The adjective 'adrenal' means of, or pertaining to, which organ of the body?

Cortex | definition of cortex by Medical dictionary Cortex | definition of cortex by Medical dictionary http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/cortex Related to cortex: cerebral cortex cortex  [kor´teks] (pl. cor´tices) (L.) the outer layer of an organ or other structure, as distinguished from its inner substance or medulla . adj., adj cor´tical. adrenal cortex (cortex of adrenal gland) the outer, firm layer comprising the larger part of the adrenal gland ; it secretes mineralocorticoids , androgens , and glucocorticoids . cerebellar cortex the superficial gray matter of the cerebellum . cerebral cortex (cortex cerebra´lis) the convoluted layer of gray matter covering each cerebral hemisphere . See also brain . renal cortex the granular outer layer of the kidney, composed mainly of glomeruli and convoluted tubules, extending in columns between the pyramids that constitute the renal medulla. striate cortex part of the occipital lobe that receives the fibers of the optic radiation and serves as the primary receiving area for vision . Called also first visual area. visual cortex the area of the occipital lobe of the cerebral cortex concerned with vision ; the striate cortex is also called the first visual area, and the adjacent second and third visual areas serve as its association areas . cor·tex cor·ti·ces (kōr'teks, -ti-sis, -ti-sēz), [TA] The outer portion of an organ, such as the kidney, as distinguished from the inner, or medullary, portion. [L. bark] cortex /cor·tex/ (kor´teks) pl. cor´tices   [L.] the outer layer of an organ or other structure, as distinguished from its inner substance.cor´tical adrenal cortex  the outer, firm layer comprising the larger part of the adrenal gland; it secretes many steroid hormones including mineralocorticoids, glucocorticoids, androgens, 17-ketosteroids, and progestins. cerebellar cortex , cortex cerebella´ris the superficial gray matter of the cerebellum. cerebral cortex , cortex cerebra´lis the convoluted layer of gray substance covering each cerebral hemisphere; see archicortex , paleocortex , and neocortex . cortex len´tis  the softer, external part of the lens of the eye. motor cortex  see under area . provisional cortex  the cortex of the fetal adrenal gland that undergoes involution in early fetal life. renal cortex , cortex re´nis the outer part of the substance of the kidney, composed mainly of glomeruli and convoluted tubules. striate cortex  the part of the occipital lobe of the cerebral cortex that is the primary receptive area for vision. cortex of thymus  the outer part of each lobule of the thymus; it consists chiefly of closely packed lymphocytes (thymocytes) and surrounds the medulla. visual cortex  the area of the occipital lobe of the cerebral cortex concerned with vision. cortex pl. cortices [kôr′tisēz] Etymology: L, bark the outer layer of a body organ or other structure, as distinguished from the internal substance. cortical, adj. cor·tex , pl. cortices (kōrteks, -ti-sēz) [TA] The outer portion of an organ, such as the kidney, as distinguished from the inner, or medullary, portion. [L. bark] cortex The outer distinguishable zone of any solid organ. The cerebral cortex, for instance, is the outer layer of grey matter of the brain consisting of nerve cell bodies. The adrenal cortex is quite different in function from the inner part. cortex an outer zone of any organ or part, as in the mammalian kidney and brain, or the layer of plant tissue outside the VASCULAR BUNDLES but inside the epidermis. Cortex Mentioned in: Brain Biopsy , Huntington Disease cortex from the Latin meaning 'bark' - the outer layer of an organ, e.g. of the adrenal glands, the kidneys, parts of the brain (cerebral cortex, cerebellar cortex). adj cortical. cortex outer area of an organ adrenal cortex outer part of adrenal glands, secreting corticosteroids, i.e. glucocorticoid, mineralocorticoid and sex hormones bone cortex periosteum-covered, dense outer area of bone, overlying the trabeculated medulla cerebellar cortex convoluted surface layer of cerebellum motor cortex posterior area


One of the world's most visited art galleries, in which city is the Galleria dell 'Academia?

Accademia Gallery in Florence: Michelangelo's David, Accademia Gallery Tickets The Accademia Gallery Museum in Florence An Unofficial Guide to the Galleria dell’Accademia museum The Galleria dell’Accademia – or Accademia Gallery – in Florence, Italy , is without a doubt most famous for its sculptures by the great Renaissance artist, Michelangelo. His Prisoners (or Slaves), his St. Matthew and, above all, the magnificent statue of David within the Tribune are what first draw most of the hundreds of thousands of visitors the museum welcomes every year. The main halls at the Accademia also offers visitors works by great Italian artists such as Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Pontormo, Andrea del Sarto, Allessando Allori and Orcagna, to name just a few of the painters. Many of the works of art that were commissioned by and were part of the collection of the powerful Medici family were donated to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany by the last of the Medici so that these magnificent works could be enjoyed by everyone and are part of the cultural patrimony of humankind. The most recent section, the Museum of Musical Instruments , displays old, one-of-a-kind masterpieces by Stradivari and Bartolomeo Cristofori, inventor of the piano, also commissioned by the Medici. Give yourself time when visiting the Accademia Gallery, a must-see while in Florence. To better plan your visit to the museum, this online informational guide offers general information on opening hours, admissions and more in the Plan Your Visit section and details on the halls, main artworks and itineraries in Explore the Museum . If your time is limited in Florence and want to skip the long line in the busy seasons, we offer information on how and where you can buy your tickets to the Accademia as well as book a guided tour or private guide to accompany you as you discover the masterpieces of the past.


Which footballer, who has spent his entire career at Real Madrid, captained Spain during the 2010 World Cup Final?

2010 World Cup: Meet the 32 Captains Leading Their Teams Into Battle | Bleacher Report 2010 World Cup: Meet the 32 Captains Leading Their Teams Into Battle Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse the slideshow 17.1K 15 Comments Although many sports choose a team captain, given the free-flowing nature of the game, the role is particularly vital in football. Unlike basketball coaches, football managers do not have the luxury of calling a timeout when their teams need to stop and regroup. American football coaches can send a sub into the huddle, armed with a new play, but football managers are limited to just three substitutions for the entire match—even if it goes into extra time. So they put their faith in the team captain, also known as a "skipper." To borrow a term from its American counterpart, a football captain is a lot like a quarterback. Although the coach is ultimately calling the shots from the sidelines, it's up to the captain to inspire the other players on the field and make any necessary on-the-fly adjustments (since the manager cannot call a timeout). A good captain is level-headed and leads by example. Not surprisingly, he's often the team's best player. Captains are usually defenders (goalkeepers and centre backs are the most common choice) since their vantage point allows them to see the entire game unfold—although many central midfielders fill the role as well. Captaining a striker is rare, but it does happen (Didier Drogba, for example). Captains in international football may even be more important than they are at the club level, since national sides only train together a handful of times per year (whereas a club managers continually develop their squads throughout the year). Needless to say, World Cup captains have a lot riding on their shoulders. Here are the 32 men who will lead their teams in battle in South Africa at the 2010 World Cup: Steven Gerrard (England—Group C) POSITION: Central Midfielder CLUB: Liverpool (England) He's been Liverpool's skipper for several years now, but he's only wearing the armband for the Three Lions due to circumstances. England coach Fabio Capello stripped John Terry of the captaincy due to his affair with Wayne Bridge's girlfriend, who is also the mother of his child. Bridge, Terry's Chelsea teammate at the time of the affair, also retired from England due to the scandal. Rio Ferdinand inherited after that, but Capello was forced to make Gerrard the skipper when Ferdinand injured his knee last week. I like Gerrard, but personally, I would have given the armband to Frank Lampard, who had a much better club season at Chelsea (where he is also the vice-captain behind John Terry). Fabio Cannavaro (Italy—Group E) POSITION: Centre Back CLUB: Al-Ahli Dubai (United Arab Emirates) After eighteen years with some of the world's biggest clubs—including Real Madrid, Juventus, and Inter Milan—Cannavaro announced his transfer to UAE club Al-Ahli Dubai at the conclusion of the 2009-10 Serie A season. He represented his country in the 1998, 2002, and 2006 World Cups, as well as Euro 2000 and Euro 2004. He took over the captaincy following the 2002 World Cup, quickly winning his teammates over with his constant smile, inspiring performances, and championship finish at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Ryan Nelsen (New Zealand—Group F) POSITION: Defender CLUB: Blackburn Rovers (England) Interestingly enough, Nelsen began his professional career in MLS with D.C. United, where he assumed the captaincy in 2003 during his third season with the club. He then transferred to Blackburn on a free transfer in 2005. He was absent from his national side from 2004 to 2008 due to a lingering hamstring injury. However, he returned to the squad for the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign, where he captained the All Whites in their intercontinental playoff victory over Bahrain, earning them a spot in the World Cup Finals for only the second time in New Zealand's history. Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast—Group G) POSITION: Striker CLUB: Chelsea (England) It looked as though Drogba would be yet another entry on a long


Which alliteratively-named politician served as Lyndon B. Johnson's Vice-President between 1965 and 1969?

Lyndon B. Johnson | Vietnam War Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia [1] [2] Lyndon Johnson in 1915 Lyndon Baines Johnson was born in  Stonewall, Texas , in a small  farmhouse  on the  Pedernales River , the oldest of five children. His parents,  Samuel Ealy Johnson, Jr. , and Rebekah Baines, had three girls and two boys: Johnson and his brother,  Sam Houston Johnson  (1914–78), and sisters Rebekah (1910–78), Josefa (1912–61), and Lucia (1916–97). The nearby small town of Johnson City, Texas , was named after LBJ's father's cousin, James Polk Johnson, whose forebears had moved west from Oglethorpe County,  Georgia . Johnson had English,  Ulster Scot , and German ancestry. [7 ] Johnson was maternally descended from a pioneer  Baptist  clergyman,  George Washington Baines , who pastored eight churches in Texas, as well as others in  Arkansas  and  Louisiana . Baines was also the president of  Baylor University  during the  American Civil War . George Baines was the grandfather of Johnson's mother, Rebekah Baines Johnson (1881–1958). Johnson's grandfather,  Samuel Ealy Johnson, Sr. , was raised as a Baptist. Subsequently, in his early adulthood, he became a member of the  Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) . In his later years the grandfather became a  Christadelphian ; Johnson's father also joined the Christadelphian Church toward the end of his life. [8 ] Later, as a politician, Johnson was influenced in his positive attitude toward Jews by the religious beliefs that his family, especially his grandfather, had shared with him (see  Operation Texas ). [9 ] Johnson's favorite Bible verse came from the King James Version of Isaiah 1:18. "Come now, and let us reason together..." [10 ] In school, Johnson was an awkward, talkative youth and was elected president of his 11th-grade class. He graduated from  Johnson City High School  (1924), having participated in public speaking, debate, and baseball. [11 ] [12 ] In 1926, Johnson enrolled in Southwest Texas State Teachers' College (now  Texas State University ). He worked his way through school, participated in debate and campus politics, and edited the school newspaper called The College Star, now known as  The University Star . [13 ] The college years refined his skills of persuasion and political organization. For nine months, from 1928 to 1929, Johnson paused his studies to teach Mexican-American children at the segregated Welhausen School in  Cotulla , some 90 miles (140 km) south of  San Antonio  in  La Salle County . The job helped him save money to complete his education, and he graduated in 1930. He then taught in Pearsall High School in  Pearsall, Texas , and afterwards took a position as teacher of public speaking at  Sam Houston High School  in  Houston . [14 ] When he returned to San Marcos in 1965, after having signed the  Higher Education Act of 1965 , Johnson looked back: "I shall never forget the faces of the boys and the girls in that little Welhausen Mexican School, and I remember even yet the pain of realizing and knowing then that college was closed to practically every one of those children because they were too poor. And I think it was then that I made up my mind that this nation could never rest while the door to knowledge remained closed to any American." [15 ] Early political career[ edit ] Edit [3] [4] Richard Kleberg, Congressman from Texas, on whose staff Johnson served. Johnson briefly taught public speaking and debate in a Houston high school, then entered politics. Johnson's father had served six terms in the  Texas legislature  and was a close friend of one of Texas's rising political figures, Congressman  Sam Rayburn . In 1930, Johnson campaigned for Texas State Senator Welly Hopkins in his run for Congress. Hopkins recommended him to Congressman  Richard M. Kleberg , who appointed Johnson as Kleberg's legislative secretary. Johnson was elected speaker of the "Little Congress," a group of Congressional aides, where he cultivated Congressmen, newspapermen and lobbyists. Johnson's friends soon included aides to President  Franklin D. Roosevelt , as w


Which alliteratively-named politician served as Abraham Lincoln's Vice-President between 1861 and 1865?

Abraham Lincoln - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Your continued donations keep Wikipedia running!     Abraham Lincoln Hannibal Hamlin (1861 to 1865); Andrew Johnson (March - April 1865) Preceded by Signature For other uses of the name Abraham Lincoln, see Abraham Lincoln (disambiguation) Abraham Lincoln ( February 12 , 1809 – April 15 , 1865 ) was an American politician who was elected the 16th President of the United States (serving from 1861 to 1865), and was the first president from the Republican Party . Today, he is best known for ending slavery and preserving the Union through his supervision of the Federal (i.e., Northern) forces during the American Civil War . He selected the generals and approved their strategy; selected senior civilian officials; supervised diplomacy, patronage, and party operations; and rallied public opinion through messages and speeches. Lincoln's influence was magnified by his powerful rhetoric; his Gettysburg Address rededicated the nation to freedom and democracy and remains a core component of the American value system. Contents 11.1 Project Gutenberg eTexts Major achievements To achieve his main goal of preserving the Union, Lincoln first ended slavery in the Confederacy through his Emancipation Proclamation (1863), then in 1865 secured passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to abolish slavery forever. He took personal charge of Reconstruction , seeking to speedily re-unite the nation through a policy of generous reconciliation. He was opposed by the Radical Republicans , who advocated much harsher policies. His leadership qualities were evident in his bringing all factions of the party into his cabinet, in defusing a war scare with Britain in 1861, in handling the border slave states in 1861, and in his landslide reelection in the 1864 presidential election . Copperheads criticized him vehemently for refusing to compromise on slavery, declaring martial law , suspending the writ of habeas corpus , ordering arrests of 18,000 opponents including public officials and newspaper publishers, needlessly ending the lives of hundreds of thousands of young soldiers in the war, and for overstepping the bounds of executive power as set forth in the Constitution. On the other hand, Radical Republicans criticized him for moving too slowly in abolishing slavery, and not being ruthless enough toward the conquered South. Lincoln had a lasting influence on U.S. political values, redefining republican values , promoting nationalism, and enlarging the powers of the federal government. Scholars rank Lincoln as one of the two or three greatest presidents. His assassination in 1865 as the war ended made him a martyr for national unity and an icon of Americanism. Lincoln to 1854 Symbolic log cabin at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site Early life Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12 , 1809 , to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks . He was born in a one-room log cabin on the 348 acre (1.4 km²) Sinking Spring Farm. The farm was in Nolin Creek, three miles (5 km) south of Hodgenville , Kentucky . This was the southeast part of Hardin County (now part of LaRue County ), and was at that time considered the " frontier ". Lincoln was named after his grandfather, who was killed in 1786 in an Indian raid. He had no middle name. Lincoln's parents were uneducated farmers. Lincoln had one elder sister, Sarah Lincoln, who was born in 1805. He also had a younger brother, Thomas Jr, who died in infancy. Thomas Lincoln for a while was a respected and relatively affluent citizen of the Kentucky backcountry. He had purchased the Sinking Spring Farm in December 1808 for $200 cash and assumption of a debt. [1] But Thomas lost all his property in court cases and when Lincoln was a child the family was living in a dugout on the side of a hill in Indiana, with not even a log cabin to shelter them. His parents belonged to a Baptist church that had pulled away from a larger church because they refused to support slavery. From a very young age, Lincoln was exposed to anti-slavery sentiment. However,


One of the world's most visited art galleries, in which city is the Tretyakov Gallery?

Home » Sights » The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia The inspiration to invest in art came during Pavel Tretyakov's first-time journey to St. Petersburg. Before he opened his gallery he collected art for 4 decades. He bought his first acquisition, a group of 10 original works by Dutch masters, in 1854 shortly after inheriting a considerable estate worth some 3.8 million rubles from his father at the age of 18. The inheritance made him an important textile tycoon, a business that he and his brother Sergei expanded, opening new mills and employing thousands of Russians from various cities. Originally, Tretyakov had in mind a private collection of Russian art that he originally planned to leave to his descendants. Yet inspired by the St. Petersburg gallery of Fedor Pryanishnikov, Tretyakov came to the idea that there should exist a public gallery in which Russian art could inspire Russian ideas among its viewers. To realize this new and much larger goal, Tretyakov understood that he needed the best works that this huge country could produce. He even sponsored a society of great Moscow artists he called “The Wanderers” in 1870, who in turn provided him with an ever-growing collection of select work with which to fulfill his vision. Many of Russia’s best would find enough financial security to produce even greater works, for which Tretyakov would become almost immediately the collector. Tretyakov soon became known not only for his generosity to great artists, he also developed a renown for an almost legendary ability to discern the best in Russian art. The collection grew in both size and quality, but it finally took a dose of mortality before he was able to overcome the final obstruction to opening his gallery - perfectionism. The death of his brother Sergei finally convinced him to push for the opening of his great gallery of Russian art in mid-August 1894, and only 2 weeks later the city agreed to receive it as a public institution. Ever since, even during Soviet times, the Tretyakov has been synonymous with the best in Russian art and is considered to be the #1 art gallery in Moscow with more than 150,000 works of art as of today. You are here The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia You are here


Released in 1989, 'Orange Crush' was the first UK top 40 hit for which rock group?

R.E.M. In 20 Songs - uDiscover R.E.M. In 20 Songs Browse albums now If ever a band proved that you can play rock’n’roll and retain your integrity, then surely that band was R.E.M.  Starting at the bottom playing soul-destroying club gigs, the Athens, Georgia, quartet’s dedicated work ethic ensured they rose steadily through the ranks and made the leap from cult heroes to fully fledged rock stars without ever sacrificing their credibility. An electrifying live act, they amassed an equally formidable catalogue of studio recordings, with their 15 superlative LPs stretching from 1983’s idealistic Murmur to 2011’s critically hailed swansong Collapse Into Now. The band originally began after vocalist Michael Stipe met guitarist Peter Buck at Wuxtry Records in Athens, where the latter was gainfully employed in his early 20s. Discovering a mutual passion for punk and proto-punk artists such as Patti Smith and Television, the duo drafted in fellow University Of Georgia students Mike Mills (bass) and Bill Berry (drums), and R.E.M. was born. Playing their first gig in April 1980, the band quickly built up a following among the local college fraternity, with fans often praising Stipe’s eccentric, mumbled vocals and Buck’s ringing, Byrds-esque guitar sound. Released by local independent label Hibtone in 1981, the band’s critically endorsed debut 45, ‘Radio Free Europe’, led to a deal with Miles Copeland’s IRS label, who released August ’82’s mini-LP Chronic Town and R.E.M.’s eagerly awaited full-length debut, Murmur, in April the following year. Brittle, fresh and mysterious, Murmur included fan favourites such as the folk-flecked ‘Talk About The Passion’ and the otherworldly ballad ‘Perfect Circle’, built around a haunting piano melody brought in by Bill Berry. Murmur surpassed commercial expectations, winning Rolling Stone’s prestigious Album Of The Year award for 1983, and peaking at No.36 on the US Billboard 200. Popular with North America’s college rock network, the band’s sophomore release, 1984’s Reckoning, was recorded in just 12 days, but its contents – which vacillated from the yearning folk-rock of ‘So. Central Rain’ to the country-flavoured ‘(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville’ – were rarely less than beguiling, and the album eventually climbed to No.27 on the Billboard 200. Overseen by ex- Fairport Convention / Nick Drake producer Joe Boyd, 1985’s Fables Of The Reconstruction proved to be a “difficult” third album in that it was recorded during a harsh British winter with the band suffering from homesickness. With hindsight, though, it’s something of a flawed masterpiece and includes firm fan favourites such as the strident ‘Driver 8’, the brass-enhanced ‘Can’t Get There From Here’ and the dense, string-assisted ‘Feeling Gravity’s Pull’. Helmed by John Cougar Mellencamp producer Don Gehman, 1986’s Lifes Rich Pageant was, by comparison, brash and direct. Stipe’s vocal delivery was noticeably more confident and, on some of the album’s stand-out tracks, such as ‘Cuyahoga’, the urgent ‘These Days’ and the glorious, acid-rain-related ‘Fall On Me’, his previously elliptical lyrics lent towards political and ecological issues for the first time. Climbing to No.21 on the Billboard 200, Lifes Rich Pageant won R.E.M. their first gold disc, though it was out-performed by their fifth LP, Document, which was released in September 1987. The first of six R.E.M. albums to be produced by Scott Litt ( Counting Crows , The Replacements), Document was long on muscular, mainstream-inclined rock anthems such as the ironic, exuberant ‘It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)’, ‘Finest Worksong’ and ‘The One I Love’. With the latter providing the band with their first major hit in North America, Document climbed to No.10 on the Billboard 200 (where it obtained a platinum certificate) as well as cracking the UK Top 30. R.E.M. signed with Warner Bros for their sixth album, Green, released in October 1988. Greeted with considerable critical acclaim and promoted with a highly publicised 11-month world tour, this satisfyingly diverse recor


Which English town shares its name with the capital of the Caribbean island of Tobago?

Islands in Brief in Caribbean | Frommer's advertisement Anguilla Although it's developing rapidly as vacationers discover its 19km (12 miles) of arid but spectacular beaches, Anguilla (rhymes with "vanilla") is still quiet, sleepy, and relatively free of racial tensions. A flat coral island, it maintains a maritime tradition of proud fishermen, many of whom still make a living from the sea, catching lobsters and selling them at high prices to expensive resorts and restaurants. Although the island has a handful of moderately priced accommodations, Anguilla is a very expensive destination, with small and rather exclusive resorts. It's as posh as St. Barts, but without all the snobbery. There are no casinos (and that's the way most of the locals want it). In fact, there's not much to do here except lie in the sun, bask in luxury, and enjoy fine dining. Antigua Antigua is famous for having a different beach for every day of the year, but it lacks the lushness of such islands as Dominica and Jamaica. Some British traditions (including a passion for cricket) linger, even though the nation became independent in 1981. The island's population of 80,000 is mostly descended from the African slaves of plantation owners. Antigua's resorts are isolated and conservative but very glamorous, its highways are horribly maintained, and its historic naval sites are interesting. Antigua is politically linked to the sparsely inhabited and largely undeveloped island of Barbuda, about 50km (31 miles) north. In spite of its small size, Barbuda has two posh, pricey resorts. Aruba Until its beaches were "discovered" in the late 1970s, Aruba, with its desertlike terrain and lunarlike interior landscapes, was an almost-forgotten outpost of Holland, valued mostly for its oil refineries and salt factories. Today vacationers come for the dependable sunshine (it rains less here than anywhere else in the Caribbean), the spectacular beaches, and an almost total lack of racial tensions despite a culturally diverse population. The high-rise hotels of Aruba are within walking distance of each other along a strip of fabulous beach. You don't stay in old, converted, family-run sugar mills here, and you don't come for history. You come if you're interested in gambling and splashy high-rise resorts. Barbados Originally founded on a plantation economy that made its aristocracy rich on the backs of slave laborers, this Atlantic outpost was a staunchly loyal member of the British Commonwealth for generations. Barbados is the Caribbean's easternmost island, a great coral reef floating in the mid-Atlantic and ringed with glorious beige-sand beaches. Cosmopolitan Barbados has the densest population of any island in the Caribbean, with few racial tensions despite its history of slavery. A loyal group of return visitors appreciates its stylish, medium-size hotels (many of which carry a hefty price tag). Usually, service is extremely good, a byproduct of the British mores that have flourished here for a century. Topography varies from rolling hills and savage waves on the eastern (Atlantic) coast to densely populated flatlands, rows of hotels and apartments, and sheltered beaches in the southwest. If you're looking for a Las Vegas-type atmosphere and fine beaches, go to Aruba. If you want history (there are lots of great houses and old churches to explore); a quiet, conservative atmosphere; and fine beaches, come here. Bonaire Its strongest historical and cultural links are to Holland. Although long considered a poor relation of nearby Curaçao, Bonaire has better scuba diving and better bird life than any of its larger and richer neighbors. The terrain is as dry and inhospitable as anything you'll find in the Caribbean, a sparse desert landscape offset by a wealth of marine life that thrives along miles of offshore reefs. The island isn't overly blessed with natural resources, but those coral reefs around most of the island attract divers and snorkelers from all over the world. The casino and party crowds should head for Aruba instead. The British Virgin Islands (B.V.I.)


Which American car make, owned by General Motors, took its name from the French explorer who founded Detroit in 1701?

Detroit: The New Motor City Detroit: The New Motor City Glenn Counts, Steve Ronson, and Kurt Spenser Poverty & Prejudice: Breaking the Chains of Inner City Poverty Detroit, Motown, the Motor City. Michigan and Detroit in particular became the center of the auto industry at the beginning of the twentieth century due to a number of factors. Steel, the Great Lakes shipping industries, and a large and growing workforce all contributed. Perhaps the most striking force though was the unique collection of inventors, dreamers, and designers that made the Detroit area their home. Ransom E. Olds, Henry Ford, the Dodge brothers, David Dunbar Buick, Walter P. Chrysler, and even the French explorer who founded Detroit, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, all are household names today, not because of any outstanding achievement, although there were many, but because the cars which they produced or which bear their names are a part of the fabric of everyday American life. The Big 3 auto makers, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler were all formed and headquartered in Detroit by 1924. (Wright, Richard A.) After fledgling beginnings and the national struggle of the Great Depression, the American automotive industry entered its Golden Age with the end of World War II. America was experiencing nuclear, scientific, economic, and automotive hegemony. American Automobiles were luxurious, reliable, powerful, low priced, and beautiful. (Wright, Richard A.) The World and Nation took notice. The Detroit area economy boomed, attracting masses of labor to fill the assembly line positions in the factories which had been converted after the war to produce spark plugs, transmissions and trucks as opposed to tanks and B-24 bombers. In 1952, Charles Wilson, Secretary of Defense to Eisenhower and former president of GM, told a House Committee, quite honestly, that what was good for General Motors, was good for the Country. What was good for GM was then certainly good for Detroit. The economy of the communities surrounding Detroit were revolving around the boom of the assembly and parts plants of the Big 3, and GM in particular, which soon grew to become the world's largest corporation. The first sign of any trouble came in 1956, when the Big 3 saw a minor slump in their sales, and the doubling of import sales. The change in the market was due to the growing popularity of European compact cars. Detroit did not panic. They began working on scaled down models of their successful lines, and some new compact models. The push toward the compact market was not very strong though as the era shunned anything foreign. Those that drove imports were dismissed as oddballs, flakes, college professors and leftists.  In reality though, they were trendsetters, and the market shift was a sign of things to come. (Wright, Richard A.) During the civil rights movement, the blue collar assembly line economy and inner city social problems proved to be a dangerous mixture. The 1960's showed the country that Detroit had its share of problems, and in the 1970's, the outside world crashed in on Detroit. The Middle East put the fear of gas shortages into America. Washington blamed Detroit for the problems of air pollution, safety, and fuel economy. It was a public relations nightmare. After the second oil crisis in 1979, the large rapid rise in the cost of gasoline caused Americas love affair with the automobile to go sour. Buyers now wanted smaller more efficient cars, and the Japanese had the best. Detroit had been devoting most of its attention to political and judicial battles. The Big 3 were busy pleasing politicians by meeting air pollution and safety standards through downsizing its oversized designs. These cars were not attractive to the consumer. What had made American cars so great in the 1950's and 60's was now their greatest hindrance. Their cars simply were not attractive consumer products. The Japanese had done an incredible job in this area. Detroit was dispirited and its economy was faltering. In the early 1980's Chrysler was sliding towards financia


Which city in southeast France lies at the confluence of the Rhone and Durance rivers?

Durance | river, France | Britannica.com Durance River Severn Durance, Latin Druentia, principal river draining the French side of the Alps toward the Mediterranean. From its origin in the Montgenèvre region, Hautes-Alpes département, to its confluence with the Rhône below Avignon , it is 189 mi (304 km) long. The Clairée and Guisane rivers, both of which are longer and more powerful streams than the Durance, join it above and in Briançon , through which it flows as a torrent. Receiving other tributaries, it passes through spectacular gorges and a stony valley to skirt Embrun. There it is tamed by the Serre-Ponçon Dam, 16 mi downstream, which has formed a lake covering 10.5 sq mi (27 sq km) in the valleys of the Durance and of the converging Ubaye River. The Durance at Sisteron, France. © Elena Elisseeva/Shutterstock.com After entering the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence département, it is joined by the wild Buech torrent above Sisteron. Dammed again below the town, it forms another artificial lake above the Château-Arnoux Dam, after which it is joined by the Bléone and the Asse rivers. After receiving the Vernon River, the Durance turns west along the departmental border of Bouches-du-Rhône and Vaucluse to join the Rhône River . Several other large dams were constructed on the lower Durance and its tributaries, and extensive hydroelectric-power and irrigation-water supply projects were established after World War II . Learn More in these related articles:


Which English city shares its name with the capital of the Caribbean island of Monserrat that was destroyed by the Soufriere Hills volcanic eruption in 1995?

Soufriere Hills Volcano Soufriere Hills Volcano Soufriere Hills volcano is a dominantly andesitic structure located on the small Caribbean island of Montserrat [ MAP ] which is located in the north section of the Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc. The summit of the volcano had a pre-eruption height of 915m and is composed of the remains of a series of lava domes emplaced by previous eruptions over the last 300,000 years (Zellmer et al., 2003. J. Petrology 44(8), p.1349-1374). The base of the volcanic complex is nearly 1km below sea level and has a diameter of over 25km. No historical activity had been documented, apart from the 17C eruption which emplaced Castle Peak lava dome. Increased volcanoseismic activity damaged buildings in the 1890s, 1930s and 1960s (Kokelaar, 2002. Geol. Soc. London Memoirs 21, p.1-43). Renewed seismic activity in 1992 and then from late 1994 onwards marked the onset of the current unrest. Since 1995, Soufriere Hills volcano has gone through several phases of nearly continuous activity characterized by dome growth with associated rockfalls and pyroclastic flows (PFs) and occasional major dome collapses and explosive events. These active phases were interrupted by repose phases covering much of 1998-2000, 2004-2006 and 2007-2009 when the volcano showed little extrusive activity, with activity largely involving gradual degradation of the dome. Activity has forced the evacuation of the south part of Montserrat including the capital Plymouth, much of which is today destroyed and buried in lahar deposits. The chronology of eruptive events is summarized below. After this, a detailed scientific analysis of the eruption as a whole and of specific notable events is provided. Soufriere Hills Volcano in March 2006. The active lava dome is growing in the crater left by collapse of the previous dome. West flank of Soufriere Hills volcano with extensive lahar flow field. The remains of Plymouth are just off the right hand side of the picture. Close-up of Soufriere Hills lava dome in March 2006. Nighttime view revealing incandescence of same dome as picture on left. Brief Chronology of Eruptive Events On July 18 1995, ash and steam venting was first observed. Activity was largely confined to the NW flank of Castle Peak lava dome which was formed in the 17th century in "English crater" (a 1km wide crater left by a massive collapse event during an eruption about 4000 years ago (Roobol and Smith, 1998. Geophys. Res. Lett. 25, p.3393-3396). Largely phreatic activity continued, reaching a first climax in a large phreatic explosion on 21. August which threw ash over much of Plymouth and initiated a first evacuation. Signs of dome growth were observed in the NW sector of the dome towards the end of September 1995. Pyroclastic flows were first observed on March 29, 1996, in Tar River Valley (TRV). On the 12th of May, PFs reached the sea and this happened repeatedly in the following months. By July, extrusion rates reached 10 cubic meters / sec and repeated small dome collapses accompanied by large pyroclastic flows were observed. On 17 September 1996, a series of dome collapses was followed by a massive magmatic explosive eruption with a 13km high ash column. Over 500000 Tonnes of ash fell on Montserrat. Dome growth restarted in December. On March 30, 1997, PFs flowed southwards into White River valley, destroying the touristic sites of Galways Soufriere and Great Alps waterfall. Increasing PF activity to the N and NE culminated in PFs reaching to within 50m of Blackburne Airport during a partial dome collapse on the 25 June 1997 . These flows also destroyed the settlements of Streathhams, Riley, Harris, Bramble, Bethel, Spanish Point, Trants and Farms. Although these had been officially evacuated, 19 fatalities were recorded. On 1 July 1997, a PF reached the Catholic Church in central Plymouth. Further flows destroyed parts of Plymouth on the 3rd and 4th. A major PF flowed through the center of Plymouth to the port on the 3rd of August . Piano coated in ash, Plymouth. Pipettes coated in Ash, Montserrat Technical College


Which American car make, owned by General Motors, took its name from the Native American chief who led a rebellion against English rule in 1763?

:: History | United States of the America:: United States History I.  Introduction United States History, story of how the republic developed from colonial beginnings in the 16th century, when the first European explorers arrived, until modern times. As the nation developed, it expanded westward from small settlements along the Atlantic Coast, eventually including all the territory between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans across the middle of the North American continent, as well as two noncontiguous states and a number of territories. At the same time, the population and the economy of the United States grew and changed dramatically. The population diversified as immigrants arrived from all countries of the world. From its beginnings as a remote English colony, the United States has developed the largest economy in the world. Throughout its history, the United States has faced struggles, both within the countryï¿½between various ethnic, religious, political, and economic groupsï¿½and with other nations. The efforts to deal with and resolve these struggles have shaped the United States of America into the 21st century. II.  Early Cultural Interaction Early American history began in the collision of European, West African, and Native American peoples in North America. Europeans ï¿½discoveredï¿½ America by accident, then created empires out of the conquest of indigenous peoples and the enslavement of Africans. Yet conquest and enslavement were accompanied by centuries of cultural interactionï¿½interaction that spelled disaster for Africans and Native Americans and triumph for Europeans, to be sure, but interaction that transformed all three peoples in the process. A.  Native America in 1580 The lands and human societies that European explorers called a New World were in fact very old. During the Ice Ages much of the worldï¿½s water was bound up in glaciers. Sea level dropped by hundreds of feet, creating a land bridge between Alaska and Siberia. Asians walked across to become the first human inhabitants of the Americas. Precisely when this happened remains unknown, but most scientists believe it occured before 15,000 years ago. When the last glaciers receded about 10,000 years ago (thus ending this first great migration to America), ancestors of the Native Americans filled nearly all of the habitable parts of North and South America. They lived in isolation from the historyï¿½and particularly from the diseasesï¿½of what became known as the Old World. See also First Americans. The Native Americans who greeted the first Europeans had become diverse peoples. They spoke between 300 and 350 distinct languages, and their societies and ways of living varied tremendously. The Aztecs of Mexico and the Incas of Peru built great empires (see Aztec Empire; Inca Empire). In what is now the United States, the Mississippians (see Mound Builders) built cities surrounded by farmland between presentï¿½day St. Louis, Missouri, (where their city of Cahokia was larger than medieval London) and Natchez, Mississippi. The Mississippiansï¿½ ï¿½Great Sunï¿½ king ruled authoritatively and was carried from place to place by servants, preceded by fluteï¿½players. The Pueblo peoples of the Southwest lived in large towns, irrigated their dry land with river water, and traded with peoples as far away as Mexico and California. In the East, the peoples who eventually encountered English settlers were varied, but they lived in similar ways. All of them grew much of their food. Women farmed and gathered food in the woods. Men hunted, fished, and made war. None of these peoples kept herds of domestic animals; they relied on abundant wild game for protein. All lived in family groups, but owed their principal loyalties to a wider network of kin and to their clans. Someï¿½the Iroquois in upstate New York and the Powhatan confederacy in Virginiaï¿½formed alliances called confederacies for the purposes of keeping peace among neighbors and making war on outsiders. Even within these confederacies, however, everyday political organization seldom extended beyond vil


Which city in northeast France lies at the confluence of the Moselle and Seille rivers?

France: The City of Metz - YouTube France: The City of Metz Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Dec 14, 2011 In 2011 we visited the city of Metz by boat. Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. It is the capital of the Lorraine region. Metz has a rich 3,000 year history. The city has been steeped in Romance culture, but has been strongly influenced by Germanic culture due to its location and history. A basin of urban ecology, pioneered under the leadership of people like Jean-Marie Pelt, Metz gained its nickname, The Green City, boasting over 37 m2 of open ground per inhabitant and the city's historic downtown also displays one of the largest commercial, pedestrian areas in France. Source: Wikipedia


Released in 1981, 'Fire' was the first UK top 40 hit for which rock group?

Record-Breakers and Trivia - everyHit.com >>> But what's the longest word in a lyric? Word featuring in most titles The word "The" features in more hit titles than any other word (2506). Runner-up, a long way behind is "You" (1489) (as of w/e 11th Oct 2003) Word starting most titles The word "I" starts more hit titles than any other word (644). Then it's "Love" (234), "Don't" (219) and "You" (214) (as of w/e 11th Oct 2003) Least Different Letters Making Up An Artist - Title Combination U2 - "One" (5 characters). This uses a number so it could be argued that the real record-holders are ABC - "SOS" and Moby - "Go" (both 6 letters). However, "Doop" by Doop has just 3 different letters! Least different letters for a non eponymous single is 4 for Abba - "SOS." Palindromic Title by a Palindromic Artist "SOS" by Abba is the only palindromic hit song by a palindromic artist. The Vowel-Free Titles: The following are the only titles of four letters or more to be vowel free (excluding numeric titles like "1999"): Crash Test Dummies - "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" Julian Cope - "Try Try Try" Blackout - "Mr DJ" Pop Will Eat Itself - "RSVP" Fall Out Boy - "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs" Alphabetically First and Last Words In Titles Alphabetically, the first word to appear in any song title is, somewhat obviously, "A"; it has appeared in several hundred titles. More obscure though, alphabetically speaking, the last word to appear in any title is "Zululand" (in King Kurt's 1983 hit, "Destination Zululand"). Least Different Words Used For Multi-Worded Titles: Excluding single-worded titles, Destiny's Child are the only act to have three Top 40 hits and use no more than three different words in them; "No No No" (no. 5, 1998), "Bills, Bills, Bills" (no. 6, 1999), and "Jumpin' Jumpin'" (no. 5, 2000) Biggest Name-Droppers: Two groups have managed to take six girls' names into the Top 40: The Everly Brothers: "Wake Up Little Susie" (1957), "Claudette" (1958), "Take A Message To Mary" (1959), "Poor Jenny" (1959), "Cathy's Clown" (1960), and "Lucille" (1960). The Bachelors: ""Charmaine" (1963), "Diane" (1964), "Ramona" (1964), "Marie" (1965), "Hello Dolly" (1966) and "Marta" (1967). Thanks to chart guru Jon Kutner who points out that the Bachelors have a seventh if we include "Walk With Faith In Your Heart"! Lyrical Connections Between Successive Number 1s A favourite question in pop quizzes goes something like this: "Which is the only record to have been knocked off the no.1 spot by a record whose title can be found in the lyric of the first song?" The 'classic' answer is "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. It contains the famous "mamma mia, mamma mia, mamma mia let me go" line. In January 1976, it was replaced at the top of the chart by none other than Abba's "Mamma Mia". But a more striking (and more bizarre) answer arises from 1959 when Emile Ford & The Checkmates' "What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For" unseated Adam Faith's "What Do You Want" from number one. It's particularly odd as, during the transition, the tracks tied for the top spot and shared the position for one week! But there are other examples, albeit less dramatic (ie. one-word titles), of this phenomenon: In 1958, The Kalin Twins made no. 1 with "When". It replaced The Everly Brothers at the top; both tracks on their double A-Side "All I Have To Do Is Dream" and "Claudette" contained the word "When." Two years later Anthony Newley made no. 1 with "Why". It replaced Michael Holliday's "Starry Eyed" at no. 1; the opening line of that song is "Why am I so starry eyed?" In 1988, The Pet Shop Boys made no. 1 with "Heart". It replaced Aswad's "Don't Turn Around" at no. 1 (which contains the lines "Don't worry about this heart of mine" and "Coz you're gonna see my heart breaking"). The most recent example was seen in 2000. Madonna made no. 1 with "Music". It replaced Spiller's "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" at no. 1 (which contains the line "While we are moving, the music is soothing"). There are two instances of the reverse of this phenomenon - a track being toppled from no.1 by another which cont


The Bob Dylan songs 'Rainy Day Women', 'I Want You' and 'Just Like A Woman' featured on which album?

Rainy Day Women #12 & 35  | Untold Dylan Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 Posted on March 23, 2013 by Tony Attwood By Tony Attwood Can you perform a 12 bar blues using a trombone, tuba, piano, bass, percussion, and a constant tambourine sitting on each and every beat?  And a load of extras shouting interruptions and comments too? Well, yes, here it is.   The opening track of Blonde on Blonde. And so we ask the question: why bother?  Why produce this song?  Why put it as the opening song of your first double album? We had had “Bringing it all Back Home” in 1965 which started with Subterranean Home Sick Blues and concluded with Tambourine Man, Eden, It’s Alright Now, and Baby Blue.  An utterly stunning set.  Subterranean was a bit of a knock about extended 12 bar blues but it has meaning and message. Then we had “Highway 61” which opened with Rolling Stone (perhaps the greatest Dylan song of all time) and ended with Desolation Row (ditto).  And then in 1966 we were offered Blonde on Blonde which opens with Rainy Day, and ends with Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands, and takes in Visions of Johanna and Just like a woman en route. Is there a pattern?  In one sense no, for neither Rainy Day nor Sad Eyed Lady are remotely near the quality of the opening and conclusion of those two previous albums.  But in a sense yes, because this is the time when Dylan got a lot of criticism for moving from the folk of the solo guitar and singer, and instead gave us a rock band.  But what he also gave us after moving over to an electric band was incredibly serious and insightful, often mournful songs, songs which compound metaphor upon metaphor, challenging us to see everyday life in a totally new way.  He gave us vicious songs, love songs, atmospheric songs and yes comic songs.  Just consider for a moment the lyrics of Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat Well, you look so pretty in it Honey, can I jump on it sometime? Yes, I just wanna see If it’s really that expensive kind You know it balances on your head Just like a mattress balances On a bottle of wine Your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat How silly do you want to be?   And if that’s not enough, consider the Mighty Quinn. Dylan has always loved the standard three chord 12 bar blues, and I think he probably wanted this knock about farce as the opening either talk about criticism, or to stick his fingers up at all sorts of people; the pretentious who (like me, I must admit) were reading deep meanings into his lyrics, the purists who refused to go beyond the first three albums, the protesters who wanted more “Times they are a changing”, the post-modern poet-musicians who wanted more “Please Crawl Out your Window”, the social commentators who wanted more “Desolation Row”.  Everyone wanted Dylan to do what they wanted. So like Duchamps famous Toilet, Dylan simply says, “take that and work it out for yourselves.”  But as I will try and show below, I think it is also about the whole nature of being a creative person in a society of critics. So we have a song that starts each line with “They’ll stone ya”  and which ends “everybody must get stoned!”.  Put that in your pipe and smoke it, as the old saying went – and became, almost literally, in this record.  “It’s all about drugs,” screamed the moralists and the radio stations that refused to play it (just about the best recommendation Dylan could get). Actually, I want to break off for a moment, and think about that banning by radio stations.  The notion presumably is that people will find what they take to be a pro-drugs song as offensive, and an encouragement to break the law.  Really?  Were there really any people who heard Rainy Day and thought, “oh, I’ve never tried dope – let’s have a go”.  I doubt it. So, what to make of it as a piece of music?   Well, apart from the accompaniment, in one sense, not much.  The shouting of “Yes they will” is amusing for a couple of listens, and then becomes just plain annoying and painful.  The lyrics go nowhere in particular… Well, they’ll stone you when you’re trying to be so good They’ll stone you just a-like they said the


Which city on the River Alun in Pembrokeshire is, with a population of under 2,000, the smallest city in the UK?

Pembrokeshire Tours, Tours of Pembrokeshire, England, Great British Trips St Davids Cathedral and Bishop's Palace St Davids Cathedral, Pembrokeshire The 12th century Cathedral, built from beautiful local stone that gives it an unusual pink and grey colouring, is a must see. There have been cathedrals built earlier on the site, but Viking attacks destroyed several earlier structures.  The Bishop’s Palace built in the 14th century lies across the river from the cathedral and the grand architecture shows the power and wealth of the medieval church. Bosherston Lakes Bosherston Lakes, Pembrokeshire The Bosherston Lakes are 3 flooded limestone valleys which are best known for their carpet of lilies (best in June) which covers the lakes. A footpath winds its way around the banks and takes visitors to the spectacular beach at Broad Haven South. These beautiful freshwater lakes are home to otters, wildfowl and dragonflies and part of a National Nature Reserve. Caldey Island Caldey Island, Pembrokeshire Caldey Island is off the coast of Tenby in the south and can be reached by boat from there. Caldey Abbey which sits on the Island is home to Cisterian Monks  who farm the island and make the famous Caldey Perfume and chocolate. Carew Castle and Tidal Mill Carew Castle and Mill, Pembrokeshire One of Pembrokeshire's finest castles, this beautiful Norman Stronghold later became and Elizabethan Manor House before being partly destoryed during the Civil War. The site also houses a fascinating Tidal Mill which can be seen working today. Castell Henllys Iron Age Fort Castell Henlly's, Pembrokeshire Castell Henllys is an absolute hidden gem and massive favourite of our GBT team! This iron age fort sits on top of a hill and has been lovingly reconstructed using iron age methods and materials in the surrounding area. It's an incredible glimpse into Iron Age life and feels just like stepping back thousands of years. Pembroke Castle Pembroke Castle, Pembrokeshire Pembroke Castle, was the birth place of Henry VII and is one of the most magnificent medieval monuments in Britain. Made even more popular by the recent 'White Queen' series, exploring the castle will provide hours of fun for the whole family. Exhibitions and tableaux recount the castle's fascinating history, from the arrival of the Normans in 1093 to the present day. Ramsey Island Dolphin and Whale boat trips Dolphin and Whale Watching off Ramsey, Pembrokeshire St Davids Peninsula has some of the most magnificent coastal scenery in Pembrokeshire. A RIB sightseeing boat trip is a wonderful way to explore the coast and a guide will take you to the local Ramsey Island and coastal inlets where Atlantic Seals and some of Britain's rarest seabirds live in abundance such as Puffins and Guillemots. Nearby dolphin and whale watching trips are also available. Freshwater West Freshwater West, Pembrokeshire One of the best surf beaches in Britain, this stunning piece of coastline is a beautiful, wind swept exposed beach and one of the most consitant surf spots in Wales. This stretch of beach also boasts another claim to fame, it was used in both the recent Robin Hood movie and the forthcoming Harry Potter finale movies. For surfers and movie buffs alike, this great location is a must on your specialised tour of Britain. Skomer Island Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire Skomer Island is an incredible marine life reserve which is home to a variety of sea-birds including the Puffin as well as a large grey seal colony. Multi-attraction Passes Recommended for this destination: Cadw Welsh Heritage Pass


Give any year during which the Crimean War was fought?

BBC - History - The Crimean War The Crimean War By Andrew Lambert Last updated 2011-03-29 The Crimean War, famed for the 'Charge of the Light Brigade', would fundamentally alter the balance of power in Europe and set the stage for World War One. On this page Print this page The Vienna Settlement At the end of the Napoleonic wars, the Great Powers assembled in Vienna to restore the European state system – a delicate balance between the various major and minor powers that restrained aggression by the mighty, and upheld the rights of the weak. They hoped to build a permanent peace by suppressing revolutionary republics and upholding stable, orderly monarchies. Despite the divergent aims and ambitions of Russia, Prussia, Austria, Britain and France, a compromise was created, following the brief interruption of Napoleon’s ‘Hundred Days’ and the Battle of Waterloo. Nicholas decided to settle the ‘sick man of Europe’ by carving up the European part of Turkey. After the Treaty of Vienna the great powers enjoyed three decades of peace, years in which industrial, political, economic, social and nationalist pressures were suppressed or deflected. But eventually the Vienna system broke down. The initial problem was the weakness of the Ottoman-Turkish empire, and the opportunities this provided for European interference in support of the Christian populations. The new president of France, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, exploited Turkish weakness to secure concessions for the Catholic church in Palestine, hoping to gain conservative support for his planned coup d’etat. When Tsar Nicholas I of Russia retaliated, sending a mission to recover Greek Orthodox rights, the Turks simply gave way to both parties, and hoped the issue would go away. Having established the Second Empire, (Louis) Napoleon III lost interest, but Nicholas decided to settle the ‘sick man of Europe’ once and for all. Expecting support from Prussia, Austria and Britain, he planned to carve up the European part of Turkey. He was mistaken, neither Britain nor Austria wanted to see Russia controlling the Dardanelles. Sensing an opening for a useful diplomatic success France joined Britain in support of Turkey, which rejected the Tsar’s outrageous terms. Top Road to war Istanbul at sunset    © In July 1853, Russia occupied the Danubian Principalities (Moldavia and Walachia) to pressure Istanbul, but this threatened Austria’s economic lifeline - the Danube. For a ‘sick man’, Turkey proved remarkably dextrous and aggressive. Outwitting Austria, Britain and France, who still favoured a diplomatic settlement, they declared war in October 1853 and attacked the Russians. In late November, the Russian Black Sea fleet annihilated a Turkish squadron at Sinope. Britain, anxious to secure her trade with Turkey and access to India by maintaining the Ottoman regime, saw this as an insult and popular opinion made a vigorous response inevitable. Britain and France demanded that Russia evacuate, setting their ultimatum to expire in late March 1854. The arriviste French empire, for its part, was desperate for military glory and revenge for its defeat at the hands of Russia in 1812. For them, the Ottoman-Turkish empire was incidental. Britain and France demanded that Russia evacuate the Danubian Principalities, setting their ultimatum to expire in late March 1854 - the timing determined by the break up of the Baltic ice fields off Reval where the British hoped to annihilate part of the Russian Baltic fleet. Britain always saw its main instrument for the coercion of Russia to be naval force in the north. After all, Russia’s capital was on the Baltic littoral, close to her other great security concern, Poland. The ultimatum expired and although the harbour at Reval was empty, the powerful Anglo-French fleet nonetheless took command of the Baltic, destroying the key fortress of Bomarsund in August 1854. Top Outbreak of war British troops are cheered as they set off for the Crimea    © At the outbreak of war, an allied army of 60,000 was already in Turkey to defend Istanbul. Austria then joined Fr


Running from Goa in the north to Cape Comorin on the country's southern tip, what name is given to India's southwestern coastline?

South Asia - ROWNMC12_0131756958.QXD 1/29/07 4:56 PM Page 354 FIGURE 12.1 I South Asia South Asia - ROWNMC12_0131756958.QXD 1/29/07 4:56 PM Page... SCHOOL View Full Document This is the end of the preview. Sign up to                   access the rest of the document. Unformatted text preview: ROWNMC12_0131756958.QXD 1/29/07 4:56 PM Page 354 FIGURE 12.1 I SOUTH ASIA This region is the second most populated in the world, primarily because of India’s more than 1 billion residents. Bordering India on the west and east are Pakistan and Bangladesh, two large countries with predominantly Muslim populations. The two Himalayan countries of Nepal and Bhutan, along with the island nations of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, round out the region. (right) Although South Asia is well know for its poverty, it is also home to a number of thriving high-technology firms. (Reuters/Corbis/ Bettmann) ROWNMC12_0131756958.QXD 1/29/07 4:56 PM Page 355 CH 12 A P TE R South Asia SETTING South Asia forms a distinct landmass separated from the rest of the Eurasian continent by a series of sweeping mountain ranges, including the Himalayas—the highest in the world. For this reason it is often called the Indian subcontinent, in reference to its largest country. South Asia also includes a number of islands in the Indian Ocean, including the countries of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, as well as the Indian territories of the Lakshadweep, Andaman, and Nicobar Islands. India is by far the largest South Asian country, both in size and in population. Covering more than 1 million square miles from the Himalayan crest to the southern tip of the peninsula at Cape Comorin, India is the world’s seventh largest country in terms of area and, with more than 1 billion inhabitants, second only to China in population. Although mostly a Hindu country, India contains tremendous religious, ethnic, linguistic, and political diversity. Pakistan, the next largest country, is less than one-third the size of India. Stretching from the high northern mountains to the arid coastline on the Arabian Sea, its population of 166 million is only about 15 percent of India’s. Despite this imbalance, these two countries have been locked in a tense struggle, especially over the disputed territory of Kashmir. Until independence in 1947, Pakistan was one portion of a larger undivided British colonial realm simply called India. Because of its strong ties to Islam, however, some Pakistanis argue that their country is now more closely connected to its Muslim neighbors in Southwest Asia than it is to India and the rest of South Asia. Bangladesh, on India’s eastern shoulder, is also a largely Muslim country. Originally created as East Pakistan in the hurried division of India in 1947, it achieved independence after a brief civil war in 1971. Although a small country in area (54,000 square miles), Bangladesh is one of the world’s most densely populated places—and also one of the poorest—with 145 million people living in an area about the size of Wisconsin. Bangladesh has a short ENVIRONMENTAL GEOGRAPHY — While the arid parts of South Asia suffer from water shortages and the salinization of the soil, the humid areas often experience devastating floods. SETTLEMENT AND POPULATION — South Asia will soon become the most populous region of the world. Birthrates have, however, come down substantially in recent years. CULTURAL COHERENCE AND DIVERSITY — South Asia is one of the most culturally diverse regions of the world, with India alone having more than a dozen official languages as well as numerous adherents of most major religions. GEOPOLITICAL FRAMEWORK — South Asia is burdened not only by a number of violent secession movements, but also by the struggle between the nuclear-armed countries of India and Pakistan. ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Although South Asia is one of the poorest regions of the world, certain areas are experiencing rapid economic growth and technological development. — THE BOUNDARIES border with Burma (Myanmar), but it is otherwise bordered only by India. Nepal and Bh


The Bob Dylan songs 'Desolation Row', 'Tombstone Blues' and 'Like A Rolling Stone' featured on which album?

Home | The Official Bob Dylan Site Amazon | iTunes | Bob Dylan Store Bob Dylan on Muhammad Ali “If the measure of greatness is to gladden the heart of every human being on the face of the earth, then he truly was the greatest. In every way he was the bravest, the kindest and the most excellent of men.” Hear “All the Way” off ‘Fallen Angels’ “All the Way” is the second song released off the album Fallen Angels out May 20. Both “All the Way” and “Melancholy Mood” are available instantly with all digital pre-orders of the album. The track can also be streamed here and on Apple Music. ‘Fallen Angels’ is Now Available! Order your copy today. Bob Dylan’s new album, Fallen Angels, is available now for instant download, on CD, or on limited edition vinyl. Visit the Bob Dylan Music Store “The Cutting Edge” Exclusive Premieres See and hear all the exclusive premieres from Bob Dylan’s The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series Vol. 12 Introducing the Bob Dylan Studio A Revisited Micro-site Put yourself in the studio during the 1965-66 sessions by visiting the Studio A Revisited microsite, which gives you an opportunity to play with the four studio “stems” that make up “Like A Rolling Stone” and more. Bob Dylan Wins a 2016 Grammy Award Can You Sing As Well As Bob Dylan? Singing Session on Studio A Revisited has launched and allows fans around the globe to step up to the microphone in an attempt to match Bob Dylan’s unique phrasing and timbre. Bob Dylan – The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series Vol. 12 BOB DYLAN – THE CUTTING EDGE 1965-1966: THE BOOTLEG SERIES VOL. 12, A DELUXE 6CD ANTHOLOGY, TO BE RELEASED BY COLUMBIA RECORDS/LEGACY RECORDINGS ON NOVEMBER 6 Latest Volume in Acclaimed Dylan Bootleg Series Premieres Previously Unreleased Studio Recordings–including Never-Before-Heard Songs, Outtakes, Rehearsal Tracks, and Alternate Versions–from the Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde On Blonde Sessions “The Lyrics: Since 1962” Available Now! Visit the Bob Dylan Store Apparel, posters and more at the Bob Dylan Store . Run your fingers down my spine; Bring me a touch of bliss The Story of “The Cutting Edge” WATCH THE VIDEO


The names of five of the six elements that make up the Nobel Gases end with which two letters?

Noble gases facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Noble gases Isolation of the Noble Gases HELIUM. Helium is an unusual element in many respects—not least because it is the only element to have first been identified in the Solar System before it was discovered on Earth. This is significant, because the elements on Earth are the same as those found in space: thus, it is more than just an attempt at sounding poetic when scientists say that humans, as well as the world around them, are made from "the stuff of stars." In 1868, a French astronomer named Pierre Janssen (1824-1907) was in India to observe a total solar eclipse. To aid him in his observations, he used a spectroscope, an instrument for analyzing the spectrum of light emitted by an object. What Janssen's spectroscope showed was surprising: a yellow line in the spectrum, never seen before, which seemed to indicate the presence of a previously undiscovered element. Janssen called it "helium" after the Greek god Helios, or Apollo, whom the ancients associated with the Sun . Janssen shared his findings with English astronomer Sir Joseph Lockyer (1836-1920), who had a worldwide reputation for his work in analyzing light waves. Lockyer, too, believed that what Janssen had seen was a new element, and a few months later, he observed the same unusual spectral lines. At that time, the spectroscope was still a new invention, and many members of the worldwide scientific community doubted its usefulness, and therefore, in spite of Lockyer's reputation, they questioned the existence of this "new" element. Yet during their lifetimes, Janssen and Lockyer were proven correct. NEON, ARGON, KRYPTON, AND XENON. They had to wait a quarter century, however. In 1893, English chemist Sir William Ramsay (1852-1916) became intrigued by the presence of a mysterious gas bubble left over when nitrogen from the atmosphere was combined with oxygen. This was a phenomenon that had also been noted by English physicist Henry Cavendish (1731-1810) more than a century before, but Cavendish could offer no explanation. Ramsay, on the other hand, had the benefit of observations made by English physicist John William Strutt, Lord Rayleigh (1842-1919). Up to that time, scientists believed that air consisted only of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor. However, Rayleigh had noticed that when nitrogen was extracted from air after a process of removing those other components, it had a slightly higher density than nitrogen prepared from a chemical reaction. In light of his own observations, Ramsay concluded that whereas nitrogen obtained from chemical reactions was pure, the nitrogen extracted from air contained trace amounts of an unknown gas. Ramsay was wrong in only one respect: hidden with the nitrogen was not one gas, but five. In order to isolate these gases, Ramsay and Rayleigh subjected air to a combination of high pressure and low temperature, allowing the various gases to boil off at different temperatures. One of the gases was helium—the first confirmation that the element existed on Earth—but the other four gases were previously unknown. The Greek roots of the names given to the four gases reflected scientists' wonder at discovering these hard-to-find elements: neos (new), argos (in active), kryptos (hidden), and xenon (stranger). RADON. Inspired by the studies of Polish-French physicist and chemist Marie Curie (1867-1934) regarding the element radium and the phenomenon of radioactivity (she discovered the element, and coined the latter term), German physicist Friedrich Dorn (1848-1916) became fascinated with radium. Studying the element, he discovered that it emitted a radioactive gas, which he dubbed "radium emanation." Eventually, however, he realized that what was being produced was a new element. This was the first clear proof that one element could become another through the process of radioactive decay. Ramsay, who along with Rayleigh had received the Nobel Prize in 1904 for his work on the noble gases, was able to map the new element's spectral lines and deter


In Judaism, what name is given to the Jewish New Year?

Judaism 101: Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah Observances: Sounding the shofar (ram's horn trumpet) Length: 2 Days (Some: 1 Day) Customs: Dipping apples in honey; Casting off "sins" into a river Greeting: L'shanah tovah! (For a good year!) ...In the seventh month, on the first of the month, there shall be a sabbath for you, a remembrance with shofar blasts, a holy convocation. -Leviticus 16:24 Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first and second days of Tishri . In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means, literally, "head of the year" or "first of the year." Rosh Hashanah is commonly known as the Jewish New Year. This name is somewhat deceptive, because there is little similarity between Rosh Hashanah, one of the holiest days of the year, and the American midnight drinking bash and daytime football game. There is, however, one important similarity between the Jewish New Year and the American one: Many Americans use the New Year as a time to plan a better life, making "resolutions." Likewise, the Jewish New Year is a time to begin introspection, looking back at the mistakes of the past year and planning the changes to make in the new year. More on this concept at Days of Awe . The name "Rosh Hashanah" is not used in the Bible to discuss this holiday. The Bible refers to the holiday as Yom Ha-Zikkaron (the day of remembrance) or Yom Teruah (the day of the sounding of the shofar). The holiday is instituted in Leviticus 23:24-25. The shofar is a ram's horn which is blown somewhat like a trumpet. One of the most important observances of this holiday is hearing the sounding of the shofar in the synagogue . A total of 100 notes are sounded each day. There are four different types of shofar notes: tekiah, a 3 second sustained note; shevarim, three 1-second notes rising in tone, teruah, a series of short, staccato notes extending over a period of about 3 seconds; and tekiah gedolah (literally, "big tekiah"), the final blast in a set, which lasts (I think) 10 seconds minimum. Click the shofar above to hear an approximation of the sound of Tekiah Shevarim-Teruah Tekiah. The Bible gives no specific reason for this practice. One that has been suggested is that the shofar's sound is a call to repentance. The shofar is not blown if the holiday falls on Shabbat . No work is permitted on Rosh Hashanah. Much of the day is spent in synagogue , where the regular daily liturgy is somewhat expanded. In fact, there is a special prayerbook called the machzor used for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur because of the extensive liturgical changes for these holidays. Another popular observance during this holiday is eating apples dipped in honey, a symbol of our wish for a sweet new year. This was the second Jewish religious practice I was ever exposed to (the first one: lighting Chanukkah candles), and I highly recommend it. It's yummy. We also dip bread in honey (instead of the usual practice of sprinkling salt on it) at this time of year for the same reason. Another popular practice of the holiday is Tashlikh ("casting off"). We walk to flowing water, such as a creek or river, on the afternoon of the first day and empty our pockets into the river, symbolically casting off our sins. Small pieces of bread are commonly put in the pocket to cast off. This practice is not discussed in the Bible, but is a long-standing custom. Tashlikh is normally observed on the afternoon of the first day, before afternoon services. When the first day occurs on Shabbat , many synagogues observe Tashlikh on Sunday afternoon, to avoid carrying (the bread) on Shabbat. Religious services for the holiday focus on the concept of G-d 's sovereignty. The common greeting at this time is L'shanah tovah ("for a good year"). This is a shortening of "L'shanah tovah tikatev v'taihatem" (or to women, "L'shanah tovah tikatevi v'taihatemi"), which means "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year." More on that concept at Days of Awe . You may notice that the Bible speaks of Rosh Hashanah as occurring on the first day of the seventh month. The first month of the Jew


The names of all five elements that make up the Halogens end with which three letters?

List of Periodic Table Groups List of Periodic Table Groups These are the element groups found in the periodic table of the elements. There are links to lists of elements within each group. Cobalt is a hard, silvery-gray metal. Ben Mills 1.  Metals Most elements are metals. In fact, so many elements are metals there are different groups of metals, such as alkali metals, alkaline earths, and transition metals. Most metals are shiny solids, with high melting points and densities. Many of the properties of metals, including large atomic radius , low ionization energy , and low electronegativity , are due to the fact that the electrons in the valence shell of a metal atoms can be removed easily. One characteristic of metals is their ability to be deformed without breaking. Malleability is the ability of a metal to be hammered into shapes. Ductility is the ability of a metal to be drawn into wire. Metals are good heat conductors and electrical conductors. More » continue reading below our video Trends in the Periodic Table These are crystals of sulfur, one of the nonmetallic elements. U.S. Geological Survey 2.  Nonmetals The nonmetals are located on the upper right side of the periodic table. Nonmetals are separated from metals by a line that cuts diagonally through the region of the periodic table. Nonmetals have high ionization energies and electronegativities. They are generally poor conductors of heat and electricity. Solid nonmetals are generally brittle, with little or no metallic luster . Most nonmetals have the ability to gain electrons easily. Nonmetals display a wide range of chemical properties and reactivities. More » Xenon normally is a colorless gas, but it emits a blue glow when excited by an electrical discharge, as seen here. pslawinski, wikipedia.org 3.  Noble Gases or Inert Gases The noble gases, also known as the inert gases , are located in Group VIII of the periodic table. The noble gases are relatively nonreactive. This is because they have a complete valence shell. They have little tendency to gain or lose electrons. The noble gases have high ionization energies and negligible electronegativities. The noble gases have low boiling points and are all gases at room temperature. More » This is a sample of pure chlorine gas. Chlorine gas is a pale greenish yellow color. Greenhorn1, public domain 4.  Halogens The halogens are located in Group VIIA of the periodic table. Sometimes the halogens are considered to be a particular set of nonmetals. These reactive elements have seven valence electrons. As a group, halogens exhibit highly variable physical properties. Halogens range from solid to liquid to gaseous at room temperature . The chemical properties are more uniform. The halogens have very high electronegativities . Fluorine has the highest electronegativity of all elements. The halogens are particularly reactive with the alkali metals and alkaline earths, forming stable ionic crystals. More » Tellurium is a brittle silver-white metalloid. This image is of an ultra-pure tellurium crystal, 2-cm in length. Dschwen, wikipedia.org 5.  Semimetals or Metalloids The metalloids or semimetals are located along the line between the metals and nonmetals in the periodic table . The electronegativities and ionization energies of the metalloids are between those of the metals and nonmetals, so the metalloids exhibit characteristics of both classes. The reactivity of the metalloids depends on the element with which they are reacting. For example, boron acts as a nonmetal when reacting with sodium yet as a metal when reacting with fluorine. The boiling points , melting points , and densities of the metalloids vary widely. The intermediate conductivity of metalloids means they tend to make good semiconductors. More » Sodium metal chunks under mineral oil. Justin Urgitis, wikipedia.org 6.  Alkali Metals The alkali metals are the elements located in Group IA of the periodic table. The alkali metals exhibit many of the physical properties common to metals, although their densities are lower than those of other metals. Alkali


What name is given to the Jewish Day of Atonement?

Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement Yom Kippur - calendar Introduction Yom Kippur, or the "Day of Atonement," is the holiest day of the Jewish year, and provides prophetic insight regarding the Second Coming of the Messiah, the restoration of national Israel, and the final judgment of the world. It is also a day that reveals the High-Priestly work of Yeshua as our Kohen Gadol (High Priest) after the order of Malki-Tzedek ( Heb. 5:10, 6:20 ). The term Yom Kippur is actually written in the plural in the Torah, Yom Ha-Kippurim (יוֹם הַכִּפֻּרִים), perhaps because the purification process cleansed from a multitude of transgressions, iniquities, and sins. However, the name also alludes to the two great atonements given by the LORD - the first for those among the nations who turn to Yeshua for cleansing and forgiveness, and the second for the purification of ethnic Israel during Yom Adonai, the great Day of the LORD at the end of days. Al Chet Text Kippurim can be read as Yom Ke-Purim, a "day like Purim ," that is, a day of deliverance and salvation (as explained in the Book of Esther). Thus the day on which Yeshua sacrificed Himself on the cross is the greatest "Purim" of all, since through Him we are eternally delivered from the hands of our enemies. The Torah states that Yom Kippur was the only time when the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies and call upon the Name of YHVH to offer blood sacrifice for the sins of the people. This "life for a life" principle is the foundation of the sacrificial system and marked the great day of intercession made by the High Priest on behalf of Israel. In traditional Judaism, the day of Yom Kippur marks the climax of the ten day period of repentance called the "Days of Awe," or yamim nora'im (יָמִים נוֹרָאִים). According to the sages of Jewish tradition, on Rosh Hashanah the destiny of the righteous, the tzaddikim, are written in the Book of Life (סֵפֶר הַחַיִּים), and the destiny of the wicked, the resha'im, are written in the Book of Death. However, most people will not be inscribed in either book, but have ten days -- until Yom Kippur -- to repent before sealing their fate. Hence the term Aseret Yemei Teshuvah (עֲשֶׂרֶת יְמֵי תְּשׁוּבָה) - the Ten Days of Repentance. On Yom Kippur, then, every soul's name will be sealed in one of the two books.  For this reason Yom Kippur is really the climax of the 40 day " Season of Teshuvah ."   Since man was created for the sake of teshuvah (תְּשׁוּבָה), Yom Kippur, or the Day of "at-one-ment," is considered the holiest day of the year, called "Yom ha-kadosh" (יוֹם הַקָּדוֹשׁ). On the Hebrew calendar, Erev Yom Kippur begins at nightfall on Tishri 9 and continues 25 hours through the next day until nightfall. It is a solemn day marked by complete fasting, prayer, and additional synagogue services. According to the Jewish sages, on the 6th of Sivan, seven weeks after the Exodus (i.e., exactly 49 days ), Moses first ascended Sinai to receive the Torah ( Shavuot ). Just forty days later, on the 17th of Tammuz , the tablets were broken. Moses then interceded for Israel for another forty days until he was called back up to Sinai on Elul 1 and received the revelation of Name YHVH ( Exod. 34:4-8 ). After this, he was given the Second Tablets and returned to the camp on Tishri 10, which later was called Yom Kippur . Moses' face was shining with radiance in wonder of the coming New Covenant which was prefigured in the rituals of the Day of Atonement ( Exod. 34:10 ). This explains why Orthodox Jews begin the "Season of Teshuvah" beginning with Elul 1 and continuing through to Tishri 10 -- for the 40 days that Moses was upon the mountain receiving the second set of tablets. Here we also find the first inkling of the Book of Life (see Rosh Hashanah ), when Moses asked to be stricken from "the Book you have written" if God would not make an atonement for his people ( Exod. 32:32-3 ). The willingness of Moses to be "stricken from the book" on the people's behalf is a powerful image of the mediating role of Yeshua our Messiah ( Heb. 9:15 ). The Meaning of the word


The Vouli is the name of the parliament in which European country?

GREEK PARLIAMENT All Publications          THE HELLENIC PARLIAMENT The Parliament is the supreme democratic institution that represents the citizens through an elected body of Members of Parliament (MPs). In the current composition the Parliament consists of 300 MPs, elected at the last general elections of September 20th, 2015. Speaker of the Parliament is currently for the 17th Parliamentary Term, Mr Nikolaos Voutsis elected with SYRIZA (Coalition of the Radical Left). The Speaker presides over parliamentary sittings, is in charge of parliamentary functions and represents Parliament in international parliamentary organizations and bilateral inter-parliamentary sittings. Ηe is in charge of all Hellenic Parliament directorates, departments and divisions and coordinates their work and activities. Virtual tour INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS The institutional role of the Parliament in shaping Greek foreign policy is acknowledged in a series of Constitutional articles and clauses as well as in its Standing Orders. Hellenic Parliament steadily promotes stronger links with other EU national parliaments and the European Parliament (EP). Given this framework, the Parliament is actively involved in meetings between EU national parliaments and the EP, exchanges views on significant European affairs and acquaints the aforementioned parliaments with its views. Parliament capitalizes on parliamentary diplomacy for building ‘bridges’ in favor of stronger cooperation between people, bringing the people closer together and encouraging an exchange of views and ideas while forging ties of friendship and promoting the image of Greece abroad.


Which television scriptwriter created the children's programmes 'The Clangers', 'Ivor the Engine' and 'Bagpuss'?

Oliver Postgate: Creator of 'Bagpuss', 'The Clangers' and 'Ivor the Engine' who turned children's television into an art form | The Independent Oliver Postgate: Creator of 'Bagpuss', 'The Clangers' and 'Ivor the Engine' who turned children's television into an art form Wednesday 10 December 2008 00:00 BST Click to follow The Independent Online As the co-creator of the animated programmes Bagpuss, The Clangers, Noggin the Nog, Pogles' Wood and Ivor the Engine, Oliver Postgate was one of a handful of pioneers who turned children's television into an art form and whose legacy is a warm nostalgia felt by grown-ups today. His calm tones were familiar as narrator of the stories, which he wrote himself and were brought to visual reality by the artist and puppeteer Peter Firmin, made by their own independent production company, Smallfilms, and shot in a disused cowshed at Firmin's home in Blean, near Canterbury. Although only 13 episodes of Bagpuss (1974) were made, they were repeated regularly until 1987. The series topped a 1999 BBC poll as Britain's favourite children's television programme and, earlier this year, the pink-and-white-striped, "saggy, old, cloth cat, baggy and a bit loose at the seams" was voted the best television animal ever. Each programme began with Postgate's familiar, magic words, which awakened the cat from his slumber: "Bagpuss, oh, Bagpuss, Oh, fat, furry cat puss, Wake up and look at this thing that we bring, Wake up, be bright, be golden and light" The cloth cat belonged to a girl called Emily, who had a "shop", Bagpuss and Co, where nothing was for sale. Emily would bring home objects to put in its old-fashioned window, where Bagpuss slept on a cushion until being roused by his owner's voice, stirring him and the other small animals and curiosities into action. In his 2000 memoirs, Seeing Things: an autobiography, Postgate wrote: "From a distance of the 25 years which have passed since we made the Bagpuss films, I have begun to be able to see how they earned that affection. They are simple, and they are well-founded in a safe place. They are full of fun and, like a good meal, they are rich and satisfying. They also stretch the mind and flex the imagination. And the songs and the pictures are marvellous." Richard Oliver Postgate was born in Hendon, Middlesex, in 1925, cousin of the actress Angela Lansbury and grandson of the pacifist Labour politician George Lansbury. His father, Raymond, was a journalist and novelist who later founded The Good Food Guide, while his mother, Daisy, was a suffragette. After attending Woodstock School and Woodhouse County Secondary School, both in London, Postgate was evacuated to Devon and finished his education at Dartington Hall School. On leaving, he had ambitions to act but was sentenced to a jail term when, as a conscientious objector – like his father – he refused to serve his country during the Second World War. However, he was released after agreeing to become a Red Cross stretcher bearer, eventually in the ruins of Germany. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1948 but never acted professionally and went through various jobs, including photographer and record-sleeve designer. His interest in animation led him to send an idea to the BBC in 1950 about a card pig that played the violin, but it was rejected. However, seven years later, he was presented with a platform for his talents when he joined the ITV London company Associated-Rediffusion as a stage manager working on children's programmes and creating props for productions including the science series New Horizon. Thinking he could improve on the programmes already being made, Postgate created Alexander the Mouse (1958), about a mouse born to be king, and narrated the 10-minute tales himself. Looking for someone to design the characters and backgrounds, he was introduced to Peter Firmin, then an art-school lecturer, and their 30-year professional partnership began. The animation was brought to life through a crude, new system whereby characters were moved by magnets positioned under the table t


In which English county is Flodden Field, the site of the famous battle of the same name?

Historic Scottish Battles - From Rampant Scotland Rampant Scotland Historic Scottish Battles For centuries, the direction of Scotland's development was influenced by the outcome of the many battles which took place on her soil - or over the Border in England. There were glorious victories and terrible defeats. Many, but not all battles, were fought against the English. And, it has to be said, it was not unknown for the Scots to initiate the contest by invading their larger neighbour! This extensive list of 40 conflicts gives an outline of many of these battles and in all cases there are links to other Websites where you can find out more. Battle of Ancrum Moor - 1545 During the "Rough Wooing" as King Henry VIII of England tried to persuade Mary Queen of Scots to marry his son, an English force marched into the Scottish Borders, destroying Melrose Abbey. The invaders were defeated at Ancrum Moor by a force only half their size consisting of Douglases, Leslies, Lindsays and Scotts. Battle of Bannockburn - 1314 An English army, led by Edward II, marching to relieve Stirling Castle, were met by King Robert the Bruce at Bannock Burn, near Stirling. The over-confident English army was soundly defeated, losing 3/4,000 men, Scottish casualties were light. King Edward II escaped back to England. Battle of Flodden - 1513 When King James V had married Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII, in 1503, he had signed a "Treaty of Everlasting Peace" between Scotland and England. But James had renewed the "Auld Alliance" with France when King Henry VIII of England had invaded France. James did not need to take action but nevertheless advanced into England, in part because Henry VIII had opened old wounds by claiming to be the overlord of Scotland which angered the Scots and the King. The Pope threatened James with ecclesiastical censure for breaking his peace treaties with England and subsequently James was excommunicated. After some minor successes he met an English army at Flodden on September 9 1513. The battle was the heaviest defeat ever experienced by a Scottish army, with the slaughter of the King and the flower of Scottish nobility - at least ten earls, countless lords and an estimated death toll of 10,000 Scots from the Highlands and the Lowlands. Battle of the Boyne - 1690 Using finance and troops supplied by Louis XIV of France, James VII made a final attempt to regain his throne. He landed in Ireland where he had a large number of supporters amongst the Catholic community. King William (of Orange) personally led an army of 30,000 men, outnumbering the Jacobites. As James advanced towards Dublin, the armies met west of Drogheda, at the river Boyne. James was defeated and fled back to France. Battle of the Braes - 1882 While perhaps not in the same league as many other battles on Scottish soil, the Battle of the Braes got a lot of publicity at the time. It arose as part of the Highland "Clearances" when a group of crofters at Braes, near Portree, refused to allow the Sheriff's Officer deliver a summons. 50 Glasgow policemen were sent to put down the "uprising" and a battle took place at Braes when 100 crofters attacked them. The ensuing court cases received a lot of publicity and helped to highlight the problems being faced by the crofting communities. Battle of Carberry Hill - 1567 A confrontation between Mary Queen of Scots and an army of lords, led by James Douglas, Earl of Morton. The lords wanted to arrest Lord Bothwell, Mary's husband, because they believed that Bothwell had been involved in the murder of Mary's second husband, Lord Darnley. After long negotiations (there was no actual fighting) Mary agreed but Bothwell fled to Orkney. A few days later, Mary was imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle. Battle of Carham - 1018 An army from Northumberland, seeking to recover Lothian which had been captured by King Malcolm II of Scotland, clashed with Malcolm at Carham on the river Tweed. The Scots were victorious and henceforth the river Tweed became accepted as the border between Scotland and England. Battle of the Clans - 1396 To


What nationality was the composer Jean Sibelius?

Jean Sibelius Biography - The Finnish Nationalist and his Music Jean Sibelius Biography The Finnish Nationalist and his Music Jean Sibelius - Finland's greatest composer. Explore his troubled life and powerful nationalist music in this biography. I'm personally very fond of Sibelius. His music has an interesting Nordic quality which captures and engages the ears. He also has a well-known music notation software program after him, which certainly counts for something... Sibelius Biography Jean Sibelius was born in 1865 in a small town in Finland. An absent-minded young boy who daydreamed a lot, he loved to read and devoured all kinds of books. It wasn't until he took up piano and later violin that his natural talent began to show. He started playing music with his siblings, studying harmony and theory on his own. He became addicted to composing music, so much that it affected his performance at school. He went to Helsinki to study law (on the surface), but ended up becoming the city's brightest young violinist and composer. Finland entrusted him with a grant to study music in Berlin. Sibelius didn't like Berlin, and went to Vienna the next year where he was satisfied and learned a lot from the best musicians and teachers of the day. He ended up back in Helsinki teaching violin and music theory. He continued composing, having small successes here and there, an even scoring a 10-year grant which eased his economic situation. But his big international breakthrough came in 1900, where a tour of his work through 13 cities awakened Europe to this astonishing new composer. His First Symphony was hailed as remarkable. Over the next few years his fame and esteem grew. He was composing popular pieces which critics also saw as masterful and innovative. But Jean Sibelius always had money problems - he lived beyond his means, and his growing family made it harder to cope. He wasted money on lavish restaurants and entertainment, and started developing an alcohol problem. In 1904 the composer and his family moved to Ainola, a small house by a lake. Sibelius started to work harder and spend less during this time, but he still had massive debts and liked to get drunk. As the years went by Sibelius became astronomically famous and exalted. In the 1920s he was hailed as a national hero of Finland. He was an international superstar conductor, one of the grandest maestros of age. But his addiction to alcohol created a black chasm in his life which gnawed away at his music. "To be able to live at all I have to consume alcohol" he wrote in his diary. The idea of an alcoholism treatment center (SPONSORED LINK) was virtually unheard of in the 19th century, when a lot of people were essentially addicted to alcohol. In 1926 he drastically cut down the time he spent composing. He only composed small-ish pieces for the next few decades, and spent more time outdoors and reading. By his 70th birthday he was the most popular living composer in the USA and Britain. He struggled with a final, 8th Symphony for many years, but ended up burning his sketches. From the 1940s until his death in 1957, Sibelius composed next to nothing. He cut his musical activities down to editing a few old pieces and reading modern musical journals. His funeral was a huge event. Mourners lined the streets, and thousands of fans paid homage to him in his coffin. He was buried in Ainola. Beethoven received a similarly grand funeral . Music Jean Sibelius's music has a unique, modern sound. At its core is the influence of Finnish folk melodies and rhythms, as well as the composer's complete mastery of orchestral colors and shades. A patriotic Finn (he refused to leave his homeland even when Russia invaded in World War II), Sibelius loved the countryside. he found immense pleasure in walking in nature, and was frequently inspired to write music from his experiences and observations in the outdoors. He was also heavily inspired by Nordic folk legends, basing a fair amount of his tone poems on old stories and literature. His style of composing changed as he got older. At first, he was