in the workplace, described Mr Thiam's appointment as a "watershed" moment. "I hope that Tidjane Thiam's achievements will inspire ethnic minority teenagers, entry-level workers and current employees to stand-up and be counted in the race for leadership," she wrote in a viewpoint piece for the BBC News website. "However, it should be remembered that Tidjane Thiam was born and educated outside of the United Kingdom. His success should not be claimed as a success for the promotion of ethnic minorities from classroom to boardroom in the United Kingdom". Bookmark with:


The statue of which Royal person was unveiled in London's The Mall in February 2009?

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother - The Mall, London, UK - Statues of Historic Figures on Waymarking.com you are not logged in.  [log in] Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother - The Mall, London, UK - Statues of Historic Figures on Waymarking.com Welcome to Waymarking.com! We hope you've been able to find what you are looking for. We would also like               to encourage you to take some time to browse some of the other aspects of our site.               We recommend viewing our featured waymarks ,               or perhaps the newest waymarks . You can               also create a free membership to track your progress online               and share your locations with others. Click                 here to view the complete waymark directory N 51° 30.306 W 000° 08.023 30U E 698915 N 5709891 Quick Description: This statue is to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and stands on the north west side of The Mall in front of the George VI memorial statue. Location: London, United Kingdom Date Posted: 1/1/2012 1:39:13 AM Waymark Code: WMDE1F .KML File (Google Earth) Long Description: The statue, made from bronze, is about 190% life-size at 9.5ft high. Queen Elizabeth is depicted wearing ceremonial robes and hat and is gazing west towards Buckingham Palace. Her hands are holding the edges of the robe she is wearing. The statue stands on top of a Portland stone plinth with a grey granite base and is about 4.5m (15 ft) high. Immediately beneath the statue, carved into the stone, is the Royal coat-of-arms. Beneath the coat-of-arms is inscribed "Queen / Elizabeth / 1900 - 2002". The statue was unveiled on 24th February, 2009 by the current Queen Elizabeth. See the YouTube clip (link is below). "Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother,[1] to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II. She was the last queen consort of Ireland and empress consort of India. Born into a family of Scottish nobility as The Honourable Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, she became Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon when her father inherited the Earldom of Strathmore and Kinghorne in 1904. She came to prominence in 1923 when she married Albert, Duke of York, the second son of King George V and Queen Mary. As Duchess of York, she – along with her husband and their two daughters Elizabeth and Margaret – embodied traditional ideas of family and public service. She undertook a variety of public engagements, and became known as the "Smiling Duchess" because of her consistent public expression. In 1936, her husband unexpectedly became King when his brother, Edward VIII, abdicated in order to marry the American divorcée Wallis Simpson. Queen Elizabeth accompanied her husband on diplomatic tours to France and North America before the start of World War II. During the war, her seemingly indomitable spirit provided moral support to the British public. In recognition of her role as an asset to British morale, Adolf Hitler described her as "the most dangerous woman in Europe". After the war, her husband's health deteriorated and she was widowed at the age of 51. On the death of her mother-in-law Queen Mary in 1953, with her brother-in-law living abroad and her elder daughter aged 25, Elizabeth became the senior member of the royal family and assumed a position as family matriarch. In her later years, she was a consistently popular member of the family, when other members were suffering from low levels of public approval. She continued an active public life until just a few months before her death at the age of 101, seven weeks after the death of her younger daughter, Princess Margaret."


Which government minister agreed to pay £13,332 in capital gains tax owed from the sale of a second home, whose avoidance was revealed during the parliamentary expenses scandal?

Millers resignation is no big deal. Millers resignation is no big deal. It seems that the Sniffenpissin monster ‘Culture’ Secetary, Maria ‘windy’ Miller has quit. Course, she has without a doubt been scapegoated. I mean, fiddling under £6 grand is peanuts for these cunts, yet with the spotlight shining brightly on old Windy, she couldn’t be allowed to get away with it. Besides, it is just a good excuse for The Cunt Cameron to highlight that he won’t put up with ‘sleaze’, despite the fact that the sleazy cunt will. Now, as it happens this story actually gives me an ideal opportunity to use a chunk of an article that I began writing about the twisted cunt Leon Brittan last December. That article sort of took a different direction as it went along, finally ending up being more about the 2009 expenses scandal, than the nonce cunt Brittan. And as such, it never got published because it never got finished. Anyway, with the release of todays Chimp article about Millers resignation, I had the perfect excuse to update and finish that old article – minus the Leon brittan bit of course (which I have already used in another article). You see, whilst the country was descending further into chaos last December, it had just been announced in the news that the puppet cunts responsible for the mess were set to get a wage rise of £7,600. And that figure is more than some people have to live on in this country for a year. Now, I don’t want to dwell on this too much because even now, I can feel my whole body tensing up. You see, not only have the nonce ponce puppet show deliberately wrecked the country, they are laughing at you all as they fuck your children and steal your public funds. Most of the fraud cunts have second jobs, thus proving how little is actually involved in being an MP… So little in fact that Blow Job Johnston was even doing the job of a magazine editor whilst pretending to be an MP. Therefore, I find that MP’s wage increase a real kick in the bollocks for the common man and galling enough to set me off on a mad one: An obligatory £7,600 pay rise is expected to be given to MPs this week – despite the furious objections of all three party leaders.  The Commons pay watchdog is expected to cause public outrage by pressing ahead with an 11 per cent hike, which David Cameron previously described as ‘unthinkable’.  The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority will sign off on an increase in MPs’ salaries from £66,396 to £74,000 – and try to defuse criticism by toughening its crackdown on perks such as taxis and hotels.  Source FUCKING OBLIGATORY!!! IF YA DON’T FUCKING WANT IT THEN GIVE IT TO THE FUCKING POOR, THE OLD AND THE DISABLED INSTEAD OF FUCKING MURDERING THEM, YOU FUCKING LUMPS OF WORM INFESTED DOG SHIT! People, enough really is enough. Fucking obligatory!… Piss taking useless, sadistic warped CUNTS. No pay rise… Not one, is fucking obligatory. But here is the fucking thing. The pox infested child molesters are going to appease those of you such as the half witted, dribbling idiots, on a government hoax Forums who are calling for the hanging of two obvious stooges, by saying that they will offset the obligatory fuck off pay rise by cutting down on MP’s expenses. And the fucking Dum-Dums fall for it hook line and stinker. I mean, show me an MP who has cut down on his poncing and thieving. I can’t see no great reduction, that is for fucking sure. Do the IPSA mean cut back on their heating bills for their 2nd fucking home whilst thousands of pensioners died last winter because they couldn’t afford to heat their homes? Course, the cause of death of those poor old people was blamed on anything other than the truth. Never the less, there was no chance of our warm MP’s dying of cold: MPs have been criticised for claiming £200,000 of taxpayers’ money to cover the cost of their  energy bills . Some 340 MPs, including ministers, have used the parliamentary expenses system to recoup the cost of heating their second homes, according to the Sunday Mirror . Bills costing more than £1,000 were submitted by 41 MPs while 78 made cla


John Towers, Nick Stephenson, John Edwards, and Peter Beale (the Phoenix Four) were criticised in a 2009 UK Government report for making vast personal gain while presiding over the collapse of which company?

News Analysis : The Phoenix that laid the golden egg? - AROnline : AROnline News Analysis : The Phoenix that laid the golden egg? Graham Eason John Towers with a Rover 75, shortly after the Phoenix takeover The author is a long-standing British car enthusiast and the owner of Great Escape Classic Car Hire . Following reports in the news earlier this week about the ‘Phoenix Four’ receiving further funds from the sale of former MG Rover assets, here’s Graham’s fascinating (and very well presented) take on the events of 2000-2005 and their legacy… When news stories began appearing this week about Messrs Beale, Towers, et al I was immediately fascinated. I’ll be honest, I’ve always bought the line that the famous four feathered their own nests and hung the workers out to dry. This view was largely based on media reports and local anecdotes – for example, about the sale of Studley Castle, the former BL management centre located just a few miles from the Great Escape site. Like most people I have never had the time to peruse the 800 page Government report into MG Rover’s collapse. Now, thanks to a link on AROnline’s Facebook group, I have. Not every word, I have to admit, but most of it. I have sacrificed a considerable amount of my already depleted brain cells to bring you a summary of what The Phoenix Four actually got up to. So here it is: a bitesized analysis of what killed MG Rover split into the main topic areas. Sale by BMW When Beemer decided to bail it sold the good bit – Land Rover – very easily, leaving it with the less desirable rump of MG and Rover. Everybody, including the Government, knew that this business was not viable in its current form, due to inefficient factories and ancient products. So either it would have to be drastically slimmed down or partnered with a suitable cash-rich car maker. This is why BMW provided a £500m ‘dowry’ to the Phoenix consortium to take the problem off their hands. The BMW deal seems to have been concluded very quickly, particularly compared to the slow pace of the SAIC JV. This seems to suggest a lack of due diligence with BMW rather than a criticism of SAIC. Quite why it all had to happen so quickly is unclear but certainly issues like a business plan and the pension shortfall don’t seem to have received serious analysis by the Phoenix consortium. BMW gave Towers and his partners £500m to offload the English Patient – whether your plans are short or long term, that dowry alone feels pretty persuasive. The Phoenix Four The ‘saviours’ of Rover Group were: John Towers – former Managing Director of Rover Peter Beale – Finance Director who previously worked for a Rover dealer in Stratford Nick Stephenson – Engineer who was a former Director of Rover/BMW John Edwards – ran a Rover dealership in Stratford Left to right: Towers, Beale, Edwards and Stephenson – collectively the Phoenix Four Towers and Beale are generally acknowledged as having been well equipped for the roles they played in the business. Stephenson and Edwards, according to the Government report, were competent in their specialist fields but were pushed well beyond their competences and comfort zones. Business structure From the start the structure of the Phoenix Four deal should have raised alarm bells. The four formed a limited partnership and set up a business called Techtronic. Techtronic ‘bought’ MG Rover and received the loan from BMW. By design or coincidence, this structure enabled the Directors to distance their financial liability and risk from the actual business they had bought – and keep the cash outside the floundering car company. In effect, Techtronic lent money to MG Rover (which had to be paid back) and earned interest on the loan. This arrangement generated a surplus which was fed back to the limited partnership. So whatever happened at MG Rover, careful management of funds at Techtronic would enable the Directors to benefit from surpluses created by interest on the invested BMW loan and on loans to MG Rover. It didn’t matter if the BMW loan was run down and MG Rover defaulted – short term they would


What street dance group won the UK 2009 Britain's Got Talent TV competition?

Diversity: Dance Group - Britain's Got Talent 2009 - The Final - YouTube Diversity: Dance Group - Britain's Got Talent 2009 - The Final Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on May 30, 2009 Britain's Got Talent 2009: With plenty of competition in the same category this evening, the pressure is certainly on this group of dancers. What can Diversity do this evening to secure your vote? Is this performance a winning one? Category


What London attraction features on the 2009 commemorative British 50p coin?

210,000 * About This Design A design showing the pagoda encircled by a vine and accompanied by the dates "1759" and "2009", with the word "KEW" at the base of the pagoda. In 2009 the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew marked its 250th anniversary as a botanical garden and The Royal Mint was proud to join in the celebrations with a splendid commemorative design. The reverse design, created by Christopher Le Brun RA, features the famous Chinese Pagoda at Kew with a decorative leafy climber twining in and around the tower. History Of The 50p In October 1969 the 50p joined the 5p (shilling) and 10p (florin) coins in circulation, leaving only the three copper coins to be introduced on 15 February 1971 to complete the new series of decimal coins. The design on the reverse of the 50p coin featured a symbol of Britannia that has appeared on our coinage since 1672. While this design may have been traditional, the shape of the new 50p coin, an equilateral curve heptagon, was revolutionary. This made it easily distinguishable from round coins both by feel and by sight, while its constant breadth allowed it to roll in vending machines. With the introduction of smaller 5p and 10p coins in 1990 and 1992 respectively, the 50p became the largest coin in circulation. In October 1994 the Government announced a further review of the United Kingdom coinage. The results revealed a requirement for a smaller 50p coin, which was duly introduced on 1 September 1997. Since its issue, the 50p has been used on several occasions to celebrate important events, each being commemorated on a new reverse design. The 50p is legal tender for amounts up to £10. Kew Gardens coin original drawing Newsletter Join our mailing list to receive regular updates about new coins, special offers and general news Need a little help finding what you want? About Us


Which UK TV presenter called Gordon Brown a 'one-eyed Scottish idiot' ?

Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson calls Gordon Brown 'a one-eyed idiot' - Telegraph Celebrity news Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson calls Gordon Brown 'a one-eyed idiot' Jeremy Clarkson, the Top Gear presenter, branded Gordon Brown a "one-eyed  Scottish idiot" as he prepares for a tour in Australia. Steve Pizzati, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond at the Top Gear Live press conference Photo: GETTY By Bonnie Malkin in Sydney 12:17AM GMT 06 Feb 2009 Clarkson also claimed that Mr Brown lied to the public about the government's handling of the global financial crisis. The outspoken presenter and co-host Richard Hammond are in Sydney for the start of their Top Gear Live tour. Speaking at a press conference, he compared Mr Brown with Kevin Rudd, the Australian prime minister, after Mr Rudd had addressed the country on the scale of the economic downturn. "It's the first time I've ever seen a world leader admit we really are in deep ----," he said. "He genuinely looked terrified. The poor man, he's actually seen the books. Related Articles So who is The Stig? 02 Feb 2009 "(In the UK) we've got this one-eyed Scottish idiot, he keeps telling us everything's fine and he's saved the world and we know he's lying, but he's smooth at telling us." Mr Brown lost his sight in one eye during after an accident playing rugby as a teenager. Scottish politicians reacted angrily to the remark. Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray said: "Such a comment is really a reflection on Jeremy Clarkson and speaks for itself. "Most people here are proud that the Prime Minister is a Scot and believe him to be the right person to get the UK through this global economic crisis." Gordon Banks, Labour MP for Ochil and South Perthshire, branded the comments "unforgivable". The BBC and Downing Street declined to comment. Clarkson is no stranger to controversy. Last year 500 viewers complained to Ofcom after a comment he made linking truck drivers with prostitute murders after the conviction of the "Suffolk Strangler" Steve Wright. "It's really is a hard job and I'm not just saying that to gain favour with truck drivers," he said on Top Gear in November. "You've got to change gear, change gear, change gear, check mirror... murder a prostitute. Change gear, change gear, murder. That's a lot of effort in a day." His latest remark comes on the heels of a spate of rows over offensive behaviour by BBC presenters. Earlier this week Carol Thatcher was banned from the One Show after refusing to apologise for refering to a tennis player as a golliwog. Last year Russell Brand and Jonathon Ross provoked a furore after leaving abusive remarks on the answering machine of Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs as part of a BBC radio show. Following more than 18,000 complaints from members of the public and politicians including the Prime Minister the pair were suspended by the Corporation.


Sir Edward and Lady Joan Downes made the headlines in July 2009 for their joint what?

Famous British conductor Sir Edward Downes and wife die at assisted suicide clinic Dignitas in Switzerland | Daily Mail Online comments The son of one of Britain’s most respected musicians told yesterday how he wept as he watched his father and mother die hand in hand at the Dignitas suicide clinic in Zurich. Distinguished orchestral conductor Sir Edward Downes, 85, and his 74-year-old wife Joan died from barbiturate poisoning as their children sat with them. Lady Downes had terminal cancer of the liver and pancreas while her husband was nearly blind and increasingly deaf. Devoted: Sir Edward Downes and his wife Joan in 1991 Their son Caractacus, 41, said: ‘They drank a small quantity of clear liquid and then lay down on the beds next to each other. ‘They wanted to be next to each other when they died. They held hands across the beds. Within a couple of minutes they were asleep and they died within ten minutes.’ RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share Scotland Yard said detectives would investigate the deaths. Assisting a suicide is an offence that can bring a prison sentence of 14 years. But more than 100 Britons have now died in Switzerland, where suicide is legal, without any move by authorities here to prosecute families and friends who helped them. Sir Edward and his wife with their son Caractacus at the Royal Northern Hospital, London, in 1967 Mr Downes, from Monmouth, South Wales, said: ‘It is a very civilised way to be able to end your life. I don’t understand why this country doesn’t allow it.’ Sir Edward had a highly distinguished career lasting six decades. He had been principal conductor of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted for more than 50 years at the Royal Opera in Covent Garden. The couple, who lived in a large house in Blackheath, South-East London, had been married for 54 years. Lady Downes was a former ballet dancer and choreographer who had acted as her husband’s personal assistant in recent years. Their son said he and his 39-year-old sister Boudicca – the children were named after warrior leaders who rebelled against Roman rule in Britain – had wanted to be present when their parents died last Friday. He said: ‘To start with, my mother didn’t want us to go but Dignitas encouraged us. ‘My parents were very relieved we were there. There is a detailed procedure Dignitas require you to go through to make sure you are aware of what you are doing and are sure it is what you want.’ Passionate: Sir Edward conducting He said his mother’s condition was ‘bleak’ and her life expectancy had been only weeks. Mr Downes added: ‘Dad felt he was physically winding down. There were all sorts of things he wanted to do but couldn’t. ‘He had been doing a degree in Russian – he wanted something to keep his brain ticking over – but he was having great difficulty with the physical demands of reading Russian texts. It was frustration upon frustration for him’. Mr Downes said the family had taken advice from a lawyer. He added: ‘We knew this would be in the papers so we were very clear we didn’t want to be untruthful about what had happened. We were not going to lie to anybody.’ The deaths come shortly after peers voted 194 to 141 to reject reforms that would have made it legal for families to help Dignitas suicides in carefully-regulated circumstances. The suicides were greeted with sympathy rather than condemnation by pro-life campaigners. Dr Peter Saunders of Care Not Killing said: ‘This is a sad but unusual case. The current law, which makes assisting suicide illegal, is clear and right and the House of Lords was wise last week not to approve any change to it. ‘The penalties it holds in reserve give it both a stern face, to deter would-be abusers, and a kind heart to enable judges to exercise compassion in hard cases.’ Lady Downes’s brother, Dr John Weston, said he was stunned when he was told about the deaths on the day they happened. The 75-year-old retired chemist said he and his wife Jean, 76, found out his sister had cancer when she wrote to them last month. The anonymous-looking building in Zurich which


Whose album Two Suns was nominated for the 2009 Mercury Music Prize?

Mercury prize 2009 nominations announced | Music | The Guardian Mercury prize 2009 Mercury prize 2009 nominations announced Florence and the Machine, Kasabian and Bat for Lashes are favourites to win the £20,000 prize, while La Roux and Glasvegas are also hotly tipped Tuesday 21 July 2009 06.47 EDT First published on Tuesday 21 July 2009 06.47 EDT Close This article is 7 years old The Mercury prize nominations for 2009's best album have been announced, and the list features the eclectic lineup of newcomers, chart stars and unknowns the prestigious award has become known for. Florence and the Machine, Kasabian and Bat for Lashes are the favourites to walk away with the £20,000 prize, voted for by a panel of critics and music industry figures. Synth-pop duo La Roux and Scottish indie-rock quartet Glasvegas are also hotly tipped. Among the lesser-known artists are south London rapper Speech Debelle and art-rock trio the Invisible, while eccentric quintet Led Bib and folk group Sweet Billy Pilgrim make up the more leftfield nominations. Typically for the Mercury prize, the omissions are as surprising as the artists that made the final cut. Both Lily Allen (who was also overlooked for her 2006 debut album Alright, Still) and Manchester group Doves were rumoured to be odds on to win, but neither have been nominated. The Mercury prize was established in 1992 as an alternative to the more commercially minded Brit awards. A panel of industry experts, including journalists, musicians and independent-label executives, debate the merits of what they believe to be the finest British albums from the past year, regardless of sales or radio play. Previous winners include Portishead, PJ Harvey and Arctic Monkeys. But the Mercury prize's reputation as an awards ceremony that celebrates quality over sales has come in for a bashing in recent years as the prize itself grows in stature. "I think there's a tendency for a knee-jerk negative reaction to the Mercury nominations – to see what's not on the list, what they've missed out," said the Guardian's chief pop critic Alexis Petridis. "The whole concept behind the shortlist is really nebulous. Is it artistic endeavour? Or is it a degree of commercial success, because there's certainly never any outright commercial flops on the list?" Petridis continues: "There's not a vast amount in the way of dance or urban music, nor are there artists with any kind of lengthy history. I'm not sure what happened to Manic Street Preachers' nomination, but there you go." As for Lily Allen and that phantom nomination, the singer has already taken to her Twitter page to say, "I hope La Roux wins". The winner of this year's award will be announced on 8 September 2009. Nominations for the Mercury prize 2009 (with odds from bookmaker William Hill) Florence and the Machine – Lungs 5/1 Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum 5/1 Bat for Lashes – Two Suns 6/1 La Roux – La Roux 6/1


Which prolific Australian bastman retired in early 2009?

Justin Langer - Australian Sports Camps Justin Langer In ASC Heroes by Australian Sports Camps February 28, 2012 Until the announcement of his retirement from test cricket in 2007 Justin was one of Australia’s great top-order batsmen. Originally playing at number 3 he moved to opener in 2001 and played 105 test matches scoring 7,696 runs including 23 test centuries. Few have worn the baggy green cap with greater pride. Along with Matthew Hayden, Justin formed a hugely successful opening partnership, which ranks as the best in Australian history and featured six double century stands. Justin and Matthew drew much satisfaction from their combined efforts and often described their on-field partnership as a “team within a team”. It was therefore fitting that when Justin played his last game for Australia in the final match of the 2006/07 Ashes Series both Matthew and Justin were at the crease to score the winning runs which returned the Ashes to Australia. Justin was an integral member of what has been described as one of Australia’s “greatest ever” Test teams, and the side’s 5-0 victory over England in the 2006/07 Ashes series has only ever been achieved once before by an Australian team in the past 80 years. For most of his career Justin has played with some of the legends of Australian cricket – Steve Waugh, Mark Waugh, Shane Warne, Glen McGrath, Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Mark Taylor and Allan Border, just to name a few. After Justin retired from Test cricket he continued to play domestic cricket for Western Australia in the 2007/08 season and also played English County Cricket as captain of Somerset during the 2007, 2008 and 2009 English summer seasons. Justin also captained WA from 2003 to early 2007. He retired from playing for Western Australia (Western Warriors) in March 2008. In November 2009 Justin was appointed as Batting/Mentoring Coach for the Australian cricket team and in May 2011 he was appointed to the full time role as Assistant Coach. Justin’s highest ever score in Test cricket was 250 at the MCG in a Boxing Day Test against England, and was one of three double centuries he scored during his Test career. His individual tally of 23 Test hundreds saw him overtake former cricketing icons Ian Chappell, Neil Harvey and Doug Walters. In 2004 Justin was the highest runmaker in world cricket with a total of 1,481 runs. In July 2009 whilst playing county cricket in the UK he surpassed Sir Donald Bradman as the most prolific batsman in Australian cricket with a total of 28,068 first class runs. Justin made his debut for Western Australia in 1990 and made his Australian debut in the 1992/03 season at Adelaide Oval – Australia vs West Indies. He has toured England, West Indies, Pakistan, India, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Sharjah, and New Zealand with the Australian Test team and was a member of the squad named as the 2002 Laureus World Team of the Year in Monte Carlo. Justin is patron of the Make a Difference Foundation, Solaris Care, Jason McLean Foundation, Children’s Leukaemia & Cancer Research in Western Australia, and an ambassador for the Cerebral Palsy Association, Peel Health Campus and the Jack Dunn Foundation. He was named as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his services to Australian cricket and the community as patron of a large group of charities in the 2008 Queens’ Birthday Honours List. Justin has been a regular attendee at our WA Cricket Camp programs. His love for the game and the development of junior talent is clearly evident in his every action and you can find him helping individuals and groups cultivate appreciation for cricket and development of their skills. Share this...


Which team lost the 2009 Superbowl to the Pittsburgh Steelers?

Ravens vs. Steelers - Game Recap - January 18, 2009 - ESPN comment PITTSBURGH -- Tough and mean, like the original Steel Curtain. These Pittsburgh Steelers delivered too many hard hits and their quarterback was steady enough to outplay the kid and the rest of the Baltimore Ravens . With Troy Polamalu ending any chance Baltimore had for a comeback with a 40-yard interception return, the Steelers bullied their rivals 23-14 on Sunday to reach their seventh Super Bowl. "It was a typical, hard-hitting, physical game. It's the way every Baltimore-Pittsburgh game is," said Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward , who missed most of the game with a knee injury. "Sometimes guys get hit so hard, you don't know if they're going to get up. They say defense wins championships, well, we have the No. 1 defense. And they're the reason why we're really going to the Super Bowl." Next, Ben Roethlisberger and Pittsburgh will play the Arizona Cardinals in two weeks in Tampa. After beating Baltimore for the third time, the Steelers set up an intriguing matchup -- Mike Tomlin vs. the Cardinals' Ken Whisenhunt, the offensive coordinator when the Steelers won the Super Bowl three seasons ago who went to Arizona after being passed over for Pittsburgh's job. Whisenhunt and his top assistant, Russ Grimm, left after the Steelers unexpectedly hired Tomlin, who has done something even Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher couldn't do by taking Pittsburgh to the Super Bowl in his second season. The Steelers harassed Joe Flacco all game long as he tried to become the first rookie quarterback to take a team to the Super Bowl. Normally unflappable, he looked lost at times and finished 13-for-30 for 141 yards and three costly interceptions. Instead, Pittsburgh ended its home-field jinx in AFC Championship Games. "It's always that way," said Roethlisberger, who took a vicious shot to his shoulder in the first half. "This is always a 12-round slugfest. We always go at it. It's always violent from start to finish. I was ready when I took a knee at the end, you never know when somebody is going to fire off the ball." Roethlisberger, picked off four times by New England in his rookie-year AFC title game, was a workmanlike 16-of-33 for 255 yards and, most importantly, no interceptions. If nothing else, it showed how much experience mattered in a game so important. "Here's my advice to the Arizona Cardinals: Don't rush Ben Roethlisberger," the Ravens' Trevor Pryce said. "After that, he's a playground football player. That's what he is, and he's a damn good one." Roethlisberger would laugh at that analogy -- he said the Steelers' big play of the game, a 65-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes that made it 13-0, was an improvised play "just like on the playground." After Polamalu's twisting, turning run sealed it with 4:39 to play, the game was held up when Willis McGahee , who scored both Baltimore touchdowns, was carted off the field following a frightening hit to the helmet by Pittsburgh safety Ryan Clark . The Ravens said he had "significant neck pain," but movement in his arms and legs. Only the Steelers, 49ers and Cowboys have won five Super Bowls, and Pittsburgh can be the first to win six. If the Steelers beat Arizona, the 36-year-old Tomlin would be the youngest coach to win an NFL championship. "They did it tonight the way we've done it all year," Tomlin said. "We've got a very humble group, a very selfless group." Earlier in the day, before Whisenhunt knew the outcome of the Steelers-Ravens game, he said he wanted to match up against Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl. "I mean, I'm glad we're playing in it, but the reason I'm here is because of my time with Pittsburgh," Whisenhunt said, "and I am very grateful for that." The Steelers proved it is possible to beat a good team three times in a season, and will now face a team they share a history with. They were merged as Card-Pitt during World War II in 1944 when the Cardinals were in Chicago and went 0-10, the only winless team in Steelers history. Steelers owner Dan Rooney recalls them being nicknamed the Car-Pitts "becaus


Rachel Riley succeeded which long-standing UK TV gameshow celebrity in January 2009?

News Archive - UKGameshows News Archive Old news stories are archived here. See the main page for the latest news. Contents 2016 16 September You're Hired in the Firing Line Mr. Gilbert Rhod Gilbert has been announced as the new host of The Apprentice spin-off programme You're Fired! after Jack Dee fired himself from the BBC2 vehicle after only one series. Romesh Ranganathan, who was a regular panellist in the last series will not return due to scheduling conflicts. 13 September We've had the most amazing time on Bake Off Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins have announced that they will not follow The Great British Bake Off to Channel 4. They will step down as hosts after the current series on the BBC. Mel and Sue said in a statement: "We made no secret of our desire for the show to remain where it was... we're not going with the dough." 12 September Bake Off Off The BBC has lost the rights to show The Great British Bake Off after the current series and Christmas specials. The exceedingly popular show will move to Channel 4, after Love Productions turned down the BBC's final offer. It's not immediately clear if any of its stars will leave. 22 August BLANK Me One More Time More information about the Blankety Blank revival has been revealed as David Walliams will host a Christmas special of the cult game show. According to the Daily Mirror, the Christmas special will be a trial for a full series, which is quite similar to how the Lily Savage era went. 19 August Deal Me Out Channel 4 announced today that Deal or No Deal has been axed after being on the screens for 11 years and airing over 3,000 episodes. The final series will air in autumn 2016. 15 August ReBLANKED A piece in the Sunday People claimed that ITV wanted to make another series of Blankety Blank . We've not been able to confirm that ITV has commissioned a series, as the broadcaster has not commented on the speculation. 1 June Meet the new judges, same as the old judges Louis Walsh ! Sharon Osbourne! Simon Cowell ! Nicole Scherzinger! The judging panel for The X Factor has been announced, and the names have bags of experience. With Dermot O'Leary back as host, this year's show takes us back to the glory days of 2013, and with no Gary Barlow. 5 May CJ de Mooi on the move again CJ de Mooi will leave the Eggheads panel and move to South Africa. CJ, one of the original Eggheads, left the programme between 2012 and 2014. He will be replaced by two new Eggheads who will be found in a televised quiz. 6 April Coach Trip Rolls onto E4 Coach Trip is heading for a new destination by moving to E4. The series which sees tour guide Brendan Sheerin overseeing a couples tour of Europe, with the least popular couple voted off at the end of each day, has aired on and off for 11 years on Channel 4. The new series will consist of thirty half-hour episodes, and will air later in the year. 5 April Cheryl has The Exit Factor Cheryl Fernandez-Versini has quit The X Factor . The singer first appeared as a judge between 2008-10, before returning for the 2014-5 series. The former Popstars: The Rivals contestant has chosen to leave to focus on her music career. To date, no judges have been confirmed for the upcoming series, which begins airing this summer. 31 March It's goodbye from him. The other half of "The Two Ronnies" Ronnie Corbett died today at the age of 85. In the game show world, he is well known for hosting Small Talk . 30 March Vernon drives to success Next week, Vernon Kay will host Drive on ITV. He's now the second most prolific game show host in the UK with 16 main hosting roles. Vernon moves clear of the late Bob Monkhouse , who is now in third place with 15 shows. Davina McCall remains the current leader, she's fronted 17 programmes. 29 March Your Saturday Night Starts Right Here! Dermot O'Leary is returning to host The X Factor . The announcement was made almost a year after he left the programme. The 2015 series was helmed by Caroline Flack and Olly Murs and saw mixed reviews and falling ratings. The new series, which will also see the return of the room auditions, will begin in


Which medieval city was the centre of the Italian earthquake of April 2009?

The Frame: Earthquake in Italy Earthquake in Italy L'AQUILA, Italy (AP) -- A powerful earthquake in mountainous central Italy knocked down whole blocks of buildings early Monday as residents slept, killing more than 70 people in the country's deadliest quake in nearly three decades, officials said. Tens of thousands were homeless and 1,500 were injured. Ambulances screamed through the medieval city L'Aquila as firefighters with dogs worked feverishly to reach people trapped in fallen buildings, including a dormitory where half a dozen university students were believed still inside. Outside the half-collapsed building, tearful young people huddled together, wrapped in blankets, some still in their slippers after being roused from sleep by the quake. Dozens managed to escape as the walls fell around them. L'Aquila, capital of the Abruzzo region, was near the epicenter about 70 miles northeast of Rome. (29 images)   updated 6:30 p.m., April 6 Follow The Frame on Twitter at sacbee_theframe Police, volunteers and rescuers work on a collapsed house on April 6, 2009 in the center of the Abruzzo capital L'Aquila, the epicenter of an earthquake measuring 5.8-magnitude on the open-ended Richter scale. At least 27 people were killed in an earthquake that struck central Italy as most people lay sleeping early on April 6, and the death toll was rising steadily after many homes collapsed in the Abruzzo region. AFP / Getty Images / Vincenzo Pinto MORE IMAGES Two men hug each other as people and volunteers stand amidst debris in the city of L'Aquila, after a strong earthquake rocked central Italy early Monday, April 6, 2009. A powerful earthquake struck central Italy early Monday, killing at least 16 people, collapsing buildings and leaving thousands of people homeless, officials and news reports said. Officials said the death toll was likely to rise as rescue crews made their way through the debris. AP / Pier Paolo Cito Rescuers carry a stretcher in the village of Onna, central Italy, Monday, April 6, 2009. A powerful earthquake in mountainous central Italy knocked down whole blocks of buildings early Monday as residents slept, killing at least 50 people and trapping many more, officials said. AP / Sandro Perozzi Rescuers at work following a strong earthquake, in the village of Onna, central Italy, Monday, April 6, 2009. A powerful earthquake in mountainous central Italy knocked down whole blocks of buildings early Monday as residents slept, killing at least 50 people and trapping many more, officials said. The earthquake's epicenter was about 70 miles (110 kilometers) northeast of Rome near the medieval city of L'Aquila. It struck at 3:32 a.m. local time (0132 GMT, EDT Sunday) in a quake-prone region that has had at least nine smaller jolts since the beginning of April. AP / Sandro Perozzi Cars are covered with debris and rubble following a strong earthquake, in the village of Onna, central Italy, Monday, April 6, 2009. A powerful earthquake in mountainous central Italy knocked down whole blocks of buildings early Monday as residents slept, killing at least 50 people and trapping many more, officials said. The earthquake's epicenter was about 70 miles (110 kilometers) northeast of Rome near the medieval city of L'Aquila. It struck at 3:32 a.m. local time (0132 GMT, EDT Sunday) in a quake-prone region that has had at least nine smaller jolts since the beginning of April. AP / Sandro Perozzi A doctors unpacks a rescue pack beside a collapsed building in the centre of L'Aquila on April 6, 2009. A powerful earthquake tore through central Italy devastating historic mountain towns and killing at least 40 people, authorities said. AFP / Getty Images / Filippo Monteforte Antonello Colangeli reacts as rescuers work to remove his son Giulio from the rubbles, in the city of L'Aquila, after a strong earthquake rocked central Italy, early Monday, April 6, 2009. A powerful earthquake struck central Italy early Monday, killing at least 20 people, collapsing buildings and leaving thousands of people homeless, officials and news reports said. AP / Pie


Jacob Zuma led the ANC party to election victory in which country's 2009 election?

ANC seals fifth successive election victory in South Africa | World news | The Guardian ANC (African National Congress) ANC seals fifth successive election victory in South Africa Jacob Zuma to stay as president but share of vote slips again as Democratic Alliance rivals raise vote to 22.2% Pupils pass a placard declaring an ANC victory. The party's share of the vote fell again, to 62.2%, below the two-thirds majority the party covets. Photograph: Ben Curtis/AP Friday 9 May 2014 18.25 EDT First published on Friday 9 May 2014 18.25 EDT Close This article is 2 years old The African National Congress (ANC) has brushed off political scandals and economic discontent to win a fifth consecutive South African election, results showed on Friday, although the party fell short of regaining a two-thirds majority. With all votes counted, the ANC had a 62.2% share of the vote, down from the 65.9% it won in the 2009 election, according to the national election commission. The result guarantees a second five-year term for the controversial president, Jacob Zuma . The leading opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, was on 22.2%, up from 16.6% at the last elections. Often criticised as white dominated and redolent of the apartheid era, the party said it gained 1.1 million new voters, including 700,000 votes from black South Africans. Two new parties that have captured global media attention met very different fates at the ballot box. The Economic Freedom Fighters, led by firebrand Julius Malema, who cites Hugo Chávez and Robert Mugabe as inspiration s, won more than 1 million votes to come in third on 6.3%. But Mamphela Ramphele, a former political and romantic soulmate of black consciousness founder Steve Biko, failed spectacularly. Her party, Agang SA, launched with much fanfare last year promising to "rekindle the South Africa of our dreams" , secured just a fraction of a percentage point. "Mamphela has destroyed her political brand and value," Zille said on Friday. "She had a big brand value before voters rejected her." Agang SA never recovered after Ramphele surprised her own party by agreeing to be the Democratic Alliance presidential candidate. Her kiss for the cameras with Alliance leader Helen Zille proved to be a kiss of death – the pact collapsed within a week. Turnout was put at 73% of the 25 million South Africans - roughly half the population - who registered for the national and provincial elections held on Wednesday. The Democratic Alliance achieved its best ever result, topping 4 million votes, although its growth failed to meet some expectations. Zille said: "We are on track to achieve our historic mission of realigning politics and unseating the ANC from national government in the next decade. I'm hoping that it'll be a bit earlier than that." Some analysts have called on Zille, who is white, to make way for a black opposition leader. [http://www.iol.co.za/news/for-the-da-s-sake-zille-must-step-down-1.1644800] Asked if she would now step down, the former journalist replied: "I genuinely do not know." The relatively unknown African Independent Congress (AIC) surprised many pundits by securing nearly 100,000 votes, something which one official attributed to its similar name, similar logo and proximity to the ANC on the ballot paper. Among the biggest losers was the Congress of the People, a party that broke from the ANC Using double exposure photography, Leikun Nahusenay documents life in Jijiga, the capital of the Somali region of Ethiopia. Addis Rumble reports Published: 26 Jun 2014 Analysis: This is the first significant action taken by a non-ANC force in which black South Africans were in the van that led to very real change, says Stephen Grootes Published: 25 Jun 2014 Desert Wolf, maker of Skunk Riot Control Copter, says aim is to 'prevent another Marikana' – the strike when 34 workers killed Published: 20 Jun 2014 Mpho Tutu, daughter of South African Nobel prize laureate Desmond Tutu, has written a book with her father on finding forgiveness. Hannah Ellis-Petersen met her Published: 11 Jun 2014


Which boxer won a £1.8m claim against promotor Frank Warren in March 2009?

Boxing: Joe Calzaghe claims £1.8m victory in his court case against Frank Warren | Sport | The Guardian Close This article is 7 years old The opponents who once were friends were still throwing verbal blows after the bell but Joe Calzaghe emerged from his High Court fight with Frank Warren yesterday £1.8m better off. Mr Justice Wyn Williams ordered Warren to pay the recently retired boxer the money Calzaghe claimed for his fight against Bernard Hopkins. The judge dismissed a counter claim for £1m by Warren, who said later he will appeal the amount he has been ordered to pay. Warren and his company secretary, Ed Simons, told the court they had a meeting before the Hopkins fight with Calzaghe, his solicitor and his father Enzo at which the boxer agreed to a further contract. Mr Justice Williams said: "I say now there are aspects of the evidence given by each of these persons which has caused me to reflect long and hard upon their credibility, accuracy and reliability. If an oral agreement was concluded as alleged, I have no doubt that some written record would have been created prior to the fight with Mr Hopkins." He said all of Calzaghe's fights for Warren, since January 1998, had been covered by written terms. "In my judgment it simply beggars belief that no written record of this alleged promotional agreement would have been created," he said. "Mr Warren and Mr Simons are astute and experienced businessmen who have a keen eye for their own commercial interests ... it means that their behaviour in failing to produce one shred of paper which recorded this alleged agreement is inexplicable. "There was a powerful motivating factor for the claimant [Mr Warren] to rely upon an alleged oral agreement even though the same did not exist. In the absence of such an agreement, the claimant owed the defendant a very substantial sum of money which remained unpaid after the fight between the defendant and Mr Hopkins. The claim in his case has been raised as a smokescreen by the claimant as an attempt to avoid payment by the claimant to the defendant of a very substantial sum of money." Warren said: "I am, of course, extremely disappointed that the judge did not go further in accepting we had an agreement with Joe to promote his last fights. This is especially so as the judge criticised Joe and his lawyer [Gareth Williams]." Calazaghe said: "I am relieved and delighted at the court's decision to award me £1.8m. The fight was not one which I sought but I am delighted to have remained undefeated through it."


Which celebrity fronted the successful campaign to grant UK residency rights to Gurkha soldiers?

Gurkhas get British settlement rights Email a friend BRITAIN has announced a climbdown over settlement rights for Gurkha veterans, saying all of the Nepalese fighters who have served at least four years can apply to live here. The amended settlement guidelines, announced by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith in the House of Commons, were greeted by an explosion of applause and victory cries by Gurkhas and campaigners gathered outside Parliament. Gordon Brown has "made a brave decision on behalf of the bravest of the brave," said Indian-born actress Joanna Lumley, who spearheaded the fight against residency restrictions on Gurkhas who retired before 1997. "This will be received in Nepal today with the greatest joy and gratitude," she added, standing in front of Gurkha veterans in wheelchairs wearing their service medals awarded by the British army. Under the outgoing rules, Britain would only grant residency rights to 4300 ex-Gurkhas, falling short of demands that they be granted to all 36,000 Nepalese ex-soldiers who served with the British army before 1997. But announcing the new policy, Ms Smith told lawmakers: "All former Gurkhas who retired before 1997 and who have served more than four years will now be eligible to apply for settlement in the UK. "On the basis of the figure of 10,000 to 15,000 main applicants that has been suggested by Gurkha representatives, I expect to be able to welcome these applicants and their families over the course of the next two years. "I'm making resources available... to do this and I'm making it clear there should be no time limit on these applications." The Government was forced to change its stance after it suffered a defeat on the issue in a Commons vote last month. Ms Smith said that after the defeat, ministers had undertaken to "respect the will of the House" and drawn up the new rules. She reiterated that Gurkhas who retired after 1997 - when their base was moved from Hong Kong following the territory's handover from Britain to China - already had the right to settle here and more than 6000 had done so. Britain's border authorities have been instructed to process 1400 outstanding applications from former Gurkhas "as a matter of urgency by June 11," she added. Successful applicants would be entitled to bring with them their spouses and dependent children under 18. An emotional Lumley said: "It is one of the happiest days of my life. This is a landmark day we will never forget." She said she remained a "daughter of the regiment" because her late father had fought with the Gurkhas. The star of the cult TV comedy Absolutely Fabulous has led the campaign, which has also been backed by the opposition Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.


In what country was the Black Thursday of Action in January 2009?

The FReeper Foxhole Remembers "Black Thursday" Schweinfurt, 1943 - Jan. 17th, 2003 The FReeper Foxhole Remembers "Black Thursday" Schweinfurt, 1943 - Jan. 17th, 2003 http://www.af.mil/news/Oct1999/n19991015_991907.html ^ | Tech. Sgt. Gary W. Boyd Posted on 01/17/2003 5:34:18 AM PST by SAMWolf U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Country are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. We hope to provide an ongoing source of information about issues and problems that are specific to Veterans and resources that are available to Veterans and their families. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. To list previous Foxhole Threads or to add The Foxhole to your sidebar Click on the Logo Black Thursday Schweinfurt Oct. 14, 1943 Imagine if a squadron-sized unit simply failed to return to duty after taking part in a contingency. That's precisely what confronted in the 305th Bombardment Group 59 years ago, following what is perhaps the greatest air battle in history. Rightly called "Black Thursday" by veterans, the Oct. 14, 1943 mission to Schweinfurt, Germany, was the most arduous of the war. Incredibly, of the 15 group aircraft able to participate in the mission, the Luftwaffe claimed 13, and 130 crewmembers. Of the downed airmen, 40 died and 20 were wounded, while another 79 became prisoners of war. Four airmen evaded capture and eventually returned to duty, while the remaining crewmen spent the war interned in Switzerland. It took many months for the "Can Do" group to recover from the raid, and the wounds of that day are still felt by the group's veterans. The 305th BG had raided Schweinfurt before, on Aug. 17, 1943. The experience had been chilling, with much aerial opposition and flak, but the group held together and lost no aircraft. The "Black Thursday" Schweinfurt raid was completely different. Mistakes up and down the chain of command -- from security lapses to poor weather briefings -- led to unmitigated disaster for the Eighth Air Force and nearly halted the combined bombing offensive. Departing from the disciplined model of Col. Curtis LeMay, the group struggled with one problem after another in the bad weather that blanketed England. The group missed its assigned rendezvous with its element leader and every other subsequent navigational waypoint over England. Eventually, the 305th formed up on the wrong combat wing -- the 1st Combat Wing rather than the 40th -- becoming the "low group" in a very unconventional four-group alignment. Unlike England, the weather over occupied Europe was generally excellent for the defending fighters, only adding more misery to the 305th's longest day, as flak, fighters and coast watchers had no trouble plotting their course. Rocket-firing German Messerschmitt-110s and Messerschmitt-210s destroyed most of the 305th BG before they even reached the Rhein River -- some 115 miles short of the target. Only three of the group's B-17s made it to the target area -- one of those crews released its bomb load while the aircraft burned. Only two 305th BG B-17s left Schweinfurt that day, and their crews managed to survive the long trip back to England by tucking into the 92nd Bomb Group's protective formation. Many tales of bravery transpired that day, such that unbelievable courage was the rule rather than the exception. Unfortunately, there weren't enough survivors to write many decoration packages. Since only two moderately damaged "Flying Fortresses" had taxied to the maintenance area, Lt. Col. Thomas McGehee, commander of the 305th, asked a returning crewman where the rest of the group's B-17s were. He received the most chilling reply in 305 AMW history. "Sir, there are no more ships," the crewman said. "We are the only ones left."


The tragic videoed killing of Neda Agha-Soltan became iconic following what city's demonstrations?

Five of the eight British embassy staff seized in Iran released | Daily Mail Online Enlarge   A protester holds placards during yesterday's Tehran protest It was the first sign of a softening of the rhetoric towards London by Tehran's hardline regime which has described Britain as being the 'most evil' of Western countries and claimed they helped orchestrate the worst demonstrations in the Islamic Republic's 30-year history. There is concern over the fate of the four embassy local staff still held with Foreign Secretary David Miliband insisting : 'These are hard-working diplomatic staff. 'The idea that the British Embassy is somehow behind the demonstrations and protests that have been taking place in Tehran in recent weeks is wholly without foundation.' Enlarge   A sign is held as Iranian-Americans and supporters march to protest what they say are crimes against humanity and democracy Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Mohseini Ejehi has claimed he had videotape showing some of the employees mingling with protesters, and said the fate of those who remain in custody now rests with the court system in a country where supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's word is law. On Sunday, more than 3,000 gathered in Tehran in the biggest protest for four days but they were confronted by a heavy security presence with police using tear gas and clubs to break up the crowd. Witnesses said some demonstrators suffered broken bones and claimed an elderly woman was beaten, prompting a screaming match with young demonstrators who then fought back. Enlarge   Anger: Protesters outside the British embassy in Tehran where eight workers are said to have been arrested for stoking unrest Iran's top legislative body, the Guardian Council, yesterday began a partial recount of ballot papers from the election, which opposition leaders say was 'rigged.' In a sign that the process would not put into question Mr Ahmadinejad's victory, Iran's official news agency said recounting so far in one Tehran district gave him more votes than in the June 12 poll. Witnesses reported an increased police presence in some Tehran squares ahead of the expected announcement of the recount outcome. One witness said dozens of riot police vehicles were driving towards southern Tehran. Pro-reform cleric Mehdi Karoubi, fourth in the official count, reiterated his call for the vote to be annulled in a letter to the Council, which is recounting a random 10 per cent of the votes. 'The election's annulment is the only way to regain the people's trust,' said Mr Karoubi, in a position shared with defeated candidate Mirhossein Mousavi, who met on Sunday with a committee of the Council in a bid to resolve a political crisis that has exposed rifts in Iran's ruling establishment. Embattled: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visits a construction project in north Tehran Enlarge   Detained: Iran is said to have detained eight local workers from the British embassy in a sign of a hardening stance against the West Meanwhile, Mr Ahmadinejad asked a top judge yesterday to investigate the killing of Neda Agha Soltan, who became an icon of Iran's ragtag opposition after gruesome video of her bleeding to death on a Tehran street was circulated worldwide. Ahmadinejad's website said Soltan was killed by 'unknown agents and in a suspicious' way, convincing him that 'enemies of the nation' were responsible. The regime has implicated protesters and even foreign intelligence agents in Soltan's death. But an Iranian doctor who said he tried to save her told the BBC last week she was apparently shot by a member of the volunteer Basij militia. Protesters spotted an armed member of the militia on a motorcycle, and stopped and disarmed him, Dr. Arash Hejazi said.


Jan Kaplicky the architect who died in 2009 designed the space-age-like building at what sports ground?

Obituary: Jan Kaplický | Art and design | The Guardian Share on Messenger Close Jan Kaplický, who has died aged 71, was the Czech architect responsible for some of the most remarkable buildings that Britain has ever seen. Hovering low over the stands at Lord's cricket ground is the press box he built with his former partner, Amanda Levete. It is an otherworldly, entirely unboxy, glossy white disc that seems to have no connection with this earth, or the mundane, muddy preoccupations of everyday building. And, indeed, it has none. It was made by boatbuilders, and is a small monument to the unshakeable optimism that every real architect must feel, in the face of endless practical difficulties that face them, from cost overruns to cricket correspondents under the impression that by entering something that looked like a flying saucer, they were becoming the victims of an alien abduction. It was their first major project, and it took Kaplický and Levete to the brink of bankruptcy. They were rescued only by becoming, in 1999, the most deserving winners in the entire history of the Stirling prize. Kaplický designed the Selfridges department store in Birmingham (2003), in the shape of a sensuous free-form iceberg, finished in Yves Klein blue, and studded with silver discs that gave the completed building something of the character of a Courrèges metal dress from the 1960s. It is pierced only by a scattering of windows that gather at pavement level like swooping teardrops. There can be no sharper division between two worlds that utterly fail to meet than the gulf between the dreaming vision of Selfridges, and the gimcrack banality of the rest of the shopping centre around it. They are two worlds that physically touch, but utterly fail to acknowledge each other. Even more remarkable are all the buildings that Kaplický designed, but which the world will never see - to say nothing of the stream of ideas for solar-powered vehicles, electric cars, jewellery, bikinis and double-decker buses. He came within a handshake of getting to build the French national library in Paris with a design that took the form of a glass canyon bisected by a pedestrian bridge across the Seine. President François Mitterrand took the final decision, and made up his mind that the most conspicuous cultural landmark in Paris should be built by a French architect. Probably not even Kaplický expected that his house for a helicopter pilot, with legs like a lunar module, and a rooftop landing pad protected by a retractable umbrella, was ever going to get built. Or that his plan for a high rise twice the size of the World Trade Centre in unmistakably phallic form, and finished in pink, was going to get a commercial backer. His designs were part of a constant commentary that he kept up on the short-sightedness of a world that he sometimes saw as conspiring inexplicably to stop him from sharing his altruistic vision of a weightless, effortless, luxurious, solar-fuelled, one-piece, neoprene-lined rocket ride to the future. His experiences at first hand with the Soviet Union left him wary of political utopias. He wanted to invent a new world, but one in which there would still be room for champagne served in the coolers that he designed for the Ivy, and for gossip in glossy restaurants. He had a languid elegance that utterly contradicted the gloomy pessimism that is an essential part of the Czech national identity. He was particularly fond of the Caprice, for whose former owners he had built a house. Kaplický's life was fractured by war and totalitarianism. He was born in Prague, the only child of a sculptor and a botanical illustrator. He remembered the German occupation, and the communist takeover, wiping out a vigorous and inventive Czech version of modernism. He was starting to make his way as an independent architect when Soviet tanks bulldozed the Prague spring in 1968. He came to London as a refugee, to find himself in the midst of the glossy world of the King's Road that he had previously only glimpsed through the keyhole of the occasional smuggled copy of Vogue.


Ferenc Gyurcsany resigned as prime minister of which country in March 2009?

Ferenc Gyurcsány, Prime minister • Biography & Facts Ferenc Gyurcsány Prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsány (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈfɛrɛnts ˈɟurtʃaːɲ] (13px ); born 4 June 1961) is a Hungarian politician. He was the sixth Prime Minister of Hungary from 2004 to 2009.He was nominated to take that position on 25 August 2004 by the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP), after Péter Medgyessy resigned due to a conflict with the Socialist Party's coalition partner. Gyurcsány was elected Prime Minister on 29 September 2004 in a parliamentary vote (197 yes votes, 12 no votes, with most of the opposition in Parliament not voting). He led his coalition to victory in the parliamentary elections in 2006, securing another term as Prime Minister. His first rise to power was the result of a coalition conflict. His legitimacy was permanently questioned by opposition parties based on the fact that he withheld information about the actual budget deficit in his 2006 re-election campaign. He was also criticised for using derogatory terms for his own country in his speech in Balatonőszöd. After that speech leaked out, demonstrations started on the streets of Budapest where many people were injured, both demonstrators and policemen.On 24 February 2007, he was elected as the leader of the MSZP, taking 89% of the vote. On 21 March 2009 Gyurcsány announced his intention to resign as Prime Minister. He stated that he is a hindrance to further economic and social reforms. President László Sólyom stated that instead of a short term transational government ruling only until the 2010 elections, early elections should be held. On 28 March Gyurcsány resigned from his position as party chairman, he was the leader of MSZP between 2007–2009. A minister under Gyurcsány, Gordon Bajnai became the nominee of MSZP for the post of prime minister in March 2009 and he became Prime Minister on 14 April.


Which country won the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest?

Eurovision Song Contest 2009 Final | Eurovision Song Contest Show more Eurovision Song Contest 2009 Final For the second time in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest, two Semi-Finals were held to decide which 25 countries will be represented in the Final. The Final of the contest took place on the 16th of May in the Russian capital of Moscow. While it had been the Russian broadcaster RTR who had won the contest the year before, it was decided that Channel One Russia would host the competition instead. They organised one of the biggest contests in the history of the event. The stage consisted of 1/3 of the world’s available LED screens at that time. Vladimir Putin, who was Prime Minister of Russia at the time, visited the Olympic Indoor Arena to see the preparations for the Eurovision Song Contest for himself. National juries were re-introduced alongside televoting, each accounting for 50% of the result. Georgia's entry was deemed to have broken the rules of the contest and the country chose to withdraw rather than submit a different song. Estonia finished a credible sixth with the song Rändajad, the first song to be performed fully in Estonian since 1998 (their entry in 2004 was performed in a dialect). The United Kingdom scored its best placing since 2002 when Jade Ewen finished in fifth place with the song My Time, written by Dianne Warren and composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber. About the winner There was no stopping the Norwegian violin-playing star, Alexander Rybak and his entry Fairytale. It received a record-breaking 387 points out of a possible 492, the highest total score in Eurovision history at that time. Facts and figures For the first time the contest was presented by two different pairs of hosts - one pair in the Semi-Finals and the other pair in the Grand Final. Both Semi-Finals were hosted by the supermodel Natalya Vodyanova and popular TV host Andrey Malakhov. The Grand Final was hosted by the singer (and their 2000 contest participant) Alsou and the TV star Ivan Urgant. Chaira, who achieved two of Malta's best placings second and third, in 2005 and 1998 respectively, returned to the competition but finished in 22nd place in the Grand Final. Facts & Figures


Daniel Patrick Carroll, who died in May 2009 was an entertainer better known as whom?

Danny La Rue - New Songs, Playlists & Latest News - BBC Music Read more about sharing. Danny La Rue Biography (Wikipedia) Danny La Rue, OBE (born Daniel Patrick Carroll, 26 July 1927 – 31 May 2009) was an Irish-English singer and entertainer, particularly in stage theatre known for his singing and cross-dressing performances. This entry is from Wikipedia , the user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors and is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike Creative Commons License . If you find the biography content factually incorrect or highly offensive you can edit this article at Wikipedia . Find out more about our use of this data. Show more


Who was deported from the US aged 89 to face a war crime trial in Germany?

Former Nazi guard, 89, faces mass murder trial — RT News Tags Crime , Hate crimes Demjanjuk will be tried for assisting in the killing of Jews at the Sobibor extermination camp in Poland during World War Two. The U.S. Court of Appeal dismissed the 89-year-old’s claims that moving him to Germany would amount to torture because of his poor health. "Based on the medical information before the court … the court cannot find that the petitioner's removal to Germany is likely to cause irreparable harm sufficient to warrant a stay of removal," the court announced. Prosecutors said that Demjanjuk’s torture arguments sound ridiculous as there are medical assessments and videos showing him to be in good health and able to walk without help. Demjanjuk’s family is considering an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. It has also filed a lawsuit in Germany to prevent his extradition. "Given the history of this case and no evidence of his personal involvement in even one assault, let alone a murder, this is inhuman, even if a court says it is lawful," Demjanjuk’s son John Demjanjuk was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying. Demjanjuk was a Soviet Red Army soldier when he was captured by the Nazis in 1942. After being trained by the Germans at Treblinka, he served two years in the camps of Sobibor and Majdanek in Nazi-occupied Poland and then in Flossenburg in Bavaria, Germany. He emigrated to the USA in 1952 with his family and settled in Ohio, changing his name from Ivan to John. Demjanjuk was deported to Israel from the US and sentenced to death in 1988, accused of being a sadistic Nazi guard nicknamed "Ivan the Terrible". But Israel's highest court later ruled that he was not the man in question. After spending years in an Israeli prison, he returned to his home near Cleveland in 1993 and his citizenship was restored in 1998. U.S. Justice Department Nazi hunters reopened the case when new evidence came to light after the collapse of the Soviet Union. And a U.S. court convicted him in 2002 of working at three other camps. Demjanjuk was stripped of his citizenship a second time. Then German prosecutors began efforts to put him on trial. Despite all the accusations, Demjanjuk maintains that he was forced to work in the camps. He says holocaust survivors have mistaken him for other, cruel camp guards.