In Greek mythology, what is the name of the many-headed monster slain by Heracles?

The Twelve Labors of Hercules Arts and Entertainment > Mythology The Twelve Labors of Hercules Hercules performed twelve labors given to him by King Eurystheus of Tiryns. For twelve years, he traveled all over to complete these incredible tasks. NOTE: Because different ancient poets gave their own accounts of Hercules's labors, some details may vary. One: Kill the Nemean Lion This monster of a lion had a hide was so tough that no arrow could pierce it. Hercules stunned the beast with his olive-wood club and then strangled it with his bare hands. It is said that he skinned the lion, using the lion's sharp claws, and ever after wore its hide. Two: Kill the Lernean Hydra The evil, snakelike Hydra had nine heads. If one got hurt, two would grow in its place. But Hercules quickly sliced off the heads, while his charioteer, Iolaus, sealed the wounds with a torch. Hercules made his arrows poisonous by dipping them in the Hydra's blood. Three: Capture the Cerynian Hind The goddess Artemis loved and protected this stubborn little deer, which had gold horns. Hercules found it a challenge to capture the delicate hind without hurting it (and making Artemis angry). After following the hind for an entire year, he safely carried it away. Four: Capture the Erymanthian Boar The people of Mount Erymanthus lived in fear of this deadly animal. Hercules chased the wild boar up the mountain and into a snowdrift. He then took it in a net and brought it to King Eurystheus, who was so frightened of the beast that he hid in a huge bronze jar. Five: Clean the Augean Stables Thousands of cows lived in these stables belonging to King Augeas . They had not been cleaned in 30 years, but Hercules was told to clean them completely in a single day. To do so he made two rivers bend so that they flowed into the stables, sweeping out the filth. Six: Kill the Stymphalian Birds These murderous birds lived around Lake Stymphalos. Their claws and beaks were sharp as metal and their feathers flew like darts. Hercules scared them out of their nests with a rattle and then killed them with the poison arrows he had made from the Hydra 's blood. Seven: Capture the Cretan Bull This savage bull, kept by King Minos of Crete, was said to be insane and breathe fire. Hercules wrestled the mad beast to the ground and brought it back to King Eurystheus. Unfortunately, the king set it free, and it roamed Greece, causing terror wherever it went. Eight: Capture the Horses of Diomedes King Diomedes , leader of the Bistones, fed his bloodthirsty horses on human flesh. Hercules and his men fought and killed King Diomedes and fed the king to his horses. This made the horses tame, so that Hercules was able to lead them to King Eurystheus. Nine: Take the Girdle of the Amazon Queen Hippolyte Hercules went to the land of the Amazons , where the queen welcomed him and agreed to give him her girdle for Eurystheus's daughter. But Hera spread the rumor that Hercules came as an enemy. In the end he had to conquer the Amazons and steal the golden belt. Ten: Capture the Cattle of Geryon Geryon , a winged monster with three human bodies, had a herd of beautiful red cattle. He guarded his prized herd with the help of a giant and a vicious two-headed dog. Hercules killed Geryon, the giant, and the dog and brought the cattle to King Eurystheus. Eleven: Take the Golden Apples of the Hesperides The Hesperides were nymphs. In their garden grew golden apples protected by Ladon , a dragon with a hundred heads. Hercules struck a bargain with Atlas , who held up the earth. Hercules shouldered the earth while Atlas, the nymphs' father, fetched the apples. Twelve: Capture Cerberus Hercules was ordered to capture Cerberus , the three-headed guard dog of the underworld, without using weapons. Hercules wrestled down the dog's wild heads, and it agreed to go with him to King Eurystheus. Cerberus was soon returned unharmed to the underworld.


A shepherd’s pie is traditionally made with which meat?

Shepherd's Pie | MrFood.com Shepherd's Pie You must be logged in to add a private note. Login | Register My Notes ONLY YOU see your private notes. We are adding the recipe to your Recipe Box. This was added to your Recipe Box. You must be logged in to add a recipe. Login | Register Share This Recipe READY IN 4 Hr 10 Min Shepherd's pie is an old English dish traditionally made with ground lamb or mutton, vegetables, and gravy that's topped with mashed potatoes and then baked. This updated slow-cooker version by using ground beef and the convenience of frozen mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. What You'll Need: 1 (22-ounce) package frozen mashed potatoes 1 pound ground round 1 (10-1/2-ounce) can French onion soup, undiluted 1 (16-ounce) package frozen vegetable mix, thawed 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese What To Do: Cook potatoes according to microwave package directions.   Meanwhile, cook beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat 7 minutes, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain; stir in flour.   Add soup; cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in vegetable mix. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 5-1/2- or 6-quart slow cooker.   Add salt and pepper to potatoes. Spoon over beef mixture. Sprinkle with cheese.   Cover and cook on LOW setting 4 hours. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.


French playwright Jean-Baptiste Poquelin was better known by what name?

Super Reviewer ½ [font=Century Gothic]"Moliere" starts in 1658 with playwright and actor Moliere(Romain Duris) leading his acting troupe to a triumphant return to Paris after perfomring throughout rural France for years but he aims to do more serious plays than his usual farces.(So, I guess you could say he was a 17th century Woody Allen, minus the space aliens.) 13 years earlier, he was not so fortunate as he was arrested for debts unpaid but is rescued by Jourdain(Fabrice Luchini), a wealthy merchant, who assumes his debts in exchange for his theatrical coaching to win the hand of Marquise Celimene(Ludivine Sagnier). At the first opportunity, Moliere makes a break for it but is simultaneously deterred by a very large dog and enchanted by Jourdain's wife(Laura Morante)...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Moliere" is a misguided and awkward attempt to explore the creative process. Well, at least it looks great. Maybe, it would have helped if I knew more about the life and works of Moliere. What I can sense is that he was some kind of comic genius. Ironically, the film is at its weakest when it tries to be funny while the serious parts are not half bad, as long as they are allowed to maintain some kind of momentum. Under such conditions, a good cast can do little to help. Ludivine Sagnier comes closest to succeeding but even Laura Morante cannot shine with material like this. And it is especially strange considering Fabrice Luchini was on similar ground several years back in "Beaumarchais the Scoundrel."[/font] Walter M. Super Reviewer Entertaining period comedy with beautiful sets and engaging acting. It tells the story of French playwright Molière's early days, as if they were indeed as farcical as his plays. C'est très drole! Ross Collins Super Reviewer [size=3]"Moliere," starring French dreamboat [b]Romain Duris[/b] as the legendary 17th-century playwright himself, is wonderfully funny and intelligent from first moment to last, all with a light joie de vivre that seems to be part of the French DNA.[/size]  [size=3][img]http://www.canoe.com/divertissement/cinema/entrevues/2007/04/09/molposter.jpg[/img][/size]  [size=3]I have heard grumblings from some critics who say that the film is simply a recapitulation of one of Moliere's plays. I can't comment on that, as I haven't read any of his work. What I do know is that this film is gorgeous, heart-felt, superbly acted and directed, surprising, witty and overflowing with life. I recommend it to anyone, except [/size][size=3]maybe to Moliere scholars, who presumably have seen it all before.[/size]  [size=3][img]http://www.sep7.ca/local/cache-vignettes/L520xH347/moliere2-e948d.jpg[/img][/size]  [size=3]The plot surrounds Moliere being rescued from debtors' prison by an extravagantly wealthy merchant named Monsieur Jourdain, who is striving to win the heart of a young, beautiful, well-educated Comtesse. Since he is married, this Comtesse would be his mistress. (The tradition of the mistress in France is like nothing we have in America. In France it is almost presumed that a married man would have a mistress -- or more recently, a boyfriend. Vive la France!)[/size]  [size=3]Jourdain, who is hilariously played by [b]Fabrice Luchini[/b], [/size][size=3]is hoping to captivate the ravishing Comtesse by writing a play that will impress her. [/size][size=3]Moliere is to move into Jourdain's immense chateau and tutor Jourdain without his family knowing. Moliere is to masquerade as a priest come to protect the soul of Jourdain's youngest daughter. [/size][size=3]Watching the ribald, devilish Moliere attempt to lead prayers was priceless.[/size]  [size=3]Complexities emerge when Moliere falls in love with Madame Jourdain and the erotic adventures of Jourdain's older daughter come to light. The local aristocrat also brings his own intrigues. Woven through all of it is the struggle within Moliere himself to trust his talent in all its oddness. When he tells the artistically minded Madame Jourdain that there is no such thing as comedy with philosoph


The ceibo is the national flower and tree of which South American country?

Facts About Uruguay Flowers | Garden Guides Facts About Uruguay Flowers Submit Overview Although the South American country of Uruguay is small, about the size of Florida, and much of its landscape is a prairie environment covered with grass, a number of native and introduced flowering plants add color and beauty. Sometimes called the "purple land" because of the large numbers of small purple flowers that grow in the prairie, Uruguay sits on the southeastern Atlantic coast of South America, bordered by Brazil and Argentina. Verbena The native South American herb known as verbena or Verbena brasiliensis is a flowering annual plant that is often purposely planted in other parts of the world, where it sometimes becomes invasive. It grows from 3 to 8 feet tall and sends up flower spikes with clusters of purple flowers in spring. Verbena likes wetland areas but also grows in grasslands, dry fields, disturbed areas and urban areas, according to InvasiveSpecies.net. It occurs throughout much of South America and has been introduced to Europe, South Africa, North America and Australasia. Ceiba Ceiba, sometimes spelled ceibo, is the national flower of Uruguay. Known botanically as Erythrina cristina galli, this flowering tree is in the same genus as the wili-wili or coral tree, but this species occurs only in South America. The tree remains small, and rarely exceeds 25 feet. It grows wild in Uruguay in forested areas, especially along streams and rivers, in swamps and other wetlands. Because its red flowers are attractive, it is often cultivated in parks and as a street tree. Sensitive Plant Mimosa pudica is the name of the unusual small plant sometimes called the sensitive plant, sleeping grass or touch-me-not because when touched, the leaves fold up as if they are sleeping. This plant is a low-growing perennial herb with small, puffy, purple flowers and tiny thorns. It is common in all parts of South and Central America and is sometimes grown as a houseplant in other parts of the world. In some areas, it has been used medicinally. Myrtle The myrtles of the neotropics, which include Uruguay, are trees or woody shrubs with feathery flowers in a range of colors. Known as the "Tepualia" in Uruguay, the Acca sellowiana (O. Berg) species of myrtle also occurs in Brazil and Peru. It grows in the pampas of Uruguay and surrounding countries and has been used to make a fragrant essential oil. Rosemary The common culinary herb rosemary, or Rosmarinus officinalis, grows wild throughout the coastal regions of Uruguay because it can tolerate salt air and salty soils. It grows into a small, woody shrub and develops small white, pink, lavender or purple flowers, depending on the variety. This highly aromatic plant is widely used in Uruguayan cuisine and is believed to have beneficial effects on human health for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, according to ILoveIndia.com. Keywords: flowering plants, Uruguay South America, ceibo ceiba About this Author Barbara Fahs lives on Hawaii island, where she has created Hi'iaka's Healing Herb Garden. Fahs wrote "Super Simple Guide to Creating Hawaiian Gardens," and has been a professional writer since 1984. She contributes to Big Island Weekly, Ke Ola magazine, GardenGuides and eHow. She earned her B.A. at UCSB and her M.A. from San Jose State University.


The 1963 film ‘The Birds’ is based on a story by which novelist?

The Birds The Birds There are no active dates for this event. Not Available Thursday Jan 21, 2016 7:30 PM - Saturday Feb 20, 2016 7:30 PM | $18.00 - $36.00 Get Tickets The Birds a play by Conor McPherson After weeks of aerial attacks, four strangers find sanctuary from an environmental catastrophe in an isolated and abandoned lakeside cabin. But that sanctuary is disturbed by questions of what constitutes civilized behavior in the absence of civilization. Adapted for a post-9/11 world by Conor McPherson, "The Birds" based on the short story by Daphne du Maurier that inspired Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 film. "A powerful piece of theatre and a reminder of just how important that story has become... truly frightening... a night in the theatre that should not be missed." Tippi Hedren "The Birds" features Sarah Harlett, Sean Nelson, Shawn Belyea, and Meme Garcia-Cosgrove, and opens January 21 at 12th Ave Arts. The play is directed by Greg Carter and stage managed by Gabrielle Strong, with designs by Reed Nakayama, Tommer Peterson, Brendan Patrick Hogan, and Jenny Ampersand. More information at strawshop.org SPECIAL PRICES ON MONDAY PERFORMANCES Discussion


In card games, a prial is a set of how many cards of the same value?

Rules of Card Games: Crash and 6-, 7- and 9-card Brag Software Introduction The games described on this page involve dividing your hand into a number of 'Brag' hands of three cards, so that as many as possible of them will beat the corresponding three-card hands of your opponents. A point is scored by the winner of each three-card hand, and the first to an agreed target score wins the game. Unlike Three Card Brag , on which the hand patterns are based, Crash and the other games on this page are not high stake gambling games. They are usually played for a small amount of money, and there is no process of betting to raise the stake. Crash I am grateful to the many people who have contributed information about Crash, including: Bob Allison, David Calvert, Matt Daligan, Ben Hall, David Jennings, Robert Jones, Stephen Lowry, Allister Paterson, Peter Rollinson, Tom Valentine and Stephen Williams. The game of Crash is also known as Thirteen Card Brag. It is played over a large part of the north of England and in Wales - I have reports ranging from Coventry and Burton-on-Trent in the south to Cumbria and Yorkshire in the north, from Welshpool and from South Wales; also one report from Plymouth and one from Edinburgh, where the game was known as Crackers. There are numerous variations in the rules. I will try to list all those I have collected, and would be interested in comments and in further reports of places where Crash is played and the versions in use. Players, cards and deal Crash is essentially a four player game. It is played with a standard 52 card pack. The first dealer is chosen at random. One method is to deal the cards around face up: the first player who receives a seven is the first dealer. The dealer shuffles, the player to dealer's right cuts, and the dealer deals out all the cards clockwise, one at a time, so that everyone has 13 cards. After the cards have been played and scored, the turn to deal passes to the left. It is possible for three people to play. In this case four 13-card hands are still dealt: three to the players and one face-down spare hand. Starting with the player to dealer's left, each player in turn then has the option to discard their hand and take the spare hand in exchange (without first knowing what the spare hand contains). Some play that anyone exchanging for the spare hand must put an additional stake in the pool which will be taken by the eventual winner of the game. If two people wish to play, there will be two spare hands, and each player may keep the hand they are dealt or exchange it sight unseen for one of the spares. The Play Each player divides their 13 cards into up to four three-card Brag hands, which are placed face down in front of the player in descending order from left to right. The card or cards remaining are set aside. The valid three-card hands in descending order are: Prial: three cards of the same rank - threes highest, then aces, kings, etc. Running Flush, also known as a 'run on the bounce' or a trotter: three consecutive cards in one suit - 3-2-A highest, then A-K-Q, down to 4-3-2 (lowest) Run: three consecutive cards of mixed suits - ranking as for running flushes. Flush: three cards of the same suit (ace high) Pair: two cards of the same rank with any third card (aces high) For those unfamiliar with Brag hands, these combinations are explained in more detail at the end of this page . Note that three unrelated cards - all different ranks, mixed suits and not consecutive - do not form a valid hand. Normally you arrange your 13 cards into four 3-card hands and discard the last card, but in some cases you be unable or unwilling to make as many as four valid hands from your 13 cards. In that case you just make as many hands as you wish - perhaps only two or three - and discard your remaining cards. When all are ready, everyone reveals their leftmost 3-card hand (highest hand), and the best of these hands scores a point. Then everyone reveals their second hand and the best of the second hands again scores a point, then the same again for the third hands and the fourth


What is the name of the punctuation mark that is represented by a comma under a dot?

BBC - Culture - The mysterious origins of punctuation Books The mysterious origins of punctuation Commas, semicolons and question marks are so commonplace it seems as if they were always there – but that’s not the case. Keith Houston explains their history. By Keith Houston 2 September 2015 As readers and writers, we’re intimately familiar with the dots, strokes and dashes that punctuate the written word. The comma, colon, semicolon and their siblings are integral parts of writing, pointing out grammatical structures and helping us transform letters into spoken words or mental images. We would be lost without them (or, at the very least, extremely confused), and yet the earliest readers and writers managed without it for thousands of years. What changed their minds? In the 3rd Century BCE, in the Hellenic Egyptian city of Alexandria, a librarian named Aristophanes had had enough. He was chief of staff at the city’s famous library, home to hundreds of thousands of scrolls, which were all frustratingly time-consuming to read. For as long as anyone could remember, the Greeks had written their texts so that their letters ran together withnospacesorpunctuation and without any distinction between lowercase and capitals. It was up to the reader to pick their way through this unforgiving mass of letters to discover where each word or sentence ended and the next began. In early Greece and Rome, persuasive speech was more important than written language Yet the lack of punctuation and word spaces was not seen as a problem. In early democracies such as Greece and Rome, where elected officials debated to promote their points of view, eloquent and persuasive speech was considered more important than written language and readers fully expected that they would have to pore over a scroll before reciting it in public. To be able to understand a text on a first reading was unheard of: when asked to read aloud from an unfamiliar document, a 2nd Century writer named Aulus Gellius protested that he would mangle its meaning and emphasise its words incorrectly. (When a bystander stepped in to read the document instead, he did just that.) View image of In early Greece and Rome, understanding a text on a first reading was unheard of (Credit: Credit: Getty Images) Joining the dots Aristophanes’ breakthrough was to suggest that readers could annotate their documents, relieving the unbroken stream of text with dots of ink aligned with the middle (·), bottom (.) or top (·) of each line. His ‘subordinate’, ‘intermediate’ and ‘full’ points corresponded to the pauses of increasing length that a practised reader would habitually insert between formal units of speech called the comma, colon and periodos. This was not quite punctuation as we know it – Aristophanes saw his marks as representing simple pauses rather than grammatical boundaries – but the seed had been planted. View image of The Romans eventually abandoned Aristophanes’ system of dots without a second thought (Credit: Credit: Classic Image / Alamy) Unfortunately, not everyone was convinced of the value of this new invention. When the Romans overtook the Greeks as the preeminent empire-builders of the ancient world, they abandoned Aristophanes’ system of dots without a second thought. Cicero, for example, one of Rome’s most famous public speakers, told his rapt audiences that the end of a sentence “ought to be determined not by the speaker’s pausing for breath, or by a stroke interposed by a copyist, but by the constraint of the rhythm”. Books became an integral part of the Christian identity And though the Romans had experimented for a while with separating·words·with·dots, by the second century CE they had abandoned that too. The cult of public speaking was a strong one, to the extent that all reading was done aloud: most scholars agree that the Greeks and Romans got round their lack of punctuation by murmuring aloud as they read through texts of all kinds. Writing comes of age It was the rise of a quite different kind of cult that resuscitated Aristophanes’ foray into punctuation. As the Ro


A silver medal is traditionally awarded for which place in a race or competition?

Silver medals - definition of Silver medals by The Free Dictionary Silver medals - definition of Silver medals by The Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Silver+medals Also found in: Thesaurus , Wikipedia . silver medal n (General Sporting Terms) a medal of silver awarded to a competitor who comes second in a contest or race. Compare gold medal , bronze medal sil′ver med′al n. sil′ver med′alist, n. ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend: Noun 1. silver medal - a trophy made of silver (or having the appearance of silver) that is usually awarded for winning second place in a competition trophy , prize - something given as a token of victory Translations medaglia d'argento silvermedalj Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content . Link to this page: Copyright © 2003-2017 Farlex, Inc Disclaimer All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.


Who captained the England football team at the 1958 World Cup Finals?

England in the World Cup Final Tournament - Captains Captains     Captains at World Cup Final Tournaments 1950 - 2014 by Tournament 19500 4 matches against Hungary,    Argentina, Bulgaria & Brazil 1966 6 matches against Uruguay,    Mexico, France, Argentina, Portugal & West Germany 1970 4 matches   against Romania, Brazil, Czechoslovakia & West Germany 1982 5 matches against France,    Czechoslovakia, Kuwait, West Germany & Spain 1986 2 matches against Portugal & Morocco Peter Shilton 3 matches against Poland,    Paraguay & Argentina 1990 2 matches against Republic of    Ireland & Netherlands Peter Shilton 2 matches against Egypt & Italy Terry Butcher 3 matches against Belgium,    Cameroon & West Germany 1998 4 matches   against Tunisia, Romania, Colombia & Argentina 2002 5 matches against Sweden,    Argentina, Nigeria, Denmark & Brazil 2006 5 matches against Paraguay,    Trinidad & Tobago, Sweden, Ecuador & Portugal 2010 4 matches against USA,    Algeria, Slovenia & Germany 2014 2 matches against Italy and Uruguay  Frank Lampard one match against Costa Rica 2018 Captains at World Cup Final Tournaments 1950 - 2014 by Name David Beckham 2002: Sweden,    Argentina, Nigeria, Denmark & Brazil 2006: Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago, Sweden, Ecuador & Portugal Terry Butcher 2010: USA, Algeria, Slovenia & Germany 2014: Italy & Uruguay France, Czechoslovakia,    Kuwait, West Germany & Spain Bobby Moore 1966: Uruguay, Mexico, France, Argentina, Portugal & West Germany 1970: Romania, Brazil, Czechoslovakia & West Germany Bryan Robson 1990: Republic of Ireland & Netherlands Alan Shearer 1950 (3), 1954 (3),    1958 (4) 1950: Chile, USA & Spain 1958: USSR (2), Brazil & Austria   Captains    at World Cup Final Tournaments 1950 -    2014 by   Number Captain 1 Notes Only eleven men have led England  in World Cup final tournament play.  Five of these--Mick Mills, Peter Shilton, Terry  Butcher, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard--were standby captains serving in the absence of  the preferred captain. Injuries, the fortuities of time and qualification  failures have prevented some of England's most illustrious captains from  wearing the armband at the World Cup finals or at least limited their  appearances as captain on the great stage. Throughout the six tournaments following  their belated first entry into World Cup competition, England were led by  their first-choice captains--Billy Wright in 1950, 1954 and 1958, Johnny  Haynes in 1962 and Bobby Moore in 1966 and 1970.  But the story since  then has been very different. England failed to qualify for the next two  tournaments, in 1974 and 1978.  Manager Alf Ramsey would have stayed on  and might well have continued his faith in Moore had England qualified for  World Cup 1974, although he had given the armband to Martin Peters on occasion  in Moore's absence.  Either Kevin Keegan or Emlyn Hughes probably would  have led England at World Cup 1978 had qualification been secured.  Neither ever led an England team at the World Cup. Keegan was manager Ron  Greenwood's preferred captain and would have led England at World Cup 1982  in Spain had he been fit, but injury kept him out for all but a late substitute  appearance in England's last match at that tournament.  Defender Mick Mills filled in as captain,  and Keegan's international career ended on a rather sad note.  Because of  England's disastrous qualification record during the 1970's, he had only 26 minutes of playing time in World Cup  finals. Although Bryan Robson  captained England 63 times--second only to Billy Wright and Bobby Moore's  90--he led the side at the World Cup finals in only four matches.  He was manager  Bobby Robson's preference for the captaincy at World Cups 1986 and 1990, but  injury forced his exit at the early stages of both tournaments.  In Mexico in 1986, a long-standing shoulder injury, aggravated in a warm-up match  against Mexico in Los Angeles, forced him from the pitch during the first half  of the second  group match agai


Which actor was singer Madonna’s first husband?

Madonna - Biography - IMDb Biography Showing all 291 items Jump to: Overview  (4) | Mini Bio  (1) | Spouse  (2) | Trade Mark  (6) | Trivia  (198) | Personal Quotes  (74) | Salary  (6) Overview (4) 5' 4½" (1.64 m) Mini Bio (1) The remarkable, hyper-ambitious Material Girl who never stops reinventing herself, Madonna is a seven-time Grammy Award-winner who has sold over three hundred million records and CDs to adoring fans worldwide. Her film career, however, is another story. Her performances have consistently drawn scathing or laughable reviews from film critics, and the films have usually had tepid, if any, success at the box office. Born Madonna Louise Ciccone in August 1958 in Bay City, Michigan, she is the daughter of Madonna Louise Fortin and Silvio Ciccone , an engineer designer for car companies. Her father was of Italian descent (from a family from Pacentro) and her mother was of French-Canadian ancestry. She moved to New York in 1978 and studied with renowned choreographer Alvin Ailey , joined up with the Patrick Hernandez Revue, formed a pop/dance band called "Breakfast Club" and began working with then-boyfriend Stephen Bray on recording several disco-oriented songs. New York producer/D.J. Mark Kamins passed her demo tapes to Sire Records in early 1982 and the rest is history. The 1980s was Madonna's boom decade, and she dominated the music charts with a succession of multimillion-selling albums, and her musical and fashion influence on young women was felt around the globe. Madonna first appeared on screen in two low-budget films marketed to an adolescent audience: A Certain Sacrifice (1985) and Vision Quest (1985). However, she scored a minor cult hit with Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) starring alongside spunky Rosanna Arquette . Madonna's next effort with then husband Sean Penn , Shanghai Surprise (1986), was savaged by critics, although the resilient star managed to somewhat improve her standing with her next two films, the off-beat Who's That Girl (1987) (although she did receive decidedly mixed reviews, they weren't as negative as those of her previous effort) and the quirky Damon Runyon -inspired Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989). The big-budget and star-filled Dick Tracy (1990) had her playing bad girl "Breathless Mahoney" flirting with Warren Beatty , but the epic failed to catch fire at the box office. Taking an earthier role, Madonna was much more entertaining alongside Tom Hanks and Geena Davis in A League of Their Own (1992), a story about female baseball players during W.W.II. However, she again drew the wrath of critics with the whodunit Body of Evidence (1993), an obvious (and lame) attempt to cash in on the success of the sexy Sharon Stone thriller Basic Instinct (1992). Several other minor screen roles followed, then Madonna starred as Eva Perón in Evita (1996), a fairly well received screen adaptation of the hugely successful Broadway musical, for which she received a Golden Globe for Best Actress. The Material Girl stayed away from the movie cameras for several years, returning to co-star in the lukewarm romantic comedy The Next Best Thing (2000), followed by the painful Swept Away (2002) for husband Guy Ritchie . If those films weren't bad enough, she was woefully miscast as a vampish fencing instructor in the James Bond adventure Die Another Day (2002). After finally admitting that her acting days were over, Madonna began a directing career in 2008 with the barely remembered Filth and Wisdom (2008) and a year later she reunited with Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991) director Alek Keshishian to develop a script about the relationship between the Duke of Windsor and the Duchess of Windsor that led to his abdication in 1936: the result, a movie named W.E. (2011), starring James D'Arcy and Andrea Riseborough as the infernal but still royal couple, was released in 2011 to lukewarm critics but it gathered one Oscar nomination for costumes and won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song for "Masterpiece". - IMDb Mini Biography By: firehouse44@hotmail.com Spouse (2) Wore cone-shaped bras during her E


The medical condition priapism is a persistent and usually painful what?

Priaprism | definition of Priaprism by Medical dictionary Priaprism | definition of Priaprism by Medical dictionary http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Priaprism Priapism is a rare condition that causes a persistent, and often painful, penile erection. Description Priapism is drug induced, injury related, or caused by disease, not sexual desire. As in a normal erection, the penis fills with blood and becomes erect. However, unlike a normal erection that dissipates after sexual activity ends, the persistent erection caused by priapism is maintained because the blood in the penile shaft does not drain. The shaft remains hard, while the tip of the penis is soft. If it is not relieved promptly, priapism can lead to permanent scarring of the penis and inability to have a normal erection. Causes and symptoms Priapism is caused by leukemia, sickle cell disease , or spinal cord injury . It has also been associated as a rare side effect to trazodone (Desyrel), a drug prescribed to treat depression. An overdose of self-injected chemicals to counteract impotence has also been responsible for priapism. The chemicals are directly injected into the penis, and at least a quarter of all men who have used this method of treatment for over three months develop priapism. Diagnosis A physical examination is needed to diagnose priapism. Further testing, including nuclear scanning or Doppler ultrasound, will diagnose the underlying cause of the condition. Treatment There are three methods of treatment. The most effective is the injection of medicines into the penis that allow the blood to escape. Cold packs may also be applied to alleviate the condition, but this method becomes ineffective after about eight hours. For the most serious cases and those that do not respond to the first two treatments, a needle can be used to remove the blood. The tissues may need to be flushed with saline or diluted medications by the same needle method. That failing, there are more extensive surgical procedures available. One of them shuts off much of the blood supply to the penis so that it can relax. If the problem is due to a sickle cell crisis, treatment of the crisis with oxygen or transfusion may suffice. Prognosis If priapism is relieved within the first 12-24 hours, there is usually no residual damage. After that, permanent impotence may result, since the high pressure in the penis compromises blood flow and leads to tissue death (infarction). Prevention An antineoplastic drug (hydroxyurea) may prevent future episodes of priapism for patients with sickle cell disease. Resources Wertheimer, Neil. Total Health for Men. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1995. Periodicals Werthman, P., and J. Rajfer. "MUSE Therapy: Preliminary Clinical Observations." Urology 50 (November 1997): 809-811. Key terms Antineoplastic — A drug used to inhibit the growth and spread of cancerous cells. Doppler ultrasound — An imaging technique using ultrasound that can detect moving liquids. Infarction — Death of tissue due to inadequate blood supply. Nuclear scanning — Use of injected radioactive elements to analyze blood flow. Sickle cell anemia — A hereditary abnormality of blood cells in which some are deformed and may plug up small blood vessels. priapism  [pri´ah-pizm] persistent abnormal erection of the penis, accompanied by pain and tenderness. It is seen in diseases and injuries of the spinal cord, and may be caused by vesical calculus and certain injuries to the penis. pri·a·pism (prī'ă-pizm), Persistent erection of the penis, accompanied by pain and tenderness, resulting from a pathologic condition rather than sexual desire; a term loosely used as a synonym for satyriasis. [see priapus] /pri·a·pism/ (pri´ah-pizm) persistent abnormal erection of penis, accompanied by pain and tenderness. priapism (prī′ə-pĭz′əm) n. Persistent, usually painful erection of the penis, especially as a consequence of disease and not related to sexual arousal. priapism [prī′əpiz′əm] Etymology: Gk, priapos, phallus an abnormal condition of prolonged or constant penile erection, often painful a


Which footballer claimed that his hand-ball goal against England in 1986 was ‘The hand of God’?

Maradona admits 'hand of God' goal was revenge for Falklands | The Independent Maradona admits 'hand of God' goal was revenge for Falklands Saturday 2 October 2004 23:00 BST Click to follow The Independent Online Diego Maradona, the world's most famous sports cheat, has claimed that his notorious hand-ball goal against England in the 1986 World Cup was not, after all, a matter of divine intervention, but of simple revenge. Diego Maradona, the world's most famous sports cheat, has claimed that his notorious hand-ball goal against England in the 1986 World Cup was not, after all, a matter of divine intervention, but of simple revenge. The player has always described his goal, which he punched into the net, as scored by "the hand of God". But yesterday, in an extract from his forthcoming book, modestly entitled El Diego: The Autobiography of the World's Greatest Footballer, he said it was retribution against England for his country's defeat in the Falklands War. He writes: "We blamed the English players for everything that happened, for all the suffering of the Argentine people ... Before the match we said football had nothing to do with the Malvinas war. But we knew a lot of Argentine kids died, shot down like little birds. This was revenge." England lost, and Argentina went on to win the trophy. The English are not Maradona's only target: "I met the Pope. It was disappointing." He says the Pope gave him a rosary and told him it was special. But when he compared it to ones handed to his wife and mother, he found it was the same. Peeved, he went back to tackle the Supreme Pontiff about it but received only a pat on the back. Maradona writes: "Total lack of respect!" Since then Maradona has become bloated and cocaine-addicted. In April he was taken into intensive care with heart problems, and his family then forced him to go into rehab for his addiction. After two months he said he wanted to go to Cuba, the setting for a picture published in a Mexican newspaper showing him lying on a bed snorting substances. His family tried to get a court to stop him, but Maradona went on television, pleaded for the right to return to Cuba, and broke down in tears on air. A judge cleared him for take-off, and two weeks ago 43-year-old arrived in Cuba for treatment at the Centre for Mental Health. So the man who once had the body of an athlete and the feet of an angel now has the brain and heart of an addict. The hand of God moves in mysterious ways. More about:


Juliette Norton married which British television chef in 2000?

Celebrity chef who married Juliette Norton in 2000 - crossword puzzle clues & answers - Dan Word «Let me solve it for you» Celebrity chef who married Juliette Norton in 2000 Today's crossword puzzle clue is a general knowledge one: Celebrity chef who married Juliette Norton in 2000. We will try to find the right answer to this particular crossword clue. Here are the possible solutions for "Celebrity chef who married Juliette Norton in 2000" clue. It was last seen in British general knowledge crossword. We have 1 possible answer in our database. Possible answer:


Rozencrantz and Gildenstern are characters in which Shakespeare play?

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Rosencrantz and Guildenstern From Hamlet. Eds. F. A. Purcell and L. M. Somers. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern had been fellow-students of Hamlet at Wittenberg, and were much beloved by him. "Good gentlemen," says the Queen, he hath much talk'd of you; And, sure I am, two men there are not living To whom he more adheres. -- II. ii. 19. They are received with cordiality by the Prince, and are entertained without reserve until he perceives they have been corrupted by the King. They are typical of men whose inclinations are good, but who lack character to follow those inclinations. They cannot even practice villainy with success. "You were sent for," says Hamlet, "and there is a kind of confession in your looks, which your modesties have not craft enough to colour." They commit no actual crime in the play, and are apparently no worse than the society in which they move. Hamlet tells Rosencrantz that he "soaks up" the king's countenance, his rewards, his authorities; he keeps them, like an ape doth nuts, in the corner of his jaw; first mouthed, to be last swallowed: when he needs what you have gleaned, it is but squeezing you, and, sponge, you shall be dry again, IV. ii. 17. They are fools more than they are knaves, but Shakespeare knows that folly is often more harmful than knavery. When death is meted out to them as a punishment for their base servility, Hamlet satisfies himself with the reflection, Why, man, they did make love to this employment; They are not near my conscience; their defeat Does by their own insinuation grow. -- V. ii. 57. He feels no compunction at their fate, and though their punishment is severe, they leave the world no poorer for their loss. "Wilhelm Meister translates Hamlet and adapts it for the stage; a difficulty arises in finding characters to fill all the parts, and Serlo, the stage manager, suggests that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern should be compressed into one. 'Heaven preserve me from all such curtailments!' answered Wilhelm, 'they destroy at once the sense and the effect. What these two persons are and do, it is impossible to represent by one. In such small matters, we discover Shakespeare's greatness. These soft approaches, this smirking and bowing, this assenting, wheedling, flattering, this whisking agility, this wagging of the tail, this allness and emptiness, this legal knavery, this ineptitude and insipidity, -- how can they be expressed by a single man? There ought to be at least a dozen of these people, if they could be had: for it is only in society that they are anything; they are society itself, and Shakespeare showed no little wisdom and discernment in bringing in a pair of them.'" -- Goethe. How to cite this article: Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Eds. F. A. Purcell and L. M. Somers. Chicago: Scott, Foresman and Co., 1916. Shakespeare Online. 2 Aug. 2013. < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/hamlet/rosencrantz.html >. _______


In the human body, toxaemia is more commonly known by what name?

Toxaemia - definition of toxaemia by The Free Dictionary Toxaemia - definition of toxaemia by The Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/toxaemia 1. (Pathology) a condition characterized by the presence of bacterial toxins in the blood 2. (Pathology) the condition in pregnancy of pre-eclampsia or eclampsia [C19: from tox- + -aemia] 1. a condition of illness due to the presence in the bloodstream of toxins. 2. blood poisoning. — toxemic, toxaemic, adj. Noun 1. illness , sickness , unwellness , malady - impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism eclampsia - a toxic condition characterized by convulsions and possibly coma during or immediately after pregnancy preeclampsia , pre-eclampsia - abnormal state of pregnancy characterized by hypertension and fluid retention and albuminuria; can lead to eclampsia if untreated 2. blood poisoning , septicaemia , septicemia - invasion of the bloodstream by virulent microorganisms from a focus of infection Translations toxemia (US) [tɒkˈsiːmɪə] N → toximia f toxaemia n → Blutvergiftung f, → Sepsis f (spec) toxaemia toxemia (Am) [tɒkˈsiːmɪə] n → tossiemia Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content . Link to this page: unwellness References in periodicals archive ? My mother had contracted toxaemia and my father was told it was unlikely that we would both survive. Copyright © 2003-2017 Farlex, Inc Disclaimer All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.


Which British politician introduced the expression ‘Terminological inexactitude’, a euphemism for a lie or untruth?

What does terminological inexactitude mean? This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word terminological inexactitude Wiktionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition: terminological inexactitude(Noun) A lie or falsehood. Origin: Coined by Winston Churchill campaigning in the 1906 election, and repeated by him in the parliament, Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition: Terminological inexactitude Terminological inexactitude is a phrase introduced in 1906 by British politician Winston Churchill. Today, it is used as a euphemism or circumlocution meaning a lie or untruth. Churchill first used the phrase during the 1906 election. After the election in the House of Commons on 22 February 1906, as Under-Secretary of the Colonial Office, he repeated what he had said during the campaign: The conditions of the transvaal ordinance ... cannot in the opinion of His Majesty's Government be classified as slavery; at least, that word in its full sense could not be applied without a risk of terminological inexactitude. It seems this first usage was strictly literal, merely a roundabout way of referring to inexact or inaccurate terminology. But it was soon interpreted or taken up as a euphemism for an outright lie. To accuse another member in the House of lying is unparliamentary, so a way of implying that without saying it was very useful. Numerology The numerical value of terminological inexactitude in Chaldean Numerology is: 3 Pythagorean Numerology


Who is the host of British television panel show ‘Eight Out of Ten Cats’?

8 Out of 10 Cats (TV Series 2005– ) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error 8 Out of 10 Cats  24min A topical news panel show with Jimmy Carr as host, and team captains Sean Lock and Jon Richardson. Stars: a list of 28 titles created 07 Jun 2011 a list of 30 titles created 05 Oct 2013 a list of 25 titles created 16 Mar 2014 a list of 47 titles created 15 Apr 2014 a list of 24 titles created 4 months ago Title: 8 Out of 10 Cats (2005– ) 7.9/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. An edition of Countdown (1982) with the stars of 8 Out of 10 Cats (2005). Stars: Jimmy Carr, Rachel Riley, Susie Dent Mock the Week (TV Series 2005) Comedy | Game-Show A comedic look at current events. Stars: Dara O'Briain, Hugh Dennis, Andy Parsons Two teams, lead by their team leader (either Lee Mack or David Mitchell), have to try and make the other team believe their crazy stories. Stars: David Mitchell, Lee Mack, Rob Brydon A comedy panel game in which being Quite Interesting is more important than being right. Stephen Fry is joined each week by four comedians to share anecdotes and trivia, and maybe answer some questions as well. Stars: Alan Davies, Stephen Fry, Bill Bailey Hilarious, totally-irreverent, near-slanderous political quiz show, based mainly on news stories from the last week or so, that leaves no party, personality or action unscathed in pursuit ... See full summary  » Stars: Ian Hislop, Paul Merton, Angus Deayton British comedian Russell Howard shares his views on the topical news of the previous week. Stars: Russell Howard, Colin Hoult, Sadie Hasler An edition of Deal or No Deal? (2005) with the stars of 8 Out of 10 Cats (2005). Director: Ollie Bartlett Edit Storyline A topical news panel show with Jimmy Carr as host, and team captains Sean Lock and Jon Richardson. 3 June 2005 (UK) See more  » Also Known As: 8 из 10 кошек See more  » Filming Locations: Did You Know? Trivia The name 8 out of 10 cats come from the old Whiskas advert '8 out of 10 cats prefer Whiskas to any other cat food' See more » Connections Fantastic bit of British game-show comedy! 11 August 2005 | by Reilly_4 (United Kingdom) – See all my reviews 8 out of 10 cats is a game show in which two teams answer questions linked to opinion polls answered for by the general British public. Hosted by the terrific Jimmy Carr, it features Sean Lock and Dave Spikey (both also brilliant) as the team captains, and a host of famous faces to be the other team members. The comedy comes thick and fast, especially from Lock and Spikey, with regular quips from the guests, most of which are surprisingly funny! With a host like Carr, and team captains who know what they're doing, this programme is an absolute treat and should not be missed. This programme has become one of my favourite comedy game shows, up there with Have I Got News For You, Shooting Stars, and Never Mind the Buzzcocks. Don't Miss! 26 of 34 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? Yes


Lipshen is the name of the cat in which Roald Dahl book?

The Witches - Roald Dahl Roald Dahl Published in 1983 Synopsis Roald Dahl's The Witches tells the story of a brave young boy and his Norwegian grandmother as they battle England's witches. Background Background Witches absolutely detest children. To a witch, a child smells like dogs' droppings. And now the Grand High Witch is planning to get rid of every child in England - can anybody stop them? The Witches tells the story of a brave young boy and his Norwegian grandmother as they battle against England's child-hating witches. It continues to feature in lists dedicated to the scariest children's books more than 30 years after it was first published. Especially around Halloween. When he was a child himself, Roald Dahl used to spend every summer holiday with his family in Norway, where he was inspired by bedtime stories of witches and magic. He wrote about these holidays in Boy: Tales of Childhood. It is also said that the grandmother in The Witches was partially inspired by Roald's own mother. Roald dedicated the book to his wife, Liccy. A film version of the story, starring Angelica Huston as the witches' leader The Grand High Witch, was released in 1990. The main difference between the film and the original story is the ending - in the book, there is no spell cast to change the boy's state back to what it was before the witches found him. The film also gives its central character the name Luke, whereas in the book we don't find out the name of either the boy who narrates the story or his grandmother. In 1983, the year it was published, The Witches won three awards: The New York Times Outstanding Books Award, The Federation of Children's Book Groups Award and The Whitbread Award. The Witches helped inspire Boy


Which famous race horse was stolen from the Ballymany Stud in Ireland in February 1983?

The truth about Shergar racehorse kidnapping - Telegraph The truth about Shergar racehorse kidnapping   Image 1 of 3 Jim Fitzgerald, Shergar's former groom with a photograph of the prize bay stallion: 'He was a grand horse'    Image 1 of 3 Kevin Mallon, a convicted killer and senior IRA leader who has been identified as the man behind the plot    The Aga Khan owned six of the 40 shares in Shergar  By Andrew Alderson, Chief Reporter 12:01AM GMT 27 Jan 2008 It is 25 years since a world-famous racehorse was kidnapped by the IRA, never to be seen again. Now, chief reporter Andrew Alderson has solved the mystery of Shergar's final hours, why his remains have never been found and uncovered the truth about the bungled ransom attempt that led to his demise Swirling mist and driving rain threaten to obscure the view from a ridge up in the Iron Mountains, high above County Leitrim. However, it is still possible to see, hundreds of feet below and stretching to the horizon, the most sparsely populated terrain in all of Ireland. Brough Scott: Extraordinary racing machine's callous end Until a decade ago this was "bandit country", the remote hills and marshlands from where the IRA and its supporters smuggled arms over the border and planned their raids on the security forces in Northern Ireland. Once targets had been attacked, active service units would then slip back to the "safe houses" of the south to prepare for their next mission. Related Articles Extraodrinary racing machine's callous end 27 Jan 2008 Co Leitrim, which even now has a population of just 26,000, has kept many secrets during the 30 years of the Troubles. But perhaps its greatest mystery is what happened to Shergar, the racehorse once regarded as the nearest real-life equivalent to Pegasus, the winged horse from Greek mythology. Now, however, an investigation by The Sunday Telegraph to mark the 25th anniversary of the horse's kidnapping finally solves the puzzle of Shergar's final hours, why his remains have never been found and how the Garda, the Irish police, bungled their investigation. The precise circumstances of Shergar's grisly death are also revealed for the first time. Shergar was five years old and preparing for his second season as a breeding stallion when he was snatched from the Ballymany Stud in Co Kildare - just a stone's throw from The Curragh racetrack - on a foggy winter's evening. On the racecourse, as a two- and three-year-old, Shergar had been nothing short of sensational, winning the 1981 Derby by 10 lengths, a record distance that century for Britain's biggest flat race. With a distinctive white blaze on his face, four white "socks" and his unusual racing style - he ran with his tongue lolling out of one side of his mouth - Shergar quickly captured the imagination of the British and Irish public. The bay colt was owned by the Aga Khan, the billionaire spiritual leader to 15 million Ismaili Muslims, was trained by Sir Michael Stoute at Newmarket and was ridden by the "choirboy", an angelic looking 19-year-old jockey called Walter Swinburn, who now trains in Britain. There was widespread relief when at the end of his career, instead of being shipped to one of the large American studs as expected, Shergar was returned to his birthplace of Ireland. There, he was syndicated for £10 million (40 shares worth £250,000 each, six of which were kept by the Aga Khan) to stand at stud. During his first season he "covered" 35 mares, with owners paying up to £80,000 a time for the privilege of having a colt or filly by Shergar. As his second season approached, Shergar was expected to cover at least 55 mares throughout 1983. He was thought to have a long and distinguished stud career ahead of him. A quarter of a century ago, the Ballymany Stud was shielded from the outside world by a five-bar wooden gate with a latch. Unlike today, there were no electronic security gates, CCTV cameras or an intercom to gain access - even though the horses inside were sometimes worth millions of pounds each. Shortly after 8.30pm on February 8, 1983, Jim Fitzgerald, then 53, the


Mount Huascaran is in which South American country?

Huascaran Overview - Peakware.com Convenient Center: Huaraz, Peru Huascarán is the highest mountain in Peru, and the fifth highest in South America. The continent's four higher mountains are all located further south along the Chile-Argentina crest, so Huascarán towers dominantly among its peers. Its two extinct volcanic summits (the lower north peak is 21,830 ft.) are separated by a huge deep saddle, upon which a hut now sits. The mountain is both high and massive, its huge flanks covered in steep, broken glaciers. In 1962 a hanging glacier broke from the mountain's northern flank, killing 6,000 people in the village of Ranrahirca. In 1970, a similar fate fell upon the villages of Yungay, Huaraz, and Aija, which were wiped out by earthquake-triggered avalanches from the mountain. Fifteen members of a Czech expedition were climbing Huascarán at the time, and were among the thousands dead. Many climbers have also been killed by icefall in the area between the two peaks. Technically, Huascarán is actually one of the easiest climbs in the Cordillera Blanca, though its ever-present hazards -- icefall, avalanche, and crevasse -- must not be overlooked. Huascarán's lower north summit was first climbed in 1908 by Annie Peck, making it one of the few major peaks in the world to be first ascended by a woman. The higher south peak remained unclimbed for 24 years after Peck's south peak ascent. Both peaks are climbed via the saddle that separates them, and the panorama from the top is unequaled. The lower north peak is less crowded, and is a slightly more difficult climb.


Mushrooms, shiitake The World's Healthiest Foords are health-promoting foods that can change your life. Watch for the launch of our new WHFoods 7-Day Meal Plan on January 23rd! The George Mateljan Foundation is a not-for-profit foundation with no commercial interests or advertising. Our mission is to help you eat and cook the healthiest way for optimal health. Mushrooms, shiitake Long a symbol of longevity in Asia because of their health-promoting properties, shiitake mushrooms have been used medicinally by the Chinese for more than 6,000 years. More recently, their rich, smoky flavor has endeared them to American taste buds. These exotic hearty mushrooms can now be found in supermarket shelves across the U.S. throughout the year. Like other mushrooms, these specialty mushrooms are as mysteriously unique as they are delicious. While often thought of as a vegetable and prepared like one, mushrooms are actually a fungus, a special type of living organism that has no roots, leaves, flowers or seeds. What's New and Beneficial about Shiitake Mushrooms Although immune system support has often received much of the spotlight in shiitake mushroom research, recent study results involving support of the cardiovascular system have caught the attention of many researchers. In particular, recent studies have shown the ability of shiitake mushrooms to help protect us against cardiovascular diseases (including atherosclerosis) by preventing too much immune cell binding to the lining of our blood vessels. In order for immune cells and other materials to bind onto our blood vessel linings, certain protein molecules—called adhesion molecules—must be produced and sent into action. By helping to block the adhesion molecule production process, substances in shiitake mushrooms can help protect our blood vessels. (The adhesion molecule production that is partially blocked by shiitake mushroom components includes the adhesion molecules ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and E-selectin.) Shiitake mushrooms have long been recognized as a very good, non-animal food source of iron. But a recent preliminary study has determined that the bioavailability of iron from shiitake mushrooms may be even better than we thought. Although conducted on laboratory animals (female rats) rather than humans, this study found the iron in dried shiitake mushroom to be equally as bioavailable as supplemental iron in the form of ferrous gluconate. (Ferrous gluconate is a very commonly used low-dose iron supplement.) While we don't usually spotlight research on laboratory animals, we found this result to be especially promising for individuals who consume little or no animal products and are often looking for foods that can supply valuable amounts of bioavailable iron. Shiitake mushrooms can be one of the most sustainable foods in your diet! While the majority of shiitake mushrooms produced worldwide have been grown on sawdust block in a non-natural setting, it is fully possible for shiitake mushrooms to be produced on natural hardwood logs in a forest setting. This approach to shiitake mushroom production is called "forest farming" and it has become an especially popular way of growing shiitake mushrooms in the U.S, where there are now more than 200 shiitake mushroom growers. Unfortunately, forest farming is not a requirement for organic certification of shiitake mushrooms. However, all of the plant crop standards in the National Organics Program regulations apply to shiitake mushroom production, and so the combination of these two features—certified organic shiitake mushrooms that have also been forest farmed—can make a great food choice in terms of sustainable agriculture. Just look for the USDA's organic logo on your shiitake mushrooms to determine if they are certified organic. Then check for information about forest farming on the packaging. If no information is provided, there is a good chance that your shiitake mushrooms were not forest farmed. For this reason, we encourage you to ask your store staff or contact the product manufacturer to determine if your shiitake mushrooms were


Romansh is an official language of which European country?

What Do People Speak in Switzerland? | USA Today What Do People Speak in Switzerland? Switzerland, a country with a population of only 7 million, has four official languages. (Photo: Ablestock.com/AbleStock.com/Getty Images ) American Travel to Switzerland Switzerland is widely considered to be the model for a kind of tolerance relatively rare within European countries: Peaceful coexistence between different language groups. While Swiss dialects of three of the country's official languages -- German, French and Italian -- differ from standard versions, they're all mutually intelligible. However, the fourth, Romansh, is in a class of its own. This ancient and mysterious tongue, spoken in only one region of the country by less than 1 percent of the Swiss population, is found nowhere else in the world. Although English isn't an official language, it's widely spoken and understood, especially in cities. Switzerland's Linguistic Diversity In the first century B.C., today's Switzerland was part of the Roman Empire, but following its collapse in the fifth century, Germanic tribes moved into the region, and linguistic diversity began evolving from there. The Swiss federation consists of 26 cantons, or states, all with much more control over their own affairs, including education and language policy, than North American or European states and provinces. Despite four official languages, 22 cantons have only one official language, and children who attend public schools there don't have the choice of being educated in any other language. The Swiss German Dialect The vast majority of the Swiss population, about 64 percent, converse in a dialect of German called Swiss German, which divides even further into regional sub-dialects. For example, the customary greeting in standard, or high, German would be "guten Tag," but in Swiss German, the all-purpose hello for one person is "gruetzi" or "gruetzi wohl," and for more than one, "gruetzi miteinander," the equivalent of "hello, everybody." Whereas "guten Abend" is the standard German way of saying, "good night," speakers of Swiss German would say, "guten Abig" when addressing one person, and "guten Abig zusammen" or "guten Abig miteinander" for two or more. Despite conversational differences, the Swiss use standard German in writing. In both Zurich, the largest city, and Bern, the capital, Swiss German is the dominant language, although in the canton of Bern, French is also officially recognized. French and Italian The differences between standard French and Swiss French, spoken by about 20 percent of the population, aren't as great as they are between standard and Swiss German. As Andres Kristol, director of the University of Neuchâtel’s Centre for the Study of Dialects and Regional French, puts it, “It’s the same dish but the spices are different." To the ears of a Parisian, the Swiss French spoken in Geneva in the country's Romandie region has a charmingly antique quality, with a slower pace, different accent and variant words and phrases. Like Swiss German and French, the Italian spoken by about 7 percent of the population differs somewhat from the Italian spoken in Italy but people use standard Italian when writing. Mysterious Romansh If Romansh were an animal, it would be classified as critically endangered. In fact, fewer people in Switzerland today -- only half of 1 percent of the population -- speak Romansh than Serbo-Croatian. Most visitors to Switzerland visit the alpine canton Graubunden, the only place where this language is spoken but also famous for its ski resorts, including St. Moritz. Romansh is believed to have evolved from the native language spoken by a tribe that migrated into the region around 500 B.C., but was also strongly influenced by the Latin spoken by ordinary people in the old Roman Empire. Five dialects exist but in 1982, a standardized written version was adopted. Romansh's march to extinction may have been slowed after Microsoft added it to its range of desktop language options. Graubunden is the only canton with three official languages, the other two be


Who was the first British footballer to play 100 Champions League matches?

David Beckham: A Footballer's Story (Soccer Documentary) - YouTube David Beckham: A Footballer's Story (Soccer Documentary) 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. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Feb 13, 2014 Documentary on soccer player David Beckham: A Footballer's Story. David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE (born 2 May 1975) is an English footballer who currently plays for French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. He has played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, Milan, Los Angeles Galaxy, and the England national team for which he holds the appearance record for an outfield player. Beckham's professional career began with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17. With United, Beckham won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. He then played four seasons with Real Madrid, winning the La Liga championship in his final season with the club. In July 2007 Beckham signed a five-year contract with Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy. While a Galaxy player, he spent two loan spells in Italy with AC Milan in 2009 and 2010. In international football, Beckham made his England debut on 1 September 1996, at the age of 21. He was captain for six years during which he played 58 times. He has 115 career appearances to date. Beckham has twice been runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year and in 2004 was the world's highest-paid footballer when taking into account salary and advertising deals. Beckham was the first British footballer to play 100 Champions League matches. When joining the MLS in 2007 he was given the highest player salary in the league's history of US$6.5m per year. Category


The Bossa Nova dance originated in which country?

Bossa Nova Bossa Nova In The Begining Bossa Nova has become a part of the American jazz tradition. Bossa Nova songs are a very common part of any high school jazz ensemble. But Bossa Nova music is quite far from an American tradition. Its origins are traced back to brazil in the 1850’s, and it was not really introduced to musicians in the U.S until 1962. 9 At this time in the united states, when samba musicians in Brazil combined their music style with a style of “Cool Jazz” that was coming out of California at the time.1  Literally translated the words bossa nova mean New Beat, and that is exactly what it was, a new musical beat and a new style of music that immediately gained immense popularity with Brazil’s upper and middle classes. Bossa Nova musicians started by playing in wealthy neighborhoods of Brazil, the songs were mostly about beautiful girls and falling in love as opposed to its cousin that Samba, whose songs at the time were mostly about political struggle. But in the coming century the texture of Bossa Nova would change with the social climate of Brazil. 9 A vehicle for social change In the 60’s Bossa Nova was considered a harmless music, that is, the musicians of Bossa Nova did not write songs of political protest. But somehow, the musical style spawned the birth of the prostest music in Brazil that is considered responsible for the political turmoil that eventually led to a military coup in Brazil in 1964. 9 During all the political turmoil, Bossa Nova Musicians began to write songs with a much stronger political message, and some were almost considered social guides and leaders, in a similar manner to Bob Dylan was in the United States at this time. After the Coup of 1964 Bossa Nova continued to change. The Topic Of many songs shifted towards protest at the new Military government. Bossa Nova was no longer a music of the upper class, it was a music of the people of Brazil. 9 Although it was originally a music for the Upper Class bossa nova has always had many parallels to the country of its origin. It was created in a time of growth and relative prosperity for Brazil and then the “second style”, created after 1964 was during a time of struggle, and the lyrics of the songs support this. Bossa Nova Today Today Bossa Nova is beginning to celebrate a return to popularity. The adults of today had parents who loved Bossa Nova, and true to all human nature, as kids they rebelled against things that their parents stood for, but those kids are now becoming adults and beginning to re-embrace Bossa Nova as part of their country’s tradition, as well as, appreciate it and enjoy is purely for its musical brilliance. Famous Bossa Nova Composers include, Antonio Carlos Jobim, one of the founding fathers of Bossa Nova, and Sylvia Telles, who is considered by many to be the most talend Brazilian singer in the 1950’s and1960’s. 1 In the united states Bossa Nova has received to recent, rather secret infamy in the form of “Soul Bossa Nova” by Quincy Jones, which has been featured in the opening credits of all three Austin Powers Movies. Stan Getz is also a famous Bossa Nova Musician from the United States.


David Evans is the real name of which Irish musician?

U2 —   Free listening, videos, concerts, stats and photos at Last.fm 80s U2 is rock band from Ireland which formed in 1976 in Dublin, Ireland. Since the band’s formation, they have consisted of Bono (real name Paul Hewson) (vocals, guitar, harmonica), The Edge (real name David Evans) (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Adam Clayton (bass) and Larry Mullen, Jr. (drums, percussion). The band is the biggest selling alternative rock act of all time, having sold 150 million albums worldwide as of 2008. They have won 22 Grammys and were inducted into the… read more


What is the name of the Japanese form of therapy that uses simple hands-on, no touch, and visualisation techniques, with the goal of improving the flow of life energy in a person?

Reiki | definition of Reiki by Medical dictionary Reiki | definition of Reiki by Medical dictionary http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Reiki Also found in: Dictionary , Encyclopedia , Wikipedia . Related to Reiki: Chakras   Definition Reiki is a form of therapy that uses simple hands-on, no-touch, and visualization techniques, with the goal of improving the flow of life energy in a person. Reiki (pronounced ray-key) means "universal life energy" in Japanese, and Reiki practitioners are trained to detect and alleviate problems of energy flow on the physical, emotional, and spiritual level. Reiki touch therapy is used in much the same way to achieve similar effects that traditional massage therapy is used—to relieve stress and pain , and to improve the symptoms of various health conditions. Purpose Reiki claims to provide many of the same benefits as traditional massage therapy, such as reducing stress, stimulating the immune system, increasing energy, and relieving the pain and symptoms of health conditions. Practitioners have reported success in helping patients with acute and chronic illnesses, from asthma and arthritis to trauma and recovery from surgery. Reiki is a gentle and safe technique, and has been used successfully in some hospitals. It has been found to be very calming and reassuring for those suffering from severe or fatal conditions. Reiki can been used by doctors, nurses, psychologists and other health professionals to bring touch and deeper caring into their healing practices. Description Origins Reiki was developed in the mid-1800s by Dr. Mikao Usui, a Japanese scholar of religion. According to the story that has been passed down among reiki teachers, Usui was a Christian who was intrigued by the idea that Christ could heal sick people by touching them with his hands. Searching for clues that would explain the secrets of healing with hands, Usui made a long pilgrimage around the world, visiting many ancient religious sects and studying ancient books. Some reiki teachers claim that Usui found clues leading back nearly 10,000 years to healing arts that originated in ancient Tibet. During his intense studies, Usui claimed he had a spiritual experience, which enabled him to heal with his own hands by becoming aware of and tapping into the universal life force. After that, he dedicated his life to helping the sick and poor. His reputation grew as he healed sick people for many years in Kyoto, Japan. Before his death, Usui passed on his healing insights using universal life energy to Dr. Chujiru Hayashi, a close acquaintance. Hayashi, in turn, passed on the healing techniques in 1938 to Hawayo Takata, a Japanese woman from Hawaii, whom he had cured of life-threatening illness using reiki methods. Takata became a firm believer and proponent of reiki, and during the 1970s formed an initiation program for training reiki masters to preserve Usui's teachings. Before she died, she prepared her granddaughter, Phyllis Lei Furumoto, to continue the lineage. Takata had personally trained 21 practitioners before she died at the age of 80 in 1980. Along with other reiki masters authorized by Takata, Furumoto formed the reiki Alliance. A faction led by Barbara Ray, formed the American Reiki Association, which was known as Radiance Technique Association International. Today, there are over 1,000 reiki masters practicing around the world, whose methods can all be traced back directly to Dr. Usui. The basic philosophy of reiki The basic concept underlying reiki is that the body has an energy field that is central to its health and proper functioning, and this energy travels in certain pathways that can become blocked or weakened. This idea of energy flow in the body is also a central concept in Ayurvedic medicine and traditional Chinese medicine , including acupuncture . Reiki practitioners believe that everyone has the potential to access the universal life energy, but that over time most people's systems become blocked and the energy becomes weakened in them. A reiki practitioner is trained to be able to detect


Lynn Reid Banks debut novel was entitled ‘The…’what’-Shaped Room’?

Uncategorized | i love english literature | Page 2 i love english literature October 3, 2011 Leave a comment Orphan Pip’s rise through society thanks to his mysterious benefactor wins poll by comfortable margin Jean Simmons, Martita Hunt and Anthony Wager in David Lean’s 1946 film of Great Expectations. Photograph: Sportsphoto Ltd/Allstar The author himself might have preferred David Copperfield, but Guardian readers have voted for Great Expectations as their favourite Charles Dickens  novel. Pip’s adventures won 24.9% of  the reader poll , well ahead of the second-placed Bleak House with 16.9%. David Copperfield, which Dickens called his “favourite child”, was third with 9.2% of the vote. From its famous opening in the graveyard, when the orphan Pip first encounters the shackled convict Magwitch, “a fearful man, all in coarse gray, with a great iron on his leg”, through his meetings with the bitter Miss Havisham and the cold Estella, and his rise through society thanks to a mysterious benefactor, Great Expectations is, said voter gavinscottw, “not only – as others have observed – formally the most ingenious of the novels – but perhaps Dickens’s most morally angry work”. Others were less impressed by the novel, and put its popularity down to the fact that “people are made to read it in school, so it’s the only one they’ve read”, said VaneWimsey, an Our Mutual Friend supporter. “It’s sooo thin and long-drawn-out. And Estella is just plain nasty. Don’t know what Pip sees in her. First crush, maybe … great love of anyone’s life, no way.” Great Expectations’ place on school reading lists can’t be the only reason for its triumph, however, with the school perennial Oliver Twist only picking up 4.6% of the readers’ votes. Pip’s place in readers’ affections was also attributed to the wealth of film and television adaptations which have been made of the novel over the years. A new version from BBC One starring David Suchet as Jaggers, Ray Winstone as Magwitch and Gillian Anderson as Miss Havisham is out for Christmas, and  a new film adapted by One Day novelist David Nicholls starring Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham and Ralph Fiennes as Magwitch is due to start shooting shortly. “I suspect that’s one reason why Great Expectations is such a popular novel. Readers grow up with it,”  wrote Robert Douglas-Fairhurst in the Guardian . “It’s probably also why so many of them sympathise with Pip, whose narrative voice involves the perspective of a wide-eyed child coming up against that of his wiser, sadder adult self. Anyone who first reads the story as a child and returns to it in later years is likely to feel a similar mixture of nostalgia and relief. But it isn’t only individual readers who have grown up with Great Expectations. Our culture has too. Dickens once claimed that David Copperfield was his ‘favourite child’ and that Great Expectations was a close second. It’s no coincidence that both novels are about how easily children can be warped or damaged, but of the two it is the shorter, sharper Great Expectations that has aged better.” Despite  a glowing user review from Jane Smiley , which saw the Pulitzer prize-winning author call it “one of my two or three favourite novels of all time”, praising its “magical” prose and “perfect blending of story and style”, Our Mutual Friend only picked up 6.5% of readers’ votes. “Where’s the love for Our Mutual Friend?” asked voter VaneWimsey, describing the author’s final complete novel as “the great masterwork of Dickens’s maturity”. The least popular Dickens novel was, unsurprisingly, his unfinished final work The Mystery of Edwin Drood, with 0.8% of the vote, narrowly behind Martin Chuzzlewit (1%), The Old Curiosity Shop (1.2%) and Nicholas Nickleby (1.8%). Your favourite Dickens novels: the result in full A Christmas Carol 7.4% A Tale of Two Cities   8.7% Barnaby Rudge  4.6% The Mystery of Edwin Drood 0.8% The Old Curiosity Shop 1.2%   September 25, 2011 Leave a comment Charles Dickens, in contemplative pose. Which is your favourite Dickens? Photograph: Hulton Archive We’re on the hu


Which band released a 2007 album entitled ‘Myths of the Near Future’?

Klaxons on Apple Music To preview a song, mouse over the title and click Play. Open iTunes to buy and download music. Biography The London-based Klaxons feature the combined talents of Jamie Reynolds, James Righton, and Simon Taylor. Despite being a rock band at the core, Klaxons are heavily influenced by dance music, particularly the late-'80s/early-'90s U.K. rave movement. (Reynolds has even dubbed his band "nu-rave" to further emphasize the inspiration.) By the time Klaxons released their second low-key single, they had become a favorite of publications such as NME and wound up signing with Polydor Records. As the group set to work on its first album, the Modular label issued a brief singles compilation entitled Xan Valleys in late 2006. Myths of the Near Future, the full-length debut, was then released in early 2007 on both sides of the Atlantic. That same year, Myths of the Near Future won the coveted Mercury Prize. In 2008, Klaxons began work recording new songs. Purportedly, the band's label Polydor felt the songs were too experimental and rejected the album. Subsequently, Klaxons did re-record the album with producer Ross Robinson. In 2010, Klaxons released the material as its sophomore effort Surfing the Void. ~ Andy Kellman Top Albums


What was the pen name of US crime writer Frederic Dannay?

The Crime Fiction Kings Behind Ellery Queen | The Lineup Promoted by Open Road Media The Crime Fiction Kings Behind Ellery Queen Two boys from Brooklyn create one of the toughest sleuths of crime fiction's Golden Age. StumbleUpon stumbles Legendary editor Otto Penzler of Mysterious Press believes, “after Poe, I think it’s true that Ellery Queen was the most significant and important writer of mystery fiction in America.” Ellery Queen was actually the pen name of two cousins, Frederic Dannay (1905–1982) and Manfred B. Lee (1905–1971), as well as the name of their most famous detective. Born in Brooklyn, they spent forty-two years writing and editing under the pseudonym, gaining a reputation as the foremost American authors of the Golden Age “fair play” mystery. Besides producing multiple Queen novels – including Calamity Town  and The Greek Coffin Mystery  – Dannay and Lee co-founded Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, one of the most influential crime publications of all time. In this video, Penzler and the authors’ sons, Richard Dannay and Rand Lee, speak about the enduring influence of the Ellery Queen mystery series. Book Genre:


Which fruit is the main ingredient of the liqueur Quetsch?

quetsch - Wiktionary quetsch A variety of plum having dark-skinned fruit A liqueur made from the fruit


Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty and Ronny Cox play four friends in which 1972 film?

Deliverance (1972) - IMDb IMDb Doctor Strange Confirmed to Appear in ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ 23 hours ago There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Intent on seeing the Cahulawassee River before it's turned into one huge lake, outdoor fanatic Lewis Medlock takes his friends on a river-rafting trip they'll never forget into the dangerous American back-country. Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON TV a list of 21 titles created 12 Jun 2011 a list of 30 titles created 10 Aug 2011 a list of 26 titles created 24 Jun 2013 a list of 25 titles created 10 Apr 2015 a list of 30 titles created 6 months ago Search for " Deliverance " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for     3     Oscars. Another    2 wins & 10 nominations. See more awards  » Videos Two counterculture bikers travel from Los Angeles to New Orleans in search of America. Director: Dennis Hopper A paranoid, secretive surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that a couple he is spying on will be murdered. Director: Francis Ford Coppola A young American and his English wife come to rural England and face increasingly vicious local harassment. Director: Sam Peckinpah When a mad man calling himself 'the Scorpio Killer' menaces the city, tough as nails San Francisco Police Inspector Harry Callahan is assigned to track down and ferret out the crazed psychopath. Director: Don Siegel Edit Storyline The Cahulawassee River valley in Northern Georgia is one of the last natural pristine areas of the state, which will soon change with the imminent building of a dam on the river, which in turn will flood much of the surrounding land. As such, four Atlanta city slickers - alpha male Lewis Medlock, generally even-keeled Ed Gentry, slightly condescending Bobby Trippe, and wide-eyed Drew Ballinger - decide to take a multi-day canoe trip on the river, with only Lewis and Ed having experience in outdoor life. They know going in that the area is ethno-culturally homogeneous and isolated, but don't understand the full extent of such until they arrive and see what they believe is the result of generations of inbreeding. Their relatively peaceful trip takes a turn for the worse when half way through they encounter a couple of hillbilly moonshiners. That encounter not only makes the four battle their way out of the valley intact and alive, but threatens the relationships of the four as they do ... Written by Huggo Four men ride a wild river. A weekend turns into a nightmare. See more  » Genres: 20 September 1972 (France) See more  » Also Known As: Beim Sterben ist jeder der Erste See more  » Filming Locations: 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)| Mono (35 mm prints) Color: Did You Know? Trivia According to director John Boorman , the gas station attendant's jig during "Dueling Banjos" was unscripted and spontaneous. See more » Goofs When the main characters first meet the hillbillies they're on the right side of the river. After the accident in the rapids, and for Ed's climb up the cliff, they're on the left side of the river. They never passed under a bridge, but the surviving hillbilly is on that side of the river with them. See more » Quotes Lewis : You w- you wanna... you wanna talk about the vanishing wilderness? Bobby : Lewis, listen - what are you so anxious about this? Lewis : Because they're buildin' a dam across the Cahulawassee River; they're gonna flood a whole valley, Bobby, that's why. Dammit, they're drownin' a river; they're drownin' a river, man. See more » Crazy Credits The end credits only show the cast and a notice of where the location of the film was shot and the special thanks, which rolls over a shot of Ed and his wife laying down trying to sleep. It also shows the shot of the lake where the hand ascended up out of the water and the f


Which make of car has the advertising slogan ‘Zoom, Zoom’?

Goodbye Zoom-Zoom, Driving Matters is Mazda's new slogan [w/video] - Autoblog Goodbye Zoom-Zoom, Driving Matters is Mazda's new slogan [w/video] Chris Bruce Timed with the launch of the 2016 MX-5 Miata , Mazda is now changing gears with its advertising strategy in the US by launching a whole new slogan. The Japanese brand's latest marketing motto takes a much more direct approach than Zoom-Zoom by simply saying Driving Matters. The two-word phrase is meant to make customers believe that a good time behind the wheel can improve their lives. Driving Matters is also supposed to say something about how Mazda engineers vehicles. "Whether it's for safety purposes or for maintaining our 'fun to drive' nature, it all comes down to the fact that driving matters to our customers and it matters to us." Russell Wager, vice president of marketing at Mazda North American Operations, said in the announcement of the new campaign. However, Zoom-Zoom isn't entirely dead, and the words still appear in small print in some of these spots. According to Wager in an interview with Automotive News, the old slogan isn't necessarily understandable to some focus groups . "I'll ask them to explain to me what 'Zoom Zoom' means, and I'll get 6 or 7 different answers. That's what Driving Matters is supposed to address. It's supposed to solidify what 'Zoom Zoom' means to people," he said. So far, the company has released several examples of the campaign to highlight the Miata and Mazda6. At the same time, Mazda is launching a new commercial (embedded below) called A Driver's Life that showcases many of its models but puts a big emphasis on the MX-5. Show full PR text Mazda Launches All-New Advertising Campaign, "Driving Matters" - New Campaign Communicates How the Joy of Driving Can Enhance Your Life - IRVINE, Calif. (May 21, 2015) –The Oxford Dictionary defines "driving" as, "operating and controlling the direction and speed of a motor vehicle." Mazda believes that driving is more than a definition. Driving is an experience that can enhance your life. To better illustrate how every Mazda vehicle embodies why "Driving Matters," today Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) is rolling out a new advertising campaign. Driving Matters is an evolution of the Game Changers campaign. With Game Changers, Mazda succeeded in increasing consumer awareness of the functional attributes of our vehicles. Driving Matters will extend the message by creating an emotional connection to the brand. "Through the Driving Matters campaign, consumers will get a glimpse at why driving matters so much to Mazda and why we obsess over every detail in designing our cars," said Russell Wager, vice president of marketing, MNAO. "Whether it's for safety purposes or for maintaining our 'fun to drive' nature, it all comes down to the fact that driving matters to our customers and it matters to us." Mazda's all-new Driving Matters campaign will showcase various aspects of what makes the driving experience so important. Through Mazda's advance technologies and design, the campaign will dive into the importance of vehicle safety, good-looks, fuel efficiency and the fun-to- drive personality of Mazda cars. The engineering and design that goes behind each car in Mazda's lineup epitomizes the enhancement driving has on a person's life. The campaign will launch with "A Driver's Life," which chronicles the major moments and life stages in a driver's life, like getting a license and buying your first car, through raising a family and obtaining your "reward" car. The spot will feature multiple 2016 models but the aim is to celebrate driving and the core values of Mazda customers. The campaign will launch on Friday May 22nd in cinema and television with a mixture of a :60 and :30 second ads. It will be supported digitally and on our social channels. "Mazda makes cars for people who take pleasure in driving, and "Driving Matters" perfectly aligns with that philosophy. Through our creative process, it became evident that Mazda's inspiration for pure driving enjoyment is something that relates to the t


How many coloured rings are on the Olympic flag?

How many rings are on the Olympic flag? | Reference.com How many rings are on the Olympic flag? A: Quick Answer The Olympic flag has five interlocking rings on a white background. The rings represent the union of the nations of the five continental areas – North and South America, Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia and their athlete delegates at the games. Full Answer In 1913, the president of the International Olympic Committee, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, suggested an official Olympic flag to symbolize the peace and unity of international athletic competition. The flag was first introduced at the seventh Olympic Games in 1920. The white background and the blue, yellow, black, green and red ring colors were chosen to represent at least one color from each country's national flag.


Who was the founder of the modern Olympic Games?

Pierre de Coubertin, Founder of the Modern Olympics By Robert McNamara Updated August 16, 2016. Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, was a most unlikely sports hero. A French aristocrat, he became fixated on physical education in the 1880s as he became convinced that athletic prowess could save his nation from military humiliation. His campaign to promote athletic activities began as a lonely crusade. But it slowly gained support among advocates of athletics in Europe and America. And Coubertin was able to organize the first modern Olympics in Athens in 1896. Athletics Became Popular In the Late 1800s The role of athletics in life had taken on a major role throughout the 1800s, after a long period when society was essentially indifferent to sports, or, actually considered sports to be a frivolous diversion. Scientists began touting athletics as a way of improving health, and organized athletic endeavors, such as baseball leagues in the United States, became very popular. In France, the upper classes indulged in sports, and young Pierre de Coubertin participated in rowing, boxing, and fencing. continue reading below our video The Creation of the Modern Olympic Games Early Life of Pierre de Coubertin Born on January 1, 1863, in Paris, Pierre Fredy, Baron de Coubertin was eight years old when he witnessed the defeat of his homeland in the Franco-Prussian War. He came to believe that his nation’s lack of physical education for the masses contributed to the defeat at the hands of Prussians led by Otto von Bismarck . In his youth, Coubertin was also fond of reading British novels for boys which stressed the importance of physical strength. The idea formed in Coubertin’s mind that the French educational system was too intellectual. What was desperately needed in France, Coubertin believed, was a strong component of physical education. Traveled and Studied Athletics A small item in the New York Times in December 1889 mentioned Coubertin visiting the campus of Yale University. “His object in coming to this country,” reported the newspaper, “is to make himself thoroughly acquainted with the management of athletics at American colleges and thereby to devise some means of interesting the students at the French University in athletics.” In the 1880s and early 1890s Coubertin actually made several trips to America and a dozen trips to England to study the administration of athletics. The French government was impressed with his work, and commissioned him to hold "athletic congresses," which featured events such as horseback riding, fencing, and track and field. The Founder of the Modern Olympics The ambitious plans of Coubertin to revitalize the educational system of France never really materialized, but his travels began to inspire him with a far more ambitious plan. He began thinking about having countries compete in athletic events based on the Olympic festivals of ancient Greece. In 1892, at a jubilee of the French Union of Athletic Sports Societies, Coubertin introduced the idea of a modern Olympics. His idea was fairly vague, and it seems that even Coubertin himself did not have a clear idea what form such games would take. Two years later, Coubertin organized a meeting which brought together 79 delegates from 12 countries to discuss how to revive the Olympic games. The meeting established the first International Olympic Committee, and the basic framework of having the games every four years, with the first to take place in Greece, was decided upon. The First Modern Olympics The decision to hold the first modern Olympics in Athens, at the site of the ancient games, was symbolic. Yet it also proved to be problematic as Greece was embroiled in political turmoil. However, Coubertin visited Greece and became convinced the Greek people would be happy to host the games. Funds were raised to mount the games, and the first modern Olympics began in Athens on April 5, 1896. The festival continued for ten days and included events such as foot races, lawn tennis, swimming, diving, fencing, bicycle races, rowing, and a y


The Olympic Torch is lit at which ancient site?

Olympic torch for Rio games lit at ancient Greek site - BBC News BBC News Olympic torch for Rio games lit at ancient Greek site 21 April 2016 Media captionThe flame was lit by the sun's rays during a ceremony The flame for the Olympic Games in Brazil has been lit in southern Greece. An actor performing the role of high priestess lit the torch by using the sun's rays. The torch will be taken by various runners on an international relay that will culminate at the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro on 5 August. The ritual was established 80 years ago for the Berlin Games, based on a ceremony in Ancient Olympia where games were held for more than 1,000 years. Actor Katerina Lehou, who lit the torch, offered a mock prayer to Apollo, the old Greek god of light and music, at Thursday's ceremony. Wearing a long pleated robe, she knelt solemnly to the ground and lit the torch within a few seconds by using a concave mirror to catch the sunlight. Image copyright Reuters Image caption The flame was passed on by Ms Lehou to Greek gymnast Eleftherios Petrounias Image copyright Reuters Image caption The flame lighting ceremony was accompanied by choreography from priestesses Image copyright Reuters Image caption Thursday's ceremony marks the 80th anniversary of the torch relay Image copyright AP Image caption The relay, which did not exist in the ancient Greek Olympics, was introduced by the Nazi organisers of the 1936 Berlin Games She then delivered the flame to Greek world gymnastics champion Eleftherios Petrounias, the first runner in a torch relay that will conclude at the opening ceremony in Rio's Maracana Stadium. The chief organiser of the Games, Carlos Nuzman, promised to "deliver history". He said the Olympics would unite Brazil, which is beset by political and economic crises. "[The torch lighting] brings a message that can and will unite our dear Brazil, a country that is suffering much more than it deserves in its quest for a brighter future," he said in his speech. Brazil President Dilma Rousseff was forced to cancel her trip to ancient Olympia because of the impeachment threat she faces . International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said the flame was "a timeless reminder that we are all part of the same humanity" despite the difficulties that Brazil is facing. "Rio de Janeiro... will provide a spectacle to showcase the best of the human spirit. In just a few weeks the Brazilian people will enthusiastically welcome the world and amaze us with their joy of life and their passion for sport," he said. Before the flame arrives in South America it will begin a six-day relay across Greece, passing through the town of Marathon - which gave its name to the long distance race - as well as a camp for refugees and migrants in Athens, the International Olympic Committee has said. The flame is due to arrive in Brazil on 3 May for a relay across the country, travelling through hundreds of cities and villages in every Brazilian state. It will be carried by about 12,000 torch bearers.


In which US state were the 1960 Winter Olympic Games held?

1960 4c 8th Winter Olympic Games for sale at Mystic Stamp Company 1960 4¢ Olympic Winter Games    Issue Date: February 18, 1960 City: Olympic Valley, California Printed By: Bureau of Engraving and Printing Printing Method: Rotary Press Perforations:  10 ½ x 11 Color: Dull blue    U.S. # 1146 honors the 1960 Winter Olympics held in Squaw Valley, California. All covers were postmarked “Olympic Valley, California” – which was a station for the Tahoe City Post Office. The station had been established specifically to handle visitors to the Olympic games.   In an earlier version of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice,” the U.S. Men’s hockey team upset gold medal favorite Canada, the Soviet Union, and Czechoslovakia, to win the gold medal. Another highlight of the games was Norwegian skater Knut Johannessen, who broke the world record in the 10,000-meter race by a large margin.