Which musician played Nikola Tesla in the 2006 film The Prestige?

The Prestige (2006) - IMDb IMDb 17 January 2017 4:34 PM, UTC NEWS There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON TV ON DISC ALL Two stage magicians engage in competitive one-upmanship in an attempt to create the ultimate stage illusion. Director: a list of 38 titles created 09 Sep 2013 a list of 27 titles created 24 Sep 2013 a list of 36 titles created 24 Dec 2013 a list of 39 titles created 24 Aug 2015 a list of 47 titles created 9 months ago Search for " The Prestige " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for     2     Oscars. Another    5 wins & 32 nominations. See more awards  » Videos A man juggles searching for his wife's murderer and keeping his short-term memory loss from being an obstacle. Director: Christopher Nolan A thief, who steals corporate secrets through use of dream-sharing technology, is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a CEO. Director: Christopher Nolan In 1954, a U.S. marshal investigates the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane. Director: Martin Scorsese     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.5/10 X   Eight years after the Joker's reign of anarchy, the Dark Knight, with the help of the enigmatic Selina, is forced from his imposed exile to save Gotham City, now on the edge of total annihilation, from the brutal guerrilla terrorist Bane. Director: Christopher Nolan Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his modus operandi. Director: David Fincher An insomniac office worker, looking for a way to change his life, crosses paths with a devil-may-care soap maker, forming an underground fight club that evolves into something much, much more. Director: David Fincher A team of explorers travel through a wormhole in space in an attempt to ensure humanity's survival. Director: Christopher Nolan With the help of a German bounty hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner. Director: Quentin Tarantino An undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston. Director: Martin Scorsese When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, the caped crusader must come to terms with one of the greatest psychological tests of his ability to fight injustice. Director: Christopher Nolan After training with his mentor, Batman begins his fight to free crime-ridden Gotham City from the corruption that Scarecrow and the League of Shadows have cast upon it. Director: Christopher Nolan In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers coincides with a theatre owner's vengeful plans for the same. Directors: Quentin Tarantino, Eli Roth Stars: Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Eli Roth Edit Storyline In the end of the Nineteenth Century, in London, Robert Angier, his beloved wife Julia McCullough and Alfred Borden are friends and assistants of a magician. When Julia accidentally dies during a performance, Robert blames Alfred for her death and they become enemies. Both become famous and rival magicians, sabotaging the performance of the other on the stage. When Alfred performs a successful trick, Robert becomes obsessed trying to disclose the secret of his competitor with tragic consequences. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Are You Watching Closely? See more  » Genres: Rated PG-13 for violence and disturbing images | See all certifications  » Parents Guide: 20 October 2006 (USA) See more  » Also Known As: El gran truco See more  » Filming Locations: $14,801,808        (USA) (20 October 2006) Gross: Did You Know? Trivia When Hugh Jackman's char


What is the title of Mandela’s autobiography of his life up to his release from prison?

Nelson Mandela - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com Google Nelson Mandela’s Childhood and Education Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, into a royal family of the Xhosa-speaking Thembu tribe in the South African village of Mvezo, where his father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa (c. 1880-1928), served as chief. His mother, Nosekeni Fanny, was the third of Mphakanyiswa’s four wives, who together bore him nine daughters and four sons. After the death of his father in 1927, 9-year-old Mandela—then known by his birth name, Rolihlahla—was adopted by Jongintaba Dalindyebo, a high-ranking Thembu regent who began grooming his young ward for a role within the tribal leadership. Did You Know? As a sign of respect, many South Africans referred to Nelson Mandela as Madiba, his Xhosa clan name. The first in his family to receive a formal education, Mandela completed his primary studies at a local missionary school. There, a teacher dubbed him Nelson as part of a common practice of giving African students English names. He went on to attend the Clarkebury Boarding Institute and Healdtown, a Methodist secondary school, where he excelled in boxing and track as well as academics. In 1939 Mandela entered the elite University of Fort Hare, the only Western-style higher learning institute for South African blacks at the time. The following year, he and several other students, including his friend and future business partner Oliver Tambo (1917-1993), were sent home for participating in a boycott against university policies. After learning that his guardian had arranged a marriage for him, Mandela fled to Johannesburg and worked first as a night watchman and then as a law clerk while completing his bachelor’s degree by correspondence. He studied law at the University of Witwatersrand, where he became involved in the movement against racial discrimination and forged key relationships with black and white activists. In 1944, Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC) and worked with fellow party members, including Oliver Tambo, to establish its youth league, the ANCYL. That same year, he met and married his first wife, Evelyn Ntoko Mase (1922-2004), with whom he had four children before their divorce in 1957. Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress Nelson Mandela’s commitment to politics and the ANC grew stronger after the 1948 election victory of the Afrikaner-dominated National Party, which introduced a formal system of racial classification and segregation—apartheid—that restricted nonwhites’ basic rights and barred them from government while maintaining white minority rule. The following year, the ANC adopted the ANCYL’s plan to achieve full citizenship for all South Africans through boycotts, strikes, civil disobedience and other nonviolent methods. Mandela helped lead the ANC’s 1952 Campaign for the Defiance of Unjust Laws, traveling across the country to organize protests against discriminatory policies, and promoted the manifesto known as the Freedom Charter, ratified by the Congress of the People in 1955. Also in 1952, Mandela and Tambo opened South Africa’s first black law firm, which offered free or low-cost legal counsel to those affected by apartheid legislation. On December 5, 1956, Mandela and 155 other activists were arrested and went on trial for treason. All of the defendants were acquitted in 1961, but in the meantime tensions within the ANC escalated, with a militant faction splitting off in 1959 to form the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC). The next year, police opened fire on peaceful black protesters in the township of Sharpeville, killing 69 people; as panic, anger and riots swept the country in the massacre’s aftermath, the apartheid government banned both the ANC and the PAC. Forced to go underground and wear disguises to evade detection, Mandela decided that the time had come for a more radical approach than passive resistance. Nelson Mandela and the Armed Resistance Movement In 1961, Nelson Mandela co-founded and became the first leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe (“Spear of the Nation”), also known as MK, a new arm


Paradoxically, which city is the original home of the Harlem Globetrotters?

The Harlem Globetrotters Tickets - All Tour Dates Why Choose etc? Inventory ETC is a resale marketplace, not a box office or a venue. We have tickets to thousands of events all  over the world. If you need it, we've got it. Our 200% Guarantee Read guarantee Pricing We sell tickets at market value. Prices may be above or below face value. So look around and you'll be able to  find lots of great deals here. Experience ETC has been selling tickets since 2005. We provided tickets to more than a million customers  throughout the world. Keep in touch! Useful Info The Globetrotters preliminary formation as a competitive group of athletes evolved from the south side of Chicago in the 1920’s. From the original group of mostly Wendell Phillips High School students and basketball enthusiasts of the surrounding area, they were first introduced as the Chicago Globetrotters. Shortly afterwards the team relocated to what was then the hub of African-American culture, a portion of the northern section of the New York City borough of Manhattan. The team adopted Harlem as their home base, and was then officially referred to as the New York Harlem Globetrotters. An original true contender in the competitive (pre-National Basketball Association) national basketball scene, the Globetrotters participated and won the 1940 World Professional Basketball Tournament. The team became somewhat shadowed by the 1946 birth of the NBA. They began to act creatively, slowly working in comic, juggling, and skilled coordination and handling routines into their performances. It was from there that they moved away from competitive basketball for a sustained period of time and aired more on the side of exhibition and entertainment, featuring a combination of comedy and theater with remarkable athleticism, which has become the backbone of the professional team over their historical path through almost a century of competition and entertainment. The team ventured back to competitive basketball in the early 1990’s but continued to play as an exhibition team as well. They have played well over 20,000 games in over one hundred countries over the course of their career and continue to do so today.


Which country’s national flag is the only one which is not rectangular (or square)?

Nepal This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website Nepal 5:4, image by Andr� Coutanche Flag adopted 12 December 1962, coat of arms adopted 16 December 1962. According to the very precise construction details contained in the Nepalese Constitution, the proportions of the flag are 4:3 plus width of the blue border (which makes the upper pendant longer than the lower because of its sharper angle). Christopher Southworth, 13 May 2003 Meaning of the Flag The flag of Nepal is the only national flag which is not rectangular, being based upon two separate pennants which belonged to rival branches of the Rana dynasty, which formerly ruled the country. The two pennants were first joined in the last century, but it was not adopted as the official flag until 1962, when a constitutional form of government was established. The moon in the upper part represents the royal house. The sun in the lower part symbolizes a branch of the Rana family, members of which acted as prime ministers until 1961. The charges are now said to represent the hope that Nepal itself will last as long as the sun and the moon. The style of these heavenly bodies was streamlined on December 16, 1962. The coat of arms still portrays these charges with facial features. Crimson is deemed the national color. Motto on their coat of arms: "The mother and the Mother Earth are more important than the heavenly kingdom." Sources: Alter (1986) Banderas y escudos del mundo (Flags and coats of arms of the world). Madrid: EASA (1986). Flags. Philadelphia: Running Press (1994) The Observer's Book of Flags. London: Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd. (1966) Juan Vaquer, Jr., 25 February 1999 The faces were removed in 1962, I believe. John Ayer, 30 September 2000 Some other attributions have been reported to FOTW concerning the origin and meaning of the flag: The other day I met a man who was from Nepal and he explained to me about the flag's meanings. The moon, he said, is supposed to represent quiet because Nepal is such a peaceful country and people are asleep during the night. And the sun is suppose to represent work because it is such a hard-working country and everyone is busy during the daytime. Interesting. Flags4Pikachu@aol.com, 06 Dec 1999 The sun and the moon mean that Nepal will last as long as the two remain  in the sky. The flag has been in use in Nepal for centuries, from the time of  the Malla dynasty that preceded the Shahs and the Ranas. As an example, see this photo of the Golden Gate (1753 AD)  which is ornamented with a metal Nepal flag. Such flags are installed at the  doorways of many temples in Kathmandu; some have the sun and moon design and  some don't. Name withheld by request, 11 July 2004 The two triangles symbolize the Himalayas and also stand for the two main  religions in Nepal - Hinduism and Buddhism. 'National Emblems of Nepal', issued by the Department of Publicity in  December 1963 Christopher Southworth, 12 July 2004 The flag is actually a symbol of extreme faith. The shape of the current flag was determined at the very beginning of the history of modern Nepal, and the credit for it goes to King Prithvi Narayan Shah. Above the crescent moon in the top triangle are eight small triangles in what looks like a smaller version of the sun partially eclipsed by the moon. The moon has been used as the symbol of Elixir and is believed to give eternal life. Every religious ritual is done according to the waxing and waning of the moon. The moon even reflects the peaceful and friendly attitude of the Nepali people. The sun in the lower part has 12 triangles altogether. The sun is the heavenly symbol of fire. It is even the symbol of life because it provides the heat necessary for living beings. It soaks up the water and gives it back in the form of rain, making food production possible on earth. According to the Hindu religion, Sun is one of the Dev or Gods among five Gods or the Panchadev ("pancha" means five and "dev" means god). The history of the worship of the sun is connected with ancient Vedic rituals. Even the 12 signs of


At which school was squash first played?

140 years of squash – World Squash Also available as a pdf document For over 1000 years man has invented and enjoyed a variety of games played by hitting a ball with either a closed fist – as in “fives” or “bunch of fingers” – or with some form of bat or racket. Around the year 1148 the French played “la Paume”, meaning “the palm of the hand”, which developed into Jeu de Paume, Real Tennis, Royal Tennis or, if you play the sport, simply Tennis. At sometime in the early 19th century this obsession with rackets and balls spawned another variety of the sport in the unlikely birthplace of the Fleet Prison in London. The prisoners in “The Fleet”, mainly debtors, took their exercise by hitting a ball against walls, of which there were many, with rackets and so started the game of “Rackets”. Rackets progressed, by some strange route, to Harrow and other select English schools about 1820 and it was from this source that our own sport of Squash, or Squash Rackets, developed. Squash was invented in Harrow school around 1830, when the pupils discovered that a punctured Rackets ball, which “squashed” on impact with the wall, produced a game with a greater variety of shots and required much more effort on the part of the players, who could not simply wait for the ball to bounce back to them as with Rackets. The variant proved popular and in 1864 the first four Squash courts were constructed at the school and Squash was officially founded as a sport in its own right. In those early days Squash, as with all other sports, was without any form of international standardisation and it was inevitable that slight variations in the way it was played, and the equipment used, would occur. Luckily only two main streams of activity followed, one in England with its 21 feet wide courts and “soft” ball and the other in North America, with its 18½ feet wide courts and “hard” ball and with both courts having the same length of 32 feet the universality of Squash was not seriously challenged. We will look at these two branches separately and also at the way in which Squash spread to almost every nation in the world. EARLY DAYS IN ENGLAND The first recorded reference to “Squash”, other than in Harrow school, appeared in 1890 in the English book “The Badminton Library of Sports and Pastimes” written by the Duke of Beaufort. Eustace Miles, a world championship at both Tennis and Rackets, wrote the first book on Squash in 1901; stating that the sport was enjoyed by thousands of players in various parts of the world. By that time there were courts in schools and universities in England and some also in private houses. The first professional Squash Championship was held in 1920 in England, when C.R. Read (Queens Club) beat A.W.B. Johnson (RAC Club). In 1923 H.A.L. Rudd, writing in “Baily’s Magazine”, forecast that Rackets would lose many players to Squash with the arrival of the first English Amateur Championships. He was concerned at this prospect as he considered Rackets to be a “manlier” game; Squash afforded a good “sweat” but did not demand the same skill as Rackets, in his opinion. Rudd’s forecast proved to be only too correct as Squash grew rapidly and soon left its parent sport far behind in popularity. As Squash play developed so did its administrative structure. The first discrete national associations to be formed were the United States Squash Racquets Association in 1907 and the Canadian Squash Racquets Association in 1911. In England the game was regulated by a Squash sub-committee of the Tennis and Rackets Association from 1908 until it gained full status as the Squash Rackets Association in 1928. A court built at the Bath Club in London at the beginning of the 20th century was chosen as the model for the standard size of a Squash court, 32 feet by 21 feet or 9.75 metres by 6.4 metres, much smaller that the court for Rackets which measures 60 feet by 30 feet (18.3 metres by 9.1 metres). The British dimensions were proposed in 1911, but not ratified until 1923. The point a rally scoring system to 15 was used universally in Squash until 1926 when


Inhabitants of which UK city are often called “Loiners”?

BBC - Leeds - voices2005    -    Loiners of the world unite! You are in: Leeds > voices2005 > Loiners of the world unite! Leeds: still the tops! Loiners of the world unite! Natives of Leeds are known as Loiners and there are several theories as to the origin of the term but nobody can be certain where the word comes from. Here are three competing theories. - Loiner could derive from the name Loidis (in use by the eighth century for the district around modern-day Leeds). - Another explanation says that in the 19th century there were many yards and closes around Briggate whose back entrances were known as Low Ins or Loins, hence Loiner. - Yet a third theory is that there were a number of lanes in the Briggate area pronounced loins in the local accent. People who gathered in these loins to gossip were therefore called Loiners. As well as meaning a citizen of Leeds, the word was used as a nickname applied to Leeds RLFC before the Super League team became the modern Rhinos. Following on from the old Loidis name the settlement on the banks of the Aire changed its spelling gradually to Ledes or Leedes and currently, of course, Leeds. Ledes was mentioned in the famous survey, the Domesday Book, in 1086. Other local areas named included, Halton, Sacroft, Hedingleia, Bramleia, Beestone and Hunslet. The first centre of Leeds was a cluster of buildings near the parish church of St Peter in Kirkgate. In the early 1200s a new town was founded west of the parish church towards the corn mills around the river crossing. Its main thoroughfare was a new road, Briggate (meaning the road leading to the bridge). Almost a thousand years later Briggate remains the street at the centre of the city. last updated: 22/08/05


Which river flows the length of the Grand Canyon?

Colorado River We'd like to send you lake news articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web. We will never share your email Colorado River   Length: 1450 miles (2,333 kilometers) Colorado River rising in the Rocky Mountains of north Colorado, in northwest Rocky Mountain National Park northwest of Denver, and flowing generally southwest through Colorado, Utah, Arizona, then between Nevada and Arizona, and Arizona and California, and then into Mexico, emptying into the Gulf of California. The Colorado River drains 244,000 square miles. The source is surrounded on three sides by the Continental Divide; flows south through Grand Lake (Shadow Mountain Reservoir) and Lake Granby reservoirs, then generally southwest past Glenwood Springs, Rifle, and Grand Junction, Colorado, where it receives the Gunnison River from southeast, into Utah, where it forms the south boundary of Arches National Park at Moab, then through Canyonlands National Park, where it receives the Green River, its longest tributary from the north. The Colorado then enters Glen Canyon National Recreational Area and Lake Powell, formed by the Glen Canyon Dam at Page, in extreme northeast Arizona, and at 26,997,000,000 cubic feet is the 2d largest reservoir in the United States. The Colorado receives the San Juan River from the east. Below Glen Canyon Dam, the river enters Marble Canyon and Grand Canyon National Park. (The river and part of Lake Powell form the northwest boundary of the Navajo Indian Reservation.) Due to major park expansion in 1975, the river flows 140 miles through the park, through Marble Canyon and the spectacular Grand Canyon; then for another 100 miles it forms the south boundary of the west extension of the park and north boundary of Hualapai Indian Reservation. It then enters Lake Mead National Recreational Area (at 28,253,000,000 cubic feet Lake Mead, formed by Hoover Dam, is the largest reservoir in the United States). The lake and Lake Mohave below it, formed by Davis Dam, form the Arizona-Nevada state line. The large north arm of Lake Mead receives the Virgin River from the northeast. Below the Hoover Dam, the river flows almost due south. Below the Davis Dam, it flows through Fort Mohave Indian Reservation and becomes the California-Arizona state line. It forms the boundary of Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, east, and Chemehueva Indian Reservation, west, flowing past Lake Havasu City and through Lake Havasu, formed by Parker Dam. Below Parker Dam, the river flows past Parker; through Colorado Indian Reservation; through Cibola and Imperial National wildlife refuges; forms east and south boundary of Fort Yuma Indian Reservation; and past Yuma, Arizona. Around Yuma, the Colorado passes through Imperial, Laguna, and Morelos dams, each with minor reservoirs, the volume of the river having been reduced by diversion to major cities and irrigation projects in California, Nevada, and Arizona. Just east of Yuma, the Colorado receives the Gila River from east. Below Yuma, the river forms part of the United States-Mexico border. Approximately final 100 miles of the river, reduced to a braided trickle, flows through Mexico, forming the border between Baja California Norte and Sonora states, and enters the north end of the Gulf of California. In its small delta is Isla Montague. Many national parks, monuments, and recreational areas are located along the river banks. The Colorado’s waters are used for power and irrigation, especially by means of the Colorado River. storage project, the Colorado–Big Thompson project, Hoover Dam, Davis Dam, Imperial Dam, the All-American Canal, Parker Dam, and Glen Canyon Dam. Controversies over water rights on the Colorado have long raged between the United States and Mexico and among the bordering states; treaties and compacts regulate the river’s use. COLORADO RIVER LAKES


What is the national animal of Canada? What is the national animal of Canada? What is the national animal of Canada? What is the national animal of Canada? Canada has two national animals � the beaver and the Canadian Horse. The beaver is a large, nocturnal, semi-aquatic rodent known for building lodges, canals, and dams. It is the world�s 2nd largest rodent, but the beaver population in North America has declined steadily due to extensive hunting (it is mainly hunted for its fur and glands). The importance of the beaver for fur trade and the economic development of the country led to its designation as a national animal. The beaver appeared on the coat of arms of the oldest commercial corporation in North America, the Hudson�s Bay Company. Established in 1913, the Beaver Insurance Company operated for many years. Eventually, it went out of business and was absorbed by a large insurance company. The beaver also appeared on the first postage stamp of 1849, which was issued in the Canadian colonies. Apart from being a national symbol, the beaver is a symbol of many associations, organizations, and units, including the Toronto Police Services, the Canadian Pacific Railway, and the Canadian Military Engineers, which display the beaver on their coat of arms or crest. Today, the beaver appears on the coat of arms of some Canadian provinces and on 5-cent coins. On provincial coats of arms, the beaver represents national unity or Canada . A lion is also depicted on some coats of arms, and it is the symbol of Great Britain. In the view of some, Conservative Senator Nicole Eaton in that number, the beaver represents the colonial past of the country. It is an industrious and humble animal which recalls Canada�s early expansion through fur trade. The polar bear, on the other hand, is a majestic animal that reflects the spirit of the nation. The polar bear is one of life�s winners and being a ruthless predator, it is at the top of the food chain. Opponents argue that the beaver is a symbol of a bygone era. However, the debate goes beyond the choice of a national animal, although it has set fur flying across the country. Some claim that Canada is undergoing an identity make over. The Canadian Horse is another animal commonly seen as a national symbol of Canada. The government of Canada passed a bill in 2003, which made the Canadian Horse an official symbol and a national animal of Canada. This animal is associated with the agricultural traditions and historical origins of the province of Quebec, and hence, provincial legislation recognized the Canadian Horse as a �heritage breed of Quebec�. Canadian Horses are generally bred for driving, but some are used as work horses as well. They compete in a variety of riding disciplines and have a good temperament, making them useful family horses. The Canadian Horse is known for having a wavy, heavy tail and mane and good feet and bones. It is considered to have endurance, hardiness, and soundness and is an easy keeper.


Which fruit is often carved onto gateposts as a symbol of hospitality?

Kids Corner | Dole NZ Coconut Water The pineapple is native to Brazil and Paraguay, but the pineapples Dole brings into New Zealand are grown in the biggest pineapple plantation in the world, on Mindanao Island in the Philippines. Christopher Columbus found pineapples on the Caribbean island of Guadalupe in 1493. He took them to Spain where the Europeans thought the fruit resembled a pine cone. Sailors soon discovered that the fruit was great protection against scurvy - a nasty disease that affected sailors in particular. The disease was a result of a diet that lacked vitamin C. Pineapples helped because they are extremely high in this vitamin. In the Caribbean the pineapple symbolised hospitality and the Europeans who travelled there knew they were welcome if a pineapple was placed at the entrance to the village. This symbolism quickly spread through Europe where the pineapple was often carved onto bedposts or fireplaces. The pineapple has been a universal symbol of hospitality and welcome all over the world for several hundred years. Pineapples do not grow on trees. They are the fruit of a bromeliad, rising from the centre on a single spike surrounded by sword-like leaves. The pineapple plant is the only bromeliad to produce edible fruit. Pineapples take about 18 months to grow to harvest size but can keep growing up to 7 or 8kg if allowed. The Tropical Gold pineapples that Dole brings into New Zealand have had the 'crowns' or leaves at the top of the pineapple removed. These crowns are recycled in the Philippines where the pineapples are grown. They are made into plant material used to feed and replenish the soil and some of the crowns are selected to be replanted to grow new pineapples. This is what makes them 'eco pineapples'. Pineapple is not a single fruit, but a sorosis. That means the fruit of a hundred or more separate flowers grow on the plant spike. As they grow, they swell with juice and pulp, expanding to become the fruit. The juice from the pineapple can be used to stop other fruit from going brown - like bananas or apples. It is also good in a marinade to help tenderise the meat. Don't put raw pineapple into jelly, as the bromelain enzyme in the pineapple will stop it setting.


Which classic novel begins, “Call me Ishmael”?

The Debunker: Does "Moby-Dick" Begin "Call Me Ishmael"? - Woot The Debunker: Does "Moby-Dick" Begin "Call Me Ishmael"? The Debunker: Does "Moby-Dick" Begin "Call Me Ishmael"? by Ken Jennings 2 years ago The month of May is come, when every lusty heart beginneth to blossom and to bring forth fruit! If you're literary enough to recognize that quote from Thomas Malory, you might also know that May is one of the best months of the year to be a bookworm, what with Independent Bookstore Day and National Library Legislative Day, not to mention the birthdays of Whitman, Emerson, and Thomas Pynchon. But you might be surprised by how much of what you think you remember about American literature is wrong. Luckily, Jeopardy! champ and man of letters Ken Jennings is here to set us straight. Let every lusty brain begin to blossom and bring forth fruit! The Debunker: Does Moby-Dick Begin "Call Me Ishmael"? The 1851 novel Moby-Dick was originally a major critical disappointment, selling only 3,200 copies during the long lifetime of its author, Herman Melville. But today, it's an indisputable American classic. Even if you've never read a word of Moby-Dick, you probably know about the great white whale, the obsessed one-legged Captain Ahab, that famous opening line, "Call me Ishmael"… Well, two out of three ain't bad. "Call me Ishmael," perhaps the most famous opening line in literary history, is in fact not the first line of Moby-Dick. Yes, Chapter 1 ("Loomings") of the novel begins with Ishmael introducing himself. But the so-called first chapter is more like the book's third, thanks to two rambling introductory chapters respectively titled "Etymology" and "Extracts." In these sections, Melville introduces us to two fictitious researchers (a grammar school usher and a "sub-sub-librarian") who begin to educate us on cetology, the study of whales. Many novels begin with an epigraph, a little apropos quotation that precedes the opening lines. But these two chapters go way beyond that, supplying no fewer than eighty epigraphs. They foreshadow the novel's frequent digressions away from the nominal plot into the minutiae and lore of whales and whaling. And they're absolutely part of the novel proper, which means that the first line of Moby-Dick is not "Call me Ishmael," but rather this beauty: "The pale Usher—threadbare in coat, heart, body, and brain; I see him now." Hmm, maybe Melville would have sold more copies if he'd tightened that beginning up a little. Quick Quiz: In the book of Genesis, Ishmael is the first son of what important figure?


What is the two-letter prefix used in numbering the highest grade of Spanish motorway?

motorway - definition - What is ? What is ? motorway definition : motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway which has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow and ingress/egress regulated. Common English terms are freeway (in Australia and parts of the United States and Canada), motorway (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) and expressway (some parts of Canada, parts of the United States, and many Asian countries). Terms in other languages sometimes seen in English include , , , , , , , , or . Other similar terms include Interstate and parkway. Some of which may be limited access highways, although this term can also refer to a class of highway with somewhat less isolation from other traffic. In countries following Vienna convention, the motorway qualification implies they are forbidden for walking or parking, and reserved for the only use of motorized vehicles. A controlled-access highway provides an unhindered flow of traffic, with no traffic signals, intersections or property access. They are free of any at-grade crossings with other roads, railways, or pedestrian paths, which are instead carried by overpasses and underpasses across the highway. Entrances and exits to the highway are provided at interchanges by slip roads (ramps), which allow for speed changes between the highway and arterial roads and collector roads. On the controlled-access highway, opposing directions of travel are generally separated by a median strip or central reservation containing a traffic barrier or grass. Elimination of the sources of potential conflicts with other directions of travelers dramatically improves safety, and capacity. Controlled-access highways evolved during the first half of the 20th century. Italy opened its first autostrada in 1924 connecting Milan to Varese (A8). Germany began to build its first autobahn controlled-access highway without speed limits (then referred to as a dual highway) in 1932 between Cologne and Bonn (now A555). It then rapidly constructed a nationwide system of such roads in anticipation of their use in the Second World War. The first North American freeways (known as parkways) opened in the New York City area in the 1920s. Britain, heavily influenced by the railways, did not build its first motorway, the Preston By-pass (M6), until 1958. Most technologically advanced nations feature an extensive network of freeways or motorways to provide high-capacity urban travel, or high-speed rural travel, or both. Many have a national-level or even international-level (e.g. European E route) system of route numbering. ==Definition standards== There are several international standards which give some definitions of words such as motorways, but there is no formal definition of the English language words "motorway", "freeway" and "expressway", or of the equivalent words in other languages such as "autoroute", "Autobahn", "autostrada", "autocesta", that are accepted worldwide—in most cases these words are defined by local statute or design standards or regional international treaties. Descriptions that are widely used include: ;Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals ::"Motorway" means a road specially designed and built for motor traffic, which does not serve properties bordering on it, and which: :# Is provided, except at special points or temporarily, with separate carriageways for the two directions of traffic, separated from each other either by a dividing strip not intended for traffic or, exceptionally, by other means; :# Does not cross at level with any road, railway or tramway track, or footpath; and, :# Is specially sign-posted as a motorway; One green or blue symbol (like 25px) appears at motorway entry in countries which follow Vienna Convention. Exit is marked with another symbol: 25px. The definitions of "motorway" from the OECD and PIARC are almost identical. ;British Standards ::Motorway: Limited-access dual carriageway road, not crossed on the same level by other traffic lanes, for the exclusive use of certain classes of motor vehicle. ;ITE (including


In The Archers, which river flows through Ambridge?

BBC Radio 4 - The Archers - Ambridge locations A guide to some of the key locations in Ambridge. Share this page Contemporary drama in a rural setting BBC Radio 4


Which species of wild goose, Anser anser, is the ancestor of all European domestic geese?

Greylag goose (Anser anser) Greylag goose Anser anser (Carolus Linnaeus, 1758) The greylag goose (also spelled graylag in the United States) (Anser anser) is a bird with a wide range in the Old World. It is the type species of the genus Anser. It was in pre-Linnean times known as the wild goose ("Anser ferus"). This species is the ancestor of domesticated geese in Europe and North America. Flocks of feral birds derived from domesticated birds are widespread. The greylag goose is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. Within science, the greylag goose is most notable as being the bird with which the ethologist Konrad Lorenz first did his major studies into the behavioural phenomenon of imprinting. Description The greylag is the largest and bulkiest of the grey geese of the genus Anser. It has a rotund, bulky body, a thick and long neck, and a large head and bill. It has pink legs and feet, and an orange or pink bill. It is 74 to 91 cm long with a wing length of 41.2 to 48 cm. It has a tail 6.2 to 6.9 cm, a bill of 6.4 to 6.9 cm long, and a tarsus of 7.1 to 9.3 cm. It weighs 2.16 to 4.56 kg, with a mean weight of around 3.3 kg. The wingspan is 147 to 180 cm. Males are generally larger than females, with the sexual dimorphism more pronounced in the eastern subspecies rubirostris, which is larger than the nominate subspecies on average. The plumage of the greylag goose is greyish-brown, with a darker head and paler belly with variable black spots. Its plumage is patterned by the pale fringes of its feathers. It has a white line bordering its upper flanks. Its coverts are lightly coloured, contrasting with its darker flight feathers. Juveniles differ mostly in their lack of a black-speckled belly. The Greylag goose has a loud cackling call, HOOOOOONK! or GAAA!, like the domestic goose. Goslings will chirp or whistle lightly, and adults will hiss if threatened or angered. Distribution and habitat This species is found throughout the Old World, apparently breeding where suitable localities are to be found in many European countries, although it no longer breeds in southwestern Europe. Eastwards, it extends across Asia to China. In North America, there are both feral domestic geese, which are similar to greylags, and occasional vagrants. In Great Britain, their numbers had declined as a breeding bird, retreating north to breed wild only in the Outer Hebrides and the northern mainland of Scotland. However, during the 20th century, feral populations have been established elsewhere, and they have now re-colonised much of England. These populations are increasingly coming into contact. The breeding habitat is a variety of wetlands including marshes, lakes, and damp heather moors. In Norway, the number of greylag geese is estimated to have increased three- to fivefold during the last 15–20 years. As a consequence, farmers' problems caused by goose grazing on farmland has increased considerably. This problem is also evident for the pink-footed goose. Behaviour The geese are generally migratory, moving south or west in winter. Scottish breeders, some other populations in northwestern Europe, and feral flocks are largely resident. This species is one of the last to migrate, and the "" portion of its name is said to derive from this lagging behind other geese. This article uses material from the Wikipedia released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike Licence 3.0 . Please see license details for photos in photo by-lines. Videos of Greylag goose


What is the name of the coarse woollen textile used to cover snooker tables?

Baize - definition of baize by The Free Dictionary Baize - definition of baize by The Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/baize Also found in: Thesaurus , Encyclopedia , Wikipedia . baize  (bāz) n. An often bright-green woolen or cotton material napped to imitate felt and used chiefly as a cover for gaming tables. [Middle French baies, from feminine pl. of bai, bay-colored (probably in reference to the original color of the cloth), from Old French; see bay3.] baize (beɪz) n (Textiles) a woollen fabric resembling felt, usually green, used mainly for the tops of billiard tables vb (Textiles) (tr) to line or cover with such fabric [C16: from Old French baies, plural of baie baize, from bai reddish brown, bay5, perhaps the original colour of the fabric] baize a soft feltlike fabric, usu. dyed green, commonly used for the tops of game tables. [1570–80; earlier bayes < French baies (n.), derivative of bai bay-colored] baize I will have been baizing you will have been baizing he/she/it will have been baizing we will have been baizing you will have been baizing they will have been baizing Past Perfect Continuous 1. baize - a bright green fabric napped to resemble felt; used to cover gaming tables cloth , fabric , textile , material - artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers; "the fabric in the curtains was light and semitransparent"; "woven cloth originated in Mesopotamia around 5000 BC"; "she measured off enough material for a dress" Translations green baize → tapete m verde baize [ˈbeɪz] n (= fabric) → feutrine f; (on billiard table) → tapis m baize n → Fries m, → Flaus m; green baize → Billardtuch nt baize baize (beiz) noun a type of coarse woollen cloth, often green, usually used for covering card-tables etc. baai, biljartstof جوخٌ أخْضَر дебело, обикн. зелено сукно baeta zelené sukno der Fries filt τσόχα bayeta (roheline) kalev ماهوت boiji tapis vert בַּד צֶמֶר גַס ऊन का कपड़ा जो टेबल पर बिछाते हैं čoha posztó, filc wol kasar ullar– eða baðmullardúkur tappeto verde 緑色の毛織地 베이즈 gelumbė rupjš vilnas audums (galdautiem, pārklājiem) wol kasar laken grovt ulltøy , filt sukno د ميز پوښ، يووړين ټوكر چه په ميز يانو روشيانو غوړيږى او اوږدى ريښكۍ لرى baeta dimie, aba сукно zelené súkno kvartopirski (zeleni) prt čoja boj, filt ผ้าขนสัตว์หนาสีเขียวที่ใช้ปูโต๊ะกีฬา (เช่น กีฬาบิลเลียด) yeşil keçe kumaş (用來鋪在檯面上的綠色)粗羊毛呢 сукно میژوں پر ڈالنے والا سبز اونی کپڑا vải len tuyết để bọc bàn ghế 台面呢/粗呢


Off the coast of which country do the volcanic Westmann Islands lie?

The beautiful Viking stave church in Vestmannaeyjar islands | Icelandmag The beautiful Viking stave church in Vestmannaeyjar islands Tweet Rooted in history The stave church is located at the old harbour in Heimaey island. The big cliff to the left is called Heimaklettur and is one of the island's most famous landmarks. Photo/Vilhelm Gunnarsson Although the beautiful stave church on the island of Heimaey in the Westman Islands is not as old as you might think, its roots go deep in history. It was built and consecrated in the year 2000, and presented to the Icelandic nation by Norway in commemoration of the thousand-year anniversary of Iceland’s conversion to Christianity, and contains a replica of the Norwegian medieval altarpiece of Saint Olav. The architecture and the building methods are from the period just after the close of the Viking Age in the 1100 and 1200’s, the church being a replica of the Norwegian Haltdalen stave church , which was built around 1170. The location is called Skansinn and is a part of the harbor of the town of Vestmannaeyjabær on Heimaey, the largest and only inhabited island of the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago. It’s located on land that was formed in the huge 1973 eruption, as were the black walls of lava right behind it. The 15 islands and about 30 skerries of the Westman archipelago lie off the south coast of Iceland, along a linear volcanic system that consists of 70–80 volcanoes both above and below the sea. The islands have been formed by eruptions over the past 10,000 to 12,000 years, one of which was the 1973 eruption of the volcano Eldfell, right in the middle of the town of  Vestmannaeyjabær, another being the infamous eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in 2010. The ferry ride to Heimaey island is only 30 minutes from Landeyjarhöfn harbor. It’s a visit you should not miss.


Of what species is Yggdrasil, the immense tree at the heart of Norse mythology?

The Norse Legend of the World Tree - Yggdrasil | Ancient Origins 15 February, 2015 - 12:15 Andreas Kornevall The Norse Legend of the World Tree - Yggdrasil (Read the article on one page) In 1643 a Bishop called Brynjolf Sveinsson was given forty- five pieces of vellum containing poetry and prose from the heart of ancient Northern European indigenous culture. This collection is called The King’s Book (the Codex Regius in Latin). It is thought to have been written around 1270. Between 1270 and 1643 the manuscript was hidden from public view, presumably to protect it from being destroyed by the new religion which arose from Rome. Who the family was that protected this manuscript for over three hundred years we don’t know, and nor do we know their tradition, but we can be sure that it would have been a treacherous secret to bear safely through the medieval centuries. The Bishop did not himself keep the manuscript; instead, he offered the collection as a gift to the King of Denmark. There it remained in Copenhagen until 1971, when it was returned to Iceland. Codex Regius (The King's book) of Eddaic Poems and Flateyjarbok ( Wikimedia Commons ) Warships had to transport the manuscript across the sea, as a plane journey was seen as too risky – such was the preciousness of the papers. It is not surprising: these vellum papers represent the few written remains of our indigenous past of Northern Europe. When we open these old scripts we find at the heart of the Norse mythology contained within a symbol as archaic as campfire: the World Tree, Yggdrasil. I know that an ash-tree stands called Yggdrasil, a high tree, soaked with shining loam; from there comes the dews which fall in the valley, ever green, it stands over the well of fate. (Seeress’s Prophecy) The most satisfactory translation of the name Yggdrasil is ‘Odin’s Horse’. Ygg is another name for Odin, and drasill means ‘horse’. However, drasill also means ‘walker’, or ‘pioneer’. Some scholars would argue that the name means ‘Odinwalker’. In some parts of the manuscript, Yggdrasil and Odin seem to be one and the same. When Odin hung, speared, for nine days on the World Tree, he uttered the words that he had ‘sacrificed himself onto himself’. This stanza gives us a description of the unity existing between the Godhead and the Tree in the myths. To emphasise this connection, we find in old English the word treow, which means both tree and truth. Etymologically, then, truth and tree grow out of the same root. Subsequently, in the Norse creation myth, man and woman originated from trees. We are all the sons and daughters of the Ash and Elm tree: the first man was called Ask, born from the Ash, and the first woman Embla, born from the Elm. Their oxygen offers us the primordial conditions for life. Ask and Embla sprouted from Yggdrasil’s acorns, and so it is that every human being springs from the fruit of Yggdrasil, then to be collected by two storks ,who bring them to their longing mothers-to-be. In Scandinavian folklore, they say that children are born through the knot holes in the trunks of pine trees, which is another version of the same myth. Odin creates Ask and Embla. Published in Gjellerup, Karl (1895). ‘Den ældre Eddas Gudesange’. ( Wikimedia Commons ) Artur Lundkvist is one of Swedish literature’s greatest tree worshippers. Following a reflection on trees and forests, he writes: ‘… in every human there is a tree, and in every tree there is a human, I feel this, the tree wonders inside a human being, and the human being is caught in the tree … I serenade the forests, the forest sea is the second sea on earth, the sea in which man wanders. The forests work in silence, fulfilling nature’s mighty work; working with the winds, cleaning the air, mitigating the climate, forming soil, preserving all our essentials without wearing them out.’ The people represented Yggdrasil by planting what was called a ‘care-tree’, or ‘guardian tree’, in the centre of the homestead. It was a miniature version of Yggdrasil, and a stately landmark in the courtyard. The care-tree was a figurative ex


Which nonsense poem is subtitled, An Agony in 8 Fits?

The Hunting of the Snark: An Agony, in Eight Fits by Lewis Carroll - The 1117th Greatest Fiction Book of All Time Sign In The Hunting of the Snark: An Agony, in Eight Fits by Lewis Carroll The Hunting of the Snark (An Agony in 8 Fits) is typically categorized as a nonsense poem written by Lewis Carroll, the pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. Written from 1874 to 1876, the poem borrows the setting, some creatures, and eight portmanteau words from Carroll's earlier poem "Jabberwocky" in his children's novel Through the Looking Glass (1871). - Wikipedia


Of whose “pilgrimage” did Lord Byron write a long narrative poem?

Lord Byron’s Poems Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Canto I Summary and Analysis | GradeSaver Buy Study Guide The Preface to Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, published along with the poem, explains Byron’s intent in writing the poem and offers a defense of Childe Harold ’s seemingly un-chivalrous character despite his being a candidate for knighthood. Byron also insists that, while based on real events, the poem is in no way to be taken as autobiographical. Before undertaking the poem proper, Byron begins with the poem “To Ianthe ,” an ode invoking his personal muse, whose beauty will inspire him to put pen to paper and recount the beauties of the lands in which Childe Harold travels. Canto I begins with a more formal invocation of the Muse to inspire the poet to heights of poetic creativity. Stanzas 2-3 describe Childe Harold’s character, finding him wanting in the better qualities of manhood. Harold is “shameless” and “given to revel and ungodly glee”; additionally, he has undertaken “evil deeds” that haunt him with the threat of justice. In stanzas 4-6, Byron presents a discontented Harold, bored of his debauchery and ready for change. The poet notes that for one young lady in particular—the only woman whom Harold truly loved, yet whom he could never have—Harold’s desire to leave England in search of change is fortunate for her maiden heart. Prior to Childe Harold’s departure, he visits his family home to gather his belongings. The place is described as a “vast and venerable pile,” old and decrepit like the former honor of his family line. As he wanders through his ancestral mansion, Harold feels brief pangs of remorse at the memories he leaves behind (stanza 8) but soon shuts them off in favor of his departure. Stanza 9 describes how unloved and alone Harold truly is: his only companions are “flatt’rers” and “parasites” who remain with him only so long as the money, food, alcohol, and women are available. Finally, Harold makes an abrupt farewell before his feelings for his mother and sister cause him to rethink his journey. Stanza 11 describes what Harold leaves behind, “His house, his home, his heritage, his lands,” and all the women and wine that had so delighted him in the past. But these pleasures have grown stale to him, and he must move on. In stanza 12, we see how Harold responds to the rough seas he sets out upon. He nearly repents of his desire to flee England, but he nonetheless remains silent while others sit and weep at the storm-tossed ship’s chaos. Finally, the sea calms in stanza 13 and, when he thinks no one is listening, Childe Harold sings a song of “Farewell” to his native land. This song goes for ten stanzas, interrupting the poem proper but giving Harold his strongest voice in all of Canto I. Having said his goodbyes, Harold passes the rest of the journey quickly and soon arrives in Portugal. Stanza 15 describes the beauty of Portugal as seen from a distance, as well as its dangerous situation in relation to hostile, Napoleon-controlled France. Stanza 16 describes the political situation, with England a lax ally of Portugal in her struggle against the French. Once Harold enters Lisbon, however, the distant beauty turns into scenes of filth. Stanzas 17-19 describe the architectural, social, and human decay even as Harold finds beauty in its exotic squalor. Stanza 20 focuses on one particular site, “our Lady’s house of woe,” a convent with a rich history of faithful monks and punished criminals. Nearby are several crosses, and the poet notes that the proximity of the convent may lead the viewer to think they are holy shrines, but they are actually the grave-markers of victims who have been killed in the area. Stanzas 22-23 turn to the ruins of the landscape, conveying a tone of melancholy at the loss of glory throughout the land. Still, the speaker finds beauty in the desolation, if in no other sense than that they are monuments to former times. In stanzas 24-26, the poet turns his eye to the much-reviled Convention of Cintra, wherein the British authorities allowed captured French soldi


Which breakfast cereal’s manufacturing process did Henry Perky patent in 1895?

Henry Perky’s Tasty Invention | bluejayblog Henry Perky’s Tasty Invention Posted on July 31, 2016 by swabby429 Nebraska history contains several cul de sacs along it’s relatively short path.  One of those regards the inventor of shredded wheat breakfast cereal, Henry Perky.  Perky’s story begins near Mount Hope, Ohio where he was born on December 7, 1843. 22 years later he married Susanna Crow.  They had one son who survived into adulthood, Scott. In 1868, the Perky’s moved to Omaha, Nebraska where Henry apprenticed in law in the office of General John Cowin.  After passing the Bar exam, Perky relocated a few miles north to Fremont for awhile, then moved to the small town of Wahoo, Nebraska. There, he served on the village board after the town was incorporated in September of 1874. Perky also was the publisher of Wahoo’s newspaper, The Independent. Perky also served one term in the Nebraska legislature in the mid 1870s. In the mid 1880s Perky was hired by Byron Atkinson who had purchased the bankrupt “Robbins Cylindrical Steel (railroad) Car Company. After an aborted start in Chicago, Perky proposed that the large manufacturing plant be built in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1888, he wanted the car to be named the “City of Lincoln”.  The car had no commercial takers, so, in 1889, Perky took leave of Nebraska and moved on to St. Joseph, Missouri to build his plant near there. In September, his factory burned and nearly all the assets were lost. The one remaining car was taken on a transcontinental tour, but again, attracted no commercial orders. He then displayed the car at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. It attracted plenty of casual curious viewers but no commercial orders. After the fair closed, the car was abandoned at the site. It was after the 1889 factory fire that Perky briefly returned to Omaha. His troubles with the Steel railway cars caused much worry and contributed to chronic digestion problems. His physician prescribed a bland diet of vegetables and included boiled wheat nuggets with cream. One unsubstantiated story says that while Perky was eating in the dining room of an Omaha hotel, he observed another patron eating boiled wheat with cream. It was then and there that the idea of a pre-cooked ready to eat wheat biscuit popped into his head. In 1892, Perky collaborated with his machinist friend, William Henry Ford of Watertown, New York to develop a machine that could manufacture pillow shaped wheat biscuit food. In August of 1893, Ford and Perky were awarded the U.S. Patent for a “Machine for the Preparation of Cereals for Food.” The pair demonstrated the machine at the Columbian Exposition, at the same time the steel railcar was being shown. The cereal proved to be a much more popular hit than the railroad car. Perky and Ford had initially hoped that the exposition could help them sell their machine, but nobody was willing to invest in an unproven product. Perky moved to Denver, Colorado to open his own small bakery to produce biscuits to be served in an attached cafe. The cereal was also sold door to door from wagons.  People loved to eat the biscuits, but once again, Perky was unable to sell any of his machines. In the meantime, Perky could lay legitimate claim to being the person to produce the very first pre-cooked, ready to eat breakfast cereal. From large scale production and distribution in Colorado, Perky decided to expand his business and to only sell cereal. In October of 1895, Perky was awarded the U.S. Patent for his “Design for a Biscuit”.  That year, he moved to Massachusetts and established a much larger shredded wheat company. There, he watched sales of his product greatly increase. With the advent of easily available electricity in 1901, Perky and his newly hired director, Edward Deeds, constructed a new baking plant at Niagra Falls, New York. Their newly established “National Food Company” not only manufactured shredded wheat “pillows”, it became a model industrial plant.  Perky named the factory “The Palace of Light”. It featured pristine white tiles, floor to ceiling windo


What is the one-word name of the artificial sweetener sold as Candarel and NutraSweet?

Artificial Sweeteners Explained Return to top What is aspartame? Aspartame is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar. Aspartame is marketed under the NutraSweet, Equal and Sugar Twin brands. Aspartame is completely broken down by the body into its two component amino acids – aspartic acid and phenylalanine – and a small amount of methanol (wood alcohol). Although aspartame therefore has four calories per gram, its intense sweetness means so little of aspartame is used that essentially no calories are provided. Like ace K, aspartame is approved as a general-purpose sweetener in the U.S., and is used in the same type of foods and beverages. However, since aspartame is not stable at cooking and baking temperatures, its use is limited in baked goods and some dry dessert mixes. Products containing aspartame must carry a label advising those with phenylketonuria, a rare genetic disorder, that phenylalanine is present. It is listed in the ingredient statement on a food or beverage package as “aspartame.” The ingredient listing for a tabletop product like Equal reads “dextrose with maltodextrin, aspartame.” Return to top What is neotame? Neotame is the newest of the artificial sweeteners approved for general use in the U.S. Like aspartame, it is composed of aspartic acid and phenylalanine. However, neotame is structurally different which makes it about 40 times sweeter than aspartame, or approximately 8,000 times sweeter than sugar. While structurally different, neotame is still metabolized like aspartame. It is completely broken down into aspartic acid and phenylalanine. Because only trace amounts of neotame are required to mimic the sweetness of sugar, it contributes no calories. Use as a tabletop product and packaged food ingredient is anticipated. Neotame can be used in the same foods and beverages as both aspartame and acesulfame K. Return to top What is saccharin? Saccharin was discovered more than 100 years ago, which makes it the oldest of the artificial sweeteners. Its sweetness depends on how it is used, and ranges from 200 to 700 times sweeter than sugar. In the U.S., saccharin is approved as a special dietary sweetener which limits its use to beverages and tabletop products. Also, approval for its use stipulates that specific maximum amounts are not to be exceeded. Saccharin is available commercially as “sodium saccharin” (most common), “calcium saccharin” or “acid saccharin.” Saccharin is sold under such brands as Sweet ‘N Low, Sweet Twin and Necta Sweet. A one-gram packet of a popular tabletop brand has an ingredient statement that reads “dextrose, 3.6% sodium saccharin (36 mg per packet), calcium silicate (an anti-caking agent).” Return to top What is sucralose? Sucralose is made from sucrose by a multi-step patented manufacturing process that selectively replaces three hydroxyl (molecularly bonded hydrogen and oxygen atoms) with chlorine atoms. This molecular change makes sucralose 600 times sweeter than sugar. In 1999, sucralose was approved as a general-purpose sweetener in the U.S. Sucralose is sold under the brand name Splenda. The ingredients of the tabletop product are listed as “dextrose, maltodextrin and sucralose” on the packet. Food manufacturers value sucralose because it is the most heat stable of the artificial sweeteners. This property has increased the introduction of sucralose into a broad range of foods and beverages previously sweetened with the other approved general-purpose artificial sweeteners.


Abbreviated to MVP, what is the American sporting equivalent of “Man of the Match”?

Gimmick Matches - TV Tropes Gimmick Matches You need to login to do this. Get Known if you don't have an account Share YMMV Well, goddamn. It's a World Wrestling Federation. Why don't we put on some fucking wrestling, Vince Russo? once in a while? What do you want to do, Holiday on ice with chimpanzees? (Shit, matter of fact, I probably gave him his next Pay-Per-View.) TNA prefers to call their gimmick matches "concept matches" . A sample of some recurring gimmick matches (and their included tropes), and a number of notable examples of each match: 2-out-of-3-falls — The simplest of gimmick matches, this simply means that the wrestlers have a series of matches until one of them has won 2. Sometimes each fall will have its own gimmick from another match type on the list; this is called a Three Stages of Hell match or a Ring Master's Challenge. Tropes: This match is almost never decided after two falls; the competitors win one apiece, leading to the third, deciding fall. Usually, if the match ends in two straight falls, then someone is either working a "losing streak" angle or is being buried. The Briscoe Brothers in Ring of Honor developed a reputation for winning these matches in two straight falls. One of the WWF's many rule variances developed around this type of match: originally, a wrestler / team had to win both falls by pinfall or submission for a title change to be valid. This was eventually reverted to a pinfall or submission only being necessary in the final fall. "Two out of three falls" was actually the standard in the very early years of professional wrestling, with "One-fall" becoming the norm when wrestling made the jump from "sport" to "sports entertainment". Before this a single fall contest was called a "Lightning Match". It was used as the storyline reason for then-WWWF leaving the National Wrestling Alliance in 1963. NWA Champion Buddy Rogers lost a one-fall match against Lou Thesz , and WWWF refused to acknowledge the title switch since it wasn't done with two out of three falls. So they went on their own, naming Rogers as the first WWWF Champion. It was also the catalyst for the creation of the AWA. In 1957, Eduardo Carpentier defeated Lou Thesz for the NWA title in a two-out-of-three falls match. However, since one of those falls was a DQ, there was a dispute among the NWA promoters over who should be the champion, with most promotoers recognizing Thesz and other, renegade promoters recognizing Carpentier (and even sanctioning a title change between him and Verne Gagne, who was the one really pulling the strings at the time). After promoter Wally Karbo unsuccessfully lobbied for a title unification match between Gagne and the NWA champion, the two split off and formed the AWA. Note that when British Freestyle wrestling was big, back in the '70s and '80s all its matches were best out of three, or as Brian Crabtree (the MC) always put it "Two falls, two submissions or a knockout to decide the winner." Hence the Monty Python's Flying Circus sketch "The Wrestling Epilogue", with a priest and a professor getting into the ring together, "The existence or otherwise of God to be decided by two falls, two submissions or a knockout". You can see it on Youtube here . Hence also the line in Good Omens "Three rounds, one Fall, no submission" to describe the war between Heaven and Hell. 2 out of 3 remains the standard match in Mexican lucha libre (but not everywhere in the Spanish speaking or Latin world) Tag Team Match — A two man team faces another two man team under the stipulation only one wrestler from each team can be in the ring at a time. A wrestler in the ring usually must tag his partner, most commonly standing on the ring apron behind the ropes, before they can switch places, though in Mexican wrestling a wrestler can also exit the ring to allow his partner to take his place. When one wrestler from a team is beaten, the other team wins. It varies on how long wrestlers have after the tag to switch places, usually between five to fifteen seconds, with the longer times allowing " double team maneuvers " to


Who was the earliest King of England to be the title character of a Shakespeare play?

Shakespeare's Plays   Shakespeare's Plays Before the publication of the First Folio in 1623, nineteen of the thirty-seven plays in Shakespeare's canon had appeared in quarto format. With the exception of Othello (1622), all of the quartos were published prior to the date of Shakespeare's retirement from the theatre in about 1611. It is unlikely that Shakespeare was involved directly with the printing of any of his plays, although it should be noted that two of his poems, Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece were almost certainly printed under his direct supervision. Here you will find the complete text of Shakespeare's plays, based primarily on the First Folio, and a variety of helpful resources, including extensive explanatory notes, character analysis, source information, and articles and book excerpts on a wide range of topics unique to each drama. Tragedies The story of Mark Antony, Roman military leader and triumvir, who is madly in love with Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).   Coriolanus (1607-1608) The last of Shakespeare's great political tragedies, chronicling the life of the mighty warrior Caius Marcius Coriolanus. Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).   Hamlet (1600-1601) Since its first recorded production, Hamlet has engrossed playgoers, thrilled readers, and challenged actors more so than any other play in the Western canon. No other single work of fiction has produced more commonly used expressions . Earliest known text: Quarto (1603). Although there were earlier Elizabethan plays on the subject of Julius Caesar and his turbulent rule, Shakespeare's penetrating study of political life in ancient Rome is the only version to recount the demise of Brutus and the other conspirators. Earliest known text: First Folio (1623). The story of King Lear, an aging monarch who decides to divide his kingdom amongst his three daughters, according to which one recites the best declaration of love. Earliest known text: Quarto (1608).   Macbeth (1605-1606) Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's most stimulating and popular dramas. Renaissance records of Shakespeare's plays in performance are scarce, but a detailed account of an original production of Macbeth has survived, thanks to Dr. Simon Forman . Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).   Othello (1604-1605) Othello, a valiant Moorish general in the service of Venice, falls prey to the devious schemes of his false friend, Iago. Earliest known text: Quarto (1622). Celebrated for the radiance of its lyric poetry, Romeo and Juliet was tremendously popular from its first performance. The sweet whispers shared by young Tudor lovers throughout the realm were often referred to as "naught but pure Romeo and Juliet." Earliest known text: Quarto (1597). Written late in Shakespeare's career, Timon of Athens is criticized as an underdeveloped tragedy, likely co-written by George Wilkins or Cyril Tourneur. Read the play and see if you agree. Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).   Titus Andronicus (1593-1594) A sordid tale of revenge and political turmoil, overflowing with bloodshed and unthinkable brutality. The play was not printed with Shakespeare credited as author during his lifetime, and critics are divided between whether it is the product of another dramatist or simply Shakespeare's first attempt at the genre. Earliest known text: Quarto (1594). Histories One of Shakespeare's most popular plays, featuring the opportunistic miscreant, Sir John Falstaff. Earliest known text: Quarto (1598). This is the third play in the second tetralogy of history plays, along with Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1, and Henry V. Earliest known text: Quarto (1600). Henry V is the last in the second tetralogy sequence. King Henry is considered Shakespeare's ideal monarch. Earliest known text: Quarto (1600). The first in Shakespeare's trilogy about the War of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York. Earliest known text: First Folio (1623). Part two of Shakespeare's chronicle play. Based on Hall's work, the play contains some historical inaccuracies. Earli


Which US composer wrote the 1976 opera, Einstein on the Beach?

Philip Glass - Einstein on the Beach (1976) - Music Sales Classical Einstein on the Beach (1976) Listen Work Notes Opera in four acts by Robert Wilson and Philip Glass which includes two large-scale dance scenes. Spoken text (English) by Christopher Knowles, Samuel M Johnson and Lucinda Childs. Text Writer spoken text by Christopher Knowles, Samuel M Johnson and Lucinda Childs Publisher Philip Glass Einstein on the Beach (1976) CAST 2 female, 1 male, and 1 male child in speaking roles (for the Wilson production) 16 person SATB chamber chorus soprano soloist smaller tenor solo part SYNOPSIS The first in Glass' trilogy of operas about men who changed the world through the power of their ideas, Einstein's sub-text is science. The opera is non-narrative in form, and the producer has two options: to reproduce the original Robert Wilson production (which exists on videotape), or to create a new series of stage and dance pictures based on themes relating to the life of Albert Einstein. The opera is structured in four ‘acts’ connected by ‘knee plays’, or intermezzi. 28 April; 4,13 May; 4 June - Dortmund, Germany 27 MAR 2014 Thalia Theater, Symphony Space, NY Dublin Guitar Quartet 21,22 January - Ann Arbour, MI 16-18 March - Montpellier, France 24,25 March - Reggio Emilia, Italy 8-10 June - Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, Canada 14-16,19-23 September - Opera House, Brooklyn, NY 26-28 October - Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley, CA 9-11 November - Teatro del Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City, Mexico 5-7,10-12 January 2013 - Het Muziektheatre, Amsterdam, Netherlands 30 SEP 2008 Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, New York, USA Philip Glass Ensemble Timothy Fain, violin; Michael Riesman, conductor 10 NOV 2006 Opera National de Paris-Garnier, Paris, France Ballet de l'Opera National de Paris-Garnier Other Dates: 11,14,16-18 November - Opera National de Paris-Garnier, Paris, France 13 November - Opera National de Paris-Garner, Paris, France 01 JUN 2006 Einstein on the Beach Dunstan Playhouse, State Opera of South Australia New co-production of Einstein on the Beach (Parts 1 & 2) by State Opera of South Australia and Leigh Warren & Dancers directed by Leigh Warren, designed by Mary Moore, lighting desig by Geoff Cobham and performed by artists of Leigh Warren & Dancers and Adelaide Vocal Project ; Timothy Sexton, conductor Other Dates: 2-4 June - Dunstan Playhouse, State Opera of South Australia 22 AUG 2001


Of Dvořák’s 9 symphonies, which number is subtitled, From the New World?

Antonín Dvořák - Symphony No. 9, "From the New World" - Paavo Järvi/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - YouTube Antonín Dvořák - Symphony No. 9, "From the New World" - Paavo Järvi/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Jan 11, 2012 Antonín Dvořák spent the years between 1892 - 1895 working in America as the Director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York. It was during this time that he wrote Symphony No. 9, "From the new World". This symphony was the one that brought him the most resounding success in 1893 when it was first performed. He was sending "notes" back to his friends and famiy in Czechoslovakia from the New World, America. The Symphony No. 9 in E Minor "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178, popularly known as the New World Symphony, was composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1893 during his visit to the United States from 1892 to 1895. It is by far his most popular symphony, and one of the most popular in the modern repertoire. In older literature and recordings this symphony is often indicated as Symphony No. 5 Dvořák was interested in the Native American music and African-American spirituals he heard in America. Upon his arrival in America, he stated: "I am convinced that the future music of this country must be founded on what are called Negro melodies. These can be the foundation of a serious and original school of composition, to be developed in the United States. These beautiful and varied themes are the product of the soil. They are the folk songs of America and your composers must turn to them." The symphony was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, and premiered on December 16, 1893, at Carnegie Hall conducted by Anton Seidl. A day earlier, in an article published in the New York Herald on December 15, 1893, Dvořák further explained how Native American music had been an influence on this symphony: "I have not actually used any of the [Native American] melodies. I have simply written original themes embodying the peculiarities of the Indian music, and, using these themes as subjects, have developed them with all the resources of modern rhythms, counterpoint, and orchestral colour." In the same article, Dvořák stated that he regarded the symphony's second movement as a "sketch or study for a later work, either a cantata or opera ... which will be based upon Longfellow's [The Song of] Hiawatha" (Dvořák never actually wrote such a piece). He also wrote that the third movement scherzo was "suggested by the scene at the feast in Hiawatha where the Indians dance". Curiously enough, passages which modern ears perceive as the musical idiom of African-American spirituals may have been intended by Dvořák to evoke a Native American atmosphere. In 1893, a newspaper interview quoted Dvořák as saying "I found that the music of the negroes and of the Indians was practically identical", and that "the music of the two races bore a remarkable similarity to the music of Scotland". Most historians agree that Dvořák is referring to the pentatonic scale, which is typical of each of these musical traditions. In a 2008 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, prominent musicologist Joseph Horowitz asserts that African-american spirituals were a major influence on the ninth symphony, quoting Dvořák from an 1893 interview in the New York Herald as saying, "In the negro melodies of America I discover all that is needed for a great and noble school of music." Despite all this, it is generally considered that, like other Dvořák pieces, the work has more in common with folk music of his native Bohemia than with that of the United States. Leonard Bernstein averred that the work was truly multinational in its foundations. The anthem of the Bureau of International Expositions was extracted from the starting part of the fourth movement of the symphony.


What is the more modern name for the electrical device sometimes called a condenser?

Electronics/Voltage, Current, and Power - Wikibooks, open books for an open world Electronics/Voltage, Current, and Power Basic Understanding[ edit ] Experiments show us that electric point charges attract or repel as calculated by Coulomb's law. Integrating (summing) over a distribution of points charges as they are assembled into a specific system configuration allows us to determine a scalar value defined as the electrical potential or electric field of a specific point. This mathematical definition is very useful in electronics circuit theory. Voltage The potential difference between two test points resulting from the distribution of charge in the circuit, usually measured in volts. Current Net amount of charge (coulombs) (number of electrons x electron charge) flowing past a specified point during a time interval (seconds), usually measured in Amps (1 Amp = 1 coulomb / 1 second). In typical components and systems the quantity of electrons is quite large and the aggregate charge flow is referred to as electricity. Power Energy given in a certain amount of time, usually measured in watts. Law of Charges Opposite charges attract while similar charges repel. Inductance When electricity passes through a wire it creates a moving magnetic field around the wire. The typical unit of measure is Henrys. Capacitance When electric fields or charge distributions are created in a physical system that stores recoverable energy, characteristics of the physical components which affect calculation of the electrical quantities are defined as capacitance. The base unit of measure is Farads, however microfarads (μF), are used much more often. Resistance When potential difference creates movement of electrons between two points, some of the potential energy formerly available in the system is irreversibly transferred from the electric field or the electrons moving through the component via collisions with atoms and molecules within the material. Ohm's Law, V=IR, defines resistance as R=V/I where V is the voltage difference applied across the component, I is the resulting current flow in Amps, and R is a constant created by characteristics of the component which is calculated from the measured voltage loss of the measured current passing through the component. Electric Field[ edit ] A charged particle such as a proton or electron may "feel" an electrical force on it in a certain environment. This force is typically due to the presence of other charges nearby. The force will have a direction and magnitude, and can be represented by a vector. (A vector is simply a quantity that represents the direction and magnitude of something.) The magnitude of the force depends on the charge of the particle, the charge on the particles around it, and how close or far away they are: Highly charged particles close to each other exert heavy forces on each other; if the charges are less, or they are farther apart, the force is less. The direction of the force depends on the location of the surrounding charges. In describing the electrical environment at that location , it is said there is an electric field at that location. The electric field is defined as the force that a single unit of charge would feel at that location. In some systems of measurement, the unit of charge is the charge of a single proton; in others it is the coulomb. A coulomb is the charge of 6.24×1018 protons The relationship between force and electric field for a single charged particle is given by the following equation: E q {\displaystyle \mathbf {E} =\mathbf {F} /q} The bold letters indicate vector quantities. This means that a charge q, in an electric field E, having a certain direction and a magnitude E, would have a force F on it, in the same direction and with a magnitude F. Considering only the magnitudes, the following would result from the definition. E = F/q  these are all magnitudes or numerical quantities The net electric field E, at a location is due to the presence of all other charges nearby, similar to the net electric force F, if there was a charge q at that location.


Which drink is made from crème de cassis topped with white wine?

Kir Recipe - Allrecipes.com Jules 1/22/2009 What a classic! Okay, I live in Burgundy, France, the home of incredible wine and Creme de Cassis. This drink is absolutely incredible and extremely well-known and loved in this region of France... heather 2/21/2009 I really like this drink. I teach French and have heard that the traditional way to prepare Kir is to take a bottle of Chablis, or other white wine, pour a glass for the person serving it, and ... Diana S. 2/8/2009 What a lovely drink! My sister made this for me years ago when she returned from a summer in France. I never asked her how she prepared it so I was happy to see this recipe... thanks for the mem... Elaine S. 4/6/2010 I think mixing this 50/50 would taste nasty to my taste buds! I add 1 to 1.5 TEASPOONS to a full glass of champayne. It's not too sweet and you can still taste the champayne. Stir well because c... Linda(LMT) 5/1/2014 I love what Crème de cassis does for white wine and I have even used it with reds. Wines vary in sweetness or lack of depending on brand and type and the nice thing about adding Crème de cassis ... Sandra Cizek-Wood 12/5/2010 My first encounter with this drink was in Paris. It is a delightful treat every time I return to France. lmbwrites 10/24/2010 Good drink! I don't usually like white wines, but red wines don't agree with me anymore. This is a nice compromise.


As what was Birmingham’s James Turner Street rechristened for a Channel 4 series?

Benefits Street: House for sale in James Turner Street, Birmingham | The Independent Benefits Street: House for sale in James Turner Street, Birmingham   Thursday 9 January 2014 12:33 BST Click to follow The Independent Online It's the street that’s split opinion all over Britain... and now you can buy your very own house on it. This two bedroom terraced house is for sale on James Turner street, aka Benefits Street , in Winson Green, Birmingham. Priced at £77,000, the property has been on sale for five months and has already been reduced from its original listing of £80,000. The average house price in Birmingham comes in at almost double this, at £155,000. A three-bedroom house on the same street sold for £56,000 last February. However after the way the residents were portrayed on the Channel 4 documentary Benefits Street on Monday, it is unlikely that potential buyers will be keen to snap up this mid-terrace house any time soon. The series, which films in an area where 90 per cent of residents are said to be claiming benefits, is being reviewed by West Midland Police after contributors were seen boasting about shoplifting offences and growing cannabis in their homes. Yet those who starred in the programme said they had been betrayed by the TV show and lied to by the programme makers Love Productions.  Story continues below gallery Benefits Street house for sale: James Turner Street, Winson Green 1/5 A bathroom in the house on James Turner Street 2/5 A bathroom in the house on James Turner Street 3/5 There is a small paved area out the back of the house 4/5 The lounge in the mid terrace house 5/5 The front of the freehold property on sale James Turner Street resident Dee Roberts told the Birmingham Mail: “They said they wanted to film for a TV show about how great community spirit is in the street and how we all help each other out on a daily basis. "They said that ‘Britain was broken’ but that I lived in an area where the community was very close. I participated in the show on that belief. “But this programme has nothing to do with community, which you can tell from the title. It’s all about people in the street living off benefits, taking drugs and dossing around all day. It makes people out as complete scum.” Now thousands have signed a petition on change.org demanding that Channel 4 drop the remainder of Benefits Street, (next week’s episode looks into the impact of Eastern European immigrants)  and make a donation to charity for the damage they caused. former bus driver Arshad Mahmood who is now out of work after having major surgery told the Independent he was worried about the effect the show would have on all people who claim benefits. The residents of Benefits Street have already been subjected to death threats themselves following the broadcast, with police investigating a number of abusive messages posted online. A Channel 4 spokesperson said the broadcaster would not be pulling the remainder of the series. “Filmed for more than a year, this fair and balanced observational documentary series is a fair reflection of the reality of life on a street where the majority of households receive benefits - and in an area of Birmingham that has had the highest rate of unemployment in the country for the last eight years,” she said. “It is a sympathetic, humane and objective portrayal of how people are coping with continuing austerity and cuts in benefits.” Benefits Street star Smoggy, an ex-convict who went door to door selling everyday items for 50p rather than claim benefits, has now been offered three jobs as a result of being in the show. Virdee estates, the agency selling the house, said they were not interested in talking to journalists. More about:


Which small, remote island is known to its inhabitants as Rapa Nui?

Rapa Nui - Easter Island | Polynesian Cultural Center Home > Polynesian Culture > Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Easter Island (Rapa Nui) — The Navel of the World Also called Rapa Nui ("Great Rapa") or Te Pito o te Henua ("Navel of the World") by the islanders.   About 1,500 years ago the adventurous chief, Hotu Matu'a, led his people to the isolated island of Rapa Nui where they lived in isolation from the rest of Polynesia for many generations. They called their home Te pito o te henua — "the navel [or center] of the world," as the phrase is often translated; however, it can also mean "the end of the land" — which aptly describes the distant map-dot. About a century ago a visiting Tahitian thought the shape of the island reminded him of one of his home islands, Rapa Iti [Small Rapa], and he gave the island its widely known Polynesian name, Rapa Nui [Big Rapa]. Today, while the people there are citizens of Chile, they still share a common Polynesian heritage with their "cousins" throughout the rest of Polynesia.     Location Rapa Nui is located about 4,300 miles southeast of Hawai'i (it's actually closer to Antarctica). It is approximately 2,000 miles to the East of Tahiti and approximately 2,200 miles off the coast of Chile, making it one of the most isolated islands in the world. Its nearest neighbor, tiny Pitcairn Island where the mutineers from HMS Bounty and their Polynesian family and friends settled in 1790, is over 1,200 miles away. -return to top- Geography Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, is a small volcanic island that encompasses about 67 square miles of land mass, and at its highest point rises to about 1,700 feet. According to research and oral traditions, it was once covered with trees, which have since all been cut down, possibly to aid in the construction and transportation of the almost 900 moai or stone monuments. The main community is located at Hanga Roa ('Great Bay'). Thanks to the U.S. space program, NASA extended an existing runway into a full-length airstrip capable of handling an emergency landing of the space shuttle. Today, Lan Chile, the official carrier of Chile, provides regularly scheduled commercial air service to Rapa Nui.   Population Just under 3,000 people live on Rapa Nui today, most of them Polynesians. Like many of the other Pacific islands during the 18th through early 20th centuries, European diseases and indentured labor practices decimated the population. For example, as many as 5,000 islanders were carried away to work in Peru, and only a few ever returned. About 1875, 500 more were taken to work the sugar plantations in Tahiti, where a small number of Easter Islanders remain to this day. At one point in the early 1900s there were only 111 Rapa Nui people left on the island; and while the slowly growing population has managed to hang on to much of their Polynesian culture, a great deal was also lost forever. For example, the people of Rapa Nui may have been the only Polynesians to have something akin to a writing system in the form of their rongorongo tablets, a few samples of which have survived to present times in widespread museums. The ability to translate them, however, seems to have been lost forever.   History and Discovery As with all other Polynesian people, the islanders of Rapa Nui left no written history, but anthropologists believe they came from the area now called French Polynesia about 1,600 years ago. There is no indication of other subsequent contact with Polynesia; but some anthropologists believe there was also contact with or from South America because of the stone moai — which they believe could reflect Incan or Meso-American influence, as well as sweet potatoes — which botanists have proved came from the Americas. Oral tradition says the years between Hotu Matu'a and first contact with the western world were filled with growth to a population as large as 10,000, as well as the creation of the moai, but also with civil warfare, cannibalism and the complete deforestation of the land. Dutch admiral Jacob Roggeveen came upon Rapa Nui on Easter Sunday, 1722, hence the


Referring to their feeding method, ducks can be diving ducks - or what other kind?

Birds of The World: DIPPING DUCKS Geese Dabbling Ducks belong to genus Anas as is also true for teals. Teals have been given their own web page as an arbitrary way to split the presentation of this large genus. Dabbling ducks do not totally submerge when feeding and are often seen with just their rears showing as the search for food. Because of their feeding method, Dabbling Ducks have evolved to be more buoyant than diving ducks. Most birders identify this type of duck as a "Dabbling Duck", but I personlly think "Dipping Duck" is more descriptive. Genus Amazonetta - 1 species Teal, Brazilian   Amazonetta brasiliensis  Found: eastern South America One of the Brazilian Teal's closest relative is the Bronze-winged Duck . It is light brown upperpart. Male has red bill, female has black bill. Image by: 1, 3) Claudio Timm    2) Cristiano Crolle - Esteros del Iberà, Argentina   4) Dario Sanches - Brazil    5) Cristiano Crolle - River Tigre Delta, Argentina 1, 2) Female   3, 4) Male Genus Anas This genus contains the dabbling ducks, so called because the dip their heads for food. They generally do not dive for food. Included are the mallard like, wigeons, teals, pintails and shovelers. Image by: 1, 3) Dick Daniels  - Sylvan Heights   2) Joseph Mochoge - Gilgil, Kenya   4) Dick - World of Birds , South Africa   5) Ian White - Botswana  6) Peter Steward - Kenya Duck, American Black Anas rubripes   Found: east North America, Bahamas The American Black Deck has a dark brown body, dark eyes, orange legs. The female has a dull green bill, the male has a yellow bill. Similar to: Mallard , Mottled Duck . Body variation from light to dark: Mallard, Mottled Duck, American Black Duck.  Mottled Duck and Mallard have brighter bills than American Black Duck. Mottled Duck distinguished by black mark at its gape (where bill joins face). Image by:  1) Jimmy Smith - Mississippi  2, 3 , 5, 6, 8, 9) Dick Daniels - Sylvan Heights    4) Dick - Acadia National Park, Maine  7) Dick on the Cape May, New Jersey ferry 1, 2, 3, 4) Female   5 - 9) Male   Duck, Falcated   Anas falcata    Found: Europe, Asia The breeding male Falcated Duck has a gray body, dark green head, bronze crown, white throat. The female has a mottled brown body, long gray bill. The nonbreeding male is similar to the female but darker on the back and head. 1) Female on top, bottom nonbreeding male  2, 3) Female  4. 5. 6) Breedin male Duck, Laysan    also  Laysan Teal  Anas laysanensis   Found: Laysan island of Hawaii The Laysan Duck has mainly dark brown plumage; prominent white eye-ring; orange legs, feet. Male has dark green bill with black blotching. Female has orange bill with black blotching. Image by: 1) Caleb Slemmons  2) Heather Paul - San Diego Zoo   3) Eike Wulfmeyer   4) Kanalu Chock 1) Female 2, 3) Male Duck, Meller's   Anas melleri  Found: Eastern Madagascar The Meller's Duck looks similar to a Mallard and its other relatives, but the Meller's Duck does not have a superciliu. Image by: 1, 2) Lt Shears - Louisville Zoo  3) Sarefo   Duck, Mottled   Anas fulvigula Found: southeast North America The Mottled Duck has a dark mottled body, lighter head and neck, orange legs and dark eyes. Both sexes have a shiny green-blue speculum (wing patch), which is not bordered with white. Black mark at gape (where bill joins face).  The male's bill is bright yellow; the female's is deep to pale orange. Similar to: American Black Duck , Mallard . Body variation from light to dark: Mallard, Mottled Duck, American Black Duck.  Mottled Duck and Mallard have brighter bills than American Black Duck. Mottled Duck distinguished by black mark at its gape (where bill joins face). 1) Ducklings  2, 3) Pair (male on left)  4) Female   5 - 8) Male Duck, Pacific Black also Grey Duck Anas superciliosa   Found: Australia, New Zealand The Pacific Black Duck has a dark body, a paler head with a dark crown and facial stripes. In flight, it shows a green speculum and pale underwing. All plumages are similar. Image by: 1, 2) Dick Daniels - Sylvan Heights   3) Dick - New Zeland  4,   5, 6) Dick - Aust


Which is the only English cathedral other than Lichfield to have three spires?

Lichfield Cathedral Lichfield Cathedral Picture By Roger Robinson   Lichfield Cathedral was never a     monastery as most, but was established as a cathedral and has continued     with minimal interruption. It was not greatly affected by the     dissolution of the monasteries in the period of Henry VIII, and its only     severe problem was in the time of the civil war, when it was badly     damaged, and one of its three spires was felled. It is England's only     medieval Cathedral with three spires, Truro Cathedral, and the Episcopal     Cathedral in Edinburgh have three spires but both were built in the 19th     century. The present building was started in     1195, and completed by the building of the Lady Chapel in the 1330s. It     replaced a Norman building begun in 1085 which had replaced one, or     possibly two, Saxon buildings from the seventh century. The Bishop's     Palace built in 1687 and a theological college built in 1837, are next     to the cathedral. One of the smallest cathedrals it measures 113m (370ft) in length from inside the West Door to the extreme     end of the Lady Chapel. It is only 21m (68ft) wide.  It is one of only     twelve surviving medieval chapter houses. The central spire is 77m     (252ft) high and the western spires about 58m (190ft) high. There are 113     statues on the West Front, but only four are medieval. The rest were     carved towards the end of the 19th century, as the original statues had     become very worn and most were removed in the 18th century.  History This site now occupied by the cathedral was already a holy site, as the scene of martyrdoms during the Roman period. These would have been Celtic Christians well ahead of the first Catholics arriving in Britain. It is therefore likely that the site was occupied by several earlier Celtic Christian churches ahead of being 'pack and wrapped' into the Catholic faith. We know little about this, other than it being the reason for the cathedral being on the site now. When Chad was made Bishop of Mercia in 669 he moved his See from Repton to Lichfield, because it was a holy site, due to the martyrdom that had occurred. The first Cathedral to be built on the     present site was in 700AD when Bishop Hedda built a new church to house     the bones of St Chad, which had become a sacred shrine to many pilgrims     when he died in 672. Offa, King of Mercia seemed to resent his own     bishops paying allegiance to the Archbishop of Canterbury in Kent who,     whilst under Offa's control, was not of his own kingdom of Mercia. Offa     therefore created his own archbishopric in Lichfield, who presided over     all the bishops from the Humber to the Thames. All this began in 786,     with the consent of Pope Adrian. The Popeï¿½s official representatives     were received warmly by Offa and were present at the Council of Chelsea     (787), often called `the contentious synod', where it was proposed that     the Archbishopric of Canterbury be restricted in order to make way for     Offa's new archbishop. It was vehemently opposed, but Offa and the papal     representatives defeated Archbishop Jaenbert, installing Higbert as the     new Archbishop of Lichfield. Pope Adrian sent Higbert the pallium,     denoting his support for this move. In gratitude, Offa promised to send     an annual shipment of gold to the pope for alms and supplying the lights     in St. Peter's church in Rome. However, The Archbishopric of Lichfield     only lasted for 16 years, ending soon after Offa's death, when it was     restored to Archbishop Aethelheard of Canterbury. Click on any small     image to see a larger version Image from wikipedia, edited to show more detail, click here to     see original. Starting in 1085 and continuing through the twelfth century the original wooden Saxon church was replaced by a Norman Cathedral made from stone, and