The Stanley Cup Final is a best-of-seven playoff series to determine the National Hockey League champion. In the 200910 season, how many games were needed to decide the best of seven between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks?

Bruins vs. Flyers blog | NHL.com Bruins vs. Flyers blog Is the West the best? 05.14.2010 / 3:42 PM ET Bruins coach Claude Julien was asked at his press conference if the Stanley Cup Playoff series outcomes indicate the Eastern Conference, where the sixth and seventh seeds will battle tonight to determine who will host the eighth seed in the conference final, has more parity than the Western Conference, where the top two seeds are playing in the conference final. "It’s been a pretty strange situation in our conference," Julien said. "You see the (top) teams get bumped out, some of them in the first round, some in the second round, so that just goes to show you, again, we keep using the word parity (but) you never know. I think what's going on right now, I guess in our conference this year, which was the case a few years back in the other conferences, is that the teams that are left right now really battled hard to get into the playoffs. Somehow, and as I mentioned, our team, you get into the playoffs, you're actually building some momentum getting into the playoffs and I think the three teams that are left had built momentum going in just like the Edmonton Oilers (in 2006), just creeping into the playoffs, and because they had to battle to get in, they build momentum going in and that sometimes is a good thing. So that to me is what you're seeing right now with the sixth, seventh and eighth seeds that are still alive right now." -- John McGourty Possible line changes for Bruins 05.14.2010 / 3:39 PM ET Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien shuffled his lines at Thursday's practice in an effort to get more scoring for Game 7 Friday against the Philadelphia Flyers . The Bruins were shut out for 134:11.5, between Game 4 and Game 6, until Milan Lucic scored with a minute remaining in Wednesday's 2-1 loss in Game 6. Julien also scrambled the second and third defense pairings. Here are the lines the Bruins had in practice Thursday. Remember, they didn't skate Friday morning: Boychuk and Wideman are right-hand shots. Ference and Hunwick are both left-hand shots. -- John McGourty Pressure? This is fun 05.14.2010 / 1:30 PM ET Music ranged from Lady Gaga to Journey in the Philadelphia Flyers ' dressing room this morning. Nobody seems ready to go home for the summer. Sure, there's pressure on this team to make history and win a best-of-seven series after losing the first three. But the Flyers are doing a heck of a job of not feeling it. "You have to embrace it … this is fun," forward Danny Briere said. "You've got to get up for it and be excited for it. Nobody knows what's going to happen tonight, but the one thing I know is I just want to leave it all out on the ice." The Flyers did that in Games 4, 5 and 6, which is exactly why there will be a decisive game here at TD Garden tonight. If Philadelphia finds a way again, it will be the first team since the New York Islanders in 1975 to win a series after losing the first three games. "It's an exciting time," captain Mike Richards said. "Hopefully we play well." For what it's worth, the road team is 3-0 in Game 7s this postseason. Detroit crushed the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena in Round 1, while the Montreal Canadiens upset both the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Habs will play the winner of tonight's game on Sunday, which will take place in either Boston or Philadelphia. "You go on the road and you try to keep your game simple," defenseman Chris Pronger said. "You just play as hard as you can and get off to a good start. You're seeing the road teams get off to a good start and get an early lead. It kind of sets that home team back on their heels a little bit. It's up to us tonight to do that and get into the rhythm of our game." Other notes from this morning: -- The Bruins did not skate. Claude Julien was the only member of the organization to address reporters. "We didn't get in (from Philadelphia) until about 1:30 (on Thursday morning)," Julien responded when asked why his team didn't skate. "We practiced yesterday. W


"Opened in 1890, with 6 stations over 3.2 miles (5.1 km) and running in a pair of tunnels between the City of London and Stockwell passing under the River Thames, what was the first deep-level underground ""tube"" railway in the world, and the first major railway to use electric traction?"

City and South London Railway : definition of City and South London Railway and synonyms of City and South London Railway (English)   Establishment   Arms of the City & South London Railway In November 1883, notice was given that a private bill was to be presented to Parliament for the construction of the City of London & Southwark Subway (CL&SS). [3] The promoter of the bill, and engineer of the proposed railway, was James Henry Greathead , who had, in 1869–70, constructed the Tower Subway using the same tunnelling shield /segmented cast iron tube method proposed for the CL&SS. The railway was to run from Elephant and Castle , in Southwark , south London, under the River Thames to King William Street in the City of London . The tracks were to be in twin tunnels 3.1 metres (10 ft 2 in) in diameter. [4] The bill received Royal Assent as the City of London and Southwark Subway Act, 1884 on 28 July 1884. [5] Section 5 of the Act stated: "The works authorised by this Act are as follows: "A subway commencing ... near ... Short Street at the ... junction ... with Newington Butts and terminating at King William Street ... "The subway shall consist of two tubes for separate up and down traffic and shall be approached by means of staircases and by hydraulic lifts." In 1886, a further bill was submitted to Parliament to extend the tunnels south from Elephant and Castle to Kennington and Stockwell . [6] This received assent on 12 July 1887 as the City of London and Southwark Subway (Kennington Extensions, &c.) Act, 1887, [7] allowing the construction of the extension to be added to the work on the original route, which had begun in 1886. [8] The tunnels on this section were of a slightly larger diameter – 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in). [4] Before the railway opened, a further bill received assent, granting permission to continue the line south to Clapham Common . [9] The act was published on 25 July 1890 as the City and South London Railway Act, 1890, also effecting a change of the company's name. [10]   Haulage and infrastructure Given the small dimension of the tunnels, steam power, as used on London's other underground railways, was not feasible for a deep tube railway. Like Greathead's earlier Tower Subway, the CL&SS was intended to be operated by cable haulage with a static engine pulling the cable through the tunnels at a steady speed. [11] Section 5 of the 1884 Act specified that: "The traffic of the subway shall be worked by ... the system of the Patent Cable Tramway Corporation Limited or by such means other than steam locomotives as the Board of Trade may from time to time approve".   C&SLR locomotive number 13 at the London Transport Museum Depot in 2005 The Patent Cable Tramway Corporation owned the rights to the Hallidie cable-car system first invented and used in San Francisco in 1873; trains were attached to the cable with clamps, which would be opened and closed at stations, allowing the carriages to disconnect and reconnect without needing to stop the cable or to interfere with other trains sharing the cable. [12] There were to be two independent endless cables, one between City station and Elephant and Castle moving at 10 mph, and the other between Elephant and Castle and Stockwell, where the gradient was less, at 12 mph. However, the additional length of tunnel permitted by the supplementary acts challenged the practicality of the cable system. It is reported that this problem with the CL&SS contributed to the bankruptcy of the cable company in 1888. [4] However, electric motor traction had been considered all along, and much engineering progress had been made since the tunnel's construction had begun in 1886. So, CL&SS chairman Charles Grey Mott decided to switch to electric traction. [13] Other cable-operated systems using the Hallidie patents continued to be designed, such as the Glasgow Subway which opened in 1896. The solution adopted was electrical power, provided via a third rail beneath the train, but offset to the west of centre for clearance reasons. Although the use of electricity to power trains had been experim


Where was the annual G8 leaders summit held in the year 2000?

G8: Annual Summit – Japan | DeepDyve Try 2 weeks free now G8: Annual Summit – Japan The summit exposed the limits of the power wielded by the leaders of the world’s eight supposedly most powerful economies. At the Group of eight’s (G8— Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States ) annual summit to discuss the state of the planet, held in Hokkaido, Japan in July, it became apparent how global the problems facing the world, and therefore their potential solutions, are. Even the strongest nations are being buffeted by forces that individual leaders cannot control and that can only be tamed, if they can be tamed at all, at a truly international level, the Financial Times , London, said. Just a year earlier when the eight heads of state met in Germany’s seaside resort of Heiligendamm, none was aware of the threats lurking in the US subprime housing market. They had probably never heard of monolines, the bond insurers whose troubles subsequently seemed capable of spreading financial Armageddon, nor conceived of oil at $140 a barrel or rice at $1,100 a tonne. New forces are shaping almost everything these leaders are straining to do, from propping up financial systems to stimulating their economies and dousing energy and food inflation. Some http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Africa Research Bulletin: Economic, Financial and Technical Series Wiley http://www.deepdyve.com/lp/wiley/g8-annual-summit-japan-AB07XG2ceG peaceful use in the Maghreb. Algeria’s Khelil told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting that AMU experts will conduct technical and legal studies to identify the projects countries in the region could undertake in this domain. Both Morocco and Tunisia showed substantial interest in this proposal. Moroccan Minister of Energy Amina Benkhadra emphasised that that devel- oping nuclear power for peaceful pur- poses has become an indispensable necessity, and that AMU states must implement nuclear projects. Tunisia’s Chelbi adopted a similar view, stressing that nuclear energy is the alternative to oil. When asked about a potential timeline for the proposed projects, Khelil told reporters it would be diﬃcult to set a deﬁnite agenda before experts wrap up preliminary studies at the end of 2008. (Magharebia.com 7 ⁄ 7) Leaders, ‘‘deeply concerned’’ by the food crisis, plan an agricultural cam- paign. The 10th summit of heads of state of the community of Sahelo-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) in June elected Benin’s President Yayi Boni as chairman of the organisation for a one-year term. Speaking at the closing ceremony of the two-day summit in Cotonou, Presi- dent Boni said he was committed ‘‘to explore all avenues to improve the posi- tion of CEN-SAD in the regional com- munities’’. The summit was on the theme: ‘‘Rural development and food security in the CEN-SAD zone’’. Launched on February 4th 1998 in Tripoli, Libya, CEN-SAD groups 28 member states, including Mauritania, Kenya and Sao Tome and Principe that joined the organisation on June 17th. CEN-SAD pledged to: • Set up an investment guarantee agency for the Sahelian-Saharan Bank for Investment and Trade (BSIC). • Give emergency support to vulnerable populations and farmers to help them meet their food needs. • To carry out an agricultural campaign that would help increase internal food supplies. • To mobilise partners so as to give priority to sustainable agricultural development programmes in bilateral and multilateral cooperation agencies, and to support agri- cultural technology transfer and sustain- able water and soil management programmes particularly through the • To create an environment favourable for private investments in the agricultural sector, so as to facilitate exchange of basic foodstuffs and a greater availability of information about food products markets. • To advocate water control, soil fertilising, mechanisation of agricultural research and the reinforcement of measures taken to stop the degradation of natural resources, through the implementation of relevant international conventions. The summi


What sport is associated with Vladimir Putin, the second President of the Russian Federation?

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin - Celebrity Genealogy Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin Leningrad USSR, Saint Petersburgh, Russian Federation Immediate Family: Oct 7 1952 - Saint-Pétersbourg RUSSIE Parents: Vladimir Spiridonovitch Poutine, Maria Ivanovna Poutine (née Chelomova) Siblings: Lioudmila Alexandrovna Poutine (née Shkrebneva) Children: Oct 7 1952 - Oblast de Léningrad, Russie Parents: Vladimir Spiridonovitch Poutine, Maria Poutine (née Ivanovna) Siblings: Oct 7 1952 - Saint Petersburg Parents: Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin, Maria Ivanovna Shelomova Siblings: Official Website , Blog Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin Влади́мир Влади́мирович Пу́тин; born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician who is the current President of the Russian Federation, holding the office since 7 May 2012. He was Prime Minister from 1999 to 2000, President from 2000 to 2008, and again Prime Minister from 2008 to 2012. During his second term as Prime Minister, he was the Chairman of the United Russia Party, the ruling party. Putin brought peace and progress to Russia, when he ended the crisis of 1990s and restored the territorial integrity of Russia and established a strong "power vertical". Putin often supports an outdoor, sporting, tough guy image in the media, demonstrating his physical capabilities and taking part in unusual or dangerous acts, such as extreme sports and interaction with wild animals. A judoka, samboist and karateka, several times Champion of Leningrad in judo and sambo in his youth, Putin has played a major role in development of sport in Russia, notably, helping the city of Sochi to win the bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics. I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul; a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country. And I appreciated so very much the frank dialogue. President George W. Bush re President Vladimir Putin. (16 June 2001) Stay tuned . . . BIOGRAPHY Vladimir Putin was born on October 7, 1952, in Leningrad, RSFSR, USSR (now Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation), to parents Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin (1911–1999) and Maria Ivanovna Putina (1911–1998). His mother was a factory worker, and his father was a conscript in the Soviet Navy, where he served in the submarine fleet in the early 1930s. Two elder brothers were born in the mid-1930s; one died within a few months of birth, while the second succumbed to diphtheria during the siege of Leningrad. His paternal grandfather, Spiridon Ivanovich Putin (1879–1965), was employed at Vladimir Lenin's dacha at Gorki as a chef, and after Lenin's death in 1924, he continued to work for Lenin's wife, Nadezhda Krupskaya. He would later work for Joseph Stalin when the Soviet leader visited one of his dachas in the Moscow region. Spiridon later was employed at a dacha belonging to the Moscow City Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, at which the young Putin would visit him. In the early 1980s Putin met and married his wife, Lyudmila, a former teacher of French and English. In 1984 he was selected to attend the prestigious Red Banner Institute of Intelligence, where he mastered German and also learned English in preparation for an international assignment, which he had coveted for some time. In 1985 the KGB sent him to Dresden, East Germany, where he lived undercover as Mr. Adamov, the director of the Soviet-German House of Friendship, a social and cultural club in Leipzig. According to Wines, he spoke so fluently that he could easily mimic regional dialects. Putin appeared to genuinely enjoy socializing with Germans, unlike many other KGB agents, and respected the German trait of discipline. What Putin did in East Germany has been a matter of some speculation. Wines wrote, "Officially - and perhaps actually - his task was to track the political leanings of East Germans and their contacts with the West." John Lloyd stated in the New York Times Magazine, "His real task was to recruit agents to supply technical and economic informati


What sign of the zodiac is represented by a set of scales?

Zodiac Libra Tattoo Ideas Zodiac Libra Tattoo Ideas Tattoos & Body Piercings Expert By Jodie Michalak Is your life in balance? If you were born between September 24th thru October 23rd you are the sign of Libra. Lucky you! Libras are mild-tempered, sharp and just. One of your only faults? You can be very indecisive. Not certain if that rings true? Don't let doubt falter these tattoo ideas. The following selection of Libra designs fit your persona to scale and will ensure that your tattoo is both memorable and  meaningful.   Traits of the Libra Before you begin the process of selecting a Libra zodiac tattoo, it's helpful to learn about your unique traits and what your sun sign represents. Libra is the only sign in the zodiac represented by an inanimate object, which is a set of scales. While you are diplomatic and for the most part always seeking balance, you are also an air sign and very emotionally charged. Some may even call you turbulent when you aren't at ease. The truth is, the romantic and charming Libra loves to be in a partnership. You are very concerned about the nourishment of others and this endearing quality leads you to many personal and professional relationships, although romantic unions and marriage are the most fulfilling to you. continue reading below our video Wake Up to Younger Looking Eyes Once coupled up, you're likely to stay that way for all your days. Harmony, peace and balance are your rule for order. Mirrors Mirror, mirror on the wall, OK Libra, you're fairest of them all. And quite narcissistic at times. A mirror tattoo may serve you well.  Consider an ornate framed piece on your forearm or thigh for a feminine take on a Libra tattoo inspired. Libras dislike dirt and sloppiness, and are much more attracted to physical beauty than any other sign. Especially their own. It's alright, it only adds to your charm. You are a perfectionist and love the art of dressing up. Peace Sign For obvious reasons, Libras are the perfect candidates for a peace sign tattoo. You don't have to be hailing hippie roots to wear this universal symbol of harmony. Consider a black and grey peace tattoo rather than a colorful one if the style suits you better. Olive Branch Even when cut down, the olive tree continues to produce shoots from its roots. It can be said that the olive tree lives eternally. Because the Libra nature is just as strong and determined, why not make a peace offering and opt for an olive branch or olive tree tattoo? Doves Doves are symbolic of peace and solace, which makes them perfect for your lover at heart persona. Whether you opt for a single dove representing purity, or a pair of love doves symbolic of your spouse and your union, or opt for a single white feather tattoo , doves are certain to bring balance to your body art. Venus Libras are ruled by Venus the Goddess of Love. In Roman mythology, Venus was the mother to all her people. A goddess tattoo can represent your very own concern for the general well-being of others. You can tattoo a Venus design anywhere from your back to your arm and even your thigh. Consider an art nouveau  design and be sure to find a reputable artist for this illustrative piece, as small details count. Scales Balance is your primary instinct, which makes the scale the symbol of Libra's sun sign. You can wear a scale tattoo anywhere there's a larger canvas, such as the back, shoulder, leg or arms. While some people opt for a very simple scale design, others decide on an ornate tattoo and include details that make the scales more vintage in fashion. Consider a steam punk tattoo if you want a set of scales that have character and history. Language Script In addition to these design ideas, you can opt for a language character that relates to your horoscope. Japanese, Chinese and Arabic symbols may suit your passions and interests. Take a look at the following script for Libra in Japanese here. This small symbol which translates to tenbinza would make the perfect inner wrist tattoo that represents your sun sign in a less conspicuous fashion. If you want to work this charac


"In the James Bond film ""Thunderball"" who played Bond girl Domino Derval?"

Bond Girls: Thunderball (1965) Thunderball (1965) See also James Bond Films - Summary Greatest Bond Girls in James Bond Films See the remake of Thunderball, the unofficial     Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983) with     similar Bond girls Title Screen Film Title/Year/Director, Bond Girl (Actress) Screenshots d. Terence Young Patricia Fearing (Molly Peters) Patricia Fearing was a pretty blonde physical therapist/nurse      at the Shrublands Health Clinic in England, where Bond (Connery) was      taking a rest-cure and detoxification. She was assigned to administer      massages to Bond, and during one appointment, Bond forced an unappreciated      kiss on her, and she reprimanded him: "Behave yourself, Mr. Bond." She strapped him to a motorized traction table ("the      rack")      to stretch his spine, and joked: "First time I've felt really safe      all day." Patricia saved Bond after he passed out on the sabotaged      table, rigged to kill him by SPECTRE agent      Count Lippe (Guy Doleman).        To retaliate, Bond sabotaged Lippe's steam-bath cabinet and trapped      him inside. After she asked for him to      keep silent about the incident (otherwise she would have been fired)      - his price for cooperation ("I     suppose my silence could have a price") was for her to join him in the Turkish steam bath room. She was the first Bond girl to appear     nude (in silhouette behind frosted glass) with the agent - in this     scene. Later in his room (in two scenes), Bond rubbed a soft      black mink glove over the naked back of now sexually-liberated and      appreciative Patricia, who enjoyed his therapeutic moves ("Mink.      It reduces the tensions"). When Bond left Shrublands, he asked her to "keep in touch," and     she cordially replied: "Any time, James. Any place." He responded: "Another     time. Another place." Thunderball (1965) Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi) Voluptuous, red-haired 'black widow' mistress and assassinatrix Fiona Volpe, working for SPECTRE No. 2 villain Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), was first seen seducing NATO's French pilot Major Francois Derval (Paul Stassino) before he was killed, as part of a plot to steal two thermonuclear weapons from a NATO jet. Later, after other SPECTRE agents had failed to kill      Bond (Connery), the sensual and feisty bad girl infiltrated into Bond's      Nassau hotel, took the adjoining room, and was taking a bath as Bond      entered. When she asked for something to put on, Bond handed her slippers.      Shortly after, they made love in the bedroom (she asked: "Do you      like wild things, Mr. Bond, James Bond." Bond replied: "Wild?      You should be locked up in a cage"). But as they were leaving the room afterwards (when she      called him a "sadistic brute" who had messed up her hair), she betrayed Bond and held a gun on him, although he knew she was an enemy agent even before they made love (she was wearing the same ring as Largo) (Bond: "What I did this evening was for king and country. You don't think it gave me any pleasure, do you?"). She spitefully told him he had a big ego: "James Bond, who only has to make love to a woman and she starts to hear heavenly choirs singing. She repents and immediately returns to the side of right and virtue - but not this one! What a blow it must have been. You, having a failure." Bond responded: "Well, you can't win them all!" Bond soon escaped from Fiona and other thugs during a      local Junkanoo carnival/parade, but she caught up with him at the Kiss      Kiss Club. She danced with Bond on the open-air dance floor, as she      moved him closer to an assassin's gun pointed in their direction, but      he turned her around and she was shot in the back with a fatal bullet      intended for Bond. 007 left her corpse at a table, claiming: "Do you      mind if my friend sits this one out? She's just dead." Thunderball (1965) Dominique ("Domi


What is the only US state that touches both the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean?

What states border the Atlantic Ocean? | Reference.com What states border the Atlantic Ocean? A: Quick Answer The states in the U.S. that border the Atlantic Ocean include Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland and Massachusetts. In addition, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia also border the Atlantic Ocean. Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama border a part of the Atlantic Ocean known as the Gulf of Mexico. Full Answer The states that directly border the Atlantic Ocean have a combined coastline of 2,069 miles. The states that border the Gulf of Mexico have a total coastline length of 1,631 miles. States bordering the Atlantic Ocean are typically known as East Coast states. The northernmost of these states is Maine, and the southernmost state is Florida. Important cities that lie along the Atlantic Ocean coastline include Boston, New York City, Atlantic City, Ocean City, Virginia Beach, Kitty Hawk, Wilmington, Charleston, Savannah, Daytona Beack, West Palm Beach, Miami and Key West. Geographical features along the coastline include Cape Hatteras, Cape May, Myrtle Beach, Roanoke Island, the barrier islands and the Chesapeake Bay. The I-95 corridor runs down the Atlantic coastline from New York to Florida. The earliest U.S. colony, Jamestown, Virginia, was located along the Atlantic Ocean coastline, which was settled by colonists who crossed the Atlantic from Europe.


What scale is used for rating tornado intensity, based on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation?

Fujita Scale | Tornado Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Share Ad blocker interference detected! Wikia is a free-to-use site that makes money from advertising. We have a modified experience for viewers using ad blockers Wikia is not accessible if you’ve made further modifications. Remove the custom ad blocker rule(s) and the page will load as expected. The Fujita scale (F-Scale), or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation. The official Fujita scale category is determined by meteorologists (and engineers) after a ground and/or aerial damage survey; and depending on the circumstances, ground-swirl patterns (cycloidal marks), radar tracking, eyewitness testimonies, media reports and damage imagery, as well as photogrammetry/videogrammetry if motion picture recording is available. F0 40-72 mph Light Damage, some damage to chimneys, branches broken off trees. F1 73-112 mph Moderate Damage, mobile homes overturned, cars pushed off the road. F2 113-157 mph Considerable Damage, mobile homes demolished, roofs torn off homes. F3 158-206 mph Severe Damage, roofs and some walls destroyed, large trees lifted. F4 207-260 mph Devestating Damage, well constructed homes leveled, cars thrown. F5 261-318 mph Incredible Damage, strong homes lifted off foundations and thrown, trees debarked. The Fujita Scale was supported for rating tornadoes until 2007, and was replaced by the Enhanced Fujita Scale in 2007. However, the old Fujita scale is still used in the rest of the world.


How many defensive players are on a baseball field at any one time?

Baseball Defense - How Baseball Works | HowStuffWorks How Baseball Works   Prev Next   Defensive positions A baseball game is played between two teams -- the home team and visiting team. Often, the name of the visiting team's city is displayed across the front of the players' jerseys. Each team has at least nine players, and each player occupies a designated spot on the field. Most professional teams have many more than nine players, which allows for substitutions. During an inning, teams take turns batting. While one team is batting, the other team puts its players in specific areas of the field in order to prevent the other team from getting hits and scoring runs. Each player of the batting team takes his turn going to home plate, standing in the batter's box, and trying to hit the ball that the pitcher throws toward him. He does so by swinging the bat as the ball nears home plate. Up Next What’s the infield fly rule? In all, there are nine positions on the defensive side: Pitcher - Stands on the pitcher's mound and throws the ball to the catcher in attempt to make the batter either swing and miss or else put the ball in play so that it can be caught by a defensive player (in which case the batter is "out") Catcher - Squats behind home plate and catches the pitcher's throws; also throws to bases to throw out player's trying to steal those bases, as well as fields the area around home plate First baseman - Fields the area near first base Second baseman - Fields the area between first and second base Third baseman - Fields the area near third base Shortstop - Fields the area between second and third base Left field - Fields the portion of the outfield that's on the left side of the batter when he faces the field Center field - Fields the middle portion of the outfield Right field - Fields the portion of the outfield that is on the right side of the batter when he faces the field Former Atlanta Braves second baseman Marcus Giles leaps over an opposing player to complete a double play. Photo courtesy Atlanta Braves All of the fielders work together to prevent the batters and base runners of the other team from getting hits and scoring runs. An out is recorded when a fielder catches a ball, tags a base runner with a ball, or grabs the ball and steps on the base a runner is trying to reach before the runner reaches it. Outs are also recorded when a hitter strikes out (see the next section). Once three outs are recorded, a half-inning is finished. In the next section, we will look at the offensive side of the game. All-time Leaders: Earned Run Average


Messina - Sicily - Discover Italy Discover Italy Ai Weiwei at Palazzo Strozzi Florence hosts one of the giants of contemporary art Video Spas in Ischia Ischia is an island of fire and water and, of course, sun. In its spa parks - the most famous of which are Negombo and Poseidon - nature offers... Read more Saint Rita of Cascia The Basilica of St. Rita of Cascia offers all visitors a significant opportunity of reflection and prayer. Rita of Cascia, in the world Margherita... You are in  Home  /  Discover Italy  /  Sicily  / Messina Messina What to Do What to Taste Messina sits across the  Strait of Messina , that divides the Region of  Calabria   from the Island of  Sicily . Mother Nature has created a masterpiece here, painting the gorgeous sea into its background. Nature also one of this area's biggest highlights, extraordinary under a limpid sky and sitting above marine depths where another world waits to be explored. So much like a kaleidoscope of hues, the sea changes from nocturnal blue to crystalline defined by slight blue veins.  One of the marvels of this sea? The  Aeolian Islands : Lipari, Panarea, Salina, Stromboli, Vulcano, Filicudi and Alicudi are the seven pearls scattered over the waters facing Messina. All of volcanic origin, each contains its individual beauty and historical identity; together, they have been proclaimed a  World Heritage Site .  As in the past, Messina is the main portal to Sicily. Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans and Swabians landed on its coasts and had a heavy influence on culture here and throughout the Island. By exploring the small provincial towns, one can discover precious works of art in its churches and palaces, and important traces of great and faraway civilizations.  Local traditions narrate the history of the local people, as do the ancient flavors that have endured to the present.  Once having crossed the  Strait  to get to to Sicily, we disembark at the port of Messina, right in the heart and pulse of the city.  More modern buildings have invaded the entire urban layout, but some traces of its glorious past have remained. The facade of the  Cathedral , or Duomo, features polychromatic bands on its lower end, which are interrupted by three entrance portals. Two main works kept in the church are the statue of St. John the Baptist, attributed to Antonello Gagini, and the Sacrament Chapel, created by Jacopo del Duca, a student of Michelangelo.  On the lateral bell tower, a mechanical clock shows the time through its panels arranged on the four facades.  The 16th-Century  Orione Fountain  stands in the center of the piazza, and was completed by Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli, another of Michelangelo's students.  The Regional Museum offers a very interesting artistic itinerary via its Pinacoteca or Painting Gallery, exhibiting precious works: the “Polyptych of St. Gregory” by Antonello da Messina, the “Adoration of the Three Holy Kings” and the “Resurrection of Lazarus” by Caravaggio.  Finally, take a look inside the  The Church of the Santissima Annunziata  (Holy Annunciation) dei Catalani, erected between 1150 and 1200 on the remains of a pagan temple to the god Neptune. Messina Province, of course, is awash in the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas.  Both coastal strips are punctuated by gracious localities, which, beyond their natural beauty, offer interesting historical and artistic traces.  Above all,  Taormina , dramatically perched on a precipice (and with a great view of  Etna  in one direction), is a sheer drop to the sea. Very steep and rocky, its coast is full of small bays colored by a lush maquis and all the blues of the sea.  Taormina is considered the “Lady” of the Ionic Coast, port of destination for celebrities and illustrious personages.  The Ancient Theatre, one of the greatest of the Greek-Roman epoch, is immersed in an expanse of olives, oranges and almond groves that fill the air with their exotic perfumes. Behind the theatrical stage, the scene opens up to the moon and stars that capture one's gaze as reflect their light over the dark sea. Tiny art gems ca


Which UK television series starred Ross Kemp as a tough SAS officer?

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Profiles: EastEnders Kemp and McFadden Profiles: EastEnders Kemp and McFadden Kemp and McFadden joined EastEnders in February 1990 EastEnders actor Ross Kemp is in the headlines after his wife, Sun editor Rebekah Wade, was arrested but later released for alleged assault. Later on Thursday a woman was cautioned by police for an alleged assault on Kemp's EastEnders co-star Steve McFadden. Kemp, 41, and McFadden, 46, are most famous for playing tough brothers Grant and Phil Mitchell in BBC One soap EastEnders. Grant drove into EastEnders with Phil, played by McFadden, in February 1990, before the criminal pair set up shop under the Arches. Popular return An impressive 25.3 million viewers watched Grant attack Phil in 1994, after learning his brother was having an affair with wife Sharon, played by Letitia Dean. Essex-born actor Kemp has just rejoined the cast for three weeks, after leaving six years ago for ITV, and has signed up for another three months next year. Kemp won acclaim for his role in Ricky Gervais' Extras Kemp's EastEnders' comeback - part of a deal which will also allow him to pursue his directing ambitions - has helped boost the show's flagging ratings to 13 million viewers and a 52.9% audience share for his first onscreen episode. McFadden also returned to the soap last month, having left in 2004 when his character was sent to prison for armed robbery. McFadden was born in Maida Vale and graduated from the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. He began his television career in 1989, when he appeared in ITV series Minder and The Bill, and BBC drama Bergerac. McFadden also had minor roles in movies Buster in 1988 and Kevin and Perry Go Large in 2000. 'Iconic character' Kemp's career began after he studied drama at London's Webber Douglas Academy, and has appeared in films, TV and in various adverts since the mid-1980s. He first joined EastEnders in 1990, scooping several TV awards for his role alongside McFadden. EastEnders executive producer Kate Harwood described Kemp's character Grant Mitchell as "one of the most iconic and popular in the history of soap". McFadden left EastEnders in 2004 before returning this year Kemp moved to ITV in 1999. He took on two star vehicles, Without Motive and In Defence, which saw him play a police officer and a lawyer respectively. It was not, however, until 2002 when he played Sgt Henry 'Henno' Garvie in SAS drama Ultimate Force that he achieved another genuine ratings hit. A fifth series is in production, unaffected by his new BBC deal. During his time away from Albert Square, Kemp also starred in TV movie versions of Spartacus and A Christmas Carol and made documentaries on gang culture and gladiators. Kemp's recent comedy appearance as himself on Ricky Gervais' post-Office show Extras, on BBC Two, was hailed as one of the series' best.


"Which jazz musician was known for his voluminous cheeks and ""bent"" trumpet?"

Dizzy Gillespie and His Bent Trumpet   |   At the Smithsonian | Smithsonian Dizzy Gillespie and His Bent Trumpet On this day in 1917, one of the most influential and unconventional American jazz musicians was born October 21, 2011 "Dizzy" Gillespie's trademark "Silver Bell" trumpet. Photo courtesy American History Museum Dizzy Gillespie was one of the most influential and well-known jazz musicians of all-time. Born John Birks Gillespie on this day in 1917, he pioneered a number of jazz subgenres and became internationally famous for his legendary ability on the trumpet, his trademark “balloon cheeks,” and his playful stage presence. But the most lasting symbol of his remarkable career may well be his signature “bent” trumpet —and the story of how the American History Museum got its hands on one of these unusual instruments is just as unconventional as Gillespie himself. “In 1985, I was a new, fresh curator and I wanted to start collecting in the area of jazz,” says John Edward Hasse , a music curator at the museum. “I wrote Gillespie a letter, at his home address in New Jersey, inviting him to become part of the Smithsonian by donating a trumpet that he no longer played. Weeks and months went by, and no response.” A colleague suggested to Hasse that he try writing Gillespie’s wife, Lorraine, instead. “Four days after sending the letter, this great big box arrives at the museum by UPS!” Hasse says. “In it is his trumpet and a specially built trumpet case to accommodate this unusual shape, with travel stickers from France and various parts of the world. I could hardly believe it.” Typically, Hasse says, the donation process involves a number of planning steps, including arranging special shipping and extremely careful packing. “This just came in like ‘boom!’” Hasse chose Gillespie as one of the musicians to build the Smithsonian’s jazz collection because of his remarkable influence on music. His career spanned seven decades and was instrumental in popularizing jazz for American mainstream audiences, as well as creating and expanding the genre to incorporate elements of other types of music. Gillespie's"Balloon Cheeks," during a 1988 performance. Photo by Pino Alpino As a young man, while playing in Cab Calloway’s Big Band at the Cotton Club in Harlem, Gillespie met a Cuban-American trumpeter and became interested in creating fusions of Afro-Cuban music with Jazz. “He then wrote several Latin-tinged compositions, such as ‘A Night in Tunisia,’ and ‘Manteca,’” Hasse says. “He was responsible, perhaps more than any other jazz musician, for making Latin rhythms an important part of American jazz music.” Gillespie also pioneered a popular subgenre of jazz: bebop. During a musician’s recording strike in the early 1940s, he and Charlie Parker and a number of other musicians in Harlem were exploring this new approach.  “When the recording ban was finally lifted in 1944, and the new style emerged on records, it jarred a lot of listeners, because it just seemed to emerge from nowhere,” Hasse says. “In 1945, he started making these recordings that really set musicians on their ears, pieces such as ‘Groovin’ High,’ ‘Hot House,’ ‘Salt Peanuts,’ and the tune that gave the music its name ‘Bebop.’” By this time, Gillespie had already become one of the most beloved jazz artists in the county, easily identified by his pouched cheeks, which were a result of the muscles he’d built up over years of playing. “He was an amazing virtuoso on his instrument, playing faster and higher than just about anybody,” Hasse says. “He was also an irrepressible entertainer, with a winning stage personality and ability to connect with the audience.” But it wasn’t until 1953 that, by happenstance, he acquired his final visual trademark. “Somebody fell accidentally on Gillespie’s trumpet as it was standing up on a trumpet stand, and as a result, the bell was bent,” says Hasse. “Gillespie picked it up, played it, and discovered he liked the sound, and that it projected better over the heads of the audience of people in the back of the nightclub.” “Ever since


St David, the patron saint of Wales By  Ben Johnson   |   Comments March 1st is St. Davids Day, the national day of Wales and has been celebrated as such since the 12th Century. Today the celebrations usually involve the singing of traditional songs followed by a Te Bach , a tea with bara brith (famous welsh fruited bread) and teisen bach (welsh cake). Young girls are encouraged to wear national costume and leeks or daffodils are worn, being the national symbols of Wales. So who was St. David (or Dewi Sant in Welsh)? Actually not too much is known about St David except from a biography written around 1090 by Rhygyfarch, son of the Bishop of St. Davids. David was reputedly born on a cliff top near Capel Non (Non's chapel) on the South-West Wales coast during a fierce storm. Both his parents were descended from Welsh royalty. He was the son of Sandde, Prince of Powys, and Non, daughter of a chieftain of Menevia (now the little cathedral town of St David's ). The site of Davids birth is marked by the ruins of a tiny ancient chapel close to a holy well and the more recent 18th century chapel dedicated to his mother Non can still be seen near St. David's Cathedral. St. Davids Cathedral ©Visit Britain In medieval times it was believed that St David was the nephew of King Arthur. Legend has it that the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick - also said to have been born near the present day city of St. Davids - forsaw the birth of David in approximately 520AD. The young David grew up to be a priest, being educated at the monastery of Hen Fynyw under the tutorage of St. Paulinus. According to legend David performed several miracles during his life including restoring Paulinus' sight. It is also said that during a battle against the Saxons, David advised his soldiers to wear leeks in their hats so that they could easily be distinguished from their enemies, which is why the leek is one of the emblems of Wales ! A vegetarian who ate only bread, herbs and vegetables and who drank only water, David became known as Aquaticus or Dewi Ddyfrwr (the water drinker) in Welsh. Sometimes, as a self-imposed penance, he would stand up to his neck in a lake of cold water, reciting Scripture! It is also said that milestones during his life were marked by the appearance of springs of water. Becoming a missionary David travelled throughout Wales and Britain and even made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem where he was consecrated bishop. He founded 12 monasteries including Glastonbury and one at Minevia (St. Davids) which he made his bishops seat. He was named Archbishop of Wales at the Synod of Brevi (Llandewi Brefi), Cardiganshire in 550. Monastery life was very strict, the brothers having to work very hard, cultivating the land and pulling the plough. Many crafts were followed - beekeeping, in particular, was very important. The monks had to keep themselves fed as well as provide food and lodging for travellers. They also looked after the poor. St David died on 1 March 589A.D., at Minevia, allegedly over 100 years old. His remains were buried in a shrine in the 6th century cathedral which was ransacked in the 11th century by Viking invaders , who plundered the site and murdered two Welsh bishops. St. David - Patron Saint of Wales After his death, his influence spread far and wide, first through Britain and then by sea to Cornwall and Brittany. In 1120, Pope Callactus II canonised David as a Saint. Following this he was declared Patron Saint of Wales. Such was Davids influence that many pilgrimages were made to St. David's, and the Pope decreed that two pilgrimages made to St. Davids equalled one to Rome while three were worth one to Jerusalem. Fifty churches in South Wales alone bear his name. It is not certain how much of the history of St. David is fact and how much is mere speculation. However in 1996 bones were found in St. David's Cathedral which, it is claimed, could be those of Dewi himself. Perhaps these bones can tell us more about St David: priest, bishop and patron saint of Wales.


Who played eventual winners Chelsea in the FA Cup final in May 2010?

FA Cup Finals History: Results, Winners, Records, GoalScorers & Venues | Sportslens Blog Teams Arsenal FA Cup Finals History: Results, Winners, Records, GoalScorers & Venues FA Cup Finals History: Results, Winners, Records, GoalScorers & Venues Tom Gatehouse 19 May, 2016 Arsenal , Chelsea , Crystal Palace , FA Cup , Liverpool , Manchester United The FA Cup is English football’s biggest cup competition and one of the most important in football. It is also the oldest cup competition in the world, having first started in 1871, with 736 teams taking part in the 2015/16 edition of the tournament. FA Cup final history is vast with many dramatic clashes taking place across its 145 year history. Manchester United and Crystal Palace will play in the 2016 FA Cup final on May 21st at the Wembley in London, with the match a repeat of the 1990 FA Cup final in which United triumphed 1-0 in a replay after the final ended in a dramatic 3-3 draw. United are the second most successful team in the history of the FA Cup, having won eleven titles, with the club just one title away from Arsenal, who became the most decorated FA Cup side ever after winning the last two editions of the competition. Palace are searching for their maiden FA Cup triumph, with this their first final since their loss in 1990. Check out our guide to FA Cup final history below: FA Cup Final Winners Since 1988, the FA Cup has been won by the traditional ‘Big Four’ in English football – Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool – 22 times in 27 seasons. The FA Cup has been won by 43 different teams throughout history, with West Ham’s victory in 1980 the last time a team from outside English football’s top division has been crowned champions. Of the teams to have won more than one FA Cup, fans will not be familiar with two. Wanderers, who last won the competition in 1878, are an amateur club who had great success in the early years of organised football in England. Old Etonians were also an amateur club in the 1800’s, winning the trophy twice. Arsenal – Titles: 12 – Last final win: 2015 Manchester United – Titles: 11 – Last final win: 2004 Tottenham Hotspur – Titles: 8 – Last final win: 1991 Liverpool – Titles: 7 – Last final win: 2006 Chelsea – Titles: 7 – Last final win: 2012 Aston Villa – Titles: 7 – Last final win: 1957 Newcastle United – Titles: 6 – Last final win: 1955 Blackburn Rovers – Titles: 6 – Last final win: 1928 Everton – Titles: 5 – Last final win: 1995 West Brom  – Titles: 5 – Last final win: 1968 Manchester City – Titles: 5 – Last final win: 2011 Wanderers – Titles: 5 – Last final win: 1878 Wolves – Titles: 4 – Last final win: 1960 Bolton  – Titles: 4 – Last final win: 1958 Sheffield United – Titles: 4 – Last final win: 1925 Sheffield Wednesday – Titles: 3 – Last final win: 1935 West Ham – Titles: 3 – Last final win: 1980 Preston – Titles: 2 – Last final win: 1938 Old Etonians – Titles: 2 – Last final win: 1882 Portsmouth – Titles: 2 – Last final win: 2008 Sunderland – Titles: 2 – Last final win: 1973 Nottingham Forest – Titles: 2 – Last final win: 1959 Bury – Titles: 2 – Last title win: 1903 + 20 teams on one FA Cup win FA Cup: Individual Records Some of the greatest players have graced the competition, with many having outstanding scoring records. Being such an long-running competition, stretching back to 1871, it is impossible to accurately compile a list of top goalscorers from all rounds across history. However, Liverpool’s Ian Rush has the most goals in FA Cup final history with five, with his goals helping the club to win three FA Cups in the late 80’s/early 90’s. Chelsea striker Didier Drogba holds the record for highest number of FA Cup finals scored in with four. The Ivorian was known for turning up in the big games, scoring an incredible 10 goals in 10 finals and winning 10 trophies with the club over nine years and two spells at the London club. Ashley Cole played with Drogba in West London for six years, with the English defender holding the record for most FA Cup winners medals. Cole won seven across his career in England with both


"Complete the title of this James Bond film: ""On Her Majesty's ... """

Secret service, George lazenby and James bond on Pinterest Forward George Lazenby as James Bond enters Miss Moneypenny’s office during filming of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969). George Lazenby: "I could hit that hook every time with the hat. I’d just walk in, throw the hat, it’d land on the hook, and I’d say my dialogue. It was a piece of cake." ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE © 1969 Danjaq, LLC and United Artists Corporation. All rights reserved. See More


Which European country has a flag that is not oblong?

Which two countries have square flags? | Reference.com Which two countries have square flags? A: Quick Answer The two countries with square flags are Switzerland and the Vatican. However, the Swiss flag can be seen at the Olympic games with a 2:3 rectangular proportion that matches the other country's flags. Full Answer The Swiss flag is square and red in color with a white cross. At sea, however, the Swiss Naval Ensign is used; it has 2:3 rectangular proportions instead of the 1:1 square proportions. The flag is kept in standard square proportions when it is flown outside of the U.N. headquarters in both New York and Geneva. The flag for the Vatican is divided vertically with yellow on the left side and white on the right side. Within the white right side, there is an emblem that has two crossed keys with a papal tiara. The emblem is a reference to the keys that are mentioned in the New Testament of the Bible and symbolizes either: St. Peter's access to the kingdom of heaven or the dominion of the papacy over temporal and spiritual matters. The Vatican flag used to be red and gold but was switched to the yellow and white stripes during the early 19th century. It also used to have representations of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.


The islands of Zanzibar and Madagascar are in which ocean?

When to travel to the Indian Ocean Islands You are here: Home » Luxury Travel Advice » On When To Travel » When to travel to the Indian Ocean Islands When to travel to the Indian Ocean Islands The Indian Ocean Islands are a year-round destination and a great way to end your visit to Africa. During summer, some islands experience a short rainy season. Bazaruto (Mozambique), Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles experience mostly exceptional weather year-round, with the exception of the wet months of January, February and March. Zanzibar experiences their rains from mid-March to May. Seychelles Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands scattered across the deep blue Indian Ocean. The islands have a tropical climate with year-round temperatures of about 30°C (86°Fahrenheit) during the day. Due to the islands’ proximity to the equator, the temperature, over the course of the year, varies by only one or two degrees. The Seychelles are a perfect holiday destination at any time of the year with temperatures ranging between 24°C to 31°C (75 – 88°F). From May to September temperatures are around 28 °C (82°F). The bulk of the rain falls between December and February in brief, heavy showers that are followed by tropical sunshine. From October to April temperatures usually do not exceed 32 °C (90°F). The weather on the islands is heavily influenced by the trade winds; warmer, wetter airstreams blow from October to April and then from May to September slightly stronger and drier winds, which are great for sailing, but the seas can get choppy. December and January are by far the wettest months. July and August sees the Seychelles at its driest. The best months for diving and snorkeling are April/May and October/November when water temperatures can reach 29ºC (84°F) and visibility regularly reaches over 30 metres. Peak months are December, January, July and August. Mauritius Located 20 degrees south of the equator, Mauritius boasts a typical tropical climate, and is generally considered a year-round destination. Like the other tropical islands, it enjoys wet and dry seasons. The summer months are from December to April and the temperatures range between 25°C and 33°C ( °Fon the coast. Summer can be hot and humid with December to February being the hottest months. Summer is the cyclone season, but these rarely impact the island. January to March, are however, the wettest months. Summer, especially December through March  is the best time for scuba diving and for deep-sea fishing. The winter months, May to September, are cooler and drier. The lowest temperatures occur in August with noticeably cooler nights. Winter (June to August) is the best season for surfing. The best time to visit for cooler, drier weather is from May to December. That said, in July and August, the winds on the east coast can be quite strong. The generally regarded best periods are between the months of April and June and September and December. Something to also bear in mind is that Mauritius has a micro-climate – it could be raining in one place and five-minutes away, it could be bright sunshine. The northern and the western parts of the island are warmer and drier than the eastern and the southern regions. Peak season is Christmas, New Year and the month of August.   Peak season is Christmas, New Year and the month of August. Mozambique The Mozambique coastline stretches for almost 2 000km and has a tropical ocean current running north to south along its length for the whole year. The whole country broadly follows a southern African weather pattern, with summer rains falling largely between December and March. Rainfall is generally in brief, but vigorous downpours after which the sun comes out again. This does vary a little between the north and south of the country, with the rains starting earlier and lasting a few weeks longer in the north than the south. Humidity can be uncomfortably high during this period. As the country lies in the rain-shadow of Madagascar, Mozambique a relatively low annual rainfall, and is protected from the tropical storms and the occa


Biz Stone, Evan Williams and Jack Dorsey were involved with the launch of what computer application?

How Twitter Was Founded - Business Insider print "Mr. Williams says that all successful businesspeople make enemies along the way." – The New York Times , October 30, 2010 How Twitter's owners and top executives say Twitter was founded is different from how Twitter was actually founded.  Mainly, the official version leaves out the role of a major co-founder. Some early Twitter investors also wonder if it also leaves out a scandal. Twitter is now worth more than $5 billion  — and climbing toward $10 billion on secondary markets  — so it's worth setting the story straight. The official telling of Twitter's founding goes like this: Ex-Googler Evan Williams had a startup called Odeo. It was going to be a podcasting platform. Evan asked his friend, another ex-Googler named Biz Stone , to join him. When Apple launched iTunes podcasting, and made Odeo's podcasting platform irrelevant, Evan and Biz and an Odeo employee named Jack Dorsey decided to create something called Twitter instead. Odeo's investors didn't like Twitter, and Evan did them a huge favor by buying back all their stock and making them whole. According to interviews with about a dozen early investors and employees, the story of how Twitter was actually founded begins with an entrepreneur named Noah Glass , who started Odeo in his apartment. The story begins about six years ago ... THE REAL HISTORY OF TWITTER "Noah had a product where you call a phone number and it would turn your message into an MP3 hosted on the Internet. That was the technology that Noah brought that turned into Odeo," says early employee Ray McClure. Along with Charles River Ventures and about a dozen other individuals, one of Glass' earliest investors in Odeo was a former Google employee named Evan Williams . Williams was more involved with Odeo than most investors are with startups in their portfolios, and eventually, Odeo moved from Noah's apartment to Williams'. Williams, who had recently sold a company called Blogger to Google , had just bought a nice house and wanted to put his old apartment to good use. "I think it was something Ev was interested in, but it was mostly Noah's thing," says McClure. "At that time, it would have been me, Evan [Henshwaw-Plath, better known by friends as "Rabble,"] and Rabble's wife Gabba. Mostly it was the four of us working out of the apartment." Early Odeo employee Blaine Cook would become Twitter's first CTO. Matt Biddulph Next, Odeo moved into an office and started hiring more employees — including a quiet, on-again, off-again Web designer named Jack Dorsey and an engineer named Blaine Cook. Evan Williams became Odeo's CEO. By July 2005, Odeo had a product: a platform for podcasting. But then, in the fall of 2005, "the shit hit the fan," says George Zachary, the Charles River Ventures partner who led the firm's investment in Odeo. That was when Apple first announced iTunes would include a podcasting platform built into every one of the 200 million iPods Apple would eventually sell. Around the same time, Odeo employees, from Glass and Williams on down, began to realize that they weren't listening to podcasts as much as they thought they would be. Says Cook: "We built [Odeo], we tested it a lot, but we never used it." Suddenly, says Zachary, "the company was going sideways." By this point, Odeo had 14 people working full time — including now-CEO Evan Williams and a friend of his from Google, Christopher "Biz" Stone. Williams decided Odeo's future was not in podcasting, and later that year, he told the company's employees to start coming up with ideas for a new direction Odeo could go.  The company started holding official "hackathons" where employees would spend a whole day working on projects. They broke off into groups. Odeo co-founder Noah Glass gravitated toward Jack Dorsey, whom Glass says was "one of the stars of the company."  Jack had an idea for a completely different product that revolved around "status" — what people were doing at a given time. "I got the impression he was unhappy with what he was working on —  a lot of cleanup work on Odeo." "H


The cities of Ciudad Jurez, El Paso, Laredo and Brownsville are on the banks of which river?

Juarez Mexico Dentist, just across the border from El Paso Texas   Ciudad Juarez, Mexico Juarez, Mexico sits directly opposite El Paso, Texas, separated only by the Rio Grande River which is the international border. The downtown areas of the two cities are within easy walking distance of each other. The population of Ciudad Juarez is generally cited to be around 1.5 million. There are four international ports of entry connecting Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, including the Bridge of the Americas, Ysleta International Bridge, Paso del Norte Bridge and Stanton Street Bridge. These combined allowed 20,000,000 crossings every year. Ciudad Juárez is well known for low cost dental work.


"After the mutiny on the ""Bounty"", Fletcher Christian and his men took women from where to colonise Pitcairn Island?"

The Bounty, Pitcairn Island, and Fletcher Christian's Descendants The Bounty, Pitcairn Island, and Fletcher Christian's Descendants April 28 marks the anniversary of the world's most famous mutiny by Borgna Brunner Phrases in the Pitcairnese Dialect I starten. – I'm going. Bou yo gwen? – Where are you going? I gwen down Farder's morla. – I'm going down to Father's place tomorrow. Bou yo bin? – Where have you been? I gwen out yenna fer porpay. – I'm going out yonder for red guavas. Foot yawly come yah? – Why did you come here? Up a side, Tom'sa roll. – Up at that place, Tom fell down. Source: Ray and Eileen Young, New Zealand residents descended from Midshipmen Edward Young of the Bounty. Courtesy of the Pitcairn Island Web site. It is not surprising that the most famous of all mutinies , that of the British HMS Bounty , has become ideal fodder for popular history and legend. The mutiny has generated five films (who can think of Fletcher Christian without picturing Marlon Brando ?) as well as countless books (including a historical novel by Mark Twain , The Great Revolution in Pitcairn). Set in the paradisiacal islands of the South Seas, the mutiny involved a host of colorful characters, including the tyrannical Captain Bligh , the aristocratic Fletcher Christian (a distant relation of William Wordsworth's ), numerous uninhibited Tahitian women, and a pack of sailors made up of cockney orphans and ruffian adverturers. Anglo-Tahitian Culture Preserved What has also helped to perpetuate the romantic fascination with the mutiny is the existence of a small community on Pitcairn Island directly descended from the mutineers and their Tahitian wives. Living on a 1.75 square mile volcanic speck in the South Pacific that is surely one of the most isolated places on Earth, the contemporary Pitcairn Islanders still bear the surnames of the eighteenth century mutineers (Tom Christian, for example, is the great-great-great-grandson of Fletcher). The islanders speak a dialect that is a hybrid of Tahitian and eighteenth-century English. It is as if history had been preserved in a petri dish (another admittedly romantic notion about an already widely romanticized past). Paradise The Bounty left England on Dec. 23, 1787, and reached Tahiti in 1788. It was sent to collect a cargo of breadfruit saplings, which was then to be transported to Jamaica where the breadfruit would serve as food for slaves working on the plantations. After sailing 27,000 miles over ten months, the crew spent a sybaritic idyll on Tahiti, where they reveled in the subtropical climate, lush surroundings, and overwhelming warmth and hospitality of the Tahitians. A scientist of the time, gladly abandoning reason for passion, claimed that the Tahitians knew "no other god but love; every day is consecrated to it, the whole island is its temple, all the women are its idols, all the men its worshippers." Many of the men found Tahitian companions, and Fletcher Christian and a Tahitian named Maimiti fell deeply in love and later married. For Christian, Maimiti had the face that launched one mutinous ship. Breadfruit Bligh On April 4, 1789, the Bounty embarked on the second leg of its journey with a cargo of a thousand breadfruit saplings aboard. A little more than three weeks later, near the island of Tonga , the crew, led by first mate Fletcher Christian, staged a mutiny against Captain William Bligh, under whom they claimed to suffer inhuman treatment. Bligh and eighteen loyal sailors were set adrift in a 23-foot open boat. According to Captain Bligh's diary, the mutineers threw breadfruit after him as he was forced off the Bounty, and yelled, "There goes the Bounty bastard, breadfruit Bligh!" Miraculously, Bligh and his loyalists survived the seven-week, 3,600-mile voyage in the cramped boat, finally reaching the island of Timor . Discovering Pitcairn Pitcairn's coordinates are 25 04 S, 130 06 W. After the mutiny, Christian and his sailors returned to Tahiti, where sixteen of the twenty-five men decided to remain for good. Christian, along with eight others, their women,


Which album by the Arctic Monkeys was the fastest selling album in UK chart history?

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Arctic Monkeys make chart history Arctic Monkeys make chart history Arctic Monkeys have had two number one singles The first album from indie band Arctic Monkeys has become the fastest-selling debut album in UK chart history. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not was released on 23 January and has sold more than 360,000 copies. The Sheffield band's album is currently outselling the rest of the top 20 album chart combined. A spokesman for music retailer HMV said: "In terms of sheer impact... we haven't seen anything quite like this since The Beatles." Internet He added: "In the space of just a few weeks the Arctic Monkeys have gone from being relative newcomers to becoming a household name." Arctic Monkeys built up their fan base on the internet, after demo CDs they handed out at gigs in 2003 were put on the web for other people to hear. They were eventually signed by independent record label Domino Records. Arctic Monkeys have already had two number one singles in the UK with I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor and last week with When The Sun Goes Down. Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker, who is also from Sheffield, told the BBC the Arctic Monkeys' success was a lesson for the music industry. Jarvis Cocker said Arctic Monkeys' success was 'real' "I think it's very important because they've done it without trying," he said. "The only reason people have got into it [the music] is because they've listened to it and they like it, so it's something real. "I guess all the music industry will probably think 'how can we emulate that or what can we do?' "I think there's nothing they can do about it because it's something that has happened naturally, there's no way to apply spin doctorism to it." Arctic Monkeys easily beat Richard Ashcroft's latest album Keys To The World which sold 75,000 copies - a total that would have normally guaranteed the top spot. But they were denied simultaneous number ones in both the singles and album charts after When The Sun Goes Down was knocked off the number one spot by Notorious BIG, Diddy and Nelly with Nasty Girl. Other singles in the top ten include X-Factor winner Shayne Ward, The JCB song by folk-pop duo Nizlopi, and 1980s band A-Ha with their new entry Analogue (All I Want).


Betsy Ross was a figure in the history of the USA in what century?

Betsy Ross - American Revolution - HISTORY.com Google Betsy Ross: An Early American Life Elizabeth Griscom was born on January 1, 1752, in the bustling colonial city of Philadelphia. She was the eighth of 17 children. Her parents, Rebecca James Griscom and Samuel Griscom were both Quakers. The daughter of generations of craftsman (her father was a house carpenter), young Betsy attended a Quaker school and was then apprenticed to William Webster, an upholsterer. In Webster’s workshop she learned to sew mattresses, chair covers and window blinds. Did You Know? An 1871 pamphlet enthusiastically not only credited Betsy Ross for designing the first U.S. flag, but for coming up with the name "United States of America" and writing a hymn that was the basis for the French anthem "La Marseillaise." (There is no evidence to support either of those claims.) In 1773, at age 21, Betsy crossed the river to New Jersey to elope with John Ross, a fellow apprentice of Webster’s and the son of an Episcopal rector—a double act of defiance that got her expelled from the Quaker church. The Rosses started their own upholstery shop, and John joined the militia. He died after barely two years of marriage. Though family legend would attribute John’s death to a gunpowder explosion, illness is a more likely culprit. The Story of the Betsy Ross Flag In the summer of 1776 (or possibly 1777) Betsy Ross, newly widowed, is said to have received a visit from General George Washington regarding a design for a flag for the new nation. Washington and the Continental Congress had come up with the basic layout, but, according to legend, Betsy allegedly finalized the design, arguing for stars with five points (Washington had suggested six) because the cloth could be folded and cut out with a single snip. The tale of Washington’s visit to Ross was first made public in 1870, nearly a century later, by Betsy Ross’s grandson. However, the flag’s design was not fixed until later than 1776 or 1777. Charles Wilson Peale’s 1779 painting of George Washington following the 1777 Battle of Princeton features a flag with six-pointed stars. Betsy Ross was making flags around that time—a receipt shows that the Pennsylvania State Navy Board paid her 15 pounds for sewing ship’s standards. But similar receipts exist for Philadelphia seamstresses Margaret Manning (from as early as 1775), Cornelia Bridges (1776) and Rebecca Young, whose daughter Mary Pickersgill would sew the mammoth flag that later inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Betsy Ross: Later Life, Work and Children In June 1777, Betsy married Joseph Ashburn, a sailor, with whom she had two daughters. In 1782 Ashburn was apprehended while working as a privateer in the West Indies and died in a British prison. A year later, Betsy married John Claypoole, a man who had grown up with her in Philadelphia’s Quaker community and had been imprisoned in England with Ashburn. A few months after their wedding, the Treaty of Paris was signed, ending the Revolutionary War. They went on to have five daughters. Over the next decades, Betsy Claypoole and her daughters sewed upholstery and made flags, banners and standards for the new nation. In 1810 she made six 18-by-24-foot garrison flags to be sent to New Orleans ; the next year she made 27 flags for the Indian Department. She spent her last decade in quiet retirement, her vision failing, and died in 1836, at age 84. Betsy Ross: A Legacy Unfurled The records of the U.S. flag’s origins are fragmentary in part because at the time Americans were indifferent to flags as national relics. “The Star-Spangled Banner” was written in 1812 but did not become popular until the 1840s. As the 1876 U.S. Centennial approached, enthusiasm for the flag increased. It was in that environment, in 1870, that Betsy Claypoole’s grandson William Canby presented the family tale to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. At the time several claims on the first flag were surfacing, ranging from other Philadelphia seamstresses to a New Hampshire quilting bee said to have fashioned th


Which Stoke City, Blackpool and England player was the first European Footballer of the Year in 1956?

Football legend Stanley Matthews dies at 85 | Football | The Guardian Football legend Stanley Matthews dies at 85 News Unlimited staff and agencies Wednesday 23 February 2000 15.19 EST First published on Wednesday 23 February 2000 15.19 EST Close This article is 16 years old Sir Stanley Matthews, one of England's greatest players and twice European footballer of the year, has died aged 85. Matthews, who turned professional with Stoke aged 17, was capped 54 times for England and made 710 Football League appearances for Stoke and Blackpool. Knighted in 1965, Matthews made his last Football League appearance in the same year at the record-breaking age of 50 years and five days. In his retirement, Matthews became an ambassador for football and received a FIFA Gold Merit Order in 1992. Sir Stanley died at North Staffordshire Nuffield Hospital following a short illness, the hospital said. A spokesman for the private hospital in Newcastle under Lyme said: "Sir Stanley Matthews died peacefully this evening after a short illness related to health problems that had first seriously affected him three years ago. "We have no further statement at this time." It is understood Sir Stanley may have had an accident of some sort on the island of Tenerife before being flown to the Nuffield for treatment. A spokesman for Stoke City football club said the former star regularly went to Tenerife to escape the British winter. The spokesman said that he understood Sir Stanley had gone to the island in the Canaries in December last year and had been due back some time now. Matthews made his international debut at the age of 19 and collected his last cap in 1956 when, aged 41, he mesmerised the Brazilian defence in England's 4-2 win at Wembley. Matthews spent his 33-year league career with two unfashionable north of England clubs, Stoke City and Blackpool. But he won 54 international caps and was the first man to be named European footballer of the year. He won the affection of football fans throughout the world who marvelled at the right-winger's ability to ghost past defenders. Matthews' rewrote many record books with his feats but his shining moment came in the 1953 FA Cup final. Twice a losing finalist with Blackpool in 1948 and 1951, Matthews stood 20 minutes away from a third defeat with his team 3-1 down to Bolton. Then his dazzling footwork carved out the last two goals of a hat-trick for Stan Mortensen, and Matthews went on to set up the winner for Bill Perry with 20 seconds left. Despite Mortensen's treble it was a game which would always be remembered as "the Matthews final". Matthews was born in Hanley on February 1 1915, the third of four sons. He joined Stoke in 1929 at the age of 14 as an apprentice and spent his time cleaning boots and sweeping out the dressing rooms. Within five years, Matthews won his first England cap against Wales while still a teenager. And in 1937 he hit his only international hat-trick in a 5-4 win over Czechoslovakia. At Matthews' 80th birthday celebrations, former England captain Jimmy Armfield praised his skills and sportsmanship. "You could kick him and do anything with him and he would never retaliate," said Armfield. "He was the perfect example of self-discipline. I never remember a referee speaking to him once - and he didn't speak to them either." Matthews, known as 'the Wizard of the Dribble', was a crowd-pleaser to generations and tempted a British record crowd, 149,547, to Hampden Park in Glasgow. But he never earned more than £50 a week, plus £25-a-game bonus. Lord Wilson of Rievaulx, who was Prime Minister when Matthews was knighted, wrote in a foreword to his autobiography: "Stanley Matthews was a symbol of the country which gave football to the world, and internationally a symbol of English sportsmanship in the days when that was a quality acknowledged worldwide." Sir Tom Finney led the tributes to Matthews tonight. England team-mate Sir Tom said: "I've so many memories of Stan and he was the greatest in my era in terms of close control. "In those days you weren't expected to go back and tackle


What series of books would you go to to read about Snowy, Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus and Thomson and Thompson?

The Adventures of Tintin: "Tintin and the Explorers on the Moon" - Comics series 17 by Herge | NOOK Book (eBook) | Barnes & Noble® Overview The original comics book of Tintin by Herge. Series 17. "Tintin and the Explorers on the Moon", published in 1954, is the seventeenth of The Adventures of Tintin. Its original French title is On a marché sur la Lune ("We walked on the Moon"). It is the second of a two-part adventure begun in Destination Moon. This Tintin comic series created by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. The story was serialised weekly in Belgium's Tintin Comics magazine from October 1952 to December 1953 before being published in a collected volume by Casterman Comics magazine in 1954. Completing a story arc begun in the preceding volume, Destination Moon (1953), the narrative tells of the young reporter Tintin, his dog Snowy, and friends Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus, and Thomson and Thompson who are aboard humanity's first manned rocket mission to the Moon. The story in this series: Explorers on the Moon series 17 continues from Destination Moon series 16, beginning with Professor Calculus taking Tintin, Snowy, Captain Haddock and Frank Wolff to the Moon in his new rocket. However, the detectives Thomson and Thompson come up from the hold, having mistaken the time of the launch and were left on board while carrying out the final security check, putting the expedition at risk due to the new strain on the oxygen supply, designed for four people and Snowy and now forced to accommodate six humans.The expedition remains fraught with difficulties. The Thompsons accidentally turn off the nuclear power motor, which stops the artificial gravity and sends everyone floating until Tintin restarts the motor. Haddock has smuggled some whisky aboard in hollowed-out books, becomes drunk, and engages in an unscheduled spacewalk that results in him briefly becoming a satellite of the asteroid Adonis. Tintin also dons a space suit to fetch him, and, in a very rare display of temper, berates the Captain for his recklessness. When the rocket engine must temporarily be shut down in order to execute the turnaround maneuver that will enable it to land on the Moon right side up, the momentary lack of artificial gravity also poses problems for Haddock, who has neglected to put on his magnetic boots in time. Additionally, Thomson and Thompson suffer a relapse of the condition caused by their ingestion of the energy-multiplying substance Formula 14 (see Land of Black Gold); as a result, they once more sprout thick hair that grows at lightning speed and frequently changes colour.The spacecraft eventually lands safely in the Hipparchus Crater, and by agreement among the crew, Tintin is the first to set foot on the Moon (the first human to do so). Everyone then gets a chance to walk about. Even the Captain enjoys it, but upon seeing the Earth, expresses unease over whether they will survive to see it again. Tintin character: Tintin is neither a surname nor a first name, Tintin is created from Hergé's subconscious desire to be perfect, to be a hero. The hero who everyone between 7 and 77 years old wants to be, or become while reading the Adventures of Tintin Comics. Tintin is created by his father Georges Remi, Hergé, the world renowned Belgian cartoonist. This spiritual heir is more than an adopted child! Hergé has stressed the fact that he raised Tintin, protected him, fed him just like a father would (Numa Sadoul, Tintin et moi, Casterman, p. 66) Over the years and in the course of the Adventures, Tintin surrounds himself with friends who became part his family so to speak. Among his friends, Snowy comes first. Admittedly he is a dog, but he is above all, the faithful friend of Tintin with a generous spirit. Secondly, Tchang appears in the family circle and becomes a lifelong friend of Tintin and almost a brother. Thirdly, Captain Haddock whose debut was to come a good ten years later is ready to sacrifice his own life for Tintin. Not forgetting all the others, Castafiore, Calculus, Thomson and Thompson who form Tintin's family circle. T


Ball, fork and sheet are all types of what?

Lightning Types and Classifications Positive Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Cloud-to-Ground Lightning - Positive A lightning discharge between cloud and ground initiated by a downward-moving, positively-charged leader. Abbreviated "+CG". Positive CGs are less common than negative CGs, and usually are associated with supercell thunderstorms and trailing stratiform precipitation regions behind squall lines. Positive cloud-to-ground lightning strikes can be identified visually and in photographs by their distinctive lack of branching (positive CGs occasionally will have branching at higher altitudes, but rarely near the ground). Positive CGs usually consist of only one return stroke, which is typically very bright and intense relative to other lightning activity in a storm. It is common for photographs of positive CGs to be overexposed unless the photographer has stopped the lens down significantly. Thunder from a positive CG is typically very loud, and many times sounds like a series of deep, low-frequency sonic booms. Sprites (see below) are usually associated with the more intense positive CGs. Intracloud Lightning Intracloud Lightning The most common type of discharge - lightning inside a single storm cloud, jumping between different charge regions in the cloud.  Intracloud lightning is sometimes called sheet lightning because it lights up the sky with a 'sheet' of light. All or parts of the actual channel may be obscured inside the cloud, and may or may not be visible to an observer on the ground. Not to be confused with cloud-to-cloud lightning. Anvil Crawler Anvil Crawlers Anvil Crawlers are horizontal, tree-like, in-cloud lightning discharges whos leader propagation is resolvable to the human eye. In other words, the anvil crawler's movement is slow enough (compared to most lightning discharges) that a human observer or normal-speed video camera can see its rapid motion across the sky. This type of lightning (sometimes referred to as 'crawlers' or 'rocket lightning') often cover very large distances, resulting in vast, spectacular sky-filling discharges. Anvil crawlers are often very high-altitude events, and as such typically result in soft, rolling thunder due to their great distance from the observer. The name 'anvil crawler' is derived from the visible 'crawling' motion and their tendency to appear along the underside of the anvil portions of a thunderstorm. Anvil crawlers can either occur independently completely within the cloud, or in connection with a cloud-to-ground discharge. Click the images below to enlarge Bolt from the Blue Bolt from the Blue A bolt from the blue (sometimes called 'anvil lightning' or 'anvil-to-ground' lightning) is a name given to a cloud-to-ground lightning discharge that strikes far away from its parent thunderstorm. A 'bolt from the blue' typically originates in the highest regions of a cumulonimbus cloud, traveling horizontally a good distance away from the thunderstorm before making a vertical descent to earth. Due to the final strike point being a significant distance from the storm (sometimes up to ten miles away), these lightning events can occur at locations with clear 'blue' skies overhead - hence the name. While many 'bolts from the blue' are positive flashes, some are not. Cloud-to-Air Lightning Cloud-to-Air Lightning Referring to a discharge (or a portion of a discharge) jumping from a cloud into clear air.  Technically speaking, all cloud-to-ground lightning strikes contain 'cloud-to-air' components in the many branches that extend away from the main channel and terminate abruptly in mid-air. However, the most visually dramatic examples of cloud-to-air lightning occur when a long, bright lightning channel jumps out of the side of a cumulonimbus cloud and terminates in the clear air surrounding the storm. Bead Lightning Bead Lightning Bead Lightning is a name given to the decaying stage of a lightning channel in which the luminosity of the channel breaks up into segments. Nearly every lightning discharge will exhibit 'beading' as the channel cools immediately


Largest Lakes by Continent - InfopediaPk - All facts in one site Largest Lakes by Continent What is lake? Oeschinen Lake in the Swiss Alps A lake (From Latin lacus) is a large body of water larger and deeper than a pond within a body of land. Because a lake is not connected to any ocean, it is not a sea. Some lakes are very big and people in the past sometimes called them seas. Lakes do not flow, like rivers, but it is common that rivers flow into or out of them. Most lakes on the surface of the Earth are fresh water and most are in the Northern Hemisphere. More than 60% of the lakes of the world are in Canada. Finland is known as The Land of the Thousand Lakes (There are 187,888 lakes in Finland, of which 60,000 are large). Many lakes are man-made and are built to produce electricity, for recreation, to use the water in the industry, farming, or in houses. If there are not rivers flowing out of the lake (see Endorheic basin), or they are few and small, the lake loses water only by evaporation or because the water flows through the soil pores. Where the water evaporates rapidly and the soil around the lake has a high salt level, as in very dry places, the water of the lake has a high concentration of salt and the lake is called a salt lake. Largest lakes by continent The largest lakes (surface area) by continent are: Australia \ Oceania - Lake Eyre (Salt lake)  when filled; the largest permanent and freshwater lake in Oceania is Lake Taupo. Africa - Lake Victoria, also the third-largest freshwater lake on Earth. It is one of the Great Lakes of Africa. Antarctica  - Lake Vostok (Subglacial) Asia - Lake Baikal (If the Caspian Sea is considered a lake, it is the largest in Eurasia, but is divided between the two geographic continents) North America - Lake Michigan-Huron, which is hydrologically a single lake. However, lakes Huron and Michigan are often considered separate lakes, in which case Lake Superior would be the largest. Europe - Lake Ladoga, followed by Lake Onega, both located in northwestern Russia. South America - Lake Titicaca, which is also the highest navigable body of water on Earth at 3,821 m above sea level. The much larger Lake Maracaibo is considered by some to be the second-oldest lake on Earth, but since it lies at sea level and nowadays is a contiguous body of water with the sea, others consider that it has turned into a bay. Lake Eyre  Lake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia, at approximately 15 m (49 ft) (AHD) below sea level, and, on the rare occasions that it fills, it is the largest lake in Australia. It is the focal point of the vast Lake Eyre Basin and is found some 700 km (435 mi) north of Adelaide. The lake was named after Edward John Eyre who was the first European to sight it in 1840. It is located in the deserts of central Australia, in northern South Australia. The Eyre Basin is a large endorheic system surrounding the lakebed, the lowest part of which is filled with the characteristic salt pan caused by the seasonal expansion and subsequent evaporation of the trapped waters. Even in the dry season there is usually some water remaining in Lake Eyre, normally collecting in a number of smaller sub-lakes on the playa. Typically a 1.5 m (5 ft) flood occurs every three years, a 4 m (13 ft) flood every decade, and a fill or near fill four times a century. The water in the lake soon evaporates with a minor and medium flood drying by the end of the following summer. Lake Victoria Lake Victoria or Victoria Nyanza (Also known as Ukerewe, The Eye of the Rhino, Nalubaale, Sango, or Lolwe) is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named after the United Kingdom's Queen Victoria, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to see the lake. With a surface area of 68,800 square kilometres (26,600 sq mi), Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest lake, and the largest tropical lake in the world, and is Earth's second largest freshwater lake - only North America's Lake Superior is larger. In terms of volume, it is the world’s eighth largest continental lake, containing 2,750 cubic kilometres (2.2 billion acr


"In 1964, who became the first male to appear on the cover of ""Playboy"" magazine?"

Peter Sellers on the cover of Playboy: A James Bond parody ! Follow my daily film photos via email ! Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Peter Sellers on the cover of Playboy: A James Bond parody ! Peter Sellers, actor and comedian extraordinaire was also the first man to appear on the cover of Playboy, in April 1964. Check out the hilarious photos of him with actress Karen Lynn in that famous issue below, a parody of the lovers in James Bond’s “You Only Live Twice”and then Dracula! Thank you Brent Wills Bechtel ! NB– For a rare and intimate portrait of Peter Sellers by photojournalist Peter Keen, click here and don’t forget to like us on Facebook here.


General Stanley Allen McChrystal, who had led all forces in Afghanistan since 15 June 2009, was relieved of his command on 23 June 2010 after he made unflattering remarks about US presidential administration officials in an article in which magazine?

General Stanley McChrystal: The Runaway General by Michael Hastings - Rolling Stone All Stories 'How'd I get screwed into going to this dinner?" demands Gen. Stanley McChrystal. It's a Thursday night in mid-April, and the commander of all U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan is sitting in a four-star suite at the Hôtel Westminster in Paris. He's in France to sell his new war strategy to our NATO allies – to keep up the fiction, in essence, that we actually have allies. Since McChrystal took over a year ago, the Afghan war has become the exclusive property of the United States. Opposition to the war has already toppled the Dutch government, forced the resignation of Germany's president and sparked both Canada and the Netherlands to announce the withdrawal of their 4,500 troops. McChrystal is in Paris to keep the French, who have lost more than 40 soldiers in Afghanistan, from going all wobbly on him.  More News "The dinner comes with the position, sir," says his chief of staff, Col. Charlie Flynn.  McChrystal turns sharply in his chair. "Hey, Charlie," he asks, "does this come with the position?" McChrystal gives him the middle finger. Hastings on McChrystal: To Fire, or Not to Fire? The general stands and looks around the suite that his traveling staff of 10 has converted into a full-scale operations center. The tables are crowded with silver Panasonic Toughbooks, and blue cables crisscross the hotel's thick carpet, hooked up to satellite dishes to provide encrypted phone and e-mail communications. Dressed in off-the-rack civilian casual – blue tie, button-down shirt, dress slacks – McChrystal is way out of his comfort zone. Paris, as one of his advisers says, is the "most anti-McChrystal city you can imagine." The general hates fancy restaurants, rejecting any place with candles on the tables as too "Gucci." He prefers Bud Light Lime (his favorite beer) to Bordeaux, Talladega Nights (his favorite movie) to Jean-Luc Godard. Besides, the public eye has never been a place where McChrystal felt comfortable: Before President Obama put him in charge of the war in Afghanistan, he spent five years running the Pentagon's most secretive black ops.  "What's the update on the Kandahar bombing?" McChrystal asks Flynn. The city has been rocked by two massive car bombs in the past day alone, calling into question the general's assurances that he can wrest it from the Taliban. "We have two KIAs, but that hasn't been confirmed," Flynn says. Revolt of the Troops: Hastings Reports In From Afghanistan McChrystal takes a final look around the suite. At 55, he is gaunt and lean, not unlike an older version of Christian Bale in Rescue Dawn. His slate-blue eyes have the unsettling ability to drill down when they lock on you. If you've fucked up or disappointed him, they can destroy your soul without the need for him to raise his voice.  "I'd rather have my ass kicked by a roomful of people than go out to this dinner," McChrystal says. He pauses a beat. "Unfortunately," he adds, "no one in this room could do it." With that, he's out the door. "Who's he going to dinner with?" I ask one of his aides.  "Some French minister," the aide tells me. "It's fucking gay." The Kill Team: How U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan murdered innocent civilians and mutilated their corpses – and how their officers failed to stop them. Plus: an exclusive look at the war crime photos censored by the Pentagon The next morning, McChrystal and his team gather to prepare for a speech he is giving at the École Militaire, a French military academy. The general prides himself on being sharper and ballsier than anyone else, but his brashness comes with a price: Although McChrystal has been in charge of the war for only a year, in that short time he has managed to piss off almost everyone with a stake in the conflict. Last fall, during the question-and-answer session following a speech he gave in London, McChrystal dismissed the counterterrorism strategy being advocated by Vice President Joe Biden as "shortsighted," saying it would lead to a state of "Chaos-istan." The remarks e


World War I was triggered when Germany invaded which country?

First World War.com - Feature Articles - Germany During World War One Feature Articles - Germany During World War One Introduction The Great War, World War    One, consisted of two stages: conventional warfare that lasted from 1914 to    1916, and a war of desperate expedients, when both sides struggled for their    own existences, lasting until the end. The two sides of the war    consisted of the Allied Powers (France, Great Britain, Russia, the United    States, and other smaller counties) and the Central Powers (Germany,    Austria-Hungary,  and Turkey/Ottoman Empire, along with other smaller    country support). Though Germany turned out    to be the Central Power most involved in the war, there is little or no    evidence that the Germans had planned for war.  There are several    fundamental causes that had brought the world to the brink of war:    nationalism, imperialist competition, militarism, and the build up of    pre-war alliances.  These growing appearance of these factors perhaps    inevitably led to what was called the Great War, World War One. June 22nd - Conflict Begins The war began as a chain of    events that revolved around several alliances made between countries.  These    pre-war alliances called for the defence of various countries under attack,    and all of the major players in the war had made these alliances.  These    alliances combined with tensions between militarily active countries set the    world up for a major war.  The chain of events that led up to the war began    on June 22nd 1914, when a Serbian student named Gavrilo Princip,    who was part of the militant group called the "Black Hand", assassinated    Austrian archduke Frances Ferdinand and his wife. The assassination was a    result of the nationalism caused by the moulding of the Yugoslavian    provinces into a single state. The Serbian government was implicated as    being involved in the plot and naturally the Austrians grew angry with    them.  Austria declared that they would go to war against Yugoslavia, but    they were hesitant to do so because Yugoslavia held a defensive treaty with    Russia.  Germany had made a defensive treaty with Austria, so they promised    that if Austria went ahead and made a move against Yugoslavia, Germany would    defend them from Russia.  Germany then told Austria to begin the war, and if    it evolved into a larger conflict, Germany would support them. Germany had a variety of    reasons for being willing to be involved in this war.  One of these reasons    was that the assassination was an example of the Hapsburg's loss of control    and if Austria were to decline to Germany's offer, Germany would be    completely surrounded by enemies.1  The German government also knew that Russia would lose a major base in    Europe if they were to lose Yugoslavia.  An annexation of Yugoslavia would    also leave Greece and Bulgaria open to attack.  Germany believed that    Russia would back down like they had in 1908, when Austria had annexed parts    of Serbia. The only difference from    the earlier conflict was that in 1908 Russia was also suffering from a    revolution, but by 1914 Russia had not only stopped the revolution, but they    also had recovered enough to fight against Germany or Austria.  Aside from    that though, Germany had recently made an alliance with Turkey, and that    made them confident that they could defeat any European country.  Another    benefit that Germany had was that England would not enter the war if Russia    were the aggressor.  Little did Germany know that the general consensus    around Europe was that even if Serbia had been involved in the assassination    it was not grounds to conquer it. The Schlieffen Plan Germany    had been developing plans for invasions into every European country since    the time of Bismarck.  One of these plans was called the Schlieffen