In 2003, a congestion charge was introduced to reduce traffic volumes in which city centre?

Central London Congestion Charging, England - Road Traffic Technology ANPR cameras can operate in low light using IR technology. Central London Congestion Charging, England, United Kingdom The introduction of the Central London Congestion Charging scheme has always been controversial, since it was first introduced in February 2003 to discourage traffic congestion in the city centre and push people towards public transport. Several commentators have doubted its effectiveness but its keenest proponent, former London Mayor Ken Livingstone, promoted it as a success, as he did in an article in The Guardian newspaper in February 2007 where he commented: "Each day in 2006 there were almost 70,000 fewer vehicles entering the charging zone compared to the number that had been entering each day before charging began. "The amount of traffic entering central London during charging hours has been cut by around 20%... It has contributed to the growth of cycling, with more people than ever before travelling by bike - there has been a 72% increase in the number of cyclists on the capital's major roads since 2000." How the congestion charge scheme worked at first The congestion charge was enforced within a definite road traffic boundary in the City of London. When initially introduced in February 2003, motorists were charged £5 a day to drive through London between the hours of 7am and 6.30pm. The charge is enforced by a network of cameras situated at entry and exit points to the charging zone and at key locations within the zone itself. Cameras record images of traffic and send them to a central processor to have their number plates read and checked against the list of vehicles that have been paid for. Unless a pass had been purchased in advance or was bought before midnight on the day of travel, the vehicle's registered owner was forced to pay a fine. The charge could be paid via internet, a paypoint at a designated retail outlet, call centre or by mobile phone. A novel second chance for drivers who forgot to pay by midnight of the day they travel into London was the Pay Next Day scheme. The charge was increased to £10 but the driver has until midnight of the next day to call the Transport for London call centre to pay and avoid a penalty charge notice. Increased London congestion charges after initial introduction In February 2007 the congestion charge was increased to £8 a day and the hours were reduced by half an hour to 6pm. The hours were reduced to stimulate the theatre, restaurant and bar trade in the city, which according to Ken Livingstone had not been affected by the earlier introduction of the congestion charge. In May 2006, in a live TV debate, Livingstone supported a rise in the charge to £10 by 2008. An increase in charges was calculated according to the carbon dioxide emissions of the vehicle, with four wheel drives (4X4s) and larger sports utility vehicles expected to pay £25 a day. In January 2011 the congestion charges were revised again. If one paid in advance or on the day of travel, then the charge was £10. If paid on the next day of travel, one would pay £12 and if one paid through the congestion charging auto-pay system then the charge was just £9. The discounts and exemptions remained unchanged. Exemptions to the charges There are several groups of users and vehicles which were exempt from the Central London Congestion Charging scheme. These included disabled drivers, licensed taxis, minicabs and public service vehicles, motorbikes, mopeds and scooters and emergency service vehicles. Also, residents in the congestion charging zone paid only ten percent of the charge (£4 a week instead of £8 a day) and cars that are diverted into the zone are not be charged so long as they do not deviate from the diversion. In addition to this, 'green' cars using alternative fuels (gas, electric, fuel cells and bi/dual fuel vehicles) are exempt from the charge. When the congestion charge becomes based on emissions, owners of larger polluting vehicles living in London receive no discount and would have to pay the full £25 a day, w


"A hit for the Marvelettes, the Beatles and the Carpenters was ""Please Mr who?"

Please Mr Postman - The Marvelettes/The Beatles - Oldies Refreshed - YouTube Please Mr Postman - The Marvelettes/The Beatles - Oldies Refreshed 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 Jun 14, 2011 Please Mr Postman was a huge hit in the US for The Marvelettes but not in the UK. Many of the British groups, just emerging at the time, started singing the song and The Beatles put their version on their second UK album This is my version which I hope is influenced by both versions. Later The Carpenters did a sweet pop version that was also a hit. Category


What system, developed for military use, was made fully available to the public from midnight 1 May 2000 on the orders of US President Bill Clinton?

Satellite Navigation - GPS - Presidential Policy Satellite Navigation - GPS - Presidential Policy Selective Availability Presidential Policy As GPS has gained in popularity, several policy documents have       been issued to govern the use of GPS. May 1, 2000 STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT REGARDING       THE UNITED STATES' DECISION TO STOP DEGRADING       GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM ACCURACY Today, I am pleased to announce that the United States will stop       the intentional degradation of the Global Positioning System (GPS)       signals available to the public beginning at midnight tonight. We       call this degradation feature Selective Availability (SA). This will       mean that civilian users of GPS will be able to pinpoint locations       up to ten times more accurately than they do now. GPS is a dual-use,       satellite-based system that provides accurate location and timing       data to users worldwide. My March 1996 Presidential Decision Directive       included in the goals for GPS to: encourage acceptance and integration       of GPS into peaceful civil, commercial and scientific applications       worldwide; and to encourage private sector investment in and use of       U.S. GPS technologies and services. To meet these goals, I committed       the U.S. to discontinuing the use of SA by 2006 with an annual assessment       of its continued use beginning this year. The decision to discontinue SA is the latest measure in an on-going       effort to make GPS more responsive to civil and commercial users worldwide.       Last year, Vice President Gore announced our plans to modernize GPS       by adding two new civilian signals to enhance the civil and commercial       service. This initiative is on-track and the budget further advances       modernization by incorporating some of the new features on up to 18       additional satellites that are already awaiting launch or are in production.       We will continue to provide all of these capabilities to worldwide       users free of charge. My decision to discontinue SA was based upon a recommendation by       the Secretary of Defense in coordination with the Departments of State,       Transportation, Commerce, the Director of Central Intelligence, and       other Executive Branch Departments and Agencies. They realized that       worldwide transportation safety, scientific, and commercial interests       could best be served by discontinuation of SA. Along with our commitment       to enhance GPS for peaceful applications, my administration is committed       to preserving fully the military utility of GPS. The decision to discontinue       SA is coupled with our continuing efforts to upgrade the military       utility of our systems that use GPS, and is supported by threat assessments       which conclude that setting SA to zero at this time would have minimal       impact on national security. Additionally, we have demonstrated the       capability to selectively deny GPS signals on a regional basis when       our national security is threatened. This regional approach to denying       navigation services is consistent with the 1996 plan to discontinue       the degradation of civil and commercial GPS service globally through       the SA technique. Originally developed by the Department of Defense as a military system,       GPS has become a global utility. It benefits users around the world       in many different applications, including air, road, marine, and rail       navigation, telecommunications, emergency response, oil exploration,       mining, and many more. Civilian users will realize a dramatic improvement       in GPS accuracy with the discontinuation of SA. For example, emergency       teams responding to a cry for help can now d


"What are the ""White Cliffs of Dover"" made of?"

BBC - Seven Wonders - White Cliffs of Dover South East | White Cliffs of Dover But now to the winner, voted by the people of the South East as top of     the Seven wonders - the White Cliffs of Dover. This is an iconic place, one of those natural monuments that defines     what it is to be British. For almost 1,000 years, Dover Castle, perched on top of the white cliffs,     has stared back at those who may have cast an envious eye at England from     only 20 miles away. But why are the cliffs so white? Well they are made up of billions of     the crushed shells of tiny sea creatures. A hundred and fifty million years ago in the cretaceous period, these     organisms gradually settled in shallow seas. The sediments built up were gradually lifted to form the chalk cliffs. These are eroded by the sea, keeping them white. But where the sea cannot reach the cliffs because of beach and sea defences,     then erosion stops and the cliffs become vegetated with trees and shrubs. White Cliffs of Dover Facts address: Dover TIC, The Old Town       Gaol, Biggin, Dover, Kent, CT16 1DL tel:


"Who plays Susan Mayer in the US TV series ""Desperate Housewives""?"

Desperate Housewives - Show News, Reviews, Recaps and Photos - TV.com EDIT One day, in the loveliest of suburbs, housewife and mother Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong) decided to take her own life. Now, from her elevated state of point of view, Mary Alice introduces us to the lives of her friends, neighbors andfamily members living in the idyllic Wisteria Lane, a street where the lawns are green, the houses are pretty, the people are nice... and the secrets are deadly. Her circle of girlfriends on Wisteria Lane includes: Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher), an accident-prone hopeless romantic, always on the search of her happy ending; Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman), a harried mother who gave up on her successful career to become the full-time carer for her vast offspring; Bree Van de Kamp (Marcia Cross), coined "Martha Stewart-on-steroids", a perfectionist home fairy who strives to uphold an immaculate appearance; and Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria), a former top model turned trophy wife, who must adjust to a slightly more low-key life in the suburbs. From her unique vantage point, Mary Alice sees more now than she ever did alive, and she's planning to share all the delicious secrets that hide behind every neighbor's closed door in this seemingly perfect American suburb. Desperate Housewives stars Brenda Strong as Mary Alice Young, Teri Hatcher as Susan Mayer, Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo, Marcia Cross as Bree Van de Kamp, Eva Longoria as Gabrielle Solis, Ricardo Antonio Chavira as Carlos Solis, James Denton as Mike Delfino, Doug Savant as Tom Scavo, Nicollette Sheridan as Edie Britt (seasons 1-5), Andrea Bowen as Julie Mayer, Kyle MacLachlan as Orson Hodge (seasons 3-6), Kathryn Joosten as Karen McCluskey, Shawn Pyfrom as Andrew Van de Kamp, Madison De La Garza as Juanita Solis (seasons 5-8), Mark Moses as Paul Young (seasons 1-2; 7), Dana Delany as Katherine Mayfair (seasons 4-6), Kevin Rahm as Lee McDermott (seasons 4-8), Tuc Watkins as Bob Hunter (seasons 4-8), and Vanessa Williams as Renee Perry (seasons 7-8). Marc Cherry (" The Golden Girls ") was executive producer and creator. Desperate Housewives was produced by Touchstone Television and was the winner of both the 2005 and 2006 Golden Globe Award for "Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy". moreless


One of the oldest mountain ranges in the world lies along the east of the USA and Canada, and is called the...?

US Geography: Mountain Ranges Mountain Ranges The three major mountain ranges of the US are the Appalachian Mountains, the Rocky Mountains, and the Sierra Nevada. Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains run for 1,500 miles along the east coast of the United States from northern Alabama to Maine. The highest point of the Appalachians is 6,684 feet at Mount Mitchell in North Carolina . The Appalachians are part of a temperate forest biome and are mostly covered with a variety of trees including pine trees, spruce, birch, and maple trees. Animals that can be found in the Appalachians include squirrels, cottontail rabbits, white-tailed deer, wolves, beavers, black bears, and the red-tailed hawk . The Appalachians played an important role in the early history of the United States. They served as a barrier to expansion for the first colonies. At one point, Britain made a deal with the Native American tribes that colonists would not settle beyond the Appalachian Mountains. However, people soon found passes through the mountains and blazed trails beyond the mountains such as Daniel Boone's Wilderness Trail. Some of the smaller ranges within the Appalachians include the Great Smoky Mountains, the Blue Ridge Mountains, Green Mountains, White Mountains, Longfellow Mountains, and the Berkshires. Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains form the longest mountain range in North America and the second longest range in the world. They stretch 3,000 miles north-to-south from New Mexico, across the United States to Montana, and well into Canada. The highest point of the Rockies is Mount Elbert in Colorado which rises 14,440 feet above sea level. The Continental Divide for North America is located along the Rocky Mountains. It is at this point that water flows either to the Atlantic Ocean in the east or to the Pacific Ocean in the west. The Rockies are known for their distinct seasons with warm, rainy summers and cold snowy winters. Much of the Rocky Mountains is covered with forests of spruces trees, pines, oaks, junipers, and firs. A wide variety of wildlife can be found in the Rockies including bighorn sheep, badgers, grizzly bears, black bears, coyotes, elk, bighorn sheep, and white-tailed deer. Rocky Mountains Within the Rocky Mountains are several smaller ranges including the Big Horn Mountains, the Front Range, the Wasatch Mountains, and the Bitterroot Range. There are several national parks protecting areas of the Rockies such as Yellowstone National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and Glacier National Park. The Rocky Mountains are considered fold mountains . This means that they were formed at a point where two of the Earth's tectonic plates meet. Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada Mountain Range runs north-to-south along the west coast of the United States mostly in the state of California and some in the state of Nevada. It is around 400 miles long and 70 miles wide. The highest point in the Sierra Nevada Mountains is Mount Whitney at 14,505 feet, which is also the tallest mountain in the lower 48 United States. The largest trees in the world, the giant sequoia trees, live in the Sierra Nevada. They can grow up to 270 feet tall and over 25 feet in diameter. Some of these trees are believed to be over 3,000 years old. The Sierra Nevada is also home to Yosemite National Park and Lake Tahoe. The Sierra Nevada Mountains are fault-block mountains, meaning they were formed along a fault in the Earth's crust. Other Ranges Adirondacks - The Adirondacks is a mountain range in northeast New York. The highest point is Mount Marcy at 5,344 feet. The Adirondack Park is the largest state park in the United States at over 6 million acres. Brooks Range - The Brooks Range stretches over 700 miles across northern Alaska. Its highest point is Mount Chamberlin at 9,020 feet. Cascade Range - The Cascade Range runs for 700 miles along the northwest coast of the United States and into Canada. The highest point is Mount Rainier at 14,411 feet. It is considered part of the Ring of Fire which is a number of volcanic mountai


Chainmail was a precursor to what popular board game first published in 1974?

History: Forty Years of Adventure | Dungeons & Dragons Shares Tweets + Forty Years of Adventure Dungeons & Dragons influenced so many games that followed in different media and genres, but it has remained a vital product in its own right, appearing in diverse editions, media, and languages, as well as spinning off into literature, film, television, and the Internet. It has been a source of inspiration for artists of many kinds, but more importantly it has enriched the lives of tens of millions around the globe, offering a chance for anyone to experience fantastic roles and situations very different from everyday life. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, and the release of an eagerly-awaited new edition, this timeline shows some important dates in the development, elaboration, and the triumph of Dungeons & Dragons. 1967 The International Federation of Wargaming (IFW), founded by Gary Gygax and others, provides a venue for wargame fans to exchange ideas and amateur game designs. 1968 Gygax hosts the first Lake Geneva Wargames Convention, or Gen Con, in the Horticultural Hall of his home town of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, as an IFW event. 1969 Gygax meets Dave Arneson at the second Gen Con, and the two express a mutual interest in collaborating on game rules. 1970 The Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association, a small local wargames club, is founded. Initial membership includes Gygax and Don Kaye. Due to his growing interest in the medieval period, Gygax forms the Castle & Crusade Society, a subgroup of the IFW focused on medieval wargaming. Members are assigned property in an imaginary continent called the Great Kingdom. Arneson joins shortly thereafter. 1971 Chainmail, written by Gygax and Jeff Perren, is published by Guidon Games. It details fantastic medieval miniature warfare including wizards, heroes, and dragons. Arneson uses Chainmail as rules for his Blackmoor fantasy campaign situated in the Great Kingdom, including forays into a dungeon of monsters and treasure. 1972 In the summer, Arneson publishes “Facts about Black Moor” via issue #13 of the Castle & Crusade Society newsletter, the Domesday Book, which brings his activities to a wider audience. Later in the year, Arneson demonstrates the Blackmoor game for Gygax in Lake Geneva; Dave Megarry then demonstrates his own “Dungeons of Pasha Cada,” later to be published as Dungeon! 1973 Gygax and Arneson collaborate on drafts of Dungeons & Dragons. Gygax and Kaye form a partnership called Tactical Studies Rules. Brian Blume joins Tactical Studies Rules to help produce the Dungeons & Dragons game. 1974 Dungeons & Dragons is first published in January as three booklets shipping in a woodgrain-colored cardboard box: Men & Magic, Monsters & Treasure, and Underworld & Wilderness Adventures. Within eleven months, the entire hand-assembled print run of 1,000 games sells out. 1975 Tactical Studies Rules dissolves and a new company forms: TSR Hobbies, Inc. A second 1,000 set printing of Dungeons & Dragons sells out in just under six months, followed quickly by a third printing of 2,000, all sold before the new year. The Dungeons & Dragons supplement Greyhawk specifies the Thief and Paladin classes; its sequel Blackmoor introduces the Monk and Assassin. Origins I hosts the first major Dungeons & Dragons convention tournament, later to be published as the adventure module S1: Tomb of Horrors. TSR Hobbies sponsors Gen Con for the first time. 1976 For a fourth printing of 5,000 copies, Dungeons & Dragons switches to the white box that will be used for future printings of the original game. The first professional magazine devoted to fantasy and science fiction gaming is published: The Dragon, which begins bi-monthly publication in June. D&D supplements III and IV—Eldritch Wizardry and Gods, Demi-Gods, and Heroes—are introduced. 1977 Dungeons & Dragons is divided into Basic and Advanced versions. The D&D Basic Set edited by J. Eric Holmes becomes the first Dungeons & Dragons boxed set to ship with dice included. TSR Hobbies publishes the Monster Manual, the f


Possession of what was made illegal in California, the first part of the USA to do so, on 6 October 1966?

The History of Illegal Drugs in America The History of Illegal Drugs in America Posted on Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012 at 6:09 pm. Written by Casa Palmera Staff Drug abuse and addiction has been a social problem in America for nearly a century. What may be surprising is that many of these illegal drugs were first introduced by doctors as legal over-the-counter and prescription medications. Here’s more about the history of illegal drugs in America. [Courtesy of PBS.org] History of Marijuana in America Perhaps one of the oldest drugs in American history is marijuana, which was grown by the Jamestown settlers around 1600. Before the Civil War marijuana was a major source of revenue for the U.S., and marijuana plantations flourished during the 19th century. Marijuana was widely used as a medicinal drug from 1850 to 1937 and could even be purchased over the counter in pharmacies and general stores. Marijuana became an attractive alternative to alcohol after the price of alcohol was raised in 1920. In the 1930s, studies began to emerge that linked marijuana use by lower class communities to crime and violence, leading to the eventual banning of marijuana in 1937. In the 1960s, marijuana use became a popular drug of choice among white Beatniks, and stricter penalties for marijuana offenses were passed under the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970. Since then, citizens and politicians alike have pushed to have marijuana decriminalized, but it remains an illegal drug in the U.S. Marijuana was, however, legalized for medical use in California in 1966 for people with serious illnesses, and medical marijuana still remains legal in some states. History of Methamphetamine in America The stimulant amphetamine first became popular in the medical community in the 1920s, where it was used for stimulating the central nervous system, raising blood pressure, and enlarging nasal passages. Amphetamines were widely distributed to soldiers during World War II to combat fatigue and improve endurance and mood, and were prescribed by doctors after the war to help fight depression. Amphetamine abuse began during the 1930s when it became an over-the-counter inhalant drug marketed under the name Benzedrine. As more and more people legally used amphetamines, an illegal black market began to emerge. Illegal amphetamines were used commonly by truck drivers who wanted to stay alert on long commutes and athletes looking to improve their performance. Students also began taking illicit amphetamines to help them study. The practice of injecting amphetamines gained popularity in the 1960s, which led the emergence of underground labs that were mainly controlled by outlaw motorcycle groups. During the 1970s, amphetamine use began to decline due to increased public awareness of its dangers and remained on a decline until the 1990s when crystal methamphetamine, a smokable form of methamphetamine, emerged. Since then, crystal meth has remained a popular drug of choice for three main types of users: high school and college students; blue-collar Caucasians; and unemployed persons in their 20s and 30s. History of Cocaine in America Cocaine was a popular medical drug in Europe for decades before it became popular in America. In 1886, “Coca-Cola” was introduced and contained syrup derived from coca leaves. That same year the Surgeon-General of the United States Army endorsed medical use of cocaine. Over the next few decades various unregulated medicinal “tonics” were sold in the U.S. containing cocaine, and hundreds of Hollywood silent movies depicted scenes of cocaine use. By 1902 there were an estimated 200,000 cocaine addicts in the U.S. Cocaine was finally outlawed in 1914 and declined in usage over the decades until it regained popularity in the 1970s as a recreational, glamorized drug, eventually reaching its peak in 1982 with 10.4 million users. Some U.S. media declared cocaine as non-addictive and it was viewed as a relatively harmless drug until the emergence of crack in 1985. History of Crack Cocaine in America Crack, a form of cocaine


Between April and July 1997 Andrew Cunanan killed 5 people (beginning with Jeffrey Trail in Minneapolis, David Madson, near Rush City, Minnesota, Lee Miglin in Chicago, William Reese in Pennsville, New Jersey) before shooting himself. Who was his 5th victim, shot in Miami Beach, Florida?

The Killer's Trail | Vanity Fair Twitter In Miami’s pagan, over-the-top South Beach, particularly among the large gay contingent, Gianni Versace had been a tanned, adored idol. Now the emperor lay dead, gunned down almost Mob-style on the steps of his lavish Mediterranean villa, shot in the head and face in broad daylight. The [#image: /photos/54cc0c54998d4de83ba4c613]prime suspect, dressed in nondescript shorts and a baseball cap, came in close for the kill and then coolly walked away along Ocean Drive. He knew very well that the act of murdering Versace, the Calabrian-born designer whose flamboyant clothes virtually defined “hot,” who tarted up the likes of Princess Diana and Elizabeth Hurley but whose gowns also made Madonna and Courtney Love more elegant, would instantly catapult him to where he had always fantasized being: at the center of worldwide attention. Until recently, Andrew Cunanan, 27, was just a gay gigolo down on his luck in San Diego. A voracious reader with a reported genius-level I.Q., he coveted the lifestyles of the rich and famous. He tracked possible sugar daddies with care and would say with a pout that he didn’t know whether to fly to New York or Paris for dinner. He could describe the texture and delicacy of the blowfish he claimed to have eaten at an $850 Japanese lunch. Or he could say of a work of art what year it had been painted, who had owned it through the centuries, what churches it had hung in. His wit was biting, his memory photographic. Cunanan’s story is a singular study in promise crushed. Wherever he went, he craved the limelight and aspired to the top, whether through charm or falsehood. In the end he reached an exclusive pinnacle that provided him with the celebrity he had always sought: he became America’s most wanted fugitive. More than a dozen law-enforcement bodies, including the F.B.I., were seeking to question him not only about Versace’s murder but also about four others that took place between April 27 and May 9. The sadistic savagery of those crimes reverberated throughout America’s gay communities. Two of Cunanan’s alleged victims, Jeffrey Trail, 28, and David Madson, 33, looked as if they had walked off a Kellogg’s Corn Flakes box: from upright, loving, midwestern families, they were intelligent, handsome, and well liked. Cunanan considered Trail, a graduate of the Naval Academy at Annapolis, to be his best friend, and referred to him as “my brother.” Madson, a rising architect, was the great unrequited love of Cunanan’s life. Although they had broken up in the spring of 1996, Cunanan still kept Madson’s picture taped to his refrigerator door. The third victim, esteemed in Chicago political and social circles, was much older and very rich, a type Cunanan was known to research carefully. Real-estate tycoon Lee Miglin, 75, also professed to have been happily married for 38 years. The Miglin family has vociferously denied that Lee or his 25-year-old son, Duke, a fledgling actor in Hollywood who has a bit part in this summer’s Air Force One, ever met Cunanan. The fourth dead man, William Reese, a 45-year-old caretaker of a Civil War cemetery in New Jersey with a wife and son, is considered by clinicians who study serial killers a “functional homicide.” Unlike the other victims, Reese was probably murdered simply for his 1995 red Chevrolet pickup truck. Trail, Madson, and Miglin, however, carried the personal signature of what criminologists call a “pathological, sadistic sexual offender.” The killer’s trail ended on July 23, when a caretaker checking on an unoccupied houseboat anchored off Collins Avenue, less than three miles north of Versace’s mansion, discovered someone inside and heard a shot. He immediately notified police, who moved in a swat team and lobbed tear gas into the houseboat. It took more than 12 hours for police to announce that they had finally found the body of Andrew Cunanan in a second-floor bedroom. They said that he had shot himself in the mouth and left no suicide note. By hiding in Miami after Versace’s murder, Cunanan had broken his usual patter


What was the title of the 2001 film that was a sequel to The Silence of the Lambs?

Hannibal (2001) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Living in exile, Hannibal Lecter tries to reconnect with now disgraced FBI agent Clarice Starling and finds himself a target for revenge from a powerful victim. Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 38 titles created 26 Mar 2011 a list of 36 titles created 03 Jul 2012 a list of 45 titles created 07 Oct 2012 a list of 23 titles created 18 Mar 2013 a list of 29 titles created 18 Jul 2014 Search for " Hannibal " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. 8 wins & 16 nominations. See more awards  » Videos A retired FBI agent with psychological gifts is assigned to help track down "The Tooth Fairy", a mysterious serial killer; aiding him is imprisoned criminal genius Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter. Director: Brett Ratner After the death of his parents during World War II, young Hannibal Lecter moves in with his beautiful aunt and begins plotting revenge on the barbarians responsible for his sister's death. Director: Peter Webber A young F.B.I. cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims. Director: Jonathan Demme Former FBI profiler Will Graham returns to service to pursue a deranged serial murderer named "the Tooth Fairy" by the media. Director: Michael Mann An American seminary student travels to Italy to take an exorcism course. Director: Mikael Håfström Explores the early relationship between the renowned psychiatrist and his patient, a young FBI criminal profiler, who is haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers. Stars: Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas An attorney, intent on climbing the career ladder toward success, finds an unlikely opponent in a manipulative criminal he is trying to prosecute. Director: Gregory Hoblit A covert counter-terrorist unit called Black Cell led by Gabriel Shear wants the money to help finance their war against international terrorism, but it's all locked away. Gabriel brings in convicted hacker Stanley Jobson to help him. Director: Dominic Sena Two NYC cops arrest a Yakuza member and must escort him when he's extradited to Japan. Director: Ridley Scott The vampire comes to England to seduce a visitor's fiancée and inflict havoc in the foreign land. Director: Francis Ford Coppola Teenage boys discover discipline and camaraderie on an ill-fated sailing voyage. Director: Ridley Scott Balian of Ibelin travels to Jerusalem during the crusades of the 12th century, and there he finds himself as the defender of the city and its people. Director: Ridley Scott Edit Storyline The continuing saga of Hannibal Lecter, the murdering cannibal. He is presently in Italy and works as a curator at a museum. Clarice Starling, the FBI agent whom he aided to apprehend a serial killer, was placed in charge of an operation but when one of her men botches it, she's called to the mat by the Bureau. One high ranking official, Paul Krendler has it in for her. But she gets a reprieve because Mason Verger, one of Lecter's victims who is looking to get back at Lecter for what Lecter did to him, wants to use Starling to lure him out. When Lecter sends her a note she learns that he's in Italy so she asks the police to keep an eye out for him. But a corrupt policeman who wants to get the reward that Verger placed on him, tells Verger where he is. But they fail to get him. Later Verger decides to frame Starling which makes Lecter return to the States. And the race to get Lecter begins. Written by rcs0411@yahoo.com The silence will be broken. See more  » Genres: Rated R for strong gruesome violence, some nudity and language | See all certifications  » Parents Guide: 9 February 2001 (USA) See more  » Also Known As: The Silence


"The phrase ""Crossing the Rubicon"" is associated with which historical figure?"

What the Expression "Crossing the Rubicon" Means Updated March 30, 2016. Definition: To cross the Rubicon means to take an irrevocable step that commits one to a specific course. When Caesar was about to cross, he quoted from a play by Menander to say "let the die be cast." But what kind of die was Caesar casting and what decision was he making? When Julius Caesar led his troops from Gaul in January of 49 B.C., he paused on the northern end of a bridge, debating whether to cross or not the Rubicon, a river separating  Cisalpine Gaul  from Italy. When he was making this decision, Caesar was contemplating committing a heinous crime. If he brought his troops into Italy , he'd be violating his role as a provincial authority and would essentially be declaring himself an enemy of the state and the Senate, fomenting civil war. But if he didn't bring his troops into Italy, Caesar - already dubbed an outlaw - would be forced to relinquish his command and probably go into exile, giving up the military glory and the political future over which he'd massacred the Gauls. continue reading below our video What are the Seven Wonders of the World Caesar definitely debated for a while about what to do. He realized how important his decision was, especially since Rome had already undergone tons of civil dispute  a few decades earlier. According to Suetonius, Caesar quipped, "Even yet we may draw back; but once cross yon little bridge, and the whole issue is with the sword." Plutarch reports that he spent time with his friends "estimating the great evils for all mankind which would follow their passage of the river, and the wide fame of it which they would leave to posterity."  But when Caesar saw an apparition of a beautiful being striding across the river and blowing a trumpet, he knew what to do, or so Suetonius claimed.  For more information, check out: Rawson, Elizabeth. "Caesar: civil war and dictatorship." The Last Age of the Roman Republic , 146–43 b.c.; Eds. J. A. Crook, Andrew Lintott and Elizabeth Rawson. Cambridge University Press, 1992. -Edited by Carly Silver


In which country are the cities of Bishkek, Batken, Karakol, Naryn, Osh and Jalal-Abad?

Getting around | Trip to Kyrgyzstan Menu Getting around There are many ways to get around the country. You can easily get to southern cities of Osh, Jalal-Abad, Batken or Isfana in one hour by plane. In summer you can get from Bishkek to Balikchi by train and the entire trip you will enjoy the amazing mountainous scenery around. Such an adventure on the train will not leave someone indifferent. Other opportunity is rent a car in specific agencies or order with driver, you can rent jeep for any duration at a relatively inexpensive price. This is a great opportunity to make a fascinating jeep tour in Kyrgyzstan.  Transport services in Kyrgyzstan on a comfortable SUV (2015-2016): Ski bases


In the USA there is a national holiday annually on the third Monday in January, in honour of whom?

Cultural and religious observances - Diversity and Inclusion - Missouri State University Cultural and Religious Observances Accreditation and Program Review Cultural and religious observances One of the characteristics of a University that subscribes to inclusive excellence is an appreciation for dates and events that are important to a wide range of cultures and religions. Below is a listing of events to serve as a resource for all and a tool for those planning events. Action items to address faith-based and other scheduling conflicts (PDF) We ask that you share with us any widely recognized cultural or religious observances you believe should be included on this calendar. Your input will help ensure that these observances are available as another educational tool for the enrichment of campus and area community. Gatan-sai (New Years) Religion/Culture: Shinto Gantan-sai is the Shinto celebration of the new year (oshogatsu). This day is one of the most popular for shrine visits, and many pray for inner renewal, health, and prosperity.  PBS Multifaith Calendar Upcoming events January 1 of every year Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God Religion/Culture: Catholic Eight days after the feast of the birth of Christ, we remember the Blessed Virgin Mary by celebrating her divine motherhood. As the Mother of God, Mary is known as Theotokos, which means the "God-Bearer". It is fitting to honor Mary as Mother of Jesus, following the birth of Christ. When Catholics celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, we are not only honoring Mary, who was chosen among all women throughout history to bear God incarnate, but we are also honoring our Lord, who is fully God and fully human. Calling Mary "Mother of God" is the highest honor we can give her. It is a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics, who should attend Mass on this day. Upcoming events January 1 of every year Epiphany/Three Kings Day Religion/Culture: Christian In western Christian tradition, January 6 is celebrated as Epiphany. It goes by other names in various church traditions. In Hispanic and Latin culture, as well as some places in Europe, it is known as Three Kings' Day (Span: el Dia de los Tres Reyes, la Fiesta de Reyes, or el Dia de los Reyes Magos; Dutch: Driekoningendag). It is a day in which we celebrate the three wise men coming to visit Jesus. They brought Him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. In Latin America this day we celebrate by bringing gifts to family and friends. Epiphany is the climax of the Advent/Christmas season and the Twelve Days of Christmas, which are usually counted from the evening of December 25th until the morning of January 6th, which is the Twelfth Day. In following this older custom of counting the days beginning at sundown, the evening of January 5th is the Twelfth Night. This is an occasion for feasting in some cultures, including the baking of a special King's Cake as part of the festivities of Epiphany (a King's Cake is part of the observance of Mardi Gras in French Catholic culture of the Southern USA).   More information Upcoming events January 6 of every year Russian Orthodox Christmas Religion/Culture: Eastern Christian Since the fall of the Soviet Union, January 7th has become an official national holiday. This is the date of the Russian Orthodox Christmas; Nativity of Christ; celebration. Many Orthodox Christian traditions have adopted December 25th for their Nativity or Christmas celebration which culminates with the observance of Theophany (Feast of the Manifestation), the Baptism of Our Lord, on January 6th; January 20th on the old calendar.  More information Upcoming events January 7 of every year Makar Sankranti Religion/Culture: Hindu Makar Sankranti is one of the most auspicious days for the Hindus, and is celebrated in almost all parts of the country in myriad cultural forms, with great devotion, fervor and gaiety. The festival of Makar Sankranti traditionally coincides with the beginning of the sun's northward journey (the Uttarayan) when it enters the sign of Makr (the Capricorn). It falls on the 14th of January ev


In 1768, Joshua Reynolds became the first president of what British institution?

Sir Joshua Reynolds | British painter | Britannica.com Sir Joshua Reynolds William Hogarth Sir Joshua Reynolds, (born July 16, 1723, Plympton, Devon , England —died February 23, 1792, London ), portrait painter and aesthetician who dominated English artistic life in the middle and late 18th century. Through his art and teaching, he attempted to lead British painting away from the indigenous anecdotal pictures of the early 18th century toward the formal rhetoric of the continental Grand Style. With the founding of the Royal Academy in 1768, Reynolds was elected its first president and knighted by King George III . Sir Joshua Reynolds, detail of self-portrait, oil on panel, 1780; in the Royal Academy of Arts, … Royal Academy of Arts, London Early life Reynolds attended the Plympton grammar school of which his father, a clergyman, was master. The young Reynolds became well read in the writings of classical antiquity and throughout his life was to be much interested in literature, counting many of the finest British authors of the 18th century among his closest friends. Reynolds early aspired to become an artist, and in 1740 he was apprenticed for four years in London to Thomas Hudson , a conventional portraitist and the pupil and son-in-law of Jonathan Richardson. In 1743 he returned to Devon and began painting at Plymouth naval portraits that reveal his inexperience. Returning to London for two years in 1744, he began to acquire a knowledge of the old masters and an independent style marked by bold brushwork and the use of impasto, a thick surface texture of paint, such as in his portrait of Captain the Honourable John Hamilton (1746). Back in Devon in 1746, he painted a large group portrait of the Eliot family (c. 1746/47), which clearly indicates that he had studied the large-scale portrait of the Pembroke family (1634–35) by the Flemish Baroque painter Sir Anthony Van Dyck , whose style of portrait painting influenced English portraiture throughout the 18th century. In 1749 Reynolds sailed with his friend Augustus Keppel to Minorca, one of the Balearic Islands off the Mediterranean coast of Spain. A fall from a horse detained him for five months and permanently scarred his lip—the scar being a prominent feature in his subsequent self-portraits. From Minorca he went to Rome, where he remained for two years, devoting himself to studying the great masterpieces of ancient Greco-Roman sculpture and of Italian painting. The impressions that he retained from this visit were to inspire his paintings and his Discourses for the rest of his life, for he felt that it was by allying painting with scholarship that he could best achieve his ambition of raising the status of his profession back in England. While returning home via Florence, Bologna, and Venice, he became absorbed by the compositions and colour of the great Renaissance Venetian painters of the 16th century: Titian, Jacopo Tintoretto, and Paolo Veronese . The Venetian tradition’s emphasis on colour and the effect of light and shading had a lasting influence on Reynolds, and, although all his life he preached the need for young artists to study the sculptural definition of form characteristic of Florentine and Roman painters, his own works are redolent of the Venetian style. Later years Leap Second In 1753 Reynolds settled in London, where he was to live for the rest of his life. His success was assured from the first, and by 1755 he was employing studio assistants to help him execute the numerous portrait commissions he received. The early London portraits have a vigour and naturalness about them that is perhaps best exemplified in a likeness of Honourable Augustus Keppel (1753–54). The pose is not original, being a reversal of the Apollo Belvedere , an ancient Roman copy of a mid-4th-century-bc Hellenistic statue Reynolds had seen in the Vatican. But the fact that the subject (who was a British naval officer) is shown striding along the seashore introduced a new kind of vigour into the tradition of English portraiture. In these first years in London, Reynolds’s knowledg


What is the process of decreasing or eliminating an unwanted magnetic field, a term first used by Commander Charles F. Goodeve, RCNVR, during World War II while trying to counter German mines?

Degaussing D Degaussing Degaussing is the process of decreasing or eliminating an unwanted magnetic field. It is named after Carl Friedrich Gauss, an early researcher in the field of magnetism. Due to magnetic hysteresis it is generally not possible to reduce a magnetic field completely to zero, so degaussing typically induces a very small "known" field referred to as bias. Degaussing ship's hulls The term was first used by (then) Cmdr. Charles F. Goodeve, RCNVR, during World War II while trying to counter the German magnetic mines that were playing havoc with the British fleet. The mines detected the increase in magnetic field when the steel in a ship concentrated the Earth's magnetic field over it. Goodeve developed a number of systems to induce a small "N-pole up" field into the ship to offset this effect, meaning that the net field was the same as background. Since the Germans used the gauss as the unit of the strength of the magnetic field in their mines' triggers (this was not yet a standard measure), Goodeve referred to the various processes to counter the mines as degaussing. The term became a common word. The original method of degaussing was to install electromagnetic coils into the ships, known simply as coiling. In addition to being able to continually bias the ship, coiling also allowed the bias field to be reversed in the southern hemisphere, where the mines were set to detect "S-pole down" fields. British ships, notably cruisers and battleships, were well protected by about 1943. Installing such special equipment was, however, far too expensive and difficult to service all ships that would need it, so the navy developed an alternative called wiping (also devised by Goodeve), which simply dragged a large electrical cable along the side of the ship with about 2000 amps flowing through it. This induced the proper field into the ship in the form of a slight bias. It was originally thought that the pounding of the sea and the ship's engines would slowly randomize this field, but in testing this was found not to be a real problem. A more serious problem was later realized: as a ship travels through the Earth's magnetic field it will slowly pick up that field, counteracting the effects of the degaussing. From then on captains were instructed to change direction as often as possible to avoid this problem. Nevertheless the bias did wear off eventually, and ships had to be degaussed on a schedule. Smaller ships continued to use wiping through the war. After the war the capabilities of the magnetic fuses were greatly improved, by detecting not the field itself, but changes in it. This meant a degaussed ship with a magnetic "hot spot" would still set off the mine. Additionally, the precise orientation of the field was also measured, something a simple bias field could not remove, at least for all points on the ship. A series of ever-increasingly complex coils were introduced to offset these effects, with modern systems including no fewer than three separate sets of coils to reduce the field in all axes. The US Navy tested in April 2009 a prototype of its High Temperature Superconducting Degaussing Coil System referred to as HTS Degaussing. The system works by encircling the vessel with superconducting ceramic cables whose purpose is to neutralize the ship's magnetic signature, as in the legacy copper systems. The main advantage of the HTS Degaussing Coil system is greatly reduced weight—sometimes by as much as 80%--and increased efficiency. Degaussing monitors Today the most common use of degaussing is in CRT-based TV sets and computer monitors. For example, many monitors use a metal plate near the front of the tube to focus the electron beams from the back. This plate, the shadow mask, can pick up strong external fields and from that point produce discoloration on the display. To minimize this, CRTs have a copper coil wrapped around the front of the display, known as the degaussing coil. Tubes without an internal coil can be degaussed using an external hand held version. Internal degaussing coils in CRTs are generall


How SMS Works | HowStuffWorks How SMS Works Text messaging has replaced talking on the phone for some users. Jupiterimages/©Getty Images/ Thinkstock Just when we're finally used to seeing everybody constantly talking on their cell phones , it suddenly seems like no one is talking at all. Instead, they're typing away on tiny numerical pads, using their cell phones to send quick messages. SMS, or text messaging, has replaced talking on the phone for a new "thumb generation" of texters. In this article, we'll find out how text messaging works, explore its uses and learn why it sometimes takes a while for your text message to get to its recipient. Up Next Is texting while driving really worse than drunk driving? SMS stands for short message service. Simply put, it is a method of communication that sends text between cell phones, or from a PC or handheld to a cell phone. The "short" part refers to the maximum size of the text messages: 160 characters (letters, numbers or symbols in the Latin alphabet). For other alphabets, such as Chinese, the maximum SMS size is 70 characters. But how do SMS messages actually get to your phone? If you have read How Cell Phones Work , you can actually see what is happening. Even if you are not talking on your cell phone, your phone is constantly sending and receiving information. It is talking to its cell phone tower over a pathway called a control channel. The reason for this chatter is so that the cell phone system knows which cell your phone is in, and so that your phone can change cells as you move around. Every so often, your phone and the tower will exchange a packet of data that lets both of them know that everything is OK. Your phone also uses the control channel for call setup. When someone tries to call you, the tower sends your phone a message over the control channel that tells your phone to play its ringtone . The tower also gives your phone a pair of voice channel frequencies to use for the call. The control channel also provides the pathway for SMS messages. When a friend sends you an SMS message, the message flows through the SMSC, then to the tower, and the tower sends the message to your phone as a little packet of data on the control channel. In the same way, when you send a message, your phone sends it to the tower on the control channel and it goes from the tower to the SMSC and from there to its destination. The actual data format for the message includes things like the length of the message, a time stamp, the destination phone number, the format, etc. For a complete byte-by-byte breakdown of the message format, see this page . SMS Attacks Recently it has been suggested that SMS messages could be used to attack a cell phone system. The basic idea is very simple. If a large number of SMS messages were sent by computers to phones in a small geographical area (like a city), these messages would overwhelm the control channels and make it impossible for the cell phone system to set up calls. Now that cell phone providers know about the possibility of this threat, they can design systems to throttle messages coming from the SMSC onto the network. 1


What is one expected to do in a dormitory?

Dormitory | Define Dormitory at Dictionary.com dormitory [dawr-mi-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] /ˈdɔr mɪˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/ Spell noun, plural dormitories. 1. a building, as at a college, containing a number of private or semiprivate rooms for residents, usually along with common bathroom facilities and recreation areas. 2. a room containing a number of beds and serving as communal sleeping quarters, as in an institution, fraternity house, or passenger ship. Origin of dormitory 1475-85; < Latin dormītōrium bedroom, equivalent to dormī(re) to sleep + -tōrium -tory 2 Dictionary.com Unabridged Examples from the Web for dormitory Expand Contemporary Examples The dormitory has since been converted into a small chapel, filled with polished wooden stools and a statue of Mary in the corner. If Only Wal-Mart Ran My College Zac Bissonnette January 17, 2009 She lived in a dormitory, joining some 80 other swimmers; their practice sessions ran an exhausting five-and-a-half hours a day. Stanford Stories Charles K. Field Who was it that kicked the plaster off the dormitory wall higher than her head? British Dictionary definitions for dormitory Expand a large room, esp at a school or institution, containing several beds 2. (US) a building, esp at a college or camp, providing living and sleeping accommodation 3. (modifier) (Brit) denoting or relating to an area from which most of the residents commute to work (esp in the phrase dormitory suburb) Often (for senses 1, 2) shortened to dorm Word Origin C15: from Latin dormītōrium, from dormīre to sleep Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for dormitory Expand n. mid-15c., from Latin dormitorium "sleeping place," from dormire "to sleep" (see dormant ). Old English had slæpern "dormitory," with ending as in barn . Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper


What was the popular name for Joseph Stalin by Americans during World War II?

Joseph Stalin - Biography - IMDb Joseph Stalin Biography Showing all 95 items Jump to: Overview  (5) | Mini Bio  (1) | Spouse  (3) | Trade Mark  (3) | Trivia  (71) | Personal Quotes  (12) Overview (5) 5' 6" (1.68 m) Mini Bio (1) Joseph Stalin (a code name meaning "Man of Steel") was born Iosif (Joseph) Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili in 1879 in Gori, Georgia, the Transcaucasian part of the Russian Empire. His father was a cobbler named Vissarion Dzhugashvili, a drunkard who beat him badly and frequently and left the family when Joseph was young. His mother, Ekaterina Gheladze, supported herself and her son (her other three children died young and Jopseph was effectively an only child) by taking in washing. She managed, despite great hardship, to send Joseph to school and then on to Tiflis Orthodox Theological Seminary in Tbilisi, hoping he would become a priest. However, after three years of studies he was expelled in 1899, for not attending an exam and for propagating communist ideas and the books of Karl Marx . Since 1898, Stalin became active in the Communist underground as the organizer of a powerful gang involved in a series of armed robberies. After robbing several banks in southern Russia, Stalin delivered the stolen money to V.I. Lenin to finance the Communist Party. Stalin's gang was also involved in the murders of its political opponents; Stalin himself was arrested seven times, repeatedly imprisoned, and twice exiled to Siberia between 1902 and 1913. During those years he changed his name twice and became more closely identified with revolutionary Marxism. He escaped many times from prison and was shuttling money between Lenin and other communists in hiding, where his intimacy with Lenin and Bukharin grew, as did his dissatisfaction with fellow Communist leader Leon Trotsky . In 1912 he was co-opted on to the illegal Communist Central Committee. At that time he wrote propaganda articles, and later edited the Communist paper, "Pravda" (Truth). As Lenin's apprentice he joined the Communist majority (Bolsheviks), and was responsible for the consolidation of several secret communist cells into a larger ring. Stalin's Communist ring in St. Petersburg and across Russia played the leading role in the Russian Revolution of 1917. After the revolution the Bolsheviks Communists grabbed the power, then Communists murdered the Tsar and the Russian royal family. Stalin and Lenin took over the Tsar's palaces and used the main one in Kremlin as their private residence. Lenin appointed Stalin the People's Commissar for Nationalities in the first Soviet government and a member of the Communist Politburo, thus giving him unlimited power. Stalin led the "Reds" against anti-Communist forces known as the "Whites" and also in the war with Poland. He also organized "Red Terror" in Tsaritsin (later renamed Stalingrad). With his appointment as General Secretary to the Party Central Committee in 1922, a post he held for the next 30 years, until his death, he consolidated the power that would ensure his control of the country after Lenin's death in 1924. He also took, or gave himself, other key positions that enabled him to amass total power in the Party and Soviet government. Stalin was known for his piercing eyes and terrifying stare, which he used to cow his opponents into submission during private discussions. In 1927 Stalin requested medical help for his insomnia, anger and severe anxiety disorder. His doctors diagnosed him as having "typical clinical paranoia" and recommended medical treatment. Instead, Stalin became angry and summoned his secret service agents. The next day the chief psychiatrist, Dr. Bekhterev, and his assistants died of poisoning. In addition, before the doctors' diagnosis about Stalin's mental condition could become known, he ordered the executions of intellectuals, resulting in the murders of hundreds of thousands of doctors, professors, writers, and others. Stalin's policy of amassing dictatorial power under the guise of building "socialism in the country" resulted in brutal extermination of all real and perceive


Which fictional character in a popular book published in 1876 was born in St Petersburg?

MrNussbaum.com – Mark Twain Biography for Kids «     Mark Twain was born on November 30, 1835 in Hannibal, Missouri as Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Mark Twain would become his “pen name” later on in his life. When he was four, he moved with his family to Hannibal, Missouri. Hannibal, located on the Mississippi River, would serve as a fictional town in his most famous books, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. When Samuel turned 18, he left Hannibal and worked as a printer in New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Cincinnati. Four years later, he returned to Hannibal and worked as a riverboat pilot. For some tine after the Civil War, Samuel worked as a miner in the town of Virginia City, Nevada. Although he hoped to find gold in Nevada, his efforts ultimately failed. Nevertheless, he did earn his first writing job at the Daily Territorial Enterprise, a newspaper in Virginia City. It was here, in 1863, that Samuel adopted the pen name Mark Twain. Mark Twain would soon become one of the greatest authors in American history. In 1876, he published The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, a story about the adventures of a young boy and his friend, Huckleberry Finn in St. Petersburg, Missouri. The most well-known scene in the story depicts how Tom tricked his neighborhood playmates into whitewashing (painting) a fence that he was assigned to by his Aunt Polly. Tom convinces the boys that the whitewashing is so enjoyable that they actually trade him apples and other items just to participate in the whitewashing. In 1889 Twain published the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which is considered by many to be a sequel of the Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Many consider The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as Twain’s greatest literary accomplishment, as it magically depicts life along the Mississippi River in the 1800’s and illustrates the racist attitudes of the time. The story is centered around Huckleberry Finn and his friend, Jim, a runaway slave who escape together on a raft heading north, and then south on the Mississippi River. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was one of the first published novels that featured colloquial speech, or, words, expressions, and statements used only by residents of a particular geographic location. Twain also authored several other famous works including The Prince and the Pauper (1882), and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889). Mark Twain remained a colorful character well for his entire life. He was involved in several societies, leagues, and clubs including the American Anti-Imperialist League, an organization that was opposed to America’s annexation of The Philippines after the Spanish-American War. He was also a member of the Bohemian Club, a secret club for powerful world leaders. In addition, he was the author of many famous epigrams (sayings) such as “A man is never more truthful than when he acknowledges himself a liar.” and “A habit cannot be thrown out the window, it must be coaxed down the stairs one step at a time.” Before his death, Twain was one of the most famous celebrities in the country. Mark Twain died in 1910. Today, the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum, located in Hannibal, is one of Missouri’s most popular museums. Visitors can explore the Mark Twain Cave and take a riverboat ride down the Mississippi River. The legendary whitewashed fence painted by the fictional character Tom Sawyer borders the property.


"""The Bowery"" is a street in which US city?"

The Bowery Hotel (New York City) - UPDATED 2017 Reviews - TripAdvisor Babysitting Official Description (provided by the hotel) The Bowery Hotel, a delightfully atmospheric luxury hotel in downtown Manhattan has opened its doors on the historic Bowery ushering in a new era of hospitality in one of New York's most exciting and desirable areas. Room types range from standard rooms to one-bedroom terrace suites, all of which boast hardwood floors, floor to ceiling factory windows and sweeping views of NYC. ... more   less  Additional Information about The Bowery Hotel Address: 335 Bowery, New York City, NY 10003-7138 Location: United States > New York > New York City > East Village , Manhattan Price Range: $412 - $628 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room) Hotel Class:4 star — The Bowery Hotel 4* Number of rooms: 135 Reservation Options: TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Booking.com, Travelocity, Agoda and MrandMrsSmith so you can book your The Bowery Hotel reservations with confidence. We help millions of travelers each month to find the perfect hotel for both vacation and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers. Also Known As:


Where was the 2012 annual G8 leaders summit held?

We're sorry, that page can't be found. We're sorry, that page can't be found. Share Here are some suggestions for finding information on the U.S. Department of State website. Check the URL and change any upper case letters to lower case. URLs on www.state.gov are case-sensitive and are all lower case. Try the Search option located on every page. For career information, visit careers.state.gov For Travel information, visit travel.state.gov Check our Archive page  for links to previous Adminstration websites If you still cannot find something, Contact Us . Thank you for your interest. In This Section: U.S. Embassies The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.Note: documents in Portable Document Format (PDF) require Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher to view, download Adobe Acrobat Reader .


Where is the United Kingdom's National Space Centre?

National Space Centre Leicester | United Kingdom National Space Centre Leicester conference centre, exhibition, green venue, training centre, unusual venue Agency tel: 2 miles - Leicester Train Station Airport: Make an Enquiry National Space Centre The award winning venue offers you an unique environment to host a variety of memorable events and meetings. The Shuttle Suites, our conference rooms include ground floor locations, natural daylight and seating for up to 200 delegates with flexible seating options. The Conference rooms can also be subdivided into four rooms making excellent break out rooms or smaller meeting rooms catering from 5 upwards. The 42 metre Rocket Tower which is instantly recognisable as the symbol of the National Space Centre is a perfect backdrop for dinner receptions, day seminars and meetings and for an area to hold your lunch in. With 2 full size rockets suspended above you it really does give you the WOW factor. The Hub is located at the heart of the National Space Centre on the ground floor, and offers a unique area for gala dinners, award ceremonies, Christmas parties or wedding receptions with seating for up to 250 people. Entertain guests amongst planets and real sate... ...llites. With the opportunity to explore the centre at your leisure with 6 interactive galleries and a simulator ride that really is out of this world, ( Tuesday – Sunday only ) Exclusive Hire of the centre is also available and we can create a bespoke package dependent on your event needs, please speak to the event team to discuss this option in more detail. The Sir Patrick Moore Planetarium is the UKs largest planetarium with a 360 degree full dome and is equipped with a voting system. With seating for up to 168 people, this is available to hire for breakfast meetings, evening events, product launches and as a lecture theatre. All 168 seats are fitted with an interactive voting panel consisting of five push buttons, in addition there are additional voting panels for use by wheel chair users. Great for getting your delegates involved in your event and audience participation. Team Building Missions The only one of its kind in the UK, the Challenger Learning Centre offers absolute unique team building simulated space missions for between 8 and 32 people.  We also offer team building missions that can take place in your meeting room from 10 to over 100 people. All our challengers are aimed at Engaging employees, improving communications skills, managing priority skills, problem solving and decision making. In house Catering – whether it’s a traditional breakfast or a gourmet banquet The National Space Centre offers an outstanding range of menus to suit every taste. Chef if happy to design individual menus as well as catering for special dietary requirements. A large array of fine wines and Space Cocktails to compliment all the menus. We have over 400 free delegate car parking spaces , free WIFI, excellent quality food, full in house technical support and a dedicated event team with a venue that is full of personality. We work with a an Asian Events partner who will cater for Halal, indo-Chinese, South Indian, Punjabai, Gujarati, Vegetarian and non-Vegetarian. External Space – The National Space Centre has vast outside space that we are able to hire out, let us know your requirements and we accommodate your requests if we can. Set in the heart of the East Midlands, just 2 miles from Leicester Train station, 6 miles from junction 21 and 20 miles from East Midlands airport. 168 -/-/-/                - There is currently no client feedback on this venue. For free non partial advice on this venue please call one of our agents on 0845 351 9917. Clipboard Use the paperclip icon to shortlist venues on this clipboard. Expert venue Finder Hi, are you interested in holding a meeting or an event at national space centre leicester.   Hi, I'm Carl, I am an expert venue finder and provide a FREE venue finding service.   Save hours by letting me do all of your venue searching for you.   Please call me on 0


What is the common name for Anagallis known for the opening and closing of the flowers in response to environmental conditions?

Anagallis monellii Seeds Description Details Blue is the most sought-after colour in the garden and there are few true blue flowering plants available. Anagallis monellii, the Blue Pimpernel has one of the brightest gentian-blue flowers available. This charming and unassuming plant is easily raised from seed and, although a perennial it is quite tender and is often grown as an annual. Its habit of producing a large number of base stems gives a neat, compact form. The stems are suitably springy and become pendulous in hanging baskets and other containers. Full sun encourages the most prolific display of intense blooms which are produced in an endless procession from late spring to first frosts. This versatile little plant can be grown as a half hardy annual, sown indoors in late winter or sown directly where it is to flower in April. It is drought tolerant and can be used in coastal areas. It can be used as a bedding plant, as edging or as a groundcover or to trail over walls, containers or hanging baskets. Numerous cultivars of this and of the small-leafed subspecies Anagallis monelli ssp. linifolia, are sold as annuals for rockeries, border edges, containers, and hanging baskets. They have lovely names, including Anagallis monelli ‘Skylover,’ Anagallis monelli ‘Blue Bird,’ Anagallis monelli ssp. linifolia ‘Gentian Blue,’ and Anagallis monelli ‘Philipii,’ but the differences among them are minimal and mostly limited to variations in the shade of the bright blue flowers. Awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit In 1993 Anagallis monellii was awarded the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit (AGM). A key indicator that this variety is worth growing in your garden. Sowing: Sow indoors in Spring, January to May Fill individual peat pots, seed-starting cells or flats, or 7cm (3”) pot with a good commercial seed-starting mix. Moisten the mix and let it drain.   Surface sow the seeds and cover with a thin layer of vermiculite or 1/16 “ of compost. Do not cover with soil as they need light to germinate. Cover the containers with clear plastic to keep the mix moist while the seeds are germinating and place in a warm location. Keep moist, watering from the base of the container. Germination takes 18 to 21 days at 18-20°C (65-70°F).   As soon as seedlings start to emerge, remove the plastic cover and lower the temperature to 15°C (60°F).   Germination can sometimes be slow and erratic, don't discard the container too early as a second flush of seedlings may appear later. Transplanting: When large enough to handle, transplant the seedlings into 7.5cm (3in) pots or trays. Handle the plants with care and avoid disturbing the roots as much as possible when transplanting to prevent wilting.   Gradually hardened off for 10-14 days before transplanting into the flowering site after all risk of frost has passed. Plant 23-30cm (9-12in) apart in full sun. Cultivation: Anagallis prefers a well drained soil. When planting in hanging baskets or container take care not to overwater in the early stages. Anagallis monellii is naturally perennial. If you wish to keep plants over winter, bring the plants indoors as the minimal winter temperature that the plant can survive in is 6 to 8°C. Perfect drainage is a sound precaution against winter loss. Cuttings may also be taken as insurance for overwintering indoors. Plant Uses: Rockeries, Underplanting, Baskets, Bedding, Borders, Containers, Patio. Origin: Anagallis is a genus of about 20 to 25 species of flowering plants. Anagallis monellii, the Blue Pimpernel is native to the western Mediterranean region where It is found in dry, open habits. Information is scarce regarding its history and domestication and very few cultivars are available. Anagallis were formerly classified as members of the primrose family (Primulaceae), but a genetic and morphological study by Källersjö showed that they belong to the closely related family Myrsinaceae. In the APG III system, published in 2009, Primulaceae is expanded to include Myrsinaceae, thus Anagallis is in Primulaceae. Nomenclature: Anagalli


"Who wrote the poem ""O Captain! My Captain!""?"

O Captain! My Captain! Poem by Walt Whitman - Poem Hunter O Captain! My Captain! Poem by Walt Whitman - Poem Hunter O Captain! My Captain! - Poem by Walt Whitman Autoplay next video O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done; The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won; The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring: But O heart! heart! heart! O the bleeding drops of red, Where on the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead. O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells; Rise up--for you the flag is flung--for you the bugle trills;   10 For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths--for you the shores a-crowding; For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning; Here Captain! dear father! This arm beneath your head; It is some dream that on the deck, You've fallen cold and dead. My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still; My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will; The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done; From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won;   20 Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells! But I, with mournful tread, Walk the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead.


Bolts or Arrows: Which is Correct for Crossbows? By Andrew McKean posted Jun 28th, 2013 at 12:00pm We shoot arrows in our compound bows. But what do we shoot in our crossbows? Are they bolts? Or arrows? As long as the projectile flies true and hits hard, what it's called probably doesn't matter for shooters. But as an editor, I'm interested in linguistic precision, which is why I put this question to my sources in the crossbow industry. The consensus: most modern crossbows shoot arrows. Or maybe the right way to put it is: modern crossbows mostly shoot arrows. "If it's under 16 inches, it's a bolt," says Phillip Bednar, director of marketing for TenPoint Crossbows. "Sixteen inches or more is considered an arrow. We shoot 20- and 22-inch arrows." Aaron McCaleb, whose Source Outdoor Group reps for Barnett Crossbows, agrees that the correct term is arrows, but notes that it's a sliding scale. "Crossbows are being seen more as archery gear now, so the nomenclature is becoming homogenized," McCaleb says. "We go with arrows." And Sam Coalson, director of marketing for Bowtech Archery, a center-of-mass compound company that is reaching into crossbow accessories, notes the divide between terminology used by the masses vs. that used by passionate users. "Technically, either term is correct," he says. "Most people still call them bolts, but more and more crossbow enthusiasts seem to be calling them arrows." A little medieval history comes into play in the terminology, too. Original crossbows were massive contraptions wheeled around on rolling stock and drawn by oxen. They fired relatively short, stout projectiles without vanes. They looked a lot like squat darts, and one explanation of their name--bolts--is that they hit an enemy's fortification literally like a bolt from the blue. They were probably about as accurate as a lightning bolt, too. That history indicates to me that definition based on length is a little arbitrary. Instead, I'm comfortable saying that a projectile fired from a limbed bow that has vanes and is longer than it is broad is an arrow. What do you call crossbow projectiles? And does the term really matter? McKean is OL's Predator-in-Chief. Bow, rifle, shotgun, slingshot—doesn't matter to him. He has hunted around the globe, but always comes home to his... Continued Follow


What 1973 film starring Al Pacino, John Randolph and Tony Roberts is based on the true story of New York City policeman who went undercover to expose the corruption of his fellow officers?

Serpico Trailer (1973) Serpico Trailer (1973) Serpico is a crime film based on the true story of New York City policeman Frank Serpico. Serpico eventually went undercover to expose the corruption of his fellow officers, after being pushed to the brink at first by their distrust and later by the threats and intimidation they leveled against him. Duration No videos have been filed... as of yet. Whoops! Embed Video x <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="//cdn.traileraddict.com/css/rembed.css">

Trailer for Serpico on TrailerAddict.
 Credit Are you a trailer addict? Trailer Addict has setup TA, Trailers Anonymous. Feel free to contact us at please enable javascript to view with your scoops, comments or advertising inquiries.


The Mawlawyah (Sufi Order) in Turkey are also known as what?

MEVLANA-WHİRLİNG DERVİSH ALL TURKEY TOURS.TURKEY CULTURE TOURS School tradition: Sufism; his followers formed the Mawlawi Order Main interests: Sufi poetry, Sufi whirling, Muraqaba, Dhikr Notable ideas: Persian poetry, Ney and Sufi dance Works: Masnavi, Diwan-e Shams-e Tabrizi, Fihi Ma Fihi Influences: Baha-ud-din Zakariya, Attar, Sana'i, Abu Sa'id Abul?ayr, ?araqani, Bayazid Bistami, Šamse Tabrizi Influenced: Sir Mohammad Iqbal, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Tahir ul-Qadri, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Abdolkarim Soroush Jalal ad-Din Mu?ammad Balkhi (Persian: ????????? ???? ????), also known as Jalal ad-Din Mu?ammad Rumi (Persian: ????????? ???? ????), and popularly known as Mowlana (Persian: ??????) but known to the English-speaking world simply as Rumi[2] (30 September 1207 – 17 December 1273), was a 13th-century Persian (Tajik)[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Muslim poet, jurist, theologian, and Sufi mystic.[11] Rumi is a descriptive name meaning "the Roman" since he lived most of his life in an area called Rum because it was once ruled by the Eastern Roman Empire.[12] It is likely that he was born in the village of Wakhsh,[13] a small town located at the river Wakhsh in what is now Tajikistan. Wakhsh belonged to the larger province of Balkh, and in the year Rumi was born, his father was an appointed scholar there.[13] Both these cities were at the time included in the greater Persian cultural sphere of Khorasan, the easternmost province of Persia,[3] and were part of the Khwarezmian Empire.   Image of the Rumi on an old book in the Mevlâna museum; Konya, Turkey His birthplace[3] and native language[14] both indicate a Persian heritage. His father decided to migrate westwards due to quarrels between different dynasties in Khorasan, opposition to the Khwarizmid Shahs who were considered devious by Baha ud-Din Walad (Rumi's father),[15] or fear of the impending Mongol cataclysm.[16] Rumi's family traveled west, first performing the Hajj and eventually settling in the Anatolian city Konya (capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum, in present-day Turkey). This was where he lived most of his life, and here he composed one of the crowning glories of Persian literature which profoundly affected the culture of the area.[17] He lived most of his life under the Sultanate of Rum, where he produced his works[18] and died in 1273 AD. He was buried in Konya and his shrine became a place of pilgrimage.[19] Following his death, his followers and his son Sultan Walad founded the Mawlawiyah Sufi Order, also known as the Order of the Whirling Dervishes, famous for its Sufi dance known as the sama? ceremony. Rumi's works are written in the New Persian language. A Persian literary renaissance (in the 8th/9th century) started in regions of Sistan, Khorasan and Transoxiana[20] and by the 10th/11th century, it reinforced the Persian language as the preferred literary and cultural language in the Persian Islamic world. Rumi's importance is considered to transcend national and ethnic borders. His original works are widely read in their original language across the Persian-speaking world. Translations of his works are very popular in other countries. His poetry has influenced Persian literature as well as Urdu, Punjabi and other Pakistani languages written in Perso/Arabic script e.g. Pashto and Sindhi. His poems have been widely translated into many of the world's languages and transposed into various formats. In 2007, he was described as the "most popular poet in America."   DAILY WHIRLING DERVISHES SHOW CAPPADOCIA ITINERARY: Sema (Whirling dervishes ceremony), is the inspiration of Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi (1207 - 1273) as well as part of the Turkish culture, belief and history in Konya. It symbolizes the different meanings of a mystic cycle to perfection (Ascension - Mirac). Contemporary science definitely confirms that the fundamental condition of our existence is to revolve. There is no object, no being which does not revolve. Every thing whirls and man, a whirling dervish, carries on his life, his very existence by means of the revolution in the atoms, struct


What was the capital of Yugoslavia from 1918-2006?

Montenegro | Define Montenegro at Dictionary.com Montenegro [mon-tuh-nee-groh, -neg-roh] /ˌmɒn təˈni groʊ, -ˈnɛg roʊ/ Spell noun 1. a republic in S Europe since 2006: formerly a constituent republic of Yugoslavia, in the SW part (1918–2006); an independent kingdom 1878–1918. 6333 sq. mi. (13,812 sq. km). Capital: Podgorica. [mon-tuh-nee-grin, ‐neg-rin] /ˌmɒn təˈni grɪn, ‐ˈnɛg rɪn/ (Show IPA), adjective, noun Dictionary.com Unabridged Examples from the Web for Montenegro Expand Contemporary Examples Why the Lockerbie Bomber Was Freed Andrew Neil August 23, 2009 We got away with it greatly on the streets of Belgrade, Serbia, and Montenegro. Commercial Geography Jacques W. Redway He is, in fact, like his late grandfather of Montenegro, the father of his people. The Story of Russia R. Van Bergen, M.A. The King of Montenegro, very loyal to the Austrians, facilitated their advance across his country. British Dictionary definitions for Montenegro Expand noun 1. a republic in S central Europe, bordering on the Adriatic; declared a kingdom in 1910 and united with Serbia, Croatia, and other territories in 1918 to form Yugoslavia; remained united with Serbia as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia when the other Yugoslav constituent republics became independent in 1991–92; Union of Serbia and Montenegro formed in 2003 and dissolved 2006. Mainly mountainous. Language: Serbian (Montenegrin). Religion: Orthodox Christian majority. Currency: euro. Capital: Podgorica. Pop: 653 474 (2013 est). Area: 13 812 sq km (5387 sq miles) Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for Montenegro Expand Adriatic coastal nation, from Venetian Italian (Tuscan monte nero), literally "black mountain," a loan-translation of the local Slavonic name, Crnagora. Related: Montenegrine. Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper


"According to the English nursery rhyme, who ""called for his pipe and called for his bowl and called for his fiddlers three""?"

The Speks - Old King Cole Nursery Rhyme Old King Cole by The Speks Old King Cole Nursery Rhyme “Cole” is an English derivative of the Irish word “ceol” which means “music”. Legend has it on Glasses Island that Old King Cole was a great musician. Our elders    reckon he played the timber flute because “pipe” is an old word for fife/flute derived from the Latin word “pipare”. Our sing-along song is an adaptation of the traditional nursery rhyme and we sing it from the viewpoint of King Cole’s three fiddlers who enjoy playing music    with him. Throughout the song there are three lead vocalists. There are also three lead instruments: flute, fiddle and mandolin. The lead vocalists and lead instruments    represent the "fiddlers three". However, we double-tracked Quince on clarinet because the clarinet represents Old King Cole. He plays "pipe" with the three    fiddlers. Listen out for the clarinet. It plays harmony. Click on the play arrow above to listen to our version of Old King Cole set to Irish music for kids. Go to our Old King Cole page where you can share our nursery rhyme with your friends and/or get it as a free MP3 download. Lyrics for Old King Cole Old King Cole was a merry old soul and a merry old soul was he He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl And he called for his fiddlers three Now every fiddler had a fine fiddle and a very fine fiddle had he Fiddle fiddle dee fiddle dee went the fiddlers “Very fine men are we!” There’s none so rare as can compare to the King’s fine fiddlers three Fiddle fiddle dee fiddle dee went the fiddlers “Very fine men are we!” There’s none so rare as can compare to the King’s fine fiddlers three Video Clip of Old King Cole Click on the arrow below to watch our youtube video clip of "Old King Cole" Classroom Ideas for Old King Cole Social, Environmental and Scientific Education/History: Include this nursery rhyme with our version of "Sing a Song of Sixpence" and expand on the roles played    by the court’s musicians and jesters and by the wandering minstrels like Turlough O’Carolan.


In what is often called boxing's biggest upset ever Buster Douglas beat who in the world unified Heavyweight title fight in 1990 ?

Ranking the 10 Most Incredible Knockouts in Boxing History | Bleacher Report Ranking the 10 Most Incredible Knockouts in Boxing History By Kevin McRae , Featured Columnist Jun 1, 2013 Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse the slideshow Al Bello/Getty Images Where does Marquez knockout of Pacquiao rank? 15.1K 23 Comments Boxing is called the sweet science. And there are many fans who will watch, simply to see two master craftsmen engage in a chess match. But that isn't what this is about. We're talking knockouts here. They are what makes the sport of boxing so dramatic, so unique.  Boxing is the only sport where you can lose literally every second of every round and still find a way to hit that 10-run home run in the final seconds and win. It's the only place where a massive underdog can land that lottery punch that changes the course of the sport. There have been literally thousands of incredible knockouts in boxing history and this list doesn't seek to cover all of them. It's a springboard for discussion, debate and argument. Feel free to add your own favorites from the spectacular to the improbable. These are the 10 most incredible knockouts in boxing history. Tweet When Samuel Peter burst on the heavyweight scene with 18 KO's in his first 20 fights, many felt that the "Nigerian Nightmare" could be the next big thing in boxing's glamour division. While it never quite panned out that way, Peter was known for some of the spectacular knockouts he was able to lay on his opponents.  In 2004 he locked horns with fringe heavyweight contender Jeremy Williams with the NABF title at stake. After a relatively uneventful first round, Peter came out swinging for the fences in the second, and when Williams attempted to spin off the ropes, he got caught with an earth-shattering left hand that ended the fight on the spot. It took him several minutes to get back to his feet, and he only fought twice more after that, each coming after long hiatuses from the ring. Tweet What an era of fighters and fighting. Nowadays fans complain about the biggest stars in the sport not fighting each other. But back when we had guys like Tommy Hearns, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler, they all fought one another. Hearns and Duran met at 154 pounds, where they both held titles, in 1984. Duran was known as a swarming, high-activity fighter who had great punching power. Hearns, on the other hand, was the prototypical boxer-puncher, with great power in both hands. Their fight only lasted two rounds, but it was a dynamite ending. Words don't do justice to the huge power Hearns exhibited in this fight, dropping Duran flat on his face to win the fight. Tweet Did you ever wonder what it looks like to see a fighter knocked unconscious before he hits the mat?  Julian "The Hawk" Jackson is considered, to this day, to be one of the biggest punchers in the history of boxing. In 1990, he matched up with former British and European middleweight champion Herol Graham with the vacant WBC middleweight title on the line. Heading into the fourth round, Graham was putting on a boxing lesson. But, you can never sleep on a puncher like Jackson. And yes, the pun was intended. As Jackson was backing into the ropes, he unleashed a missile right hand, the kind of punch that would stop a truck, that landed flush on Graham's jaw. His body went rigid, unconscious, and he fell to the mat as stiff as a board.  Truly scary stuff.  Tweet Every now and then, one of those punches lands that has the sound of a car crash, and makes you legitimately hope the other guy gets up in one piece. Sergio Martinez had dropped his first bout against Paul Williams, via a heavily disputed majority decision, and he was determined to let no such thing happen in the rematch. With just over a minute gone in round two, Martinez connected with a left hand that landed with one of the more sickening thuds you'll hear inside a boxing ring. Williams crumpled to the mat in such a lifeless and disturbing manner, that everyone watching had to hold their breath in the hopes he would be okay. To everyo


The Hanseatic League was a union of ports on which sea?

Baltic Connections: The Hanseatic Era The Hanseatic Era The Hanseatic Era (Baltic Sea Trade, part 2) In the late Middle Ages, maritime trade in the Baltic developed under the aegis of the German Hanse. The origins of this League lie in the loose associations of long-distance merchants, notably from northern Germany and Westphalia, who succeeded in securing trading privileges abroad to the benefit of all subjects of the Holy Roman Empire. It was, however, Lübeck and the Wend towns along the northern German coasts that built the core of the urban League as it started to take shape in the final decades of the twelfth century. During its heydays (c. 1370-1474), the League comprised 200 towns, which cooperated in a rather loose fashion and covered an area stretching from Reval (Tallinn) in the east to Kampen on the Zuiderzee coast in the west. The successful linkage of sea, river and land routes is one of the reasons for the prolonged existence of the Hanseatic trading system. Northern Europe's main rivers and roads served the vast Prussian and Russian hinterlands and connected Germany's urban markets and production centres to the Baltic ports. Lübeck served in many ways as the starting point of this system. Already in the 1160s, its merchant families started to settle in the Wend nuclei along the Pomeranian coast (Wismar, Stralsund, Rostock, Stettin (Szczecin) and Greifswald). Northern Germans were also involved in the founding or refounding of cities like Riga, Danzig (Gdansk) and Reval. From there they opened up the Prussian and Russian hinterlands, bringing the southern Baltic ports within the orbit of the western markets. These cities comprised the core of the Hanseatic trading system in the Baltic, whilst Hamburg and Bremen were the main ports on the North Sea. On the western flank of the Hanseatic region, Cologne emerged as the Hanse's main trading partner with England and with it the satellites (Kampen, Deventer) along the Zuiderzee coasts came into being. The trading network of the Hanse merchants was based on a system of staple markets and foreign offices (Kontoren), in Bruges, London, Bergen (Norway) and Novgorod (Russia). Since all foreign Hanseatic trade was supposed to be concentrated in these Kontors and the adjacent staple markets, they represented an indispensable instrument in the League's efforts to dominate the few trading routes that connected the eastern Baltic to the west. Because of its strategic position on the Trave River, Lübeck maneged to direct all major trading flows in the Baltic and from the North Sea to its port and staple market. In this way, the town controlled all trans-shipments at the Elbe, Stecknitz and Trave estuaries. Merchants from Lübeck and the Wend towns made their fortune by exchanging the western rich trades (e.g. high-quality cloth, spices and wines) for the minerals and the agrarian and sylvan products of the north and the east. Among these were bulk commodities such as Prussian and Livonian hard dusk grains, hemp and flax, as well as unprocessed timber, deal boards, masts and klapholz, which was used for barrel making. Farmers exploiting the vast Livonian, Russian and Scandinavian forests produced tar, pitch destined for the shipbuilding industries and potash for glass making. Bar iron and copper were produced in the mines in Sweden and south of Krakow. The Finnish and Russian hinterlands were the main providers of such high-value products as wax, furs, leather and skins. On top of this, the League was engaged in the Baltic herring and beer trade, and Lübeck had a monopoly on the exports of Lüneburg salt. Lübeck's position as the largest entrepôt in the Baltic system was reflected in its leading position in the Kontors. There, members of its rich merchant families maintained contact with their trading partners abroad, fostered intense diplomatic contacts with foreign powers and carefully guarded the trading interests of the Hanse merchants and the abundant privileges that had clipped the wings of potential competitors. The Hanse Kontors and the merchant settlements around thes


Health workers in Nigeria and Pakistan were killed in 2012 and 2013 while carrying out vaccination programmes for what?

Polio workers in Nigeria shot dead | World news | The Guardian Nigeria Polio workers in Nigeria shot dead At least nine health workers gunned down in northern city of Kano amid increasing hostility towards polio immunisation drive A schoolgirl in Kano, northern Nigeria, receives the oral polio vaccine during a nationwide immunisation campaign. Photograph: Chris Hondros/Getty Images Nigeria Polio workers in Nigeria shot dead At least nine health workers gunned down in northern city of Kano amid increasing hostility towards polio immunisation drive Friday 8 February 2013 12.55 EST First published on Friday 8 February 2013 12.55 EST Close This article is 3 years old At least nine women who were vaccinating children against polio have been shot dead in northern Nigeria by gunmen suspected of belonging to a radical Islamist sect. The killings drew comparisons with a series of incidents in Pakistan last December where five female polio vaccinators were gunned down, apparently by Islamist militants. It also signalled a fresh wave of hostility towards immunisation drives in Nigeria, where some clerics have claimed the vaccines are part of a western plot to sterilise young girls and eliminate the Muslim population. The attacks took place in Kano, the biggest city in Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north, where families generally feel more comfortable allowing women inside their homes than men. On Friday morning gunmen arrived by motor tricycle and opened fire in the Hotoro Hayi neighbourhood, killing at least eight female vaccinators, witnesses told Associated Press. Four people were killed in a second attack, in the Unguwa Uku neighbourhood, according to witnesses. The final death toll remained unclear. A Kano police spokesman, Musa Magaji Majia, said the attacks killed nine people, all women, taking part in the vaccine drive and giving oral drops to children. A local hospital said it received only two bodies from the Unguwa Uku attack, with four others injured. While officers said there were no immediate suspects for the shootings, witnesses said the Islamist militant group Boko Haram was responsible. The sect has been blamed for the deaths of some 1,400 people in central and northern Nigeria since 2010, including an attack in Kano in January 2012 that killed at least 185. Nigeria is one of three countries where polio, which can cause irreversible paralysis within hours, remains endemic; the others are Afghanistan and Pakistan. There were fears that Boko Haram is copying tactics used by militants in those countries who accuse health workers of spying for the US. Such rumours intensified after it emerged that a Pakistani doctor ran a fake vaccination programme to help the CIA track down and kill Osama bin Laden. At least 16 health workers taking part in polio vaccination drives were killed in attacks in Pakistan in December and January. Activist Shehu Sani, president of the Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria, said: "Boko Haram and the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan share a common ideology and common strategy and also pose a common danger. If you observe their methods of operation, their targets are similar. Boko Haram have targeted police stations, politicians, religious clerics who speak out against them and people engaging in polio vaccination programmes." This was not the first strike against polio vaccinators in Kano. In October, police said two officers involved in guarding an immunisation drive there were shot and killed. Earlier tThis week a Kano radio station told how one of its journalists had been attacked by local officials and had his equipment confiscated after speaking to a man who refused to allow his children to be vaccinated. A producer for the programme apparently spoke on air about fears people have about the vaccine, which then spread through the city. Kano state's police commissioner ordered his officers to arrest the producer, officials said. The suspicion surrounding polio vaccinations in Nigeria took hold in 2003, when a Kano physician heading the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria said the medicine