Eric Coates' 'Knightsbridge March', signature tune of BBC Radio's 'In Town Tonight' is from which work?

Eric Coates: Biography Eric Coates Biography English     Eric Coates was born on August 27th, 1886, at Hucknall. His father was a well-loved and respected doctor in this small mining town in the centre of the Nottinghamshire coalfields between Nottingham and Mansfield. Coates showed an interest in music at an early age, studying first the violin and then the viola with George Ellenberger, a pupil of Joachim, and harmony with Dr Ralph Horner in Nottingham. At the age of twenty he arrived in London determined to make a career in music despite some family misgivings. He won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music where he studied viola with Lionel Tertis and composition with Frederick Corder. This was in the days of Sir Alexander Mackenzie when the Academy was in Tenterden Street. At the outset Mackenzie recognised Coates' talents. 'Mark my words, young man,' he said to Coates, 'ye'll start as a viola player but ye'll end up as a composer!' From 1912-1919 Eric Coates was principal viola of the Queen's Hall Orchestra under Sir Henry Wood. He also played under the batons of Elgar, German, Delius, Hoist, Walford Davies, Bantock, Richard Strauss, Debussy, Ethel Smyth (who addressed him delightfully as 'the man who writes tunes'), Mengelberg Nikisch and Beecham. He also played in theatre orchestras including the one at the Savoy Theatre for the Gilbert & Sullivan Operas. Although a very modest man, he enjoyed telling the story about members of the orchestra having a competition to see who would be the first to play an entire score from memory —and how he won. Coates played in string quartets too. He took Lionel Tertis' place in the Hambourg String Quartet for a tour of South Africa. Eventually, in 1919, when neuritis in his left hand made playing the viola more and more difficult, Eric Coates turned exclusively to composition. By this time, his music was acquiring a steady following with such established successes as Stonecracker John (1909) and Miniature Suite with its entrancing Scene du bal, first performed at a Prom Concert in 1911. Eric Coates' work is in the tradition of polished melodic light music started by Sir Arthur Sullivan and continued by Edward German. Indeed, in his early years, Coates was much influenced by German. During the 1920s, however, Eric Coates developed a distinctive style which embraced his own use of the newly-introduced American syncopated idiom. He was the first European composer to treat this new style seriously and successfully integrate it into symphonic writing. When he adopted syncopation, the music critics of the heavier press ignored him but it never concerned him. 'After writing the London Suite,' he once said, 'I moved from the music page to the news page and it was one of the moves I have never regretted.' For over twenty seven years Eric Coates' march Knightsbridge, from his London Suite introduced BBC Radio's In Town Tonight. For forty years By the Sleepy Lagoon announced Desert Island Discs. And these were not the only long running programmes that used Coates' music. His march Calling All Workers was the clarion call for the thousands of Music While You Work programmes broadcast during the hard days of the war. Halcyon Days (Elizabeth Tudor) from The Three Elizabeths Suite opened and closed BBC Television's immensely popular serialisation of Galsworthy's The Forsyte Saga. These were just a few of the programmes that were enhanced by Eric's music which seems to give them a special cachet and perhaps a touch of magic because they all seemed to be successful. After Knightsbridge was first broadcast in 1933, twenty thousand letters arrived at Broadcasting House within the following two weeks asking for the name of the composer and the signature tune of In Town Tonight. Whereas many British composers sought inspiration in the countryside it was usually the reverse for Coates. He was most happy working amongst the sounds and excitement of London. Inspiration sometimes came to him in the most unusual places. A certain pillar box in Harley Street, for instance, is said to have inspired one


INDIAN CALUMET: The Pipe of Peace INDIAN CALUMET: The Pipe of Peace By Christopher Nyerges     On a recent hike in the Southern California mountains, a friend and I discovered some wild tobacco growing alongside the trail. The tobacco prompted a discussion about the American Indians' use of the Sacred Pipe, known today as the "peace pipe." The Indians used various species of tobacco in their pipes, along with a number of wild herbs. Among the many North American Indian tribes, the use of the pipe was considered a sacred ritual. The smoking mixture consisted of various herbs, often tobacco mixed with willow bark, sumac leaves, certain manzanita leaves, cedar shavings, or white sage. Although some tribes at times smoked for relaxation and/or a narcotic effect, most did not normally inhale the smoke. Rather, they used the pipe as a major means of communication with the spiritual world. Erroneously designated as the "peace pipe" by numerous reporters, the pipe was actually used in the ratification of all solemn engagements, both of war and peace. The clay pipe represents the clay body of the human ("Adam" means "red earth" in Aramaic), within which is contained the burning ember of life (i.e., the Breath Form or "living soul"). As one smokes, the thoughts and prayers of the communicant are carried heavenward in the smoke. The joint act of sharing the pipe was considered a common bond, or communion, among those who smoked. In some respects, the use of the pipe is the Indian counterpart to the Christian concept of Holy Communion, wherein one takes the bread or wafer into one's mouth, and the eating thereof is said to be partaking of the "body of Christ." Similarly, the Indian takes the smoke into his body as a spiritual aid. The wafting, rising smoke of the pipe is also akin to the use of incense smoke, particularly the incense used in various ritualistic ceremonies. According to Ralph M. Lewis, author of "Behold the Sign", "The proper kind (of incense) - known only to the sects using the ancient Egyptian ceremonies - will induce or bring about spiritual attunement with nature's divine forces and thus make possible greater cosmic or divine illumination." Incense has been used for centuries to symbolize the flame and heat of the sacred fire on the altar - burning in splendor and ever alive with heat and flame. The pipe smoke is also akin to incense smoke in Catholicism. For example, in Catholic processions there is usually someone preceding who swings the censer of burning incense. According to Father Dave of St. Elizabeth Church in Altadena, California, there are two reasons for this: One is to perfume the air with a special fragrance, helping to create the special atmosphere within the church. The second reason is because "incense produces smoke lighter than air, and thus the smoke rises. These symbolize our prayers rising to heaven. This is to make invisible things (our prayers) visible (the smoke). This can be compared to two people making peace; they share the pipe as a visible sign to all others of that peace." According to Father Dave, the use of incense in the Christian tradition has never been for repelling spirits, only as symbolic of prayers. The Calumet According to Sioux ontology, the sacred pipe was brought to the Sioux Nation by White Buffalo Woman. She appeared upon the prairie and instructed two young men she met to return to their tribe and tell of her coming. When she arrived at the tribal encampment, she met with the elders and ceremoniously presented to them the sacred calumet (as the pipe is more properly known). She explained to them the meaning and use of the calumet, saying: "With this sacred pipe you will walk upon the Earth; for the Earth is your Grandmother and Mother, and She is sacred. Every step that is taken upon Her should be as a prayer. The bowl of this pipe is of red stone; it is the Earth. Carved in the stone and facing the center is this buffalo calf who represents all the four-leggeds (the animals) who live upon your Mother. The stem of the pipe is


Which legendary king of the Britons is said to have founded the city of Bath?

Bath Holiday Cottages - a history of The City of Bath Celtic Bath;     Bladud Bath was founded by Bladud, the eldest son of the     legendary King Lud. As a boy, Bladud contracted leprosy and was banished to     Swainswick to become a pig farmer. One day as he was watching his pigs,     Bladud noticed that some of the pigs were rolling around in the thick mud and     he went to take a closer look. The mud was hot, and he found that the marsh was     fed by a bountiful hot spring. Noticing that the pigs scurvy had been cleared     up by the mud, Bladud himself started to roll in it, smothering his whole body     from head to foot. His leprosy soon disappeared. When he was clear he ran back     in delight to his fathers court and in time was made King. In gratitude he     built a temple by the hot spring and founded the city of Bath. Celtic Sun     God Among the most significant Celtic works of art of Roman     Europe is the outstanding sun gods head that welcomed pilgrims to the temple of     Sulis Minerva in Bath. Within its garlands of druids oak leaves and framed by     great serpentine locks of hair, the head of the Celtic sun god glowered     all-seeing from its Roman temple pediment, transfixing Roman and Briton alike. Celtic     Bath Although Bath was in fact built nearly 1,000 years after     Bladud, it was without doubt a major Celtic place of power. The Celtic Dobunni     guarded this most sacred site with five hillforts which dominated the hot     spring from their surrounding hilltops. Most distinguished are the Celtic forts     at Lansdown and Solsbury Hill. In a druids grove by the hot steaming spring,     the goddess Sul was worshipped as the guardian to the gateway to the     Underworld. Through major gateways such as Baths hot spring, the Celts believed     that deities and ancestors could be approached. Sulis     Minerva The Romans had a genius for appropriating local deities     and blending them with their own gods. So, Sul became Sulis Minerva when they     built their temple where the druids grove had stood. Sul, goddess of arcane     prophecy, was tempered with the cultured arts and science of Minerva. Like the     Celts, the Romans believed that the goddess guarded the entrance to the     Underworld. Roman Bath Aquae     Sulis Although still mostly buried under magnificent Georgian     streets, the Roman ruins in Bath are unsurpassed in Britain. Some believe Baths Roman art and sumptuousness equal any in the empire; certainly Bath has     no rivals north of the Alps. About 2m below the present level of the city, the     Romans started building their great baths and temple at the sacred spring soon     after the Conquest, in the middle of the 1st Century AD. They named their city     Aque Sulis and soon transformed the Celtic druids grove into one of the major     therapeutic centres of the West. The Romans revered the Spring just as the     Celts had done; by the 3rd century its stunning temple and luxurious baths     attracted pilgrims from throughout the Roman world. The Great     Bath The art and engineering of the remarkable baths at Minerva's     temple offer us a glimpse of Roman Britain at its most glorious. The complex     housed no fewer than five healing hot baths by the time it was completed in the     4th century AD. An elaborate hypocaust heating system serviced a series of hot     sweat rooms; swimming pools and cold rooms cooled the pilgrims down. At the     centre, in its own hall and lined with 14 massive sheets of lead, was the Great     Bath. Surrounded by the gods, whose statues emerged mysteriously from the     swirling steam, the Great Bath must have seemed a wonder of the ancient     world. The     Temple The ancient world marvelled at Minerva's great temple in     Bath. Shrouded in steam, pilgrims approached the mysterious sacred spring at     the heart of the temple believing i


Which word refers to a retired professor who retains his title by way of an honour?

Handbook of Faculty Titles shamos@cs.cmu.edu   There are over 3,300 accredited colleges and universities in the United States.  These institutions have conferred on their academic faculties and staff a bewildering array of titles and designations.  The titles can be confusing and their significance is often misunderstood.  Some titles imply that the holder has tenure, while others do not.  Some suggest a concentration in research rather than teaching, while others convey that the incumbent is primarily engaged in activities outside of an academic institution.  In addition, a menagerie of prefixes and modifiers are used to indicate rank and other status information.  Adding to the complexity of the problem is the fact that the same title may have different meanings at different institutions.  The purpose of this handbook is to provide a thorough glossary explaining the significance of most titles in use in the United States today. Copyright ï¿½ 2002 Michael I. Shamos Table of Contents Introduction "What's in a name!  that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet; So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd, Retain that dear perfection which he owes Without that title."  When Shakespeare wrote those words he surely did not have professors in mind, for in academia titles are the coin of the realm.  This is literally so, since many a professor has been lured or retained, in lieu of a salary increase, by the promise of a more exalted title.  It is not clear, given the proliferation of such titles in the US, precisely what status each one denotes.  More than 800 are described in this book, along with prescriptions for generating thousands more. An "academic title," broadly, is a designation given to individuals who "engage in teaching of credit courses, academic research, or professional library service." (Oakland U.)  Generally a title is relied on to convey three attributes of its holder: rank (level of appointment), status (Regular Faculty or otherwise) and function (Teaching, Clinical, Research, etc.)  The title may also carry an Honorific, such as "Distinguished," as mark of special recognition.  This much was recognized by W. S. Gilbert in referring to The Mikado's Lord High Executioner as "a personage of noble rank and title," making it clear that rank and title are different.  "Lord" conveys nobility; "High" specifies rank; "Executioner" defines function. While this trichotomy is fairly logical, there is much confusion in practice between the concepts of "title" and "rank."  Title ought to mean no more than the name by which an academic position is known, e.g. "Associate Professor of the Practice of Surgery."  But such a statement is too simplistic; one must consider the distinctions among Official Title , Working Title and Functional Title .   Rank refers to the holder's position in an ordered promotion sequence known as a Series .  The fundamental Series in US institutions is {Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor}, which are listed in order of increasing rank.  Titles not in this Series almost always indicate a position equivalent in rank to a particular rank in the Series.  For example, at Carnegie Mellon the title "Senior Research Scientist" indicates a nontenured position ("non-noble," one might say), a function of Scientist and a rank equivalent to Associate Professor. The variety of academic titles in use is impressively vast.  Numerous unusual situations have arisen at different institutions that have spawned the creation of carefully crafted titles to deal with specialized circumstances.  If your institution is trying to create a title to describe a particular position, it has probably already been devised elsewhere and you will find it in this Handbook. This work was motivated by an effort at my home institution, Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, to rationalize its scheme of conferring academic titles.  During my service on the Faculty Affairs Council, it became apparent that numerous titles were in use around the country that might describe Carnegie Mellon p


Which British boxer was involved in a fracas with Derek Chisora at a press conference in Munich in 2012?

David Haye, British Boxer, Speaks Out Over Munich Brawl With Dereck Chisora | The Huffington Post David Haye, British Boxer, Speaks Out Over Munich Brawl With Dereck Chisora 20/02/2012 16:52 Samuel Luckhurst Football writer, The Manchester Evening News David Haye has said that he will assist the boxing authorities in their enquiries over his altercation with fellow British heavyweight boxer Dereck Chisora in Munich. The pair were involved in a physical exchange on Saturday night at Chisora's post-fight press conference, following Chisora's WBC bout loss to Vitali Klitschko. Haye's trainer Adam Booth's head was cut during the melee which ensued. German police released Chisora without charge on Sunday morning and still hope to speak to Haye, who has returned to the UK, but his exact whereabouts remains unknown. The Briton released a statement today via his promoters, where he promised to co-operate with any investigation that may take place. David Haye stressed in a tweet at 1:16am Munich time that he was eager to fight Vitali Klitschko: Dereck Chisora has sought to diffuse the row by apologising for his conduct in Germany: He said: "I realise I am no angel - and don't mind a bit of professional trash-talk to help raise boxing's profile - but, during my 21 years in the sport, I have never been involved in, or even witnessed, such a serious fracas," reported Sky Sports News . "If requested, I shall happily assist the boxing authorities with any investigation they wish to launch and, ultimately, hope that all lessons learned from this incident will be implemented," he added. Haye confessed that Chisora's promise to "physically shoot him" and the realisation that the boxer was staying at the same hotel as him prompted his swift departure from Germany. He continued: "It was then that I heard Chisora say he planned to 'shoot me dead'. I decided to leave the venue and return to my hotel, a move which I hoped would diffuse the situation. However, Chisora's team were staying at the same hotel as me and, in light of the threats Chisora had made in front of the world's media, it seemed far more appropriate for me and Adam to leave the hotel as quickly as possible."


With which 1960's group do you mainly associate the name of Justin Hayward?

Twenty-First Century Troubadour: Justin Hayward on French Connections, Songwriting, and Literature - Justin Hayward Twenty-First Century Troubadour: Justin Hayward on French Connections, Songwriting, and Literature Posted on 07/25/2013 Interview with Barbara Havercroft Born in 1946 in Swindon, England, Justin Hayward is the lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist with the legendary band The Moody Blues. His renowned, highly successful career in music is now in its sixth decade, and is characterized by excellence and innovation in popular music. The Moody Blues have sold more than seventy million albums and have been awarded more than a dozen platinum and gold discs. Justin Hayward has also released seven solo albums and has received numerous prestigious awards, such as the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music, awarded in May 2013. The following telephone interview was conducted at the University of Toronto on Monday, June 10, 2013. Barbara Havercroft After you and John Lodge joined the Moody Blues in August, 1966, the band continued performing the rhythm and blues music played by the previous incarnation of the group. At this point, in the late sixties, you and your four band-mates decided to travel to Belgium to work. Why did you choose Belgium? Were there conditions in Belgium that were conducive to the band’s metamorphosis and the conception of new material, including the Days of Future Passed compositions? Justin Hayward Actually, the band’s metamorphosis came a bit later. You must remember that nothing is planned in this band. We just stumble into things and lucky accidents and great big slices of luck happen to us. So there was no plan. We went to Belgium playing the old rhythm and blues set, which we continued playing for about three or four months after John and I joined [the group] and we simply weren’t very good at it. We only went to Belgium because there was a promoter there named Ricky Stein who was prepared to offer us gigs and who could find us cheap accommodation in a bed and breakfast place. We worked out of Mouscron, Belgium, for a couple of months, not developing a new act. In fact, I think that it’s true to say that during that time, all of us were convinced that this would perhaps last a couple of months and then we’d move on from the group and each other. It wasn’t until the following spring (1967) that we really changed our style. Because I came to the group as a songwriter, I was pushing my own songs in Mouscron, and we did add a couple of my songs (“Fly Me High” and “Cities”) to our set straight away, but they didn’t go down very well because people just knew the Moody Blues from the rhythm and blues material. B.H. I did not know exactly at what point during that early period you began working more extensively on your own compositions and your new stage show. I know that in the late 1960s, the band did appear on a number of French television shows and performed at concerts and festivals in France. I am thinking of December 1966, for example, when the band was on a show called “La Soirée du Réveillon”; in 1967, you performed “Fly Me High” on “Têtes de bois et tendres années”; in addition there were performances on “Ce soir, on danse” (1968) and “Bouton rouge” (1967 and 1968, hosted by Michel Drucker) at the Maison de la Radio in Paris. The Moody Blues also played at the Gala du MIDEM festival in Cannes in March, 1968. How did the performances on these shows and at these festivals play a role in increasing the band’s renown and popularity in France? J.H. We’re very grateful to those television programs, particularly to “Bouton rouge”, and also to Salut les copains, which was a magazine that took a great interest in contemporary music. At that time, I was doing my songs in our set and so was Mike [Pinder], but they weren’t fitting in well with the rhythm and blues material. During those early times, from the time we were in Mouscron through until about 1969, it’s true to say that France, Belgium, and Holland saved our lives, because if we hadn’t had those places to work, I doubt wh


What, in American English, is the meaning of 'sophomore'?

Sophomore - definition of sophomore by The Free Dictionary Sophomore - definition of sophomore by The Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sophomore Related to sophomore: Sophomore Album soph·o·more a. A second-year student in a US college. b. A tenth-grade student in a US high school. 2. A person in the second year of carrying out an endeavor. 3. A three-year-old racehorse, usually in its second year of racing. adj. 1. Of or relating to the second year of an endeavor, especially of attending a school or college. 2. Being the second in a series: a singer's sophomore album. [Alteration (probably influenced by Greek sophos, wise, and mōros, stupid) of sophumer, from obsolete sophom, sophism, dialectic exercise, variant of sophism .] sophomore (Education) chiefly US and Canadian a second-year student at a secondary (high) school or college adj (of a book, recording, etc, by an artist) second: her sophomore album. [C17: perhaps from earlier sophumer, from sophum, variant of sophism + -er1] soph•o•more (ˈsɒf əˌmɔr, -ˌmoʊr; ˈsɒf mɔr, -moʊr) n. a student in the second year at a high school, college, or university. [1645–55; earlier sophumer, perhaps =sophum sophism + -er 1] sophomore A student in the second year of a college course, or a high-school student in the tenth grade. ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend: lowerclassman , underclassman - an undergraduate who is not yet a senior Adj. 1. sophomore - used of the second year in United States high school or college; "the sophomore class"; "his sophomore year" intermediate - lying between two extremes in time or space or state; "going from sitting to standing without intermediate pushes with the hands"; "intermediate stages in a process"; "intermediate stops on the route"; "an intermediate range plane" Translations [ˈsɒfəmɔːʳ] N (US) → estudiante mf de segundo año GRADE sophomore n (US) → étudiant (e) m/f de deuxième année modif sophomore year → deuxième année f Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content . Link to this page: View in context Perhaps the president of a corps notices that one of the membership who is no longer an exempt--that is a freshman-- has remained a sophomore some little time without volunteering to fight; some day, the president, instead of calling for volunteers, will APPOINT this sophomore to measure swords with a student of another corps; he is free to decline--everybody says so--there is no compulsion. View in context Then we'll be able to look as bored and sophisticated as any Sophomore of them all. The "freshettes" stood about in detached groups of two or three, looking askance at each other; the "freshies," wiser in their day and generation, had banded themselves together on the big staircase of the entrance hall, where they were shouting out glees with all the vigor of youthful lungs, as a species of defiance to their traditional enemies, the Sophomores, a few of whom were prowling loftily about, looking properly disdainful of the "unlicked cubs" on the stairs. against six Sophomores and a Freshman from the Gladiatorial College! when he had slain all the sophomores and was dallying with the


"Complete the line from Kipling's poem A Smugglers Song, ""Five and twenty ponies, trotting through the dark, Brandy for the Parson .........."""

Kipling and History Kipling and History references' [December 16th 2007] Nothing could be more sweeping in scope than the title of this essay. Kipling was a public man and an intensely public writer; the phrase, 'Kipling and History', might cover the greater part of his work and life, and might be expected to include an assessment of his significance in the history of the British people and the British Empire. Nothing so comprehensive will be attempted here. The topic broached (itself big enough, in all conscience) is simply Kipling's approach, as a writer, to the past, and especially to the English past as presented in Puck of Pook's Hill and its sequel, Rewards and Fairies, and it is examined strictly through the eyes of a professional historian. My aim is solely to be ancillary to literary criticism of the kind to be found in, for example, Donald Mackenzie's essay, "Kipling and Northernness", in the June 2007 edition of the Kipling Journal. (1) Kipling's achievement was intensely individual, yet we cannot properly understood it without accepting that it was also shaped by his times. In few eras has history been taken more seriously, by more intelligent people, than it was in Victorian Britain, whether we mean by 'history' the events of the past, the record of those events, the evolution of human societies, or the investigation and discussion of events, records and evolution by great historians. This preoccupation with history began with the Romantics, Walter Scott being in this respect much the most influential of them, but it was reinforced by countless other stimuli. It was a European-wide phenomenon, as such names as Marx, Hegel, Ranke, Tolstoy, Dumas and Tocqueville (among many others) sufficiently demonstrate, but for present purposes it will be enough to glance merely at the British background (although Kipling's deep acquaintance with France and French literature is not irrelevant). In Britain, then, historical consciousness was largely coloured by such factors as awareness that Britain (the Victorians always said `England') had become the greatest power in the world; and that the British Empire was the largest in history; and the belief that this greatness was both caused and validated by the evolution of British law, British freedom, and British Protestantism. The British were intensely nationalistic, and looked to history to vindicate their nationalism by providing suitable myths (King John signing Magna Carta at Runnymede, for instance; the House of Commons defying King Charles when he tried to arrest the Five Members; Queen Elizabeth rallying her troops at Tilbury). At the same time, antiquarianism was giving way to professional and scientific historical writing and investigation; and the great debate over evolution meant that some of the best minds of the age were beginning to look to history for help in investigations (such as that into the Industrial Revolution and its consequences) more searching than had ever been attempted before. In the late nineteenth century, when Kipling was young, history was one of the most exciting of all the arts and sciences. It will be evident to all readers of the Puck books that this was the intellectual world in which Kipling worked, but it does not explain his inspired imaginative response, which was an essential part of his genius, almost as much as his instinct to convey his responses in memorable words and inventions. So successful was he in this undertaking that he compels his readers' imagination in their turn. His vision of the past, as he realized it on paper, still becomes ours as we read and surrender to his spell. It is an achievement which must be praised, even by envious academic historians. But his purposes were not theirs. When he turned to the past, in verse or in prose, he always made sure that he was adequately informed for the job: one might say, well-information which stimulated his writing, as when his settlement at Burwash, in the Sussex Weald, stimulated the Puck stories: Just beyond the west fringe of our land, in a little valley running from Nowh


Who wrote the scripts for the TV series 'One Foot in the Grave'?

BFI Screenonline: One Foot In The Grave (1990-2000) One Foot In The Grave (1990-2000)   6 series of 37x30 min episodes total plus 4 specials   Theme Song Eric Idle Cast: Richard Wilson (Victor Meldrew); Annette Crosbie (Margaret Meldrew); Angus Deayton (Patrick Trench); Janine Duvitski (Pippa Trench); Doreen Mantle (Jean Warboys); Owen Brenman (Nick Swainey) Show full cast and credits Pensioners Victor and Margaret Meldrew try to lead a normal suburban life but events invariably conspire against them. Victor's fury at the failings of the world, and his ability to attract misfortune, causes constant conflict with people around them - much to Margaret's exasperation. Show full synopsis One Foot in the Grave (BBC, 1990-96; 2000) is one of the finest, most complex, British sitcoms. Its enormous success - only matched in the 1990s by Only Fools and Horses (BBC, 1981-96) - proved the form could ask difficult questions of a mass audience while still providing huge belly-laughs. The situation is deceptively simple and traditional. Some critics balked at its apparently 'old-fashioned' suburban domestic setting, but the layers of normality are gradually peeled back to expose a dark and disturbing universe spinning out of control. For all his anger, Victor Meldrew ( Richard Wilson ) remains sympathetic. His catchphrase - "I don't believe it!" - is funny because through him we see that the world really is mad. Victor rails against universal irritations, such as voicemail or clingfilm. Then bizarre misfortunes beset Victor - mistaking a dead hedgehog for a slipper or finding a toupee in a loaf of bread. Finally, the madness is the unfairness of a world in which we struggle to overcome pain and failure. The only hope becomes Margaret ( Annette Crosbie ) and Victor's kindness. The show avoids being depressing because it resonates with its viewers' experience. His neighbours may consider Victor insane and unreasonable, but we know better. He voices all the complaints and concerns that we try to control, suffering so that we don't have to. With its studio laughter, suburban setting, and comic pratfalls, One Foot in the Grave could be seen as one of the last great 'traditional' British sitcoms. But it also paves the way for much of the new comedy that followed with series such as The Office (BBC, 1999-). David Renwick 's densely plotted scripts, with their bleak view of life and dark, occasionally macabre humour, created a new kind of expectation for viewers of television comedy. Fans of the show understand that the most hilarious visual joke might immediately be followed by sudden tragedy. They also appreciate that the comic and serious elements complement each other - the acknowledgement of death and cruelty serve to heighten the laughter. The show was brought back for a final series in 2000, culminating in Victor's death from a hit and run driver. It might seem an odd way for a sitcom to end but for One Foot in the Grave , where comedy and tragedy are so intertwined, it seems entirely appropriate. Phil Wickham


In which country was former Essex and England bowler Derek Pringle born?

Derek Pringle: An all-rounder who could not realise his true potential for England - Cricket Country › Derek Pringle: An all-rounder who could not realise his true potential for England The England all-rounder Derek Pringle was born on September 18, 1958. Abhishek Mukherjee looks at the career of the quirky Essex genius who could not live up to his immense potential. | Updated : September 18, 2016 2:41 PM IST Derek Pringle © Getty Images England all-rounder Derek Pringle was born September 18, 1958. Abhishek Mukherjee looks at the career of the quirky Essex genius who could not live up to his immense potential. It was difficult being Derek Raymond Pringle . Throughout his career he had to fight for the much-coveted all-rounder’s spot in the England Test side with Ian Botham — and lost more often than not. Even during Botham’s absence from the side for various reasons — the obvious or the otherwise — Pringle often ended up playing for England in their worst seasons and missing out on the better ones. The entire ritual of Pringle warming up to bowl was a spectacle in itself; it looked so absurd that there was an automatic cheer in the crowd when the ball was thrown to him. It looked so absurd that it has been described as “lying on his back wrestling an invisible octopus”. The tall 6’4″ frame did not look menacing when he ran in or even when he released the ball, but the awkward bounce and prodigious swing that he managed to generate led to a bag of wickets more often than not. Towards the end of his career Pringle cut down his pace even more, and managed to extract more swing. The outswinger, especially, was lethal under helpful conditions: the magical curve shaped away from the batsman more often than not, luring batsmen of limited capabilities to be tempted to drive and — as a result — edge them. It earned him the title “Pring the Swing”. He was also an effortless strokeplayer — probably one of the more attractive batsmen of the era who did not make it as big as he should have. He almost always looked authentic and was an excellent timer of the ball, but ended up disappointing his fans by not converting his starts to big scores. Pringle played 30 Tests, scoring 695 runs at a way-below-potential 15.10 and picking up 70 wickets at 35.97 with 3 five-fors. In 44 ODIs, Pringle’s tally read 425 runs at 23.61 and 44 wickets 38.11 with a decent economy rate of 4.22. These numbers are not excellent, but given the fact that he never got the run at the highest level he deserved, they do not sound that bad. From 295 First-Class matches, mostly for Essex , Pringle had 9,243 runs at 28.26 with ten hundreds and 761 wickets at 26.58 with 25 five-fors and three ten-fors. The averages show that he was an excellent all-rounder in the Championship; indeed, he played a key role during Essex’s six Championship titles in 16 seasons. These remain their only six titles. Early days The Lancastrian Don Pringle had moved to Nairobi in 1958 to work as a landscape consultant; Derek was born there soon afterwards. He is one of three Test cricketers to be born in Kenya, the other two being Qasim Umar and Dipak Patel. Curiously, all of them were born within a span of 20 months. No mean player himself, Don had played two matches in the 1975 World Cup for East Africa and had once taken 5 for 97 and 5 for 67 against a high-pedigree International XI in 1968. He passed away in 1975 in Nairobi while returning from a local match where he had taken 6 for 16. Pringle scored a dazzling 84 not out on his debut for Felsted School against Aldenham School. Soon afterwards he was selected to play for Essex Second XI, England Young Cricketers, and England Schools Cricket Association. On a tour to India he defeated North Zone Schools almost single-handedly with 6 for 65 and 122 not out. He performed brilliantly on that tour, especially in the third ‘Test’ at Calcutta, where he scored 56 and picked up 7 for 60 to help win his side by 115 runs. As a result he won The Cricket Society Wetherall Award for the Leading All-Rounder in English Schools Cricket. After school he


The Uffizi and the Bargello are among the museums of art in which European city?

Bargello Museum Tickets Bargello Museum Tickets Address: Via del Proconsolo 4 - Firenze Opening hours: daily, 8.15-13.50. The ticket office closes at 13.20. From 22 March to 18 August the museum is also open in the afternoon. Closing: on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sunday and  2nd and 4th Monday of each month; New Year’s Day, May 1st and Christmas Day. THE BARGELLO MUSEUM in FLORENCE The medieval palace was in the past the seat of the chief of the military police, or Bargello; it was restored in the second half of the 19th century and became a museum of Renaissance statuary and of minor arts. The collections of  statues, starting from Quattrocento artworks by Donatello, Ghiberti  Luca della Robbia, includes masterpieces by Michelangelo, as the Bacchus and the Brutus, and reaches the end of the 16th century, with Cellini and Giambologna. The large section dedicated to minor arts displays among other precious items, the outstanding collection of ivories, the Renaissance maiolica from Urbino, jewellery and objects decorated in enamel. HOW TO CHOOSE THE CORRECT TICKET Half price ticket: for 18-25 year olds from the European Union and for regular state teachers (official documentation requested).  Free ticket (reservation only):European Union citizens under 18 and over 65. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Children under 6 years old (European or not) enter free. No reservation is need for them. Italy Travels cannot be held responsible for partial closing museum rooms, itinerary variations inside the museum, cancellations or entrance delays due to unaspectable events, strikes or decisions taken by the museum direction or by the Ministero dei Beni Culturali or by the Sovraintendenza Read cancellations policies, click  HERE . Photo & video


In which Yorkshire town or city was the Rugby League founded in 1895?

Rugby League - Sport | Welcome to Yorkshire Share this page Rugby League in Yorkshire Rugby league is Yorkshire born and bred and has developed into one of the most popular and passionate spectator and participation sports in Britain, since the classic northern breakaway from the Rugby Football Union in Huddersfield in 1895. Tough and physically demanding, League is woven into the cultural identity of many Yorkshire communities, but it's also an exciting sport that looks forward, not back, and its popularity is growing season on season. The sport enjoys fantastic TV coverage on both Sky and the BBC, where audiences have reached 25 million viewers. But everyone can enjoy it live here in Yorkshire. Yorkshire has seven clubs in the county playing top class rugby league: Bradford Bulls, Castleford Tigers, Huddersfield Giants, Hull FC, Hull KR, Wakefield Wildcats and Leeds Rhinos, meaning that half the teams currently competing in the Super League are from Yorkshire. Leeds and Bradford have been two of the most successful teams since Super League kicked off in 1996. Rugby League has an excellent reputation as a family game with several generations often attending games together. Children are kept entertained at the various grounds by the teams' mascots as well as specially planned activities aimed at keeping the younger fans happy. If you're an absolute beginner to the game the rules are easier to pick up than you would think and, once you have got to grips with the basics, working out exactly what's going on is all part of the fun. With 13 players a side, and up to 12 changes allowed per side, things move pretty fast! Home games generally kick off around 8pm on Friday or 3pm on Sundays, for a fast and furious start or finish to the weekend!     Bradford Bulls Bradford Bulls have been a revelation in the Super League, having enjoyed stunning success including a clean sweep of all the major rugby league honours in 2003, with Super League, the Challenge Cup and the World Club Championship among the spoils. The Bulls also scooped the Super League in 1997, 2001, 2003 and 2005, the Challenge Cup in 2000 and 2003, and the World Club Challenge in 2002, 2004 and 2006. Bradford Bulls have not been at the top of their form in the last season or two, but are still a massive presence and among the biggest draws in the game. They have a knack of producing great talent, such as current young British superstar Sam Burgess, who recently made a big money move to Australia, and England captain Jamie Peacock, now with the Rhinos. Bradford Bulls' home, the Provident Stadium (formerly Odsal Stadium), is a multi-sport venue just south of Bradford city centre, which has been their home ground since 1934, and in 1954 saw one of the largest attendances for a rugby game of all time, at over 102,000.   Castleford Tigers Founder Super League members, Castleford Tigers; enjoy lots of nicknames, and even more success! The club known as 'Cas', 'Cas Tigers' or 'Classy Cas', were also known as 'The Glassblowers', traditionally the trade of many supporters. But they're not just a pretty name! The Tigers, famous for their attractive and stylish rugby, have won the prestigious Challenge Cup four times, the Yorkshire Cup five times, and twice been crowned National League Champions. Castleford's top rivalry is against neighbouring Wakefield Wildcats, although they also enjoy fierce competition with Leeds Rhinos, Hull KR and Bradford Bulls, not to mention St Helens from across the border in Lancashire! The Tigers' home since 1927 has been the appropriately named 'Jungle' on Wheldon Road, a short walk from the town centre, although 'Cas' will soon be found at a new state-of-the-art community sports complex currently in development but due to be ready for new season.   Huddersfield Giants Huddersfield Giants play their home games at the John Smith's Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C. The Giants finished 1st in the 2013 league winning the league leaders shield, however they were knocked out in the first round of the play offs. Huddersfield is also on


The third of her name of the annals of the Royal Navy, which aircraft carrier was sunk by a German U-Boat in the Mediterranean in November 1941?

Aircraft carrier warfare, World War 2 Europe 10th                   - Germany invaded Holland, Belgium,                   Luxembourg Norwegian                  Campaign - The Allies had evacuated central                 Norway, but continued to build up forces for the                 attack                 on Narvik in the north. By the 23rd carriers “Furious” and “Glorious” had flown ashore the first modern RAF fighters. JUNE                  1940 Europe Norwegian                  Campaign - At the end of the evacuation, fleet                 carrier “GLORIOUS” (below) and escorting                 destroyers “ACASTA” and “ARDENT” sailed for                 Britain independently                 of the other withdrawing forces. West of Lofoten                 Islands                 on the 8th they met the 11in gun battlecruisers “Scharnhorst” and “Gneisenau” sailing                 to attack suspected Allied shipping off Harstad.                 The                 British ships were soon overwhelmed and sunk,                 but not                 before “Acasta” hit “Scharnhorst” with a                 torpedo. Few of the Royal                 Navy crews survived.  13th - Five days                 after the sinking of “Glorious”, aircraft from carrier “Ark Royal” attacked the damaged “Scharnhorst” in Trondheim                 but to little effect. Mediterranean 10th                  - Italy Declared War on Britain and                  France Mediterranean                       Naval                       Strengths - The Western                      Mediterranean was                      primarily the responsibility of the                      French Navy - although British                      reinforcements could soon be                      dispatched from the                      Home Fleet as shortly happened. The                      Eastern                      Mediterranean was in the hands of the                      Mediterranean Fleet and a small French                      squadron                      based at Alexandria. It was up to strength                      in major units but still weak in                      cruisers,                      destroyers and submarines when                      compared with the                      Italian Navy. This was partly offset                      by the                      presence                      of carrier “Eagle” to accompany                      battleships “Malaya”, “Ramillies”, “Royal                      Sovereign” and “Warspite”. The                      large Italian fleet was mainly based                      in the                      Mediterranean, but had no                      carriers. 12th -The                 Mediterranean Fleet with “Warspite”, “Malaya”,                 carrier “Eagle”, cruisers and destroyers sailed from Alexandria                 for a                 sweep against Italian shipping in the Eastern                 Mediterranean. South of Crete, light cruiser “CALYPSO” was


In which city of South America would you find the neighbourhood of Ipanema?

Ipanema is hot: In Rio de Janeiro, this neighbourhood is the place to be for après-Olympic action | National Post Ipanema is hot: In Rio de Janeiro, this neighbourhood is the place to be for après-Olympic action StumbleUpon From where I stand, high above Rio , the city of six million spreads out in a patchwork of red-roofed, hilltop favelas, grids of urban streets, and 90 kilometres of white sand beaches along Guanabara Bay and the open Atlantic. Looming directly above me is the huge art deco statue of Christ the Redeemer, whose outstretched left arm gestures toward the Maracanã Stadium, home to major events in Rio’s impending Summer Olympics (Aug. 5-21). The statue’s right arm gestures toward the city’s Ipanema district, famed for its beach, its bronzed, tanga-clad women, and its cultural and culinary pleasures. It’s the “in” place to be based for any exploration of South America’s most famous city. A lot has changed since 1962 when Heloisa Pinto, then 17, passed Veloso Bar-Café on her way to Rio’s Ipanema Beach and was observed by the aging poet, Vinícius de Moraes, who had often watched the blond teenager pass. Her vitality and youth made him sad – for he understood her attractive qualities would, in time, fade. Just as his already had. So he wrote the celebrated song: The Girl from Ipanema. Knowing this backstory, it seemed fitting I begin my Ipanema travels by pursuing the legend of the old poet and beautiful girl. I sat at the same sidewalk café where Moraes once sat, where the restaurant sign above my head now reads Garota de Ipanema (Girl from Ipanema) and the adjacent street sign reads Rua Vinícius de Moreas – commemorating the creator of one of the world’s most famous songs. The cobblestone sidewalks of Ipanema carry an ever-changing story. Today, there are beach-bound, tanned and tattooed men with surfboards; women in stilettos and diaphanous, scarf-like kangas tied over bikinis; and vendors lugging their fried chicken or kites – all moving with a loose-limbed Latin insouciance, as if nothing matters more than a day parading and playing in the sun. For those in the know, the beach is divided into numbered lifeguard posts. The Posto 9 area, located at the end of Rua Moraes, is for the most toned and least clad, and where the city’s gay contingent hangs out. Not far away are unofficial zones for marijuana smokers – it’s illegal – and surfers at Posto 8. Sportsloving, foot-volleyball players can be found at Posto 10. And add hundreds of rollerbladers and cyclists on beachside Avenue Vieira Souto – which is closed on Sundays to vehicular traffic – and one gets a sense, as I did while riding a rented bicycle, of the extraordinary variety of Brazilian skin colours, revealing apparel, and musical busking that Cariocas – the name for residents of Rio – display. It felt as if I were pedalling through a human kaleidoscope, to the sound of a hip-hop tinged, bossa nova backbeat. On the northern flank of Ipanema lies Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, a quiet urban lagoon that provides an antidote to the preening and athleticism of the district’s twokilometre stretch of ocean beach. One can rent bicycles and fourwheeled, dual-pedalled quadricycles for a seven-kilometre circuit of the tree-lined lake. Or rent pedalboats – shaped like oversized bathtub ducks – and be, with a couple of powerful fermented sugarcane/lime caipirinhas drinks in the picnic basket, captain of the lagoon. Or one could, as I did, head to the nearby heliport and ascend to an aerial vantage point above various Olympic sites. You can wave at passengers on the Sugarloaf Mountain gondolas, cruise above Ipanema Beach and its pointillist carpet of umbrellas and people, and end up head-high to Christ the Redeemer with a ghostly late afternoon moon rising to the north over Guanabara Bay. It’s a short walk from the lagoon to Jardim Botânico, Rio’s 137-hectare botanical garden that holds, with its 9,000 species, one of the world’s most extraordinary collections of plants. Cicadas drill in the park’s 1,000 species of trees. An octagonal Orchidarium houses thousands of ar


Buckland Abbey in Devon was the home of which famous 16th century English seaman?

The Garden Buckland Abbey The Garden Buckland Abbey was the home of Tudor England’s most infamous seaman, Sir Francis Drake . Drake was born sometime in the early 1540s at Crowndale, Devon and rose from humble farming beginnings to become one of England’s most famous seafarers. He was revered in England as a heroic commander and adventurer and feared and detested by the Spanish as an unscrupulous pirate. He bought Buckland Abbey with his share of plunder after his circumnavigation of the globe from 1577-80. Buckland Abbey remained in his family until the 1940s, when a fire caused severe damage to the home it was gifted to the National Trust. Buckland Abbey’s gardens have been reconstructed in a late medieval style. A Tudor garden has been recreated on the north side of the abbey, replacing an ancient and much loved line of yews that had succumbed to root disease. Four beds, one of lavender, one of rosemary and two full of old varieties vegetables surround a circular pool and fountain. The borders are full of bright and aromatic plants that fit in with the abbey setting including old irises, columbines, peonies and delphiniums. Beyond this is a medieval meadow garden that was the height of fashion during the medieval times of the Cistercian monks. Ragged robin, ox-eyed daisies and other plants were firmly established in the soil, then, a carefully selected grass was laid. A cut is made once a year in September after the flowers have shed their seeds. The long grass is full of wild tulips, narcissis, scabious, musk mallow, poppies and other wild flowers. The cuttings are removed because most wild flowers prefer a low fertility of soil and traditionally these cuttings would have been used to feed cattle and herbs. Grass cuttings were also spread on the floors of building, when it became dirty a new layer was strewn down over the top. The mead attracts admiral and tortoiseshell butterflies and the dark dagger and elephant hawk moths, among other moths and butterflies. Behind the massive Cistercian barn is an extensive herb garden planted with the aid of the famous twentieth century garden designer Vita Sackville-West. Fifty-two beds edged with neatly clipped box are packed with a wide variety of herbs grown not only for their medicinal values, but also for their gorgeous smells and appearance. The rest of the grounds were overgrown with huge trees at the beginning of the twentieth century, which have now been cut down and made into a vast lawn. Some magnificent traditional English trees still remain overlooking the lawns. Efforts have been made to introduce and cultivate plants that were introduced to England during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries in the herbaceous borders, linking back to the time of Buckland Abbey’s most famous and boldest sea-faring owner. Drake died at sea on the 28th January 1596 and was buried in a lead coffin just off Porto Bello. Among the many artefacts at Buckland Abbey, his drum is the most unique. It is said that when England is in danger of being invaded Drake’s drum will beat, recalling him to save the nation.


What was the name of the tea-lady played by Julie Walters in Victoria Wood's spoof soap opera Acorn Antiques?

Victoria Wood - Buy, Rent, and Watch Movies & TV on Flixster Victoria Wood Birthplace Prestwich, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, England, UK Bio: Victoria Wood OBE (born 19 May 1953 in Prestwich Village, Lancashire) is a BAFTA award winning English comedian, actor, singer and writer, educated at Bury Grammar Girls' School. Wood has written and starred in sketches, plays, films and sitcoms, and her live stand-up comedy act is interspersed with her own compositions, which she accompanies on piano. Much of her…  More Bio: Victoria Wood OBE (born 19 May 1953 in Prestwich Village, Lancashire) is a BAFTA award winning English comedian, actor, singer and writer, educated at Bury Grammar Girls' School. Wood has written and starred in sketches, plays, films and sitcoms, and her live stand-up comedy act is interspersed with her own compositions, which she accompanies on piano. Much of her humour is grounded in everyday life, and abounds with references to popular British media and even brand names of quintessentially British products. She is noted for her skills in observing culture, and in satirising classes. She started her career in 1974 by winning the ATV talent show New Faces. It wasn't until the 1980s though that she began to establish herself as a comedy star, with award-winning television series such as Victoria Wood As Seen On TV and becoming one of Britain's most popular stand-up comedians. In 1999, she wrote and starred in the (again, award-winning) sitcom dinnerladies. In 2006, she won two BAFTA awards for her one-off drama for ITV1, Housewife, 49. Wood frequently uses a string of associated actors in some of her output. These include Julie Walters, Duncan Preston and Celia Imrie. Wood began her showbusiness career as an undergraduate, appearing on the TV talent show New Faces while studying drama at the University of Birmingham. This led to her appearance in a sketch show featuring the winners of that series, The Summer Show. Her first big break was as a novelty act on the BBC's consumer affairs programme That's Life! in 1976. Wood had first met long-term collaborator Julie Walters in the early 1970s, when Wood applied for Manchester Polytechnic, and coincidentally met up once more when they appeared together in the same theatre revue, In At The Death, in 1978 (for which Wood wrote a brief sketch). Its success led to the commission of Wood's first play, Talent (also 1978), starring Hazel Kline (in a role which had been written for Walters), and which won Wood an award for Most Promising New Writer, the first of many. Peter Eckersley, the then-head of drama at Granada Television, saw Talent and immediately invited Wood to create a television adaptation. This time Julie Walters starred as the lead role which had been written for her, as well as Wood reprising her stage role. The success of the television version of Talent led to Wood writing the "follow-up", Nearly A Happy Ending. Shortly afterwards, a third Granada play was written and filmed: Happy Since I Met You, again with Walters alongside Duncan Preston as the male lead. During 1980 she also wrote and starred in the stage play Good Fun. Recognising her talent, Eckersley offered Wood a sketch show, though Wood was unsure of the project; she only agreed to go ahead with the programme if Walters received equal billing. Eckersley came up with the obvious title Wood and Walters, and the dry run of the show (the pilot episode) was filmed. The programme was arranged to be made into a full series, and went onto co-star Duncan Preston and a cast of other supporting actors. However, in between the filming of the pilot and the series, Eckersley died. Wood cites Eckersley as giving her her first big break, and feels that Wood and Walters suffered due to his death. She was not impressed by Brian Armstrong, the emergency fill-in for Eckersley, and was of the opinion that he hired unsuitable supporting actors. Wood left Granada in 1984 for the BBC, who promised Wood more creative control over projects. Later that year, Wood's sketch show Victoria Wood As Seen On TV wen


Which precious stone, currently housed at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington DC, is beleived to be the second most-visited artwork in the world?

DC Metro Magazine, Aug. 2014 - Sep. 2014 by John Parisi - issuu August â€“ September, 2014 Celebrating Our Most Famous Flag DCMetroMagazine.com @DCMetroMagazine SAVE $5 www.madametussauds.com/washington 1001 F Street NW, Washington, D.C 20004 • 1-866-823-9565 Metro: Red, Blue, Orange Line – Exit Metro Center – 11th and G Streets NW Red, Green, Yellow Line – Exit Gallery Place – 9th and G Streets NW Present this at the time of purchase and receive $5 Off an Adult Admission Ticket. Discount is not valid for advance ticket purchases and cannot be combined with any other offers. Valid up to 8 guests. The images shown depict wax figures created and owned by Madame Tussauds. All figures appear in wax. Madame Tussauds reserves the right to remove and/or change figures in the attraction. On occasion, Madame Tussauds may close for special events. Please call ahead for updates. exp 12/31/14 code V547 August – September, 2014 Dc Metro 3 In This Iss u e S ta f f F e at u r e s Publisher & Editor John Parisi Design & Layout Chris Mahon Events Editor Kathleen McDonough Alexandria Editor Kathleen McDonough Dining Editor Lisa Shapiro Contributing Writers Gabby Birkman Amy Trotter Houston Beth Kanter Kathleen Landrum Kathleen McDonough Account Executives Richard Mundy Rosalind Smith John Parisi Social Media Editor Erica Moody EDITORIAL AND WEBSITE INTERN JAMES MIESSLER CAP Media, Inc. PO Box 2356 Springfield, VA 22152 Issue 0603 All rights reserved. Reproduction of any material within the publication is strictly prohibited without the written consent of the publisher. Single copy $3.75. While every precaution is taken to ensure the accuracy of information herein, CAP Media, Inc. assumes no responsibility for losses incurred due to inaccurate information. CAP Media, Inc., 2356 Springfield, VA 22152 (703) 455-9223. Published 6 times per year. Events & Theater Sections Capital Wheel National Harbor Welcome to Washington, DC, One of the Most Popular Destinations in the World! W ith 16 million people flocking to DC annually, both visitors and locals alike know that this is a city steeped in history—and history in the making. This is the place to explore the best of our country’s historic landmarks, inspiring monuments and the many museums housing the artifacts that tell the story of a nation. But there’s even more to enjoy when you’re in DC. In addition to the area’s expected attractions and activities, in August and September visitors will be thrilled to find that the quintessential summer activities abound. Music in the fresh air is a staple of the season, with opportunities to enjoy just about every genre at outdoor venues all around the DC-Metro. And movies under the stars are another favorite summer tradition, with films offered “al fresco” in several neighborhoods. Even better, all film series and most concerts are FREE! 6 53 Shopping But these aren’t the only ways to embrace summer in the area. With the debut of the spectacular Capitol Wheel —offering incomparable views from 180 feet above the Potomac River—National Harbor has added a new regional icon to its expansive roster of world-class outdoor activities, many FREE of charge, that promise an unforgettable All-American experience. In addition to the Wheel, visitors can enjoy the 36-foot Americana-themed Carousel, a crab and beer fest, dragon boat races, fireworks and dancing fountain shows, even performances by the worldrenowned Cirque du Soleil under the striped big top. And be ready to get out your red, white and blue for a second time this summer in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 and the penning of our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner”. Cannonfire and fireworks will pepper the conclusion of bicentennial celebrations throughout the area, culminating in the 10-day Star-Spangled Spectacular in Baltimore that will feature tall ships, air shows by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, live broadcast concert at the Inner Harbor and a fireworks and light show at Ft. McHenry that is predicted to be a record-setting, jaw-dropping spectacle! So brea


What is the more common name for the Moorland shrub known as ling?

Moorland Species: Peak District National Park Conservation Status: No conservation designation Where to see: Moorlands rich in bilberry in the South West Peak When to see: May to September A medium-sized species which emerges in early spring, the bilberry bumblebee has bright yellow bands on the thorax and red hairs on the abdomen.  This species is associated with upland areas above 300m altitude, feeding on bilberry, trefoils, clover and heather.  They nest on or below the ground, often using old animal burrows.  The bilberry bumblebee, like many of our bee species is in decline. BOG ASPHODEL Scientific Name: Narthecium ossifragumDistribution: LocalisedConservation Status: No conservation designationWhere to see: Can be seen in road verges on the Warslow Estate in the South West PeakWhen to see: Flowers June to August A member of the lily family, the sulphur-yellow flower spikes of bog asphodel can be seen in peat bogs, wet heaths and flushes in early summer.  The flowers appear from June to August, followed by orange egg-shaped fruits in the autumn.  A range of pollinating insects are attracted by the bright showy flowers. COMMON LIZARD Conservation Status: Protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act Where to see: Many locations, particular concentration on the Eastern Moors When to see: Warm days in spring and summer As the name implies common lizards are widely distributed in the UK.  They can be found almost anywhere from gardens, heathland, wooded glades, disused railway tracks, open meadows to the banks of ditches and along hedgerows.  In spring the males and females bask in the open to absorb the heat from the sun.  They will often use a stone, log or grass tussock close to cover for basking.  Not to be confused with newts which hide in thick grass or under logs and do not bask in the sun. COTTONGRASSES Scientific Name: Eriophorum angustifolium (common cottongrass); Eriophorum vaginatum (hare’s-tail cottongrass) Distribution: Widespread in suitable habitats Conservation Status: No conservation designation Where to see: Good displays in boggy areas on Bleaklow and Kinder When to see: Flowers April to June Appearing like tufts of cotton wool swaying in the breeze, there are two species of cottongrass in the Peak District: common cottongrass and hare’s-tail cottongrass.  Both species can be found growing in blanket bog and wet heath areas.  Hare’s-tail cottongrass forms tussocks and its flowers consist of a single spikelet, whereas common cottongrass flowers form in groups of 3 to 7 spikelets.  Not actually a grass at all this is a member of the sedge family. GREEN HAIRSTREAK Conservation Status: No conservation designation Where to see: Heyden Clough, Lantern Pike other moorlands When to see: May to June This butterfly is one of the earliest species to emerge in the Peak District and the only one that is more common in moorland areas than elsewhere.  It is widely distributed across the Dark Peak where it favours sheltered cloughs and slopes that contain a good growth of its main larval food plant, bilberry.  It can also be found along moorland roads and lanes with a narrow fringe of dense bilberry and where south-facing drystone walls provide a warm microclimate.  Where bilberry is absent, green hairstreaks may be found on gorse, sometimes on isolated patches of bushes in areas of heavily grazed grass.  It has been recorded up to 500m, though it is usually seen at lower altitudes.  Green hairstreaks also occur in the limestone dales of the White Peak, but in much smaller numbers.  Alternative food plants there include common rock rose and bird’s foot trefoil. GOLDEN PLOVER Conservation Status: Species of European conservation concern Where to see: Upland moors and bogs, Upper Derwent Valley When to see: Summer months The golden plover breeds on upland heathland and blanket bog, where they are associated with areas of short vegetation.  A major food source comes from craneflies or ‘daddy long-legs’ which also inhabit the wetter areas of the moorlands.  Populations of cranefly are at risk from the drying effects


Which New Zealand-born scientist is credited with being the first to 'split the atom'?

Famous Scientists -Biography Online About Famous Scientists Biographies of famous scientists throughout the ages. This list of scientists includes Aristotle, Leonardo Da Vinci, Galileo to modern day scientists, such as Einstein, Tesla and James Watson. Hippocrates  (460 – 377 BC) – Hippocrates was a great doctor of ancient Greece. His pioneering techniques of health care, significantly improved survival rates and he has became the father of modern medicine. His Hippocratic oath is still sworn by medical practitioners today . Aristotle (384 – 322 BC)  Greek scientist who made many researches in the natural sciences including botany, zoology, physics, astronomy, chemistry, and meteorology, geometry. His prolific output was a major impact on the study of science in the West. Euclid (c. 325 – 265 BC) Greek mathematician. Euclid is often referred to as the ‘father of modern geometry.’ His book ‘Elements‘ provided the basis of mathematics into the Twentieth Century. Archimedes (287  – 212 BC) Greek polymath Amongst other things Archimedes worked out Pi and developed the Archimedes screw for lifting up water from mines or wells. Leonardo Da Vinci (1452 – 1519) Italian artist and renaissance man. Da Vinci made many scientific discoveries and inventions. Da Vinci was so far ahead of his time, some of his contributions were not actually used. Nicholas Copernicus (1473- 1543) Polish scientist. A Renaissance mathematician and astronomer who formulated a heliocentric view of the universe.  His book On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres (1543) was one of the major moments of the Scientific Revolution. 17th Century Scientists Francis Bacon (1561 –  1626) English philosopher, statesman and scientist. Bacon is considered the father of empiricism for his work and advocacy of scientific method and methodical scientific inquiry in investigating scientific phenomena. Galileo (1564 – 1642)  Italian scientist. Created one of the first modern telescopes, Galileo revolutionised our understanding of the world supporting the work of Copernicus. His work Two New Sciences laid ground work for science of Kinetics and strength of materials. Johannes Kepler  (1571 – 1630) German mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer. Kepler is best known for his laws of planetary motion. He formed a key figure in the 17th Century Scientific Revolution. 18th Century Scientists Antonie van Leeuwenhoe (1632 – 1723) Dutch scientist and trader.  Leeuwenhoe is considered the father of micro-biology for his work in discovering single celled organisms, and also observing muscle fibres, blood flow and bacteria. He developed the microscope which helped his own discoveries. Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1726) English scientist. Newton made studies in mathematics, optics, physics, and astronomy. In his Principia Mathematica, published in 1687, he laid the foundations for classical mechanics, explaining the law of gravity and the Laws of Motion. John Harrison (1693 – 1776) English clockmaker and inventor of measuring longitude. James Watt (1736 – 1819) Scottish engineer. Watt improved the Newcomen steam engine creating an efficient steam engine, which was essential for the industrial revolution. Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier  (1743 –  1794) French Chemist and Nobleman. Considered the ‘Father of Chemistry’ Lavoisier discovered hydrogen and Oxygen, and showed the role of Oxygen in combustion. He also made the first comprehensive list of Table of elements. He was guillotined shortly after the French Revolution. Scientists 19th Century Charles Babage (1791 – 1871) – English inventor of the first mechanical computers. Babage is considered the ‘father of computers’ for his pioneering work on mechanical computers. Michael Faraday (1791 – 1867) – English scientist who contributed in fields of electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism, electrolysis and electro-chemistry. Discovered Carbon and Chlorine. Edward Jenner (1749 – 1823) English pioneer of smallpox vaccine. Jenner’s breakthrough also enabled many other vaccines to be developed. Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882) English scientist. Develo


Which American model's ten year old daughter has made her own modelling debut recently for Young Versace?

Pamela Anderson bares all for last Playboy nude issue Dec 04, 2015 23:48 Pamela Anderson is the last person to pose nude for Playboy magazine, closing a more than 60-year tradition that has seen women ranging from Madonna to Kim Kardashian and Cindy Crawford strip off for the glossy men’s publication. read more Cindy Crawford can't wait to reconnect with 'wonderful country' India Jun 11, 2015 17:47 American supermodel Cindy Crawford, who is coming to Mumbai in June to celebrate her 20-year association with luxury watch brand Omega, says she has fond memories of riding elephants when she last visited India over 15 years ago. Now, she can\'t wait... read more When Cindy Crawford ended up in bed with George Clooney Mar 19, 2015 17:56 Gerber added that Crawford, who thought she had seen her husband passed out on the bed with motorcycle boots still on, got into bed and started rubbing his back and then he turned round, \"only it wasn\'t me. It was George.\" read more Why blame celebrities for their love of airbrushing? Feb 28, 2015 15:54 We all like to exert control over our image, so why blame celebrities for their love of airbrushing? read more Cindy Crawford's stunning un-retouched bikini pic is real and gorgeous Feb 17, 2015 01:14 An apparent unaltered photo of Cindy Crawford is circulating the internet (but not for reasons you might expect) and stirring discussion about beauty, how women are portrayed in the media and what “real” women look like. read more George Clooney throws engagement bash for superstar friends May 13, 2014 13:19 Hollywood actor George Clooney, who recently got engaged to British lawyer Amal Alamuddin, hosted a party on Sunday for his superstar friends in Malibu. read more Yesterday's fashion flaws are today's draws Sep 11, 2013 01:11 We have been a fashion journalist for more than two decades, yet one of the things I abhor about the industry is its very name. Fashion means the decree that a particular look is in vogue and is thus dismissive of anything else. read more Cannes Festival rocked as Chopard jewels are stolen May 18, 2013 10:50 Jewellery worth $1.4 million due to be loaned to stars at the Cannes Film Festival was stolen from a local hotel in a pre-dawn heist on Friday but the coveted Palme d\'Or trophy was safe, officials said. read more Glam slam May 17, 2013 19:16 Here’s our take on the stars who hit the red carpet on Day 1 of the Cannes Film Festival read more Kate Moss to star in new George Michael music video Jul 14, 2012 14:39 A series of cryptic tweets from George Michael has revealed supermodel Kate Moss will appear in his latest music video, over 20 years after she missed out on starring in his Freedom! \'90 clip. read more Cindy Crawford feels jealous of daughter Mar 14, 2012 01:22 Cindy Crawford has confessed that she feels a little jealous of her daughter Kaia Gerber\'s looks. The former supermodel also said Kaia is getting more and more beautiful. read more Halle Berry launches new line of shoes Jan 28, 2012 19:14 Halle Berry, who already has her own fragrance, has now launched her own line of shoes. The ‘5ths Avenue by Halle Berry’ collection, designed for German retailer Deichmann Shoes, comes six months after Cindy Crawford posed with her own range of Deichmann... read more Cindy Crawford’s daughter models at just 10 Jan 19, 2012 13:03 Cindy Crawford’s ten-year-old daughter has made her modeling debut this week in a new ad for Versace’s children’s line. What\'s interesting is that she looks several years older! PIC INSIDE read more


What's another popular name for the wood anemone?

Anemones: Wood Anemones Anemones (continued) Wood Anemones Actually these anemones don't have bulbs, they have rhizomes. These rhizomes look sort of like long, thin brown or black carrots, which you plant sideways. However, they do the job, so don't worry. If you have a damp, shady spot in your garden that couldn't grow anything decent, Wood Anemones are the answer to your prayer. These are among the few spring flowers which actually prefer shade (or, at least, partial shade) to full sun. So, rejoice, and plant Wood Anemones! As with the Grecian Windflowers, Wood Anemones are also very long-blooming: they last for about 4 - 6 weeks, and they naturalize (come back year after year and multiply) very easily. Wood Anemones aren't as showy as Grecian Windflowers. Their colours are pastels, rather than jewel tones. In addition, Wood Anemones are not commercially available everywhere. However, considering that they are another "Plant and Forget" candidate, they are well worth searching for.


In which part of Europe was Rugby League football banned between 1940 and 1944?

Rugby Reloaded — Tony Collins Whatever it was, it wasn't a field goal... October 31, 2016 There's been some dispute about whether Shaun Johnson's match-winning drop-goal for New Zealand against England at Huddersfield on Saturday was actually a goal . Whether it went between the posts or not, it certainly wasn't a 'field goal', as claimed in the Guardian . The 'field goal' had a long history in rugby. It was a specific type of goal in which a rolling ball on the ground was hacked over the bar and between the posts. It was always controversial because it was usually scored more by luck than by skill. But by the end of the nineteenth century the game had moved on from the wild kicking that was sometimes a feature of early rugby and the field goal had become almost extinct. Rugby Union's International Board abolished it in March 1905, coincidentally a month before the last field goal was scored in a major rugby league match, when Hull KR centre Billy Phipps kicked one in Rovers' 1905 Challenge Cup semi-final win over Broughton Rangers. It didn't completely disappear from league. The 1922-23 RFL Official Guide notes that a query had been raised the previous season about whether a goal could be scored by a player kicking a loose ball over the cross bar and between the posts. The RFL ruled that it would be counted as a field goal. (Interestingly, in the summer of 1922 the RFL had abolished the 'goal from a mark' whereby a player could catch the ball, make a mark and then kick a drop goal.) It wasn't until 1950 that the Rugby Football League - acknowledged at that time as the final arbiter of all rule disputes - finally struck  the field goal from the rule book. But in Australia a field goal meant a drop goal. This anomaly was raised on the 1954 Lions tour of Australia by the managers of the tourists, Hector Rawson and Tom Hesketh. They discussed the matter at an Australian Board of Control meeting in Sydney on 11 June 1954. The minutes of the meeting state that: ‘The RFL wrote advising that attention had been drawn to the fact that in a recent match played in Sydney the total of one side was made up of four tries, three goals and a field-goal. When the the laws of the game were re-written several years ago, the field-goal was abolished and it is now stated quite definitely that a goal can only be scored from a conversion of a try, from a penalty goal and from a dropped goal. It would appear that perhaps the press had referred to the latter as a field goal. It was decided that it was the considered opinion of the Board that a field-goal represents a dropped goal from the field of play and we are of the opinion that no great harm would come from people referring to a drop kick by a player going over the cross bar and between the posts, as a field-goal. (proposed by SG Ball and Ron McAuliife)’. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this wasn't good enough for RFL secretary Bill Fallowfield. He complained about Australian terminology at an RFL Council meeting on 12 November 1954:’The Secretary reported that it had come to his notice that the field-goal i.e. the kicking of a loose ball over the cross bar, was still allowed in Australia and New Zealand. It was agreed unanimously that the attention of Australia and New Zealand be drawn to the fact that the field-goal was deleted from the laws of the game when they were rewritten in 1950’. This difference in terminology for a drop-kicked goal existed well before it was raised by the British tour managers. On the 1946 Lions tour many of the match programmes for games in the country areas carried a description of the rules of the game, 'Helpful Hints to those on the Touchline', which stated that 'a player can drop kick a field-goal while play is in progress and his team is awarded two points’. It's unclear why a drop-goal became known as a field-goal in Australia, but it has become fashionable in British league to use the Australian term. But it's terminologically incorrect. It’s unlikely that the term has been borrowed from American football, where the NFL categorised drop-kicked goals separately fr


Who hosted this year's Golden Globes award ceremony for the third year in a row?

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's best Golden Globes moments - NY Daily News Golden Globes 2015: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's best award show moments Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's best Golden Globes moments Comedy duo Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are hosting the Golden Globes this Sunday for the third year in a row. (Paul Drinkwater/ASSOCIATED PRESS) Friday, January 9, 2015, 6:00 AM Tina Fey and Amy Poehler go together like Leonardo DiCaprio and supermodels. The dynamic comedy duo are back hosting the Golden Globes for the third year in a row Sunday live on NBC. But while the ceremony will be a celebration of TV, movies and red carpet fashion, all eyes -- and ears -- will be on two of TV's most hysterically funny actresses who have been best friends since "Saturday Night Live." The best and worst Golden Globes dresses of all time Whether they're mocking former hosts like Ricky Gervais claiming he's "no longer in show business," or dissing fellow A-Listers like Taylor Swift and George Clooney, here are some of the unfiltered dream team's best Golden Globes moments: Fey didn't spare a minute to diss "Wolf of Wall Street" award winner DiCaprio when she introduced the 2014 Golden Globes by saying, "And now, like a supermodel's vagina, let's all give a warm welcome to Leonardo DiCaprio." Poehler referred to Tom Hanks as an "American treasure" before purposely mispronouncing his name "Tam Honks" when congratulating all of the actors, including Lupita Nyong'o, who were nominated last year. They said Alfonso Cuaron's "Gravity" was "the story of how George Clooney would rather float away into space and die than spend one more minute with a woman his own age." The pair called Matt Damon -- who was nominated for Best Actor for playing Liberace's (Michael Douglas) young lover in "Behind the Candelabra" -- a "garbage person" next to fellow nominees like Al Pacino. In 2013, Fey took a dig at Taylor Swift onstage , telling her, "You stay away from Michael J. Fox's son!" -- suggesting Swift should stop dating so much. The 'Parks & Recreation' star shares a smooch with Bono after winning a Golden Globe for Best Comedic Television Actress last year. (NBC)


What was the name of the government payment that was replaced in 1975 by 'Child Benefit'?

Where it all started « Policy « Child Benefit Government Committees Child Benefit and Guardian's Allowance: Where it all started Child benefit was phased in from 1977 to 1979 by Labour, replacing family allowances and child tax allowances. Child tax allowances Child tax allowances were first introduced in 1798, though they were abolished again in 1805. They were reintroduced in 1909. The amounts related to the age of the child. They were limited to taxpayers (working people) and were worth even more to higher rate taxpayers. Family allowances Family allowances were the subject of a White Paper in 1942, but there was disagreement among Labour and Conservative politicians about the way they should be implemented. The Beveridge Report , written by the civil servant William Beveridge, proposed an allowance of eight shillings per week for all children, which graduated according to age. It was to be non-contributory and funded by general taxation. After some debate, the Family Allowances Bill was enacted in June 1945. The act provided for a flat rate payment funded directly from taxation. The recommended eight shillings a week was reduced to five shillings, and family allowance became a subsidy, rather than a subsistence payment as Beveridge had envisaged. You can find further details on the Beveridge Report on the national archives website. Family allowances were introduced in 1946, with the first payments being made on 6 August. At that time, they were only paid for the second child onwards, a further watering down of Beveridge’s scheme. In 1952, the Conservative government reduced food subsidy, which had been in place since the war. From October 1952, family allowance was increased by three shillings per week in order to advance the potential effect on nutrition. As a means of encouraging families to keep children in education, the Family Allowances Act of 1956 extended the family allowance to all school children, although the bread subsidy was abolished. In 1961, Cabinet agreed that the majority of apprentices be excluded from the family allowance provisions, but dismissed proposals that family allowance for the second child be abolished. Family allowance provisions therefore remained intact in the Family Allowances and National Insurance Act of 1962. Believing family allowance was not widely supported among its constituency, the Labour government of 1964 was unenthusiastic about the issue. However, in 1966, pressure groups (especially the Child Poverty Action Group) forced it to address family allowance. Cabinet debated the respective merits of an increase in the existing family allowance, or a new means-tested family supplement that was supported by the Chancellor, James Callaghan. Following the Conservative electoral victory in 1970, Sir Keith Joseph introduced Family Income Supplement (FIS). It was designed to replace further increases in family allowance with a means-tested supplement for the poorest families, and was in some ways similar to the scheme devised by Callaghan under Labour. There was a low take-up rate of FIS, which proved unpopular, especially as it was accompanied by the withdrawal of subsidised milk for children. Child benefit Back in power, Labour had originally intended to merge family allowances and child tax allowances in the new benefit called child benefit in the mid 1970s, but under financial pressure decided to abandon these plans. Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) was instrumental in ‘changing their minds’ and in 1975 the child benefit bill was enacted. The bill replaced family allowance with a benefit for each child, which was paid to the mothers. The act was not implemented immediately because of the economic crisis of the mid-1970s. Eventually, child benefit was phased in from 1977 to 1979. In 1984, there was a major social security review, announced by the Conservative government and leading to a Social Security Act in 1986, with a new system being introduced in 1988. Many supporters of child benefit believed that it might be abolished, means-tested, or taxed. CPAG was the catalyst behind


London transport changed the name of tube station 'Gillespie Road' in the 1930's to what?

London Underground History - Cut and Cover Disused Stations Renamed Stations Over the years, for various reasons, stations have taken on different names to the ones that are displayed on today's Underground map. This page attempts to list these stations and their past and present identities. Underground stations have changed names for various reasons over the years. Sometimes, the original surface location itself has gradually become known by a different name. With other stations, the surface location may have changed enough not to reflect the station's original name (e.g. Dover Street was renamed Green Park when the original surface access to the station changed to a different street when escalators were installed). Some stations also changed names when two original stations were merged into one, something that was relatively common in the early days when the lines were run by different competitive companies where their stations were very close to each other - but bore different names. For most stations, the earlier identities have been completely erased and the only way to discover their old names are through historical documents such as old maps. Other stations leave evidence that can prove puzzling to the modern traveler, such as Arsenal, where the original Gillespie Road name can clearly be seen fired into the tile pattern on the platforms. The list that follows lists all the stations that you'll find on today's Tube Map that have existed under different guises over the years. I'm hoping that this list is pretty much comprehensive. Present name


Which international association of environmental pressure groups was founded in North America by David Brower?

History of the Antinuclear Movement, Part 1 - Deregulate the Atom Deregulate the Atom History of the Antinuclear Movement, Part 1 by DV82XL The antinuclear movement has always been in flux, changing its ideology as needed to maintain its stand, regardless of the flow of events in the world. This in and of itself is telling, saying much about this movement, and the organizations that are a part of it. In part one of this two part essay we will cover the period between Hiroshima and Chernobyl, the work of the first generation of antinuclear militants. In part two we will see how the Movement has changed with the new generation, and how tactics, strategies, and objectives have changed. The public face of resistance to the development of nuclear power is the antinuclear movement and the militants that have kept it alive. While pronuclear supporters are convinced these people are delusional, there is little understanding of how this movement came about, and how it has changed over the last six decades. I believe that it is important that we understand the history of these groups to better understand the impact that they have had on the  public’s perceptions of nuclear matters, and how that impacts our efforts to promote the nuclear option. More to the point, they have succeeded in raising the price of nuclear power by forcing costs higher in several areas, which has scared off investors. Early objections to nuclear technology can be seen as developing in two distinct phases. The first phase centered around nuclear weapons, the second later stage against nuclear power stations. It is interesting to note, that while there were protests against testing nuclear weapons, and deploying nuclear weapons, there was little concern over nuclear power, and in fact this period also saw the construction of most of the plants operation to-day. While indeed there were local opposition to nuclear power stations in a few places, it was only after international agreement to limit the numbers, testing and deployment of nuclear weapon, and the signing of several treaties to this effect, did antinuclear focus shift in a major way. The Ban-the-Bomb Era The roots of the antinuclear movement are found in the Ban-the-Bomb movements of the 60’s and before when the public became concerned about fallout from nuclear weapons testing from about 1954, following an extensive series of tests in the Pacific. Manhattan Project scientist, some of whom had opposed the use of nuclear weapons during World War II, organized the Federation of Atomic Scientists (which later became the Federation of American Scientists) and the Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists, with Albert Einstein, Leo Szilard, and Eugene Rabinowitch playing leading roles in a crusade for nuclear disarmament. A burgeoning world government movement also warned of the menace of nuclear war, as did pacifist groups like the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the War Resisters League, and the Woman’s International League for Peace and Freedom. A Communist led antinuclear campaign, focused on the Stockholm peace petition, surfaced as well. With the Soviet Union’s development of its own atomic bomb in 1949, American policymakers became increasingly concerned that such a weapon could be used on the United States, and pressed for more powerful nuclear weapons. To facilitate this, propaganda was used to instill fear in the American public fueled by lurid stories about thermonuclear Armageddon, exaggerating the potential effects of fallout and radiation, and portraying a Soviet surprise nuclear attack as an ever-present threat that could occur at any time. Later talk of “missile gaps” would be added to the mix all towards cultivating the belief that the only way to prevent an attack was to have the capacity to ‘out gun’ any potential opponent.  Nuclear war was presented as a normative threat, long before the arsenals of any potential enemy were capable of effectively prosecuting nuclear attack, propaganda designed to promote elevated spending. However the fact was, even in 1961, the year John Kennedy became P


The Pleasure Garden, The Lodger and Blackmail are among the films of which British director?

Hitchcock: why people are still talking about silent movies | British Council Hitchcock: why people are still talking about silent movies Still from Alfred Hitchcock's directorial debut, 'The Pleasure Garden' © British Film Institute. In the biggest restoration project they have ever undertaken, the British Film Institute, a partner of the British Council, has restored nine of Alfred Hitchcock’s early silent movies. Made between 1925 and 1929, the films are among the greatest achievements of British silent film. Todd Hitchcock of the American Film Institute Silver Theatre explains their lasting appeal. For an art form that some might say is dead, silent films have sure enjoyed a long, lively, and lucrative afterlife. The Oscar-winning ‘The Artist’, a bittersweet homage to the silent film era, is only the most recent comeback of this unique interdisciplinary medium — the marriage of moving pictures and expressive music. Artists like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton are still internationally recognized icons in popular culture, with their silent films and comedic wizardry enjoyed by audiences and discovered by new ones decade after decade. As it did for many silent era stars, the coming of sound (“the talkies”) inhibited these performers’ well-honed talents and performance style. But some proved adept working in both silent and sound, with Alfred Hitchcock being among the foremost. Still an up-and-comer during the 1920s, having only recently been promoted through the ranks to director, Hitchcock’s silent pictures are fascinating both for their clear relationship to his later work—especially on thrillers like ‘Blackmail’ and ‘The Lodger’ — but also for their anomalies, including a number of adaptations of stage dramas and comedies that aren’t typically identified with Hitchcock’s work. But in these too he proved a dab hand, lending his wicked wit to liven up the narratives of the stage-bound originals, and often experimenting with camera and editing techniques in their filmic realization. In this, he was greatly influenced by international films he’d seen at the London Film Society screenings, including those by Germany’s F.W. Murnau (‘Nosferatu’, ‘The Last Laugh’, ‘Faust’) and the Soviet Union’s Sergei Eisenstein (‘Battleship Potemkin’). Drawing on the work of these innovative filmmakers, Hitchcock pushed the boundaries of what was then being attempted technically and aesthetically by British filmmakers, by attempting more daring camera movement and surprising placement; designing more complex process photography and skillful use of models (for Hitchcock, a constant well into the sound era); and applying faster, more rhythmic editing. In restoring the nine surviving Hitchcock silent features (a tenth, ‘The Mountain Eagle’, is missing and presumed lost), the British Film Institute has provided audiences with the opportunity to discover and enjoy the least-known films created by the world’s most famous filmmaker. Sparkling new 35mm film prints, many including footage missing from previously available copies, have been created. Hitchcock’s directorial debut, 1925’s ‘The Pleasure Garden’, benefited the most from the BFI’s world-wide scouring of film archives, locating and restoring some 20 minutes of previously missing footage. With Hitchcock’s eventual move to Hollywood in 1939 still more than a decade away, the films from this era can also be seen as his most “British.” Sights on display here include the rugged coast of the Isle of Man, and a fishing village governed by age-old tradition (‘The Manxman’); a quintessential English boys’ public school (‘Downhill’); a London boarding house in a neighborhood terrorized by a Jack the Ripper-like killer (‘The Lodger: A Tale of the London Fog’); and the bravura chase sequence between London bobbies and their criminal quarry that culminates atop the British Museum’s roof (‘Blackmail’). “The silent pictures were the purest form of cinema,” Hitchcock asserted, on more than one occasion. Viewers in Washington DC will be able to see—and hear—for themselves this summer, when the films wi


What award was won by a Lhaso Apso in 2012 ?

Crufts 2012 winner: Llasa apso Elizabeth beats 21,000 dogs to be named Best in Show | Daily Mail Online comments With her sleek blonde hair, Elizabeth is the perfectly groomed queen of the dog world. The seven-year-old lhasa apso beat stiff competition from more than 21,000 other dogs to be crowned Best in Show at Crufts last night. Having already won Best of Breed and then Best in Group in previous rounds of the four-day contest, Elizabeth was awarded the trophy after taking a lap of honour with six dogs who had won the group stages. Petite blonde: Owner Margaret Anderson celebrates with Lhasa Apso Elizabeth after winning Best in Show on the final day of Crufts in Birmingham She was judged at the NEC in Birmingham on the quality of her overall health and condition, coat, character, temperament, movement, and how close she came to the Kennel Club Breed Standard. Her delighted owner, Margaret Anderson, from Coventry, said: 'She's a very easy-going dog, she's very laid back. RELATED ARTICLES Share 'She's always loved her show career, the bigger the applause the more she loves it. 'I'm, sure somebody's going to pinch me in a minute and I'll wake up and it'll all be a dream. 'It hasn't sunk at all. I'll go home and probably burst out crying.' Proud: Elizabeth takes a moment to look at her trophy Elizabeth may well go out on a high with her Crufts win and retire from the spotlight, Ms Anderson said. 'To take her out again to be beaten seems silly somehow,' said proud Ms Anderson. 'Although she's still a young baby, she's seven and in Lhasa Apso that's still quite young.' Speaking after Elizabeth won the Best in Group round last week, Kennel Club spokesman Caroline Kisko had said: 'She is such a lovely dog that clearly loves being in the show ring and has a great relationship with her handler.' Serious work: Ms Anderson takes Elizabeth through her paces The reserve Best in Show title went to Brutus, a three-year-old Newfoundland from Slovakia, and his owner Sonia Krockovci. And a devoted spaniel who worked as a bomb detector stole the public's heart to be voted winner of the Friends for Life award. Buster, who is retiring to live with RAF Police Sergeant Michael Barrow, completed five tours of duty in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. There, he saved countless lives by sniffing out suicide bombers wearing explosive vests.