"What actress, born in Muscat, Oman, began acting on Australian television on ""Paradise Beach"" and ""Home and Away"" and is known for her roles in ""Wedding Crashers"" (2005), ""Hot Rod"" (2007), ""Definitely, Maybe"" (2008) and ""Confessions of a Shopaholic"" (2009)?"

Isla Fisher — The Movie Database (TMDb) Report Biography Isla Lang Fisher (born February 3, 1976) is an actress and author. She began acting on Australian television, on the short-lived soap opera Paradise Beach before playing Shannon Reed on the soap opera Home and Away. She has since been known for her comedic roles in Wedding Crashers (2005), Hot Rod (2007), Definitely, Maybe (2008), and Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009). Fisher was born in Muscat, Oman, to Scottish parents from Bathgate and Stranraer, and was raised in Perth, Western Australia. They resided in Muscat because of her father's job as a banker for the United Nations. Her name, after the Scottish island of Islay, is pronounced eye-la; she has four brothers. Fisher spent her early years in Bathgate before moving with her family to Perth, Western Australia, when she was six years old. Fisher has said that she had a "great" upbringing in Perth with a "very outdoorsy life". She began appearing in commercials on Australian television at the age of nine, before going on to win roles in popular children's television shows Bay City and Paradise Beach. She attended Methodist Ladies' College and appeared in lead roles in school productions. At the age of 18, with the help of her mother, she published two teen novels, Bewitched and Seduced by Fame. From 1994 to 1997 she played the role of Shannon Reed on the Australian soap opera Home and Away. After leaving the soap, Fisher enrolled at L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq, a theatre and arts training school in Paris and went on to appear in pantomime in the United Kingdom. She also toured with Darren Day in the musical Summer Holiday and appeared in the London theatre production, Così. In 2002 she had a part in the film version of Scooby-Doo as Mary Jane, Shaggy's love interest (wearing a blonde wig) who is allergic to dogs. Subsequently, Fisher was taken on by an American agent. A larger role in Wedding Crashers, alongside Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, in 2005 won her the Breakthrough Performance Award at the MTV Movie Awards. While promoting Wedding Crashers, she was officially crowned the 1000th guest on Australian talk show Rove on 2 August 2005. She entered the set ahead of Owen Wilson, winning the title by two metres. In 2006, Fisher starred as Becca, a Manhattan party host, in the relationship drama London co-starring Jessica Biel, Chris Evans, and Jason Statham. She starred in Wedding Daze with Jason Biggs. In 2007, she appeared in The Lookout, a thriller film co-starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Matthew Goode, and Hot Rod, opposite Andy Samberg. She was scheduled to appear in The Simpsons Movie, although her appearance was cut from the final version. In 2008, she starred in Definitely, Maybe, with Ryan Reynolds, Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz, and Abigail Breslin, and had a voice role in Horton Hears a Who! Fisher has also co-written a script entitled Groupies with Amy Poehler, as well as another project entitled The Cookie Queen. She starred in the movie adaptation of the book Confessions of a Shopaholic, which opened on February 13, 2009. In the film, Fisher played a college graduate who works as a financial journalist in New York City to support her shopping addiction. Fisher has spoken out against the lack of opportunities for comediennes in Hollywood. In 2010, she stars in the black comedy Burke and Hare.


What is the Largest Whale? A Cetacea Size Comparison Chart. | Smithsonian Ocean Portal Ocean Careers What is the Largest Whale? A Cetacea Size Comparison Chart. How do right whales size up? North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) are big, but they're not the biggest whales. That distinction goes to the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), the largest animal on Earth. The orca's  size of up to 31 feet (9.4 meters) makes it the largest dolphin. The sperm whale , on the other hand, may not be the biggest whale, but it has the biggest brain to have ever existed on Earth . A comparison chart of whale sizes helps put it all in perspective! Tags:


The Romanov Dynasty (Peter I, Catherine I, Peter II, Anna, Ivan VI, Elizabeth, Peter III, Catherine II the Great, Paul I, Alexander I, Constantine I, Nicholas I, Alexander II , Alexander III and Nicholas II) ruled which country?

Peter III - Tsar - Romanov - Russian Rulers - Biographies - - RusArtNet.com Russian Rulers Born: 1728, Kiel Died: 1762, Ropsha Peter III was born in Kiel on 10 February 1728. He was the son of Duke Carl Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp and Anna Petrovna , daughter of Peter the Great . When the child was born, he was given the name of Carl Peter Ulrich. Carl Peter Ulrich never saw his mother, who died less than two weeks after his birth. Neither did he see much of his father, who handed him over to the care of ignorant and brutal officers. At the age of ten, he was once discovered in a state of inebriation. In 1739, Carl Friedrich died and his eleven-year-old son succeeded him as the duke of Holstein-Gottorp. He was brought up by his father’s cousin, Adolf Friedrich, who was the prince-bishop of Lübeck and, later, the king of Sweden. Carl Peter Ulrich was both the grandson of Peter the Great and the great-nephew of King Charles XII of Sweden (through his grandmother, Princess Hedvig Sofia of Sweden, who married Duke Friedrich IV of Holstein-Gottorp). The boy was raised as a Protestant, in a pro-Swedish vein – at a time when Sweden had just lost the Great Northern War and vast territories to Russia. The future Russian emperor was educated by the marshal of the Holstein court, a brutal and dim-witted Swedish count called Otton von Brümmer. Bullied and harshly punished for the slightest misdemeanour, the sickly child developed a lifelong hatred of learning. He was particularly bored by Latin – the language of science – and removed every book in Latin from his library. Besides a love of military drilling, parades and drinking, the young duke’s only other passion in life was music. He became an accomplished violinist and later mounted Amor prigioniero, an opera written by the court composer Francesco Domenico Araia. After Elizabeth Petrovna seized power in 1741, she invited her nephew to St Petersburg to ensure that the throne passed to her father’s descendants. Carl Peter Ulrich converted to Russian Orthodoxy and was proclaimed the heir presumptive on 7 November 1742. His official title was “Grand Duke Peter Fyodorovich, Grandson of Peter the Great.” When the Swedes complained that he was also heir to their throne, Elizabeth sent them Peter’s official act of renunciation in August 1743. In reality, Peter was horrified at the idea of one day becoming emperor of Russia. Plucked from his homeland, he only wanted to return to Holstein. He was pro-German in every way and idolised Frederick the Great. When Russia entered the Seven Years War against Prussia in 1756, the heir to the throne secretly supported the enemy. He cheered the victories of the Prussian army and lamented any Russian successes. Peter’s antipathy towards all things Russian irritated the empress. Elizabeth gave him Russian tutors, but his dislike of learning meant that he preferred to spend his time in the company of the servants who had followed him from Holstein to St Petersburg. He felt out of place at the Russian court, where he fell into a life of lies and pretence, knowing that his every move was closely watched by his aunt’s spies. Elizabeth Petrovna hoped that marriage might bring her nephew to his senses. Her choice of bride was Princess Sophie Friederike Auguste from the minor German principality of Anhalt-Zerbst. The girl’s father was a Prussian general, while her mother was a cousin of Peter’s own father, Duke Carl Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp. This meant that Peter and Sophie were second cousins. Princess Sophie came to Russia and converted to Russian Orthodoxy on 28 June 1744 as Catherine Alexeyevna . The couple were married in St Petersburg on 21 August 1745. The celebrations began early in the morning with a cannon salute from the walls of the Peter and Paul Fortress and the ramparts of the Admiralty . The wedding procession emerged from the Winter Palace and proceeded to the Church of Our Lady of Kazan , headed by a detachment of horse guards and accompanied by a cortege of pages, attendants and liveried courtiers. After the marriage ceremony in the


JOE BIDEN JOINS HELLS ANGELS | Weekly World News JOE BIDEN JOINS HELLS ANGELS By Frank Lake on September 10, 2012 SEAMAN, Ohio — After hanging out with bikers for the weekend, Vice President Joe Biden has joined the Hells Angels. SEAMAN, Ohio — After hanging out with bikers for the weekend, Vice President Joe Biden has joined the Hells Angels. The internet is abuzz with a picture of Joe Biden grabbing a female biker and putting her on his lap at  a stop at Cruisers Diner.  She had no place to sit, so Biden waved her over, telling her, ‘‘I know who runs the show.’’  He put his hands on her shoulders and leaned in for a conversation as photographers snapped away. Here’s the picture: Biden then turned to the bikers and said:  “Can I borrow one of your bikes? They don’t let me ride anymore,” Biden said. “Probably not,” Jeff Cook, one of the diners, said. The vice president then told the bikers that he rode with the Oakland Hells Angels once.  He even showed them a picture: This brought back old memories for Biden – days of “easy riding”,  “drinking malt liquor” and “having sex on a bike”… so Biden went to the local Hells Angels chapter and signed up.  “He’s a Hells Angels now,” said the Hells Angels representative.  “That’s all we’ll say.” Biden said he loved the motto of the Hells Angels and thought it should be the new motto for the Obama re-election campaign.  Here it is:  “When we do right, nobody remembers. When we do wrong, nobody forgets”. “It’s a heckuva a lot better than ‘Forward’,”  the Vice President told reporters. Biden got on his bike and rode it to the next campaign stop. Biden also encouraged President Obama to join the Hells Angels.  He had a member of the Florida chapter try to personally persuade the President to join: Voters in Ohio are responding positively to Biden being in the Hells Angels.  “It makes him real.  He’s got my vote,” said Scooter Baines of Dayton.  “Anybody who rides a bike and rubs a chicks shoulders in a diner has my vote.” Ride on, Joe… ride on… Share this:


Shadoof | Define Shadoof at Dictionary.com shadoof noun 1. a device used in Egypt and other Eastern countries for raising water, especially for irrigation, consisting of a long suspended rod with a bucket at one end and a weight at the other. Origin of shadoof


The parliament of which country has met at the Binnenhof since 1446?

The Hague - Binnenhof Flags at Buitenhof. Port Buitenhof, the main entrance to Binnenhof at Buitenhof square. The Ridderzaal (Knights' Hall) is the Gothic main building at the Binnenhof in The Hague, Netherlands, which is used for the state opening of Parliament on the third Tuesday in September, Prinsjesdag, when the Dutch monarch drives to Parliament in the Golden Carriage and delivers the speech from the throne. It is also used for official royal receptions, and interparliamentary conferences. In the 13th century Floris IV, Count of Holland bought a piece of land next to a small lake to build a house on. The Ridderzaal, the manorial hall of Floris V, grandson of Floris IV, was built on this estate in the 13th century. Over the centuries, the government buildings developed around this lake and incorporated the Ridderzaal. From the early 17th century, the Ridderzaal became an important trading place for booksellers, as Westminster Hall was in London. In later centuries it served a variety of purposes - as a market hall, a promenade, a drill hall, a public record office, a hospital ward, even the offices of the state lottery. It was restored between 1898 and 1904 to serve its present purposes. The Ridderzaal was also the venue for the Dutch-Indonesian Round Table Conference, in 1949. Source: Wikipedia A police car guarding the Binnenhof. Ridderzaal. This 40 by 20 metres (130 × 66 ft) large Gothic hall has magnificent stained glass windows depicting the coats of arms of Dutch towns; particularly fine is the rose window with the arms of the principal noble families of the Netherlands. The heavy timber roof structure with its 18-metre-long beams (59 ft) has the appearance of an upturned ship. Wooden heads symbolizing eavesdroppers from the higher powers are supposed to deter members of the assembly from lying. Source: Wikipedia Binnenhof means "inner court". Security at Binnenhof in new BMW cars. This 'Inner Court' is studded with monumental old buildings testifying of eight centuries of governing in the Low Countries, but it also has several ample open spaces, all freely open to the public. A gilt neogothic fountain adorns the main square and one of the few Dutch equestrian statues (of King William II) guards the main Stadtholder's Gate, that dates from around 1600. Source: Wikipedia


Where was the Battle of Hastings, which took place on 14 October 1066 between the Norman army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army of King Harold II?

Battle of Hastings Battle of Hastings The Domesday Book: England in 1085 Top Surnames history (This is the one in which Wm the Conqueror captures England) The Battle of Hastings took place on 14 October 1066. It was the decisive Norman victory in the Norman Conquest of England, fought between the Norman army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army of King Harold II.[1] The battle took place at Senlac Hill, approximately 6 miles northwest of Hastings, close to the present-day town of Battle, East Sussex. Harold II was killed in the battle—legend has it that he was shot through the eye with an arrow. Although there was further English resistance, this battle is seen as the point at which William (The Conqueror) gained control of England, becoming its first Norman ruler as King William I. How to add a link is explained at - Working with Projects English


"Who produced the film ""12 Angry Men"", which was scripted by Reginald Rose, starred Henry Fonda and was directed by Sidney Lumet?"

12 Angry Men (1957) - IMDb IMDb 17 January 2017 4:34 PM, UTC NEWS 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 A jury holdout attempts to prevent a miscarriage of justice by forcing his colleagues to reconsider the evidence. Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON TV a list of 25 titles created 27 Aug 2011 a list of 40 titles created 22 May 2014 a list of 22 titles created 20 Oct 2014 a list of 33 titles created 4 months ago a list of 25 titles created 3 weeks ago Title: 12 Angry Men (1957) 8.9/10 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. Nominated for     3     Oscars. Another    16 wins & 8 nominations. See more awards  » Videos A criminal pleads insanity after getting into trouble again and once in the mental institution rebels against the oppressive nurse and rallies up the scared patients. Director: Milos Forman The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son. Director: Francis Ford Coppola Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency. Director: Frank Darabont The lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption. Director: Quentin Tarantino A bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery. Director: Sergio Leone In German-occupied Poland during World War II, Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazi Germans. Director: Steven Spielberg Forrest Gump, while not intelligent, has accidentally been present at many historic moments, but his true love, Jenny Curran, eludes him. Director: Robert Zemeckis A sole survivor tells of the twisty events leading up to a horrific gun battle on a boat, which begin when five criminals meet at a seemingly random police lineup. Director: Bryan Singer The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York is portrayed while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate. Director: Francis Ford Coppola An insomniac office worker, looking for a way to change his life, crosses paths with a devil-may-care soap maker, forming an underground fight club that evolves into something much, much more. Director: David Fincher When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, the caped crusader must come to terms with one of the greatest psychological tests of his ability to fight injustice. Director: Christopher Nolan Mathilda, a 12-year-old girl, is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin, after her family is murdered. Léon and Mathilda form an unusual relationship, as she becomes his protégée and learns the assassin's trade. Director: Luc Besson Edit Storyline The defense and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young man is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open-and-shut case of murder soon becomes a detective story that presents a succession of clues creating doubt, and a mini-drama of each of the jurors' prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other. Based on the play, all of the action takes place on the stage of the jury room. Written by pjk <PETESID@VNET.IBM.COM> They have twelve scraps of paper... Twelve chances to kill! See more  » Genres: April 1957 (USA) See more  » Also Known As: Twelve Angry Men See more  » Filming Locations: Did You Know? Trivia Juror #7 looks at his watch a total of 28 times throughout the whole movie. See more » Goofs When Juror #8 is imitating the old man going to the door, as he is completing the first leg of his walk the shad


What murderer lived at 10 Rillington Place, Notting Hill, London?

Notting Hill horror house - NY Daily News Notting Hill horror house: English WWI vet John Christie was quiet madman who murdered 5 prostitutes, his wife, a neighbor and her child    Notting Hill horror house John Reginald Halliday Christie, was hanged for the murder of his wife and five other women -- but not before his neighbor Timothy Evans was convicted and executed for the murder of his own wife. (Popperfoto/Getty Images) NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Sunday, January 27, 2013, 12:05 AM The case had all the makings of a Hollywood nightmare: a wife, mother and baby murdered; a human leg bone propping up a garden fence, and five dead prostitutes hidden in an alcove behind the kitchen cupboard or buried in the yard. Plus, there was the nagging fear that an innocent man had been sent to the gallows. Horror had reigned for years at 10 Rillington Place, a rundown three-story building in the seedy Notting Hill district of London. But no one had a clue until November 1949, when Timothy Evans, 24, walked into a police station in Wales, and said, “I have disposed of my wife.” John Reginald Halliday Christie, was hanged for the murder of his wife and five other women -- but not before his neighbor Timothy Evans was convicted and executed for the murder of his own wife. (Mitchell/Getty Images) When asked to elaborate, he replied, “I put her down the drain.” About a month earlier, Evans said his wife, Beryl, 21, had given him the news that she was expecting their second child. Tim was illiterate and had trouble holding even menial jobs. Beryl could not control her spending. They fought constantly. Another mouth to feed was the last thing they needed. John Reginald Halliday Christie, was hanged for the murder of his wife and five other women -- but not before his neighbor Timothy Evans was convicted and executed for the murder of his own wife. (Popperfoto/Getty Images) Several home remedies to end the pregnancy failed, and Beryl became suicidal. Evans said he told his troubles to a stranger in a bar, who offered some abortion pills. Beryl took them while he was away at work. When he came home, she was dead. “I opened the drain outside my front door . . . and pushed her body head first into the drain.” Police found no body there and, in his second interview, Evans changed his story. It was the couple’s upstairs neighbor, John Reginald Halliday Christie, 51, who had offered help getting rid of the baby. Christie had boasted that he once had been a doctor and could “do the job.” John Reginald Halliday Christie, was hanged for the murder of his wife and five other women -- but not before his neighbor Timothy Evans was convicted and executed for the murder of his own wife. (Bentley Archive/Popperfoto/Getty Images) A few nights later, Christie met Evans as he returned from work and said the procedure had gone wrong. Beryl was gone. Christie promised to have the Evans’ first child, Geraldine, a year-old baby, sent to friends in East Acton, and to dispose of Beryl’s body. Christie insisted he had nothing to do with any abortion, then described the couple’s quarrels, and Beryl’s fears that her husband was going to kill her. It all seemed plausible, especially coming from a frail, balding middle-aged man. John Reginald Halliday Christie, was hanged for the murder of his wife and five other women -- but not before his neighbor Timothy Evans was convicted and executed for the murder of his own wife. (Popperfoto/Getty Images) Christie and his good-natured wife, Ethel, 49, had lived in the building since 1938. He was a World War I veteran, whose barely audible voice, he said, was the result of a gas attack. Through World War II, he served as a special constable in the neighborhood. Police accepted Christie’s story. John Reginald Halliday Christie, was hanged for the murder of his wife and five other women -- but not before his neighbor Timothy Evans was convicted and executed for the murder of his own wife. (Popperfoto) In a few days, Beryl and Geraldine Evans, both strangled, turned up hidden in the building’s washhouse. On Jan. 11, 1950, Evans went on


"On 9 November 2010, what first-person shooter video game broke the 24-hour sales record, selling more than 5.6 million copies in the U.S. and U.K., breaking the record set by its predecessor, ""Modern Warfare 2"" by around 900,000 copies?"

Gaming - Baruch New Media Gaming First-Generation Consoles The Odyssey Magnavox The first-generation of video gaming consoles started in 1972 with the introduction of the Magnavox Odyssey. Other first-gen gaming consoles include Atari's Home Pong, Nintendo's Color TV-Game, and Coleco's Telstar. These systems featured very simple graphics, usually only consisting of blocky lines and white/black color schemes. They also had single-channel audio or even no audio at all, depending on the system. Gameplay on these consoles were also only usually on one single screen, there was little to no transition during gameplay. Second-Generation Consoles In 1976, the introduction of the Fairchild Channel F spawned a new generation of video game consoles. Along with the Atari 2600, the Magnavox Odyssey 2, the Intellivision, and the ColecoVision, these new consoles had significant new features compared to first-gen consoles. Microprocessors were put in these systems, along with ROM cartridges for save files. Games were not only played on one screen for it's entire duration as well. The colors on these consoles were also improved, adding basic coloring instead of black and white. One of the biggest changes was the addition of AI simulation. AI simulation allows players to play with computer controlled opponents, which let gamers play video games by themselves without a person directly next to them. Handheld consoles were also introduced in the second-generation. These include popular consoles such as the Microvision and Game & Watch. Third-Generation Consoles The Nintendo Entertainment System The third generation of gaming consoles included one of the most popular gaming systems to date, the Nintendo Entertainment System, otherwise known as the NES which came out in 1983. While there were other systems also such as the Sega SG-1000 or Atari 7800, the NES outsold these other systems combined by 300%. [1] The NES was a milestone in video gaming, thanks to many games that eventually exploded in popularity. Some examples of these games include The Super Mario series, the Zelda series, the Megaman series, the Kirby series, Contra, Tetris, and more. A lot of new features were introduced in third-generation consoles. Controllers included directional pads for easier gaming movement, the graphics were heavily improved, audio was significantly upgraded, and more. Fourth-Generation Consoles The Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System were the major contenders in the fourth-gen era of video gaming. These two totaled sales of over 80 million units and became staples in the video game industry. These consoles included more powerful microprocessors, better graphics, upgraded controllers with more buttons, and more. Sega's Genesis was a huge improvement in sales compared to its predecessor, the SG-1000. Sega's success was also in huge part thanks to the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, which rivaled Nintendo's Super Mario franchise. Other popular games that came out during this era was Mortal Kombat, Metroid, Star Fox, and Donkey Kong. Fifth-Generation Consoles The Playstation The most popular fifth-gen console was the Sony Playstation. Coming in second was the Nintendo 64, and then third with the Sega Saturn. The Playstation used CDs instead of cartridges like a lot of past systems. By switching to CDs, the Playstation was able to have shorter load times compared to other systems. One of the most prominent features of fifth-gen consoles was the transition from 2D to 3D. Series that used 2D side-scrolling gameplay was upgraded to 3D, which allowed a wide range of new possibilities for gaming. One example of a series that did this was the Super Mario franchise. Super Mario 64 was a huge milestone in the franchise, and is often considered one of the best games of all time. First person shooting games were also heavily affected by the upgrade from 2D to 3D. Games such as Goldeneye 007 and Perfect Dark remain to be a widely regarded classic in terms of first person shooting. Sixth-Generation Consoles Sony again dominated the gaming console war i


Pedology | Define Pedology at Dictionary.com Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for pedology Expand n. "scientific study of the soil," 1924, from Greek pedon "ground, earth," from PIE root *ped- (see foot (n.)) + -logy . Related: Pedological. Earlier it was a word for "the study of children" (1894), from pedo- . Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper


What part of the body is affected by the condition called rickets?

Rickets | definition of rickets by Medical dictionary Rickets | definition of rickets by Medical dictionary http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/rickets Related to rickets: hypophosphatemic rickets Rickets   Definition Rickets is a childhood condition caused by serious vitamin D deficiency . This lacking in vitamin D results in weak, soft bones, along with slowed growth and skeletal development. Rickets is, by definition, a disorder which begins in childhood. If this problem occurs only later in life it is known as osteomalacia. Description Rickets occurs when the body has a severe lack of vitamin D during the developmental years. Vitamin D is essential to the development of strong, healthy bones. A child with rickets can experience stunted growth and will most likely be short in stature as an adult. This is because, without proper vitamin D levels, decreased mineralization of the bones at the growth plate level affects the strength, size and shape of the bones. A related condition called osteomalacia can occur in adults with the same sort of vitamin D deficiency, but osteomalacia occurs only in adulthood after the growth plates of the bones have closed. Most vitamin D is produced by the body, although some can be directly supplied by diet. In order to accomplish production of vitamin D, the body requires both cholesterol and ultraviolet light. Most often, the cholesterol comes from digesting animal tissue, oils, fats, and egg yolks. The ultraviolet light is usually supplied by direct sunlight. Only when this light is available can the skin alter the cholesterol molecule to make vitamin D. Children who do not receive enough sunlight are at greater risk of developing rickets, as are children with darker skin, which can block the ultraviolet rays. Vitamin D is found naturally in the foods listed above, but more often children receive vitamin D supplements through foods which have had the vitamin added, as in milk or infant formula. Vitamin D is necessary in the body, because it can be converted into a hormone which stimulates calcium intake by the intestines. This conversion begins in the liver, where vitamin D becomes a hormone called 25-OH-D, and is completed when the kidneys convert 25-OH-D into a hormone called 1,25-diOH-D. This is the hormone that causes the intestines to absorb calcium from the person's diet. Without proper levels of vitamin D, there is not enough 1,25-diOH-D produced, which results in lower levels of calcium in the body. Adequate calcium is needed by the bones for both development and maintenance. Causes and symptoms Rickets is directly caused by insufficient calcium for bone mineralization during growth and development. This is caused by vitamin D deficiency which can be a result of too little cholesterol, ultraviolet light, or vitamin D supplement. During the Industrial Revolution, rickets was quite common in cities because pollution in the air blocked much of the sunlight needed for vitamin D production in the body. There is also a hereditary type of rickets, called X-linked hypophosphatemia, that causes the kidneys bo be unable to retain phosphate. The most commonly recognized symptoms of rickets occur in the arms and legs, where stress on the underdeveloped bones can cause bowing. Children with rickets may feel pain or tenderness in the bones of their arms, legs, spine, pelvis, and ribs. The skull may develop an odd or asymmetrical shape. Calcium levels in the blood will be low and overall growth is often impaired. Diagnosis The initial approach to diagnosing rickets involves a musculoskeletal examination followed by an x ray is often. Affected children may have obviously widened spaces between their joints or bowing of the bones in their arms and legs. Some children may not experience normal dental development as well. A doctor may also assess levels of serum calcium, alkaline phosphatase and other indicator chemicals by using a blood test. While calcium levels can be normal or slightly low, alkaline phosphatase levels in a child with rickets can be high even compared to a normal ad


What was the code name for the German invasion of Russia in World War II?

SparkNotes: World War II (1939–1945): The Invasion of Russia The Invasion of Russia World War II (1939–1945) History SparkNotes The Invasion of Russia, page 2 page 1 of 3 June 22, 1941 Germany begins invasion of USSR July 1 Germany has Riga, Dvinsk, Minsk, and Lvov under control July 3 Stalin orders scorched-earth policy September Hitler shifts priority of attack to southern Russia September 8 Germans begin siege of Leningrad September 19 Kiev falls to German forces October           Thousands of russian civilians dig trenches around Moscow November 27 German advance on Moscow is halted December 8 Hitler orders all forces in USSR to shift from offensive to defensive operations July 27, 1942 German troops cross Don River August 23 German troops reach Volga River; Luftwaffe bombs Stalingrad November 19–20 USSR launches two offensives against Germans December 12 Germany launches Operation Winter Storm February 2, 1943 German Sixth Army surrenders Key People Joseph Stalin -  Soviet premier; ordered scorched-earth policy to halt German advances in USSR Friedrich Paulus -  German field marshal; defied Hitler’s orders and surrendered to Soviets at Stalingrad Operation Barbarossa The initial German invasion of the Soviet Union was known as Operation Barbarossa. It began on June 22, 1941, after months of delay and years of planning. The general goals were to gain more land for Germany, control the oil fields of Azerbaijan, and exterminate Bolshevism—the radical Communism that Vladimir Lenin had installed in Russia during the Russian Revolution. Moreover, Hitler wanted to exterminate the “racially inferior” Russian people from Leningrad, Moscow, and the rest of the western USSR while pushing the rest of the population eastward beyond the Ural Mountains. Despite the fact that the USSR was far larger than Germany both geographically and militarily, Hitler believed that the country would collapse quickly, after a brief show of German force. The German advance was organized into three main thrusts: one through the Baltic region, toward Leningrad; one through central Russia, toward Moscow; and one to the south, toward Kiev and the Black Sea coast. This resulted in a front line nearly 1,000 miles long, which necessitated a gargantuan Axis force of approximately 4 million soldiers, 3 million of whom were German. Although Hitler hoped to complete the operation by the onset of winter in late 1941, Germany’s conflict with the Soviet Union would continue for most of the war. The German Air Attack Much like Hitler’s previous invasions, the attack on the USSR began by air and concentrated on Russian frontline airbases. The Soviet Union had a substantially larger, though less modern, air force than Germany, and destroying it was crucial to Germany’s success. The German attack began in the predawn hours of June 22 and continued without letup nearly all day. Though estimates vary significantly, the USSR lost between 1,200 and 2,000 aircraft—approximately one quarter of its entire air force—the first day. Most of these aircraft were destroyed on the ground, parked at their airbases. Over the next week, the Soviets lost an additional 2,000 to 3,000 in battle. The setback was devastating and would take the USSR a long time to overcome. The German Advance The German attack caught the Soviet military completely off guard, and its forces were not positioned to respond effectively to the attacks. In its confusion, the Soviet high command issued contradictory orders, and Soviet premier Joseph Stalin hesitated before ordering decisive action. In the meantime, German forces advanced quickly across the Russian countryside. In little more than a week, by July 1, the Germans had pushed 200 to 300 miles into Russia and captured the major cities of Riga and Dvinsk in the north, Minsk in the central region, and Lvov in the south. Reasons for the USSR’s Vulnerability Even prior to the invasion, Stalin had made several decisions that severely weakened his country’s ability to respond to the German threat. First, during his infamous purges of the 1930s,


With what activity was Isadora Duncan associated?

Project MUSE - Dancing Greek Antiquity in Private and Public: Isadora Duncan's Early Patronage in Paris Dancing Greek Antiquity in Private and Public: Isadora Duncan's Early Patronage in Paris View full resolution [End Page 4] In Done into Dance: Isadora Duncan in America, Ann Daly writes that Isadora Duncan defined her dance as high art, and describes how Duncan raised the dance from the bottom of the cultural landscape to the top of American society: Dancing was considered cheap, so she associated herself with the great Greeks, who deemed the art noble, and she associated herself with upper-class audiences by carefully courting her patrons and selecting her performance venues. Dancing was considered mindless, so she invoked a pantheon of great minds, from Darwin to Whitman and Plato to Nietzsche, to prove otherwise. Dancing was considered feminine, and thus trivial, so she chose her liaisons and mentors—men whose cultural or economic power accrued, by association, to her. Dancing was considered profane, so she elevated her own practice by contrasting it to that of "African primitives." The fundamental strategy of Duncan's project to gain cultural legitimacy for dancing was one of exclusion. ( Daly 1995, 16 ) Regarding Duncan's career path, Daly identifies Duncan's dance as one defined by exclusion (a dance that situated itself outside potentially scandalous discourses that raised questions of propriety and morality), and drives the point home in her appraisal of Duncan's oppositional conception of art. She notes that in her later writings, Duncan saw the "harmonious fluidity" of her own dance as "prayerful liberation," while criticizing the "spastic chaos of ragtime and jazz dancing as a reversion to 'African primitivism'" ( Daly 1995, 6 ). Daly's theory of Duncan's dance of exclusivity explains how Duncan situated her dance outside of the discourses of eroticism and exoticism, yet does not account for why Duncan needed to exclude them, nor how Greece became the lingua franca for her art. While Duncan condemned others for allowing their dance to appeal to audiences seeking erotic performance, she discreetly diverted attention from her own Parisian audiences' tastes. Focusing on her American tours, Daly highlights the "African" as the abject pole that the dancer positioned herself against; however, her French audiences had a whole host of alternative "uncivilized, sexual, and profane" dances to compare to Duncan's ( Daly 1995, 7 ). [End Page 5] This article examines the roots of Duncan's mature elevated "Hellenized" aesthetic reified in her prose writings and lectures as she garnered international fame touring Europe and America between 1903 and 1908. Once internationally successful in the 1910s, Duncan formulated an art of realignment, reinterpretation, and exclusion, reconfiguring and separating her elevated vision of ancient Greece in opposition to the Sapphic Greek fantasies of her early patrons in Paris and the erotic and exotic "Greek" fantasies on public stages. Upon her arrival in Paris in 1900, Duncan formed relationships and performed for an influential group of expatriate lesbian American women who received Duncan's early performances of private "Greek" gestures within the context of the private Sapphic music and dramatic activities popular in Paris between 1900 and 1910. 1 Interpretations and appropriations of antiquity in Parisian culture of the period between the Franco-Prussian War and WWI were unstable and changed according to venue and audience—a circumstance that allowed Duncan to redefine herself and her art years later, while insisting on a connection to antiquity. Duncan's social and aesthetic involvement with Natalie Clifford Barney's (1876-1972) private community and the later claims of ignorance regarding the lesbian audiences' reception of her dance attest to Duncan's complex navigation and appropriation of varying meanings of antiquity in the first three decades of the twentieth century. This article suggests that Duncan's early private audiences in the years around 1900 shaped the aesthetics o


"What type of story begins ""once upon a time"" and ends ""they lived happily ever after""?"

Fairy Tales - And They Lived Happily Ever After Fairy Tales And They Lived Happily Ever After Fairy Tales When I named this website "And They Lived Happily Ever After" my intention was to show that marriage truly begins after the wedding. I also wanted the rosy, romantic images brought to mind by fairy tales to carry through into the realm of matrimony. But in choosing this name, I was aware that I might be implying a dislike of fairy tales, or a dissatisfaction with the way they end. This is not the case. I simply chose an image that most people can relate to: two people riding off into their unknown together, hoping for the best. But as I did more research on fairy tales themselves, I came across countless writers and psychologists who use fairy tales to describe disorders, like The Cinderella Complex and The Peter Pan Syndrome, and still more who lambaste these gentle tales as some sort of evil we spring on our children, an assault from which they never quite recover. Feminist publications in particular usually attack fairy tales for what they consider to be the sexist and beauty-focused treatment of women in these stories. Some feminist writers pen tongue-in-cheek re-writes of classic tales to show what relationships are really like, what selfish jerks men are, how hardworking and hard-done-by women usually are, and how silly it is to even tell stories like these in the first place. Some approach this as a scholarly concern, claiming that these stories perpetuate the idea that women are only ideal when they're sleeping - Snow White and Sleeping Beauty - and that a woman's only position in the world is that of decoration for some power hungry man. I am not primarily concerned with whether a group of feminists find fault with value oriented stories of love and romance. My issue is whether fairy tales truly leave us dangling, so to speak, by ending abruptly after the wedding vows and saying nothing further of the couple's success. I suspected they did, as I mentioned in the opening page of this site, but I found it hard to believe that this was some sort of oversight or some attempt to leave readers confused. I wanted to know why we never learn how it is the happy couple stayed happy. After reading through several of the most popular fairy tales, I determined why these stories only go as far as the wedding and no further, or end with the catch-all "and they lived happily ever after." It's because the whole story is set up to show us why marriage is their ultimate goal and that it is, frankly, a piece of cake compared to what they've just been through. Every popular heroine has tremendous strife to deal with: Cinderella lost her mother and then her father, and found herself exploited and abused by her step mother and sisters, eking out her existence among the ashes in her servants' scullery. Snow White was despised by a jealous old hag who wasn't content to simply banish the girl, she had to send someone out to cut her heart out. Sleeping Beauty was sedated by another such hag. Rapunzel was taken by an old witch as payment for a bunch of leafy vegetables, and locked up in a tower, alone, for her entire life, forbidden from enjoying love. It seems to me that in each of these tales, as in real life, young, vibrant, attractive women have far more to fear from older, embittered, jealous women than they ever do from men...but I digress. The princes in each of these cases are also lonely men who long for a woman to love. The implication is that the burdens of their office are heavy, especially in the absence of a wise and wonderful queen with whom to rule. They pursue their dream woman relentlessly, even though they could have easily settled for someone else. They aren't concerned about her pedigree or family coat of arms; she can be a princess or a peasant, it makes no difference to the prince who wants to marry her. Cinderella's prince scours the countryside looking for her. Sleeping Beauty's prince hacks his way through a hundred years' worth of overgrowth at her castle ju


What was the first land passage between Manhattan Island and Brooklyn that, on its opening in 1883, became the longest suspension bridge in the world and its towers the tallest structures in the Western Hemisphere?

New York City - Virgo – Cargo Example Design Set 3 — Things An 1883 chromolithograph of the Brooklyn Bridge, which connects Manhattan Island to Brooklyn. It was the first land passage between the two boroughs. On its opening on May 24, 1883, it became the longest suspension bridge in the world and its towers the tallest structures in the Western Hemisphere. Twenty-seven people died during the construction of the $15.5-million bridge. Lithograph: Currier and Ives; Restoration: Lise Broer


Which medieval work of literature, sometimes called the world's first novel, is still available today?

Watch / The Tale of Genji / Invitation to World Literature Beverly Bryan Freelance Writer Ms. Bryan is a freelance writer and avid reader, particularly of The Tale of Genji, which she first read as a teenager. Patrick Caddeau Professor of Japanese Literature, Forbes College, Princeton University Dr. Caddeau is director of studies at Forbes College, Princeton University. He received his Ph.D. in Japanese literature from Yale University, taught The Tale of Genji in the Department of East Asian Studies at Princeton, as well as at Amherst College. William Collis Student, Harvard Business School Mr. Collis attended Harvard Business School and studied Japanese literature as an undergraduate student at Amherst College. He composed a rap about The Tale of Genji for a class project and developed a special interest in the novel. Liza Dalby Author and Anthropologist Ms. Dalby is an author and anthropologist, and author of The Tale of Murasaki, a fictional account of the life of The Tale of Genji's author, Murasaka Shikibu. She has spent considerable time in Kyoto, Japan, researching Murasaki and other topics and is interested in depicting the material, cultural, and physical attributes of the characters in The Tale of Genji. David Damrosch Professor of Comparative Literature, Harvard University Dr. Damrosch is professor of comparative literature at Harvard University and the author of several books, including What Is World Literature? Donald Keene Professor of Japanese Literature, Columbia University Dr. Keene is a preeminent scholar of Japanese literature, and is perhaps the most recognized Japanese literature scholar in the U.S. In his sixty years as a scholar, Dr. Keene worked with respected The Tale of Genji translator Edward Seidensticker and taught The Tale of Genji translator Royall Tyler. Dr. Keene lives in New York City and Tokyo. Mee-Seen Loong Chinese Art Specialist Ms. Loong is an art expert specializing in Asian art and a consultant to Sotheby's. She read The Tale of Genji as a student and was transported by the text. According to her, The Tale of Genji is to Japanese art what the Bible is to Western art. Chiori Miyagawa Playwright Ms. Miyagawa is a playwright and author of many works including Thousand Years Waiting — a play inspired by The Tale of Genji and a diarist who wrote fawningly about the installments of the book when it was coming out in Heian Japan. She has been a playwright in residence at Bard College. As a girl, Ms. Miyagawa grew up with The Tale of Genji, the book that her mother kept by her bed. Lynne Miyake Professor of Asian Languages and Literatures, Pomona College Dr. Miyake is professor of Asian languages and literatures at Pomona College. She specializes in Manga comic book representations of The Tale of Genji, and has a collection of over twenty-three Manga titles devoted to the story. Haruo Shirane Professor of Japanese Literature and Culture, Columbia University Dr. Shirane is the Shincho Professor of Japanese Literature and Culture at Columbia University, and a specialist in pre-modern and early modern Japanese literature. He is one of the foremost The Tale of Genji scholars in the West and has written and edited several books on the subject including: The Bridge of Dreams: Poetics of The Tale of Genji and Envisioning The Tale of Genji: Media, Gender, and Cultural Production. Jane Smiley Novelist Ms. Smiley is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist and the author of more than a dozen novels. She became a student of The Tale of Genji when writing 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel. She found refuge in The Tale of Genji after the events of September 11, 2001. Invitation to World Literature: The Tale of Genji Video Transcript Smiley: How do you be a good man in the world that you live in...and still get laid a lot? That's essentially what Genji is about. Bryan: The main character is male, but it was absolutely written to be read by women. Collis: It almost feels like a fantasy novel in some ways, right from the very beginning; that makes it I think quite engaging. Caddeau: Genji's fascination v


What is the name of Janet Jackson's (deceased) superstar brother?

Janet Jackson Cuts Off Michael Jackson’s Freeloading Brothers - Report | Celeb Dirty Laundry Kendall Jenner Flaunts MAJOR Skin in Sultry Shot: Move Over, Kylie, This is Hot! - TF timothy3 She should be tired of herself but more than anything else she should be ashamed. After kidnapping her mother and trying to kidnap Michael Jackson’s children with the only aim to grub their legacy, she has the nerve to speak out. Maybe she now feels strong since got married a billionaire, so should take advantage from it before he gets tired of her as it is not her money – again. However this does not make her less money-grubber of her siblings which she already widely showed to be. David Adler What are you talking about? I love MJ but Janet legitimately made her money, is highly regarded by her peers, and by the mid nineties was a bigger star in the US than Michael. She’s under no obligation to support the family. Nor does she want any stake in MJ estate. And the kidnapping thing is tabloid B/S. please don’t embarrass the MJ fan base by reading tabloids And being uninformed about Janet’s legacy. timothy3 She NEVER was bigger than Michael Jackson even if you and her would have liked it, and the whole world knows. I am talking about what she did last summer which is widely documented with the surveillance video, also she signed the letter against the Estate. You are embarrassing the fan base but it’s a your problem. I did my research and I don’t read tabloids. You might be a her fan, but again your business. Ron D. McHoney Janet was actually more successful than Mike in the 90s. The only person more successful than janet was Mariah in the 90s. You are also getting your facts from tmz David Adler I suggest you take a look at the Billboard charts. Michaels last number 1 was in 1995. Janet had 3 number ones from 97-01. Again, I’m talking about in the US. Study up Tabinformed Without Michael, Janet would have had no career. Does she have some talent? Yes, but not nearly enough and is a pale imitation of her brother. The Jackson brothers made plenty of money but squandered it and have expected Michael to pick up the tab for his whole life. Now they want what is rightfully the children’s any way they can get it. Rebbie and LaToya are not innocent in all of this either. ab6 You are absolutely wrong she had nothing to do with the kidnapping it was her other brothers and sisters JANET HAS OWN DAMN money get your facts right timothy3 As I said it is WIDELY documented by the surveillance video and by her SIGNATURE on the letter against the Estate, money or not money. So you are WRONG and need to get your fact straight. Ron D. McHoney Tmz are the same people that stated lil Wayne was being read his last rights and dying a while back. The only video clip they have is of janet trying to get paris phone timothy3 As I said it is WIDELY documented by the surveillance video and by her SIGNATURE on the letter against the Estate, money or not money. So you are WRONG and need to get your fact straight. timothy3 As I said it is WIDELY documented by the surveillance video and by her SIGNATURE on the letter against the Estate, money or not money. So you are WRONG and need to get your fact straight. ultravioletrae yeah. right. “kidnapping” your own mom. ok. timothy3 EVERYTHING confirmed by the JUDGE Reza eda I think what we need is to pray for Michaels kids…end of discussion this are our royal family… she is 15 and struggling… honestly where is ms ross Victoria McGuire Janet did emerge with her brother Michael’s help to be a star in her own right. She also, with his guidance, learned how to manage her career and finances to become so very rich. She’s right to cut them off. She should help to protect his children’s finances and rights, from the rest of them, except from Tito, who is working hard to protect them. their mother is old and easily influenced, all her rights, financiall should be removed. saraemna3 Didn’t the brothers become millionaires themselves when they were the Jackson Five. Of course, high living for years and no work, I guess you wo


"What phrase means ""let the buyer beware""?"

What Does 'Caveat Emptor' Mean? - FindLaw What Does 'Caveat Emptor' Mean? Download article as a PDF Caveat emptor is a Latin term that means "let the buyer beware." Similar to the phrase "sold as is," this term means that the buyer assumes the risk that a product may fail to meet expectations or have defects. In other words, the principle of caveat emptor serves as a warning that buyers have no recourse with the seller if the product does not meet their expectations. The term is actually part of a longer statement: Caveat emptor, quia ignorare non debuit quod jus alienum emit ("Let a purchaser beware, for he ought not to be ignorant of the nature of the property which he is buying from another party.") The assumption is that buyers will inspect and otherwise ensure that they are confident with the integrity of the product (or land, to which it often refers) before completing a transaction. This does not, however, give sellers the green light to actively engage in fraudulent transactions . Caveat Emptor in Practice Under the principle of caveat emptor, for example, a consumer who purchases a coffee mug and later discovers that it has a leak is stuck with the defective product . Had they inspected the mug prior to the sale, they may have changed their mind. A more common example is a used car transaction between two private parties (as opposed to a dealership, in which the sale is subject to an implied warranty). The buyer must take on the responsibility of thoroughly researching and inspecting the car—perhaps taking it to a mechanic for a closer look—before finalizing the sale. If something comes up after the sale, maybe a transmission failure, it is not the seller's responsibility. Garage sales offer another example of caveat emptor, in which all sales are final and nothing is guaranteed.  The Modern Rule: Caveat Venditor Caveat emptor was the rule for most purchases and land sales prior to the Industrial Revolution, although sellers assume much more responsibility for the integrity of their goods in the present day. People consumed far fewer goods and usually from local sources prior to the 18th Century, resulting in very few consumer protection laws (mostly limited to weights and measures). See " Product Liability: Background " for more historical information about the principle of caveat emptor.  Today, most sales in the U.S. fall under the principle of caveat venditor, which means "let the seller beware," by which goods are covered by an implied warranty of merchantability. Unless otherwise advertised (for example, "sold as is") or negotiated with the buyer, nearly all consumer products are guaranteed to work if used for their intended purpose. For example, a consumer who purchases a coffee grinder that lacks the power to grind coffee beans may return the product for a full refund under an implied warranty of merchantability. But if the same buyer purchased a used coffee grinder at a thrift shop marked "sold as is," returning the product later may prove difficult. While caveat emptor is no longer the rule for consumer transactions, it's important to know when the exception applies.  Next Steps


What multi-user adventure game was developed from 1978 by Roy Trubshaw and Richard Bartle from 1980, students at Essex University in the UK, that revolved around gaining points till one achieved the wizard rank, giving the player immortality and certain powers over mortals?

MUD | Muds Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit Adventure , created in 1975 by Will Crowther on a DEC PDP-10 computer, was the first widely used adventure game . The game was significantly expanded in 1976 by Don Woods . Adventure contained many D&D features and references, including a computer controlled dungeon master . [4] [5] Inspired by Adventure, a group of students at MIT, wrote a game called Zork in the summer of 1977 for the PDP-10 computer which became quite popular on the ARPANET. Zork was ported under the name Dungeon to FORTRAN by a programmer working at DEC in 1978. [6] In 1978 Roy Trubshaw , a student at Essex University in the UK, started working on a multi-user adventure game in the MACRO-10 assembly language for a DEC PDP-10. He named the game MUD (Multi-User Dungeon), in tribute to the Dungeon variant of Zork, which Trubshaw had greatly enjoyed playing. [7] [8] Trubshaw converted MUD to BCPL (the predecessor of C ), before handing over development to Richard Bartle , a fellow student at Essex University, in 1980. [9] MUD, better known as Essex MUD and MUD1 in later years, ran on the Essex University network until late 1987. [10] The game revolved around gaining points till one achieved the wizard rank, giving the player immortality and certain powers over mortals. The game became more widely accessible when a guest account was set up that allowed users on JANET (a British academic computer network) to connect between the hours of 2 am and 8 am and at weekends. [11] MUD1 was reportedly closed down when Richard Bartle licenced MUD1 to CompuServe , and was getting pressure from them to close Essex MUD. This left MIST , a derivative of MUD1 with similar gameplay, as the only remaining MUD running on the Essex University network, becoming one of the first of its kind to attain broad popularity. MIST ran until the machine that hosted it, a PDP-10, was superseded in early 1991. [12] The popularity of MUDs of the Essex University tradition escalated in the USA during the 1980s when affordable personal computers with 300 to 2400 bit/s modems enabled role-players to log into multi-line Bulletin Board Systems and online service providers such as CompuServe . During this time it was sometimes said that MUD stands for "Multi Undergraduate Destroyer" due to their popularity among college students and the amount of time devoted to them. [13] During the Christmas of 1985, Neil Newell, an avid MUD1 player, started programming his own MUD called SHADES because MUD1 was closed down during the holidays. Starting out as a hobby, SHADES became accessible in the UK as a commercial MUD via British Telecom's Prestel and Micronet networks. [14] A scandal on SHADES led to the closure of Micronet, as described in Indra Sinha 's net-memoir, The Cybergypsies , [15] and in an interview with Sinha on The WELL. [16] In 1985 Pip Cordrey gathered some people on a BBS he ran to create a MUD1 clone that would run on a home computer. The tolkienesque MUD went live in 1986 and was named MirrorWorld . [17] 1985 also saw the creation of Gods by Ben Laurie, a MUD1 clone that included online creation in its endgame. Gods became a commercial MUD in 1988. [18] In 1985 CompuNet started a project named Multi-User Galaxy Game as a Science Fiction alternative to MUD1 which ran on their system at the time. When one of the two programmers left CompuNet, the remaining programmer, Alan Lenton, decided to rewrite the game from scratch and named it Federation II (there never was a Federation I). The MUD was officially launched in 1989. [19] Commercialization Edit In 1978, Alan E. Klietz wrote a game called Milieu using Multi- Pascal on a CDC Cyber 6600 series mainframe which was operated by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium. [20] Klietz ported Milieu to an IBM XT in 1983, naming the new port Scepter of Goth . Scepter supported 10 to 16 simultaneous users, typically connecting in by modem. It was one of the first commercial MUDs; franchises were sold to a number of locations. Scepter was first owned and run by GamBit (of Minneapolis, Minnesota )


"""The Gorbals"" is an area in which city?"

Gorbals, Glasgow - Origins and History Home Page - scotcities.com    Contact    Top of tower of Caledonia Road Church, Gorbals A very early reference to Gorbals is contained in a charter dated 1285 referring to a wooden bridge opposite Stockwell Street, then known as Fishergate. The original small settlement in the lands of Gorbals was named "Bridgend", derived from its proximity to the bridge. The bridge fell into decay around 1340 and was pulled down a decade later to be replaced by the first stone bridge. The 'lands of St Ninian's Croft' in Gorbals had a leper hospital dedicated to the saint of that name dating back to 1350. Gorbals was acquired by the Elphinstone family in 1571, and the district was made into a "Burgh of Barony and Regality" in 1607. The dynasty was led by various George Elphinstones until the final George, who built the Baronial Hall on Main Street. On his death, the lands passed into the hands of Lord Belhaven. In 1648 the lands were acquired by Glasgow Town Council, the Trades House and Hutcheson's Hospital. In 1661 an Act of Parliament was passed, annexing the lands of Gorbals and town of Bridgend to the city for ecclesiastical purposes. In the antiquated language of the age, the measure was described as the ''disolution frae the shire of Clidsdaile, regalitie of Glasgow and parochin of Govean, and vnion to the said citie of Glasgow''. This did not affect its burgh status, as the Act was mainly intended to allow the inhabitants to become parishioners in the city of Glasgow and attend the church nearest to them. Although partially owned by the Town Council, Gorbals was not formally included within the city boundaries until 1846. The old "Burgh of Barony and Regality" was raised to the status of a Police Burgh in 1808, before its inevitable disappearance. The 'Titles of the Lands of Gorbals' are shown below. 'Titles of the Lands of Gorbals' and attached seal Map of Gorbals from 1783, before the division of the lands At the division of the jointly owned lands of Gorbals in 1790, the Gorbals village became the property of Glasgow Town Council and the immediately surrounding areas became the property of Hutcheson's Hospital. The new suburb of Hutchesontown was developed to the east of the old village, being laid out from 1794 with regular streets �with good houses from two to four storeys in height�. The land to the west of the old village was sold by the Hutcheson trustees to Mr James Laurie and developed as Laurieston from 1802. The land acquired by the Trades' House of Glasgow, to the west of Bridge Street / Eglinton Street, was developed as the manufacturing district of Tradeston. In the plan shown below, the area originally acquired by Hutcheson's Hospital is shown in pink, and the lands acquired by the Trades' House are shown in orange and green. In the archaic Scots language a 'croft' was a small piece of land, usually attached to a building or some other local structure. A 'fauld' or a 'fold' was a field used for the grazing of sheep or cattle. Twentieth century plan of part of the Barony of Gorbals with an overlay of the various 'crofts' and 'faulds' The Barony of Gorbals stretched all the way from the Clyde to the county boundary with Renfrewshire at Strathbungo. A map showing the furthest extent of the area is included in the Strathbungo & Crossmyloof page of this website. The map below shows the Clyde at the Gorbals in 1654, with a little island east of the Stockwell Bridge, facing what would be later developed as Carlton Place. The lands of 'Little Govan' would later become the suburbs of Hutchesontown and Govanhill. The surrounding areas of Polmadi (Polmadie) and Sheafield (Shawfield) are still familiar today. An illustrated guide to the many historical buildings on the other side of the Stockwell Bridge is featured in my Merchant City page. Map of Gorbals and surrounding area, c.1654 In 1654 there were six small islands or "inches" on the Clyde between the Stockwell Bridge and the mouth of the River Cart at Renfrew. A map from 1654 showing the little islands downstream from the cit


At the start of a game of chess, there are 16 of which pieces on the board?

How to Play Chess: Rules and Basics - Chess.com Chess.com Forums Learn to Play Chess It's never too late to learn how to play chess - the most popular game in the world! If you are totally new to the game or even want to learn all of the rules and strategies, read on! Getting Better at Chess History of Chess The origins of chess are not exactly clear, though most believe it evolved from earlier chess-like games played in India almost two thousand years ago.The game of chess we know today has been around since the 15th century where it became popular in Europe. The Goal of Chess Chess is a game played between two opponents on opposite sides of a board containing 64 squares of alternating colors. Each player has 16 pieces: 1 king, 1 queen, 2 rooks, 2 bishops, 2 knights, and 8 pawns. The goal of the game is to checkmate the other king. Checkmate happens when the king is in a position to be captured (in check) and cannot escape from capture. Starting a Game At the beginning of the game the chessboard is laid out so that each player has the white (or light) color square in the bottom right-hand side. The chess pieces are then arranged the same way each time. The second row (or rank) is filled with pawns. The rooks go in the corners, then the knights next to them, followed by the bishops, and finally the queen, who always goes on her own matching color (white queen on white, black queen on black), and the king on the remaining square. The player with the white pieces always moves first. Therefore, players generally decide who will get to be white by chance or luck such as flipping a coin or having one player guess the color of the hidden pawn in the other player's hand. White then makes a move, followed by black, then white again, then black and so on until the end of the game. How the Pieces Move Each of the 6 different kinds of pieces moves differently. Pieces cannot move through other pieces (though the knight can jump over other pieces), and can never move onto a square with one of their own pieces. However, they can be moved to take the place of an opponent's piece which is then captured. Pieces are generally moved into positions where they can capture other pieces (by landing on their square and then replacing them), defend their own pieces in case of capture, or control important squares in the game. The King The king is the most important piece, but is one of the weakest. The king can only move one square in any direction - up, down, to the sides, and diagonally. Click on the '>' button in the diagram below to see how the king can move around the board. The king may never move himself into check (where he could be captured). The Queen The queen is the most powerful piece. She can move in any one straight direction - forward, backward, sideways, or diagonally - as far as possible as long as she does not move through any of her own pieces. And, like with all pieces, if the queen captures an opponent's piece her move is over. Click through the diagram below to see how the queens move. Notice how the white queen captures the black queen and then the black king is forced to move. The Rook The rook may move as far as it wants, but only forward, backward, and to the sides. The rooks are particularly powerful pieces when they are protecting each other and working together! The Bishop The bishop may move as far as it wants, but only diagonally. Each bishop starts on one color (light or dark) and must always stay on that color. Bishops work well together because they cover up each other’s weaknesses. The Knight Knights move in a very different way from the other pieces – going two squares in one direction, and then one more move at a 90 degree angle, just like the shape of an “L”. Knights are also the only pieces that can move over other pieces. The Pawn Pawns are unusual because they move and capture in different ways: they move forward, but capture diagonally. Pawns can only move forward one square at a time, except for their very first move where they can move forward two squares. Pawns can only capture one square diagonally


In which state of Australia would you find the area known as the Barkly Tableland?

Wycliffe Well – Travel guide at Wikivoyage Understand[ edit ] Although Wycliffe Well only has a few permanent inhabitants, many travellers can't miss it while driving on the Stuart Highway from or to the Red Centre . In Australia, a small settlement like this is known as a roadhouse, a service stop for petrol, food and accommodation for long drives through the Outback. But Wycliffe Well is not just another roadhouse — it is the self-proclaimed UFO Capital of Australia. According to its own brochure, "UFO sightings are so common, that if you stayed up all night looking, you would be considered unlucky not to see anything, rather than lucky to see something". It's unbelievably cheesy, but the local restaurant is filled with newspaper clippings and images to persuade sceptical visitors. For its remote location, it is remarkable that it also boasts one of the largest selections of beer in the Northern Territory. Climate[ edit ] The summers in Wycliffe Well are known for their intense heat. Expect temperatures to be around 35°C at daytime and around 21°C at night time. Fortunately all the rooms have air-conditioning! The winters are easier to comprehend with daytime temperatures around 20°C, but it doesn't cool down much at night with temperatures hovering around 15°C. By car[ edit ] There are two ways to get in: either from the north or from the south on the Stuart Highway. From the north you will come from Tennant Creek , while from the south you will come from Alice Springs in the Red Centre . By bus[ edit ] Greyhound Australia (tel. 1300 473 946, Australian phones only) offers bus services between Wycliffe Well and other places in Australia. Every day the bus from Alice Springs leaves at 7:30PM to arrive about 5 hours later at Wycliffe Well. From Darwin, the coach leaves exactly at noon, passes Katherine at 5:25PM and arrives at Wycliffe Well around 4:45AM. See[ edit ] Caution: UFO Landing Site Ahead As many previous sightings have 'proved', this is your best bet in Australia to see UFOs. In fact, according to The Sun Herald, it is ranked fifth for top reported UFO activity in the whole world. It all started during World War II, when servicemen who stayed at Wycliffe Well kept records in an old bindered book of nightly-seen unidentified objects. This book used to be on the front counter of the local restaurant for everyone to see, but has been stolen in 1990. Since then a new book is kept which includes possible sightings from the early 1990s. It's quite fun to browse through the logs filled with details of claimed sightings. If you get tired of all the alien encounters, you might want to appreciate the stunning sunrises and sunsets. The sky of the Northern Territory is known the world over, and Wycliffe Well proves no exception. Get up early or stay up late and you'll be able to make beautiful pictures of the sun. Due to the small amount of lighting at night time, you can see an amazing amount of stars in the sky (but the front lights of the occasional road train might ruin your view). Another sight is the Wycliffe Well Railway. This sugar cane train originally from the state of Victoria has been relocated to Wycliffe Well in 1998. Do[ edit ] It is only a 300 metre walk from the settlement to the nearby Lake Wycliffe. It is a 10-acre man-made recreational lake that holds about 150 million litres of water. As of 2008, the lake is still under construction, but ask the staff that you want to see the project and its construction and they will bring you there. Buy[ edit ] There's not much for sale in Wycliffe Well beyond walls of UFO-related souvenirs — this settlement basically exists for buying basic amenities. So fill up your car with petrol, water, food and drinks, because you still have a long way to go through the Outback. Eat[ edit ] The restaurant is quite large compared to the size of the settlement, it has a total of 300 seats for all its visitors. There's some excellent crab and other seafood to be had here, thanks to the lakes nearby. Mains $16-25. Drink[ edit ] Wycliffe Well's local restaurant boasts some of the


"According to a report by the organisation called ""Transparency International"", what was the most corrupt country in the world in 2009?"

South Sudan Seen as One of World's Most Corrupt Nations South Sudan Seen as One of World's Most Corrupt Nations Last Updated: December 03, 2014 12:13 PM South Sudan ranks 171st out of 175 countries in which global corruption watchdog Transparency International surveyed business executives and experts about their perceptions of public sector graft. Share See comments South Sudan is perceived as one of the most corrupt countries in the world, according to Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) , which was released Wednesday. Only four countries rank worse than South Sudan, which was 171st out of 175 countries in the CPI. South Sudan is perceived as slightly less corrupt than Iraq, slightly more corrupt than Afghanistan, and ranks two places above neighboring Sudan. Transparency International spoke with businessmen and country experts in all 175 countries to determine where they ranked in terms of perceptions of how widespread graft is, Santhosh Srinavasan, the lead researcher on the CPI, told South Sudan in Focus. "It could be, for example, experts based in the World Bank in South Sudan or business executives who have operations in South Sudan and are interacting with government as part of those business operations," Srinavasan said. "The CPI captures the perceptions of these people," he said. When Transparency International gets push-back from governments that receive bad marks for perceived corruption, the criticism is usually driven by the way the index is compiled, Srinavasan said. Governments complain that "... 'this is the perception of experts' and that the index carries a foreign, elite bias," he said. 'Mere opinions' Indeed, South Sudan Information Minister Michael Makuei dismissed Transparency International's index as "mere opinions expressed by people." "They don't substantiate them, they come and conduct research without the involvement of the person concerned, they don't even submit the report to that person so he can respond to it," Makuei said. "I really doubt the credibility of that report," he said. Makuei questioned what he called "the random selection" of people who are interviewed for the index. "Out of, say, 100, if you interview 10 -- these 10 may have their own intentions, their own opinion, and they are ready to say whatever. The other 90, if you had talked to them, maybe they would reverse the whole thing," he said. But Srinavasan said research has shown that "CPI scores are often highly correlated with bribery rates and the experts' perceptions of countries are also highly correlated with the general public's perceptions of corruption levels in that government." Fifteen out of 100 points More than two thirds of the countries in the 2014 CPI scored below 50, on a scale from 0 -- highly corrupt -- to 100 (perceived to be very clean). Denmark came out on top this year with a score of 92 while North Korea and Somalia share last place, scoring just eight points each. South Sudan scored 15 points. Transparency International says a poor score likely indicates "...widespread bribery, lack of punishment for corruption and public institutions that don’t respond to citizens’ needs." The global corruption watchdog says countries at the bottom of the index - like South Sudan - need to take radical steps to fight corruption. It warns that "...bribes and backroom deals don’t just steal resources from the most vulnerable, but also undermine justice and economic development and destroy trust in the government." 'Absolute trust' in South Sudan government But Makuei insisted that South Sudanese have "absolute trust" in the government of President Salva Kiir and rejected the premise that corruption has caused economic growth and development in South Sudan to stall. "If you say the government is not enjoying any trust -- this is absolute rubbish," he railed. He said South Sudan's economic and social woes "... may not necessarily be because of corruption. It could be because of inexperience... misplacement of funds, spending the funds on other issues, and so forth." "The fact that there


What is the generic title of a series of French comic strips that follows the exploits of a village of ancient Gauls as they resist Roman occupation by means of a magic potion brewed by their druid, which gives them superhuman strength?

1000+ images about Asterix n Obelix Book Covers on Pinterest | The golden, The magic and Book show Asterix-sarjakuva-albumit (On jo: Asterix ja Kleopatra, Asterix ja Gootit, Asterix Belgiassa, Asterix Korsikassa, Asterix Intiassa, Asterix ja rahapata, Asterix ja ennustaja, Asterixin harharetket) See More


What name is given to the disease whereby parasites can change the behaviour of rats and mice, making them drawn to rather than fearful of the scent of cats?

How Your Cat Is Making You Crazy - The Atlantic The Atlantic See our Newsletters > How Your Cat Is Making You Crazy Jaroslav Flegr is no kook. And yet, for years, he suspected his mind had been taken over by parasites that had invaded his brain. So the prolific biologist took his science-fiction hunch into the lab. What he’s now discovering will startle you. Could tiny organisms carried by house cats be creeping into our brains, causing everything from car wrecks to schizophrenia? Michal Novotný Print Text Size No one would accuse Jaroslav Flegr of being a conformist. A self-described “sloppy dresser,” the 53-year-old Czech scientist has the contemplative air of someone habitually lost in thought, and his still-youthful, square-jawed face is framed by frizzy red hair that encircles his head like a ring of fire. Certainly Flegr’s thinking is jarringly unconventional. Starting in the early 1990s, he began to suspect that a single-celled parasite in the protozoan family was subtly manipulating his personality, causing him to behave in strange, often self-destructive ways. And if it was messing with his mind, he reasoned, it was probably doing the same to others. The parasite, which is excreted by cats in their feces, is called Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii or Toxo for short) and is the microbe that causes toxoplasmosis—the reason pregnant women are told to avoid cats’ litter boxes. Since the 1920s, doctors have recognized that a woman who becomes infected during pregnancy can transmit the disease to the fetus, in some cases resulting in severe brain damage or death. T. gondii is also a major threat to people with weakened immunity: in the early days of the AIDS epidemic, before good antiretroviral drugs were developed, it was to blame for the dementia that afflicted many patients at the disease’s end stage. Healthy children and adults, however, usually experience nothing worse than brief flu-like symptoms before quickly fighting off the protozoan, which thereafter lies dormant inside brain cells—or at least that’s the standard medical wisdom. But if Flegr is right, the “latent” parasite may be quietly tweaking the connections between our neurons, changing our response to frightening situations, our trust in others, how outgoing we are, and even our preference for certain scents. And that’s not all. He also believes that the organism contributes to car crashes, suicides, and mental disorders such as schizophrenia. When you add up all the different ways it can harm us, says Flegr, “Toxoplasma might even kill as many people as malaria, or at least a million people a year.” An evolutionary biologist at Charles University in Prague, Flegr has pursued this theory for decades in relative obscurity. Because he struggles with English and is not much of a conversationalist even in his native tongue, he rarely travels to scientific conferences. That “may be one of the reasons my theory is not better known,” he says. And, he believes, his views may invite deep-seated opposition. “There is strong psychological resistance to the possibility that human behavior can be influenced by some stupid parasite,” he says. “Nobody likes to feel like a puppet. Reviewers [of my scientific papers] may have been offended.” Another more obvious reason for resistance, of course, is that Flegr’s notions sound an awful lot like fringe science, right up there with UFO sightings and claims of dolphins telepathically communicating with humans. But after years of being ignored or discounted, Flegr is starting to gain respectability. Psychedelic as his claims may sound, many researchers, including such big names in neuroscience as Stanford’s Robert Sapolsky, think he could well be onto something. Flegr’s “studies are well conducted, and I can see no reason to doubt them,” Sapolsky tells me. Indeed, recent findings from Sapolsky’s lab and British groups suggest that the parasite is capable of extraordinary shenanigans. T. gondii, reports Sapolsky, can turn a rat’s strong innate aversion to cats into an attraction, luring it into the jaws of its No. 1 predator. Ev


"Clive Owen played ""Dwight"" in which 2005 film?"

UPDATE: Clive Owen Confirmed For SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR? Sin City Headlines Pictures Videos Wallpaper UPDATE: Clive Owen Confirmed For SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR? The actor is now set to reprise his role as Dwight McCarthy in the upcoming sequel, while Robert Rodriguez comments on the film being closer to the style of the comics than the first movie and whether or not Angelina Jolie will be involved. In their interview with director Robert Rodriguez at Cannes Film Festival, Empire confirms that Clive Owen (who played Dwight McCarthy in the 2005 adaptation of Frank Miller's Sin City) will reprise the role in the upcoming follow-up, A Dame To Kill For. He joins previously confirmed cast members Mickey Rourke and Jessica Alba, who reprise their roles as Marv and Nancy Callahan, respectively. Concerning more casting, Rodriguez says that he would soon be meeting with some “seriously big names” for the film, which will shoot back-to-back this summer with Machete Kills. Additionally, Rodriguez promises that Sin City: A Dame To Kill For will be even more super-stylised than the original movie, and the look will be closer to that of the graphic novels. “I really held back the first time, because I didn’t know whether audiences would go for it. So it ended up looking like a real movie, but in black and white, with a few flourishes. This one is going to push way further towards the books. It’s going to shock and surprise people.” Responding to speculation that Angelina Jolie will play Ava Lord (the titular 'dame' and femme fatale), the director doesn't confirm or deny. “It’s a great part for any actress,” he said. “She’s completely diabolical with no mercy. She’s as evil as evil gets.” Sin City: A Dame To Kill For is set to hit theaters October 4th, 2013. UPDATE: Empire has updated their article saying that Clive Owen's return has not yet been confirmed. Be sure to tune in for more Sin City: A Dame To Kill For news in the near future though.


The team from which country won the tennis tournament for the Davis Cup in 2010?

Andy Murray wins the Davis Cup for Great Britain - BBC Sport BBC Sport Andy Murray wins the Davis Cup for Great Britain By Piers Newbery BBC Sport at Flanders Expo, Ghent 29 Nov 2015 Media playback is not supported on this device Highlights: Andy Murray wins Davis Cup for GB Great Britain have won the Davis Cup for the first time since 1936 after Andy Murray beat Belgium's David Goffin to clinch the decisive point in Ghent. Murray won 6-3 7-5 6-3 to give the visitors an unassailable 3-1 lead in the best-of-five tie. Britain have now won the team title 10 times, while Murray adds the Davis Cup to his other major titles at Wimbledon, the US Open and the Olympic Games. Captain Leon Smith guided Britain from the third tier to glory in five years. More on Great Britain's triumph Media playback is not supported on this device I can't believe we won the Davis Cup - Andy Murray The combined challenge of whistles, shouts, camera flashes and the weight of history could not derail Murray from his task - and neither could Goffin. The two-time Grand Slam champion claimed a regulation straight-set win in very irregular circumstances, completing a Herculean year-long effort. Goffin gave everything and extended Murray to two hours and 54 minutes, but there was no stopping the Scot, who was mobbed by his team-mates after landing the title with a brilliant lob and falling back on the clay. "I just can't believe we did it," said Murray. "I play some of my best tennis when I'm playing for my country. Andy Murray posed with fans from Stirling University in the wake of his win "We have to enjoy this because we may never get the opportunity again." Captain Smith said: "It is amazing, as good a feeling as I could imagine. Andy has shown himself to be an absolute superstar. "He will be the first to say that it is a team thing but what he has done is astonishing. I am proud of everyone." Older brother Jamie Murray, who partnered Andy to victory in Saturday's doubles, said: "It's by far the biggest achievement of my career. I've had an amazing season and this is an unbelievable way to cap it off." Murray holds nerve to clinch victory British fans played their part in creating an incredible atmosphere In another frenzied atmosphere at the Flanders Expo, Murray brushed off several early attempts to disrupt his service motion and set about stamping his class on the contest. Goffin won just one game when the pair met in Paris earlier this month but already looked a much tougher proposition when he doubled that tally and saved an early break point. Murray found himself under pressure at 2-2, facing a break point and more interruptions from the crowd, but he fired over a kicking second serve and shouted "come on" as the return flew out. It heralded a spectacular few minutes of Murray at his best, a stunning forehand pass and two blistering returns helping him to break and another of those impossible winners taking him to 5-2. Route to Davis Cup glory Round Beat Australia 3-2 at home (indoors) Final Beat Belgium 3-1 away from home (clay) Goffin played his way out of trouble impressively to save three set points on serve but Murray took his chance to close out the set with a forehand into the corner. Strip away the prize on offer and the party in the stands, and the action on court was going as expected, with Murray the heavyweight to Goffin's middleweight. The Belgian, ranked 16 in the world, fought well in the second set and gave his supporters reason to hope, but the pressure finally told in game 11 and a forehand found the net on break point. Murray held his nerve from 0-30 to see it out, closing the set with another miraculous forehand from back on his heels, and when Goffin finally did break serve at the start of the third, the Scot hit straight back. There was nothing more Goffin could do and Murray accelerated towards the finish line, breaking to love at 3-3 and then sealing victory on his second match point with a trademark backhand lob. Murray's monumental effort Great Britain's 10th triumph takes them ahead of France in the all-time list of Da


"Who wrote the stage play ""The Rise and Fall of Little Voice""?"

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice at the Vaudeville Theatre, review - Telegraph Theatre Reviews The Rise and Fall of Little Voice at the Vaudeville Theatre, review Diana Vickers more than holds her own in the title role in this heartfelt  production of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice at the Vaudeville Thetre.  Rating: * * * *   Poignant: The Rise and Fall of Little Voice at the Vaudeville Theatre Photo: ALASTAIR MUIR   The Rise and Fall of Little Voice at the Vaudeville Theatre Photo: ALASTAIR MUIR   Image 1 of 3 Diana Vickers in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice at the Vaudeville Theatre Photo: ALASTAIR MUIR 12:53PM BST 21 Oct 2009 It is nights like this that make my job both a privilege and a pleasure. Though it was a big success in the early nineties and was subsequently turned into a film, Jim Cartwright’s The Rise and Fall of Little Voice is rarely revived. The reason isn’t hard to find. It demands a young star who can’t just act and sing, but sing like a host of the great divas of popular song — Shirley Bassey, Dusty Springfield, Edith Piaf and Judy Garland among them. Jane Horrocks firmly established her star credentials in this show. Now it is the turn of 18-year-old Diana Vickers. Those who have the stomach for talent-show TV at its most gaudy and manipulative will already have heard of her. She wound up in fourth place in The X Factor last year. Related Articles X Factor star Diana Vickers gets 'all vamped up' for The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice 20 Oct 2009 Having endured more than my fair share of trial by light entertainment over the years, I have always given the show a miss. But what’s remarkable about encountering Diana Vickers for the first time on stage is that it turns out that she can act as well as sing, and more than hold her own in the company of seasoned professionals. Cartwright’s play is a rough-cut gem, blessed with filthy jokes, outlandish characters, and moments of both sentimentality and savagery. It has its faults: the author overdoes the vernacular stage poetry, like some word-drunk Dylan Thomas of the Lancashire mill-towns, and there are moments, even in a production whipped along by that great master of popular theatre, Terry Johnson, when the pace flags. What’s never in doubt, however, is that Little Voice combines a highly original dramatic vision with a heart as big as a house. Vickers plays a quiet, painfully shy girl called Little Voice, whose beloved father died when she was a child, bequeathing her his collection of LPs by female vocalists. They are her only consolation in a life burdened by a boozy, vulgar mother, Mari Hoff, drinking in the last chance saloon, and squeezing herself into a succession of tarty outfits matched with knickers retrieved from the dirty laundry basket as she tries to get herself a man. She thinks she’s found her man when she meets Ray Say, a small time hustler with dreams of becoming a talent agent. But Ray turns out to be more interested in her withdrawn daughter’s ability to sing like her idols than in Mari. Lesley Sharp is outstanding as the fearsome Mari, loud, entirely selfish and yelling at her terrified daughter: Are you agoraphobical [sic] because if you are you can get out. But there is an anguish in Sharp’s whirlwind performance that compels pity as well as contempt. Vickers, clutching her knees to her chest, brings a poignant buttoned-up grief and fear to Little Voice, and is magical when she sings. And there is terrific support from Mark Warren as the odious Ray Say; Rachel Lumberg as Mari’s fat friend who astonishes the house by performing the splits; James Cartwright (son of the playwright) as LV’s shy admirer and Tony Haygarth as a sleazy MC in a hilariously improbable toupee. Popular theatre doesn’t come much better than this.


In biology, what word is given to the change in the genetic material of a population of organisms from one generation to the next?

Biological Evolution and Genetic Variation Updated April 09, 2016. What Is Evolution? Biological evolution is defined as any genetic change in a population that is inherited over several generations. These changes may be small or large, noticeable or not so noticeable. In order for an event to be considered an instance of evolution, changes have to occur on the genetic level of a population and be passed on from one generation to the next. This means that the genes , or more specifically, the alleles in the population change and are passed on. These changes are noticed in the phenotypes (expressed physical traits that can be seen) of the population. A change on the genetic level of a population is defined as a small-scale change and is called microevolution.  Biological evolution also includes the idea that all of life is connected and can be traced back to one common ancestor. This is called macroevolution. What Evolution Is Not Biological evolution is not defined as simply change over time. Many organisms experience changes over time, such as weight loss or gain. continue reading below our video 10 Best Universities in the United States These changes are not considered instances of evolution because they are not genetic changes that can be passed on to the next generation. Is Evolution a Theory? Evolution is a scientific theory that was proposed by Charles Darwin . A scientific theory gives explanations and predictions for naturally occurring phenomena based on observations and experimentations. This type of theory attempts to explain how events seen in the natural world work. The definition of a scientific theory differs from the common meaning of theory, which is defined as a guess or a supposition about a particular process. In contrast, a good scientific theory must be testable, falsifiable, and substantiated by factual evidence. When it comes to a scientific theory, there is no absolute proof. It's more a case of confirming the reasonability of accepting a theory as a viable explanation for a particular event. What Is Natural Selection? Natural selection is the process by which biological evolutionary changes take place. Natural selection acts on populations and not individuals. It is based on the following concepts: Individuals in a population have different traits which can be inherited.   These individuals produce more young than the environment can support.   The individuals in a population that are best suited to their environment will leave more offspring, resulting in a change in the genetic makeup of a population. The genetic variations that arise in a population happen by chance, but the process of natural selection does not. Natural selection is the result of the interactions between genetic variations in a population and the environment. The environment determines which variations are more favorable. Individuals that possess traits that are better suited to their environment will survive to produce more offspring than other individuals. More favorable traits are thereby passed on to the population as a whole. Examples of genetic variation in a population include the modified leaves of carnivorous plants , cheetahs with stripes , snakes that fly , animals that play dead , and animals that resemble leaves . How Does Genetic Variation Occur in a Population? Genetic variation occurs mainly through DNA mutation , gene flow (movement of genes from one population to another) and sexual reproduction . Due to the fact that environments are unstable, populations that are genetically variable will be able to adapt to changing situations better than those that do not contain genetic variations. Sexual reproduction allows for genetic variations to occur through genetic recombination . Recombination occurs during meiosis and provides a way for producing new combinations of alleles on a single chromosome . Independent assortment during meiosis allows for an indefinite number of combinations of genes. Sexual reproduction makes it possible to assemble favorable gene combinations in a population or to remove unfavorable