What was the first name of Denis Compton's elder brother?

Denis Compton | England Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo Profile Wisden obituary Denis Compton, who died on April 23, 1997, aged 78, was not just a great cricketer but a character who transcended the game and became what would now be called a national icon. In the years after the war, when the British were still finding the joys of victory elusive, the exuberance of Compton's batting and personality became a symbol of national renewal. Almost single-handed (though his pal Bill Edrich helped), he ensured that cricket returned to its pre-war place in the nation's affections. Only Ian Botham has ever come remotely close to matching this achievement. Compton was a remarkable batsman: loose-limbed with broad shoulders and powerful forearms. He could play all the strokes, though he rarely straight-drove. What made him special was his audacity: he would take risks, standing outside the crease even to quickish bowlers, challenging them to bowl anything other than the length he wanted. He took 622 wickets, mostly with his chinamen, and any other player might have turned this skill into a career; Compton regarded them as a bit of a party trick. His running between the wickets was never good, but it seemed to get worse after he retired and became the source of a thousand after-dinner jokes. In reality, it was never a disastrous weakness. Denis Compton was born in Hendon, on May 23, 1918, and described his childhood as both poorish and happy. His father was a self-employed decorator who became a lorry driver when his business foundered. He was also a keen cricketer, as was Leslie, Denis's elder brother. They played against the lamp-posts in Alexandra Road and at Bell Lane Elementary School, and Compton's talent was obvious at once. At 12, he was playing for his father's team, and North London Schools against South London Schools at Lord's. He made 88. Two years later, watched by Sir Pelham Warner, he made 114 at Lord's for the Elementary Schools against C. F. Tufnell's XI and led his team to a crushing victory. He joined the Lord's staff in 1933, and three years later got a game for the county, as an 18-year-old against Sussex in the Whitsun match. Compton batted at No. 11: he scored 14 in an important last-wicket stand with Gubby Allen that gave Middlesex first-innings points; the umpire Bill Bestwick supposedly said later that he only gave Compton lbw because he was desperate for a pee. Next match he was No. 8 and facing Larwood with confidence. Then he was No. 7, scoring 87 against Northamptonshire. In one game, the captain Walter Robins came down the pitch after he had driven a fast bowler for two consecutive fours. You know what to look out for now, don't you? No, skipper. Well, he'll bounce one at you. If he does, I shall hook him. And he did - into the Mound Stand. Before June was out he scored a hundred, in an hour and three-quarters, at Northampton. By the time the season was over and he had passed a thousand runs, Warner, then chairman of the Test selectors, called him the best young batsman who has come out since Walter Hammond was a boy. But Compton had no time to relax. In September he made his Football League debut for Arsenal on the left wing against Derby County, scored the opening goal in a 2-2 draw, and was called the success of the afternoon by the Daily Express. Soon he was being marked out as a future England footballer as well as cricketer, despite criticism, which Compton always accepted, that he was inclined to prefer pretty ball-play to anything else. In cricket, the golden youth's progress turned out to be stoppable only by the Germans. In 1937 he scored 1,980 runs and was picked by England against New Zealand at the Oval. He scored 65 and was run out, flukily, while backing up. That year, as Pasty Hendren retired, Bill Edrich qualified for Middlesex. Len Hutton also made his Test debut. Thus started both the great partnership and the great rivalry that were to dominate post-war cricket. The contrast between the serious-minded Hutton and the insouciant Compton would


In which town was Oliver Cromwell born, in 1599?

The Birth of Oliver Cromwell | History Today The Birth of Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell was born on April 25th, 1599. Richard Cavendish charts his early life. Oliver Cromwell c. 1649 by Robert Walker A baby boy was christened in the church of St John the Baptist in Huntingdon on April 29th, 1599. Years later someone added to the Latin entry in the birth register, 'England's plague for five years'. Later still, someone else took heavy black ink and crossed out this partisan gloss. The child, the future Lord Protector of England, had been born on April 25th, probably in the early hours of the morning, in a house in the town's high street which was rebuilt in about 1830 and is now called Cromwell House. The only son of Robert and Elizabeth Cromwell to survive, though he would grow up among a flock of sisters, he was named Oliver after his uncle, the richest member of the family, Sir Oliver Cromwell, who lived in hospitable grandeur at Hinchingbrooke House, outside Huntingdon. The boy should really have been Oliver Williams. His great-grandfather was Richard Williams, who in Henry VIII's time rose so far in the world under the wing of his maternal uncle Thomas Cromwell that he gratefully changed his surname to Cromwell. Richard's father was Morgan Williams from Glamorgan, who owned property in England and married Thomas Cromwell's elder sister Katherine. Richard himself remained a favourite with Henry VIII after Thomas Cromwell's fall. The spoils of his service to the state included land taken from Ramsey Abbey and the nunnery at Hinchingbrooke. They were inherited by his son Sir Henry Cromwell, known as 'the golden knight' for his lavish spending. He entertained Elizabeth I in style at Hinchingbrooke in 1564, while his eldest son, Sir Oliver, entertained James I several times and finished the job of throwing the family wealth away. The Cromwells were now well connected in England's eastern counties. Sir Henry's second son, Robert Cromwell, who inherited the house in Huntingdon, was a gentleman farmer, justice of the peace, member of parliament, and the town's joint mayor. Two Cromwell sisters, Elizabeth and Frances, were respectively the mothers of John Hampden, a leading Parliamentarian against Charles I, and Edward Whalley, a future Roundhead general and regicide. Oliver Cromwell's own mother, Elizabeth, was the daughter of William Steward, of a comfortably-off Norfolk family who farmed Ely's abbey and cathedral lands. The idea that the Stewards were connected with the royal Stuarts and descended from a Scottish prince shipwrecked on the Norfolk coast in 1406 is a non-starter. The Lord Protector himself never took it seriously, though he did once joke that his mother was a Stuart at a drinking party in Edinburgh in 1651. Little is known about Oliver's childhood, despite fanciful tales about him being stolen from his cradle by a pet monkey, dreaming that he would be king one day, or on a visit to his uncle at Hinchingbrooke during one of James I's visits, punching on the nose another small boy who would grow up to be Charles I. He went to Huntingdon grammar school, now the Cromwell Museum. The master was Thomas Beard, a Cromwell family friend and a zealous Puritan who regarded the Pope as Antichrist and believed in the Almighty's keen eye for sin and promptness to punish it. In 1616, Oliver went up to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, but left without a degree when his father died the following year. Reports that Oliver preferred cheerful company and football, cudgels and other boisterous sports to academic study are probably true. He grew up as a gentleman farmer and all his life he loved horses and dogs and country pursuits. There were many stories of him drinking and sowing his wild oats as a young man, but in 1620, when he was twenty-one and she was twenty-three, he married Elizabeth Bourchier, the daughter of a well-to-do London fur and leather merchant, at St Giles', Cripplegate. The groom was described in the marriage settlement as 'Oliver Cromwell alias Williams'. He took his bride back to Huntingdon, where he ma


In which city was Dr Samuel Johnson born, in 1709?

The Life of Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)     DR. SAMUEL JOHNSON, English writer and lexicographer, was the son of Michael Johnson (1656-1731), bookseller and magistrate of Lichfield, who married in 1706 Sarah Ford (1669-1759). Michael's abilities and attainments seem to have been considerable. He was so well acquainted with the contents of the volumes which he exposed for sale that the country rectors of Staffordshire and Worcestershire thought him an oracle on points of learning. Between him and the clergy, indeed, there was a strong religious and political sympathy. He was a zealous churchman, and, though he had qualified himself for municipal office by taking the oaths to the sovereigns in possession, was to the last a Jacobite in heart. The social position of Samuel's paternal grandfather, William Johnson, remains obscure; his mother was the daughter of Cornelius Ford, "a little Warwickshire Gent." At a house (now the Johnson Museum) in the Market Square, Lichfield, Samuel Johnson was born on the 18th of September 1709 and baptized on the same day at St Mary's, Lichfield. In the child the physical, intellectual and moral peculiarities which afterwards distinguished the man were plainly discernible: great muscular strength accompanied by much awkwardness and many infirmities; great quickness of parts, with a morbid propensity to sloth and procrastination; a kind and generous heart, with a gloomy and irritable temper. He had inherited from his ancestors a scrofulous taint, and his parents were weak enough to believe that the royal touch would cure him. In his third year he was taken up to London, inspected by the court surgeon, prayed over by the court chaplains and stroked and presented with a piece of gold by Queen Anne. Her hand was applied in vain. The boy's features, which were originally noble and not irregular, were distorted by his malady. His cheeks were deeply scarred. He lost for a time the sight of one eye; and he saw but very imperfectly with the other. But the force of his mind overcame every impediment. Indolent as he was, he acquired knowledge with such ease and rapidity that at every school (such as those at Lichfield and Stourbridge) to which he was sent he was soon the best scholar. From sixteen to eighteen he resided at home, and was left to his own devices. He learned much at this time, though his studies were without guidance and without plan. He ransacked his father's shelves, dipped into a multitude of books, read what was interesting, and passed over what was dull. An ordinary lad would have acquired little or no useful knowledge in such a way; but much that was dull to ordinary lads was interesting to Samuel. He read little Greek; for his proficiency in that language was not such that he could take much pleasure in the masters of Attic poetry and eloquence. But he had left school a good Latinist, and he soon acquired an extensive knowledge of Latin literature. He was peculiarly attracted by the works of the great restorers of learning. Once, while searching for some apples, he found a huge folio volume of Petrarch's works. The name excited his curiosity, and he eagerly devoured hundreds of pages. Indeed, the diction and versification of his own Latin compositions show that he had paid at least as much attention to modern copies from the antique as to the original models. While he was thus irregularly educating himself, his family was sinking into hopeless poverty. Old Michael Johnson was much better qualified to pore over books, and to talk about them, than to trade in them. His business declined; his debts increased; it was with difficulty that the daily expenses of his household were defrayed. It was out of his power to support his son at either university; but a wealthy neighbour offered assistance; and, in reliance on promises which proved to be of very little value, Samuel was entered at Pembroke College, Oxford. When the young scholar presented himself to the rulers of that society, they were amazed not more by his ungainly figure and eccentric manners than by the quantity of extensive and


Who created the literary character Violet Elizabeth Bott?

English literary characters: Just William Costumes of English Literary Characters: William Brown (aka Just William) Figure 1.--William Brown is one of the most beloved of all characters in popular English culture. He represents to many Brits what a British boy should be like--as long as you don't have to live next door. The boys here wear suits with rather long short pants as was common in the 1920s and 30s. William's shorts are probably longer than were worn by most boys. Notice that the boys here wear the same ties. This photograph was from the ITV series in the 1970s. Richard Crompton's William Brown is the one of the two most famous schoolboy in English literature. (The other of course is Jennings , a literary character familiar to the next generation of English school boys.) William is often referred to as "Just William" after the title of the first book introducing him to the British public who quickly fell in love with him. The 11-year old school boy soon came to represent the archetype British schoolboy, inquiring, adventurous, and constantly wanting to launch another, usually illconceived, outdoor adventure. William William is the youngest son in the Brown family. He is perpetually 11-years old, a bright-eyed boy with unrully brown hair. The term scruffy would also have to be applied to William. There is, however, very little description of William in his books. He just seems to appear as if we had always known him. Our image of William, much like Cedric Erol in an earlier era, is largely the creation of the illustrator. In William's case the illustrator was Thomas Henry Fisher. While Crompton touches only obliquely on Williams clothes--not so with his hair. Never before or since has one boy's hair been described in such detail. Much more so than the infamous curls of Cedric Erol. Williams locks are often described as "a neglected lawn" which even after repeated brushings reverts to "its favorite verticle position." The illustrator himself also did justice to that now fabled tousled mop. The Story Line Wiliam is full of life, if only the adult world of parents, teachers, vicars, and other assiociated figures of authority "would leave him to it," as the Englih would say. Ripe for adventure, unable to refuse a challenge, William Brown is foever winding up in the most apauling scrapes. If there is a tree to be climbed, he'll be up there,teetering precariously on the highest branches. If there is a puddle jump into, William can be relied on to find the muddiest--and go in head first. And of course the invairably disastrous results of his adventures always come as a terrific great surprise to poor Willaim. Violet Elizabeth Bott The bane of William's life is Violet Elizabeth Bott. (Perhaps the inspiration to Margaret in Dennis the Menace.) Violet lives in a big house which her father bought with the profits from Bott's Digestive Sauce. Violet has an angelic appearance. All the adults see her as a truly angelic, model child. She is always portrayed in emaculate dresses and long ringlet curls. William of course knows she is anything but an angel. William and his mates, the Outlaws, have no time for girls. The problem is that Violet has a rather misguided, but soppy crush on our intrepid William. And unfortunately William is often forced to play with her. (Is there any surprise that William just cannot fathom the intricacies of adult logic.) Violet for her part threatens to "scweam" and "scweam" if Willaim attempts to leave her behind on one of his adventures or if she doesn't get her way. The Brown Family William is the despair of his parents, a perpetual irritant to his teenage brother and sister, and an appalling nuisance to the virtually all the village grown ups. Mr. and Mrs Brown are William's battle-heardened, but affectionate parents. They live in constant terror of a knock on the door from yet another furious neighbor complaining of broken windows, trampled flowers, or other costly damage left in wake of our intrepid hero. His father is forever using William's allouance (po


In which Australian state is Mount Kosciusko?

Mount Kosciuszko - Facts on Highest Peak in Australia Elevation: 7,310 feet (2,228 meters) Prominence: 7,310 feet (2,228 meters) Most Prominent Mountain in Australia. Location: Great Dividing Range, New South Wales, Australia. Coordinates: -36.455981 S / 148.263333 W First Ascent: First ascent by an expedition led by Polish explorer Count Pawel Edmund Strzelecki, 1840. Highest Mountain in Australia Mount Kosciuszko is the highest mountain on the Australian continent . It is not, however, the highest mountain on Australian territory. Mawson Peak on Heard Island, an Australian territory in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica and between Australia and Africa, is the highest peak in any state and territory in Australia. Mawson Peak, a snow-covered volcano, rises to 9,006 feet (2,745 meters). High Point of Great Dividing Range Mount Kosciuszko is the high point of the Great Dividing Range , a long mountain range that runs along the entire eastern part of Australia from Queensland to Victoria. Mount Kosciuszko itself is in New South Wales a few miles from its border with Victoria. continue reading below our video The Fastest Miles Ever Run Glaciers chiseled out the mountain, leaving glacial features like cirques and moraines, during the Pleistocene Epoch over 20,000 years ago. Kosciuszko National Park Mount Kosciuszko is the centerpiece of 1,664,314-acre Kosciuszko National Park , Australia largest national park. The park was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1977 for its many unusual alpine plants and animals. The alpine zone on Mount Kosciuszko includes many rare and endemic plants and flowers that are found nowhere else in the world. Snowiest Place in Australia The Mount Kosciuszko area is the coldest and snowiest part of Australia, which is mostly an arid and hot continent. Snow covers the mountain from June through October. The area also has Australia’s only ski areas , including Thredbo and Perisher ski resorts . Named for Polish Explorer Polish explorer Count Pawel Edmund Strzelecki named Mount Kosciuszko in 1840 for Polish hero General Tadeusz Kosciuszko . Kosciuszko (1746-1817) joined the American Army during the Revolution, eventually rising to the rank of General as well as being the Deputy Engineer for the army. He was a defensive expert who created fortifications for Saratoga , Philadelphia, and West Point. He later urged that the Military Academy be situated at West Point . He was also friends with George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Kosciuszko returned to Poland in 1787 and waged war against neighboring countries for Polish independence. Later he retired to Switzerland, writing books about military strategy. After his death in 1817, Kosciuszko was hailed not only as a Polish patriot but also as a great American and a true citizen of the world. Name Often Misspelled The mountain name was misspelled in English as Kosciusko but changed by the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales to the proper Polish spelling Kosciuszko in 1997. How to Pronounce Kosciuszko The tongue-twisting name Kosciuszko is pronounced in Australia as: kozzy-OS-ko. The proper Polish pronunciation is: kosh-CHOOSH-ko. Aussies often just called the mountain "Kossy." Aboriginal Names for Mountain There are several native Aboriginal names associated with the mountain, with some confusion as to the exact sounds. These are Jagungal, Jar-gan-gil, Tar-gan-gil, Tackingal, all of which mean “Table Top Mountain.” Easiest of the Seven Summits Mount Kosciuszko, the lowest of the Seven Summits or the seven highest points on the seven continents, is also the easiest to climb. The main trail to the summit is an easy 5.5-mile-long hike that is crowded with trekkers all summer. As many as 100,000 people climb to the roof of Australia every year. Read Walking Tracks Australia for more information on hiking adventures down under. Is Kosciuszko or Carstensz Pyramid the High Point? Whether or not Mount Kosciuszko is one of the true Seven Summits is debated by all climbers attempting to climb the highest points on the seven continents . While Kosciuszko


Lake Eyre National Park, South Australia - Tourism Australia Add Share The vast expanse of shimmering dry white salt lake is matched only by the impossibly blue vast desert sky. Lake Eyre, in the Lake Eyre National Park around 700 kilometres north of Adelaide, is an extraordinary oasis in the harsh South Australian outback. The Lake Eyre Basin covers an astonishing 1 million square kilometres and crosses the borders of South Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland. Lake Eyre itself, which is actually two lakes connected by a channel, is 144 km long and 77 km wide. It's the largest salt lake in Australia, but one that is rarely filled with water. The Lake Eyre region is also the driest and lowest geographical point in Australia. The traditional owners of the Lake Eyre region, the Arabana people, have lived in the Lake Eyre Basin for thousands of years. The lake continues to be an important cultural site for Aboriginal people. Lake Eyre was named after explorer Edward John Eyre, the first European to see it in 1840. In the mid-1880s, many new settlers began farming in the area. One of these farms, Anna Creek, is now the largest cattle property in Australia. Lake Eyre's water levels mainly depend on the annual monsoon and how much rain falls in the lake's catchment in  Queensland  and the  Northern Territory . The strength of the tropical monsoon determines if water reaches the lake and how much water it will receive. Water from these three state catchment areas covers the lake about once every eight years. The lake has only filled to capacity three times in the last 160 years. When the lake floods, it creates an amazing natural spectacle. The air is filled with the sound and sight of huge numbers of waterbirds which flock to the area. The usually stark landscape comes alive with the rich colours of wildflowers and a sea of green foliage. The different levels of salty water can be seen as remarkable swirling current patterns which stretch as far as the eye can see. As the lake dries up and the water evaporates, its salinity increases and it often appears to turn pink. When empty, the lake becomes a giant salt pan, with white crystals reflecting the sunlight. The best place to view the lake from land is from Halligan Bay. After the rains, you can also enjoy the lake by boat or kayak. By far the best way to appreciate the vast lake is from the air. Several local tour operators run sightseeing flights over the lake, particularly when it is flooded. There are several other salt lakes in the area, some of which are heritage-listed for their rare fossils. Lake Eyre National Park is located 60km east of William Creek off the  Oodnadatta Track . The track is suitable for 4WD vehicles and experienced drivers only. Extra supplies of fuel, food and water should be taken. Roads can be closed due to flooding. The best time to visit is April to October. From the Lake Eyre National Park you could also visit the famed outback town of Oodnadatta; the opal town of  Coober Pedy , or the  Simpson Desert . More Holiday Ideas See what else there is near here to inspire your holiday planning. Guide to Flinders Ranges


Who was the oldest man to become Poet Laureate?

Cambridge Authors » Tennyson as Poet Laureate Zadie Smith Tennyson as Poet Laureate In this essay, written when she was in her third year of undergraduate study, Emma Leadbetter describes the way in which Tennyson acquired the position of poet laureate, and what he made of it. Although in many ways he was an unconventional figure, his moderate politics and patriotism helped him make the position a success. The poems that he wrote in his official role have mixed reputations, but one in particular, 'The Charge of the Light Brigade', is very well-known. In 1850, Tennyson was awarded the title of Poet Laureate. Wordsworth had died in April of that year. The role of Laureate had changed a great deal over the reign of Queen Victoria, with Wordsworth only accepting the title on condition that he did not have to meet its customary requirements. He never produced work specifically on the commission of the royal family or the state in the seven years in which he held the position. His successor would have a lot to live up to, for Wordsworth was both very popular with the general public and in literary circles. However, there was also a growing mood of patriotism in Britain in the years running up to the in 1854, and it was felt by some that the more traditional aspects of the laureateship - such as commemorating royal and public events and celebrating the feats of the British military - were becoming more important, and should be taken on board by whoever was chosen for the role. Perhaps surprisingly given his poetic achievements, Tennyson was not the obvious choice for the laureateship. At forty-one years old he was considered rather young for the honour, which was bestowed for life. There had been some speculation in the press as to the most likely candidates, and it was in fact Samuel Rogers, a leading literary figure of the time and friend of Wordsworth and Byron, who was first asked to succeed Wordsworth. The letter from Prince Albert to Rogers offering him the title tells us a great deal about the changing perception of what the role entailed: Although the spirit of the times has put an end to the practice (at all times objectionable) of exacting laudatory odes from the holder of that office, the Queen attaches importance to its maintenance from its historical antiquity and the means it affords to the sovereign of a more personal connection with the poets of the country through one of their chiefs. (J. Cuming Walters, Tennyson: Poet, Philosopher, Idealist (London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner and Co, 1893) p. 75.) The tentative approach shown by the in offering Rogers the laureateship is a sign of the potential candidate's reluctance to be restricted in his writing, either by the difficulties of working on commission or by the increased public interest which could prevent them from airing any unorthodox views. Like Wordsworth, Rogers' tendencies may have had a part in his unwillingness to become laureate. Unlike Wordsworth, however, Rogers actually refused the title, giving his old age as the reason (he was eighty-seven), and recommended Tennyson for the post. In 1850 Tennyson was arguably at the height of his artistic success. His Poems (1842) and The Princess (1847) had both received favourable criticism, and earlier works such as 'Ulysses' (1833) remained popular. Tennyson had completed 'In Memoriam' in 1849 and it was published just before his appointment to laureate. He was also popular with his fellow poets. In public support of Tennyson's claim to the position, the poet religious view which was not compatible with standard Anglican Christianity, and he interested himself in what new evolutionary theorists were describing as the divide between God and Nature. (This website's resources on 'Tennyson and Science' and 'Tennyson and Religion' explore his views on these things.) Nevertheless, he was a real patriot who respected the royal family and felt great loyalty to his country and to the Empire. Furthermore it is said that even before his appointment the Queen had expressed admiration for his poetry. Tennyson was investe


Who was Poet Laureate for the longest period of time?

Poets Laureate of Great Britain Poets Laureate of Great Britain Poets Laureate of Great Britain by J. Zimmerman Several of the other Laureates were famous poets, particularly Ted Hughes , Robert Southey , John Masefield , Sir John Betjeman , Cecil Day-Lewis , and the current Laureate, Andrew Motion . History and responsibilities. In Great Britain, the Poet Laureate is: The realm's official poet. A member of the royal household. Charged with writing verses for court and national occasions (such as for a Royal Wedding or the New Year). Awarded the position for life. Chosen by the British reigning monarch, from a list of nominees that the Prime Minister compiles after a poet laureate dies. Shortly after the 1668, the position became the Poet Laureate of Great Britain in 1707, when The Act of Union created "Great Britain" as the political name of England, Scotland, and Wales. The name Laureate derives from the Latin laureatus ("crowned with laurel"). It comes from an ancient Roman tradition of honoring a person (especially a poet) who has shown excellence of achievement. The honor is signified by presenting the person with a wreath of laurel leaves. FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) on the Poets Laureate of Great Britain. What does "Laureate" mean? Answer . Who was the best? Most frequently this is said to be Tennyson . John Dryden (1631-1700). Laureate 1668-88. Appointed in 1668 by King Charles II, who gave John Dryden a formal royal warrant  that awarded him the official titles of  Poet Laureate and Historiographer Royal. This role continued under King James II. As a powerful satirist, Dryden was a strong advocate and spokesman for his monarch, and "the best poet, dramatist, translator and critic of the age" [ Levin in Verses of the Poets Laureate] In 1689, sacked [or fired] by William III for failing to take an oath of allegiance. Thomas Shadwell (1643?-1692). Laureate 1689-92. The successful dramatist Thomas Shadwell was chosen in large part  because he was a Protestant Whig, essential to replace the Catholic Dryden.  met an inglorious end in 1693, A weak poet, a heavy drinker, and an opium user,  Shadwell died from an overdose of opium, which he took in part to relieve his gout.  He was said to have found the laureateship unimportant.  Disrespected by John Dryden , among others, for his poetry as well as for his politics. Shadwell wrote a yearly ode on the monarch's birthday, and introduced the  tradition of writing a New Year ode; his odes are crashingly uninspired and mechanistic,  as if written by an unusually dimwitted computer program. Nahum Tate (1652-1715). Laureate 1692-1715. Born in Dublin, Tate was awarded the Poet Laureate position (and its £100 per year)  but the post of Historiographer Royal (and its annual £200) became a separate assignment. Tate is most known today for his authorship of the widely loved Christmas carol "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night".  He is notorious for his (creative?) revision of Shakespeare's tragedy King Lear,  giving it a happy ending. In response to public events, Tate wrote poems for victories against the French (1704),  the Act of Union between the Parliaments of England and Scotland (1707),  and the signing of the Peace of Utrecht with France (1713). Nicholas Rowe (1674-1718). Laureate 1715-18. Nicholas Rowe was celebrated as a dramatist rather than as a poet.  The Poet Laureate's role was now general praise of the sovereign, rather than  political and historical. In addition to the annual New Year ode,  the Laureate acquired the duty of writing a birthday ode to the monarch, a practice which was  to last over 100 years. Laurence Eusden (1688-1730). Eusden never published a book of poetry.  His work is mediocre. Colley Cibber (1671-1757). The poetry of dramatist Colley Cibber was conscientious but not inspired. William Whitehead (1715-85). Laureate 1757-85.  [The appointment was first offered to and declined by Thomas Gray.] William Whitehead (a respectable though perhaps dull dramatist)  was good humored and amiable. For example, h


How many points are scored for potting a red ball in billiards?

The Rules of Billiards and Snooker Game Categories The Rules of Billiards and Snooker The following is a basic set of instructions for the friendly play of     the game of Billiards and Snooker including additional comments designed     to assist with the understanding of the game.  Note: 1 foot = 30.48     cm   Billiards Equipment A full-size Billiards table measures twelve feet by six feet, one and     a half inches and has a baize-covered slate bed.  The four edges     of the table feature rubber edges covered in baize called "cushions".  Six "pockets" are situated one at each corner plus one at the     centre of each long side of the table into which the balls can drop.  The six pockets normally have a net or a small collecting channel to catch     the balls.  Two feet, five inches from one end, a line is drawn across     the table called the "baulk" line.  Any ball between the     baulk line and the nearest end is generally referred to as being "in     baulk".  A semi-circle is inscribed within the baulk area with     is axis as the middlepoint of the baulk line and with a radius of eleven     and a half inches.  This semi-circle is termed the "D".   At the other end of the table, twelve and three-quarter inches     from the end cushion, a spot is centrally inscribed as a starting point     for the red ball. The cue ball is struck with tapered sticks featuring a striking tip called "cues".  The cue tips are chalked to prevent a slippery     contact with the ball.  There is almost always an additional accessory     available called a "rest" which is like a cue with a cross on     the end upon which the cue can be rested to extend its playing length.  Quite often, a "full-butt" and a "half-butt" are also     available - these are much longer rests with arched fixments on the end     that come with their own long cues for playing very long shots. Billiards is played with one red ball and two white cue balls, one with     a small black spot and one without.   The Start A doubles game is occasionally played but the game is usually singles.  One player chooses to play with the white cue ball and the other the spotted     white cue ball.  To begin with, players play their cue ball from     within the D down the table so that it bounces back up the table and comes     to rest in baulk.  The player whose ball is closest to the baulk     cushion chooses to go first or second.  Most players prefer to go     second because the first turn occurs with only two balls on the table     - a severe limitation. The game starts with the red ball on it's spot and the cue ball of the     starting player placed in the D at the front of the table.  Players     agree how many points will constitute a game and the objective is merely     to be the first to score than number.   A typical number for expert     players might be 1000 points - professionals regularly score more than     this in a single break.  Beginners might consider 150 as a more appropriate     target.   Basic Play Each turn is called a "break" and consists of a series of strikes     of the cue ball that come to an end when a player makes a non-scoring     strike or a foul stroke.   Scoring is achieved by "potting" balls, by "cannons", and by going "in off".  A ball is "potted" when the cue ball knocks it into a pocket.  A "cannon" is when the cue ball strikes first one ball and then     the other.  A player's ball goes "in off" when it falls     into a pocket having first "kissed" (struck) another ball. Whenever the red ball is potted, it is immediately returned to the red     spot for the next strike.  Whenever the cue ball goes in off, it     is immediately returned to the player who can position it anywhere within     the D for the next strike.  If the opponents ball is potted, it remains     out of play until the end of that player's break.   In this case,     the oppone


What is the maximum score for one stroke in billiards?


In the Bible who became leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses?

Joshua 1:1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: Matthew Henry Commentary 1:1-4 Joshua had attended upon Moses. He who was called to honour, had been long used to business. Our Lord Jesus took upon him the form of a servant. Joshua was trained up under command. Those are fittest to rule, who have learned to obey. The removal of useful men should quicken survivors to be the more diligent in doing good. Arise, go over Jordan. At this place and at this time the banks were overflowed. Joshua had no bridge or boats, and yet he must believe that God, having ordered the people over, would open a way.


Labanotation - definition of Labanotation by The Free Dictionary Labanotation - definition of Labanotation by The Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Labanotation Also found in: Thesaurus , Medical , Wikipedia . La·ba·no·ta·tion  (lä′bə-nō-tā′shən) n. A system of movement notation for dance that employs various symbols to record the points of a dancer's body, the direction of a dancer's movement, the tempo, and the dynamics. [After Rudolph Laban (1879-1958), Hungarian choreographer + (n)otation .] labanotation (Ballet) a system for recording ballet movements invented by Rudolph Laban ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend: Noun 1. Labanotation - a system of notation for dance movements that uses symbols to represent points on a dancer's body and the direction of the dancer's movement and the tempo and the dynamics choreography - a notation used by choreographers Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content . Link to this page: Rudolph Laban References in periodicals archive ? Non-ballet courses required: Modern, jazz, tap or musical theater, dance history, choreography, music for dancers, biology for dancers, pedagogy, kinesiology, Labanotation, dance conditioning Additions to archives This wholly scientific but also somewhat impractical system of movement notation was developed by choreographer Rudolf Laban in the 1920s and elaborated and codified by his student Ann Hutchinson Guest; like preceding, less effective, attempts at "writing" dance (the Beauchamp-Feuillet system for ballet, or Vladimir Stepanov's 1892 Alphabet des Mouvements du Corps Humain, for example), Labanotation is at once a symptom of and a frustrated antidote to the anxiety surrounding dance's ephemerality. Kelly Nipper: Talks about Floyd on the Floor, 2005 Labanotation is one of the primary systems associated with anthropological studies, by both Kurath and others, partially due to its non-genre-specific notational symbols and also to its original conception by Rudolf Laban as a universal movement matrix (Hutchinson 1977: 6). "The place of dance in human life": perspectives on the fieldwork and dance notation of Gertrude P. Kurath Jory Hancock, head of UA's Dance Division, suggested that the architects look at the Labanotation of Serenade, the first piece that George Balanchine (founder of the School of American Ballet) created for his students.


Who succeeded Nikita Khrushchev as leader of the Soviet Union in 1964?

BBC ON THIS DAY | 15 | 1964: Khrushchev 'retires' as head of USSR 1964: Khrushchev 'retires' as head of USSR Nikita Khrushchev has unexpectedly stepped down as leader of the Soviet Union. The official Soviet news agency, Tass, announced that a plenary meeting of the Communist Party Central Committee had accepted Mr Khrushchev's request to depart "in view of his advanced age and the deterioration of his health". Mr Khrushchev, who is 70, took over as First Secretary of the Central Committee soon after Stalin's death. He has held the role of both party leader and prime minister since 1958. These posts will now be divided with 57-year-old Leonid Brezhnev heading the Soviet Communist Party, while 60-year-old Alexei Kosygin, will take the post of prime minister. The news has come as a shock to Soviet diplomats in London who were unaware that their leader might be unwell. 'Peaceful co-existence' Governments of Western Europe have also been taken aback and fear the new leadership might shift away from Mr Khrushchev's policy of peaceful co-existence with the West. A flamboyant character, Mr Khrushchev is described in the Times newspaper today as "the most colourful leader world communism has produced". He took over from Joseph Stalin when he died in 1953. In 1955 he began the first of several visits abroad to improve Soviet relations with the rest of Europe, America and Asia. His first stop was Yugoslavia where he apologised in person to Marshal Josef Tito for Stalin's attack on Yugoslav Communism in 1948. His denunciation of Stalin in 1956 in what's known as the "secret speech" to the 20th Party Congress gave Soviet satellite states such as Poland and Hungary new hope of more political freedom - which were soon crushed by Warsaw Pact troops. During this speech, he also laid down the foundations of his foreign policy, moving away from the belligerent approach to capitalism and towards co-existence and competition. For Western leaders, his brash and extrovert sense of humour was a refreshing change from the stern image of previous Soviet public figures. He courted socialist parties abroad and encouraged cultural exchanges. But his temper sometimes got the better of him - like the time he famously hit the table with his shoe during a United Nations debate in 1960 - and he was quick to warn of the USSR's nuclear weapons capability in his speeches in the international arena. His leadership will also be remembered for bringing the world close to nuclear war by placing Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.


Who succeeded Konstantin Chernenko as Soviet leader in 1985?

March 11, 1985 : Mikhail Gorbachev picked to succeed Chernenko Introduction Capping his rapid rise through the Communist Party hierarchy, Mikhail Gorbachev is selected as the new general secretary and leader of the Soviet Union, following the death of Konstantin Chernenko the day before. Gorbachev oversaw a radical transformation of Soviet society and foreign policy during the next six years. Gorbachev was born in 1931, the son of peasant farmers near Stavropol. As a young man he joined the usual Communist Party youth groups. In 1952, he traveled to Moscow to earn his degree in law. Upon his return to his native town of Stavropol, Gorbachev became extremely active in party politics and began a rapid rise through the Communist Party bureaucracy. Part of his success was due to his intelligence, drive, and ability to see and exploit opportunities. He was also aided by his ability to attach himself to important mentors, such as Yuri Andropov, the head of the dreaded KGB—Russia’s secret police. With Andropov’s support, Gorbachev was elected to the Central Committee of the Communist Party in 1971. During the next decade and a half, Gorbachev worked hard to promote his own career and to support Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. When Brezhnev died in 1982, Andropov took power. Gorbachev’s role in the new government expanded, and then Andropov died in 1984. It was widely assumed that Gorbachev would be his successor, but his youth, combined with suspicions from some old-line Communist Party officials that the young man was too reform-minded, led to the selection of Konstantin Chernenko. Gorbachev did not have to wait long for a second chance, however. Chernenko died after less than a year in office. With the rapid-fire deaths of Andropov and Chernenko, Gorbachev had outlived his only serious competition, and he was selected to become the new leader of the Soviet Union on March 11, 1985. During the next six years, Gorbachev led the Soviet Union through a dizzying pace of domestic reforms and foreign policy changes. He relaxed political oppression and led the push for reform of the nation’s crumbling economic system. On the foreign policy scene, he worked hard to secure better relations with the United States, and in 1987, he and President Ronald Reagan signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which reduced the number of medium-range missiles each nation kept in Europe. The pace of change, however, might have been too rapid. By the late-1980s, the Soviet Union was cracking to pieces. Eastern European satellites were breaking free, various Russian republics were pushing for independence, and the economy was on a downward spiral. In December 1991, Gorbachev resigned as president and the Soviet Union formally ceased to exist. Article Details: March 11, 1985 : Mikhail Gorbachev picked to succeed Chernenko Author March 11, 1985 : Mikhail Gorbachev picked to succeed Chernenko URL


Who wrote the 1921 opera The Love for Three Oranges'?

Cheat Sheet: The Love For Three Oranges | Opera Australia The Love for Three Oranges cheat sheet: The Love for Three Oranges Everything you need to know about Prokofiev's surreal, screwball fairytale for adults. Please, just sum it up for me! Who was the composer? Sergei Prokofiev is one of the major composers of the 20th century: a Russian who studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory before making his name as a composer and pianist.  He is most famous for his ballet, Romeo and Juliet and his work for orchestra and narrator, Peter and the Wolf. Like other great 20th-century composers, he played with harmony but his work isn’t dissonant or 'difficult' — it’s melodic, approachable and in this opera, lots of fun! Prokofiev died aged 61 after a long illness, on the same day as Joseph Stalin. Sergei Prokofiev photographed circa 1918.  What happens in the story? The Prince is melancholy, tragic poetry to blame. Prescription? Laughter! While the court scrambles to amuse the prince, it's a witch that finally does the trick; tripping over and revealing her knickers. His laugh angers the witch, who curses the Prince with an obsessive love for three oranges. The Prince and his jester march off to find the oranges, kept in the kitchen of a murderous cook. But not everyone is on the prince's side; the Prime Minister is plotting to kill him! Does true love lie under that thick orange skin? Will the witch come back for revenge? Will the evil Prime Minister succeed? In this farcical fairytale, you never know what's around the corner. Who are the main players? The King of Clubs: ruler of an imaginary Kingdom The Prince: the King's son, struck down with melancholy Princess Clarissa: the King's niece, next in line for the throne Leandro: the Prime Minister Pantaloon: friend and advisor of the King Tchelio: a magician, protector of the King Fata Morgana: a witch, protector of Leandro  What's the big hit? Something to listen out for Prokofiev’s music is energetic, clever and very accessible. Listen to how rhythm drives the action (the most famous example is that famous march. The characters are literally marching, but the music is also signaling the story moving inexorably on!) A journalist perhaps best described the music of the opera, as he reviewed the dress rehearsal in 1921: "Music like this has never come from the orchestra pit of the Auditorium. Strange combinations of sounds that seem to come from street pianos, New Year's Eve horns, harmonicas and old-fashioned musical beer steins that play when you lift them up... it sounds like the picture of a crazy Christmas tree drawn by a happy child," wrote Ben Hecht for the Chicago Daily News. He observes two critics disparaging the music and concludes "perhaps ... music critics will fail to understand it and untutored [people] like ourselves will find in the hurdy-gurdy rhythms and contortions of Mr Prokofieff ... a strange delight. As if some one had given us a musical lollypop to suck and rub in our hair..." This production is ... Bold, colourful fun, from the brilliant mind of director Francesca Zambello . George Tsypin 's kooky sets explore the fantasy world of this satirical fairytale, and Tania Noginova's costumes are larger than life.  Costume sketches for the Chorus, Princess Ninetta and The King of Clubs by Tania Noginova. A little history Prokofiev was making waves in America with his music when the Chicago Opera enquired if he might write them an opera. The composer accepted a commission to produce an opera based on The Love for Three Oranges — a satirical, fairytale play by Carlo Gozzi. He wrote the libretto himself and composed the opera in just nine months, although its premiere was delayed by the death of Chicago Opera’s chief. The new artistic director promised to make it up to Prokofiev with a lavish production (it reportedly cost $100,000, and the composer conducted it himself). At its 1921 premiere, critics were stumped, although the audience reportedly enjoyed it. One critic wrote: "The work is intended, one learns, to poke fun. As far as I am able to discern, it pokes


Who took over the Radio 2 breakfast show in 2010 succeeding Terry Wogan?

Radio 2 DJ CHRIS EVANS on Terry Wogan | Daily Mail Online comments A confession: I never brush my teeth last thing at night. I do it when my kids brush theirs at around 6pm instead, and that’s it until the morning.  Because as odd as it may sound, I like to drop off instead with the lingering sensation of vintage Armagnac still gently burning the sides of my tongue and cheeks.  Or perhaps the fading fumes of a quality Bordeaux gradually drying out the roof of my mouth as I slip into the land of nod. This I do most evenings, before waking up at 5am to make my way to the BBC studios from where I get to do one of the best jobs on the planet: presenting the Radio 2 Breakfast Show. Terry’s show. He's the Guv'nor of light entertainment and general all-round levity.: Chris with Terry in 2010 RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share I’d always imagined that if I were ever lucky enough to host such a huge regular gig, I would become some sort of supreme, super-clean living being, holier than thou, monk-like save for the vow of silence. But that’s not the way a job like mine works. You have to be yourself before, during and after. At least, you have to be yourself if you want to be able to sustain any kind of longevity. ‘Be yourself – everyone else is taken,’ as they say. And it’s an absolute necessity when your job is ad-libbing on the radio to ten million people five days a week, otherwise you’re going to get found out. You’re going to get left behind in the conversation while you’re trying to figure out what the correct thing to say is, and everyone else is just getting on with it. This is what Wogan was The Master of. But, even to him, it didn’t come easy. I spent much of the first 48 hours after hearing of Terry’s shock passing reflecting on many things.  How come none of us knew how extremely ill he had become? Did I know him at all? Did he love working for the BBC, or did he in fact loathe the management but stick around for the greater good?  Master: Terry Wogan was true to himself and his millions of listeners, to whom he ad-libbed every morning Host: As host of Blankety Blank, he regularly had to control a host of six wise-guy panellists Most of all, though, I pondered on when it was, and exactly how, he crossed whatever invisible mysterious Rubicon it is that propels well-known and well-loved personalities to the status of bona fide national treasures. Out of all the people I discussed this with (and that was most people that Terry had worked with or for over the last half a century), Terry’s long-time colleague Ken Bruce came up with the best observation. I remember Terry hosting Blankety Blank, where he regularly had to control a host of six wise-guy, smart-arse panellists – and in fact very much being the whipping boy.  Similarly, I remember countless occasions during his BBC1 chat show when no one was having a good time. But somewhere along the line, all of that paled into insignificance as he evolved into the radio industry’s undisputed Guv’nor of light entertainment and general all-round levity. Ken remarked that when Terry’s three nights-a-week talk show came off the air, it was the first time the great man’s career had ceased to progress. A real wake-up call for the man who would ultimately be remembered as the nation’s wake-up call. It was at this point Terry realised the bright lights and glamour of TV were all well and good but it was radio that he was put on this Earth to do. Charity: Sir Terry made tireless efforts on behalf of Children in Need, which he was unable to host last year So that’s what he refocused on, totally. And it was by no means a case of the muse returning overnight. It was well over a year before he began to find the relaxed rhythm and genius of irony that eventually became his calling card and legacy. But there was something else, something much deeper going on. Behind his perfectly assumed nonsense outlook on life and that brilliantly executed self-deprecation, there was an unerring tiller of steely determination deftly guiding him home every day. And by home, I mean home to everything


Give the surname of the sisters who are MPs on Merseyside.

Eagle sisters fly high at Westminster | Politics | The Guardian Politics Eagle sisters fly high at Westminster Angela and Maria Eagle, the first twins to sit in parliament together, say there'll be no sisterly favours when it comes to fighting their respective corners 'People come up to me to talk about transport policy and I say, I think it's my sister you want' . . . Angela Eagle (left). Photograph: Felix Clay for the Guardian Tuesday 12 April 2011 15.30 EDT First published on Tuesday 12 April 2011 15.30 EDT Share on Messenger Close The Eagle twins have been in Westminster for a combined total of 33 years, and have held ministerial portfolios for most of them, yet for some reason neither sister has quite broken into the foreground of public consciousness. On the face of it, this would seem odd, for not only are they the first twins to sit in parliament together, but Angela is the first female MP to out herself – so you'd have thought they would scarcely have been able to help becoming political celebrities. Yet it doesn't take many minutes in their company to see why this was unlikely to happen. Closer to Margaret Beckett than Mo Mowlam in manner, both are clearly more comfortable with the nuts and bolts of policy than the theatre of personality politics. Angela became an MP in 1992, but it was the election of her twin Maria in May 1997, and Angela's outing later that same year, that attracted media attention. They were never going to compete for the limelight amid all the peacocking psychodramas and spin of the New Labour years – and any sibling intrigue there might be between them was spectacularly eclipsed by the Miliband brothers' bitter fight to the top. And now that glamorous Old Etonians are back in charge of the country, the sisters' understated style – quiet, self-effacing and serious-minded to the point of stodgy – might have consigned them to the background for good. But, instead, both now have shadow cabinet briefs – Angela as shadow chief secretary to the treasury, Maria as shadow transport secretary – the first sisters to sit around a Labour cabinet table to gether. They seldom give joint interviews, and I get the impression that both would feel more comfortable debating a policy than talking about themselves. But I'm curious to know what it's like to be twins in parliament – not identical, but so alike in voice at least that afterwards, replaying the tape, I find it impossible to tell the two apart. I'm not the only one; Angela admits that she once phoned home and conducted a conversation with her own answer machine, mistaking her own recorded voice for her sister. "When I first got to parliament," says Maria, "most people thought I was coming back. All the police officers thought I'd already been here, loads of MPs thought I was a returning MP, people just didn't realise I was new – so they kept wondering why I didn't know where to go." This seems a bit bizarre, because looking at them side by side they don't resemble each other at all. "But it doesn't matter," Maria explains. "People only see similarities in twins. When they know you're a twin they don't see the differences, they just see the similarities, so it was a bit of an odd introduction to parliament – people kept asking me how to do things, and I kept having to say I didn't know." "You wouldn't believe the number of people," Angela agrees, "who have come up to me and insisted on talking to me about transport policy. And I say, I think it's my sister you want. They're always embarrassed, but we're just used to it." The pair were born 50 years ago on Merseyside, to working-class parents – a printer and a seamstress – and although their father was an active trade unionist, Maria says it was their mother's experience that politicised them. Their mother had passed her 11-plus, the only one in her whole school to do so, but her parents couldn't afford the uniform and the books, and so she was removed from grammar school and left school at 15. "So she lost out because her parents didn't have the right money or understanding to support that aspiration


Walter Sickert was a leading figure in which group of London based painters?

Walter Sickert: British Impressionist Painter, Camden Town Group Post-Impressionist     Painters . Walter Sickert (1860-1942) The most important exponent of Impressionism in Britain (in effect a form of Post-Impressionism )     Walter Richard Sickert was the leading member of the famous Camden     Town Group . He was not an Impressionist in the traditional manner,     preferring to work from the bottom of the tone scale, creating gleaming     light from sombre colours. Towards the end of his life, his palette brightened     considerably when he painted townscapes in Bath and Brighton. Sickert     was profoundly influenced by Whistler (18341903) whose assistant     he was for a period, and the great Edgar Degas (1834-1917), with whom     he studied in Paris. Female     nudes were a standard subject for painters for generations, but Whistler     presented his nudes in intriguing, naturalistic settings. As a result,     many of Sickert's nudes are presented in cropped format, at odd angles,     seen through doorways. His artistic career spanned nearly 60 years, and     his output was vast. He was also one of the few modern painters to make     real use of studio assistants, in the manner of the Old Masters. His interest,     later in life, of painting direct from magazine photos - a habit he picked     up from Degas - may have influenced later developments in 20th century Photorealism art . His     favourite subjects were figurative compositions and urban scenes, including     mundane domestic interiors. He also painted outstanding portraits. His     best known paintings include: What Shall we do for the Rent? (Yale     Centre for British Art, New Haven) and Ennui (1914, Tate, London). COLOURS USED IN     PAINTING For an idea of the pigments used by Walter Sickert, see: History, styles and development. Artistic Training Sickert was born in Munich in 1860. The     family moved to London in 1868 and took British nationality. Sickert's     father was an artist, and his grandparents had also been involved in the     arts. At first he tried to make a career in acting, before studying fine     art at the Slade School in London. He also became an assistant to Whistler ,     who was based in London at this time. Whistler had already produced his     famous Artist's Mother (1871, Musee d'Orsay, Paris) and many of     his nocturnes paintings, and was now working on nude drawings, sketched     from obtuse angles, with part of the figure cut off (e.g. Nude Model     Reclining, 1900, Tate, London). These drawings influenced the young     Sickert, not only in his choice of subject matter, but also style. (Please     see also: Characteristics     of Impressionist Painting 1870-1910.) . After this, Sickert spent a period of time     in Paris, working with Edgar Degas . Following     the great Frenchman's advice, he worked in the studio, relying on memory     and sketches in order to escape 'the tyranny of nature'. Some of Sickert's     earliest paintings are of London music halls - see: Gatti's Hungerford     Palace of Varieties (1887-8, NSW Art Gallery); and The Old Bedford (1897, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool) - where the spatial relationship     between the audience, stage, orchestra and performers is confused and     ambiguous. Like Degas, who painted ballet dancers on stage, Sickert was     emphasising the need for 'art for arts sake', connecting the artificiality     of theatrical performances to life and art. French Influence Between 1900 and 1909 Sickert exhibited     his paintings in at least 15 shows in Paris, gaining a reputation as a     modernist artist in a field dominated by French painters. He shared the     same art dealer as Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947)     and Edouard Vuillard (1868-1940),     at the Bernheim-Jeune Gallery. All 3 artists show a common theme, their     nude figures


What is the SI unit of Electrical Charge?

Electrical units of measurment (V,A,Ω,W,...) Volt (V) Volt is the electrical unit of voltage . One volt is the energy of 1 joule that is consumed when electric charge of 1 coulomb flows in the circuit. 1V = 1J / 1C Ampere (A) Ampere is the electrical unit of electrical current . It measures the amount of electrical charge that flows in an electrical circuit per 1 second. 1A = 1C / 1s Ohm is the electrical unit of resistance. 1Ω = 1V / 1A Watt is the electrical unit of electric power . It measures the rate of consumed energy. 1W = 1J / 1s 1W = 1V ï¿½ 1A Decibel-milliwatt (dBm) Decibel-milliwatt or dBm is a unit of electric power , measured with logarithmic scale referenced to 1mW. 10dBm = 10 ï¿½ log10(10mW / 1mW) Decibel-Watt (dBW) Decibel-watt or dBW is a unit of electric power , measured with logarithmic scale referenced to 1W. 10dBW = 10 ï¿½ log10(10W / 1W) Farad (F) Farad is the unit of capacitance. It represents the amount of electric charge in coulombs that is stored per 1 volt. 1F = 1C / 1V Henry is the unit of inductance. 1H = 1Wb / 1A siemens is the unit of conductance, which is the opposite of resistance. 1S = 1 / 1Ω Coulomb is the unit of electric charge . 1C = 6.238792×1018 electron charges Ampere-hour (Ah) Ampere-hour is a unit of electric charge . One ampere-hour is the electric charge that flow in electrical circuit, when a current of 1 ampere is applied for 1 hour. 1Ah = 1A ï¿½ 1hour One ampere-hour is equal to 3600 coulombs. 1Ah = 3600C Tesla is the unit of magnetic field. 1T = 1Wb / 1m2 Weber is the unit of magnetic flux. 1Wb = 1V ï¿½ 1s Joule (J) Joule is the unit of energy. 1J = 1 kg ï¿½ 1(m / s)2 Kilowatt-hour (kWh) Kilowatt-hour is a unit of energy. 1kWh = 1kW ï¿½ 1h = 1000W ï¿½ 1h Kilovolt-amps (kVA) Kilovolt-amps is a unit of power. 1kVA = 1kV ï¿½ 1A = 1000 ï¿½ 1V ï¿½ 1A Hertz (Hz) Hertz is the unit of frequency. It measures the number of cycles per second. 1 Hz = 1 cycles / s


Which US state is known as the Hoosier State?

State Nicknames Hawaii - Maryland Hawaii became officially known as the Aloha State by a 1959 legislative act. Haw. Rev. Stat. 5-7 source: State Names, Seals, Flags, and Symbols by Benjamin F. Shearer, Barbara S. Shearer Idaho In 1863, Congress designated the Idaho Territory with the erroneous understanding that Idaho was a Shoshone word meaning Gem of the Mountains. In spite of the misunderstanding concerning the origin of the name the state continues to be known as the Gem State and the Gem of the Mountains. source: State Names, Seals, Flags, and Symbols by Benjamin F. Shearer, Barbara S. Shearer Known unofficially as the Prairie State, a fitting nickname for a state that sets aside the third full week in September each year as Illinois Prairie Week to demonstrate the value of preserving and reestablishing native Illinois prairies. source: State Names, Seals, Flags, and Symbols by Benjamin F. Shearer, Barbara S. Shearer Indiana Hoosier State came into general usage in the 1830s. John Finley of Richmond wrote a poem, "The Hoosier's Nest," which was used as the "Carrier's Address" of the Indianapolis Journal, Jan. 1, 1833. It was widely copied throughout the country and even abroad. A few days later, on January 8, 1833, at the Jackson Day dinner at Indianapolis, John W. Davis offered "The Hoosier State of Indiana" as a toast. And in August, former Indiana governor James B. Ray announced that he intended to publish a newspaper, The Hoosier, at Greencastle, Indiana. The Hawkeye State was first suggested by James G. Edwars as a tribute to indian leader Chief Black Hawk. source: State Names, Seals, Flags, and Symbols by Benjamin F. Shearer, Barbara S. Shearer The nickname Sunflower State calls to mind the wild flowers of the plains of Kansas and the officially recognized state flower. source: State Names, Seals, Flags, and Symbols by Benjamin F. Shearer, Barbara S. Shearer Kentucky Bluegrass is not really blue--it's green--but in the spring, bluegrass produces bluish-purple buds that when seen in large fields give a rich blue cast to the grass. Early pioneers found bluegrass growing on Kentucky's rich limestone soil, and traders began asking for the seed of the "blue grass from Kentucky." The name stuck and today Kentucky is known as the Bluegrass State.


Which unit of the Territorial Army and Volunteer Reserve is abbreviated to HAC?

Territorial Army (United Kingdom) | Military Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Territorial Army (United Kingdom) e The Territorial Army (TA) is the part-time volunteer force of the British Army . With around 35,500 members, the TA forms about a quarter of the overall manpower strength of the British Army. TA soldiers serve on operations, either with TA units, or as individuals attached to regular units. Over one thousand TA soldiers are deployed each year. In addition 1,100 Territorial soldiers currently serve as Non Regular Permanent Staff . The highest ranking Territorial is Major General Greg Smith TD who is Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Reserves and Cadets). Contents Edit As a locally raised volunteer part-time force, the TA may be considered a militia [1] and several units bear the title "militia". [2] TA members have a minimum commitment to serve 27 training days per annum. This period normally includes a two-week period of continuous training either as a (TA) unit, on courses or attached to a regular unit. Territorial soldiers are paid at a similar rate, while engaged on military activities, as their Regular equivalents. Soldiers of the Territorial Army are often serving alongside their regular counterparts, including operations in Afghanistan where 1,000 out of the total 10,100 deployed are reservists[ citation needed ], around 10% of the total. The annual budget of the Territorial Army is approximately £350 million – around 1.3% of the total defence budget . [3] Legal status Edit During periods of total war , the Territorial Army is incorporated by the Royal Prerogative into Regular Service under one code of Military Law for the duration of hostilities until re-activation is decided upon. After World War II for example the TA was not demobilised until 1947. Territorials normally have a full-time job or career, which in some cases provides skills and expertise that are directly transferable to a specialist military role, such as NHS employees serving in TA Army Medical Services units. All Territorial personnel have their civilian jobs protected to a limited extent by law should they be compulsorily mobilised. There is however no legal protection against discrimination in employment for membership of the TA in the normal course of events (i.e. when not mobilised). Historical overview Edit Its original purpose was home defence although the establishment of the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve in 1967 involved a restructuring and revised doctrine leading to provision of routine support for the Regular army overseas. Reservists in the past also served as constables or bailiffs, even holding positions of civic duty as overseer of their parish. The more modern Yeomen of the 18th century were cavalry based units, which were often used to suppress riots, such as the infamous Peterloo Massacre . The Territorial Army was created in 1908 by the Secretary of State for War , Richard Haldane , when the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 combined the previously civilian-administered Volunteer Force , with the Militia and Yeomanry . Most Volunteer infantry units had unique identities, but lost these in the reorganisation, becoming Territorial battalions of Regular Army infantry regiments. Some, notably the London Regiment , Glasgow Highlanders and Liverpool Scottish maintained a separate identity. Formation to World War I Main article: Territorial Force The Territorial Force was originally formed by the Secretary of State for War , Richard Burdon Haldane , following the enactment of the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 which combined and re-organised the old Volunteer Army with the remaining units of militia and yeomanry . The TF was formed on 1 April 1908 and contained 14 infantry divisions , and 14 mounted yeomanry brigades . It had an overall strength of approximately 269,000. The individual units that made up each division or brigade were administered by County Associations, with the county's lord lieutenant as president. The other members of the association consisted of military members (chosen from


Which part of a castle derives its name from the old French words for 'sliding door'?

Castle Gatehouse: The Strongest Part of any Medieval Castle - Exploring Castles Exploring Castles Castle Gatehouse: The Strongest Part of any Medieval Castle The castle gatehouse was one of the most defensive parts of any medieval fortress. It was a strong, fortified building positioned to defend the entrance to a castle. Gatehouses usually contained multiple traps and obstacles to foil any intruder. These traps included vast metal portcullises, and infamous murder holes. The buildings of the gatehouse were also some of the grandest of the entire castle, and contained some of the most magnificent chambers for the most important guests. I wouldn’t fancy your chances if you were attacking this castle, eh?! This is the exterior side of the Harlech gatehouse. The wooden steps are where a drawbridge would once have been. The Development of the Castle Gatehouse In Medieval times, castles were designed to withstand siege and attack. Every castle had the same weak point, however. No matter how strong the outer walls were, every castle was vulnerable at its main entrance. Evidently, you couldn’t build a castle without a doorway – that would have been madness! In times of peace, people needed to come and go as they pleased. However, if the castle was under attack, the enemies often targeted their attentions to the entrance-way – as it was the easiest route to break into the castle. As a result, fortifications and obstacles were built around the entrance to Medieval castles. Nowadays, this seems like a very obvious thing to do, but it this was actually quite a revolutionary idea in Medieval times – it took a long time for people to figure it out. The first fortifications around the entrance to Dover Castle, England, were only built in 1170 – more than 100 years after the castle was founded. Over time, these fortifications grew increasingly sophisticated. The buildings around the entrance became known as ‘gatehouses’. To enter the castle, you had to pass along a passage through the gatehouse, which was filled with obstacles, tricks and traps. All this was designed to make it difficult for any enemy to enter the castle via the main doorway. The Different Layers of Defence within a Castle Gatehouse Most castle gatehouses contained multiple layers of defences to make it as tricky as possible (and as unappealing as possible!) for an enemy to enter. Sometimes even reaching the gatehouse would have been tricky. Many late-Medieval castles were surrounded by moats – meaning that you’d need to cross a precarious drawbridge to first of all. The interior side of the castle’s gatehouse, as viewed from the castle battlements. As you can see, it dominates an entire side of the castle. Within the gatehouse, vast wooden doors would have obstructed the path of any would-be attacker. Often, in late Medieval castles, there’d be another line of defence in front of these doors. The portcullis – that is, a vast iron grille which would have been lowered from the ceiling – made it trickier for battering-rams to break down the doors. The portcullis – which comes from the French word porte coulissante, or sliding door – was lowered from the ceiling via winches and pulleys. Nowadays, most old castles don’t have working portcullises (that’s because they might damage the old, precious stones): however, you can usually see the tracks down which they’d have descended. Sometimes, however, those within a Medieval castle could play an unpleasant trick on anyone attacking the castle. There was often more than one portcullis guarding the entrance passageway which lead into the castle – usually one portcullis at the start, and one at the end. If an intruder entered the passage, they could lower the end portcullis and then, before they could run and escape, they’d then lower the one at the start. The hapless attacker would be trapped between these two iron grilles – and sometimes would have been killed in a pretty gory way. Arrow Slits and Murder Holes The passage through the gatehouse into the castle was riddled with other tricks and traps. The most infamous of these w


In another life Gyles Brandreth was an MP for which constituency?

Simon Robinson's appointments as secretary at the Carlton Club is confusing writes ANDREW PIERCE | Daily Mail Online comments For almost 200 years, the Carlton Club in London’s St James’s has been the bastion of the Conservative Party establishment. Margaret Thatcher was the first woman to be made an honorary member. In 2008, saintly Ann Widdecombe, the former Tory MP, became the first paid-up woman member. The true blue club has now appointed the suave Major Simon Robinson (who is a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order) as secretary, on a reputed £130,000 salary package. Lord Strathclyde, who served in Lady Thatcher’s government, wrote to members saying: ‘I know you will all welcome Simon into our Carlton Club family.’ Well, not everyone has.  For almost 200 years, the Carlton Club in London’s St James’s has been the bastion of the Conservative Party establishment The appointment of Robinson, a former Crown Equerry to the Queen, has raised a few eyebrows.  Robinson, who looked after the Royal Mews, 34 horses and the carriages and coaches used at state ceremonies, quit the coveted so-called ‘job for life’ in 2011 after six years.  And his exit was not without controversy. He departed after his wife, Amelisa, walked out with their two children and started divorce proceedings.  Robinson denied rumours of an affair. The loss of the job was a blow to Robinson’s social standing.  The Queen called regularly for tea at Robinson’s three-storey grace-and-favour house in the grounds of Buckingham Palace. Robinson, who used to be commanding officer of the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, was one of the few aides permitted to telephone the Queen directly. If he still has her number, will he invite Her Majesty for tea at the Carlton when he starts next month?   Bumpy landing for Gyles and Eagle   Shortly after the 1992 general election, Gyles Brandreth, TV star and newly elected MP for Chester, approached another new arrival at Westminster in the hope of finding a parliamentary ‘pair’ from the Labour opposition so that one could agree to abstain from a vote if, for example, the other was ill Shortly after the 1992 general election, Gyles Brandreth, TV star and newly elected MP for Chester, approached another new arrival at Westminster in the hope of finding a parliamentary ‘pair’ from the Labour opposition so that one could agree to abstain from a vote if, for example, the other was ill. In Breaking The Code: The Brandreth Diaries, he noted the woman in question was: ‘Smallish, youngish, short lank hair, pointy nose, blokeish manner, not my idea of a fun time.’ And he quoted a waspish, if somewhat outmoded, saying of his late friend, the Hi-de-Hi! star Simon Cadell: ‘. . . as Simon would say: “She’s happier in Holland.” ’ The MP in question was Angela Eagle, who is in a civil partnership, and came close last month to running against Jeremy Corbyn.  The outcome?  She rejected Brandreth’s overtures.    Make your mind up, Owen  Labour leadership challenger Owen Smith, in a BBC interview, attacked Comrade Corbyn for his ‘metropolitan’ approach Labour leadership challenger Owen Smith, in a BBC interview, attacked Comrade Corbyn for his ‘metropolitan’ approach.  The hapless Smith said: ‘I’m not sure I’ve heard him talking much about Scotland and identity, or about Wales and identity, or indeed about England and identity.  'I suspect Jeremy has a rather more metropolitan sense of that.’ Smith is one to talk.  At his launch last month he lowered the status of his own native Wales when he said: ‘We’ve got lots of wonderful rhetoric from the Tories, but regions of England that are desperately in need of investment, regions like Wales are desperately [in] need of investment.’    CBE - Cameron Beaten in Europe   The astonishing revelation that David Cameron has recommended Will Straw, 35, for a CBE for his role running the lacklustre Remain campaign has provoked contempt among Tory MPs The astonishing revelation that David Cameron has recommended Will Straw, 35, for a CBE for his role running the lacklustre Remain campaign has provoked co


Before being ennobled Lord Sebastian Coe was MP for which constituency?

Sebastian Coe lined up as new BBC Trust chairman after Boris Johnson lets slip the 'fantastic news' | Daily Mail Online Share this article Share He said: ‘I think you will find that whenever any job at the moment comes up I seem to be slated in for it. ‘Either the Mayor of London, Fifa, International Olympic Committee. I’m very flattered, thank you,  but I’ve actually just got off a plane. I have absolutely nothing more  to say.’ After Lord Patten stood down, it was suggested that David Cameron wanted a woman to fill the role, with Dame Marjorie Scardino, the former chief executive of FTSE100 company Pearson, heavily tipped. Lord Coe’s appointment would be popular among Tory MPs who remain concerned about left-wing bias within the corporation. Unlike Lord Patten, he is seen as a ‘true Tory’ in his beliefs. Seb Coe, who is rooted in the real world and renowned for his common sense would be an 'inspirational choice' Coe was a Conservative MP for five years before losing his seat in the 1997 general election, returning to politics for a short time as  William Hague’s chief of staff after receiving a life peerage in 2000. A double Olympic gold medallist in the Eighties, he has also already had a working relationship with BBC director-general Tony Hall. In 2009, Hall, then chief executive of the Royal Opera House, was asked to chair a board to direct the Cultural Olympiad. This gave Hall a seat on the board of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, which Coe chaired. Lord Coe would move into the job following a string of highly damaging scandals at the corporation. The BBC was lambasted for its handling of the Jimmy Savile scandal that broke after the presenter’s death in 2011. In November 2012 George Entwistle quit as director-general after a disastrous Newsnight programme wrongly implicated Lord McAlpine in a child sex abuse scandal. The BBC has also been criticised after details emerged of shocking payoffs worth tens of millions of pounds to senior BBC managers. Technological changes have also led to question marks about the future of the licence fee. The BBC’s royal charter, which secures its funding from the  compulsory licence fee, which  currently costs £145.50, is up for renewal at the end of 2016. As Sebastian Coe, he became a household name in 1980 when  he won the 1500 metres Olympic gold medal – a feat he repeated at the Los Angeles Games in 1984. Tory peer Lord Patten stood down as BBC Trust chairman after three turbulent years in charge. He said he could no longer do the job because of ill health His victory over his great rival Steve Ovett in Moscow in 1980 is still seen as one of the great  Olympic stories. He claimed the gold, crossing the line, arms aloft, only days after  losing to Ovett over 800 metres, which was seen as Coe’s specialism. After retiring from athletics, he was elected in 1992 as a Tory MP for the Cornwall constituency of Falmouth and Camborne until his defeat in the 1997 election. He was chairman of Britain’s triumphant bid to host the 2012 Olympics, and took the same role in the committee organising the Games, which were widely seen as one of the most successful in recent years. The formal selection process for the chair of the BBC – for which Lord Patten was paid £110,000 a year for a three-day week – will be overseen by Culture Secretary Sajid Javid. The appointment would be  formally approved by the Prime Minister and rubber-stamped by the Queen.


Prior to the US Dollar, what was the currency of Ecuador?

Ecuador Currency Travel Ecuador .com : Ecuador Currency Ecuador uses the United States dollar as its form of currency, but this has not always been the case. Prior to the dollarization of the Ecuadorian economy, Ecuador’s currency was the sucre, and before that the peso. Ecuador Dollarization Ecuador’s currency suffered an enormous crash in 1999, causing the government of the time to consider moving to the dollar. This crash was led up to by a devaluation of the sucre from 1983 onwards. The sucre had jumped to 800 per US dollar in 1990 and 3000 by 1995. The president Jamil Mahuad took the move of announcing that Ecuador would move to the dollar as its currency in January 2000. This action caused widespread protests and discontent, and Mahuad was promptly removed from office by the angry populace. The vice president Gustavo Noboa took the place of Jamil Mahuad after his removal and confirmed that the Ecuador dollarization would go ahead. In 2000, Ecuador was dollarized. By the time that this happened, the exchange rate was 25,000 sucres to the dollar. Many Ecuadorians who had their money in the banks lost a lot of money during this period – some lost their entire life savings. The sucre stopped being legal tender in Ecuador in September of 2000. However, it was still possible to exchange them in the bank after this time and up until March 2001. After this point, Ecuador used the US dollar only. Ecuador dollar In Ecuador, it is better to have smaller notes available (ideally the correct change) when buying smaller items. You will frequently be asked if you have the correct change, or if you have a smaller bill available to use. Don’t expect that you’ll be able to get change from a $10, or sometimes even a $5 in taxis or in the smaller general stores around the country.


On which West Indian island is the volcano Mount Pelee situated?

Mt. Pelee, West Indies -- Page 2 of 2 Mt. Pelee, West Indies -- Page 2 of 2 Ash cloud above Mt. Pelee. Photograph of Mt. Pelee by Heilprin, August 30, 1902. Block of andesite ejected from Mt. Pelee during the eruption of August 30, 1902. Mt. Pelee has also erupted basaltic andesite and dacite . Photograph by Heilprin. Mt. Pelee is also notable for the growth of volcanic spines , rigid columns of solidified lava pushed above the throat of the volcano. This view from the south section of St. Pierre looking up to Mt. Pelee. Note the volcanic spine at the summit of the volcano. Photograph by Heilprin. A volcanic spine at the summit of the Mt. Pelee. Photograph by Heilprin. The spine began growing in November 1902. It reached a maximum height of about 1,000 feet (305 m) before it collapsed in mid-1903. Photograph by Lacroix. View of Mt. Pelee after the collapse of the volcanic spine. Photograph by Heilprin. The most recent eruption of Mt. Pelee was from 1929 to 1932. Frank Perret established an observatory at the volcano to study the eruption. His observations contributed greatly to the understanding of pyroclastic flows and the growth of volcanic domes.  The following quote is from Catalogue of Active Volcanoes of the World - Part XX, West Indies, by GR Robson & JF Tomblin; 1966 (p. 36-7): "In March 1929 the activity of the fumaroles on the 1902 dome began to increase...On September 16, the first explosions blew out lava blocks from the summit of the 1902-05 dome. ...By the middle of November, pyroclast flows began to be erupted, and these attained their maximum intensity by the middle of December....The growth of the new dome was first observed on February 3, 1930, small spines began to rise from the summit of the dome; the largest spine of this eruption, observed on November 22, 1931, being 45 meters tall. Activity continued on a diminishing scale until 1932." The Pelean-style of eruption, characterized by the growth and collapse of volcanic domes, is named for Mt. Pelee where this style of eruption was first studied in detail. Plinian eruptions are also common at Mt. Pelee. Sources of Information: Fisher, R.V., and Heiken, G., 1982, Mt. Pelee, Martinique; May 8 and 20, 1902, pyroclastic flows and surges: Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, v. 13, p. 339-371. Fisher, R.V., Smith, A.L., and Roobol, M.J., 1980, Destruction of St. Pierre, Martinique by ash-cloud surges, May 8 and 20, 1902: Geology, v. 8, p. 472-476. Heilprin, A., 1908, The eruption of Pelee: Philadelphia Geographic Society, 72 p. Hirn, A., Girardin, N., Viode, J.-P., and Eschenbrenner, S., 1987, Shallow seismicity at Montagne Pelee volcano, Martinique, Lesser Antilles: Bulletin of Volcanology, v. 49, p. 723-728. Lacroix, A., 1904, La Montagne Pelee et ses eruptions: Paris, Masson et Cie, 622 p. Perret, F.A., 1937, The eruption of Mt. Pelee, 1929-1932: Carnegie Institute of Washington Publication, v. 458, 126 p. Robson, G.R., and Tomlin, J.F., 1966, Catalogue of the active volcanoes of the world, including Solfatara fields; Part 20, West Indies: Rome, International Association of Volcanology, 56 p. Smith, A.L., and Roobol, M.J., 1990, Mt. Pelee, Martinique; A study of an active island-arc volcano: Boulder, Colorado, Geological Society of America Memoir 175, 105 p. Westercamp, D., and Traineau, H., 1983, The past 5,000 years of volcanic activity at M. Pelee, Martinique (F.W.I.); Implications for assessment of volcanic hazards: Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, v. 17, p.159-185.


In the recent London Olympics where were the rowing events held?

London 2012 Olympic Games - British Rowing London 2012 Olympic Games London 2012 Olympic Games The London 2012 Olympic Games were the GB Rowing Team’s most successful, not just of the modern era, but all time. The team won a record nine medals after qualifying boats for 13 of the 14 events on home water at the Olympic rowing regatta which was held at Eton Dorney from July 28 to August 4, 2012. Rank Rank by Total: =7 The medal haul included four golds, two silvers and three bronzes with GB finishing as top rowing nation for the second successive Games and surpassing the eight medals won at the 1908 Olympic rowing regatta at Henley-on-Thames. Play Video Golden Moments with Team GB Rowers & Gymnasts on Day 9 of London 2012 Helen Glover and Heather Stanning won Team GB’s first gold of London 2012 in the women’s pair followed by the women’s double scull of Anna Watkins and Katherine Grainger , the men’s four of Alex Gregory , Pete Reed , Tom James and Andrew Triggs Hodge and the lightweight women’s double scull of Kat Copeland and Sophie Hosking joined them, making it four gold medals for the GB Rowing Team. The lightweight men’s squad served up two silver medals in the double of Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter and four in the guise of brother Peter and Richard Chambers , Rob Williams and Chris Bartley . And there were three superb bronze medals for the GB men’s eight of Alex Partridge, James Foad , Tom Ransley , Ric Egington, Mohamed Sbihi , Greg Searle, Matt Langridge , Constantine Louloudis and cox Phelan Hill , single sculler Alan Cmpbell and the rookie men’s pair of George Nash and Will Satch . Relive the excitement!


Stephen Hester is the CEO of which bank?

Stephen Hester takes charge at troubled insurance group RSA | Business | The Guardian Stephen Hester Stephen Hester takes charge at troubled insurance group RSA Former RBS chief to earn £1.26m in pay and perks – although bonuses and share options could take total package to £5m Stephen Hester was paid £1.2m a year at RBS – although he bowed to pressure to give up a £1m bonus in 2012. Photograph: David Moir/Reuters Tuesday 4 February 2014 13.51 EST First published on Tuesday 4 February 2014 13.51 EST Close This article is 2 years old Stephen Hester, the executive who was forced out of the bailed-out Royal Bank of Scotland , is to take charge of the troubled insurer RSA. Hester, a Yorkshire-born banker who has never worked in the insurance industry, will get £1.26m in annual pay and perks as chief executive of RSA, the 304-year old general insurer embroiled in scandal and profit warnings. At RBS Hester was paid £1.2m, but he is far more likely to earn a bonus at the insurer and his total pay package could be worth £5m by next year. As chief executive, Hester is entitled to a bonus of 80% of his annual salary, and could be awarded share options worth up to £2.85m in 2014, and £2.2m in subsequent years, for "the achievement of stretching performance conditions" - although they would not be available to collect until 2017. While at RBS Hester bowed to huge political pressure in giving up a £1m bonus in 2012 , an issue he later said brought him to the brink of resignation. While his move to RSA was greeted with talk of 'frying pans and fires' on Twitter, the markets gave the appointment the thumbs up: RSA's share price rose almost 3% to 99p. Hester said he was delighted to be asked to lead the insurer, but warned that the group had to do better. "The challenges of recent months have demonstrated that we have not lived up to our stakeholders' expectations and performed to our true potential. We have an obligation to deliver shareholder value and excellent products and services that provide everyday protection for our customers." "I look forward to getting started immediately and working closely with the board on the business review to ensure that we are able to deliver strength and value to all of our stakeholders and re-emerge as an attractive, solidly performing group." RSA, which insured the home of Captain James Cook in the 1760s while he was on his voyage to the new world, issued three profit warnings in the final weeks of 2013 as storms battered the country, raising payouts to householders. Analysts predict that bad weather will cost the insurer £35m. But the storms have been dwarfed by accounting irregularities at RSA's Irish division, which have left it with a £200m black hole in its finances. Senior executives have been sacked and group chief executive Simon Lee stood down late last year. Hester earned his turnaround spurs at RBS, being drafted in at the height of the financial crisis in 2008 after a £45m bailout left the taxpayer owning 81% of the bank. During his tenure, RBS shed 39,000 jobs – around one in four of its staff – and stepped back from complex overseas operations that had contributed to its troubles. Hester's abrupt departure from RBS came last June, as it began to prepare for eventual privatisation. He had been reluctant to stay at RBS for as long as the board wanted, but said he would have preferred to stay longer and see the bank return to private ownership. Insurance group aims to raise money from shareholders via a rights issue and by selling off businesses Published: 27 Feb 2014 Nils Pratley: Stephen Hester probably had to employ art as well as science in deciding how much capital RSA requires Published: 27 Feb 2014 Accounting irregularities in Ireland and bad weather have hampered finances of company, which is worth about £3.5bn Published: 23 Feb 2014 Leading shares move higher in quiet trading despite weak Japanese figures Published: 17 Feb 2014


Which US space shuttle exploded shortly after take-off in January 1986?

The Shuttle Explodes The Shuttle Explodes 6 IN CREW AND HIGH-SCHOOL TEACHER ARE KILLED 74 SECONDS AFTER LIFTOFF Thousands Watch Rain of Debris By William J. Broad Special to The New York Times RELATED HEADLINES After the Shock, A Need to Share Grief and Loss How Could it Happen? Fuel Tank Leak Feared From the Beginning to the End Reagan Lauds 'Heroes' Cape Canaveral, Fla. Jan. 28 -- The space shuttle Challenger exploded in a ball of fire shortly after it left the launching pad today, and all seven astronauts on board were lost. The worst accident in the history of the American space program, it was witnessed by thousands of spectators who watched in wonder, then horror, as the ship blew apart high in the air. Flaming debris rained down on the Atlantic Ocean for an hour after the explosion, which occurred just after 11:39 A. M. It kept rescue teams from reaching the area where the craft would have fallen into the sea, about 18 miles offshore. It seemed impossible that anyone could have lived through the terrific explosion 10 miles in the sky, and officials said this afternoon that there was no evidence to indicate that the five men and two women aboard had survived. No Ideas Yet as to Cause There were no clues to the cause of the accident. The space agency offered no immediate explanations, and said it was suspending all shuttle flights indefinitely while it conducted an inquiry. Officials discounted speculation that cold weather at Cape Canaveral or an accident several days ago that slightly damaged insulation on the external fuel tank might have been a factor. Americans who had grown used to the idea of men and women soaring into space reacted with shock to the disaster, the first time United States astronauts had died in flight. President Reagan canceled the State of the Union Message that had been scheduled for tonight, expressing sympathy for the families of the crew but vowing that the nation's exploration of space would continue. Killed in the explosion were the mission commander, Francis R. (Dick) Scobee; the pilot Comdr. Michael J. Smith of the Navy; Dr. Judith A. Resnik; Dr. Ronald E. McNair; Lieut. Col. Ellison S. Onizuka of the Air Force; Gregory B. Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe. Mrs. McAuliffe, a high-school teacher from Concord, N.H., was to have been the first ordinary citizen in space. After a Minute, Fire and Smoke The Challenger lifted off flawlessly this morning, after three days of delays, for what was to have been the 25th mission of the reusable shuttle fleet that was intended to make space travel commonplace. The ship rose for about a minute on a column of smoke and fire from its five engines. Suddenly, without warning, it erupted in a ball of flame. The shuttle was about 10 miles above the earth, in the critical seconds when the two solid-fuel rocket boosters are firing as well as the shuttle's main engines. There was some discrepancy about the exact time of the blast: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said they lost radio contact with the craft 74 seconds into the flight, plus or minus five seconds. Two large white streamers raced away from the blast, followed by a rain of debris that etched white contrails in the cloudless sky and then slowly headed toward the cold waters of the nearby Atlantic. The eerie beauty of the orange fireball and billowing white trails against the blue confused many onlookers, many of whom did not at first seem aware that the aerial display was a sign that something had gone terribly wrong. There were few sobs, moans or shouts among the thousands of tourists, reporters, and space agency officials gathered on an unusually cold Florida day to celebrate the liftoff, just a stunned silence as they began to realize that the Challenger had vanished. Among the people watching were Mrs. McAuliffe's two children, her husband and her parents and hundreds of students, teachers and friends from Concord. "Things started flying around and spinning around and I heard some oh's and ah's, and at that moment I knew something was wrong," said Brian Ballard, the editor of Th