What country had the Roman name Lusitania?

Lusitania - Clickable Map of the Roman Empire - First Century AD Map of the Roman Empire   |  Bible History Online Lusitania LUSITAï¿½NIA LUSITAï¿½NIA (? ??s?ta??a, ? ??s?ta????, Strab.; ???s?ta??a, Diod. Sic., Ptol., Steph. B. sub voce: Eth. ??s?ta???, Lusitani), originally denoted the country of the Lusitani, but is commonly used in a wider sense, as the name of one of the three provinces, into which Hispania was divided by Augustus. (HISPANIA p. 1081, Nos. 3, 4). 1. Extent and Boundaries. Like the modern Portugal, it lay on the W. side of the peninsula, extending from its SW. point (SACRUM PR., C. S. Vincent), eastwards to the mouth of the ANAS (Guadiana), and northwards along the W. coast; but here, as well as in the interior, the boundaries of the two countries were very different; Lusitania occupying only two-thirds of the W. coast, and Portugal more than three-fourths. The former had its N. boundary at the DURIUS (Douro), the latter at the MINIUS (Miï¿½o) ; and the Portuguese province, called Entre Douro e Minho, as lying between these rivers, as well as that of Traz os Montes E. of it, were anciently the part of GALLAECIA which belonged to the Callaï¿½ci Bracarii. But on the E. side, inland, Lusitania had a much wider extent than Portugal. Both rest on the same base, as their S. side, namely the coast between C. S. Vincent and the mouth of the Guadiana, and at first the boundary runs N. nearly along the same line, namely the course of the Guadiana, the slight difference being in favour of Portugal, which has a slip on the E. side of the river. But, from a point on the river, a little below Badajoz, and a little above its intersection with the Meridian of 7ï¿½ W. long., the boundaries diverge ; that of Portugal taking a general direction N. with a slight bearing to the E., till it strikes the Douro at its great bend from SW. to NW. (where the Agueda joins it), and running up the river to its great bend in the opposite direction, below the Esla; while that of Lusitania continued up the Anas eastward, towards the middle of the Peninsula, to a point considerably above METELLINUM (but not very certainly defined), whence it followed a N. direction to the Durius, which it met at a point below the river Pistoraca (also not very well defined). Thus, Lusitania contained, on this side, the N. part of Spanish Estremadura, and the S. part of Leon; and the part of the province thus lying E. of Modern Portugal, corresponds very nearly to the territory of the VETTONES These are the boundaries of the Roman province, as constituted under Augustus; but there are considerable variations in the extent assigned to the country by various writers, especially according as the word is used, in the wider sense, for the province, or in the narrower meaning, for the country of the Lusitani. In this first and narrowest sense, it included only the district between the Tagus and the Durius, from the Atlantic on the W., to about the present frontier of Portugal on the E. Next, the supposed or actual connection of these people with their Northern neighbours, the Callaï¿½ci, Artabri, and Astures, led to their being, at least in part, included under the same name, and accordingly Strabo defines Lusitania as the country N. of the Tagus, bounded on the W. & N. by the Ocean. (Strab. iii. p.153.) But just above he says, that the greater part of the Lusitani, meaning those N. of the Durius, had obtained the name of Callaï¿½ci; and elsewhere he expressly states that the whole region N. of the Durius, which was formerly called Lusitania, was now called Callaï¿½ca. (iii. p. 166.) On the E., says Strabo (l.c.), it bordered on the Carpetani, Vettones, Vaccaei, and Callaï¿½ci, and other tribes of less note ; and he adds that these also were sometimes called Lusitani, thus pointing to the extension of the name towards the east. Then, again, on the S. of the Tagus, where the country seems originally to have belonged to the TURDETANI with an intermixture of Celtic tribes [CELTICI], the long and obstinate wars carried on by the Romans drove many of the Lusitanian


Book of Kells - Museums and attractions - Dublin City | Ireland.com Museums and attractions E:  adiffley@tcd.ie The Book of Kells remains one of the world's most famous manuscripts with its ornately decorated pages written back around 800 AD. Housed in Trinity College, this book of the four gospels in latin is one of Ireland's major visitor attractions. The Book of Kells is the centrepiece of an exhibition which attracts over 500,000 visitors to Trinity College in Dublin City each year. Written around the year 800 AD, the Book of Kells contains a richly decorated copy of the four gospels in a latin text, based on the Vulgate edition (completed by St. Jerome in 384 AD). The gospels are preceded by prefaces, summaries of the gospel narratives and concordances of gospel passages compiled in the fourth century by Eusebius of Caesarea. In all, there are 340 folios (680 pages). The script is embellished by the elaboration of key words and phrases and by an endlessly inventive range of decorated initials and interlinear drawings. The book contains complex scenes normally interpreted as the Arrest of Christ, His Temptation, and images of Christ, the Virgin and Child, St Matthew and St John. Originally a single volume, it was rebound in four volumes in 1953 for conservation reasons. Two volumes are normally on display, one opened at a major decorated page, the other at a text opening.


The Prorsum collection is made by which fashion label?

Burberry Prorsum | Burberry Prorsum The runway collection Previously referred to as ‘Burberry Prorsum’, our runway label is now simply called ‘Burberry Runway’. Furthermore, as part of the on-going evolution of our brand, our womenswear and menswear runway collections will now be unveiled together at our London Fashion Week shows in February and September, with all runway looks available to purchase after each show. Explore our current runway ready-to-wear and accessories: Shipping to a different country? You are currently in the United States store. If you would like to ship your items to a different country, please select it below. Item availability, prices and shipping services will be updated to reflect the local market. Please select a country. Change language You're currently shopping in the United States store. You can view this store in the following languages: English 简体中文 繁體中文


The 'Mach' speed measurement (for example Mach 1, or Mach 2, etc) is based essentially on multiples of the speed of what?

Speed of missiles and aircraft are generally denoted in terms of 'MACH'. What actually is Mach and why we dont use units like km/s etc? - Quora Quora Written Oct 15, 2014 · Upvoted by Tim Hibbetts , aerospace engineer, Naval Aviator, Airline Pilot Mach 1 is the speed of sound.  Mach 2 is twice the speed of sound.  The speed of sound varies depending on altitude, air temperature and pressure, and other factors. Mach is not always used to indicate aircraft speeds.  When it is, it's because it's significant to do so.  In particular, many aircraft have structural limits that are based on the speed of sound.  In addition, at high speeds, the most efficient climbing or cruising speed may also be based on the speed of sound.  Such speeds, when expressed in some other units, would vary depending on altitude, temperature, pressure, etc., but are always the same Mach speed. Aircraft speed is typically expressed in knots (nautical miles per hour) when not in Mach, owing to its naval heritage. One knot is approximately one arc minute per hour, or 1/60th of a degree of latitude per hour. Written Jun 17, 2015 The main reason for introducing something like Mach number is that it is dimensionless. A dimensionless number is important in modelling, simulation and experimentation.  If you want to understand how a particular aircraft or any body behaves under different circumstances, you would need to understand what all factors affect it's performance. And this number is enormous, for ex temperature, velocity, viscosity of fluid, type of fluid, density, altitude and so on. If you want to understand how each factor affects the overall performance, you would have hold all others constant and vary one of them and then repeat the same for all others. This is very difficult and mostly impossible in practical situations. We overcome this by grouping certain variables into non dimensional groups. Mach number is one such number. Even though most people have answered it as a ratio of speed of the body and that of sound, in effect it is a ratio of the inertial force and the elastic force by the fluid on the body. (I know it sounds weird, Reynolds number is the ratio of inertial and viscous force, Mach number is a ratio of inertial and elastic force). You can search for similarity analysis. Buckingham Pi theorem is one method of doing this. (You can google these things.) The reason this is important is that, by varying one of these non dimensional parameters (others are Reynolds number, Prandtl number ...), you can simulate the effect of varying all those dimensional entities I referred to in the previous paragraph. This way you reduce the number of factors that actually affect the performance to a small number (like 2 or 3 depending on your case). This is much easier to handle and study. Also, when you test something at a particular Mach Number and Reynolds Number say in a wind tunnel on a small scaled model, the results hold in the real world with a full sized aircraft or any other body like a turbine, as long as the non dimensional parameters remain the same. (Of course some restrictions exist, but essentially you can compare the results and use them to predict performance of bigger and costly objects like wind turbines, airplanes and so on. It is not all powerful but quite useful at least in preliminary design stages) Another advantage of this system is that it allows comparison and evaluation. For ex, you can perform some experiments at your university on a simple flat plate for a set of non dimensional numbers and publish it or check it against other published results just by matching the non dimensional numbers, you do not need to know many other things about those experiments. (Although I guess this is mentioned in other forms in other answers) Updated Jun 18, 2015 · Upvoted by Tom Farrier , Retired USAF command pilot; former Director of Safety, Air Transport Association Mach 1 is the speed of sound.  It's relative to the speed of sound, so its a ratio. The important thing is, that its not relative to the speed of sound at sea level and 20 de


What is the name of the village near Birmingham, UK, established by George and Richard Cadbury?

Bournville: the town that chocolate built | Business | The Guardian Cadbury Bournville: the town that chocolate built James Robinson's family lived and worked in the shadow of the Cadbury factory. This week he went back to Bournville, and asked what Kraft's takeover will mean for this quiet corner of middle England Bournville locals fear the Cadbury factory will close, taking 5,000 jobs with it. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Friday 22 January 2010 19.06 EST First published on Friday 22 January 2010 19.06 EST Share on Messenger Close It's easy to feel nostalgic about places that evoke happy childhood memories, but with its pristine village green, cricket pavilion and neat row of shops, the leafy Birmingham suburb of Bournville looks idyllic, even on a rainy January day. I was raised a few miles down the road from the village founded by George Cadbury , who moved his chocolate factory out of the Birmingham slums in 1879, and my family still live in the area. Now that Kraft, an American food giant with a voracious appetite, looks set to gobble up the company, Cadbury has become a cause celebre for those who argue the proposed sale symbolises Britain's declining manufacturing clout. When I returned to Bournville this week, pulling into the familiar railway station – now painted a Dairy Milk purple – beside the sprawling factory, I found despondent workers and angry locals. The immediate fear is that the factory will eventually be closed with the loss of about 5,000 jobs, but there is also concern that the social fabric of the area could tear without the focal point the factory seems to provide for its 30,000 or so inhabitants. The Cadbury factory permeates every aspect of life in Bournville, and the prospect of the company loosening its historic ties with the area is unwelcome. Nearly everyone has worked at Cadbury or knows someone who has. I am the only member of my immediate family who hasn't clocked on at some point. In the late 60s, my mother, the confectionery buyer's PA, used to meet my father for a cigarette outside the toilets when my dad worked in accounts. Decades later my sister donned Victorian overalls at Cadbury World , showing tourists and bored schoolchildren how chocolate used to be made, while my brother briefly pushed trollies loaded with ingredients around the factory floor. Bournville was a model village created to house Cadbury workers, although most of the houses are now owned by the Bournville Village Trust rather than the company itself. My maternal grandparents' house on Bournville Lane, a few hundred yards from the site, is owned by the trust, set up by George Cadbury in 1900 to manage much of the land and property surrounding the factory. My own childhood home two miles away was built at the turn of the last century, and like most of my family I attended the school built by Cadbury so that his workforce could give their children a good education. Once a week we would march through the imposing steel factory gates on our way to the Cadbury swimming pool. When the wind changed direction, the smell of chocolate wafted over the playground. My mother, who also attended the school, remembers trooping with her classmates to a concert hall once a year to sing to the Cadbury family, and some of the clan's members were still being wheeled out to address pupils when I was there in the 1970s and early 80s. The Cadbury family's involvement with the company ended long ago, but the paternalism practised by George Cadbury endured long after his death. Even now there are facilities in Bournville that can't be found in neighbouring areas, including the beautiful old cricket pavilion that overlooks the Cadbury playing fields – and the company still pays for their upkeep. The playing fields host a Mayflower festival ever year, and on Christmas Eve the 48-bell carillon in the school bell tower plays O Come All Ye Faithful as 7,000 people crowd around a huge decorated tree on the green to sing carols. Such community rituals are unusual in a city that has taken a generation to recover from the deindustria


What cult movie spoof rock band reunited at Glastonbury 2009?

This Is Spinal Tap (1984) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error This Is Spinal Tap ( 1984 ) R | Spinal Tap, one of England's loudest bands, is chronicled by film director Marty DeBergi on what proves to be a fateful tour. Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC Famous Directors: From Sundance to Prominence From Christopher Nolan to Quentin Tarantino and every Coen brother in between, many of today's most popular directors got their start at the Sundance Film Festival . Here's a list of some of the biggest names to go from Sundance to Hollywood prominence. a list of 36 titles created 26 Nov 2010 a list of 21 titles created 06 Sep 2011 a list of 25 titles created 03 Feb 2012 a list of 25 titles created 02 Apr 2013 a list of 35 titles created 15 Nov 2015 Title: This Is Spinal Tap (1984) 8/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. 2 wins & 2 nominations. See more awards  » Videos A colorful array of characters compete at a national dog show. Director: Christopher Guest An aspiring director and the marginally talented amateur cast of a hokey small-town Missouri musical production go overboard when they learn that someone from Broadway will be in attendance. Director: Christopher Guest Mockumentary captures the reunion of 1960s folk trio the Folksmen as they prepare for a show at The Town Hall to memorialize a recently deceased concert promoter. Director: Christopher Guest Jake Blues, just out from prison, puts together his old band to save the Catholic home where he and brother Elwood were raised. Director: John Landis Edit Storyline In 1982 legendary British heavy metal band Spinal Tap attempt an American comeback tour accompanied by a fan who is also a film-maker. The resulting documentary, interspersed with powerful performances of Tap's pivotal music and profound lyrics, candidly follows a rock group heading towards crisis, culminating in the infamous affair of the eighteen-inch-high Stonehenge stage prop. Written by Jeremy Perkins <jwp@aber.ac.uk> Does for rock and roll what "The Sound of Music" did for hills Genres: 2 March 1984 (USA) See more  » Also Known As: Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare See more  » Filming Locations: $55,854        (USA) (8 September 2000) Gross: Did You Know? Trivia When the members of Spinal Tap talk about their drummer suffocating on vomit, it's a reference to a number of musicians who have died, or who are rumored to have died, the same way, including Jimi Hendrix , Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham , AC/DC lead singer Bon Scott and big band leader Tommy Dorsey . See more » Goofs During "Rock and Roll Creation", when Derek is trapped inside the pod, a roadie hammers on it at one point, but clearly doesn't make contact. See more » Quotes [first lines] Marty DiBergi : Hello; my name is Marty DiBergi. I'm a filmmaker. I make a lot of commercials. That little dog that chases the covered wagon underneath the sink? That was mine. In 1966, I went down to Greenwich Village, New York City to a rock club called Electric Banana. Don't look for it; it's not there anymore. But that night, I heard a band that for me redefined the word "rock and roll". I remember being knocked out by their... their exuberance, their raw power - and their punctuality. That ... The Real Ian Faith .... Derek Sutton See more » Connections (North Hollywood, CA) – See all my reviews The humor of "This is Spinal Tap" has a special time-release formula. I didn't find myself rolling on the floor laughing the first time I saw this but as the day went on my friends and I couldn't stop recalling the dialogue. This movie is a legend. "See Spinal Tap" should be written in the dictionary next to satire. Lately satire has come to mean a simple mockery of pop-culture instead of "human vice or folly attacked through irony, derision or wit". Movies like


Veronica Lario was much in the news as the angry wife of which womanising European leader?

Berlusconi ex-wife hits back over gossip magazine's 'unacceptable attack' | World news | The Guardian Italy Berlusconi ex-wife hits back over gossip magazine's 'unacceptable attack' Chi, a publication with links to ex-Italian PM's family, printed unflattering paparazzi pictures suggesting Veronica Lario get plastic surgery Veronica Lario with Silvio Berlusconi in 2004. Lario said: 'I don't attend to my waistline or the wrinkles on my neck … Is that sufficient motive for suggesting that I go to a plastic surgeon?' Photograph: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images Italy Berlusconi ex-wife hits back over gossip magazine's 'unacceptable attack' Chi, a publication with links to ex-Italian PM's family, printed unflattering paparazzi pictures suggesting Veronica Lario get plastic surgery Monday 19 May 2014 11.55 EDT First published on Monday 19 May 2014 11.55 EDT Close This article is 2 years old A row over the way older women are portrayed in the media has erupted in Italy – with the ex-wife of Silvio Berlusconi emerging as a perhaps unlikely crusader against female objectification. Veronica Lario, who left the former prime minister in 2009 after nearly 20 years of marriage, reacted with fury after the celebrity gossip magazine Chi published a spread of paparazzi photographs of her under unflattering headlines claiming she had put on weight and asking "experts" what kind of plastic surgery could help her combat the ageing process. The fact that Chi is published by Mondadori, controlled by the Berlusconi family holding company Fininvest, and regularly attacks the centre-right leader's enemies, only served to rub salt in the wounds. Lario, who is reported to have pushed for a divorce settlement of more than €500m (£408mm), called the Chi feature "an unacceptable attack" that wounded not only her but all women "who, like me, want to age without subjugating themselves to the 'young at all costs' stereotype". The former actor, 57, told Il Messaggero: "I am almost 60 years old; probably, according to current obsessive standards, I am not ageing well. I don't attend to my waistline or the wrinkles on my neck … Is that sufficient motive for suggesting that I – and, I assume, all my peers – go to a plastic surgeon?" The interview, published on Sunday, was met with support from women across the political spectrum, including from within Berlusconi's Forza Italia (FI) party, which is leading a lacklustre campaign ahead of this week's European elections. "Everyone has the right to grow old as they wish and no one should feel they can tell a lady what she should do," said Renata Polverini, an FI MP. "What is this, a dictatorship of eternal youth to enrich [plastic] surgeons?" Alessandra Moretti, from the centre-left Democratic party, said the Chi piece was an example of "a last legacy of macho culture that wants to chain us women to a stereotype of beauty". She cited the formidable Oscar-winning actor Anna Magnani, famed not only for her films but for having defended her wrinkles. Lorella Zanardo, director of a 2009 documentary entitled Il Corpo delle Donne (Women's Bodies), also said she gave Lario her "total solidarity". "Older women represent just 4.8% of [faces on] TV … The media must represent women as they are and must give space not only to women who have had cosmetic surgery but to those who age with their own face," she was quoted as saying. The magazine, however, was unrepentant. Just as it has brushed off past controversies – including one involving photographs of the Duchess of Cambridge topless on holiday – it insisted it had every right to poke fun at public figures. "As soon as I read her [Lario's] interview, I laughed," Alfonso Signorini, editor of Chi, told Il Messaggero. "With all the problems that Italy has, is Veronica Lario's cellulite really becoming a national political problem? … That Chi is concerned with her extra kilos is normal. We are a gossip magazine … But politicians and intellectuals should concern themselves with much more serious matters." In her attack, Lario – whose real name is Miriam Bartolini – accused the


What search engine did Microsoft launch in 2009?

Microsoft Challenged Google with Bing Launch, Yahoo Deal in 2009 Microsoft Challenged Google with Bing Launch, Yahoo Deal in 2009       Microsoft decided that 2009 was the year it would challenge Google on the search giant's turf, through launching a rebranded search engine, Bing, and signing a search-and-advertising partnership with Yahoo designed to give Microsoft more share in the U.S. search engine market. Microsoft spent much of the fall incorporating new features into Bing, although it also experienced some minor hiccups, notably a small downtime incident and a conflict with The New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. Microsoft decided to challenge Google more robustly in the U.S. search-engine arena in 2009, pouring millions of marketing and development dollars into a revamped and rebranded search engine, Bing . Microsoft originally announced Bing as the replacement for its Live Search at the seventh annual D: All Things Digital conference in California on May 28. As part of that announcement, Microsoft suggested that it would try to expand the boundaries of traditional search, with "intuitive tools to help customers make better decisions" and a focus on "four key vertical areas: making a purchase decision, planning a trip, researching a health condition or finding a local business." Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, speaking at the conference, seemed a little less clear about where the name "Bing" had originated. "I'm not the creative guy here," he reportedly said. "Short mattered...people like to 'verb up'...works globally, doesn't have negative connotations." Before its launch, Microsoft's search engine had been code-named "Kumo." During the conference, Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz also told columnist Kara Swisher that she would consider selling Yahoo's search apparatus, or even the company, to Microsoft in exchange for what she termed "boatloads of money." Microsoft ended up launching Bing on June 1 , two days earlier than expected. In a deliberate departure from Google's traditionally stripped-down landing page, Bing offered colorful art along with the search bar, mostly of locations such as Haiti's Citadelle Laferriere. Bing also allowed users to click on tabs for "Images," "Videos," "Shopping," "News," "Maps," and "Travel" for a granular search in those particular areas; for example, clicking on the "Travel" tab brings up an interface reminiscent of those offered by travel Websites such as Orbitz, and allows users to input their prospective flight details in order to see routes and deals.    On the eve of Bing's launch, according to a comScore report, Google held 64.2 percent of the U.S. search engine market, while Yahoo occupied 20.4 percent and Microsoft held 8.2 percent. Before the launch, some analysts announced positive expectations for Bing in the marketplace. "Today most advertisers buy search ads just with Google and Yahoo because Microsoft has a measly...share of searches-not enough reach to make buying search ads with MS worth the trouble," Shar Von Boskirk, an analyst with Forrester, wrote in a May 28 posting on the Forrester Blog for Interactive Marketing Professionals. "Forrester expects Bing to change that." Carol Bartz, however, was far less kind about Microsoft's search engine prospects. "They're not going to get scale through Bing," she said during a speech at the Bank of America and Merrill Lynch U.S. Technology Conference in New York on June 3 . She added that any interest in the search engine would be "temporary." In retrospect, Bartz's quote is somewhat ironic. And despite her predictions of Bing's stillbirth, the search engine made some gains out of the gate. According to research company Hitwise, Bing grew at a rate of 25 percent per week throughout June , owning 5.25 percent of the U.S. online search market by June 27 (that same study found that Google and Yahoo had 74 percent and 16.2 percent, respectively, of that market). At the same time, StatCounter found that Bing had increased Microsoft's market share from 7 percent to 8.23 percent during the same time period. comScore data released in


Cartoonist and screenwriter Millard Kaufman, who died in March 2009, created which short-sighted character?

Mr. Magoo Co Creator Millard Kaufman Dies at age 92 [Archive] - Sitcoms Online Message Boards - Forums Brian Damage 03-16-2009, 11:50 PM Oscar-nommed screenwriter and novelist Millard Kaufman died of heart failure March 14 in Los Angeles. He was 92. With animator John Hubley, Kaufman created the Mr. Magoo character for the 1949 short "Ragtime Bear" at UPA Productions. In 1954, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Original Screenplay for WWII boot camp drama, "Take the High Ground." Two years later, he was nominated for another Oscar for the Western "Bad Day at Black Rock." During the McCarthy Era, Kaufman risked his career by lending his name to the screenplay "Gun Crazy," by blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. Kaufman worked in Hollywood for more than a half century, writing screenplays ï¿½ including "Never So Few" (1959), "The Warlord" (1965), "The Klansman" (1974), and the anti-capital punishment film, "Convicts Four" (1962), which he also directed ï¿½ and television ("Starsky and Hutch," "Police Story," "Enola Gay"). In 2007, Kaufmanï¿½s first novel, "Bowl of Cherries," was published by McSweeneyï¿½s. Kaufman is also the author of "Plots and Characters," a text on screenwriting that was published in 1999. He lectured on screenwriting at the Sundance Institute, Johns Hopkins, UCLA, and USC, among others, and was a mentor to many aspiring writers. His second novel, "Misadventure," will be published by McSweeneyï¿½s in fall, 2009. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Lorraine; two daughters, a son and seven grandchildren. Donations may be made to The Motion Picture and Television Fund. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118001305.html?categoryid=14&cs=1


Which computer game invented by Alexi Pajitnov celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2009?

Google celebrates 25th anniversary of Tetris: Play Online tetris free game download and Google Tetris Logo | A Lifestyle Blog by Mommy Iris Google celebrates 25th anniversary of Tetris: Play Online tetris free game download and Google Tetris Logo June 6, 2009 By Mommy Iris 1 Comment June 6, 2009 — Google celebrated the 25th anniversary of Tetris today with this illustration on the Google home. Google Australia, China and some other places where it’s Saturday already are displaying a special logo doodle celebrating Tetris.  The alt text reads “Celebrating 25 Years of The Tetris Effect – courtesy of Tetris Holding, LLC”, and the logo is linked to a search for tetris. I remember playing tetris when I was a child. I’m glad that tetris is already available online. Some people like to play tetris game online and some internet users like to download free tetris game. Happy 25th birthday Tetris. Trivia: One of the original makers of Tetris is now working at Google – Google Australia, specifically, on the Google Wave project The game was created by Alexey Pajitnov and first made available on the IBM computer. Tetris (Russian: Тетрис) is a puzzle video game originally designed and programmed by Alexey Pajitnov. It was created on June 6, 1984, while he was working for the Dorodnicyn Computing Centre of the Academy of Science of the USSR in Moscow. He derived its name from the Greek numerical prefix “tetra-“—as all of the game’s pieces (known as Tetrominoes) contain four segments—and tennis, Pajitnov’s favorite sport. (source Wikipedia)


According to a ruling in 2009 by the UK Advertising Standards Authority what could women be shown to do in TV adverts before 11pm?

It's OK to orgasm before 11pm, rules Advertising Standards Authority | Media | The Guardian Close This article is 7 years old Women may orgasm on television before 11pm, or at least appear to do so, without causing widespread offence, according to a ruling by the Advertising Standards Authority . The case concerned an ad for a Durex female "pleasure gel", which featured a montage of women seemingly reaching climax to the Queen of the Night Aria from Mozart's Magic Flute. It was given a post-11pm restriction by the TV ad clearance body Clearcast, but ran on Channel 4 at 10.05pm, prompting a complaint to the ASA that it was "offensive and overly graphic". The ruling proves, says the ad industry, that the regulatory system will be effective in controlling any explicit ads when a ban on condom commercials before 9pm is waived. Debate has raged about the wisdom of relaxing TV advertising rules for condoms and abortion advice since proposals to do so were unveiled by the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice. Campaigning groups have argued that allowing condom ads pre-watershed, a move designed to curb the UK's rising teenage pregnancy rate, will "only serve to sexualise young people" . In the case of the campaign for Durex, the ad agency McCann Erickson, responding on behalf of its client, the condom-maker SSL International, said that the product was an "orgasm enhancing" gel for women and they realised that "there might be sensitivities surrounding how it could be advertised". The agency believed that the ad was unlikely to be seen by under-12s and that its "overall tone and visual style conformed to accepted norms and current standards of decency". Channel 4 said it ran the TV ad before the 11pm restriction because from "time to time" it deemed that ads should be run next to "appropriate programming" earlier in the evening. The Durex ad ran just before the film Venus in a "conscious scheduling decision". The ASA said that despite the ad being run earlier than Clearcast's scheduling advice it considered the TV ad was "unlikely to cause offence to viewers". "We considered that this ad was not overly graphic, contained no explicit material and was unlikely to cause offence, provided it was scheduled appropriately." • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. • If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".


Who won the 2009 BBC Sports Personality Award?

Ryan Giggs wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2009 - Telegraph Sport Ryan Giggs wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2009 Ryan Giggs, the Manchester United and Wales footballer, has been named the BBC  Sports Personality of the Year for 2009. Popular: Ryan Giggs, the Manchester United midfielder, has won the prestigious award Photo: PA By Ben Leach 9:13PM GMT 13 Dec 2009 The 36-year-old beat off competition from Jenson Button, the reigning Formula One world champion who came second, and Jessica Ennis, the world heptathlon champion, who came third. After receiving the award Giggs said: "I'd just like to thank the BBC and everyone who voted for me. This is unbelievable. This is a shock - as you can tell by the speech I've prepared. "I've been lucky enough to win many things in my career . I've played with some great players, the greatest manager who's ever lived, and the greatest club in the world (I though that would get a few boos). But this is up there. I grew up watching this TV programme. To be up there is unbelievable." Giggs was given the award in recognition of an 11th premier league title with Manchester United, as well as a losing appearance in the Champions League final, against Barcelona. He has made more appearances for the club than any other player, and holds the Premier League record for number of outfield appearances. Related Articles Why I will be voting for Ryan Giggs for BBC award 07 Dec 2009 He also won the PFA Player of the Year award earlier this year and becomes the first footballer since David Beckham in 2001 to win the Sports Personality of the Year award. Giggs was the second favourite to win the award, behind Button. Other athletes to make the final shortlist included David Haye, who beat Nikolai Valuev to become the WBA World Heavyweight Champion, and Andrew Strauss, the England cricket captain. Button was strongly tipped to win the award, having become the second Briton to win the Formula One championship in consecutive seasons, following Lewis Hamilton last year. The other athletes to make the shortlist were Mark Cavendish, the cyclist, Beth Tweddle, the gymnast, Tom Daley, the diver, Andy Murray, the tennis player, and Phillips Idowu, the triple jumper. The Lifetime Achievement award went to Seve Ballesteros, the golfer, while the Overseas Sports Personality of the Year award was given to Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter. The England cricket team won the Team of the Year award for their victory over Australia in the Ashes series and Fabio Capello, the England football team manager, won the Coach of the Year award. Last year the award was given to Sir Chris Hoy, the triple Olympic Gold-winning cyclist. He is the first British athlete to win three gold medals in a single Olympic games since Henry Taylor in 1908, and the most successful Scottish Olympian in Scottish.


Which monarch's 500th anniversary of accession was featured on a 2009 commemorative £5 coin?

The £5 Henry VIII commemorative coin that is yours for £4,400 - Telegraph How about that? The £5 Henry VIII commemorative coin that is yours for £4,400 A £5 coin issued to commemorate 500 years since Henry VIII came to the throne  will cost more than £4,000 to buy. A new crown coin produced by the Royal Mint to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII's accession to the throne. Photo: PA By Richard Alleyne 4:02PM BST 08 Jun 2009 The Royal Mint has issued 100 of the Crowns in platinum at £4,400 each to mark a reign which instigated the Golden Age in English History. It is the first time in more than 450 years that the monarch's head has graced a coin and Royal Mint hope they will become treasured mementoes of his controversial reign. Dave Knight, Director of Commemorative Coin at the Royal Mint, said: 'Love him or hate him, Henry VIII is undoubtedly one of history's most influential monarchs. "His reign changed the face of England forever and we felt it was essential that this remarkable period of history was commemorated with a lasting and treasured memento." A further 1,509 (the year he came to power) coins in gold are also available for £1,195 each with 10,000 more in silver, priced at £44.95, and 100,000 in nickel for £9.99. The Royal Mint's coin shows the great king standing before a frieze of roses in the 'antique' style much favoured in the carvings and tapestries of the period. The edge of the coin features a Latin inscription "ROSA SINE SPINA", which was also used on Henry VIII's own coinage and translates as 'Rose without a Thorn'.


Corcoram State Prison California released a new photo of which 74 year old cult-leading mass murderer?

Prison releases photo of elderly Charles Manson - The San Diego Union-Tribune Prison releases photo of elderly Charles Manson This photo of inmate Charles Manson was taken Wednesday March 18, 2009 at Corcoran State Prison, Calif. The photo of the 74-year-old Manson was taken Wednesday as part of a routine update of files on inmates at Corcoran State Prison, where he is serving a life sentence for conspiring to murder seve / AP This photo of inmate Charles Manson was taken Wednesday March 18, 2009 at Corcoran State Prison, Calif. The photo of the 74-year-old Manson was taken Wednesday as part of a routine update of files on inmates at Corcoran State Prison, where he is serving a life sentence for conspiring to murder seven people, said Seth Unger, spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. (AP Photo/California State Prison, Corcoran) This photo of inmate Charles Manson was taken Wednesday March 18, 2009 at Corcoran State Prison, Calif. The photo of the 74-year-old Manson was taken Wednesday as part of a routine update of files on inmates at Corcoran State Prison, where he is serving a life sentence for conspiring to murder seven people, said Seth Unger, spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. (AP Photo/California State Prison, Corcoran) (/ AP) The Associated Press California corrections officials have released a new photograph of convicted mass murderer Charles Manson , who is now bald with a thick gray beard and a swastika scar in the middle of his forehead. The photo of the 74-year-old Manson was taken Wednesday as part of a routine update of files on inmates at Corcoran State Prison, where he is serving a life sentence for conspiring to murder seven people, said Seth Unger, spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The cult leader was first sentenced to death for the 1969 murders of movie star Sharon Tate, coffee heiress Abigail Folger and three others stabbed and shot to death at Tate's home in Los Angeles. The next night, two others were stabbed to death at their homes. The image was released to the Los Angeles Times because the newspaper requested a copy the next time it was taken. Manson's co-defendants – Susan Atkins, Leslie Van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel and Charles "Tex" Watson – were convicted with him after taking the stand and attempting to absolve him by admitting their own deadly deeds. Their death sentences were commuted to life when the death penalty was briefly outlawed in America in 1972.


In 2009 the Tamil Tigers conceded defeat as a rebel force in which country's civil war?

Tamil Tigers Admit Defeat in Sri Lankan Civil War | Fox News Tamil Tigers Admit Defeat in Sri Lankan Civil War Published        May 17, 2009 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Email Print COLOMBO, Sri Lanka –  The Tamil Tigers are admitting defeat in their fierce quarter-century war for a separate homeland as government forces race to clear the last pockets of rebel resistance from the war zone in the north. Far from the battlefield, thousands of Sri Lankans danced Sunday in the streets of Colombo, celebrating the stunning collapse of one of the world's most sophisticated insurgencies. But with rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran still at large, the threat of renewed guerrilla warfare remained. Several rebel fighters committed suicide when they were surrounded, but it wasn't clear whether Prabhakaran or other leaders were among them. The Tamil Tigers once controlled a shadow state complete with courts, police and a tax system across a wide swath of the north. By Sunday, government troops had surrounded the remaining rebels in a 0.4-square-mile patch of land and were fighting off suicide bombs and other attacks, the military said. Huge clouds of black smoke rose over the battlefield as soldiers inspected the charred remains of rebel trucks and heavy artillery pieces, according to footage broadcast on state television. Civilians carrying backpacks and rolling suitcases were escorted from the area. Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said the civilians who had been trapped in the war zone — 63,000 in all — fled to safety during the past 72 hours. But rebel official Selvarasa Pathmanathan said the bodies of thousands of wounded and slain civilians lay strewn across the war zone. "This battle has reached its bitter end," Pathmanathan said in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press. "It is our people who are dying now from bombs, shells, illness and hunger. We cannot permit any more harm to befall them. We remain with one last choice — to remove the last weak excuse of the enemy for killing our people. We have decided to silence our guns." Media Minister Anura Yapa dismissed the appeal. "We want to free this country from the terrorist LTTE," he said, referring to the group by its formal name, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The military spokesman denied the rebels had laid down their weapons. "Fighting is still going on in small pockets," Nanayakkara said. Rights groups have accused the rebels of holding civilians as human shields, and blamed the government for shelling the densely populated area where they sought refuge. Both sides denied the accusations. With most journalists and aid workers barred from the war zone, it was not possible to verify the accounts of either side. Health officials in the area have said thousands of civilians were killed in shelling since the beginning of the year. The rebels have been fighting since 1983 for a separate state for Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamil minority after years of marginalization at the hands of the Sinhalese majority. More than 70,000 people have been killed in the fighting. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said that after defeating the rebels, his government will begin talks toward power sharing and political reconciliation between the two communities. But many Tamils are skeptical that the victorious government will be willing to make real concessions. At their height, the rebels controlled 5,400 square miles nearly one-fifth of this Indian Ocean island nation. They had a conventional army complete with artillery batteries, a large navy and even a nascent air force, funded by an estimated $200 million to $300 million a year they made from smuggling, fraud and appeals to Tamil expatriates. They also carried out hundreds of suicide attacks — including the 1991 assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi — and were listed as a terror group by the U.S., European Union and India. A 2002 cease-fire briefly halted the fighting, but it broke down more than three years ago, and Rajapaksa vowed to destroy the rebels. With victory all but assured, Rajapaksa raced home


Sonia Sotomayor in 2009 became the first Latino or Hispanic person to be selected for which US institution?

Background on Judge Sonia Sotomayor | whitehouse.gov Background on Judge Sonia Sotomayor THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                    May 26, 2009 Family members of Judge Sotomayor in attendance at today’s East Room announcement: Celina Sotomayor (mother) Conner and Corey Sotomayor (nephews) Judge Sonia Sotomayor Sonia Sotomayor has served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit since October 1998. She has been hailed as "one of the ablest federal judges currently sitting" for her thoughtful opinions,i and as "a role model of aspiration, discipline, commitment, intellectual prowess and integrity"ii for her ascent to the federal bench from an upbringing in a South Bronx housing project. Her American story and three decade career in nearly every aspect of the law provide Judge Sotomayor with unique qualifications to be the next Supreme Court Justice. She is a distinguished graduate of two of America's leading universities. She has been a big-city prosecutor and a corporate litigator. Before she was promoted to the Second Circuit by President Clinton, she was appointed to the District Court for the Southern District of New York by President George H.W. Bush. She replaces Justice Souter as the only Justice with experience as a trial judge. Judge Sotomayor served 11 years on the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, one of the most demanding circuits in the country, and has handed down decisions on a range of complex legal and constitutional issues. If confirmed, Sotomayor would bring more federal judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any justice in 100 years, and more overall judicial experience than anyone confirmed for the Court in the past 70 years. Judge Richard C. Wesley, a George W. Bush appointee to the Second Circuit, said "Sonia is an outstanding colleague with a keen legal mind. She brings a wealth of knowledge and hard work to all her endeavors on our court. It is both a pleasure and an honor to serve with her." In addition to her distinguished judicial service, Judge Sotomayor is a Lecturer at Columbia University Law School and was also an adjunct professor at New York University Law School until 2007. An American Story Judge Sonia Sotomayor has lived the American dream. Born to a Puerto Rican family, she grew up in a public housing project in the South Bronx. Her parents moved to New York during World War II – her mother served in the Women’s Auxiliary Corps during the war. Her father, a factory worker with a third-grade education, died when Sotomayor was nine years old. Her mother, a nurse, then raised Sotomayor and her younger brother, Juan, now a physician in Syracuse. After her father’s death, Sotomayor turned to books for solace, and it was her new found love of Nancy Drew that inspired a love of reading and learning, a path that ultimately led her to the law. Most importantly, at an early age, her mother instilled in Sotomayor and her brother a belief in the power of education. Driven by an indefatigable work ethic, and rising to the challenge of managing a diagnosis of juvenile diabetes, Sotomayor excelled in school. Sotomayor graduated as valedictorian of her class at Blessed Sacrament and at Cardinal Spellman High School in New York. She first heard about the Ivy League from her high school debate coach, Ken Moy, who attended Princeton University, and she soon followed in his footsteps after winning a scholarship. At Princeton, she continued to excel, graduating summa cum laude, and Phi Beta Kappa. She was a co-recipient of the M. Taylor Pyne Prize, the highest honor Princeton awards to an undergraduate. At Yale Law School, Judge Sotomayor served as an editor of the Yale Law Journal and as managing editor of the Yale Studies in World Public Order. One of Sotomayor’s former Yale Law School classmates, Robert Klonoff (now Dean of Lewis & Clark Law School), remembers her intellectual toughness from law school: "She would stand up for herself and not be intimidated by anyone." [Washington Post, 5/7/09] A Champion of the L


What newspaper first exposed the UK parliamentary expenses scandal?

John Wick: I am proud to have exposed expenses scandal - Telegraph Our rotten Commons 22 May 2009 Government ministers had overseen a series of data losses involving the electronic records of ordinary people in recent times and here was the proof that they could not even properly protect their own information. I was being asked whether I could release the information into the public domain. This was clearly a matter of significant public interest and the ongoing abuse of taxpayers’ money was an affront to ordinary people. I was also being told that critical information – particularly the removal of addresses from the files – would lead to many of the scams never being publicly exposed. The ultimate source was adamant that the key thing was that both the information and the way in which it was handled should be in the public domain and that its release was in the public interest. As a former military man, I have been in some tricky situations. I served in both the Parachute Regiment and the Special Air Service and have worked as a military and security adviser overseas. I now run a successful private intelligence company which has negotiated complicated ransom demands in hostile environments. Several former commissioners of the Metropolitan Police have served on the boards of my companies. However, this was of a different order. I was assured that the data was not stolen but that it was an unregistered copy that had been produced as a result of the lax and unprofessional security procedures used in the House of Commons administration. I took legal advice. It appeared that there were some very grey areas and it could be that the police would want to investigate if I was identified as the person who orchestrated the release of the information. My military training had, however, prepared me for far worse than a police cell – and the public interest in this information being publicised was clear and compelling. But what was also very clear was that the Government would be embarrassed (this had already previously happened when expenses information relating to Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, had been released). I had to do this on the understanding that there could be a serious negative reaction to my involvement and there might be a range of hidden ramifications both for me and my business. I was also aware that there were already some intense investigations being carried out within the Houses of Parliament and some of its sub-contractors, as a result of the leak of information about the Home Secretary and others. It was highly likely that the persons who had been involved in the collection of this information would be punished or made scapegoats by their employer and lose their jobs. However, I decided to push ahead. I asked for a demonstration of the type of information and for a disc to be sent to me. This they did. I also asked for further background as to why they were so concerned about the procedures for the handling of sensitive information – again a detailed explanation was quickly forthcoming. An analysis of the contents of the disc – containing the records of five MPs – quickly confirmed my worst fears. The way in which MPs were abusing the system was an absolute scandal and everyone had a right to know. What was also clear to me was that the Speaker’s office either did not know what was going on in the fees office – which smacked of incompetence – or did know and did nothing about it, which was unforgivable. But there was one, final hurdle that I had to overcome. I am a Conservative Party supporter who has acted as an officer for one of the party’s oldest fund-raising clubs. I have strong connections to senior Conservatives and count several Tory MPs as friends. I had to put my political allegiances to one side. This was a scandal across the political spectrum with some Conservative MPs’ behaviour as reprehensible as their Labour counterparts. The public release of the information had to be thorough, across every party, and the Conservatives would have to accept the consequences with the other parties. I had nev


What successful Broadway musical written by Mel Brooks opened controversially in Berlin?

'The Producers' Debuts in Germany: It's Springtime for Hitler in Berlin - SPIEGEL ONLINE 'The Producers' Debuts in Germany: It's Springtime for Hitler in Berlin 'The Producers' Debuts in Germany It's Springtime for Hitler in Berlin Berlin's Admiralspalast theater will break new ground in May by staging the first production in Germany of the Mel Brooks musical "The Producers." Some, though, say Germany isn't ready for tap-dancing stormtroopers and a camp Hitler singing "Heil Myself." By David Crossland in Berlin David Crossland Feedback Adolf Hitler is returning to the Berlin theater where he watched "The Merry Widow" during World War II, but this time he'll be on stage, singing "Heil Myself," swinging his hips and fluttering his eyelashes in Germany's first production of Mel Brooks's celebrated musical comedy "The Producers." Some reviewers are saying the city's historic Admiralspalast theater, which until recently had a Führer's Box specifically built for Hitler, is taking a risk by staging a play featuring tap-dancing stormtroopers singing "Watch out Europe we're going on tour" in the former capital of the Third Reich. But the manager of the Admiralspalast, Falk Walter, says it was high time that Berlin staged "The Producers", which opened on Broadway in 2001 and has been performed in many cities around the world since then. It opens here on May 15. "I've been trying to get 'The Producers' for ages. If there's any city in the world where it should be performed, it's Berlin," Walter told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "For one, this town was the root of all the evil. And it also happens to be the most tolerant and exciting city in Germany." The musical, based on a 1968 feature film written and directed by Brooks, is about a Broadway producer and his accountant who decide that they can earn more money by staging a flop than a hit. So they put on the worst, most inappropriate show they can find: "Springtime for Hitler," written by a Nazi pigeon-fancier who has taught his birds to lift their wings in the Hitler salute. Disappointingly for them, the singing and dancing Führer turns out to be so comic that audiences applaud the show as a satirical masterpiece and it becomes a hit, so the heroes go to jail for tax fraud. Mel Brooks's award-winning 2001 Broadway musical spawned a remake of the movie in 2005. Reprints Find out how you can reprint this SPIEGEL ONLINE article. Too Soon to Laugh About Hitler? Walter is confident the musical won't flop in Berlin, even though some critics are wondering whether it should be staged here. "Should one be allowed to laugh about Hitler?" wrote Berliner Morgenpost, a local Berlin daily. Berliner Zeitung, another Berlin paper, wrote, "it remains risky to put this satire about Hitler on the stage in the former Reich capital -- even if it has been successful around the world and Jewish people in Tel Aviv laughed about it." It remains to be seen how Berlin audiences will respond to the sight of statuesque blonde maidens wearing oversized pretzels and sausages on their heads as the lead tenor stormtrooper sings "Look out, here comes the master race!" No German theater dared touch the musical until an Austrian company obtained the German-language rights and put it on at the Ronacher theatre in Vienna in 2008. Its success was modest, with performances only 70 percent booked out. The Vienna production, originally planned to run for one year, was stopped in February after 10 months and is now moving with its Austrian cast to the Admiralspalast. Mel Brooks May Attend Debut Walter said advance ticket sales have been good and that he's confident the run will be extended beyond the initially planned two months. He also thinks the Berlin incarnation will receive a prominent boost. "I'm pretty sure Mel Brooks will come to the premiere. I think he knows the significance of this being shown in Berlin," he said. He said the Austrian production had been marketed too narrowly, focusing only on traditional musical aficionados, and that he was targeting a broader range of people who wouldn't usually go to see a stage musical.


Which previous Governor of the Bank of England died in April 2009?

Eddie George, who led Bank of England to independence, dies of cancer at 70 | Business | The Guardian Eddie George, who led Bank of England to independence, dies of cancer at 70 Former governor of the Bank of England, Lord 'Eddie' George. Photograph: Phil Noble/PA Archive/PA Photos Close This article is 7 years old Lord Eddie George, the former governor of the Bank of England , died yesterday at the age of 70 after a long battle with cancer. Mervyn King, who succeeded George as governor, announced the death of the man nicknamed Steady Eddie. "I am deeply saddened to learn of Eddie's death. He served the bank for more than 40 years and was an outstanding governor, colleague and friend," he said. "Eddie will be remembered as the governor who led the bank to independence." George had been with the bank for 37 years before he retired in 2003 or, in his own words, made "the transition from Who's Who to Who's He?" During his time at Threadneedle Street, George steered the bank through Black Wednesday and the collapse of Barings, chairing its rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee from 1997. Far from retreating to his Cornwall home after retirement, George took on three private sector positions: as a non-executive director at the merchant bank NM Rothschild, a board member for Nestlé and a non-executive director at the Duke of Westminster's property firm, Grosvenor Group Holdings. Christened Edward Alan John George, he joined the Bank of England in 1962, working at first on East European affairs. He was later seconded to the Bank for International Settlements and the International Monetary Fund. In a tribute speech to the CBI after George's retirement, Gordon Brown, who was then chancellor, told how George once helped himself from a bottle of scotch at a charity auction, only to discover the 1937 Glenfiddich was the top raffle prize. Brown said George, "in true central banker style", had presented the bottle to the winner, nevertheless describing it as half full rather than half empty. Last March George admitted he was relieved to have resigned before the credit crisis. "I used to be Bank of England governor and I'm rather glad that I'm not today," he told a conference.


Who in 2009 became Britain's first individual diving world champion?

Tom Daley has become Britain's first individual world diving champion | Sport | The Guardian Close This article is 7 years old Tom Daley last night became Britain's first individual world diving champion after taking gold in the 10m platform event. The 15-year-old was fourth with two rounds to go but a flurry of perfect scores brought him a dramatic victory. It still needed mistakes from the three other leading contenders to give Daley an unexpected win which illustrated how mature a competitor he has become. Even a phone ringing as he stood on the board for his fifth and crucial dive did not disturb his focus. "Getting into the final I just thought, 'Go out there and do your best and see what happens'. I thought I was going to come fourth and I would have been really happy with that. But then to come away with a medal was going to be great, then a gold medal was just insane," said Daley, who became the first British diver to win a world or Olympic title. "Today was never the day when I thought I would become world champion. I woke up and thought just go out and enjoy it. To come away with a gold medal was unthinkable. It still hasn't sunk in. Now I want to do it again in 2012." Since he came to the public's attention, Daley has become the national under-18 champion at 10 years old, and the European senior champion last year, as a 14-year-old. But last year at the Beijing Olympics there was a serious blip on the upward curve when a well-publicised spat with his partner, Blake Aldridge, in the synchro competition was followed by a down-beat performance in the individual 10m, where he finished seventh. This summer, though, Daley has looked the real deal again, hitting a remarkable personal best of 554.90 when he won the Fort Lauderdale grand prix in May. Even so, what happened here was still, as the schoolboy put it, "insane". With four dives to go, the youngest and just about the smallest competitor in the field was more than 18 points behind the leader Bo Qui, from China, who had beaten Daley to the world junior title last year and the second youngest diver, at 16, in the line-up. The Olympic champion, Australia's Matthew Mitcham, who had halted the Chinese clean sweep in Beijing, was in a close second and Zhou Luxin, the Olympic silver medallist was lying third. Daley, with only Mitcham and Bo diving after him, had to produce something special just to have a chance of bronze, and with the lowest degree of difficulty of the four leading divers, nothing less than perfect scores were required, and nothing less than perfect scores were delivered, Daley hitting eight 10s in his final two dives. Zhou failed on his fifth dive, Mitcham had two ordinary (by his high standards) final dives and Bo's poor entry on the last dive of the competition settled it. "I really thought they were going to get it," said Daley. "For them not to do so is really crazy. I can't believe it. I really can't believe it. It's been a lot of hard work; lots of ups and lots of downs. Everything I've put into it has now become worth it."


Mir Hossein Mousavi was the beaten opponent in which country's presidential election?

Iran's Disputed Election - Photos - The Big Picture - Boston.com Iran's Disputed Election Following up from last Friday's entry about Iran's Presidential Election , Tehran and other cities have seen the largest street protests and rioting since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Supporters of reform candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, upset at their announced loss and suspicions of voter fraud, took to the streets both peacefully and, in some cases, violently to vent their frustrations. Iranian security forces and hardline volunteer militia members responded with force and arrests, attempting to stamp out the protests - meanwhile, thousands of Iranians who were happy with the election outcome staged their own victory demonstrations. Mousavi himself has been encouraging peaceful demonstrations, and called for calm at a large demonstration today (held in defiance of an official ban), as Iranâs supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has just called for an official inquiry into accusations of election irregularities. (Update: several photos of injuries from gunshots at today's rally added below) ( 38 photos total (plus 3) ) A supporter of defeated Iranian presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi shouts slogans during riots in Tehran on June 13, 2009. Hardline incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared winner by a landslide in Iran's hotly-disputed presidential vote, triggering riots by opposition supporters and furious complaints of cheating from his defeated rivals. (OLIVIER LABAN-MATTEI/AFP/Getty Images) 3 Protestors set fires in a main street in Tehran, Iran in the early hours of Monday, June 15, 2009. Iran's supreme leader ordered Monday an investigation into allegations of election fraud, marking a stunning turnaround by the country's most powerful figure and offering hope to opposition forces who have waged street clashes to protest the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. (AP Photo) # 5 A riot-police officer strikes a man with a baton near Tehran University on June 14, 2009. Iran's defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi said on Sunday he has asked the powerful Guardians Council to cancel the result of the presidential poll, while urging his supporters to continue peaceful protests. (STR/AFP/Getty Images) # 21 Thousands of supporters of Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wave national and other coloured flags during a massive rally to celebrate his victory in the presidential elections in Tehran's Valiasr square on June 14, 2009. Ahmadinejad defended his June 12 re-election but his defeated rival, Mir Hossein Mousavi, demanded the result be scrapped, setting the stage for further tense confrontations after the authorities cracked down on opposition protests. (ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images) # 25 Iranian riot policemen kick a man in Zartusht street close to the Interior Ministry, as supporters of reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi started to gather on the streets protesting the declared results of the Iranian presidential election in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 13, 2009. (AP photo/STR) # 30 Black smoke rises above the Tehran skyline as supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi burn tires and other material in the streets as they fight running battles with police to protest the declared results of the Iranian presidential election in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 13, 2009. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) # 31 A protester holds a stone during clashes with police in Tehran June 13, 2009. Thousands of people clashed with police on Saturday after the disputed election victory of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sparked the biggest protests in Tehran since the 1979 Islamic revolution. (REUTERS/Ahmed Jadalla) # 33 A poster of defeated candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi is seen on the broken-down door of a room in Tehran University dormitory after it was attacked by militia forces during riots in Tehran, Iran in the early hours of Monday, June 15, 2009. Overnight, police and militia stormed the campus at the city's biggest university, ransacking dormitories and arresting dozens of students angry over what they claim was elect


American doctor George Tiller was shot dead in Kansas in June 2009 by an activist protesting against what?

Scott Roeder, the man arrested over murder of U.S. abortion doctor George Tiller, was anti-Government activist who was caught with bomb 13 years ago | Daily Mail Online comments Shot dead: Dr George Tiller The pro-life activist suspected of gunning down an American doctor known for performing late-term abortions compared his alleged victim to Nazi death camp monster Josef Mengele, it was claimed tonight. Scott Roeder, 51, was expected to be charged early tomorrow with the murder of Dr George Tiller, who was shot dead in the foyer of his church on Sunday. Roeder was described today as harbouring a burning ‘eye-for-an-eye’ hatred for abortion doctors who had been arrested years earlier - armed with the materials to make a bomb. And someone using the name Scott Roeder posted comments about Tiller on anti-abortion web sites, including one that described him as the ‘concentration camp Mengele of our day’ - a reference to the German doctor who performed ghastly medical experiments on Jews at Auschwitz. The posting said that Tiller ‘needs to be stopped before he and those who protect him bring judgment upon our nation.’ Although police refused to give a motive for the killing last night, Tiller is believed to have been targeted because he was one of only three U.S. doctors carrying out abortions on women who were more than twenty-one weeks pregnant. Chilling details emerged last night about the suspect who is said to have suffered from bouts of mental illness. Roeder's mental health and anti-government activities were also factors in a custody battle in Pennsylvania, The Kansas City Star reported.  Enlarge   A police officer (right) transports Scott Roeder (left), clad in a bullet-proof vest, who was arrested by officers after Dr Tiller had been shot Roeder sued in 2003 for the right to visit a girl he said was his daughter. The child was born in 2002. But the child's mother fought Roeder's request, saying he would not be a good influence because his association with 'anti-government organizations is ongoing'. A 2005 court ruling also said Roeder had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and did not take medication, 'which may pose a clear and present danger to the minor child', according to The Star. Roeder belonged to anti-government militia groups, had been convicted of carrying explosives in his car and allegedly befriended a would-be killer who shot Tiller in both arms in a failed assassination attempt 16 years ago. The factory worker was also said to have been outraged when Tiller was acquitted on abortion-related charges at a trial in March. Support: Candles are held at vigil for Dr Tiller in Kansas Tiller, 67, was serving as an usher during morning services on Sunday when he was shot at the Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas. Police said the gunman acted alone, but US marshals have been sent to protect abortion clinics across the US amid fears of copycat attacks. Some anti-abortion groups moved quickly to distance themselves from the murder, but pro-life hard liners praised Roeder. Regina Dimwidie, who said she picketed Planned Parenthood clinics with the suspect, claimed she was ‘glad’ about Tiller’s death. ‘I wouldn’t cry for him no more than I would if somebody dropped a rat and killed it,’ she said. Tiller had been a lightening rod for abortion opponents for decades. He survived a 1993 shooting and his women’s clinic was bombed in 1985 and has been the scene of countless protests. Roeder’s wife, Lindsey, said her ten-year marriage unravelled when her husband became heavily involved in anti-government groups and then became ‘very religious in an Old Testament, eye-for-an-eye way,’ she said. ‘The anti-tax stuff came first, and then it grew and grew. He became very anti-abortion,’ she added. Enlarge   Supporters gather in downtown Wichita, Kansas hours after Dr Tiller's death She said she thought he was capable of murder. ‘I knew that if he snapped he could actually do it. ‘He thought that if the abortion doctor killed the baby, then he didn’t have the right to live. It was justifiable,’ added his ex-wife, who


Who beat seven foot tall boxer Nikolay Valuev to become the new WBA heavyweight champion?

Giant boxer Nikolai Valuev forges new career - as a children's TV presenter 8 Valuev had a sparkling career until he lost to David Haye in 2009 and retired But despite his appearance, it has not stopped him from being signed up to work as the children’s TV host on the popular kids program “Spokoynoy nochi, malyshi!” (translated as Good Night, Little Ones). Announcing the new job, he told his fans online: “I could not even imagine when I was a kid that someday I would become a host on my favourite kid’s TV show. So have a Good Night, Little Ones!” The programme has been a mainstay of Russian children’s television since it first launched in 1964. Valuev also has another job as a politician but said that he was committed to working as a presenter on the show, attracting amazed comments from his fans. Most thought it was come kind of joke pointing out that the boxer was more likely to scare the kids than make them laugh. related articles 'He's wired differently' Chris Eubank Snr says son Chris is harder, meaner and more electrifying than he was ahead of IBO title fight with Renold Quinlan 'Won't be watching you again' Vile Twitter trolls target Anthony Joshua with anti-Muslim abuse after he posts picture of himself praying at mosque WBC you in the ring Scouse star Callum Smith gets super-middleweight title shot vs Badou Jack after James DeGale draw AM WHO I AM Who is Amir Khan? The British boxing ace at the centre of a sex tape storm was once compared to Muhammad Ali 'mortifying' sex tape leak Floyd Mayweather calls Conor McGregor's UFC boss a 'f***ing comedian' over £20m offer for super-fight LET'S GET IT ON James DeGale demands rematch with Badou Jack after their unification bout in New York ends in thrilling draw Gum deal James DeGale loses a tooth during Badou Jack fight but looks raring to go again after hospital check-up THE BATTLE OF NEW YORK The Brit ex-Olympian was put down in the 12 round, with scorecards reading 14-12 DeGale, and 13-13 twice But the former champ who lives in St Petersburg with his wife and two children, insisted he was 100 percent serious and even provided a picture of the show being recorded where he is the presenter. The first edition is due to be broadcast in September. In his career, he defeated three world champions including John Ruiz, Siarhei Liakhovich and Evander Holyfield, as well as top contenders such as Clifford Etienne, Larry Donald, Owen Beck, Monte Barrett and Jameel McCline. CEN/Nikolay Valuev


The 2009 UK budget announced what tax rate (effective April 2010) for earners of more than £150,000 per year?

Budget 2009: Alistair Darling targets rich with 50% tax | UK news | The Guardian Budget 2009: Alistair Darling targets rich with 50% tax • 50p top tax rate for those earning over £150,000 • Chancellor unveils £1.7bn job creation scheme • UK economy set to shrink by 3.5% this year Wednesday 22 April 2009 11.48 EDT First published on Wednesday 22 April 2009 11.48 EDT Close This article is 7 years old Alistair Darling today pledged to reinvigorate Britain's ailing economy with a £1.7bn job creation scheme and a new 50p income tax band for the highest paid. With the UK economy set to shrink by 3.5% this year – its worst performance since the second world war – the chancellor attempted to draw clear dividing lines between Labour and the Conservatives by breaking a Labour manifesto promise and raising income tax for those earning more than £150,000 to 50% . The Tories reacted quickly to limit any damage, insisting they would not block the move. It would see anyone earning more than £150,000 paying an extra £220 a month in tax. Early indications suggested the poor would still pay proportionately more than the rich because of a rise in fuel duty. The 50p tax rate replaces the planned 45p new top rate announced in November's pre-budget report, and will kick in in April 2010 – a year earlier than planned. The new rate will only affect 1% of earners, who will also see tax relief on their pension contributions curbed. Those earning more than £100,000 will also lose their personal income tax allowance from next April. Admitting there were "no quick fixes" or "overnight solutions", Darling argued that it was right that those who earned the most should pay more. Vowing not to repeat the mistakes of the past, he pledged to protect investment in schools and hospitals and help homeowners and jobseekers. An extra £260m will be allocated for training and subsidies for out of work young people. "We must ensure that short-term job loss does not turn into a lifetime on benefits," Darling said. "You can grow your way out of a recession – you can't cut your way out of it." Figures announced earlier today showed unemployment has jumped by 177,000 in the three months to February, rising to 2.1 million – the highest number since Labour came to power in 1997 and one giving a jobless rate of 6.7%. Darling also pledged that: • Tobacco duty will rise 2% from 6pm today. • Alcohol duties will rise 2% from midnight. • Fuel duty will rise 2% from September and 1% above indexation every April for next the four years. • The stamp duty holiday on homes under £175,000 will be extended until the end of 2009. • A car scrapping scheme will offer a £2,000 discount on new cars when vehicles over 10 years old are traded in. • The child element of the child tax credit will increase by £20 from April next year. • State redundancy pay will rise from £350 to £380 a week. • Grandparent care for young relatives will count towards the basic state pension. • The annual ISA limit will increase from £7,200 to £10,200. • £525m will go to offshore wind power projects and £405m new funding to low-carbon technology projects. Responding to the budget, the Conservative leader, David Cameron, said Britain could not afford another five years of Labour . He told the Commons any claim the Labour government had ever made to economic competence was "dead, over, finished". Nick Clegg, Liberal Democrat leader, added: "Taxes are still too heavy on those who can least afford it and too easy to avoid for those who know how. "That's how this government and the Tories seem to want it." During his second budget statement, the chancellor said the recession and credit crunch had blown away the growth and deficit forecasts he made in November's pre-budget report as he forecast that the government would borrow a record £175bn in this fiscal year. Financial markets reacted badly. The FTSE 100 shed about 30 points during the speech, falling to 3957, while the pound lost nearly a cent against the dollar, to $1.452, and as much against the euro, to €1.12. Darling forecast that the economy would rapidly


What famous sportsman starred in the 2009 film Looking for Eric?

Eric Cantona - IMDb IMDb Actor | Producer | Director Eric Cantona is most known for his skill on the soccer field. Starring at Old Trafford, Manchester United's homeground, Cantona got the nickname "The King". The controversial striker has been praised as the one who brought back the trophies to one of the world's most famous soccer clubs. Cantona is well-known for being banned from playing soccer ... See full bio » Born:


Which former US Secretary of State returned to academia in 2009 to teach political science at Stanford University?

Rice grilled over torture at Stanford - YouTube Rice grilled over torture at Stanford 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. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on May 6, 2009 http://observers.france24.com/en/cont... A Stanford University student grills ex-US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice over the Bush administration's torture policy. Who sounds more convincing: Rice or Jeremy Cohn? Condoleezza Rice, former US President George W. Bush's security advisor and then secretary of state (2005-2009), returned to teach political science at Stanford University, where she was a professor before entering politics, in March. Jeremy Cohn is a student at Stanford. We see him questioning Condoleeza Rice in the video. The strong points were when she was talking about the situation in the country soon after September 11. It's true that a lot of people were scared and we were facing a very difficult time. A lot of the things she said at the beginning [were good], especially when she said that we can't always choose our allies. It's true that the world is a very imperfect place and that tough decisions need to be taken. But the excuse isn't valid enough. If we entrust these officials with important responsibilties, it's because we want them to take decisions without being influenced by public opinion. In the end, she didn't really convince me. My question about the United States and how we're supposed to move forward with all of those secrets coming out just turned into a regular defense of all the basic talking points within the administration. Finally, many other students shared my opinion that she was evasive and got very defensive." Category


What UK government minister claimed, received and subsequently paid back parliamentary expenses of £500 for painting a summer house?

BBC NEWS | UK | UK Politics | Key details: MP expenses claims Ian Wright and Tom Watson FRASER KEMP Claim: The Sunday Telegraph said Mr Kemp, the MP for Houghton and Washington East, claimed for two DVD players for his one-bedroom flat in the space of a month. He was also reimbursed for the cost of 16 bed sheets and claimed for two flat-screen televisions a year apart, it was reported. In the case of one of them, the Fees Office refused to pay the full £1,699 he asked for on the basis that the maximum claim was £750, it was suggested. The former Labour whip was also said to have bought goods including a freezer and fridge near his north-east England constituency, despite the London flat being designated his second home. He also charged the taxpayer £105.75 for an engineer to attend to his washing machine when he could not work out how to operate it, the Sunday Telegraph claimed. Response: Mr Kemp told the Sunday Telegraph the claims for bed linen and a second DVD player were "an error for which I apologise" and that he would pay back the cash. He said he bought the second TV and fridge before moving in to a new flat. He said there had been a problem with his washing machine but that he would be happy to reimburse the sum claimed. On suggestions he had profited from the sale of his second home by claiming £1,532 to cover legal fees, he said: "I'll seek advice from HMRC to ensure appropriate liabilities have been met." Return to top DAVID CLELLAND Claim: The Tyne Bridge MP was said to have "bought out" his partner's share of a joint mortgage on a flat in London, costing the taxpayer thousands of pounds plus legal fees. The Telegraph said that after the deal, which was approved by the Commons Fees Office, the mortgage interest payments increased by £200 per month. Response: Mr Clelland insisted it would have cost the taxpayer more had he rented a flat. He said his partner had initially viewed the property as an investment but that she legitimately decided to withdraw her money in 2004, when it was rumoured that MPs might be ordered to hand over any profits made from such properties to the taxpayer. He told the BBC the London flat was "not a home, it's the flat I live in... [it] is what I have to have to do my work as a member of parliament and that's why the costs fall on the taxpayer." Return to top DAVID CHAYTOR Claim: The Telegraph said the Bury North MP claimed nearly £13,000 for a mortgage he had already cleared. The paper says that between September 2005 and August 2006, the Labour backbencher claimed £1,175 a month in interest on his Westminster flat. However, Land Registry records show the mortgage was paid off in January 2004. The Telegraph also alleged that Mr Chaytor "flipped" the designation of his second home six times, including once to a house registered in his son's name. He reportedly blamed these actions on "changing and complex family circumstances". Response: In a statement, Mr Chaytor told the Telegraph he apologised "unreservedly" for what had been "an unforgivable error in accounting procedures". He reportedly told the paper he would arrange repayment to the Commons fees office immediately. Mr Chaytor has referred himself to the parliamentary standards watchdog and has also been suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party pending the outcome of investigations. He has decided to stand down as an MP at the next election. Return to top ELLIOT MORLEY Claim: The Telegraph said the former environment minister claimed £16,000 in mortgage interest payments on his home in his Scunthorpe constituency even though the mortgage had ended 18 months before. Although records show his mortgage had been repaid by March 2006, Mr Morley continued to be reimbursed for £800 a month in 2006-7. The Telegraph claims the anomaly was not spotted earlier as Mr Morley re-designated his London home as his second residence - a move known as "flipping" - in November 2007. It says Mr Morley had been renting out his London flat to another Labour MP, Ian Cawsey who nominated it as his second home and claimed back the £1,000 a month r


What iconic American mode of transport was introduced to the UK in August 2009?

BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | Riding the Greyhound Riding the Greyhound By Laura Schocker BBC News Greyhound buses will hit UK motorways next month - starting with a two-hour service from London to Portsmouth and Southampton. But can an American transport icon find success across the Atlantic? "'Kathy,' I said as we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh Michigan seems like a dream to me now It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw I've gone to look for America." Route to a new life far from here? Simon and Garfunkel's song America is, for many, the first reference point for Greyhound buses. And British people who have never been to the US probably haven't seen the big metal bus on the road - just on screen. In the 1930s, Greyhound made its first stop in Hollywood as the main setting for a romance between Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in the film It Happened One Night. Since then, the bus has featured in more films, including Breakfast at Tiffany's in 1961 and Midnight Cowboy in 1969. Performers from John Mellencamp to Garth Brooks and Guy Lombardo have recorded songs mentioning the bus, cementing the Greyhound as a cultural symbol representing great journeys of (self) discovery. En route from Chicago to Mississippi "It's a great cinematic shorthand for adventure," says film critic Jason Solomons, chairman of the Film Critic Circle. "You always see people on these very epic, poetic journeys. Nobodies step off the Greyhound bus in Los Angeles, having travelled from God knows where in the US, to become a star." But to many Americans, the bus is more than just a symbol. It's a way of connecting to small towns all over the country. "The romance of the Greyhound bus is the romance of the open road. And that's an American romance," says Irma Kurtz, author of The Great American Bus Ride, which chronicles her five-month journey to 47 states on a Greyhound. "It's miles and miles through wonderful territory." Wheels on the bus Greyhound's beginnings read like an American Dream story. During a rest stop The company was founded in 1914 by two immigrant miners to carry people to a town two miles away, says Gene Nicolelli, director and founder of the Greyhound Bus Museum in Hibbing, Minnesota, where the business began. Those first miles kept on multiplying as Greyhound opened up travel to people from small towns without transport hubs, says Mr Nicolelli. "They used to stop at every rinky-dinky town. They'd even stop at the side of the road." Today, the bus may have a firm footing in the US - transporting about 22 million passengers each year, but the question is - can the American Greyhound make it abroad? Alex Warner, managing director of Greyhound UK, says yes. "It's like when McDonald's was brought over to Moscow," he says. "There is a level of loyalty to iconic brands." The UK take on the bus But can a cultural icon translate to a British reality? Take the epic bus trip from Simon and Garfunkel's song America. Can it work for UK cities? For Pittsburgh, a fairly large industrial town, let's substitute Sheffield. For the arguably out of the way Saginaw? Let's try Accrington, Lancashire. The hitchhiking journey in the song took four days. At 60 miles, you'd be lucky to stretch out this British version to a few hours. Instead, the distance is a bit more like the journey between London and Edinburgh - although an hour spent in London traffic may not be quite the same as watching the moon over an open field on the way to New Jersey. Romance of the road "It's a fantastic notion if you've got big open spaces," says Keith Lovegrove, a writer and designer who has published several books about the relationship between transportation, identity and culture. IRMA KURTZ's TIPS Bad boys sit at the back - head for the rear if you want to meet one An unsavoury character boards. There's an empty seat next to you. Start coughing - loudly Pack lightly - the best adventures are had when you get off the bus unexpectedly "I'm a bit sceptical about it working in this country when you've only got to go from Reading to central London." Ms Kurtz agrees. "G


Caster Semenya was subjected to a badly handled inquiry into what?

Politicians weigh in on Semenya debate | News | Sport | M&G Politicians weigh in on Semenya debate Staff Reporter 26 Aug 2009 09:21 Politicians have weighed in on the Caster Semenya controversy, with Social Development Minister Edna Molewa saying on Tuesday the athlete had been humiliated. “What is deeply regrettable about this whole controversy is that these unfounded claims were perpetuated by fellow women competitors who lost out in the race,” she said at the Ambassadorial Forum in Pretoria. She said there would have been no questions about Semenya’s gender if she had not won the race. “Caster Semenya’s humiliation is a poignant reminder of the torturous road and hurdles that many women around the world and in our country have to overcome to assert our position in society.” Semenya had been subjected to humiliation following reports that she was a man. Molewa said women who led the historic march of 1956 did so against the oppressive regime that treated women as inferior citizens in their own country of birth. “Today, women face another form of humiliation that is equally oppressive—crime and abuse.” Looking relaxed but shy and awkward under the glare of media attention, Semenya returned home on Tuesday. The president of Athletics South Africa, Leonard Chuene, said he had resigned from his seat on the International Association of Athletics Federations board because of how Semenya had been treated by the organisation. “We are not going to allow Europeans to describe and define our children,” he told a news conference, which Semenya attended although she did not address reporters. Semenya was greeted warmly at the airport by several thousand singing and dancing fans as she arrived from Berlin. The 18-year-old, dressed in her team tracksuit with her gold medal around her neck, then was brought to a stage set up in the parking lot. On Tuesday, Semenya spoke very briefly at the presidential guest house in Pretoria after South African President Jacob Zuma gave a speech celebrating the athletes’ return. Semenya strode confidently to the podium and described her last race and those that led to it. She said that before her final 800m race, her coach told her, “‘last 200, kill them’. I did what he said, but I took a lead in the last 400. I celebrated the last 200. It was great,” she said with a smile as her teammates stood up to applaud. Zuma said South Africa’s minister of sport and recreation had written to the IAAF to express “our disappointment and the manner in which the body has dealt with the matter”. “It is one thing to seek to ascertain whether or not an athlete has an unfair advantage over others, but it is another to publicly humiliate an honest professional and competent athlete.” When asked what he would do if the IAAF ruled to revoke the medal, he said, “they’re not going to remove the gold medal. She won it. So that question does not arise.” The IAAF will decide Semenya’s case according to whether her “conditions ... accord no advantage over other females” after consulting a gynecologist, an endocrinologist, a psychologist, an internal medicine specialist and a gender expert. Her genes and physiology as well as how she sees herself and how she is seen by her community could play a role in their determination. Semenya’s supporters say the allegations against her are motivated by jealousy and show racial discrimination against Africans. On Sunday, Lamine Diack, the IAAF president, said the affair was handled badly. “I deeply regret that confidentiality was breached in this case and that the IAAF were forced into a position of having to confirm that gender testing was being carried out on this young athlete,” Diack told reporters in Berlin. “It is a regrettable matter and I have requested an internal inquiry to ensure that procedures are tightened up and this never happens again.” ‘The white-controlled media is wrong’ Meanwhile, international and local media came under fire on Tuesday for reports that suggested Semenya was a man, not a woman. Leading the pack was African National Congress Youth League leader Julius


What TV newsman, often voted the most trusted man in America, died in July 2009?

Walter Cronkite, Legendary Journalist, Dies At 92 - ABC News ABC News Walter Cronkite, Legendary Newsman Dies at Age 92 By HUMA KHAN Email Walter Leland Cronkite, a legendary reporter and anchorman who was once voted the "most trusted man in America," died today at age 92. The man who anchored the "CBS Evening News" from 1962 to 1981 died of cerebral vascular disease at 7:42 p.m. ET in his New York City home surrounded by his family, Cronkite's longtime chief of staff, Marlene Adler, told The Associated Press. "Walter was always more than just an anchor," President Obama said this evening in a prepared statement. "He was someone we could trust to guide us through the most important issues of the day; a voice of certainty in an uncertain world. He was family. He invited us to believe in him, and he never let us down." Play null Cronkite became best known on CBS News during the 1960s when he established the prominent role of the television news anchorman for the network's newly expanded evening news program. "Walter Cronkite set an example for all broadcast journalism by simply doing his best to tell us the truth about things that matter, with courage and without partisanship," ABC News president David Westin said. "We will miss him, but will seek to keep his spirit alive by following his example." Cronkite was held in such esteem in broadcast journalism that his name became synonymous with "news anchor" around the world. Play null ABC News' anchors mourned the their fellow journalist. "Walter Cronkite was and always will be the gold standard," said Charles Gibson, anchor of "World News." "His objectivity, his even-handedness, his news judgment are all great examples. He, as much as anyone, is responsible for developing network television news. He set the standard. He told it 'the way it is' and all of us who are privileged to work in this business owe him an enormous debt of gratitude." "He was the defining anchor of America's story -- reminding us of what we can be at our best," added Diane Sawyer, anchor of "Good Morning America." "He had depth, foreign reporting experience, endless excitement about the news, and an irresistible irreverence. A call, a note, a compliment from Walter was pretty much the Nobel Prize for a young reporter. I am so lucky to know what it was to be part of the Cronkite team." Play null "There never was and there never will be another Walter Cronkite," said ABC News anchor Barbara Walters. "We trusted him and that trust was well founded. He was also a jolly and supportive friend. He will be missed by each of us individually who knew him and by the whole country who loved him." Cronkite's clout at his peak was illustrated by President Lyndon Johnson's dismay when Cronkite returned from a trip to Vietnam in 1968 and reported that the U.S. was losing the war. "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost middle America," a rattled LBJ was reported to have said. The anchorman with his trademark avuncular delivery also spoke for America when he delivered the grim news that President Kennedy had died of his wounds. Nearly overcome with emotion, Cronkite paused and took off his glasses while he composed himself. Play null Cronkite's legacy of being the authoritative voice of news is still heard each night when CBS News uses a recording of Cronkite to introduce CBS Evening News With Katie Couric. Born Nov. 4, 1916, in St. Joseph, Mo., Cronkite was the son of a dentist who moved the family to Houston. He got an early start in journalism. After graduating from Houston's San Jacinto High School, he enrolled at the University of Texas . The natural newsman, however, was soon spending more time filing stories for his college and local newspapers and area radio stations than attending classes. After two years in college, Cronkite left school in 1935 to become a full-time reporter for the Houston Post. Within a year, the young Cronkite began working as a correspondent for United Press International (UPI). Cronkite often said he was inspired by Texas newspaperman Gordon Kent Shearer, who served as bureau chief for UPI in A