"Who, called the ""King of Jazz"", was the leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, commissioned and debuted George Gershwin's jazz-influenced ""Rhapsody In Blue"" in 1924?"

Duke Ellington | Paul Roth's Music Liner Notes Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader and orchestral director. Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman’s recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the “ King of Jazz .” Using a large ensemble and exploring many styles of music, Whiteman is perhaps best known for his blending of symphonic music and jazz , as typified by his 1924 commissioning and debut of George Gershwin ‘s jazz-influenced “ Rhapsody In Blue “. Whiteman recorded many jazz and pop standards during his career, including “Wang Wang Blues”, “ Mississippi Mud “, “ Rhapsody in Blue “, “ Wonderful One “, “ Hot Lips “, “ Mississippi Suite “, and “ Grand Canyon Suite “. His popularity faded in the swing music era of the 1930s, and by the 1940s Whiteman was semi-retired from music. Whiteman’s place in the history of early jazz is somewhat controversial. Detractors suggest that Whiteman’s ornately-orchestrated music was jazz in name only (lacking the genre’s improvisational and emotional depth), and co-opted the innovations of black musicians. Defenders note that Whiteman’s fondness for jazz was genuine (he worked with black musicians as much as was feasible during an era of racial segregation), that his bands included many of the era’s most esteemed white jazz musicians, and argue that Whiteman’s groups handled jazz admirably as part of a larger repertoire. [1] In his autobiography, Duke Ellington [2] declared, “ Paul Whiteman was known as the King of Jazz, and no one as yet has come near carrying that title with more certainty and dignity.” 1920 “Whispering” Big hit that year and re-make hit in the early 40’s for Tommy Dorsey also hit the top of the charts. Whiteman was born in Denver, Colorado . After a start as a classical violinist and violist , he led a jazz-influenced dance band, which became popular locally in San Francisco, California in 1918. In 1920 he moved with his band to New York City where they started making recordings for Victor Records which made the Paul Whiteman Orchestra famous nationally. 1927 “My Blue Heaven” Whiteman became the most popular band director of the decade. In a time when most dance bands consisted of six to 10 men, Whiteman directed a much larger and more imposing group of up to 35 musicians. He recorded Hoagy Carmichael singing and playing “ Washboard Blues ” to the accompaniment of his orchestra in 1927. [3] In May 1928 Whiteman signed with Columbia Records , and stayed with that label until September 1931, when he returned to Victor. He would remain signed with Victor until March 1937. In the 1920s the media referred to Whiteman as “The King of Jazz”. [4] Whiteman emphasized the way he had approached the already well-established style of music, while also organizing its composition and style in his own fashion. While most jazz musicians and fans consider improvisation to be essential to the musical style, Whiteman thought the genre could be improved by orchestrating the best of it, with formal written arrangements. Whiteman’s recordings were popular critically and successful commercially, and his style of jazz music was often the first jazz of any form that many Americans heard during the era. For more than 30 years Whiteman, referred to as “Pops”, sought and encouraged musicians, vocalists, composers, arrangers, and entertainers who looked promising. In 1924 Whiteman commissioned George Gershwin ‘s Rhapsody in Blue, which was premiered by Whiteman’s orchestra with George Gershwin at the piano. Another familiar piece in Whiteman’s repertoire was Grand Canyon Suite, by Ferde Grofé . Whiteman hired many of the best jazz musicians for his band, including Bix Beiderbecke , Frankie Trumbauer , Joe Venuti , Eddie Lang , Steve Brown , Mike Pingitore , Gussie Mueller , Wilbur Hall (billed by Whiteman as “Willie Hall”), Jack Teagarden , and Bunny Berigan . He also encouraged upcoming African American musical talents,


In 2007, the largest known specimen of what, weighing 495 kg (1,091 lb) and measuring 4.2 m (14 ft) in length, was caught in the Ross Sea?

Colossal squid | Heroes and Villains Fight Club Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Heroes and Villains Fight Club Wiki Share The colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, from Greek mesos (middle), onycho (claw, nail), and teuthis (squid)), sometimes called the Antarctic or giant cranch squid, is believed to be the largest squid species in terms of mass. It is the only known member of the genus Mesonychoteuthis. It is known from only a few specimens, and current estimates put its maximum size at 12–14 m (39–46 ft) long and weighing possibly up to 750 kg (1,650 lb),[1][2] based on analysis of smaller and immature specimens, making it the largest known invertebrate. Contents 4.1.1Defrosting and dissection, April–May 2008 4.1.2Exhibition Edit Unlike the giant squid, whose arms and tentacles only have suckers lined with small teeth, the colossal squid's limbs are also equipped with sharp hooks: some swivelling, others three-pointed.[3] Its body is wider and stouter, and therefore heavier, than that of the giant squid. Colossal squid are believed to have longer mantles than giant squid, but shorter tentacles. The squid exhibits abyssal gigantism. The beak of M. hamiltoni is the largest known of any squid, and more robust than that of the giant squid. The colossal squid also has the largest eyes documented in the animal kingdom; a partly collapsed specimen measured 27 cm (11 in) in diameter, with a 9 cm (3.5 in) pupil.[4][5] The eye was estimated to be 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16 in) when the squid was alive. Distribution[edit] The squid's known range extends thousands of kilometres northward from Antarctica to southern South America, southern South Africa, and the southern tip of New Zealand, making it primarily an inhabitant of the entire circumantarctic Southern Ocean.[citation needed] Ecology and life history[edit] Edit Little is known about the life of this creature, but it is believed to feed on prey such as chaetognatha, large fish such as the Patagonian toothfish, and other squid in the deepocean using bioluminescence. A recent study by Remeslo, Yakushev and Laptikhovsky revealed that Antarctic toothfish make up a significant part of the colossal squid's diet; of the 8,000 toothfishes brought aboard trawlers between 2011 and 2014, 71 showed clear signs of attack by colossal squid.[6] The colossal squid is thought to have a slowmetabolic rate, needing only around 30 grams (1.1 oz) of prey daily.[7] Estimates of its energetic demands suggest it is a slow-moving ambush predator, using its large eyes primarily for predator detection rather than active hunting.[7][8] Based on capture depths of a few specimens, and beaks found in sperm whale stomachs, the adult colossal squid ranges at least to a depth of 2.2 km (7,200 ft), and juveniles can go as deep as 1 km (3,300 ft). It is believed to be sexually dimorphic, with mature females generally being much larger than mature males, as is common in many species of invertebrates. The squid's method of reproduction has not been observed, although some data on their reproduction can be inferred from anatomy. Since males lack an organ called ahectocotylus (an arm used in other cephalopods to transfer a spermatophore to the female), they probably use a penis instead, which would be used to directly implant sperm into females. Many sperm whales have scars on their backs, believed to be caused by the hooks of colossal squid. Colossal squid are a major prey item for sperm whales in the Antarctic; 14% of the squid beaks found in the stomachs of these sperm whales are those of the colossal squid, which indicates that colossal squid make up 77% of the biomass consumed by these whales.[9] Many other animals also feed on colossal squid, including beaked whales (such as the southern bottlenose whale), pilot whales, southern elephant seals, Patagonian toothfish, sleeper sharks (Somniosus antarcticus), and albatrosses (e.g., the wandering and sooty albatrosses). However, beaks from mature adults have only been recovered from large predators (i.e. sperm whales and sleeper sharks), while the other predato


Herodotus, Josephus, Michael King, Simon Schama and Edward Gibbon share what common focus? Herodotus, Josephus, Michael King, Simon Schama and Edward Gibbon share what common focus? +1 vote posted Sep 29, 2015 by Mishthy Mukherjee Share this question   Your comment on this question: Email me at this address if a comment is added after mine:Email me if a comment is added after mine Privacy: Your email address will only be used for sending these notifications. Anti-spam verification: To avoid this verification in future, please log in or register . 1 Answer 0 votes Answer: History They are all historians: Gibbon was an 18th century Englishman specialising in the Roman Empire; Michael King was a 20th century New Zealander specialising in Maori history; Simon Schama is a 20th century Englishman specialising in art history, Dutch history, and French history; Josephus was a first-century Romano-Jewish scholar, historian and hagiographer; Herodotus was a 5th century BCE Greek historian (known as the earliest). answer Oct 1, 2015 by Manikandan J Your comment on this answer: Email me at this address if a comment is added after mine:Email me if a comment is added after mine Privacy: Your email address will only be used for sending these notifications. Anti-spam verification:


"The root of the word ""carotid"", as used for arteries carrying blood to the head, is the Greek for what?"

The root of the word "carotid", as used for arteries carrying blood to the head, is the Greek for what? The root of the word "carotid", as used for arteries carrying blood to the head, is the Greek for what? +2 votes posted Sep 30, 2015 by Anuradha Tabyal Share this question   Your comment on this question: Email me at this address if a comment is added after mine:Email me if a comment is added after mine Privacy: Your email address will only be used for sending these notifications. Anti-spam verification: To avoid this verification in future, please log in or register . 1 Answer 0 votes Stupor answer Oct 1, 2015 by Manikandan J Your comment on this answer: Email me at this address if a comment is added after mine:Email me if a comment is added after mine Privacy: Your email address will only be used for sending these notifications. Anti-spam verification: To avoid this verification in future, please log in or register . Your answer Thanks for contributing at QueryHome GK Please be sure to answer the question, share your working and research. If you are not sure about answer, use commenting option instead. Use ctrl+k to highlight, ctrl+b to make the text as bold. Preview Email me at this address if my answer is selected or commented on:Email me if my answer is selected or commented on Privacy: Your email address will only be used for sending these notifications. Anti-spam verification:


Which way is it likely that the head of the successor of Queen Elizabeth II will face on a British coin?

Why does the Queen face right on coins but left on postage stamps? | Notes and Queries | guardian.co.uk THIS SCEPTRED ISLE Why does the Queen face right on coins but left on postage stamps? THE design of coins is determined by a tradition going back at least to the time of Charles II that the direction in which the head faces should alternate between the coinage of successive monarchs. The only exception to this has been the coinage of Edward VIII, who insisted on his likeness facing left. It is not clear whether this was an expression of rebellion against convention, or vanity, to show what he regarded as his better profile, containing his hair parting. Edward VIII abdicated before being crowned, and no new coinage was released into general circulation during his reign, although a few experimental pieces were produced. Some coins were issued in British colonies, but none with a likeness of the King, though an appropriate design (facing left) had been chosen. It was nevertheless determined that designs for the coinage of George VI, his successor, should be prepared as if that of Edward VIII had been produced and as if it had depicted him facing right, thus reinstating the original tradition. The coinage of Elizabeth II has been in accordance with tradition. Postage stamps are quite different. Ever since the first prepaid adhesive stamps were issued in 1840, all standard issues have shown the head of the reigning monarch in profile (except between 1953 and 1967, with a three-quarters view of Elizabeth II) and facing left. The direction appears to have been determined solely by the fact that the earliest were based upon a medal showing Victoria facing left: it is possible that the direction was selected to conform with the coinage then in circulation. The rule does not apply to commemorative issues: three such stamps were produced showing George VI and Queen Elizabeth; the couple are shown in full-face or in profile facing right. An early commemorative stamp of Elizabeth II also shows her full-face: commemorative issues since 1966 have usually shown a profile view based on the bust designed by Mary Gillick for the pre-decimal coinage. Regular issues have shown a crowned bust based upon a plaster cast by Arnold Machin, who also designed the decimal coinage. Since 1973, many have shown a profile silhouette of the Queen facing right. Certain postage stamps issued to commemorate royal weddings have not contained the Queen's head at all. John Richardson, Department of Human Sciences, Brunel University. SO THAT she can read the messages on postcards. Stuart Britton, Southampton, Hampshire (106127.2123@compuserve.com)


"Who wrote ""Ann Veronica"", a novel first published in 1909 that deals with contemporary political issues of the time, concentrating specifically on feminist issues?"

Ann Veronica: H. G. Wells: 9781515363873: Amazon.com: Books Editorial Reviews Review “A fitting representation of Wells’s series of social romances, in this new edition Ann Veronica assumes enhanced value as an examination of the ‘Woman Question’ at the turn of the twentieth century. Carey Snyder’s fine introduction and her selection of texts for the appendices encourage readers to join in the sort of debate that Wells strove to inspire in his fiction. Notably Snyder appreciates the lifelong accomplishments of Amber Reeves, whose youthful affair with Wells was the inspiration for the lively central character. There are also some well-selected primary texts recording the views of Wells on his own work, the arguments of would-be censors, the Fabians, the suffrage movement, modernist reviewers, and Beatrice Hastings of The New Age.” ― Bonnie Kime Scott, Professor Emerita, San Diego State University and the University of Delaware “Carey Snyder has produced a splendid new edition of H.G. Wells’s under-read take on the social and literary phenomenon of the New Woman. The novel itself, like most of Wells’s work, is a great read, and Snyder supplies a first-rate introduction that locates Ann Veronica in its moment―the woman’s suffrage movement, debates about marriage, chastity, sexual candor, and socialism―as well a rich selection of appendices reproducing a wide range of contextual documents, from John Ruskin on separate spheres for men and women to selections of letters to Wells from Amber Reeves, one of the historical/autobiographical models for his eponymous heroine. By situating Ann Veronica so deftly in its own moment, Snyder lets it speak to ours.” ― Mark Wollaeger, Vanderbilt University --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.


Which one of these flightless birds would be most likely to be tall enough to be able to walk over the others?

Best evidence so far that humans are still evolving, scientists say – Light Years - CNN.com Blogs You have evidence to the contrary? Please do tell. October 5, 2011 at 12:26 am | Schewps @Raiderx18 Are you serious man??? Really? Lets see.... Ummm maybe because the earth has been around for around 4 billions years? Why would you even post anything on this thred if you dont know that simple bit of information? October 5, 2011 at 12:11 pm | blah wait... people developed brains... but the trade off was that humans are relatively weak. additionally a large cranium entails a massive amount of energy usage. if people are indeed getting bigger, then it would make less sense for our cranial capacity to also be evolving, which is the direction that legitimate scientists predict ( the neural network is improving). If this iis true, (i believe legitimate scientists pov more than this article's writers pov), then isnt this just the result of nutrition and that this is not an evolution so much as within the natural range of human growth? while it might be optimal to have both a strong body and a large cranial capacity (and given our virtually unlimited food [people starve, but there is more than enough food to feed everyone in the world including the people starving]) it doesnt make sense in evolution because that is really inefficient. it seems more plausible to have either or, because with one the other is unnecessary. in addition, i thought larger groups formed because of the need to survive, that gave better communication skills, that in turn led to the eventual human living in a social group.... if we get stronger, then there will be less need meaning our cranial capacity will be reduced (assuming that his is inversly proportional)...... sorry i dont buy it. (excuse my terrible grammar and or train of thought. i havent slept too much so im really tired...) October 6, 2011 at 7:10 am | Dan @Blah – from what I can discern, you're creating a false dichotomy between "brains and brawn", as it were. It would be easy to argue that we're smarter than blue whales, but difficult to argue that we're roughly 20,000 times smarter, as my back-of-the-napkin calculations suggest as a minimum for our relative strength disparity. I'm not clear on what you're responding to/refuting, or why you placed your comment in this particular part of the thread. Efficiency isn't critical to evolution at all. It's often rewarded, but far from critical. To suggest that strength and intellect aren't compatible because it isn't "efficient" enough is baseless and invalid. For an example of grotesque inefficiency, look at our child rearing process. We have offspring that are completely helpless, immobile, and hopelessly clueless for a great many years. Elsewhere in the animal kingdom you find, for the most part, offspring that are immobile and helpless only for hours or days, to months covering the vast majority. (A few notable exceptions, such as some big cats, take a couple years to have wholly independent offspring). October 6, 2011 at 9:08 am | Sean No, you've got it exactly backwards. Bugs don't develop wings to get away from predators - the individuals who had some kind of proto-wing was in fact able to get away from predators better than those without it, and so survived to reproduce more. The more effective the "wing," the better the bug was able to survive and reproduce, apparently, and so this trait was "naturally selected" time and time again. Nothing evolves with a purpose; there's nothing teleological about any part of the process - it's totally blind. It is a reflection of what works in that niche at that moment in time, not anything indicative of future utility. October 6, 2011 at 9:18 am | Sean That should have been "Individuals... were." Dang complex sentences. October 6, 2011 at 9:21 am | JPopNC PUH-LEEZE.....they grew wings because the food was unreachable? If it was unreachable, how did they even know it was there????? October 19, 2011 at 8:55 am | Prometheus By using your own logic then @Frespech, how does 'having faith' in something tha


The Magic Flute: characters | The Magic Flute The Magic Flute Characters The characters of Die Zauberflöte: thumbnail sketches Die Zauberflöte is a fairytale. The traditional oppositions between the characters of the chosen ones (Tamino/Pamina) and the non-initiated (Papageno), the good and wise (Sarastro, the priests) and their enemies (the Queen of the Night, the Three Ladies, Monostatos), are clearly motivated in dramaturgical terms, even if this does not forbid us from seeing them in a slightly different light. Here are a few cursory – and personal – sketches of them, rather like those one might make for use, say, in a little puppet theatre. Papageno : the birdcatcher, a clumsy, comical character written for the librettist to play, is the heir to the Kasperl and Hanswurst figures of Viennese popular theatre, a trace of whose accent he retains. The attribute of this ‘know-all’ who really knows nothing is a set of panpipes that can charm birds (he will also make incidental use of a set of magic bells). In a sense he lies at the centre of the opera: his failed, even parodic initiation sets in perspective the gravity of the itinerary followed by the Tamino/Pamina couple and the solemnity of a discourse which thus always remains human and accessible. He emerges as an amiable coward with a tendency to put his foot in it, deeply in love with life and with his Papagena, and his feathered person and catchy tunes add a touch of bright colour to the austere interplay of shadows and light which structures the drama. Tamino : the young man is in love with Princess Pamina. We admire his fine bearing, his extreme sensibility, his steadfastness in the trials, his sublime arias. Yet he makes an unexpected entrance by fainting before a serpent that pursues him. Of course it is not the serpent that frightens him, but what it symbolises. The Three Ladies save the young prince, the better to deceive his innocence and subject him to the power of the Queen of the Night. Only once he is inside the Temple does he understand that he has been tricked, a sign that his initiation has been successful. It is on this initiation of Tamino and Pamina – and alongside them the audience – that the entire drama rests. His attribute is a flute. As his initiation progresses, he will discover all its enchanted powers: it can charm the animals of the forest and will assist him in passing through the terrible trials of Fire and Water, thus helping to make the world a better place. Pamina : the object of both the noblest and the basest desires (Tamino and Monostatos respectively), she is Tamino’s reward for successfully undergoing his initiation. She is depicted in a portrait given to Tamino by the Three Ladies, in which, according to Papageno, she is seen with dark eyes, red lips and blonde hair. She encounters her beloved in a particularly dramatic scene, only to be separated from him again until they are at last reunited to accomplish the final trials of purification together. As the daughter of the Queen of the Night, she is torn between her filial love and her love for Tamino. She plays an active role on the path towards wisdom, leading Tamino behind her in the final trials. Mozart assigned her the most deeply-felt arias, quivering with emotion, sometimes desperate, in which she displays a nobility and resolution that foreshadow the qualities of the heroines of early Romanticism, such as Beethoven’s Leonore or Agathe in Der Freischütz). Papagena : she appears quite late in the opera, in a comic role (disguised as an old woman both physically and vocally) that culminates in a magnificent love duet with Papageno (the only true love duet in the opera). The Second Priest had promised her to Papageno if he passed his trials. Since such is not the case, she appears to him in the least attractive form imaginable. Yet love will transform her into a beautiful female birdcatcher. Her role is at once tender and mischievous. The father and the mother : Sarastro and the Queen of the Night. They too may be seen though the eyes of childhood. Sarastro : outward appearan


Which is the smallest sovereign country in South America?

South America Population 2016 - World Population Review World Population Review 422,534,692 South America Population 2016 South America is a subcontinent of the Americas located in the Southern, Western and Northern Hemispheres with a 2013 population estimated at 386,000,000, according to national estimates of its various countries and statistical calculations. South America is bordered by North America and the Caribbean Sea to the northwest, the Atlantic Ocean to the east and north and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It includes a total of 12 sovereign states and two non-soverign areas: French Guiana (overseas region of France) and the Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory. Trinidad, Tobago and the ABC islands belonging to the Netherlands are also sometimes considered a part of South America. By far the most populous country in South America is Brazil, which has topped 201 million for the first time in 2013. Brazil is the fifth most populous country on earth, after China, India, the United States and Indonesia. Brazil is currently enjoying a high growth rate that's outpaced previous projections, but it is expected to stabilize around 218 million by 2060. The top 5 most populous countries in South America are: Brazil: 201 million Venezuela: 30 million Least Populous Countries By far the least populous country in South America is the non-sovereign Falkland Islands of the United Kingdom, which has a population in 2013 of just 3,000 people. This archipelago has an area of 12,173 square kilometers (4,700 square miles), and its population consists mostly of native Falkland Islanders, most of British descent. French Guiana follows the Falkland Islands as the second least populous country of the continent with an estimated 2013 population of 259,000. The least populous sovereign country in South America is Suriname (or Surinam), with a 2013 population of 539,000. Located in northern South America, the country is bordered by Brazil to the south, French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west and the Atlantic Ocean on the north. Suriname is also the smallest sovereign state in the region with just 165,000 square kilometers (64,000 square miles) of land, and it's the only independent country in the Americas that speaks Dutch. The 5 least populous countries in South America are: Falkland Islands (UK): 3,000 Uruguay: 3.297 million Comparison to Other Continents South America has a total land area of 17.84 million square kilometers (6.89 square miles), which makes it fourth in terms of area (behind Asia, Africa and North America) and fifth in terms of population (after Asia, Africa, Europe and North America). Despite being one of the smallest and least populous continents, South America is the third most populous with an average of 73 people per square mile. This compares to Asia with a population density of 203 people per square mile, and Europe with 134/square mile. The population density of South America as a whole compares to the population density of the entire United States of 76/square mile. South America's Population Growth As a whole, South America enjoys strong growth with an overall growth rate of over 1% per year. The region has a relatively low migration rate with high fertility and a high birth rate. South America currently has a very high proportion of children under 15 years, and many of its countries are enjoying high annual economic growth rates as high as 8% in the case of Argentina, while unemployment remains fairly low. As a whole, only Bolivia has a population growth rate above 1%, while the vast majority of South American countries are growing at a rate of 1% per year. Meanwhile, the Falkland Islands, Guyana and Uruguay are at a 0% growth rate. This means South America's population should continue growing steadily and modestly until 2060, when it will stabilize with a population of about 218 million. % of World Pop 6.04%


Which scandal involving an oil well on public land occurred during the presidency of Warren Harding?

10 Presidential Scandals You Should Know 10 Presidential Scandals You Should Know 10 Presidential Scandals You Should Know Top 10 Presidential Scandals By Martin Kelly Updated August 08, 2016. With all the rhetoric that has been tossed around about voter turnout in the wake of Watergate , it might seem that presidential scandals were something new in the 1970s. In fact, this is inaccurate. There have been major and minor scandals during the administration of many if not most of the presidents. Here is a list of ten of these scandals that rocked the presidency. The following is listed in order from oldest to newest.  Andrew Jackson. Getty Images 1.  Andrew Jackson's Marriage Before Andrew Jackson was president, he married a woman named Rachel Donelson in 1791. She had previously been married and believed that she was legally divorced. However, after marrying Jackson, Rachel found out this was not the case. Her first husband charged her with adultery. Jackson would have to wait until 1794 to legally marry Rachel. Even though this happened over thirty years previously, it was used against Jackson in the election of 1828. Jackson blamed Rachel's untimely death two months before he took office on these personal attacks against him and his wife. continue reading below our video 4 Tips for Improving Test Performance Ulysses S. Grant. Getty Images 2.  Black Friday - 1869 Ulysses S. Grant's administration was rife with scandal. The first major scandal dealt with speculation in the gold market. Jay Gould and James Fisk attempted to corner the market. They drove up the price of gold. However, Grant found out and had the Treasury add gold to the economy. This in turn resulted in the lowering of gold prices on Friday, September 24, 1869 which adversely affected all those who had bought gold. Ulysses S. Grant. Getty Images 3.  Credit Mobilier The Credit Mobilier Company was found to be stealing from the Union Pacific Railroad. However, they tried to cover this up by selling stocks in their company at a large discount to government officials and Congress members including Vice President Schuyler Colfax. When this was discovered, it hurt many reputations including that of Ulysses S. Grant's VP. Ulysses S. Grant. Getty Images 4.  Whiskey Ring Another scandal that occurred during Grant's presidency was the Whiskey Ring. In 1875, it was revealed that many government employees were pocketing whiskey taxes. Grant called for swift punishment but caused further scandal when he moved to protect his personal secretary, Orville E. Babcock, who had been implicated in the affair. James Garfield, Twentieth President of the United States. Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, LC-BH82601-1484-B DLC 5.  Star Route Scandal While not implicating the president himself, James Garfield . had to deal with the Star Route Scandal in 1881 during his six months as president before his assassination . This scandal dealt with corruption in the postal service. Private organizations at the time were handling postal routes out west. They would give postal officials a low bid but when the officials would present these bids to Congress they would ask for higher payments. Obviously, they were profiting from this state of affairs. Garfield dealt with this head on even though many members of his own party were benefiting from the corruption. Grover Cleveland - Twenty-Second and Twenty-Fourth President of the United States. Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-7618 DLC 6.  Ma, Ma, Where's My Pa? Grover Cleveland had to deal head on with a scandal while he was running for president in 1884. It was revealed that he had previously had an affair with a widow named Maria C. Halpin who had given birth to a son. She claimed that Cleveland was the father and named him Oscar Folsom Cleveland. Cleveland agreed to pay child support and then paid to put the child in an orphanage when Halpin was no longer fit to raise him. This issue was brought forth during his 1884 campaign and became a chant "Ma, Ma, where's my Pa? Gone to th


What island group may be described as a triangle with its corners at Hawaii, New Zealand and Easter Island, including the island groups Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands, Tuvalu, Tokelau, and Niue?

BEACH CLASS the best beaches to visit around the world today we go to speak about Polynesia: Polynesia is generally defined as the islands within the Polynesian triangle. The term "Polynesia", meaning many islands, was first used by Charles de Brosses in 1756, and originally applied to all the islands of the Pacific. Jules Dumont d'Urville in an 1831 lecture to the Geographical Society of Paris proposed a restriction on its use. Geographically, and oversimply, Polynesia may be described as a triangle with its corners at Hawaii, New Zealand and Easter Island. The other main island groups located within the Polynesian triangle are Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands, Tuvalu, Tokelau, Niue, Wallis and Futuna and French Polynesia. A Polynesian island group outside of this great triangle is Rotuma which is the north of the Fijian islands. There are also small outlier Polynesian enclaves in Papua New Guinea, the Solomons, The Caroline Islands, some of the Lau group to Fiji's southeast and in Vanuatu. However, in essence, Polynesia is an anthropological term referring to one of the three parts of Oceania (the others being Micronesia and Melanesia) whose pre-colonial population generally belongs to one ethno-cultural family as a result of centuries of maritime migrations. Postado por


Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, served in what service in World War II?

Prince Philip Second World War memories: Duke breaks his y0-year silence on how he helped sink Italian ships in dramatic naval battle - Mirror Online War memories: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (Photo: Getty)  Share Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email The Duke of Edinburgh has for the first time given a detailed account of his involvement in a dramatic Second World War naval battle which earned him a military honour. Philip, 90, has described his part in the Battle of Cape Matapan where British warships destroyed Italian vessels in waters off the coast of Greece in 1941. The Duke was mentioned in despatches for operating a battleship's search light during the decisive naval encounter and picking out enemy targets. The Italian fleet had been caught unawares by British warships who sunk three cruisers and two destroyers. Philip's description of events comes in the foreword to Dark Seas: The Battle of Cape Matapan, the first in a series of books about some of the great naval actions and campaigns of the 1939-45 war. The Duke had joined the Royal Navy as a 17-year-old cadet in Spring 1939 as the storm clouds of war gathered on the horizon. Two years later he was a Midshipman serving on the World War One battleship HMS Valiant during the battle, and described his rank as the "lowest form of life in the Navy". In what may be a joke he says "all theses events took place 70 years ago, and, as most elderly people have discovered, memories tend to fade", so his eye witness account needs to be treated as "faction". But the royal seems very clear about his crucial involvement in the battle picking out two enemy warships in the darkness. He says: "I seem to remember that I reported that I had a target in sight, and was ordered to 'open shutter'. The beam lit up a stationary cruiser, but we were so close by then that the beam only lit up half the ship. "At this point all hell broke loose, as all our eight 15-inch guns, plus those of the flagship and Barham's started firing at the stationary cruiser, which disappeared in an explosion and a cloud of smoke. "I was then ordered to 'train left' and lit up another Italian cruiser, which was given the same treatment." The Duke added: "The next morning the battle fleet returned to the scene of the battle, while attempts were made to pick up survivors. This was rudely interrupted by an attack by German bombers." He concluded: "The return to Alexandria was uneventful, and the peace and quiet was much appreciated." The Italian fleet had been caught unawares by British warships who sunk three cruisers and two destroyers for the loss of only one aircraft. During his naval career the Duke rose through the ranks becoming, when 21, one of the youngest officers in the navy to be made First Lieutenant and second-in-command of a ship. After the war he was promoted to Lieutenant-Commander and was given command of the frigate HMS Magpie and was known as "Dukey" by his men. By now he was married to the then Princess Elizabeth and his career came to an end a few years later when the King, George VI, died in 1952 and his wife became Queen. The Britannia Naval Histories of World War II series, published by the University of Plymouth Press, has been compiled from wartime and post-war battle summaries in the archives at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. The first four books will be launched tomorrow at the London Book Fair and will go on sale later this month. Like us on Facebook Most Read Most Recent Most Read Most Recent


The Everglades are a subtropical wetland in which U.S. state?

Everglades National Park (U.S. National Park Service) Contact Us America's Everglades - The largest subtropical wilderness in the United States Everglades National Park protects an unparalleled landscape that provides important habitat for numerous rare and endangered species like the manatee,  American crocodile, and the elusive Florida panther. An international treasure as well -  a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve, a Wetland of International Importance, and a specially protected area under the Cartagena Treaty. Read More


Oculus Story Studio, formed employing a handful of Pixar Animation Studios veterans released their first interactive Virtual Reality short at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. What was it?

Past Summits | Visual Effects Society « less Albert Cheng (2012) — EVP of Digital Media, and Chief Product Officer, Disney-ABC Television Group As Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer, Digital Media, for the Disney/ABC Television Group, Albert Cheng is charged with general management and strategic oversight of digital media, as... » more As Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer, Digital Media, for the Disney/ABC Television Group, Albert Cheng is charged with general management and strategic oversight of digital media, as well as development of ancillary revenue streams for Disney/ABC Television Group’s diverse portfolio of broadcast and cable networks, including ABC Entertainment, ABC News, ABC Daytime, ABC Family, Disney Channel and SOAPnet. To that end, he leads a team that oversees product development, marketing and operations for the Group’s digital media content platforms, including video-on-demand, broadband, web-based and mobile platforms, as well as interactive television technologies. With the release of the ABC Player in 2010, Cheng and the Disney/ABC Television Group added an important first to their array of technical innovations, becoming the first network to offer ad-supported full episodes on the iPad.  The player was recently named the sixth most downloaded free iPad app of all time, and has now expanded to iPhone and iPod touch.  Other DATG firsts include being the 1st to offer full episodes on iTunes (October 2005); 1st to stream ad-supported full episodes online (May 2006); 1st to offer full episodes on demand on a mobile platform (w/Sprint, May 2007); the 1st to stream episodes online in true 720p HD (Fall 2007); and the 1st to offer expert and user commentary with full episodes online (Fall 2009).  Most recently, Cheng’s team was nominated for two 2011 Creative Arts Emmy’s, which they won for “Oscar Digital Experience.” « less Amy Lemisch (2011) — Executive Director, California Film Commission As Executive Director of the California Film Commission, Amy Lemisch oversees all of the state's efforts to facilitate motion picture, television and commercial production. She was appointed by... » more As Executive Director of the California Film Commission, Amy Lemisch oversees all of the state's efforts to facilitate motion picture, television and commercial production. She was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in May 2004, and continues to serve for Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. Under her leadership, the Commission coordinates with all levels of state and local government to promote California as a production locale. Such efforts in-turn create jobs, increase production spending and generate tax revenues. In addition to overseeing the Commission's wide range of support services, Ms. Lemisch also serves as the state's leading advocate for educating legislators, production industry decision makers and the public at large about the value of filming in California. Among her many accomplishments, Ms. Lemisch was instrumental in the creation, passage and implementation of the California Film & Television Tax Credit Program, which was enacted in 2009 to help curb runaway production. The Commission is charged with administering the $500 million program that targets the types of productions most likely to leave California due to incentives offered in other states and countries. Prior to her appointment at the Commission, Ms. Lemisch served for more than 15 years as a producer for Penny Marshall’s company - Parkway Productions. While based at Universal Studios and Sony Pictures, she was responsible for overseeing physical production on all Parkway projects, as well as selecting new projects for the company to produce. Her credits include: producer on the independent feature film WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE; co-producer on RIDING IN CARS WITH BOYS (starring Drew Barrymore), THE PREACHER’S WIFE (starring Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston) and RENAISSANCE MAN (starring Danny DeVito); associate producer on AWAKENINGS, A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN, and CALENDAR GIRL. She was also associate p


"Who wrote ""Quentins"", ""Nights of Rain and Stars"", ""Whitethorn Woods"" and ""Heart and Soul""?"

Amazon.com: Nights of Rain and Stars (9780451214461): Maeve Binchy: Books Nights of Rain and Stars One of these items ships sooner than the other. Show details Buy the selected items together This item:Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy Paperback $8.99 Only 19 left in stock (more on the way). Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy Mass Market Paperback $7.19 Only 8 left in stock (more on the way). Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1 This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. Page 1 of 1 Start over Sponsored Products are advertisements for products sold by merchants on Amazon.com. When you click on a Sponsored Product ad, you will be taken to an Amazon detail page where you can learn more about the product and purchase it. To learn more about Amazon Sponsored Products, click here . Me and My Sisters: An emotional and uplifting novel about the bond between sisters (The Devlin Sisters Book 1) SinÃ©ad Moriarty âI really and truly loved it â¦ it was a flawless read I didnât want to put down.â The Book Bag The Twin Dilemma Izzy Hunter Sara has a problem. Her twin, Jen, has stolen her identity and holiday. What is a girl to do? To Catch A Spinster (The Reluctant Bride Collection Book 1) Megan Bryce A happily on-the-shelf spinster only looking for an experience to last a lifetime. An eligible bachelor in need of a wife! Robyn Grady In Point St. Claire, true love always finds a way.Romance like it should be. Characters you'll love. Faking Lucky Q. D. Purdu New, award-winning romance. Her mistake ruined their love nine years ago. Can she undo the wrong? Can a second chance sneak in through a blunder? Our Options Have Changed (On Hold #1) Julia Kent She's about to become a single mother. He's about to have an empty nest. But love is about to change all their options. Ad feedback Special Offers and Product Promotions Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly Binchy's latest work (after Quentins) would present a challenge to any narrator; the large cast of characters includes tourists from all over the globe who meet and become friends after witnessing a tragic accident in a tiny Greek village. But Donnelly rises to the occasion, delivering a virtuoso performance. The diverse cast includes shy Irish nurse Fiona and her abusive boyfriend, Shane; Elsa, a German TV reporter fleeing a lover she no longer trusts; David, a young Englishman who feels trapped by his parents' insistence that he join the family business; Thomas, an American who feels pushed out of his son's life by his ex-wife's new husband; Vonni, an elderly Irish woman who has lived in Greece for the past 30 years; and Andreas, the old Greek taverna owner who misses his long-estranged son. Even in dialogue-heavy sections involving multiple characters, Donnelly switches effortlessly among voices and accents without missing a beat. She brings each personality vividly to life, evoking the complex emotions within him or her. As a result, this compelling, though simple, yarn is especially satisfying in its audio form. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.              --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Booklist In perennially popular Binchy's latest, four strangers on holiday in Greece band together after witnessing a tragic boating accident to become friends, and lovers, in an enchanting story that explores the mercurial nature of friendships and the elusive meaning of family. Residents of different countries, the four vacationers discover a commonality: a desire to escape contentious family situations back home. A newly divorced father, Thomas has taken a year's sabbatical to give his young son time to acclimate to his new stepfather. Dav


"""Immersive journalism"", of the kind presented by Nonny de la Peas ""Hunger in Los Angeles"" in 2012 uses what technique?"

VR Cinema | Voices of VR Podcast Voices of VR Podcast http://voicesofvr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Voices-of-VR-125-Rob-Morgan.mp3 Rob Morgan is a game writer, narrative designer and voice director. He got into the realm of writing for VR experiences from his experience at Sony London Studio, and then freelanced with nDreams on their Gear VR game Gunner as well as their conspiracy-theory/moral dilemma adventure game called The Assembly. Rob brings a very unique perspective about what’s different about writing narratives and telling stories in VR after working on a number of different projects of significant scope & budget across the Morpheus, Gear VR and Oculus DK2. One of the big takeaways that Rob had is that there are a whole level of social & behavioral interactions that we expect to have with other humans and so you can’t treat NPCs in a VR experience the same way that you might in a 2D experience. For example, there are social queues that you expect a human to react to based upon where you’re looking, whether you seem like you’re paying attention or if you’re threatening other people in some way. There’s a whole range of interaction that we demand and expect to have, and so there’s a lot of interesting nested body language and social queues that if they’re added within a VR experience could add another dimension of immersion. Rob talks about the importance of having other human-like characters within the narrative experience in order to go beyond an interesting 5-minute tech demo, and to start to have an engaging narrative. He says that there’s a distinct lack of human characters in VR demos because it’s hard to not fall into the trap of the uncanny valley. But Rob suggests that one way to get around the lack of visual fidelity within VR is to start to add simple interactive social behaviors in NPCs to create a better sense of immersion. He also talks about how important the voice acting is within VR as well because the uncanny valley goes beyond just the look and feel of the graphical representation of humans. Humans are really great at detecting fakeness, and Rob says that this is a vital element of immersion if you’re acting is somehow stilted or not completely authentic or believable. This was one of my favorite interviews from GDC because Rob lists out so many different interesting open problems and challenges with storytelling in VR. He says that the rules haven’t been written yet, and so there’s a large amount of space to experiment with what works and what doesn’t work. He eventually sees that there will be a convergence between VR, AR and wearable technology in general, and he’s excited for the possibility of creating a fictional layer of reality for people that they can interact and engage with in a way that’s just as real as the rest of their reality. http://voicesofvr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Voices-of-VR-111-Ikrima-Elhassan.mp3 Ikrima Elhassen of Kite & Lightning talks about the process of developing the INSURGENT: Shatter Reality virtual reality to promote the Lion’s Gate film called The Divergent Series: INSURGENT. He talks how the project came about as well as many of the lessons learned along the way. Ikrima also talks about the two plugins that they developed for the Unreal Engine 4 in order to complete this project UE4 Stereo 360 Movie Export Plugin – to easily create GearVR ports of their passive desktop experiences. It’ll be available as an open sourced & free plug-in here soon. Alembic Cache Playback – enables playback of Alembic files in UE4 so that they can import vertex cache animation such as water simulations or rigid motion animation to handle up to 10k fragments. They wanted to have the widest release possible for the INSURGENT experience, and so it’s available via: A DK2 Version A Gear VR Movie Theater experience to watch the movie trailer and GearVR port of the DK2 Version (via Oculus Home on GearVR) A traveling city tour with a custom designed/built chair from the VR experience with full haptic feedback and 4D components http://voicesofvr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Voic


French sculptor Frdric Bartholdi (1834-1904) is best known for what work?

Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904) | Musée virtuel du Protestantisme Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904) Home > Art - Heritage > Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904) The French sculptor was born in Colmar to an Alsatian Protestant family. He is well known for the famous Statue of Liberty (New-York and Paris) and for the Lion of Belfort (in Denfert-Rochereau square in Paris). His training Portrait de Bartholdi (1883), photographie d’Antoine Meyer © Bibliothèque nationale et universitaire de Strasbourg (Gallica.bnf.fr) Bartholdi's statue of General Rapp (19th century) in Colmar © Collection privée Bartholdi's statue of the wine grower © Collection du Château de Coppet Bartholdi spent his childhood in Colmar but was then sent to Paris, where he had relatives, to study at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand (secondary school). He planned to become an architect before turning to painting. He then joined the workshop of Ary Scheffer at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, who advised him to become a sculptor. He studied this art at the studio of Jean-François Soitoux (1816-1891). As early as 1854 Bartholdi took part in a competition, organised by the city of Colmar, entering an imposing statue of Colmar-born General Rapp (1771-1821). Bartholdi’s project was selected and the sculpture shown at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1855. It was erected in Colmar in 1856 and was an immediate success. At this time he travelled to Egypt with, particularly, the painter Jean-Léon Gérôme, and then alone to Yemen and Ethiopia. He came back with lots of drawings and photographs, which were to influence his later work. He was particularly charmed by local colossal art that inspired his idea for a lighthouse to mark the entrance of the Suez Canal. It was submitted, but refused by Ferdinand de Lesseps in 1896. Public commissions Statue de bronze du Maréchal de Vauban à Avallon (1871), de Bartholdi © Wikipédia Commons La Fayette et Washington (1892), de Bartholdi © Wikipedia Commons Bartholdi benefitted from many urban regeneration projects undertaken during the Second Empire and Third Republic, producing many huge statues including: a statue of General Arrighi de Casanova for Corte (Haute-Corse) in 1868, a statue of Vauban at Avallon (Yonne) in 1871, an equestrian statue of Vercingetorix in Clermont-Ferrand (Puy de Dôme) – ordered in 1870 but created around 1900, a statue of Rouget de Lisle in Lons-le-Saunier (Jura) in 1879, a statue of Diderot in Langres (Haute-Marne) in 1884, a group showing Washington and La Fayette for Paris in 1892. Private commissions La Foi et l’Espérance (haut-relief) – Temple de Boissy-Saint-Léger (Val-de-Marne) © Temple de Boissy-Saint-Léger (Val-de-Marne) Bartholdi also had many private commissions, especially for funeral monuments, (Emile Hubner in Mulhouse Cemetery in 1890). He also took part in the ornamentation of two temples: in Boston he designed a project depicting Baptism, Communion, Marriage and Burial; the bas-relief, produced by Italian sculptors, ran along the high part of the First Baptist Church bell tower in 1874, at Boissy-Saint-Léger (Val de Marne), he decorated the doorway tympanum of the temple with a high relief representing Faith and Hope. Bartholdi the architect Bartholdi was not limited to sculpture and in 1859 he tendered for an urban architectural project in Marseilles, for a water tower and a museum. It was officially selected, but the new local council gave the project to the architect Espérandieu. The latter copied Bartholdi’s project for the Palais Longchamp so accurately that only, after many years, the sculptor won his lawsuit against the city. An activist artist following the annexation of Alsace Le Lion de Belfort (1875-1879), sculpture de Bartholdi © Ville de Belfort Bartholdi enrolled in the Garde Nationale (National Guard) when war broke out in 1870. First he served in Colmar and became Garibaldi’s aide de camp, then head of the «Armée des Vosges» (“Vosges Army”).  The annexation of Alsace by Germany greatly influenced his work: the tomb of the national guards in Colmar (Haut-Rhin), the scou


Where would the game of ringette be played?

Ringette | Canada Games Watch streams of Ringette from the 2015 Canada Winter Games by clicking the above banner. HISTORY OF SPORT Ringette is a Canadian team sport that was invented in 1963 by Sam Jacks, a recreation director and sports enthusiast from North Bay, Ontario. Ringette was born after Sam Jacks saw a need for a winter team sport for girls. Interestingly enough, Sam Jacks was also responsible for the development and introduction of floor hockey in 1936. Originally play centered mainly in Ontario and Quebec, but quickly spread throughout the country and is now played in every province except Newfoundland, as well as in the Territories. The sport currently boasts over 30,000 registered players on over 2000 teams, with over 8000 coaches and over 1500 officials. While it is primarily a female sport, there are currently over 700 males playing ringette across the country. Internationally, ringette is played in a number of countries around the world, including Finland, Sweden, the United States, France, Slovakia, Russia, the Czech Republic, Japan, Australia, Germany, New Zealand and Abu Dubai. Since 1990, a world ringette championship has been held on a regular basis, with Canada and Finland being the predominant challengers. Canadian ringette athletes have continuously served as ambassadors of the sport, introducing ringette in countries across the world. Over the years, ringette has noted many achievements and accomplishments. These include the establishment of a Hall of Fame, which recognizes outstanding ringette achievements and contributions to the development of the sport; the introduction of a Learn to Skate Program for four to six year olds; a successful National Team Program; the introduction of a U19 program; the development of programs such as the National Coaching Certification Program and the National Officiating Certification Program; the development and implementation of a comprehensive Long Term Athlete Development model and a Come Try Ringette recruitment system; and an expanding National Ringette League Ringette has been part of the Canada Winter Games since 1991 when the event was held in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.  CANADA GAMES SPORT HISTORY AND PAST RESULTS Ringette was first contested at the Canada Games in 1991 in Charlottetown, PEI. Below are the ranking of the Provinces/Territories since the inaugural games:         - EQUIPMENT & TERMINOLOGY Ringette is played on ice with skates and sticks by six players (five skaters and a goalie) on each of two teams. The mission is to score goals by shooting the object of play into nets at either end of the rink during stop-time periods of play. The stick is straight, the object being pursued by players is a rubber ring, there is no intentional body contact, and the rules of ringette make it a wide-open and dynamic sport. The emphasis is on play-making and skating skills. Players cannot carry the ring across the blue lines on the ice. Only three players from each team, plus the defending goalie, are allowed in the end zones at the same time, which keeps the play open, puts a premium on sharp offensive moves, and requires defending players to skate close to their opponents. These features of the game demand the development of keen skating skills that give ringette players fantastic skating speed and agility. In 2000, a 30-second shot clock was introduced to make the game even faster. The shot clock starts when a team gains possession of the ring, and if they have not taken a shot on the net within 30 seconds, a horn sounds and the ring is then awarded to the opposing team. The equipment used to play ringette includes skates, gloves, elbow pads, knee and shin pads, long pants, a helmet with a triangular spaced face mask to prevent the bladeless ringette stick from penetrating it, a neck guard, a jersey and a ringette stick. TECHNOLOGY OF SPORT Technology used within the sport of ringette includes the shot clock, the ringette ring and the ringette stick, which were both mentioned above. In the past ten years, the tip of the ringette stick has witnes


"In the 20th and 21st century what is the third component in ""The Order of Bards, Ovates and ...""?"

Neo-Paganism Timeline | Neo-Paganism.com Neo-Paganism Timeline [Note: Dates in the same year are not listed in chronological order.] Before the 20th century 1752: On Walpurgis Night, Sir Francis Dashwood founds a “Hellfire Club” called the Brotherhood of the Friars. Its practice was outwardly pagan, worshiping Bacchus and Venus. An inner circle performed rituals and initiations, which they referred to as the “British Eleusinian mysteries”. 1792: Iolo Morganwg founds the Gorssedd Beirdd Ynys Prydain 1792: Thomas Taylor publishes his translation of The Hymns of Orpheus. He also published The Eleusinian and Bacchic Mysteries in 1790. Taylor practiced his own private reconstruction of Classical pagan religion. 1800s: The German Romantic movement begins. Romanticism valued emotion and nature over reason and science. Out of this milieu came the seeds of modern Neo-Paganism. circa 1820: Romantic poet Leigh Hunt associates and corresponds with Percy Bysshe Shelley, Thomas Jefferson Hogg, and others about the revival of pagan religion. 1836: Ralph Waldo Emerson publishes his essay “Nature”, setting forth the foundation of Transcendentalism. 1854: Henry David Thoreau publishes Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings which was to inspire generations of future conservationists and environmentalists. 1855: Walt Whitman publishes Leaves of Grass. 1859: Darwin publishes On the Origin of the Species. 1861: J. J. Bachofen publishes Mother Right, an investigation of matriarchy in the ancient world. Bachofen’s theory later influences early neo-pagans and feminists. 1862: Iolo Morganwg’s forgery, the “Barddas”, is first published. 1866: The term “ecology” is coined by Ernst Haeckel, from the Greek oikos, meaning house or dwelling, and logos, meaning discourse or the study of. 1868: Francis McDowell forms the Patrons of Husbandry, a farming fraternity devoted agrarian deities (Ceres, Flora, Pomona) and employing agricultural symbolism. He was made the first High Priest of Demeter. 1869:  John Muir enters the Yosemite Valley. 1870s: The alleged “Cambridge Coven” may have performed rituals based on classic tradition, including Apuleius’s Golden Ass. 1872: The world’s first national park, Yellowstone National Park, is created. 1872: Arbor Day is founded in the U.S. 1878: The Folklore Society is founded, which helped advance the idea that folk customs are survivals of old pagan religions. 1882: Friedrich Nietzsche publishes The Gay Science, which declares that “God is dead”. 1885: W. H. Seddon, the vicar of Painswick, England, begins an annual procession in honor of Pan and has a statue of Pan erected near the Church tower. The tradition survived until 1950. 1889: Edward Carpenter publishes Civilization: It’s Causes and Cure, in which he promotes a vision of a pagan revival. 1890: James Frazer publishes the first edition (2 vols.) of The Golden Bough. The second edition (3 vols.) is published in 1900. The third 12-volume edition was published between 1906 and 1915. Frazer theorizes that ancient peoples believed in a dying and rising god, representing the animating spirit of vegetation, represented in human form as sacral kings, who are sacrificed after a term or when their power of mind or body failed, in a cyclical renewal of life. Frazer influenced later writers including T.S. Eliot, W.B. Yeats, Robert Graves, and D. H. Lawrence. The archetype of the Dying and Rising God becomes central to the Neo-Pagan mythos. 1890s: W.B. Yeats, a member of the Golden Dawn plans to establish an alternate form of spirituality to Christianity, including mysteries like those of Eleusis and Samothrace. Looking back, he wrote “I had created a new religion, almost an infallible church of poetic tradition, of a fardel [bundle] of stories.” 1892:  The Sierra Club is founded by John Muir. 1897: The Cosmic Circle is formed by Alfred Schuler, Ludwig Klages, Stephan George, and Karl Wolfskehl, after reading J. J. Bachofen’s study of matriarchy, Mother Right. They conduct ceremonial invocations and rites to worship the Great Mother Earth. George la


What type of engine did Felix Wankel invent?

Rotary engine inventor Felix Wankel born - Aug 13, 1902 - HISTORY.com Rotary engine inventor Felix Wankel born Share this: Rotary engine inventor Felix Wankel born Author Rotary engine inventor Felix Wankel born URL Publisher A+E Networks The German engineer Felix Wankel, inventor of a rotary engine that will be used in race cars, is born on August 13, 1902, in Lahr, Germany. Wankel reportedly came up with the basic idea for a new type of internal combustion gasoline engine when he was only 17 years old. In 1924, Wankel set up a small laboratory where he began the research and development of his dream engine, which would be able to attain intake, compression, combustion and exhaust, all while rotating. He brought his knowledge of rotary valves to his work with the German Aeronautical Research Establishment during World War II, and to a leading German motorcycle company, NSU Motorenwerk AG, beginning in 1951. Wankel completed his first design of a rotary-piston engine in 1954, and the first unit was tested in 1957. In other internal-combustion engines, moving pistons did the work of getting the combustion process started; in the Wankel rotary engine, an orbiting rotor in the shape of a curved equilateral triangle served this purpose. Fewer moving parts created a smoothly performing engine that was lightweight, compact, low-cost and required fewer repairs. After NSU officially announced the completion of the Wankel rotary engine in late 1959, some 100 companies around the world rushed to propose partnerships that would get the engine inside their products. Mazda, the Japanese automaker, signed a formal contract with NSU in July 1961, after receiving approval from the Japanese government. In an attempt to experiment with the rotary engine and perfect it for use in its vehicles, Mazda formed an RE (Rotary Engine) Research Department in 1963. The Cosmo Sport, which Mazda released in May 1967, was the planet’s first dual-rotor rotary engine car. With futuristic styling and superior performance, the Cosmo wowed car enthusiasts worldwide. Mazda began installing rotary engines in its sedans and coupes in 1968, and the vehicles hit the U.S. market in 1971. In the wake of a global oil crisis in 1973-74, Mazda continually worked on improving its rotary engines to improve fuel efficiency, and by the end of that decade its sports cars had become popular in both Europe and the United States In addition to Mazda, a number of other companies licensed the Wankel engine during the 1960s and 1970s, including Daimler-Benz, Alfa Romeo, Rolls Royce, Porsche, General Motors, Suzuki and Toyota. Meanwhile, Wankel continued his own work with the rotary piston engine, forming his own research establishment in Lindau, Germany, in the mid-1970s. In 1986, he sold the institute for 100 million Deutschmarks (around $41 million) to Daimler Benz, maker of the Mercedes. Wankel filed a new patent as late as 1987; the following year, he died after a long illness. Related Videos


"The music soundscape of three out of the four ""Dirty Harry"" films is associated with what Argentine pianist, composer, arranger and conductor?"

Collection - The Film Music Of Lalo Schifrin Collection - The Film Music Of Lalo Schifrin Film and TV music by the brilliant composer responsible such classic works as the Mission Impossible theme and the soundtracks to the Dirty Harry films and Bullitt Curated by The Sadnesses Collection dirty harry lalo schifrin mission impossible soundtracks Lalo Schifrin (born June 21, 1932) is an Argentine pianist, composer, arranger and conductor. He is best known for his film and TV scores, such as the "Theme from Mission: Impossible". He has received four Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations. Schifrin, associated with the jazz music genre, is also noted for work with Clint Eastwood in the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, particularly the Dirty Harry films. Schifrin was born Boris Claudio Schifrin in Buenos Aires to Jewish parents. His father, Luis Schifrin, led the second violin section of the orchestra at the Teatro Colón for three decades. At the age of six, Schifrin began a six-year course of study on piano with Enrique Barenboim, the father of the pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim. At age 16, Schifrin began studying piano with the Greek-Russian expatriate Andreas Karalis, former head of the Kiev Conservatory, and harmony with Argentine composer Juan Carlos Paz. During this time, Schifrin also became interested in jazz. Although Schifrin studied sociology and law at the University of Buenos Aires, it was music that captured his attention. At age 20, he successfully applied for a scholarship to the Paris Conservatoire. While there, he attended Olivier Messiaen's classes and formally studied with Charles Koechlin, a disciple of Maurice Ravel. At night he played jazz in the Paris clubs. In 1955, Schifrin played piano with Argentinian bandoneon giant Ástor Piazzolla and represented his country at the International Jazz Festival in Paris. After returning home to Argentina, Schifrin formed a jazz orchestra, a 16-piece band that became part of a popular weekly variety show on Buenos Aires TV. Schifrin also began accepting other film, television and radio assignments. In 1956, Schifrin met Dizzy Gillespie and offered to write an extended work for Gillespie's big band. Schifrin completed the work, Gillespiana, in 1958 (it was recorded in 1960). Later that year Schifrin began working as an arranger for Xavier Cugat's popular Latin dance orchestra. While in New York in 1960, Schifrin again met Gillespie, who had by this time disbanded his big band for financial reasons. Gillespie invited Schifrin to fill the vacant piano chair in his quintet. Schifrin immediately accepted and moved to New York City. Schifrin wrote a second extended composition for Gillespie, The New Continent, which was recorded in 1962. In 1963, MGM, which had Schifrin under contract, offered the composer his first Hollywood film assignment with the African adventure Rhino!. Schifrin moved to Hollywood late that year. He also radically re-arranged the theme for the popular NBC-TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., altering original composer Jerry Goldsmith's theme to a jazzy melody emphasizing flutes and exotic percussion, which wound up winning the Emmy award for Best TV Theme in 1965. One of Schifrin's most recognizable and enduring compositions is the theme music for the long-running TV series Mission: Impossible. It is a distinctive tune written in the uncommon 5/4 time signature. Similarly, Schifrin's theme for the hugely successful Mannix private eye TV show was composed a year earlier in a 3/4 waltz time; Schifrin composed several other jazzy and bluesy numbers over the years as additional incidental music for the show. Schifrin's "Tar Sequence" from his Cool Hand Luke score (also written in 5/4) was the longtime theme for the Eyewitness News broadcasts on New York station WABC-TV and other ABC affiliates, as well as National Nine News in Australia. CBS Television used part of the theme of his St. Ives soundtrack for its golf broadcasts in the 1970s and early 1980s. Schifrin's score for Coogan's Bluff in 1968 was the beginning of a long association with Clint Ea


When hair rises in reaction to cold or shock, the appearance of the skin is sometimes described as what?

Skin, Hair, and Nails Skin, Hair, and Nails La piel, el cabello y las uñas About Skin, Hair and Nails Skin is our largest organ. If the skin of a typical 150-pound (68-kilogram) adult male were stretched out flat, it would cover about 2 square yards (1.7 square meters) and weigh about 9 pounds (4 kilograms). Our skin protects the network of muscles, bones, nerves, blood vessels, and everything else inside our bodies. Our eyelids have the thinnest skin, the soles of our feet the thickest. Hair is actually a modified type of skin. Hair grows everywhere on the human body except the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, and lips. Hair grows more quickly in summer than winter, and more slowly at night than during the day. Like hair, nails are a type of modified skin. Nails protect the sensitive tips of fingers and toes. Human nails aren't necessary for living, but they do provide support for the tips of the fingers and toes, protect them from injury, and aid in picking up small objects. Without them, we'd have a hard time scratching an itch or untying a knot. Nails can be an indicator of a person's general health, and illness often affects their growth. continue Skin Basics Skin is essential in many ways. It forms a barrier that prevents harmful substances and microorganisms from entering the body. It protects body tissues against injury. It also controls the loss of life-sustaining fluids like blood and water, helps regulate body temperature through perspiration (sweating), and protects from the sun's damaging ultraviolet rays. Without the nerve cells in skin, people couldn't feel warmth, cold, or other sensations. For instance, goosebumps form when the erector pili muscles contract to make hairs on the skin stand up straight when someone is cold, excited, or frightened — the blood vessels keep the body from losing heat by narrowing as much as possible and keeping the warm blood away from the skin's surface, offering insulation and protection. Every square inch of skin contains thousands of cells and hundreds of sweat glands, oil glands, nerve endings, and blood vessels. Skin is made up of three layers: the epidermis, dermis, and the subcutaneous tissue. The upper layer of our skin, the epidermis, is the tough, protective outer layer. It's about as thick as a sheet of paper over most parts of the body. The epidermis has four layers of cells that are constantly flaking off and being renewed. In these four layers are three special types of cells: Melanocytes produce melanin, the pigment that gives skin its color. All people have roughly the same number of melanocytes; the more melanin that is produced, the darker the skin. Exposure to sunlight increases the production of melanin, which is why people get suntanned or freckled. Keratinocytes produce keratin, a type of protein that is a basic component of hair, skin, nails, and helps create an intact barrier. Langerhans cells help protect the body against infection. Because the cells in the epidermis are completely replaced about every 28 days, cuts and scrapes heal quickly. Below the epidermis is the next layer of our skin, the dermis, which is made up of blood vessels, nerve endings, and connective tissue. The dermis nourishes the epidermis. Two types of fibers in the dermis — collagen and elastin — help the skin stretch when we bend and reposition itself when we straighten up. Collagen is strong and hard to stretch, and elastin, as its name suggests, is elastic. In older people, some of the elastin-containing fibers degenerate, which is one reason why the skin looks wrinkled. The dermis also contains a person's sebaceous glands. These glands, which surround and empty into hair follicles and pores, produce the oil sebum that lubricates the skin and hair. Sebaceous glands are found mostly in the skin on the face, upper back, shoulders, and chest. Most of the time, the sebaceous glands make the right amount of sebum. As a person's body begins to mature and develop during the teenage years, though, hormones stimulate the sebaceous glands to make more sebum. When pores become clog


In cooking, what French term is the equivalent of shish kebab, satay, and souvlaki?

1000+ images about Kebobs: Chicken on Pinterest | Bbq chicken, Spicy peanut sauce and Cole slaw Pinterest • The world’s catalog of ideas Kebobs: Chicken In cooking, en brochette refers to food cooked, and sometimes served, on brochettes, or skewers. The French term generally applies to French cuisine, while other terms like shish kebab, satay, or souvlaki describe the same technique in other cuisines. Food served en brochette is generally grilled. Yakitori, grilled chicken, is commonly a Japanese type of skewered chicken. The term "yakitori" can also refer to skewered food in general. 21 Pins195 Followers


"The two UK TV series ""The Sweeney"" (1975-78) and ""Inspector Morse"" (1987-2000) share which actor?"

Executive Producers Lloyd Shirley and George Taylor Produced by Ted Childs Created by Ian Kennedy Martin UK Police series 1975-78 53 episodes x 60 min color film starring John Thaw as Det. Inspector Jack Regan Dennis Waterman as Detective Sergeant George Carter Garfield Morgan as Detective Chief Inspector Frank Haskins With: John Alkin as DC Tom Daniels Morris Perry as Detective Chief Inspector Maynon Stephanie Turner as Alison Carter Premise; This action series, based on the work of Scotland Yard's 'Flying Squad', was developed from the "Armchair Cinema" presentation "Regan". The series title is derived from the cockney rhyming-slang - "Sweeney Todd" = "Flying Squad". The Sweeney - in a tight spot Music by Harry South w. Trevor Preston / d. Terry Green 2 January 1975 1.2 [--] The Sweeney: Jackpot Tony Marsh Tom Clegg 9 January 1975 1.3 [--] The Sweeney: Thin Ice Troy Kennedy Martin Tom Clegg 16 January 1975 1.4 [--] The Sweeney: Queen's Pawn Ranald Graham Viktors Ritelis 23 January 1975 1.5 [--] The Sweeney: Jigsaw Tudor Gates William Brayne 30 January 1975 1.6 [--] The Sweeney: Night Out Troy Kennedy Martin David Wickes 6 February 1975 1.7 [--] The Sweeney: The Placer Trevor Preston Ted Childs 13 February 1975 1.8 [--] The Sweeney: Cover Story Ranald Graham Douglas Camfield 20 February 1975 1.9 [--] The Sweeney: Golden Boy Martin Hall Tom Clegg 27 February 1975 1.10 [--] The Sweeney: Stoppo Driver Allan Prior Terry Green 6 March 1975 1.11 [--] The Sweeney: Big Spender Allan Prior Viktors Ritelis 13 March 1975 1.12 [--] The Sweeney: Contact Breaker Robert Banks Stewart William Brayne 20 March 1975 1.13 [--] The Sweeney: Abduction Trevor Preston Tom Clegg 27 March 1975 --------------------- A mother naturally loses her son - but in this case it's not so easy for Regan and Carter to share her emotions. 2.7 [20] The Sweeney: GOLDEN FLEECE w. Roger Marshall / d. David Wickes 13 October 1975 2.8 [21] The Sweeney: Poppy Trevor Preston Tom Clegg 20 October 1975 2.9 [22] The Sweeney: STAY LUCKY, EH? w. Trevor Preston / d. Douglas Camfield 27 October 1975  2.10 [23] The Sweeney: Trojan Bus Roger Marshall Ted Childs 3 November 1975 2.11 [24] The Sweeney: I Want the Man Ray Jenkins Tom Clegg 10 November 1975 2.12 [25] The Sweeney: Country Boy Andrew Wilson Jim Goddard 17 November 1975 2.13 [26] The Sweeney: THOU SHALT NOT KILL w. Ranald Graham / d. Douglas Camfield 24 November 1975 3.1 [27] The Sweeney: SELELCTED TARGET 6Sep76 ITV Mon 9pm written by Troy Kennedy Martin / directed by Tom Clegg 3.2 [28] The Sweeney: IN FROM THE COLD w. Tony Hoare / d. Terry Green 13 September 1976 3.3 [29] The Sweeney: Visiting Fireman Troy Kennedy Martin Tom Clegg 20 September 1976 3.3 [30] The Sweeney: Tommorow Man Andrew Wilson David Wickes 27 September 1976 3.4 [31] The Sweeney: TASTE OF FEAR w. Roger Marshall  / d. David Wickes 4 October 1976 3.5 [32] The Sweeney: BAD APPLE w. Roger Marshall / d. Douglas Camfield 11 October 1976 3.6 [33] The Sweeney: MAY w. Trevor Preston / d. Tom Clegg 25 October 1976 3.7 [34] The Sweeney: Sweet Smell of Succession Peter Hill William Brayne 8 November 1976 3.8 [35] The Sweeney: Down to You Brother Richard Harris Chris Menaul 22 November 1976 3.9 [36] The Sweeney: Payoff Peter J Hammond Douglas Camfield 29 November 1976 3.10 [37] The Sweeney: Loving Arms Robert Wales Tom Clegg 6 December 1976 3.11 [38] The Sweeney: Lady Luck Ranald Graham Mike Vardy 13 December 1976 3.12 [39] The Sweeney: ON THE RUN w. Roger Marshall / d. David Wickes 29 December 1976 4.1 [40] The Sweeney: Messenger of the Gods Trevor Preston Terry Green 7 September 1978 4.2 [41] The Sweeney: Hard Men Troy Kennedy Martin Graham Baker 14 September 1978 4.3 [42] The Sweeney: Drag Act Ted Childs Tom Clegg 21 September 1978 4.4 [43] The Sweeney: Trust Red Richard Harris Douglas Camfield 28 September 1978 4.5 [44] The Sweeney: Nightmare Ranald Graham David Wickes 5 October 1978 4.6 [45] The Sweeney: Money, Money, Money Trevor Preston Sid Roberson 12 October 1978 4.7 [46] The Sweeney: Bait Trevor Preston Sid Roberson 19 October 1978 4.8


"The film ""O21"" (2014) is made under the banner of what country?"

Pakistani Cinema: Lollywood film ‘Dukhtar’; A very different kind of story Saturday, 31 August 2013 Lollywood film ‘Dukhtar’; A very different kind of story Has anyone of us ever heard about the kidnap of a daughter on the very day of her marriage, that too by her own real mother? The instant answer to this question is NO, with an awe and shock: how is it possible? This is the starting point of the under production feature length story, Dukhtar. Directed by a young female, Afia Nathaniel, under the banner of Zambeel Films, Dukhtar is on the hot and hard core subject of child marriages. The tale revolves around a young mother, Allah Rakhi, who kidnaps her ten-year-old daughter on the day of her child’s forced marriage and makes a run. A powerful tribal leader wants to punish them and pursues the runaway mother and her child bride. The conflict between the mother and daughter; and the opposed forces is the centre point of the story. This is one of the very painful and pinching issues being faced by interior Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa and interior Punjab. Afia Nathaniel, a LUMS graduate, established Zambeel Films in 2008 with a vision of producing local films for global audience. Earlier, she has done three short films, Toba Tek Singh, Long After (Muntazir), and Butterfly as writer, producer, director, and editor. She’s nominated and won many international film and documentary awards by now. This film is funded by Worldview. Worldview is a CBA [Commonwealth Broadcasting Association] Project that aims to improve UK public understanding and awareness of the developing world via the mainstream broadcast and digital media. Worldview supports producers who aim to bring the richness and diversity of the wider-world to UK audiences. ‘Seed’ funding is awarded to producers enabling them to spend time in the developing world researching stories, identifying characters and locations and shooting taster tapes. Dukhtar received a New Genres development grant from Worldview. It’s quite an inspiring thing that not only males, but also females are joining the film making profession in Pakistan that demands sound technical and creative know how and expertise. Afia is a valuable addition to our young and fresh film makers’ lot as she has a diverse academic knowledge and work experience outside the country. She won the support of an international forum like Worldview on the very basis of her talent, and richness of ideas. Sahir Ali Bagga, also a newly emerged music talent, has composed the songs and back ground score of Dukhtar. Dukhtar is going to portray the disgusting face of ignorance, obliteration, and slavish mentality, being observed in some remote areas of Pakistan yet in this modern age. Showcasing the social problems will give our films a new life which is vital to revive the problem facing cinema industry, and also to utilize the powerful weapon of cinema to educate the society. In a span of a few years, our cinema has succeeded in producing issue based films like Khuda Kay Leay, Mohabbataan Sachhiyaan, Bol, Chambaili, Josh, Zinda Bhaag etc. that have been/will be contributing to educate the society regarding the social problems and their solution. Education through the art of storytelling and electronic media will make our society stronger enough to fight against and defeat the evil of ignorance. Dukhtar is one of these efforts! Article By : Rizwanaa Shaikh (Pakium) Posted by Yasser Bilal Kiyani at 14:30


Mostar Bridge, completed in 1566, destroyed in 1993 and rebuilt in 2004, stands in which country?

Old Bridge in Mostar | Architectuul Description Change this Stari Most (English: Old Bridge) is a reconstruction of a 16th-century Ottoman bridge in the city of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina that crosses the river Neretva and connects two parts of the city. The Old Bridge stood for 427 years, until it was destroyed on 9 November 1993 by Croat forces during the Croat–Bosniak War. Subsequently, a project was set in motion to reconstruct it, and the rebuilt bridge opened on 23 July 2004. One of the country's most recognizable landmarks, it is also considered one of the most exemplary pieces of Islamic architecture in the Balkans and was designed by Mimar Hayruddin, a student and apprentice of the famous architect Mimar Sinan. Characteristics The bridge spans the Neretva river in the old town of Mostar, the city to which it gave the name. The city is the fourth-largest in the country; it is the center of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the unofficial capital of Herzegovina. The Stari Most is hump-backed, 4 metres (13 ft 1 in) wide and 30 metres (98 ft 5 in) long, and dominates the river from a height of 24 m (78 ft 9 in). Two fortified towers protect it: the Helebija tower on the northeast and the Tara tower on the southwest, called "the bridge keepers" (natively mostari). The arch of the bridge was made of local stone known as tenelija. The shape of the arch is the result of numerous irregularities produced by the deformation of the intrados (the inner line of the arch). The most accurate description would be that it is a circle of which the centre is depressed in relation to the string course. Instead of foundations, the bridge has abutments of limestone linked to wing walls along the waterside cliffs. Measuring from the summer water level of 40.05 m (131 ft 5 in), abutments are erected to a height of 6.53 metres (21 ft 5 in), from which the arch springs to its high point. The start of the arch is emphasized by a molding 0.32 metres (1 ft 1 in) in height. The rise of the arch is 12.02 metres (39 ft 5 in). History The original bridge was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1557 to replace an older wooden suspension bridge of dubious stability. Construction began in 1557 and took nine years: according to the inscription the bridge was completed in 974 AH, corresponding to the period between 19 July 1566 and 7 July 1567. Tour directors used to state that the bridge was held together with metal pins and mortar made from the protein of egg whites.[4] Little is known of the building of the bridge, and all that has been preserved in writing are memories and legends and the name of the builder, Mimar Hayruddin (student of Mimar Sinan, the Ottoman architect). Charged under pain of death to construct a bridge of such unprecedented dimensions, the architect reportedly prepared for his own funeral on the day the scaffolding was finally removed from the completed structure. Upon its completion it was the widest man-made arch in the world. Certain associated technical issues remain a mystery: how the scaffolding was erected, how the stone was transported from one bank to the other, how the scaffolding remained sound during the long building period. As a result, this bridge can be classed among the greatest architectural works of its time. According to the 17th century Turkish traveler Evliya Çelebi, the name Mostar itself means "bridge-keeper." As Mostar's economic and administrative importance grew with the growing presence of Ottoman rule, the precarious wooden suspension bridge over the Neretva gorge required replacement. The old bridge on the river "...was made of wood and hung on chains," wrote the Ottoman geographer Katip Çelebi, and it "...swayed so much that people crossing it did so in mortal fear". In 1566, Mimar Hayruddin, a student of the great architect Sinan, designed Stari Most during the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent. The bridge was said to have cost 300,000 Drams (silver coins) to build. The two-year construction project was supervised by Karagoz Mehmet Bey


When Gerald Ford was president of the USA, who was his vice president?

Gerald R. Ford | whitehouse.gov Air Force One Gerald R. Ford When Gerald R. Ford took the oath of office on August 9, 1974 as our 38th President, he declared, "I assume the Presidency under extraordinary circumstances...This is an hour of history that troubles our minds and hurts our hearts."  When Gerald R. Ford took the oath of office on August 9, 1974, he declared, "I assume the Presidency under extraordinary circumstances.... This is an hour of history that troubles our minds and hurts our hearts." It was indeed an unprecedented time. He had been the first Vice President chosen under the terms of the Twenty-fifth Amendment and, in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, was succeeding the first President ever to resign. Ford was confronted with almost insuperable tasks. There were the challenges of mastering inflation, reviving a depressed economy, solving chronic energy shortages, and trying to ensure world peace. The President acted to curb the trend toward Government intervention and spending as a means of solving the problems of American society and the economy. In the long run, he believed, this shift would bring a better life for all Americans. Ford's reputation for integrity and openness had made him popular during his 25 years in Congress. From 1965 to 1973, he was House Minority Leader. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1913, he grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He starred on the University of Michigan football team, then went to Yale, where he served as assistant coach while earning his law degree. During World War II he attained the rank of lieutenant commander in the Navy. After the war he returned to Grand Rapids, where he began the practice of law, and entered Republican politics. A few weeks before his election to Congress in 1948, he married Elizabeth Bloomer. They have four children: Michael, John, Steven, and Susan. As President, Ford tried to calm earlier controversies by granting former President Nixon a full pardon. His nominee for Vice President, former Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York, was the second person to fill that office by appointment. Gradually, Ford selected a cabinet of his own. Ford established his policies during his first year in office, despite opposition from a heavily Democratic Congress. His first goal was to curb inflation. Then, when recession became the Nation's most serious domestic problem, he shifted to measures aimed at stimulating the economy. But, still fearing inflation, Ford vetoed a number of non-military appropriations bills that would have further increased the already heavy budgetary deficit. During his first 14 months as President he vetoed 39 measures. His vetoes were usually sustained. Ford continued as he had in his Congressional days to view himself as "a moderate in domestic affairs, a conservative in fiscal affairs, and a dyed-in-the-wool internationalist in foreign affairs." A major goal was to help business operate more freely by reducing taxes upon it and easing the controls exercised by regulatory agencies. "We...declared our independence 200 years ago, and we are not about to lose it now to paper shufflers and computers," he said. In foreign affairs Ford acted vigorously to maintain U. S. power and prestige after the collapse of Cambodia and South Viet Nam. Preventing a new war in the Middle East remained a major objective; by providing aid to both Israel and Egypt, the Ford Administration helped persuade the two countries to accept an interim truce agreement. Detente with the Soviet Union continued. President Ford and Soviet leader Leonid I. Brezhnev set new limitations upon nuclear weapons. President Ford won the Republican nomination for the Presidency in 1976, but lost the election to his Democratic opponent, former Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia. On Inauguration Day, President Carter began his speech: "For myself and for our Nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land." A grateful people concurred. For more information about President Ford, please visit


When Michael Clarke resigned his captaincy of the Australian team in the course of a 2015 competition between Australia and the UK, to take effect when the series was finished, what sport were the teams competing in?

Michael Clarke says the axing of four players was not about one incident | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo 369 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Comment 369 Michael Clarke is not happy with the standards of behaviour within his team on the India tour © BCCI Michael Clarke has stressed that the dramatic axing of four players including the vice-captain Shane Watson for the third Test in Mohali was due to a continued failure of some players to meet the standards set by the team. Watson flew home after being told he and three other players would not be considered for the match and is considering his Test future , although his departure was also largely spurred by the fact that his wife Lee Furlong is due to give birth soon. Watson, James Pattinson, Mitchell Johnson and Usman Khawaja failed to comply with an order from the coach Mickey Arthur to provide feedback on where they and the team could improve after the embarrassing loss in Hyderabad. But Clarke said the decision, made by Arthur, Clarke and the team manager Gavin Dovey, was an example to players that no longer would they get away with cutting corners. "No doubt it's been a tough day," Clarke said late on Monday. "I want the public and the media to understand, don't get me wrong, it's not just about one incident. Firstly on this tour our performances have been unacceptable and there has been some stuff off the field [that has been unacceptable] for the standards an Australian cricket team needs to present itself to achieve what we are trying to achieve ... I know it is a tough day, a really tough day and it's a tough decision, but at the end of the day if people are not hitting those standards there are going to be consequences. "Our head coach gave us two days off after the second Test, it was about freshening yourself up, get your rehab [done], your recovery, do what you have to do, get everything right for the next two Test matches, because the next two Test matches are as big as you might have in your career and you have an opportunity to turn this series around. "We were asked to do one thing from the head coach. It was giving information back to the head coach about not only improving your game - what you've learnt from the first two Test matches - but also how can you help this team turn things around and have success. "It was a very simple task. Yes, it took a lot of thinking because you had to look at your game and where you thought you could improve, what you had learnt and what you could do to help this team level this series. In my opinion, for the four players to not do it, not only does it let the team down, it also shows a lack of respect for the head coach and in the Australian cricket team that is unacceptable." While Clarke did not elaborate on what other standards had not been met, Arthur earlier in the day said that some players had failed to fill in the daily wellness forms required to allow the sports science and medical staff to monitor their health. Clarke said an accumulation of minor infractions - regardless of the players involved - had led to a decision that an example had to be made. "There have been a number of issues on this tour where I don't think we have been hitting our standards," Clarke said. "We have not done what is required for this Australian cricket team to have the success we want it to have. It's no coincidence we have lost the first two Test matches quite convincingly so we have to turn that around, we have to lift our standards. "We can't accept mediocrity here. This is the Australian cricket team. Maybe I am biased [but] there is a big difference between this team and other cricket teams. If you play for Australia there is a lot that comes with that and standards, discipline, culture that is all a big part of what we are talking about here." Pattinson, Khawaja and Johnson will be available for the Delhi Test but given Watson's comments about considering his future he appears unlikely to rejoin the tour. No decision has been made on who will stand in as vice-captain in his absence. Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at ESP