In what year was decimal coinage introduced in the UK?

Decimal Coins of the UK - The Change to Decimal Coinage The Change to Decimal Coinage Pictures of Decimal Coins Decimalisation Day D-Day was February 15th 1971. On that day the United Kingdom changed from the centuries old tradition of using 12 pence to the shilling and 20 shillings to the pound to a new decimal 100 new pence to the pound. Options considered There had been much debate as to the best way of implementing the switch. Australia used a dollar valued at ten old shillings, making the new cent equal to 1.2 old pence, a small change in value. An alternative was to go to a pound-mil system, with a mil equal to 0.24 old pence, a latter-day successor to the farthing. Another was to keep the penny and have a new unit at 100 pence (eight shillings and fourpence). However, in the UK the pound was considered to be particularly important because of the UK's international trading status. In addition, having a new penny worth 2.4 old pence was less of a problem as inflation had made its purchasing power insignificant. As a temporary measure a half new penny was introduced, but as will be seen this had a short life. There was even a pattern quarter penny made in aluminium, but this was not proceeded with. It was realised at the time that the decision was made that the life of the halfpenny would be very short, but it was felt necessary despite the considerable extra cost of having to mint the coin. Banks never accepted transactions involving an odd halfpenny. The Timetable for the Change The change was made gradually over three years, in a number of stages. In 1968 new shillings and florins were issued as 5 new pence and 10 new pence coins. The older shillings and florins continued to  circulate long after decimalisation until the size of the coins was reduced. Theoretically  silver coins from 1816 could still have been found in change, but the active  withdrawal of silver in the years following the change in 1947, followed  by the combination of a dramatic rise in the price of silver with devaluation  in 1967 meant that silver coins rapidly vanished from circulation. Blue plastic wallets containing the new 5p and 10p coins dated 1968, along with 1/2p, 1p and 2p  coins dated 1971 were put on sale. These wallets are still very common. In October 1969 the 50 new pence piece replaced the 10 shilling note, which ceased to be legal tender on 22nd November 1970. The old halfpenny was demonetised on 1st August 1969. The half-crown was demonetised on 1st January 1970. The remaining decimal coins became legal tender on 15th February 1971.  Maundy coins (and silver threepenny pieces of Maundy design, i.e. with  a crowned three on the reverse) were revalued as being in new pence at the same time. The changeover was so rapid that the old penny and nickel brass threepence pieces  had been removed from circulation by the end of 1971, although I know  of one shop in the Yorkshire Dales which continued to use the old currency  for a long time on the basis that 'this new-fangled stuff will never catch on'. The old penny and threepence coins ceased to be legal tender on 31st August 1971, just over six months after D-day. It is no longer possible to exchange them for current coins at a bank. Later Developments The sixpence , which was allowed to continue circulating at 2½ new pence, was eventually withdrawn at the end of June 1980. I am indebted to Brian Dominic for the following quote from John Glover's book "London's Underground": "The adoption of decimal currency on 15 February 1971 posed a few problems for London Transport, which had favoured the £ Sterling being halved in value and divided into 100 pence - what today might be termed a '50p pound'. With their extensive use of coin operated machines, the Board took strong exception to the proposed introduction of ½p coins, the lack of any coin between 2p and 5p, and the lack of a close relationship of old values and coins with the new. It was all too difficult for them, and it was indeed at London Transport's behest that the 2½p (sixpence) was retained in the coinag


The Crab Nebula is in which constellation?

Crab Nebula (Messier 1): Facts, Pulsar, Supernova, Location, Images | Constellation Guide Constellation Guide Constellations: A Guide to the Night Sky Crab Nebula – Messier 1 by admin The Crab Nebula, also known as Messier 1 and Taurus A, is a supernova remnant located in the direction of Taurus constellation . The nebula lies at an approximate distance of 6,500 light years from Earth. It is an expanding remnant of a star that exploded in a supernova event which was observed by Chinese astronomers in the year 1054 AD. The nebula’s designation in the New General Catalogue is NGC 1952. The Crab Nebula was created as a result of an extremely bright supernova explosion, one that was visible to the naked eye for almost two years. The supernova remnant was later observed by the English astronomer John Bevis, who discovered it in 1731. Charles Messier discovered the object independently in 1758 while looking for a comet that Edmond Halley said would return that year. Messier 1 is also classified as a pulsar wind nebula, which means that the nebula is made of the material ejected by a pulsating neutron star interacting with interstellar gas and the magnetic field of the pulsar itself. The Crab Nebula expands at a rate of 1,500 kilometres per second. It contains two dim stars at its centre, one of which is the neutron star. This is a mosaic image, one of the largest ever taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope of the Crab Nebula, a six-light-year-wide expanding remnant of a star’s supernova explosion. Japanese and Chinese astronomers recorded this violent event nearly 1,000 years ago in 1054, as did, almost certainly, Native Americans. The orange filaments are the tattered remains of the star and consist mostly of hydrogen. The rapidly spinning neutron star embedded in the center of the nebula is the dynamo powering the nebula’s eerie interior bluish glow. The blue light comes from electrons whirling at nearly the speed of light around magnetic field lines from the neutron star. The neutron star, like a lighthouse, ejects twin beams of radiation that appear to pulse 30 times a second due to the neutron star’s rotation. A neutron star is the crushed ultra-dense core of the exploded star. The Crab Nebula derived its name from its appearance in a drawing made by Irish astronomer Lord Rosse in 1844, using a 36-inch telescope. When viewed by Hubble, as well as by large ground-based telescopes such as the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope, the Crab Nebula takes on a more detailed appearance that yields clues into the spectacular demise of a star, 6,500 light-years away. The newly composed image was assembled from 24 individual Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 exposures taken in October 1999, January 2000, and December 2000. The colors in the image indicate the different elements that were expelled during the explosion. Blue in the filaments in the outer part of the nebula represents neutral oxygen, green is singly-ionized sulfur, and red indicates doubly-ionized oxygen. Image: NASA, ESA, J. Hester and A. Loll (Arizona State University) The nebula is notable for its intricate structure, with filaments of dust that can be seen in visible wavelengths. Its contains enough dust, made of carbon and silicate materials, to make 30,000-40,000 Earths. Study of the nebula provided definitive proof that supernova events created the raw materials for the first solid particles. Messier 1 is the strongest known persistent source of X-ray and gamma-ray radiation in the sky. It contains the Crab Pulsar at its centre, a neutron star about 28-30 kilometres across. The dead star’s core emits pulses of radiation from gamma rays to radio waves as it spins at a rate of 30.2 per second. This is useful for studying the objects that pass in front of the nebula, blocking its radiation, like the Sun or the moons orbiting the planets in the solar system. In 2003, scientists used it to measure the thickness of Titan’s (Saturn’s moon) atmosphere and in the mid-20th century, they used it to map the Sun’s corona. The Crab Nebula has an apparent magn


The Honourable Cordwainers' Company St. Crispin � Our Patron Saint Shoemaking history is rich in tradition. Saint Crispin is the most commonly recognized patron saint of shoemakers, though there have been others. Since medieval times, October 25th has been celebrated as St. Crispin's Day feast day and the shoemakers� holiday. In the past, boot and shoemakers closed their shops on this day in celebration and commemoration. There are two Saint Crispin traditions that seem to be the same�one in England, one in France. The French say Crispin and his brother Crispianus were born into a wealthy Roman family in the third century A.D. During the Diocletian persecution of Christians they escape to Noviodunum in France�later known as Soissons. Effectively disinherited and forced to fall back upon their own resources, Crispin and Crispianus become shoemakers. Though teaching the gospel was their life's work, they made shoes for the poor. Arrested and led before the Roman authorities, they were urged to recant. Both refused. Millstones were hung about their necks and they were thrown into the river Aisne. But both had the makings of sainthood in them even then and they refused to drown. At this point they were thrown into a cauldron of boiling lead, then a cauldron of pitch, then fat and oil but, they emerged unscathed. Legend suggests that they frolicked and sang until delivered by an angel. They were beheaded on November 8th, 288 A.D. on a plain near Soissons, which later became known as St. Crepin-en-Chaye. The English version depicts Crispin and his brother as the sons of the queen of Logia, or Kent. To escape the persecution of Christians by Diocletian, the brothers dressed in commoners� clothes and left their mother and the town of their birth�now known as Canterbury. Arriving in Faversham in the middle of the night, they knocked on a door from which a merry song emanated. This was the house of Robards, a master shoemaker. Impressed by their manners, Robards took them in. Straightaway they entered a seven year apprenticeship. So good was their work that Robards soon found himself appointed shoemaker to Maximinus, Diocletian's associate Emperor. Sent to Canterbury with shoes for Ursula, the Emperor�s daughter, Crispin was struck by her beauty and fell in love with her. After all the trials and tribulations that love and class can inflict upon them, Ursula and Crispin secretly married. When Maximinus learned of Crispin's high birth, he became reconciled to their marriage and blessed their son saying: "A shoemaker's son is a prince born." The marriage was confirmed October the 25th and celebrated with feasting and drinking. That day has ever since been the shoemakers' holiday. Although the story is probably a 15th- or 16th-century retelling of the Crispin legend, we know a little more about St. Hugh, who, although never canonized, was the English counterpart to St. Crispin. Hugh was born a prince of Britain, son of Arviragus�king of Powisland, or modern Wales. He fell in love with a beautiful Christian princess, Winifred of Flintshire. Winifred's story has many of the elements of the 7th-century Saint Winifred of Holywell and Shrewsbury fame. Her appearance in the legend of St. Hugh is similar in that having taken a vow of chastity, she spurns Hugh's overtures. In despair, Hugh journeys across Europe. At last tired and convinced that he has mistaken Winifred's intentions, he took passage back to England. Mid-journey his ship was caught in a storm and Hugh was the only survivor. When he made it back to his home, he was destitute. Thrown back his own resources, Hugh became a shoemaker, preaching the gospel by day and plying his craft by night. Hugh renewed his suit of Winifred, who, like her namesake, was now living by a spring, but to his dismay, the results are the same. When Winifred was arrested and condemned to death for her devotion to God, Hugh set off to Flintshire. There he spoke so highly of her and praised her so lavishly, that he was imprisoned and condemned to share her fate. According to the story, Hugh and Winifred


Appointed in 2012, who is the President of the Fifth French Republic?

Fifth Republic | French history | Britannica.com Fifth Republic See Article History Fifth Republic, system of government in France from 1958. Under the constitution crafted by Charles de Gaulle with the help of Michel Debré , executive power was increased at the expense of the National Assembly . In 1959 de Gaulle was inaugurated as the first president of the Fifth Republic, with Debré as his prime minister. In 1962 de Gaulle pushed through a constitutional amendment that provided for direct popular election of the president, and in 1965 he became the first French president elected by popular vote since 1848. He was succeeded by Georges Pompidou (1969–74), Valéry Giscard d’Estaing (1974–81), François Mitterrand (1981–95), Jacques Chirac (1995–2007), Nicolas Sarkozy (2007–12), and François Hollande (2012– ). Learn More in these related articles: France: The Fifth Republic country of northwestern Europe. Historically and culturally among the most important nations in the Western world, France has also played a highly significant role in international affairs, with former colonies in every corner of the globe. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea,... Michel Debré Jan. 15, 1912 Paris, France Aug. 2, 1996 Montlouis-sur-Loire French political leader, a close aide of President Charles de Gaulle; after playing a prominent part in the writing of the constitution of the Fifth Republic, he served as its first premier. 10 References found in Britannica Articles Assorted References creation of French Community  (in French Community ) role of Socialist Party  (in Socialist Party (PS) ) External Links Corrections? Updates? Help us improve this article! Contact our editors with your feedback. MEDIA FOR: You have successfully emailed this. Error when sending the email. Try again later. Edit Mode Submit Tips For Editing We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles. You can make it easier for us to review and, hopefully, publish your contribution by keeping a few points in mind. Encyclopædia Britannica articles are written in a neutral objective tone for a general audience. You may find it helpful to search within the site to see how similar or related subjects are covered. Any text you add should be original, not copied from other sources. At the bottom of the article, feel free to list any sources that support your changes, so that we can fully understand their context. (Internet URLs are the best.) Your contribution may be further edited by our staff, and its publication is subject to our final approval. Unfortunately, our editorial approach may not be able to accommodate all contributions. Submit Thank You for Your Contribution! Our editors will review what you've submitted, and if it meets our criteria, we'll add it to the article. Please note that our editors may make some formatting changes or correct spelling or grammatical errors, and may also contact you if any clarifications are needed. Uh Oh There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later. Close Date Published: June 21, 2012 URL: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Fifth-Republic-French-history Access Date: December 17, 2016 Share


Ramon Mercader, Trotsky’s assassin Twitter Ramon Mercader, Trotsky’s assassin On August 20th, 1940, a 27-year-old Catalan drove an ice axe into the head of Leon Trotsky at his Mexican home. The blow failed to kill him, and Trotsky struggled with his assassin. His guards, hearing the commotion, burst in and set upon the assailant, but Trotsky stopped them, exclaiming, “Do not kill him! This man has a story to tell.” Trotsky died the next day, and the murderer was turned over to the police. He identified himself as Jacques Mornard, a disillusioned Belgian Trotskyist. He said he had killed the old Bolshevik after quarrelling over a woman and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Though few knew Mornard’s true identity, the fact that the assassination had been ordered by Stalin was an open secret. Furthermore a number of Catalan republicans in Mexico knew something more. They recognised the killer’s photo in the press, but did not want to reveal his true identity for fear of provoking a reaction against the many Spanish refugees in the country. Finally in 1952, Mercader slipped up. A prison guard heard the “Belgian” singing a nursery rhyme Què li darem, en el Noi de la Mare? Què li darem que li’n sàpiga bo? (1) in perfect Catalan from his cell. This clue led the authorities to his real identity: his name was Ramón Mercader, and he was indeed an NKVD agent. Ramón Mercader was born in Barcelona to a well-to-do family on February 7th, 1913. His mother Caridad Mercader née Caridad del Río was from a family of aristocratic landowners in Santiago de Cuba. Following Spain’s loss of the colony in 1898, the family moved to Catalonia where Caridad, at the age of just 16, married Pablo Mercader, a rich Catalan industrialist. The couple had five children but Caridad grew to detest the staid, bourgeoisie existence and found herself drawn to the Bohemian life she discovered along El Paral.lel, with its heady mix of cabaret artists, bon viveurs and anarchists. Seduced by the latter’s revolutionary ideals, Caridad soon became involved in direct action, even setting fire to her husband’s factory before being caught and sent to a lunatic asylum. Her anarchist friends managed to spring her from captivity, and she fled to France with her children in 1925, never forgiving the Mercader family for imprisoning her. Caridad Mercader In France, after her brief flirtation with anarchism, Caridad embraced communism, attracted by its discipline and surety of purpose. She become a fanatical Stalinist and eventually an NKVD agent. She also indoctrinated young Ramón as an ardent communist, filling him with hatred for all enemies of the party. In his early twenties, Mercader moved back to Barcelona, where he helped organise the then tiny Spanish communist party. For this involvement he was arrested and spent a brief period in prison, before being released in 1936 after the victory of the Popular Front. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936, Ramón took an active part in the successful defeat of the military rebellion in Barcelona. The war that would tear Spain apart had begun, but in Barcelona at least, the forces of the left, led by the CNT, were victorious. The anarchist CNT trade union was in virtual control of the city and at once set about collectivising huge swathes of Barcelona’s, commerce, services and industries. It was a revolution of historic proportions, comparable only with the Paris Commune and the Russian Revolution itself. Against this tumultuous background, on July 23rd, the Catalan communist and socialists met in the Bar del Pi (La Plaça del Pi) and hurriedly joined together to form the PSUC (Partido Socialista Unificado de Cataluña), thus forming a new communist party, independent from Madrid. Moscow was deeply suspicious of this new Catalan organisation, which had broken the Comintern’s iron rule of “One State, One Party.” They need not have bothered; The PSUC soon proved itself to be a loyal servant of Stalin’s policies and was so successful at crushing socialist opposition from within that the model of merging the two par


Who directed the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics?

As it happened: Olympics opening ceremony - London 2012 Olympic Games (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) As it happened: Olympics opening ceremony Updated July 29, 2012 14:22:45 Sorry, this video has expired Map: England London has opened the 2012 Olympic Games with a glittering opening ceremony watched by over one billion people worldwide. Directed by Oscar-winning film-maker Danny Boyle, the fireworks-laden extravaganza featured over 10,000 performers and took place in front of a crowd of 80,000 spectators at the Olympic Stadium. We brought you all the action as it happened (all times AEST): 9:45am: Sir Paul stands up and moves to the front of the stage to involve the audience, before closing his performance by shouting "Welcome to London!" A fitting ending to a truly spectacular opening ceremony. 9:38am: Sir Paul McCartney now appears on stage and the Olympic bell rings out before he begins to perform Hey Jude. 9:36am: The flame is used to light dozens of torches which rise up to form one, the flame of unity, and thus the Olympic cauldron. So it was the six young athletes who lit the cauldron, not a 'name'. An interesting, if not tad underwhelming, decision. That sets off a fireworks display which lights up London as Pink Floyd plays in the background. A montage of great Olympics moments plays on the video screen. Photo: The stems of the Olympic flame come together to form one, lighting the cauldron. (Reuters: Dylan Martinez) 9:30am: Redgrave passes the Olympic torch onto six young athletes who represent the future of Great Britain at the Olympic Games. Each of them was nominated by some of the greatest sports stars to come out of the United Kingdom. 9:28am: After travelling 20,600 kilometres, the Olympic torch is carried into the stadium by Sir Steve Redgrave, who brings it through an honour guard of 500 men and women who built the Olympic Park. Photo: Former Olympic rower and winner of five gold medals, Steve Redgrave, carries the flame into the stadium. (Reuters/Pool) 9:26am: Beijing taekwondo medallist Sarah Stevenson rises up onto the stadium on a platform to read the Olympic oath, where she pledges on behalf of all athletes to perform in the best of spirits and free of drugs. 9:25am: We now see English football superstar David Beckham escorting the Olympic flame up the River Thames on board a speed boat. He passes it onto rower Sir Steve Redgrave, who remarkably won gold medals at five consecutive Olympics. Photo: David Beckham heads down the Thames in a speedboat, carrying the Olympic flame. (Reuters: Eddie Keogh) 9:17am: IOC president Jacques Rogge invites Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, to open the 2012 London Olympics. She does so with a short speech, followed by fireworks. Eight bearers, including Ethiopian long distance champion Haile Gebrselassie, carry the Olympic flag into the stadium. Boxing legend Muhammad Ali watches on. 9:12am: IOC president Jacques Rogge now addresses the crowd, saying he hopes the Games will leave a long and lasting legacy well after the opening ceremony. He thanks the volunteers for their generous time in bringing the Games together. Opening ceremony in numbers Cows: 3 Source: AFP He also points out that for the first time in Olympic history, all of the participating nations will feature female athletes. He also spoke of Britain's long, long history of sport before addressing the athletes: "Your talent, your dedication and commitment brought you here. "Now you have a chance to become true Olympians. "That honour is determined not by whether you win, but how you compete." 9:07am: Lord Sebastian Coe, chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee, is now introduced alongside IOC president Jacques Rogge to address the crowd: "Welcome to London, welcome to the 2012 Olympic Games, welcome from everyone of us. I have never been so proud to be British, and to be part of the Olympic movement. "The Olympic Games bring together the people of the world in harmony and friendship and peace to celebrate what is best about man kind. "London 2012 will inspire a generation. "This is our time.


For which event did Greg Rutherford win gold for GB in 2012?

Greg Rutherford: 'Here comes London 2012 and everything goes right' | Sport | The Guardian Greg Rutherford Greg Rutherford: 'Here comes London 2012 and everything goes right' The long jump gold medallist overcame years of injury and torrid luck to win but has not enjoyed the same good fortune since Greg Rutherford, who won long jump gold for Team GB at the 2012 Olympics has struggled with injury in the year since his triumph. Photograph: Ian Tuttle/Rex Features Monday 22 July 2013 11.57 EDT First published on Monday 22 July 2013 11.57 EDT Share on Messenger Close There were three of them that unforgettable night. The trio of British athletes needed only 46 minutes in the Olympic Stadium to produce an emotive string of gold medal-winning achievements that will be linked forever in the collective memory of London 2012 as Super Saturday . Jessica Ennis withstood prolonged public expectation to seal victory in the heptathlon while Mo Farah's searing run won him the 10,000m. They have both enjoyed sustained exposure over the past year – with their post-Olympic sponsorship worth, respectively, a reported £2.5m and £3m . Life has been different for Greg Rutherford. His gold medal in the long jump provided a surprising filler between the showcase celebrations for Team GB's amiable but glittering stars. Yet even his status as an Olympic champion has not helped Rutherford retain his sponsor or earned him any other lasting opportunities. In the wake of his apparently life-changing success he was dropped by Nike and stalked again by the misfortune that undermined him before London. "Over the years, I've had torrid luck with things going wrong," Rutherford says with a rueful smile. "And then here comes London 2012 and everything goes right. If I sit back and think about it, or watch any of the footage, I still get emotional. As it stands, it defines my life. It's the crowning glory and everyone associates me with it. But my bad luck has been ridiculous at times." Before Rutherford documents his catalogue of injuries, which have already removed him from this weekend's Anniversary Games at the Olympic Stadium and now threaten his participation at next month's world championships in Moscow, he reflects philosophically on losing his sponsor. British Athletics may have won themselves a new supporter in Sainsbury's, who backed GB's Paralympic team at 2012, but the Olympic long jump champion has been reduced to scrabbling around for the semblance of a shoe deal. "It's an interesting one," Rutherford says of Nike's decision not to renew his contract. "I think the issue was that we had 29 gold medallists at London 2012 alone, without the Paralympics, and we're in an economic slump." Rutherford nods intently at a counter suggestion that the men's long jump is one of the Olympics' blue riband events: "You would think so." So it seems curious that a genial and eloquent champion should have been made to feel redundant. "It's business," Rutherford says, "so I'm trying not to take it personally. We're trying to revisit it with Nike as a way of getting my shoes sorted. Ultimately, I jump in their shoes and my feet are used to them. It was a real shame but it's also been a catalyst for me. I'm doing it myself now." Rutherford is about to launch his own clothing brand, GRavity, which features an apple in its logo. "I thought I'd be clever and refer to Newton," he says with the grin of a man proud to call himself the Ginger Wizard. "As a jumper I try to defy gravity as long as I can. But no matter how far I jump I'll always hit the earth eventually. Ultimately the clothing company is a large investment on my part and I'm taking a huge gamble. But having a focus away from the track is good for you." It helps that Rutherford has a creative outlet to divert attention from familiar concerns about finances and injuries. After the Olympics he was still bombing around Milton Keynes, where he lives, in his old Ford Mondeo. "I was," he says, chortling. "But I went to an event with Range Rover and they said: 'We can supply you with a car.' I'm now driving a Rang


Lamia Lamia    Bookmark this page    Manage My Reading List Summary The god Hermes (Mercury), having fallen deeply in love with a nymph who has hidden herself from him, hears a voice complaining of being imprisoned in a snake's body. The speaker is a beautiful serpent. She tells Hermes that she knows he seeks a nymph and offers to make the nymph, to whom she has given the power of invisibility, visible to him providing he will restore to her her woman's body. Hermes gladly agrees. The nymph becomes visible to Hermes; the serpent turns into a beautiful woman and disappears. Lamia, the serpent-turned-woman, while in her serpent state, had the power to send her spirit wherever she wished. On one of her spirit journeys she had seen a Corinthian youth, Lycius. Now, as woman, she reappears and stands at the side of a road along which she knows Lycius will come on his way to Corinth. When he arrives, she addresses him, asking him if he will leave her all alone where she is. Lycius looks at her and at once falls violently in love with her. Together they walk to Corinth and make their abode in a mansion which she leads him to. There they live together as man and wife, avoiding the company of others. Lycius and Lamia live happily in the blisses of love until Lycius decides they ought to marry and invite all their friends to the marriage festival. Lamia is strongly opposed to this plan, but the persistence of Lycius at last wins her reluctant consent. She agrees on the condition that Lycius will not invite the philosopher Apollonius to the marriage feast. While Lycius is absent inviting all his kinsfolk to the wedding, Lamia, with her magic powers, summons invisible servants who decorate the banquet room and furnish it with rich foods of every kind. When Lycius' guests arrive — Lamia has no friends or relatives in Corinth, she tells Lycius — they marvel at the splendor of the mansion. None of them had known that there was such a magnificent palace in Corinth. Among the guests is Apollonius, who has come uninvited. At the height of the wedding feast, Apollonius begins to stare fixedly at Lamia. Lamia grows pale and exhibits extreme discomfort. She makes no answer to Lycius' agonized questions as to what ails her. The feasting and the music come to a stop. Turning to Apollonius, Lycius commands him to cease staring at Lamia. "Fool," answers the philosopher contemptuously, "from every ill / Of life have I preserv'd thee to this day, / And shall I see thee made a serpent's prey?" Looking at Lamia again, he utters two words: "A serpent!" At the words, Lamia vanishes. At the moment of her disappearance, Lycius dies. Analysis Lamia is the last of the four metrical romances written by Keats. Its source is a short anecdote in Robert Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy that Keats appended at the end of the poem. As Keats was intending to write a poem that would have popular appeal in Lamia, it is possible that his intention was merely to expand the anecdote into a lengthy tale by means of the rich sensuous detail which is the special hallmark of The Eve of St. Agnes. Lamia has puzzled critics because of the elusiveness of its theme. Lamia seems to say that passionate love is an illusion and an enchantment, ultimately destructive. On the other hand, Keats' attitude toward his characters is somewhat ambiguous. Lamia is not entitled to human love because she is not human; she is a serpent. She has deceived Lycius. She must be kept a secret. She has no family, no parents. She does not want Apollonius invited to the marriage because she fears he will expose her. Nevertheless, Keats presents her sympathetically; she is not an evil creature. Lycius too is presented sympathetically but in living with Lamia he is indulging in "sweet sin." Since he is a high-minded Platonist when first introduced into the story, his love for Lamia is indulging a weakness. When Lycius and Lamia meet Apollonius, Lycius' mentor, while walking through Corinth, Lycius is at pains to avoid being recognized by him. In lines 375-76, Part I, Lycius calls Apollonius "my trusty guide


In which body of water did John the Baptist baptise Jesus?

Where was Jesus baptized? - NET Where was Jesus baptized? Written by Stephen Langfur with additional research and writing by Micah Key      The Jordan today The place where John baptized Jesus is uncertain. Yet no one doubts the historical event. The early Church would never have preserved a tradition of Jesus' baptism by John if it weren't an actual memory. For it implies, on the face of things, that Jesus needed purification through the good graces of the Baptist. That is why the Gospels stress that John pronounced himself unworthy and that Jesus allowed it, saying, "All righteousness must be fulfilled" (Matthew 3:15). To Josephus, John was the better known of the two. It is likely that the Church preserved his works because of the following passage: Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's [Antipas’s] army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist: for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; for that the washing [with water] would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in order to the putting away [or the remission] of some sins [only], but for the purification of the body; supposing still that the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness. Now when [many] others came in crowds about him, for they were very greatly moved [or pleased] by hearing his words, Herod, who feared lest the great influence John had over the people might put it into his power and inclination to raise a rebellion, (for they seemed ready to do any thing he should advise,) thought it best, by putting him to death, to prevent any mischief he might cause, and not bring himself into difficulties, by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it would be too late. Accordingly he was sent a prisoner, out of Herod's suspicious temper, to Macherus, the castle I before mentioned, and was there put to death. Now the Jews had an opinion that the destruction of this army was sent as a punishment upon Herod, and a mark of God's displeasure to him. (Josephus Flavius, Antiquities of the Jews XVIII 5.2, translated by William Whiston.) Note the reference to people coming “in crowds about him” and the “great influence he had.” After John’s death, we shall see below, these newly leaderless crowds may have been those for whom Jesus felt pity, calling them “sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34). Matthew and Mark set the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River near the wilderness at a site accessible from Jerusalem . Luke 3:1-22 tells us that the Baptist received the Word of God in the wilderness and then "came into all the region around the Jordan." John locates the event precisely at "Bethany beyond the Jordan," but the name is unattested elsewhere. The Baptismal Site in Matthew and Mark Matthew (3: 1-17) has the Baptist "preaching in the wilderness of Judea," and "people from Jerusalem, all of Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him…. Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him."    But John would have hindered him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?” But Jesus, answering, said to him, “Allow it now, for this is the fitting way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed him. Jesus, when he was baptized, went up directly from the water: and behold, the heavens were opened to him. He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming on him. Behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Mark 1: 4-9 also places the event in the Jordan River, at a place accessible to people from Judea and Jerusalem. In line with these two evangelists, tradition has recognized the baptism in the River Jordan east of Jericho. This area in the wilderness of Judea would have been most accessible to people from Jerusalem. But where was the river 2000 years ago? It changes course unpredictably. In 1485 a m


The Golden Temple, Amritsar The Golden Temple, Amritsar The Golden Temple ( Enlarge ) The Golden Temple, located in the city of Amritsar in the state of Punjab,is a place of great beauty and sublime peacefulness. Originally a small lake in the midst of a quiet forest, the site has been a meditation retreat for wandering mendicants and sages since deep antiquity. The Buddha is known to have spent time at this place in contemplation. Two thousand years after Buddha's time, another philosopher-saint came to live and meditate by the peaceful lake. This was Guru Nanak (1469-1539), the founder of the Sikh religion. After the passing away of Guru Nanak, his disciples continued to frequent the site; over the centuries it became the primary sacred shrine of the Sikhs. The lake was enlarged and structurally contained during the leadership of the fourth Sikh Guru (Ram Dass, 1574-1581), and during the leadership of the fifth Guru (Arjan, 1581-1606), the Hari Mandir, or Temple of God was built. From the early 1600s to the mid 1700s the sixth through tenth Sikh Gurus were constantly involved in defending both their religion and their temple against Muslim armies. On numerous occasions the temple was destroyed by the Muslims, and each time was rebuilt more beautifully by the Sikhs. From 1767 onwards, the Sikhs became strong enough militarily to repulse invaders. Peace returned to the Hari Mandir. Hari Mandir, Amritsar, India ( Enlarge ) The temple's architecture draws on both Hindu and Muslim artistic styles yet represents a unique coevolution of the two. During the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), Hari Mandir was richly ornamented with marble sculptures, golden gilding, and large quantities of precious stones. Within the sanctuary, on a jewel-studded platform, lies the Guru Granth Sahib, the sacred scripture of the Sikhs. This scripture is a collection of devotional poems, prayers, and hymns composed by the ten Sikh gurus and various Muslim and Hindu saints. Beginning early in the morning and lasting until long past sunset, these hymns are chanted to the exquisite accompaniment of flutes, drums, and stringed instruments. Echoing across the serene lake, this enchantingly beautiful music induces a delicate yet powerful state of trance in the pilgrims strolling leisurely around the marble concourse encircling the pool and temple. An underground spring feeds the sacred lake, and throughout the day and night pilgrims immerse themselves in the water, a symbolic cleansing of the soul rather than an actual bathing of the body. Next to the temple complex are enormous pilgrims' dormitories and dining halls where all persons, irrespective of race, religion, or gender, are lodged and fed for free. Amritsar, the original name of first the ancient lake, then the temple complex, and still later the surrounding city, means "pool of ambrosial nectar." Looking deeply into the origins of this word amrit, we find that it indicates a drink of the gods, a rare and magical substance that catalyzes euphoric states of consciousness and spiritual enlightenment. With this word we have a very clear example of the spirit, power, or energetic character of a particular place becoming encoded as an ancient geographical place name. The myth is not just a fairy tale. It reveals itself as a coded metaphor if we have the knowledge to read the code: The waters of Amritsar flowing into the lake of the Hari Mandir were long ago - and remain today - a bringer of peacefulness. Sikh pilgrims at the Golden Temple, Amritsar, India ( Enlarge ) Golden Temple Aerial View by Helicopter Photograph by Grenade Singh


"Which famous scientist said ""Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character""?"

Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character. - Albert Einstein - BrainyQuote Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character. Find on Amazon: Albert Einstein Cite this Page: Citation


What name is now given to the area of Paris where the guillotine used to execute Louis 16th was situated?

Paris | Forever Knight Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit The earliest archaeological signs of permanent habitation in the Paris area date from around 4200 B.C. From around 250 B.C. the area around the Seine was occupied by a Celtic tribe, the Parisii. The Romans conquered the Paris basin in 52 B.C.; and planted a permanent settlement on the Île de la Cité and the southern bank of the river. This town was originally called Lutetia (or, more fully, Lutetia Parisiorum, "Lutetia of the Parisii"), later Gallicised to Lutèce. It expanded greatly over the following centuries, becoming a prosperous city with a forum, palaces, baths, temples, theatres, and an amphitheatre. In 212 A.D., the city was renamed Paris after the local tribe. The collapse of the Roman empire sent the city into a period of decline. By 400 A.D., it had largely been abandoned by its inhabitants, and was little more than a garrison town on the hastily fortified central island. In 451 A.D., the region was invaded by Attila the Hun, prompting fears that Paris would be attacked. According to legend, the city was saved by the piety of Sainte Geneviève and her followers, whose prayers for relief were answered when Attila's march turned away from Paris to the south. However, Paris was attacked and overrun in 464 A.D. by Childeric I (Childeric the Frank). His son, Clovis I, made the city his capital in 506 A.D. By this time, Paris was a crowded early medieval city with timber buildings alongside surviving Roman remains. Charlemagne. Part of the treasure in the cathedral in Aachen. The final king of this line of Merovingian kings was essentially no more than a puppet monarch for powerful governors. He was finally deposed in 751 A.D., and Pépin (Pippin) was proclaimed king of the Franks. He was succeeded by his son Charles, dubbed Charles le Magne or "Charlemagne" (Charles the Great). After Charlemagne moved the capital of his Holy Roman Empire from Paris to Aachen, the city was relatively neglected by the Empire. It suffered grievously from Viking raiders who repeatedly sailed upriver to attack it. Eventually, the weakness of the late Carolingian kings led to the rise in power of the Counts of Paris. In 987 A.D., Hugh Capet—related to the Counts of Paris—was elected King of the Franks. The French Crown initially controlled little more than Paris and the surrounding region, the Île-de-France, but over the centuries steadily expanded its territory and power. Paris itself developed an increasing degree of importance as a royal capital, a centre of learning and an ecclesiastical centre. Medieval Paris Edit The cathedral of Nôtre Dame de Paris on the Île de la Cité, on the River Seine. As early as the twelfth century, the distinctive character of the city's districts was emerging. The Île de la Cité, on which the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris was begun in 1163, was the centre of government and religious life; the Left Bank (south of the Seine) was the centre of learning, focusing on the various Church-run schools established there; and the Right Bank (north of the Seine) was the centre of commerce and finance. A league of merchants, the so-called Hanse Parisienne, was established and quickly became a powerful force in the city's affairs. Under the rule of Philippe Auguste (ruled 1180-1223), a new city wall was built, and construction began on the Palais du Louvre. Streets were paved, and a covered market established at Les Halles. The Louvre fortress from the early 15th century illuminated manuscript Book of Hours, Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, month of October. His grandson Louis IX, renowned for his extreme piety (and later canonised as St Louis) established the city as a major centre of pilgrimage in the thirteenth century with the construction of the Sainte-Chapelle on the Île de la Cité, and the completion of the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris and the Saint Denis Basilica. The Hundred Years' War began in 1328 on the death of the direct line of Capetian kings, when the crown was claimed by rival houses. Over the next century, the city change


Which Football League club share the Keepmoat Stadium with the town's rugby league club?

Keepmoat Stadium Guide - Doncaster Rovers | Football Tripper Stadium Guide History The Keepmoat Stadium’s inaugural competitive match was held on 1st January 2007 against Huddersfield Town , although the officially opening ceremony was held to be held later on against Premier League Superstars Manchester United on the 3rd August 2007. The timing of the move essentially split the season in half between the new and old stadium. Doncaster had previously played their home matches at Belle Vue Stadium since 1922, and whilst the ground was very much loved by fans, the dilapidated ground was sadly holding back the club. In the wake of the Bradford City and Hillsborough stadium disasters in the 1980s, large sections of Belle Vue were deemed unsafe and the capacity was diminished greatly to 4,859. The Vikings valiantly renovated the historic stadium in 2003, and by the time it hosted its last match against Nottingham Forest on 23rd December 2006 it was capable of accommodating 11,500 supporters. However this wasn’t sustainable in the long term, and Doncaster pressed ahead with their long-term ambition of building a new stadium. Collaborating closely with the local council and Doncaster Rugby League Club, the trio of stakeholders designed a new multi-purpose sports stadium which cost £20 million to build. Situated out of town within a wider retail complex which cost a further £12 million, the new stadium is a state of the art venue capable of seating an improved 15,231 supporters. Although Doncaster Rovers don’t own the stadium outright, the club have secured a 99 year operating lease from the local council, and are responsible for the management of the facilities. The name of the stadium is derived from sponsors Keepmoat who are a company who specialise in the construction of council housing. Seating Plan Below is a seating plan of Doncaster Rovers’ Keepmoat Stadium: Stands Each of the four stands at the Keepmoat Stadium invariably have sponsorship names but are usually referred to in relation to the compass: North, East, South and West. Click the thumbnails above to enlarge an image of each stand and to read a more detailed description of each part of the stadium. The Matchday Experience Away Fans Away fans are allocated the entirety of the North Stand for Doncaster FC matches, and if demand exceeds the 3,344 or so places within the goal-end, a small number of seats from the East Stand are then made available to traveling supporters. Although not to everyone’s taste, The Keepmoat stadium for better or for worse, is the blueprint of the modern stadium and I suspect that many a lower league side are envious of the new and facilities. Fully-enclosed, the noise travels well in the stadium, and the architectural design ensures that troublesome support beams remain a problem of the past. We haven’t had any reports of the seats being uncomfortable or tight on leg room, so we can only assume that the match day experience is generally comparable to other teams in the division. Best Pubs No matter how you make the journey to the Keepmoat Stadium you will encounter a number of decent pubs. From the train station it will take you less than 10 minutes to make your way into the centre of town where you will find the likes of the The Old Angel and Cask Corner which both specialise in real ale. Once you are within the retail park (either from walking/driving/coach) there are places to drink either side of the stadium with The Lakeside Beefeater towards the south often popular with away fans. North of the ground there is a Cheswold Lodge Brewers Fayre Pub as well as a a large Brewsters chain. At the stadium itself there is a bar which normally permits a small number of away fans to drink with the home faithful before the match. Like all club-owned facilities it does get busy on matchdays but there is an efficient queuing system and the fact that it doesn’t sell food also helps speed things up somewhat. Food From the train station you are essentially in town meaning that there are numerous quick and dirty options such as McDonald’s, Greggs and Sa


Which of Beethoven's symphonies is named the Eroica?

Beethoven's Eroica: Keeping Score | PBS Shop Beethoven's Eroica Beethoven called his Third Symphony Eroica (“Heroic”). The Eroica is two hundred years old yet still seems modern. In this symphony Beethoven began to use broad strokes of sound to tell us how he felt, and what being alive meant to him. The piece caused a sensation and changed the idea of what a symphony could be. When Beethoven called this piece “heroic,” he wasn’t kidding. It’s bigger, longer than a symphony had ever been. It’s confessional, even confrontational. Just the scale of it was huge, unprecedented—and daunting for its first listeners. It foreshadowed the world that Wagner and, ultimately, Sigmund Freud would explore—the realm of the unconscious. That’s what was so revolutionary. The First Movement When Beethoven first presented himself to Viennese society, he had to make a name for himself. He did this by playing some of his own compositions and, most importantly, by improvising on themes of his own or of his rivals. Nothing like it had been heard before. These improvisations—often lasting an hour—were entire landscapes of emotional extremes. They were tragic, stormy, lyrical, wildly exhilarating. Such exhibitions of power first drew people to Beethoven’s art. And the improvisations that dazzled Vienna were, in a way, rehearsals of the daring musical ideas Beethoven would explore in his symphonies. The first movement of the Eroica was unprecedented in scale, in part because he had so much to say. Beethoven uses a huge spectrum of keys to express different worlds of emotion. Each new experience of the themes gets darker and deeper. He develops the movement as a way of expressing what really happens in life—the wrong turns, the confusion, the sense of helplessness and entrapment. In the first movement of the Eroica, Beethoven takes his listeners on a wild journey through the emotional extremes that can be wrought from a few simple themes. The Second Movement Perhaps the best reflection of these emotional extremes is the Second Movement, which he titled “Funeral March,” a powerful musical evocation of the massive state funerals then taking place in Paris. The music suggests the thunder of drums and the roar of the crowd. In this movement, Beethoven explores grief, its public face and its intimate expression. The oboe solo at the beginning is a personalized and interior expression of grief within a public ceremony. It’s a modern solo in that it has tremendous psychological dimension. The music is evocative—we can almost see the funeral procession pass before us and ask, What really has died here? Perhaps it is part of Beethoven that is being mourned. In the years before he wrote Eroica, Beethoven realized he was going deaf, and his initial reaction was terror and shame. He tried to keep it a secret. He couldn’t bear for anyone to know that he—a musician—was not able to hear. But he came to realize that, as a musician, he could function perfectly well. What really scared him was being cut off from other people, losing the possibility of hearing intimate conversation. What kind of strange, isolated, lonely, crazy individual was he in danger of becoming? That was the real terror. As Beethoven’s personal crisis deepened in 1802, he took refuge in the village of Heiligenstadt. He hoped that the quiet of the countryside would bring relief to the distortions in his hearing. And he needed time to get himself together—to face the decision, literally, of whether to live or to die. In Heiligenstadt, he wrote the most important document we have that reflects the turmoil in his life. The so-called Heiligenstadt Testament is a kind of last will, or possibly a suicide note. It wasn’t meant to be read during his lifetime. But it reveals Beethoven’s state of mind just before he wrote Eroica. Somehow he found the strength to go on. In the works that follow the Heiligenstadt Testament, he inserted his humanity into the very fabric of the music. The Third Movement A year later, in 1803, Beethoven returned to Heiligenstadt, where his depression gave way to an astonish


Dawley, the birthplace of channel swimmer Matthew Webb, is in which New Town?

Shropshire Channel swim hero Captain Webb honoured « Shropshire Star And in doing so he became the first person ever to take on the mammoth distance. Now, 140 years later, county residents and historians have united to celebrate his incredible achievement. Historians Alan and Barb Heighway, of St Georges in Telford, have spent the last 30 years – and thousands of pounds – building up their collection of Captain Webb memorabilia. From original lithographs, portraits, personal possessions, commemorative postcards and plates, silver medals and matchboxes to books, drawings and newspaper pages from the time, Mr Heighway wants everyone to know about one of Shropshire’s most famous sons. And people will gather tomorrow to watch a new film about Webb’s life at Dawley Town Hall in the town where he was born. The screening marked the start of celebrations over the weekend in the build-up to Tuesday, the anniversary of the Channel swim. Mr and Mrs Heighway, both aged 68, will be on hand across the events, which include a street party on Monday, with his exhibition of memorabilia. Film captures swimmer Webb’s struggles Captain Webb is portrayed by Warren Brown Everybody knows Edmund Hillary was the first man to conquer Everest, and that Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon. Indeed, pretty much everyone knows that Buzz Aldrin was the second. But Matthew Webb? In the late 19th century he was a household name, his picture adorning everything from matchboxes to souvenir crockery. Today? He is world famous only in Dawley. Film director Justin Hardy is hoping his new movie, simply entitled Captain Webb, will propel the first man to swim the English Channel back into the spotlight. “He is a forgotten hero, whose story simply had to be told,” he says. Hardy struggles to explain Webb’s swift fall from the public consciousness. “At the time, Webb was known to every smoker in the UK, he was on the front of almost every box of matches. But then he fell off. Not just off the box, but off the radar.” Warren Brown, who plays the title role in the film, himself admits he had not even heard of Webb before he landed the role. “I wasn’t familiar with Captain Webb prior to filming, so his story was the thing that sparked my initial interest,” says the actor, best known for playing Det Sgt Justin Ripley alongside Idris Elba in the television series Luther. He adds: “To cross the English Channel even today is a huge task, but in 1875 when no man had attempted it and swimming wasn’t even recognised as the sport it is today, was an even greater achievement.” Strictly speaking, Webb was not the first man to swim the Channel. Three months earlier, the American Paul Boyton had achieved the feat, but he did so wearing a special inflatable suit, which Webb did not consider to be a proper swim. Much of the film examines the rivalry between the two men, as well as Webb’s struggle to come to terms with his waning public profile once the initial euphoria about his feat had died down. Georgia Maguire, who plays swimmer Agnes Beckwith, daughter of Webb’s coach, says: “People like Webb had a genuine sense that anything was achievable. He was also a showman who had swum the Channel and that kind of feeling is addictive.” It was this addiction to the limelight which ultimately cost Webb his life. In 1879, Webb beat Boyton in the Championship of the World swimming contest. However, he was accused of cheating and his prize money withheld. Furious about the slur, he decided that the only way to recapture the world’s imagination was to try a feat that nobody thought was possible – a swim across the Whirlpool Rapids below Niagara falls. On that fateful day Webb grinned and waved as he entered the water, but shortly afterwards he was dragged into a whirlpool where the pressure of the water crushed him to death. His body was discovered four days later. On August 24, 1875, Dawley-born Webb smeared in porpoise oil, dived into the water near Dover’s Admiralty Pier. Twenty-one hours and 45 minutes later he waded ashore at Calais. In his diary he wrote: “I felt now


What is the British name given to German white wines originally from the Rhine area?

German Wine - Compare and buy Wines from Germany Grape Styles & Food Matching German Wine Germany has one of the most noble and historic wine cultures of all. As well as being home to one of the world’s greatest grape varieties, Riesling, and producing wines which have graced tables across the world for centuries, Germany has also given the wine world some of the leading pioneers in terms of winemakers, and producers, both today and over the last 2 centuries – in Germany, and in the far-flung corners of the New World, especially Australia. A swift bit of research into the origins of some of the most famous and respected wine names in Australia trace back to German immigrants with winemaking backgrounds. About German Wines Once, the 2nd biggest wine seller in the UK, at the height of its fame in the 70s, Germany, the ‘grande dame’ of wine-producing countries fell off its high perch in the 80s, and seemed to become doomed by its own success. Liebfraumilch was the best known wine in the UK, fuelled by both the brands, Blue Nun and Black Tower , and also the rapid rise of supermarket own brand wines. Today, Germany dwindles at no 9 in terms of sales in the UK, with sales continuing to decline by 12% in the last year. It’s a sad reflection that it now only accounts for just over 2% of the total market, from its heyday. Despite all the efforts of the wine industry, wine retailers and wine writers, it seems impossible to switch the UK wine drinker back onto German wine – yet, this country produces simply some of the most divine, sublimely unique white wines in the world, which beg discovery by the wider wine drinking public. Until the 1970s, Germany, alongside France, dominated the wine scene internationally, and no more so than in England, where it was popular, originally at court and in high society during the 18th and 19th centuries. ‘Hock’ and ‘Mosel’ were the names that German wine was mainly known as. In the 20th century, German wines became very popular, as the trend for wine drinking grew, and by the 70s, Liebfraumilch, Hock and Mosel were some of the biggest sellers, as the UK public discovered these, sweet, fruity, easy-drinking wines, which were increasingly affordable. In many ways, this was Germany’s undoing; a country that produces some of the most exquisite, elegant, and stylish white wines in the world, was focussing its trade on the cheaper end of the market, and whilst Liebfraumilch became the leading ‘brand’ in the UK, with Blue Nun. Today, the focus has to be on rebuilding the premium and high quality image of Germany, through the Riesling grape; one of the most versatile, complex and charismatic grape varieties in the world. Not an easy task, since the word Riesling is still associated with the cheap German rubbish of the 70s and 80s, but a task and a cause worth fighting for! Germany And Its Wine History Germany has been producing wine for centuries, and has a very proud history. Records trace wine growing back to Roman times, and many of the top estates, known internationally today, began as monasteries, where grapes were grown and wine was made. The world famous Schloss Johannisberg is one such example. Much of Germany’s wine history is inextricably linked with the church, with the monasteries key in developing the vineyards and winemaking culture of the country, back in medieval times. By the 16th century, winemaking was very important in western Germany, with around 4 times as many vineyards as there are today, however, this diminished, as the culture for beer production took over. The majority of Germany’s vineyards are based in the western part of the country, and viticulture first came to the Rheingau, arguably, the most famous and high quality producing region, during the era of the emperor Charlemagne in the years around 700 AD. During the 19th century, Napoleon took control of all the vineyards; his new laws including those of inheritance, meant that vineyards were divided and subdivided through ensuing generations, leading to many small holdings, and the rise and development of group coop


Which American rock band is made up the three Followill brothers and one of their cousins?

Kings of Leon - Male Musicians - Bellazon Male Musicians Not recommended on shared computers Sign in anonymously · Report post Kings of Leon Kings of Leon are a rock band made up of the three Followill brothers (Caleb, Nathan, and Jared), and their cousin (Matthew Followill), based in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, United States. Their influences include Southern rock, garage rock, Hard rock, country and blues. History The group's name is derived from Nathan, Caleb, and Jared's father and grandfather, both named Leon. Jared and Caleb were born in Tennessee, while Nathan and Matthew were born in Oklahoma. Matthew is a cousin to Nathan, Caleb and Jared. The brothers spent much of their youth travelling around the SSCS with their father, a traveling United Pentecostal Church preacher and their mother, who taught them when they were not in school. According to Rolling Stone magazine, "While Leon preached at churches and tent revivals throughout the Deep South, the boys attended and were occasionally enlisted to bang on some drums. They were home-schooled or enrolled in small parochial schools. Except for a five-year stretch when they settled in Jackson, Tennessee, the Followills spent their childhoods driving through the South, camping for a week or two wherever Leon was scheduled to preach." Although it was rumored their father, Leon, was defrocked, in an article for Q Magazine in July 2007 Leon himself was quoted as saying "I was not defrocked, I was forced to resign." After various jobs, the brothers moved to Nashville in 1998. They formed a band in 2000 with their cousin Matthew. Their music is influenced by their religious upbringing and Jack Daniels. Brothers Nathan and Caleb originally sang country music and later moved to playing rock and roll. They worked for a brief period of time with label and management group Pistol Creek Productions. They spent their time with this label mainly singing at rodeos. They also were members of the West Tennessee Mass Choir for a short time. Nathan, the eldest of the brothers, graduated from Christian Life Academy (a private school that is now defunct) in Henderson, TN. Caleb dropped out mid-senior year to pursue country music. Upon signing with RCA, they were introduced to Nashville-based song-writer/producer Angelo Petraglia, who had previously worked with artists such as Brooks & Dunn, Trisha Yearwood and Martina McBride. Petraglia would prove very important to the band, moving them in a more rock-oriented direction and co-writing many of their songs. "I turned those guys on to the Rolling Stones and a lot of the older raw rock-and-roll stuff," he said. In an interview Caleb Followill cited The Rolling Stones, Neil Young and Bob Dylan as some of the band's early influences. Caleb also stated though that "...because of the way we [the band members] grew up, we were really sheltered from music and we didn't know that much...", going on to say that the significant musical influences have only been in very recent years. Holy Roller Novocaine and Youth and Young Manhood Kings of Leon's first release, The Holy Roller Novocaine EP came out in 2003. Four of its five songs would later be released on Youth and Young Manhood, with the songs "California Waiting" and "Wasted Time" being remade. The EP also contained the B-side "Wicker Chair". All the songs were co-written by Petraglia. Their debut album Youth and Young Manhood propelled them to relative stardom, particularly outside the United States, where they were dubbed one of the driving forces behind the so-called "new rock revolution" by the European press. Their stakes only rose when they were chosen by popular rock bands The Strokes and U2 to tour with them. According to Jared, the title of the album was taken from their father's Bible. All songs were again co-written by Petraglia, who also contributed guitar and co-produced the album with Ethan Johns. The songs "Molly's Chambers", "Red Morning Light", and "Holy Roller Novocaine" were used in various video games, movies, and TV advertisements. Aha Shake Heartbreak The band's second album Aha


According to a proverb, which vegetable will not be buttered by fine words? (Fine words butter no )

'Fine words butter no parsnips' - the meaning and origin of this phrase Famous Last Words Browse phrases beginning with: Fine words butter no parsnips more like this... Nothing is achieved by empty words or flattery. Origin This proverbial saying is English and dates from the 17th century. It expresses the notion that fine words count for nothing and that action means more than flattery or promises. You aren't very likely to come across 'fine words butter no parsnips' as 20th century street slang - you are more liable to hear it in a period costume drama. Potatoes were imported into Britain from America by John Hawkins in the mid 16th century and became a staple in what established itself as the national dish - meat and two veg. Before that, various root vegetables were eaten instead, often mashed and, as anyone who has eaten mashed swedes, turnips or parsnips can testify, they cry out to be 'buttered-up' - another term for flattery. Indeed, the English were known for their habit of layering on butter to all manner of foods, much to the disgust of the French who used it as evidence of the English lack of expertise regarding cuisine and to the Japanese, who referred to Europeans in general and the English in particular as 'butter-stinkers'. This butter habit is evidenced in the various forms of the expression that are found in print in the 1600s - 'fine/fair/soft words butter no parsnips/cabbage/fish/connie[rabbit]'. A typical example is this verse from John Taylor's Epigrammes, 1651: Words are but wind that do from men proceed; None but Chamelions on bare Air can feed; Great men large hopeful promises may utter; But words did never Fish or Parsnips butter.. The earliest version that I know of in print is in John Clarke's Latin/English textbook Paroemiologia, 1639: Faire words butter noe parsnips, verba non alunt familiam. [words, no family support] That's all, no more fine words from me.


The Kaaba (article) | Khan Academy Email The Kaaba, granite masonry, covered with silk curtain and calligraphy in gold and silver-wrapped thread, pre-Islamic monument, rededicated by Muhammad in 631-32 C.E., multiple renovations, Mecca, Saudi Arabia (photo: The Kaaba in the Masjid el Haram, 2010 Tab59, CC BY-SA 2.0) The Kaaba, pre-Islamic monument, rededicated by Muhammad in 631-32 C.E., multiple renovations, granite masonry, covered with silk curtain and calligraphy in gold and silver-wrapped thread (Mecca, Saudi Arabia) Image credit: The Kaaba in the Masjid el Haram, 2010 Tab59, CC BY-SA 2.0 Prayer and pilgrimage Pilgrimage to a holy site is a core principle of almost all faiths. The Kaaba, meaning cube in Arabic, is a square building elegantly draped in a silk and cotton veil. Located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, it is the holiest shrine in Islam. In Islam, Muslims pray five times a day and after 624 CE, these prayers were directed towards Mecca and the Kaaba rather than Jerusalem; this direction—or qibla in Arabic—is marked in all mosques and enables the faithful to know in which direction they should pray. The Qur‘an established the direction of prayer. All Muslims aspire to undertake the hajj, or the annual pilgrimage, to the Kaaba once in their lives if they are able. Prayer five times a day and the hajj are two of the five pillars of Islam, the most fundamental principles of the faith. Upon arriving in Mecca, pilgrims gather in the courtyard of the Masjid al-Haram around the Kaaba. They then circumambulate—tawaf in Arabic—or walk around the Kaaba, during which they hope to kiss and touch the Black Stone—al-Hajar al-Aswad—embedded in the eastern corner of the Kaaba. View of pilgrims performing Tawaf (circumambulating) the Kaaba from the gate of Abdul Aziz (photo: Muhammad Mahdi Karim, GNU version 1.2 only) View of pilgrims performing Tawaf (circumambulating) the Kaaba from the gate of Abdul Aziz Image credit: photo: Muhammad Mahdi Karim, GNU version 1.2 only) The history and form of the Kaaba The Kaaba was a sanctuary in pre-Islamic times. Muslims believe that Abraham—known as Ibrahim in the Islamic tradition—and his son, Ismail, constructed the Kaaba. Tradition holds that it was originally a simple unroofed rectangular structure. The Quraysh tribe, who ruled Mecca, rebuilt the pre-Islamic Kaaba in c. 608 CE with alternating courses of masonry and wood. A door was raised above ground level to protect the shrine from intruders and flood waters. Muhammad was driven out of Mecca in 620 CE to Yathrib, which is now known as Medina. Upon his return to Mecca in 629/30 CE, the shrine became the focal point for Muslim worship and pilgrimage. The pre-Islamic Kaaba housed the Black Stone and statues of pagan gods. Muhammad reportedly cleansed the Kaaba of idols upon his victorious return to Mecca, returning the shrine to the monotheism of Ibrahim. The Black Stone is believed to have been given to Ibrahim by the angel Gabriel and is revered by Muslims. Muhammad made a final pilgrimage in 632 CE, the year of his death, and thereby established the rites of pilgrimage. Modifications The Kaaba has been modified extensively throughout its history. The area around the Kaaba was expanded in order to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims by the second caliph, ‘Umar, who ruled 634-44 CE. The Caliph ‘Uthman, who ruled 644-56 CE, built the colonnades around the open plaza where the Kaaba stands and incorporated other important monuments into the sanctuary. During the civil war between the caliph Abd al-Malik and Ibn Zubayr, who controlled Mecca, the Kaaba was set on fire in 683 CE. Reportedly, the Black Stone broke into three pieces and Ibn Zubayr reassembled it with silver. He rebuilt the Kaaba in wood and stone, following Ibrahim’s original dimensions and also paved the space around the Kaaba. After regaining control of Mecca, Abd al-Malik restored the part of the building that Muhammad is thought to have designed. None of these renovations can be confirmed through study of the building or archaeological evidence; these changes are on


Which of Dvorak's symphonies is named From the New World?

Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 "From The New World" / Karajan · Vienna Philarmonic - YouTube Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 "From The New World" / Karajan · Vienna Philarmonic Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Sep 21, 2011 Great presentation of the Great Wiener Philharmoniker conducted by Herbert von Karajan, playing the 9th Symphony of Antonin Dvorak "From the new world". Gran presentación de la Filarmónica de Viena conducida por Herbert von Karajan, interpretando la novena sinfonía de Antonin Dvorak "Sinfonía del Nuevo Mundo". (C) Telemonde 1992, UMG and all their respective owners. No commercial use of this material. ( 0:37 ) 1st mvt (Adagio, Allegro Molto) ( 10:42 ) 2nd mvt (Largo)


The book 'Red Bones' by Anne Cleeves was dramatised by the BBC, on which islands is it set?

Ann Cleeves: Red Bones, the third book in the Shetland Quartet Contact Red Bones , the third instalment of Ann Cleeves' Shetland Quartet, is set in spring: a time of rebirth and celebration. And a time of death... for April is the cruelest month. Perhaps that's why was chosen as the basis for Shetland , a new two-part crime drama set in Scotland and starring Douglas Henshall. A special Shetland preview on November 21st was well received by the local audience, and Ann Cleeves gave it her approval too: "It's great," she said. "It's not faithful to the book but it's faithful to the atmosphere and spirit of the book. It's important that it's a good piece of TV rather than stick rigidly to the book." The transmission date has not yet been announced, but is expected to be some time in January. When a young archaeologist discovers a set of human remains, the island community is intrigued. Is it an ancient find - or a more contemporary mystery? Then an elderly woman is shot on her land in a tragic accident, and Jimmy Perez is called in by her grandson, his own colleague Sandy Wilson. He finds two feuding families whose envy, greed and bitterness has divided the surrounding community. With Fran in London, and surrounded by people he doesn't know and a community he has no links with, Jimmy finds himself out of his depth. Then another woman dies, and as the spring weather shrouds the island in claustrophobic mists, the two deaths remain shrouded in mystery. Red Bones was long-listed for the Impac Dublin Award . Red Bones was first published in the UK in February 2009; the paperback edition followed in February 2010, and the TV tie-in edition in November 2012. Use the links to order a copy from Amazon.UK, or order from any bookshop, quoting the ISBN: Charnwood Large Print edition (published in September 2009). Now also available as a Kindle eBook . Red Bones is also available as an ISIS Soundings audio book read by Gordon Griffin; order it direct from the publisher in a choice of audio formats. The US edition of Red Bones was published by Minotaur Books on September 1, 2009; order it from Borders.com or from BN.com , or place an order with your local bookstore, quoting the ISBN: 978-0-3123-8434-0. It is also available from the publisher in a choice of eBook formats , and in a Kindle edition . Read a Radio Scotland feature about Ann Cleeves and Shetland, or listen to the audio version . Find the locations described in Red Bones Kirkus Review said "Cleeves is expert at depicting hardscrabble island life, parental expectations and disappointments and emotionally charged silences. Thoughtful readers should give Perez a try." "Ann Cleeves' fellow crime fiction practitioners (from Colin Dexter to Peter Robinson) have been lining up to sing her praises, and it's unlikely that there will be any blip in that chorus of praise on the evidence of Red Bones , which is quite as assured and entertaining as its predecessors,." Barry Forshaw "Cleeves is quietly carving out a reputation as the new Queen of Crime, and this chilling thriller should help her on her way." Sunday Mirror "Cleeves is a master of the stunning twist... She's also an expert stylist of deceptively spare prose and a creator of entirely realistic characters; this time out, she focuses on Sandy Wilson, thought to be dim and immature but who, under Perez's guidance, becomes one of her most intriguing creations. "Permeated with place - Cleeves makes the Shetlands vivid in the reader's mind - and filled with a moral sensibility, Red Bones stands as a cautionary tale against letting the past fester into a lethal infection of the soul." "Like a smoky Shetland peat fire, this elegantly written, slow-burning intrigue shrouds you in mystery and crackles with inner heat." Peter James " Red Bones gives us plenty to chew on; an intricate plot, quirky characters and that special Shetland atmosphere, at once eerie and beautiful, that Ann Cleeves is making her own. Let's hope she keeps on going through all the colours of the northern lights!" Reginald Hill


The largest state or territory by area in Australia is Western Australia, which is second?

Australian Cities, States and Territories - Tourism Australia Add Share Mainland Australia is the world’s largest island but also the smallest continent. The country is divided into six states and two territories.   What are Australia's cities, states and territories? Mainland Australia is the world’s largest island but also the smallest continent. The country is divided into six states and two territories. Australian Capital Territory The  Australian Capital Territory  (ACT) bounds the national capital of  Canberra  and is the centre of government. The Australian Capital Territory is located approximately 290 kilometres (180 miles) south of Sydney, and is home to a number of important national institutions, including Parliament House, the Australian War Memorial and the National Gallery of Australia. New South Wales New South Wales  (NSW) is Australia’s oldest and most populous state. New South Wales was originally settled as a penal colony on the shores of Port Jackson where the bustling capital city of  Sydney  now stands. Sydney is the nation’s largest city and is renowned for its idyllic beaches, great walks and world-class dining. New South Wales is also home to popular attractions including the Blue Mountains and the Hunter Valley wine region.  Northern Territory At the top end of Australia lies the  Northern Territory  (NT).  Darwin , on the northern coast, is the capital, and  Alice Springs  is the principal inland town. Alice Springs is the physical heart of Australia, almost exactly at the nation's geographical centre. The Northern Territory is home to the famous  Uluru  (Ayers Rock),  Kata Tjuta  (the Olgas) and  Kakadu National Park .   Queensland Queensland  (QLD) is Australia’s second-largest state (in size) and is home to the world famous  Great Barrier Reef , the world’s most extensive subtropical rainforest and the beautiful Queensland Islands – including the World Heritage-listed  Fraser Island .  Brisbane  is the state’s capital; it enjoys more winter sunshine and warmth than most Australian cities and is perfect for outdoor activities and water sports. South Australia South Australia  (SA) sits in the southern central part of the country, and covers some of the most arid parts of the continent. The state’s capital is  Adelaide  and is a great base for exploring the  Barossa  wineries, the  Flinders Ranges  and  Kangaroo Island . South Australia has a thriving arts scene and is known as the ‘Festival State’, with more than 500 events and festivals taking place there each year.  Tasmania Tasmania  (TAS) is separated from mainland Australia by the Bass Strait and is the smallest state in Australia. The capital,  Hobart , was founded in 1804 as a penal colony, and is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. One-fifth of Tasmania is covered by national parks and wilderness – abundant in driving routes and walking trails – and it is one of the world’s most mountainous islands.  Victoria Victoria  (VIC) is the smallest of the mainland states in size but is home to the country’s second most populated city,  Melbourne . Often referred to as the nation’s cultural capital, Melbourne is famed for its graffiti laneways, fashion-forward boutiques and booming café scene. Victorians' enthusiasm for sport is also legendary and this is where  Australian Rules football  began. The only thing more sacred than  the footy  is Melbournians love of coffee, and here you’ll find some of Australia’s best flat whites, cappuccinos and piccolo lattes.  Western Australia Western Australia  (WA) is Australia’s largest state and is a place of true contrasts: from desert in the east to 13,000 kilometres of pristine coastline on the west. The state’s capital is  Perth ; the fourth most populous city in Australia and famed for its uncrowded beaches, parklands and fresh seafood. Off the coast of Esperance, in the state’s south, is Middle Island, which is home to the extraordinary pink-coloured  Lake Hillier . Australia also administers Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, the Cocos (or Keeling) Islands, the Coral S


What name is given to the first Sunday of the Christian year?

First Sunday of Advent in the United States Home   Calendar   Holidays   the United States   First Sunday of Advent First Sunday of Advent in the United States The Advent season marks the beginning of the Christian year across many western churches in the United States. Its length varies from 22 to 28 days, starting on the Sunday nearest St Andrew’s Day and encompassing the next three Sundays, ending on Christmas Day. Advent wreaths can be seem in some churches in the United States during the Advent season. Advent wreaths can be seem in some churches in the United States during the Advent season. ©iStockphoto.com/Dušan Zidar What Do People Do? Many Christians in the United States attend a church service on the first Sunday of Advent and may engage in activities such as special prayers and contributing to ideas on enhancing peace. Many Advent traditions are observed in the United States in the prelude to Christmas Day. For example, the Advent wreath is becoming increasingly popular in the United States. The wreath can be seen in various churches across the nation around this time of the year. Advent calendars of all designs are also given as gifts at this time of the year. The calendars feature openings in the form of windows or doors that are numbered to count the days to Christmas. Calendars may contain chocolates, toys, or candy and are given to children as a fun way to observe the Christmas countdown. Some traditional Advent calendars show 24 days but many Advent calendars showing 25 days, with the last opening on Christmas Day. The church year begins in September 1 in many eastern Christian churches, so Advent begins at a different time to when it starts in the western churches. The eastern equivalent of Advent is called the Nativity Fast, which runs for 40 days. Public Life The first Sunday of Advent is not a nationwide public holiday in the United States. However, churches may be busy on this day, as well as families who use the beginning of Advent as a time to prepare for the Christmas season. Background It is uncertain as to when exactly the celebration of Advent was first introduced in the Christian church. Some sources say that Advent began on November 11 (St Martin's Day) at some time in the fifth century in the form of a six-week fast leading to Christmas. Advent was reduced to its current length at some stage in the sixth century and the fasting was later no longer observed. Advent is originally a time to reflect and prepare for Christmas similarly to how Lent is in preparation for Easter. Advent has sometimes been referred to as the Winter Lent.  In recent times the restrictions that Advent brings to Christians have become more relaxed. Advent traditions spread from Europe to the United States, especially the Advent calendar, which became very popular in the United States after World War II as American military personnel and their families who were stationed in Germany brought them home and made them a part of the pre-Christmas traditions. Some people credit President Dwight Eisenhower with helping the tradition of the Advent calendar spread in the United States during the 1950s. Symbols Purple is historically the main color used for Advent because it reflects penitence, fasting, and the color of royalty to welcome the Advent of the king (Jesus Christ). The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his first Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his second Advent. Some churches use other colors in recent times. For example, some churches mark the third Sunday of Advent with pink or rose, colors that represent joy. Many Protestant churches use blue to distinguish the Season of Advent from Lent. Advent wreaths are symbolic of Advent. They are usually made of fir and decorated with gold and silver ribbons or scarlet woolen threads. Lit wreaths may be displayed on the table where family and friends sit while singing carols and preparing handmade gifts. About First Sunday of Advent in other countries


Which book opens with the line 'It was a bright cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen'?

Cult Fiction - Top 10 List - Top Ten List - Top 10 Most Outrageous Opening Lines in Literature - Douglas Adams Quote - William Gibson Quote - George Orwell Quotes Top 10 Most Outrageous Opening Lines in Literature #10 - THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY [1979] Douglas Adams "Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun. Orbiting this at a distance of roughly ninety-eight million miles is an utterly insignificant little blue-green planet whose ape-descended life forms are so amazingly primitive that they still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea." #09 - NEUROMANCER [1984] William Gibson "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." #08 - 1984 [1949] George Orwell "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." #07 - INVISIBLE MAN [1952] Ralph Ellison "I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids—and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. Like the bodiless heads you see sometimes in circus sideshows, it is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting glass. When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination—indeed, everything and anything except me." #06 - NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND [1864] Fyodor Dostoyevsky "I am a sick man . . . I am a wicked man. An unattractive man, I think my liver hurts." #05 - ORLANDO [1928] Virginia Woolf "He—for there could be no doubt of his sex, though the fashion of the time did something to disguise it—was in the act of slicing at the head of a Moor which swung from the rafters." #04 - ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST [1962] Ken Kesey "They're out there. Black boys in white suits up before me to commit sex acts in the hall and get it mopped up before I can catch them." #03 - TRAINSPOTTING [1993] Irvine Welsh "Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suit on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on Sunday night. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourselves. Choose your future. Choose life . . . But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?"   #02 - FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS [1971] Hunter S. Thompson "We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something like 'I feel a bit lightheaded; maybe you should drive . . .' And suddenly there was a terrible roar all around us and the sky was full of what looked like huge bats, all swooping and screeching and diving around the car, which was going about a hundred miles an hour with the top down to Las Vegas. And a voice was screaming, 'Holy Jesus! What are these goddamn animals?'" #01 - THE METAMORPHOSIS [1915] Franz Kafka "As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect."   User Comments - Add a Comment NIck - 2008-10-26 23:08:34 When I finally caught up with Abraham Trahearne, he was drinking beer with an alcoholic bulldog named Fireball Roberts in a ramshackle joint just outside of Sonoma, Californi


What is the name of the police officer in the TV comedy series 'Allo 'Allo?

Officer Crabtree | Allo Allo Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit The character is an undercover British agent masquerading as a gendarme . His grasp of French is limited however, and this is represented on screen by his mangling of vowels for comic effect. Crabtree is occasionally heard speaking his maternal English, mostly when speaking to Fairfax and Carstairs . His bad French also seems to be contagious as several French characters (particularly Madame Edith ) end up speaking like him without realising it after hearing him talk. It is also of note that others, especially lead character René , will use his mangled French to insult him, such as in "Pass off" (for "Piss off"). A running gag throughout the series is that, when any of the other characters meet British officers (even Fairfax and Carstairs on one occasion, when they were to be disguised as gendarmes) their French is just the same as Crabtree's. After the character's introduction, various episodes were named in this talking manners (e.g. "Up the Crick Without a Piddle" for "Up the Creek without a Paddle" in Season 7). ==[ edit ] Personality Edit Out of all the Allo Allo characters, Crabtree is one with the smallest ego. He is shown to be very patriotic and extremely loyal to England. He is cunning and very intelligent, as well as being selfless and sarcastic. He is on incredibly good terms with the British Airmen and often lends them a few coins for them to go to the cinema (He once commented Go easy on the popcorn!). He is frequently rumoured by Lieutenant Gruber to speak Latin because he makes no sense at all. He has a habit of being sceptical and unusually perceptive. "Urgent Grace" Edit Crabtree had a girlfriend, another British agent (or "Brotish urgent") also dropped by parachute. He entered the cafe and asked for a "tible for two by the winedow". "Grace" then entered and said "Good moaning!" She also, it seemed, spoke appauling French. They had both trained at the British school of intelligentence. Examples of language Edit "Good Moaning" for "Good Morning" (his catchphrase ); "I was pissing by the door, when I heard two shats. You are holding in your hand a smoking goon; you are clearly the guilty potty." for "I was passing by the door, when I heard two shots. You are holding in your hand a smoking gun; you are clearly the guilty party."; "Do you have the lung-dostance dick?" for "Do you have the long-distance duck?"; "And who is peeing for the ponsoir?" for "And who is paying for the pissoire?" after it was damaged by an overriding tank; "Your mither-in-loo does not look very well. She is more wronkled and higgerd than usual!" to Madame Edith, mistaking her for Madame Fanny. "It is a dick night" for "It is a dark night"; "Half pissed sox" for "Half past six" ; "Will you please stop bonging the bill" for "Will you please stop banging the bell"; "I have good nose" for "I have good news"; "I will go out the bock pissage" for "I will go out the back passage"; "I have my dirty to do" for "I have my duty to do"; "In my bog I have a kak" for "In my bag I have a cake"; "I thonk it would be woose if we all left tin" for "I think it would be wise if we all left town"; "Too loot, the bummer is already on the wee" for "Too late, the bomber is already on the way"; "I have a mop if you would like to take a leak" for "I have a map if you would like to take a look"; "I have the two British earmen in the sill at the poloce station, I will return them to you as soon as pissable" for "I have the two British airmen in the cell at the police station, I will return them to you as soon as possible"; "Do not weary, Ronnie" for "Do not worry, René"; "I have come to collect my bersicle - René asks "What bersicle?" - "The bersicle that produces the electrocity for the roodio when you piddle in your wife's mothers' bedroom" for "I have come to collect my bicycle. The bicycle that produces the electricity for the radio when you pedal in your wife's mothers' bedroom"; She's as possed as a newt" meaning "She's as pissed as a newt" Referring to René's mother-in-law . "I was raised


Qumran | Jewish Virtual Library Tweet Qumran is located                  on the northwestern shore of the Dead                   Sea , several kilometers south of Jericho .                  In 1947, in a cave just south                  of Qumran, Bedouins found the first Dead                   Sea scrolls . Following this discovery,                  Qumran was excavated by the Dominican Father                  R. de Vaux in the years 1951-56. A complex                  of buildings, extending over an area of 100                  x 80 m. was uncovered, dating to the Second                   Temple period. The location of the site                  and its plan, the scrolls found in the vicinity                  and the simple ceramic vessels of the inhabitants,                  bear witness in de Vaux's view, to a settlement                  of the Essene sect. We also know of the presence of the                  Essenes in the Judean Desert and near the                  Dead Sea from the writings of Pliny the Elder.                  (Naturalis Historia V, 17) The                  view of Qumran as an Essene center is opposed                  by those who propose that the site was a villa,                  an inn or a fortress. These views are not                  supported by archeological evidence, and most                  scholars accept de Vaux's interpretation.                  Recently, an ostracon (a potsherd with writing)                  with several lines of Hebrew script, was found                  at Qumran. It is a contract in which a man                  named Honi bestows his possessions, including                  a building, an olive and a fig orchard, to                  a group called yahad (Hebrew, together). If this reading is correct, it provides evidence                  for identifying the sect that inhabited Qumran,                  and the name by which members of the group                  designated themselves. The term occurs in                  other manuscripts of the Essenes. Settlement at Qumran At the end of the First                   Temple period (8th-7th centuries BCE),                   a first settlement was established at the                   site. Sparse remains of a small, fortified                   farmhouse or Judahite fort were found. The                   site was identified by some as Secacah, or                   the City of Salt, two of the six cities in                   the desert territory of Judah. (Joshua                    15:61-62 ) Settlement at Qumran was renewed at the end                   of the 2nd century BCE, probably during the                   reign of the Hasmonean King John Hyrcanus I, when the existing structure                   was restored and enlarged. Then, at the beginning                   of the 1st century BCE, during the reign of                   Alexander Jannaeus, renewed building determined                   the plan of the site until its destruction.                   An aqueduct was built from a cliff above Wadi                   Qumran several hundred meters east of the                   site. Winter floodwaters were collected behind


Who wrote the novella on which the film 'Breakfast At Tiffany's' was based?

Mansion where Truman Capote wrote Breakfast at Tiffany's sells for record $12million | Daily Mail Online Mansion where Truman Capote wrote Breakfast at Tiffany's sells for record $12million comments The house in New York where Truman Capote wrote some of his most famous works has been sold for around $12million. It is the most expensive house ever sold in Brooklyn - but the price is nonetheless disappointing for the realtors, who were hoping it would fetch closer to $18million. The appeal of the 11-bedroom mansion is strengthened by its status as the place where Capote hammered out his novella Breakfast at Tiffany's in 1958. Celebrity status: This house in Brooklyn Heights has been brought by the Rockstar Games co-founder for $12.5million Colourful: The golden-yellow house has an extensive back garden, a rarity for New York That work became world-famous when it was adapted into a film starring Audrey Hepburn as the mysterious Holly Golightly. RELATED ARTICLES Share However, the house's attractions are not limited to its celebrity past. It has been described as the best house in Brooklyn's best neighbourhood, Brooklyn Heights, and the agent handling the sale described it as 'like living in a country estate in the middle of New York City'. Pricey: The house is believed to be the most expensive ever sold in Brooklyn Celebrity: Author Truman Capote lived in part of the house for a decade, from 1955 to 1965 Inspiration: While living in the house Capote wrote Breakfast at Tiffany's, later adapted into a film featuring Audrey Hepburn's iconic performance as the mysterious Holly Golightly As well as the huge number of bedrooms, the house - built in 1839 - has 11 fireplaces, parking for four cars and an extensive garden, and is decorated with crystal chandeliers. If it were located in a trendy Manhattan neighbourhood, it would be worth tens of millions of dollars. But after being listed by Sotheby's at $18million in May 2010, the luxurious home took nearly two years to be sold, and lost a third of its estimated value during that time. Now it has finally changed hands after being picked up for a relative bargain by an unidentified buyer. Luxurious: This is just one of the 11 fireplaces installed in the house's 11 bedrooms Kitchen: Another impressive feature of the Brooklyn Heights house, which was built in 1839 Capote rented an apartment in the house from 1955 to 1965, after persuaded its owner, Broadway set designer Oliver Smith, to let him move in. The author held decadent parties there when Smith was out of town. 'You can imagine Capote running around with his slippers on,' Brooklynite screenwriter Peter Hedges told the Daily News. Bargain: The house was eventually sold to Dan Houser for just two thirds of the $18million asking price Haven: The garden will give Houser a refuge from the hustle and bustle of New York City