Whose symphony No 3 in E Flat contains a funeral march?

Listen to Symphony No. 3, "Eroica" by Ludwig van Beethoven - Listening Library - The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Beethoven's Revolutionary Eroica Symphony Beethoven's Third Symphony was groundbreaking in both its ambition and incorporation of the composer's emotions. The SPCO's Edo de Waart and Patrick Castillo talk about the history of this remarkable composition. In May 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte, whom Beethoven had admired as the embodiment of the ideals of the French Revolution, crowned himself Emperor. “So he is no more than a common mortal!” an outraged Beethoven exclaimed to his confidant Ferdinand Ries. “Now, too, he will tread under foot all the rights of man, indulge only his ambition; now he will think himself superior to all men, become a tyrant!” On the composer’s desk lay the manuscript to his recently completed Third Symphony, “intitolata Bonaparte;” Beethoven angrily scratched out the dedication with a knife, tearing a hole in the paper. When the grand symphony was published in 1806, it appeared as Sinfonia Eroica, “…composta per festeggiare il sovvenire di un grand Uomo” (heroic symphony…composed to celebrate the memory of a great man). Befitting the grandeur of the composer’s inspiration before his eventual disillusionment, the Eroica Symphony loudly broke new ground for the symphonic form; it is not hyperbolic to credit the Eroica with changing the course Western music at large. Indeed, for Beethoven, where Napoleon disappointed, his musical vision would soar. The Eroica is one of the first works to distance Beethoven from the influence of Haydn and Mozart, as evidenced by the baffled critical responses it elicited. One reviewer wished that “Herr van B. would employ his admittedly great talents in giving us works like his symphonies in C and D, his ingratiating Septet in E-flat, the ingenious Quintet in C, and others of his early works that have placed him forever in the ranks of the foremost instrumental composers”—works, in other words, that continued the tradition of eighteenth-century Classicism. Beethoven had something else in mind: in 1803, he had declared to a friend, “I am not satisfied with what I have composed up to now. From now on I intend to embark on a new path.” With the Eroica, Beethoven realized his intention. Among the symphonic repertoire, it is without precedent in magnitude and in the degree of virtuosity required of the orchestra. Each of its four movements is an individually colossal statement; together, they form a work twice as long as many early symphonies of Haydn and Mozart. Surrounded by similarly epic works in various genres, including the Waldstein and Appassionata Sonatas, the Razumovsky Quartets, the Fourth Piano Concerto, and the Fourth and Fifth Symphonies, the Eroica is the signature work of what has become known as Beethoven’s “heroic” period. The symphony’s iconic opening gesture of two forceful E-flat major chords sets the tone for the monumental opus that ensues. The cellos introduce the first theme: a seemingly innocuous melodic arpeggiation of the same E-flat major chord—but, agitated by urgent syncopations in the first violins, the melody dips strangely to C-sharp, placing the listener immediately on notice that convention will not contain Beethoven’s imagination. What strikes the listener as the Allegro con brio unfolds is the combination of its majestic sonority and thematic coherence with the constant, jarring defiance of melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic expectations. A propulsive sequence of two-beat chords over the movement’s triple-meter tempo (with the true downbeat never accented) sets up a grand restatement of the theme by the full orchestra; this passage is outdone at the end of the exposition with an utterly disorienting series of dissonant sforzando chords. The development section is equally bewildering, not least of all for the notorious “wrong” entrance by the first horn, which quietly anticipates the recapitulation two measures before the rest of the orchestra. (In intended commiseration with Beethoven, Ries asked during a rehearsal, “Can’t that


Which rock, formed by the solidification of thin layers of molten lava, comprises much of the surfaces-of Mercury, Venus, Mars and the Moon?

ï¿½ ï¿½  0/00 ï¿½ The  symbol for parts per thousand. ï¿½  Aa ï¿½ A lava flow that solidifies with a spiny, rubbly  surface. ï¿½  Ablation ï¿½ The loss of the glacial ice or snow by melting,  evaporation, or breaking off into icebergs. (Also called wastage.) ï¿½  Abrasion ï¿½ The grinding  away of rock by friction and impact during transportation. ï¿½  Absolute age ï¿½ Age given in years or some other unit  of time. (Also known as numerical age.) ï¿½  Abyssal fan ï¿½ Great fan-shaped deposit of sediment on the deep-sea  floor at the base of many submarine canyons. ï¿½  Abyssal  plain ï¿½ Very flat, sediment-covered region of the deep-sea  floor, usually at the base of the continental rise. ï¿½  Accreted  terrane ï¿½ Terrane that did not form at its present site on a  continent. ï¿½  Accretionary  wedge (subduction complex) ï¿½ A wedge of thrust-faulted and folded sediment scraped off  a subducting plate by the overlying plate. ï¿½  Active continental margin ï¿½ A margin  consisting of a continental shelf, a continental slope, and an oceanic  trench. ï¿½  Actualism ï¿½ The principle that the same processes and natural laws  that operated in the past are those we can actually observe or infer from  observations as operating at present. Under present usage, uniformitarianism has the same meaning as actualism for most geologists. ï¿½  Advancing  glacier ï¿½ Glacier with a positive budget, so that accumulation  results in the lower edges being pushed outward and downward. ï¿½  Aftershock ï¿½ Small  earthquake that follows a main shock. ï¿½  A horizon ï¿½ The top layer of soil, characterized by the downward  movement of water. (Also called zone of leaching.) ï¿½  Alkali soil ï¿½ Soil containing  such a great quantity of sodium salts precipitated by evaporating ground  water that it is generally unfit for plant growth. ï¿½  Alluvial fan ï¿½ Large,  fan-shaped pile of sediment that usually forms where a stream's velocity  decreases as it emerges from a narrow canyon onto a flat plain at the foot of  a mountain range. ï¿½  Alpine  glaciation ï¿½ Glaciation of a mountainous area. ï¿½  Amphibole  group ï¿½ Mineral group in which all members are double-chain  silicates. ï¿½  Amphibolite ï¿½ Amphibole  (hornblende), plagioclase schist. ï¿½  Andesite ï¿½ Fine-grained  igneous rock of intermediate composition. Up to half of the rock is  plagioclase feldspar with the rest being ferromagnesian minerals. ï¿½  Angle of dip ï¿½ A  vertical angle measured downward from the horizontal plane to an inclined plane. ï¿½  Angular ï¿½ Sharp-edged;  lacking rounded edges or corners. ï¿½  Angular  unconformity ï¿½ An unconformity in which younger strata overlie an  erosion surface on tilted or folded layered rock. ï¿½  Anorthosite ï¿½ A  crystalline rock composed almost entirely of calcium-rich plagioclase  feldspar. ï¿½  Antecedent  stream ï¿½ A stream that maintains its original course despite  later deformation of the land. ï¿½  Anthracite ï¿½ Coal that  has undergone low-grade metamorphism. Burns dust-free and smokeless. ï¿½  Anticline ï¿½ An arched  fold in which the rock layers usually dip away from the axis of the fold. ï¿½  Aquifer ï¿½ A body of  saturated rock or sediment through which water can move readily. ï¿½  Arch (sea  arch) ï¿½ Bridge of rock left above an opening eroded in a  headland by waves. ï¿½  Archean Eon ï¿½ The oldest  eon of Earth's history. ï¿½  Arï¿½te ï¿½ A sharp  ridge that separates adjacent glacially carved valleys. ï¿½  Arid region ï¿½ An area with  less than 25 centimeters of rain per year. ï¿½  Arkose ï¿½ A sandstone  in which more than 25% of the grains are feldspar. ï¿½  Artesian  aquifer ï¿½ See confined  aquifer. ï¿½  Artesian  well ï¿½ A well in which water rises above the aquifer. ï¿½  Artificial  recharge ï¿½ Groundwater recharge increased by engineering  techniques. ï¿½  Aseismic  ridge ï¿½ Submarine ridge with which no earthquakes are  associated. ï¿½  Ash (volcanic) ï¿½ Fine  pyroclasts (less than 4 millimeters). ï¿½  Assimilation ï¿½ The process in w


Which political party has ruled Syria since 1970?

Syria - GOVERNMENT Syria - Government Syria IN EARLY 1987, President Hafiz al Assad, in power since his November 1970 takeover in a bloodless military coup d'�tat, continued to lead Syria. His regime appeared to be resilient, if not altogether stable. Only a few years earlier, the regime had encountered several major threats. In 1982 the government of Syria endured nearly simultaneous major domestic and external challenges: the uprising of Muslim fundamentalist rebels and the Israeli attack on Syrian forces in Lebanon. Then, in late 1983 and early 1984, Assad became seriously ill, leading to splits within the regime as factions maneuvered to succeed him. These machinations proved to be premature, however, because Assad subsequently recovered and reasserted his power. Nonetheless, the domestic political infighting and external military clashes that occurred while Assad was incapacitated reminded Syrians of their nation's chronic instability of the 1950s and 1960s and foreshadowed the return of such instability after Assad. The crises also reinforced the perception that the strength of the Syrian government was not only vested in the president but derived from him personally. Consequently, although Assad had transformed Syria into a regional power in the Levant and had created domestic stability, his accomplishments could prove ephemeral because they were not buttressed by legitimate and viable institutions. Even more unsettling, in 1987 the question of a successor to President Assad was still unresolved. Since 1970 Assad's pragmatism, ambition, and patience have helped transform Syria into a regional power. Syrian development has been motivated and hastened by the threat posed by Israel. In fact, in 1984 Assad announced Syria's determination to attain "strategic parity" with Israel and further stated that Syria would strive to match Israel's level of modernization across the wide spectrum of "political, demographic, social, educational, economic, and military aspects of life." However, Syria's status as a regional power imposed costs and liabilities. For instance, in 1987 Syria was relatively isolated in the Arab world, primarily because of its maverick support for Iran in the Iran-Iraq War and its involvement in Lebanon. Also, its economy staggered under the weight of its military budget, and it depended heavily on the Soviet Union for military equipment. Despite the outward appearance of radicalism and dogmatic rigidity, Syrian diplomacy was conducted on the basis of hardheaded and pragmatic calculation of perceived costs and benefits to the national interest. Its position on the ArabIsraeli conflict, once believed to be immutably rigid, changed not only in style but in substance. In the years after the October 1973 War, Syria modified its categorical refusal to negotiate directly with Israel. After 1973 it indicated its intention to negotiate, in return for Israel's withdrawal from all occupied territories and for a form of Palestinian selfdetermination . The political effectiveness of Assad's leadership depended heavily on firm control of the pervasive military and internal security and intelligence apparatus--the only countercoup forces available to an incumbent regime. The officially sanctioned Baath (Arab Socialist Resurrection) Party, also played an increasingly important role in maintaining the regime. Syria was a socialist state under the political influence of the Baath Party, which provided ideological legitimation and continuity to Assad's rule. However, Assad's implementation of Baath Party doctrines has been more pragmatic than ideological. To broaden the government's base, in 1972 Assad incorporated nonBaathist parties into the National Progressive Front. Although the front theoretically ruled Syria, the Baath Party remained the real power. The authorities closely monitored political activities and dealt sternly with expressions of organized dissent or opposition--a source of grievance for the nation's intellectuals, students, some conservative Sunni religious leaders, and labor groups. Absence of open pol


Shelina Permalloo won which TV show in 2012?

Shelina Permalloo wins MasterChef 2012 final | Radio Times Shelina Permalloo wins MasterChef 2012 final Sunny Mauritian chef triumphs in the culinary contest for a ratings-winning cook-off Comments Written By 12:12 PM, 16 March 2012 Shelina Permalloo has won the MasterChef final, in a gripping competition climax that pulled in 5.6 million viewers, climbing to 6.21 million at 9:45pm when the winners were announced. The judges said the 29-year-old Tooting-based chef brought “sunshine to a plate” with a winning menu of octopus starter, mutton curry, and a dessert of mango cannelloni filled with lime curd. As only the second woman to take the title in eight years, a delighted Permalloo said: “I am completely and utterly overwhelmed. I never thought it would be me that would win. The guys were so amazing and I just never thought it could happen to me.” The 29-year-old who grew up in Southampton paid tribute to her Mauritian mother, who showed her how to cook in the traditional style of her country: “My mum is a brilliant cook. I learnt everything from her. I’m basically her sous chef. She taught me to cook by intuition: never by using scales, always by sight and taste. So I developed a strong palate from a young age. "I only ate Mauritian food growing up as it gave our family that affinity of being close to the island. Mauritian food is very frugal, which is great in these economic climates but at the same time full of flavour, heady with aromatics, nutritional and damn tasty." The talented young chef beat finalists Andrew Kojima and Tom Rennolds, winning over the judges with her upbeat personality as well as her cooking, and shining in challenges that included cooking for royalty in Thailand, serving a three-course meal for Michelin-starred chefs and preparing dishes for the judges themselves. John Torode said: "What Shelina has done throughout this competition is outstanding. She is a very special cook with an exceptional talent, who always wears a smile and cooks with care to assault the senses and bring sunshine to a plate." Although the series has not quite managed to achieve last year’s audiences, when the final grabbed the attention of 5.92 million viewers, it beat ITV1’s new romantic drama, Love Life, which was no match for the cookery final, averaging 3.92 million viewers, and losing more than a million viewers while on air. Like this? Share it.


Who became the first British cyclist since Tom Simpson in 1967 to win the classic Paris Nice 'race to the sun' in March 2012?

Mark Cavendish: It's all about the baby, the Tour and the Olympics | Sport | The Guardian Mark Cavendish Mark Cavendish: It's all about the baby, the Tour and the Olympics The world road race champion says fatherhood will bolster his desire to retain the Tour de France green jersey and to win gold in London World road race champion Mark Cavendish says he likes the grit and cunning of a hard-fought cycling race. Photograph: Tom Jenkins Monday 26 March 2012 18.00 EDT First published on Monday 26 March 2012 18.00 EDT Share on Messenger Close A few days from now, in early April, Mark Cavendish is due to become a father for the first time. As he awaits the arrival of his baby daughter, and during a brief lull in this year of supreme ambition for the world champion cyclist, Cavendish leans across a shiny white table and describes his emotions and plans in raw detail. His gaze glitters fiercely and his voice thickens with feeling. "It's already changed me," Cavendish says of the imminent birth. "It's made me more motivated than ever. A lot of people who have kids have said it'll soften me and I'll take fewer risks on the road. But, for me, it's the opposite. I want to provide the best possible life for my daughter. I want her to be so proud of me. You know, I never rode just for myself. I did it for my team as well. But this feels different. This feels like I'm riding my heart out for her." Cavendish pauses in mid-flow, as if to check that his gravelly words are understood less as a product of sentimentality than a statement of intent. He needs to be ferocious this summer. His defence of the green jersey in the Tour de France and his pursuit of an Olympic gold medal are wrapped around each other – with almost suffocating intensity. The Tour's final sprint down the Champs-Élysées is followed six days later by the road race at London 2012. But Cavendish's conviction that he can achieve both goals is bolstered by his passion for fatherhood. "The two go together," he says simply. "I become a dad and then, with even more incentive to win, I'm harder to beat. I feel that right here." Cavendish thumps his heart; before laughing at the fervour with which he lives his life. "I know every dad probably says this," Cavendish murmurs, more shyly, "but I don't think there's going to be a baby more loved than this one. Her room's ready. Her stuff's ready. Her mum's ready. I'm more than ready. She's due on 5 April and I've got three-and-a-half weeks at home so it works out perfect. I'm going to be living with my three princesses. They'll all get away with murder but it's going to be amazing." Apart from his daughter and partner, Peta Todd, the third princess in Cavendish's royal trio is a small dog called Nala. "You know The Lion King?" Cavendish barks. "My Nala is a hardcore puppy. She's so greedy that the other week I watched her swallow a mouse whole. She thinks she's a snake. So we've got Peta, Nala and the smallest princess." Cavendish makes it sound as if, in deepest Essex, he's going to live in a pink castle with his beautiful and omnipotent princesses. "You wouldn't believe me at home," he says. "Since Peta has been pregnant I've been so protective. And I've hardly stopped talking to the baby. I keep telling her I'm going to do good by her. That tells me why, more than ever, I'll get the best out of myself." Even by Cavendish's extreme standards this has been a tumultuous start to the year. So much has unfolded over the past three months that we need to do two separate interviews to cram in half of everything that has already happened in 2012. In his debut season for Sky, Cavendish has racked up numerous wins, lost a few, had two bad crashes, suffered with illness and a bad back and vomited copiously. "Yeah, it's been busy," he says with a cackle. "Since I met you last time I've had lunch with the Queen. It was just 10 of us. The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, me, and seven cool people.Some were authors and historians. I couldn't believe how informal it was. The Queen and the Duke were dead normal. It was one of the most chilled out, in


What name is given to the original single continent on Earth that has split into the continents we have today?

Facts About Pangaea The breakup of the Pangaea supercontinent. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey About 300 million years ago, Earth didn't have seven continents, but instead one massive supercontinent called Pangaea, which was surrounded by a single ocean called Panthalassa. The explanation for Pangaea's formation ushered in the modern theory of plate tectonics , which posits that the Earth's outer shell is broken up into several plates that slide over Earth's rocky shell, the mantle. Over the course of the planet's 3.5 billion-year history, several super continents have formed and broken up, a result of churning and circulation in the Earth's mantle , which makes up most of planet's volume. This breakup and formation of supercontinents has dramatically altered the planet's history. "This is what's driven the entire evolution of the planet through time. This is the major backbeat of the planet," said Brendan Murphy, a geology professor at the St. Francis Xavier University, in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. History More than a century ago, the scientist Alfred Wegener proposed the notion of an ancient supercontinent, which he named Pangaea (sometimes spelled Pangea), after putting together several lines of evidence. The first and most obvious was that the "continents fit together like a tongue and groove," something that was quite noticeable on any accurate map, Murphy said. Another telltale hint that Earth's continents were all one land mass comes from the geologic record. Coal deposits found in Pennsylvania have a similar composition to those spanning across Poland, Great Britain and Germany from the same time period. That indicates that North America and Europe must have once been a single landmass. And the orientation of magnetic minerals in geologic sediments reveals how Earth's magnetic poles migrated over geologic time, Murphy said. In the fossil record, identical plants, such as the extinct seed fern Glossopteris, are found on now widely disparate continents. And mountain chains that now lie on different continents, such as the Appalachians in the United States and the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, were all part of the Central Pangaea Mountains, formed through the collision of the supercontinents Gondwana and Laurussia. Pangaea formed through a gradual process spanning a few hundred million years. Beginning about 480 million years ago, a continent called Laurentia, which includes parts of North America, merged with several other micro-continents to form Euramerica. Euramerica eventually collided with Gondwana, another supercontinent that included Africa, Australia, South America and the Indian subcontinent. About 200 million years ago, the supercontinent began to break up. Gondwana (what is now Africa, South America, Antarctica, India and Australia) first split from Laurasia (Eurasia and North America). Then about 150 million years ago, Gondwana broke up. India peeled off from Antarctica, and Africa and South America rifted, according to a 1970 article in the Journal of Geophysical Research . Around 60 million years ago, North America split off from Eurasia.            Life and climate Having one massive landmass would have made for very different climactic cycles. For instance, the interior of the continent may have utterly dry, as it was locked behind massive mountain chains that blocked all moisture or rainfall, Murphy said. But the coal deposits found in the United States and Europe reveal that parts of the ancient supercontinent near the equator must have been a lush, tropical rainforest, similar to the Amazonian jungle, Murphy said. (Coal forms when dead plants and animals sink into swampy water, where pressure and water transform the material into peat, then coal.) "The coal deposits are essentially telling us that there was plentiful life on land," Murphy told Live Science. Pangaea existed for 100 million years, and during that time period several animals flourished, including the Traversodontidae , a family of plant-eating animals that includes the ancestors of mammals. During the Permian period , insects such as be


What irrevocable step was taken by Caesar in 49I3C?

Irrevocableness - definition of Irrevocableness by The Free Dictionary Irrevocableness - definition of Irrevocableness by The Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Irrevocableness Also found in: Thesaurus , Legal , Financial . ir·rev·o·ca·ble  (ĭ-rĕv′ə-kə-bəl) Impossible to retract or revoke: an irrevocable decision. ir·rev′o·ca·bil′i·ty, ir·rev′o·ca·ble·ness n. ir·rev′o·ca·bly adv. Irrevocableness burn one’s bridges See DECISIVENESS . cross the Rubicon See DECISIVENESS . cry over spilt milk To regret or bemoan what cannot be undone or changed, to lament or grieve over past actions or events. This proverbial expression, in common use in both America and Britain, was apparently first used by the Canadian humorist Thomas C. Haliburton in The Clockmaker; or the Sayings and Doings of Samuel Slick of Slickville (1835), in which a friend of the hero says, “What’s done, Sam, can’t be helped, there is no use in cryin’ over spilt milk.” the die is cast A statement meaning that a decisive and irrevocable step has been taken, that the course has been decided once and for all and that there will be no going back. The original Latin alea jacta est would have more meaning for modern ears if rendered in the plural—‘the dice have been thrown.’ The phrase is attributed to Julius Caesar at the time of his famous crossing of the Rubicon. Although the OED dates this specific expression from 1634, Shakespeare’s Richard III contains a similar concept: I have set my life upon a cast, And I will stand the hazard of the die. (V, iv) the fat’s in the fire What’s done is done, and the negative consequences must be paid; usually used in reference to an irrevocable, potentially explosive situation; also all the fat is in the fire. The allusion is probably to the way fat spits when burning. This expression, in use since 1644, appeared in an article by William Dean Howells in the February, 1894, issue of Harper’s Magazine: The die is cast, the jig is up, the fat’s in the fire, the milk’s spilt. let the dead bury the dead Let bygones be bygones; don’t dwell on past differences and grievances. The implication in this expression is that one should not be tied down by things in the past, but should begin anew and look toward favorable prospects in the future. Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead. (Matthew 8:22) point of no return A situation or predicament from which there is no turning back; a crucial position or moment in an argument, project, or other matter which requires total commitment of one’s resources. This expression was first used by aircraft pilots and navigators to describe that point in a flight when the plane does not have enough fuel to return to its home base, and so must continue on to its destination. that’s water over the dam A proverbial phrase expressing the sentiment that what’s past is past and nothing can be done about it; also that’s water under the bridge.


Which book is set in the 1930s and features Pinkie as the leader of a gang?

Book Review: Brighton Rock | The Pink Panther Snipes Again The Pink Panther Snipes Again Bad Movie Reviews with a Touch of Snark Book Review: Brighton Rock by jilliansheilas 2 Comments I almost bought a copy of this novel in Brighton, which would have been perfect, but I hated the cover.  Apparently it’s a thing to have cartoony characters on the cover of this novel, which makes no sense because, in true Graham Greene fashion, the closest it comes to humor is bitterness. There are some spoilers in this review…but this novel is nearly 80 years old and has been made into 2 different movies.  At a certain point you might want to just accept you’re never going to read it. Brighton Rock Graham Greene Total pages:  247 Important note:  this is connected to another Graham Greene novel, A Gun for Sale.  However, I maintain it’s really not necessary to read the other one before this.  But who knows, I could be missing information that would bring new meaning to my reading of Brighton Rock. Other note:  Brighton rock does not refer to a geological formation (as I believed for a really long time), but a candy stick you can buy in every.  Single.  Shop in Brighton.  The stick reads “Brighton rock” on both ends and all the way through. Exhibit A Our story follows the leader of a 1930s Brighton gang in the aftermath of a murder.  Pinkie Brown is a cold, ruthless 18-year-old psychopath whose grey eyes give “an effect of heartlessness like an old man’s in which human feeling has died.”  (God damn, Graham Greene.)  Following the murder of his gang leader, Pinkie is in charge of those loyal enough to remain, and his first order of business is vengeance. Pinkie’s target is Fred Hale, a man who betrayed the gang leader in some way, presumably (I can’t claim I understand how gangs work at all).  Just before Fred’s murder (spoiler, but I don’t think Fred even makes it to page 30), he encounters the easy-going Ida, whose bosom is described in virtually every chapter.  When Fred disappears, Ida is extremely suspicious and refuses to rest until she discovers the truth about what’s happened. As Ida pursues Pinkie, Pinkie pursues Rose, a teenager who unknowingly holds a key piece of evidence that could implicate Pinkie in murder.  Even though the idea of romance is utterly repellent to Pinkie and he sees the traditional path of marriage and children as a slow death, he convinces Rose he loves her in order to dissuade her from talking to anyone about what she knows.  Is he willing to sacrifice his “bitter virginity” (whatever the fuck that means), his freedom, and even his eternal soul in order to keep Rose quiet? Like basically every other Graham Greene novel ever written, this one is highly critical of the Catholic Church.  Pinkie and Rose are both Catholic, in contrast with Ida, who isn’t religious but spiritual and has a few weird superstitions about ghosts and Ouija boards.  As a child, Pinkie wanted to be a priest, and Greene draws parallels between his contempt for the rest of humanity, indifference to suffering, and disdain of sex and romantic love with the Catholic Church.  Greene also prods quite a bit at the two Catholic characters’ willingness to sin despite the promise of eternal damnation, going so far as to say “a Catholic is more capable of evil than anyone” (246).  (Ha ha, since this isn’t an English paper, I can end this paragraph with a quote and refuse to offer any explanation whatsoever!) For some reason I didn’t get into his the first time around I tried it, but I LOVED it this time.  It’s outrageously cynical, and the only novel I can think of in which a candy tourists buy in Brighton is used as a metaphor for the inescapability of human nature. Fair warning that you’ll have to deal with a reasonable amount of dated ‘30s slang that feels made up, esp. re:  women.  (Both “buer” and “polony” get thrown around A LOT and I still don’t fully understand what either means.  I just kept thinking of Polonius from Hamlet and also Thelonious Monk every time someone used the word “polony.”) The end also gets a bit melodramatic, and it’s


Which English singer/songwriter, born in 1974, was an officer in the Life Guards regiment and served with NATO in Kosovo in 1999?

Blunt Was An Officer In The Life Guards A Cavalry Regiment Of | James Blunt James Blunt Blunt Was An Officer In The Life Guards A Cavalry Regiment Of James Hillier Blount (born 22 February 1974), better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and former army officer, whose debut album, Back to Bedlam and single releases, including “You’re Beautiful” and “Goodbye My Lover”, brought him to fame in 2005. Blunt’s third studio album, Some Kind of Trouble, was released in November 2010. Worldwide, Blunt has sold over 18 million albums, and his debut album, Back to Bedlam, is the best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK. Blunt was an officer in the Life Guards, a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and served under NATO in Kosovo during the conflict there in 1999. The Blount family has a long history of military service, dating from the 10th century. His unit was given the assignment of securing the Pristina International Airport in advance of the 30,000-strong peacekeeping force; however the Russian army had moved in and taken control of the airport before his unit’s arrival. Blunt Was An Officer In The Life Guards A Cavalry Regiment Of After recording on the independent American label Custard Records, Blunt won two Brit Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, two Ivor Novello Awards, and by 2006 was nominated for five Grammy Awards. Blunt was an officer in the Life Guards, a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and served under NATO in Kosovo during the conflict there in 1999. Because the British Army sponsored his university education, Blunt was obliged to serve a minimum of four years in the armed forces. One of his first assignments was to British Army Training Unit Suffield in Alberta, Canada, where his battalion was posted for six months in 1998 to act as the opposing army in combat training exercises. in 1999, he served as an armoured reconnaissance officer in the NATO deployment in Kosovo. Linda Perry, who was just launching her own Custard Records label in early 2003, heard Blunt’s promotional tape when visiting London, and soon after heard him perform live at the South by Southwest Music Festival. Blunt Was An Officer In The Life Guards A Cavalry Regiment Of James Hillier Blount (born 22 February 1974), better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and musician, and former army officer, whose debut album, Back to Bedlam and single releases, including “You’re Beautiful” and “Goodbye My Lover”, brought him to fame in 2005. The following year, he released his second album All the Lost Souls (2007). Blunt was an officer in the Life Guards, a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and served under NATO in Kosovo during the conflict there in 1999. James spent his early childhood living in England, Cyprus, and Germany, where his father, a Colonel in the British Army Air Corps, and military helicopter pilot, was posted at various times. His father inculcated in him a love of flying, and he earned his pilot’s licence at age 16. Blunt Was An Officer In The Life Guards A Cavalry Regiment Of His repertoire can be best described as a mix of acoustic-tinged pop, rock and folk. Blunt was an officer in the Life Guards, a Cavalry regiment of the British Army, and served under NATO in Kosovo during the conflict there in 1999. The Blount family has a long history of military service, dating from the 10th century. His father instilled in him a love of flying, and he earned his pilot’s licence at age 16. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Life Guards, a unit of the Household Cavalry, where he rose to the rank of captain. She made an offer to him the same night and within a few days, Blunt signed a recording contract with Perry, and one month later he was in Los Angeles working with producer Tom Rothrock. While in Los Angeles, he lodged with actress Carrie Fisher, whom he had met through the family of a former girlfriend. This song initially peaked below the Top 100 of the UK Singles Chart, however after the subsequent success of “You’re Beautiful” it finally made th


Who wrote 'The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner'?

Iron Maiden — Rime of the Ancient Mariner — Listen, watch, download and discover music for free at Last.fm epic The song's lyrics were based on the Samuel Taylor Coleridge-penned poem of the same name, which tells the tale of a sea vessel's doomed journey. The composition remains one of Maiden's most musically complex, as there are numerous time changes and contrasting sections (even a middle section where a ghoulish voice recites lines from Coleridge's poem). Although the song seemed to be made for the concert stage, the band performed it only occasionally in a live setting, but it did… read more Don't want to see ads? Subscribe now Similar Tracks


Shooting, swimming, riding, cross-country running and what comprise the modem pentathlon?

Modern Pentathlon - Pentathlon Event - Olympic Pentathlon Modern Pentathlon - Pentathlon Event - Olympic Pentathlon An athletic event comprising of five events Discus throw, Javelin, long jump, foot race and wrestling. Modern Pentathlon opposed to this comprises of Pistol Shooting, Fencing, Swimming, Riding & Running. Pentathlon Pentathlon is a composite athletic event, encompassing target shooting, fencing, swimming, equestrian Show Jumping and cross-country running. Pentathlon games are an optimum blend of an athlete’s strength, skill, timing, endurance and determination. Each contestant must participate in all five sporting events, one after the other in order to win the pentathlon. Pentathlon History Ancient Greek Pentathlon, a primitive version of the modern day pentathlon was introduced during 708 BC. The sport comprised five games - Discus, Javelin, long jump, foot race and wrestling. Discus, Javelin and Long jump were categorized solely as pentathlon events and were generally not played as individual sports. These games were a test of a participant’s strength and timing. The discus throw area was very small and barely sufficient for an individual to stand erect. The discus to be thrown weighed around 14 pounds, 10 ounces. The ancient Greek javelin was 6 feet long and as thick as a finger. It was made of wood and contained a metal point at the end. A throw strap was wrapped in the middle to provide the participants a better grip. Long jump was accompanied by carrying weights. Contestants carried stone or metal weights of four to eight pounds during long jumps. There were four categories of foot races. ‘ Stade’ – 200 yards race ‘ Diaulos’ and ‘Hoplitodromos’ – Known as race in armor, 400 yards long ‘Dolichos’ – Races that ranged between 7-24 stades, although they averaged at 20 stades. In wrestling, the opponents grappled each other to the ground without striking. Participants rubbed themselves in oil and power/dust to get a good grip. Wrestling was categorized into three groups – boys, youth and men. Pentathlon was an entirely men’s event until women participation began around the late 1970s. The first women’s world championship was played in the year 1980. Modern pentathlon games are single day sporting events that embrace five different sports, played one after the other in the predetermined sequence. Each game is designed to test the contestant’s skill, dexterity, focus and agility. Accurate timing and precision is fundamental to the sport. Modern Pentathlon Events Modern pentathlon originated from the military and was a test of the officers’ courage, co-ordination, physical fitness, self-discipline and flexibility. The pentathlon games initially lasted for five days with one event contested each day. In 1984, it was made a four-day event, with both pistol shooting and cross-country run conducted on the fourth and final day. Since 1996, the pentathlon is held as a single day event with all five events contested one after another. Modern pentathlon games are scored on a scale of 1000 points for the prescribed time. For any amount of time taken beyond or below the prescribed time, the prescribed  point limit is reduced or added to the initial start up points. Pistol Shooting – The range of the target is 10 meters and contestants generally use a big bore standard rifle. Each contestant is allowed 20 shots within a time period of 40 seconds. The target is a stationary concentric ring 155 mm in diameter. An optimum pentathlon score is 172 out of 200 that gives the contestant 1000 pentathlon points. The shooting targets are changed after each shot. The shooting program is 5 sighting shots in 5 minutes, 10 shots precision fired in 10 minutes and 10 rapid-fire shots in 1 minute. 12 pentathlon points are gained for every target point above 172 whereas 12 pentathlon points are reduced for every target point below 172. Fencing – For fencing matches, epee swords are used and the target is the opponent’s entire body. Scoring is done through electronic tips at the end of each sword. Either contestant has to achieve one hit


Who was King of Libya when it gained independence from Italy on Christmas Eve 1951?

Libya: popular uprising, civilian war or military attack? | Investig'Action Libya: popular uprising, civilian war or military attack? 16 Mar 2011 Grégoire Lalieu Over the last three weeks there have been confrontations between troops loyal to Colonel Gaddafi and opposition forces based in the east of the country. After Ben Ali and Mubarak, will Gaddafi be the next dictator to fall? Can what is happening in Libya be compared to the popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt? What can be made of the antics and u-turns we have seen from the Colonel? Why is NATO preparing for war? How do you tell the difference between a good Arab and a bad Arab? In this latest chapter of our series ‘Understanding the Muslim world’, Mohammed Hassan replies to questions put by Investig’Action. This interview took place before the imperialist invasion of Libya, but it provides a requisite background to understanding why did this invasion take place. After Tunisia and Egypt, has the Arab revolution reached Libya? What is happening at the moment in Libya is different. In Tunisia and Egypt, the lack of freedom was flagrant.However, it was the appalling social conditions which really drove young people to rebel.The Tunisians and Egyptians had no hope for the future. In Libya, Muammar Gadaffi’s regime is corrupt, monopolises a large part of the country’s wealth and has always severely repressed any opposition. But the social conditions of Libyan people are better than in neighbouring countries. Life expectancy in Libya is higher than in the rest of Africa.The health and education systems are good.Libya, moreover, is one of the first African countries to have eradicated malaria.While there are major inequalities in the distribution of wealth, GDP per inhabitant is about $11,000 – one of the highest in the Arab world.You will not therefore find in Libya the same objective conditions that led to the popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. How then do you explain what is happening in Libya? In order to understand current events properly, we should place them in their historic context. Libya was formerly an Ottoman province. In 1835 France took over Algeria. Meanwhile Mohamed Ali, the Egyptian governor under the Ottoman Empire, was implementing ever more independent policies. With the French installed in Algeria on the one hand, and Mohamed Ali in Egypt on the other hand, the Ottomans were fearful of losing control of the region. They sent their troops to Libya. At the time the Senoussis Brotherhood was highly influential in the country. It had been founded by Sayid Mohammed Ibn Ali as Senoussi, an Algerian who, after studying in his own country and in Morocco, went to preach his version of Islam in Tunisia and Libya. At the start of the 19th century, Senoussie began to attract numerous followers, but he was not much appreciated by certain of the Ottoman religious authorities who criticised him in their sermons.After spending some time in Egypt and in Mecca, Sennoussi decided to exile himself permanently in Cyrenaica, in the east of Libya. His Brotherhood grew there and organised life in the región, levying taxes, resolving disputes between tribes, etc. It even had its own army and offered its services escorting merchants’ caravans passing through the area. Finally his Senoussis Brotherhood became the de facto government of Cyrenaica, expanding its influence even as far as northern Chad. But then the European colonial powers installed themselves in Africa, dividing the sub-Saharan part of the continent. That had a negative impact on the Senoussis.Libya’s invasion by Italy also seriously undermined the Brotherhood’s regional hegemony. In 2008 Italy paid compensation to Libya for the crimes of the colonialists.Was colonisation as terrible as all that?Or did Berlusconi want to be seen in a good light in order to be able to conclude commercial contracts with Gaddafi? The colonisation of Libya was dreadful. At the beginning of the 20th century, a fascist government began spreading propaganda claiming that Italy, which had been defeated by the Ethiopian army at t


Which leader of the British National Party appeared on Question Time in October 2009?

British BNP far-right leader appears on BBC show amid protests | News | Expatica United Kingdom British BNP far-right leader appears on BBC show amid protests 23rd October 2009, 0 comments The leader of the British National Party appearance on BBC's flagship political programme 'Question Time' comes up against stiff opposition on his views to do with immigration. London -- The BBC controversially gave a far-right party leader a first appearance Thursday on its flagship political panel show as angry protesters besieged its headquarters. Nick Griffin, chairman of the British National Party (BNP), appeared on the weekly "Question Time" debate show as around 500 demonstrators joined in angry protests outside Television Centre in west London. Around 30 demonstrators broke into the BBC's headquarters, while others lit flares outside and clashed with police. Six people were arrested and three police officers were injured, one being taken to hospital with a head injury. The British Broadcasting Corporation defended its decision to invite Griffin on the show, saying it was duty bound to be impartial. The BNP had never appeared on the show before but was invited on after Griffin and a colleague were elected to the European Parliament in June, with the party taking nearly 944,000 votes -- a 6.2 percent share. The BBC's invite sparked passionate debate -- and saw mainstream parties change tack and agree to share a platform with the BNP. "We remain firmly of the view that it was appropriate to invite Nick Griffin onto the 'Question Time' panel in the context of the BBC meeting its obligation of due impartiality," BBC deputy director general Mark Byford said. "Members of the audience asked the kind of tough questions that mark 'Question Time' out as the premier television programme where the public put the panellists on the spot." Griffin faced hostile questions in a show dominated by debates around BNP policy and panellists challenging the 50-year-old on quotes attributed to him. His appearance has dominated the British news agenda this week and was on the front page of most national newspapers Friday. "I've been relentlessly attacked and demonised over the last few days," Griffin said. "I am not a Nazi. I never have been," he said, adding that "I am the most loathed man in Britain in the eyes of Britain's Nazis" for having stopped the BNP being "frankly an anti-Semitic and racist organisation". He said: "I do not have a conviction for Holocaust denial", adding: "I was very critical of the way in which the Holocaust is abused to prevent serious discussion over immigration." He added: "Our country must remain fundamentally a British and Christian country... based on Western democratic values", saying he stood for people who felt "shut out in our own country". Griffin was on the panel alongside Justice Secretary Jack Straw for the governing Labour Party; Sayeeda Warsi, communities spokeswoman for the main opposition Conservatives; Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne and US playwright Bonnie Greer. Griffin said beforehand that the furore around his appearance "clearly gives us a whole new level of public recognition". The BNP website said it had been forced to take its normal pages offline due to a surge in hits. The BNP wants to "stop immigration and put British people first". Its membership is restricted to "indigenous Caucasian" people, though that is set to change after a recent court battle. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Griffin going on the show was "a good opportunity to expose what they are about". Griffin told Britain's domestic Press Association news agency afterwards that he thought the programme was a "hard-fought match" that would "polarise normal opinion". He said: "A huge swath of British people will remember some of the things I said and say to themselves they've never heard anyone on 'Question Time' say that before and millions of people will think that man speaks what I feel." Robin Millard/AFP/Expatica


In 2012 who became the oldest winner of an Oscar, for his role in 'Beginners'?

Oscars 2012: Who Walked Away A Winner? | Access Hollywood Oscars 2012: Who Walked Away A Winner? February 26, 2012 5:07 PM PST “The Artist” won five Academy Awards on Sunday includingbest picture, becoming the first silent film to triumph at Hollywood’s highest honors since the original Oscar ceremony 83 years ago. Among other prizes for the black-and-white comic melodrama were best actor for Jean Dujardin and director for Michel Hazanavicius. The other top Oscars went to Meryl Streep as best actress for “The Iron Lady,” Octavia Spencer as supporting actress for “The Help” and Christopher Plummer as supporting actor for “Beginners.” “The Artist” is the first silent winner since the World War I saga “Wings” was named outstanding picture at the first Oscars in 1929 had a silent film earned the top prize. “I am the happiest director in the world,” Havanavicius said, thanking the cast, crew and canine co-star Uggie. “I also want to thank the financier, the crazy person who put money in the movie.” The other wins for “The Artist” were musical score and art direction. Martin Scorsese’s Paris adventure “Hugo” also won five Oscars, all in technical categories. Streep’s win was her first Oscar in 29 years, since she won best actress for “Sophie’s Choice.” She had lost 12 times in a row since then. Streep also has a supporting-actress Oscar for 1979’s “Kramer vs. Kramer.” “When they called my name, I had this feeling I could hear half of America go, ‘Oh, no, why her again?’ But whatever,” Streep said, laughing. “I really understand I’ll never be up here again. I really want to think all my colleagues, my friends. I look out here and I see my life before my eyes, my old friends, my new friends. Really, this is such a great honor but the think that counts the most with me is the friendship and the love and the sheer job we’ve shared making moves together,” said Streep, the record-holder with 17 acting nominations. Streep is only the fifth performer to receive three Oscars. Jack Nicholson, Ingrid Bergman and Walter Brennan all earned three, while Katharine Hepburn won four. It was a night that went as expected, with front-runners claiming key prizes. Streep’s triumph provided a bit of drama, since she had been in a two-woman race with Viola Davis for “The Help.” The biggest surprise may have been the length of the show, which clocked in at about three hours and 10 minutes, brisk for a ceremony that has run well over four hours some years. The 82-year-old Plummer became the oldest acting winner ever for his role as an elderly widower who comes out as gay in “Beginners.” “You’re only two years older than me, darling,” Plummer said, addressing his Oscar statue in this 84th year of the awards. “Where have you been all my life? I have a confession to make. When I first emerged from my mother’s womb, I was already rehearsing my Oscar speech.” The previous oldest winner was best-actress recipient Jessica Tandy for “Driving Miss Daisy,” at age 80. Completing an awards-season blitz that took her from Hollywood bit player to star, Spencer won for her role in “The Help” as a headstrong black maid whose willful ways continually land her in trouble with white employers in 1960s Mississippi. Spencer wept throughout her breathless speech, in which she apologized between laughing and crying for running a bit long on her time limit. “Thank you, academy, for putting me with the hottest guy in the room,” Spencer said, referring to last year’s supporting-actor winner Christian Bale, who presented her Oscar. Dujardin became the first Frenchman to win an acting Oscar. French actresses have won before, including Marion Cotillard and Juliette Binoche. “Oh, thank you. Oui. I love your country!” said Dujardin, who plays George Valentin, a silent-film superstar fallen on hard times as the sound era takes over. If George Valentincould speak, Dujardin said, “he’d say … ‘Merci beaucoup, formidable!’” Claiming Hollywood’s top-filmmaking honor completes Hazanavicius’ sudden rise from popular movie-maker back home in France to internationally celebrated director. Ha


Which popular song did Stravinsky incorporate into 'Greetings Prelude' in 1955 unaware that he was in breach of copyright?

Howard Blake AUTOBIOGRAPHY in Verse & Prose Heredity (1938) Ipswich and Upper Street Islington My great-grandfather on my mother's side was Henry Andrews, born in 1832, who began life as a journalist and ended up as a non-conformist preacher, pastor of the Quay Congregational Church in Woodbridge, Suffolk from 1870 to 1887. His wife Harriet Augusta (nee Thurston) was musical and played the organ. Their second daughter, born in 1866, the high-spirited Leisa Lovely, was my grandmother, and she inherited the musical gene, singing and playing violin and piano. She married Leader, son of Funston Benson, the owner of a family firm puryeying high-class leather goods at establishments around London. Leeder ran one at 70 Upper Street, Islington, the large silver BENSON sign remaining until late in the twentieth century. He was a gentle soul who played the flute, a talent passed on to his son Alec. Alec's two older sisters, Gladys and Dolly, played the piano a little, but real talent was inherited by my mother, their younger sister Grace, both as pianist and violinist. Unfortunately, where her mother abounded in self-confidence, Grace was timid and self-deprecating. In early 1914 at the age of 17 she was invited to join the prestigious Queen's Hall Orchestra as a violinist, but was too shy to accept. With the outbreak of war the boys whom she had grown up with were prime officer material and eager to join up. Most left for the trenches and didn't return. At fifty Leader died of a heart attack whilst cranking a car by the Hugh Middleton statue at Islington Green and my unpredictable grandmother sold the business, acquired a new husband and went to live in the South of France. Grace was left to fend for herself and the disintegration of her home was a loss and shock. She would recall her early life in Islington with deep affection: the Agricultural Hall where she could hear lions roaring when the circus came; Collins Music Hall echoing with the sound of laughter and applause; The Biograph on the corner showing silent films with piano; walking in column to Union Chapel on Sundays, her father in a silk top hat arm in arm with her mother, the four children marching behind, a maid and errand-boy bringing up the rear. Her cousin Dora Rowse was a pianist and music teacher whose husband played the organ at the Alexandra Palace: her cousin Mary Holder was an actress in the Frank Benson Shakespeare Company in Stratford-on-Avon, once playing Celia to Tallulah Bankhead's Rosalind. She married Jack Bligh, an actor and film stunt-man, friend of Charlie Chaplin's. She wrote novels and, when they moved to South Africa in the Thirties, founded a theatre company in Johannesburg and broadcast talks on radio. Her cousin Ivan Andrews in Muswell Hill gained a PhD at 22 and pioneered diesel technology. He also had the musical gene, playing excellent Bach on the piano and visiting Bruges to play the carillon for his holidays. Grace got a civil service job in the Accountant General's office of the GPO where she was befriended by office superintendent Constance White and her sister Elsie, committed members of the Plymouth Brethren. She took lodgings near them in Ealing, went to meetings and became immersed in this very narrow religion. Constance and Elsie loved 'little Gracie' and they took her everywhere with them. The shock of her family's sudden disintegration and the behaviour of her mother no doubt assisted her descent into this change of belief pattern. She had lost her family but found another with the Brethren. Plymouth Brethren hold the strictest of puritanical outlooks; one should only pursue that which is 'profitable in the sight of God'; one's 'yea' should be 'yea' and one's 'nay' should be 'nay'; to lie to anyone is to lie to God and He will punish you. They don't believe in unprofitable pastimes like the cinema, or romantic novels, or the theatre, or dancing, or love songs or the playing of music - unless it is the simplest of hymns, sung purely to the glory of God, hymns sentimental and (to my mind) vulgar, such as those of Sankey. For my mo


French Somaliland - World Digital Library World Digital Library French Somaliland Description In preparation for the peace conference that was expected to follow World War I, in the spring of 1917 the British Foreign Office established a special section responsible for preparing background information for use by British delegates to the conference. French Somaliland is Number 109 in a series of more than 160 studies produced by the section, most of which were published after the conclusion of the 1919 Paris Peace Conference. British Somaliland and Sokotra is Number 97 in the series; Italian Somaliland is Number 128. French Somaliland (present-day Djibouti) is located on the eastern coast of Africa, bordered at that time by the Italian colony of Eritrea, Abyssinia (present-day Ethiopia), and British Somaliland (part of present-day Somalia). The book contains sections on physical and political geography, political history, social and political conditions, and economic conditions. Included is a brief discussion of the population of the colony, which was comprised of two main groups, the Danakil (also known as the Afar), and the Issa Somalis. The section on political history summarizes the process by which France came to control the territory, beginning with the cession of the port of Obok by local chiefs in 1856 and ending with the conclusion of treaties of protection with the sultans of Tajura and Gobad and the chiefs of the Issa Somalis in 1884–85. The study notes that the economic value of French Somaliland derived almost entirely from its position as a transportation hub. It was the terminus of the railroad from the port of Djibouti to Ethiopia and a “convenient coaling station and port of call for vessels trading with the East, particularly with the French Asiatic possessions, and with Eastern Africa and Madagascar.” French Somaliland was renamed the Territory of the Afars and the Issas in 1967 and became independent as the Republic of Djibouti in 1977.


Which female swimmer from Merseyside became the first to qualify for the 2012 Olympic games in 3 individual Olympic disciplines?

London 2012: Keri-Anne Payne's plan of attack comes back to daunt her | Barney Ronay https://www.theguardian.com/sport/london-2012-olympics-blog/2012/aug/09/keri-anne-payne-swimming-olympics Team GB gold-medal hope admits she came fourth in the open-water swim because rivals played her at her own game
Open to the skies in Hyde Park, or enclosed within the concrete monolith of the Stratford Aquatics Centre, the water has not been kind to Britain's swimming Olympians. Before the start of the women's marathon swim in the familiar greasy-green depths of the Long Water – an event featuring Britain's world champion, Keri-Anne Payne – it was widely noted that to date 32 swimming disciplines had failed to yield a single British gold medal. Make that 33, then.

Payne finished fourth here in front of a packed and celebratory unticketed crowd on the Knightsbridge bank of this grand man-made lake. If she at no stage threatened the winner, Eva Risztov of Hungary, a fearsomely gruelling race still boiled down to a sprint finish between Risztov and the American Haley Anderson, who produced a display of great racing heart at the end of six devastating laps that saw several competitors drop out in exhaustion – the South African Jessica Roux sobbing into the arms of her parents and Brazil's Poliana Okimoto into a waiting wheelchair.
 Continue reading... Keri-Anne Payne London 2012: Farewell Michael Phelps, the Olympian beyond comparison | Andy Bull https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/aug/04/london-2012-michael-phelps-olympian The man who was once afraid to put his face in the water ended up with more Olympic golds than Argentina, India and 163 other countries have won in their history
After the parties and press conferences are over, Michael Phelps will sit down at a desk and, just as he has done every day this year, write in his journal. He is going to put three words in it: "I did it." After 20 years, four Olympic Games and six world championships, the competitive career of the greatest swimmer in history has come to an end.
 Continue reading... Michael Phelps Has London 2012 got us all blubbing? I second that emotion https://www.theguardian.com/sport/london-2012-olympics-blog/2012/aug/03/london-2012-olympics-blubbing-emotion With Danny Boyle's opening ceremony setting the perfect tone, Britons can express patriotism with irony and genuine feeling
Maybe, ultimately, it was the pyjamas. Nobody, surely, has worn pyjamas on an Olympic stadium track before if not by mistake. But there was the deaf choir of children, in pyjamas, signing God Save the Queen. "It was as if someone had said: "If you get into your jimjams and brush your teeth, you can stay up late to sing for the Queen," said my colleague Tim, who was reduced to tears by that moment in Danny Boyle's opening ceremony. That was part of Boyle's crying-time genius: the human touch, the cultivation of empathy, the cunning manipulation of sentiment that any director worth his salt can deploy without – ideally – making us feel that it's phoney.

And so began an unexpected festival of emotion that, by rights, London 2012 had no right to unleash on an unsuspecting world. Boyle's ceremony set a singular tone. Could the Olympics really have a place for vulnerable humanity amid that parade of putative perfection? It's only, after all, four years since the crypto-fascist perfection of Zhang Yimou's opening ceremony, where a seven-year-old Chinese girl was deemed not good-looking to appear singing Ode to the Motherland and was replaced by a more suitably beautiful lip-syncher.
 Continue reading... Olympic Games 2012 London 2012: African women swim in uncharted waters | Andy Bull https://www.theguardian.com/sport/london-201


Gout is caused by the crystallisation of which acid in the, body?

Kidney Stones Kidney Stones Kidney stones, also known as "renal calculi" are highly relevant to gout sufferers because of uric acid build up leads to uric acid crystallisation within the joints.In fact, before their first attack of gouty arthritis around ten percent of gout sufferers have had an episode of renal colic due to the formation of a small stone(calculus)within the kidney or the urinary tract. These calculi, which may vary in size from a millimetre to several centimetres, commonly cause intense pain(renal colic)which passes around the loin to the groin on the same side;this may be accompanied by the passage of blood in the urine(haematuria). Often the stones are small enough to be passed out of the body in the urine without any problem,but occasionally they may be large enough to cause obstruction to urine flow.The other type of stone common in patients with gout is a calcium scale stone.This is usually associated with a very high urinary acid excretion,but the urine need not be unusually acid.Often this high urinary uric acid seems to be caused by a diet high in purines..The reasons why a high urinary uric acid should promote the formation of another type of calculus are complex and involve solubilising factors in the urine which would normally maintain the calcium oxalate in solution. The first thing that a gout sufferer can do to reduce the risk of kidney stones is to maintain a dilute urine, ie, always drink sufficient fluid to have a urine column exceeding 1500 ml/day.Few other techniques have as great an effect upon the uric acid concentration in the urine as the volume passed or the urine flow rate. One home remedy for the supposed elimination of stones is the following.Two ounces of olive oil as well as two ounces of lemon juice which is consumed straight away.Followed by a large glass of water. This method should be researched thoroughly and we are not advocating it as a definite cure.


Of which country was President Sukarno the first president? He became president on 18 August 1945?

First Indonesian President Sukarno Biography By Kallie Szczepanski Updated October 08, 2016. In the early morning hours of October 1, 1965, a handful of presidential guards and junior military officers roused six army generals from their beds, hustled them away, and murdered them. It was the beginning of a coup called the September 30th Movement, a coup that would bring down Indonesia's first president, Sukarno. Early Life of Sukarno Sukarno was born on June 6, 1901, in Surabaya, and was given the name Kusno Sosrodihardjo. His parents renamed him Sukarno later, after he survived a serious illness. Sukarno's father was Raden Soekemi Sosrodihardjo, a Muslim aristocrat and school teacher from Java . His mother, Ida Ayu Nyoman Rai, was a Hindu of the Brahmin caste from Bali. Young Sukarno went to a local elementary school until 1912. He then attended a Dutch middle school in Mojokerto, followed in 1916 by a Dutch high school in Surabaya. The young man was gifted with a photographic memory and a talent for languages, including Javanese, Balinese, Sundanese, Dutch, English, French, Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, German, and Japanese. continue reading below our video What are the Seven Wonders of the World Marriages and Divorces While in Surabaya for high school, Sukarno lived with the Indonesian nationalist leader Tjokroaminoto. He fell in love with his landlord's daughter, Siti Oetari, and they married in 1920. The following year, however, Sukarno went to study civil engineering at the Technical Institute in Bandung, and fell in love again. This time, his partner was the boarding-house owner's wife, Inggit, who was 13 years older than Sukarno. They each divorced their spouses, and the two married in 1923. Inggit and Sukarno remained married for twenty years, but never had children. Sukarno divorced her in 1943 and married a teenager named Fatmawati. Fatmawati would bear Sukarno five children, including Indonesia's first female president , Megawati Sukarnoputri. In 1953, President Sukarno decided to become polygamous in accordance with Muslim law. When he married a Javanese lady named Hartini in 1954, First Lady Fatmawati was so angry that she moved out of the presidential palace. Over the next 16 years, Sukarno would take five additional wives: a Japanese teen named Naoko Nemoto (Indonesian name, Ratna Dewi Sukarno), Kartini Manoppo, Yurike Sanger, Heldy Djafar, and Amelia do la Rama. Indonesian Independence Movement Sukarno began to think about independence for the Dutch East Indies while he was in high school. During college, he read deeply on different political philosophies, including communism , capitalist democracy, and Islamism, developing his own syncretic ideology of Indonesian socialist self-sufficiency. He also established the Algameene Studieclub for like-minded Indonesian students. In 1927, Sukarno and the other members of the Algameene Studieclub reorganized themselves as the Partai Nasional Indonesia (PNI), an anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist independence party. Sukarno became the first leader of the PNI. Sukarno hoped to enlist Japanese help in overcoming Dutch colonialism, and also to unite the different peoples of the Dutch East Indies into a single nation. The Dutch colonial secret police soon learned of the PNI, and in late December of 1929, arrested Sukarno and the other members. At his trial, which lasted for the last five months of 1930, Sukarno made a series of impassioned political speeches against imperialism that attracted wide-spread attention. He was sentenced to four years in prison and went to the Sukamiskin Prison in Bandung to begin serving his sentence. However, press coverage of his speeches so impressed liberal factions in the Netherlands and in the Dutch East Indies that Sukarno was released from prison after just one year. He had become very popular with the Indonesian people, naturally, as well. While he was in prison, the PNI split into two opposing factions. One party, the Partai Indonesia, favored a militant approach to revolution, while the Pendidikan Nasional Indonesia (PNI Baroe) advoc


Which protest movement which began in 2011, had as its slogan 'We are the 99%'?

| US & Canada , Canada , Greece , Italy , Portugal Protests against capitalism, corruption and corporate greed have spread around the world [GALLO/GETTY] The year 2011 witnessed two of the biggest mass movements in recent history - the Arab Awakening and the Occupy Wall Street movement. But while the Arab Awakening cut short the half-life of despotic rulers in the Middle East and North Africa, the Wall Street movement focused less on a leader and more on the global hegemony of multinational corporations and giant banks. The idea to "occupy" Wall Street - the US financial hub located in New York City - was first floated in July 2011 by the people behind Adbusters, a counter-culture magazine based in Vancouver, Canada, who called for peaceful action against corporate influence on democracy. The idea became a trending topic that went viral on Twitter and Facebook , and a buzzword for thousands who took to the streets across the world against what they called unfair wealth distribution and corporate-political nexus. The protests began in September in Zuccotti Park, located in the heart of New York's financial district. Within a month, they had spread to more than 100 cities in the US. Much of the media initially mocked the Occupy protesters as a collection of kooky characters, anarchists and hippies, with no clear agenda. But as city after city erupted with demonstrations , it became clear that the movement would not be as short-lived as some once thought. Hundreds of people were arrested in New York, Oakland, Washington, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and various other US cities as student groups, trade unions, and women's groups joined the protests. The slogan "we are the 99 per cent" became an anthem for the protesters, as it attacked the root of wealth inequality between what activists said was the wealthiest one per cent and the remaining 99 per cent of the population. Live Box 201110415333680466 Wall Street, the nerve centre of global financial institutions blamed for creating an economic collapse, became an obvious symbol of that target. However, the movement soon morphed into "Occupy Everywhere" as people in more than 1,000 cities in about 100 countries  took to the streets demanding better pay, jobs, an end to corruption and greed and above all, better economic conditions. The global movement has included protests in Tokyo and Melbourne, Frankfurt and Nairobi and several eurozone countries on economic life-support (Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal) also witnessed massive street protests in the wake of hefty austerity measures. Slavoj Zizek, the Slovenian-born philosopher, told Al Jazeera in November that "the marriage between capitalism and democracy is over". While the evidence of such a statement may be up for debate, what is clear is that the discontent among thousands of people around the world is unlikely to dissipate in 2012. Source: Al Jazeera


To which, position did Joachim Gauck succeed Christian Wulff in spring 2012?

Joachim Gauck is President of Germany. Who is Mr. Gauck? – The Flensburg Files Discussions about Gauck at supper time.   We all have our political discussions at the dinner table this evening. In the US, many families are talking about the elections of 2012 and the direction the country is going regardless of the outcome. In the Middle East, many families are talking about creating a new government after overthrowing the dictators in the Jasmine-Spring of last year. Here in Germany, our latest discussion is about Joachim Gauck. Apart from the fact that he was officially elected as the 11th President of Germany (Bundespräsident) thanks to the majority vote of 991 to 237 at the Federal Convention on 18 March, and that he originated from Rostock in Mecklenburg-Pommerania, there is very little information that we know about him right now. Even when I sent a questionnaire around on facebook a couple days ago, the response was blank, assuming that no one knows much about the man at all. Therefore, I decided to do some research about Mr. Gauck and set my own predictions about how he will run the country and support Chancellor Angela Merkel. The results were amazing. Here are some fast facts that one needs to know about Joachim Gauck:   Flensburg Files Fact File- Joachim Gauck :   1. He was born on 24 January, 1940 in Rostock. His family consisted of sailors, one of whom was his father, who was a distinguished naval officer and ship’s captain. However, his father was taken away to Siberia by the Soviet troops when he was 11 and was never seen again afterwards. 2. While he grew up behind the Iron Curtain, he opposed the East German government and the ideas of socialism to a point where he refused to join the Free German Youth (FDJ) and joined groups that opposed anti-communism. Even the state security police (Stasi) considered him a natural-born opponent and had mentioned his actions in their reports. A good part of that had to do with what had happened to his father. 3. Because he was considered by the Stasi an “incorrigible anti-communist,” Gauck was denied entrance to his studies in German and Journalism and instead studied theology at the University of Rostock and became a pastor at a church in Mecklenburg-Pommerania. At that time, the East German government looked down upon Christianity and had the Stasi spy and harass the church. Gauck was no exception to the rule. 4. At the time of the revolution in 1989, Gauck joined the New Forum, which was a democratic opposition party to the socialist party. He was very active in the organisation, later becoming spokesperson and in March 1990, being elected to the People’s Chamber. It merged with two other democratic parties to form the Alliance 90 party,  and upon his departure from the party in 1990, he was elected Special Representative of the Stasi Archives. Since 1990, he has had no affiliations with any of the political parties in Germany.  The Alliance 90 party eventually folded into the Green Party in 1993. 5.  Gauck worked as Federal Commissioner of the Stasi Archives from 1990 (as Special Representative) to 2000. During his time at the archives, he uncovered thousands of people, mostly in the eastern part of the country, who had worked for the Stasi and exposed the activities of the opposition. Many of the people who had worked for the Stasi lost their jobs in the public sector as a result. In addition, he advocated for human rights and stressed the importance of ensuring that the history of communism in central and Eastern Europe is not overshadowed by the era of the Third Reich and remembering that both National Socialism and Communism were equally bad and thus the history of the two should not be forgotten. He has written about communism which included a chapter in The Black Book of Communism (published in 1998) and was one of the signatory fathers of two key declarations: of both the Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism (2008) and the Declaration on Crimes of Communism (2010). On his 70th birthday, Chancellor Angela Merkel commended him for his tireless


In the 'Archers' which character fell off a roof and died while trying to take down a Happy New Year banner in January 2011?

'80s Actual: The Archers: Nigel Pargetter - Graham Seed - A Fond Farewell... 3.1.11 The Archers: Nigel Pargetter - Graham Seed - A Fond Farewell... Nigel Pargetter, played by Graham Seed, arrived in Ambridge in late 1983. The character hailed from a little way off, Lower Loxley House at Loxley Barrett, and was a completely unknown quantity in Ambridge. But he wasted no time in making his presence felt, becoming romantically linked to Shula Archer ("Shulie") in 1983, bouncing around in a gorilla costume at the Hunt Ball, and driving Mrs Antrobus 's Afghans wild with his Teddy Bears Picnic jingle as ice cream vendor Mr Snowy midway through the decade. It came as a great surprise to this blogger to discover that the character has been killed off as part of The Archers 60th anniversary "celebrations". I find this trend in soaps - to feature a tragic story-line on such occasions - rather odd, and it's by no means as long-established a custom as some soap historians would have us believe. A shame this trend has now reached The Archers. Graham Seed was spotted by then Archers editor William Smethurst in a Birmingham rep production of Major Barbara in 1980. This led to Mr Seed getting his start in radio drama at Pebble Mill in several plays. When the role of Nigel Pargetter was created in 1983, Mr Seed was asked to audition and won the part, which was originally intended to run for only a few weeks. When the character was written out after two years (!), Nigel being sent abroad in 1985, a listeners' campaign was launched to bring him back. It was successful - Nigel returned after only a few weeks away. As William Smethurst wrote in 1987: The Archers listener has always been a force to reckon with! Actor Nigel Caliburn - now Carrington - briefly took over the role when Graham Seed took a break in the late 1980s. Mr Seed was informed of Nigel's impending doom by Archers editor Vanessa Whitburn on 5 November 2010. Today, he issued an official statement: It is with huge sadness that I leave The Archers after 27 years. Nigel Pargetter was a joy and a privilege to play, from 'Mr Snowy' to proud father. His enthusiasm, charm and love of life helped make Ambridge a happier place. 'On a personal note, I will sorely miss working with so many old friends and colleagues, especially Alison Dowling who plays Nigel's Lizzie. 'May I take this opportunity to thank all those listeners who endlessly communicated their loyalty, appreciation and affection towards Nigel and me. I'll miss him!' Mr Seed further commented on the BBC's Archers blog: It would be wrong of me to pretend that I was other than shocked when Vanessa [Whitburn, Archers editor] phoned with the news on a damp November 5th. Fireworks night - rather apt I thought! The hardest thing has been to keep it under wraps, not just from friends and family, but colleagues too. Now at least all is out in the open... It's too soon to highlight memories. They go back to heady days in the '80s. William Smethurst created a wonderfully affectionate, vulnerable over-privileged young man causing havoc to the Archer household in scenes that were such fun to play. Scenes of course with Jack May (Nelson) and Mary Wimbush (Julia), laterly with Richard Atlee (Kenton). But always Ali... There was something of the Peter Pan in Nigel. He never really grew up. Nigel was a charming character, of aristocratic background, naive, not terribly bright, but capable of great kindness and sensitivity. Here's how the character was described in William Smethurst's 1987 book The Archers - The New Official Companion: NIGEL PARGETTER is the only son of Gerald and Julia Pargetter of Lower Loxley House, Loxley Barrett, and in his day was a leading light of the Borchester Young Conservatives. In 1983 he fell in love with Shula but in the following year he was banned from Brookfield when, on the night of the Hunt Ball, he crept into Phil and Jill's bedroom having supposedly mistaken it for the bathroom. Later that year he was convicted of taking and driving away a sports car which he thought belonged to Tim Bee


Which singer's real name is Arnold George Dorsey?

A SINGER BY ANY OTHER NAME February 25, 2016 Arnold George Dorsey is more generally known by his internationally-recognized moniker: Engelbert Humperdinck . But, to paraphrase Shakespeare, a singer by any other name would sing as sweet. Humperdinck, who will be performing in Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center on March 19th , was not Dorsey’s first name change. His initial name change was to his first name. The Leicester, England lad had taken up playing the saxophone and was challenged by friends to put his instrument aside and sing in a pub contest. He ended up doing such a successful impression of another recent Smith Center performer – Jerry Lewis – that he was immediately labeled as Gerry Dorsey. Now, that’s fine as names go, but while touring in England, Dorsey had to contend with a serious bout of tuberculosis and was off the stage for six months. When he recovered, it was time for a new image to showcase his health and vitality, so it was time for the next (and final) name change. His manager suggested Engelbert Humperdinck, from the 19th century Austrian composer who wrote "Hansel & Gretel." Not a common name, but one that would grow in popularity as the singer rose to global fame.


Pashtu and Dari are the official languages of which country?

Pashto | About World Languages By Irene Thompson  |  Updated August 7, 2015 by Irene Thompson Pe kher ragle – Welcome Pashto, also known as Pakhto, Pashtu, and Pushto, is a member of the  Indo-Iranian branch  of the  Indo-European  language family. It spoken in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan as well as by a large diaspora encompassing India, Iran, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States. It may be spoken by around 50 million people worldwide ( Ethnologue ). Status Afghanistan Southern Pashto is spoken by 6 million people in Afghanistan ( Ethnologue ). It is a co-official language of Afghanistan along with  Dari (Eastern Persian) . The relative status of Dari and Pashto are a sensitive topic in Afghan society. Although the Afghan constitution grants Dari and Pashto equal status, many Pashtuns feel that in reality their language is being discriminated against complaining that Dari is the dominant language in Afghan government, official proceedings, the judiciary, and in the print and electronic media, with up to 80% of all official communication being conducted in Dari. Primary and secondary education is available in both Dari and Pashto, as well as in some of Afghanistan’s other languages, and parents are free to choose the language of education for their children. However, most of instruction in Afghan universities is conducted in Dari. Moreoever, Dari serves as a de facto lingua franca among the various ethnic groups in the country. Pakistan Northern Pashto is spoken by 9.6 million people In Pakistan ( Ethnologue ), but it has no official status. It is taught in primary schools, but literacy rates are low. Pashtun children are educated in Urdu . Pashto is used in the print and electronic media. Dialects Top Pashto can be divided into dialect groups, differentiated mostly by pronunciation and some vocabulary. The major dialect divisions, in turn, have numerous variants. In general, however, speakers of Pashto dialects can understand each other. Lexical similarity between Northern and Southern Pashto is estimated at approximately 80% ( Ethnologue ). In some dialects, the vowels /i/ and /u/ can be either short or long.   Consonants  Besides the consonants common to most modern  Indo-Iranian  languages, Pashto also has  alveo-dental   affricates  /ts/, /dz/ and a set of  retroflex  consonants borrowed from neighboring languages of the Indian subcontinent. They are produced with the tongue curled back so that its underside touches the roof of the mouth. Also, unlike other  Indo-Iranian  languages, Pashto allows consonant clusters at the beginning of syllables, e.g., xpa ‘foot’, nwar ‘sun’. The chart below shows the consonant inventory of Pashto as reflected in the  Kandahar  dialect of Southern Pashto, but does not cover all the existing dialectal variations. In addition, there are some consonants in Pashto that do not occur in the speech of monolingual speakers, but only in the formal speech of bilingual educated people who speak both Pashto and  Dari . In the table below, they are given in parentheses.   Stress Stress can fall on any syllable of a word. It can distinguish the meaning of otherwise identical words, e.g., áspa ‘mare’ and aspá ‘spotted fever’. Grammar Pashto is a highly inflected language with a complex system of noun declensions and verb conjugations. Nouns, adjectives, and pronouns Pashto nouns, adjectives, and pronouns are marked for the following categories: two genders: masculine and feminine two numbers: singular and plural, with a variety of plural markers three cases:  direct ,  oblique , and  vocative  (only in the singular). Cases are marked with prefixes, suffixes or both.  Direct  case is used for both subjects and objects. There are no articles. There are three  declensions  for nouns, and five for adjectives. There are first- and second-persons pronouns. Third person is represented by proximate and remote demonstrative pronouns (similar to ‘this’ and ‘yonder’) All modifiers agree with the nouns they modify in gender, number, and case.   Verbs  Verb


In which English City is Robert Adam's celebrated Pulteney Bridge?

Pulteney Bridge Pulteney Bridge Pulteney Bridge is one of the most admired buildings in a beautiful city. Pulteney Bridge is one of only four bridges lined with shops in the world, but Robert Adam's creation has more than novelty value. His graceful composition is one of the unqualified successes of English Palladianism and provides the perfect integrating link between two halves of a Palladian city. Across the River Avon from Bath lay the 600 acre estate of Bathwick. This was entirely rural when it was inherited by Frances Pulteney in October 1767, but its potential was obvious. No other English spa could rival Bath in this period and the city was in the midst of a building boom. Frances was married to an Edinburgh lawyer, William Johnstone Pulteney, and this energetic and frugal Scot immediately began to make plans to develop his wife's estate. His first problem was that the only direct route from Bath to Bathwick was by ferry. By February 1768, he was conferring with Bath City Council about a new bridge. At first Pulteney contemplated just a simple, functional bridge, designed by a local architect, but by the summer of 1770 the brothers Adam were involved and the plans had undergone a dramatic change. Pulteney had approached the Adams with his new town in Bathwick in mind. We may guess that Robert Adam then suggested putting shops on the bridge. He had visited both Florence and Venice, where he would have seen the ancient Ponte Vecchio and the striking Ponte di Rialto . But the most direct influence on Adam was clearly Andrea Palladio's rejected design for the Rialto. Stripped of its heavier ornamentation, this tribute to ancient Rome emerged from Adam's hands as the coolest of English understatements. England also had housed bridges of medieval origin, but by the 18th century these were being seen as impediments to traffic. Adam's designs therefore caused some consternation in Bath. The Corporation, who had not been consulted, wrote to Pulteney in protest. They evidently thought it perverse that after London and Bristol had cleared their bridges of houses, he was proposing to bring this outdated phenomenon to Bath. But Pulteney remained adamant. Perhaps the prospect of the bridge paying for itself through shop rents appealed to his love of economy. Adam planned a row of eleven small shops on each side, with staircases to attics above. Lofty Venetian windows formed the centrepiece of his design for the river faï¿½ades, while matching Venetian doors faced the street. These were echoed in a pattern of recessed, columned windows, creating an interesting play of light and shadow for passers-by. Malton's aquatint gives us our only view of these lovely street faï¿½ades, subsequently much altered. Pulteney Bridge was complete and ready for occupation in late 1773, but tenants were slow to come forward. The shock of the American War of Independence had fallen like an axe on Bath's development. The plans for Bathwick were shelved and for many years, Adam's elegant and urbane bridge led out onto meadows, rather than a Palladian townscape. When building eventually began in March 1788, it was Thomas Baldwin, a Bath architect, who provided the detailed plans. Pulteney Bridge was left as Adam's only work in Bath. Pulteney at least had the tact to see Adam to his grave before desecrating his handiwork. On 26 March 1792, less than a month after Adam's death, a lease of most of the bridge was granted, with Baldwin's plans for conversion to larger shops. The roof was raised and the windows transformed into bays. No doubt it all made sound commercial sense, but Adam's street elevations were utterly ruined. This was just the first of many distortions of Adam's original vision. Disaster struck in September 1799, when a pier gave way after high floods. The remaining pier collapsed when the river rose in a great storm in November 1800. The houses on the north side were so badly damaged that Pulteney seriously considered dismantling the whole structure and building a single-span iron bridge, designed by his protï¿½gï¿½ Thomas Telford. But in


What name, referring to a fluid or membrane, is given to joints that are freely movable?

SEER Training:Membranes Updates Membranes Body membranes are thin sheets of tissue that cover the body, line body cavities, and cover organs within the cavities in hollow organs. They can be categorized into epithelial and connective tissue membrane. Epithelial Membranes Epithelial membranes consist of epithelial tissue and the connective tissue to which it is attached. The two main types of epithelial membranes are the mucous membranes and serous membranes. Mucous Membranes Mucous membranes are epithelial membranes that consist of epithelial tissue that is attached to an underlying loose connective tissue. These membranes, sometimes called mucosae , line the body cavities that open to the outside. The entire digestive tract is lined with mucous membranes. Other examples include the respiratory, excretory, and reproductive tracts. Serous Membranes Serous membranes line body cavities that do not open directly to the outside, and they cover the organs located in those cavities. Serous membranes are covered by a thin layer of serous fluid that is secreted by the epithelium. Serous fluid lubricates the membrane and reduces friction and abrasion when organs in the thoracic or abdominopelvic cavity move against each other or the cavity wall. Serous membranes have special names given according to their location. For example, the serous membrane that lines the thoracic cavity and covers the lungs is called pleura . Connective Tissue Membranes Connective tissue membranes contain only connective tissue. Synovial membranes and meninges belong to this category. Synovial Membranes Synovial membranes are connective tissue membranes that line the cavities of the freely movable joints such as the shoulder, elbow, and knee. Like serous membranes, they line cavities that do not open to the outside. Unlike serous membranes, they do not have a layer of epithelium. Synovial membranes secrete synovial fluid into the joint cavity, and this lubricates the cartilage on the ends of the bones so that they can move freely and without friction. Meninges The connective tissue covering on the brain and spinal cord, within the dorsal cavity, are called meninges. They provide protection for these vital structures.


Steve Delaney created and plays the role of which former variety star who makes malapropisms and has delusions of grandeur?

Arthur | Count Arthur StrongCount Arthur Strong Count Arthur Strong and the comforts of traditional sitcom. by Louisa Mellor 26 Sep 2016 There’s a period a little while after a family death, after the days spent in a traffic jam of errands, decisions and phone calls, when you have to merge back into the regular lane. Normal life demands to re-start. The fridge needs filling and the lawn needs mowing, even if, impossibly, the person who usually does both has vanished forever. For my family like most others, normal life means watching television. Telly is the cradle that rocked us through the decades. Whatever happened to us happened against a backdrop of soaps and sitcoms. Losing our dad though, changed things. In the flayed-skin sensitivity of the days around his funeral, flicking through the channels meant running a gauntlet. A murder on EastEnders brought unwelcome ambulances and coroners back into our living room. We winced at the mention of a hospital or autopsy. Heart attacks, we discovered, lie in wait in the least expected places – Grand Designs, formerly harmless, had to come temporarily off the menu after just such an ambush. (I’d never really noticed before, but TV is full of people having heart attacks. Not to mention the corpses. TV loves a corpse.) The answer was to limit what we watched. Soaps and dramas were out, previously vetted films on DVD were in. Nothing was risked that might prove too moving. Quiz shows were especially safe ground so Pointless and Eggheads became a daily ritual. Sitcoms though, proved the best escape. They could expand or shrink to fill the available time – in single instalments a brief accompaniment to one of the ceaselessly made cups of tea (those inseparable twins, tea and pain) or by the series, a full evening’s distraction guaranteed not to jolt or unsettle. We prescribed ourselves familiar and comforting stuff. Traditional, filmed-in-front-of-a-studio audience half-hours. Only Fools And Horses, Dad’s Army, Fawlty Towers. They shook us back awake, those episodes. They weren’t just a way to pass time, but a way to remember that life was still good. And, unbelievable as it might have felt, that it was still the same. Their familiarity was better comfort than the well-meaning sympathy cards or the head-tilted sad smile of professionals pushing forms and chip and pin machines over desks towards you (the paperwork involved in death is no joke). “Don’t tell him, Pike!”, Sybil saying “I know”, Trigger calling Rodney ‘Dave’… Dad had laughed at this, exactly this, countless times. Laughing at it now, together, was a shortcut straight to him. Once the old favourites had been burned through, we moved on to newer stuff. Bright, silly, Miranda was a saviour. Ditto for Dinnerladies and The Vicar Of Dibley. Seeing my mum’s head thrown back, eyes closed in sheer fucking glee and laughing tears at Mrs Brown’s Boys in those sad, hard weeks after she lost dad makes me ever grateful to that show (and short on patience with the self-satisfied assumption that broad, filthy laughs are less deserving than cerebral, ironic ones.) It backfired every so often. Not only because sitcoms aren’t always death-free – thank God for that, if they were we’d never have had Basil and Polly pushing around a prematurely expired guest in a laundry basket – but because even the lightest, most colourful sitcoms can swiftly turn a corner towards poignancy. The best ones almost always do. Enter: Count Arthur Strong. In 2013, Steve Delaney’s long-running BBC Radio 4 comedy series about an aged, deluded variety performer arrived on television following a collaboration with sitcom machine Graham Linehan (The IT Crowd, Father Ted, Black Books). Based on a character Delaney first performed at drama school and successfully continued to the Edinburgh Fringe, the radio series was a showcase for Delaney’s expertly rambling monologues. The radio ‘Count’ Arthur (a stage name possibly ratified following a chance encounter with the Queen Mother’s foot) is a vainglorious Northern luvvie whose mouth and brain rarely arrive at the same p