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Which English Premiership rugby club play home games at The Twickenham Stoop?	The Rugby Ground Guide - Twickenham Stoop (Harlequins) The Rugby Ground Guide Harlequins - Twickenham Stoop Harlequins (or to use their proper name The Harlequin Football Club), were founded in 1866 (150 years and counting!) and compete in the English Premiership, European Cup and LV Cup. They are based at Twickenham Stoop, a stone's throw from the English national stadium Twickenham. Since the advent of leagues and professional rugby, Harlequins have spent every season but one in the top tier of English rugby, and collected many trophies in the process. In addition to currently holding the Premiership title following a 30-23 final win over Leicester Tigers, the club have won the European Challenge Cup and predecessors three times (2001, 2004, 2011) and the national cup competition twice (1988, 1991). In the European Cup, the closest Quins have come to success was in the 2008-09 season when they reached the quarter-finals. Ground Information Back to Top ^ The Twickenham Stoop is fully enclosed on all sides, and the ground is usually close to capacity, ensuring a good atmosphere. The East, or Eithad Stand was built in 1997 and provides 4,200 covered seats, in addition to corporate hospitality boxes. The stand runs beyond the length of the pitch so if you are seated in one of the end blocks you may find yourself beyond the try line! Sitting opposite the Etihad Stand is the LV= Stand, an equally lengthy structure opened in 2005. This all-seater stand has a capacity of 4,000, and is also home to the member's bar, club shop, more corporate boxes and the club offices. The South Stand behind the posts is the most recent addition at the Stoop, with 4,000 seats. Down the other end, the North Stand is a semi-temporary structure with room for around 2,000 seated spectators. It is the only stand with supporting pillars that do obstruct the view slightly. Getting There View Harlequins Rugby Guide in a larger map By Car Vehicle access to Twickenham Stoop is via Langhorn Drive, and the ground is within easy reach of the M3 and M4. Car parking is available at the ground, with driving directions here . By Train The closest station to the ground is Twickenham, around 10-15 minutes walk from the stadium. Twickenham is served by regular services from London Waterloo to Reading, with the majority of trains calling at Clapham Junction for those connecting from other parts of the South of England. Upon exiting the station, turn right and then left at the roundabout. Signs will direct you left onto Court Way then left again onto Craneford Way - follow this road round until you reach the ground. An alternative is Whitton station, which is also within a short walk of the stadium. Upon leaving the station, head North on Percy Road before taking a quick right onto Bridge Way. Follow this road until you reach Redway Drive, where you take a right then left onto the busy Chertsey Road, and continue until you reach the Stoop. By Air Heathrow Airport Twickenham is around 6 miles from Heathrow Airport, which you'll notice as the flight path passes nearby! From Heathrow, take the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground to Hounslow East station, and transfer to the 281 bus for the remainder of the journey. Gatwick Airport Twickenham is also easily accessed from London Gatwick airport - simply take a train towards London (not the Gatwick Express) and change at Clapham Junction for services to Twickenham. The Etihad Stand Back to Top ^ In The Ground The main public bar within the ground is located in the Eithad Stand, which continues to serve drinks and usually has a live band after the match has finished. The bar is equipped with TVs so if there is a live match on before/after your match at the Stoop you can catch the action in comfort there. To the rear of the South Stand there is also a real ale bar, which if you can squeeze in is a good place to go if you're a fan (though there is little other than ale and soft drinks on offer). There are around 4 real ales, one of which is always a guest beer for that match. Finally, there are temporary bars in the South West and North West corners of the ground, serving up a variety of drinks nice and quickly. The club sometimes run a happy hour before the game where you can grab two drinks for the price of one - just on the club's website in advance to find out if it is operating on your visit. Before/After the Game If you don't want to hang around the ground after the final whistle, there are a few options nearby in Twickenham itself. The Cabbage Patch (nickname of the national stadium due to the land's previous use) operated by Fullers is within a short walk of the ground. The London Road and Misty Moon are opposite and next door to the Cabbage Patch respectively, offering a cheap and cheerful alternative to the aforementioned. The recently-refurbished Three Kings on Heath Road is also rugby-friendly. The Eel Pie on the very pretty pedestrianised Church Street is another option. The 17th Century White Swan has a pleasant location on the riverside, which means you have to walk in the opposite direction of the stadium when you exit the train station. Still a popular place on match day. The Twickenham Tup is a large sports-friendly venue on Richmond Road, and a good place to meet up with friends. The William Webb Ellis is a Wetherspoons pub close to the train station. The Barmy Arms is another popular spot for rugby fans. Back to Top ^ There is a wide range of interesting grub on offer at the Stoop, with an international cuisine stall in between the South and LV= Stand, in addition to sausages and hog baps on sale from various vendors dotted around the ground. Away from the stadium, there is no desperate need to head back to Central London as you'll find plenty of options in the bars and restaurants of Richmond and Twickenham, whilst the majority of bars listed above also serve food. Sleeping Whilst many visitors opt to stay in Central London and combine rugby with a spot of sightseeing, those who want to stay close to the stadium and avoid the hassle of the journey out can take advantage of the following; The Twickenham Marriott is an interesting choice, located right inside Twickenham (national) stadium! There is a Premier Inn within walking distance of the stadium. comeallwithin.co.uk Disabled Supporters Disabled access at the ground is excellent, with seating and facilities in both the Etihad and LV= Stand What's in a Name? The name of the club has a rather unusual background. Originally known as Hampstead Football Club, but when membership expanded beyond the local area it was agreed that a new name was required With the club keen to retain the HFC monogram, a dictionary was browsed and Harlequins was the favoured selection. Twickenham After a rather nomadic existence in various parts of London in the early days, the club were invited in 1906 to take up residence at the new national stadium, which they duly accepted. In the 1960s they acquired a plot of land nearby, and shortly started developing and playing at the Stoop. The ground is also home to the Rugby League side that bears the same name. Add Your Information Got something to add? Spotted a mistake? The Rugby Ground Guide is dependent on your input to make it work You can submit information or images here. Copyright © 2013 Rugby Ground Guide	Harlequin (disambiguation)
Which phrase meaning ‘very drunk’ has its origins in nautical terminology?	England skipper Robshaw extends Harlequins stay England skipper Robshaw extends Harlequins stay Pin it Share England's flanker and captain Chris Robshaw applauds the crowd at the end of the Pool A match of the 2015 Rugby World Cup between England and Uruguay at Manchester City Stadium in Manchester, northwest England, on October 10, 2015 (AFP Photo/Paul Ellis) More London (AFP) - England captain Chris Robshaw has signed a new contract with Harlequins, the English Premiership side announced on Tuesday. The deal keeps the 29-year-old at Harlequins, the only club he has represented in his professional career after coming through the London side's youth system. Back-row forward Robshaw, who has made over 200 first-team appearances for Quins, who play their home games at the Twickenham Stoop. "I'm honoured to have re-signed with Harlequins, a team I've supported my whole life," Robshaw, man-of-the-match when Harlequins beat Leicester 30-23 in the 2012 Premiership final at nearby Twickenham, said. "I'm looking forward to seeing what the future holds for the club and I'm extremely excited to keep pushing for silverware with both Harlequins and England," he added. "I would like to thank all of the supporters for their continued support and look forward to being with this great club in the years to come." Only Will Carling has led England on more occasions, but Robshaw, who has 43 caps, has not enjoyed the same success at Test level as his fellow Harlequin. Robshaw has been in charge when England have enjoyed notable victories, including a defeat of world champions New Zealand, but has yet to feature in a title-winning Red Rose side of any kind. His England fortunes have been inextricably linked to those of former coach Stuart Lancaster. It was Lancaster who made Robshaw his England captain when he took charge of the national side in 2012. But throughout Robshaw's England career he has faced criticism he is not a natural openside flanker in an age where turnover specialists at the breakdown have become ever more important. Robshaw's decision-making has also come under fire, notably during the recent World Cup where he opted to score a late try off a penalty rather than go for an equalising kick at goal in a 28-25 defeat by Wales at Twickenham. Last week saw Lancaster, whose side were well beaten 33-13 by eventual finalists Australia after the Wales defeat, pay the price for England's failure to get out of group phase -- the worst performance by a World Cup host nation -- by stepping down as head coach. That has led to speculation as to whether Robshaw will both remain as England captain, and indeed keep his place in the side, when the Rugby Football Union eventually appoint a successor to Lancaster. However, he has always received strong support from his club and Harlequins director of rugby Conor O'Shea said Tuesday: "Chris is everything you want in a rugby player and everything that you would want as a person. He has achieved incredible things in his career to date." Former Ireland full-back O'Shea added: "Chris is an exceptional ambassador and role model for the sport and deserves recognition for what he has done, and will continue to do, for this game. "I'd like to thank him for his selfless dedication, humility and resilience." Reblog	i don't know
What is the third sign of the zodiac?	Gemini Sun Sign - Zodiac Signs - Article by Astrology.com Gemini Sun Sign - Zodiac Signs BY ASTROLOGY.COM NOVEMBER 20, 2009 04:51 PM EST Share Share Share Gemini is the third sign of the zodiac, and those born under this sign will be quick to tell you all about it. That's because they love to talk! It's not just idle chatter with these folks, either. The driving force behind a Gemini's conversation is their mind. The Gemini-born are intellectually inclined, forever probing people and places in search of information. The more information a Gemini collects, the better. Sharing that information later on with those they love is also a lot of fun, for Geminis are supremely interested in developing their relationships. Dalliances with these folks are always enjoyable, since Geminis are bright, quick-witted and the proverbial life of the party. Even though their intellectual minds can rationalize forever and a day, Geminis also have a surplus of imagination waiting to be tapped. Can a Gemini be boring? Never! Since Geminis are a mix of the yin and the yang, they are represented perfectly by the Twins. The Gemini-born can easily see both sides of an issue, a wonderfully practical quality. Less practical is the fact that you're not sure which Twin will show up half the time. Geminis may not know who's showing up either, which can prompt others to consider them fickle and restless. They can be wishy-washy, too, changing their mood on a simple whim. It's this characteristic which readily suggests the Mutable Quality assigned to this sign. Mutable folks are flexible and go with the flow. Further, the Twins are adaptable and dexterous and can tackle many things at once. It's a good thing, too, when you consider their myriad interests. The downside of such a curious mind, however, can be a lack of follow-through. How much can any one person do, anyway? Ruled by Mercury, Geminis exhibit a delicious brand of mercurial energy. They are quick-thinking, quick-witted and fast on their feet, much like the messenger god of Roman mythology that rules their sign. Geminis are both curious and clever, which is why they are such a hit at cocktail parties. Although they talk a great game, they also love to listen and learn. With any kind of luck, the Twins will find themselves in interesting company, because if they don't, they are likely to get bored and start fidgeting. Any social setting is a good one for a Gemini, however, since these folks are charming, congenial and love to share themselves with their friends. While their effusiveness may be misconstrued as scheming by some, Geminis generally have their hearts in the right place. It's that ample energy which can also paint them as scatterbrained and unfocused, but behind all that zipping around, the Twins are busily filing all that good data away. The element associated with Gemini is Air. Air signs are the thinking person's signs, and the Twins don't disappoint. Those born under this sign prize intellect and consider it the key to all things. At work, they are the clearest of thinkers, looking at a project from all (well, at least two) sides and putting forth some logical and well-thought-out ideas. This quality makes Geminis an asset to any team, and while these folks are not inclined to take the lead, they are a most valuable component. It's also the Gemini's literary bent that allows them to offer a useful perspective on most any situation. The Twins also enjoy bringing their objective reasoning and big-picture ability into their personal relationships. While some may perceive all this logical thought as cold and unemotional, it's simply how these folks tick. They want to connect, they just do it their own way. Luckily for Geminis (and their pals), their lightness of spirit and youthful exuberance help them to appear forever young. In keeping with that skip in their step, Geminis enjoy short road trips -- and their agile minds and nimble hands ensure that they could change a tire (if needed) in no time flat. Is all of this Twin-energy more than any one person can handle? Ah, maybe that's why they are two. When it comes to sports, Geminis would seem a natural for doubles tennis -- and they are. They love the camaraderie of games and play, which is why they excel at team events. Whether it's volleyball or a game of charades, Geminis are always ready to play. A book club would certainly stimulate their literary minds. In the game of love, Geminis are playful, flirtatious and endless fun. Physically speaking, Gemini rules the nervous system, which is why Twins should practice yoga or deep breathing techniques. Layering themselves in soft yellows and blues will also calm their mood. The great strength of the Gemini-born is in their ability to communicate effectively and to think clearly. Adventures of the mind are what the Twins are all about. They also love to share themselves with their friends, and they make for charming companions. Sponsored Link	Gemini
In 1979, where in Pennsylvania was there a partial nuclear meltdown accident?	The Zodiac: Zodiac Signs -Zodiac Signs- Libra - Scorpio - Sagittarius - Capricorn - Aquarius - Pisces Aries (March 21- April 20): Aries is the first sign of the zodiac. Those who are Aries are independent and courageous. They enjoy leading others and bringing excitement into the lives of others. An Aries is enthusiastic and very goal-oriented. Taurus (April 21- May 21): The second sign of the zodiac, those who are a Taurus are solid and fight for what they want. A Taurus is very easy going but can also be stubborn. A Taurus can be procrastinators but also have a good-work ethic. Gemini (May 22- June 21): Gemini is the third sign of the zodiac. Geminis have many sides and are known for their energy. They are very talkative and are considered social butterflies. A Gemini will always take their lives in the direction they want to go. Cancer (June 22- July 22): Cancer is the fourth sign of the zodiac. This sign is marked by inconsistency. They enjoy security but also seek adventure. A Cancer is not very predictable and always keep others guessing. Leo (July 23- August 21): Leo is the fifth sign in the zodiac. Leos have high self esteem and are very devoted. They are also very kind and generous. A Leo is known for being hot tempered yet forgiving. Virgo (August 22- September 23): The sixth sign of the zodiac, Virgo is very mind oriented. They are constantly analyzing and thinking. They enjoy bettering themselves and those around them. Libra (September 24- October 23): The seventh sign of the zodiac, Libras are known for their diplomatic nature. They get along well with everyone and are ambitious. They have very expensive taste and work hard to make money. Scorpio (October 24- November 22): The eight sign of the zodiac, Scorpios are very intense. They like to question everything and work hard at making sense of things. Scorpios treat others with kindness and loyalty. Sagittarius (November 23- December 22): The ninth sign of the zodiac, a Sagittarius has a very positive outlook on life. They have vibrant personalities and enjoy meeting new people. They can also be reckless. Capricorn (December 23- January 20): The 10th sign of the zodiac, those who are Capricorns are marked by their ambitious nature. They have very active minds and always have to be in control of their lives. Aquarius (January 21- February 19): Aquarius is the 11th sign of the zodiac. Aquarians don't always care what others think about them. They take each opportunity they have and work towards formulating new ideas. Pisces (February 20- March 20): Pisces is the 12th and last sign of the zodiac. Those who are Pisces are extremely sensitive and reserved. They like to escape from reality. A Pisces is a very good listener and friend.	i don't know
What element is third in the periodic table of the elements, after hydrogen and helium?	Chemical Elements Chemical Elements CHEMICAL ELEMENTS The Periodic Table of the Elements - (From The Sciences, 6th ed., by Trefil and Hazen) The periodic table of the elements, which systematizes all known chemical elements, provides a powerful conceptual framework for understanding the structure and interaction of atoms. Dimitri Mendeleev, the Russian scientist who studied the regularity or periodicity in the known chemical elements, related that periodicity to each element’s atomic properties. Today, each element is assigned an integer, called the atomic number, which defines the sequence of elements in the table. The atomic number corresponds to the number of protons in the atom, or, equivalently, if the atom is not charged, to the number of electrons surrounding the nucleus. If you arrange the elements as shown in Figure 8-18 (see below), with elements getting progressively heavier as you read from left to right and top to bottom as in a book, then elements in the same vertical column have very similar chemical properties. Periodic Chemical Properties The most striking characteristic of the periodic table is the similarity of elements in any given column. In the far left-hand column of the table, for example, are highly reactive elements called alkali metals (lithium, sodium, potassium, etc.). Each of these soft, silvery elements forms compounds (called salts) by combining in a one-to-one ratio with any of the elements in the next to last column (fluorine, chlorine, bromine, etc.). Water dissolves these compounds, which include sodium chloride, or table salt. The elements in the second column, including beryllium, magnesium, and calcium, are metallic elements called the alkaline earth metals and they too display similar chemical properties among themselves. These elements, for example, combine with oxygen in a one-to-one ratio to form colorless compounds with very high melting temperatures. Elements in the far right-hand column (helium, neon, argon, and so on), by contrast, are all colorless, odorless gases that are almost impossible to coax into any kind of chemical reaction. These so-called noble gases find applications when ordinary gases are too reactive. Helium lifts blimps, because the only other lighter-than-air gas is the dangerous, explosive element hydrogen. Argon fills incandescent light bulbs, because nitrogen or oxygen would react with the hot filament. In the late nineteenth century, scientists knew that the periodic table “worked”—it organized the 63 elements known at that time and implied the existence of others—but they had no idea why it worked. Their faith in the periodic table was buttressed by the fact that, when Mendeleev first wrote it down, there were holes in the table—places where he predicted elements should go, but for which no element was known. The ensuing search for the missing kinds of atoms produced the elements we now call scandium (in 1876) and germanium (in 1886). Why the Periodic Table Works: Electron Shells With the advent of Bohr’s atomic model and its modern descendants, we finally have some understanding of why the periodic table works. We now realize that the pattern of elements in the periodic table mirrors the spatial arrangement of electrons around the atom’s nucleus—a concentric arrangement of electrons into shells. The atom is largely empty space. When two atoms come near enough to each other to undergo a chemical reaction—a carbon atom and an oxygen atom in a burning piece of coal, for example—electrons in the outermost shells meet each other first. These outermost electrons govern the chemical properties of materials. We have to understand the behavior of these electrons if we want to understand the periodic table. To do this, we need to know one more curious fact about electrons. Electrons are particles that obey what is called the Pauli exclusion principle, which says that no two electrons can occupy the same energy state at the same time. One analogy is to compare electrons to cars in a parking lot. Each car takes up one space, and once a space is filled, no other car can go there. Electrons behave in just the same way. Once an electron fills a particular niche in the atom, no other electron can occupy the same niche. A parking lot can be full long before all the actual space in the lot is taken up with cars, because the driveways and spaces between cars must remain empty. So, too, a given electron shell can be filled with electrons long before all the available space is filled. In fact, it turns out that there are only two spaces that an electron can fill in the innermost electron shell, which corresponds to the lowest Bohr energy level. One of these spaces corresponds to a situation in which the electron “spins” clockwise on its axis, the other to a situation in which it “spins” counterclockwise on its axis. When we start to catalog all possible chemical elements in the periodic table, we have element one (hydrogen) with a single electron in the innermost shell, and element two (helium) with two electrons in that same shell. After this, if we want to add one more electron, it has to go into the second electron shell because the first electron shell is completely filled. This situation explains why only hydrogen and helium appear in the first row in the periodic table. Adding a third electron yields lithium, an atom with two electrons in the first shell, and a single electron in the second electron shell. Lithium is the element just below hydrogen in the first column of the periodic table, because both hydrogen and lithium have a lone electron in their outermost shell (see Figure 8-19 in your textbook). The second electron shell has room for eight electrons, a fact reflected in the eight elements of the periodic table’s second row, from lithium with three electrons to neon with 10. Neon appears directly under helium, and we expect these two gases to have similar chemical properties because both have a completely filled outer electron shell. Thus, a simple counting of the positions available to electrons in the first two electron shells explains why the first row in the periodic table has two elements in it and the second row eight. By similar (but somewhat more complicated) arguments, you can show that the Pauli exclusion principle requires that the next row of the periodic table has 8 elements, the next 18, and so on. Thus, with an understanding of the shell-like structure of the atom’s electrons, the mysterious regularity that Mendeleev found among the chemical elements becomes an example of nature’s laws at work. Figure 8-18. The periodic table of the elements. The weights of the elements increase from left to right. Each vertical column groups elements with similar chemical properties.	Lithium
In 1973, Britain joined at the same time as Ireland and which other country?	Hydrogen»the essentials [WebElements Periodic Table] Element News Hydrogen: the essentials Note that while hydrogen is normally shown at the top of the Group 1 elements in the periodic table, the term "alkaline metal" refers to the Group 1 elements from lithium downwards and not hydrogen. Hydrogen is the lightest element. It is by far the most abundant element in the universe and makes up about about 90% of the universe by weight. It is also the most abundant element in the earth's sun. Hydrogen as water (H2O) is absolutely essential to life and it is present in all organic compounds. Hydrogen is the lightest gas. Hydrogen gas was used in lighter-than-air balloons for transport but is far too dangerous because of the fire risk (Hindenburg). It burns in air to form only water as waste product and if hydrogen could be made on sufficient scale from other than fossil fuels then there might be a possibility of a hydrogen economy. CAS Registry ID : 1333-74-0 Hydrogen: historical information Hydrogen was discovered by Henry Cavendish in 1766 at London, England. Origin of name : from the Greek words "hydro" and "genes" meaning "water" and "generator". Robert Boyle (1627-1691; English chemist and physicist) published a paper ("New experiments touching the relation betwixt flame and air") in 1671 in which he described the reaction between iron filings and dilute acids which results in the evolution of gaseous hydrogen ("inflammable solution of Mars" [iron]). However it was only much later that it was recognized as an element by Henry Cavendish (1731-1810; an English chemist and physicist who also independently discovered nitrogen) in 1766 when he collected it over mercury and described it as "inflammable air from metals". Cavendish described accurately hydrogen's properties but thought erroneously that the gas originated from the metal rather than from the acid. Hydrogen was named by Lavoisier. Deuterium gas (2H2, often written D2), made up from deuterium, a heavy isotope of hydrogen, was discovered in 1931 by Harold Urey, a professor of chemistry at Chicago and California (both USA). Sometime prior to the autumn of 1803, the Englishman John Dalton was able to explain the results of some of his studies by assuming that matter is composed of atoms and that all samples of any given compound consist of the same combination of these atoms. Dalton also noted that in series of compounds, the ratios of the masses of the second element that combine with a given weight of the first element can be reduced to small whole numbers (the law of multiple proportions). This was further evidence for atoms. Dalton's theory of atoms was published by Thomas Thomson in the 3rd edition of his System of Chemistry in 1807 and in a paper about strontium oxalates published in the Philosophical Transactions. Dalton published these ideas himself in the following year in the New System of Chemical Philosophy. The symbol used by Dalton for hydrogen is shown below. [See History of Chemistry, Sir Edward Thorpe, volume 1, Watts & Co, London, 1914.] In 1839 a British scientist Sir William Robert Grove carried out experiments on electrolysis. He used electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. He then argued one should be able to reverse the electrolysis and so generate electricity from the reaction of oxygen with hydrogen. He enclosed platinum strips in separate sealed bottles, one containing hydrogen and one oxygen. When the containers were immersed in dilute sulphuric acid a current indeed flowed between the two electrodes and water was formed in the gas bottles. He linked several of these devices in series to increase the voltage produced in a gas battery. Later the term fuel cell was used by the chemists Ludwig Mond and Charles Langer. In 1932 Dr Francis Thomas Bacon, an engineer at Cambridge University in the UK, worked further on designs of Mond and Langer. He replaced the platinum electrodes with less expensive nickel gauze and substituted the sulphuric acid electrolyte for alkaline potassium hydroxide (less corrosive to the electrodes). This was in essence the first alkaline fuel cell (AFC) and was called the Bacon Cell. It took Bacon another 27 years to demonstrate a machine capable of producing 5 kW of power, enough to power a welding machine. At about the same time the first fuel cell powered vehicle was demonstrated. Much later fuel cells were by NASA in the 1960s for the Apollo space missions. Fuel cells have been used for more than 100 missions in NASA spacecraft. Fuel cells are also used in submarines. The lifting agent for the ill fated Hindenberg ballooon was hydrogen rather than the safer helium. The image below is the scene probably in a way you have not seen it before. This is a "ray-traced" image reproduced with the permission of Johannes Ewers , the artist, who won first place with this image in the March/April 1999 Internet Raytracing Competition . For details of ray-tracing you can't beat the POV-Ray site. Hydrogen around us Read more » Hydrogen makes up two of the three atoms in water and water is absolutely essential to life. Hydrogen is present in all organic compounds. A form of water in which both hydrogen atoms are replaced by deuterium (2H, or D) is called "heavy water" (D2O) and is toxic to mammals. Some bacteria are known to metabolise molecular hydrogen (H2). H2 gas is present in the earth's atmosphere in very small quantities, but is present to a far greater extent chemically bound as water (H2O) Water is a constituent of many minerals. Hydrogen is the lightest element and is by far the most abundant element in the universe, making up about about 90% of the atoms or 75% of the mass, of the universe. Hydrogen is a major constituent of the the sun and most stars. The sun burns by a number of nuclear processes but mainly through the fusion of hydrogen nuclei into helium nuclei. Hydrogen is a major component of the planet Jupiter. In the planet's interior the pressure is probably so great that solid molecular hydrogen is converted into solid metallic hydrogen. Abundances for hydrogen in a number of different environments. More abundance data » Location Second ionisation energy : (no data) kJ mol‑1 Isolation Isolation : in the laboratory, small amounts of hydrogen gas may be made by the reaction of calcium hydride with water. CaH2 + 2H2O → Ca(OH)2 + 2H2 This is quite efficient in the sense that 50% of the hydrogen produced comes from water. Another very convenient laboratory scale experiment follows Boyle's early synthesis, the reaction of iron filings with dilute sulphuric acid. Fe + H2SO4 → FeSO4 + H2 There are many industrial methods for the production of hydrogen and that used will depend upon local factors such as the quantity required and the raw materials to hand. Two processes in use involve heating coke with steam in the water gas shift reaction or hydrocarbons such as methane with steam. CH4 + H2O (1100°C) → CO + 3H2 C(coke) + H2O (1000°C) → CO + H2 In both these cases, further hydrogen may be made by passing the CO and steam over hot (400°C) iron oxide or cobalt oxide. CO + H2O → CO2 + H2 Read more » The Hydrogen isotope H-2, also known as deuterium, is used in a variety of applications. Deuterium is used extensively in organic chemistry in order to study chemical reactions. It is also used in vitamin research. Deuterium in the form of H2O, known as heavy water, is used as a moderator in CANDU nuclear reactors, in NMR studies and in studies into human metabolism. Heavy water is also applied in the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory where it is used to study the behavior of neutrinos.	i don't know
In which year was the Maastricht treaty signed? (It came into force a year later.)	EUR-Lex - xy0026 - EN - EUR-Lex Text Treaty of Maastricht on European Union The Treaty on European Union (TEU) represents a new stage in European integration since it opens the way to political integration. It creates a European Union consisting of three pillars: the European Communities, Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), and police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters (JHA). The Treaty introduces the concept of European citizenship, reinforces the powers of the European Parliament and launches economic and monetary union (EMU). Besides, the EEC becomes the European Community (EC). BIRTH The Treaty on European Union (TEU), signed in Maastricht on 7 February 1992, entered into force on 1 November 1993. This Treaty is the result of external and internal events. At external level, the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the outlook of German reunification led to a commitment to reinforce the Community's international position. At internal level, the Member States wished to supplement the progress achieved by the Single European Act with other reforms. This led to the convening of two Inter-Governmental Conferences, one on EMU and the other on political union. The Hanover European Council of 27 and 28 June 1988 entrusted the task of preparing a report proposing concrete steps towards economic union to a group of experts chaired by Jacques Delors. The Dublin European Council of 28 April 1990, on the basis of a Belgian memorandum on institutional reform and a Franco-German initiative inviting the Member States to consider accelerating the political construction of Europe, decided to examine the need to amend the EC Treaty so as to move towards European integration. It was the Rome European Council of 14 and 15 December 1990 which finally launched the two Intergovernmental Conferences. This culminated a year later in the Maastricht Summit of 9 and 10 December 1991. OBJECTIVES With the Treaty of Maastricht, the Community clearly went beyond its original economic objective, i.e. creation of a common market, and its political ambitions came to the fore. In this context, the Treaty of Maastricht responds to five key goals: strengthen the democratic legitimacy of the institutions; improve the effectiveness of the institutions; establish economic and monetary union; develop the Community social dimension; establish a common foreign and security policy. STRUCTURE The Treaty has a complicated structure. Its preamble is followed by seven titles. Title I contains provisions shared by the Communities, common foreign policy, and judicial cooperation. Title II contains provisions amending the EEC Treaty, while Titles III and IV amend the ECSC and EAEC Treaties respectively. Title V introduces provisions concerning common foreign and security policy (CFSP). Title VI contains provisions on cooperation in the fields of justice and home affairs (JHA). The final provisions are set out in Title VII. EUROPEAN UNION The Maastricht Treaty creates the European Union, which consists of three pillars: the European Communities, common foreign and security policy and police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters. The first pillar consists of the European Community, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and Euratom and concerns the domains in which the Member States share their sovereignty via the Community institutions. The process known as the Community method applies in this connection, i.e. a proposal by the European Commission, its adoption by the Council and the European Parliament and the monitoring of compliance with Community law by the Court of Justice. The second pillar establishes common foreign and security policy (CFSP), enshrined in Title V of the Treaty on European Union. This replaces the provisions of the Single European Act and allows Member States to take joint action in the field of foreign policy. This pillar involves an intergovernmental decision-making process which largely relies on unanimity. The Commission and Parliament play a modest role and the Court of Justice has no say in this area. The third pillar concerns cooperation in the field of justice and home affairs (JHA), provided for in Title VI of the Treaty on European Union. The Union is expected to undertake joint action so as to offer European citizens a high level of protection in the area of freedom, security and justice. The decision-making process is also intergovernmental. INSTITUTIONS In the wake of the Single European Act, the Maastricht Treaty also expands the role of the European Parliament. The scope of the cooperation procedure and the assent procedure has been extended to new areas. Besides, the Treaty creates a new codecision procedure which allows the European Parliament to adopt acts in conjunction with the Council. This procedure entails stronger contacts between the Parliament and the Council in order to reach agreement. Besides, the Treaty involves Parliament in the procedure for confirming the Commission. The role played by the European political parties in European integration is recognised. They contribute to forming a European awareness and to expressing the political will of the Europeans. As regards the Commission, the duration of its term of office has been extended from four to five years with a view to aligning it to with that of the European Parliament. Like the Single Act, this Treaty extends qualified majority voting within the Council to cover most decisions under the codecision procedure and all decisions under the cooperation procedure. To recognise the importance of the regional dimension, the Treaty creates the Committee of the Regions. Made up of representatives of the regional authorities, this Committee plays an advisory role. POLICIES The Treaty establishes Community policies in six new areas: trans-European networks; culture. ECONOMIC AND MONETARY UNION The EMU puts the finishing touches to the single market. Economic policy consists of three components. The Member States must ensure coordination of their economic policies, provide for multilateral surveillance of this coordination, and are subject to financial and budgetary discipline. The objective of monetary policy is to create a single currency and to ensure this currency's stability thanks to price stability and respect for the market economy. The Treaty provides for the establishment of a single currency in three successive stages: the first stage, which liberalises the movement of capital, began on 1 January 1990; the second stage began on 1 January 1994 and provides for convergence of the Member States' economic policies; the third stage should begin by the latest on 1 January 1999 with the creation of a single currency and the establishment of a Central European Bank (CEB). Monetary policy is based on the European System of Central Banks (ESCB), consisting of the CEB and the national central banks. These institutions are independent of the national and Community political authorities. Special rules apply to two Member States. The United Kingdom has not proceeded to the third stage. Denmark has obtained a protocol providing that a referendum shall decide on its participation in the third stage. SOCIAL PROTOCOL Thanks to the social protocol annexed to the Treaty, Community powers are broadened in the social domain. The United Kingdom is not a signatory of this protocol. Its objectives are: promotion of employment; improvement of living and working conditions; adequate social protection;	1992
Who composed ‘Finlandia’ (1899) and the ‘Karelia Suite’ (c 1893)?	European Union (EU) \| European organization \| Britannica.com European organization Alternative Titles: EU, Europäische Union, Union Européenne, Unione Europea Related Topics France European Union (EU), international organization comprising 28 European countries and governing common economic, social, and security policies. Originally confined to western Europe , the EU undertook a robust expansion into central and eastern Europe in the early 21st century. The EU’s members are Austria , Belgium , Bulgaria , Croatia , Cyprus , the Czech Republic , Denmark , Estonia , Finland , France , Germany , Greece , Hungary , Ireland , Italy , Latvia , Lithuania , Luxembourg , Malta , the Netherlands , Poland , Portugal , Romania , Slovakia , Slovenia , Spain , Sweden , and the United Kingdom . The EU was created by the Maastricht Treaty , which entered into force on November 1, 1993. The treaty was designed to enhance European political and economic integration by creating a single currency (the euro ), a unified foreign and security policy, and common citizenship rights and by advancing cooperation in the areas of immigration, asylum, and judicial affairs. The EU was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2012, in recognition of the organization’s efforts to promote peace and democracy in Europe. Flag of the European Union. Composition of the European Union. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. An overview of the European Union’s history. © Open University (A Britannica Publishing Partner) Origins The EU represents one in a series of efforts to integrate Europe since World War II . At the end of the war, several western European countries sought closer economic, social, and political ties to achieve economic growth and military security and to promote a lasting reconciliation between France and Germany. To this end, in 1951 the leaders of six countries—Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany—signed the Treaty of Paris , thereby, when it took effect in 1952, founding the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). (The United Kingdom had been invited to join the ECSC and in 1955 sent a representative to observe discussions about its ongoing development, but the Labour government of Clement Attlee declined membership, owing perhaps to a variety of factors, including the illness of key ministers, a desire to maintain economic independence, and a failure to grasp the community’s impending significance.) The ECSC created a free-trade area for several key economic and military resources: coal, coke, steel, scrap, and iron ore. To manage the ECSC, the treaty established several supranational institutions: a High Authority to administrate, a Council of Ministers to legislate, a Common Assembly to formulate policy, and a Court of Justice to interpret the treaty and to resolve related disputes. A series of further international treaties and treaty revisions based largely on this model led eventually to the creation of the EU. Creation of the European Economic Community Similar Topics League of Nations On March 25, 1957, the six ECSC members signed the two Treaties of Rome that established the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom)—which was designed to facilitate cooperation in atomic energy development, research, and utilization—and the European Economic Community (EEC). The EEC created a common market that featured the elimination of most barriers to the movement of goods, services, capital, and labour, the prohibition of most public policies or private agreements that inhibit market competition, a common agricultural policy (CAP), and a common external trade policy. Signing of the Treaty of Rome, March 25, 1957. AP Images The treaty establishing the EEC required members to eliminate or revise important national laws and regulations. In particular, it fundamentally reformed tariff and trade policy by abolishing all internal tariffs by July 1968. It also required that governments eliminate national regulations favouring domestic industries and cooperate in areas in which they traditionally had acted independently, such as international trade (i.e., trade with countries outside the EEC). The treaty called for common rules on anticompetitive and monopolistic behaviour and for common inland transportation and regulatory standards. Recognizing social policy as a fundamental component of economic integration , the treaty also created the European Social Fund, which was designed to enhance job opportunities by facilitating workers’ geographic and occupational mobility. Map showing the composition of the European Economic Community (EEC) from 1957, when it was formed … Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Ringling Bros. Folds Its Tent Significantly, the treaty’s common market reforms did not extend to agriculture. The CAP, which was implemented in 1962 and which became the costliest and most controversial element of the EEC and later the EU, relied on state intervention to protect the living standards of farmers, to promote agricultural self-sufficiency, and to ensure a reliable supply of products at reasonable prices. British Culture and Politics Like the ECSC, the EEC established four major governing institutions: a commission, a ministerial council, an assembly, and a court. To advise the Commission and the Council of Ministers on a broad range of social and economic policies, the treaty created an Economic and Social Committee. In 1965 members of the EEC signed the Brussels Treaty , which merged the commissions of the EEC and Euratom and the High Authority of the ECSC into a single commission. It also combined the councils of the three organizations into a common Council of Ministers. The EEC, Euratom, and the ECSC—collectively referred to as the European Communities—later became the principal institutions of the EU. The Commission (officially known as the European Commission ) consists of a permanent civil service directed by commissioners. It has had three primary functions: to formulate community policies, to monitor compliance with community decisions, and to oversee the execution of community law. Initially, commissioners were appointed by members to renewable four-year terms, which were later extended to five years. The Commission is headed by a president, who is selected by the heads of state or heads of government of the organization’s members. In consultation with member governments, the president appoints the heads of the Directorate-Generals, which manage specific areas such as agriculture, competition, the environment , and regional policy. The Commission has shared its agenda-setting role with the European Council (not to be confused with the Council of Europe , an organization that is not an EU body), which consists of the leaders of all member countries. Established in 1974, the European Council meets at least twice a year to define the long-term agenda for European political and economic integration. The European Council is led by a president, an office that originally rotated among the heads of state or heads of government of member countries every six months. Upon the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty in 2009, the presidency was made permanent, with the officeholder being selected by European Council members. The president of the European Council serves a term of two and a half years—renewable once—and functions as the “face” of the EU in policy matters. The first “president of the EU,” as the office came to be known, was former Belgian prime minister Herman Van Rompuy . Connect with Britannica Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Pinterest The main decision-making institution of the EEC and the European Community (as the EEC was renamed in 1993) and the EU has been the Council of the European Union (originally the Council of Ministers), which consists of ministerial representatives. The composition of the council changes frequently, as governments send different representatives depending on the policy area under discussion. All community legislation requires the approval of the council. The president of the council, whose office rotates among council members every six months, manages the legislative agenda. Council meetings are chaired by a minister from the country that currently holds the presidency. The exception to this rule is the Foreign Affairs Council, which, since the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, is under the permanent supervision of the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy. The Common Assembly, renamed the European Parliament in 1962, originally consisted of delegates from national parliaments. Beginning in 1979, members were elected directly to five-year terms. The size of members’ delegations varies depending on population. The Parliament is organized into transnational party groups based on political ideology—e.g., the Party of European Socialists , the European People’s Party , the European Federation of Green Parties, and the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party . Until 1987 the legislature served only as a consultative body, though in 1970 it was given joint decision-making power (with the Council of Ministers) over community expenditures. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) interprets community law, settles conflicts between the organization’s institutions, and determines whether members have fulfilled their treaty obligations. Each member selects one judge, who serves a renewable six-year term; to increase efficiency , after the accession of 10 additional countries in 2004 the ECJ was allowed to sit in a “grand chamber” of only 13 judges. Eight impartial advocates-general assist the ECJ by presenting opinions on cases before the court. In 1989 an additional court, the Court of First Instance, was established to assist with the community’s increasing caseload. The ECJ has established two important legal doctrines. First, European law has “direct effect,” which means that treaty provisions and legislation are directly binding on individual citizens, regardless of whether their governments have modified national laws accordingly. Second, community law has “supremacy” over national law in cases where the two conflict. The promulgation of the Lisbon Treaty signaled the acceptance of these legal doctrines by national courts, and the ECJ has acquired a supranational legal authority. Britannica Lists & Quizzes Editor Picks: Exploring 10 Types of Basketball Movies Throughout the 1970s and ’80s the EEC gradually expanded both its membership and its scope. In 1973 the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Ireland were admitted, followed by Greece in 1981 and Portugal and Spain in 1986. (The United Kingdom had applied for membership in the EEC in 1963 and in 1966, but its application was vetoed by French Pres. Charles de Gaulle.) The community’s common external trade policy generated pressure for common foreign and development policies, and in the early 1970s the European Political Cooperation (EPC; renamed the Common Foreign and Security Policy by the Maastricht Treaty), consisting of regular meetings of the foreign ministers of each country, was established to coordinate foreign policy. In 1975 the European Regional Development Fund was created to address regional economic disparities and to provide additional resources to Europe’s most deprived areas. In the same year, members endorsed the Lomé Convention , a development-assistance package and preferential-trade agreement with numerous African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries. Members also made several attempts to manage their exchange rates collectively, resulting in the establishment of the European Monetary System in 1979. Single European Act The Single European Act (SEA), which entered into force on July 1, 1987, significantly expanded the EEC’s scope. It gave the meetings of the EPC a legal basis, and it called for more intensive coordination of foreign policy among members, though foreign policy decisions were made outside community institutions. The agreement brought the European Regional Development Fund formally into the community’s treaties as part of a new section on economic and social cohesion that aimed to encourage the development of economically depressed areas. As a result of the act, there was a substantial increase in funding for social and regional programs. The SEA also required the community’s economic policies to incorporate provisions for the protection of the environment, and it provided for a common research and technological-development policy, which was aimed primarily at funding transnational research efforts. Trending Topics Opium Wars More generally, the SEA set out a timetable for the completion of a common market. A variety of legal, technical, fiscal, and physical barriers continued to limit the free movement of goods, labour, capital, and services. For example, differences in national health and safety standards for consumer goods were a potential impediment to trade. To facilitate the completion of the common market by 1992, the community’s legislative process was modified. Originally, the Commission proposed legislation, the Parliament was consulted, and the Council of Ministers made a final decision. The council’s decisions generally needed unanimity, a requirement that gave each member a veto over all legislation. The SEA introduced qualified majority voting for all legislation related to the completion of the common market. Under this system, each member was given multiple votes, the number of which depended on national population, and approval of legislation required roughly two-thirds of the votes of all members. The new procedure also increased the role of the European Parliament. Specifically, legislative proposals that were rejected by the Parliament could be adopted by the Council of Ministers only by a unanimous vote. The Maastricht Treaty The Maastricht Treaty (formally known as the Treaty on European Union), which was signed on February 7, 1992, created the European Union. The treaty met with substantial resistance in some countries. In Denmark, for example, voters who were worried about infringements upon their country’s sovereignty defeated a referendum on the original treaty in June 1992, though a revised treaty was approved the following May. Voters in France narrowly approved the treaty in September, and in July 1993 British Prime Minister John Major was forced to call a vote of confidence in order to secure its passage. An amended version of the treaty officially took effect on November 1, 1993. The treaty consisted of three main pillars: the European Communities , a common foreign and security policy, and enhanced cooperation in home (domestic) affairs and justice. The treaty changed the name of the European Economic Community to the European Community (EC), which became the primary component of the new European Union. The agreement gave the EC broader authority, including formal control of community policies on development, education, public health, and consumer protection and an increased role in environmental protection, social and economic cohesion, and technological research. It also established EU citizenship, which entailed the right of EU citizens to vote and to run for office in local and European Parliament elections in their country of residence, regardless of national citizenship. The Maastricht Treaty specified an agenda for incorporating monetary policy into the EC and formalized planning that had begun in the late 1980s to replace national currencies with a common currency managed by common monetary institutions. The treaty defined a set of “convergence criteria” that specified the conditions under which a member would qualify for participation in the common currency. Countries were required to have annual budget deficits not exceeding 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), public debt under 60 percent of GDP, inflation rates within 1.5 percent of the three lowest inflation rates in the EU, and exchange-rate stability. The members that qualified were to decide whether to proceed to the final stage—the adoption of a single currency. The decision required the establishment of permanent exchange rates and, after a transition period, the replacement of national currencies with the common currency, called the euro. Although several countries failed to meet the convergence criteria (e.g., in Italy and Belgium public debt exceeded 120 percent of GDP), the Commission qualified nearly all members for monetary union, and on January 1, 1999, 11 countries—Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain—adopted the currency and relinquished control over their exchange rates. Greece failed to qualify, and Denmark, Sweden, and the United Kingdom chose not to apply for membership. Greece was admitted to the euro beginning in 2001. Initially used only by financial markets and businesses, the euro was introduced for use by the general public on January 1, 2002. The Maastricht Treaty significantly modified the EEC’s institutions and decision-making processes. The Commission was reformed to increase its accountability to the Parliament. Beginning in 1995, the term of office for commissioners, who now had to be approved by the Parliament, was lengthened to five years to correspond to the terms served by members of the Parliament. The ECJ was granted the authority to impose fines on members for noncompliance. Several new institutions were created, including the European Central Bank , the European System of Central Banks, and the European Monetary Institute. The treaty also created a regional committee, which served as an advisory body for commissioners and the Council of Ministers on issues relevant to subnational, regional, or local constituencies . One of the most radical changes was the reform of the legislative process. The range of policies subject to qualified majority voting in the Council of Ministers was broadened. The treaty also endowed the Parliament with a limited right of rejection over legislation in most of the areas subject to qualified majority voting, and in a few areas, including citizenship, it was given veto power. The treaty formally incorporated the Court of Auditors, which was created in the 1970s to monitor revenue and expenditures, into the EC. As part of the treaty’s second pillar, members undertook to define and implement common foreign and security policies. Members agreed that, where possible, they would adopt common defense policies, which would be implemented through the Western European Union , a security organization that includes many EU members. Joint actions—which were not subject to monitoring or enforcement by the Commission or the ECJ—required unanimity. The EU’s third pillar included several areas of common concern related to the free movement of people within the EU’s borders. The elimination of border controls conflicted with some national immigration, asylum, and residency policies and made it difficult to combat crime and to apply national civil codes uniformly, thus creating the need for new Europe-wide policies. For example, national asylum policies that treated third-country nationals differently could not, in practice, endure once people were allowed to move freely across national borders. Enlargement and post-Maastricht reforms On January 1, 1995, Sweden, Austria, and Finland joined the EU, leaving Iceland , Norway , and Switzerland as the only major western European countries outside the organization. Norway’s government twice (1972 and 1994) attempted to join, but its voters rejected membership on each occasion. Switzerland tabled its application in the early 1990s. Norway, Iceland, and the members of the EU (along with Liechtenstein) are members of a free trade area called the European Economic Area , which allows freedom of movement for goods, services, capital, and people. Two subsequent treaties revised the policies and institutions of the EU. The first, the Treaty of Amsterdam , was signed in 1997 and entered into force on May 1, 1999. Building on the social protocol of the Maastricht Treaty, it identified as EU objectives the promotion of employment, improved living and working conditions, and proper social protection; added sex-discrimination protections and transferred asylum, immigration, and civil judicial policy to the community’s jurisdiction; granted the Council of Ministers the power to penalize members for serious violations of fundamental human rights; and gave the Parliament veto power over a broad range of EC policies as well as the power to reject the European Council’s nominee for president of the Commission. A second treaty, the Treaty of Nice, was signed in 2001 and entered into force on February 1, 2003. Negotiated in preparation for the admission of new members from eastern Europe, it contained major reforms. The maximum number of seats on the Commission was set at 27, the number of commissioners appointed by members was made the same at one each, and the president of the Commission was given greater independence from national governments. Qualified majority voting in the Council of Ministers was extended to several new areas. Approval of legislation by qualified voting required the support of members representing at least 62 percent of the EU population and either the support of a majority of members or a supermajority of votes cast. Although national vetoes remained in areas such as taxation and social policy, countries choosing to pursue further integration in limited areas were not precluded from doing so. After the end of Cold War , many of the former communist countries of eastern and central Europe applied for EU membership. However, their relative lack of economic development threatened to hinder their full integration into EU institutions. To address this problem, the EU considered a stratified system under which subsets of countries would participate in some components of economic integration (e.g., a free trade area) but not in others (e.g., the single currency). Turkey , at the periphery of Europe, also applied for membership, though its application was controversial because it was a predominantly Islamic country, because it was widely accused of human rights violations, and because it had historically tense relations with Greece (especially over Cyprus). Despite opposition from those who feared that expansion of the EU would stifle consensus and inhibit the development of Europe-wide foreign and security policies, the EU in 2004 admitted 10 countries (Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia), all but two of which (Cyprus and Malta) were former communist states; Bulgaria and Romania joined in 2007. Negotiations on Turkey’s membership application began in 2005 but faced numerous difficulties. Composition of the European Union. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Building on the limited economic and political goals of the ECSC, the countries of western Europe have achieved an unprecedented level of integration and cooperation. The degree of legal integration, supranational political authority, and economic integration in the EU greatly surpasses that of other international organizations. Indeed, although the EU has not replaced the nation-state, its institutions have increasingly resembled a parliamentary democratic political system at the supranational level. In 2002 the Convention on the Future of Europe, chaired by former French president Valéry Giscard d’Estaing , was established to draft a constitution for the enlarged EU. Among the most difficult problems confronting the framers of the document was how to distribute power within the EU between large and small members and how to adapt the organization’s institutions to accommodate a membership that would be more than four times larger than that of the original EEC. The framers also needed to balance the ideal of deeper integration against the goal of protecting members’ national traditions. The drafting process evoked considerable controversy, particularly over the question of whether the constitution should mention God and the Christian heritage of much of European society (the final version did not). The proposed constitution was signed in 2004 but required ratification by all EU members to take effect; voters in France and the Netherlands rejected it in 2005, thereby scuttling the constitution at least in the short term. It would have created a full-time president, a European foreign minister, a public prosecutor, and a charter of fundamental rights. Under the constitution the powers of the European Parliament would have been greatly expanded and the EU given a “legal personality” that entailed the sole right to negotiate most treaties on its members’ behalf. Under the leadership of Germany, work began in early 2007 on a reform treaty intended to replace the failed constitution. The resulting Lisbon Treaty , signed in December 2007, required approval by all 27 EU member countries in order to take effect. The treaty, which retained portions of the draft constitution, would establish an EU presidency, consolidate foreign policy representation for the EU, and devolve additional powers to the European Commission, the European Court of Justice, and the European Parliament. Unlike the draft constitution, the Lisbon Treaty would amend rather than replace existing treaties. The treaty failed, at least in the short term, in June 2008 after it was rejected by voters in a national referendum in Ireland. However, in a second referendum, in October 2009, Irish voters—apparently concerned that another “no” vote would imperil Ireland’s ailing economy—overwhelmingly approved the treaty. A week after the Irish vote, Poland completed its ratification of the treaty as well. At that time the treaty remained to be ratified by only one country, the Czech Republic. Although the Czech Parliament already had approved the treaty, Czech Pres. Václav Klaus expressed concern that it would threaten Czech sovereignty and refused to sign it. In early November, after the Czech Constitutional Court ruled that the treaty did not imperil the Czech constitution, Klaus reluctantly endorsed the document, completing the country’s ratification process. Having been approved by all 27 member countries, the treaty entered into force on December 1, 2009. Page 1 of 2 European Union - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up) The organization for the economic and political integration of Europe known as the European Union (EU) was officially created on November 1, 1993. In practice, however, the union traces its origins back to 1950, and it has continued to grow in the 21st century. EU members are sovereign countries that have control over their own basic economic and political affairs, yet they have agreed to follow several EU laws and standards, including treaties regulating regional and world trade, the free movement of citizens within the EU, environmental regulations, and security and law enforcement agreements. Article Contributors	i don't know
Bedrich was the first name of which Czech composer, 1824 to 1884?	Bedrich Smetana (1824 - 1884) - Find A Grave Memorial Prague Prague Capital City, Czech Republic Composer, Conductor. The founder of nationalism in Czech music. In his best known works, the comic opera "The Bartered Bride" (1866) and the orchestral cycle "Ma Vlast" ("My Homeland", 1875 to 1880), he pioneered a distinctive Czech style derived from Bohemian folk and cultural traditions. Smetana was born in Leitomischel, Bohemia. His father, an amateur violinist, gave him his first lessons and by age eight he was skilled in piano and violin. In 1844 he moved to Prague, where he studied composition and theory with Josef Proksch. After a disastrous 1847 concert tour dashed his hopes of becoming a keyboard virtuoso, he opened a piano school with the encouragement of Franz Liszt, an important influence. His early compositions, including the Overture in D (1848), the "Triumphal Symphony" (1854), and the tone poem "Wallenstein's Camp" (1859) are much in the Berlioz-Liszt romantic mode. The 1850s were dark times for Smetana. His wife and three of their four daughters died from illnesses; he subsequently remarried, unhappily. His career floundered in Prague and from 1856 to 1860 he served as a music director in G�teborg, Sweden, which he described as "a backwater". Liszt remained a source of inspiration. Smetana strengthened his orchestral technique by studying Liszt's "Faust Symphony" and the early symphonic poems, and in September 1857 he visited his idol in Weimar. On that occasion an offhand remark decided his future. During a group discussion of opera, Viennese conductor Johann von Herbeck asserted that Czechs were too indebted to Austro-German culture to make music of their own. Smetana recalled, "I swore there and then that no other than I should beget a native Czech music". The advent of a more liberal political climate in his homeland, and the announcement that a Provisional Theatre would be opened for specifically Czech stage works, prompted Smetana's enthusiastic return to Prague in 1861. He hoped to become music director of the new theatre but the appointment was given to the more conservative conductor Jan Nepomuk Mayr, launching a bitter public feud between the two. Likewise he was passed over for the position as director of the Prague Conservatory in 1864. Instead he devoted his energies to a national competition for the best historical and comic operas based on Czech themes, to be presented at the Provisional Theatre. He won both and in the process single-handedly created Czech opera with "The Brandenburgers in Bohemia" (1866) and "The Bartered Bride". Mayr refused to conduct or even rehearse "The Brandenburgers", so Smetana led the premiere himself; it was so well received that Mayr resigned and was replaced by his rival. Curiously, the first performances of "The Bartered Bride" flopped, but Smetana revised the score and its definitive 1870 version was a triumph, eventually conquering the world's stages. He went on to write six more operas, "Dalibor" (1868), "Libuse" (1872), "The Two Widows" (1874), "The Kiss" (1876), "The Secret" (1878), and "The Devil's Wall" (1882), though none achieved international fame. Smetana's directorship of the Provisional Theatre was marred by controversy. While he introduced over 40 operas to its repertory and promoted much new Czech music, his enemies (led by Mayr) saw him as a "dangerous modernist" whose admiration for Liszt and Wagner was incompatible with a truly nationalist brand of art. His orchestra split into factions, with young violist Antonin Dvorak vociferously leading the pro-Smetana group, and in 1873 a petition was circulated for his dismissal. The support of many prominent artists assured that his contract was renewed at an increased salary, but the victory was short-lived. In 1874 Smetana began suffering from the onset of tertiary syphilis, marked by memory lapses and a constant ringing in his ears. By October of that year he had grown completely deaf and was forced to resign from the Provisional Theatre. His creativity remained unimpaired and the next six years were his most productive, dominated by "Ma Vlast". Fervent nationalism and a romantic spirit are united in this cycle of six symphonic poems depicting different aspects of Bohemia, its history and legend. The first four were composed in rapid succession and introduced in 1875: "Vysehrad" ("The High Castle"), "Vltava" ("The Moldau"), "Sarka", and "From Bohemia's Woods and Fields". The last two, "Tabor" and "Blanik", appeared in 1880. "Ma Vlast" was premiered as a complete set in 1882 and is still often performed that way, although "Vltava"/"The Moldau" - that majestic portrait of the longest Czech river, with Smetana's most familiar melody as its unifying theme - has far outdistanced the others in popularity and number of recordings. Another masterpiece of this period is the String Quartet No. 1 in E minor ("From My Life", 1876). Its autobiographical nature is made explicit in the finale, which is interrupted by a piercing shriek on high violin - symbolizing the ringing that went through Smetana's head as he was losing his hearing. His last important work was the String Quartet No. 2 in D minor (1883). By early 1884 Smetana's illness had reached its tragic final stage. He could no longer write music and slipped into dementia with occasionally violent episodes. A gala concert and banquet celebrating his 60th birthday had to take place without him. In April he was admitted to an asylum in Prague, where he died a few weeks later. The nationalist impulse that Smetana forged in Czech music would be carried on even more successfully by Dvorak. (bio by: Bobb Edwards)	Bedřich Smetana
In which month did Browning long to be in England, in ‘Home Thoughts from Abroad’?	Smetana, Bedřich (1824 - 1884) - Credo Reference Embedding articles is subject to our Terms of use . [{"style":"mla","pubnonperiodical":{"title":"Topic Pages","city":"Boston","publisher":"Credo Reference Publisher Contributors","year":2017,"state":"MA"},"pubtype":{"main":"pubnonperiodical","suffix":"pubdatabase"},"pubdatabase":{"year":"2017","month":"January","day":"19","yearaccessed":"2017","monthaccessed":"January","dayaccessed":"19","service":"Credo Reference","db":"Credo Reference","searchtext":"http://search.credoreference.com/content/topic/smetana_bed%C5%99ich_1824_1884"},"source":"chapter","chapter":{"title":"Smetana, Bedřich (1824 - 1884)","type":"essay"}}] Topic Page: Smetana, Bedřich (1824 - 1884) Summary Article: Smetana, Bedřich from The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide Bohemian composer. He established a Czech nationalist style in, for example, the operas Prodaná Nevěsta/The Bartered Bride (1866) and Dalibor (1868), and the symphonic suite Má Vlast/My Country (1875–80). He conducted at the National Theatre of Prague in 1866–74. Smetana was the son of a brewer. He played piano and violin at a very early age and was soon able to play in the family's string quartet. He was educated in Germany and all his life, in spite of his musical nationalism, spoke and wrote Czech like a foreigner. He was sent to school first in Prague and then at Pilsen. His father opposed a musical career, but eventually allowed him to study music in Prague, though with a very small allowance. In 1844 he obtained the post of music master in Count Thun's family, which helped to support him until 1847. In 1848 he took part in the revolution against Austria, married the pianist Kateřina Kolařová, established a school of music for which Liszt supplied funds, and was recommended by Liszt to the Leipzig publisher Kistner. In 1856 he went to Göteborg in Sweden, where at first he taught but later became conductor of the new Philharmonic Society and gave piano and chamber-music recitals. He returned to Prague in 1859 because the northern climate did not suit his wife, who died at Dresden on the way back. He married Bettina Ferdinandová in 1860 and returned to Sweden in the autumn, but finally returned to Prague in the spring of 1861. After a long tour in Germany, Holland, and Sweden to raise money, he settled in the Czech capital in 1863 and opened another school of music, this time with distinctly national tendencies, and became conductor of the Hlahol choral society. His work was now becoming thoroughly Czech in character, and he began to produce Czech operas in the national theatre established in 1864, of which he became conductor in 1866. The nationalist opera The Brandenburgers in Bohemia was a success in January 1866, although Prodaná Nevesta/The Bartered Bride, for which he is most well known, was a failure in May. In 1872 he began composing his great cycle of symphonic poems, Má Vlast/My Country which is often performed in the Czech Republic at times of national celebration. In 1874 he suddenly became totally deaf, as the result of a syphilitic infection. He still continued to compose operas as well as the string quartet From my Life, with its strong autobiographical theme, depicting his love for his first wife and children (all of whom had died by 1859). At the beginning of the last movement, the onset of his deafness is portrayed by a piercing high note on the violin (representing the condition he had, where he could hear a high note in his ear all the time). In 1881 he had his last major success, when his great patriotic festival opera Libuše was premiered in Prague. In 1883 he was certified insane and in May 1884 was taken to an asylum, where he died. WorksOperaProdaná Nevesta/The Bartered Bride (1866), Dalibor (1868), Libuše (1881), Two Widows (1874). Orchestral cycle of symphonic poems Má Vlast/My Country containing Vyšehrad, Vltava, Šárka, In the Bohemian Woods and Fields, Tábor, Blanik (1872–79). Chamber and piano piano trio in G minor (1855), two string quartets (1876, 1883; the first From my Life); 8 Op. nos. of piano works and many miscellaneous piano pieces including Wedding Scenes, Scenes from Macbeth, and Czech dances. quotations	i don't know
In the name of the unpleasant bacterium c. difficile, what does the ‘C’ represent?	C. diff (C. difficile Colitis): Symptoms, Treatment & Causes Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) facts Clostridium difficile colitis is an infection of the colon by the bacterium, Clostridium difficile ( C. difficile ). C. difficile causes colitis by producing toxins that damage the lining of the colon. The symptoms of C. difficile colitis are fever , diarrhea , and abdominal pain . Serious complications of C. difficile colitis include dehydration , rupture of the colon, and spread of infection to the abdominal cavity or body. Severe infection is life-threatening. The most common cause of C. difficle colitis is treatment with antibiotics. The antibiotics are believed to suppress normal colonic bacteria that usually keep C. difficile from multiplying and causing colitis. Most cases of C. difficile colitis occur in patients in the hospital, but the number of cases that occur among individuals not having been in or recently discharged from the hospital has increased greatly. The primary means of diagnosing C.difficile colitis is by testing for the bacterial toxins in samples of stool. The treatment of C. difficile colitis is with antibiotics, primarily vancomycin and metronidazole . Up to 10% of patients do not respond to a course of one of the antibiotics and require retreatment, more prolonged treatment or treatment with a different antibiotic. Ten to 20 percent of patients who are successfully treated by their first course of antibiotics have a relapse of the colitis after the antibiotics are stopped. Among patients who relapse, additional treatment with antibiotics is less successful than the initial treatment in permanently curing the colitis, and multiple relapses in these patients are common. Among the treatments for multiple relapses of C. difficile colitis, a widely studied and effective treatment is transplantation of fecal bacteria from relatives or stool banks. What is Clostridium difficile (C. difficile?)	Clostridium
What colour are viagra tablets (apparently)?	Clostridium difficile Infection: Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Risk Factors, and Therapeutic Options Review Article Clostridium difficile Infection: Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Risk Factors, and Therapeutic Options Mehdi Goudarzi ,1 Sima Sadat Seyedjavadi ,2 Hossein Goudarzi ,1 Elnaz Mehdizadeh Aghdam ,3 and Saeed Nazeri 2 1Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran 2Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Pasteur Institute of Iran (IPI), No. 358, 12th Farwardin Avenue, Jomhhoori Street, Tehran 1316943551, Iran 3Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran Received 12 February 2014; Accepted 11 May 2014; Published 1 June 2014 Academic Editor: Joaquim Ruiz Blazquez Copyright © 2014 Mehdi Goudarzi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Abstract The incidence and mortality rate of Clostridium difficile infection have increased remarkably in both hospital and community settings during the last two decades. The growth of infection may be caused by multiple factors including inappropriate antibiotic usage, poor standards of environmental cleanliness, changes in infection control practices, large outbreaks of C. difficile infection in hospitals, alteration of circulating strains of C. difficile, and spread of hypervirulent strains. Detection of high-risk populations could be helpful for prompt diagnosis and consequent treatment of patients suffering from C. difficile infection. Metronidazole and oral vancomycin are recommended antibiotics for the treatment of initial infection. Current treatments for C. difficile infection consist of supportive care, discontinuing the unnecessary antibiotic, and specific antimicrobial therapy. Moreover, novel approaches include fidaxomicin therapy, monoclonal antibodies, and fecal microbiota transplantation mediated therapy. Fecal microbiota transplantation has shown relevant efficacy to overcome C. difficile infection and reduce its recurrence. 1. Introduction The name “Clostridium difficile” (C. difficile) comes from the Greek word “Kloster” meaning spindle. At first, due to the isolation difficulty and the requirement of anaerobic culture condition, the bacterium was given the name “Bacillus difficilis” in 1935 [ 1 ]. It later became clear that this microorganism is able to produce toxins and the name was subsequently changed to C. difficile in the 1970s [ 2 ]. The pathogenicity associated with C. difficile was first described in germ-free rats in 1969 [ 3 ]. In 1893, the first description of pseudomembranous colitis (PMC) was reported and, in 1974, the association between receiving clindamycin and PMC patients was reported [ 4 ]. C. difficile is gram-positive rod, spore forming, strict anaerobic bacillus and is part of the normal intestinal microbiota in 1–3% of healthy adults and 15–20% of infants. The mentioned statistics would be increased considerably during long hospitalization and after surgery. The important disorder caused by this bacterium is often termed “C. difficile-associated diarrhea” or C. difficile infection (CDI). CDI is one of the most prevalent problems in hospitals and nursing homes where patients frequently receive antibiotics [ 5 ]. 2. Epidemiology In the last two decades, the incidence and the mortality rate of CDI have considerably increased substantially in both hospital and community settings due to the spread of hypervirulent strains and improper administration of antibiotics [ 6 ]. The epidemiology of CDI in North America, Europe, and some part of Asia is well documented [ 7 ]. Recent epidemiological reports from the United States implied that C. difficile has replaced methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus as the most common cause of the healthcare-associated infection [ 8 ]. Based on the several reports from US, Canada, and Europe, the incidence of CDI has increased by 2- to 4-fold in the past decade, particularly in the elder patients with the exposure to the health care settings such as long-term care facilities and hospitals. For instance, Québec experienced a large outbreak of CDI and noted a 4-fold increase in CDI between 1998 and 2004, with overall mortality of 6.9% [ 9 ]. The European Study Group of C. difficile (ESGCD) reported the mean incidence of healthcare-associated CDI as 4.1 per 10000 hospital patient days [ 10 ]. The incidence of community-acquired C. difficile infection (CA-CDI) is also increasing in the community settings. Consequently, different studies performed in US, Canada, and Europe suggested that approximately 20%–27% of all CDI cases were community associated, with the mean incidence of 20–30 per 100000 populations [ 11 ]. Approximately 11–28% CDI infection is acquired in the community, which seems to be consistent in different countries. More recently, US studies have reported that the incidence rates of CA-CDI varied between 6.9 and 46 cases per 100000 person-years. Children and peripartum women populations previously described as the low risk for CDI show the increased incidence now [ 12 ]. Annual rates of pediatric CDI-related hospitalizations in US increased from 7.24 per 10000 hospitalizations in 1997 to 12.8 in 2006. In a study conducted in 4 states of US in 2005, severe cases of CDI in peripartum women were reported. Additionally, the rates of US hospital discharges of peripartum women showed that the CDI increases significantly between 2004 and 2006, from 0.04 to 0.07 per 1000 discharges [ 13 ]. The rate elevation of the incidence, severity, mortality, and recurrence of CDI have been attributed largely to the spread of a new strain of C. difficile, designated North American pulsed-field gel electrophoresis type 1 (NAP1), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) ribotype 027, toxinotype III, and restriction endonuclease analysis type BI (i.e., BI/NAP1/027). Ribotype 027 strains were first reported in Canada in 2003 and shortly thereafter in the UK. NAP1/027/BI strain is associated with its ability to produce high concentrations of toxins, high transmissibility, high sporulation, production of binary toxins, high level of resistance to fluoroquinolone due to the mutations in gyrA, and variation in the tcdC repressor gene (which could result in the increased toxin A (16-fold) and toxin B (23-fold)). Moreover, the polymorphisms in tcdB could result in improved toxin binding. There are conflicting reports regarding the severity of disease induced by 027/NAP1 in comparison to disease severity caused by other strains. This strain isolated from most US and Europe area has variable distributions among different countries. Other emerging hypervirulent genotypes may present an equivalent threat in terms of disease severity [ 14 ]. The molecular epidemiology of C. difficile is varied; a different ribotype can predominate in a particular area during certain periods and at the same time is extremely rare elsewhere. For example, in a study conducted on 894 C. difficile isolates from patients enrolled from 16 countries on three continents, it was shown that ribotype 027 strains were the most common strains identified and were widely distributed throughout North America but restricted to three of thirteen countries in Europe. Ribotype 001 isolates were the most common strains identified in Europe [ 15 ]. Despite the widespread existence of hypervirulent epidemic strains 027, 001, and 078 in Europe and North America, sporadic cases of CDI caused by the 027 strain were recently reported from the hospitals in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Australia. However, they do not seem to be established in Asia [ 16 , 17 ]. In a study conducted by Collins et al. in order to better understand the epidemiology of CDI in Asia it became clear that ribotypes smz/018 and 017 were dominant ribotypes that lead to epidemic infections. The widespread prevalence of the 017 group of A-B+ strains in Asian countries exhibits that laboratory methods for toxin B are preferable to toxin A assays in order to diagnose CDI [ 17 ]. Other genotypes of C. difficile have been also shown to be predominant or associated with the infection outbreaks or severe cases. For example, PCR ribotypes 053 in Austria, 106 in United Kingdom, 001 in China and Korea, and 002 and 014 in Japan are predominant ribotypes [ 16 – 18 ]. 3. Pathogenesis Infections of C. difficile can be categorized as endogenous or exogenous. Endogenous infection originates via the carrier strains whereas exogenous infection occurs through infected individuals, contaminated health care workers, nosocomial sources, and contaminated environment [ 19 ]. C. difficile is spread via the oral-fecal route. It is acquired by oral ingestion of spores which are resistant in the environment as well as being tolerant of the acidity of the stomach. In the small intestine, ingested spores are germinated to the vegetative form. Besides, due to the application of antimicrobial agents and disruption of the normal colonic bacteria, colonization of the C. difficile occurs in the large intestine. Subsequently, bacterial growth, multiplication, and toxin production damage entrecotes in the intestinal crypts [ 4 – 6 ]. The primary produced toxins by this bacterium are toxins A (an enterotoxin) and B (a cytotoxin). Although the evidence has suggested toxin A as the major toxin, toxin B producing C. difficile strains causes the same spectrum of diseases as strains which produce both toxins. Besides, toxin A (TcdA) and toxin B (TcdB) are the major virulence factors of C. difficile contributed to its pathogenicity which induces mucosal inflammation and diarrhea [ 20 ]. In addition to the major toxins, C. difficile may produce a number of other putative virulence factors, including CDT binary toxin, fibronectin binding protein FbpA, fimbriae, SlpA S-layer, Cwp84 cysteine protease, and Cwp66 and CwpV adhesions [ 20 ]. 4. Risk Factors Recognition of high-risk populations is helpful for prompt diagnosis and treatment of patients with CDI. The categorized risk factors for developing CDI usually include primary risk factors and secondary risk factors [ 21 ]. The most important primary risk factors include male gender, age more than 65 years, age less than 1 year with comorbidity or underlying conditions, prolonged duration of hospital stay, and antimicrobial therapy. The most important secondary risk factors include comorbidity or underlying conditions, inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), immunodeficiency and HIV, malnutrition, low serum albumin level (<2.5 g/dL), neoplastic diseases, cystic fibrosis, and diabetes [ 22 ]. Administration of broad-spectrum antimicrobials that impair the growth of normal flora and promote proliferation of toxigenic C. difficile remains the most widely recognized risk factor. Therefore, antimicrobial therapy plays a central role in the development of CDI. Any kind of antibiotics mainly clindamycin, cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones (moxifloxacin, gatifloxacin, and levofloxacin), ampicillin/amoxicillin, macrolides, co-trimoxazole, and tetracyclines can cause CDI. The exposure to metronidazole and vancomycin, which are used as the first choice drugs for treatment of CDI, may result in CDI themselves [ 21 , 22 ]. Cancer chemotherapy drugs possessing antimicrobial activity may also be associated with the increased risk of CDI. Conflicting results have been published on the role of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and H2 blockers in the development of CDI. They appear to be much less important than antibiotics [ 21 – 23 ]. Although many factors are involved in CA-CDI, according to the several studies, consumption of contaminated meat and food is an important risk factor for CA-CDI [ 23 ]. 5. Clinical Presentations C. difficile is an important nosocomial pathogen and the most frequently diagnosed cause of infectious diarrhea in the hospitalized patients. Hospital-acquired CDI (HA-CDI) defined as the onset of symptoms occurs more than 48 hours after admission to the health care facility or less than 4 weeks after being discharged. However, a substantial percentage of CDIs occur in individuals who neither received antibiotic therapy nor were hospitalized recently. The mentioned group was recognized as the community-acquired CDI defined as symptom onset in the community or during the first 48 hours after admission to the hospital, in the case of no hospitalization in the past 12 weeks. The onset of symptoms occurring in the community between 4 and 12 weeks after discharge from the hospital is defined as indistinctive CDI [ 24 ]. 5.1. Carrier Stage Carriers are individuals who shed C. difficile in their stools but do not have diarrhea and depending on their status may be as the reservoirs of C. difficile. According to several studies, the frequency of carrier stage in the healthy adults, hospitalized patients, and patients with long hospital stays is approximately 3%, 20–30%, and 50%, respectively. Reportedly, the asymptomatic patients infected with clostridium are served as potential reservoirs for continued C. difficile contamination of the hospital environment. Consequently, the carriers facilitate the spread of the spores into the environment at lower concentrations than patients with diarrhea or other symptoms [ 25 ]. 5.2. C. difficile-Associated Diarrhea (CDAD) C. difficile is the cause of approximately 25–30% of all cases of antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD). It is defined as unexplained diarrhea occurring between 2 hours to 2 months after use of antibiotics and often accompanied by abdominal pain and cramps [ 24 , 25 ]. Diarrhea was defined as the passage of 3 or more unformed stools for at least 2 consecutive days. Besides, CDAD is established when toxin A is identified in stool, regardless of C. difficile isolation from stool. In the past CDAD almost was thought to be related to hospitalization. However, according to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports in recent years, exposure is the most important risk factor for CDAD [ 26 ]. Although literature review shows that different groups of antibiotics are associated with CDAD in hospitalized patients, the important related antibiotic or antibiotic group is still not clear. However, there are two hypotheses about acquisition and pathogenesis of CDAD. In the first hypothesis, a patient acquires C. difficile during hospitalization and is subsequently at risk of CDAD when exposed to antimicrobial agents. In the other hypothesis a patient acquires C. difficile during hospitalization but is not highly susceptible to C. difficile infection until receiving antimicrobial therapy [ 24 , 26 ]. 5.3. C. difficile-Associated Colitis (CDAC) Colitis without pseudomembrane formation is the most common clinical manifestation of CDI. CDAC results in significant healthcare costs, prolonged hospitalizations, and increased morbidity. The symptoms are including abdominal pain, nausea, malaise, anorexia, watery diarrhea, and possible presence of trace blood in the stool. In addition, low grade fever, dehydration, pyrexia, and leukocytosis may occur. High white blood cell count (WBC) must be considered carefully for CDI in the patients treated with antibacterial agents, even in the absence of diarrhea [ 19 ]. 5.4. Pseudomembranous Colitis (PMC) PMC is a descriptive term for the form of colitis that first was described as the postoperative complication of gastrojejunostomy for an obstructive peptic ulcer [ 19 ]. In recent years, the majority of pseudomembranous colitis cases have been ascribed to the antimicrobial treatment which altered patient’s normal flora. Approximately, the majority of PMC cases are related to the use of clindamycin and lincomycin. However, a number of other related antibacterial agents have been reported [ 27 ]. Clinical manifestations of PMC are including abdominal cramp, dehydration, hypoalbuminemia (less than 30 mg/L), watery diarrhea, and rising of inflammatory cells, serum proteins, and mucus. Furthermore, 2–10 mm yellowish plaques are observed in colorectal mucosa and sometimes in the terminal ileum following sigmoidoscopic examination and are the best detection signs of PMC. Because of the potential toxic effects of the infection, it is essential to select the appropriate antibacterial agents for treatment of pseudomembranous colitis. It should be noted that relapses occur in about 10–25% of cured patients [ 19 , 28 ]. 5.5. Fulminant Colitis Fulminant colitis, which occurs approximately in 3% of CDI patients, accounts for most of the serious complications including perforation, prolonged ileus, megacolon, and death. A significant rise of fulminant colitis in recent years is associated with a hypervirulent strain of C. difficile which results in the development of symptoms, multiple organ failure, and increased mortality [ 29 ]. Besides, several studies have reported the importance of C. difficile infection in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBD could represent a clinical challenge because of some symptom similarity with CDI, even in the absence of recent antibiotic administration. C. difficile has also been reported to be involved in the exacerbation of ulcerative colitis (UC). It is necessary to routinely evaluate the C. difficile in patients with severe IBD especially before initiating further immunosuppressive therapy. However, detection of C. difficile in patients suffering UC is so difficult because of the wide spectrum of diseases [ 29 , 30 ]. 5.6. Recurrent CDI Recurrent CDI is one of the greatest challenging aspects of CDI that occurs either due to relapse or reinfection. The relative frequency of each mechanism of recurrence has not been well described; however, in many of published articles, 33%–75% of cases of recurrent CDI are attributed to the infection with a new strain [ 10 ]. Approximately 25% of patients treated with metronidazole or vancomycin, typically within 4 weeks of completing antibiotic therapy, experience recurrent symptoms. The main cause of recurrent CDI has not been recognized, but it seems that disturbance of the normal bowel flora and defective immune response against C. difficile and/or its toxins play the important role in the development of recurrent CDI [ 10 , 23 ]. 5.7. Extracolonic Infections Recent studies demonstrated that CDI is not only limited to the colon. In fact, extracolonic C. difficile infections have been reported and clinical manifestation of disease includes small bowel disease with formation of pseudomembranes on ileal mucosa, bacteremia, reactive arthritis, visceral abscess, appendicitis, intraabdominal abscess, osteomyelitis, and empyema. In most cases, extracolonic C. difficile infections have previous involvement with underlying diseases such as gastrointestinal diseases, either C. difficile colitis or surgical and anatomical disruption of the colon [ 5 , 19 ]. 6. Diagnosis According to the clinical criteria, the diagnosis of C. difficile is based on the appropriate clinical context, history of recent antibiotic administration, and diarrhea. Other signs such as fever, abdominal pain, leukocytosis, and pyrexia in combination with laboratory testing are suggested for the diagnosis [ 27 ]. Recently, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) published the guidelines for the management of patients with CDI. According to the SHEA/IDSA guidelines, all of the laboratory tests should be done on the unformed stool specimens unless ileus is suspected [ 31 ]. Owing to the presence of both toxigenic and nontoxigenic strains of C. difficile in asymptomatic patients, testing is not necessary for infected or cured people. In addition, processing a single specimen from symptomatic patient usually is sufficient and routine testing of multiple specimens is not recommended by SHEA and IDSA. Moreover, repeated testing during the same episode of diarrhea is of limited value. There are many different diagnostic tests for the identification of C. difficile infection. It is important to be aware of the limitations of each test and the need to follow protocols for proper sample selection and handling [ 31 , 32 ]. 6.1. Diagnostic Tests 6.1.1. Laboratory Diagnostic Tests Transport and Storage of Samples. Watery diarrhea or loose stools are the best specimen for the diagnosis of CDAD. Faecal samples should be as fresh as possible and submitted in a clean, watertight container. Enhancing the recovery of C. difficile and its toxins by transport media or anaerobic condition has not been recommended due to the raising of false positive rate. Specimens should be transported immediately and stored at 2° to 8°C until being tested because of toxin inactivation in room temperature [ 33 ]. Moreover, repeated freezing and thawing of the specimen should be avoided for the same reason. Phosphate buffer solution (PBS) may be useful for preservation of C. difficile viability in the transport and storage state. For long-time storage, faecal samples should be saved in PBS at 4°C. For outbreak investigation, it is recommended to store toxin-positive samples at 4 or −20°C. One or two specimens from patient with diarrhea are sufficient for detection of C. difficile. Testing three stools can increase the likelihood of a positive test by 10% [ 33 , 34 ]. Culture. In the clinical laboratories, the high cost and the need for anaerobic facilities and expert technicians make the C. difficile culturing so demanding which is not routinely performed. As a result, it is recommended to culture the bacterium in the case of consultation with infectious disease and/or gastroenterology specialists [ 33 , 35 ]. Cycloserine-cefoxitin-fructose agar (CCFA), as a selective and differential agar medium, is the first choice of isolation media for the recovery of C. difficile from fecal specimens. Cultured isolates are important for epidemiological investigations. Once an organism has been recovered, it is necessary to perform a toxin test to confirm the ability of toxin production [ 32 , 35 ]. Toxin Assay. C. difficile toxins can be detected by several methods as mentioned below. (1) Cell Culture Neutralization Assay (CCNA). CCNA is a high sensitive and specific test based on the detection of C. difficile toxin B in cell culture. It is more sensitive than toxin detection by immunoassays [ 19 ]. However, it is time-consuming and labor-intensive and requires special laboratory facilities. Employed cell lines in this method are Vero, Hep-2, ovary, heLa, MRC-5 lung fibroblast, and Chinese hamster. Cell cytotoxicity tests showed the sensitivity of 57–100% and the specificity of 99-100% in different studies [ 19 , 32 ]. (2) Immunoassay. Immunoassay tests are available for detection of toxin A alone or both toxins A and B. Two main types of immunoassay methods are enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and immunochromatography. EIA methods are easier, faster to perform, and less expensive than CCNA and have a sensitivity of 75% to 95% and a specificity of 83% to 98% in comparison to CCNA. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), as a technique based on the EIA, is able to detect toxin A alone or both toxins. ELISA shows the sensitivity and the specificity of 50–90% and 70–95%, respectively [ 32 , 36 ]. In the case of EIAs and CCNAs insensitivity to toxin A/B, testing algorithms using a mitochondrial glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) assay is applied by several laboratories as an initial screening marker for the presence of C. difficile in stool samples. GDH testing has been reported to have sensitivities from 75% to more than 90%, with negative predictive values of 95% to 100% in the appropriate clinical setting. Moreover, dot immunobinding, immunochromatography assay, and monoclonal antibody against toxins are the other immunoassay tests for detection of C. difficile toxins [ 33 , 36 , 37 ]. Nucleic Acid Amplification Methods. Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) are the most recent methods for detection of C. difficile. Available NAATs to identify genes of C. difficile are PCR, real-time PCR, and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) [ 38 ]. These tests detect various targets within the pathogenicity locus of the C. difficile genome such as tcdA, tcdB, tcdC, and the other genes such as 16S, gluD, and triose phosphate isomerase (TPI) C. difficile housekeeping gene [ 39 ]. PCR assays as potential replacements for the less-sensitive (EIA) and less-specific (GDH) assays have the sensitivity and specificity of 90%–100% and 94%–100%, respectively [ 32 , 35 ]. Latex Agglutination Assay. Latex agglutination assay, which detects glutamate dehydrogenase, is a rapid, relatively inexpensive, and specific test. However, it would not be used as a routine laboratory procedure for identification of C. difficile [ 19 ]. Other Tests. Methods such as gram staining, counterimmunoelectrophoresis, chromatography, rapid membrane tests, and analysis of fecal leucocytes and blood compared to other assays demonstrate low sensitivity and specificity [ 19 , 33 , 40 ]. 6.1.2. Nonlaboratory Based Tests Endoscopy (sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy) is an invasive test that is generally not employed to do an initial diagnosis of CDI unless there is a high level of suspicion regardless of normal stool tests results. In patients with PMC, detection is based on the direct visualization using either sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy [ 27 ]. Although endoscopy is required for the specific diagnosis of PMC, it is not sufficient to diagnose all the cases of CDAD. Colonoscopy in patients with fulminate colitis raises the risk of bowel perforation. Computed tomography (CT) scan, as a noninvasive method with low sensitivity and specificity, is uncommonly used to make the initial diagnosis of PMC or fulminant CDI. It may be helpful in the assessing of disease severity and determining the presence of perforation [ 22 , 27 , 41 ]. 7. Treatment Treatment of CDI is not recommended in asymptomatic individuals since available data suggest that treatment of asymptomatic individuals would not prevent symptomatic transmission or infection. Various treatments are taken based on the severity of the patient’s illness and whether one is treating initial infection or recurrent CDI. Treatment in cases of CDI is classified in two main categories, nonsurgical and surgical treatments [ 31 , 41 ]. 7.1. Nonsurgical Treatment Short period antibiotic therapy is clinically effective for the small percentages of patients, but specific antimicrobial therapy is necessary in the majority of patients. The use of antimotility agents such as narcotics and loperamide is not recommended because they may increase the severity of colitis. Empiric antibiotic therapy in patients with severe diarrhea and at risk population should start immediately while stool test results are pending [ 41 , 42 ]. Metronidazole and oral vancomycin are recommended as antibiotics for the treatment of initial episode. Metronidazole as an inexpensive and effective first-line drug with low level of resistance and few adverse effects is employed for the treatment of mild to moderate disease in either oral or intravenous route but should not be used for critically ill patients [ 22 ]. Metronidazole has similar efficacy as vancomycin for treatment of mild to moderate CDI, but it is not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of CDI. Unlike vancomycin, metronidazole has well absorption and its fecal concentration is very low or none in the healthy volunteers and asymptomatic C. difficile carriage [ 22 , 42 ]. At a dosage of 500 mg orally 3 times a day or 250 mg orally, given 4 times a day for 10 days, metronidazole is first line for the mild to moderate CDI. Oral vancomycin, 500 mg 4 times daily for 10 days, is administered in the patients who cannot tolerate metronidazole. Administration of vancomycin via enema is used for patients with surgical or anatomic abnormalities. Importantly, the routine use of vancomycin is not recommended due to the risk of development of vancomycin resistantance in other organisms especially enterococci [ 22 , 42 , 43 ]. However, in the case of severe CDI, treatment with oral vancomycin is recommended. On the other hand, in the case of treatment failure with low dose of oral vancomycin and also patients with complicated CDI, it is recommended to use high-dose (250–500 mg every 6 hours) oral vancomycin plus intravenous metronidazole, 500 mg 3 times a day [ 31 , 42 ]. 15–50% relapse rate may occur after vancomycin treatment. As mentioned, approximately 15% and 20% of treated CDI patients will experience a recurrence of disease within 4 weeks after the treatment [ 23 , 41 , 42 ]. Treatment of the first recurrence of CDI is the same as the treatment of first episode of CDI. In patients with a second recurrence of CDI, vancomycin should be the treatment of choice. Tapered or pulse-dosage vancomycin may reduce the risk of a subsequent recurrence [ 44 ]. Fidaxomicin is a new macrocyclic that might be favored over the oral vancomycin in patients with multiple recurrences. The low rate of antibiotic resistance and the minimal effect on the fecal microbiota and preventing relapses caused FDA to approve fidaxomicin for treatment of CDI [ 45 ]. Fidaxomicin can be applied for treatment of patients at high risk of recurrent CDI, patients infected with the nonhypervirulent strain, patients with multiple episodes of recurrence, and patients who are not able to tolerate oral vancomycin [ 41 , 42 ]. Other antibiotics which may be used against C. difficile include fusidic acid, teicoplanin, rifaximin, ramoplanin, nitazoxanide, and tigecycline. Several therapeutic protocols can be employed for patients with a third or subsequent recurrence of CDI including the following options: oral vancomycin, 125 mg 4 times a day for 14 days, followed by rifaximin, 400 mg twice daily for 14 days, or intravenous immunoglobulin, 400 mg/kg, repeated up to 3 times at 3-week intervals, or combination therapy with oral vancomycin, oral rifaximin, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) [ 22 ]. FMT is an alternative therapy for treatment of recurrent cases of CDI. In this method, normal fecal microbiota in patients is restored using intestinal microorganisms from a healthy donor stool. To date, several studies showed the high success rate of FMT treating CDI with rapid and enduring response [ 46 ]. Gough et al. reported the effectiveness of 92% of cases in the case of fecal transplant as an alternative treatment of recurrent CDI. In other studies, the success rate of FMT via enema, nasogastric route, and colonoscopy was 95%, 76%, and 89%, respectively [ 47 ]. 7.2. Surgical Treatment Surgery is a therapeutic option for treatment of fulminant colitis or those patients who are not responding to medical therapy. In patients who do not respond to optimal medical therapy or have symptoms of megacolon or sepsis, it is therefore recommended to do a surgical consultation earlier. In early fulminant colitis cases, any delay in the surgery can result in death [ 48 ]. CT of the abdomen may provide valuable data in assessing disease severity and the need for surgical intervention [ 27 , 41 ]. 8. Prevention Effort on the prevention of initial CDI, especially in health care settings, is indispensable. The bases of these efforts are reduction of the prolonged use of multiple antibiotics and prevention of transmission from patient to patient. 8.1. Antimicrobial Stewardship Appropriate and accurate use of one single antimicrobial in patients at high risk of CDI and improvement of overall prescribing practices are two important approaches to development of antimicrobial stewardship. There is also a joint IDSA/SHEA guideline on establishing an institutional program to enhance antimicrobial stewardship [ 22 , 31 , 41 , 42 ]. 8.2. Reduction of Transmission C. difficile is transmitted via spores picked up either by indirect contact with a contaminated surface or by direct contact with an infected person (people in the hospital, presumably via their hands). In recent years, it has been established that contamination of surfaces and equipment plays a critical role in the C. difficile infection transmission between patients. Spore form of C. difficile is considered as a vehicle for the transmission of CDI [ 49 ]. It is postulated that some of the strains including 027 and 001 show higher ability to sporulate than other strains. Applying sodium hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide products, and chlorine solutions has been demonstrated to be effective in killing C. difficile spores. However, alcohols, chlorhexidine, hexachlorophene, and many disinfectant agents employed routinely in antiseptic hand wash or cleansers have been exhibited to be ineffective against C. difficile spores [ 10 , 33 , 49 ]. Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)/Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) has recommended hypochlorite solutions (5,000 ppm) to inhibit continuous transmission via environmental disinfection in outbreak settings and reduction of environmental contamination in the areas with increased rates of CDI [ 31 ]. Hands of healthcare workers (HCWs) are one of the important routes of C. difficile transmission. It is necessary that HCWs wash their hands with soap and water to mechanically remove spores from the hands [ 10 , 50 ]. Although many of the challenging studies believed that handwashing with soap and water (or an antiseptic soap) is more effective than waterless alcohol-based hand rubs for removing C. difficile, the use of alcohol-based hand rubs is still an effective way to reduce the overall incidence of health care-associated infections [ 51 ]. Major points to reduce the transmission include(1)contact precaution example, for example, wearing gloves, aprons, or gowns when caring for the patient;(2)appropriate hand hygiene;(3)use of sporicidal agents for environmental cleaning and disinfection.Moreover, new technologies for room disinfection have been investigated including “no-touch” methods (room disinfection by using ultraviolet (UV) light or gaseous hydrogen peroxide) and self-disinfecting surfaces (copper coating of room surfaces) [ 10 ]. 8.3. Probiotics Probiotics are live microorganisms that confer and/or improve a health benefit to the host via the following ways: enhancing immunity, reestablishing the balance of intestinal flora, and protecting intestinal barrier. Although they are used as preventive and therapeutic agents, their role in the treatment and prevention of CDI remains controversial [ 52 ]. The best studied probiotic agents in CDI are Saccharomyces boulardii and Lactobacillus. Several studies showed that the mixtures of probiotics can be useful in the treatment and prevention of ADD and CDI [ 53 ]. 8.4. Vaccine One of the approaches to prevention of C. difficile infection is the development of an effective vaccine. Toxoids A and B are the best candidates for C. difficile vaccine and they are able to exert excellent serum antibody responses in healthy adults [ 54 ]. As a first report of a DNA vaccine targeting C. difficile toxins, Gardiner et al. explained the receptor-binding domain of C. difficile toxin A that is able to induce well immune responses in mice and protect them from death. The C. difficile vaccine must be further studied in the clinical trials [ 55 ]. 9. Conclusion CDI is a serious problem in the healthcare with an increasing incidence worldwide which can cause significant morbidity and mortality. Considering the increases of CDI incidence even in the populations previously thought to be at lowrisk and also in order to identify populations at risk, monitor the incidence, and characterize the molecular epidemiology of strains, it is essential that healthcare facilities and scientific societies revisit their national surveillance for infection control. Recurrent CDI as a major management challenge not only is difficult to treat but also may affect patients for a long time. Obviously, treatments currently available for CDI are inadequate. New options for treatment of CDI are including novel antibiotics (e.g., fidaxomicin), fecal microbiota transplant, vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and probiotic therapy (employing S. boulardii). Appropriate use of antibiotics and contact precautions, for example, using gloves, hand washing, and environmental disinfection, along with integrated surveillance programs can be effective for the control of CDI outbreaks. Conflict of Interests The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper. References I. C. Hall and E. O'toole, “Intestinal flora in new-born infantswith a description of a new pathogenic anaerobe, Bacillus difficilis,” The American Journal of Diseases of Children, vol. 49, no. 2, pp. 390–402, 1935. View at Google Scholar	i don't know
The character Robinson Crusoe was almost certainly based on whom?	The Real Robinson Crusoe \| History \| Smithsonian Contact Privacy Policy Terms of Use The Real Robinson Crusoe He was a pirate, a hothead and a lout, but castaway Alexander Selkirkthe author's ancestor inspired one of the greatest yarns in literature By Bruce Selcraig Smithsonian Magazine \| Subscribe July 2005 Three centuries ago an impetuous Scottish sailor known as Alexander Selkirk—though this wasn’t his real name—was languishing off the coast of Chile in a battlescarred, worm-eaten British ship called the Cinque Ports when he began to argue with the captain that the leaky, disease- ridden vessel was a deathtrap. From This Story Did Archaeologists Uncover Blackbeard's Treasure? Selkirk, a skilled navigator, and the ship’s sickened crew were privateers—in effect, legalized pirates for the British Crown—who had spent a year at sea off South America robbing Spanish ships and coastal villages. Selkirk had already been on a similar voyage. He knew all the risks. But by October 1704, as the Cinque Ports anchored off a deserted archipelago 418 miles west of Valparaiso, Chile, he had made a lifechanging decision. Selkirk demanded that his 21-year-old captain, Lt. Thomas Stradling, whom he regarded as arrogant, leave him on the largest island, a wish that Stradling was only too happy to oblige. By all accounts the 28-year-old Selkirk was a hothead. Back home in Scotland he had beaten up his father and two brothers over a harmless prank and would later leave both the women who claimed to be his wife. In any case, Selkirk was left ashore, but when he realized that none of the crew was joining him in the mutiny, he frantically waded back into the ocean and begged forgiveness from Stradling, a tyrant who delighted in saying no. Fortunately, for Selkirk’s sake and world literature’s, he accepted his fate, survived, and upon his return to England, inspired one of the world’s great tales of self-reliance and courage, Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. Yet the cliché holds true—truth is stranger than fiction. The real life of Alexander Selkirk surpassed Crusoe’s in almost every aspect. But then I may be biased. You see, poor Alex—pirate, lout and hero—was not in fact born with the name Selkirk, but with an even less common Scottish name, one to which I’ve grown attached: Selcraig. Yes, Alex is family. I am, according to Scottish genealogist Tony Reid, directly descended from Alex’s oldest brother, John. Alex apparently never had children. The first I remember hearing of the Selcraig-Crusoe connection was from my National Geographic-hoarding dad, now 91, who would wait until he had a captive audience at dinner to tell us kids about our Scottish ancestors. We mostly nodded and asked to be excused from the table, but as I grew older, I learned that Selkirk was hardly just a castaway and accidental hero. When Alexander Selcraig was born in Lower Largo, Scotland, in 1676, it was a fishing village in Fife with fewer than a thousand souls, across the Firth of Forth (an estuary of the North Sea) from bustling Edinburgh, then a metropolis of close to 30,000. Today it’s a quiet weekend destination for harried urbanites where BMWs crawl along a 15-foot-wide Main Street past centuries-old sandstone row houses with orange pantiled roofs and crow-stepped gables. These days, the wide sandy beach beneath the inviting Crusoe Hotel is still perfect for dogs and long walks, but the herring boats that once choked the harbor are long departed, as are the fishermen, their net factories and the flaxen mills. There’s a tiny corner market, a railway pub and someone who offers “Reiki Indian head massage,” but a more powerful draw for many visitors is that Lower Largo is 15 minutes from Scotland’s cradle of golf, St. Andrews. Were this the United States, you wouldn’t be able to see the ocean for all the billboards touting Crusoe Land Thrill Rides and Man Friday Burgers, but the Scots are a bit more restrained. Or perhaps it’s because, as a local drama critic put it to me over tea and scones: “Selkirk was a bit of a bastard, more respected in his absence than in his presence.”	Alexander Selkirk
Which ten-letter word means ‘cave dweller’?	Mystery of Alexander Selkirk, the real Robinson Crusoe, solved - Telegraph How about that? Mystery of Alexander Selkirk, the real Robinson Crusoe, solved It may have taken nearly 300 years but archaeologists have finally confirmed the campsite of castaway Alexander Selkirk, thought to be the inspiration for Robinson Crusoe. Scottish sailor Selkirk was marooned on a small tropical island in the Pacific for more than four years Photo: MARY EVANS PICTURE LIBRARY By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent 4:41PM GMT 30 Oct 2008 Cast away on a desert island, surviving on what nature alone can provide, praying for rescue but at the same time fearing the sight of a boat on the horizon. These are the imaginative creations of Daniel Defoe in his famous novel Robinson Crusoe. But the story is believed to be based on the real-life experience of Scottish sailor Selkirk, marooned in 1704 on a small tropical island in the Pacific for more than four years, and now archaeological evidence has been found to support his existence on the island. An article in the journal Post-Medieval Archaeology claims that an archaeological dig on the Argentinian island of Aguas Buenas, 470 miles off the Chilean coast, reveals evidence of the campsite of an early European occupant. The most compelling evidence is the discovery of a fragment of a pair of navigational dividers which could only have belonged to a ship's master or navigator, which historical evidence suggests Selkirk must have been. In Selkirk's rescuer, Captain Woodes Rogers' account of what he saw on arrival at Aguas Buenas in 1709 lists "some practical pieces" and mathematical instruments amongst the few possessions that Selkirk had taken with him from the ship. Dr David Caldwell, National Museums Scotland, who helped lead the dig, said the find finally confirmed the whereabouts of the castaway camp. "The evidence uncovered at Aguas Buenas corroborates the stories of Alexander Selkirk's stay on the island and provides a fascinating insight into his existence there.," he said. "I am satisfied in my mind that this is the place where Selkirk set up his camp. I never thought we had a chance of finding it but the discovery of the divider was crucial." The finds also provide an insight into exactly how Selkirk might have lived on the island. Postholes suggest he built two shelters near to a freshwater stream, and had access to a viewpoint over the harbour from where he would be able to watch for approaching ships and ascertain whether they were friend or foe. Accounts written shortly after his rescue describe him shooting goats with a gun rescued from the ship, and eventually learning to outrun them, eating their meat and using their skins as clothing. He also passed time reading the Bible and singing psalms, and seems to have enjoyed a more peaceful and devout existence than at any other time in his life. Alexander Selkirk was born in the small seaside town of Lower Largo, Fife, Scotland in 1676. A younger son of a shoemaker, he was drawn to a life at sea from an early age. In 1704, during a privateering voyage on the Cinque Ports, Selkirk fell out with the commander over the boat's seaworthiness and he decided to remain behind on island, now named Robinson Crusoe, where they had landed to overhaul the worm-infested vessel. He cannot have known that it would be five years before he was picked up by an English ship visiting the island. Published in 1719, Robinson Crusoe is one of the oldest and most famous adventure stories in English literature. Whilst it is unclear whether Defoe and Selkirk actually met, Defoe would certainly have heard the stories of Selkirk's adventure and used the tales as the basis for his novel.	i don't know
Which scientist was offered the Presidency of Israel?	Offering the Presidency of Israel to Albert Einstein \| Jewish Virtual Library Offering the Presidency of Israel to Albert Einstein (November 17, 1952) Letter Offering Albert Einstein the Presidency of Israel: Embassy of Israel Dear Professor [Albert] Einstein : The bearer of this letter is Mr. David Goitein of Jerusalem who is now serving as Minister at our Embassy in Washington. He is bringing you the question which Prime Minister Ben Gurion asked me to convey to you, namely, whether you would accept the Presidency of Israel if it were offered you by a vote of the Knesset. Acceptance would entail moving to Israel and taking its citizenship. The Prime Minister assures me that in such circumstances complete facility and freedom to pursue your great scientific work would be afforded by a government and people who are fully conscious of the supreme significance of your labors. Mr. Goitein will be able to give you any information that you may desire on the implications of the Prime Minister's question. Whatever your inclination or decision may be, I should be deeply grateful for an opportunity to speak with you again within the next day or two at any place convenient for you. I understand the anxieties and doubts which you expressed to me this evening. On the other hand, whatever your answer, I am anxious for you to feel that the Prime Minister's question embodies the deepest respect which the Jewish people can repose in any of its sons. To this element of personal regard, we add the sentiment that Israel is a small State in its physical dimensions, but can rise to the level of greatness in the measure that it exemplifies the most elevated spiritual and intellectual traditions which the Jewish people has established through its best minds and hearts both in antiquity and in modern times. Our first President, as you know, taught us to see our destiny in these great perspectives, as you yourself have often exhorted us to do. Therefore, whatever your response to this question, I hope that you will think generously of those who have asked it, and will commend the high purposes and motives which prompted them to think of you at this solemn hour in our people's history. With cordial wishes,	Albert Einstein
Somaliland and Eritrea were both colonized by which European nation?	Sixty years ago, Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel 17 November 2012 Sixty years ago, Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel Einstein declined, saying he lacked "the natural aptitude and the experience to deal properly with people" to do the job. Sign up for our weekly email * (You can read a transcript at Letters of Note ) Einstein responded, declining the office, citing his age, and saying that he felt he lacked "natural aptitude and the experience" to deal with people. His closing remark is both extremely humble and extremely moving: I am the more distressed over these circumstances because my relationship to the Jewish people has become my strongest human bond, ever since I became aware of our precarious situation among the nations of the world. With conflict once again raging in the region, I can't help wondering - how would history have been different if Albert Einstein had accepted the presidency of Israel?	i don't know
Lemurs in the wild are unique to which country?	Ring-Tailed Lemurs, Ring-Tailed Lemur Pictures, Ring-Tailed Lemur Facts - National Geographic Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man Please add a "relative" entry to your dictionary. Lemurs are primates found only on the African island of Madagascar and some tiny neighboring islands. Because of its geographic isolation, Madagascar is home to many amazing animals found nowhere else on Earth. Lemurs may have floated there eons ago on "rafts" of vegetation and evolved in isolation over countless centuries. Ring-tailed lemurs are unmistakable because of their long, vividly striped, black-and-white tail. They are familiar residents of many zoos. Lemurs use their hands and feet to move nimbly through the trees, but cannot grip with their tails as some of their primate cousins do. Ring-tailed lemurs also spend a lot of time on the ground, which is unusual among lemur species. They forage for fruit, which makes up the greater part of their diet, but also eat leaves, flowers, tree bark, and sap. Ring-tailed lemurs have powerful scent glands and use their unique odor as a communication tool and even as a kind of weapon. Lemurs mark their territory by scent, serving notice of their presence to all who can smell. During mating season, male lemurs battle for dominance by trying to outstink each other. They cover their long tails with smelly secretions and wave them in the air to determine which animal is more powerful. Ring-tailed lemurs live in groups known as troops. These groups may include 6 to 30 animals, but average about 17. Both sexes live in troops, but a dominant female presides over all. Ring-tailed lemurs are endangered, largely because the sparse, dry forests they love are quickly vanishing.	Madagascar
To within one year either way, when was the last judicial hanging in Great Britain?	Mouse Lemurs, Mouse Lemur Pictures, Mouse Lemur Facts - National Geographic Size relative to a tea cup Please add a "relative" entry to your dictionary. The Latin word lemures means "ghost." Malagasy people have traditionally associated these primates with spirits because they are active at night, and perhaps because of their eerie, large-eyed stare. There are eight species of mouse lemurs, and several have been identified only in the past few years. This is a rarity in primate research, and illustrates just how much remains to be known about these fascinating animals. Like all lemurs, mouse lemurs inhabit the island of Madagascar off the east coast of Africa. The pygmy mouse lemur is the smallest primate in the world. Its head and body are less than two and a half inches (six centimeters) long, though its tail is a bit more than twice that length. These endangered nocturnal lemurs live in the dry forests of western Madagascar and rarely leave the forests' trees. Little is known of these rare primates. Mouse lemurs are forest dwellers that live in female-dominated groups of up to 15 animals. They spend most of their time in trees, and can move nimbly from branch to branch and tree to tree. Mouse lemurs sleep aloft during the day and forage at night for insects, fruit, flowers, and other plants. These adaptable primates store fat in their tails and hind legs, burning it when forage is lean. They may store up to 35 percent of their body weight. Female lesser mouse lemurs enter a dormant state during Madagascar's dry season, from April or May to September or October. Females are inactive during this time and may not leave their tree holes. During the same season, however, males are more active. They may be establishing breeding hierarchies for the coming mating season. Mouse lemurs are protected from hunting, but they are still captured for the exotic pet trade. They are most threatened by loss of the limited woodland habitat of their Madagascar home.	i don't know
The coypu, or nutria, was originally native to which continent?	Environmental Concern-Facts About Nutria What is a Nutria? Nutria are large rodents that look like beavers with long, thin tails. Nutria may weigh up to 20 lbs, but on average weight between 12-15 lbs, with males slightly larger than females. They have dense, grayish underfur overlaid by long glossy guard hairs that vary in color from dark brown to yellowish brown. Their large front teeth are yellow-orange to orange-red on the outer surface. The forepaws have four well-developed clawed toes and one non-functional toe. The hind feet have 5 clawed toes: four webbed and one that hangs free. Nutria have several other adaptations to help them in the water. Their eyes, ears and nostrils are set high on their heads. The nostrils and mouth have valves that seal out water while swimming, diving or feeding underwater. The female’s teats are located high on her sides to allow the young to suckle while in the water. Nutria are primarily nocturnal (active at night), with peak activity occurring near midnight. When food is abundant, nutria rest and groom during the day and feed at night. When food is limited, daytime feeding increases, especially in wetlands free from disturbance. Where are Nutria Found? Nutria inhabit fresh and brackish marshes, rivers, bayous, farm ponds, freshwater impoundments, drainage canals, swamps and various other types of wetlands. Although found in 16 U.S. states, nutria are native to South America. Their original range includes Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay and southern Brazil. Due to escaping from captivity in the U.S. and elsewhere, they now inhabit a much greater area. Nutria were first imported into the United States between 1899 and 1930 in an attempt to establish a fur farm industry. Many of the fur farms failed in the late 1940's because fur prices fell and nutria did not reproduce well in captivity. Many nutria were released into the wild. Nutria have been reported in every Maryland Eastern Shore county and are found from Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware through the Delmarva Peninsula to Virginia's Eastern Shore. They have also been reported on the western shore of Maryland in the Potomac and Patuxent Rivers and in Virginia as far south as the Northern Neck near the Rappahanock River. Reproduction: Nutria are highly prolific and breed all year. Reproductive peaks occur in late winter, early summer and mid-autumn. Reproduction and survival may be influenced by extreme weather conditions. Nutria reach sexual maturity at four to six months. Sexually mature male nutria can breed throughout the year. Females are pregnant from 128 to 130 days, and are ready to breed within 48 hours after giving birth. Litters average four to five young. However, nutria can have up to 13 young per litter and may have 3 litters per year. Young are born fully furred and active, weighing 8 oz. at birth. They can swim and eat vegetation shortly thereafter, still feeding on mother's milk for up to 8 weeks. Within 5 days of life, nutria can survive away from the mother. What do Nutria Eat? Nutria feed almost entirely on vegetation. They are opportunistic feeders with an extremely varied diet. They consume about 25% of their body weight daily. Their diet includes: Olney three-square (Schoenoplectus amercianus, formerly Scirpus olneyi), saltmarsh hay (Spartina patens) and smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), which are major components of the marshes of Dorchester County including Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). Nutria also eat crops, lawn grasses, and ornamentals adjacent to aquatic habitats Problems Caused by Nutria: As non-native species in Maryland, nutria have negative impacts on our marshes because: 1. They have high reproductive capacity. 2. They have no natural predators in Maryland. 3. They feed primarily on marsh plants, creating open water and removing habitat for native species, especially muskrat and waterfowl. Population Increase: With no natural predators to help control population growth, nutria populations in Maryland have grown rapidly. Population estimates on 10,000 acres of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge grew from about 250 animals in 1968 to an estimate of between 35,000 and 50,000 on 24,000 acres in 1998. At Tudor Farms, a 6,000 acre private wildlife management area adjacent to the Refuge, population estimates between 1995 and 1998 were estimated at 17,000 to 24,000 animals. Ecologists believe that random commercial trapping was unable to decrease the nutria over the past decade, because harvest rates remained between 5,000 to 10,000 nutria on each property every year. Marsh Damage: Nutria feed primarily on marsh vegetation that extends above the waterline. Nutria use their beaver-sized incisors and powerful forefeet to dig under the marsh surface to feed directly on the root mat, leaving the marsh pitted with holes and deep swim canals. Areas devoid of vegetation are called “eat outs” and the swim canals are called “runs." Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge has lost about 7,000 acres of Olney three-square bulrush, a preferred food choice of nutria, since 1938; 53% of the remaining marsh was considered to be in unhealthy condition and likely to be lost in the future. Nutria were a primary force in accelerating marsh loss in the Blackwater basin by attacking the very structure that holds the marsh together, the vegetative root mat. The root mat is especially critical because much of the marsh in the Blackwater basin is a type of floating marsh above a layer of fluid mud. Once the nutria chew through the mat and expose the mud, tidal currents and wave action lead to erosion. The marsh surface sinks and the vegetation is lost to flooding. These areas destroyed by nutria became permanent, open water ponds. A study, conducted in the early 1990's, demonstrated the specific impact of nutria on the marsh in and around the Refuge by creating quarter acre, fenced areas that excluded nutria but allowed other animals to enter. After several growing seasons, the vegetation within the exclosures recovered, but vegetation in unfenced control plots continued to decline. This finding provided scientific evidence that nutria were directly instrumental in marsh loss in and around the Refuge, and it established that the marsh has some limited capability to recover in the absence of nutria. Nutria Impacts on Other Species: Marsh loss removes habitat for native wildlife species, such as waterfowl, wading birds, and muskrats. Healthy marshes also function as sediment/nutrient filters, contributing to the maintenance of clean water. They also serve as nurseries for young crabs and fish. Three-square bulrush (Scirpus olneyi) is an especially valuable food resource for wintering waterfowl. The loss of this plant removes it as food for these birds and reduces invertebrate populations, which migrating waterfowl also feed on. The swim channels through the marsh also permit the salt water, tidal flooding of many isolated, interior ponds that support submerged aquatic vegetation. The increase in salinity and turbidity limits the growth of submerged aquatic vegetation, important for making dissolved oxygen and serving as food and shelter for many native species. Submerged aquatic vegetation is an important food source for migrating and wintering waterfowl, especially American Black ducks, a species of priority concern in the Atlantic Flyway. Some investigators reported that nutria have negatively effected native muskrat populations. Where the larger, more aggressive nutria had become abundant, the muskrat declined due to competitive displacement. Maryland has lost over 73% of its original wetlands, making the remaining wetlands vital to maintaining the health of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. Unfortunately, large expanses of Maryland’s marshes are being degraded by nutria. In 1938, 20 individual nutria were introduced into Louisiana and within 20 years, the nutria population exceed 20 million animals. By 1962, the nutria had replaced the native muskrat as the leading furbearer in Louisiana. What are We Going to Do? Maryland has a team of federal, state and private agencies and organizations working on the Maryland Nutria Project, which has two phases. In 1998, a proposal for a pilot project (Phase I) to study Maryland's Eastern Shore population of nutria and test trapping strategies was submitted to Congress for funds by a partnership of federal and state agencies and private partners working together. Funds were received and Phase I was conducted from 1999 through mid-2002. Key components of the pilot program were: 1. Research to determine population size, physiological status, and behavior 2. Restoration of wetlands 3. Public education and outreach 4. Testing of trapping strategies In the second Phase of the Nutria Project, begun in mid-2002, experience and data from Phase I is being applied to the greatest extent possible to a systematic eradication effort across the entire acreage of the study sites: Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and adjacent Fishing Bay Wildlife Management Area (state) and Tudor Farms (private). Phase II is designed to test the hypothesis that nutria can be eradicated on the Delmarva Peninsula. Progressive and systematic trapping will be used to cover the entire area under study. This process will take two to five years. Nutria Eradication or Control? In the second phase of the project, a combination of different traps and trapping strategies are being used to control nutria. A variety of trapping methods will be compared to determine trap effectiveness and to maximize the number of nutria captured Forty-acre grids have been measured across the entire Refuge and adjacent lands and trapping specialists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services are systematically setting and checking traps in one sweep across a grid. Second sweeps will be made in randomly chosen, trapped sites, and surveys will be conduced in these areas to listen for nutria calls and to find evidence of recent nutria activity. In this way, biologists hope to determine whether or not it is possible to eradicate nutria in this peninsula population. During the second phase of the project, an initial test was run at the Refuge on both the planting of Olney three-square bulrush and the spraying of sediment to raise the eroded planting surface in the marsh destroyed by nutria. With the eradication of most of the nutria on Blackwater Refuge and continued efforts to monitor these areas, the new marsh restoration plantings have prospered. The Partnership: A critical element to the success of this project lies in the close partnership between several key government agencies: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. This partnership and the nutria project serve as a model for similar projects in the 16 other states impacted by nutria. For more information about nutria contact: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mike Slattery (410) 573-4580 MD Department of Natural Resources Edith R. Thompson (410) 260-8555 Steve Kendrot (410-221-7857)	South America
Sometimes called a beaver dam, what is the more customary name for a beaver’s home?	Nutria Fighting Invasive Species, One Bite At A Time! Nutria Myocastor coypus Native range: Temperate and subtropical South America Invasive Range: Established in 16 states; abundant in the Gulf Coast but found as far west as Oregon and Washington Habitat: Found in a variety of semi-aquatic environments that occur at the boundary between permanent water and land, such as farm ponds, swamps, rivers, bayous, drainage canals, freshwater marshes and land coastal areas. Description: Large rodent, about the size of a beaver, with a long, rounded, ratlike till. Hind feet are webbed and incisors are orange colored. Upper coat is reddish brown with dark underfur, and a white muzzle tip and chin. Ecological Impacts: Burrows in stream banks, feeds on bald cypress and other native species. Nutria, also known as coypu and river rat, is native to temperate and subtropical South America. It has been introduced to Europe, Asia, and Africa, mainly for fur farming. These voracious, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodents were brought to the US in 1889 for their fur; smaller than a beaver, larger than a muskrat—as everywhere else, they escaped into wetlands, chewing through whatever needed to be chewed through (rubber tires, wood siding) along the way. Range of nutria in North America In the 1940s, feral nutria were promoted as a means of controlling water hyacinth (another invasive species) and as a recreational source of wild pelts and meat. By the 1950s there were 20 million nutria in Louisiana alone. Crops and levees were being damaged by their munching and digging. Should the state promote their fur—and protect their numbers—as a natural resource, or declare them a pest and get rid of them? The state got all that worked out, siding with the furiers, when, in the 1980s, the bottom fell out of the international fur market. Lately, a few innovative designers have turned their attention to this furry invader. In 2009, Cree McCree founded Righteous Fur in New Orleans, creating a line of clothing from the soft brown fur and jewelry from the orange teeth. We’ll probably be seeing more of the nutria. Climate change, accompanied by heavier rains in some areas, may extend their range north, since they would rather swim than walk. For more information on nutria biology see www.nutria.com Recipes Smoked Pulled Nutria Dave Budeau’s award-winning recipe from the Institute of Applied Ecology’s Invasive Species Cookoff. Read more about it here . For nutria 1 teaspoon garlic powder salt and pepper to taste 1. Before smoking, soak nutria in a simple brine. On the stove over low heat, dissolve the salt and sugar in about half a gallon water. Once the salt is dissolved, remove from heat and add another half gallon of cold water, add nutria, and place in refrigerator. Leave nutria to soak for 24 hours. 2. Remove nutria from brine and pat dry with a paper towel before placing on smoker racks. A small electric smoker can be used to control both time and temperature. 3. Smoke nutria for three to four hours at about 190°F. Add new chips about every hour. Nutria will be cooked when the thickest parts are at least 180°F using a meat thermometer. To retain moisture in the meat during the smoking process, close the smoker and add some apple cider in the moisture pan at the bottom of the smoker. 4. After nutria is cooked, use a fork to shred the meat and separate from the bones. Place shredded meat in a bowl and mix with about a cup of barbecue sauce. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Serves four 2 hind saddle portions of nutria meat 1 small onion, sliced thinly 1 tomato, cut into big wedges 2 potatoes, sliced thinly 1. Layer onion, tomato, potatoes, carrots and Brussels sprouts in a slow cooker. 2. Season nutria with salt, pepper and garlic, and place it over vegetables. 3. Add wine and water, cook on a low heat until meat is tender (approximately 1 1/2 hours). 4. Garnish with vegetables. Nutria, Wild boar, and crawfish egg roll towers From Prejeans Restaurant in Lafayette, Louisiana What’s not to love about this recipe, which calls for not one but three invaders? Makes 20 egg rolls 2 1/2 pounds ground nutria 1/2 pound ground wild boar 1/2 pound crawfish tails, chopped fine 1/2 cup water chestnuts, chopped 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, chopped 1/4 cup sliced green onions 1 1/2 tablespoons Thai-style seasoning 20 egg roll wrappers 1 egg, beaten Peanut oil for deep-frying 1. In a large bowl, mix the nutria, wild boar, crawfish, water chestnuts, mushrooms, onions, and Thai seasoning. Brown the mixture in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. 2. Remove from the heat, drain, and cool. 3. Place 2 ounces of the mixture in each egg roll wrapper. Follow directions on the wrapper package for rolling and sealing the egg rolls. 4. Pour 3 inches of oil into a heavy, deep saucepan. Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Fry the egg rolls until golden brown. 5. Place three egg rolls in another wrapper and brush the edges of the wrapper with the beaten egg. Fold the edges over to create a bundle. Repeat until you have used up all the egg rolls. Fry the bundles until golden brown. 6. Slice open each bundle across the top on the bias. Place the egg rolls upright on a plate and serve with a sweet and spicy sauce.	i don't know
Music. In which country is the song ‘Dominick the Donkey’ set?	Christmas Songs - Dominick The Donkey lyrics \| LyricsMode.com Dominick The Donkey lyrics To explain lyrics, select line or word and click "Explain". Create lyrics explanation Select some words and click "Explain" button. Then type your knowledge, add image or YouTube video till "Good-o-meter" shows "Cool" or "Awesome!". Publish your explanation with "Explain" button. Get karma points! OK, got it! New! Read & write lyrics explanations Highlight lyrics and explain them to earn Karma points. Christmas Songs – Dominick The Donkey lyrics Hey! Chingedy ching, (La la la-la la-la la la la la) (La la la-la la-la la-ee-oh-da) Santa's got a little friend, His name is Dominick. You never see him kick. When Santa visits his paisans, With Dominick he'll be. Climb the hills of Italy. Hey! Chingedy ching, (La la la-la la-la la la la la) (La la la-la la-la la-ee-oh-da) Jingle bells around his feet, And presents on the sled. Hey! Look at the mayor's derby, On top of Dominick's head. A pair of shoes for Louie, And a dress for Josephine. The labels on the inside says, They're made in Brooklyn. (La la la-la la-la la la la la) (La la la-la la-la la-ee-oh-da) Children sing, and clap their hands, And Dominick starts to dance. They talk Italian to him, And he even understands. When Santa Nicola comes to town, And brings lu ciucciariello (La la la-la la-la la la la la) (La la la-la la-la la-ee-oh-da) Hey! Dominick! Buon Natale! Correct Add song structure elements Click "Correct" to open the "Correction form". There you can add structure tags, correct typos or add missing words. Send your correction and get karma points! Result of your work will appear after moderating. OK, got it! 0 ntherese90 Nov 28, 2015 at 8:51 am Dominick The Italian Christmas Donkey is one of my fave Christmas songs! Fun, cheery and I love singing "Chingedy ching" with my pisans! I really like how Lou Monte sings it and he says "was made in Brook-ah-leen!" Brooklyn NYC. This a video would be really funny to see based on this song too! Buon Natale! Merry Christmas. Add your reply Write about your feelings and thoughts Know what this song is about? Does it mean anything special hidden between the lines to you? Share your meaning with community, make it interesting and valuable. Make sure you've read our simple tips Hey! It's useful. If this song really means something special to you, describe your feelings and thoughts. Don't hesitate to explain what songwriters and singer wanted to say. Also we collected some tips and tricks for you: Don't write just "I love this song." Hidden between the lines, words and thoughts sometimes hold many different not yet explained meanings Remember: your meaning might be valuable for someone Don't post links to images and links to facts Write correctly Don't spam and write clearly off-topic meanings Don't write abusive, vulgar, offensive, racist, threatening or harassing meanings Do not post anything that you do not have the right to post Please note: We moderate every meaning Follow these rules and your meaning will be published . Write song meaning Type your knowledge till "Good-o-meter" shows "Awesome!". Then send your meaning with "Post meaning" button. Get karma points! OK, got it!	World War II postal acronyms
In the ‘Star Wars’ films, what sort of creature is Chewbacca?	Dominic The Christmas Donkey: Greatest Christmas Novelty Songs [VIDEO] Dominic The Christmas Donkey: Greatest Christmas Novelty Songs [VIDEO] By Richie Phillips December 13, 2011 7:45 AM On some lists this is mentioned as one of the worst Christmas novelty songs of all time. Sorry. I respectfully disagree. Puts me in a better mood any time I hear it! So for those who agree, here we go!: According to Wikipedia, here’s the background of this classic: Dominick the Donkey is a Christmas song written by Richard Allen, Sam Saltzberg, and Lou Monte, first sung by Monte in 1960.The song describes a donkey who helps Santa Claus bring presents to children in Italy. The song hit #14 on the Hot 100 list back then, but I guess it didn’t get a lot of radio play because it was “ethnic” in nature, but it still became a cult classic of sorts and continues to this day. I want to thank the person who put this YouTube video up and transcribed the lyrics so you can practice to sing along at the next Christmas karaoke nite! What’s your favorite novelty song? Would love to know!	i don't know
Who starred as Vera Drake on TV, and as Professor Umbridge in the Harry Potter films?	Imelda Staunton - IMDb IMDb Actress \| Soundtrack Imelda Staunton was born on January 9, 1956 in Archway, London, England as Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton. She is an actress, known for Maleficent (2014), Vera Drake (2004) and Chicken Run (2000). She has been married to Jim Carter since October 1983. They have one child. See full bio » Born: a list of 35 people created 02 Jul 2011 a list of 22 people created 29 Sep 2012 a list of 39 people created 19 Jan 2013 a list of 30 people created 01 Jan 2016 a list of 28 people created 15 Jan 2016 Do you have a demo reel? Add it to your IMDbPage How much of Imelda Staunton's work have you seen? User Polls Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 24 wins & 32 nominations. See more awards » Known For 2008 Coming Up (TV Series) Mother 2005 Little Britain (TV Series) Mrs. Mead 2004 Let's Write a Story (TV Series documentary) Mrs. Twit 1999 Midsomer Murders (TV Series) Christine Cooper 1995-1998 Is It Legal? (TV Series) Stella Phelps - Local Government (1995) ... Councillor Johnson - Secrecy (1995) ... Councillor Johnson 1995 Citizen X (TV Movie) Mrs. Burakov 1994 Frank Stubbs (TV Series) Susan 1991 Screen Two (TV Series) The Producer 1986 The Singing Detective (TV Mini-Series) Staff Nurse White - Lovely Days (1986) ... Staff Nurse White - Heat (1986) ... Staff Nurse White - Skin (1986) ... Staff Nurse White 1986 Ladies in Charge (TV Series) Edith 1982 BBC2 Playhouse (TV Series) Mary Price - Easy Money (1982) ... Mary Price Hide 1992 Peter's Friends (performer: "The Way You Look Tonight", "Roger's Coffee Commercial Jingle", "Orpheus In the Underworld") Hide 2009 Peace, Love and Cinema (Documentary short) (thanks) Hide 2014 That Musical We Made (TV Movie documentary) Herself (uncredited) 2013 The One Show (TV Series) Herself - Guest 2012 The Awakening: Behind the Scenes (Video documentary short) Herself / Maud Hill 2012 The Story of Musicals (TV Series documentary) Herself - Narrator 2010 Natural World (TV Series documentary) Herself - Presenter 2009 Cinema 3 (TV Series) Herself 2005-2009 This Morning (TV Series) Herself 2008 Film 2016 (TV Series) Herself 2007 Stephen Fry: 50 Not Out (TV Movie documentary) Herself 2007 HBO First Look (TV Series documentary) Herself 2005 The South Bank Show (TV Series documentary) Herself 2005 Drama Connections (TV Series documentary) Herself 2005 HARDtalk Extra (TV Series) Herself 2005 Richard & Judy (TV Series) Herself 2001 Crush: Behind the Scenes (Video documentary short) Herself / Janine 1996 The Animal Family (TV Movie documentary) Narrator - part 2 (voice) 2014 The One Show (TV Series) Enid 2003 Stephen Fry: Director Documentary (Video documentary short) Lady Brown (uncredited) Stage: Appeared in "A Little Night Music", Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham, England, UK. See more » Publicity Listings: 3 Interviews \| 6 Articles \| See more » Height: Did You Know? Personal Quote: We actors are like children--all you have to do is feed and encourage us, and we'll be fine. That controlling animus has gone. No director treats us badly anymore. In fact, they should put that in the end credits of The Girl (2012): "No actor has been harmed in the making of this movie". See more » Trivia: An only child, she attended La Sainte Union Convent, a convent school in the north of London. See more » Star Sign:	Imelda Staunton
In which decade of the 20th C. did the first Oscar ceremonies take place?	Imelda Staunton \| Harry Potter Wiki \| Fandom powered by Wikia [ show ] Career Staunton is a well-respected, multiple award-winning actress. She has won the Laurence Olivier theatre award twice, received an Academy Award nomination and is an associate member of RADA. She has appeared in countless theatre productions, films and television shows, including; Much Ado About Nothing ( 1993 ), Sense and Sensibility ( 1995 ), Shakespeare in Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge Love ( 1998 ), Vera Drake ( 2004 ), and Nanny McPhee ( 2005 ). In 2012 , Staunton played the lead role of Mrs Lovett in the West End revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. In 1999 , she played Mrs Micawber in David Copperfield, which Daniel Radcliffe starred in as young David Copperfield. Alongside David Tennant she reprised her antagonist role as the voice of Queen Victoria in The Pirates! In an Adventure With Scientists! Personal life Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton O.B.E, was born to Joseph and Bridie Staunton on the 9th of January 1956 in Archway, North London . She is married to the actor Jim Carter and has a daughter named Bessie, born 1993 . External links	i don't know
What was Harry Hill’s occupation before he moved into comedy?	Doctor Who? Harry Hill’s secret past and 5 more career-change comics - BT Doctor Who? Harry Hill’s secret past and 5 more career-change comics Stars in Their Eyes host Harry Hill once underwent a transformation of his own, from doctor into high-collared comedian. And he’s not the only comic to have set out on a very different career path… Print this story Comic Harry Hill presides over a new series of Stars in Their Eyes this weekend, helping ordinary members of the public transform themselves (temporarily) into pop idols. But Harry underwent a transformation of his own. Before he became the high-collared hierophant of hilarity that we all know and love he worked as a doctor, delivering babies, resuscitating emergency cases and dealing with the mentally ill. To this day he remains on the General Medical Council's list of Registered Medical Practitioners. And he’s not the only comedy star with a more serious past… Bob Mortimer The marginally less well-known half of Reeves and Mortimer trained as a lawyer, leaving university with an LLM in Welfare Law. Bob moved to London to take up a post in Southwark Council’s legal department before moving into private practice as a solicitor.Chance took him to a Vic Reeves show in South London and the pair started writing together soon afterwards. Bob returned to his legal roots in 1996, giving advice to Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker in the wake of his notorious ‘stage invasion’ of Michael Jackson’s performance at the Brit Awards. Jo Brand The formidable comedienne worked for children’s charity Barnardo's and was then a nursing assistant in a residential unit for adults with learning difficulties before she took a joint social science degree with a Registered Mental Nurse qualification at Brunel University. That study sustained a 10-tear stretch as a psychiatric nurse, at the South London Bethlem, Cefn Coed Hospital in Swansea and Maudsley Hospital in South London. Jo drew on her nursing experience when she co-wrote critically-acclaimed sitcom Getting On, which centred on three nurses in a geriatric ward. Hugh Dennis While his comedy partner Steve Punt followed the more conventional route from Cambridge Footlights straight to the BBC, lantern-jawed Outnumbered star Hugh followed his stellar stint at Cambridge with six years as a brand manager in the marketing department of pharmaceuticals giant Unilever. [Related: 8 TV stars and their surprising second careers] There he helped shape the public image of products such as Mentadent toothpaste, Timotei shampoo and Denim aftershave. Not the obvious route to comedy stardom, but it seems to have done the trick. Hugh is a regular on BBC2’s Mock the Week and Radio 4’s The Now Show as well as on BBC1’s Not Going Out. Dawn French After training at the Central School of Speech and Drama, Dawn French taught at the Parliament Hill School for Girls where she was by all accounts a particularly popular pedagogue. Even though the pair didn’t hit it off straight away, Dawn reunited with her Central classmate Jennifer Saunders, though, for a series of comedy shows in dingy Soho clubs that brought her into contact with the up and coming Alternative Comedy elite. Dawn and Jennifer also shared a flat in their final year at Central, inspiring their mid-80s flatshare sitcom Girls On Top. Jimmy Carr Before becoming a ubiquitous TV personality, Jimmy was a high-flying marketing executive for the Shell Oil company. A month after he did his first stand-up show, Jimmy was made redundant – and he used the £3,000 severance package to cushion a leap into comedy that has seen him rise to becoming one of the top-grossing stand-up performers of his generation. What do we learn from all this? That perhaps, as your nan used to say, it’s a good idea to have a solid career to fall back on, in case your showbiz dreams don’t quite pan out. Have you made a dramatic career change? Tell us all about it in the Comments section below. Guess the stars in the eyes of these singing sensations LAUNCH GALLERY Guess the stars in the eyes of these singing sensations Between 1990 and 2006, celebrities and civilians alike were transformed into stars of pop and rock by TV's Stars in Their Eyes. In 2006, Kelly Griggs suffered a heartache as which Welsh singer? Kelly featured in the 2006 kids' special as Bonnie Tyler, but was beaten by Christopher Napier's uncanny George Formby. Coronation Street's Vera Duckworth, actress Liz Dawn, hit fever pitch as which American jazz legend? Liz swapped the cobbles for the footlights to sing Peggy Lee's Fever in a 2001 Coronation Street special. You won't need to rack your brains all night long to work out who Brookside's Louis Emerick emerged through the famous doors as. A soap special in 2005 saw Louis - Mick Johnson in the scouse soap - don the well-groomed 'tache of former Commodores singer Lionel Richie. It's no sweet little mystery who Paul Doody won 1996's series of Stars in Their Eyes as. Doody won series 7 of the show as Marti Pellow, just two years after John Finch also triumphed as the Wet Wet Wet frontman. We're torn as to whether Lucinda O'Connell is really a dead ringer for the Aussie soap star she was impersonating. Lucinda performed as Neighbours actress-turned-singer Natalie Imbruglia in the 2000 series of the show. Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee appeared as which couple of swells in a 2005 Celebrity Duets special? The magician and his wife performed 'We're a Couple of Swells' from the Fred Astaire and Judy Garland musical Easter Parade. Breakfast TV presenter Penny Smith found one way or another to impersonate which 70s pop superstar? Smith performed as Blondie's Debbie Harry in a 2004 celebrity special. Stars in Their Eyes with Harry Hill returns to ITV on Saturday January 10. FULL SCREEN	ELIZA
Which of the seven actors who have played James Bond once polished coffins for a job?	My Secret Life: Harry Hill, 48, Comedian \| The Independent My Secret Life: Harry Hill, 48, Comedian 'I see a funny face in the mirror' Saturday 8 December 2012 00:00 BST Click to follow The Independent Online My parents were… My mum was a full- time mother and my dad was a commuter. The household I grew up in… Really hectic. I am one of five kids – you had to fight your corner. We were a big family so rarely got invited anywhere and we didn't have much money so never went out. Four of us wedged in a sofa watching the The Generation Game, central heating on full blast, condensation dripping down the windows – that's my memory of it. When I was a child I wanted to be… a chemist. I wanted to make fireworks. If I could change one thing about myself… my hair. It started to go when I was about 23. I did all my ageing in my twenties. People say I haven't changed since then. Now everyone is catching up. At night I dream of… myself on various TV shows. Once I was in Emmerdale. You wake up from a dream like that, you don't feel great. What I see when I look in the mirror … quite a funny face. I drive/ride… a Shadow 2, an old 1980 Rolls-Royce. My house is… nicer than my old one. I moved because a window cleaner knocked at my door and said: "Oh, you! I thought you'd have a better house than this." A book that changed me… The House of God (1978, Samuel Shem) about junior doctors in America. When I was a doctor I thought I was the only one feeling the way I did. I didn't really like the job and felt quite ambivalent towards a lot of the patients. I read this book and it was exactly what I was thinking. It's a very dark book about how you become hardened. I was in the NHS at its lowest point, doing 100 hours a week with no guarantee of a job at the end. It had a doctor's gallows humour. My humour is the opposite of all that – a reaction to it. The last album I bought... I just got into Stevie Wonder. My wife has been going on at me about him for years. My greatest regret… is that my hair hasn't been here to see my success. My secret crush... Jennie Bond. The last time I cried… I was listening to the song "A Place in the Sun" by Stevie Wonder – turns out it's not about that Channel 4 show. It's a very uplifting song. My five-year plan… on tour this spring, then making a film about a crooked vet trying to get hold of my hamster... and I'm writing X Factor, the musical. What's the point? If you consider that matter can neither be created nor destroyed, when we die our atoms go out into the universe and eventually get recycled. So if you have an infinite amount of time, then eventually you will come back exactly the same. Which suits me. I'm also hoping that Jesus will be there with all my dead pets. My life in six words… Born in Woking, died in London. A Life in Brief Harry Hill, real name Matthew Hall, was born in Woking in 1964. He trained as a doctor but gave up in 1990 to become a comedian; two years later he won the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe. He began hosting his own show, Fruit Corner, on Radio 4 in 1993, before moving to TV in 1997. He hosted Harry Hill's TV Burp on ITV for 11 years; a 'best-of' DVD, Harry Hill's Cream of TV Burp is out now. Hill tours his new show, Sausage Time, from February, He lives in south London with his wife, Magda, and their three daughters. More about:	i don't know
Born in 1955, who wrote ‘The Firm’, ‘The Client’ and ‘The Chamber’?	Bio \| John Grisham John Grisham Menu Biography “I seriously doubt I would ever have written the first story had I not been a lawyer. I never dreamed of being a writer. I wrote only after witnessing a trial.” ― John Grisham Long before his name became synonymous with the modern legal thriller, he was working 60-70 hours a week at a small Southaven, Mississippi, law practice, squeezing in time before going to the office and during courtroom recesses to work on his hobby—writing his first novel. Born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to a construction worker and a homemaker, John Grisham as a child dreamed of being a professional baseball player. Realizing he didn’t have the right stuff for a pro career, he shifted gears and majored in accounting at Mississippi State University. After graduating from law school at Ole Miss in 1981, he went on to practice law for nearly a decade in Southaven, specializing in criminal defense and personal injury litigation. In 1983, he was elected to the state House of Representatives and served until 1990. One day at the DeSoto County courthouse, Grisham overheard the harrowing testimony of a twelve-year-old rape victim and was inspired to start a novel exploring what would have happened if the girl’s father had murdered her assailants. Getting up at 5 a.m. every day to get in several hours of writing time before heading off to work, Grisham spent three years on A Time to Kill and finished it in 1987. Initially rejected by many publishers, it was eventually bought by Wynwood Press, who gave it a modest 5,000 copy printing and published it in June 1988. That might have put an end to Grisham’s hobby. However, he had already begun his next book, and it would quickly turn that hobby into a new full-time career—and spark one of publishing’s greatest success stories. The day after Grisham completed A Time to Kill, he began work on another novel, the story of a hotshot young attorney lured to an apparently perfect law firm that was not what it appeared. When he sold the film rights to The Firm to Paramount Pictures for $600,000, Grisham suddenly became a hot property among publishers, and book rights were bought by Doubleday. Spending 47 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, The Firm became the bestselling novel of 1991. The successes of The Pelican Brief, which hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list, and The Client, which debuted at number one, confirmed Grisham’s reputation as the master of the legal thriller. Grisham’s success even renewed interest in A Time to Kill, which was republished in hardcover by Doubleday and then in paperback by Dell. This time around, it was a bestseller. Since first publishing A Time to Kill in 1988, Grisham has written one novel a year (his other books are The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Chamber, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, The Partner, The Street Lawyer, The Testament, The Brethren, A Painted House, Skipping Christmas, The Summons, The King of Torts, Bleachers, The Last Juror, The Broker, Playing for Pizza, The Appeal, The Associate, The Confession, The Litigators, Calico Joe, The Racketeer, Sycamore Row, and Gray Mountain) and all of them have become international bestsellers. There are currently over 300 million John Grisham books in print worldwide, which have been translated into 40 languages. Nine of his novels have been turned into films (The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, A Time to Kill, The Rainmaker, The Chamber, A Painted House, The Runaway Jury, and Skipping Christmas), as was an original screenplay, The Gingerbread Man. The Innocent Man (October 2006) marked his first foray into non-fiction, and Ford County (November 2009) was his first short story collection. Grisham took time off from writing for several months in 1996 to return, after a five-year hiatus, to the courtroom. He was honoring a commitment made before he had retired from the law to become a full-time writer: representing the family of a railroad brakeman killed when he was pinned between two cars. Preparing his case with the same passion and dedication as his books’ protagonists, Grisham successfully argued his clients’ case, earning them a jury award of $683,500—the biggest verdict of his career. When he’s not writing, Grisham devotes time to charitable causes, including most recently his Rebuild The Coast Fund, which raised 8.8 million dollars for Gulf Coast relief in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He also keeps up with his greatest passion: baseball. The man who dreamed of being a professional baseball player now serves as the local Little League commissioner. The six ballfields he built on his property have played host to over 350 kids on 26 Little League teams. Join Our Mailing List	John Grisham
In 1520, what was the name given to the meeting held between Henry VIII and Francis I?	John Grisham, Mississippi author of court room drama and legal thriller writer by Sean Hosie (SHS) Grisham speaks at Southern Lit Festival, Photo by N. Jacobs John Grisham, Jr., was born February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas. His father was a cotton farmer who moved the family to Southaven, Mississippi, in 1967. Grisham graduated from Southaven High School in 1973 and enrolled in Northwest Junior College, Senatobia, Mississippi. He played baseball there his freshman year. Thinking it was time to move up, the next year he transferred to Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi, and tried out to play baseball there (McDavid 14). Grisham fancied himself a great baseball player and a future Hall of Famer (Grisham 1991 2), an undiscovered athlete waiting to be signed. However, at Delta State the competition was harder, and he found he could not hit a fast ball or curve ball well. He knew that pitchers were cruel when they spotted weaknesses. His roommates were restless, and since his baseball career was over anyway, John and his friends left Delta State at the end of the semester and went to Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi. At MSU the friends started out in forestry. They had already decided that if things did not work out, they would go to Appalachian State. One of his friends wanted to see the mountains. At first Grisham did not like Mississippi State; he was not interested in learning. He had transferred from two schools, and he did not have very good grades. Almost immediately, he changed his major to economics. In his first economics class, he witnessed a class discussion of students and the instructor in which the students were articulate, prepared, and unafraid of confronting the professor. He wanted to be part of that. He wanted to grow up and learn (Grisham. 1991. 3). He discovered that he preferred accounting to economics. His grades were salvageable. With hard work he thought he could succeed. He also had thoughts of attending law school. If he did not get in, he would still have an excellent degree from Mississippi State University . (Grisham 1991 3). Grisham graduated with a B.S. in accounting from Mississippi State University in 1977. Grisham then studied tax law at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi. Discovering that he did not like that specialty, he changed to criminal law. He graduated in 1981 with a law degree and opened a law practice in Southaven, Mississippi. He practiced law for almost a decade and specialized in criminal defense and personal injury Litigation. His experiences with judges, courts and police have been useful in writing his novels (Grisham 1992b 3) . In 1983 the voters of Mississippi’s Seventh District elected John Grisham to represent them in the Mississippi House of Representatives in Jackson. He began writing fiction in 1984 while in the legislature and finished his first book A Time to Kill in 1987. However, it was prejudged a regional novel and received little national attention (Mitchell Memorial Library 2). The initial printing was for 5,000 copies and he sold nearly 1,000 copies to friends and acquaintances in Mississippi. The same year he began working on a new book, The Firm, and in 1990 Paramount Pictures paid him $600,000 for the rights to his new book(Grisham 1993 2-4). The book, published in 1991 by Doubleday, spent forty-seven weeks on the NewYork Times best seller list. John Grisham’s writing career skyrocketed and brought him international fame. Grisham served two terms as a state representative. In his second term he held positions on important House committees and was vice chairman of the Appointment and Elections Committee. Sometimes bored by the frequent inactivity of the legislature, he introduced a resolution commending Herbert Khaury (who in actuality was really Tiny Tim)! He served in the legislature until 1990. Letter above from Grisham Room exhibit in Mitchell Library, Mississippi State University. Letter is to Stephen King from John Grisham. Grisham’s first book, A Time to Kill, is the story of a young rape victim, a ten-year-old black girl, in Clanton, Mississippi, and the revenge taken by her father. A major section of the book is the trial that results after the father kills both men charged with the rape as they leave the courtroom. Grisham’s story was sparked by a trial he had witnessed in Hernando, Mississippi (Grisham 1992b 3). It is a story that grips the reader and won’t let go until the last page is finished (Hailey A4). Yet few hard cover copies were sold in the beginning. Although the book got good local reviews, it was not noticed nationally (Hailey A4). When Grisham was writing his second book, The Firm, a scout for a Hollywood production company read the original manuscript for it and gave Grisham $600,000 for the movie rights to The Firm (Grisham 1993 2-4). Because of this publicity and the acknowledgment that Hollywood was interested in the story, The Firm, published in 1991, got national attention. Five hundred fifty thousand hardback copies and seven million paperback copies were sold. John Grisham became a well- known author. Now people read A Time to Kill and people bought 5.5 million paperback copies (Grisham 1993 2-4). Grisham’s next book, The Pelican Brief, sold 1.4 million hardback copies and 5.1 million paperback copies. Since then Grisham has written The Client, The Chamber, The Runaway Jury, The Rainmaker and The Partner and others. (See Major Works above.) John Grisham, in an interview, said that he has no desire to go to Hollywood or to be involved in the movie productions of his books (1993. 2-4). Grisham and his wife, Renee Jones, have two children: a son Ty and a daughter Shea. The Grishams have homes in Oxford, Mississippi, and near Charlottesville, Virginia. Grisham wants to stay with his family and not be away from them. Also, he does not like the sex, violence or profanity that Hollywood puts in the movie productions of his books. He says that he tries to avoid using graphic sex or violence in his books and does not include obscenities. His current favorite past time is Little League baseball, and he has built a complex of fields for Little League teams in Virginia where he can be seen marking off the field or helping to keep score. John Grisham published ten books: A Time to Kill,The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Chamber,The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, The Partner, The Street Lawyer, and The Testament, which have all have been best sellers both in the United States and in Europe. All his books contain information from politics and the legal profession. John Grisham writes from his experiences in both areas. He was also the original publisher of the magazine The Oxford American. In all, Grisham has published over forty novels–The Brethren (February, 2000), The Painted House (originally published in six issues of The Oxford American and based on Grisham’s own life), 2001, Skipping Christmas (2001), The Summons (2002), The King of Torts (2003), Bleachers (2003), The Last Juror (2004), The Broker (2006), The Innocent Man (2006), Playing for Pizza (2007), and The Appeal (2008), Gray Mountain in 2014, Sycamore Row (2013), Theodore Boone: The Activist (2013), Theodore Boone: The Accused (2013), Fetching Raymond (2013), Theodore Boone: The Abduction (2012), Calico Joe (2012), The Brethren (2012), The Litigators (2012), Bleachers (2011), The Testament (2011), The Confession (2010), Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer (2010), The Street Lawyer (2010) The Associate (2009), and Ford County: Stories (2009). The Theodore Boone novels have a thirteen year old as the protagonist and are meant primarily for teenagers. He added Theodore Boone: The Fugitive and Rogue Lawyer in 2015. John Grisham is no longer involved with The Oxford American. It was sold to a group in Little Rock, but the magazine ceased publishing in Little Rock in 2003 and has re-emerged as a nonprofit quarterly on the campus of University of Central Arkansas. When he’s not writing, Grisham devotes time to charitable causes, including his Rebuild The Coast Fund, which raised 8.8 million dollars for Gulf Coast relief in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He also keeps up with his greatest passion: baseball. He once dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player and now serves as the local Little League commissioner. According to his web site, “the six ballfields he built on his property have played host to over 350 kids on 26 Little League teams.” In 2007 he wrote a foreword for his former high school (Southaven High School) yearbook. His alma mater, Mississippi State University, has a Grisham Room dedicated to the author, which contains momentoes of his work. In 2015 Grisham participated in the first Mississippi Festival of the Book in Jackson, Mississippi. Reviews A Review of The Firm by Sean Hosie (SHS) Grisham with fan. Photo by N. Jacobs John Grisham’s second book, The Firm, was a hit before it was published in 1991. Paramount Pictures paid Grisham for the rights to his book in 1990, knowing that this story had the potential to attract movie audiences. In the story Grisham details a young lawyer’s attempt to get out of a situation that could get him killed. Mitch McDeere should not have gotten into this situation in the first place. He should have known better. Mitch McDeere wanted it all, and he was on his way to getting it. He had just signed a contract to work for the law firm of Bendi, Lambert, and Locke of Memphis, Tennessee, for a salary of $120,000. The firm was going to pay for his school loans, arrange a bank loan for a house, and lease a brand new BMW for him. He should have known better. He should have known you don’t get something for nothing. And, within the next few months, he would realize that. He would find himself between the FBI, the firm, and the powerful Morolto crime family. Mitch was a man from a poor family. He wanted to have money. He wantedprestige. Through hard work and determination, he was able to graduate from one of the best law schools in the East. He had three job offers with good salary and benefits promised. When the law firm of Bendi, Lambert, and Locke called upon him to interview, he was not impressed. However, he was impressed though with their three-figure salary offer and benefits. Mitch accepted their offer and he and his wife, Abby, moved to Memphis. He was just the type of person the firm wanted: a poor boy, who would be silent about illegal activities to keep his high salary and standard of living or so they thought. Mitch soon discovered that the law firm was involved with the powerful Morolto crime family. In fact, the Morolto family was the firm’s biggest client. The firm was started by the Morolto family to launder money and find ways to hide profits from their illegal operations. The crime family controlled the senior partners in the firm. The partners knew about the illegal activities of the crime family, and therefore they were their partners in crime. The partners made so much money that they kept silent about the illegal activities. The partners believed Mitch would also remain silent in return for the money. Mitch was contacted by the FBI for his help. The FBI wanted him to give them information on the Morolto family. Mitch was caught between the firm and the FBI. If he gave the FBI what they wanted, the FBI would not prosecute him for involvement in illegal business activities for the family. But Mitch knew he would never work in a law firm again because, ethically, he could not release confidential information on clients. The FBI also told Mitch that if the firm found out he was helping them, the firm would have him killed just like they had done in the past with other lawyers they employed. Mitch also knew that if he helped the FBI, he and his family would live in constant fear from the Morolto family. John Grisham and Mississippi author Brad Watson. Photo by Nancy Jacobs Mitch figured out a plan to get himself out of the situation. He took millions of dollars from the Morolto fund at the firm. He also made a deal with the FBI to give him one million dollars for his information. He arranged for the FBI to get his brother Ray out of jail also. For this, Mitch promised to copy the files from the firm for the FBI. If Ray stayed in jail, the crime family would have a hold on Mitch by threatening to kill his brother. His brother also helped him carry out his plans. Mitch copied the client files that the FBI wanted but kept the files for himself. He made a video tape about what he knew of the Morolto family and their businesses. He left it with the files in a motel room. He then escaped with his wife and brother to Little Cayman Island by boat. A friend told the FBI where the files and tapes were. Mitch, his wife, and brother planned to remain on Little Cayman Island. They had plenty of money to live on, and no one knew they were there. They read later that over half the members of the law firm had been arrested and indicted. Thirty-one members of the Morolto family were also arrested by the FBI. Mitch saw himself as very lucky. He was alive. The FBI and the Morolto family did not know where he was. He also became aware of the fact that you don’t get something for nothing. He almost paid for what he got with his life. I was held in suspense throughout most of this story. I was not always sure of what Mitch was planning to do. At times I thought he would not be able to save himself or his family. This is a good story about the corruption of wealth and how difficult it is to give up a rich life style. It is a good mystery story because you are always wondering what will happen next. I learned new information about the legal profession and tax laws. I also learned more about what it would be like to live in Memphis, Tennessee, and the Cayman Islands–especially if you had lots of money to spend! A Review of A Time to Kill by Sanford Johnson (SHS) Sanford Johnson, SHS researcher “There are crimes of race and creed and color, so when people outside of Clanton hear that a black man has killed two whites, the town is filled with an angry mob determined to tear down, burn and destroy anything and anyone that opposes them.” This is an excerpt from John Grisham’s first book, A Time to Kill. Upon its initial publishing in 1989, it received very little critical attention, but the overwhelming success of The Firm sparked interest in Grisham’s first novel. A Time to Kill is based on actual courtroom experiences Grisham faced while he was a lawyer in Southaven, Mississippi. First Grisham book: A Time to Kill A Time to Kill is the story of Jake Brigance, a white small-town lawyer who defends Carl Lee Hailey, a black man who took an M-16 and killed the two white guys who raped and tortured his ten-year-old daughter. Before long, everybody in Clanton, Mississippi, from the NAACP to the Ku Klux Klan, is involved in the case. “The People versus Carl Lee Hailey” divides the black and white residents in the small town and quickly becomes the small town version of the O.J. trial. The prosecution wants the all-white jury to believe that Carl Lee Hailey is a cold-blooded murderer and that this was merely an act of revenge, but Brigance asks the hard-to-answer question, “If you were in Carl Lee Hailey’s shoes and your daughter was raped, wouldn’t you do the same thing if you knew the rapist would go free?” This question was especially tough for Brigance to answer because he had a daughter around the same age as Hailey’s. Once he found the answer, and the Klan burned down his house, he knew that he couldn’t let Carl Lee Hailey go to jail for something he would have done himself. A Time to Kill is not just a courtroom novel, but an exploration of the often turbulent relationship between blacks and whites in the South. It wouldn’t be as dramatic if it weren’t for the fact that a “black person’s relative or loved one is attacked or murdered by a white person, white person goes to trial, and white person goes free by all white jury” scenarios used to happen frequently. Since Carl Lee Hailey probably saw this happen time and time again, he figured that the only way these two men would face justice is if he took the law into his own hands. I recommend this book as an excellent courtroom drama as well as an insight into the changing black\white relationships in the south today. A Summary of A Time to Kill by Lindsey Baddley (SHS) On the outskirts of the small town of Clanton, Mississippi, a ten-year-old black child, Tonya Hailey, is on her way back from a market about a mile from her house when two white men kidnap her. Tonya is brutally raped and beaten and then dumped into a ravine left for dead. Somehow, Tonya manages to survive and identify the men and their truck. Because of the description, the town sheriff Ozzie Walls knows immediately who they are. Days later, as both rapists leave the courtroom, Tonya’s father, Carl Lee Hailey, shoots and kills them. Faced with the gas chamber, Carl Lee hires Jake Brigance, a young ambitious lawyer, but Jake may be taking on more than he bargained for because Carl Lee’s prosecutor, judge, and victims are all white. For ten days, an entire nation is consumed by the events. Almost killed by the KKK, Jake manages to hang on and still fight to save his client’s life and then his own. With help from Ellen Roark, a law student at Ole Miss, Jake Brigance is able to prove to the court and jurors that Carl Lee Hailey is not guilty. Even though everyone’s life would certainly not go back to normal, at least Carl Lee Hailey would know that he had done what he thought was right, and he had beaten the system. Although a lot of other fathers in the town said that it was wrong of him to take the law into his own hands, they probably would have felt the same way as Carl Lee Hailey did and would have committed the same crime if their little girl had gone through the trauma that Tonya experienced. Poster announcing Grisham’s appearance for The Pelican Brief A Review of The Client by Matt Huddleston (SHS) The novel The Client by John Grisham is filled with evil and sleaziness; but in the end, good triumphs. The main character experiences many hardships, but finds consolation in his lawyer and the importance of trust. Mark, an eleven-year old, lives in an abusive household with an eight-year old brother, Ricky. Mark smokes regularly, and Ricky thinks he is cool. His father is an alcoholic who beats both boys and their mother. These hardships help Mark to triumph in the end because of his maturity and his experience with tough situations. The setting begins in the busy city of Memphis, Tennessee, and, as the story progresses, moves to New Orleans, Louisiana. The novel begins in the woods behind their trailer as Mark and Ricky are walking down the path to smoke cigarettes. Then, a black, shiny Lincoln creeps towards them. Mark and Ricky hide, only to see a prominent lawyer, Jerome “Romey” Clifford, commit suicide. Ricky goes into shock and is taken to a hospital. Romey is the lawyer for Barry “The Blade” Muldanno, a member of the mob who has killed U.S. Senator Boyd Boyette. The mob finds out about Romey’s death and Mark, who had briefly chatted with the deceased lawyer. The boy then goes on a quest to find Boyette’s hidden body. The novel is written in third person point of view. John Grisham uses characterization to make you love or hate the people. The plot is uplifting because despite the The Client by John Grisham hardships Mark may face, he always finds a way to overcome them. Grisham wrote this novel to entertain, but also to express his feelings about the American legal system. The setting is not extremely important, but is close to John Grisham’s childhood home, so he knows the area. He also describes the characters’ inner and outer traits and their backgrounds. The title of this novel is very significant. Throughout the novel, Grisham portrays the companionship of a lawyer and their client. For example, Mark’s lawyer, Reggie Love, breaks laws in order to help the eleven-year old succeed in his quest to find the dead senator’s body. I believe Grisham is proving that no matter how many bad people and lawyers there are, there are always good people and lawyers that will overcome and win. The bad ones just win every once in a while. The Client‘s theme is unquestionably important as Mark and Reggie become closer as they get further along in their quest. The theme is about life’s difficulties and problems, and how a good friend or advisor can help. I believe that Grisham is trying to state that no matter how big a conflict may become, that a true friend will come through for you. In conclusion, I enjoyed this novel very much because of Grisham’s talented methods of keeping the reader interested throughout the novel. I consider Grisham to be an excellent writer with a great knowledge of the legal system and a grasp of interpersonal relationships. The book, although law-related, is easy to read because of his writing style. Now nationally known, John Grisham stands out as one of the most famous Mississippi writers. Return to Top Related Websites Photo of advertisement for film Mickey with original screen story by John Grisham. Poster is from John Grisham Room exhibit at MSU. Photo by N. Jacobs	i don't know
By what title was British Prime Minister Robert Banks Jenkinson otherwise known?	History of Robert Banks Jenkinson Earl of Liverpool - GOV.UK GOV.UK Robert Banks Jenkinson Earl of Liverpool Conservative 1812 to 1827 Born 4 December 1828, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey Dates in office Conservative Major acts Importation Act 1815: prohibiting the import of foreign wheat until the domestic price reached a minimum accepted level. “(I consider) the right of election as a public trust, granted not for the benefit of the individual, but for the public good.” Robert Banks Jenkinson Earl of Liverpool became known for repressive measures introduced to restore order, but he also steered the country through the period of radicalism and unrest which followed the Napoleonic Wars. He served as leader of the House of Lords, Foreign Secretary and War Secretary. After the assassination of Spencer Perceval in 1812, the Earl of Liverpool was asked to form a government. Few expected him to survive in office very long, as at first his government seemed very insecure. But the opposition provided by the Whig party was weak and disunited, and he was able to draw on the talents of individuals such as Sidmouth , the Duke of Wellington , Castlereagh and Canning . The end of the Napoleonic Wars with France in 1815, aided by the Duke of Wellington’s victories in the field, further boosted support for Lord Liverpool. But after the war, unrest broke out at home, partly caused by an economic recession that started in 1817. Unemployment, a bad harvest and high prices produced riots and protests. Actions such as the repeal of income tax and the creation of the Corn Laws tended to make the situation worse. Lord Liverpool’s government reacted by suspending habeas corpus for 2 years. Things became even worse in Summer 1819, when large gatherings in favour of parliamentary reform culminated in a massive public meeting in Manchester on 16 August. Soldiers attacked the crowds, killing 11 and wounding many more. The shocking event became known as the Peterloo Massacre. Lord Liverpool’s following ‘Six Acts’ limited the right to hold radical meetings. This crackdown on liberty prompted an attempt by radicals in 1820 to murder Lord Liverpool and his Cabinet, and start a radical revolution. But the Cato Street Conspiracy (as it became known) proved unsuccessful, and the conspirators were hung or transported. During the 1820s Lord Liverpool’s policy became increasingly liberal, and a period of economic prosperity began. He also returned Britain to the Gold Standard in 1819. The anti-trade union laws were repealed, and many trading restrictions were removed. A stroke forced him to resign in 1827 and he died the following year. Help us improve GOV.UK	Earl of Liverpool
In which European country does/did the late Norman Wisdom have a huge cult status?	British Prime Ministers through the ages \| Pictures \| Pics \| Daily Express British Prime Ministers through the ages Wed, May 27, 2015 Photo: 1 / 53 With a General Election coming up in May, we look back at some of the famous occupants of Number 10 through the ages Pause slideshow Winston Churchill Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965) was and is a British icon. After a long career in journalism and politics he became Britain's talismanic war leader in 1940, where his stirring rhetoric and leadership would help the nation to overcome the Nazis. Defeated at the 1945 election, he returned to office in 1951. In 2002 he was named The Greatest Briton of all time by the public in a nation-wide survey [Getty Images] David Cameron was the Prime Minister from May 2010 to July 2016. [Getty Images] Gordon Brown (1951-) served as Chancellor throughout his rival Tony Blair's period as Prime Minister and succeeded him in 2007. Less greagrious than his predesscesor, he struggled with personal image problems, and had to deal with two of the great political crises of the 21st century to date, the MP's expenses scandal, and the 2008 crash [Getty Images] Tony Blair (1953-) returned Labour to power after 18 years in opposition with a historic landslide in 1997. His government increased the budget of the Health and Education services, introduced a Minimum Wage and passed the Human Rights Act, but controversially led the UK into lengthy wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and introduced various surveillance and counter-terror measures that proved highly unpopular [Getty Images] John Major (1943-) was the surprise successor to Thatcher in 1990, and won an unexpected victory in the 1992 General Election. His government privatised rail, water and gas utilities and oversaw British integration into the new European Union in 1992. Despite a strong economy, a string of government scandals and discontent with the Tories saw Labour win a resounding victory in 1997 [Getty Images] Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013) was the first woman to occupy 10 Downing Street, and a forthright political personality. Her government took on tough battles in the Falklands abroad and against the Trade Unions at home, and by the second half of the 1980's had restored Britain to prosperity and stability. Some of her policies proved less succesful however, such as expanded police powers and the resented Poll Tax in 1989, and she was betrayed by her own ministers in 1990 and forced to step down [Getty Images] James Callaghan (1912 - 2005) succeeded Harold Wilson as Labour Prime Minister in 1976. At a time of economic 'stag-flation' and massive trade union disruption, it was hoped that his working class background might lead to a workable compromise. Instead, the crisis worsened, the country was forced into a humiliating IMF loan, and Callaghan was voted out in 1979 [Getty Images] Harold Wilson (1916 - 1995) was a popular Labour Prime Minister noted for his reforms to higher education and decriminalization of homosexuality and abortion in 1967. He struggled to achieve mcuh in his second term in the 1970s when faced with a flatlining economy and widespread unrest, and resigned in 1976 [Getty Images] Edward Heath (1916 - 2005) struggled throughout his term of office to deal with a struggling economy, trade union unrest and his Conservative party's inability to win a majority. He led Britain into the EEC in 1973 and was ousted from office for the second time a year later. A lifelong bachelor, he owned several yachts all called 'Morning Cloud' [Getty Images] Alec Douglas-Home (1903 - 1995) replaced Harold MacMillan as PM and leader of the Tories in 1963. His premiership was the second shortest of the 20th century [Getty Images] Harold Macmillan (1894 - 1986), was an old-fashioned upper-class Conservative who took over from the disgraced Eden in 1957. He oversaw a period of unprecedented prosperity and hugely expanded social housing infrastructure. His 1961 'Winds of Change' speech marked the symbolic end of British colonialism in Africa [Getty Images] Anthony Eden (1897 - 1977), was well-known for his good looks and easy-going manner. He became PM after Churchill in 1955 but was forced to resign in 1957 over the Suez Crisis in Egypt, an incident which gave him serious mental health problems [Getty Images] Clement Attlee (1883 - 1967), was one of the most influential British statesmen of the 20th century. Leading Labour to a surprise landslide in 1945, his government would found the National Health Service and comprehensive education system, significantly expand social security and housing provision, and bring several key industries into public ownership, shaping Britain for decades to come [Getty Images] Neville Chamberlain (1869 - 1940), oversaw a return to economic stability after the chaos of the Depression and did everything in his power to prevent a second destructive European war. Despite his 1938 declaration of 'peace in our time', he was of course unsuccesful in this, and was replaced by the more aggressive Churchill as wartime leader [Getty Images] Stanley Baldwin (1867 - 1947) was a pre-eminent inter-war statesman who depsite his wealthy upper-class background attempted to shift the basis of Conservative support to people on lower and average incomes. He formed three seperate governments, and helped oversee recovery from the Depression in the 1930's [Getty Images] Ramsay MacDonald (1866 - 1937), was the first Labour Prime Minister, forming two minority governments. Born into poverty in the Highlands, he managed to reform the housing and education systems but was ill-coped to deal with the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash and was forced to cede power to a national coalition, and then to the Tories [Getty Images] Andrew Bonar Law (1858-1923) was a Scottish Unionist who served briefly as Conservative Prime Minister in 1922-3 before ill health forced him to retire. Born in Canada (then part of the Empire), he was the only PM ever to be born outside of the British Isles [Getty Images] David Lloyd George (1863 - 1945) was a fiery orator and radical Liberal statesman who oversaw Allied victory in the First World War. He formed a coalition government after the Armistice to pursue economic recovery and expand social security, but was ousted in 1922. He was the last Liberal Prime Minsiter and saw his party lose masses of its support to Labour [Getty Images] Herbert Asquith (1852 - 1928) won a Liberal landslide in 1908 and enacted several social and political reforms, introducing the first social security legislation and reducing the power of the House of Lords. He was Prime Minister at the start of the First World War [Getty Images] Henry Campbell-Bannerman (1836 - 1908) was strangely enough, the first Prime Minister to be officially referred to as Prime Minsiter (up until then it had been a widely used but unofficial title). In office he signed a treaty with Russia that would underpin the Triple Entente alliance in the First World War, and transferred autonomy to South Africa [Getty Images] Arthur Balfour (1848 - 1930) was heir to one of the largest fortunes in Britain. He led Britain during the Second Boer War and faced severe unrest in Ireland throughout his time in office [Getty Images] Robert Gascoyne-Cecil (1830 - 1903), Marquis of Salisbury was the last unelected Prime Minister of the UK, drawn from the House of Lords rather than the Commons. He served in three non-consecutive terms between 1885-1902, making him one of the dominant personalities of late Victorian politics [Getty Images] Archibald Primrose (1847-1929), Earl of Rosebery spent much of his fourteen months in power fighting his own Liberal party, who were wary of his plans to hugely increase the size of the Royal Navy [Getty Images] William Ewart Gladstone (1809 - 1898), was a titan of Victorian politics, known for his thunderous speeches. He served four terms as PM, making him electorally the most succesful British politician of all time. Among his many achievements in office were reforms to the army and civil service, giving women the right to own property, liberalizing international trade and giving greater autonomy to Ireland [Getty Images] Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881) Witty and charming, he was also a succesful novelist and a favourite of Queen Victoria, who enjoyed his company far more than that of his rather more pompous rival Gladstone [Getty Images] Edward Stanley (1799 - 1869), Earl of Derby served in three seperate terms as PM and is considered by many as a founding figure of the modern Conservative party. His most notable acts were transferring control of the Indian colonies to the Crown and Parliament in 1858, and enabling Jewish Britons to stand as MPs for the first time [Getty Images] John Russell (1792 - 1878), led a minority Conservative government which reformed the Poor Laws and Grammar Schools, but was undone by a vote of no confidence after widespread Chartist Unrest and a controversial Militia Bill [Getty Images ] Henry Palmerston, (1784 - 1865) was known as 'Gunboat Palmerston' for his aggressive approach to foreign affairs. He led Britain in both the Crimean War with Russia and the Second Opium War against Imperial China. [Getty Images] George Hamilton Gordon, Earl of Aberdeen (1784 - 1860) was an early advocate of free trade and led Britain into the Crimean War. He was forced to resign however, over the government's poor treatment of British soldiers in the war [Getty Images] Robert Peel ( 1788 - 1850) reformed the Tory party, renaming them the Conservatives. His government repealed the corn laws, a landmark moment in the development of Britain's industrial economy. He is also widely credited with creating the first offical police force, who were known for years as 'Peelers' after him [Getty Images] William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (1779 - 1848) served as mentor and as a surrogate father-figure to the young Queen Victoria, who adored him for his good looks and charm. She was distraught when he was dismissed by William IV in 1834 [Getty Images] Charles Grey (1764 - 1845), 2nd Earl Grey became a popular hero in 1832 with the passage of the Great Reform Act, which reformed the voting system and abolished much of the corruption that had characterized British politics for decades. The popular 'Earl Grey' tea blend was named in his honour in the 1830's [Getty Images] Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington (1769 -1852), was a heroic general of the Napoloeonic Wars who went on to serve as Tory Prime Minister from 1828-30. He was less succesful as a statesman than he had been as a military commander, and became very unpopular for his efforts to block reform. His nickname 'The Iron Duke' was not a reflection of his phlegmatic tactics but rather came after he fixed iron bars to the windows of his house to protect himself from protestors [Getty Images] Frederick John Robinson, Viscount Goderich (1782 - 1859) replaced Canning as Premier and did not bear the burden of office well. He is said to have cried with happiness when he was dismissed by King George IV, who disliked him immensely [Getty Images] George Canning (1770 - 1827) was a seasoned statesman who had served in most senior government posts, but lasted only four months in office before dying of pneumonia. His was the shortest tenure of any British PM to date [Getty Images] Robert Banks Jenkinson, Earl of Liverpool (1770 - 1825) oversaw victory in the Napoleonic Wars and negotiations at the Congress of Vienna. He returned Britain to the Gold Standard to increase trade value but Chartist unrest made him unpopular, and he was nearly assassinated in 1820 [Getty Images] Spencer Perceval (1762-1812) remains the only British Prime Minsiter to ever be assassinted. He was shot in the House of Commons by a merchant called John Bellingham, who believed that the government owed him compensation for imprisonment in Russia [Getty Images] William Cavendish, Duke of Portland (1768 - 1854) had the distinction of holding every title of British nobility (Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount, and Baron) and served as Prime Minister for a term in the 18th century and then another in the 19th [Getty Images] William Grenville (1759 - 1834), formed the famous 'Government of all-talents'- a coalition of noted Whigs and Tories, and is perhaps best known for abolishing the slave trade in 1807 [Getty Images] William Pitt 'the Younger' (1759 - 1806) was Britain's youngest ever Prime Minister, coming to office at the age of just 24. Youth did not prevent him from leading Britain in the Napoleonic Wars though, and he was so committed to his work that he died of exhaustion in 1806. His last words were 'My country, O how I leave my country!' [Getty Images] Henry Addington (1757 - 1844) attempted to negotiate peace with Napoleon to stave off the threat of invasion in 1802 [Getty Images] William Petty (1737–1805) Earl of Shelburne was the First Irish-born Prime Minister. His year-long Whig ministry succesfully negotiated treaties with France, Spain, and the newly created United States [Getty] Charles Wentworth (1730 - 1782), The Marquis of Rockingham served twice as Premier in the 1760's and the 1780's respectively. He repealed the controversial Stamp Act, one of the causes of the American Revolution, and was the first PM to formally acknowledge the independent United States of America [Getty Images] Lord Frederick North, (1732-1792) was notoriously fat and often dozed through parliamentary sessions. His refusal to meet the demands of Britain's North American colonies led to the American Revolution. [Getty Images] Augustus Fitzroy (1735 - 1811) Duke of Grafton, was a Whig Prime Minsiter in 18 of the most crucial months leading up to the American Revolution [Getty Images] William Pitt, (1708 - 1778) or 'Pitt the Elder', was an esteemed mid-18th century statesman best known for his successful conduct of the Seven Years' War, which saw Britain gain new colonies in America, India and the Carribbean [Getty Images] George Grenville (1712-1770) attempted to reduce taxes at home by increasing them in the colonies, notably through the infamous Stamp Act of 1765. This policy helped fund expanded imperial activity but also led ultimately to the American Revolution [National Trust] William Cavendish, the 3rd Duke of Devonshire (1698 - 1755) was the first of several members of his aristocratic family to serve as Prime Minister. His most famous action was ordering the execution of the disgraced Admiral Byng, which caused public outcry and his dismissal by George II [Getty Images] Thomas Pelham-Holles (1693 - 1768), Duke of Newcastle served as Prime Minister from 1754 to 1756 and again from 1757 to 1762, in a coalition ministry with William Pitt the Elder which oversaw much of the conduct of the Seven Years' War with France and Austria [Getty Images] John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute (1713 - 1792) was Britain's first Scottish Prime Minister and proved highly unpopular with the English public. He was rumoured to have had an affair with the Queen-Consort and lasted less than a year in office before retiring to take up botany [Getty Images] Henry Pelham (1695 - 1754) succeeded Walpole and Compton and proved durable, lasting eleven years in office. He saw British entry into the War of the Austrian Succession, defeated the Jacobite Rebellion in 1745-6, and reformed the Navy and the Institution of Marriage before dying in office [Getty Images] Spencer Compton (c. 1673 - 1743), served for little over a year after many years in the Walpole government. His primary legislative efforts were aimed at increasing taxes on gin and whiskey to reduce disorder among the working poor [Getty Images] Sir Robert Walpole (1676-1745) essentially established the office of Prime Minister, serving as head of government for a (probably) never-to-be beaten record of 21 years from 1721-42. Known as 'The Fat Squire from Norfolk' he was notoriosuly corrupt, governing largely through patronage and fraud [Getty Images] Also in this Gallery	i don't know
What is missing from this list of ingredients for Hollandaise sauce? Egg yolks, butter,	Creamy Hollandaise Sauce Recipe - Allrecipes.com HOOLIE 5/12/2002 Easier than I thought it would be, and a great treat on my low carb diet! I don't own a double boiler, so I just simmered a pan of water and rested a metal bowl on top. The key is to put the yol... Caseyspunk 4/1/2006 This was an amazing recipe, the flavor was great. I did cut down on the lemon juice and used only 3 tablespoons. I will cut down a little more next time as I only like it a little tangy. I el... ATOMICLUSH 2/16/2005 This recipe is super! The hollandaise thicken up nicely with very little effort. I took everyone's advice and only used 1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and it was perfect! I also alter... MEEMEEBULUGA 12/9/2005 I'll tone down the leamon next time, but other than that, this is an easy delicious recipe. NOTE: Add all the ingrediants to the pot prior to adding the egg yolks and you'll find it much easier ... DANA COLE 4/23/2003 Oh my goodness!!! This is the BEST Hollandaise Sauce I have ever had. Not too lemony or thick...just right! Very quick and easy, I found, for my first time making it. I didn't have a double boil... MIDOW 5/29/2006 So take this recipe and half it. Keep the yolk amount correct for a full recipes worth. Perfect amount of lemon this way,nice and thick. Keep heat very low. If it starts to curdle add anothe... jeannine1976 11/29/2007 This recipe has become one of my old faithfuls. I cut the lemon down to 3T as well, and I temper my eggs. The recipe halves well, except I reduce the lemon even more, to 1T. As far as consiste... TAMALA 12/27/2007 Followed recipe exactly. Tasted like lemon egg yolks. My husband said it left a bad taste in his mouth. Trainguy 10/25/2006 Many, many years ago I stayed at the Mccormic Inn in Chicago and room service delivered to me the best Eggs Benedict I have ever eaten. This is not it, but with a tweak & a tweak I'm sure it ca...	Lemon
What was the first name of Dick Van Dyke’s Cockney character in ‘Mary Poppins’?	Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce \| Egg Recipes Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce Serves: 1 Directions Sauce: Microwave butter on high in a 2 cup (500 mL glass measuring cup until melted, 50–60 seconds. Whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice and seasonings in a 4 cup (1L) glass measuring cup. Whisk melted butter gradually into egg yolk mixture, beating constantly. Microwave on Medium until sauce thickens, 20-30 seconds. Whisk halfway through and at the end of cooking to produce a smooth sauce. Serve warm. Top each English muffin half with a slice of ham, a poached egg and 2 tbsp (30 mL) hollandaise sauce. Preparation: 12 minutes 1 English muffin, split and toasted 2 ham slices 1/4 cup (50 mL) Hollandaise Sauce Hollandaise Sauce: 1/2 cup (125 mL) butter 3 egg yolks 1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice to taste salt	i don't know
What is the capital of Malawi?	Capital of Malawi - definition of capital of Malawi by The Free Dictionary Capital of Malawi - definition of capital of Malawi by The Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/capital+of+Malawi Also found in: Thesaurus , Wikipedia . ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend: Lilongwe Malawi , Nyasaland , Republic of Malawi - a landlocked republic in southern central Africa; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1964 Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content . Link to this page: Zomba References in periodicals archive ? Besides operating flights between Lilongwe and Beira, the Malawian Airlines offers service between the capital of Malawi and the capital cities of the Mozambican central provinces of Tete and northern Nampula. HIV victims find their v voice at last; Singer witnesses fight to break taboo and save lives Zomba was the former capital of Malawi, and the seat of government, until it shifted in 1975 to Lilongwe, because the then president, Kamuzu Banda, decided the capital should be moved to the centre of the country. Malawi: the warm heart of Africa; Malawi is not just the lake that runs down the eastern side of the country. As Kate Elsheby found out on a recent safari, Malawi is more enchanting than many people expect. You could even sail to Mozambique as a bonus The first Well-ness Centres were set up at the border crossing between Malawi and Mozambique and at the WFP warehouse in Blantyre, the capital of Malawi.	Lilongwe
The drink known as ‘Ice pick’ consists of cold tea, lemon juice, and which spirit?	Lilongwe Map Lilongwe Map Disclaimer Close Disclaimer : All efforts have been made to make this image accurate. However Compare Infobase Limited,its directors and employees do not own any responsibility for the correctness or authenticity of the same. About City : Lilongwe is the capital and the largest city of Malawi. The city is named after the Lilongwe River, on the banks of which it has existed for centuries as a small fishing village. Lilongwe was the British Colonial administrative center in the beginning of the 20th century. It was so chosen due to its desirable location near Lake Malawi and other important commercial cities. After Malawi attained independence in 1964, Zomba initially became the capital until 1974, when Lilongwe succeeded it. This capital city is undoubtedly emerging as the economic capital of the nation, being the processing, selling and buying center of the tobacco industry in Malawi. Lilongwe has seen an unprecedented growth in population, making it the most populous city in 2008. Currently it is home to 902,388 residents. Chichewa is the official language of Malawi, though Chinyanja, Chiyao and Chitumbuka are widely spoken. Christianity is the predominant religion here. Geography : Lilongwe is situated in the center of Malawi and is close to the borders with Zambia and Mozambique. It sits on a plateau at an elevation of 1,050 meters above sea level, on the banks of the river Lilongwe. Spreading over an area of 6,159 sq. km, the city is divided into the Old Town in the south and the New Town in the north with the Lilongwe Nature Sanctuary in between. How to Reach (Transport) : Lilongwe is served by the Kamuzu International Airport or Lilongwe International Airport that has regular flights to numerous cities like Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, and Nairobi. Domestic flights to Blantyre are available on Air Malawi and Swiftair. The airport is a 30-40 minutes' drive from the city and taxis are easily available. Lilongwe can also be reached by buses running from several neighboring cities on the borders. Taxis and minibuses are available to travel within the city. Minibuses are cheap and give an opportunity to know the locals and the co-passengers. When to Visit : Lilongwe experiences a humid subtropical climate with warm summers and mild winters. Due to the altitude temperatures are comparatively lower. The best time to visit this city is between May-August, as the temperatures are cooler during these months with less or no rainfall. Fairs and Festivals : Malawi has a rich and fascinating culture owing to the wide range of ethnic tribes residing there. The following are some of the festivals celebrated by the citizens of Lilongwe: Chilimike, or New Year, is celebrated on January 1 as a public holiday all over the country. Martyrs Day is observed on March 3 in remembrance of those who had lost their lives while struggling for independence from British colonial rule. Republic Day is a national holiday that celebrates the attainment of the status of a democratic republic by the nation on July 6, 1964. Malapenga Dance Season, held in August, is a celebration of the traditional dance form of Malawi. It is one of the most-awaited events of the year that showcases the rich heritage of the country. Lake of Stars Festival is a four-day long event held along the shore of Lake Malawi. This is an international music festival and the proceeds are donated to the local charities. In addition to these, Lilongwe celebrates the various festivals of the Christian calendar with much fervor. Christmas and Easter are especially celebrated in a grand fashion in their own traditional manner. Points of Interest (Places to Visit) : Lilongwe is a land of natural flora and fauna that can be seen in the numerous reserves and parks. The most popular tourist attraction in Lilongwe is the Nature Sanctuary, a peaceful wilderness sprawling out from the Lingadzi River. Crocodiles, hyenas, monkeys and many more can be easily spotted here. The Parliament Building was once the presidential palace in Lilongwe. It is now open to tourists for guided tours. The main market is a must-visit if one wishes to experience the vibe of local chaotic life. Local handicrafts and fresh products are easily available here. The Kumbali Cultural Center must be visited to see the traditional Malawian dance. Live acoustic Malawian music performances and traditional dinner are also available. A short day trip can be made to Mount Mulanje. Breathtaking waterfalls dot the spectacular cliffs of bare rock. It is one of the best places for hiking in the region. The Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve is home to a variety of wildlife, including zebras, pukus and impalas. The Liwonde National Park is also worth a visit. Accommodation : Accommodation facilities are easily available in various price ranges. Cresta Crossroads Hotel and Capital Hotel are among the best luxury hotels in the area. They offer some of the best modern amenities like a swimming pool, Jacuzzi, fast speed internet and a shopping mall nearby. The Kibko Town Hotel, Korea Garden Lodge and Mufasa Hotel are the more affordable ones present in Lilongwe. If one is looking for an adventurous camping experience, then the two options available are Mabuya Camp and Lilongwe Golf Club. Last Updated : January 22, 2014	i don't know
In the late 70s, which Cockney played the male lead in the tv programme ‘Yus, My Dear’?	IMDb: Most Popular People With Biographies Matching "The Butcher" Most Popular People With Biographies Matching "The Butcher" 1-50 of 183 names. James McAvoy McAvoy was born on 21 April 1979 in Glasgow, Scotland, to Elizabeth (née Johnstone), a nurse, and James McAvoy senior, a bus driver. He was raised on a housing estate in Drumchapel, Glasgow by his maternal grandparents (James, a butcher, and Mary) after his parents divorced when James was 7. He went to St Thomas Aquinas Secondary in Jordanhill, Glasgow, where he did well enough and started 'a little school band with a couple of mates'. McAvoy toyed with the idea of the Catholic priesthood as a child but, when he was 16, a visit to the school by actor David Hayman sparked an interest in acting. Hayman offered him a part in his film The Near Room but despite enjoying the experience McAvoy didn't seriously consider acting as a career, although he did continue to act as a member of PACE Youth Theatre. He applied instead to the Royal Navy and had already been accepted when he was also offered a place at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD). He took the place at the RSAMD (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) and, when he graduated in 2000, he moved to London. He had already made a couple of TV appearances by this time and continued to get a steady stream of TV and movie work until he came to attention of the British public in 2004 playing car thief Steve McBride in the successful UK TV series Shameless and then to the rest of the world in 2005 as Mr Tumnus, the faun, in Disney's adaptation of C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe . In The Last King of Scotland McAvoy portrayed a Scottish doctor who becomes the personal physician to dictator Idi Amin, played by Forest Whitaker . McAvoy's career breakthrough came in Atonement , Joe Wright 's 2007 adaption of Ian McEwan 's novel. Since then, McAvoy has taken on theatre roles, starring in Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' (directed by Jamie Lloyd ), which launched the first Trafalgar Transformed season in London's West End and earned him an Olivier award nomination for Best Actor. In January 2015, McAvoy returned to the Trafalgar Studios stage to play Jack Gurney, a delusional English earl, in the first revival of Peter Barnes 's satire 'The Ruling Class', a role for which he was subsequently awarded the London Evening Standard Theatre Award's Best Actor. On screen, McAvoy has appeared as corrupt cop Bruce Robertson in Filth , a part for which he received a Scottish BAFTA for Best Actor, a British Independent Film Award for Best Actor, a London Critics Circle Film Award for British Actor of the Year and an Empire Award for Best Actor. He has also reprised his role as Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men: Days of Future Past , and will star in the next film in the franchise: X-Men: Apocalypse . In 2017, McAvoy will appear in Split , M. Night Shyamalan 's suspense thriller. Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Harris was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on June 15, 1973. His parents, Sheila Gail (Scott) and Ronald Gene Harris, were lawyers and ran a restaurant. He grew up in Ruidoso, New Mexico, a small town 120 miles south of Albuquerque, where he first took up acting in the fourth grade. While tagging along with his older brother of 3 years, Harris won the part of Toto in a school production of The Wizard of Oz . His parents moved the family to Albuquerque in 1988, the same year that Harris made his film debut in two movies: Purple People Eater and Clara's Heart , which starred Whoopi Goldberg . A year later, when Neil was 16, he landed the lead role in Steven Bochco 's television series about a teen prodigy doctor at a local hospital, Doogie Howser, M.D. , which launched Harris into teen-heartthrob status. The series lasted1989-1993 and earned him a People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a New Series (1990) and a Golden Globe Nomination (1990). Harris attended the same high school as Freddie Prinze Jr. , La Cueva High School in Albuquerque. Neil acted on stage in a few plays while there, one of which was his senior play, Fiddler on the Roof , in which he portrayed Lazar Wolf the butcher (1991). When "Doogie Howser, M.D." stopped production in 1993, Harris took up stage acting, which he had always wanted to do. After a string of made-for-television movies, Harris acted in his first big screen roles in nine years, Starship Troopers with Casper Van Dien and then The Proposition . In July 1997, Harris accepted the role of Mark Cohen for the Los Angeles production of the beloved musical, Rent . His performance in "Rent" garnered him a Drama-League Award in 1997. He continued in the musical, to rave reviews, until January 1998. He later reprised the role for six nights in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in December 1998. In 1999, Harris returned to television in the short-lived sitcom Stark Raving Mad , with Tony Shalhoub . He was also in the big-screen projects The Next Best Thing and Undercover Brother , and he can be heard as the voice of Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the newest animated Spider-Man series. Harris has continued his stage work, making his Broadway debut in 2001 in "Proof." He has also appeared on stage in "Romeo and Juliet," "Cabaret," Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in Concert , and, most recently, "Assassins." In 2005, Harris returned to the small screen in a guest-starring role on Numb3rs and a starring role in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother . Neil played the title role in the web-exclusive musical comedy Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog , widely downloaded via iTunes to become the #1 TV series for five straight weeks, despite not actually being on television. Brian Cox Brian Cox is an Emmy Award-winning Scottish actor. He was born on June 1, 1946 in Dundee, Scotland, to Mary Ann Guillerline (McCann), a spinner, and Charles McArdle Campbell Cox, a shopkeeper and butcher. His father was of Irish ancestry and his mother was of Irish and Scottish descent. Cox first came to attention in the early 1970s with performances in numerous television films. His first big break was as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter . The film was not overly successful at the box office, although Cox's career prospects and popularity continued to develop. Through the 1990s, he appeared in nearly 20 films and television series, as well as making numerous television guest appearances. More recently, Cox has had roles in some major films, including The Corruptor , The Ring and X-Men 2 . He was awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2003 Queen's New Year's Honours List for his services to drama. Scott Adkins Scott Edward Adkins was born on June 17, 1976 in Sutton Coldfield, England, into a family that for generations were butchers. Along with his elder brother Craig, he was raised by their parents, John and Janet (Sanders) Adkins, in a loving middle-class family. Scott attended Bishop Vesey's Grammar School in Sutton Coldfield. Probably not the best of students, he used to sneak downstairs after his parents had gone to bed and watch films all night then fall asleep during lessons. A natural athlete, Scott enjoyed a variety of sports as he grew up, but when he was 10 years old, he accompanied his father and brother to the local Judo club. The attraction was instantaneous. Idolising stars such as Bruce Lee and Jean-Claude Van Damme , Scott began to train everyday. He took over his Dad's garage and turned it into his own Dojo. He even had a shrine to Bruce Lee in there that he would bow to. He remembers being mugged on a bus when he was around 13 and that really kicked his training into overdrive. He wasn't ever going to let that happen again. At the age of 14, Scott went on to train in Tae Kwon Do under the instruction of Ron Sergiew with the T.A.G.B. After a few years, he moved on to Kickboxing under Anthony Jones. He is now a fully trained Kickboxing Instructor for the P.K.A. A self confessed "film junkie" Scott's attention was drawn to acting through the Hollywood Greats. He enrolled in a drama class at Sutton Coldfield College. Being a shy lad he initially found it difficult to be put on stage in front of an audience. Finally, at the age of 21, Scott was offered a place at the prestigious Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. However, as an impoverished student, he found it hard to make ends meet without a grant and was forced to leave without completing the course. Very dejected he thought that was the end. His first break came when he was offered a role in a Hong Kong martial arts film called Dei seung chui keung (aka Extreme Challenge). Spotted by Head of The Hong Kong Stuntmen Association and director Wei Tung and English-born Hong Kong movie expert Bey Logan , Adkins found himself in the East for the first time. Scott got the chance to work with some of Hong Kong cinema's leading action directors including Woo-Ping Yuen , Corey Yuen , Sammo Kam-Bo Hung and the legendary Jackie Chan . Acting roles started to come in and he was offered a guest role in BBC's Doctors filmed at Birmingham's Pebble Mill. A few episodes in BBC's EastEnders and City Central , and a lead role in Sky One comedy drama Mile High followed by a regular role in BBC's Holby City as Bradley Hume, the assistant General Manager of Holby General. Starring roles in feature films soon followed with his portrayal of Talbot in Special Forces and Yuri Boyka" in Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing . It was this film that broke him into the mainstream with his villainous portrayal of a Russian MMA underground fighter Boyka in what has been hailed as one of the best American made Martial Arts films of recent times. Along with lead actor Michael Jai White , fight coordinator J.J. Perry and the slick direction of Isaac Florentine this movie has some unbelievably heart stopping fight scenes. After this Scott has had guest starring roles in bigger budget films like The Bourne Ultimatum and The Tournament , and played Jean-Claude Van Damme 's main adversary in Sony Pictures The Shepherd . James Caan A masculine and enigmatic actor whose life and movie career have had more ups and downs than the average rollercoaster and whose selection of roles has arguably derailed him from achieving true superstar status, James Caan is New York-born and bred. He was born in the Bronx, to Sophie (Falkenstein) and Arthur Caan, Jewish immigrants from Germany. His father was a meat dealer and butcher. The athletically gifted Caan played football at Michigan State University while studying economics, holds a black belt in karate and for several years was even a regular on the rodeo circuit, where he was nicknamed "The Jewish Cowboy". However, while studying at Hofstra University, he became intrigued by acting and was interviewed and accepted at Sanford Meisner 's Neighborhood Playhouse. He then won a scholarship to study under acting coach Wynn Handman and began to appear in several off-Broadway productions, including "I Roam" and "Mandingo". He made his screen debut as a sailor in Irma la Douce and began to impress audiences with his work in Red Line 7000 and the western El Dorado alongside John Wayne and Robert Mitchum . Further work followed in Journey to Shiloh and in the sensitive The Rain People . However, audiences were moved to tears as he put in a heart-rending performance as cancer-stricken Chicago Bears running back Brian Piccolo in the highly rated made-for-TV film Brian's Song . With these strong performances under his belt, Francis Ford Coppola then cast him as hot-tempered gangster Santino "Sonny" Corleone in the Mafia epic The Godfather . The film was an enormous success, Caan scored a Best Supporting Actor nomination and, in the years since, the role has proven to be the one most fondly remembered by his legion of fans. He reprised the role for several flashback scenes in the sequel The Godfather: Part II and then moved on to several very diverse projects. These included a cop-buddy crime partnership with Alan Arkin in the uneven Freebie and the Bean , a superb performance as a man playing for his life in The Gambler alongside Lauren Hutton , and pairing with Barbra Streisand in Funny Lady . Two further strong lead roles came up for him in 1975, first as futuristic sports star "Jonathon E" questioning the moral fiber of a sterile society in Rollerball and teaming up with Robert Duvall in the Sam Peckinpah spy thriller The Killer Elite . Unfortunately, Caan's rising star sputtered badly at this stage of his career, and several film projects failed to find fire with either critics or audiences. These included such failures as the hokey Harry and Walter Go to New York , the quasi-western Comes a Horseman and the saccharine Chapter Two . However, he did score again with the stylish Michael Mann -directed heist movie Thief . He followed this with a supernatural romantic comedy titled Kiss Me Goodbye and then, due to personal conflicts, dropped out of the spotlight for several years before returning with a stellar performance under old friend Francis Ford Coppola in the moving Gardens of Stone . Caan appeared back in favor with fans and critics alike and raised his visibility with the sci-fi hit Alien Nation and Dick Tracy , then surprised everyone by playing a meek romance novelist held captive after a car accident by a deranged fan in the dynamic Misery . The 1990s were kind to him and he notched up roles as a band leader in For the Boys , another gangster in Honeymoon in Vegas , appeared in the indie hit Bottle Rocket and pursued Arnold Schwarzenegger in Eraser . The demand on Caan's talents seems to have increased steadily over the past few years as he is making himself known to a new generation of fans. Recent hot onscreen roles have included The Yards , City of Ghosts and Dogville . In addition, he finds himself at the helm of the hit TV series Las Vegas as casino security chief "Big Ed" Deline. An actor of undeniably manly appeal, James Caan continues to surprise and delight audiences with his invigorating performances. Elizabeth Henstridge Elizabeth Henstridge grew up in the northern city of Sheffield in England. Having gained a first at The University Of Birmingham in Drama and Theatre Arts, Elizabeth went on to train at the prestigious East 15 Acting School in London. Having graduated she has landed leading roles in features, television and theatre. Most notably the much anticipated Brit flick, Tooting Broadway and the new Butcher Brothers' film, The Thompsons. Chris Vance Chris Vance is best known for his lead role as Frank Martin, in Transporter: The Series, which started airing worldwide in 2012. He is also known for his lead role as Dr. Jack Gallagher in the FOX series, Mental, and as James Whistler in the Emmy-nominated FOX series, Prison Break. Born in London, Vance was raised in the UK. He signed youth football contracts with 'West Bromwich Albion' and 'Bristol Rovers,' donned his skimpy shorts and tromped his way round more muddy pitches in mid-winter than he should have. This did, however, develop athletic abilities that turned out to be particularly useful when many years later he found himself to be a leading-man in the action film genre. Vance graduated from the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne with an honors degree in Civil Engineering, and a blurry recollection that he played for an England Students football team somewhere along the way. Vance began acting at 25, and was breathtakingly awful in his first role, that of Paris in a production of Romeo and Juliet in Oxford. Vance then passionately butchered numerous roles on the London Fringe and in small Repertory Theatres for several years, grasping experience where it was badly needed. During this time, he also launched his own theatre company, writing, directing and producing plays. Vance landed his first gig at the Royal National Theatre in a touring version of the play Closer. After treading the back-stages of Europe and Russia for several months, Vance returned to London with a role in Speer, a play by David Edgar, once again at the Royal National Theatre, under the ever-treasured guidance of Sir Trevor Nunn. Sometime around then, Vance made his British television debut in Kavanagh QC. Vance also made guest appearances in the British television shows Peak Practice, The Bill, Doctors and Family Affairs. At about age 30, Vance moved to Australia and performed in several television series there, including Stingers, Blue Heelers and The Secret Life of Us. His first series-regular role in television was Dr. Sean Everleigh in the medical drama All Saints, in which Vance performed from 2005 to 2007. Vance also relished a small role in the feature, Macbeth, directed by Jeffery Wright. In 2007 Vance moved to the U.S. when he booked a regular role for the third and fourth seasons of the hit TV series Prison Break, for 20th Century Fox in which he played James Whistler. The following year, Vance landed his first leading role in TV, playing Dr. Jack Gallagher in Mental, for FOX. And, yes, it was filmed in Bogota, Colombia, which regrettably did not help improve Vance's proficiency in the Spanish language, but did provide him with enough antibodies to withstand any shooting conditions, in any location, for the rest of his life. Vance has also guest-starred on Fairly Legal, Burn-Notice and Dexter, and currently plays the recurring-character of Lt. Casey Jones in the TNT series Rizzoli & Isles. In 2011 Vance was approached to play Frank Martin in the television series based on the Transporter films created by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen. Not one to turn down a challenge, especially one filled with fast cars, pretty women and snappy one-liners, Vance embarked on the adventure and brought his own take on the character of Frank to the fast-paced action series. Vance performed all of his own fight scenes in Transporter: The Series. When not shooting in exotic locations around the world, Vance lives in Los Angeles and drives a perfectly normal car, in a very responsible and safe fashion. Ernest Borgnine Ernest Borgnine was born Ermes Effron Borgnino on January 24, 1917 in Hamden, Connecticut. His parents were Anna (Boselli), who had emigrated from Carpi (MO), Italy, and Camillo Borgnino, who had emigrated from Ottiglio (AL), Italy. As an only child, Ernest enjoyed most sports, especially boxing, but took no real interest in acting. At age 18, after graduating from high school in New Haven, and undecided about his future career, he joined the United States Navy, where he stayed for ten years until leaving in 1945. After a few factory jobs, his mother suggested that his forceful personality could make him suitable for a career in acting, and Borgnine promptly enrolled at the Randall School of Drama in Hartford. After completing the course, he joined Robert Porterfield 's famous Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, staying there for four years, undertaking odd jobs and playing every type of role imaginable. His big break came in 1949, when he made his acting debut on Broadway playing a male nurse in "Harvey". In 1951, Borgnine moved to Los Angeles to pursue a movie career, and made his film debut as Bill Street in The Whistle at Eaton Falls . His career took off in 1953 when he was cast in the role of Sergeant "Fatso" Judson in From Here to Eternity . This memorable performance led to numerous supporting roles as "heavies" in a steady string of dramas and westerns. He played against type in 1955 by securing the lead role of Marty Piletti, a shy and sensitive butcher, in Marty . He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, despite strong competition from Spencer Tracy , Frank Sinatra , James Dean and James Cagney . Throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, Borgnine performed memorably in such films as The Catered Affair , Ice Station Zebra and Emperor of the North . Between 1962 and 1966, he played Lt. Commander Quinton McHale in the popular television series McHale's Navy . In early 1984, he returned to television as Dominic Santini in the action series Airwolf co-starring Jan-Michael Vincent , and in 1995, he was cast in the comedy series The Single Guy as doorman Manny Cordoba. He also appeared in several made-for-TV movies. Ernest Borgnine has often stated that acting is his greatest passion, and he is still working today. His amazing 61-year career (1951 - 2012 and continuing) includes appearances in well over 100 feature films and as a regular in three television series, as well as voiceovers in animated films such as All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 , Small Soldiers , and a continued role in the series SpongeBob SquarePants . Between 1973 until his death, Ernest was married to Tova Traesnaes, who heads her own cosmetics company. They lived in Beverly Hills, California, where Ernest assisted his wife between film projects. When not acting, Ernest actively supported numerous charities and spoke tirelessly at benefits throughout the country. He has been awarded several honorary doctorates from colleges across the United States as well as numerous Lifetime Achievement Awards. In 1996, Ernest purchased a bus and traveled across the United States to see the country and meet his many fans. On December 17, 1999, he presented the University of North Alabama with a collection of scripts from his film and television career, due to his long friendship with North Alabama alumnus and actor George Lindsey (died May 6, 2012), who was an artist in residence at North Alabama. Ernest Borgnine passed away aged 95 on July 8, 2012, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, of renal failure. He is survived by his wife Tova, their children and his younger sister Evelyn (1926-2013) Pernell Roberts Best recalled as the eldest son and first member of the "Bonanza" Cartwright clan to permanently leave the Ponderosa in the hopes of greener acting pastures, dark, deep-voiced and durably handsome Pernell Roberts' native roots lay in Georgia. Born Pernell Elvin Roberts, Jr. on May 18, 1928, in North Carolina and moved to Waycross as an infant, he was singing in local USO shows while still in high school (where he appeared in plays and played the horn). He attended both Georgia Tech and the University of Maryland but flunked out of both colleges, with a two-year stint as a Marine stuck somewhere in between. He eventually decided to give acting a chance and supported himself as a butcher, forest ranger, and railroad riveter during the lean years while pursuing his craft. On stage from the early 1950s, he gained experience in such productions as "The Adding Machine," "The Firebrand" and "Faith of Our Fathers" before spending a couple of years performing the classics with the renowned Arena Stage Company in Washington, DC. Productions there included "The Taming of the Shrew" (as Petruchio), "The Playboy of the Western Word," "The Glass Menagerie," "The Importance of Being Earnest," and "Twelfth Night." He made his Broadway debut in 1955 with "Tonight in Samarkind" and that same year won the "Best Actor" Drama Desk Award for his off-Broadway performance as "Macbeth," which was immediately followed by "Romeo and Juliet" as Mercutio. Other Broadway plays include "The Lovers" (1956) with Joanne Woodward , "A Clearing in the Woods" (1957) with Kim Stanley , a return to Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" (1957) and "The Duchess of Malfi" (1957). He returned to Broadway fifteen years later as the title role opposite Ingrid Bergman in "Captain Brassbound's Conversion" (1972). Pernell then headed for Hollywood and found minor roles in films before landing the pivotal role of Ben Cartwright's oldest and best-educated son Adam in the Bonanza series in 1959. The series made Roberts a bona fide TV star, while the program itself became the second longest-running TV western (after "Gunsmoke") and first to be filmed in color. At the peak of his and the TV show's popularity, Pernell, displeased with the writing and direction of the show, suddenly elected not to renew his contract and left at the end of the 1964-1965 season to the utter dismay of his fans. The show continued successfully without him, but a gap was always felt in the Cartwright family by this abrupt departure. The story line continued to leave open the possibility of a return if desired, but Pernell never did. With his newfound freedom, Roberts focused on singing and the musical stage. One solo album was filled with folks songs entitled "Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies." Besides such standard roles in "Camelot" and "The King and I," he starred as Rhett Butler to Lesley Ann Warren 's Scarlett O'Hara in a musical version of "Gone with the Wind" that did not fare well, and appeared in another misguided musical production based on the life of "Mata Hari." During this period he became an avid civil rights activist and joined other stalwarts such as Dick Gregory , Joan Baez and Harry Belafonte who took part in civil rights demonstrations during the 60s, including the Selma March. The following years were rocky. He never found a solid footing in films with roles in rugged, foreign films such as The Kashmiri Run [The Kashmiri Run], Four Rode Out , making little impression. He maintained a viable presence in TV, however, with parts in large-scale mini-series and guest shots on TV helping to keep some momentum. In 1979 he finally won another long-running series role (and an Emmy nomination) as Trapper John, M.D. in which he recreated the Wayne Rogers TV MAS*H role. Pernell was now heavier, bearded and pretty close to bald at this juncture (he was already wearing a toupee during his early "Bonanza" years), but still quite virile and attractive. The medical drama co-starring Gregory Harrison ran seven seasons. The natural-born Georgia rebel was a heavily principled man and spent a life-time of work fighting racism, segregation, and sexism, notably on TV. He was constantly at odds with the "Bonanza" series writers of his concerns regarding equality. He also kept his private life private. Married and divorced three times, he had one son, Jonathan Christopher, by first wife Vera. Jonathan was killed in a motorcycle crash in 1989. In the 1990s, Pernell starred in his last series as host of FBI: The Untold Stories . It had a short life-span. Retiring in the late 1990s, Roberts was diagnosed with cancer in 2007 and died about two years later at age 81 on January 24, 2010, survived by fourth wife Eleanor Criswell. As such, the rugged actor, who never regretted leaving the "Bonanza" series, managed to outlive the entire Cartwright clan ( Dan Blocker died in 1972; Lorne Greene in 1987); and Michael Landon in 1991). Victor Mature American leading man Victor John Mature was born in Louisville, Kentucky, to Clara P. (Ackley) and Marcellus George Mature, a cutler and knife sharpener. His father, born Marcello Gelindo Maturi in Pinzolo, Trentino, was Italian, and his mother was of Swiss-German and German descent. Mature worked as a teenager with his father as a salesman for butcher supplies. Hoping to become an actor, he studied at the Pasadena Playhouse in California. He auditioned for Gone with the Wind for the role ultimately played by his fellow Playhouse student, George Reeves . After achieving some acclaim in his first few films, he served in the Coast Guard in World War II. Mature became one of Hollywood's busiest and most popular actors after the war, though rarely was he given the critical respect he often deserved. His roles in John Ford 's My Darling Clementine and in Henry Hathaway 's Kiss of Death were among his finest work, though he moved more and more frequently into more exotic roles in films like Samson and Delilah and The Egyptian . Never an energetic actor nor one of great artistic pretensions, he nevertheless continued as a Hollywood stalwart both in programme and in more prominent films like The Robe . More interested in golf than acting, his appearances diminished through the 1960s, but he made a stunning comeback of sorts in a hilarious romp as a very Victor Mature-like actor in Neil Simon 's After the Fox . Golf eventually took over his activities and, after a cameo as Samson's father in a TV remake of his own "Samson and Delilah" ( Samson and Delilah ), he retired for good. Rumors occasionally surfaced of another comeback, most notably in a never-realized remake of Red River with Sylvester Stallone , but none came to fruition. He died of cancer at his Rancho Santa Fe, California, home in 1999. Anthony Higgins Higgins was born May 9, 1947 in East Northamptonshire, England to parents who had emigrated from Ireland just before World War II in search of economic opportunity. His parents lived in London during the Blitz. Eventually, they left London for Northamptonshire so that his father could obtain work as a builder for American army bases. Young Anthony completed his studies at a state school and then intended to be a journalist. He worked as a butcher in Bedford and then as a "navvy," a builder's helper, in the small town of Grendon, near Northampton. At the age of 16, he obtained a job on a local paper but, by law, he had to be over 17 before he could work so he spent the time learning shorthand and typing. Then, a friend took him to a weekend drama course run by the distinguished Shavian actress, Margaretta Scott. She encouraged him to consider a career as an actor. He said, "It felt right so I decided to pursue it." Higgins won a scholarship to the Birmingham School of Speech and Dramatic Arts in 1964 and studied there for three years. He made his first professional appearance at the Birmingham Repertory Theater Company in Shakespeare's "A Winter's Tale" as a walk-on while still at school. He then joined the company full time and was assigned principal roles nearly at once. His portrayal of Romeo, opposite Anna Calder-Marshall as Juliet, received rave reviews throughout England. He also played Cassio in "Othello," and Louis Debedat in "The Doctor's Dilemma." He then worked onstage in classics and contemporary plays in Chichester and London. However, it was a theatrical portrayal of Edmund Tyrone in Eugene O'Neill's, "A Long Day's Journey Into Night" in Birmingham that led to Higgins' cinema debut for director John Huston under the name, Anthony Corlan, (his mother's maiden name), in "A Walk with Love and Death" (1969). The film takes place during Europe's 100 Years War and was shot in Vienna and the Vienna Woods. The film is notable for the debut of Huston's daughter, Angelica. Corlan plays Robert, a nobleman, wearing authentic looking armor. It was Huston who taught him how to ride horses. Higgins rides with style in many subsequent films. Later, he would own a racehorse in Ireland. After appearing in "A Walk with Love and Death," the actor was in several television plays for the BBC, including an original drama, "The Blood of the Lamb," for "The Wednesday Play" and "Mary, Queen of Scots" for "Play of the Month." He then made two films for television, one an episode of "Journey to the Unknown" with Janice Rule, and the other, a segment of "Strange Report," with Anthony Quayle. His next feature film role was in "Something for Everyone," also known as "The Cook," (1970), after auditioning for director Hal Prince and producer John Flaxman in London. This was stage director Prince's first flirtation with film, with a script by Hugh Wheeler, author of "Sweeney Todd." Higgins plays a quiet, sheltered young German royal, Helmuth, with Angela Lansbury as his mother. Helmut is forced into an arranged marriage with Annaliese, played by German actress, Heidelinde Weis. He discovers the darker motives that lurk beneath Michael York's gleaming blonde appearance against brilliant cinematography in the shadow of King Ludwig's Castle, in Neuschwanstein, Germany. In 1972, Higgins acted in "Vampire Circus" as a circus performer who changes into a panther-vampire. The film has become a cult classic. It was banned in Britain (because of its bestiality). The actor has said that it is the last of the great vampire films produced under the Hammer banner. There is a badly edited version for sale in the United States; an uncut edition has been seen in Europe that is much clearer. "Flavia, the Moslem Nun," (1974), with Brazilian born Florinda Bolkan, gave Higgins an opportunity to work in Italy. The DVD is a great piece of cinema history rescued by high technology and enhanced by a recent interview with Ms. Bolkan, who became an international screen legend in her own time. The story is derived from actual events in the 1400s that culminated in "The Martyrdom of the 800" in Otranto. The exotic soundtrack is by Academy Award winning composer, Nicola Piovani ("Life is Beautiful"). If one can get past the explicit physical mutilation of animals and humans and the insults to the Catholic Church, the script can be seen as supportive of feminism. Director Gianfranco Mingozzi's vision is representative of the wild cinema of the sexual revolution of the 70s in which auteurs were bursting to break free from the establishment. "Flavia" has haunting performances by Bolkan, Maria Casares, (the princess in Cocteau's "Orpheus") and Higgins. He is dazzling as the Moslem commander with no name who initiates Flavia as a sexual being, encourages her to carry out a bloody revenge and then disillusions her. That Higgins does not speak much is of no consequence. He communicates some of his best acting with movements and facial expressions, particularly, with his eyes. He can say volumes with one mesmerizing gaze. The actor flourished on stage, television and screen throughout the 70s. Notably, he starred as a Roman soldier looking for his vanished father in Caledonia, in BBC Scotland's miniseries, "Eagle of the Ninth" with Patrick Malahide in 1977. However, Higgins has said that he is most proud to have been a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company's original London cast of "Piaf," a biography of the French singer, Edith Piaf, written by Pam Gems, which starred Jane Lapotaire in 1979. The play was resurrected to rave reviews in London in 1994 but without any of the original players. Higgins won Best Actor of 1979 from Time Out magazine for his work with The Royal Shakespeare Company that year. He acted in mainly new work with the RSC but he also played Lucentio in "The Taming of the Shrew" opposite Zoe Wanamaker as his sweet Bianca. Older London stage audiences may discern that among his many stage to television appearances in the 80s was the role of Camille in "Danton's Death." The play by George Buechner ran at the National Theater in London for a year and was then produced for television by the BBC. Zoe Wanamaker played opposite him once more. As the actor matured in his thirties, his persona grew more interesting with more unusual works. Higgins' face is often recognized for his having played the artist in "The Draughtsman's Contract," (1982), opposite the brilliant Shakespearean actress, Janet Suzman. The film is suggestive of classical restoration drama with a mysterious plot, elegant landscape shots of England's County Kent and a Purcell-like soundtrack by Michael Nyman. Director Peter Greenaway has said that he cast Higgins in the lead because he best expressed a combination of arrogance and innocence. Higgins gives a subtle depiction of the outcast, the son of a tenant farmer, who turns out to be too trusting and is tragically deceived. After Draughtsman's initial release, many viewers wondered what the lead actor would do next but Higgins does not generally pursue publicity. Although he appeared at the Edinburgh Festival with the cast, he did not do many interviews. "Draughtsman" experienced resurgence in 1994 and the actor's face was plastered on larger than life posters across the high walls of London's underground tube stops. His face has often been well utilized to represent a variety of ethnic origins. It is an oval face with a long thin nose and high, almost oriental cheekbones. It is usually framed by dark, wavy hair, sometimes ending at his collar. His balanced brows can look calm but lying dormant behind his deeply inset, hazel eyes is a prospective fire. Behind the face lies great inventiveness that has not always been allowed to surface but when it does, the effect can be striking. Higgins seems to have unlocked a storeroom of intensity by taking on the role of Stephan, a hard-luck Polish immigrant to 1920s Paris in the Merchant-Ivory film, "Quartet" (1981). The film, based on the novel by Jean Rhys, is sharply directed by James Ivory and has a heart-felt script by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala ("Le Divorce"). Isabelle Adjani garnered a Cannes Film Festival award for Best Actress for her gut-wrenching performance as Stephan's defenseless wife. Stephan is an impetuous man, who takes the dishonest road to acquiring wealth, with a small amount of shiftiness and a large amount of charm. Higgins infuses the role with detailed mannerisms such as holding his cigarette by cupping the end with his fingers, as many Slavic men do. Higgins' height (6' 2"), dark looks and air of moral strength have frequently rendered him romantic roles. He sometimes appears to be aloof but a warmth sneaks out. The tough guy who softens for a vulnerable female might be what he is all about. Thus, it seems only natural that an actor whom he greatly admires is Robert Mitchum. Indeed, in another era, Higgins himself might have fit nicely into film noir. Higgins stars in a dark mystery film, "Sweet Killing," (1993), which was filmed in Montreal and also features F. Murray Abraham. Female admiration of Higgins became universal with his winsome portrayal of Abdullah, in "Lace," (1984-5), a cleverly written television miniseries by Elliot Baker, based on the popular English novel by Shirley Conran. Angela Lansbury, Brooke Adams and Arielle Dombasle are outstanding. Most critics condemned Phoebe Cates for her unconvincing acting but unanimously praised Higgins' persuasive performance as an Arabian prince, who is the lynch pin of the plot. The film also captures glamorous scenery of the French Alps, Chamonix and other jet-set locales; it has wonderful women's fashions, particularly hats, by Barbara Lane; it is the ultimate "chick flick." Higgins, astonished to hear that it is frequently repeated on cable in the U.S., has reacted, "It was great fun to do, actually. It has no pretense to be Strindberg. It is glamorous trash. Still, we had great character actors in it like Anthony Quayle, an old friend, who is now dead; and the director, Billy Hale, and I hit it off in a big way." Far from charming in "Reilly, Ace of Spies," (1983), the actor plays a cold Communist assassin in the British miniseries with Sam Neill in the title role; Higgins' innocence seen in previous roles is totally obscured here. In 1986, he acted with Jeanne Moreau in Agatha Christie's mystery, "The Last Séance," for Granada TV. "Max, Mon Amour," a feature film for the daring director Nagisa Oshima ("Realm of the Senses") followed in 1986. It has an outrageous plot about a bored wife (Charlotte Rampling) with a chimpanzee as her lover. Higgins plays her British diplomat husband who invites the ape to live with them in Paris. Higgins continued to work in France to play Napoleon's elder brother in "Napoleon and Josephine," with Armand Assante and Jacqueline Bisset in the title roles in 1987. It gave Higgins the opportunity to work again with Jane Lapotaire as mother Bonaparte. After Napoleon cuts up Europe for his family, Joseph satirically delivers a memorable aside, "Louis gets Holland and all I get is disease-ridden Naples." Lavishly photographed in Europe and North Africa, the television miniseries has subtle humor; it airs occasionally on cable in the U.S. A tendency of Higgins' style has been to hold something back, compelling the viewer to wonder what else he has stored up, adding mystery to his character. In "Darlings of the Gods," an Australian television film, (1991), he may have held back a bit much in the lead as Laurence Olivier, opposite Mel Martin as Vivien Leigh, to the disappointment of some critics. Still, the film aired around the world, received good ratings and repeated several times. In spin offs of the Sherlock Holmes legend, Higgins is the only actor besides Orson Welles to have played both Moriarty ("Young Sherlock Holmes" 1985) and Holmes ("Sherlock Holmes Returns" 1993). Both works display his skills in fencing and oration of long monologues; both versions proved popular in several countries, among them Germany. Higgins is fluent in German. German artist and photographer, Heide Lausen, whom he met while working on "Something for Everyone" in Germany, widows him. He has one daughter, who was born in 1974 and raised in Bavaria. He is often recognized for having played a stereotypical Nazi villain in Stephen Spielberg's, "Raiders of the Lost Ark," (1981). However, of the television film, "One Against the Wind," also known as "Mary Lindell," (1991), starring Judy Davis, Higgins has said that he enjoyed playing a non-typical German SS officer, who had been classically educated in England, because it was not a hackneyed image. "The Bridge," (1992), based on the Whitbread award winning novel by Maggie Hemingway, is an engaging film that takes place in the 19th century with actress Saskia Reeves struggling against sociological constraints. Here, his power simmers rather than explodes, as he plays a husband, who makes a shrewd move to eliminate his wife's lover. In a scene with his daughters at the breakfast table, one can sense that his character might do anything to prevent his family from breaking apart. A family role that Higgins took on enthusiastically was that of Johann Strauss, Sr. in "The Strauss Dynasty," (1991). The award winning television miniseries, which was filmed in Austria and Hungary over eight months, contains a cast of hundreds. The scope covers the entire Strauss family and the music and politics of their time. The twelve-hour program aired successfully in Europe and Australia in the 90s. The actor shows great range in this role, growing from young adored "Waltz King" conductor of Vienna to world weary, exhausted composer. The series shines with many international stars, enlightening history and music by the Strausses. Higgins grew up in a large musical and creative family of five brothers and one sister in Northamptonshire. Before Higgins was born, his father sang with a band in Cork in the 1930s. His mother was the local church organist and would sometimes accompany him on piano. Later, his father went to New York and studied opera but he returned to Ireland after six years. Anthony plays flugelhorn; he had an instrument especially crafted for him in Germany. He has said that his mother taught him to read even before he went to school. He is a voracious reader; he writes, having used an old manual typewriter prior to the computer era. He also has a penchant for classical music, jazz and fine art; when in New York, he likes to visit the Frick Museum and the Pierpont Morgan Library. He has always had a passion for athletics, having played rugby in his youth, then cricket and now it is golf. The actor's search for cutting-edge productions led him to "Nostradamus" (1994), an eccentric version of the 16th century visionary filmed in Romania. Tcheky Karyo plays the title role and Higgins brings up the ranks as King Henry II of France. Diana Quick (Higgins' mistress in "Max, Mon Amour") plays Diane de Poitier alongside Amanda Plummer as his quirky queen, Catherine de Medici. Higgins plays Henry as extremely effective politically and a great athlete. Higgins' research found that jousting was his other great love as evidenced from the time, effort and money that went into his armor, which is embossed with exquisite scenes from classical history and still exists as an extraordinary artifact. One of Higgins' best moments onscreen is as Korah, a Hebrew in "Moses" (1996), a television miniseries that aired internationally with Ben Kingsley in the title role. After initial skepticism, Korah silently communicates religious rapture as manna slowly falls from heaven on his ecstatic face, revealing a believer in the end. In the middle 1990s, it seems that there was a chic rush for heterosexual male stars to play roles as HIV-stricken patients, i.e., witness Jeremy Irons in "Stealing Beauty." Higgins brings an understated dignity to the role of a Cuban choreographer in the AIDS-related film, "Alive and Kicking," also known as "Indian Summer" (1996). The film stars Jason Flemyng as his student and has a hopeful conclusion by author Martin Sherman ("Bent"). Higgins returned to the stage in November 1996 with the title role in "Max Klapper - A Life in Pictures." He received excellent notices as a post WWII German film director opposite Emily Lloyd as the actress whom he regards as his creation. The event marked the reopening as a live theater of the Electric Cinema in London, where, curiously, during WWII the theater's manager was suspected of sending messages to German Zeppelins from the roof. Higgins fervently plays Marcel, a Hungarian archaeologist in the Irish feature film, "The Fifth Province," (1997), with Ian Richardson, with whom he previously appeared in "Danton's Death" on British television. Higgins has been particularly commended for the scene where he digs furiously for treasure that was buried by the high kings of Ireland. The script is by the Irish Times-Aer Lingus prize winning, hilarious novelist, Nina Fitzpatrick (Fables of the Irish Intelligentsia). The film sometimes surfaces on Sky TV. In the late 90s, Higgins continued to appear on British television in various roles and slipped into the snakeskins of seriously degenerated criminals in the television crime dramas, "The Governor I," "Supply and Demand I," and "Trial and Retribution III" (now available on DVD in Region 2). All were written by Lynda LaPlante ("Prime Suspect"), who was, coincidentally, an extra in "The Draughtsman's Contract." However, the actor becomes orderly again in 2001, as he plays a talent agent of dubious trust in "The Last Minute," directed by Stephen Norrington ("League of Extraordinary Gentlemen"). The theme is the unworthiness of fame in trendy London. The hero, labeled as "the next big thing," rebels against the agent and descends into hell before finding out how to value his life. One key to understanding Higgins' personality might be to recognize that his true love is the horn. In 2000, he commissioned British trumpeter Guy Barker, ("Great Expectations" 1998), to write a jazz soundtrack for a short film that Higgins wrote and directed, starring himself and British actress, Frances Barber, "Blood Count." It has been playing at European Film Festivals. In March 2003, Higgins lent his deep, but mellifluous, voice to narrate "Sounds in Black and White," Barker's homage concert to film noir, with the 60 piece London Metropolitan Orchestra at the Barbican Theater in London. In 2004, American television viewers can look forward to seeing him in an "Inspector Lynley Series II" episode on PBS' "Mystery Theater." A large part of Higgins' charisma is due to his voice, mannerisms and unique style that remain unruffled as he ages. He is not on the celebrity A list, the B list or even the Z list but he is high on many viewers' lists of interesting actors to watch because of his magnetism, intensity and unpredictability. The first decade of the new millennium has presented several new interesting British actors on the screen. However, many do not seem to have a strong classical stage training, which is Higgins' rock, and they often throw their lines away. Although not all of his roles have grandeur, people invariably comment about Higgins what he has said of Robert Mitchum, "Even in terrible movies, he is always good." Higgins' light may have reached millions of viewers but he never sold out for money. Some have called him a "career actor" but he has yet to receive the recognition of which his talent is worthy. Where is he? He is building a legacy as a character actor. Film history will show that he is a noteworthy one. Frank Finlay One of Britain's finest products of the stage, film and TV, actor Frank Finlay, he with the dark and handsomely serious-to-mordant looks, was born on August 6, 1926, in Farnworth, England, the son of Josiah, a butcher, and Margaret Finlay. Of English, Irish and Scottish descent, Frank attended St. Gregory the Great School and then was actually training to follow in his father's footsteps as a butcher himself when his side interest in acting eventually won out. He became a member of the Farnworth Little Theatre and met his future wife, Doreen Shepherd, a fellow member at the same time. They married in 1954, had three children (two sons, one daughter) and were married for over 50 years until her death in 2005. Finlay began his professional career on the repertory stage with roles in The Guilford Theatre Company's 1957 productions of "Jessica" and "The Telescope". Graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he built up a strong and sturdy theatrical reputation at the Royal Court Theatre between 1958 and 1960 where he was seen to good advantage in such plays as "Chicken Soup and Barley", "Sugar in the Morning", "Sergeant Musgrave's Dance", "Roots", "I'm Talking About Jerusalem", "The Happy Haven" and "Platonov". Making his Broadway debut in "The Epitaph of George Dillon" in 1959, he also sparked a noteworthy professional association with Laurence Olivier at the National Theatre, the highlight being his intense but subtle portrayal of "Iago" to Olivier's "Othello" in 1964. Marking his film debut in a bit role in The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner , Finlay sandwiched in a steady stream of British film parts (including Private Potter , Doctor in Distress , Agent 8 3/4 , The Comedy Man , A Study in Terror (as "Jack the Ripper" Inspector Lestrade), The Jokers , The Deadly Bees and Robbery ) in between theatre assignments. His greatest film opportunity occurred when he was given the right by Olivier to recreate his Iago role opposite the legendary actor in the masterful film adaptation of Othello . Finlay, Maggie Smith (as "Desdemona") and Joyce Redman (as "Emilia") all received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for their illustrious "supporting" work of Olivier (who was also Oscar nominated). Frank went on to nab a "Most Promising Newcomer" nomination from the BAFTA committee as well. To date, this has been the actor's only Oscar recognition. Hedda Hopper Her father was a butcher. In 1913 she met and married matinée idol DeWolf Hopper Sr. and in 1915 they moved to Hollywood, where both began active film careers. He became a star with Triangle Company, she began in vamp parts and turned to supporting roles. After her divorce she appeared in dozens of films, becoming known as "Queen of the Quickies". In 1936 she started a gossipy radio show and two years later commenced a 28-year stint as a newspaper gossip columnist, rival of Louella Parsons . In her last films she mostly played herself, a tribute to her influence in Hollywood. Her son became famous as investigator Paul Drake in the Perry Mason series. Ashlie Atkinson Ashlie Atkinson is an award-winning theatre, film, and television actress. A 2003 graduate of the Neightborhood Playhouse, in 2005 she received the Theatre World Award for Breakthrough Performance for originating the role of Helen in Neil Labute's "Fat Pig"(opposite Jeremy Piven) - which also garnered her Outer Critics' Circle and Lucille Lortel nominations. She has graced screens both big and small in Denis Leary's critically-acclaimed Rescue Me, 3lbs, Spike Lee's Inside Man, Another Gay Movie, Sex and The City Movie, Margot at The Wedding, Law & Order, Law &Order: Criminal Intent, Puccini for Beginners, and Filthy Gorgeous. MTV fans may recognize Ashlie as her hip-hop alter ego, "Chunky Pam", a plus-size rap diva - and YouTube viral phenomenon. After appearing opposite Debra Jo Rupp in SecondStage's "Butcher of Baraboo", she returned to Broadway in 2007 to play Vivian Proclo in Terrence McNally's The Ritz (starring Rosie Perez). Ashlie is a proud member of both the Bridge Theatre Commpany and Gotham Girls Roller Derby (where she skates under the name Margaret Thrasher, Prime Minister of Your Demise). Ashlie toured the world in Sam Mendes' The Bridge Project and continues to work in film opposite actors such as Jessica Alba, Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst, Ricky Gervais and Julia Roberts. Anders Thomas Jensen Anders Thomas Jensen was born on 6th April 1972 in Frederiksværk on Sjælland in Denmark to Carl Benny Jensen and Kirsten Jensen (born Sørensen). He attended the high school in Frederiksværk from 1988 to 1991. In 1990 while still in high school, he wrote and directed 10 år på bagen - 3 år i skyggen (1990) (TV). He made his film debut in 1996 with the short films Café Hector , David's Book , Restless Heart and the Academy Award nominated Ernst & lyset , which he also directed. The following year Jensen wrote and directed Wolfgang , which also earned an Academy Award nomination for best short film. He also made a rare appearance in front of the camera in Royal Blues . Baby Doom and Albert , both released in 1998, were the first feature films with screenplay co-written by Jensen. After being nominated two previous years Jensen finally won in 1999 an Oscar for best short film with Election Night . He followed it with writing the screenplay for two successful films in 1999, Mifune and In China They Eat Dogs . Jensen was nominated for a Robert for the both films, but neither won. Mifune, directed by Søren Kragh-Jacobsen was the third dogme film. I Kina spiser de hunde (In China They Eat Dogs), directed by Lasse Spang Olsen and starring Kim Bodnia , was the first of typical Jensen screenplays with an original mixture of humour and action. The formula was very effective and the film was a huge hit in Denmark. In a way it created a new genre, Danish action comedies, as it spawned several imitations as well as a prequel three years later. In 2000 Jensen co-wrote the screenplay for Beyond and The King Is Alive , the fourth dogme-film which is a story about a group of people who decides to stage Shakespeare's King Lear in the desert. After having written screenplays for films in various genres, in 2000 he also his feature film debut as a director with Flickering Lights . Blinkende lygter (Flickering Lights) tells the story of four small time crooks from Copenhagen who steal 4,000,000 DKR from a gangster boss. Unfortunately their escape route won't take them further than the countryside before the car breaks down. That leads them to renovate an old guesthouse while tring to lay low. With Denmark's best talents Søren Pilmark , Ulrich Thomsen , Mads Mikkelsen , Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Iben Hjejle , it was a huge blockbuster hit in Denmark and also gained interest abroad. Blinkende lygter also gained a Bodil nomination for the best picture of the year, a Robert nomination for best screenplay and won the audience award at the Robert festival. By now already an established name on the Danish movie scene he wrote the screenplays to Count Axel , made an uncredited contribution to Fukssvansen , Lone Scherfig 's Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself and Susanne Bier 's celebrated Open Hearts highlighted by strong performances from Mads Mikkelsen , Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Paprika Steen . The screenplay of Elsker dig for evigt (Open Hearts) also showed a completely different side of him. In 2002 he also wrote the screenplay for Lasse Spang Olsen's Old Men in New Cars: In China They Eat Dogs II , the prequel to In China They East Dogs. Jensen received his fourth Robert nomination for the screenplay of Gamle mænd i nye biler (Old Men In New Cars). Jensen then wrote and directed The Green Butchers . With outstanding performances by Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Mads Mikkelsen, Jensen contributed yet another characteristic story of two butchers with very unorthodox methods. This time Jensen was for De Grønne slagtere (The Green Butchers) nominated for both screenplay and direction at the Robert Festival. He also wrote the screenplays for Søren Kragh-Jacobsen's Skagerrak and Stealing Rembrandt . Skagerrak tells the story of Danish Marie (Iben Hjejle) who finds happiness when she least expects it as she is offered to be a surrogate mother in Northern Scotland. Rembrandt on the other hand continues the adventures of Danish small time crooks, as they by mistake steal a painting by Rembrandt which causes them more problems that they ask for. In 2004 Jensen wrote the screenplay for Susanne Bier's Brothers . Brødre (Brothers), starring Connie Nielsen , Ulrich Thomsen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas is a story of two brothers whose lives alter in many ways when one is sent to war in Afghanistan and the other one takes his place in the brother's family. For Brothers Jensen finally won a Robert for best screenplay. In February 2005 premiered The Sun King , directed by Tomas Villum Jensen , and followed by Adam's Apples in April 2005. Jensen's third directorial effort Adams æbler is written and directed by himself and stars once again Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Ulrich Thomsen. His next contribution will be After the Wedding (After the Wedding), which will be directed by Susanne Bier and with Mads Mikkelsen and Rolf Lassgård in leading roles. Efter brylluppet is due to be released in March 2006. Delphine Seyrig Delphine was born in Beirut on the 10th April 1932 into an intellectual Protestant family. Her Alsatian father, Henri Seyrig, was the director of the Archaeological Institute and later France's cultural attaché in New York during World War Two. Her Swiss mother, Hermine De Saussure, was an adept of Rousseau's theories, a female sailing pioneer and the niece of the universally acclaimed linguist and semiologist, Ferdinand De Saussure. Delphine also had a brother, Francis Seyrig , who would go on to become a successful composer. At the end of the war, the family relocated to Paris, although Delphine's adolescence was to be spent between her country, Greece and New York. Never a good student, she decided to quit school at age 17 to pursue a stage career. Her father gave her his approval on the condition that she would have done this with seriousness and dedication. Delphine took courses of Dramatic Arts with some illustrious teachers such as Roger Blin , Pierre Bertin and Tania Balachova . Some of her fellow students included Jean-Louis Trintignant , Michael Lonsdale , Laurent Terzieff , Bernard Fresson , Stéphane Audran , Daniel Emilfork and Antoine Vitez . Her stage debut came in 1952 in a production of Louis Ducreux 's musical "L'Amour en Papier", followed by roles in "Le Jardin du Roi" (Pierre Devaux) and in Jean Giraudoux 's "Tessa, la nymphe au Coeur fidèle". Stage legend Jean Dasté was the first director to offer her a couple of parts that would truly showcase her talents: Ariel in Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and Chérubin in Beaumarchais' "The Marriage of Figaro". He also had her take the title role in a production of Giraudoux's "Ondine" from Odile Versois , who had gone to England to shoot an Ealing movie. Delphine's performance was greeted with enormous critical approval. The young actress stayed in Europe for a couple years more, starring in a production of Oscar Wilde 's "An Ideal Husband" in Paris, making two guest appearances in Sherlock Holmes (which was entirely shot in France) and trying to enter the TNP (People's National Theatre). She actually wasn't admitted because the poetic, melodious voice that would become her signature mark was deemed too strange. In 1956, Delphine decided to sail for America along with her husband Jack Youngerman (a painter she had married in Paris) and son Duncan. Delphine tried to enter the Actor's studio, but, just like in the case of many of Hollywood's finest actors, she failed the admittance test. She would still spend three years as an observer (also attending Lee Strasberg 's classes) and this minor mishap didn't prevent her from going on with her stage career anyway, as she did theatre work in Connecticut and appeared in an off-Broadway production of Pirandello's "Henry IV" opposite Burgess Meredith and Alida Valli . Legend wants that the show was such a flop that the producer burned down the set designs. One year later, a single meeting would change the young actress' life forever. Delphine was starring in a production of Henrik Ibsen 's "An Enemy of the People" when one very day she was approached by a very enthusiast spectator. It was the great director Alain Resnais , fresh of the huge personal triumph he had scored with his masterwork, Hiroshima Mon Amour . Resnais was now trying to do a movie about the pulp magazine character Harry Dickson (an American version of Sherlock Holmes) and thought that Delphine could have played the role of the detective's nemesis, Georgette Cuvelier/The Spider. The project would never see the light of the day, but this meeting would soon lead to the genesis of an immortal cinematic partnership. Delphine's first feature film was also done the same year: it was the manifesto of the Beat Generation, the innovative Pull My Daisy . The 30 minutes film was written and narrated by Jack Kerouac and featured an almost entirely non-professional cast including poets Allen Ginsberg , Gregory Corso and Peter Orlovsky along with painter Larry Rivers . Delphine played Rivers' wife in this well-done and interesting curio, an appropriate starting point to a very intriguing and alternative career. In 1960 she landed the role of Cara Williams and Harry Morgan 's French neighbour in a new sitcom, Pete and Gladys . Although she left the show after only three episodes, it is interesting to see her interact with the likes of Williams, Morgan and Cesar Romero , since they seem to belong to such different worlds. This was going to be the end of Delphine's journey in the States, although she would keep very fond memories of this period, stating in 1969 that she didn't consider herself "particularly French, but American in equal measure". In 1961 she would take her native France by storm. Resnais had now been approached by writer Alain Robbe-Grillet - one of the main creators of the "Nouveau Roman" genre- to direct a movie based upon his script "L'anneé dernière". Having been awed by the recent Vertigo , Robbe-Grillet was nourishing the hope that Kim Novak could have possibly played the mysterious female protagonist of the upcoming adaptation of his novel. Luckily, Resnais had different plans. Delphine was back in France for a holiday when the director offered her the role of the enigmatic lady nicknamed A. in his latest movie, Last Year at Marienbad . Delphine accepted and finally took her rightful place in film history. The plot of the movie is apparently simple: in a baroque-looking castle, X. ( Giorgio Albertazzi ) tries to convince the reclusive A. that they had an affair the previous year. The movie has been interpreted in many different ways: a ghost story, a sci-fi story, an example of meta-theatre, a retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, a retelling of Pygmalion and the Statue and plenty more. Resnais proved to be very partial to Delphine and didn't want her to just stand there like a motionless mannequin like the entire supporting cast did. As X. begins to instill or awake some feelings and memories into A., Delphine subtly hints at a change happening inside the character, managing to alternatively project an image of innocence and desire in a brilliant way. With her stunning, sphinx-like beauty being particularly highlighted by raven-black hair (Resnais wanted her to look like Louise Brooks in Pandora's Box ) and her warm, seductive voice completing the magical charm of the character, Delphine made A. her most iconic-looking creation and got immediately welcomed to the club of the greatest actresses of France. The movie itself received the Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival and remains Resnais' masterpiece, not to mention possibly the greatest son of the French New Wave. The gothic organ music provided by Delphine's brother Francis also played an important role in the success of "Marienbad". Like he had done a couple years before with Emmanuelle Riva , Resnais had made another invaluable gift to French cinema and one would have expected to see Delphine immediately racking a dozen film projects after "Marienbad", but for the time being she preferred to return to her first love, the theatre. She always wished to avoid the perils of celebrity and started a very turbulent relationship with reporters. She made this statement on the subject: "There is nothing to say about an actor or an actress. You just need to go and see them, that's all". She also hated the fact that, after "Marienbad", many journalists had paraphrased many of her statements in order to get meatier articles or entirely made up stories about her. Her next film project came in 1963 when she was reunited with Resnais for the superb Muriel, or The Time of Return . Wearing some makeup that made her look plainer and older, Delphine gave a first sample of her chameleon-like abilities and one of her most spectacular performances ever as Hélène Aughain, an apparently absent-minded, but actually very tragic antique shop dealer who tries to reshape her squalid present in order to get even with a past made of shame and humiliation. Providing her character with a clumsy walk and an odd behavior that looks amusing on the surface, she delegated her subtlest facial expressions to hint at Hélène's grief and sense of dissatisfaction, creating a very pathetic and moving figure in the process. This incredible achievement was awarded with a Volpi cup at Venice Film Festival. Delphine felt very proud for herself and for Resnais. "Muriel" turned out to be one of the director's most divisive works, with some people considering it his finest film and others dismissing it as a product below his standard. The movie's American reception was unfortunately disastrous: having been released in New York disguised as an "even more mysterious sequel" to Marienbad, it stayed in theaters for five days only. The same year, Delphine did a TV movie called Le troisième concerto which marked her first collaboration with Marcel Cravenne . Her performance as a pianist who's seemingly losing her mind scored big with both critics and audience and made her much more popular with the French public than two rather inaccessible movies such as "Marienbad" and "Muriel" could ever do. Delphine never considered herself a star though, stating that "a star is like a racing horse a producer can place money on" and that she wasn't anything like that. In the following years she kept doing remarkable stage work. 1964 saw her first collaboration with Samuel Beckett : she invited the great author at her place in Place Des Vosges where she rehearsed for the role of the Lover in the first French production of "Play" along with Michael Lonsdale as the Husband and Eléonore Hirt as the Wife. The three of them would then bring the show to the stage and star in a film version in 1966. Delphine would team up with Beckett on other occasions in the future and even more frequently with Lonsdale, her co-star in several films and stage productions. For two consecutive times she won the "Prix Du Syndicat de la Critique" (the most ancient and illustrious award given by French theatre critics) for Best Actress: in 1967 (1966/1967 season) for her performances in "Next Time I'll Sing to You" and "To Find Oneself" and in 1969 (1968/1969 season) for her work in L'Aide-mémoire. In 1966 she did a cameo in the surreal, Monty Pythonesque Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? , which was written and directed by William Klein (her friend of about 20 years) and starred Sami Frey , who would be her partner for her entire life after her separation from Youngerman. In 1967, she had a few exquisitely acted scenes (all shot in one day and a half) with Dirk Bogarde in Joseph Losey 's excellent Accident . Her appearance as Bogarde's old flame seemed to echo and pay homage to "Marienbad", from the almost illusory touch of the whole sequence to the suggestive use of music by the great John Dankworth . Delphine totally enjoyed to work with Losey, although their relationship would drastically change by the time of their next adventure together. The same year would also see the release of the spellbinding La musica , her first filmed collaboration with Marguerite Duras . The author had always worshiped Delphine for her exceptional screen presence and for possessing the aura of a classic goddess of the Golden Age of Hollywood. She said about her: "When Delphine Seyrig moves into the camera's field, there's a flicker of Garbo and Clara Bow and we look to see if Cary Grant is at her side". She also loved her sexy voice, stating that she always sounded like "she had just sucked a sweet fruit and her mouth was still moist" and would go on to call her "the greatest actress in France and possibly in the entire world". "La Musica" isn't the most remembered Seyrig-Duras collaboration, but nevertheless occupies a special place in history as the beginning of a beautiful friendship between two artists that would become strictly associated with each other for eternity. Delphine's performance won her the "Étoile de Cristal" (the top film award given in France by the "Académie Française" between 1955 and 1975 and later replaced by the César). The actress later made a glorious Hedda Gabler for French television, although she never much enjoyed to do work for this kind of medium. She often complained about the poverty of means and little professionalism of French TV and declined on several occasions the possibility to play the role of Mme De Mortsauf in an adaptation of Balzac's "Le lys dans la vallée". In 1968 she found one of her most famous and celebrated roles in François Truffaut 's latest installment of the Antoine Doinel saga, Stolen Kisses , which overall qualifies as one of her most "traditional" career choices. Delphine's new divine creature was Fabienne Tabard, the breathtakingly beautiful wife of an obnoxious shoe store owner (Michael Lonsdale) and the latest object of Antoine's attention. It is very interesting that, in the movie, Antoine reads a copy of "Le lys dans la vallée" and compares Fabienne to the novel's heroine. At one point, Delphine had almost agreed to appear in the TV production on the condition that Jean-Pierre Léaud would have played the leading male role. She later inquired with Truffaut if he knew about this by the time he had written the script, but he swore that it was just a coincidence. In 1969 she declined the leading female role in La Piscine because she didn't see anything interesting about it; this despite strong soliciting from her close friend Jean Rochefort (whom she nicknamed "Mon petit Jeannot"). At the time, it was considered almost unconceivable to decline the chance of appearing in an Alain Delon movie, but Delphine really valued the power of saying "no" and the part went to Romy Schneider instead. It consequently came of great surprise when, the same year, she accepted the role of Marie-Madeleine in William Klein's rather dated, but somewhat charming Mr. Freedom , where she played most of her scenes semi-naked. But Delphine, as usual, had her valid reasons to appear in this strong satire of American Imperialism. Klein's comic strip adaptation isn't without its enjoyable moments (like a scene where the Americans use a map to indicate the Latin dictatorships as the civilized, democratic world), but goes on for too long and suffers every time Delphine disappears from the screen. Still, it remains a must for Seyrig fans, as you'd never expect to see the most intellectual of actresses having a martial arts fight with the gigantic John Abbey and giving a performance of pure comic genius in the tradition of Kay Kendall . The same year she also had a cameo as the Prostitute in Luis Buñuel 's masterful The Milky Way . Delphine read the entire script, but eventually regretted that she hadn't watched Alain Cuny playing his scene, because, in that case, she would have played her own very differently and brought the movie to full circle, something she thought she hadn't done. She promised Buñuel to do better on the next occasion they would have worked together. In 1970, Delphine eventually agreed to appear in Le lys dans la vallée under the direction of Marcel Cravenne, although the male protagonist wasn't played by Léaud, but by Richard Leduc . It turned out to be one of the best ever adaptations of a French classic and her performance was titanic. She then played the Lilac Fairy in Jacques Demy 's lovely musical Donkey Skin , which starred a rather passive Catherine Deneuve in the title role, but boosted a superlative supporting cast including Jacques Perrin , Micheline Presle , Sacha Pitoëff and Jean Marais (who sort of provided a link with Jean Cocteau 's Beauty and the Beast ). Despite all this profusion of talent, Delphine effortlessly stole the movie with her sassy smile, impeccable comedic timing and multi-colored wardrobe. Although she would go on to sing on future occasions, Demy preferred to have her musical number dubbed by Christiane Legrand . The following year, she won a new multitude of male admirers when she arguably played the sexiest and most memorable female vampire in film history in the underrated psychological horror Daughters of Darkness . The choice of a niche actress like Delphine to play the lesbian, Dietrichesque Countess Bathory is considered one of the main factors that sets Harry Kümel 's movie apart from the coeval products made by the likes of Jesús Franco or Jean Rollin . To see another horror movie highlighted by the presence of an unforgettable female vampire in Seyrig style, one will have to wait for the similar casting of the splendid Nina Hoss in the auteur effort We Are the Night . Cravenne's Tartuffe was a delicious "Jeu à Deux" between Delphine and the immense Michel Bouquet . In 1972, Delphine would add another immortal title to her filmography, as she was cast in Luis Buñuel's surrealist masterpiece, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie . As the adulterous Simone Thévenot, always wearing a sanctimoniously polite smile, she managed to give the star turn in a flawless cast: Fernando Rey made his Rafael Acosta deliciously nasty behind his cover of unflappability, Paul Frankeur was hilariously obtuse as M.Thévenot, Jean-Pierre Cassel suitably ambiguous as M.Sénéchal, Julien Bertheau looked charmingly sinister as Mons.Dufour, Bulle Ogier got to show her formidable gifts for physical comedy as Florence and the role of Alice Sénéchal, a woman who gets annoyed at not getting coffee while a man has just confessed to have murdered his father, proved for once the perfect fit for the coldest and least emotional of actresses, Stéphane Audran. The movie won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. The next year, Delphine appeared in a couple of star-studded productions: she gave a brief, but memorably moving performance in Fred Zinnemann 's The Day of the Jackal as a French woman who makes the fatal mistake of falling for Edward Fox 's ruthless killer. People's memories of the movie are often associated with her scenes. She also appeared in Losey's disappointing A Doll's House opposite a badly miscast Jane Fonda as Nora. The two actresses didn't get along with the director as they both thought his vision of the story to be deeply misogynist. Many key dialogues were unskillfully butchered for the adaptation, diminishing the depth of the characters and the end result was consequently cold, although the movie has its redeeming features. The brilliant David Warner arguably remains the definitive screen Torvald and Delphine is typically impeccable in the fine role of Kristine, although one can't help but think that an accomplished Ibsenian actress like her should have played Nora in the first place. Although Losey wasn't in speaking terms with her any longer by the time the shooting ended, Delphine befriended Jane as they shared a lot of ideals and causes. Delphine Seyrig was of course a vocal feminist, although she didn't consider herself a militant: she actually believed that women should have already known their rights by then and that she didn't have to cause any consciousness raising in them. She would go on to work with more and more female directors shortly after, considering also that she had now begun to love cinema as much as theatre. In 1974 she appeared in a stage production of "La Cheuvachée sur le lac de Constance" because she dearly desired to act opposite the wonderful Jeanne Moreau , but from that moment on, most of her energies were saved for film work. She also grew more and more radical in picking up her projects: Diary of a Suicide , Say It with Flowers and The Last Word certainly qualify as some of her oddest features, not to mention the most difficult to watch. Le cri du coeur , although flawed by an inept performance by Stéphane Audran, was slightly more interesting: the director capitalized on Delphine's Marienbad image once again, casting her as a mysterious woman the crippled young protagonist gets sexually obsessed with. She made another relatively "ordinary" pick by playing villainous in Don Siegel 's remarkable spy thriller The Black Windmill alongside stellar performers like Michael Caine , Donald Pleasence , John Vernon and Janet Suzman . The following year, Delphine had two first rate roles in The Garden That Tilts and in Liliane de Kermadec 's Aloïse (where her younger self was played, quite fittingly, by an already prodigious Isabelle Huppert ). But 1975 wasn't over for Delphine as the thespian would round off the year with two of her most amazing achievements. The Seyrig/Duras team did finally spring into action again with the memorable India Song , another movie which lived and died entirely on Delphine's intense face. Laure Adler wrote these pertinent words in her biography of Duras: "In India Song we see nothing of Calcutta, all we see is a woman dancing in the drawing room of the French embassy and that is enough, for Delphine fills the screen". Coming next was what many people consider the actress' most monumental personal achievement: Jeanne Dielman, 23 Commerce Quay, 1080 Brussels . It has become a common saying that, when you have a great interest in an actor, you could watch him/her reading the phone book. Seyrig fans can experiment it almost literally in Chantal Akerman 's three hour minimalist masterpiece, which meticulously follows the daily routine of widowed housewife Jeanne. Akerman chose Delphine "because she brought with her all the roles of mythical woman that she played until now. The woman in Marienbad, The woman in India Song". The movie can be considered a filmed example of "Nouveau Roman": every moment of Jeanne's day is presented almost real-time -from the act of peeling potatoes or washing dishes- and every gesture has a precise meaning, like Jeanne's incapacity of putting her life together being expressed by her inability of making a decent coffee or put buttons back on a shirt. The movie is also of course a feminist declaration: Jeanne regularly resorts to prostitution to make a living, which (according to Akerman) symbolizes that, even after the death of her husband, she's still dependant of him and always needs to have a male figure enter her life in his place. Her declaration of independence is expressed at the end of the movie through the murder of one of her clients. Delphine's approach to the role was as natural as possible and she completely disappeared into it, giving a hypnotic performance that keeps the viewer glued to his chair and prevents him to feel the sense of boredom every actress short of extraordinary would have induced. It's considered one of the greatest examples of acting ever recorded by a camera and possibly the definitive testament to Delphine's abilities. By now she was being referred as France's greatest actress with the same frequency Michel Piccoli was called the greatest actor. 1976 saw the the Césars replacing the "Étoiles de Cristal" and Delphine was nominated for "India Song", but she lost to Romy Schneider for her work in That Most Important Thing: Love by Andrzej Zulawski . The same year also saw her getting behind the camera as she directed Scum Manifesto , a short where she read the Valerie Solanas text by the same name. She also starred in Duras' new version of "India Song", Son nom de Venise dans Calcutta désert (where the setting was changed to the desert) and headlined the cast of Mario Monicelli 's Caro Michele . In 1977 she traveled to the UK to shoot an episode of BBC Play of the Month . She stated her great admiration for British TV as opposed to French TV, congratulating BBC for its higher production values and for its major respect for the material it used to produce. Thinking retrospectively about the whole thing, these sentiments seem rather misplaced, since BBC erased tons of programs from existence in order to make room in the storage and for other reasons, but fortunately "The Ambassadors" wasn't part of the slaughter. Like Henry James 's story, the cast featured some veritable cultural ambassadors as three different nations offered one of their most talented thespians ever: Paul Scofield represented England, Lee Remick represented United States and Delphine represented France as Madame De Vionnet. Baxter, Vera Baxter marked her final and most forgettable film collaboration with Duras. In Faces of Love , she played the drug-addicted ex-wife of a director (a typically outstanding Jean-Louis Trintignant) who summons her along with two other actresses to shoot a film version of "The Three Sisters". She was again nominated for a César, but the sentimentality factor played in favor of Simone Signoret 's performance in Moshé Mizrahi 's award-friendly Madame Rosa , which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film two months later. Mizrahi later cast both actresses in his subsequent feature, I Sent a Letter to My Love , also starring Jean Rochefort. This bittersweet feature proved much better than the director's previous work: Signoret and Rochefort gave great performances, but, once again, Delphine was best in show as a naive, hare-brained woman so much different from her usual characters and gave another confirmation of her phenomenal range. She was nominated for another César in the supporting actress category, but lost to Nathalie Baye for Every Man for Himself . It's ironic that, despite being considered the nation's top actress by so many people, Delphine never won a César. One theory is that she had alienated many voters (particularly the older ones) by often dismissing 50's French cinema and regularly comparing French actors unfavorably to American ones, just like many New Wave authors ( Jean-Luc Godard , Claude Chabrol , Éric Rohmer , Jacques Rivette ) had done back in the days when they worked as critics for the "Cahiérs Du Cinema" and none of them ever won a César either (or at least not a competitive one). This along with having made many enemies because of her vocally feminist attitude of course. She once stated herself that many people in France probably disliked her because she was always saying what she thought. In the 80's, Delphine appeared in three stage plays that were later filmed: La Bête dans la Jungle (a Duras adaptation of the Henry James novel), "Letters Home" (about the poet Sylvia Plath) and "Sarah et le cri de la langouste" (where she played the legendary Sarah Bernhardt). She scored a particular success with the latter and won the "Prix Du Syndicat de la Critique" for a record third time, more than any other actress (Michel Bouquet is her male counterpart with three Best Actor wins). In 1981, she directed a feminist documentary, Sois belle et tais-toi , where she interviewed many actresses, including her friend Jane Fonda, about their role (sometimes purely decorative) in the male-dominated film industry. In 1982 she co-founded the Simone De Beauvoir audiovisual centre along with Carole Roussopoulos and Ioana Wieder . A final collaboration with Chantal Akerman, the innovative musical Golden Eighties , allowed her to do what she couldn't do in "Peau d'âne" and give a very moving rendition of a beautiful song. Avant-garde German director Ulrike Ottinger provided Delphine with some unforgettable and appropriately weird roles in three of her features: multiple characters in Freak Orlando , the only female incarnation of Dr.Mabuse in Dorian Gray im Spiegel der Boulevardpresse (opposite Veruschka von Lehndorff , playing the title role 'en travesti') and Lady Windermere in Johanna D'Arc of Mongolia . She gave a final, stunning TV performance in Une saison de feuilles as an actress suffering from Alzheimer's disease and won a 7 d'or (a French Emmy) for it. Her mature turn as a woman who's reaching the end of the line looks particularly poignant now, as it has the bitter taste of a tear-eyed farewell. A woman of extraordinary courage, Delphine had been secretly battling lung cancer (she had always been a chain smoker) for a few years, but, because of her supreme professionalism, she had never neglected a work commitment because of that. Only her closest friends knew. It became evident that there was no hope left when, in September 1990, she had do withdraw her participation from a production of Peter Shaffer 's "Lettice and Lovage" with Jean-Louis Barrault and Madeleine Renaud 's theatre company. One month later she tragically lost her battle with cancer and died in hospital, leaving an unbridgeable void in the acting world and in the lives of many. Tributes flew in torrents, with Jean-Claude Brialy hosting a particularly touching memorial where Jeanne Moreau read some very heartfelt phrases come from the pen of Marguerite Duras to honour the memory of her muse. In the decade following Delphine's death, many of her features unfortunately didn't prove to have much staying power -being so unique and destined to a very selected and elitist audience- and plenty of people began to forget about the actress. Delphine's good friend, director Jacqueline Veuve , thought this unacceptable and she saw to do something about it, shooting a documentary called Delphine Seyrig, portrait d'une comète , which premiered at Locarno film festival. This partially helped to renew the actress' cult and to expand it to several other followers. Similar retrospectives at the Modern Art Museum in New York and at the La Rochelle Film Festival hopefully served the same purpose as well. One can also hope that the French Academy (Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma) would start to make amends for past sins by awarding Delphine a posthumous César: since the immortal Jean Gabin received one in 1987, who could possibly make a likelier pair with him? Shô Kosugi Easily the best known actor/martial artist during the 1980s ninja cinema craze, Kosugi was a proficient martial artist & skilled weapons performer which was highlighted in his several starring roles. Kosugi grew up as the youngest child and only son of a Tokyo fisherman, and began his martial arts training at the age of five studying karate at a local dojo. Sho expanded upon his martial arts studies, also learning judo & kendo, and by his 18th birthday he had achieved the status of All Japan Karate Champion. Intent on entering the world of international finance, Sho left Japan at only 19 years old to study and reside in Los Angeles, USA where he achieved a Bachelor's Degree in Economics, yet he also remained focused on constantly improving his martial arts skills. Throughout the early 1970s, Sho competed in hundred's of martial arts tournaments & demonstrations including winning the L.A. Open in 1972, 1973 & 1974. In addition, he also met a young Chinese woman named Shook, who was eventually to become his wife and mother of his children, plus Sho had his first foray into the cinema with part's in a minor Taiwanese film titled "The Killers", and then in a Korean production, shot in Los Angeles known as "The Stranger From Korea". Sho's big break came in 1981 when karate legend Mike Stone pitched a screenplay under the title of "Dance of Death" to Cannon Films. Cannon was at the time, a lackluster production house that had two years prior been purchased by film producer cousins Menahem Golan & Yoram Globus . The innovative cousins quickly turned Cannon into a profitable key player in the independently produced film market by latching onto topics popular to the youth market, having rapid shooting schedules, relatively unknown casts and tight budgets. Menehem Golan once remarked that he believed it was impossible to lose money on a film shot for the US market with a budget of under $5 million!! Cannon Films backed Stone's screenplay and the title was changed to _Enter The Ninja (1981)_ starring Franco Nero , Christopher George & Susan George with filming completed in the Phillipines in early 1981. Sho's role was as the evil black ninja "Hasegawa", and his icy screen presence and martial arts skills grabbed the attention of martial arts film fans, and ignited the huge fascination with ninjitsu that engulfed martial arts for the next decade. With the financial success of their first "ninja" film, Cannon readily backed a further ninja movie, only this time Sho was elevated to being the star of the film and had become a good guy!! Revenge of the Ninja was shot in Salt Lake City, Utah in late 1982 and featured Sho as a ninja master forced to flee from Japan to America with his only surviving son, after the rest of his family are butchered by opposing ninjas's. Launching into an art importing business with an American business partner, Sho finds out too late that his partner is also a ninja, importing drugs hidden in Sho's Japanese dolls. The second film outstripped the first on box office takings, and Sho Kosugi was now the hottest star in martial arts cinema! Based on those booming ticket sales, Cannon were once again happy to back another ninja movie, and in late 1983 shooting commenced in Phoenix, Arizona on Ninja III: The Domination . The plot line however, was a rather strange affair, with the spirit of dead ninja possessing the body of dance instructor Christie (played by Solid Gold dancer Lucinda Dickey )......it was a misguided attempt by Cannon to combine ninjutsu with the 80s break dancing craze and horror movies about possession. None the less, fans didn't seem to mind, and the third installment in Cannon's ninja trilogy did reasonable business at the box office. Kosugi then starred in the short lived action TV series _"The Master" (1984)_ alongside legendary screen bad guy 'Lee van Cleef', before going onto star in several more ninja films, including taking on Mafia thugs in the bloody Pray for Death , stopping terrorists as a ninja commando in Nine Deaths of the Ninja and as a ninja secret agent taking on "the Muscles from Brussels" Jean-Claude Van Damme in the military adventure Black Eagle . However, by 1990 the US movie going public had grown tired of a decade of black clad ninja's hurling shuriken's and swords at each other, and Sho Kosugi left Hollywood to venture back to Japan where he became involved in numerous TV productions again centered around martial arts. In 1992, Kosugi starred in his biggest budgeted movie to date, a samurai epic titled _Journey of Honor (1992)_ also featuring screen legends Toshirô Mifune and Christopher Lee . Since then, Kosugi has remained very active in Japanese TV, was involved in contributing martial arts choreography for the highly popular Sony Playstation game "Tenchu; Stealth Assassins", plus he returned to Hollywood in the late 1990s to set up the Sho Kosugi Institute to assist Asian actors wishing to break into the mainstream US film market. Undeniably, many of the ninja films featuring Sho Kosugi were marred by low budgets & cheap production....however his superb martial arts skills and captivating on screen presence have assured him a unique place in the history of martial arts cinema, and his name has become synonymous with the art of ninjitsu. Thayer David He was David Thayer Hersey from an upper crust Winchester, Massachusetts family. After secondary school he began attending Harvard University. Along with several students he founded the Brattle Theatre Company in 1946. After working closely on Brattle with fellow Harvard graduates and his father,Thayer Frye Hersey, David took the stage name Thayer David in honor of his father. Thayer David was tall and heavy-set with a prominent beetling brow and protruding lips (a somewhat intimidating demeanor) which inevitably bound him to character roles. But he had no false allusions about leading man roles and whatnot other than applying a consummate passion for being a good actor in those parts allotted him. To this he brought a forceful if pursed and imperious voice and a knack for developing voice characterizations to fit any part. By late 1950 he was on Broadway in a revival of the comedy play "The Relapse" Through most the 1950s he was busy with theater roles rounded with returns to Broadway for the next two decades in some great dramas, including stepping in as a replacement to play Cardinal Wolsey in "A Man for All Seasons" (1961-63). Like many a trained actor looking beyond the stage, David saw the potential of the small screen as a new acting vehicle. By 1957 he had launched his TV career amid the television playhouse phenomenon which had been established by 1950. He would revisit perennially through most of the 1960s, but he had about the same time been discovered by filmdom as well. His first role was in the quite well done Baby Face Nelson , part of the body of serious dramas that Mickey Rooney (as the machine gun-happy 1930s gangster) was amassing since his early days as one of Hollywood's biggest juvenile stars. David next film had the clumsy and long forgotten title A Time to Love and a Time to Die , but it was a much more substantial part with young John Gavin as German friends who become World War II officers and confront humanity versus the Nazi war mentality. As was usual with his roles, David was the veiled (if not overt) antagonist-always intellectual but with a brutish shadow. Within a year the chance to play a really melodramatic villain came with his casting in the film version of Journey to the Center of the Earth from the novel by the visionary French 19th century sci-fi author Jules Verne . Although the film substantially strayed from the novel, the latter plodded along, while the script was fast-paced and engaging. And where there was no villain except nature herself, the film had David as the self-serving-downright nasty - Count Saknussem. With James Mason heading the cast and-then-teen heartthrob Pat Boone drawing in as well a young female audience, the film and its special effects made for a rousing good time. Into the 1960s David's opportunities focused most on television. And among these was a fad TV acting goal of being a guest super villain on the highly popular and inventive The Wild Wild West (1965 to 1969). David had the even better fortune of being cast in two episodes (1967 and 1969). In the meantime David had hit some more substantial TV pay dirt. The smash daytime horror soaper Dark Shadows had premiered in 1966, and David was in on the ground floor as perfect for several characters to emerge through the series run (1966 to 1971). He played seven characters in the course of the show, the most prominent being Professor T. Elliot Stokes. He reprised this role in the substantially more potent in-a-nutshell film version of the story House of Dark Shadows , considered by horror aficionados as one of best blood and gore vampire romps. David returned in the studio-butchered and thus unsuccessful film sequel Night of Dark Shadows as his eighth characterization, the Reverend Strack. In all cases David was intimately involved and delighted in meshing makeup and costumes with the voices he invented for all these roles (most of which he developed) for the series. If not from an already dependable track record, David's longevity on the series marked him as a veteran trooper in the casting halls of Hollywood. But he later recalled that his time invested in doing voice over commercials could often come close to DS production schedule conflicts. His commercial work marked the inevitable practical side of acting. Even the best known actors and actresses have stooped to such business over art, for the money is always good. David was thereafter quite in demand through the decade of the 1970s in both film and TV. Although he might be best recalled from the era as the crooked fight manager in historic Rocky , his most character of character roles was by far his Dragon in the Clint Eastwood adventure/thriller The Eiger Sanction . Based on the novel by American author Rod Whitaker who used the pseudonym Trevanian to come off European, there is much name wordplay, for instance, Dragon's full name in the novel is Uras S. Dragon (say it fast). David's Dragon is head of CIA-like shadow hit unit which employed Eastwood's character, and Dragon is an extreme albino (can't tolerate normal environment). David gives him a rather strident rasping voice with a hint of menace that along with his nearly colorless eyes and figure bathed in the dramatic red light of an infrared-controlled environment easily makes him the most memorable character in the film. David guest-starred on some of the most watched episodic fare of the 1970s, and he was especially busy between 1975 and 1977. Amid two to three films per year he made the rounds of TV production at the major studios. Universal had continued using his talents during this period when this contributor met and worked with Thayer David in early 1977. He was an engaging person who enjoyed good conversation - the more obscure the better - and a good cigar. Among outside pursuits he was also a rare book collector with varied interests and enjoyed entertaining at home. A big man, he was nonetheless at that time overweight and the demands of production visibly put a strain on him - he looked ill. But an actor must work, and he carried on into the next year and lost some weight as well. It was then that Paramount television offered him a potentially great opportunity. This was the lead role in the TV pilot movie for a series on the preoccupied but brilliant, corpulent - and most important, rich - detective Nero Wolfe. The script was good, and Thayer lent his accumulated and considerable characterization talents to make Wolfe his own, although his loss of weight was now much more noticeable and was rumored to be cancer. The success of the TV pilot looked promising, as would the subsequent go-ahead for the series. But in one of the ironic twists of fate, Thayer David suddenly died of a heart attack, perhaps a complication of the purported advancing cancer - he was only 51 years old. The pilot was shelved for over a year, ending up premiering as a late night TV offering (Dec 1979). A Nero Wolfe series did appear (1981), but it was short-lived. One can only wonder if Thayer David had remained hale. A Nero Wolfe series with such a dedicated and creative actor may have thrived with a long run - the Holy Grail of any actor - the dream of security and the opportunity to contribute thoroughly to on-going success. Oh well - the stuff of dreams - posterity has to settle for the filmed record of Thayer David as is - and that is a very substantial offering indeed. William Shakespeare William Shakespeare's birthdate is assumed from his baptism on April 25. His father John was the son of a farmer who became a successful tradesman; his mother Mary Arden was gentry. He studied Latin works at Stratford Grammar School, leaving at about age 15. About this time his father suffered an unknown financial setback, though the family home remained in his possession. An affair with Anne Hathaway, eight years his senior and a nearby farmer's daughter, led to pregnancy and a hasty marriage late in 1582. Susanna was born in May of 1583, twins Hamnet and Judith in January of 1585. By 1592 he was an established actor and playwright in London though his "career path" afterward (fugitive? butcher? soldier? actor?) is highly debated. When plague closed the London theatres for two years he apparently toured; he also wrote two long poems, "Venus and Adonis" and "The Rape of Lucrece". He may have spent this time at the estate of the Earl of Southampton. By December 1594 he was back in London as a member of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, the company he stayed with the rest of his life. In 1596 he seems to have purchased a coat of arms for his father; the same year Hamnet died at age 11. The following year he purchased the grand Stratford mansion New Place. A 1598 edition of "Love's Labors" was the first to bear his name, though he was already recognized as England's greatest playwright. He is believed to have written his "Sonnets" during the 1590s. In 1599 he became a partner in the new Globe Theatre, the company of which joined the royal household on the accession of James in 1603. That is the last year in which he appeared in a cast list. He seems to have retired to Stratford in 1612, where he continued to be active in real estate investment. The cause of his death is unknown. Betsy Blair Betsy Blair was born in Cliffside, New Jersey, a child model before finding work as a chorus dancer at the early age of 15. She received her first mini-break on Broadway in "Panama Hattie" in 1940 delivering a single line, but by the next year she had copped the ingénue lead in William Saroyan 's "The Beautiful People." At around the same time, she met dancer extraordinaire Gene Kelly and married him in 1940. Despite her background in dance, Betsy was admittedly not in the same league as a Vera-Ellen , Cyd Charisse , or Ann Miller , so she was never afforded the opportunity to glide with Gene in films. Moreover, she never even appeared in a musical film. She made her large screen debut in 1947 and, for the next couple of years, appeared in a number of above-average dramas such as The Guilt of Janet Ames , A Double Life starring Ronald Colman , The Snake Pit , wherein she played a demented inmate alongside Olivia de Havilland , and a shining role in Another Part of the Forest . After such promise, things came to a halt. Betsy had been involved in SAG politics as early as 1946 proposing the formation of the first Anti-Discrimination committee. Within a year the House Un-American Activities Committe began to investigate Betsy and others in the motion picture industry and what they considered left-wing extremist viewpoints. Her name appeared in the "Red Channels" and that was that. Her career was undone. By the early 1950s, all film offers had dried up. The only reason Betsy won the female lead in the 1955 cinematic classic Marty was because her husband threatened to stop shooting at MGM if they didn't let her work despite the blacklist. It would be the role of a lifetime for Betsy. As the touching plain-Jane girlfriend of Ernest Borgnine 's title butcher, Betsy won the Cannes Film and British Film acting awards, not to mention an Oscar nomination. It did not help her overcome the blacklist, however. By 1957, she was divorced from Kelly and had moved to Europe to avoid the Hollywood shun. Shortly thereafter, she lived with French actor Roger Pigaut . In 1963, she married producer/director Karel Reisz . They would remain together for almost 40 years until his death in London of a blood disorder in 2002. Betsy later published her memoirs and discussed quite candidly her life on Broadway, life with Gene Kelly , and life amid the blacklisting. She continued to live in England before passing away from cancer on 13th March, 2009. She was 85 years old. Patsy Palmer Born Julie Anne Harris, the youngest child of Albert and Pat Harris, Patsy Palmer was born for stardom. Palmer spent her childhood in Bethnal Green, London with all of her family close by. She was, in particular close to her maternal grandparents that were affectionately called Farvey and Nor. Despite having a close family, however, Palmer's parents separated when she was 8-years-old and her father, whom she had never felt close to, remarried and moved to America. Palmer was bitten by the acting bug at the tender age of six when her older brother Albert auditioned for a part in the West End production of "Joseph and the Amazing Techni-Colored Dreamcoat". Accompanying him to the audition along with her mother, Patsy demanded to be allowed to audition despite being too young and, to the amazement of her family and herself, she was given a chorus role - and was the youngest member of the entire show! This prompted a young Julie Harris to audition for the free-paying Anna Scher Theatre School and, due to there already being an accomplished film and theatre actress by the name of Julie Harris , she was given the stage name Patsy Palmer, her mother's maiden name. Whilst there Palmer extended her talents to writing plays, resulting in her winning an award at the London Festival of Plays at the age of just 12 for writing her own play about prostitution. Patsy began her career on television by starring as an extra in an episode of The Bill in 1988 at 16. That same year she had a prominent part as an acne-ridden teenager in a TV commercial for Clearasil. Further small roles in TV series' such as Tricky Business , Making News , Clarissa , Love Hurts and Drop the Dead Donkey followed before Patsy Palmer became an iconic household name with her famous portrayal of feisty red-head Bianca Jackson in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders , making her first appearance in November 1993 at 21. During her time on the soap opera Palmer tackled various demanding storylines, such as her turbulent romance with Ricky Butcher, played by real-life best friend Sid Owen , the discovery of her father David Wicks, premature death of her disabled daughter Natasha, for which she became the first ever soap actress to be nominated for Best Actress at the Royal Television Society Awards, death of her best friend Tiffany Mitchell and the revelation of her affair with Dan Sullivan, the fiancé of her mother Carol Jackson. In April 1997 she commanded the soap's biggest ever audience draw with more than 22 million people tuning in to watch Ricky and Bianca's wedding, and her turn in the show also prompted a meeting between her and Queen Elizabeth II , which Palmer declared was one of the biggest highlights of her life. After six years in the soap opera, however, Palmer bowed out in order to try new things and made her last appearance in September 1999. Following her departure Palmer got involved in various projects, such as the detective series McCready and Daughter , Do or Die and the period drama He Knew He Was Right , as well as cameo appearances in short films Another Green World and Trapped . Patsy also reprised her role as fiery Bianca Jackson in a special spin-off show EastEnders: Ricky & Bianca , reuniting her with Sid Owen for the first time in three years, which detailed Bianca's life away from Walford, where she struggled to raise her son Liam and attend fashion college in Manchester as well as working in a seedy club in order to make ends meet. The show was extremely popular with Palmer's fans and resulted in her being invited to return to the show, but Palmer declined in order to spend time with her family. Later on in October 2007 it was announced that Patsy Palmer would be returning to EastEnders after 8 years away and, along with Sid Owen , her returning scenes were aired in April 2008. Palmer's second stint in the soap opera as Bianca portrayed her still as a struggling single mother, this time being thrown out of her residence for failing to pay rent and being made homeless along with her children. Palmer has also tackled the difficult storyline of sexual abuse, with her stepdaughter Whitney being groomed by Bianca's jailbird boyfriend Tony King. Outside her career, Palmer is a mother to three children: Charley (born in February 1992, fathered by an ex-boyfriend), Fenton (born in June 2000), Emilia (born in July 2001) and Bertie (born in December 2010), the latter three fathered by her husband taxi driver Richard Merkell. She was married to director Nick Love , who directed her in her role as a pregnant drug-addicted prostitute in Love Story , but they separated after just five months of marriage. She currently lives in Brighton with her husband, whom she has been married to since August 2000, and her four children. Palmer is the active patron of Children's Cancer Charity CLIC Sargent. Patsy Palmer is an incredible talent and a British icon from humble beginnings and a shining example for those across Britain that, depending on what the background, there is hope for everyone that their dreams will come true. Hers did. Kirsten Fitzgerald Kirsten is a proud member of the Artistic Ensemble at A Red Orchid Theatre in Chicago. Her performances there at home include The Butcher of Baraboo, The New Electric Ballroom[Jeff nomination], Abigail's Party [Jeff nomination], The Sea Horse [Jeff Award], Pumpgirl [Jeff nomination], Weapon of Mass Impact, Mr. Bundy [Jeff nomination], The Killer and more. Most recently she was seen on stage at Victory Gardens in the world premiere of Appropriate. Other Chicago credits include Clybourne Park, The Elephant Man, and A Streetcar Named Desire (Steppenwolf Theatre); Iron (Apple Tree Theatre); Major Barbara (Remy Bumppo); Romeo and Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); Miss Witherspoon (Next Theatre); Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage (Defiant Theatre); A Moon for the Misbegotten (Circle Theatre) in addition to work with Goodman, Shattered Globe, Famous Door, Plasticene and the Utah Shakespeare Festival among others. Kirsten teaches acting at DePaul University and Columbia College. Her Television work includes Sirens (USA-March 2014 premiere),Chicago Fire (NBC), ER (NBC) and Underemployed (MTV). Cristina Ferrare Cynthia Cristina Ferrare, the TV personality and former wife of auto executive John DeLorean , was born on February 8, 1950 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Italian-American Catholic parents, Renata Velia (Torinesi) and Tavio C. Ferrare, a butcher. Her family relocated to Los Angeles when she was 14 years old. Beause of her beauty, she was offered work as a teenage model while she was still 14, and eventually was hired as a model by the makeup company Max Factor when she was 16. As a 20-year-old, she signed with Eileen Ford , one of the top modeling agencies in New York, and became a cover girl on the major fashion magazines. This exposure lead to acting offers, and she signed a contract with the film studio 20th Century. She continued as the face of Max Factor, "The Max Factor Girl", until she was 26 years old. In 1974, she married National Alliance of Businessmen President John DeLorean , the former vice president of car and truck production at General Motors, who was 25 years her senior. DeLorean, who had been the youngest man to ever head a division at General Motors when he was promoted head of the Pontiac Div. in 1965 at the age of 40, was a non-conformist with a flair for self-promotion who moved in show business circles. He had left G.M. in 1973 with the idea of starting his own automobile company, which eventually would become a reality in the 1980s, but would lead to his professional downfall and the collapse of his marriage. The same year Ferrare married DeLorean, she had her sole leading role in motion pictures, the B-horror movie Mary, Mary, Bloody Mary . Shot in Mexico and featuring the beautiful Ferrare as a bisexual vampire, the movie was released and sank without a trace despite her erotic nude scenes. She was a finalist to appear in Charlie's Angels , losing out to Jaclyn Smith , but her acting career never gained traction. As an actress, she mostly did guest spots on series TV like The Love Boat , but Ferrare did establish a career as a TV host. She served as the co-host on ABC's The Home Show as co-host of the "Home & Family" show with Michael Burger , and as co-host of "AM Los Angeles", which during her five-year stint, was was the highest rated morning show in its market, the second-largest in the country. As Ferrare's career as a TV personality rose, DeLorean's business fortunes crashed. The car company that bore his name went bankrupt. In 1982, John DeLorean was trapped in a sting operated by the F.B.I. and charged with trafficking in cocaine, to raise money to refinance his car company. Both Ferrare and DeLorean became born-again Christians after the arrest, and in the two year legal ordeal that followed, Ferrare stood by her husband. DeLorean was acquitted in August 1984, due to entrapment. Ferrare realized her marriage to DeLorean had been shallow and unfulfilling. Since she was a girl in Cleveland, she had dreamed of having a fairy tale life. Life with media darling DeLorean, however, eventually came to feel make-believe, and she knew their marriage was over long before it was officially ended. Her turning to Christianity helped her to brave the ordeal of her husband's arrest and trial, but after DeLorean's acquittal, Ferrare sought a divorce. Her divorce was granted in 1985, and that same year, she married entertainment industry executive Tony Thomopoulos , whom she had first met in 1979 when he was the head of the ABC Television Network and she was auditioning for a sport on "Good Morning America". They had met again years later, and Ferrare knew she would marry him on their first date. They have been happily married for 22 years and have two daughters. In addition to her TV appearances, she has written books, including "Cristina Ferrare's Family Entertaining", "Okay, So I Don't Have a Headache", and "Realistically Ever After". Ferrare also works for Creative Brands Group, designing jewelry, home accessories and furniture. Kansas Bowling Kansas Bowling has been interested in film her whole life. As a child, she made short films with her younger sister and began shooting Super 8 at 13. Inspired by the likes of Russ Meyer, Annette Funicello, and Roger Corman, Kansas and her friend Kenzie began writing a script in high school about a tribe of cavewomen being stalked by a prehistoric monster. Thus, the first prehistoric slasher was born! At only 17, Kansas directed, co-wrote, and funded her own feature film, entirely shot on 16mm, called "B.C. Butcher". From good word of mouth, she was able to cast such cult characters in her film such as Kato Kaelin (most famously known for the OJ Simpson murder trial), Rodney Bingenheimer (106.7 KROQ, "Mayor of the Sunset Strip"), and Kadeem Hardison (A Different World). The film is unique in many ways, being a horror flick and a comedy, featuring live music, gore, gags, and campy historical inaccuracy. Because of this, immediately after shooting, "B.C. Butcher" caught the eye of Lloyd Kaufman, legendary producer/director and founder of Troma Entertainment Inc. Troma acquired the film for distribution and is now slated for a 2016 release. The film was also an official showcase at the 2015 Topanga Film Festival. Kansas has also directed various music videos on 16mm and 8mm for bands such as Alyeska (Lyle Lovett's opening band) and CTZNSHP (indie Montreal group). Kansas just wrapped shooting a beauty pageant inspired video for LA rock group Kill My Coquette, fronted by actress/model Natalie Denise Sperl (Around the World in 80 Days). The video features cameo appearances by Richie Ramone (Ramones), Cherie Currie (Runaways), and Rodney Bingenheimer (KROQ). Kansas remains fully committed to shooting film and making features and videos for the cult genre. Siu-Lung Leung Born in Hong Kong in 1948, 'Bruce' Leung Siu-Lung was the eldest of twelve brothers (which included stuntman/martial arts actor/action choreographer 'Tony' Leung Siu-Hung) and he obtained his martial arts training from his father at the Cantonese Opera. He also learned different forms of Karate and Kung Fu from different masters, which would serve him well later in films where he showcased his talent in traditional combat and became a kung-fu star during the 70s & 80s. Even though Leung Siu-Lung (Cantonese) "aka Liang Hsiao-Lung (Mandarin)" is his real name, he was known best to international kung-fu fans as Bruce Leung and/or Bruce Liang. His American name, "Bruce" was added on when he took his shot at the Bruce Lee clone phenomenon in the late 70s alongside Bruce Li (real name Ho Chung-Tao), Bruce Le (real name Huang Kin-Lung) and Dragon Lee. Unlike the other Bruce Lee look-a-likes, Leung Siu-Lung was compared to Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan for his effective martial arts, acrobatics and laughable humor; and tried his hand at only a few 'Brucexploitation' films which included 'Bruce and the Iron Finger' (aka Bruce Against the Iron Hand) with Bruce Li, and 'The Dragon Lives Again'. His beginnings in the film industry took off in the early 70s when the legendary Ng. See-Yuen (producer of Jackie Chan's 'Snake in the Eagle's Shadow' and 'Drunken Master') gave him his first role in 'Little Superman', the film that gained him recognition as a kung-fu star. He continued to showcase his mastery in martial arts in classic films like 'My Kung Fu 12 Kicks', Ten Tigers of Shaolin', Showdown at the Equator', 'Kung Fu: The Invisible Fist', 'The Fists, The Kicks & The Evils', 'Black Belt Karate', 'The Fighting Machine' and one of his most memorable roles in the Golden Harvest-produced cult classic, 'Broken Oath', which featured one of Hong Kong's first internationally acclaimed female kung-fu stars, 'Angela' Mao-Ying (Enter the Dragon, Sting of the Dragon Masters "aka When TaeKwonDo Strikes") and Sammo Hung (TV's Martial Law, Jackie Chan's Project A, Magnificent Butcher).He went on to work in numerous kung-fu films in the other years. Some sources say that Leung Siu-Lung gathered the public's attention and earned his fame when he encountered 13 armed attackers and defeated them single-handedly. He was also a talented action choreographer for films where he crafted some quality martial arts sequences for 'The Tattoo Connection' with African-American Karate Champion Jim Kelly (Enter the Dragon, Black Belt Jones), 'Bruce and the Iron Finger' (aka Bruce Against the Iron Hand) with Bruce Li, 'Rich & Famous' with Chow Yun-Fat (Crouching Tiger,Hidden Dragon; Bulletproof Monk) and many more throughout the 80s and early 90s. Leung Siu-Lung's unfortunate disappearance from films would follow when he took a visit to Mainland, China, where the Communist government banned his film work. He wouldn't be present in front of the cameras again for almost two decades but that wouldn't stop him from returning in 2004, where he was given the opportunity to make a surprising comeback to play the part as the main villain, The Beast, in Stephen Chow's blockbuster comedy, 'Kung Fu Hustle'. That was his very first bad guy role ever. Dispite his disappearance from films, Leung Siu-Lung's on-screen return in 'Kung Fu Hustle' will hopefully reinvent him as the kung-fu legend he's been throughout the 70s & 80s and help him gain some recognition to international newcomers. Jeff Kaake Jeff Kaake, 12 years as the Lead Actor (Series Lead) in 5 Television shows. Jeff Kaake, born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Jeff moved to Southern California in 1980 to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming an actor and a serious actor. After studying and appearing in several national television commercials, Jeff began attending acting workshops with the top acting teachers/coaches and casting directors. Jeff soon began seeking out their knowledge to become one of the best actors in town. This soon landed Jeff Kaake guest starring roles in the top television series such as Three's A Crowd, (Tony Danza-most watch sit-com show) Dynasty and Dallas. Nasty Boys, Space Rangers, 1st & Ten, Viper & The D.R.E.A.M Team. HBO hit series, 1st & Ten: The Championship as pro football player, Jamie Waldron. Jeff was then offered the lead role in the NBC series Nasty Boys as the sexy, Harley-riding Paul Morrissey. Jeff played the notorious Capt. John Boon in Pen Densham's cult classic Space Rangers. Jeff starred as the leading man in two worldwide syndicated television series: Viper as FBI agent Thomas Cole; and then The D.R.E.A.M. Team as undercover James Bond-like agent, Zach Hamilton. He then went on to star in a recurring role in the popular series Melrose Place as bad-boy Chaz, Jeff Kaake has also starred in several films and television movies including Club Med, Seeds of Tragedy, Bad Influence, Border Shootout (Glenn Ford's last movie), Lady Boss, The Return of Ironside, Hart to Hart: Two Harts in 3/4 Time, Hollywood Wives: The New Generation, and Prometheus and the Butcher, just to mention a few. Jeff Kaake completed a Pilot for ABC "The Advocate" role of Doc. R. Head. Dir. Michael Robin. "It was always a pleasure to see and to work with Jeff Kaake. I loved how he turned a normal guy in to a real life character." Larry Hagman Marcel Marceau Marcel Marceau was the legendary mime, who survived the Nazi occupation, and saved many children in WWII. He was regarded for his peerless style pantomime, moving audiences without uttering a single word, and was known to the World as a "master of silence." He was born Marcel Mangel on March 22, 1923, in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, and was brought up in Strasbourg and Lille. There he was introduced to music and theatre by his father, Charles Mangel, a kosher butcher, who also sang baritone and was a supporter of arts and music. His mother, Anne Mangel (née Werzberg), was a native Alsatian, and the family was bilingual. At the age of 5, his mother took Marcel to a Charlie Chaplin's movie, and he was entranced and decided to become a mime. Young Marcel was also fond of art and literature, he studied English in addition to his French and German, and became trilingual. At the beginning of the Second World War, he had to hide his Jewish origin and changed his name to Marceau, when his Jewish family was forced to flee their home. His father was deported to Auschwitz, where he was killed in 1944. Both Marceau and his brother, Alain, were in the French underground, helping children to escape to safety in neutral Switzerland. Then Marceau served as interpreter for the Free French Forces under General Charles de Gaulle , acting as liaison officer with the allied armies. Marcel Marceau gave his first big public performance to 3000 troops after liberation of Paris in August of 1944. After the war, in 1946, he enrolled as a student in Charles Dullin's School of Dramatic Art at the Sarah Bernhardt Theatre in Paris. There his teacher was Etienne Decroux , whose other apprentice Jean-Louis Barrault hired Marcel Marceau, and cast him in the role as Arlequin. His biggest inspirations were Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Marx Brothers. In 1947, blending the 19th century harlequin with the gestures of Chaplin and Keaton, Marceau created his most famous mime character, Bip, a white-faced clown with a tall, battered hat and a red flower. In 1949 he created his own company and toured around the world. Marcel Marceau shone in a range of characters, from an innocent child, to a peevish waiter, to a lion tamer, to an old woman, and became acknowledged as one of the world's finest mimes. In just a couple of minutes, he could show a metamorphosis of an entire human life from birth to death. Through his alter ego, Bim, he played out the human comedy without uttering a word. His classic silent works such as The Cage, Walking Against the Wind, The Mask Maker, In The Park, and satires on artists, sculptors, matadors, has been described as works of genius. For many years Marceau's 'Compagnie de Mime Marcel Marceau', also known as 'Compagnie de Mimodrame', was the only company of pantomime in the world. Marceau played several silent film roles and only one with a speaking part, as himself, speaking the single word "Non" in Mel Brooks' Silent Movie . In 1959, Marcel Marceau established his own school in Paris, and later the Marceau Foundation to promote the art of pantomime in the United States. His latest performances in 2000-2001 received great acclaim. He was made "Officer de la Legion d'Honneur" (1978) and "Grand Officer de la Legion d'Honneur" (1998), and was awarded the National Order of Merit (1998). He won the Emmy Award for his work on television, and was elected member of the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin, the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, the Academie des beaux-arts France and the Institut de France, and was declared "National treasure" in Japan. In 2002 he was UN Goodwill Ambassador at the international conference on aging in Madrid. His "art of silence" filled a remarkable acting career that lasted over 60 years. He was an actor, director, teacher, interpreter, and public figure, and made extensive tours in countries on five continents. Outside of his mime profession, Marcel Marceau was a multilingual speaker and a great communicator, who surprised many with his flowing speeches in several languages. In his later years he was living on a farm at Cahors, near Toulouse, France. He continued his routine practice daily to keep himself in good form, never losing the agility that made him famous. He also continued coaching his numerous students. Marcel Marceau passed away at his home in France, on September 23, 2007, like an Autumn leaf after the Autumn Equinox, and after Yom Kippur in Jewish calendar, having the Day of Atonement as his final curtain. His burial ceremony was accompanied by the Mozart's piano concerto No21, and the music of J.C. Bach. Marcel Marceau was laid to rest in the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris, France. He brought poetry to silence. Amy Lyndon Amy Lyndon has been entertaining the public since the age of 10. Having grown up in New Rochelle, New York, formal training was as easy as jumping on a train. During her senior year, Lyndon studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse Jr. School in New York City and went on to England to tackle the prestigious London Academy of Performing Arts. After earning her BFA from Syracuse University, Lyndon studied with Stella Adler, Harry Mastrogeorge, The Groundlings, CBS Comedy On The Lot, International Blend Comedy Troupe with Rick Overton and did Stand-Up at The Comedy Store. Lyndon has 40+ films to her credit, some including; "1 Interrogation" with Tom Arnold, "The UnMiracle" with Stephen Baldwin, "Loves Park," "Alison's Choice," "How To Beat A Bully," "And They're Off" with Sean Astin, the LionsGate Feature Films: "B.T.K," "Bram Stoker's: Dracula's Guest." "Chicago Massacre: Richard Speck" and "Ed Gein: The Butcher Of Plainfield." She also Starred in Chris Pratt's first film "Cursed Part 3," Written and Directed by Rae Dawn Chong. On Television, Lyndon Guest Starred in over 30+ television shows some including: "NCIS," "Adopting Terror" for Lifetime, "Law and Order: Los Angeles," "Eagleheart" opposite Chris Elliot, "Ugly Betty," "Entourage," "NYPD Blue," and "JAG." She also was a Recurring in "Days Of Our Lives," "The Bold and the Beautiful," "General Hospital," "Young and The Restless" and a Recurring Guest Lead in "Freddy's Nightmares." She is set to shoot the Drama Series "SINs" in Oklahoma and can be seen Recurring in the Series "We're Not Friends" and "Broken At Love." On Stage, Lyndon's wacky performance as Bobbi Michelle in "Last Of The Red Hot Lovers" at The Tiffany Theatre earned her critical notoriety and a Marquee Comedy Award. Additionally, Lyndon is a Multi-Award Winning Director/Writer/Producer. Her film "Odessa" starring the late Yolanda King (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's Eldest Daughter) won top awards on the Festival circuit. As a Writer, Lyndon won the "Spirit of Moondance Award" for the Best Family Screenplay "Unleash My Heart" in Moondance International Film Festival and as a Director her World Premiere Play "The Parasites" was produced by The Met Theatre to sold out audiences. "Award-Winning," a film that Lyndon Directed and Produced won Audience Choice Awards on the Festival Circuit and she garnered a Directing Award and another Audience Choice Award for the film "The Whiskey Girls" from The New York International Film Festival. Lyndon also Wrote/Directed/Produced the Sit-Com "I Wanna Marry Larry" and Directed several episodes of the Web Series "The Whiskey Girls" inspired by the Multi-Award Winning Film. Lyndon just wrapped Directing the short film "Chloe's Choice." As a former Personal Manager, Lyndon owned and operated Gold-Levin Talent Management Company for 9 years and has been an International Booking Coach for close to 20. Lyndon created "The Lyndon Technique: A 15 Guideline Map To Booking" Technique that has helped 1000's of actors learn how to book jobs and run their own business. She has 40 Students as Network Series Regulars, An Emmy Winner, an Imagen Award Winner, was one of the Top Audition Technique Teachers by Backstage.com for 4 years, writes the column "Ask Amy" for Cast It Talent and is on TLC's "My Giant Life" as Lindsay's Acting Coach. A few Lyndon Technique Successes include Christel Khalil (Won an EMMY for The Young and the Restless), Carlos Pratts (Won an Imagen Award for McFarland, USA), Denise Vasi (Single Ladies), Nadine Velazquez (My Name Is Earl/Flight), Adam Brody (The OC), Hosea Chanchez (The Game), Sterling Knight (Sonny with a Chance), Kenton Duty (Shake It Up), Chris D'Elia (Undateable), Paris Smith (Every Witch Way), Autumn Wendel (Every Witch Way), Gabrielle Elyse (Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn), Jake Brennan (Richie Rich), Lauren Taylor (Best Friends Whenever/Richie Rich), (Olivia Stuck (Kirby Buckets) and Raini Rodriquez (Austin and Ally). Brian Deacon Brian was educated in primary and secondary modern schools until the age of 17. He worked as a window cleaner and a butcher's van driver while a member of the Oxford Youth Theatre. He then relocated to London where he enrolled at the Webber Douglas School and, upon graduation, he appeared in rep at Bristol, Coventry, Leicester, Soho Poly, Leeds, Edinburgh, Exeter and the Ludlow Festival. One of his earliest stage appearances was in a production of 'Curse of the Starving Class'. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis, squash, football and bridge. He also lists reading and gardening amongst his favourite pastimes. John DiRenzo John DiRenzo is of Italian heritage and the last of five children parented by Lena and Nicholas A DiRenzo Sr. John's father was a butcher and grocery store owner. As a young child and teen John spent the majority of his time working in the family markets. John is a culinary professional with over 30 years in the grocery, produce, fresh meat, restaurant business and is a experienced chef, butcher, bartender and restaurant consultant. He grew up in Norristown, in an upper middle class area in the suburbs of Philadelphia. John was a marching, concert band and stage band percussionist at Norristown Area High School. During his adolescent years, DiRenzo remained in school music studies and began performing with local garage bands. In his early 20's john worked as night club lighting tech and disc jockey performing at several Philadelphia venues. DiRenzo began his professional acting career at age 43 , appearing as a background performer in After Earth (2012) . Since then he has appeared in or worked on hundreds of projects including short films, feature films, television, commercials, print and voice over productions. John has also been building credits as a producer, Assistant Director. Director, Script Supervisor, Casting Associate and other miscellaneous crew positions. DiRenzo has worked on print modeling projects with west coast photographer Brian Kuhlmann and world renown portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz . In early 2016 John began working as a correspondent for Wildfire Radios show Small Bites, a Food, Hospitality and travel program, to date he has reviewed over 50 restaurants and events. In his early 20's John married Suzanne Clark and together they had a son, John DiRenzo Jr was born on June 5th 1994. John and Suzanne divorced after one year of marriage. Jennifer Sciole Jennifer Sciole is one of today's most versatile rising young actresses, with credits that include motion pictures, television, theater and commercials. Since moving to Los Angeles, she has worked alongside highly regarded actors, including Burt Reynolds, Chevy Chase,Jeremy Piven, and David Carradine among others. Jennifer recently completed production on five major films ("Not Another", "Blood: A Butchers Tale," "One, Two Many," "3 Days Gone" and "Soccer Mom"), is starring in seven films beginning production in 2009 & 2010 ("Beneath," "Wireless," "I Hate Dating," "Crimson," "Cattle Call 2," "Shrinking Charlotte," and "Only in New York") and signed a six-picture deal with Handpicked Films. Born in Philadelphia, Jennifer is the youngest of six children raised in an Italian blue-collar family, with whom she is still close. She wanted to be an actress for as long as she can remember, appearing in school plays and local television commercials. Jennifer's first acting job was at the age of fifteen, when she appeared in a local grocery store commercial. She took a break from acting to attend St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, where she majored in psychology, later switching to business management. After college, Jennifer returned to acting and moved to Los Angeles where she worked as an extra to gain additional professional experience. Jennifer honed her craft by studying with such noted acting coaches as Bernard Hiller, John Homa and Vincent Chase. When not acting, Jennifer spends time with her three dogs, Austin, Brady, and Jasper. She is a supporter of Last Chance for Animals and In Defense of Animals, among other charitable organizations. Jennifer also enjoys dancing and studying martial arts. Ian McCulloch Sandy haired, authoritarian looking UK born actor who achieved minor cult status via his appearance as "Greg Preston" in the cult BBC TV series Survivors about a genetically engineered germ plague that nearly wipes out the entire population of the earth, plus McCullough also starred in several notoriously violent Italian made horror films of the early 1980's that were part of the "video nasty" controversy within the UK. McCullough was the male lead in the Romero inspired Zombie aka "Zombie Flesh Eaters" directed by Lucio Fulci , he was back battling more living dead in Zombie Holocaust aka "Dr Butcher MD" directed by Marino Girolami , and then McCullough took on interplanetary invaders in the Alien rip-off Contamination directed by Luigi Cozzi . Danny McCarthy Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, actor Danny McCarthy attended the Webster Conservatory of Theater Arts before relocating to Chicago to begin his professional acting career. A longtime company member at Chicago's acclaimed A Red Orchid Theatre, Danny's stage credits also include the Steppenwolf Theater, Writer's Theater, and The Repertory Theater of St. Louis, where his performance in 2011's Circle Mirror Transformation earned him a Kevin Kline Award nomination for Best Actor. On-screen, Danny is perhaps best known as Special Agent Hale in FOX's hit series Prison Break, and for his featured role in AT&T's 2008 "The Butcher" commercial, which received a National Gold Award from the American Advertising Federation, and the Cannes Lions TVC Bronze Award, among others. In addition to numerous commercials and voice-overs, Danny McCarthy's film and television credits include The Express, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, The Chicago Code, Detroit 1-8-7, ER, Fred Claus, Flags of Our Fathers, Stranger Than Fiction, Derailed, and the new MTV series Underemployed. Kasan Butcher Every so often, a prodigy is born of immeasurable talent and potential... Kasan Butcher doesn't really fall into this category, but he's a nice guy nonetheless. His tireless journey began 32 years ago in Glen Cove, New York on April 7, 1973. His childhood was, well, uneventful due in large part to his being an introvert. Most parents have trouble keeping tabs on their kids' whereabouts. They wonder and worry if their children are safe when they are not at home. Kasan's parents did not have this problem; in fact, they used to beg him to leave the house. They often used the phrase, `Why don't you go somewhere!' It seemed hopeless. Although Kasan was about as shy as one person can get, he was a clown and loved entertaining his friends and family. His mother would always tell him that she was going to put him on TV to make her some money. This got him to thinking. After graduating high school, Kasan slowly began to break out of his shell and surprised everyone by announcing that, he wanted to pursue an acting career. One day he went to an open call audition at a casting agency and it changed his life. Soon after the open call he booked his first commercial, it was only background work, but it was a commercial nonetheless. As with everything in nature with good comes bad, doing the commercial costs Kasan his day job. Conundrum: does he risk losing every job he holds until he can support himself with just acting (which could take forever), or bank on faith? Somehow, he combined the two, did several commercials and countless student films in New York, before deciding to take on Hollywood. He arrived in Los Angeles with a group of aspiring actors and was supposed to stay a week, seven years later he is still plugging away. Kasan's battle for success in the early stages was rough. He tried his best to shake it off and keep going, but rejection is never easy. Finding comfort in the little things made life bearable. Unhappy at work, homesick and loneliness started to take its toll. As we, all know success may be elusive, but it is out there. After a heart to heart with a very wise and close friend, Kasan proceeded to book his first national commercial, then his second. He worked on a USC short film that won him an award for "Best actor in a short" at a well-known film festival. He followed that up with appearances on shows like "The Parent'Hood", "Any Day Now", "Boston Public" and "Sabrina". Reuniting with actor/writer/director/producer Robert Townsend, Kasan helped make history by becoming a member of the first family of black superheroes in "Disney Channel's Up, Up, and Away". On returning from Vancouver, he earned a spot on "Malcolm in the Middle" and was recurring for the entire second season. Kasan's most challenging role and to some his best performance came on "MTV's Undressed" where he played a character who starts out gay, but turns straight. Achieving a personal milestone, he books his first guest-starring role on "One on One". Kasan supported a talented cast in the low budget horror film "Drive-In", and followed that up with his first starring role in the feature "Tapped Out". Pilot season is not always kind, but he managed to get a piece of the pie by booking "ACES". Warner Bros. passed on the pilot, but booking "Jeepers Creepers II" brought back that infectious smile of his. Returning to the short film circuit landed him in "Instinct vs. Reason", yet again playing a superhero. Lightning striking twice? His most recent endeavor finds him mercilessly harassing the President's daughter on "Commander in Chief". All of these experiences are what prepared him for, in his opinion, his greatest accomplishment. Writing, producing, financing (which he's still hurting from), and starring in "El Mariachi Negro". A black Mariachi who can't sing, play an instrument or speak Spanish. Semi-autobiographical, it holds a special place in his heart, and, as stated earlier, his wallet. He has not figured out yet if it is luck or talent that has gotten him this far, but whatever it is Kasan Butcher is thankful for each and every one of his blessings. Arthur Mullard An enigmatic and much loved comedy actor Arthur Mullard carved a unique niche for himself in a host of British comedy films and tv shows. The sterotype Cockney he was born in Islington, North London where he was known by locals as 'The Dook of Islington'. He left school at 14 to work as a butcher's boy. At 18 he joined the Army and became his regiment's boxing champion. After leaving the Forces he became a professional boxer for a brief period. After World War Two he took up acting, mainly as a stuntman working at Pinewood and Ealing Studios in their heyday. He then graduated to small parts in classic comedy films and on television he began to be in great demand as a straight man to a range of comics including Frankie Howerd, Spike Milligan, Tony Hancock, Tommy Cooper and Arthur Askey. In 1962 he scored a critical success in Sparrows Can't Sing with Barbara Windsor. He achieved stardom on television in the series Romany Jones (1973). Mullard and Queenie Watts played Wally and Lily Briggs, a colourful couple who lived in a caravan and were experts at swindling the social services. The series was followed by Yus, My Dear (1976) which attracted more than 8 million viewers. He was regularly cast as a guest star on many other tv shows and once quipped "If the tv bosses are stuck they'll say 'Let's put Arfur on, but not too much or he'll steal the bleedin' show!'" Antonín Dvorák Antonin Dvorak was a son of butcher, but he did not follow his father's trade. While assisting his father part-time, he studied music, and graduated from the Prague Organ School in 1859. He also was an accomplished violinist and violist, and joined the Bohemian Theatre Orchestra, which was under the baton of Bedrich Smetana in 1860s. For financial reasons he quit the orchestra and focused on composing and teaching. He fell in love with one of his students, but she married another guy. Her sister was available, so Dvorak married the sister, Anna, in 1873, and they had nine children. Dvorak's early compositions were influenced by Richard Wagner and Johannes Brahms , and with their promotion his music became performed in European capitals and received international acclaim. His performances in 1880s of Slavonic Dances, the Sixth Symphony and the Stabat Mater were a success in England, and Dvorak received an honorary doctorate from Cambridge. He made a successful concert tour in Russia in 1890, and became a professor at the Prauge Conservatory. In 1892 he received an invitation to America from Jeaunnette Thurber, the founder of he National Conservatory of Music in New York City. Dvorak was the Director of the National Conservatory in New York for three years (1892-95), where he also taught composition and carried on his cross-cultural studies. Dvorak broadened his experiences through studying the music of the Native Americans and African Americans, many of whom became his students and friends. Dvorak was inspired by the originality of indigenous American music and culture, as well as by the spirituals and by the singing of his African American students. Dvorac incorporated his new ideas, blended with his Bohemian roots, into his well-known Symphony No.9 in E minor "From the New World". He worked on this symphony for most of the spring and summer of 1893, and made it's glorious premiere in Carnegie Hall in December, 1893. In America he also wrote the remarkable Cello Concerto and two string quartets, including the Quartet in F ("The American"). Dvorak was doing very well in New York financially, but his heart was in Prague and he left America for his Czech Motherland. He had a big family with his wife and nine children in Prague. He became the Director of the Prague Conservatory in 1901 and kept the position until his death in 1904. Danniella Westbrook From the bubbly blonde with starry blue eyes and those famous hot pants to being the most famous cocaine addict in Britain, Danniella Westbrook is no stranger to the attentions of the media. Born on 5 November 1973 in Walthamstow, the only daughter of Andy and Sue Westbrook, she knew that her life would be far from just ordinary. As a young child Danniella dreamed of becoming a champion show jumper, but that all changed when she was just seven-years-old. For at that early age Westbrook entered into the world of show business dreaming a different dream; becoming the new Jodie Foster . She began her career as a child model, and the next few years saw her model children's fashionware in various catalogues, enter numerous beauty contests and, one of the highlights of her modelling career, become the face of the high street store Tammy Girl. It wasn't long before stage school beckoned in the form of The Sylvia Young Theatre School, where she attended weekend classes and later became a full-time student due to bullying at her local school. Then on 19 July 1990 Westbrook became a household name as she appeared as her most famous character, Sam Mitchell, on the highly-praised and highly-watched BBC One soap opera: EastEnders . The timing couldn't have been better as the sixteen-year-old had just been asked politely to leave school and the future was uncertain, but as she walked through the famous Albert Square in her quintessential costume consisting of a tight sweater and denim hotpants she knew that she had made it, and she knew that her life was about to change forever. Danniella's original stint on the classic soap opera came to an end just shy of three years, with her final scenes being aired on 4 February 1993. During this time Westbrook's character Sam had been involved in highly-publicised storylines, including a now-famous romance with mechanic Ricky Butcher ( Sid Owen ) which resulted in a teenage elopement to Gretna Green, as well as her aspirations to become a model, leading to a brief career in topless modelling and culminating in an affair with a yuppie that led to her downfall. Danniella had made the decision to quit EastEnders , feeling that three years was enough to make her mark on television and the door was left open for her to return at any time. Away from EastEnders , Danniella's career was just beginning. She found herself inundated with modelling work, and was also given the opportunity to work on the TV series Frank Stubbs Promotes , portraying a character completely opposite to Sam: moody teenager Dawn Dillon. Working with esteemed actors Timothy Spall and Lesley Sharp , the show was a success and proved that Westbrook had a future in acting outside of soap operas. Unfortunately the show was axed in 1994 after just two seasons, and Danniella decided to return to what she knew best: EastEnders . Danniella's return scenes, which saw Sam's brothers Phil ( Steve McFadden ) and Grant ( Ross Kemp ) find her in Spain working in a seedy club and bring her back home to Albert Square, were aired in July 1995. However Westbrook's second stint wasn't as fruitful as her original. Behind the cameras Danniella's private life had begun to spiral out of control due to her addiction to cocaine. She had started taking cocaine before she had even entered EastEnders the first time, but by now it was starting to take its toll on the pretty young actress and her work suffered extremely. Eventually a decision by the producers was reached; to terminate Westbrook's one-year contract early. Danniella's exit scenes, where she left Albert Square for Spain with her new Spanish boyfriend Guillermo, were aired in March 1996 and her eight months in the soap had seen her involved in a love triangle with ex-husband Ricky and new girlfriend Bianca Jackson ( Patsy Palmer ), as well as have a relationship with Bianca's father David Wicks ( Michael French ), and cause plenty of trouble for the Mitchell family. Once again the door was left open for her to return. However Danniella was facing a new role in her life: motherhood. On 23 November 1996, Danniella gave birth to her beloved son Kai. Unfortunately, however, it wasn't the incentive to give up on cocaine like her family and friends had hoped. During her pregnancy she had used as much as five grams of cocaine per day, and it was a miracle that the child had survived and not been left with any disability. She took a hiatus from her acting career to raise her son, taking on a few modelling jobs in order to keep them afloat, but her cocaine addiction was spiralling out of control. Prior to her pregnancy she had spent a week in The Priory, leaving because she felt that she wasn't an addict. After constant drug abuse she was given an opportunity to redeem herself when EastEnders asked her back for a third stint, and Sam was once again seen returning to Albert Square, this time on our screens in July 1999. However Danniella was keeping another secret from the public. Her cocaine abuse throughout the years had caused her septum to disintegrate, leaving her with one gaping nostril instead of two. Once discovered by the press at The British Soap Awards, the producers had no choice but to axe Sam again before her one-year contract and in January 2000 her last scenes, which saw Sam live with her friend in South London, were aired and two years later Sam was recast with actress Kim Medcalf in the role. By this time Danniella was in serious need of help. She had alienated all family and friends, and was now living with her son in a flat above a social club, followed by a brief stint in a half-way hostel. She had lost her looks, and was reduced to doing an odd shift in the social club where she would be jeered at by punters. But one man had faith in her: her boyfriend Kevin Jenkins. The businessman, and former alcoholic, sought out the help Danniella needed and she attended a rehabilitation centre in Arizona whilst pregnant with their child. After spending months there she came out finally clean and prepared for motherhood again. However heartbreak was to follow as the world became aware of her antics and her son was taken into care. After a few months apart Danniella was finally reunited with her son, and she later gave birth to her daughter Jodie on 5 September 2001. The recovering drug addict then forged herself a career in television presenting following a disastrous stint on I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! in 2003. For the next three years she presented various shows, such as ones discussing cosmetic surgery, before again taking a hiatus in 2006 in order to write her groundbreaking autobiography The Other Side of Nowhere, which was released in April 2006. Danniella then continued to raise her family before being given the chance of redemption: to return as Sam Mitchell and finish her story on EastEnders . Convinced that she would never again portray her beloved Sam after the recast, Westbrook took the opportunity with both hands and, after nearly 10 years off screen, her returning scenes were aired on 4 September 2009. However, Danniella's time in the spotlight was not over yet. From January to March 2010 the EastEnders star was seen competing against thirteen other celebrities in the hit reality TV show Dancing on Ice . Danniella, who didn't expect to make it past the first round, became a favourite to win and even topped the leader boards in Week 10 after a raunchy secretary dance routine on the ice. However she was eliminated in the semi-final after facing a skate-off with The Bill favourite Gary Lucy . Delbert Mann Delbert Mann, the Oscar-winning film director, was born Delbert Martin Mann Jr. in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1920. His father moved the family to Nashville, Tennesse, after taking a teaching position at Scarritt College. The young Mann graduated from Vanderbilt University, where he met his future wife, Ann Caroline Gillespie. He developed a lifelong friendship with Fred Coe , whom he met at the Nashville Community Playhouse, that would prove critical in his professional life. After his 1941 graduation from Vanderbilt, Mann joined the Army and was assigned to the Air Corps, eventually becoming a pilot with the 8th Air Force. As a B-24 pilot with the "Mighty Eighth," Mann flew 35 bombing missions in the European Theater of Operations. After being demobilized at the end of the war, his interest changed to another type of theater, and he attended the Yale Drama School. From Yale he moved on to a directing job with the Town Theatre of Columbia, South Carolina. His old friend Fred Coe, a producer at NBC, offered Mann the opportunity to direct live television drama on the network's The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse . Mann accepted the job offer and moved to New York in 1949. For NBC he directed many dramas for the "Philco Playhouse," which later alternated its broadcasting weeks on the network with the Goodyear Playhouse and Producers' Showcase (television programs in the early days typically had one major commercial sponsor; thus, many programs from the early days bore the name of that primary sponsor). Mann directed episodes for all three showcases, including "October Story" with Julie Harris and Leslie Nielsen , "Middle of the Night" with Eva Marie Saint and E.G. Marshall , a remake of The Petrified Forest with the inevitable Humphrey Bogart (who created the role of Duke Mantee on the Broadway stage and played it in the classic 1935 film), and even two productions of William Shakespeare 's "Othello" (one of which featured the unlikely Walter Matthau as Iago!). Mann was one of the best-known graduates of "The Golden Age of Television," when live original drama was a staple of network TV. Other showcases he worked for included NBC Repertory Theatre , Ford Star Jubilee and Playwrights '56 . In 1953 he directed a live teleplay written by another WWII vet, Paddy Chayefsky . The episode of "Goodyear Television Playhouse" starring another vet, the up-and-coming Method actor Rod Steiger , as a lonely butcher named "Marty." Delbert Mann's name will always be linked to the extraordinary cultural phenomenon that was "Marty," but it was as a film, not as television program, that Chayevsky's 1953 script became legendary, the first blockbuster hit of independent cinema. However, Mann's first recognition from the culture industry didn't come from Chayevsky's "Marty," either on television or film, but from Thornton Wilder's theatrical warhorse about a small burg in New Hampshire, "Our Town." In 1954, Mann won a Best Director Emmy nomination for the "Producers' Showcase" episode "Our Town," a musical adaptation featuring the young Paul Newman and the singing talents of swinging Frank Sinatra . Ironically, the TV play of "Marty," considered the summit of TV's Golden Age in retrospect, went unrecognized during the nascent industry's awards season, though it did receive an excellent buzz via word of mouth. (The live "Marty" was captured via kinescope, a method of reproduction that involved shooting a 16-mm copy of the broadcast off of a TV monitor for rebroadcast to the West Coast in the days before coast-to-coast TV hookups, let along videotape; such programs were seldom rebroadcast after the initial showing due to the poor quality of the 'scope.) That situation would change once "Marty" moved from New York to Hollywood. It's said that superstar Burt Lancaster and his producing partner Ben Hecht were looking for a property to generate a tax write-off for their successful indie production company, Hecht-Lancaster. That property was Marty, shot in B+W in the standard Academy ratio of 4:3 in an era when the blockbuster, like Cecil B. DeMIlle's epic remake of "The Ten Commandments," shot in color in the wide-screen processes of CinemaScope, Cinerama and VistaVision, were all the rage. (The box office gross of the 1956 "Ten Commandments," if adjusted for inflation, would rival the grosses generated by the top block busters of the present era.) Color, widescreens and spectacle were considered to be the necessary ingredients to get people out of the house where they were planted in front of the TV and back into the theaters. And here was a low-budget, B+W film with no production values and no stars based on a TV play that had appeared free on TV (Hollywood's great enemy) just two years before! Remaking "Marty" seemed an honorable way to generate a tax-write off, so the story goes, while associating the company with quality, but Hecht-Lancaster refused to spend much money on it. The budget was limited to just under $350,000. (It's said that "Marty" was the first Oscar-winning film in which the advertising costs exceeded the budget.) Rod Steiger, who did not want to be bound contractually to Hecht-Lancaster, refused to reprise the eponymous title role, so it was turned over to Burt Lancaster's "From Here to Eternity" co-star, 'Ernest Borginine' . Having assayed Fatso Judson and other screen heavies in his brief cinema career, Borgnine had never played a sympathetic supporting character, let alone a lead, on film before. Possibly due to its unpromising prospects, Burt Lancaster didn't bother putting his name on the picture as a producer, leaving that honor (and the Oscar that lay in "Marty's future) to Hecht. No wonder the success of "Marty" caught everyone flat-footed! It's perhaps the supreme case in Hollywood's checkered flirtation with "quality" cinema that quality not only won out, but more importantly, paid off (and paid off handsomely at that!). The movie "Marty" was a critical success before it was a commercial success. Shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 1955, it was the first American film to win the Golden Palm (an award which, in the French manner, is shared by its director). In release, the film returned $3 million in rentals ($21 million in 2005 dollars), which was a considerable amount in the mid-1950s. More importantly for Hecht-Lancaster, its low-budget made "Marty" one of the most profitable movies ever made. The critical recognition and boffo box office made "Marty" a sleeper at the 1956 Academy Awards, at which Mann won the Oscar as Best Director of 1955 and Chayevsky copped the Best Adapted Screenplay trophy. In addition to the original "auteurs," Ernest Borgnine won the Best Actor Oscar and Harold Hecht picked up the gong for Best Picture. Betsy Blair and Joe Mantell also received nominations in Best Supporting Acting categories, and on the technical side, "Marty" was nominated for Best B+W Cinematography ( Joseph LaShelle ) and Best B+W Art Direction-Set Decoration ( Ted Haworth, Walter M. Simonds, Robert Priestley). Until Sam Mendes duplicated the feat in 2000, Mann was the only director to win an Oscar for his first film. Though he could not know it then, "Marty" was the highpoint of Mann's career. While Chayevsky went on to win two more Oscars, Mann never won another Oscar nomination, though he did pick up two more Emmy nominations in 1972 and 1980 during his productive career. More significantly, Delbert Mann had the respect of his peers: in addition to his three subsequent Directors Guild of America nominations to go along with his win for "Marty," the DGA honored him with its Robert B. Aldrich Achievement Award in 1997 and an Honorary Life Membership in 2002. Siu Tin Yuen Already a veteran of the Peking Opera, he starred in countless black and white costume dramas before son Woo-Ping Yuen cast him in _Snake in Eagle's Shadow_ , the film which launched Jackie Chan 's career. He then went on to feature alongside Chan and Jang Lee Hwang (_Snake in Eagle's Shadow_'s main villain and the villain again in this film) in the sequel _Drunken Master_. These two films saw his stock rising and on the production of one film, he had to change hotels every night to avoid producers with dubious connections. He died during the filming of the Sammo Hung picture _The Magnificent Butcher_, meaning his scenes had to be re-filmed. This film was also directed by his son, who directed his last completed film _The Buddhist Fist_. Richard Adams Richard Adams spent his first 52 years in relative anonymity. And when he did complete a book that he wrote, he struggled to find anyone to publish it. Richard George Adams was born on 9 May 1920, in Newbury, Berkshire. He was the son of a country doctor and was brought up in the rolling countryside with views towards the real Watership Down, on the Hampshire border. One of his earliest memories was seeing a local man pushing a handcart full of dead rabbits down the street. "It made me realise, in an instant, that rabbits were things and that it was only in a baby's world that they were not." He suffered the fate of many middle-class boys of the period when he was sent to boarding school at the age of nine, where, by all accounts, he had a miserable time. He won a scholarship to Worcester College, Oxford, but his education was interrupted by World War Two and he served for five years in the Army before returning to his studies. He joined the civil service and spent part of his career managing the clean air programme designed to reduce pollution, especially that caused by the many coal fires still burning in British households. The event that changed his life occurred on a car journey with his family to see Twelfth Night at Stratford-upon-Avon. His bored children asked for a story and he began telling them a tale about a group of rabbits attempting to escape from their threatened warren. Adams was persuaded to write it all down, a process that took him more than two years, but he was, at first, unable to find a publisher. Many of his rejection letters complained that the book was too long and his characters did not fit the common perception of cuddly bunnies. His rabbits were described with biological realism; they defecated, had sex and engaged in violent battles for dominance. Eventually, in 1972, after 14 rejections, the publisher Rex Collings saw the potential and agreed to take it on with an initial print run of 2,500 copies. It was hailed as a children's classic, going on to sell more than 50 million copies, helped along by readings on BBC radio, and a dramatic performance in London's Regent's Park. Watership Down sold particularly well in the US where canny distributors placed it on the adult publishing list. On his promotional tours across the Atlantic, Adams played the American idea of the archetypical Englishman, wearing a bowler hat and insisting on English marmalade and mustard wherever he went. The book, and a subsequent animated film in 1978, became synonymous with rabbits and at least one enterprising butcher advertised: "You've read the book, you've seen the film, now eat the cast." Inevitably it attracted criticism from some highbrow reviewers. "There is something to be said for myxomatosis," was one caustic comment. The sudden flow of wealth enabled Adams to retire from the civil service and become a full-time writer. It also drove him into tax exile on the Isle of Man, although he later returned to his roots in southern England. By the time Watership Down was published, he was already writing his second book Shardik, the novel he considered his best work. It is an epic tale of a bear who is a god in an imaginary world and who is abused by the humans in the story. Shardik did not find favour among critics with some describing it as "preachy", a judgement with which Adams did not disagree. His commitment to animal welfare was expressed in his third novel, The Plague Dogs, an outspoken attack on animal experimentation. He admitted that his indignation about vivisection might have got the better of him but the book became another best-seller. He became president of the RSPCA but his attempts to persuade the charity to adopt a more campaigning stance did not find favour with some of the more conservative members of the ruling council. He resigned just ahead of a vote which would have severely curtailed his presidential powers. Despite his campaigning for animals he insisted he was not a sentimentalist. He refused to condemn a decision to gas rabbits on the real Watership Down in 1998 after their burrows began undermining the hill. "If I saw a rabbit in my garden I'd shoot it," he once said. In all, he wrote more than 20 books, including The Girl in a Swing, a ghostly love story with an undercurrent of eroticism, and a prequel to Shardik - entitled Maia - which was criticised for its sexual and sado-masochistic content. None of these books achieved the success of Watership Down and even a 1997 sequel, Tales from Watership Down, failed to capture the magic of the original. Richard Adams was essentially a traditional Englishman with a love of the countryside and a belief that, somehow, things were better in the past. It is perhaps surprising that this natural conservative, from a conventional middle-class background, should have written a book which had such a revolutionary impact on children's literature. Richard Adams died on Christmas Eve 2016, aged 96. Sybelle Silverphoenix Sybelle Silverphoenix was born and raised in the Bronx and is of mixed descent. She has been active in the entertainment industry for well over a decade, and has worked both in front of the camera and for live audiences. She grew up doing live singing and dance performances for the Hungarian community in the upper east side of Manhattan. It was through those experiences and through working on the movie Finding Forrester as part of her high school advanced chorus that she developed a serious interest in entertainment and art. She graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School, following in the footsteps of other well known individuals in entertainment, such as Stan Lee, Tracy Morgan, and Ralph Lauren. Sybelle has appeared in shows such as 30 Rock, Law and Order and The Whitest Kids U'Know. She worked alongside Christina Calph (Arthur, Tower Heist) in her web series Diary of a Hot College Chick and co-starred opposite Erin Brown aka Misty Mundae (CSI) in the horror comedy The New York Butcher. She had a supporting role in the feature film Monsters of Mulberry Street (Eric Roberts, Lillo Brancato) and starring roles in the short films Sarina, The Addict, Checkout, and Gaia. In 2002, she modeled for the August issue of Honey Magazine, and that autumn, won second place in the Gothic Beauty Pageant, organized by photographer John Santerineross. She represented Hungary in the Miss Diaspora Models International Beauty Competition in December of 2010, and won Miss Popularity in the Miss Hungary in America Pageant in March 2012. She has since gone on to model for various fashion designers, including Sazie Rahman, Pearl Naidoo, and Citra Gala of Citrolina. A space exploration and astronomy enthusiast, Sybelle applied for the Mars One space mission to colonize the red planet. Over 200,000 applications were received in the summer of 2013 when the program first opened it's doors. Sybelle became an astronaut finalist for the program, one out of only 1,000 to be selected, and remained present till the Round 3 selection process. To have been selected was no small feat. Her self taught skills as a computer technician over the course of 2 decades and being trilingual earned her a spot among the initial finalists. She still supports the program and is fully committed to the idea that humans should become a multi-planetary species in her lifetime. Sybelle briefly returned to work on music as the lead singer of short lived 80s style rock band Kings Valentine. She has been featured in various known media outlets, such as Fox News, Vice's Motherboard, and Buzzfeed, to name a few. VH1 named her number 9 on a list of 50 Celebrities whose names sound like Game of Thrones characters. John Partridge Musical theatre actor. Trained at Royal Ballet School, Bush Davies; and Performing Arts School Doreen Bird. Began career in the Cats UK national tour as dance captain, playing several roles (Alonzo, Rumpus Cat, u/s Rum Tum Tugger/Mistoffelees. Credits: (West End) The Hunting of the Snark - as 'Butcher', Cats as 'Rum Tum Tugger', Starlight Express - as 'Electra', Grease - as 'Roger', Tommy- as 'The Hawker'/'Captain Walker', The Fix - ensemble, Black Goes with Everything - as 'Performer', Notre Dame de Paris - as 'Gringoire'; (Germany) Cats - as 'Munkustrap', RENT - as 'Roger Davis'. Plus several commercials. Recordings: The New Starlight Express (1993) - as 'Electra'; RENT- Original German Cats Recording (1999) - as 'Roger Davis'. Gerry Rafferty Singer/songwriter Gerry Rafferty was born on April 16, 1947 in Paisley, Scotland. He was the third son of Irish miner and lorry driver Joseph Rafferty and Rafferty's Scottish wife Mary Skeffington. His abusive alcoholic father died when Gerry was only sixteen. Rafferty grew up in a council house on the town's Glenburn estate and attended St. Mirin's Academy. Inspired by his Scottish mother who taught him both Irish and Scottish folk songs and the music of Bob Dylan and the Beatles, Gerry started writing his own material. In 1963 he left St. Mirin's Academy and worked in a butcher's shop and as a civil service clerk while also playing with the local group Maverix on weekends. In the mid 60s Rafferty earned money busking on the London Underground. In 1966 he met fellow musician Joe Egan; they were both members of the pop band the Fifth Column. In 1969 Gerry became the third member of the folk-pop outfit the Humblebums which also featured comedian Billy Connelly. Rafferty and Connelly recorded two well-received albums on the Transatlantic label as a duo. In 1972 Gerry released his first solo album "Can I Have My Money Back?". That same year Egan and Rafferty formed the group Stealers Wheel. Stealers Wheel had a huge hit with the jaunty and witty song "Stuck in the Middle with You," which peaked at #6 on the Billboard pop charts. Stealers Wheel had a lesser Top 40 hit with "Star" ten months later and eventually broke up in 1975. In 1978 Gerry hit pay dirt with his second solo album "City to City," which soared to #1 on the Billboard album charts and sold over five million copies worldwide. The album also beget the hit song "Baker Street;" this haunting and poetic ballad was an international smash that went to #2 in America, #3 in the United Kingdom, #1 in Australia, and #9 in the Netherlands. Rafferty's third album "Night Owl" likewise did well. Moreover, Gerry had additional impressive chart successes with the songs "Right Down the Line," "Home and Dry," "Days Gone Down," and "Get It Right Next Time." Alas, a handful of albums Rafferty recorded throughout the 80s and 90s all proved to be commercial flops. Gerry sang the vocal on the song "The Way It Always Starts" for the soundtrack of the movie "Local Hero." Rafferty was married to Carla Ventilla from 1970 to 1990. He recorded his last album "Another World" in 2000 and released the compilation CD "Life Goes On" in 2009. Unfortunately, Gerry had problems with alcoholism that directly contributed to his untimely death at age 63 from liver failure on January 4, 2011; he's survived by his daughter Martha, granddaughter Celia, and brother Jim. Charlie Brooks Charlie Brooks was born on 3 May 1981 as Charlene Brooks in Hertfordshire, England and raised in Barmouth, Wales. All her life she had dreamed of becoming an actress and at the age of 13, she traveled without her parents to London to fulfill her dreams of a career in acting. After finding work appearing as bit parts in a few episodes of popular television series, Charlie went on to audition for the role of Janine Butcher in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders . She impressed the casting crew so much that on her 18th birthday in May 1999, she discovered that she had been awarded the coveted role of the cocaine-addicted prostitute. She became a television icon for her villainous role and it led to nominations for awards like Villain Of The Year (which she won in 2004). An accomplished television actress by the age of 20, Charlie took a break to make her stage debut in 'Office Games' in 2003 at the age of 22 at the Pleasance Theatre in London, for which she became an instant success. Having decided not to get her contract renewed as she wanted to try new things, Charlie left EastEnders and the role of Janine behind her in May 2004 after her character got arrested for the murder of Laura Beale, who was played by her close friend Hannah Waterman . By this point, Charlie had been engaged to Jon Newman in 2001, but had since broken off the engagement and in 2003, she began dating party organiser Tony Truman and in March 2004, she fell pregnant by him. Having left EastEnders , she put her career on hold and after getting engaged to Tony, she gave birth to their daughter Kiki Truman on 8 December 2004 at the age of 23. Although happy with the fact that she was now a mother, Charlie still missed her career and, having had to refuse numerous roles on television, she finally took up the chance to appear on radio, giving her voice to the character Mary Dixon on the BBC Radio show 'Dixon Of Dock Green'. Although she was not highly noticed for her work on radio, she was content enough for the time being. Then, feeling that the time was right for her to return to her much anticipated acting career, Charlie immediately went on to star in the adaptation of Charles Dickens' Bleak House in 2005, which was a miniseries on BBC1, in which she starred as Jenny. Having then released the smash hit workout DVD titled Charlie Brooks: Before and After Workout in December 2005, she went on to receive critical acclaim starring in the docu-drama Angel of Death: The Beverly Allitt Story in the title role of the nurse who killed several children. With her career back on top form, Charlie's love life began to dwindle and in Spring 2006, she ended her engagement with Tony Truman, father of their then 18-month-old daughter Kiki, before making her film debut with the independent film Take 3 Girls at the age of 25. In 2007, Charlie went on to renew her stage career with the high-budget production of 'Our Country's Good', which ran for 3 weeks at the Liverpool Playhouse. The 26-year-old television and stage actress now resides in Thames Ditton with her daughter Kiki. Stephen Woolley Stephen Woolley has spent a lifetime steeped in movies and filmmaking. His career began in 1976 at the Screen on the Green cinema in London where he tore tickets, sold ice cream, projected films and helped manage the cinema. After working with The Other Cinema, he programmed and subsequently owned his own cinema, The Scala, which won acclaim for its diverse, original and alternative programming. In 1982 Woolley launched Palace Video in partnership with Nik Powell, releasing titles such as Eraserhead and Mephisto. Establishing a theatrical arm a year later, Palace acquired, marketed and distributed some 250 independent and European movies from The Evil Dead, Diva, and Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence to When Harry Met Sally. During this period Woolley's producing career flourished, with a diverse range of critically acclaimed and successful films including the controversial Absolute Beginners starring David Bowie, Ray Davies, Patsy Kensit and James Fox, and Golden Globe nominated dance comedy Shag starring Bridget Fonda. Scandal starring Joanne Whalley-Kilmer, John Hurt and Bridget Fonda attracted phenomenal critical acclaim and box office success on both sides of the Atlantic. Other Palace productions included The Big Man starring Liam Neeson and Joanne Whalley-Kilmer; A Rage in Harlem with Forest Whitaker and Danny Glover, and The Pope Must Die starring Robbie Coltrane. Breakfast on Pluto, starring Cillian Murphy and Liam Neeson, continued Woolley's long-term partnership with director Neil Jordan which began with The Company of Wolves in 1983. His other collaborations with Jordan include The Miracle, The Butcher Boy, The Good Thief, the Oscar-nominated The End of The Affair, Michael Collins, Interview With The Vampire, and Oscar-winning The Crying Game, for which in 1992 Woolley was awarded Producer of The Year by the Producers Guild of America. Woolley also produced Jordan's Oscar nominated Mona Lisa which won numerous international awards. Stephen also has over twenty executive producer credits, which include The Neon Bible, The Hollow Reed, Fever Pitch, Purely Belter and Little Voice starring Sir Michael Caine and Jane Horrocks. In 2005 Woolley made his directorial debut with Stoned. Other recent projects as producer from Number 9 Films with co-owner Elizabeth Karlsen include And When Did You Last See Your Father? directed by Anand Tucker; UK box office number one, How To Lose Friends & Alienate People starring Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunst, Jeff Bridges and Megan Fox; and the upcoming Perrier's Bounty which stars Cillian Murphy and Jim Broadbent. 2009 will see the release of Sounds Like Teen Spirit...A Popumentary, Number 9 Films' first feature documentary. Forthcoming projects include The Lonely Doll and We Want Sex. Al Bridge American character actor, a fixture both in Westerns and in the comedies of Preston Sturges . Although frequently billed as "Alan" Bridge, he was born Alfred Morton Bridge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1891 (not as "Alford" Bridge in 1890, as his tombstone erroneously states), he and his sister, future actress Loie Bridge , were raised by their mother Loie and her second husband, butcher Wilmer Shinn. Following service as a corporal in the U.S. Army infantry in the first World War, Bridge joined a theatrical troupe which also included several of his relatives. The 1920 census showed him on tour in Kansas City, Missouri. He dabbled in writing and in 1930 sold a script to a short film, Her Hired Husband . He followed this with a B-Western script, God's Country and the Man , in which he made his film debut as an actor. For the next quarter century, he managed the atypical achievement of maintaining a career in both B-Westerns and in bigger dramatic and comedy features. Ten films for director Preston Sturges represent probably his most familiar contribution to Hollywood history. Bridge also appeared frequently on television until his death in 1957 at 66. Leah Purcell Multi talented Leah Purcell is a Theatre, Film and Television Actress, Singer, Director, Playwright and Author. She is the youngest of seven children of Aboriginal Australian descent. Her father was a butcher and a boxing trainer. After a difficult adolescence, looking after her sick mother who died while Leah was in her late teens, problems with alcohol and teenage motherhood, Purcell left Murgon mission and moved to Brisbane and became involved with community theatre. In 1996 she moved to Sydney to become presenter on a music video cable television station, RED Music Channel. This was followed by roles in the ABC television series Police Rescue and Fallen Angels and the excellent Australian Drama starring Gabriel Byrne and Laura Linney, Jindabyne. She co-wrote and starred in a play called Box the Pony, which played at Sydney's Belvoir Street Theatre, the Sydney Opera House, the Queensland Performing Arts Complex (QPAC), the 1999 Edinburgh Festival and in 2000 at the Barbican Theatre in London. She then wrote and directed the documentary Black Chicks Talking, which won a 2002 Inside Film (IF) award. She appeared in the acclaimed Australian film Lantana and on stage in The Vagina Monologues. She went on to appear in three 2004 films including Somersault (starring Abbie Cornish) and The Proposition as well as playing the role of Condoleeza Rice in David Hare's play, Stuff Happens in Sydney and Melbourne. Mitchell Altieri Mitchell Altieri began his film career at the age of 19 when he wrote and directed the short film 'King's River,' which earned him a Bay Area Cable Excellence Award. From there, he went on to produce national print ads with such clients as Levi's, Verizon Wireless, Kodak, Pringles, and Zenith TV and won The Communication Arts Award of Excellence for Writing. Mitchell returned to cinema by writing and directing his first feature film 'Lurking in Suburbia.' The well-received comedy was discovered by Sundance Senior Programmer Trevor Groth and went on to become a festival hit domestically and internationally. Ryko Entertainment nationally released the film in 2006. Next, Mitchell and long time film partner Phil Flores created their filmmaking alter egos The Butcher Brothers. Their first film 'The Hamilton's was the highly acclaimed award winner of the Santa Barbara and the Malibu International Film Festivals. Soon after, Lions Gate Films released the psychological horror film theatrically, which debuted #10 at the Box Office as part of the popular '8 Films To Die For' series. Through the success of 'The Hamiltons,' which globally has become an instant cult classic, The Butcher Brothers were hired to direct the studio remake of the 80's horror classic 'April Fools Day' by Sony Pictures in 2007. The film was released in early 2008. The Butcher Brothers then teamed up with the producers of 'Halloween' and 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' and wrote and directed the independent film 'The Violent Kind.' The film received an invitation to have its world premiere at the Sundance film festival and has been listed as one of the top 10 most anticipated horror films of 2010 by multiple movie outlets and websites. Shortly after, The Butcher Brothers wrote and directed 'The Thompsons,' the sequel to 'The Hamiltons.'	Arthur Mullard
What is the capital city of Gambia?	Actress \| Obituaries \| JezzWarren.com Obituaries Date of Birth: 16 May 1937, Tayorville, Illinois, US Birth Name: Yvonne Joyce Craig Nicknames: Yvonne Craig Dancer turned actress who brought a spirited grace to the high-kicking antics of the superheroine Batgirl Yvonne Craig trained as a dancer and became the youngest-ever member of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo; but it was on television that her athletic grace won legions of fans, as Batgirl to Adam West’s Batman. Now fondly remembered as an example of 1960s camp, Batman, made by the ABC television network, was steeped in the Pop Art sensibility of the era. The storylines were comic, the sets garish, and colourful bubble words like KAPOW!, BAM! and ZOK! livened up the fight sequences. When audience figures started to pall towards the end of the decade, the writers decided to freshen up the show by bringing in the character of Barbara Gordon, a good-looking librarian who pursues a second career as the crime-fighting Batgirl. The producer, Howie Horwitz, was anxious to preserve the character’s femininity, so Batgirl was forbidden to punch her various on-screen nemeses, relying instead on high kicks and handily placed objects. While Adam West had his black Batcycle (with a detachable self-propelled sidecar for Robin), Yvonne Craig drove a purple version with a large yellow bow. She did most of her own stunts, which were made all the more uncomfortable by the bat wings that had replaced the motorcycle’s shock absorbers “like jumping off a table stiff-legged”, as she put it. Such dedication could not halt the show’s decline, however, and after one more series it was cancelled in 1968. Looking back, Yvonne Craig expressed disappointment in the way the character was handled after her initial test screening. “When we did the pilot, Batgirl was supposed to be not only as good as the guys but better,” she recalled. “She ended up being this cute little bland character, when she could have been more in the style of Katharine Hepburn.” None the less, her performance was eagerly taken up by feminist critics as a spirited example of the hard-working career girl an ally to the hero, rather than his dependant. In 1972 Yvonne Craig stepped into the role once more, this time on behalf of the US Department of Labor. A 30-second skit had Batgirl swinging to the rescue of a captive Batman and Robin but not before demanding equal pay. Yvonne Joyce Craig was born on May 16 1937 in Taylorville, Illinois, and aspired to a career in dance from an early age. While attending the Edith James School of Ballet she was spotted by the Russian ballerina Alexandra Danilova, who helped her win a scholarship to the School of American Ballet in New York. Aged 16 she joined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, but left three years later and eventually fell into acting after a chance meeting with John Ford’s son Patrick. Her first starring role was as the beautiful yet spoiled Elena in The Young Land (1959), which the younger Ford produced. By the mid-1960s she had moved away from temptress roles to play more traditional leading ladies, appearing alongside Elvis Presley in It Happened At The World’s Fair (1963) and Kissin’ Cousins (1964). The two of them hit it off and Yvonne Craig spent time with Presley at his home in Bel Air though, coming from the insulated life of the professional dancer, she had little idea of his rock-and-roll credentials. The reality was finally brought home to her when, trying to find the light-switch in his bedroom late one night, she accidentally hit a panic button and was greeted by several carloads of policemen at the front door. On television she made a foray into the spy arena with a guest part in the original series of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1965), gave a passionate performance as the creatively named Ecstasy La Joie in The Wild Wild West (1966) and was painted green for a memorable turn as a psychotic alien in Star Trek (1969). In later life she swapped acting for a career in property, but continued to make regular appearances at comic and fantasy conventions in America. Date of Birth: 9 May 1932, Old Windsor, Berkshire, UK Birth Name: Geraldine McKeown Nicknames: Geraldine McEwan Geraldine McEwan, could purr like a kitten, snap like a viper and, like Shakespeare’s Bottom, roar you as gently as any sucking dove. She was a brilliant, distinctive and decisive performer with a particular expertise in high comedy whose career incorporated West End comedy, Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon, Laurence Olivier’s National Theatre, and a cult television following in EF Benson’s Mapp and Lucia. She was also notable on television as a controversial Miss Marple in a series of edgy, incongruously outspoken Agatha Christie adaptations (2004-09). Inheriting a role that had already been inhabited at least three times “definitively” by Margaret Rutherford, Angela Lansbury and Joan Hickson she made of the deceptively cosy detective a character both steely and skittish, with a hint of lust about her, too. This new Miss Marple was an open-minded woman of the world, with a back story that touched on a thwarted love affair with a married man who had been killed in the first world war. Familiar thrillers were given new plot twists, and there was even the odd sapphic embrace. For all her ingenuity and faun-like fluttering, McEwan was really no more successful in the part than was Julia McKenzie, her very different successor. Although she was not easily confused with Maggie Smith, she often tracked her stylish contemporary, succeeding her in Peter Shaffer roles (in The Private Ear and The Public Eye in 1963, and in Lettice and Lovage in 1988) and rivalling Smith as both Millamant and Lady Wishfort in Congreve’s masterpiece The Way of the World in 1969 and 1995. And a decade after Smith won her Oscar for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, McEwan scored a great success in the same role on television in 1978; Muriel Spark said that McEwan was her favourite Miss Brodie in a cluster that also included Vanessa Redgrave and Anna Massey. McEwan was born in Old Windsor, where her father, Donald McKeown, was a printers’ compositor who ran the local branch of the Labour party in a Tory stronghold; her mother, Nora (nee Burns), was working-class Irish. Geraldine was always a shy and private girl who found her voice, she said, when she stood up in school and read a poem. She had won a scholarship to Windsor county school, but she felt out of place until she found refuge in the Windsor Rep at the Theatre Royal, where she played an attendant fairy in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 1946. Leaving school, she joined the Windsor company for two years in 1949, meeting there her life-long companion, Hugh Cruttwell, a former teacher turned stage manager, 14 years her senior, whom she married in 1953, and who became a much-loved and influential principal of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1965. Without any formal training, McEwan went straight from Windsor to the West End, making her debut at the Vaudeville theatre in 1951 in Who Goes There? by John Deighton, followed by an 18-month run in For Better, For Worse… at the Comedy in 1952 and with Dirk Bogarde in Summertime, a light comedy by Ugo Betti, at the Apollo in 1955. Summertime was directed by Peter Hall and had a chaotic pre-West End tour, Bogarde’s fans mobbing the stage door every night and in effect driving him away from the theatre for good; McEwan told Bogarde’s biographer, John Coldstream, how he was both deeply encouraging to her and deeply conflicted over his heartthrob star status. Within a year she made her Stratford debut as the Princess of France in Love’s Labour’s Lost and played opposite Olivier in John Osborne’s The Entertainer, replacing Joan Plowright as Jean Rice when the play moved from the Royal Court to the Palace. Like Ian Holm and Diana Rigg, she was a key agent of change in the transition from the summer Stratford festival playing Olivia, Marina and Hero in the 1958 season to Peter Hall’s new Royal Shakespeare Company; at Stratford in 1961, she played Beatrice to Christopher Plummer’s Benedick and Ophelia to Ian Bannen’s Hamlet. Kittenish and playful, with a wonderful gift for suggesting hurt innocence with an air of enchanted distraction, she was a superb Lady Teazle in a 1962 Haymarket production of The School for Scandal, also starring John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson, that went to Broadway in early 1963, her New York debut. She returned to tour in the first, disastrous, production of Joe Orton’s Loot, with Kenneth Williams, in 1965, and then joined Olivier’s National at the Old Vic, where parts over the next five years included Raymonde Chandebise in Jacques Charon’s landmark production of Feydeau’s A Flea in Her Ear, Alice in Strindberg’s Dance of Death (with Olivier and Robert Stephens), Queen Anne in Brecht’s Edward II, Victoria (“a needle-sharp gold digger” said one reviewer) in Somerset Maugham’s Home and Beauty, Millamant and Vittoria Corombona in The White Devil. Back in the West End, she formed a classy quartet, alongside Pat Heywood, Albert Finney and Denholm Elliott, in Peter Nichols’s Chez Nous at the Globe (1974), and gave a delightful impression of a well-trained, coquettish poodle as the leisured whore in Noël Coward’s broken-backed adaptation of Feydeau, Look After Lulu, at Chichester and the Haymarket. In the 1980s, she made sporadic appearances at the National, now on the South Bank, winning two Evening Standard awards for her fresh and youthful Mrs Malaprop in The Rivals (“Men are all Bavarians,” she exclaimed on exiting, creating a brand new malapropism for “barbarians”) and her hilariously acidulous Lady Wishfort; and was a founder member of Ray Cooney’s Theatre of Comedy at the Shaftesbury theatre. In the latter part of her stage career, she seemed to cut loose in ever more adventurous directions, perhaps through her friendship with Kenneth Branagh, who had become very close to Cruttwell while studying at Rada. She was a surprise casting as the mother of a lycanthropic psychotic, played by Will Patton, in Sam Shepard’s merciless domestic drama, A Lie of the Mind, at the Royal Court in 1987. And in 1988 she directed As You Like It for Branagh’s Renaissance Theatre Company, Branagh playing Touchstone as an Edwardian music hall comedian. She then directed Christopher Hampton’s underrated Treats at the Hampstead theatre and, in 1998, formed a fantastical nonagenarian double act with Richard Briers in a Royal Court revival, directed by Simon McBurney, of Ionesco’s tragic farce, The Chairs, her grey hair bunched on one side like superannuated candy floss. The following year, she was a brilliant but controversial Judith Bliss in Noel Coward’s Hay Fever, directed as a piece of Gothic absurdism at the Savoy by Declan Donnellan; McEwan tiptoed through the thunderclaps and lightning like a glinting harridan, a tipsy bacchanalian with a waspish lust and highly cultivated lack of concern (“My husband’s not dead; he’s upstairs.”) Other television successes included playing Jeanette Winterson’s mother in Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (1990) and Carrie’s War (2004), while her occasional movie appearances included Tony Richardson’s The Adventures of Tom Jones (1975), two of Branagh’s Shakespeare adaptations – Henry V (1989) and Love’s Labour’s Lost (2000) – as well as Robin, Prince of Thieves (1991), Peter Mullan’s devastating critique of an Irish Catholic education, The Magdalene Sisters (2002), in which she played cruel, cold-hearted Sister Bridget, and Vanity Fair (2005). She was rumoured to have turned down both the OBE and a damehood, but never confirmed this. Date of Birth: 21 June 1954, Oldham, Lancashire, UK Birth Name: Anne Kirkbride Anne Kirkbride, who played Deirdre, the bespectacled, careworn femme fatale in ITV’s record-breaking soap opera Coronation Street for more than 40 years, and became renowned for her cracked, throaty voice, caused by chain-smoking in real life, and straining neck cords that were even more alarming than her enormous glasses. In 1998, during a bitter ratings war with the BBC’s EastEnders, when Deirdre was wrongfully imprisoned after a relationship with a con-man called Jon Lindsay, the nation reacted with the “Free the Weatherfield One” campaign. In Parliament, even Tony Blair passed comment on her sentencing. It was not, commentators agreed, the prime minister’s finest hour. Producers at Granada Television decided to free Deirdre after three weeks. Anne Kirkbride first came to Granada’s notice in 1972 in the ITV series Another Sunday and Sweet FA and was offered the bit part of the teenage dolly-bird Deirdre Hunt in Coronation Street later that year. When the character’s popularity grew after a few appearances, Anne Kirkbride signed a contract in 1974 and had been in the soap ever since. With her distinctive owlish spectacles, she played Deirdre with a passion, steering the character through a calamitous tangle of marriages, broken engagements and affairs that produced an on-screen daughter Tracy in 1977, 20 years later the programme’s most notorious wild child and the Street’s spectacularly dull husband, Ken Barlow (William Roache). Dumped, divorced and widowed, Deirdre’s edgiest moment came with her affair with Mike Baldwin (played by Johnny Briggs) only two years after her wedding to Ken in 1981, and which started a feud between the two rivals that ended only with Baldwin’s death 25 years later. Anne Kirkbride’s Deirdre was nearly written out of the series in 1978, three years after her screen marriage to Ray Langton (Neville Buswell). When Buswell decided to leave the programme, the producers believed there were already enough single women in the fictional Street. After Buswell intervened, however, the writers decided that Deirdre the single mother would be an interesting concept, and Anne Kirkbride was asked to stay. One of the highlights of her career was her on-screen wedding to Ken Barlow in July 1981, on the day the Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer. But even this was eclipsed by Deirdre’s extra-marital affair with Baldwin in 1983. As Britain held its breath, a bishop in London warned Granada of the dangers of it all seeming too realistic; a woman in Halifax gave birth in an ambulance, having delayed her departure to hospital to witness the lovers’ first illicit kiss; and the Poet Laureate, Sir John Betjeman, one of the Street’s greatest fans, declared that Ken Barlow deserved better. The fling excited the divided consternation of Fleet Street’s finest, with Jean Rook of the Daily Express advising Deirdre to “stick with Ken” and her Daily Mail rival Lynda Lee Potter urging her to leave boring Ken for exciting Mike. In the showdown between the two, Anne Kirkbride thought Bill Roache had gone mad when unrehearsed and unscripted he grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the Barlows’ front door as Baldwin stood on the step. “I was literally fighting to get away,” she remembered. Tracked by the cameras, she ran to an adjoining room and burst into tears. When Deirdre and Barlow were reconciled in the next episode, the Daily Mail hired the electronic scoreboard at Old Trafford and, to the approving roar of 56,000 fans watching Manchester United play Arsenal, flashed up the news: “Deirdre and Ken united again!” In 1987, when Deirdre by now working as a shop assistant became Councillor Barlow, Anne Kirkbride complained at this improbable turn of events, but soon realised that it got Deirdre out from behind the bacon slicer and into the swim of mainstream Street life. However, she remained upset at the decision to have Deirdre divorce Ken over his affair with his secretary. Her character received a fresh lease of life in 1994 when Anne Kirkbride returned from a six months’ absence due to illness; at 39, she had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, but, after chemotherapy, recovered. On screen, however, a planned reconciliation with Ken Barlow had to be scrapped, and instead Deirdre embarked on a holiday romance with a 21-year-old toyboy, a Moroccan waiter, Samir Rachid (Al Nedjari), whom she later married. “Anne Kirkbride is celebrating her return to health with a crackling storyline, a marvellous performance and a whole new vocabulary,” wrote Margaret Forwood in the Express. The marriage was short-lived, however, and in 1995 Deirdre’s third husband died on his way to hospital to donate a kidney to Deirdre’s wayward daughter Tracy. She was reunited with Ken in 1999 and married him for a second time in 2005, despite Ken finding out that she had slept with the supersmooth corner shop owner Dev Alahan. Anne Kirkbride was called as a character witness in Roache’s trial on sex assault charges in 2014 (he was found not guilty): she said her colleague was “always a perfect gentleman”. As an actress, Anne Kirkbride possessed a photographic memory; she could read through a page of script and almost instantly know it by heart. Anne Kirkbride was born on June 21 1954 at Oldham, Lancashire, the daughter of Jack Kirkbride, a painter and decorator who became a cartoonist for the Oldham Evening Chronicle. It was her father who encouraged her to go on the stage, having spotted her acting talent when she was only seven. She developed it at Oldham Rep’s junior theatregoers’ club, and at the age of 11 joined the Saddleworth junior players and then the Oldham youth theatre. On leaving Count Hill grammar school she took a job at Oldham Rep as a student assistant stage manager at £1 a week, combining buying props and helping to build sets with several small acting parts. When the company’s director, Carl Paulson, took her aside and told her she would be acting full-time on £18 a week, she said she ran through the streets “as if I’d just won the pools”. A Coronation Street talent scout saw her in a Jack Rosenthal play and she was asked to read for a walk-on part. She hated her gravelly voice but revelled in the nine-to-five routine of a soap star, and never wanted to play Shakespeare or longed for the peripatetic life of a repertory actress. “Sometimes I think I should have made more of an effort to get out and do other stuff,” she admitted in 2001, “but then again I’ve never been terribly ambitious.” In a television confessional, Deirdre and Me (2001), Anne Kirkbride admitted to a compulsion to scrub and clean incessantly (even the lavatories at the Granada studios), and to the depression that in 1998 almost ruined her appearance on This Is Your Life, an ordeal she managed to survive only with the aid of Valium. She took a leave of absence from Coronation Street in September 2014 and was written out of the script, but had been expected to return. A lifelong heavy smoker, she also confessed to suicidal feelings and to a compulsion to iron her knickers. In 1992 Anne Kirkbride married the actor David Beckett, whom she met on the Coronation Street set when he briefly played a handyman in the soap. Date of Birth: 22 July 1932, Santa Domingo Birth Name: Óscar Arístides Renta Fiallo Nicknames: Oscar de la Renta Whether dressing stars from Sarah Jessica Parker to Amal Alamuddin or first ladies from Jackie Kennedy to Michelle Obama, Oscar de la Renta was both an establishment favourite and a cult hero. The Oscars red carpet wouldn’t be the same without him. Guardian fashion writers celebrate his glittering life in fashion Oscar de la Renta could never be described as a groundbreaking or challenging designer. Whether he was dressing Hollywood actors in ruffles and silk or creating luxe skirt suits for the Park Avenue set, De la Renta’s approach was measured, feminine and appropriate. Having worked with the creme de la creme of European couturiers in his early career, de la Renta is old school, part of the fashion establishment. And yet, unlike American contemporaries like Bill Blass and Anne Klein, he has remained a worldwide household name, with his high-profile red carpet work speaking of a deep and very contemporary understanding of the power of celebrity. He attitude to women was modern, too. In 2013, he said: “‘The ladies who lunch’ is one of the corniest phrases and one I deeply hate … it doesn’t exist, not any more. Whether the woman is working for a salary or working as a volunteer, what’s important in the modern history of American fashion is the emergence of a woman who is no longer a socialite.” Born in Santa Domingo in 1932 to a wealthy family, De la Renta was an immigrant whose name become synonymous with the American upper class. The youngest of seven brothers, he arrived in the US via Madrid and Paris, where he had worked for Cristóbal Balenciaga, Lanvin and Balmain. The money his father sent him while he was in Spain he spent on fancy clothes and “senorita” suits. He remained joyously and impeccably dapper three-piece suits with starched collars to entertain influential friends at his various holiday homes until his death. His close friendships with the women of the White House and the fact that his label represents American society (in the way that big gowns and Upper East side skirts suits just do) underlines his journey as the designer who arrived and made it big. The designer’s work became relevant to a wider audience thanks to Carrie Bradshaw. The fictional character spoke of “Oscar’s” dresses in hushed, reverential whispers. But the high point of the SatC/OdlR love-in came in season six when Carrie’s Russian lover buys her a hot-pink cocktail dress by the designer, with a tight shell top and a cropped debutant full skirt, which she ends up wearing to McDonald’s, dancing and eating fries. It became a small-screen sartorial cult moment. It wasn’t the only time De la Renta was name-checked in recent pop culture. In the notable The Devil Wears Prada speech, when fictional editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly explains to her assistant the fashion food chain and why she is wearing a blue Gap jumper, she namechecked De la Renta’s 2002 collection of cerulean gowns. Meanwhile, in real life, Sarah Jessica Parker was a regular exponent of the brand on the red carpet. De la Renta took pleasure in a spat. In 2012, the then New York Times fashion editor Cathy Horyn described his 2012 collection in damning terms, saying: “Mr De la Renta is far more a hot dog than an éminence grise of American fashion.” In bombastic fashion, he bought a full page advert in the trade sheet WWD to publish his retort: “If you have the right to call me a hot dog, why do I not have the right to call you a stale three-day old hamburger?” For her part, Horyn said that she meant hot dog as in “showman” rather than as a derisory comment. But De la Renta didn’t stop at the fashion establishment. He criticised Michelle Obama in 2009 when she wore J Crew to Buckingham Palace (“You don’t ... go to Buckingham Palace in a sweater.”) And Flotus came under fire again in 2013 from the designer for wearing foreign labels to welcome the Chinese prime minister to the White House. De la Renta has been associated with the corridors of power from the beginning of his career. His big break as a designer came in 1956, when Beatrice Cabot Lodge daughter of the American ambassador to Spain wore one of his gowns on the cover of Life magazine. In the 1960s, he dressed Jacqueline Kennedy. In the 1980s, he was firm friends with Nancy Reagan, who wore his tomato-red, shoulder-padded gowns to presidential dinners. In the 1990s, he was credited with creating Hillary Clinton’s signature suited silhouette during her husband’s second term in office. Clinton who now describes herself as a “pantsuit aficionado” on her Twitter biog has said: “He’s been working for 20 years to turn me into a fashion icon.” Though he had been sick with cancer for almost eight years, De la Renta’s business had been booming it grew by 50% in the last decade. His frothy, feminine, highly photogenic gowns continued to rule the Oscars from Cameron Diaz in shimmering gold in 2010 to Amy Adams in dove-grey ruffles in 2013. Even more recently, De la Renta enjoyed publicity his competitors could only have dreamed of when human-rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin wore a lace, ivory dress for her spectacular wedding to actor George Clooney. It was this month, too, that Michelle Obama who had previously broken with White House tradition by declining to wear the designer’s work for seven years finally wore a De la Renta cocktail dress. The choice was perceived by some commentators as a goodwill nod to the brand and its history. De la Renta flirted with controversy by working with John Galliano on his autumn/winter 2013 collection. But his design legacy is really in the hands of Peter Copping announced as creative director of Oscar De la Renta earlier this month. Copping is, appropriately perhaps, a quieter fashion talent. The English designer worked for Nina Ricci for five years before moving to the American brand, and made clothes that had a kind of delicate elegance that chimes well with his new gig. Copping is cut from the same cloth as De la Renta one that’s reassuringly expensive and fits into a tradition of champagne reception glamour but appeals to the next gen of young socialites with clean lines and pops of colour. His first collection, to be shown in February, will no doubt be chockablock full of brand references. We also predict that the Oscars red carpet taking place in the same month will be awash with starlets wearing vintage OdlR dresses. Always a Hollywood favourite, Oscars for the Oscars seems like a fitting tribute. Date of Birth: 16 September 1924, The Bronx, New York, US Birth Name: Betty Joan Perske Nicknames: Lauren Bacall Tall, slim and sultry, with a hoarse voice and a cryptic personality, Miss Bacall was the perfect match for Bogart’s rugged cynicism, “a leggy, blonde huntress,” as one critic noted, “whose cat’s eyes never blinked before Bogart’s scowls”. In each film they created a special atmosphere of dry, terse comedy and tough-guy talk which masked their underlying affection for one another and seemed unique in popular cinema for the balance of power their roles created between the sexes. Sensual but never sentimental, insolent, sharp-witted, laconic, cool and above all sophisticated, they seemed, as another observer put it, even to kiss out of the corners of their mouths. Higher brows were moved to compare the tone of these mating games with that of Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, though the style owed more to Raymond Chandler or Hemingway than to Shakespeare. At all events, they brought a new and personal chemistry to the screen which made the partnership refreshingly equal at every level. Although Lauren Bacall was an actress of accomplishment in her own right, it was her acting in only four films with Bogart and their enduring marriage that turned them as a couple into the stuff of legend, and enhanced her own dramatic reputation more than any anything she did elsewhere in films or on stage. One of her most famous lines was in To Have And Have Not when they were about to go their separate ways after bidding each other goodnight. At the door she turned and said: “You know how to whistle? You put your lips together and… blow.” As the American critic James Agee wrote: “Whether or not you like the film will depend almost entirely on whether you like Miss Bacall. I am no judge... It has been years since I have seen such amusing pseudo-toughness on the screen.” Lauren Bacall, who was born in New York City as Betty Joan Perske on September 16 1924, was the only child of William Perske, a salesman of medical instruments from Alsace, and his wife Natalia, of Romanian and German-Jewish extraction. They divorced when their daughter was six. The mother adopted the name Bacal; the daughter added an “l” to stop it rhyming with “crackle”. She always disliked “Lauren”, the name bestowed on her by Hollywood, preferring to be known as Betty. Educated at the expense of wealthy uncles at a private boarding school, Highland Manor, Tarrytown, New York, and at the Julia Richman High School, Manhattan, Betty intended to be a dancer, having attended ballet classes since infancy. But in adolescence she was drawn to acting. Inspired by Bette Davis films, she enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts when she was 15, dating Kirk Douglas, who was there on a scholarship; but as the academy precluded scholarships for girls, she was obliged to leave after a year before bluffing her way into a job modelling sportswear. Sacked for being Jewish, or flat-chested (or both), she took another job modelling gowns for a Jewish dress shop and in the evenings worked as an usherette. In 1942 she made her stage debut at the Longacre Theatre, New York, as a walk-on in a melodrama called Johnny 2 X 4, and played the ingénue in a pre-Broadway tour later that year. Then she took a job modelling for Harper’s Bazaar. Leafing through the magazine in 1943, Mrs Howard Hawks, wife of the Hollywood director, drew her husband’s attention to the girl on the cover. Hawks cabled the magazine asking if she was free; she subsequently turned up on their doorstep. After a screen test she signed a seven-year contract with Hawks and the producer Jack Warner for $250 a week, changing her name from Betty to Lauren. Hawks went to work on her voice. Taking her to some waste ground, he made her shout Shakespeare and other writers for hours every day in order to lower the tone of what he called her high nasal pipe. After the daily exercises in the open air her voice became for him (and for the rest of the world) what he called “a satisfactorily low guttural wheeze”. He then insisted that in future she should always speak naturally and softly. Above all, she should ignore suggestions for “cultivating” her voice. Within a year of her discovery on the front of Harper’s, Hawks had cast her with Bogart in To Have And To Have Not and directed her in such a way that her acting, with its insinuating sexuality and offhand independence, caused a sensation. Hawks had urged her to play each scene exactly as she felt her character would behave: to act as if she were living the part. If she were true to her own feelings, she would be true to the film. One scene sprang entirely from her imagination. After an emotional episode in a hotel room with Bogart’s Harry Morgan, Bacall’s Marie left him, according to the scenario, and returned to her own room. Between takes, Bacall grumbled to Hawks: “God, I’m dumb.” “Why?” he asked. “Well”, she replied, “if I had any sense I’d go back after that guy.” So she did. At 19 she had become, in her first film, one of Hollywood’s most sensational, relaxed and dominating newcomers: husky-voiced, aloof and shrewdly impervious to insult. This was Bogart’s most interesting screen partner for years, in an otherwise hazy melodrama about the French Resistance at Martinique with Bogart as a sea skipper, edgy, grey-voiced, unsure of this strange girl called Marie. Some of her lines entered film mythology, such as (after Bogart has kissed her for the second tentative time), “It’s even better when you help.” To everyone’s astonishment, she also sang (or rather croaked and growled, like a trombone) a suggestive song in a seamen’s bar. She was promoted by Warner Brothers, her studio, as “The Look” because of her way of looking up suggestively with her lynx-eyes from under a high forehead (and through a haze of cigarette smoke) at the rugged, appreciative Bogart. In 1945 she became his fourth wife; she was 25 years his junior, and the partnership endured until his death nearly 12 years later. Along with her husband, she actively campaigned for the Democrats and protested against Hollywood’s blacklist of suspected Communists. Lauren Bacall was miscast in Confidential Agent (1945), a thriller derived from Graham Greene’s novel about the Spanish Civil War with Charles Boyer as a Spanish agent; she was, as one critic put it, about as English as Pocahontas, although her “very individual vitality made up for her deficiencies”. The following year, Hawks brought her back with Bogart in The Big Sleep. The level-pegging of their partnership was curious, unusual and, in those days unexpected in films. One theory was that Hawks’s dislike of Bogart was behind it. Before The Big Sleep, the director was reputed to have said to Bogart: “You are about the most insolent man on the screen and I’m going to make the girl a little more insolent.” And so it proved. In their second film together, in which she played the rich antagonistic daughter of Bogart’s employer, in a fine adaptation of the Raymond Chandler novel, she proved every bit as cool and independent as she had been in To Have And Have Not. Neither of their other two films together was a patch on their predecessors. In Dark Passage (1947), Lauren Bacall sheltered a heavily-bandaged Bogart in his attempt, as an escaped convict, to prove that he had not murdered his wife. All that Delmer Daves’s screenplay proved was that without sharp dialogue, an element of sexual rivalry or a more intelligent scenario, Bogart and Bacall were not themselves. John Huston’s Key Largo (1948) was a far better film, but it still failed to find any of the old style of banter for them to exchange in its tense tale of a bunch of gangsters who invade a hotel run by Miss Bacall, a war widow. It was as if, having awakened public interest in the pair as a screen partnership, Warner Brothers could not find material to keep their characters effectively together. This was the film in which, to get the right facial expression from Lauren Bacall, Huston twisted her arm. He got the right expression but he never got her into another of his films. Key Largo was also her last film with Bogart who, unlike Lauren Bacall, went on to make some of the finest films of his career. In 1950 she was the socialite who married Bix Beiderbecke (Kirk Douglas) in Young Man With A Horn, and appeared with Gary Cooper in Bright Leaf. Her gift for acid comedy came out nicely in Jean Negulesco’s How To Marry A Millionaire (1953), with Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable, and in the same director’s A Woman’s World (1954). As an occupational therapist and Richard Widmark’s mistress in Vincente Minnelli’s Designing Woman (1957), she was miscast as a scatterbrained fashion queen opposite Gregory Peck. In Douglas Sirk’s Written On The Wind (1957) she was supposed to have been swept off her feet by an oil millionaire. Was the baby his (Robert Stack’s) or his best friend’s (Rock Hudson’s)? Nobody much cared, least of all Miss Bacall, for Bogart died that year . Two years later, after playing a tough-talking American governess in the British melodrama North-West Frontier, with Kenneth More, Lauren Bacall decided to return to the stage after an absence of 17 years. As Charlie in Goodbye Charlie (Lyceum, 1959), the story of a man’s return to earth after death as a woman, she played with considerable success opposite Sidney Chaplin. In 1961 Lauren Bacall married the actor Jason Robards. (There had been earlier talk of marriage to Frank Sinatra, “but Frank just couldn’t cope with the idea” she said years later). In the 1960s her films became less reliable . In Shock Treatment (1964) she played a batty psychiatrist; in Sex and the Single Girl (1965) a squabbling neighbour (with Henry Fonda); and in Jack Smight’s Harper (1966) a vindictive wife in a film which paid homage to Bogart, with Paul Newman as a private detective. After that she worked mostly on Broadway. Apart from more than a year’s run as Stephanie, the nurse, in Abe Burrows’s comedy Cactus Flower (Royale, 1965), which some admirers considered the best role of her career, she spent three years as Margo Channing, a stage star threatened by a young rival, in the musical Applause, first in New York (Palace, 1970), for which she received a Tony award, then in Toronto, Chicago and on tour, before making her London debut in the same part at Her Majesty’s (1972). Her role in Applause was the one Bette Davis had filled more flamboyantly in the film All About Eve. Lauren Bacall’s stage acting showed the same agreeable insouciance as her film acting . She returned to the screen in 1974 in the Agatha Christie derivation, Murder On The Orient Express; and two years later faced, with admirable and stylish antagonism, John Wayne in Don Siegel’s The Shootist. This brought together one tough hombre and one tough cookie, and was the sharpest match since Bacall had first met Bogart. As an indefatigable journalist in the musical Woman of the Year on Broadway in 1981, she took a slight story, according to the The Daily Telegraph’s John Barber, and injected into it “all the dynamism of a fascinating personality”. In 1985 she was back in the West End in Harold Pinter’s revival of Tennessee Williams’s Sweet Bird of Youth (Haymarket). The Fan (1981) brought her back to the screen as a successful actress entangled with a young man in her first Broadway musical, and seven years later she contributed to another all-star Agatha Christie film, Appointment With Death. She also stole a child in a psychological film thriller, Tree of Hands (1989). Of her many television appearances the most notable included Blithe Spirit and The Petrified Forest in 1956 and a role in the Frederick Forsyth Presents drama series. Lauren Bacall was, perhaps, an actress more famous for whom she was thought to be than for what she actually did. “It was those pale eyes framed by a tawny mane, a way of walking that suggested a panther in her family tree, and a husky voice that could set a spinal column aquiver,” noted one reviewer. She kept up the image of a sharp-tongued, no-nonsense feminist in interview after interview down the years. Journalists were slightly scared of her. But in truth — and unlike, say, Katharine Hepburn — she did not go on to create a substantial body of work. Her fame continued to rest largely on the early films with Bogart. Her memoir, By Myself, appeared in 1978, followed in 2005 by And Then Some by way of an addendum. In this she described working visits to Paris making Robert Altman’s satirical Prêt à Porter (1994) and to Britain, where she starred in The Visit at the Chichester Festival in 1995. Lauren Bacall received a Golden Globe and an honorary Oscar. In 1996 she was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actress for her role as Barbra Streisand’s mother in The Mirror Has Two Faces. She continued to make occasional appearances on screen, including, in 2006, appearing as herself in an episode of The Sopranos. In 2004 she had a supporting role alongside Nicole Kidman in Birth, a psychological drama directed by Jonathan Glazer. Date of Birth: 2 February 2 1925, Detroit, Michigan, US Birth Name: Elaine Stritch Elaine Stritch, the American actress, who has died aged 89, was the femme formidable of Broadway, famous for her foghorn voice and deadpan comic timing, and notorious for her filthy temper and “cut-the-crap” frankness; but like many who adopt an abrasive outer shell, underneath there beat a softer heart. Brassy, skyscraper tall and with a voice once described as “like a corncrake wading through Bourbon on the rocks”, Elaine Stritch was a natural scene-stealer. Not strikingly beautiful, though with wondrously long and shapely legs, there was no one quite like her in showbusiness. In Britain, where she scored an instant hit as Mimi Paragon, the cruise ship hostess in Noël Coward’s Sail Away, she became everyone’s favourite American actress. She will be best remembered for the long-running 1970s BBC sitcom, Two’s Company, in which she played a rich, demanding American in London, opposite Donald Sinden as Robert, her plummy-voiced butler. But it was on the Broadway stage that she began her career and where she continued to perform on and off for six decades in comedies and musical drama. She understudied Ethel Merman in Call Me Madam; and brought the house down in Pal Joey singing Zip in the famous 1946 revival. Stephen Sondheim gave her one of his greatest songs, Here’s to the Ladies Who Lunch, in Company, in which she played beady-eyed lush Joanne in the original 1970 production. One reviewer noted that “she can race through the gears from a savage purr to an air-raid siren howl in five seconds without ever losing a note of the melody”. Elaine Stritch partied with as much energy as she performed. She knocked it back with such dedicated topers as Judy Garland and Jackie Gleason. “Elaine, I never thought I’d say this, but goodnight!” said Judy Garland as she made an 8am exit from one marathon session. She dated John F Kennedy, Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra and even Rock Hudson, for whom she ditched Ben Gazzara a “bum rap”, she confessed. The diva of the put-down, Elaine Stritch never learned the art of turning the other cheek. She always had the last word. “I’m sorry about what I said to you earlier today,” an interviewer heard her tell an assistant. “I meant every word.” Yet underneath this spiky carapace there lurked a more fragile personality, at once addicted to, yet terrified of, performing a woman who fought a long-running battle with the bottle which nearly destroyed her altogether. The youngest of three daughters, Elaine Stritch was born on February 2 1925 into an upper-middle-class Roman Catholic family in suburban Detroit. Her uncle Samuel was Cardinal Stritch of Chicago; her father a senior executive in Ford Motors. She was educated at a convent where “you daren’t speak in the lavatory and you bathed in your nightgown”. Her more conventional elder sisters left school and got married, but Elaine’s tastes tended towards the bohemian. As a teenager she accompanied the family’s black maid, Carrie, to “Black and Tan” clubs, where she became familiar with “down and dirty” blues such as I Want a Long Time Daddy, which she sang without understanding the lyrics. She tasted her first whisky sour aged 13 and wanted more. Her father sent her, aged 17, to New York, where she lived in a convent and studied acting at the New School in Manhattan. A contemporary of Walter Matthau, Tony Curtis and Marlon Brando, she made her student stage debut as a tiger. She “dated” Brando nothing more. When, after a night on the town, he took her back to his place, went to the bathroom, and reappeared in his pyjamas, the teenage Elaine Stritch shot straight back to the convent. “I kissed like a crazy woman,” she recalled. “But I was a virgin until I was 30. Somebody’d touch my breast, and I’d think I was pregnant.” She was immediately successful. In 1945 she played the parlourmaid in The Private Life of the Master Race and, in 1946, Pamela Brewster in Loco and Miss Crowder in Made in Heaven. After Three Indelicate Ladies and The Little Foxes, she appeared in the review Angel in the Wings singing “Bongo, bongo, bongo, I don’t want to leave the Congo...”. In 1949 she played the part of Joan Farrell in Yes, M’Lord. Having kicked her heels as an understudy to Ethel Merman in the Broadway production of Call Me Madam, she left a show-stopping role in Pal Joey to do the Merman part on tour to enthusiastic reviews. After that she starred in shows by Irving Berlin, Noël Coward, Stephen Sondheim and Edward Albee, and was directed by such figures as Erwin Piscator, George Abbott, Harold Clurman and Hal Prince. Coward called her “Stritchie” and, after rescuing her from the flop musical Goldilocks (1958), gave her the lead in Sail Away, in which she sang Why Do the Wrong People Travel? In his diaries, Coward saw her more vulnerable side: “Poor darling Stritch with all her talents is almost completely confused about everything. She is an ardent Catholic and never stops saying f*** and Jesus Christ. She is also kind, touching and loyal and, fortunately, devoted to me.” After “the Master’s” death, she attended his memorial service wearing a bright red blazer, and mistook Yehudi Menuhin for a busker friend of Coward’s. Elaine Stritch began her film career inauspiciously with Scarlet Hour (1956). After attending a matinee, Richard Burton told her: “Halfway through your last number I almost had an orgasm.” “Almost?” she shrieked reprovingly. She contributed compelling performances to the 1957 remake of A Farewell to Arms, and Providence (1970). In 1971 she was offered a contract by 20th Century Fox but turned it down, not wishing to be typecast as the new Eve Arden the wisecracking girlfriend who never gets her man. Later she appeared in such films as September (1988) and Cocoon (1990), On television, Elaine Stritch starred in the 1948 domestic comedy Growing Paynes, the short-lived 1960 sitcom My Sister Eileen, and co-starred as the star’s mother in The Ellen Burstyn Show (1986). She was a member of the supporting comedy troupe on the 1949 show Jack Carter and Company, a comic switchboard operator on the 1956 variety series Washington Square, and Peter Falk’s secretary in The Trials of O’Brien (1965). Coward brought her to London in 1962 in Sail Away, and she returned in 1972 with Sondheim’s Company, winning more ecstatic reviews. She remained in London for several years, making her second home in the Savoy Hotel. Of her barnstorming performance in Tennessee Williams’s Small Craft Warnings, one reviewer described her “bashing through the play like a truck driver in a garage full of Minis”. “I love asking the way in London,” she told an interviewer. “A man actually left his shop to show me where to go. I thought 'I’m not that attractive and I don’t look like a hooker, so what’s in it for him?’ I finally realised he was simply good-mannered.” By now she had triumphantly shed the title of the “oldest virgin on Broadway”, having lost her virginity aged 30 to the Fifties film star Gig Young, to whom she was briefly engaged before ditching him for Ben Gazzara. This was fortunate, as Young went on to experiment with LSD and ended up shooting his fourth wife and himself. Less percipient was her decision to get rid of Gazzara when she unwisely fell in love with Rock Hudson well known in green room circles as a rampant homosexual. Eventually, in 1973 and aged 47, she met and married John Bay, her co-star in Small Craft Warnings. When they got engaged, Elaine Stritch called home to ask her father whether she should bring her fiancé home to see if he approved of him. “No, just marry him,” came the reply. “Don’t let him get away.” The marriage lasted a happy 10 years, until Bay died of cancer. Since her early years Elaine Stritch had suffered from stage fright and, when prayers did not do the trick, she quelled her nerves with alcohol. By the late 1970s her opening gambit at every watering hole was “I’d like four martinis and a floor plan”. Sacked from shows and thrown out of clubs, she failed to stop drinking even after she became diabetic. But after suffering a severe attack in the hallway of a New York hotel (from which she was saved only because a passing waiter happened to be carrying a Pepsi), she went on the wagon and never touched another drop. In 2002 she made a triumphant return on Broadway in her one-woman retrospective of her career, Elaine Stritch At Liberty, co-written with John Lahr, which played to sell-out audiences at London’s Old Vic the following year. “There’s good news and bad news,” she told her audience. “The good: I have a sensational acceptance speech for a Tony. The bad: I’ve had it for 45 years.” In a typical Stritchian postscript, when she really did make the speech after being awarded a Tony for her performance, it was so long that the orchestra cut her off in mid-flow. Afterwards she gave an angry, tearful press conference. The show also won her the Drama Desk award for best solo performance and a nomination for the Olivier Award for her performance at the Old Vic. In 2003 she was made a “Living Landmark” of New York City for her contributions to Broadway, and in 2010-11 she appeared in a Broadway revival of A Little Light Music. She was the subject of a documentary film, Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me, released earlier this year. Date of Birth: 10 August 1939, Leicester, UK Birth Name: Frances M Carroll Nicknames: Kate O’Mara The British actress was best known for her role as sister to Joan Collins' Alexis Colby in the US soap. She also had prominent roles in the '80s series Howards' Way and Triangle, and in Doctor Who. Her agent said she died in a Sussex nursing home following a short illness. He praised her "energy and vitality" and her "love for theatre and acting". Kate O’Mara was born in Leicester on August 10 1939, the daughter of John F. Carroll, an RAF flying instructor, and actress Hazel Bainbridge. After boarding school she studied at art school before becoming a full-time actress (her younger sister, Belinda, followed suit). Her early television appearances during the 1960s included roles in series such as The Saint, The Champions, The Avengers and Z-Cars. "A shining star has gone out and Kate will be dearly missed by all who knew and have worked with her," said agent Phil Belfield, who labelled the actress "extraordinary". O'Mara's first television roles were in the 1960s, but she came to public attention playing the manipulative Cassandra "Caress" Morrell in Dynasty. She played a ruthless businesswoman in BBC drama Howards' Way and was briefly a regular on the North Sea ferry drama Triangle. She also appeared in Doctor Who, opposite both Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy, as renegade Time Lord The Rani - a role she said she would love to return to. "If you put a much older woman in Doctor Who, they can identify with it," she told Digital Spy ahead of the 50th anniversary celebrations for the show, where she tweeted images of herself with former co-stars. "I think it's quite an interesting concept and if you remember things like Grimm's Fairytales, the older woman is often the villainess, often the terrifying figure why I do not know, but often she is. I think it's an idea to be exploited." On hearing the news of her death, Doctor Who co-star Baker tweeted: "Oh my goodness. Kate O'Mara is no longer with us. Sad sad news. A delightful, committed and talented lady and actress. We are the poorer." In the 1990s, O'Mara starred in BBC comedy Absolutely Fabulous as Joanna Lumley's on-screen sister Jackie, and in 2001, she made a string of appearances in ITV drama Bad Girls. More recently she had appeared in ITV soap Benidorm and a 2012 stage adaptation of Agatha Christie's Death On The Nile. One of her final public appearances saw her hosting An Evening With Kate O'Mara in London last October. She published two autobiographies and two novels, When She Was Bad and Good Time Girl. She was married to actors Richard Willis and Jeremy Young and leaves a sister, actress Belinda Carroll. Her son Dickon died last year. The actress last posted a message on Twitter on 17 March. "Thank you so much for your kind tweets," she wrote. "It's both humbling and completely overwhelming to read all of your messages. Much Love x." Date of Birth: 23 April 1928, Santa Monica, California, US Birth Name: Shirley Temple Shirley Temple was the screen’s most popular child star of the 1930s, receiving at the age of eight 135,000 birthday gifts from fans the world over. Throughout the Depression years, her sunny disposition helped audiences forget their woes and a special Oscar was presented to her for “bringing more happiness to millions of children and millions of grown-ups than any other child of her years in the history of the world”. It might have turned many a tiny tot’s head, but Shirley had her mother constantly at her side to ensure she was kept on an even keel. Gertrude Temple was the architect of Shirley’s career, masterminding every aspect, every contract, what she ate, when she slept. Before each take, she would coach her, ignoring the director, and give her last-minute instructions. “Sparkle, Shirley,” she would say. A shrewd businesswoman, she knew instinctively how to manipulate the studios and their publicity machines to her daughter’s advantage. For good or ill, she turned little Shirley into a phenomenon. Everything she did was news. In October 1936, the world gasped as a bulletin flashed over the Reuter wires: “Shirley Temple has been sent to bed with a slight fever resulting from a cold.” She was acting in pictures from the age of four and rapidly captivated filmgoers with her blond ringlets and dimpled charm. Dolls, books and games were named after her in a merchandising campaign matched only by Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. Yet her talent was modest. She sang off-key and cynics dismissed her dancing as “mere jigging up and down”. She liked to do impersonations but her acting was generally regarded as cute rather than compelling. She had the child star’s built-in self-destruct mechanism what had seemed peachy in a moppet became arch in adolescence. Attempts to extend her career into young womanhood were unsuccessful and she made her last film in 1949 washed up in Hollywood at 21. Yet that was not the end of the Shirley Temple story. Against all sceptics’ expectations, the little girl who had never had a normal childhood matured into a distinguished politician and diplomat. She stood (unsuccessfully) for Congress before representing America at the United Nations and serving as US ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia under her married name of Shirley Temple Black. She was born on April 23 1928 in Santa Monica, California, the daughter of a bank teller. Like many a proud mother, Gertrude Temple enrolled her child in dancing classes at the age of three and promoted her vigorously. A talent scout from Educational Pictures, a small company specialising in shorts, spotted Shirley and invited her for a screen test, which led to her appearance in 1932-33 in a string of film spoofs known as Baby Burlesks. Among them were The Incomparable More Legs Sweetrick (as Marlene Dietrich), The Pie-Covered Wagon and Polly-Tix in Washington. She alternated these performances with small parts in now forgotten feature movies such as The Red-Haired Alibi (1932) and To the Last Man (1933), opposite Randolph Scott. While filming a second series of shorts for Educational under the title Frolics of Youth, she and her mother were approached by the much bigger Fox Film Corporation (later Twentieth Century-Fox) with a view to Shirley featuring in the film Stand Up and Cheer (1934). She passed the audition and was signed up for $150 a week. When the film opened, she stole the show with the song and dance routine Baby Take a Bow. Recognising her star potential, Fox swung its publicity department into action. But it did not have her under exclusive contract. Earlier in the year, the astute Mrs Temple had forged a two-picture deal with Paramount and it was that studio that initially reaped the benefit of her sudden fame. It rushed her into two pictures in 1934 to fulfil the contract Little Miss Marker, based on a Damon Runyan story, and Now and Forever, in which she was the go-between who reunites an estranged couple played by Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard. On the strength of these pictures, Shirley’s Fox contract was renegotiated to $1,250 a week. She was cast in Bright Eyes, where she sang one of the songs indelibly associated with her, On the Good Ship Lollipop, and from then on vehicles were written especially for her. By the end of 1934, aged six, she was the eighth biggest draw in America. A year later, she was number one and held that position four years in a row, attracting more fan mail than Greta Garbo and being photographed more often than the President himself. “I class myself with Rin Tin Tin,” she volunteered brightly. She churned out pictures at a tremendous lick sometimes five a year through the late-1930s and the public clamoured for more. Features included, in 1935, The Little Colonel, Curly Top, a remake of Daddy Long Legs, and The Littlest Rebel, in which she told Abraham Lincoln that he was almost nice enough to be a Confederate. The 1936 clutch had Captain January, Dimples and Poor Little Rich Girl, while in 1937, the title role in an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s Wee Willie Winkie was changed from boy to girl especially to accommodate her. Her work in this film led to a notorious libel suit involving the future novelist Graham Greene, then employed as a film critic by the magazine Night and Day. At a cocktail party, after what he later described as “a dangerous third Martini” Greene dreamt up the idea of deflating the Temple balloon, but he peppered his review of her performance in Wee Willie Winkie with such litigious terms as “bilious coquetry”, “dimpled depravity” and “mature suggestiveness”. Shirley and Twentieth Century-Fox sued. In court in March, 1938, Sir Patrick Hastings, counsel for the plaintiffs, was too mortified to bring himself to utter Greene’s words. “In my view”, he said, “it is one of the most horrible libels that one can imagine about a child. I shall not read it is better I should not but a glance at the statement of claim ... is sufficient to show the nature of the libel. This beastly publication appeared but it is right to say that every respectable news distributor in London refused to be party to its sale.” The plaintiffs won; $5,250 punitive damages were awarded to Fox, $7,000 to the actress and Night and Day folded. But as a postscript to the episode, the mature Shirley Temple bore the novelist no grudge. In 1989, she sent him an inscribed copy of her autobiography, Child Star, and invited him to tea. The year 1938 marked the high-water mark of her popularity. She appeared in Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (without ringlets for the first time), in Little Miss Broadway and Just around the Corner at a fee of $100,000 a picture, which made her Hollywood’s highest-paid earner after Louis B Mayer. By 1939 he fee had jumped to $300,000, but public taste was changing. Susannah and the Mounties was disappointing and The Blue Bird was, by common consent, a “turkey”. MGM had wanted to borrow her for The Wizard of Oz, but Fox refused, casting her instead in what it hoped would be a rival children’s attraction . But Maeterlinck’s arty symbolism in The Blue Bird found no favour with the public. It opened in selected cinemas a few days before Christmas 1939, but proved such a dud that it had to be withdrawn after only a few days and replaced by a Sonja Henie ice-skating musical. When generally released in 1940, The Blue Bird met with no warmer response, becoming Shirley’s first unmitigated flop. Gertrude Temple blamed Fox and offered to buy out the remainder of Shirley’s contract. Fox raised no objections and, at the age of 11, she took a “sabbatical” from the cinema, ostensibly to repair gaps in her patchy education. Though her vocabulary was officially said to be 750 words, “all of which she can write”, she had trouble with numbers over 50. According to her teacher, she still thought 47 cents was more than 55 cents. In fact, Shirley’s absence from the screen was an opportunity for her mother to negotiate a fresh contract with another studio. She picked MGM, but it was not a happy choice. The studio was grooming its own child prodigy in Judy Garland and found only one vehicle for Shirley, the lacklustre Kathleen (1941). Roger Edens, who was Garland’s coach, let it be known that Shirley would have to put in a lot of singing and dancing practice if she hoped to be worthy of the studio. Mrs Temple took umbrage and took off. After a remake of a Mary Pickford picture, Miss Annie Rooney (1942) at United Artists, Shirley gravitated to David O Selznick, who signed her to a seven-year contract, but as a teenager she could no longer command lead roles. Selznick cast her only in supporting parts in Since You Went Away (1944) and I’ll Be Seeing You (1945). In that year, aged 17, she also completed her interrupted education by graduating from Westlake High School for Girls in Los Angeles. She then published her first autobiography, My Young Life, and was married to army sergeant-turned actor John Agar. The last four years of her screen career were an anticlimax. Her infant precocity gave way to mere pertness (of which there is no shortage in Hollywood) in such films as The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer (1947), That Hagen Girl (1947), with Ronald Reagan, and A Kiss for Corliss (1949), her screen swansong, opposite David Niven. This period also included the first film in John Ford’s cavalry trilogy, Fort Apache (1948), in which she co-starred, aged 20, with her husband. When the marriage failed, she was married again (in 1950) to a wealthy San Francisco businessman, Charles Black. She largely retired from acting to concentrate on social work, though from 1957 to 1959 she narrated and appeared in a television series entitled Shirley Temple’s Storybook. This was followed in 1960 by Shirley Temple Presents Young America, a programme about the problems of high-school dropouts. From 1960 she played a leading role in developing the San Francisco film festival, resigning in 1966 only over the decision to screen the Swedish film Night Games, which she denounced as “pornography for profit”. In 1967 she ran for Congress to fill a dead man’s shoes (Republican J Arthur Younger). Though her recording of On the Good Ship Lollipop was used as a theme song at rallies, she insisted that “Little Shirley Temple is not running. If someone insists on pinning me with a label, let it read Shirley Temple Black, Republican independent.” But in the era of Lyndon Johnson, her conservative stance on taxes, law and order and drug addiction lost her the seat. After her election defeat, she continued to work for the Republican party, raising funds and urging Americans overseas to back Richard Nixon in the forthcoming presidential campaign. When elected, Nixon named her one of the five-member American delegation to the 24th session of the United Nations General Assembly. In this capacity she served in 1969 on the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee. Her subsequent diplomatic career included US ambassador to Ghana (1974-76), sparking a trend for Ghanaian children to be named Shirley (including boys), and to the former Czechoslovakia, to which she was appointed by President Bush in 1989. Date of Birth: 3 September 1932, Los Angeles, US Birth Name: Verla Eileen Regina Brennan Nicknames: Eileen Brennan Eileen Brennan, the American actress was best known for her role as the tough-talking Army captain Doreen Lewis in the 1980 film comedy Private Benjamin, in which she starred alongside Goldie Hawn. As tormentor-in-chief to Goldie Hawn’s high society recruit, Eileen Brennan earned an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress, and when she reprised the role in a television sitcom adapted from the film, she won two further awards, an Emmy and a Golden Globe. Guest roles on such television shows as Murder, She Wrote; thirtysomething; Taxi; and Will & Grace (in which she played an over-the-top acting coach) earned her six more Emmy nominations. On film she made a brief appearance as the crazy Cat Lady in the horror film Jeepers Creepers in 2001. Her last big screen appearance was in the 2011 comedy film Naked Run. Her role in Private Benjamin led to a lasting friendship with Goldie Hawn. In 1982, a couple of years after they had made the film, the two women had dinner in Venice, California. As they left the restaurant, Eileen Brennan was struck by a car, in an accident which smashed her legs, broke bones on the left side of her face, and shattered her left eye socket. She later recalled seething with rage at what had happened: “I was no saint. I was angry, and anger is a powerful emotion. It increased my determination not to go under, to get well.” She took three years off work to recover, but became addicted to painkillers, and eventually entered the Betty Ford clinic to cure her dependency. She later received treatment for breast cancer. Ten years after the accident Eileen Brennan said she was glad she had been hit by the car. “You learn from powerful things,” she said in 1992. “Initially, there’s enormous anger, but your priorities get shifted around.” The daughter of a doctor of Irish descent, Verla Eileen Regina Brennan was born on September 3 1932 in Los Angeles. Her mother had acted in silent films. Educated in convent schools, she went on to study at Georgetown University and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. Her first major role on the New York stage was in Little Mary Sunshine, a musical that earned her the 1960 Obie award for best actress. In 1964 she played Irene Malloy in the original production of Hello, Dolly! on Broadway. In Hollywood the director Peter Bogdanovich cast her as a weary waitress who inherits the café where she works in The Last Picture Show (1971). Her other films included The Sting (receiving excellent reviews as the brothel madam with a heart of gold); The Cheap Detective; Clue and Divorce American Style. On television her versatility led to appearances in All in the Family; McMillan & Wife; Kojak; The Love Boat; Mad About You; and 7th Heaven. As well as being cast as the gruff Capt Doreen Lewis in Private Benjamin, Eileen Brennan applied her perfect sense of comic timing to several other sharp-tongued film roles including that of the aloof and world-weary Mrs Peacock in Clue (1985), and the cruel orphanage superintendent Miss Bannister in The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking (1988). Date of Birth: 30 October 1914, Hackney, East London, UK Birth Name: Anna Eva Lydia Catherine Wing Nicknames: Anna Wing Anna Wing became a household name in her 70s as Albert Square's indomitable matriarch. When Anna Wing took on her most famous role, in EastEnders in 1985, the Sun ran the headline: "Enter the dragon ... Lou Beale!" As hard as nails and as brittle as pressed flowers, Lou was one of a declining breed, a widowed East End mother whose power indoors was absolute, but whose attitude towards the outside world was one of mounting fear and alienation. She played Albert Square's indomitable matriarch for only four years but Wing became synonymous for many with her character. The original character outline by Julia Smith and Tony Holland, creators of EastEnders, described Lou Beale thus: " the changing face of the area (especially the immigrants) is a constant source of fear to her, but then she doesn't go out much. She prefers to be at home, or on a trip down memory lane." Wing recognised this stereotypical character since she had grown up among just such women. Born in Hackney, east London, she took along her birth certificate to the audition to prove she was the daughter of a greengrocer which was fitting since Lou and her late husband Albert had built up the Beales' business running a fruit and veg stall on Walford Market. At the time of her audition, Wing was 71 and the show's producers worried about whether she was up to EastEnders' tough filming schedules. "All my life I've been an actress, now I want to be a household name," she told them. She worked 70 hours a week for four years to achieve that aim, playing Lou largely from an armchair, dispensing reminiscences to the family faithful. "I can recall when there was 25 of us round this table for Sunday winkles, and separate tables out in the yard for the kiddies," she said once. She could even reflect on the menopause with her trademark combination of denial and sentiment: "I never had all that trouble. I just got on with it. In my day, we fetched ourselves by the bootstraps and carried on no matter what." By 1988, Wing had had enough. She asked to be written out. "We had 31 million viewers and it was shown all over the world, and I suddenly thought 'Should I be in this?'... I had a crisis of conscience." So the scriptwriters obligingly killed Lou off. She returned from an outing to Leigh on Sea feeling ill and retreated to bed. After giving putative wisdom to her descendants, she said her last words: "That's you lot sorted. I can go now." At the Queen Vic after her funeral, her son Pete proposed a toast to that "bloody old bag". Wing deserves disentangling from the legend of Lou Beale. She was several things unimaginable to her soap character, including a Quaker and CND supporter. She decided, aged 11, that she wanted to be an actor after seeing John Gielgud on stage at the Old Vic (in 1977, she appeared with her idol in Alan Resnais' film Providence). After attending the Croydon School of Acting in south London, Wing worked extensively in repertory theatre. She also worked as a teacher and an artist's model, at tenpence an hour. "I had a very attractive body, a Renoir, and they were mad about it." A lifelong pacifist, when war broke out in 1939 she took a nursing course and volunteered with the Red Cross. After the war, she worked both as a nursery school teacher and as a stalwart of repertory theatre, where she met her first husband, the merchant navy lieutenant and actor Peter Davey. The pair had a son, Mark, and were divorced in 1947. In 2007, she reckoned to have appeared in at least 50 plays in 68 years, among them Early Morning in 1969 and A Man for All Seasons in 1971. During the 70s, she worked with her eldest son Mark Wing-Davey, the actor and director, in Sheffeld Crucible's production of Free for All. She also had small parts in films such as Billy Liar (1963) and an adaptation of Ibsen's A Doll's House (1973). Between 1953 and 1960, she was the partner of the surrealist poet Philip O'Connor, whom she encouraged to write his first book, the extraordinary Memoirs of a Public Baby (1958). She once lamented that she had nothing to remember O'Connor by but a scribbled farewell note reading: "I love you, the gist of it is, I've been unfaithful. Have packed and gone." She said: "I pined for him for 15 years." She had a second son, John, with O'Connor. Wing appeared in the ATV soap Market in Honey Lane between 1967 and 1969. The drama was set in a Cockney market, and made at Elstree studios where, 20 years later, she would film EastEnders. During this era, she also had roles in Dixon of Dock Green, Z Cars and Play for Today. But EastEnders was to be her big, if belated, break. After EastEnders, she had parts in Casualty, Doctors, French and Saunders, The Bill, Silent Witness and Doctor Who. In the cinema, in 2004, she appeared opposite Orlando Bloom in The Calcium Kid and as an ancient fairy in Tooth. That year, she was made an MBE for her services to drama and charity. Perhaps her strangest incarnation was in 2012 as a nonagenerian East End gangster in a music video for the band Quarrel. She played an indomitable woman bent on purging her manor of funk music. Date of Birth: 1926, Wood Green, London, UK Birth Name: Pat Ashton Pat Ashton was an actor for over four decades. Probably her most important TV role was that of Annie, wife of a burglar (Bob Hoskins) who comes out of prison to find that his old friend (John Thaw) has moved in, in Thick As Thieves (1974). When Yorkshire TV declined a second series, the writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais took the idea to the BBC, where it was developed into the much-loved series Porridge. Pat was born and raised in Wood Green, north London. During her early years, the piano was the focus of entertainment at home, with her brother Richard playing all the popular songs of the day. Her grandmother had been a trapeze artist, performing in front of the tsar in Russia, and Pat quickly became fascinated with music hall, learned to tap-dance from an early age and went on to study singing with Manlio Di Veroli.After the second world war she ran "concert parties", essentially variety shows, some of which, at the Gaumont cinema in Wood Green, featured the young Barry Took. After finding an agent, Pat performed at seaside resorts around England in summer season shows.In the early 60s, trading on her singing and dancing, she toured Europe with Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop in Oh! What a Lovely War. Her early West End shows included Half a Sixpence and The Match Girls, and later she appeared in Stepping Out. She also performed regularly at the Players' theatre in London.One of her first TV breaks was taking the role of Fanny Cornforth opposite Oliver Reed in Ken Russell's Dante's Inferno (1967), a film in the Omnibus series on the life of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, this later led to a small role in Russell's 1971 film The Devils.By the 1970s other TV producers had picked up on her popular blonde, cockney persona. In fact, in 1970 she understudied Barbara Windsor in the Ned Sherrin-produced musical Sing a Rude Song, based on the life of music hall singer Marie Lloyd, and successfully took the lead role when Windsor was struck down with laryngitis. Pat took TV roles in On the Buses (1971, and appeared in two spinoff films), Both Ends Meet (1972, with Dora Bryan), Yus My Dear (1976, with Arthur Mullard), Rooms (1977), The Benny Hill Show (1972-80), The Gaffer (1981-83, with Bill Maynard) and Tripper's Day (1984, with Leonard Rossiter). Date of Birth: 17 September 1920, Hampstead, London, England, UK Birth Name: Dinah Mec Nicknames: Dinah Sheridan Dinah Sheridan was a graceful actress fondly remembered for her performances in two of the most thoroughly British, good-natured and popular comedies in modern screen history Genevieve (1953) and The Railway Children (1970). In the first she played the wife of a vintage car enthusiast and perched prettily but unenthusiastically atop a 1904 Darracq (named Genevieve) which is driven from London to Brighton by her dull barrister husband Alan (John Gregson). The journey is riddled with mishap, and on the return leg they try to beat another couple in a race back to Westminster. Subtly deploying her smiling mouth and high cheekbones to express doubts about the sort of Englishman who puts more emotion and sincerity into the running of his car than his marriage, Dinah Sheridan’s comic instinct and control were precise and stylish. When the girlfriend of her husband’s racing rival confides that her escort “only thinks about cars and the other thing”, Dinah Sheridan, without batting an eyelid, replies: “Alan only thinks about cars.” Genevieve proved hugely popular, and won a Bafta for best film. Dinah Sheridan was then in the prime of her career, having made two dozen films. But having tasted success, she married John Davis, her boss at the Rank Organisation, and promptly had 13 years of retirement imposed upon her. It was only following her separation from Davis, her second husband, that she began acting again. Then, after bringing wit and elegance to a succession of West End comedies, farces and thrillers, she picked up on-screen where she had left off, joining the cast of another huge hit, Lionel Jeffries’s The Railway Children. Taken from an Edwardian story by E Nesbit about a mother and her three children adapting to straitened circumstances in the Yorkshire countryside after the father, a Foreign Office official, is wrongly convicted of treachery, the film is best-remembered for the adventures of city-bred children exploring a new life in the countryside. None the less, Dinah Sheridan achieved through restraint an affecting emotional eloquence that was crucial to the film’s appeal. She was born Dinah Mec on September 17 1920 at Hampstead Garden Suburb. A sickly child, she contracted tuberculosis at the age of five. “I was pushed around in a spinal carriage until I was well enough to learn to walk again at age six and a half,” she recalled. Her father was Russian, while before the war her German mother ran a photographic business, for which Dinah posed willingly and often from an early age. Later the Royal family became clients, and only the Mecs, under the trading name of Studio Lisa (her mother’s first name), were allowed to photograph the royal pantomimes at Christmas. Educated at the Italia Conti school of acting, Dinah made her professional debut aged 11 in Where the Rainbow Ends (Holborn Empire, 1932), and proved a particularly lovely Wendy in Peter Pan, a role she played, from the age of 15, at least 100 times. By then she had already appeared in her first feature film, Give My Heart (1935), having perused a telephone directory to select “Sheridan” as a stage name. The following year she was the first actress to broadcast on television from Alexandra Palace, in Picture Page. Her first film lead also came in 1936 with Irish and Proud of It. After such domestic English epics as Father Steps Out (1937), Merely Mr Hawkins (1938), and Full Speed Ahead (1939) she spent two years during the early part of the war in provincial rep, also driving an ambulance at Welwyn Garden City. Then came such films as Salute John Citizen (1942); Get Cracking (1945, with George Formby); Murder in Reverse (1947); Calling Paul Temple (1948); The Story of Shirley Yorke (1949); The Huggetts Abroad (1949); and Paul Temple’s Triumph (1950). Despite such regular work, it was not until she played the game warden’s wife in Harry Watt’s film about African wildlife, Where No Vultures Fly (1951), that her acting received wide acknowledgement. And only after further parts, in The Sound Barrier (1952), Appointment in London (1953) and The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan (1953), did she finally achieve in Genevieve stardom. Success came at the same moment as the end of her 11-year marriage to the actor Jimmy Hanley, with whom she had a son and a daughter. Davis soon proposed on one condition that she give up acting “to have a happy home”. It was a condition she seemed at first to accept: “I looked at films as a career from necessity but all I have really wanted is my home and children. The two things just do not work out together when one has to leave home at 5.30am in the morning to go to the studio.” Soon things changed. Two years later, in 1956, she resented having to turn down a big part in Reach for the Sky, the biopic about Douglas Bader. “I had promised my husband never to accept another engagement. It was hard. It was not a very happy time for me.” It was two years after the end of her second marriage in 1965 that she returned to the stage in a drawing room comedy by Hugh and Margaret Williams, Let’s All Go Down the Strand (Phoenix). In it she had the only serious role that of a wife who insists on divorcing her husband after his first sexual lapse. Noting her “promising” comeback to the West End, the Telegraph’s critic WA Darlington praised her as “one of the clearest and best speakers on our stage”. “She had the task of winning our sympathy,” he added, “and brought it off with much charm.” Subsequent stage productions included A Boston Story (Duchess, 1968); Out of the Question (St Martin’s, 1969); A Touch of Purple (Thorndike, Leatherhead, 1972); Move Over Mrs Markham (Vaudeville, 1972); The Card (Queen’s 1973); The Gentle Hook (Piccadilly, 1974); In the Red (Whitehall, 1977); and a tour of Half Life, which took her to Toronto. If she rarely grappled with the classics, it was perhaps because she never could evoke persuasively that streak of hardness that goes with many great roles. So it was natural that, as she matured, it was as old flames, obliging widows, demure or indignant wives that she was most appreciated. Her femininity, likeability, integrity and sense of comedy contributed richly to the success of such West End hits as The Pleasure of His Company (Phoenix, 1976), A Murder Is Announced (Vaudeville, 1977) and Present Laughter (1981). Despite the success of The Railway Children, she only made one more film The Mirror Crack’d, a Miss Marple adaptation starring Angela Lansbury as Agatha Christie’s detective. She did take several television roles, though, and could be seen thereafter in Don’t Wait Up (as Nigel Havers’s mother), and Winning Streak. In the early 1990s she also appeared frequently on the afternoon game show Countdown.	i don't know
What is the name for the Parliament on the Isle of Man?	Tynwald - Parliament of the Isle of Man - Welcome Page Content Welcome to the Oldest Continuous Parliament in the World The High Court of Tynwald is the parliament of the Isle of Man and has an unlimited, but not necessarily exclusive, legislative competence.Tynwald is of Norse origin and over 1,000 years old, and is thus the oldest parliament in the world with an unbroken existence. It has two Branches, the Legislative Council and the House of Keys , which sit separately to consider legislation, but also sit together in Douglas, and annually at St John's, for other parliamentary purposes.	Tynwald
Who was the first poet to be buried in Poet’s Corner, Westminster Abbey?	Everything You Always Wanted To Know About The Isle Of Man (But Were Too Afraid To Ask) Your Post Has Been Launched! Fabulous! Don't forget to share with your friends on Twitter and Facebook. Everything You Always Wanted To Know About The Isle Of Man (But Were Too Afraid To Ask) Who would have thought a 15 mile wide island would have so much to offer. A simple one to start with - and under no circumstance is this to be confused with ‘mancs’. You’ve been warned. ID: 1193606 Manx Gaelic, though once spoken by the majority of the population, is now considered a critically endangered language with only a handful of fluent speakers remaining. The language’s last native speaker, Ned Maddrell, died in 1974. ID: 1193625 freewebs.com Like the rest of the UK the currency of the Isle of Man is pound sterling, however it does print it’s own money. The main difference between Manx money and money found in the rest of UK is that pound notes are still used on the Isle of Man. ID: 1193637 The Laxey Wheel (nicknamed Lady Isabella) has a diameter of 22.1m and was built in 1854 to extract water from the nearby mines. ID: 1193641 Though they moved to Manchester at a young age, the Bee Gees were in fact born on the Isle of Man. ID: 1193666 morethanthegames.co.uk Mark Cavendish - Tour de France green jersey and world championship winner - is without doubt the most famous Manxman in the world right now. In 2006 he won Commonwealth gold for the Isle of Man in the scratch race, leaving them 19th on the medal table. This put them above such countries as Northern Ireland and Bangladesh - the latter has a population of 161 million, compared to the Island’s 80,000. ID: 1193685 amadeusphotography.com And Cav isn’t the Isle of Man’s only cycling superstar. Last summer Manxman Peter Kennaugh was one quarter of the winning Team Pursuit team that coasted to victory in the velodrome - this was the Island’s first Olympic gold in over a century. ID: 1193700 wordpress.com When it’s not producing world-beating sportsman or one of the best selling pop groups of all time, the Isle of Man also likes to spawn Hollywood starlets. Island born Sam Barks starred alongside Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman in Les Misérables. ID: 1193742 Like Jersey and Guernsey in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man is a Crown Dependency. This means that they are self-governing, and whilst they follow the UK in many respects, they are free to make laws of their own. ID: 1193759 As the Isle of Man isn’t part of the UK, it is therefore technically not in the European Union either. ID: 1193767 flickr.com Tynwald - the originally Norse name given to the Island’s parliament - is claimed to be the oldest continuous parliament in the world, dating by to 979AD. Pictured above is Tynwald Hill, where once a year (July 5th - Tynwald Day) the government read out a summary of the laws the have been passed over the previous year. ID: 1193788 Perhaps the most famous of the laws unique to the island - and probably part of the reason why Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson has a property there. ID: 1193812 s0.geograph.org.uk Snaefell - the only true mountain on the Isle of Man - is thought to be the only place in the British Isles from where you can see England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales (and the Isle of Man, obviously). Though this is only possible on the clearest of days. ID: 1193852 upload.wikimedia.org A few months into the war, the British government decided that the Isle of Man would be an ideal location for an internment camp. In July 1940 Hutchinson Internment Camp was opened - at it’s peak the camp (which consisted of just 33 houses) was home to over 1,200 internees. ID: 1193928 Strange, but true. A number of the competitors in the Google Lunar X Prize (a $30 million competition for the first privately funded team to send a robot to the moon) are based on the Island. ID: 1193869 tiptopglobe.com Manx cats are a breed of cat (surprisingly enough) that originate on the Island - they have a naturally occurring mutation that leaves them without a tail. They can be splint into two categories - stumpies; those with a small hint of a tail an inch or so long, and rumpies; the completely tailless. ID: 1193883 The Manx Loaghtan is a breed of sheep that is only found on the Isle of Man. It is characterized by having four (or sometimes six) horns, and is considered critically endangered, with just 1,500 breeding females remaining. ID: 1193889 news.spyderclub.co.uk The Isle of Man TT (or Tourist Trophy) is a world famous race that has taken place annually since 1907. The course consists of almost 38 miles of public road, with the current lap record standing at 17:12.30. This lap was recorded by John McGuinness, at an average speed of 131.5mph. ID: 1193905 michaelgraham.com Barack Obama has been vocal in his criticisms of so-called ‘Tax Havens’ like the Isle of Man. There is a top rate of income tax of 20%, whilst corporation tax is 0% for almost all types of business. As a result there is one company registered on the Isle of Man for every two of its 80,000 residents. ID: 1193914 Sorry, but you can only react up to 3 times! Oops! It looks like you've already used that reaction on this post. You are signed in as . I know, right? Will your friends agree? Share this Link Everything You Always Wanted To Know About The Isle Of Man (But Were Too Afraid To Ask) https://www.buzzfeed.com/davidcolby/everything-... Who would have thought a 15 mile wide island would have so much to offer. Your link was successfully shared! Promoted by	i don't know
Which fish is included in the ingredients of Worcestershire Sauce?	What are the Ingredients of Worcestershire Sauce? You are here: Home / Culinary Arts / What are the Ingredients of Worcestershire Sauce? What are the Ingredients of Worcestershire Sauce? Worcestershire sauce is originally produced by Lea and Perrins. Although there are substitute and home made options these days, the exact recipe that the company uses still remains a top secret. The recipe of Lea and Perrins may remain tightly locked inside a volt but the general ingredients for concocting a delicious Worcestershire sauce is known to many. The rich flavor is achieved by using ample amount of fish. Hence it is not vegan and it is not recommended for people who are allergic to seafood. Vinegar plays an essential role in creating this delicious sauce. It gives the tangy flavor which makes it delightful for the taste buds. Because of the vinegar, this sauce becomes a perfect companion for various types of food. The generous amount of vinegar that it has provides the acidity that this sauce is known for. When there is vinegar, there should be an ingredient that balances out the taste by giving it a little sweetness, right? Molasses is the key in neutralizing the vinegar. Aside from the sweet taste that this gives, it also improves the texture of the sauce, making it thicker and more viscous. Aside from using other types of fish as an ingredient, Worcestershire sauce also contains a specific fish: anchovies. This is essential for creating an interesting flavor which heightens the taste of the food to which this sauce is added to. This ingredient makes the sauce perfect, especially for various types of meat dishes. More Recipes? View the Recipe Index Yes, there are brands of Worcestershire sauce that contain high fructose corn syrup though most of them use natural sugar. This usually causes an alarm especially to people who aim to regulate their blood sugar level due to diabetes. The good news is that, the use of this ingredient is limited and remains much lower than those found in sodas and processed juices. Since the primary role of this ingredient is to add a little more sweetness to the sauce, people who aim to create it can find healthier sweetening substitute. The original Lea and Perrins ingredients include tamarind concentrate. Tamarind is a type of fruit which can be seen in Africa and Asia. This is known to have a distinct combination of sweetness and sourness. Adding this to the sauce allows it to have a more natural combination of the two flavors and regulates the strong flavor caused by mixing vinegar and molasses. Of course, the sauce would not be complete without adding some more spices. Onions, salt and garlic are all staple ingredients for making this sauce. Because of this spices, even dishes which taste a bit bland will automatically have an exciting flavor once the sauce is used. Adding all those ingredients together would result to a pasty sauce which might not be pleasing to use on dishes, especially because it involves the use of molasses. Hence, it is important to dilute the concoction with ample amount of water. This is the key in achieving a smooth and consistent texture which makes the Worcestershire sauce the perfect companion for a myriad of dishes.	Anchovy
An ossuary is a room or container in which what are kept?	Worcestershire Sauce recipe \| The Taste of Aussie The Taste of Aussie Bringing the best recipes to you Search for: The Cook Leave a comment Worcestershire sauce, usually shortened to Worcester sauce, is a fermented liquid condiment. It is often an ingredient in Welsh Rarebit , Caesar Salad , Oysters Kilpatrick , and sometimes added to Chilli Con Carne , Beef Stew , Hamburgers , and other Beef Dishes . Worcestershire sauce is also used to flavour cocktails such as a Bloody Mary or Caesar . Known as salsa Inglesa (English sauce) in Spanish, it is also an ingredient in Michelada, the Mexican beer cocktail. Worcestershire sauce is made with anchovy and therefore may not be suitable for special diets. History of Worcestershire Sauce A fermented fish sauce called garum was a staple of Greco-Roman cuisine and of the Mediterranean economy of the Roman Empire, as the first-century encyclopaedist, Pliny the Elder writes in Historia Naturalis and the fourth/fifth-century Roman culinary text Apicius includes garum in its recipes. The use of similar fermented anchovy sauces in Europe can be traced back to the 17th century. The Lea & Perrins brand was commercialised in 1837 and has continued to be the leading global brand of Worcestershire sauce. Lea & Perrins Lea & Perrins Origin The origin of the Lea & Perrins recipe is unclear. The packaging originally stated that the sauce came “from the recipe of a nobleman in the county”. The company has also claimed that “Lord Marcus Sandys, ex-Governor of Bengal” encountered it while in India under the East India Company in the 1830s, and commissioned the local apothecaries to recreate it. However, author Brian Keogh concluded in his privately published history of the Lea & Perrins firm on the 100th anniversary of the Midland Road plant, that “No Lord Sandys was ever governor of Bengal, or as far as any records show, ever in India.” “Lord Marcus Sandys” may refer to Arthur Moyses William Sandys, 2nd Baron Sandys (1792–1860) of Ombersley Court, Worcestershire, who was a Lieutenant-General a member of the House of Commons at the time of the legend. The first name may be a confusion of his brother and heir, Arthur Marcus Cecil Sandys, 3rd Baron Sandys (1798–1863), although he did not succeed to the title until 1860, when the sauce was already established on the British market. The barony in the Sandys family (“sands”) had been revived in 1802 for the second baron’s mother, Mary Sandys Hill, so at the date of the legend, in the 1830s, “Lord” Sandys was actually a Lady. No identifiable reference to her could possibly appear on a commercially bottled sauce without a serious breach of decorum. A version of the story was published by Thomas Smith: We quote the following history of the well-known Worcester sauce, as given in the World. The label shows it is prepared “from the recipe of a nobleman in the county.” The nobleman may be Lord Sandys. Many years ago, Mrs. Grey, author of The Gambler’s Wife and other novels, was on a visit at Ombersley Court, when Lady Sandys chanced to remark that she wished she could get some very good curry powder, which elicited from Mrs. Grey that she had in her desk an excellent recipe, which her uncle, Sir Charles, Chief Justice of India, had brought thence, and given her. Lady Sandys said that there were some clever chemists in Worcester, who perhaps might be able to make up the powder. Messrs. Lea and Perrins looked at the recipe, doubted if they could procure all the ingredients, but said they would do their best, and in due time forwarded a packet of the powder. Subsequently the happy thought struck someone in the business that the powder might make a good sauce in solution. The profits now amount to thousands of pounds a year. According to historian and Herald for Wales, Major Francis Jones, 1908–1993, the introduction of the recipe can be attributed to Captain Henry Lewis Edwardes 1788–1866. Edwardes, originally of Rhyd-y-gors, Carmarthenshire, was a veteran of the Napoleonic wars and held the position of Deputy-Lieutenant of Carmarthenshire. He is believed to have brought the recipe home after travels in India. The article does not say how the recipe found its way to Messrs Lea and Perrins. Manufacture When the recipe was first mixed at the pharmacy of John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins, the resulting product was so strong that it was considered inedible and the barrel was abandoned in the basement. Looking to make space in the storage area a few years later, the chemists decided to try it again, discovering that the sauce had fermented and mellowed and was now palatable. In 1838 the first bottles of “Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce” were released to the general public. On October 16, 1897, Lea & Perrins relocated manufacturing of the sauce from their pharmacy to a factory in Aston on Midlands Road where it is still manufactured. The factory produces ready-mixed bottles for domestic distribution and a concentrate for bottling abroad. In 1930, the Lea & Perrins operation was purchased by HP Foods, which was in turn acquired by the Imperial Tobacco Company in 1967. HP was sold to Danone in 1988 and then to Heinz in 2005. Worcestershire Sauce Ingredients The ingredients of a traditional bottle of Worcestershire sauce sold as “The Original & Genuine Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce” are malt vinegar (from barley), spirit vinegar, molasses, sugar, salt, anchovies, tamarind extract, onions, garlic, spice, and flavouring. The “spice, and flavouring” is believed to include cloves, soy sauce, lemons, pickles and peppers. Special diets Gluten concerns Although many alternative brands are prominently labelled “gluten free”, Lea & Perrins declare that their traditional version is also gluten-free. Distillation of barley malt into vinegar removes gluten peptides that would harm coeliacs. Soy sauce normally includes a wheat base so Lea & Perrins must either be using a gluten-free soy sauce or the “flavourings” do not in fact include soy sauce. Anchovy concerns Many Worcestershire sauces contain anchovies, which is of concern for people with fish allergies and those who choose not to eat fish. The Codex Alimentarius recommends that prepared food containing Worcestershire sauce with anchovies include a label warning of fish content although this is not required in most jurisdictions. The US Department of Agriculture has forced the recall of some products with undeclared Worcestershire sauce (e.g.). Several brands sell anchovy-free varieties of Worcestershire sauce, often labelled as vegetarian or vegan. Orthodox Jews refrain from eating fish and meat in the same dish, so cannot use traditional Worcestershire sauce to flavour meat. However, certain brands are certified to contain less than 1/60th of the fish product and can be used with meat. Around the world Holbrook’s Worcestershire Sauce In Australia, there are several manufacturers of Worcestershire sauce, including Holbrook’s and Crockershire. In Brazil, Worcestershire sauce is referred to as molho inglês (literally English sauce). The original Lea & Perrins brand is difficult to obtain in Brazil, and so local producers are the primary distributors of the sauce in supermarkets and other food shops, as well as restaurants. In Canada, Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce is identical to the standard British version. It is imported from England and has the same bottle. The label is similar to the British version, but modified to include French text. In Denmark, Worcestershire sauce is commonly known as Engelsk Sauce, meaning English sauce. In Indonesia, the name for Worcestershire sauce is kecap inggris meaning “English ‘fermented sauce’ “. In South Africa, Minnies Food Enterprise manufactures Worcester Sauce under its Minnies brand. Thai Worcestershire Sauce In Thailand, the Lea & Perrins Original Worcestershire sauce on sale is, according to its label, imported from England. In Cantonese cuisine and Hong Kong cuisine, Worcestershire sauce was introduced in the 19th century via Hong Kong and is today used in dim sum items such as steamed beef meatballs and spring rolls. The Cantonese name for this sauce is gip-jap (Chinese: 喼汁; pinyin: jiézhī; Cantonese Yale: gip jāp). It is also used in a variety of Hong Kong-style Chinese and Western dishes. In Shanghai cuisine, the use of Worcestershire sauce spread from European-style restaurants in the 19th and 20th centuries to its use as an ingredient in ubiquitous Eastern European-inspired dishes, such as Shanghai-style borscht, and as a dipping sauce in Western fusion foods, such as Shanghai-style breaded pork cutlets. It is used for Chinese foods such as the shengjian mantou, which are small, pan-fried pork buns. In Shanghai, Worcestershire sauce is called la jiangyou (Chinese: 辣酱油; pinyin: làjiàngyóu; literally “spicy soy sauce”). As imported Worcestershire sauce became scarce in Shanghai after 1949, a variety of local brands appeared. These are now in turn exported around the world for use in Shanghai-style dishes. Lea & Perrins has in recent years established a plant in Guangdong, China, thus increasing availability of the original variety in China. However, it does not have a dominant market share compared to the native-grown varieties. In Japanese cuisine a thick sauce is manufactured under brand names such as ‘Bulldog’, which reflect its English origins, but this is a brown sauce more similar to HP Sauce rather than any type of Worcestershire Sauce. A thicker variety of the sauce, although labelled Worcester (rather than Worcestershire) in katakana, is commonly known as Tonkatsu Sauce and most often used as a condiment for Tonkatsu (fried, crumbed pork cutlets). Both the dish and the sauce are thought to have derived from English cuisine imported into Japan in the 19th century. Japanese Worcester sauce (pronounced as Usutā sōsu) is made from purees of fruits and vegetables such as apples and tomatoes, with sugar, salt, spices, starch and caramel. It commonly accompanies western-influenced yōshoku dishes such as the aforementioned tonkatsu and Korokke . Yakisoba sauce, and okonomiyaki sauce are also variants of Worcestershire sauce, often thicker and sweeter than the original. In United States cuisine Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce differs from the British recipe. Its ingredients are listed as: vinegar, molasses, sugar, anchovies, water, onions, salt, garlic, tamarind concentrate, cloves, natural flavourings and chilli pepper extract. The main difference is the use of distilled white vinegar in place of malt vinegar. Nonetheless, the United States version tastes almost the same as the British recipe, although some people claim the US version is slightly sweeter, less spicy, and has less depth. A thicker variety is also sold for the US market. The US version is packaged differently from the British version, coming in a dark bottle with a beige label and wrapped in paper. Lea & Perrins USA claims this practice is a vestige of shipping practices from the 19th century, when the product was imported from England, as a measure of protection for the bottles. The producer also claims that its Worcestershire sauce is the oldest commercially bottled condiment in the US. For years, the US version contained high fructose corn syrup, but sugar was used to replace this ingredient in early 2011.	i don't know
Blueberry Jelly Beans were created for which US president?	Jelly Belly Fun Facts \| Jelly Belly Candy Company Home > fun-facts Fun Facts About Jelly Belly Very Cherry remained the most popular flavor of Jelly Belly beans for two decades until 1998, when Buttered Popcorn moved into first place. In 2003 Very Cherry moved back into top position by a mere 8 million beans. Blueberry flavor was created for Ronald Reagan's presidential inauguration in 1981 when over three tons of Jelly Belly beans were consumed during the festivities. A portrait of President Ronald Reagan made from 10,000 Jelly Belly beans hangs in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. During the presidency of Ronald Reagan, Jelly Belly beans were served in the Oval Office and on Air Force One. A holder was designed for the plane so the jar of Jelly Belly beans would not spill during turbulence. It takes 7 to 21 days to make a single Jelly Belly jelly bean. The first jelly bean was created by an unknown American candy maker in the 1800s. An 1861 advertisement recommended sending jelly beans to soldiers fighting in the Civil War. Enough Jelly Belly beans were eaten in the last year to circle the earth more than five times. The original eight flavors of Jelly Belly beans introduced in 1976 were Very Cherry, Root Beer, Cream Soda, Tangerine, Green Apple, Lemon, Licorice and Grape. Jelly Belly beans were the first jelly beans in outer space when President Reagan sent them on the 1983 flight of the space shuttle Challenger Jelly Belly donated 288,000 jelly beans in 47 different flavors for the world's first jelly bean stop-motion animation music video "In Your Arms" by Kina Grannis; released November 2011.	Ronald Reagan
What is the name of the Creole stew made with okra, rice, shellfish or pork?	Jelly Beans: A Delicious Political History \| LifeZette Jelly Beans: A Delicious Political History Who knew this irresistible candy had so much bite? March 30, 2016 by Deirdre Reilly \| Updated 30 Mar 2016 at 4:09 PM Ronald Reagan, America’s 40th president and revered conservative icon, loved several things deeply. His country, his faith, his family — particularly his cherished Nancy — and one other thing: jelly beans. Specifically, licorice jelly beans — his favorite flavor. Reagan started eating jelly beans in 1967 to help him quit a pipe-smoking habit, according to the Constitution Center. He always ate jelly beans made by the Goelitz family brand of candies, and stayed true to them his whole life. "When I was a child, President Ronald Reagan was the nice man who gave us jelly beans when we visited the White House," former Rep. Ben Quayle of Arizona wrote in an article for Politico.com. "I didn’t know then, but I know it now: The jelly beans were much more than a sweet treat that he gave out as gifts. They represented the uniqueness and greatness of America — each one different and special in its own way, but collectively they blended in harmony." Reagan’s love of the small sweet candies took the family-run company from small dot on the candy map to confectionary giant almost singlehandedly. The president "made us a worldwide company overnight," said company chairman Herman Rowland, according to Fox News. The family candy company was started in 1869 in Belleville, Illinois, by Gustav Goelitz, then 24 years old. More than 100 years later it was still going strong and had relocated to Oakland, California. The future president started eating Goelitz Mini Gourmet Jelly Beans as governor of that state. The company sent Reagan a monthly jelly bean shipment throughout his two terms in office. It also custom-designed a jar for the governor’s jelly beans. When Goelitz introduced the Jelly Belly brand of jelly bean in 1976, he included the new jelly beans in Reagan’s regular shipment. Within two years, Reagan was a straight Jelly Belly man; his shipments from then on were made up of only that brand. Jelly beans followed Reagan into the highest office in the land. The sweet treats were on hand for the new commander-in-chief’s inauguration on January 20, 1981 — two-and-a-half tons of red, white and blue jelly beans. Rowland even traveled to Washington to help design a special jelly bean jar bearing the presidential seal. The company supplied Jelly Belly beans to President Reagan for all eight years of his presidency, from 1981 to 1989. "It's gotten to the point where we can hardly start a meeting or make a decision without passing around the jar of jelly beans," Reagan wrote to Rowland in 1973.	i don't know
What is the German bratwurst?	Bratwurst \| German Sausages \| German Food Guide German Food Guide Untitled Document Bratwurst The name "Bratwurst" most often refers to a sausage made from pork in a natural casing and is grilled or fried in a pan. It is a favorite in Germany, with each region having its own specialty. Raw vs. Pre-Cooked Bratwurst Some Bratwurst are sold raw, while others are sold pre-cooked. It is important to know this so that they are properly prepared before eating. Be sure to check with your butcher or deli about the Bratwurst they have available. Pre-Cooked Bratwurst The most common type of Bratwurst is the pre-cooked kind. Their shelf-life is longer and they are easier and faster to grill. They are pale and stiff in appearance. These Bratwurst are fully cooked. Simply brown them in a pan or on the grill and they are finished and ready to be eaten. Raw Bratwurst Raw Bratwurst are pink in color. Grilling them in their raw form requires skill because they must be fully cooked inside without burning the outside. One recommendation is to cook the Bratwurst in hot (not boiling) water for 5-10 minutes. Once fully cooked inside, brown the outside of the Bratwurst on the grill or in a pan. To grill the Bratwurst in their raw form without pre-cooking, grill them over low heat and frequently spritz them water or beer to cool the skin and prevent burning. When they look done, remove them from the heat and let them rest (covered) for several minutes. The Bratwurst will continue to cook inside which will take care of any part of the sausage that is not yet fully cooked. Bratwurst Varieties Each region in Germany has its own version of the Bratwurst. Over 50 kinds are available in Germany, differing in size, seasonings, and texture. Below we describe some of the more well-known Bratwurst. Coburger Bratwurst A Bratwurst originating in the city of Coburg in Bavaria . It is made from a minimum of 15% veal or beef, and its seasonings include only salt, pepper, nutmeg, and lemon zest. It is coarse in texture and measures about 10 inches in length. Traditionally it is grilled over pinecones and served in a bread roll (Brötchen). Fränkische Bratwurst A relatively long (4-8 inches), thick, coarse sausage, originating from the Franconia (Franken) region in Bavaria . It dates back to 1573. The Fränkische Bratwurst is traditionally served with sauerkraut or potato salad, but with no mustard. Kulmbacher Bratwurst The Kulmbacher Bratwurst, from the city of Kulmbach in Bavaria , is made mainly from finely ground veal. They are long and thin. Nürnberger Rostbratwurst A small, thin bratwurst from the city of Nürnberg . It is no longer than 3-4 inches and weighs no more than 1 oz. They are traditionally served is sets of 6 or 12 (depending on your appetite) with horseradish and sauerkraut or potato salad. Nordhessische Bratwurst The Nordhessische Bratwurst (from Northern Hessen ) is similar to the Thüringer Rostbratwurst in taste. It is made from coarsely ground pork and is heavily seasoned. It measures around 8 inches in length. Traditionally, it is grilled over a wood fire and served on a cut-open roll (Brötchen) with mustard. Rote Wurst The Rote Wurst is a favorite Bratwurst of the Swabian region. It is similar to the Bockwurst, and is made from finely ground pork and bacon. Its taste is spicy. To prevent splitting during grilling or pan frying, an X is cut into the ends of the sausage. The ends open during cooking, but the rest of the sausage remains in tact, giving it its traditional shape. Thüringer Rostbratwurst The Thüringer Rostbratwurst is a spicy sausage from Thüringen. It is long (6-8 inches) and thin in shape. Traditionally, it is grilled over a wood fire and eaten with mustard and bread. Würzburger Bratwurst The Würzburger Bratwurst, also known as the Winzerbratwurst, comes from the city of Würzburg . It's size is similar to the Thüringer Rostbratwurst, but its ingredients include white Franken wine. Photo: © Ira Struebel Bratwurst Sauerkraut Taschen (Bratwurst Sauerkraut Pockets) Bratwurst Cooking Tips • To get the Bratwurst to a nice, dark brown color, brush them with beer before grilling or frying. Alternatively, sprinkle the Bratwurst with a little sugar. The sugar caramelizes, giving the Bratwurst a rich brown color. • To prevent the Bratwurst skin from splitting, heat them in hot (not boiling) water for 5 minutes. Dry them, then sprinkle them with flour. Fry them in a frying pan with a little oil or butter. Where does the name Bratwurst come from? Most people would guess that the name comes from the German word braten (to fry). However, it actually comes from the word Brät, which refers to the meat mixture that makes up the sausage. The Bratwurst is therefore, in some regions in Germany, also refered to as the Brätwurst. Who invented the Bratwurst? It has been a long standing argument between the people of Thüringen and those of Franconia (Franken). Each claims to have invented the Bratwurst. In Thüringen, the oldest evidence of the Bratwurst is from the year 1404; in Franconia, the oldest record is from the year 1313 from the city of Nürnberg . However, a Bratwurst Researcher from Würzburg, Heinrich Höllerl, has discovered that the Bratwurst has its origins with the Celtics and it was the Franconians that developed it further. Home \| Directory \| Cooking \| Wurst \| Cheese \| Bread \| Sweets \| Beer \| Wine \| Holidays \| Oktoberfest \| Recipes \| About Us Copyright © 2017 German Food Guide Names, brands, and logos appearing on this website are trademarks of their respective companies. They are used here for identification purposes only.	Sausage
What word from German means ‘delighting in another’s misfortune’?	German Sausages for Oktoberfest - Oktoberfest \| Epicurious.com \| Epicurious.com Red Onion Sauerkraut L ast weekend, while enjoying a beer, a sausage, and some of the last warm days of the year, I made the mistake of wondering aloud, "Now what's the difference between knockwurst and bratwurst?" This is not a good thing to wonder aloud when you are a) a food editor and b) have a last name like "Steintrager." A friend looked at me with a mixture of shock and disdain and exclaimed, "Aren't you supposed to know this stuff?!" Yes, I am. So, to save myself from further shame and in honor of Oktoberfest (which runs from late September through early October in Munich and cities around the world), I put in a call to Bruce Aidells, renowned sausage-maker and the author of Bruce Aidells' Complete Sausage Book . Read on, unless you're a "kerndlabosti," defined on the Web site www.oktoberfest.de as "vegetarian, depreciative." Aidells explained that German sausage-makers "tend to be very subtle" with spices. The most common seasonings include salt, white—not black—pepper, and mace; then, "depending on the sausage-maker's whim or regional variations," they might contain cumin, coriander, cardamom, marjoram, thyme, sage, caraway, garlic, and cloves. Here are some common varieties: Blutwurst: Made of diced, cooked pork fat and blood, blut (blood) sausages come in many varieties served both hot and cold. Aidells's favorite contains forcemeat, blood, and diced pieces of smoked tongue. Bockwurst: These fat, mild white sausages contain finely ground pork or pork and veal flavored with leeks, chives, or green onions. Bratwurst: The name means "farmers' sausage," according to Aidells. In Germany, these sausages—which can be fresh or smoked—tend to be all pork, but they can also contain veal. Cervelat: These large smoked sausages tend to be more heavily seasoned than other German varieties. They can be eaten as cold cuts or poached and used in various dishes. Frankfurter: Hailing from Frankfurt, this is a smoky, mildly seasoned sausage distinguished by its long, narrow shape. It's usually made with pork in natural sheep casing. This casing—missing from many American sausages—is what gives the frankfurter "that nice pop," says Aidells. Knockwurst (Knackwurst): These fat smoked sausages are generally made of pork and veal and are distinguished by a strong garlic flavor. Most of these sausages can be boiled, broiled, grilled, panfried, or even deep-fried. What to serve with all of this sausage? "I always like to make a really nice pot of sauerkraut or warm potato salad with bacon ," says Aidells. He also recommends serving German breads such as pumpernickel, sour pickles, a variety of sweet and spicy mustards, and—of course—beer. Where to Buy Usinger's and Schaller & Weber are the best sources for traditional German sausages, according to Aidells. Aidells sells one German-style sausage called Bier and beer-friendly varieties such as Cajun Style Andouille, Habañero & Green Chile, and Chicken & Apple. See more on German food and drink:	i don't know
The Yiddish word ‘schmuck’ meaning a contemptible person, literally means what?	Schmuck - definition of schmuck by The Free Dictionary Schmuck - definition of schmuck by The Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/schmuck Also found in: Thesaurus , Idioms , Wikipedia . schmuck n. Slang A clumsy or stupid person; an oaf. [Yiddish shmok, penis, fool, probably from Polish smok, dragon; akin to Bulgarian smok, grass-snake; perhaps akin to Russian smoktat', to suck (since folk tradition holds that snakes suck milk from livestock), of imitative origin.] schmuck n slang US a stupid or contemptible person; oaf [from Yiddish schmuck penis, from German Schmuck decoration, from Middle High German smucken to press into] schmuck	Penis
What was the nickname of Stephen Lewis’s character in Last of the Summer Wine?	Schmuck \| Define Schmuck at Dictionary.com schmuck an obnoxious or contemptible person. Origin of schmuck 1890-95; < Yiddish shmok (vulgar) literally, penis (of uncertain origin) Dictionary.com Unabridged Examples from the Web for schmuck Expand Contemporary Examples I was no longer a plant but just some Jewish schmuck in the front row with a new pair of Ivanka Fucking Trump earrings. Christine Baranski on ‘The Good Wife’ Season 4, Diane & ‘Brady Bunch’ Jace Lacob August 15, 2012 Historical Examples Mr. schmuck sat in his chair with a sweet smile, and putting his hands together twirled his thumbs. British Dictionary definitions for schmuck Expand (US, slang) a stupid or contemptible person; oaf Word Origin from Yiddish schmuck penis, from German Schmuck decoration, from Middle High German smucken to press into Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for schmuck Expand n. also shmuck, "contemptible person," 1892, from East Yiddish shmok, literally "penis," probably from Old Polish smok "grass snake, dragon," and likely not the same word as German Schmuck "jewelry, adornments," which is related to Low German smuck "supple, tidy, trim, elegant," and to Old Norse smjuga "slip, step through" (see smock ). In Jewish homes, the word was "regarded as so vulgar as to be taboo" [Leo Rosten, "The Joys of Yiddish," 1968] and Lenny Bruce wrote that saying it on stage got him arrested on the West Coast "by a Yiddish undercover agent who had been placed in the club several nights running to determine if my use of Yiddish terms was a cover for profanity." Euphemized as schmoe, which was the source of Al Capp's cartoon strip creature the shmoo. "[A]dditional associative effects from German schmuck 'jewels, decoration' cannot be excluded (cross-linguistically commonplace slang: cf. Eng. 'family jewels')" [Mark R.V. Southern, "Contagious Couplings: Transmission of Expressives in Yiddish Echo Phrases," 2005]. But the English phrase refers to the testicles and is a play on words, the "family" element being the essential ones. Words for "decoration" seem not to be among the productive sources of European "penis" slang terms. Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper Slang definitions & phrases for schmuck Expand	i don't know
Pioneer 10 in 1983 was the first man-made object to do what?	Pioneer 10 Passes Pluto - YouTube Pioneer 10 Passes Pluto Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Jun 18, 2013 A conversion from audio cassette of a recording made by my father on June 13, 1983. At the time there was a phone number set up to listen to the signal being sent back to Earth from Pioneer 10 and the day it officially became the first man made object to leave the solar system. Category	leave solar system
Salyut in 1971 was the first ……what?	NASA Seeks to Contact Pioneer 10 - The New York Times The New York Times Science \|NASA Seeks to Contact Pioneer 10 Search NASA Seeks to Contact Pioneer 10 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Continue reading the main story LOS ANGELES -- NASA has not heard from its Pioneer 10 spacecraft since August and may have lost contact forever with the robotic probe. Nearly three decades after its March 2, 1972, launch, its eight-watt transmitter could be too weak for even the largest radio antenna on Earth to detect. Still, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is attempting to reach out across 7 billion miles of space to contact the probe. ``We are certainly challenging the network in trying to literally pick a bit of signal out of the noise,'' said Robert Ryan, who has managed ground-based communications with the probe for NASA since its launch. ``It's a combination of nostalgia and an engineering exercise to see how well we can do it.'' Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to pass through the thick belt of asteroids that orbit the sun, and in 1973 it was the first to obtain close-up images of Jupiter. In 1983, it became the first man-made object to leave the solar system when it passed the orbit of distant Pluto. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Though its mission formally ended in 1997, the probe had remained in fairly regular contact with Earth until Aug. 19. A transmitter failure, lack of power from its plutonium energy source or a simple pointing error could explain the probe's silence. NASA will listen for a signal through April, then will begin to transmit signals to try to rouse the spacecraft. It would take about 21 hours and 20 minutes for a signal to make the round trip. If the efforts fail, ``we'll have to have a wake, I guess,'' said Larry Lasher, Pioneer project manager. ``I hope it doesn't come to that, but all good things come to an end.'' Protected by the relatively benign environment of space, Pioneer 10 may well outlast Earth, albeit in silence. The probe is heading toward the red star Aldebaran in the constellation Taurus, a destination it should reach more than 2 million years from now. The spacecraft carries a gold anodized plaque engraved with message of goodwill and a map showing the Earth's location within the solar system.	i don't know
Who left little Nancy in the toilets at the Plough Inn?	David Cameron left daughter behind after pub visit \| Politics \| The Guardian David Cameron David Cameron left daughter behind after pub visit A mix-up after a family lunch meant eight-year-old Nancy was left alone at the Plough Inn in Cadsden 'for about 15 minutes' David Cameron and his wife Samantha were said to be distraught when they realised Nancy wasn’t with them. Photograph: Mark Large/AFP/Getty Images Monday 11 June 2012 07.07 EDT First published on Monday 11 June 2012 07.07 EDT Close This article is 4 years old David Cameron left his eight-year-old daughter in the pub following a Sunday lunch, after a mix-up with his wife Samantha, Downing Street has admitted. The couple's daughter Nancy wandered off to the toilets while they were arranging lifts and they only realised she was not with them when they got home, the Sun said . The prime minister rushed back to the Plough Inn in Cadsden, Buckinghamshire, where he found his daughter with staff. A Downing Street spokesman said: "The prime minister and Samantha were distraught when they realised Nancy wasn't with them. "Thankfully when they phoned the pub she was there safe and well. The prime minister went down straight away to get her." Downing Street said the incident happened "a couple of months ago". The story could prove embarrassing for the prime minister, coming on the same day as the government relaunches its £450m troubled families programme . The Camerons were at the Plough Inn, near Chequers, with Nancy and their other children, Arthur, six, and 22-month-old Florence, as well as two other families. When Cameron left the pub he went home in one car with his bodyguards and thought Nancy was with his wife and their other children in another car. Samantha Cameron had assumed her eldest daughter was with her father. The mistake was only discovered when they got home. The prime minister drove back to the pub and found Nancy helping staff. She was away from her parents for about 15 minutes. A Downing Street spokeswoman said there was no question of the Camerons blaming security for the incident. "Sam thought the PM had Nancy, the PM thought Sam had Nancy," he said. "They take responsibility for their own children. No one is going to face disciplinary action." The spokeswoman declined to discuss whether Cameron had drunk alcohol with his meal. "He had gone with friends at lunchtime, with a number of families with children, and they left in various different vehicles," she said. "As you know, the prime minister is a very busy man but he always tries to live as normal a life as possible with his family." The Sun quoted a Plough insider as telling the paper: "You'd have thought someone would have done a headcount or something. "Pub staff found their daughter in the toilet and didn't know what to do. "It's not like you can look up David Cameron in the phone book and then ring to say, 'You've left your daughter behind'. "It's frightening the prime minister of Britain can forget something so important as his own daughter." Parents share their stories of children left behind after David and Samantha Cameron's brief scare over daughter Published: 11 Jun 2012	David Cameron
Who bowed out with Blackstar?	Nancy Cameron mix-up stirs scorn and sympathy for PM \| Politics \| The Guardian Nancy Cameron mix-up stirs scorn and sympathy for PM Parents share their stories of children left behind after David and Samantha Cameron's brief scare over daughter David and Samantha Cameron. He thought their daughter was with her after a pub visit; she thought she was with him. Photograph: Kieran Doherty/AFP/Getty Images Monday 11 June 2012 13.22 EDT First published on Monday 11 June 2012 13.22 EDT Close This article is 4 years old A Number 10 spokesman said David and Samantha Cameron had been "distraught" after realising they had left behind their eight-year-old daughter after visiting a pub near Chequers two months ago. Downing Street said the Camerons had been having Sunday lunch with two other families before the mix-up. When the prime minister left the pub with his bodyguards in one car, he believed their daughter Nancy was with his wife and their two other children in a different car. Mrs Cameron, meanwhile, thought her eldest daughter was with her father. The mistake was discovered only when they got back to Chequers. Downing Street, which refused to comment on whether Cameron had had any alcohol during the trip to the Plough Inn in Cadsden, initially claimed that the prime minister dashed to the pub to pick up Nancy, who had been left in the pub toilets. No 10 later confirmed that it was Mrs Cameron who had collected her. The incident emerged on a day when the government launched a scheme to turn around the lives of 120,000 "troubled" families, providing critics with an easy target. But it was an all too familiar scenario for many parents, eliciting scorn and outbursts of empathy in roughly equal measure. A "Plough insider" told the Sun it was frightening that the prime minister could forget "something so important as his own daughter", but others were more understanding. Dr Clare Gerada, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that something similar had happened just after the birth of her son. "New baby, three weeks old. Dining out with my husband in Galway," she recalled. "Left the restaurant and, a few seconds later, up the road comes a waitress screaming at us and suddenly we realised we'd left him under the table. Shock. Horror. [In] our defence, we were absolutely exhausted and he was a new baby." James Delingpole, writing on the Telegraph website , took the events at the Plough as proof that the Camerons were as normal and fallible as any other parents. "Have I ever accidentally left any of my offspring behind in playgrounds/beaches/pubs/casinos/abattoirs/brothels?" he asked. "Quite possibly. I really can't remember but if I ever did the process would have gone something like this: massive panic. Huge bollocking from the wife. Mad dash to retrieve child/children. Relief all round. But hey, nobody died." The Guardian's Tim Dowling went a little further and confessed to leaving his baby daughter in a fishmonger's through an unlikely combination of sleep deprivation and over-excitement at the purchase of two dozen goose barnacles. "Having three children is a logistical nightmare," he admitted. "It's easy to lose track of one, especially when you try to divide the labours of parenting. My only advice is: do a headcount every hour or so, and always check the top of your car before you set off." One mother who prefaced her post on the Guardian website by stating "I can't stand David Cameron" said it could happen to anyone. "I left my two-week-old baby in a pram outside of the chemist … Walked home about 20 mins away, made a cup of tea, then sat there thinking I had forgotten something; sitting puzzling over what it was for the next five or so mins, then with horror realised I had left my precious bundle uptown somewhere! I ran back to town starting with the last place I had shopped at, there he was, sleeping beautifully in his pram none the wiser to his mummy having forgotten about him." A commenter on the Daily Mail website was also keen to point out that the Camerons had made a simple and very common mistake. "It is a normal thing for a child to wander off and a parent not to notice," she said. "I see it everyday working in a shop. If anything it shows they make the same mistakes we all do." Others chose to use Nancy Cameron's temporary absence as a springboard from some light political satire. "I blame computer games," wrote one poster on the Times website. "One minute you're playing Fruit Ninja , the next the country is in ruin, the Iranians have the bomb, and the nipper is the new darts champion down the local … " Another was blunter still: "Now if Cameron could only pull off the same trick with Nick Clegg …" But perhaps the most damning criticism of all came from Chris Driver, of Nantwich, who emailed the BBC with a plaintive observation: "Dear Today. What hope for the economy if our prime minister can't count to three?" The prime minister is not the only parent to have mislaid a child. I, too, had a shameful lapse when our children were small … Published: 11 Jun 2012	i don't know
What is the popular name for Mozart’s Divertimento in G for Strings?	Divertimento for string quartet… \| Details \| AllMusic google+ Description by Michael Jameson Mozart 's Divertimento in D major, K. 136 (K.125a) is the first of a group of works collectively known as the "Salzburg" symphonies. These works stands apart from Mozart 's remaining symphonies, in that they are set for strings alone, rather than for the otherwise customary mixed instrumentation including winds. A further point which separates these compositions from Mozart 's others in the symphonic genre, is that they are comprised of just three, rather than four individual movements, each lacking the usual Minuet. And lastly, the compact three-movement form further distinguishes the "Salzburg" symphonies from Mozart 's true Divertimentos and Serenades, which were mulit-movement creations on a large scale, regularly spanning six movements and sometimes even more. In keeping with Classical conventions, works such as these for string orchestra could also be played by the four voices of the string quartet when the occasion demanded. Indeeed, a likely explanation for the origin of these so-called "Quartet Divertimentos" is to be found in the facts of Mozart 's life at the time of composition, early in 1772. Mozart was then just 16 years of age, and already held the post of Court Concertmaster to Hieronymus Coloredo, Prince Archbishop of Salzburg. This period fell between Mozart 's second and third visits to Italy, where he may well have found the impulse to compose works in the style of the three-movement Sinfonias and Concerti Grossi which had been popular since the times of Corelli. This, however, is still a matter of considerable conjecture, and besides, had these been pieces to be played exclusively by solo instrumentalists, Mozart surely would have considered them as true string quartets. Mozart 's Divertimento (125a) seems indeed to closely mirror the style of the Italian concertos for strings, which he must certainly have encountered during his several visits to Italy. The work consists of a lively opening Allegro, in simple sonata form; a charming central Andante; and a brilliant concluding Presto. It is interesting to compare this work with its close companion in B flat, K. 137, which follows a slightly different general scheme, in which the main Allegro is placed second, and follows (unusually) a first movement headed "Andante." The brilliant inventiveness and virtuosity of the D major Divertimento is, to echo the words of Alfred Einstein (writing about another closely related work, Mozart 's perennial Eine kleine nachtmusik, the Serenade in G, K. 525) "a masterpiece of masterpieces, on the smallest possible scale." Parts/Movements	Eine kleine Nachtmusik
Music of the Night is a song from which stage musical?	Music History 102 Born: Salzburg, January 27, 1756 Died: Vienna, December 5, 1791 At the age of four he could learn a piece of music in half an hour. At five he was playing the clavier incredibly well. At six he began composing, writing his first symphonies at the age of eight. He was constantly traveling all over Europe with his father, Leopold Mozart (1719-1787), a violinist, minor composer and Vice-Kapellmeister at the court of the Archbishop of Salzburg. The musical feats and tricks of young Wolfgang were exhibited to the courts (beginning in Munich in 1762), to musical academicians, and to the public. Between the ages of seven and fifteen, the young Mozart spent half of his time on tour. During these tours, Mozart heard, absorbed, and learned various European musical idioms, eventually crystallizing his own mature style. Fully expecting to find an ideal post outside his sleepy home town of Salzburg and the detested archiepiscopal court, in 1777 Wolfgang went on a tour with his mother to Munich, Mannheim, and Paris. It was in Paris that his mother died suddenly in July, 1778. With no prospects of a job, Mozart dejectedly returned to Salzburg in 1779 and became court organist to the Archbishop. Mozart finally achieved an unceremonious dismissal from the archiepiscopal court in 1781, and thereafter became one of the first musicians in history to embark upon a free-lance career, without benefit of church, court, or a rich patron. Mozart moved to Vienna where he lived for a time with the Webers, a family he had met in 1777. He eventually married Constanze Weber in August of1782, against the wishes and strict orders of his father. Then for a time, things began to look bright for the young composer. Beginning in 1782 with the Singspiel Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), Mozart began turning out one masterpiece after another in every form and genre. Mozart is probably the only composer in history to have written undisputed masterworks in virtually every musical genre of his age. His serenades, divertimenti and dances, written on request for the entertainment and outdoor parties of the nobility, have become synonomous with the Classical "age of elegance," and are perhaps best exemplified by the well-known Serenade in G major, which the composer called Eine kleine Nachtmusik (A little night music). In Vienna, Mozart became a regular at the court of Emperor Joseph II (1741-1790), where he wrote much of his greatest music. A sampling of Mozart's mature works comprise a virtual honor roll of musical masterpieces: the last ten string quartets, the string quintets, and the Quintet for clarinet and strings; the Mass in C minor and the unfinished Requiem; the Serenade for thirteen wind instruments, the Clarinet concerto, the late piano concertos, and the last six symphonies. Mozart's more than twenty piano concertos remain models of the classic concerto form, developed by him over time into works of symphonic breadth and scope. The concertos often begin with an elaborate sonata form first movement, followed by a tender and melodious second movement, and usually conclude with a brisk, engaging rondo, as in the Piano Concerto no. 22 in E-flat. In his last three symphonies, the second of which is the great Symphony no. 40 in G minor, Mozart infused this form with a passion and expressiveness unheard of in symphonic writing until the advent of Beethoven . Of Mozart's operas, Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), composed for the Viennese court in 1786, is the earliest opera still found in the repertoire of virtually all of today's opera houses. Through his dramatic and musical genius, Mozart transformed such operatic comedies and characters into living, breathing dramas peopled with real human beings. He found a kindred spirit in this regard at the Viennese court in the person of Lorenzo da Ponte (1749-1838), who supplied Mozart with the librettos of his three Italian operatic masterpieces. Figaro was followed in 1787 by Don Giovanni (Don Juan), written for Prague, where Figaro had been an overwhelming success. The intensity of Mozart's music in the penultimate scene of Don Giovanni, in which the title character is dragged down to hell, unrepentant, at the hands of an avenging spirit, might even be said to have helped usher in the Romantic era . Having scaled the heights of Italian opera buffa, Mozart turned again to the German Singspiel in the final year of his life. Again he produced yet another masterpiece, this time with the unconventional combination of low comedy and high ideals. Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) tells of a young prince who successfully endures the trials put to him by a fraternal priesthood in a search for truth and love, while the everyman character of Papageno in his song Der Vogelfänger bin ich, ja yearns for the earthly pleasures of wine, food, and female companionship. During his years in Vienna, Mozart also made the acquaintance of composer Franz Joseph Haydn . The two became close friends and the older composer's music had a profound influence on Mozart. Between 1782 and 1785, Mozart composed a series of six string quartets which he dedicated to Haydn. Upon playing through some of them together, Haydn said to Mozart's father, who was present, "Before God and as an honest man, your son is the greatest composer I know, either personally or by name." Yet through his mismanagement of money (and as a successful composer of operas and a reknowned piano virtuoso, he made a great deal), and the documented incidences of his tactless, impulsive, and at times childish behavior in an era of powdered wigs and courtly manners, Mozart seemed to find it difficult to make a successful living. By 1790 he was writing letters to friends, describing himself and his family (he and Constanze had six children, only two of which survived) in desperate circumstances and begging for money. He was also by this time seriously ill, and had been intermittently for some time, with what was most likely disease of the kidneys. With the success of The Magic Flute and a newly granted yearly stipend, Mozart was just beginning to become financially stable when his illness brought an end to his life and career at the age of thirty-six. He was buried, like most Viennese in those days by the decree of Emperor Joseph, in a common grave, the exact location of which remains unknown. The influence of Mozart on the composers that followed cannot be emphasized too strongly. He was idolized by such late nineteenth century composers as Richard Wagner and Peter Tchaikovsky ; and his music came to influence the neo-classical compositions of Igor Stravinsky and Sergei Prokofiev in the twentieth century. Music History 102: a Guide to Western Composers and their music Designed, compiled and created by Robert Sherrane	i don't know
The tune Duelling Banjos features in which 1972 film?	Dueling Banjos - Deliverance 1972 [Good Quality] - YouTube Dueling Banjos - Deliverance 1972 [Good Quality] Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Apr 9, 2012 Deliverance is a 1972 American thriller film produced and directed by John Boorman, and released by Warner Bros. Principal cast members include Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ronny Cox and Ned Beatty, with both Cox and Beatty making their feature-film debuts. The film is based on a 1970 novel of the same name by American author James Dickey, who has a small role in the film as the Sheriff. The screenplay was written by Dickey and an uncredited Boorman. Widely acclaimed as a landmark picture, the film is noted both for the memorable music scene near the beginning that sets the tone for what lies ahead: a trip into unknown and potentially dangerous territory, and for its famous "squeal like a pig" male rape scene. In 2008, Deliverance was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Read More at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deliverance Category	Deliverance
Who was Britain’s Defence Secretary at the time of the Falklands War?	Deliverance (1972) Deliverance (1972) Pages: ( 1 ) ( 2 ) Background Deliverance (1972) is British director John Boorman's gripping, absorbing action-adventure film about four suburban Atlanta businessmen friends who encounter disaster in a summer weekend's river-canoeing trip. It was one of the first films with the theme of city-dwellers against the powerful forces of nature. The exciting box-office hit, most remembered for its inspired banjo duel and the brutal, violent action (and sodomy scene), was based on James Dickey's adaptation of his own 1970 best-selling novel (his first) of the same name - he contributed the screenplay and acted in a minor part as the town sheriff. The stark, uncompromising film was nominated for three Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Film Editing), but went away Oscar-less. The beautifully-photographed film, shot entirely on location (in northern Georgia's Rabun County that is bisected by the Chattooga River), was the least-nominated film among the other Best Picture nominees. Ex-stuntman Burt Reynolds took the role of bow-and-arrow expert Lewis after it was turned down by James Stewart, Marlon Brando, and Henry Fonda on account of its on-location hazards. The increasingly claustrophobic, downbeat film, shot in linear sequence along forty miles of a treacherous river, has been looked upon as a philosophical or mythical allegory of man's psychological and grueling physical journey against adversity. It came during the 70s decade when many other conspiracy or corruption-related films were made with misgivings, paranoia or questioning of various societal institutions or subject areas, such as the media (i.e., Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Network (1976) ), politics (i.e., The Parallax View (1974), All the President's Men (1976)), science (i.e., Capricorn One (1977), Coma (1978), The China Syndrome (1979)), and various parts of the US itself (i.e., Race with the Devil (1975), The Hills Have Eyes (1977), and later Southern Comfort (1981)). A group of urban dwellers test their manhood and courage, totally vulnerable in the alien wild, and pit themselves against the hostile violence of nature. At times, however, they are attracted to nature, and exhilarated and joyful about their experiences in the wild. (Director Boorman pursued the same complex eco-message theme of man vs. nature in other films, including Zardoz (1973) and The Emerald Forest (1985).) As they progress further and further along in uncharted territory down the rapids, the men 'rape' the untouched, virginal wilderness as they are themselves violated by the pristine wilderness and its degenerate, inbred backwoods inhabitants. Survivalist skills come to the forefront when civilized standards of decency and logic fail. The river is the potent personification of the complex, natural forces that propel men further and further along their paths. It tests their personal values, exhibiting the conflict between country and city, and accentuates what has been hidden or unrealized in civilized society. The adventurers vainly seek to be 'delivered' from the evil in their own hearts, and as in typical horror films, confront other-worldly forces in the deep woods. The flooding of the region after the completion of a dam construction project alludes to the purification and cleansing of the sins of the world by the Great Flood. The film was also interpreted as an allegory of the US' involvement in the Vietnam War - as the men (the US military) intruded into a foreign world (Southeast Asia), and found it was raped or confronted by wild forces it couldn't understand or control. The Story The film opens with voice-overs of the main characters discussing the "vanishing wilderness" and the corruption of modern civilization, while the credits play over views of the flooding of one of the last untamed stretches of land, and the imminent wiping out of the entire Cahulawassee River and the small town of Aintry. [The film's trailer provides details about the foursome: "These are the men. Nothing very unusual about them. Suburban guys like you or your neighbor. Nothing very unusual about them until they decided to spend one weekend canoeing down the Cahulawassee River. Ed Gentry - he runs an art service, his wife Martha has a boy Dean. Lewis Medlock has real estate interests, talks about resettling in New Zealand or Uruguay. Drew Ballinger - he's sales supervisor for a soft drink company. Bobby Trippe - bachelor, insurance and mutual funds. These are the men who decided not to play golf that weekend. Instead, they sought the river."] The four characters include: Lewis Medlock (Burt Reynolds), a bow-hunter and avowed, macho survivalist and outdoorsman Bobby Trippe (Ned Beatty in his film debut), overweight insurance salesman Drew Ballinger (Ronny Cox in his film debut), a guitar player and sales supervisor Ed Gentry (Jon Voight, a star actor due to his appearance in Midnight Cowboy (1969) ), married, runs an art service Lewis lectures his friends and anxiously bemoans the dam construction that will soon destroy the ('damned' or 'dammed') Cahulawassee River and town. He urges his friends to take a ride down the river before a man-made lake will forever flood it: ...because they're buildin' a dam across the Cahulawassee River. They're gonna flood a whole valley, Bobby, that's why. Dammit, they're drownin' the river...Just about the last wild, untamed, unpolluted, unf--ked up river in the South. Don't you understand what I'm sayin'?...They're gonna stop the river up. There ain't gonna be no more river. There's just gonna be a big, dead lake...You just push a little more power into Atlanta, a little more air-conditioners for your smug little suburb, and you know what's gonna happen? We're gonna rape this whole god-damned landscape. We're gonna rape it. His friends Bobby, Ed, and Drew label Lewis' views as "extremist." In voice-over, Lewis coaxes his three, soft city-slicker friends to join him for a weekend canoe trip down the Cahulawassee River - to pit themselves against the US wilderness. (The film's major poster declared: "This is the weekend they didn't play golf.") They leave behind their business jobs and civilized values for their "last chance" to go back to unspoiled nature for a weekend of canoeing, hunting, and fishing, in northern Georgia's scenic Appalachian wilderness. Their two cars, Lewis' International Scout 4 x 4 and Drew's station wagon with canoes strapped on top, drive into the hillbilly wilderness to their odyssey's starting point: We're gonna leave Friday, from Atlanta. I'm gonna have you back in your little suburban house in time to see the football game on Sunday afternoon. I know you'll be back in time to see the pom-pom girls at halftime 'cause I know that's all you care about...Yeah, there's some people up there that ain't never seen a town before, no bigger than Aintry anyway. And then those woods are real deep. The river's inaccessible except at a couple of points...This is the last chance we got to see this river. You just wait till you feel that white-water under you, Bobby...I'll have you in the water in an hour. The first view of the city-dwelling buddies in the film occurs when the vehicles pull into a junk-littered, backwoods area that appears "evacuated already." The men reveal more of their believable personalities by their reactions to the community of mountain folk they meet in this first scene: the virile, dark-haired, dare-devil, savvy, somewhat repulsive leader Lewis (a patch on his jacket identifies him as the Co-captain of a skydiving group the chubby-overweight, comical, middle-class salesman Bobby the soft-spoken, decent, liberal and intellectually-minded, gentle, guitar-strumming Drew and the thoughtful, complex, timid, mild-mannered, pipe-smoking, curious Ed From behind a dilapidated, squalid shanty building, the first primitive hillbilly emerges, suspicious that they are from the power company. Lewis asks the old mountain man (Ed Ramey) about hiring him to drive their two cars to a point downstream at their landing point of Aintry: Lewis: We want somebody to drive 'em down to Aintry for us. Man: Hell, you're crazy. Lewis: No s--t. Hey, fill that one up with gas, huh, OK? As the mountain man pumps gas, Bobby ridicules the strange man's repulsive look: Say, mister, I love the way you wear that hat. He is told: "You don't know nuthin'." Possible drivers are suggested to Lewis for hire: "You might get the Griner Brothers...They live back over that way." One of the film's highlights is a lively, captivating banjo duel of bluegrass music, "Dueling Banjos" (actual title "Feudin' Banjos" - arranged and played by Eric Weissberg with guitarist Steve Mandell). [The song was authored by Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith in the 50s, and copyrighted by the Combine Music Corp.] Drew begins by playing chords on his guitar. A deformed, retarded, albino hillbilly youngster (Billy Redden) (on banjo) appears on the porch and answers him. Under his breath, Bobby criticizes the cretinous hillbilly boy: "Talk about genetic deficiencies. Isn't that pitiful?" From behind him, one of the backwoods folks asks: "Who's pickin' a banjo here?" The impromptu song is played as a rousing challenge between the two. Toward its furious ending, Drew admits to the grinning boy: "I'm lost." When Drew, seen as a suspicious stranger, compliments the moon-faced winner when they are done - "God damn, you play a mean banjo," the mute, inbred, half-witted boy resumes his stony stare, turns his head sharply, and refuses to shake hands with the interloping foreigner. Drew is obviously disappointed that the boy ignores him. As Lewis drives to the nearby Griner Bros. garage, he ridicules Bobby's means of making a living - insurance sales, thereby tempting fate: "I've never been insured in my life. I don't believe in insurance. There's no risk." In an edgy, volatile encounter, Lewis bargains firmly with one of the grimy, poverty-stricken Griner brothers (Seamon Glass and Randall Deal) to have them drive their vehicles to Aintry for $40 - and receives a second ominous warning about the hazardous river: Griner: Canoe trip? Lewis: That's right, a canoe trip. Griner: What the hell you wanna go f--k around with that river for? Lewis: Because it's there. Griner: It's there all right. You get in there and can't get out, you're gonna wish it wasn't. Ed fears that they have pushed too hard: "Listen, Lewis, let's go back to town and play golf...Lewis, don't play games with these people." With Ed as his passenger, Lewis races his Bronco against the Griner's pickup truck to the river's launch point a few miles away through the dense woods - in his station wagon, Drew follows at a safe distance behind with Bobby. The reflections of leaves from the colorful canopy above shrouds and obscures a clear view of Ed and Lewis through the windshield - the jostling ride frightens Ed: "Lewis, you son-of-a-bitch, why do we have to go so god-damned fast?...Lewis, you're gonna kill us both, you son-of-a-bitch, before we ever see any water." When they reach the peaceful water's edge, Lewis philosophically contemplates the view: Sometimes you have to lose yourself before you can find anything...A couple more months, she'll all be gone...from Aintry on up. One big dead lake. They finally venture onto the river in two canoes: Drew with Ed, and Bobby with Lewis. Through the trees, they are observed at the water's edge by the Griners - inhabitants of the area before 'civilization' took over. The neophyte canoers are unsure of their direction: Bobby: Which way are we goin', this way or that? Lewis: I think, uh, downstream would be a good idea, don't you? Drew - you and Bobby see some rocks, you yell out now, right?... Bobby: Lewis, is this the way you get your rocks off? At first, their encounter with the river and nature is peaceful and tranquil as they paddle along - on a sunny day. Above them on a cross-walk bridge high above the placid river, the banjo-playing lad silently but intently watches them - the camera shooting from Drew's perspective. Before the first of many, increasingly-exciting sequences on the water, Lewis stands upright in the canoe and announces: "This gonna be fun!" They confront the twisting and turning white-water rapids of the swift-moving Chattooga River. They are exuberant and euphoric after victoriously navigating the challenging but not overwhelming wild-flowing water - under Lewis' expert instruction. Bobby is thrilled about shooting the rapids: That's the best - the second best sensation I ever felt. But Ed isn't as certain: "Damn, I thought we bought the farm there, for a while." Lewis reminisces about how it must have been for the original pioneers, while Bobby foolishes thinks they've masterfully beaten the river: Lewis: The first explorers saw this country, saw it just like us. Drew: I can imagine how they felt. Bobby: Yeah, we beat it, didn't we? Did we beat that? Lewis: You don't beat it. You don't beat this river. With a high-powered bow-and-arrow fishing rod, Lewis takes aim at a fish, misses and then warns: Machines are gonna fail and the system's gonna fail...then, survival. Who has the ability to survive? That's the game - survive. Lewis remarks that the mild-mannered, secure-in-life Ed has all the comforts of civilization, but does he know how to survive in the wild like a man? His implication to his companion is that only the strong survive: Ed: Well, the system's done all right by me. Lewis: Oh yeah. You gotta nice job, you gotta a nice house, a nice wife, a nice kid. Ed: You make that sound rather s--tty, Lewis. Lewis: Why do you go on these trips with me, Ed? Ed: I like my life, Lewis. Lewis: Yeah, but why do you go on these trips with me? Ed: You know, sometimes I wonder about that. The comrades camp at night by the river's edge, setting up tents, sitting around a campfire, listening to Drew's guitar playing, drinking beer, and roasting a fish that Lewis has speared. Bobby expresses some appreciation for the virgin river and the wilderness surrounding it: Bobby: It's true, Lewis, what you said. There's somethin' in the woods and in the water that we have lost in the city. Lewis: We didn't lose it. We sold it. Bobby: Well, I'll say one thing for the system - the system did produce the air-mattress. Or as it's better known among we camping types the instant broad. And if you fellows will excuse me, I'm gonna go be mean to my air mattress. Tension is heightened when Lewis senses "something or someone" in the blackness of the night around them. The three tenderfoots criticize Lewis' affinity to nature as he disappears to investigate: "He wants to be one with nature and he can't hack it." Ed drunkenly philosophizes about their isolation from the world: No matter what disasters may occur in other parts of the world, or what petty little problems arise..., no one can find us up here. The next morning after rising early, Ed takes his bow and arrow and stalks a deer - emulating his buddy. But his hands tremble at the moment of the arrow's release toward a live animal, and the shot veers into a tree trunk. Drew sensitively comments: "I don't understand how anyone could shoot an animal." Ed later explains his reason for faltering: "I lost control psychologically." No longer intoxicated by the thrill of the outdoors, Bobby complains about his mosquito bites: "I got eaten alive last night. My bites have got bites...I'm a salesman, Ed." Further down the river, Ed and Bobby become separated from the other two behind them. They pull their canoe out of the river when they decide to rest in the thick wilderness next to it. More threatening than the untamed river are two evil, violent, primitive, degenerate and hostile mountain men, a gay hillbilly (Bill McKinney) and a grizzly, toothless man (Herbert "Cowboy" Coward) armed with a 12 gauge double-barreled shotgun who suddenly appear from the woods and confront the intruders. [The wilderness isn't populated with romantic survivalists or enobled, heroic characters as in adventure stories, but sadistic brutes.] The two inexperienced, naive adventurers, assuming that the menacing backwoodsmen (who are harrassing them) are hiding a still to manufacture bootleg whiskey, promise not to tell anyone where it is located. Even away from his urban citified element, Ed maintains an inappropriate decorum of decency and ineffectually calls the animalistic rednecks 'gentlemen': Mountain Man: What the hell you think you're doin'? Ed: Headin' down river. A little canoe trip, headin' for Aintry. Mountain Man: Aintry?	i don't know
Where did German teenager Matthias Rust land his small plane in 1987?	Matthias Rust lands his plane in Red Square - May 28, 1987 - HISTORY.com Matthias Rust lands his plane in Red Square Share this: Matthias Rust lands his plane in Red Square Author Matthias Rust lands his plane in Red Square URL Publisher A+E Networks Matthias Rust, a 19-year-old amateur pilot from West Germany, takes off from Helsinki, Finland, travels through more than 400 miles of Soviet airspace, and lands his small Cessna aircraft in Red Square by the Kremlin. The event proved to be an immense embarrassment to the Soviet government and military. Rust, described by his mother as a “quiet young man…with a passion for flying,” apparently had no political or social agenda when he took off from the international airport in Helsinki and headed for Moscow. He entered Soviet airspace, but was either undetected or ignored as he pushed farther and farther into the Soviet Union. Early on the morning of May 28, 1987, he arrived over Moscow, circled Red Square a few times, and then landed just a few hundred yards from the Kremlin. Curious onlookers and tourists, many believing that Rust was part of an air show, immediately surrounded him. Very quickly, however, Rust was arrested and whisked away. He was tried for violating Soviet airspace and sentenced to prison. He served 18 months before being released. The repercussions in the Soviet Union were immediate. Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev sacked his minister of defense, and the entire Russian military was humiliated by Rust’s flight into Moscow. U.S. officials had a field day with the event–one American diplomat in the Soviet Union joked, “Maybe we should build a bunch of Cessnas.” Soviet officials were less amused. Four years earlier, the Soviets had been harshly criticized for shooting down a Korean Airlines passenger jet that veered into Russian airspace. Now, the Soviets were laughingstocks for not being able to stop one teenager’s “invasion” of the country. One Russian spokesperson bluntly declared, “You criticize us for shooting down a plane, and now you criticize us for not shooting down a plane.” Related Videos	Red Square
Which 1976 Derek Jarman film was dialogued entirely in Latin?	IN LAW-ABIDING WEST GERMANY, DELIGHT - NYTimes.com IN LAW-ABIDING WEST GERMANY, DELIGHT By JOHN TAGLIABUE, Special to the New York Times Published: May 31, 1987 BONN, May 30— A nation where people customarily wait for a green light before proceeding, even at 2 A.M. at a deserted intersection, appeared bemused and delighted today that a young German had disregarded every rule of flight traffic to penetrate more than 400 miles of Soviet territory and land a small plane Thursday evening at the foot of Red Square. A television commentator, Dieter Kronzucker, closing his report on the incident, said, ''It's a good thing there were no zebra stripes'' - a reference to the white stripes reserved for pedestrians at crossings, something very few German motorists would disregard. Still, nobody here could say just why Matthias Rust, a 19-year-old pilot from northern Germany, did it. There were reports he was accompanied by a young woman and that he had been arrested while distributing anti-military leaflets to Russians. Complications for Visit There was concern in Bonn that the flight and the youth's arrest might complicate preparations for a visit to Moscow in July by President Richard von Weizsacker, or that the President might have to use his influence to have the youth released, if he were still being held then. But speculation that it was a daredevil deed to impress someone, or a well-planned mission to draw attention to the menace of war, was put down by his parents and also by witnesses in Moscow. Some say the pilot, with only 25 hours of flying time before he left West Germany on May 13, may have gone astray in his single-engine Cessna 172. But the head of flight traffic control at the Helsinki airport, Martti Lantela, ruled that out. The youth left Helsinki bound for Stockholm, to the west; he flew southeast. ''It was to be a vacation trip,'' the pilot's mother, Monike Rust, said by telephone from the family home in Wedel, north of Hamburg. ''He called us last on Monday night after he arrived in Helsinki. There was absolutely no mention of Moscow. We expected him home this week.'' This is a nation where lawsuits are regularly filed to stop planes of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization from flying during midday rest periods. On Friday, the day after Mr. Rust landed, a Stuttgart court, ruling in such a case, said plantiffs could only collect damages because of aircraft noise ''in the case of economically measurable damage to property assets that can no longer be reasonably borne.'' German Hail Youth as Hero But today West Germans were hailing Mr. Rust as a hero. ''This tiny Cessna mosquito has made fools of generals in East and West,'' the Munich newspaper Abendzeitung said. ''For that alone the boy deserves a medal.'' Most newspapers recalled that the landing occurred on the day set aside to honor the Soviet Union's border troops, who were praised Thursday in the Communist Party daily Pravda. ''Every meter,'' the newspaper proclaimed, referring to the huge distances of Soviet borders, ''is under reliable surveillance.'' Officials at the flight club where Mr. Rust rented the plane were equally at a loss about the motive. The club's president, Helmut Gass, said the pilot would likely lose his flying permit and be charged the equivalent of $25,000 for the return of the Cessna to Hamburg. Began to Fly at Age of 17 According to his mother, Mr. Rust began taking flying lessons two years ago, at 17, while working as a bank apprentice. He later quit that job and began work as a data processor for an electronics company to find more time for his hobby. The youth hoped that his long flight around Scandinavia would help him in his plan to obtain a commercial pilot's license. ''It will break his heart,'' Mrs. Rust said, when asked how her son would react a revocation of his permit. ''It will be the end of a dream. He lived for flying. He was a natural talent.'' Flying was expensive. Beyond the rental costs for aircraft, the entry fee for membership in the club is the equivalent of $275, and yearly dues are $130. To save money, Mr. Rust lived at home in the family's four-room apartment, sharing a bedroom with his 15-year-old brother, Ingo. Mrs. Rust said the family heard radio reports, which she rebutted, that her son had been accompanied by a woman and that political pamphlets, perhaps appeals for peace, were on board the plane. ''He had little time for girlfriends,'' Mrs. Rust said. ''Flying was his life. He was alone, and only had his luggage with him.'' She said her son's aircraft had seating for only one person, since he had removed three of the plane's four seats for extra luggage space and to accommodate additional fuel tanks that extended the plane's flying time by about two hours, to eight hours at normal cruising speeds. In Bonn, the Foreign Ministry said its diplomats in Moscow had not been able to arrange a meeting with Mr. Rust since he was taken from Red Square by Soviet security officials. Map showing Rust's route from Hamburg to Moscow via Iceland (NYT)	i don't know
Who designed the Cenotaph in London?	BBC - Remembrance - The Cenotaph About the Remembrance Wall The Cenotaph The Cenotaph in Whitehall, London has played host to the Remembrance Service for the past nine decades. But how did the monument become such an indelible part of the UK's commemoration of those who lost their lives in past conflicts? Originally intended as a small part of the Peace Day events of July 1919, The Cenotaph was designed and built by Edwin Lutyens at the request of the then Prime Minister Lloyd George The Cenotaph - which literally means Empty Tomb in Greek - was initially a wood and plaster construction intended for the first anniversary of the Armistice in 1919. At its unveiling the base of the monument was spontaneously covered in wreaths to the dead and missing from The Great War. Such was the extent of public enthusiasm for the construction it was decided that The Cenotaph should become a permanent and lasting memorial. The Cenotaph, made from Portland stone, was unveiled in 1920. The inscription reads simply "The Glorious Dead". Unveiling of the permanent Cenotaph in Whitehall by His Majesty King George V, 11 November 1920 © Copyright Imperial War Museum On the Sunday nearest to 11 November at 11am each year, a Remembrance Service is held at the Cenotaph to commemorate British and Commonwealth servicemen and women who died in the two World Wars and later conflicts. The monarch, religious leaders, politicians, representatives of state and the armed and auxiliary forces, gather to pay respect to those who gave their lives defending others. The service has changed little since it was first introduced in 1921, hymns are sung, prayers are said and a two minute silence is observed. Official wreaths are laid on the steps of The Cenotaph. The ceremony ends with a march past of war veterans; a poignant gesture of respect for their fallen comrades. Services of Remembrance are held at war memorials and cenotaphs throughout Britain and the Commonwealth nations. While the style and size of these memorials vary considerably from place to place, an exact replica of Lutyens' Cenotaph stands proudly in London, Canada. BBC Links:	Lutyens
Cerulean is a shade of which colour?	The Cenotaph, Whitehall \| Military Wiki \| Fandom powered by Wikia Edit Paris Victory Parade of 14 July 1919 and the temporary catafalque (right) by the Arc de Triomphe (left) The Cenotaph was originally a wood-and-plaster structure designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and erected in 1919. [1] It was one of a number of temporary structures erected for the London Victory Parade (also called the Peace Day Parade) on 19 July 1919 that marked the formal end of the First World War that had taken place with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919. [2] [3] As one of a series of temporary wooden monuments constructed along the route of the parade, it was not proposed until just two weeks prior to the event. Following deliberations of the Peace Celebrations Committee, Lutyens was invited to Downing Street . There, the British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George , proposed that the monument should be a catafalque , like the one intended for the Arc de Triomphe in Paris for the corresponding Victory Parade in France, but Lutyens proposed instead that the design be based on a cenotaph . [4] The temporary wood-and-plaster structure had the same shape as the later permanent stone structure, and consisted of a pylon that rose in a series of set-backs to the empty tomb (cenotaph) on its summit. The wreaths at each end and on top were made from laurel rather than the later carved stone sculptures. The location chosen along the parade route along Whitehall was between the Foreign Office and Richmond House . The unveiling (described in The Times as 'quiet' and 'unofficial') took place the day before the Victory Parade. During the parade itself, those saluting the temporary Cenotaph included the Allied commanders John Pershing , Ferdinand Foch , Douglas Haig and David Beatty . For some time after the parade, the base of the memorial was covered with flowers and wreaths by members of the public. Pressure mounted to retain it, and the British War Cabinet decided on 30 July 1919 that a permanent memorial should replace the wooden version and be designated Britain's official national war memorial. [3] The announcement was made on 23 October 1919 that the Portland stone version would be a "replica exact in every detail in permanent material of present temporary structure". [5] Design Edit Lutyens had first heard the term "cenotaph" in connection with Munstead Wood , the house which he designed for Gertrude Jekyll in the 1890s. He designed a garden seat there, consisting of a large block of elm set on stone, [6] which acquired the name "Cenotaph of Sigismunda" at the suggestion of their friend Charles Liddell, a librarian at the British Museum. [4] The Cenotaph was constructed from Portland stone between 1919 and 1920 by Holland, Hannen & Cubitts . [2] [7] It was undecorated apart from a carved wreath on each end and a smaller carved wreath on top. The words "The Glorious Dead" are inscribed twice, once below the wreaths on each end. Above the wreaths at each end are inscribed the dates of the First World War in Roman numerals (1914 - MCMXIV; and 1919 - MCMXIX). The wreaths at each end are Script error in diameter, while the one on top is Script error in diameter. [1] The sides of the Cenotaph are not parallel, but if extended would meet at a point some Script error above the ground. Similarly, the "horizontal" surfaces are in fact sections of a sphere whose centre would be Script error below ground. [1] It is Script error high and weighs Script errors. [1] This element of the design, called entasis , was not present in the temporary structure and was added by Lutyens as a refinement when designing the permanent structure. [2] The architects waived their fee for designing the cenotaph, meaning that it cost £7,325 to build, a sum equivalent to £255,332 when adjusted by inflation in 2010. [1] [3] Construction began on 19 January 1920, with the original flags sent to the Imperial War Museum . [1] Unveiling Edit The unveiling ceremony on 11 November 1920 The memorial was unveiled by King George V on 11 November 1920, the second anniversary of the Armistice with Germany which ended the First World War . [4] [5] It was decided not to dedicate the memorial, as not all the dead it commemorates are Christian. [1] The unveiling ceremony for the Cenotaph was part of a larger procession bringing the Unknown Warrior to be laid to rest in his tomb located nearby in Westminster Abbey. The funeral procession route passed the Cenotaph, where the waiting King laid a wreath on the Unknown Warrior's gun-carriage before proceeding to unveil the memorial which was draped in large Union Flags. [6] Flags The White Ensign , Union Flag, and Blue Ensign on the Cenotaph It is flanked on each side by various flags of the United Kingdom which Lutyens had wanted to be carved in stone. Although Lutyens was overruled and cloth flags were used, his later Rochdale cenotaph (unveiled 26 November 1922) has stone flags. In the years following 1919, the Cenotaph displayed a Union Flag, a White Ensign and a Red Ensign on one side and a Union Flag, a White Ensign and a Blue Ensign on the other side. On 1 April 1943, an RAF Ensign was substituted for the White Ensign on the west side of the monument. The flags displayed as of 2007 represent the Royal Navy , the British Army , the Royal Air Force and the Merchant Navy . The Blue Ensign represents the Royal Naval Reserve , the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and other government services; it is possible that it was also intended to represent Dominion forces. [1] Initially the flags were changed for cleaning every six to eight weeks, but between 1922 and 1923 this practice gradually stopped until letters to media outlets led to the cleaning being reintroduced. The initial lifespan of a flag was set at five periods of three months. By 1939, they were being changed ten times a year, with each flag being washed twice before being disposed of. By 1924, it was decided that all discarded flags would be sent to the Imperial War Museum who could then redistribute them to properly accredited organisations. [1] Later history Edit Whitehall, along with other areas of London, was the scene of celebrations on 8 May 1945 when victory in Europe was declared in the Second World War . More formal processions past the Cenotaph took place during the London Victory Celebrations on 8 June 1946. The Cenotaph had been designed to commemorate the British Empire military dead of the First World War, but this was later extended to include those that died in the Second World War. The dates of the Second World War were added in Roman numerals on the sides of the memorial (1939—MCMXXXIX; and 1945—MCMXLV), and the memorial was unveiled for a second time on Sunday 10 November 1946 by King George VI . The memorial is now also used to remember the dead of later wars in which British servicemen and servicewomen have fought. The Cenotaph was designated a Grade I listed building on 5 February 1970. [7] Remembrance services Edit Wreaths being laid at the Cenotaph during the Remembrance Sunday service in 2010 The Cenotaph is the site of the annual National Service of Remembrance held at 11:00 am on Remembrance Sunday , the closest Sunday to 11 November ( Armistice Day ). From 1919 until 1945, the remembrance service was held on Armistice Day, but since 1945 it has been held on Remembrance Sunday. Uniformed service personnel (excluding fire and ambulance personnel) salute the Cenotaph as they pass. [8] Although the Armistice Day ceremony fell away during the Second World War, in recent years the tradition of holding a ceremony at the Cenotaph at 11am on 11 November has been reinstated by The Western Front Association , a UK-based charity dedicated to perpetuating the memory of those who served in the First World War. [9] The first such modern ceremony was held on 11 November 1919, following a suggestion by King George V for a two-minute silence across the United Kingdom and a ceremony to take place in London. Thousands had gathered around the wood-and-plaster Cenotaph in Whitehall, where Prime Minister David Lloyd George walked from Downing Street to place a wreath. A wreath was also laid by a representative of the French President , and soldiers and sailors provided a guard of honour . There were also processions past the Cenotaph organised by veterans' associations. [10] Annual remembrance services also take place at the Cenotaph on other days of the year. These include the regimental parade held by the Royal Tank Regiment on the Sunday following Remembrance Sunday. This is the closest to Cambrai Day (20 November), the anniversary of the Battle of Cambrai that was one of the earliest deployments of British tanks. [11] [12] An annual parade and service is also held by the Combined Irish Regiments Association to commemorate the war dead of the Irish regiments that were disbanded on 12 June 1922 after the First World War. [13] This parade is now held on the Sunday in June that follows the Queen's Birthday Parade. [14] Other annual remembrances held at the Cenotaph at various points in the year include those marking the D-Day landings in Normandy in the Second World War, the Falklands War (and the Battle of the Falklands in 1914), the campaigns marked by Anzac Day , and services marking the first day of the Somme Offensive . Other cenotaphs Main article: Cenotaph Lutyens' first cenotaph design was for Southampton (unveiled 6 November 1920). Lutyens' Whitehall Cenotaph design was used in the construction of other war memorials in the UK and in the British Empire. Two smaller versions that included several additions and differences were built as regimental memorials, in Maidstone, Kent, and in Reading, Berkshire, and unveiled on 30 July 1921 and 13 September 1921 respectively. The Middlesbrough cenotaph , derived from Lutyens' design, [15] was unveiled on 11 November 1922. [16] The Hong Kong cenotaph , an almost exact replica, was unveiled in 1923 between the Statue Square and the City Hall in Hong Kong. [17] The Manchester Cenotaph in Manchester, England (also the work of Lutyens), was unveiled on 12 July 1924 and has similarities and differences. The Toronto Cenotaph was unveiled on 11 November 1925 and is modelled on Whitehall's design. A two-thirds scale copy was unveiled in Hamilton , Bermuda, on 6 May 1925. A close copy of the Whitehall Cenotaph was unveiled in November 1929 in Auckland, New Zealand. An exact replica stands in London, Ontario, Canada, and was unveiled on 11 November 1934. [4] Replica or similar cenotaphs	i don't know
Which crooner’s only UK No.1 was Memories Are Made Of This in 1956?	1956 #13. Memories Are Made Of This ~ Dean Martin - YouTube 1956 #13. Memories Are Made Of This ~ Dean Martin Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Jun 17, 2015 "Memories Are Made of This" is a popular song written by Terry Gilkyson, Richard Dehr, and Frank Miller in 1955. The most popular version of the song was recorded by Dean Martin. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart for six weeks in 1956, and became his biggest hit. It was also his only UK number one hit, topping the UK Singles Chart on 17 February 1956, and remaining at the top for four weeks. He was backed by The Easy Riders (who consisted of Gilkyson, Dehr, and Miller), who wrote it. On the B-side of the 45 and 78 recordings was "Change of Heart" written by John Rox. The record had been hard to find until it appeared on the 8-CD box set Memories are Made of This from Bear Family Music. The secondary hit version at the time was by Gale Storm, a US Billboard No. 5 hit. A third charted version was by Mindy Carson, at No. 53. Terry Gilkyson and the Easy Riders recorded it for an album. After the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, the song was adapted into the "Honvágy-dal" ('The Song of Homesickness') and used as an unofficial anthem for refugees scattered around the world. Recorded by Ida Boros, it became a cultural phenomenon and a sign of protest against the communist government. The song charted once more in 1966 by the Drifters, a No. 48, hit for them. It was recorded by Anne Murray for her Croonin' album in 1993, but it was only released as a bonus track on the special Croonin' album put out by Heartland Records. In Germany, titled "Heimweh" ("Homesickness") and performed by Freddy Quinn and with lyrics by Ernst Bader and Dieter Rasch, the song was 14 weeks at number one, the most successful song of 1956. Worldwide it sold more than eight million, thus exceeding sales of the Dean Martin version. In 1994 the song featured in TV advert for Bisto gravy powder. It has also been featured in many other adverts down through the years. Deana Martin recorded “Memories Are Made Of This,” in 2006. It was a hit song for her father, Dean Martin. The song was released on her album "Memories Are Made of This" in 2006 by Big Fish Records. Category	Dean Martin
In Indian cuisine what is ‘murgh’?	Dean MartinMemories are made of this - Download Songs and Music Videos for Free - GoSong.net Displaying 1 - 21 of about 10507 results for Dean MartinMemories are made of this Dean Martin - Memories Are Made of This - Lyrics Description : Dean Martin - Memories Are Made of This - Lyrics. Dean Martin - Memories Are Made Of This Description : Enjoying great success in music, film, television, and the stage, Dean Martin wa ... Dean Martin - Memories Are Made Of This Description : Classic Mood Experience The best masterpieces ever recorded in the music history ... Dean Martin ~ Memories are Made of This (HQ) Description : This song i believe was "Dean Martin's" biggest hit which was released in 1956 a ... Dean Martin - Memories Are Made Of This (Karaoke) Description : "Memories Are Made Of This" FREE DOWNLOAD http://bit.ly/1agKLfo or stream ... Dean Martin - Memories Are Made of This Description : Performer: « Dean Martin » « Memories Are Made of This » Audio : Very Hq - C ... Dean Martin- Memories Are Made Of This Description : The One and only Dino Sings "Memories Are Made Of This" Enjoy! ==LYRICS== (Sweet ... Dean Martin _ Memories Made of This ❤ Description : Sweet, sweet memories you gave-a me you can't beat the memeories you gave-a me T ... Dean Martin - Memories Are Made Of This Description : Memories Are Made Of This by Dean Martin from the album Sentimental Journey Rele ... Memories Are Made of This - Dean Martin Description : This song is owned by EMI. Dean Martin - Memories Are Made of This Description : Artist: Dean Martin with Orchestra conducted by Dick Stabile Title: "Memories Ar ... 1956 HITS ARCHIVE: Memories Are Made Of This - Dean Martin (a #1 record) Description : Memories Are Made Of This (Gilkyson-Dehr-Miller) by Dean Martin, with The Easy R ... Dean Martin - Memories Are Made Of This 1956 Description : Dean Martin - Memories Are Made Of This 1956. Dean Martin ::: Memories Are Made Of This. Description : This record made it to the UK No.1 spot on the 17th February 1956 and stayed the ... Dean Martin - Memories Are Made of This Description : Memories Are Made of This by Dean Martin from the album 100 Essential Hits Relea ... Dean Martin - Memories Are Made Of This Description : Memories Are Made Of This by Dean Martin from the album 100 Greatest Hits Releas ... Dean Martin - Memories are made of this Description : Musicvideo of Dean Martin singer Roy McGarrett. Memories Are Made Of This Cover \| Dean Martin Songs Description : Visit the link here - http://www.kirbyscovers.com/tutorials-store-2/1949-covers/ ... Dean Martin - Memories Are Made Of This Description : The Most Beautiful Dean Martin's Song Download It Now On Emusic: ... Dean Martin - Memories Are Made of This	i don't know
What was the name of Sonny Crockett’s pet alligator in Miami Vice?	Elvis \| Miami Vice Wiki \| Fandom powered by Wikia " Love at First Sight " (picture only) Elvis is the pet alligator of Metro-Dade Detective James "Sonny" Crockett . A former mascot for Crockett's alma mater University of Florida Gators (retired after biting a free safety from the University of Georgia), Crockett took him in as the "resident drug-sniffer and watch gator" of his boat, the St. Vitus Dance . Elvis is known to have separation anxiety, at least in his early days, as he would go (unexpectedly) visit Crockett's marina neighbors, eating food, dumping his "leavings", and trashing their boats while Crockett was working, even taking a bite out of his Buddy Holly record collection once. Though he was supposedly a "watch-gator", Elvis would often sleep on the job, letting bad guys onto his boat--though when awake he would scare interlopers such as Maxwell Dierks , nearly making "dork-meat" out of him when he tried to take Crockett's Daytona with his snarling and hissing. Elvis also had a voracious appetite, eating whole fish, bags of dog food, or anything else just lying around. By 1986 Elvis was only seen occasionally and by 1988 was not seen at all. His status after Crockett left the Metro-Dade Police in 1989 remains unknown.	Elvis Presley
Who became the Royal Ballet’s youngest principle dancer in 1989 at the age of 20?	Sonny Crockett FAQ — Miami Vice Chronicles March 1, 1997 By Summer 3 Comments The Sonny Crockett FAQ by Jason Hatakeyama, Original version 2/6/97 This is a compilation of the life history of Miami Vice’s Sonny Crockett, based on the series (and some educated guesses). Please feel free to send in comments and criticism. James “Sonny” Crockett, 35, began the series in the fall of 1984 as a seasoned 10-year veteran of South Florida law enforcement. For the past six years he worked undercover on the Metro Dade County Vice squad, infiltrating the drugs, gambling and prostitution networks in the Miami vicinity. His supervisor, Lieutenant Lou Rodriguez, at the Organized Crime Bureau (OCB), set him up with: a sailboat as his undercover home, a rare Ferrari as his transportation and a Chris-Craft cigarette boat as his drug running credentials. Sonny was a hard line, by the book cop whose disdain for crookedness, ineptitude and laggardness was voiced with typical bouts of emotionalism. Sonny Crockett grew up in south Florida as an all-American boy. He spent summers at weenie roasts with his older brother Jake[1] and cousins (Jack Crockett)[2] and was considered “most likely to succeed” by his family. Although little is known about his parents, Sonny reminisced about playing snooker with his Dad while he was growing up in South Florida, although his father died circa 1968 [3]. Crockett was a standout wide receiver for the University of Flordia with good pro-ball possibilities. Sonny’s 15 minute claim to fame was a screen pass he caught in the Gator Bowl and took it 95 yards for the game winning touchdown. He was awarded the game ball which remained one of his prized possessions until he gave it away[4]. However, #88’s career was cut short by a knee injury which Sonny sometimes referred in the series as “acting up.”[5] His pet alligator, Elvis, was originally the Florida team mascot and when threatened with destruction for biting a player, Sonny adopted him and kept him on his houseboat. In conflict with his knee injury, Sonny claimed he was on his way to being drafted by the pro leagues. Instead, he was drafted by the “Southeast Asia” league for a two-year stint in Vietnam. Sonny served in the Army and spent several tours “in country.” His service record is sketchy, but we do know he witnessed the fall of Saigon. During his service several characters he associated with and befriended would later surface in Miami. Ira Stone, an investigative reporter who apparently dabbled with drugs uncovered a plot in which an unscrupulous sergeant was hiding heroin in dead soldiers for shipment back to the USA.[6] Colonel Maynard was a CIA operative that participated in Vietnam in covert operations and would return as a mercenary in several later episodes. We can speculate that Sonny served in some Army intelligence capacity as evidenced by his marksmanship and a comment he made as maintaining his humanity by refusing to push interrogated Vietnamese out of helicopters. He made numerous friends who would later prove to be helpful in his police capacity.[7] Upon the completion of his tours, Sonny returned to the States in 1974 as a war hero[8]. He returned to Miami and entered the police academy, probably due to his expertise and training while in the Army. He taught rookie cops after graduation, and was eventually assigned to Robbery downtown, under the tutelage of Lieutenant John Malone, who was his mentor and who taught him investigative police work[9]. Crockett suffered his first bullet wound circa 1976 [10]. After four years in Robbery, Crockett transferred to County Vice in 1978, where he worked with Lt. Lou Rodriguez for six years. One of his early partners was Scott Wheeler [11], who was arrested in 1984 after it was discovered he was leaking police information to a known criminal as a DEA agent. Another partner was killed by Frank Hackman in 1978 [12]. Another partner, and fellow academy graduate, Evan Freed, died in Crockett’s arms [13]. At Metro Dade’s Organized Crime Bureau Division (OCB), Crockett took the undercover identity of Sonny “Burnett”, an enterprising freelancer that used a 38-foot cigarette boat to smuggle contraband into the States for a percentage “cut”. As part of his cover he was given a wardrobe, a 42-foot Endeavor yacht, christened the “St. Vitus’ Dance” in the marina and a black Ferrari Daytona to complete his guise. When the series commenced he had been undercover so long that there were days he woke up not remembering who he was supposed to be as time and events blurred by. He seemed to be on the verge of burnout and had lost much of his youthful idealism towards law enforcement. To be sure, he was not an out of control maverick, but rather slowly being jaded by the bludgeoning procedures and manipulation of the system by the rich drug lords for profit and plunder. After returning from Vietnam, Crockett married his high school sweetheart, Caroline in 1975. Together they had a son Billy who was born three years later, in 1978.[14] A few years later, the hard lifestyle and demands of undercover police work forced Caroline to request a separation. They finally filed for divorce after Billy’s sixth birthday.[15] Caroline was eventually remarried in 1987 to Bob Ballard[16] and became pregnant two years later.[17] Sonny was asked by Caroline to visit Billy who was having a difficult time coming to grips with the situation. Sonny rekindled their father-son relationship and eased the anxiety Billy was facing. In 1984, Sonny and Caroline had been separated for some time, and in the interim, he had formed a close relationship with his co-worker Gina Calabrese. They continued their respectful romance throughout the years, until Sonny’s second marriage to Caitlin Davies in 1987. In 1985 Sonny fell for a high class socialite, Brenda. He got caught up in the romance and whirlwind which followed, but realized that they had different lives to lead. They played an interesting game of “Sonny and Brenda get Married.” She asked him his opinion of who their friends would be after marriage and what things they would do. Crockett replied that they’d have several kids right away, and when they weren’t at department picnics having weenie roasts, they’d take the kids to Disneyland. Brenda, used to a more refined lifestyle, tried to suggest their vacations would be just the two of them, in Paris, or Rome. Sonny shrugged, knowing the demands of his work would never allow him to take vacation for any real length of time. Besides, his salary as a detective would barely cover airfare. He met and nearly proposed to Dr. Theresa Lyons[18] in 1986. In a twist of irony, his newfound love is an accidental drug addict, due to chronic prescription drugs used for pain control. She winds up buying off the street and is forced to compromise Sonny’s position as an undercover detective when she reveals a police evidence warehouse location in exchange for drugs. The seemingly trivial bit of information leads to the death of several officers. Theresa, her medical career nearly ruined and her personal life on the same par, is sent to Hartford, CT for rehabilitation. Crockett’s next love interest mixed both professional and personal life when his new girlfriend was linked to two drug-related murders[19]. In the fall of 1987 he met Caitlin Davies[20], a pop singer, whom he was assigned to protect while she awaited the trial of Tommy Lowe. Crockett smugly patronized her at first, but gradually began to feel an attraction. The love prospered quickly, and Sonny proposed to Caitlin, and she accepted. Things were going well for Caitlin with her new album and a successful tour. Newly pregnant, she met Sonny at her Miami concert. However, after the show, Caitlin was shot in the back and died in Sonny’s arms. The killer, Frank Hackman, killed her in retaliation for the death of his own wife which he blamed on Crockett.[21] Following the death of Caitlin, Sonny became emotionally drained. During this time he set up a meet with two opposing drug lords and was nearly killed when the sabotaged boat exploded[22]. The blast robbed him of his memory, and when he awoke, he fell into his Burnett alter ego. In the midst of the power struggle, “Burnett” shrewdly ascended to the top of the Carrera clan, killing Det. James Yanovich[23] and shooting Tubbs[24] (who was saved by his Kevlar vest) along the way. Sonny eventually regained his identity, but his recent memory became clouded. He returned to OCB, dazed, confused, and especially hurt over his attempted murder of Rico. After he recovered from his amnesia, he is investigated by Internal Affairs and interrogated by Schroeder[25], who is demonstrably out to “hang” Crockett. Sonny is forced to take a leave of absence from the department, but winds up in the middle of a fracas with escaped convicts who are out to recover a large stash of cash[26]. Sonny and Rico end their Miami law enforcement career in 1989[27] after they are recruited for a covert mission to rescue the corrupt dictator of Costa Morada, General Manuel Borbon. Their quarry was sought by the U.S. Special Drug Enforcement Task Force to provide the “key to penetrating the Medellin Cartel’s innermost circle.” Crockett and Tubbs escaped with Borbon back to Miami, but were double crossed by their handler, Colonel Andrew Baker. Both Crockett and Tubbs tossed their badges to the ground as a final show of disgust and turned away Lt. Castillo’s intervention. Rico was contemplating going back to the Bronx, but Sonny, now 40 and finally burnt out, was unsure of his destination, other than “somewhere further south where the water’s warm, and the drinks are cold.” Sonny offered to drive Rico to MIA in his “stolen” car (now that he was no longer on the force) and repeated his offer of five years ago: “Hey Tubbs, you ever consider a career in southern law enforcement?…” Rico laughed as he recalled his original reply, “Maybe…maybe…” NOTES:	i don't know
Which Caribbean island group has a reptilian name?	Society for Caribbean Linguistics Figure 1 Q2. What is the political status of these territories? A. The majority are independent (including four republics — Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, and Trinidad & Tobago), 5 are colonies of Great Britain (BWI), 5 belong to the Netherlands (N), and 3 are overseas departments (départements d'outre-mer) of France (F). Q3. Are Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador considered part of the Caribbean? A. Yes, they are part of the continental or Greater Caribbean. They are traditionally seen as part of Latin America (to which the insular Hispanic territories of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic also belong). These eight Spanish-speaking countries are not traditionally included in the above listing (A.1) of Caribbean countries. List A.1 includes the physical islands of the archipelago (regardless of language affiliation), and the four "linguistic islands" (English, French and Dutch) in an Iberian "sea." (Latin America should really be called Iberian America, since although French is also a Latin language, French Guiana is not included in Latin America.) The four non-Iberian continental "islands" are Belize in Central America, and Guyana, Suriname and Guyane (French Guiana) in South America. (Note that Spanish is also spoken in English-official Belize.) South and Central America are often thought to be synonymous with Latin America, but they are not. Trinidad, for example, is geologically part of both the Caribbean and South America, but ceased to belong to Latin America upon British takeover in 1797–1802. The Association of Caribbean States ( ACS-AEC ) includes as member states most territories whose shores are washed by the Caribbean Sea. Included also are El Salvador on the Pacific side of Central America, and France because of its three overseas Départements ("departments") in the Caribbean and South America. (The USA is not included, although southern Florida — especially Miami — has strong cultural connections with the anglophone, francophone, hispanophone and créolophone Caribbean, and Georgia and the Carolinas share strong historical and sociolinguistic ties with the English-speaking Caribbean, and Louisiana with the French-speaking Caribbean.) Bermuda is not part of the Caribbean due to its location in the Atlantic, but is sometimes included in a listing of Caribbean countries because of common historical links with the Caribbean islands. Pre-Colombian Amerindians, including those who gave their name to the region, no doubt had their own worldview and way of organising their world. Geography Q4. Which are the Greater Antilles and which are the Lesser Antilles? A. The Greater Antilles comprise Cuba, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Jamaica and Puerto Rico. The Lesser Antilles comprise the Leeward Islands , the Windward Islands , and Trinidad & Tobago. Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands and Turks & Caicos to the north, and the ABC Islands to the south do not belong to any of these groupings. Q5. Which are the Leeward Islands and which are the Windward Islands? A. The Windward Islands comprise Grenada, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Martinique, and also Barbados. The Leeward Islands comprise Dominica (which was sometimes grouped with the Windwards), Guadeloupe and her dependencies (St. Martin, Marie-Galante and St.Barths), Montserrat, Antigua & Barbuda, St. Kitts-Nevis, Anguilla, the SSS Islands , and the Virgin Islands. The terms Windward and Leeward are also political terms. The term Eastern Caribbean often refers to the nine-member Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States ( OECS ) which share a common currency, the EC dollar (Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Lucia, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and also Anguilla, and the BVI). Q6. Which are the ABC Islands and the SSS Islands? A. The ABC Islands of the Southern Caribbean comprise Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. The latter two belong to the Netherlands Antilles (Aruba is independent), as do the SSS Islands — Saba, Statia (Sint Eustatius), and Sint Maarten/Saint Martin — which are further to the north. Q7. Is it 'on' Antigua or 'in' Antigua? A. 'In Antigua', or 'on the island of Antigua', never 'on Antigua'. Similarly, one would say 'in Europe' or 'on the continent of Europe', but never 'on Europe'. It so happens that the country of (the Commonwealth of) Dominica, and the country of (the Commonwealth of) Australia to take another example, occupy the whole of their respective islands, whereas the country of Canada occupies part of the land mass of North America. Therefore, the capital of Roseau is in Dominica, the capital Canberra is in Australia, and the capital of Ottawa is in Canada. The same holds for other islands that are not (independent) countries, but places that you live in not on. Prepositions are small but powerful words. Q8. Where can I get a map of the Caribbean? A. Search for Caribbean maps at Expedia or Google Maps. Also see Creole language maps. PART C Names and Pronounciations Q9. What are the names of the nationalities of the peoples of the Caribbean (in English), and how are they pronounced? See Table 2 below. (See Table 2 also for some of the reputedly original indigenous (Amerindian) names of CARIBbean territories. Linguistic origins are specified where possible. Go to Montray Kréyol for an article in French on indigenous names in the Caribbean, "Du nom indigène des îles de l’archipel des Antilles," by Thierry L'Etang). Select Phonemic Guide (with reference to one variety of English, i.e., Trinidadian): Consonants: Here are some general pronunciation rules. Tobago is pronounced like 'sago', 'plumbago' and 'winnebago'. Here's a limerick of interest: There was an old man of Tobago, Who lived on rice, gruel and sago Till, much to his bliss, His physician said this — "To a leg, sir, of mutton you may go." (Edward Lear's Limericks 1812—1888) Like the 'a' in Tobago, the second 'a' in Barbados and the first 'a' in Grenada are pronounced /e/, as in 'bay' and 'neigh'. The second 'a' in Bahamas is pronounced /ɑ/ as in 'father', but /e/ in Bahamian (the 'a' in Trinidad /a/, as in 'bat', remains the same in Trinidad and Trinidadian, though some Trinidadians are known to say /trɪnɪˡdediʌnz/, like TriniDAYdians). The last syllable in Haitian, St. Lucian, Vincentian, Kittitian, Montserratian and Nevisian is pronounced /ʃʌn/. * In terms of numbers of Caribbean nations, most speak non-rhotic varieties of English — Trinidad & Tobago, the Windward Islands, and most of the Leeward Islands. (Rhotic — from the Greek letter 'rho', transliterated as 'r' in English — refers to varieties of English that pronounce the /r/ at the end of a syllable, or after a vowel.) However, in terms of actual numbers of speakers, it can be said that the majority of Caribbean speakers of English speak semi-rhotic or fully rhotic dialects of English, since most come from Jamaica (2.3 million people), Antigua, Barbados, the Cayman Islands, and Guyana. Q10. Do Caribbean people call themselves "Caribbeans"? A. No, they don't. It is an archaic or obsolete use of the word in modern Caribbean English. As a proper noun, the word "Caribbean" is reserved for the geographic region of the Caribbean. It is used as an adjective for both people and things Caribbean, hence 'a Caribbean woman' and 'Caribbean people'. It would sound decidedly odd to Caribbean ears to say "I'm a Caribbean living in the Caribbean" or "We are Caribbeans living in the Caribbean." 'Caribbean' is never used as a noun by Caribbean people in the Caribbean to describe or refer to themselves, and is in fact considered strange, and/or viewed negatively as non-standard usage. Similarly, one would say 'an Englishman' and 'English people', but never 'an English' or 'Englishes' (for people, although the latter is a neologism used in reference to varieties of English). Anglophone Caribbean people call themselves 'West Indians' or 'Caribbean people'; francophone Caribbean people call themselves 'antillais'; hispanophone Caribbean people call themselves 'caribeños', and Dutch-speaking Caribbean people call themselves 'Caraïbisch' or 'Antillean' in English (this is subject to correction!). We have many names. Gilberto Freyre had a great deal to say on naming oneself and being named. Q11. Is it 'CaRIBbean' or 'CaribBEan'? A. Both. Anglophone Caribbean people say either one or the other or both, sometimes both in one sentence. The British tend to say /karɪˡbiʌn/ 'CaribBEan', and Americans tend to say /kəˡrɪbiʌn/ 'CaRIBbean'. Languages Q12. How many living languages are there in the world today? A. According to the Ethnologue.com, there are approximantely 6,912 living languages in the world today. See the Ethnologue Introduction, and the problem of language identification. See also the LSA article How Many Languages Are There in the World? and other interesting FAQs on language and language-related topics. Q13. How many languages are spoken in the Caribbean today? A. According to the Ethnologue.com , there are at least 59 living languages spoken in the Caribbean today, including 4 endangered or nearly extinct languages. Figure 2 Most of these 59 languages are not spoken in the insular Caribbean, but in the continental Caribbean, which here includes Central American Belize and the three South American Guyanas, but not the rest of the greater Caribbean: Colombia, Venezeula, and the five Caribbean Central American countries. Including these countries would add 155 indigenous Amerindian (of diverse families), 4 creole languages, 2 immigrant languages, and 5 sign languages to the number below. The 59 languages include: 22 indigenous Amerindian languages (10 Carib, including Carib, 7 Arawak, 2 Tupi, 3 Mayan), all spoken in the continental Caribbean 5 European languages 21 creole languages (15 English-lexicon, 4 French-lexicon, 1 Iberian-lexicon, and 1 Dutch-lexicon, on the verge of extinction), mostly in the insular Caribbean 4 immigrant languages that came with their speakers during the mid-19th century, post-emancipation 4 sign languages, and 3 unclassified languages. Creole languages include Haitian Kreyol, St. Lucian Kwéyòl, Papiamentu, Antiguan Creole, Belize Kriol, Jamaican Creole/Patois, Guyanese Creolese, Vincentian Creole, and Berbice Dutch (on the verge of extinction). The post-emancipation languages are Bhojpuri , Javanese, Hakka, and Yoruba. (See below for other languages that were spoken in the West Indies in the past.) Q14. What is an 'endangered language'? A. Check out the SIL pages , as well as our Links page for more info. Q15. How many languages were spoken in the Caribbean in times past? A. There were several Amerindian, European, African, Asian and Caribbean creole languages, many of which are no longer spoken in the region. Some have disappeared altogether, such as Taino, Island Carib (an Arawakan language), Yao, and other indigenous Amerindian languages. Arawak languages related to Taino and Island Carib continue to be spoken in Honduras, Belize, Guatemala and Nicaragua ( Garífuna or Black Carib), Venezuela (Paraujano), and Colombia (Wayuu). Other languages have also disappeared, including colonial European languages such as Danish; African languages such as Twi, Ewe-Fon, Hausa and Kikongo; creole languages such as Negerhollands and Skepi Dutch Creole; and more recent immigrant languages such as Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Mandarin, Cantonese, Portuguese , German , and Arabic. Of the latter group, Portuguese and Arabic are disappearing slowly but surely, and Bhojpuri, to a lesser extent. These languages are mostly obsolescent, as the majority of their remaining speakers are bilingual and fluent speakers of their country's official and national and vernacular languages. Q16. Which Caribbean language has the majority of speakers? A. Spanish, with over 22 million speakers, mostly in the Greater Antilles, followed by French and French Creole (over 8 million speakers of mostly French Creole), English and English Creole (over 6 million speakers, mostly in the Lesser Antilles), and Dutch (about half a million speakers). Figure 3 Spanish is spoken mainly in four (4) territories, including Belize, and also in the ABC islands off Venezuela. The ABC islands are home to Papiamentu, an Iberian creole (mainly Portuguese vocabulary, with more and more influence from Spanish). English is spoken in at least twenty (20) territories, including Puerto Rico and St. Martin/Sint Maarten. Four English-lexicon creoles are spoken in Dutch-official Suriname. French-lexicon creoles (called Patois especially in the anglophone, and also the francophone, territories) are spoken in seven insular territories and four continental territories. The former include Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Martinique, St. Lucia and Trinidad, all former French territories (except for Trinidad which, though not politically colonised by France, was socioculturally influenced by the French and French Creoles). The four continental territories include French Guiana, Brazil, the USA (Louisiana) and Venezuela (through contact with Trinidadians and St. Lucians). Guyana also has a fair number of French Creole-speaking communities of St. Lucian origin. Q17. How many creole languages are spoken in the Caribbean today? A. There are almost as many creole languages as there are islands and territories, and possibly more, depending on the definition and delineation of different dialects of the creoles. There are, however, no creole languages to be found in the insular Hispanic Caribbean, only Palenquero in the continental Caribbean, namely Colombia. The following chart shows the number of creole languages of the Caribbean, insular and continental (including Karipúna/Galibi and Amapá French Creole of Brazil, and Venezuelan French Creole), according to the Ethnologue.com . Figure 4 Q18. Do all English, French and Dutch-speaking Caribbean people speak a creole as a mother tongue? A. No, this is a stereotype. There are significant Caribbean-born minorities that do not speak a creole language as a mother tongue and/or second language, though members of these groups may be either a) quite proficient in the variety of their territory according to the situation and context, or b) passive bilinguals. The vast majority of West Indians in anglophone, francophone and Dutch-speaking islands do speak the creole language of their territory as a mother tongue, and these Creole speakers may or may not be fluent in the official language of their territory. Most Caribbean varieties of English are as old as Early Modern English, the period in the history of English (1500-1700) when Modern English began to undergo standardisation. These varieties of English belong more to the 'inner circle' than the 'outer circle' by Crystal's definition (Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language), but the situation is probably much more complex than this. Up to the 1960s, since anglophone Caribbean territories began to gain independence from 1962 onward, most varieties of Caribbean English were identified with British English, because of politics, and despite linguistic differences (some conservative, some progressing in different directions). They have been distinct from modern British English for a long time, some as long as American English has been distinct from British English, others not quite as old. (Antiguan and Barbadian English, in fact, contributed to the development of some varieites of southern U.S. English.) Over four decades later, it is clear that these varieties of English in the Caribbean are separate standards, differing from each other and from non-Caribbean varieties mainly at the levels of phonology and lexicon. At the orthographic level, Commonwealth spelling is still preferred. Linguistic situations of the Caribbean are, like most language situations around the world, quite complex. It is difficult to say who is monolingual, bilingual, monodialectal, bidialectal, etc., in strict terms. There are also issues of non-standard varieties of English co-existing with English-lexicon creoles and standard varieties of English. While English-lexicon creoles and standard dialects of English may seem to be quite different from each other (in aspects of phonology and grammar), both varieties share a great deal with non-standard dialects of English! In referring to English, many substitute "Standard" or "the Standard," but English is far more than just one standardised variety. A term such as Guyanese English refers to the English (usually standard) of that territory, not the creole language. Q19. Where can I get a creole language map of the Caribbean? A. See SIL's Caribbean Creole Language Maps , prepared by SIL and SCL members Ken Decker and David Holbrook. More language maps to come. Of interest is the Atlas of the Languages of Suriname , by Eithne B. Carlin and Jacques Arends ( Ian Randle Publishers , 2003). Q20. What are the origins of Caribbean creole languages? A. See below for a discussion on creoles. (More to come on the history of language contact in the Caribbean.) Q21. What is the working language of the SCL? A. English by default, because the majority of our members are native anglophones or fluent in English. All of our publications (so far) are in English. However, any one of the official Caribbean languages (Dutch, English, French, Haitian, Papiamentu and Spanish) is an official SCL language. Several papers have been presented in French at SCL conferences and one in Trinidad & Tobago Sign Language.	Cayman Islands
Who were the ascetics who lived on the top of pillars or columns?	Society for Caribbean Linguistics Figure 1 Q2. What is the political status of these territories? A. The majority are independent (including four republics — Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, and Trinidad & Tobago), 5 are colonies of Great Britain (BWI), 5 belong to the Netherlands (N), and 3 are overseas departments (départements d'outre-mer) of France (F). Q3. Are Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador considered part of the Caribbean? A. Yes, they are part of the continental or Greater Caribbean. They are traditionally seen as part of Latin America (to which the insular Hispanic territories of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic also belong). These eight Spanish-speaking countries are not traditionally included in the above listing (A.1) of Caribbean countries. List A.1 includes the physical islands of the archipelago (regardless of language affiliation), and the four "linguistic islands" (English, French and Dutch) in an Iberian "sea." (Latin America should really be called Iberian America, since although French is also a Latin language, French Guiana is not included in Latin America.) The four non-Iberian continental "islands" are Belize in Central America, and Guyana, Suriname and Guyane (French Guiana) in South America. (Note that Spanish is also spoken in English-official Belize.) South and Central America are often thought to be synonymous with Latin America, but they are not. Trinidad, for example, is geologically part of both the Caribbean and South America, but ceased to belong to Latin America upon British takeover in 1797–1802. The Association of Caribbean States ( ACS-AEC ) includes as member states most territories whose shores are washed by the Caribbean Sea. Included also are El Salvador on the Pacific side of Central America, and France because of its three overseas Départements ("departments") in the Caribbean and South America. (The USA is not included, although southern Florida — especially Miami — has strong cultural connections with the anglophone, francophone, hispanophone and créolophone Caribbean, and Georgia and the Carolinas share strong historical and sociolinguistic ties with the English-speaking Caribbean, and Louisiana with the French-speaking Caribbean.) Bermuda is not part of the Caribbean due to its location in the Atlantic, but is sometimes included in a listing of Caribbean countries because of common historical links with the Caribbean islands. Pre-Colombian Amerindians, including those who gave their name to the region, no doubt had their own worldview and way of organising their world. Geography Q4. Which are the Greater Antilles and which are the Lesser Antilles? A. The Greater Antilles comprise Cuba, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Jamaica and Puerto Rico. The Lesser Antilles comprise the Leeward Islands , the Windward Islands , and Trinidad & Tobago. Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands and Turks & Caicos to the north, and the ABC Islands to the south do not belong to any of these groupings. Q5. Which are the Leeward Islands and which are the Windward Islands? A. The Windward Islands comprise Grenada, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Martinique, and also Barbados. The Leeward Islands comprise Dominica (which was sometimes grouped with the Windwards), Guadeloupe and her dependencies (St. Martin, Marie-Galante and St.Barths), Montserrat, Antigua & Barbuda, St. Kitts-Nevis, Anguilla, the SSS Islands , and the Virgin Islands. The terms Windward and Leeward are also political terms. The term Eastern Caribbean often refers to the nine-member Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States ( OECS ) which share a common currency, the EC dollar (Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Lucia, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and also Anguilla, and the BVI). Q6. Which are the ABC Islands and the SSS Islands? A. The ABC Islands of the Southern Caribbean comprise Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. The latter two belong to the Netherlands Antilles (Aruba is independent), as do the SSS Islands — Saba, Statia (Sint Eustatius), and Sint Maarten/Saint Martin — which are further to the north. Q7. Is it 'on' Antigua or 'in' Antigua? A. 'In Antigua', or 'on the island of Antigua', never 'on Antigua'. Similarly, one would say 'in Europe' or 'on the continent of Europe', but never 'on Europe'. It so happens that the country of (the Commonwealth of) Dominica, and the country of (the Commonwealth of) Australia to take another example, occupy the whole of their respective islands, whereas the country of Canada occupies part of the land mass of North America. Therefore, the capital of Roseau is in Dominica, the capital Canberra is in Australia, and the capital of Ottawa is in Canada. The same holds for other islands that are not (independent) countries, but places that you live in not on. Prepositions are small but powerful words. Q8. Where can I get a map of the Caribbean? A. Search for Caribbean maps at Expedia or Google Maps. Also see Creole language maps. PART C Names and Pronounciations Q9. What are the names of the nationalities of the peoples of the Caribbean (in English), and how are they pronounced? See Table 2 below. (See Table 2 also for some of the reputedly original indigenous (Amerindian) names of CARIBbean territories. Linguistic origins are specified where possible. Go to Montray Kréyol for an article in French on indigenous names in the Caribbean, "Du nom indigène des îles de l’archipel des Antilles," by Thierry L'Etang). Select Phonemic Guide (with reference to one variety of English, i.e., Trinidadian): Consonants: Here are some general pronunciation rules. Tobago is pronounced like 'sago', 'plumbago' and 'winnebago'. Here's a limerick of interest: There was an old man of Tobago, Who lived on rice, gruel and sago Till, much to his bliss, His physician said this — "To a leg, sir, of mutton you may go." (Edward Lear's Limericks 1812—1888) Like the 'a' in Tobago, the second 'a' in Barbados and the first 'a' in Grenada are pronounced /e/, as in 'bay' and 'neigh'. The second 'a' in Bahamas is pronounced /ɑ/ as in 'father', but /e/ in Bahamian (the 'a' in Trinidad /a/, as in 'bat', remains the same in Trinidad and Trinidadian, though some Trinidadians are known to say /trɪnɪˡdediʌnz/, like TriniDAYdians). The last syllable in Haitian, St. Lucian, Vincentian, Kittitian, Montserratian and Nevisian is pronounced /ʃʌn/. * In terms of numbers of Caribbean nations, most speak non-rhotic varieties of English — Trinidad & Tobago, the Windward Islands, and most of the Leeward Islands. (Rhotic — from the Greek letter 'rho', transliterated as 'r' in English — refers to varieties of English that pronounce the /r/ at the end of a syllable, or after a vowel.) However, in terms of actual numbers of speakers, it can be said that the majority of Caribbean speakers of English speak semi-rhotic or fully rhotic dialects of English, since most come from Jamaica (2.3 million people), Antigua, Barbados, the Cayman Islands, and Guyana. Q10. Do Caribbean people call themselves "Caribbeans"? A. No, they don't. It is an archaic or obsolete use of the word in modern Caribbean English. As a proper noun, the word "Caribbean" is reserved for the geographic region of the Caribbean. It is used as an adjective for both people and things Caribbean, hence 'a Caribbean woman' and 'Caribbean people'. It would sound decidedly odd to Caribbean ears to say "I'm a Caribbean living in the Caribbean" or "We are Caribbeans living in the Caribbean." 'Caribbean' is never used as a noun by Caribbean people in the Caribbean to describe or refer to themselves, and is in fact considered strange, and/or viewed negatively as non-standard usage. Similarly, one would say 'an Englishman' and 'English people', but never 'an English' or 'Englishes' (for people, although the latter is a neologism used in reference to varieties of English). Anglophone Caribbean people call themselves 'West Indians' or 'Caribbean people'; francophone Caribbean people call themselves 'antillais'; hispanophone Caribbean people call themselves 'caribeños', and Dutch-speaking Caribbean people call themselves 'Caraïbisch' or 'Antillean' in English (this is subject to correction!). We have many names. Gilberto Freyre had a great deal to say on naming oneself and being named. Q11. Is it 'CaRIBbean' or 'CaribBEan'? A. Both. Anglophone Caribbean people say either one or the other or both, sometimes both in one sentence. The British tend to say /karɪˡbiʌn/ 'CaribBEan', and Americans tend to say /kəˡrɪbiʌn/ 'CaRIBbean'. Languages Q12. How many living languages are there in the world today? A. According to the Ethnologue.com, there are approximantely 6,912 living languages in the world today. See the Ethnologue Introduction, and the problem of language identification. See also the LSA article How Many Languages Are There in the World? and other interesting FAQs on language and language-related topics. Q13. How many languages are spoken in the Caribbean today? A. According to the Ethnologue.com , there are at least 59 living languages spoken in the Caribbean today, including 4 endangered or nearly extinct languages. Figure 2 Most of these 59 languages are not spoken in the insular Caribbean, but in the continental Caribbean, which here includes Central American Belize and the three South American Guyanas, but not the rest of the greater Caribbean: Colombia, Venezeula, and the five Caribbean Central American countries. Including these countries would add 155 indigenous Amerindian (of diverse families), 4 creole languages, 2 immigrant languages, and 5 sign languages to the number below. The 59 languages include: 22 indigenous Amerindian languages (10 Carib, including Carib, 7 Arawak, 2 Tupi, 3 Mayan), all spoken in the continental Caribbean 5 European languages 21 creole languages (15 English-lexicon, 4 French-lexicon, 1 Iberian-lexicon, and 1 Dutch-lexicon, on the verge of extinction), mostly in the insular Caribbean 4 immigrant languages that came with their speakers during the mid-19th century, post-emancipation 4 sign languages, and 3 unclassified languages. Creole languages include Haitian Kreyol, St. Lucian Kwéyòl, Papiamentu, Antiguan Creole, Belize Kriol, Jamaican Creole/Patois, Guyanese Creolese, Vincentian Creole, and Berbice Dutch (on the verge of extinction). The post-emancipation languages are Bhojpuri , Javanese, Hakka, and Yoruba. (See below for other languages that were spoken in the West Indies in the past.) Q14. What is an 'endangered language'? A. Check out the SIL pages , as well as our Links page for more info. Q15. How many languages were spoken in the Caribbean in times past? A. There were several Amerindian, European, African, Asian and Caribbean creole languages, many of which are no longer spoken in the region. Some have disappeared altogether, such as Taino, Island Carib (an Arawakan language), Yao, and other indigenous Amerindian languages. Arawak languages related to Taino and Island Carib continue to be spoken in Honduras, Belize, Guatemala and Nicaragua ( Garífuna or Black Carib), Venezuela (Paraujano), and Colombia (Wayuu). Other languages have also disappeared, including colonial European languages such as Danish; African languages such as Twi, Ewe-Fon, Hausa and Kikongo; creole languages such as Negerhollands and Skepi Dutch Creole; and more recent immigrant languages such as Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Mandarin, Cantonese, Portuguese , German , and Arabic. Of the latter group, Portuguese and Arabic are disappearing slowly but surely, and Bhojpuri, to a lesser extent. These languages are mostly obsolescent, as the majority of their remaining speakers are bilingual and fluent speakers of their country's official and national and vernacular languages. Q16. Which Caribbean language has the majority of speakers? A. Spanish, with over 22 million speakers, mostly in the Greater Antilles, followed by French and French Creole (over 8 million speakers of mostly French Creole), English and English Creole (over 6 million speakers, mostly in the Lesser Antilles), and Dutch (about half a million speakers). Figure 3 Spanish is spoken mainly in four (4) territories, including Belize, and also in the ABC islands off Venezuela. The ABC islands are home to Papiamentu, an Iberian creole (mainly Portuguese vocabulary, with more and more influence from Spanish). English is spoken in at least twenty (20) territories, including Puerto Rico and St. Martin/Sint Maarten. Four English-lexicon creoles are spoken in Dutch-official Suriname. French-lexicon creoles (called Patois especially in the anglophone, and also the francophone, territories) are spoken in seven insular territories and four continental territories. The former include Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Martinique, St. Lucia and Trinidad, all former French territories (except for Trinidad which, though not politically colonised by France, was socioculturally influenced by the French and French Creoles). The four continental territories include French Guiana, Brazil, the USA (Louisiana) and Venezuela (through contact with Trinidadians and St. Lucians). Guyana also has a fair number of French Creole-speaking communities of St. Lucian origin. Q17. How many creole languages are spoken in the Caribbean today? A. There are almost as many creole languages as there are islands and territories, and possibly more, depending on the definition and delineation of different dialects of the creoles. There are, however, no creole languages to be found in the insular Hispanic Caribbean, only Palenquero in the continental Caribbean, namely Colombia. The following chart shows the number of creole languages of the Caribbean, insular and continental (including Karipúna/Galibi and Amapá French Creole of Brazil, and Venezuelan French Creole), according to the Ethnologue.com . Figure 4 Q18. Do all English, French and Dutch-speaking Caribbean people speak a creole as a mother tongue? A. No, this is a stereotype. There are significant Caribbean-born minorities that do not speak a creole language as a mother tongue and/or second language, though members of these groups may be either a) quite proficient in the variety of their territory according to the situation and context, or b) passive bilinguals. The vast majority of West Indians in anglophone, francophone and Dutch-speaking islands do speak the creole language of their territory as a mother tongue, and these Creole speakers may or may not be fluent in the official language of their territory. Most Caribbean varieties of English are as old as Early Modern English, the period in the history of English (1500-1700) when Modern English began to undergo standardisation. These varieties of English belong more to the 'inner circle' than the 'outer circle' by Crystal's definition (Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language), but the situation is probably much more complex than this. Up to the 1960s, since anglophone Caribbean territories began to gain independence from 1962 onward, most varieties of Caribbean English were identified with British English, because of politics, and despite linguistic differences (some conservative, some progressing in different directions). They have been distinct from modern British English for a long time, some as long as American English has been distinct from British English, others not quite as old. (Antiguan and Barbadian English, in fact, contributed to the development of some varieites of southern U.S. English.) Over four decades later, it is clear that these varieties of English in the Caribbean are separate standards, differing from each other and from non-Caribbean varieties mainly at the levels of phonology and lexicon. At the orthographic level, Commonwealth spelling is still preferred. Linguistic situations of the Caribbean are, like most language situations around the world, quite complex. It is difficult to say who is monolingual, bilingual, monodialectal, bidialectal, etc., in strict terms. There are also issues of non-standard varieties of English co-existing with English-lexicon creoles and standard varieties of English. While English-lexicon creoles and standard dialects of English may seem to be quite different from each other (in aspects of phonology and grammar), both varieties share a great deal with non-standard dialects of English! In referring to English, many substitute "Standard" or "the Standard," but English is far more than just one standardised variety. A term such as Guyanese English refers to the English (usually standard) of that territory, not the creole language. Q19. Where can I get a creole language map of the Caribbean? A. See SIL's Caribbean Creole Language Maps , prepared by SIL and SCL members Ken Decker and David Holbrook. More language maps to come. Of interest is the Atlas of the Languages of Suriname , by Eithne B. Carlin and Jacques Arends ( Ian Randle Publishers , 2003). Q20. What are the origins of Caribbean creole languages? A. See below for a discussion on creoles. (More to come on the history of language contact in the Caribbean.) Q21. What is the working language of the SCL? A. English by default, because the majority of our members are native anglophones or fluent in English. All of our publications (so far) are in English. However, any one of the official Caribbean languages (Dutch, English, French, Haitian, Papiamentu and Spanish) is an official SCL language. Several papers have been presented in French at SCL conferences and one in Trinidad & Tobago Sign Language.	i don't know
Oneiromancy is the divination of what?	oneiromancy - definition of oneiromancy in English \| Oxford Dictionaries Definition of oneiromancy in English: oneiromancy [mass noun] The interpretation of dreams in order to foretell the future. Example sentences ‘In Mortal Coils, an interaction of oneiromancy and mediumism was embodied in multiple projections among slowly twisting ropes, as if something were dimly viewed while transpiring underwater or in a netherworld.’ ‘One in every five believes in oneiromancy (dream divination), and one in every four takes astrology seriously.’ ‘This was a recognised art in ancient times and was called ‘oneiromancy’.’ ‘How about general broadcast oneiromancy, like the popular bedtime suggestion ‘Sweet Dreams’?’ ‘You know, I've heard about oneiromancy, which is divination by interpreting dreams, kind of hard to get accurate -’ Pronunciation Matching verbs to collective nouns Which of these sentences is correct? The committee has reached a decision. The committee have reached a decision. Which of these sentences is correct? The police is appealing for witnesses. The police are appealing for witnesses. Which of these sentences is correct? Each group is choosing a topic. Each group are choosing a topic. Which of these sentences is correct? The crew is made up of experienced sailors. The crew are made up of experienced sailors. Which of these sentences is correct? Her class has surpassed expectations. Her class have surpassed expectations. Which of these sentences is correct? The gang have escaped. Which of these sentences is correct? Some people hate technology. Which of these sentences is correct? The interview panel comprises three women. The interview panel comprise three women. Which of these sentences is correct? His platoon are advancing on enemy positions. His platoon is advancing on enemy positions. Which of these sentences is correct? The audience is taking its seats. The audience are taking their seats. You scored /10 practise again? Retry Most popular in the world Australia	Dream
Which Greek philosopher lived in a tub?	Oneiromancy \| Define Oneiromancy at Dictionary.com oneiromancy 1645-55; < Greek óneiro(s) dream + -mancy Related forms Examples from the Web for oneiromancy Expand Witch, Warlock, and Magician William Henry Davenport Adams oneiromancy is the algebra which enables us to perform rapidly complicated calculations in the mathematics of psychology. Psychoanalysis Andr Tridon He wrote on astronomy and on oneiromancy, for he was an expert expounder of dreams, and also on surveying and wine-making. British Dictionary definitions for oneiromancy Expand (rare) divination by the interpretation of dreams Derived Forms C17: from Greek oneiros dream + -mancy Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for oneiromancy Expand 1650s; see oneiro- + -mancy . Cf. Greek oneiromantis "an interpreter of dreams." Related: oneiromantic. Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper	i don't know
Mr Elton, a vicar, is a character in which Jane Austen novel?	Emma Characters - eNotes.com Emma Characters Emma Woodhouse—Protagonist of the novel; youngest daughter of Mr. Woodhouse and his deceased wife; sister of Isabella (Woodhouse) Knightley; mistress of Hartfield estate. Mr. Woodhouse—Emma’s father; elderly, sedentary master of Hartfield. Mrs. Weston (Miss Taylor)—Emma’s former governess, now friend; wife of Mr. Weston; mistress of Randalls country house. Mr. Weston—(Captain Weston)—Retired militia; husband of Mrs. Weston; biological father of Frank Churchill; master of Randalls. Mr. Knightley (George)—Gentleman farmer and magistrate; master of Donwell Abbey; neighbor and friend of Emma and Mr. Woodhouse. Mr. Elton—Vicar of Highbury; young bachelor. Harriet Smith—Illegitimate daughter of unknown persons; placed in Mrs. Goddard’s Boarding School in Highbury; befriended by Emma. Mrs. and Miss Bates—Widow of former Vicar of Highbury and her spinster daughter; social friends of the Woodhouses; aunt and cousin of Jane Fairfax. Jane Fairfax—Orphaned niece of Mrs. Bates; taken in by Colonel and Mrs. Campbell who undertook her education; secret fiancée of Frank Churchill. Mr. and Mrs. Churchill—Aunt and uncle of Frank Weston Churchill whom they adopt; brother and sister-in-law to Miss Churchill, deceased first wife of Mr. Weston. Frank (Weston) Churchill—Son of Mr. Weston and the deceased Miss Churchill; adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Churchill; brought up in fashionable London society; secret fiancé of Jane Fairfax. Augusta (Hawkins) Elton—Social climbing wife of Mr. Elton; daughter of tradesman, eager to break into society at Highbury. John and Isabella (Woodhouse) Knightley—Lawyer brother-in-law and sister of Emma Woodhouse; residing in Brunswick Square in London. Robert Martin—Tenant of Abbey Mill farm, rented from Mr. (George) Knightley; fond of Harriet Smith. Elizabeth Martin—Sister of Robert; resident of Abbey Mill; schoolfriend of Harriet. Mr. and Mrs. Coles—Tradespeople of the village of Highbury, rising in fortune and rank to the upper middle class. Mrs. Goddard—Mistress of a boarding school. Mr. and Mrs. Cox—Lawyer family. Mrs. Ford—Shopkeeper. Mr. Perry—Pharmacist. Start Free Trial Start your free trial with eNotes to access more than 30,000 study guides. Get help with any book.	Emma
Torch was the final code name for the 1942 Allied landings ……..where?	Mr. Elton Mr. Elton Authors: Austen, Jane Description: Mr. Elton is the village vicar, a handsome and agreeable man considered a welcome addition to any social gathering. When he reveals his indifference to Harriet and his desire to marry Emma, only to take a bride at Bath shortly thereafter, he comes to seem proud, conceited, and superficial. With the exception of Emma, the characters are generally static ones. They do not change. Rather, they are likely to be simply confirmed in their views, for they live in and accept a stable if static society. Nonetheless, the type of characters portrayed is varied and so is the degree of their realistic development. Among the lesser developed but important ones, are Mr. Woodhouse, John Knightley, and Augusta Elton. They appear to be one-dimensional because they consistently show their one dominant coloring, and so far as treatment of them in the novel is concerned, they are one-dimensional. Other characters from this book: or click here to see all our contacts including international numbers Try our most popular service: Any paper for $39.95* ORDER or click here for details * conditions apply Response (Reaction) Essay Share this page on: All papers written or otherwise provided by essaylet.com are designed to assist students with their research assignments, help them locate information and facilitate their research skills. All essays, research papers, reports and other documents should be referenced accordingly in order to avoid plagiarism. Close How to find coupons online Finding coupons is easy. Open your favorite search engine and type in: 'essaylet discount code', then press enter. You can get up to 10% off of your current order by taking these simple steps. When placing your order, simply paste in the coupon code in the box that says 'discount code' box. The discount will be applied automatically. Close Disclaimer Any opinions or statements made by, or can be attributed to users who claim to be acting on our behalf and/or claim to be affiliated with our company in any way, found in postings and articles on any online websites and/or forums or sent via unsolicited emails, are expressly his/her own and do not represent the opinions of Essaylet.com. We want it to be known by all who read any defamatory or libelous content on the internet that whoever distributes these messages is acting on his/her own volition and is not acting in any capacity for Essaylet.com.	i don't know
In which conflict did the Battle of Pork Chop Hill take place?	6/12/2006 • Military History Officially it was designated Hill 255, but its contour lines on a map of Korea and a 1959 film made it world famous as Pork Chop Hill. Based on a book by military historian S.L.A. Marshall, the movie dealt only with the penultimate, two-day battle for Pork Chop Hill in April 1953. In actuality, that hill claimed the lives of soldiers from the United States, Thailand, Colombia, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and China in an ongoing struggle that lasted longer than on any other single battlefield in Korea. After Communist North Korean forces invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950, the war raged up and down the peninsula several times as the United States, the United Nations (U.N.) and finally Communist China sent ground forces there. By July 1952, however, both sides had constructed such strong defensive lines that neither could undertake a major offensive without suffering unacceptable losses. In 1952, North Korea and China had 290,000 men on the front lines and another 600,000 in reserve. The U.N. countered with 250,000 troops on the line, backed by 450,000 reserves. While the two sides engaged in tedious, often exasperating truce negotiations at Panmunjom, their soldiers huddled in trench systems resembling those of World War I. The constant patrolling and artillery duels seldom made headlines at home. But occasionally battles for outposts such as Heartbreak Ridge, the Punchbowl, Capitol Hill and the Hook drew media attention, giving them propaganda value at the talks. Much of the focus on Pork Chop Hill was a result of Communist political structure. At that time, Marshal Peng Dehuai commanded the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces in Korea, taking his orders from the Central Military Commission (CMC), of which Mao Tse-tung was chairman, and Mao’s foreign minister, Zhou Enlai, vice chairman. Peng’s lieutenants often had multiple responsibilities. For example, Peng’s deputy, General Deng Hua, was also commander of the 13th Field Army and a delegate at the peace talks. Li Kenong, chief of military intelligence for the CMC, was also vice minister of foreign affairs, chief of the Military Intelligence Department of the People’s Liberation Army, and headed the Chinese delegation at Panmunjom. Because of Li’s ministry and intelligence positions, he had his government’s authority to coordinate armistice talks and battlefield strategy. Consequently, whenever negotiations reached critical stages, the Chinese military was used to test the U.N.’s will on the battlefield. As the action raged around relatively unimportant outposts, the battles themselves took on political and propaganda significance far beyond their military value. In May 1952, Maj. Gen. David Ruffner took command of the 45th Infantry Division, holding the right flank of the I Corps’ line in west-central Korea, facing the 39th Army of the Chinese 13th Field Army. Wishing to take the high ground in front of his division’s main line of resistance (MLR), Ruffner and his staff developed a plan to seize a dozen forward hills, stretching from northeast to southwest. The last two in the southwest, Pork Chop and Old Baldy (Hill 266), were held by the Chinese 116th Division. On June 6 and 7, the 279th Infantry Regiment seized the six northern hills, while the 180th Infantry advanced on the six southern ones. Company I of the 180th took Pork Chop after a one-hour firefight and immediately fortified the position. The Chinese 346th, 347th and 348th regiments counterattacked over the next several days, but I Company, with artillery support, held them off. Ruffner had extended the 45th Division’s line to provide a breakwater for his MLR, with Port Chop Hill, partially protected from Old Baldy, providing a vital part of the buffer. The 2nd Infantry Division replaced the 45th in the fall of 1952, and its 9th Regiment was assigned to Pork Chop and Old Baldy. In October the Thai 21st Infantry Regiment occupied Pork Chop and managed to beat back assaults by elements of the Chinese 39th Army in November. When the 7th Infantry Division replaced the 2nd, troops of its 31st Regiment occupying Hill 255 found words written on the bunker walls by the departing Thais: ‘Take good care of our Pork Chop.’ In the late winter of 1953, General Deng argued that Chinese forces should adopt a retaliatory (zhenfeng xiangdui) strategy rather than remain on the defensive. The CMC endorsed his idea, and Marshal Peng moved the 23rd and 47th armies into line near Pork Chop Hill. On March 1, 1953, Chinese artillery opened an 8,000-round artillery barrage. Then, on the night of March 23, elements of the Chinese 67th Division of the 23rd Army and the 47th Army’s 141st Division launched simultaneous ground assaults on Old Baldy, Pork Chop and Hill 191. ‘On March 23rd, we ran a 50-man patrol along the perimeter of Pork Chop,’ recalled Corporal Joe Scheuber of I Company, 31st Infantry. ‘We just got into our foxholes on the finger of Pork Chop when enemy mortar and artillery hit us. To our right, more incoming rounds. Then we saw Chinese behind us and realized we were surrounded. We fell back to the trench line at the top of the hill, but the Chinese had reached it first. Hand-to-hand fighting broke out. There was a tremendous amount of noise. I got nicked in the arm and my helmet got shot off. I worked my way down the hill, killing a Chinese soldier with a grenade. I ended up in a shell hole the remainder of the night, as the enemy artillery lasted most of the night. When dawn broke, I was found by another unit from I Company as they pushed the Chinese off the hill.’ The Chinese drove the defenders back 800 yards. Just after midnight, however, two companies from the 7th Division reserve counterattacked and recovered Pork Chop by morning. The 1st Battalion of the Chinese 141st Division, commanded by Hou Yung-chun, was selected to assault Old Baldy. The unit’s political officer hand picked the 3rd Company to lead the attack and plant the ‘Victory Flag’ on the hill. Facing the Chinese was the recently arrived and inexperienced Colombian 3rd Battalion. Supported by heavy artillery fire, the Chinese penetrated the U.N. position at about 2100 hours. Although the Colombians were reinforced by an American company, it was not enough to prevent them from having to fall back. Kao Yung-ho, a young soldier in the 3rd Company, declared, ‘This victory is to our company commander’s credit.’ ‘When the Chinese seized Old Baldy there was good military logic to abandon Pork Chop,’ S.L.A. Marshall wrote. ‘That concession would have been in the interest of line-straightening without sacrifice of a dependable anchor. But national pride, bruised by the loss of Old Baldy, asserted itself, and Pork Chop was held.’ A lull fell over the area while the Chinese 47th Army was resupplied for its next objective — Pork Chop. Back in the United States, the press lambasted the 7th Division for the loss of Old Baldy and described the division as weary, slipshod and demoralized. Unwittingly, the American press supplied the Chinese with a propaganda tool — during the April and July fighting, 7th Division troops would hear those same caustic criticisms loosed at them from Chinese loudspeakers. In April 1953, two platoons of E Company, 31st Regiment of the 7th Division, both under the command of 1st Lt. Thomas V. Harrold, garrisoned Pork Chop. The total strength within the perimeter came to 96 men, including attached artillery, engineer and medical personnel. The 1st and 3rd platoons mustered only 76 riflemen, and 20 of them were stationed at listening points outside the perimeter. Easy Company normally had twice that many, but it had begun its rotation out of the sector. The bunkers and trenches had been engineered according to the then-conventional pattern of the Eighth Army. As Marshall described it: ‘A solidly revetted rifle trench encircled it at the military crest, providing wall and some roof cover, which served for defense in any direction. Sandbagged and heavily timbered, fire-slotted bunkers were tied into the trench line at approximately 30-yard intervals. They gave troops protection while affording observation and command of the slope.’ The natural terrain, however, divided the two platoons, because Pork Chop was pushed in like the dent in a hat. General Deng’s plan to assault Pork Chop had been endorsed by the CMC on April 3, but Mao intervened, delaying the operation until the peace talks stalled. In that same month, the negotiators at Panmunjom agreed to exchange their sickest POWs, an operation called Little Switch. At that point, however, the Chinese political leadership wanted to show the U.N. that its cooperation did not reflect an unwillingness to fight. Deng was therefore authorized to attack Pork Chop Hill before April 20, when Little Switch was slated to begin. At 2000 hours on April 16 a patrol from the 31st Infantry, consisting of 10 soldiers from Fox Company and five from Easy, advanced to within 100 yards of the shallow stream at the valley bottom and set up an ambush. At about 2300, some 50 Chinese soldiers approached from Hasakkol. Sergeant Henry W. Pidgeon of Fox Company flung grenades at them, thereby striking the first blow in the Battle of Pork Chop Hill. He then ordered the patrol back, but Easy Company’s mortars, firing at the advancing Chinese, cut off the American patrol. A few individuals filtered back into the trenches at 0445, but most of the patrol remained on the slope until 1900 the next evening. The advance patrol’s encounter failed to raise alarm among Pork Chop’s defenders, and two full companies of Chinese infantry reached the ramparts before anyone knew of their presence. Slipping past the listening posts, the Chinese assaulted the 1st Platoon’s sector on the Pork Chop’s left flank. Sergeant 1st Class Carl Pratt and his 1st Platoon troops could hear the enemy but remained in their bunkers because of Chinese shelling. The 3rd Platoon, separated from it by terrain, was unaware of the 1st Platoon’s situation or of the growing danger it was in. At his command post (CP) at the far end of the perimeter, Lieutenant Harrold evaluated the situation. There had been increased Chinese shelling, contact had been lost with the outposts and 1st Platoon, and the volume of submachine gun fire had increased in the 1st Platoon’s sector. Sensing that Easy Company was in big trouble, he fired a red star rocket, signifying ‘We are under full attack,’ and a red star cluster, signaling ‘Give us flash Pork Chop.’ At 2305, the lights came on all over the hill, and two minutes later American artillery opened fire, to be answered by the Chinese batteries. Twenty minutes later, the firing ceased and members of Easy Company emerged from their bunkers. They found the Chinese in the trenches, and firefights broke out throughout the perimeter. Although the Chinese had infiltrated the defensive works, the command post, then held by Harrold, two other officers and two NCOs, prevented them from securing the rear slope or barring reinforcements from coming up. Other than the CP blocking Pork Chop’s back door, the hill’s defense was without a linchpin. The 3rd Platoon was pinned in the bunkers, while only six wounded soldiers remained of the 1st Platoon. By systematically killing the occupants and capturing the bunkers, the Chinese, aided by additional reinforcements, secured most of the hill by two hours after midnight. Harrold relayed what he knew through his battalion command to the 31st Infantry’s commander, Colonel William B. Kern. One hour after the fighting began, three rifle platoons of L Company had been trucked forward, in case the Chinese overran Pork Chop. Shortly after 0200, Kern ordered one platoon from Fox Company and one from Love Company to reinforce Easy Company. The Fox platoon became lost and never arrived. Second Lieutenant Earle L. Denton was leading Love’s 3rd Platoon from Hill 200 to Pork Chop when, about 50 yards from the chow bunker, two machine guns opened fire and brought down six of his men. After a second burst of Chinese gunfire, Denton decided to pull back. Returning to Love’s CP with only 12 men, Denton reported to the company commander, 1st Lt. Forrest James Crittendon, that the 3rd Platoon’s attack had failed. The battalion commander, Lt. Col. John N. Davis, ordered King and Love companies to counterattack at dawn. Love would launch its second assault with only two platoons and, incredibly, never learned that it was to be part of a joint operation with King. King Company’s 135 troops were stationed behind Hill 347. At 0330, they were ordered into an attack position behind Hill 200. Minus the weapons platoon, each soldier carried a full belt, extra bandolier and three more grenades than usual. The six Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) men in each platoon carried 12 magazines, and each light machine-gun team carried five boxes of ammunition. Each platoon also carried a flame-thrower and a heavy rocket launcher. Colonel Davis suggested that King attack Pork Chop’s rear slope with two platoons abreast and hold one in reserve. King Company’s commander, 1st Lt. Joseph G. Clemons, Jr., understood that King would receive support from Love, which would attack up the ridge finger on Pork Chop’s right. ‘Hit the hill hard and get to the top as fast as the men can go,’ Clemons told his platoons’ leaders. ‘Success depends on speed; we must close before daylight.’ With the 2nd Platoon deployed on the right, the 1st on the left and the 3rd in reserve, King Company reached the assault line. At 0430 the artillery barrage lifted and King stepped off. Although they were not fired on, it took King’s men 29 minutes to travel the 170 yards to the nearest bunker. ‘We managed to get over the first line of barbed wire through holes cut by shellfire and by walking on bodies of men lying on the wire to hold it down,’ said Sergeant Samuel K. Maxwell, a K Company medic who had been on the hill back on March 23. ‘Pork Chop was steep. We were heavily loaded with ammo for our weapons and the MGs, as well as the boxes of grenades. The steep climb had us pooped. We got within grenade range in small groups to begin grenading our way down the main trench, clearing out the Chinese.’ Just as the first man entered the defensive works at 0500, the Chinese artillery struck. As the battle entered its second round, Love Company had launched its second attack about the same time as King, but met a Chinese barrage more intense than the earlier one. Both of its platoons were crushed and sent tumbling back to Hill 200, leaving King Company on its own. Sergeant 1st Class Walter Kuzmick’s squad of King Company’s 2nd Platoon encountered its first fire at the chow bunker just below the main trench. Kuzmick reached the main trench at 0520 and pushed his men along it toward the CP. Second Lieutenant Robert S. Cook, the 2nd Platoon’s commander, reached the CP first and called Kuzmick forward. As Kuzmick rushed the bunker, grenade in hand, a lieutenant of Easy Company sprang out the door, also brandishing a grenade. Both men froze. Just then, Clemons appeared, stunned to find any Easy Company men left on the hill. Before anyone could move, three shells of undetermined origin hit the bunker. Cook, the Easy Company officer and several King Company men were wounded, but the Easy Company survivors inside were unharmed. While weary King Company settled into the trenches and Love regrouped on Hill 200, fresh forces from the Chinese 141st Division moved toward Pork Chop. ‘Pork Chop was a maze, a rat’s nest of bunkers, line and commo trenches, shell holes and rock clumps,’ Sergeant Maxwell said. ‘The Chinese kept feeding fresh troops into their counterattacks. The survivors of the previous attacks would then come out of cover and join them. We fought with the men we had. Every hour, we numbered less.’ Clemons did not have enough men to take the hill by storm, so he and his executive officer, 1st Lt. Tsugi O’Hashi, returned to the chow bunker to sort things out. Clemons, guessing that he had lost half of his men and that the rest were low on ammunition, decided to bring up the 3rd Platoon. By 0745, King Company had not advanced more than 200 yards in two hours, and the Chinese still held bunkers along two-thirds of the trench line. Feeling that his men were stretched to the breaking point, Clemons waited for help. It came in the form of 12 men from Love Company. Crittendon had pushed 62 men of the regrouped Love Company back up the right-hand finger. On the way up, Crittendon was hit, along with the next company commander, 2nd Lt. Homer F. Bechtel. Command fell to 2nd Lt. Arthur Marshall, who led Love on through a buzz saw of artillery and machine-gun fire. By the time Marshall reached Clemons’ position, he had 12 men left, including Lieutenant Denton. The total of 65 Americans on Pork Chop — survivors of Easy, King and Love companies — was about the same number as Easy Company had had at the start of the battle. At 0814, more reinforcements arrived in the form of G Company, 17th Infantry, commanded by Clemons’ brother-in-law, 1st Lt. Walter B. Russell. At the same time, however, a fresh Chinese company arrived at the other side of the hill’s ridge and fighting blazed anew. At 1100 Clemons radioed his battalion, ‘I must have water, plasma, more medical assistance, flamethrowers, litter, ammunition, several radios.’ Only a little water and C rations arrived. At noon, 1st Lt. James Blake, the battalion intelligence officer, entered Clemons’ CP with a message from Colonel Davis, ordering him to send survivors of Easy and Fox to the rear, and for George Company to withdraw at 1500. ‘When they go out,’ Clemons told Blake, ‘it is not reasonable to expect that we can hold the hill.’ Battalion did not respond to his message. Clemons’ and Russell’s men held on for the next few hours, but at 1445 Clemons sent another message to Battalion: ‘We must have help or we can’t hold the hill.’ This time Colonel Kern responded by calling division headquarters and urging either relief or reinforcements for Pork Chop. The 7th Division faced a more complex issue regarding the hill. If it fell, the Chinese could strike next at Hill 347, which could turn into a bloody, battalion-per-day meat grinder like Triangle Hill, an objective that had ended up in Chinese hands by the end of October 1952. The division asked for a decision from I Corps, which asked the Eighth Army, which asked Far East Command. The Eighth Army wanted to weigh how many men it was prepared to lose against the importance of preventing the Chinese from flaunting a victory at Panmunjom. While the high command debated the issue, the 7th Division commander, Maj. Gen. Arthur G. Trudeau, and his aide-de-camp, Brig. Gen. Derrill M. Daniel, helicoptered to Davis’ regimental CP to get a clearer view of King. They arrived at 1500, just as George Company withdrew from the hill. By then, King Company had suffered 18 men killed and 71 wounded. ‘We were down to 25 men, including a few men from Love Company,’ Sergeant Maxwell recalled. ‘With no reinforcements in sight, Lt. Clemons grouped us onto a high hill knob on Pork Chop where we might hold out. Somehow we held the rest of the day into the night.’ Troops also manned two bunkers at the top of the crest, and Clemons remained in the CP with the radio while O’Hashi and Kuzmick directed the troops. In preparation for a night attack, the Chinese shelled the American positions for four hours. At 1640, Clemons reported to the regiment: ‘We have about 20 men left still unhurt. If we can’t be relieved, we should be withdrawn.’ General Trudeau, who was present when the message came in, decided to hold the hill. He got official backing from the Eighth Army, because of its linkage to the talks at Panmunjom. Trudeau attached the 17th Infantry Regiment’s 2nd Battalion to the 31st Infantry and moved the 17th’s 1st Battalion into the support area of Pork Chop Hill. Colonel Kern immediately ordered Captain King of Fox Company to move onto Pork Chop and relieve Clemons’ force as soon as possible. Fox’s troops arrived at 2130 and deployed into the trenches with the remnants of King and Love companies. At the same time, a Chinese force attacked from Hasakkol. American artillery scattered the Chinese, but they responded with a barrage of their own, killing 19 men of Fox Company. With Fox Company bloodied and exhausted, Kern committed Easy Company of the 17th Infantry, while Trudeau released that regiment’s 1st Battalion to Kern, just in case. Easy’s commander, 1st Lt. Gorman Smith, moved his company around the right finger of Pork Chop and marched directly up its face — the Chinese side — hoping to catch them off guard. Inside the American CP on the hill were Clemons, Denton, King and 14 enlisted men. At midnight, when Chinese fire let up, Clemons pulled his survivors off the hill. ‘About 2200, Fox Company of the 31st counterattacked and reached us,’ Maxwell said. ”King’ was relieved at 2400. We made our way one by one in the gaps between Chinese artillery salvos to the foot of Pork Chop. Here, 20 hours earlier were 135 men in nine 6-by-6 trucks. Now, the seven of us sat in a one-ton weapons carrier. On leaving Fox Company, one of their medics had asked me to leave my med kit with him. I showed him it was empty. I had used every item I had carried up that hill. King Company would need 150 replacements before it could fight again as a full-strength rifle company.’ Denton remained at the CP, because Captain King requested further help. About 0130, the Chinese attacked again, swarming around the CP and lobbing grenades into the bunkers. The Americans were wounded, but held on. Denton called for fire directly onto the bunker’s roof. Fire from quadruple .50-caliber machine gun mounts swept the roof of Chinese. As the enemy launched another assault, Denton and his men knew that this time they would be overwhelmed. Chinese fire intensified. Then, suddenly, there was silence, followed by the crack of rifle fire as Easy Company of the 17th Infantry arrived. Driven from the crest, some Chinese scampered back across the valley, while others took refuge in the outline trench works. Evaluating Gorman Smith’s risky maneuver in retrospect, S.L.A. Marshall wrote that ‘For the embattled group within the Pork Chop CP, the minutes thus saved by one man’s intuition and hard work were as decisive as a last-minute reprieve to the condemned.’ Easy Company’s assault was the pivotal event in the battle for Pork Chop, but it did not end the fighting. By 0230, Easy was deployed over the trench works, and the Chinese launched company-size assaults at 0320 and 0429. At dawn, Kern committed A Company of the 17th to the struggle, and throughout April 17 the three American companies reoccupied the trench system, using small arms, grenades and bayonets, finally crisscrossing the peak and taking control of the hill. Denton and a few diehards of Love Company remained on the hill until midafternoon. In the early morning of April 18, more troops from the Chinese 141st Division assaulted the hill again, but after a bloody close-quarters fight they were driven back by an arriving company of American reinforcements. At dusk, the Chinese finally conceded the fight and withdrew to their side of the valley. Marshall called Pork Chop Hill ‘an artillery duel,’ noting that the nine artillery battalions of the 2nd and 7th divisions had fired 37,655 rounds on the first day and 77,349 rounds on the second. ‘Never at Verdun were guns worked at any such rate as this,’ he wrote. ‘The battle of Kwajalein, our most intense shoot during World War II, was still a lesser thing when measured in terms of artillery expenditure per hour, weight of metal against yards of earth and the grand output of the guns. For this at least the operation deserves a place in history. It set the all-time mark for artillery effort.’ Pork Chop became a well-publicized battle and therefore an important bargaining chip at the peace table. In June 1953, Marshal Peng provided General Deng with a fresh unit, the First Army, consisting of the 1st, 2nd and 7th divisions, to relieve the 47th Army. On July 6, the Chinese command decided to make another attempt to take Hill 255. A few days earlier, the Communist and U.N. delegates had reached a tentative ceasefire agreement, but South Korean leader Syngman Rhee had balked at the settlement. The Chinese meant the attack on Pork Chop to chastise the Americans for failing to keep Rhee reined in. ‘The Chinese were on their loudspeakers telling us to surrender,’ recalled Angelo Palermo, a 21-year-old private in Able Company, 17th Infantry. ‘If we did not, they said, we were all going to die. They announced that they were going to take Porkchop and that they would take no prisoners. On the night of July 6, as it started to get dark, the Chinese attacked in force. I was on a .50-caliber machine gun when they started to swarm up the hill. I could have sworn that all of China was on that slope. With enough firepower, we could have killed a thousand gooks, but we hadn’t nearly enough ammunition to turn back this kind of attack. We fired the .50 until we ran out of ammo, and by that time the Chinese were in our trenchline, so we fought them with rifle butts, bayonets, and even fists and helmets. They were pushing us back, but before we were driven off the hill, Baker Company came up to help us. However, the sheer numbers of Chinese drove us off the top of Porkchop.’ The Americans sent in successive companies of reinforcements, and the Chinese matched each one with an additional battalion. The 17th Infantry gained and lost Pork Chop twice in four days. ‘General Trudeau came up on an inspection and told us that Porkchop had to be held at all costs,’ wrote Private Palermo.’I thought generals only talked like that in movies, but apparently I was mistaken.’ Trudeau organized a counterattack force from the reconnaissance battalion and personally led it up the hill. For that exemplary action, he was awarded the Silver Star. S.L.A. Marshall also noted that the much-maligned 7th, the only U.S. Army division to fight a major battle in 1953, ‘acquitted itself with the highest credit.’ By July 11, five American battalions held a company-size outpost against a full Chinese division. On that same day, however, General Taylor, I Corps and the 7th Division ordered the hill abandoned. Taylor wrote in his book Swords and Plowshares, ‘The cost of continuing to defend Pork Chop became so prohibitive under the massed Chinese attacks that I authorized its evacuation.’ Korea and Vietnam War veteran Colonel Harry G. Summers wrote more critically of his rationale: ‘Ever the politician (as he would prove to be again in the Vietnam War), General Taylor had made his decision based on his perception of American public and political reactions to the high number of U.S. casualties.’ Marshal Peng praised the outcome as ‘an example of how Chinese forces effectively employed the ‘new tactic’ of active defense in positional warfare.’ The British, who fought a similar battle at the Hook, thought the struggle for Pork Chop was foolish. Asked what he would have done to recapture Hill 255, Maj. Gen. Mike West, commander of the Commonwealth Division, answered: ‘Nothing. It was only an outpost.’ With the final signing of the armistice agreement at Panmunjom on July 27, 1953, Pork Chop Hill became part of the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. It has since become a symbol, both positive and negative, of a controversial war. In his book The Korean War, Max Hastings summed up both by writing: ‘The struggle for Pork Chop became part of the legend of the U.S. Army in Korea, reflecting the courage of the defenders and the tactical futility of so many small-unit actions of the kind that dominated the last two years of the war.’ This article was written by James I. Marino and originally published in the April 2003 issue of Military History magazine. >For more great articles be sure to subscribe to Military History magazine today!	Korean War
The RENFE is the railway system of which country?	6/12/2006 • Vietnam Information on the Battle of Hamburger Hill during The Vietnam War, also known as Hill 937. The battle, which was fought on May 10-20, 1969 was a direct assault against a heavily defended and strategically insignificant hill, resulted in over 400 U.S. casualties and caused an outrage back home. ‘Don’t mean nothin’. That was the refrain of the powerful 1987 movie about the battle for Hamburger Hill, more correctly called Ap Bia Mountain or Hill 937. Many veterans of that May 1969 fight would no doubt agree, since the hill was abandoned to the enemy soon after it was taken. But the truth is that it was one of the most significant battles of the war, for it spelled the end of major American ground combat operations in Vietnam. The Hamburger Hill battle had run afoul of a fundamental war-fighting equation. Master philosopher of war Karl von Clausewitz emphasized almost a century and a half earlier that because war is controlled by its political object, the value of this object must determine the sacrifices to be made for it both in magnitude and also in duration. He went on to say, Once the expenditure of effort exceeds the value of the political object, the object must be renounced. And that’s exactly what happened. The expenditure of effort at Hamburger Hill exceeded the value the American people attached to the war in Vietnam. The public had turned against the war a year and a half earlier, and it was their intense reaction to the cost of that battle in American lives, inflamed by sensationalist media reporting, that forced the Nixon administration to order the end of major tactical ground operations. This was not the first time the American public had stopped supporting a war. Contrary to widespread belief, Vietnam is not the most unpopular war in American history. The Mexican War in 1848 was far more unpopular, as was the 195053 war in Korea. The majority of Americans supported the war in Vietnam from the landing of the Marines in Da Nang in March 1965 (64 percent supporting, 21 percent opposed after the first U.S. combat engagements) until October 1967, when for the first time a plurality (46 percent opposed, 44 percent supporting) turned against the war. Those 30 months equaled the period of time the American people supported the ground war in Europe in World War II, from the landing of U.S. forces in North Africa in November 1942 until the end of the war in May 1945. Public opinion had turned–not on ideological grounds, as the anti-war movement would claim, but for pragmatic reasons. Either win the damn thing or get the hell out! was the prevalent sentiment, and when the Johnson administration seemed unable to do either, the American people’s patience ran out. American public opinion turned against the war in Korea after only five months, percentages of those in favor falling precipitously after Chinese intervention in the war in November 1950. The war became stalemated after the U.S. Eighth Army’s defeat of the 230,000-man Chinese Spring Offensive in April 1951 (as it did in Vietnam with the defeat of the enemy’s 1968 Tet Offensive), degenerating into a series of bloody outpost skirmishes. The last of those skirmishes was the battle for Pork Chop Hill between July 6 and 10, 1953. Officially Hill 255 (from its elevation in yards), it was dubbed Pork Chop Hill because of its geographic shape. One of a series of outposted hills along the Iron Triangle in the western sector of the line of contact, it had long been contested by the enemy. Earlier, in November 1952, the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division’s Thailand Battalion had come under heavy Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) attack there, but the assault was beaten back. On March 1, 1953, then defended by the 7th Infantry Division’s 31st Infantry Regiment, Pork Chop Hill came under an 8,000-round CCF artillery barrage. Then on March 23, the CCF 67th Division, under cover of an intense mortar and artillery barrage, made a ground attack on Pork Chop Hill. After some initial gains they were beaten back, only to resume the attack on April 16. Once again they were beaten back by counterattacks from the 31st Infantry, reinforced by a battalion from the 7th Infantry Division’s 17th Infantry Regiment. But it was artillery that made the difference, as the 7th Infantry Division massed the guns of nine artillery battalions and fired 77,349 rounds in support of the two-day battle. On July 6, 1953, the CCF made yet another attempt to capture Pork Chop Hill. This time they gained a foothold on a portion of the crest. After repeated attempts to dislodge them were repulsed, General Maxwell D. Taylor, the Eighth U.S. Army commander, ordered the hill to be abandoned on July 11, 1953. Two weeks later, with the signing of the armistice agreement at Panmunjom on July 27, the hill became part of the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. Ever the politician (as he would prove to be again in the Vietnam War), General Taylor had made his decision based on his perception of American public and political reactions to the high numbers of U.S. casualties. During the month of July 1953 alone, the United States and its allies along the line of contact, including Pork Chop Hill, had suffered 29,629 casualties both from enemy ground attacks and a record 375,565-round CCF artillery barrage. Chinese and North Korean casualties were estimated at 72,112, most from allied airstrikes and a 2-million-round artillery barrage. The battle for Hamburger Hill, like the Vietnam War itself, was less intense than the battle for Pork Chop Hill in Korea. A body count confirmed that 633 NVA soldiers had died in the battle, but as Samuel Zaffiri noted in his definitive history of the fight: There is no telling how many other NVA soldiers were killed and wounded and carried into Laos. No telling how many were buried alive in bunkers and tunnels on the mountain or ended up in forgotten graves in the draws or along the many ridges. Final U.S. casualties were 46 dead and 400 wounded. While these losses were high, Hamburger Hill was not the bloodiest fight of the war, even for the 101st Airborne Division. In the earlier November 1967 battle of Dak To in the Central Highlands, 289 U.S. soldiers were killed in action and an estimated 1,644 NVA soldiers also perished, victims of the 170,000 rounds of artillery, the 2,100 tactical airstrikes and the 228 Boeing B-52 sorties that supported the operation. Later, during the week of February 10-17, 1968, in the midst of the Tet Offensive, 543 Americans were killed in action and another 2,547 wounded without causing any outcry from the American public. The Hamburger Hill losses were much smaller, but they set off a firestorm of protest back home. The American people were growing more weary of the war. A February 1969 poll revealed that only 39 percent still supported the war, while 52 percent believed sending troops to fight in Vietnam had been a mistake. Politicians were quick to seek advantage in those numbers. Most prominent was Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, whose brother John F. Kennedy had been the architect of America’s Vietnam involvement. As Zaffiri related: In the early afternoon of May 29 [1969]…Senator Kennedy [who had served as a draftee military policeman in Paris during the Korean War] stood up on the Senate floor and angrily denounced the attack on Dong Ap Bia, calling it’senseless and irresponsible…madness…sympathetic of a mentality and a policy that requires immediate attention. American boys are too valuable to be sacrificed to a false sense of military pride.’ Kennedy would escalate his attack on May 24 in a speech to the New Democratic Coalition in Washington, referring to the battle as nothing but cruelty and savagery, as well as saying that the Vietnam War was unjustified and immoral. He was soon joined by other senators, including South Dakota’s George S. McGovern, a decorated World War II bomber pilot, and Ohio’s Stephen M. Young, an infantryman in World War I and an Army staff officer in World War II, who carried the attack to a new level. In a lengthy speech on May 29, noted Zaffiri: Young described how during the Civil War the Confederate generals Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee attacked the Union forces at Chancellorsville from the rear and flanks simultaneously and routed them. ‘Our generals in Vietnam acted as if they had never studied Lee and Jackson’s strategy,’ Young concluded. ‘Instead, they fling our paratroopers piecemeal in frontal assaults. Instead of seeking to surround the enemy and seeking to assault the hill from the sides and the front simultaneously, there was one frontal assault after another, killing our boys who went up Hamburger Hill.’ What set off this wave of criticism was a May 19 dispatch by Associated Press war correspondent Jay Sharbutt. While reports of the Hamburger Hill battle had been appearing in newspapers since May 14, most were innocuous descriptions of the fight in routine terms. But Sharbutt’s dispatch struck a nerve: The paratroopers came down the mountain, their green shirts darkened with sweat, their weapons gone, their bandages stained brown and red–with mud and blood. Many cursed Lt. Col. Weldon Honeycutt, who sent three companies Sunday to take this 3,000-foot mountain just a mile east of Laos and overlooking the shell-pocked A Shau Valley. They failed and they suffered. ‘That damn Blackjack [Lt. Col. Honeycutt’s radio call sign] won’t stop until he kills every one of us,’ said one of the 40 to 50 101st Airborne troopers who was wounded. The day after Sharbutt’s story hit the newspapers, Hamburger Hill fell to the troopers of the 101st Airborne Division’s 3rd Brigade. But that victory was short-lived, for on June 5 the decision was made to abandon the hill to the enemy, further exacerbating public outrage. Adding fuel to the fire, the June 27, 1969, issue of Life magazine featured photographs of the 241 servicemen killed in Vietnam the previous week, including the five who had been killed in the assault on Hamburger Hill. The feature was titled, The Faces of the Dead in Vietnam: One Week’s Toll, and it was prefaced by a quote from a letter written by one of those five soldiers during a break in the fighting. You may not be able to read this, it said. I am writing in a hurry. I see death coming up the hill. The erroneous impression was thus created that all 241 pictured had been killed during the Hamburger Hill assault, increasing public disgust over what appeared to be a senseless loss of life. Underlying that disgust was the fact that the war in Vietnam did not fit the model of war that was fixed in most American minds. Except for the 19th-century Indian wars on the Western plains, most of America’s wars had fixed geographic boundaries, and progress could be measured by movement on the map. But Vietnam was different. As MACV commander General Creighton Abrams tried to explain: We are not fighting for terrain as such. We are going after the enemy. At a news conference following Hamburger Hill’s capture, the 101st Airborne Division’s commander, Maj. Gen. Melvin Zais, reinforced General Abrams’ words. The hill was in my area of operations, Zaffiri quoted Zais as saying. That was where the enemy was, and that was where I attacked him. If I find the enemy on any other hills in the A Shau, I assure you I’ll attack him there also. Asked why he had not relied on Boeing B-52 bombers to do the job, he said, I don’t know how many wars we have to go through to convince people that aerial bombardment alone cannot do the job. When criticized for the high number of casualties involved, Zais testily replied: It’s a myth somebody perpetuated that if we don’t do anything, nothing will happen to us. It’s not true….It’s just a myth that we can pull back and everything will settle down. If we pulled back, and were quiet, they’d kill us in the night. They’d come on and crawl under the wire, and they’d drop satchel charges on our bunkers, and they’d mangle and maim and kill our men. The only way I can in good conscience lead my men is to insure that they’re not caught in that kind of situation. Zais was reiterating a truth that military commanders throughout history have known–offense is the very best defense. But war is first and foremost a political act, and in the view of politicians in Washington the 101st Airborne Division’s assault on Hamburger Hill had been a disaster. As Hedrick Smith reported in the May 23, 1969, New York Times, a number of civilian officials in the Nixon administration were afraid such Pyrrhic victories would undermine public support for the war and thus shorten the administration’s time for successful negotiations in Paris. As one official privately told Smith: Now clearly the greatest limitation is the reaction of the American public. They react to the casualty lists. I don’t understand why the military doesn’t get the picture. The military is defeating the very thing it most wants–more time to gain a stronger hand. What the military did not realize was that the American public had always been the greatest limitation on the use of military force. As General Fred C. Weyand, General Abrams’ successor as MACV commander, wrote after the war: Vietnam was a reaffirmation of the peculiar relationship between the American Army and the American people. The American Army really is a people’s army in the sense that it belongs to the American people who take a jealous and proprietary interest in its involvement. In words particularly applicable to Hamburger Hill, he wrote, When the Army is committed the American people are committed, when the American people lose their commitment it is futile to try to keep the Army committed. Given the public and political reaction to Hamburger Hill, a change in war-fighting policy was not long in coming. In order to hold down casualties, what had been a policy of keeping maximum pressure on the enemy was changed to one of protective reaction–fighting only when threatened by enemy attack. As Lewis Sorley wrote in Thunderbolt (Simon & Schuster), his 1992 biography of General Abrams, when Henry Kissinger, then special assistant to the president for national security affairs, was asked whether Abrams ever received any instructions, written or otherwise, to hold down the level of U.S. casualties, Kissinger replied, ‘Not from the White House.’ General Alexander Haig [Kissinger’s deputy at the NSC] provided a different answer to the same question: ‘Of course.’ Sorley continued: On June 19, just a month after the battle at Ap Bia Mountain, President Nixon cleared up any uncertainty there may have been about the existing policy. He had given explicit orders to General Abrams, he later said: ‘They are very simply this: he is to conduct the war with a minimum of American casualties.’ Vietnamization of the war had begun. At the same time Nixon gave his orders to General Abrams, the president also ordered a 25,000-man U.S. troop withdrawal by July 8 and removal of 35,000 more by early December. The U.S. military was on the way out of Vietnam, and the fighting on the ground would gradually be turned over to the ARVN. At the strategic level of the war, time had run out. As State Department Foreign Service Officer Norman Hannah, author of The Key to Failure (Madison Books) and one of the more insightful critics of the war, observed, This is the tragedy of Vietnam–we were fighting for time rather than space. And time ran out. Because time had run out at the strategic level, battlefield successes that had been won at the cost of so much blood and sacrifice were also rendered meaningless. In Hanoi a week before the fall of Saigon, I told my North Vietnamese counterpart on the Four Party Joint Military Team (set up by the Paris Peace Accords to deal, unsuccessfully as it turned out, with the POW/MIA issue), You never beat us on the battlefield. He thought about that for a moment, then replied: That may be so. But it’s also irrelevant. And that irrelevance is what made Hamburger Hill so frustrating. Previously, battlefield successes had been relevant indeed. Operation Apache Snow, of which the battle for Hamburger Hill would be a part, was designed by the U.S. XXIV Corps to keep the NVA forces in the A Shau Valley off balance. The goal was to prevent them from using the valley as a staging area for an attack on the old imperial capital of Hue and the coastal provinces, as they had done the previous year during the Tet Offensive. The 45-kilometer-long A Shau Valley, located in rugged country in southwestern Thua Thien province along the Laotian border, was the site of Base Area 611. This base area was a terminus of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a series of roads, trails and pipelines along the Chaine Annamitique mountains that begin in North Vietnam and continue southward along the Laotian and Cambodian border areas to some 60 kilometers from Saigon. The valley had long been a staging area for NVA units preparing to attack the coastal provinces, and U.S. Army Special Forces established a camp there in 1963. On March 9, 1966, the NVA 95th Regiment launched a major attack on the camp, and the next day, after hard fighting, it fell to the enemy. There they would stage their capture of Hue during the 1968 Tet Offensive. After Hue was retaken, a counterattack into the A Shau was mounted on April 19, 1968, by the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), the ARVN 1st Division and an ARVN airborne task force. Called Operation Delaware/Lam Son 216, it ended on May 17, 1968, after stiff resistance and meager results. On August 4, 1968, two battalions of the 101st Airborne Division, with two ARVN battalions, launched an airmobile operation into the valley. Named Operation Somerset, it had no better luck than Operation Delaware and withdrew on August 19. On January 20, 1969, after a hardened road into the eastern part of the valley was constructed, Operation Dewey Canyon was launched into the A Shau. Led by the three battalions of the 9th Marine Regiment, the Marines not only advanced to the Laotian border but also launched a battalion-sized raid into Laos itself. They discovered that the NVA had built major roads in the area, and as many as 1,000 trucks were moving east from there. After capturing enormous enemy arms caches, including 73 AAA guns, 16 122mm artillery guns, nearly 1,000 AK-47 rifles and more than a million rounds of small-arms and machine-gun ammunition, the Marines withdrew on March 13, 1969. The immediate prelude to Operation Apache Snow was an operation by the 101st Airborne Division’s 2nd Brigade on March 1, 1969, into the southern end of the A Shau Valley. Labeled Operation Massachusetts Striker, it uncovered massive North Vietnamese supply depots that the enemy had abandoned in their flight northward, ironically right into the path of Operation Apache Snow, which began on May 10. A 10-battalion operation, Apache Snow’s initial assault force consisted of the 3rd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division under the command of Colonel Joseph B. Conmy, Jr., with his 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry (3/187); the 2nd Battalion, 501st Infantry (2/501); the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry (1/506); and two infantry battalions from the 1st ARVN Division. Also part of the operation were the three battalions of the U.S. 9th Marine Regiment; the U.S. 3rd Squadron, 5th Cavalry; and two additional ARVN infantry battalions. The operation was supported by some 217 airstrikes as well as fire from four 105mm artillery batteries, two 155mm batteries, one 175mm battery and one 8-inch battery. The main action of the operation was the 10-day assault on Hamburger Hill, which was defended by the entrenched NVA 29th Regiment. The assault was led by the 3/187 Rakkasans under the command of Colonel Honeycutt. A detailed firsthand account of that battle by Colonel Conmy, the 3rd Brigade commander and a combat infantry veteran of World War II and the Korean War, appeared in Vietnam Magazine (Crouching Beast Cornered, in the August 1990 issue). Several of his observations bear repeating, however. First is his defense of the 3/187 commander Honeycutt, who has been severely condemned as being a heartless butcher. He was my classmate at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., the previous year and was known even then for his abrasive personality. Enlisting in the Army at age 16 as a sixth-grade dropout, Honeycutt advanced from private to captain in five years and in the Korean War ended up commanding a rifle company in the 187th Regimental Combat Team, then commanded by Brig. Gen. William C. Westmoreland. Earning the nickname Tiger for his aggressiveness, he drove his subordinates hard and some would say mercilessly. Conmy saw him in a different light. If I ever go to war again, I want him on my team, he said. He’s a real fighter. Here’s an indication of his type of leadership: In the first few days, 3/187 had sustained 50 percent casualties and there was talk of replacing the battalion. However, the troops and Colonel Honeycutt wouldn’t have any part of it. They had started the thing and they wanted to finish it. And they did just that, joining forces with the 2/501, attacking from the northeast, the 2nd Battalion, 3rd ARVN Regiment, attacking from the southeast and the 1/506, attacking from the south. Reinforced by the 2/506’s Alpha Company, the 3/187 would attack from the west. After the other three battalions had fought their way up the mountain, Colonel Conmy ordered them into blocking positions and gave the 3/187 the honor of making the final assault. By nightfall on May 20, 1969, it was all over. Conmy also commented on the negative publicity: Well, people wanted the war to end. This was a battle; maybe if it had been fought a couple of years earlier, it would have been noted–but probably wouldn’t have received the attention that it did. In 1969 there was an uproar in the United States. In their eyes we were committing mayhem and murder. Our mission was still to save South Vietnam from communism and give it back to them. If nothing else, this battle certainly helped at the time [and] it was very instrumental in aiding in the eventual withdrawal of our troops from South Vietnam. The enemy had lost his Sunday punch, so to speak. The late General Abrams, the MACV commander at the time, should have the last word on the battle for Hamburger Hill. His biographer, Lewis Sorley, related: Shortly after the battle and its immediate aftermath, Abrams had several people over for a game of poker. They had dinner beforehand, and Abrams told his guests: ‘Today we had a congressional delegation in, including Teddy Kennedy. They were complaining about the loss of life at Hamburger Hill. I told them the last time the 29th NVA Regiment came out of North Vietnam it destroyed Hue, and I heard from every antiquarian in the world. This time, when they came out again, I issued orders that they were to be intercepted and defeated before they could get to Hue. We drove them back into North Vietnam, but I was criticized for the casualties that entailed. If they would let me know where they would like me to fight the next battle, I would be glad to do it there.’ Then they dealt the cards. This article was written by Colonel Harry G. Summers, Jr., U.S. Army (ret.) and originally published in the June 1999 issue of Vietnam Magazine. For additional information, see Hell on Hamburger Hill , plus a timeline of events in the battle , and Samuel Zaffiri’s article about his book , Hamburger Hill, a Featured Selection of the Military Book Club and a Pen/Martha Albrand Award nominee, all from the June 2009 issue of Vietnam Magazine. For more great articles be sure to subscribe to Vietnam Magazine today! 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The Gegs are an ethnic group from which European country?	European-Americans European-Americans European-Americans About 80 percent of Americans are descended from people of European ethnicity. The short summaries that follow present information on the population, distribution, migration History, and cultural persistence of thirty-seven European ethnic groups in the United States. Appended to some summaries are short lists of publications, most of which are recent Studies of a particular ethnic community or a general historical or cultural survey of the ethnic group. Some of the information in these summaries is derived from The Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups and We the People. These are the basic reference resources for information about American ethnic groups and should be consulted for additional information and references. See also Acadians , Amish , Appalachians , Basques , Doukhobors , French Canadians , Hasidim , Hutterites , Irish Travelers , Jews , Mennonites , Molokans, Mormons , Old Believers , Ozarks , Peripatetics , Rom , Shakers ALBANIANS. In 1980, 21,687 Americans claimed Albanian ethnic ancestry and another 16,971 claimed Albanian and other ethnic ancestry. Because of underreporting in the past, this is likely an undercount, with Americans of Albanian ancestry probably numbering no less than 70,000. Pre-World War II Albania was inhabited by two major cultural groups—the Ghegs (Gegs) in the mountainous North and the Tosks (Toscs) in the South. Both groups spoke mutually intelligible dialects of Albanian, although there were clear economic, religious, and social differences between the two groups. In the United States, in-group variation is reflected more in religious differences (Greek Orthodox, Muslim, Roman Catholic) than in the Gheg/Tosk dichotomy. Most Albanians settled in the United States in the early 1900s, with Boston the major community. Other communities formed in Detroit, Chicago, Worcester (Massachusetts), and Connecticut. After World War II, a community of Catholic Albanians formed in the Bronx, New York, and continues to exist as a distinct ethnic enclave. The traditional culture centered on the patriarchal family, a strong sense of family honor, clans, and blood feuds has mostly given way to an American middle-class life-style. But a strong sense of Albanian identity survives through ethnic associations, the church, traditional celebrations and foods, and kin ties. Albanian political identity is perhaps centered more on concern over the status of Albanians in the Kosovo region of Serbian Yugoslavia than on anticommunism. Bibliography Nagi, Dennis L. (1987). The Albanian-American Odyssey: A Pilot Study of the Albanian Community of Boston, Massachusetts. New York: AMS Press. ARMENIANS. In 1980, 155,693 Americans claimed Armenian ancestry and another 56,928 claimed Armenian and other ethnic ancestry. In Europe and the Near and Middle East, Armenians have lived under the control of the Turks, Russians, and Iranians and have formed distinct ethnic Minorities in countries such as Lebanon. Economic and cultural variations among Armenian groups in these locales was transferred by Armenian immigrants to the United States. Industrial cities in the East and Midwest, the California central Valley, and Los Angeles are major Armenian population centers, with 42 percent of Armenian-Americans in 1980 living in California. Settlers in industrial cities first worked in the steel, automobile, and textile industries, but quickly moved up the economic ladder, using business and technical skills brought with them from Armenia to the New World. The first Armenians in central California were farm workers, and they, too, quickly moved up the economic ladder, as shop and landowners. In both locations, the rapid economic mobility was accompanied by rapid assimilation, reflected in the loss of the Armenian language and a high rate of intermarriage. The most recent arrivals are those who have emigrated from the Soviet Union (and indirectly from Turkey and the Middle East) since 1976 to the Los Angeles area. Since the 1960s, there has been a strong ethnic revival reflected in Armenian schools, language programs, contacts with Armenians in the Soviet Union, and concern over the continuing Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict there. Bibliography Henry, Sheila A. (1978). Cultural Persistence and SocioEconomic Mobility: A Comparative Study of Assimilation among Armenians and Japanese in Los Angeles, San Francisco: R and E Research Associates. Mirak, Robert (1983). Torn between Two Lands: Armenians in America, 1890 to World War I. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Phillips, Jenny K. (1987). Symbol Myth, and Rhetoric: The Politics of Culture in an Armenian-American Population. New York: AMS Press. Rollins, Joan H., ed. (1981). Hidden Minorities: The Persistence of Ethnicity in American Life. Washington, D.C.: University Press of America. AUSTRIANS. In 1980, 339,789 Americans claimed Austrian ancestry and another 608,769 claimed Austrian and other ancestry. Unlike many other Euopean nations, Austria was not formed on a distinct ethnic population base, and thus Austrians are more accurately described as a nationality than as an ethnic group. Austrians who have settled in the United States, including a sizable minority of Jews, have assimilated rapidly into American society and tend to see their Austrian identity as a variant of German identity. See also Germans BELGIANS. In 1980 there were 122,814 Americans who claimed Belgian ancestry and another 237,463 who claimed Belgian and other ethnic ancestry. The nation of Belgium was and is inhabited by two distinct groups—the Flemish in the coastal northwest (in the region commonly called Flanders), who speak a language closely related to Dutch, and the Walloons in the east and southeast, who speak French. This distinction has been maintained in the United States and is reflected in the separate settlements established by immigrants from each group in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Most of the pre-1920 immigrants were Flemish and they tended to settle in areas already settled by the Dutch (especially in Michigan and Wisconsin), although they were often excluded from Dutch communities because of Dutch anti-Catholicism. Walloons tended to settle near French or French-Canadian communities, and the large Walloon Community near Green Bay, Wisconsin, began in this way. Although some features of Walloon or Flemish culture survived into the mid-twentieth century such as cycling clubs, choral societies, and community newspapers, both groups are now largely assimilated into American society and are seen by Others as of Belgian rather than of distinctively Flemish or Walloon ancestry. BYELORUSSIANS. (Belorussians, Kryvians, White Russians, White Ruthenians). There are about 200,000 people of Byelorussian ethnic ancestry in the United States today. This is very likely an underestimate, as those who arrived prior to World War I (and whose descendants are the majority of Byelorussians in the United States today) were identified as either Russians or Poles. Byelorussia is the region that today is located in the Soviet Union south and east of Lithuania and Latvia. As with many peoples from Eastern Europe, the Byelorussians arrived in two major waves: 1880 to World War I and after World War II. Both groups tended to settle in large industrial cities in the Northeast and Midwest. The descendants of the first wave are now much assimilated into American society. Those who arrived after World War II and their children have emphasized their Byelorussian identity through formation of their own church communities, parochial schools, associations, anti-Soviet sentiment, a language preservation program, and the celebration of ethnic holidays and life-cycle events following traditional customs. Bibliography Kipel, Vitaut (1982). Byelorussian Americans and Their Communities of Cleveland. Cleveland: Cleveland State University. CARPATHO-RUSYNS. (Carpatho-Russians, Carpatho-Ukrainians, Rusnaks, Ruthenians, Uhro-Rusyns). Carpatho-Rusyns in the United States today are mainly third-or fourth-generation descendants of Carpatho-Rusyns who immigrated to North America between 1880 and 1914. Carpatho-Rusyns spoke East Slavic dialects closely related to Ukrainian. In 1980 about 600,000 Americans were of Carpatho-Rusyn ancestry, although only 8,485 claimed such ancestry in the 1980 census. This is in part because many identify themselves as Ukrainians or Russians and because the U.S. census no longer considers the Carpatho-Rusyns as a distinct group. The homeland of the Carpatho-Rusyns is the Carpathian mountains in what are the modern nations of Poland and Czechoslovakia and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. Initial settlement was in the mining and industrial regions of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Illinois, and Connecticut. Ethnic identity was closely tied to their identity as Eastern Christians, expressed through membership in the Byzantine Rite Catholic church or Orthodox churches. Carpatho-Rusyn services contained a number of unique practices, most notably a liturgical chant using folk melodies still sung by groups today. Partly because of the absence of a distinct country of national origin, a sense of Carpatho-Rusyn ethnic identity has largely disappeared in the United States. In the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, people of Carpatho-Rusyn ancestry now see themselves as Ukrainians. In 1931, a subgroup called the Lemkians, composed of people from the Lemkian region of southeastern Poland formed a separate ethnic association. They have made a strong effort to maintain their ethnic identity through an active press, Concern about their national identity, and the maintenance of some traditional practices. See also Ukrainians Bibliography Magocsi, Paul R. (1984). Our People: Carpatho-Rusyns and Their Descendants in North America. Toronto: Multicultural History Society of Ontario. CROATS (Croatians). In 1980, 107,855 Americans claimed Croatian ancestry and another 145,115 claimed Croatian and other ethnic ancestry. This is probably a gross undercount, as many Croats are identified as Yugoslavians or Serbs. A figure of at least 500,000 is probably a more accurate estimate of the number of people of Croatian ancestry in the United States. Croatia is one of the six constituent republics of the modern nation of Yugoslavia. The U.S. census has Usually classified Dalmatians, who live on the Adriatic coast of Yugoslavia, as Croats. In the late 1700s and early 1800s Dalmatian fishermen settled in Louisiana, where they were able to continue their maritime traditions. The major migration of Croats occurred between 1880 and World War I when they formed Croatian communities in industrial and mining towns and cities in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana. Most Croats are Roman Catholic, although church Membership did not play a major role in the establishment of Croatian communities as it did with other groups. Croats have assimilated more slowly into American society than many other groups, and it was not until the mid-1950s that inner-city Croatian neighborhoods began to break up through outMigration to the suburbs. Factors involved in the maintenance of Croat communities were strong extended family ties and a pattern of sons settling in the same community and working in the same factories as their fathers. Since World War II at least 60,000 Croats have settled in the United States and have led a renewal of Croat ethnic identity, through ties maintained with the homeland and a revitalized Croatian press. Bibliography Bennett, Linda (1978). Personal Choice in Ethnic Identity Maintenance: Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in Washington. Palo Alto, Calif.: R and E Research Associates. Kraljec, Francis (1978). Croation Migration to and from the United States. Palo Alto, Calif.: Ragusan. Prpic, G. J. (1978). South Slavic Immigration in America. Boston: Twayne. CZECHS. In 1980, 788,724 Americans claimed Czech ancestry and another 1,103,732 claimed Czech and other ethnic ancestry. This figure may be somewhat inflated as it includes both ethnic Czechs and Czechoslovaks, some of whom may be ethnically Slovak rather than Czech. Czechs in the United States today are mainly descendants of people who emigrated from Bohemia and Moravia between 1850 and 1914, the two major regions of the Czech area of the nation of Czechoslovakia. Czechs settled both in farming Communities (in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, and Texas) and in cities (New York, Cleveland, Chicago, and Omaha). Czech settlers differed from other European ethnic groups in a number of ways. First, they had an unusually low return-migration rate. Second, many left the Roman Catholic church and either converted to Protestantism or eschewed formal religious affilation altogether. Third, although they never were a unified group, they assimilated relatively slowly, in part because of values that stressed Individual and family self-reliance and because of ties to the homeland. After the 1920s, Czech identity began to weaken as few new immigrants arrived, children attended public schools, and intermarriage became common. After the communist takeover of Czechoslovakia in 1948, 35,000 Czechoslovakians fled to the United States and an additional 10,000 or so arrived after the failed 1968 Revolution. These groups contained many professionals who often stayed apart from the established Czech communities in the United States. The Czech presence still reflects considerable internal diversity (rural/urban, early/later immigrants). Bibliography Bicha, Karel D. (1980). "Community of Cooperation? The Case of the Czech-Americans." In Studies in Ethnicity: The East European Experience in America, edited by C. A. Ward, P. Shashko, and D. E. Pienkos, 93-102. Boulder: East European Monographs. Jerabek, Esther (1976). Czechs and Slovaks in North America: A Bibliography. New York: Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences in America. Skrabanek, R. L. (1985). Were Czechs. College Station: Texas A&M University Press. DANES. In 1980, 428,619 Americans claimed Danish ancestry and another 1,089,654 claimed Danish and other ancestry. Most Danes immigrated to the United States in the last half of the nineteenth century. Mormon missionaries were active in Denmark after 1850, and a sizable contingent of Danes settled in farm communities in Utah and southern Idaho. The descendants of these Danish Mormons account today for about 9 percent of Danes in the United States. Most immigrants settled in the Midwest, primarily in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota. There is also a sizable Danish ancestry population in California, mostly the product of migration west following initial settlement elsewhere. Danes assimilated more quickly than other Scandinavian peoples, in part because of their relatively few numbers and wide dispersal, which encouraged marriage to non-Danes and a more rapid loss of the Danish language and adoption of English. Today, a sense of Danish ethnicity survives through the Dansk Samvirke (the Association of Danes Abroad), tours to Denmark, and Danish customs as part of the Christmas celebration. Bibliography Hale, Frederick, ed. (1984). Danes in North America. Seattle: University of Washington Press. Mackintosh, Jette (1988). "'Little Denmark' on the Prairie: A Study of the Towns of Elk Horn and Kimballton in Iowa." Journal of American Ethnic History 7:46-68. Nielsen, George R. (1981). The Danish Americans. Boston: Twayne. DUTCH. In 1980, 1,404,794 Americans claimed Dutch ancestry and another 4,899,705 claimed Dutch and other ethnic ancestry. In the United States, Frisians, who form a distinct ethnic group in the Netherlands and West Germany are classified as Dutch. After Henry Hudson "discovered" the Hudson River during his exploration of 1610-1611, the Dutch established the colony of New Netherland in the Hudson and Delaware river valleys and the city of New Amsterdam on lower Manhattan Island. Following the loss of the colony to the English in 1664, some Dutch settlers removed to adjacent areas in what are now New York State and New Jersey. Many people of Dutch ancestry still live in these areas, although their numbers have been swelled by later Dutch Immigrants who worked in the factories in northern New Jersey. Most Dutch immigrants (80 percent) were Protestants, with the densest concentration being Dutch Calvinists who continue to be a major political-economic-social force in a four-hundred-square-mile region of southwestern Michigan. The major concentration of Dutch Roman Catholics is found across Lake Michigan in eastern Wisconsin. Other Dutch settlements were started and continue to flourish in Bozeman, Montana, and northwestern Washington State. The most Recent Dutch immigrants are mostly native Indonesians who fled to the Netherlands from their country in the 1960s, with some subsequently immigrating to the United States. The large number of negative phrases with the word Dutch such as Dutch treat or Dutch courage can be attributed to the anti-Dutch sentiments of the early English colonists. Bibliography Bratt, James D. (1984). Dutch Calvinism in Modern America: A History of a Conservative Subculture. Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans. Swierenga, Robert P., ed. (1985). The Dutch in America: Immigration, Settlement, and Cultural Change, New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press. Van Hinte, Jacob (1985). Netherlanders in America: A Study of Emigration and Settlement in the 19th and 20th Centuries in the United States of America. Robert P. Swierenga, general editor. Adriaan de Wit, chief translator. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House. ENGLISH. In 1980, 23,748,772 Americans claimed English ancestry and another 25,849,263 claimed English along with other ethnic ancestry. These figures include those claiming Cornish ancestry but not those of Manx ancestry, who numbered 50,000 in 1970. Americans of English ancestry are sometimes referred to as White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPS) and those in New England, as Yankees. The English were the primary colonizers of what became the United States and were the major shapers of the American economy, Political system, society, and culture. Although American society is now a blending of beliefs and practices from dozens of Cultures, the most fundamental features of American life, such as the use of the English language and the legal system, reflect English traditions. People of English ancestry are settled across the entire United States with major concentrations in Maine, the Appalachian and Ozark regions, and the Mormon region of Utah and southern Idaho. The few areas with relatively low percentages of English-Americans are New York City, areas of Southwest Texas with large Mexican-American populations, and those sections of Nevada and the Dakotas with large American Indian reservations. Bibliography Ewart, Shirley (1987). Cornish Mining Families of Grass Valley, California. New York: AMS Press. ESTONIANS. Because emigrants from Estonia arriving before 1922 were usually listed as Russians, the number of Estonians who came to the United States and the number of current Estonian-Americans are unknown. Estimates place their number at about 200,000, with over half in the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions, 19 percent on the West Coast, and 15 percent in the Great Lakes area. The Homeland is currently the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic. The Estonian language is related to Finnish, and Estonian culture has been strongly influenced by Scandinavian traditions. Most Estonian-Americans are descendants of people who arrived between 1890 and World War I. An influx of about 15,000 Estonians after World War II has both increased the population and stimulated a rebirth of Estonian ethnic identity. The Estonians today are unified by strong nationalistic and anticommunist sentiments and active local, regional, national, and international ethnic associations. At the same time, a high intermarriage rate and a middle-class life-style are drawing many people in the younger generations into mainstream society. Bibliography Parming, Tönu, and Imre Lipping (1979). Aspects of Cultural Life. Estonian Heritage in America Series. New York: Estonian Learned Society in America. Walko, Ann M. (1988). Rejecting the Second-Generation Hypothesis: Maintaining Estonian Ethnicity in Lakewood, New Jersey. New York: AMS Press. FINNS. In 1980, 267,902 Americans claimed Finnish ancestry and another 347,970 claimed Finnish and other ethnic ancestry. Finnish immigration took place mainly from the 1860s on, with most settling and continuing to live in Northern Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. In 1980, 38 percent of Finnish-Americans lived in this area. The original lure for many Finnish men was work in mining and the sawmills and on the railroads, although many eventually established small farms. Up to about 1920, Finnish identity remained strong and was maintained by the interlocking ties of churches, temperance groups, labor unions, and political parties. The membership and influence of these groups, however, waned after 1920, leading to rapid assimilation. Bibliography Finnish Americana: A Journal of Finnish American History and Culture. New York Mills, Minnesota. Kivitso, Peter (1984). Immigrant Socialists in the United States: The Case of Finns and the Left. London, Ontario, and Toronto: Associated Universities Press. FRENCH. In 1980, 3,504,542 Americans claimed French ancestry and another 10,168,192 claimed French and other ethnic ancestry. The general category of Americans of French ancestry includes people of French, French-Canadian, Acadian (Cajun), and Creole ancestry. It can also be stretched to include Bretons, Alsatians, and French Basques, although these groups are not French-speaking nor do they identify themselves as French; they are simply from areas that are today located in France. The two largest groups are the French-Canadians and those of direct French ancestry; the former outnumber the latter by a ratio of five to two. People who emigrated directly from France often came alone or in small groups and were rapidly assimilated into the general population through both intermarriage and wide dispersal, with a significant number settling in California. Those from the other French cultural traditions have tended to maintain their traditional culture for longer periods of time. La Salle claimed what is now Louisiana for France in 1682, and Louisiana has since been known as the "French" region of the United States. The French influence in Louisiana is seen in the continued use of French in some areas, adherence to Roman Catholicism, French-style architecture and cuisine, and so on. This region was first settled by French-Canadians, who traveled down the Mississippi River and settled New Orleans, and then by Acadians, who fled from eastern Canada and numbered over 1,000 in Louisiana by 1800. Some of the Acadians eventually returned to Canada, but most remained in Louisiana and are today called Cajuns. They reside mostly in a region centered around Lafayette. These groups were added to by French arriving directly from France and French Creoles, Whites, and Blacks from French Caribbean colonies, most important, Saint Dominique (Haiti). In their travels south, the French Canadians also founded other French settlements including a number in Missouri. The Northeast is the second major area of French settlement in the United States, with people of French-Canadian ancestry found in large numbers in the northern sections of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. The first French-Canadian settlers were mostly farmers, loggers, and traders. After 1860 they began moving farther south and found factory work in the leather goods, jewelry, cutlery, and brick industries that flourished in New England. They fought hard to maintain their French-Canadian heritage through inmarriage, residential isolation in distinctively French Neighborhoods, use of the French language, and Roman Catholic parochial schools. But with the demise by the mid-twentieth century of the industries in which they worked, isolation from mainstream society became more difficult and assimilation increased. Bibliography Brault, Gerard J. (1986). The French-Canadian Heritage in New England. Hanover, N.H.: University Press of New England. Breton, Raymond, and Pierre Savard, eds. (1982). The Quebec and Acadian Diaspora in North America. Toronto: Multi-cultural History Society of Ontario. Carroll, R. (1987). Cultural Misunderstanding: The French-American Experience. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Domínguez, Virginia R. (1986). White by Definition: Social Classification in Creole Louisiana. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press. GERMANS. In 1980, 17,943,485 Americans claimed German ancestry and another 31,280,661 claimed German and other ethnic ancestry. Next to the English, the Germans are the largest ethnic population group in the United States. German immigration began in the 1600s, was especially heavy during the early and mid-nineteenth century, peaking in the 1890s. Because relatively few Germans have arrived since then, most of them in the United States today are third-or fourth-generation Germans. Germans settled in rural areas, small cities, and urban centers. Today, areas with heavy German populations include Pennsylvania, southeastern Wisconsin, south-central Texas, and the Midwest. During the twentieth century, there has been a movement from rural areas to cities, with most recent arrivals also settling in cities. Despite their large numbers and long settlement history, Germans are among the most assimilated of all European ethnic groups, and German neighborhoods, publications, associations, architecture, meeting halls, and so on have mostly disappeared. A number of factors account for this assimilation. First, German immigrants never formed a homogeneous linguistic, religious, or cultural group. Second, the early peaking of immigration in the 1890s means that few first- or second-generation Germans live in the United States. And, third, for some Germans, German ethnicity was a means to economic and political ends and, thus, became less important when German identity was not helpful such as during and after World Wars I and II. A distinct group who have maintained their ethnic identity are the German-Russians (Russian-Germans, Germans from Russia). German-Russians are German-speaking Peoples whose ancestors settled in the Volga and Black Sea Regions of Russia in the 1700s. In the late 1800s, many of the Germans in Russia left in order to find political and religious freedom elsewhere. By the 1920s, at least 300,000 had settled in the United States. Those from the Volga region settled in Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska where many were involved in sugar beet agriculture and processing. Many of those from north of the Black Sea became wheat farmers in the Dakotas. Today, there are over a million German-Russians in the United States. Their long tradition of independence, residential localizations, and desire to stay separate from other Germans has enabled them to maintain their distinct ethnic identity. Bibliography America and the Germans: An Assessment of a Three-Hundred-Year History. (1986). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. Arends, S. F. (1989). The Central Dakota Germans: Their History, Language, and Culture. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press. Miller, Randall M., ed. (1984). Germans in America: Retrospect and Prospect. Philadelphia: German Society of Pennsylvania. Prewitt, Terry J. (1988). German-American Settlement in an Oklahoma Town: Ecological, Ethnic and Cultural Change. New York: AMS Press. Rippley, LaVern J. (1976). The German-Americans. Boston: Twayne. Sallet, Richard (1974). Russian-German Settlements in the United States. Translated by LaVern J. Rippley and Armand Bauer. Fargo: North Dakota Institute of Regional Studies. GREEKS. In 1980, 615,882 Americans claimed Greek ancestry and another 343,974 claimed Greek and other Ethnic ancestry. The nearly two-to-one ratio of full to partial Greek ancestry indicates that Greek-Americans continue to stress their Greek cultural identity. The first Greek Immigrants arrived in Florida in 1768, although the current Greek-American population is composed mostly of the descendants of emigrants from Greece who arrived in the United States between 1880 and 1920. Greek-Americans were and remain a largely urban group and at 93 percent, have the highest urban-suburban settlement rate of any European-American group. Major concentrations of Greek-Americans live today in and around New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Tarpon Springs, Florida, with sizable populations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Houston. In some locations the Greek population is associated with a particular economic specialization such as sponge fishing in Tarpon Springs and restaurant ownership in New England. Although Greektowns were never as prevalent as other ethnic enclaves, Greek identity was and is maintained through male socialization at coffeehouses, the Greek Orthodox religion and church, a strict division of labor with men working outside and women in the home, the continued use of the Greek language, marriage within the group, and Economic cooperation among Greek-American businesspeople. Bibliography Georgakais, D. (1987). "The Greeks in America." Journal of the Hellenic Diaspora 14:131-143. Kiriazis, James W. (1989). Children of the Colossus: The Rhodian Greek Immigrants in the United States. New York: AMS Press. Patterson, George J., Jr. (1988). The Unassimilated Greeks of Denver. New York: AMS Press. Psomiades, Harry J., and Alice Scourby (1982). The Greek American Community in Transition. New York: Pella Publishing. Scourby, Alice (1984). The Greek Americans. Boston: Twayne. HUNGARIANS. In 1980, 727,223 Americans claimed Hungarian and another 1,049,679 claimed Hungarian and other ethnic ancestry. Hungarians, also called Magyars, are ethnic Hungarians. The label "Hungarian" also sometimes includes people of Romanian, Slovak, Polish, Ukrainian, German, or Jewish ancestry who lived in what was the large territory that was Hungary prior to World War I. Ethnic Hungarians who came to the United States mostly between 1880 and World War I also displayed religious variation, with about 60 percent being Roman Catholic and the others Protestant, Greek Christian, and Eastern Orthodox. The Immigrants, many of whom were single men, settled in regions offering the opportunity of heavy industrial work such as mining and steel production. Thus, the majority settled in four states—New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Since 1950 there has been a gradual dispersal of Hungarians, especially to California and the South. The revolution against communist rule in Hungary in 1956 led the U.S. Government to allow 35,000 Hungarians to immigrate since then. Better educated than Hungarians already settled in the United States, they tended to assimilate quickly into the American economy. Hungarians never established distinct neighborhoods comparable to those of other European Immigrants. Rather, a strong sense of Hungarian identity resulted from the putting aside of religious and regional differences for economic solidarity and the formation of insurance associations, churches, and Magyar-language newspapers. Hungarian identity was further strengthened by Hungarian government programs designed to prevent assimilation in the United States and to encourage a return to Hungary. World War I was the effective end of this strong sense of Hungarian ethnicity in the United States, as Austro-Hungary was the enemy. After the war, ties to Hungary (now substantially reduced in size) weakened, and by the Second World War, English had essentially replaced or existed alongside Magyar in Hungarian associations, churches, newspapers, and schools. Although the post-1956 arrivals have remained concerned about Hungary and have been strongly anticommunist, their presence has not produced a rebirth of Hungarian ethnicity. Bibliography Vardy, Steven B. (1985). The Hungarian-Americans. Boston: Twayne. Weinberg, Daniel E. (1977). "Ethnic Identity in Industrial Cleveland: The Hungarians, 1900-1920." Ohio History 86:171-186. IRISH. In 1980, 10,337,353 Americans claimed Irish ancestry and another 29,828,349 claimed Irish and other ethnic ancestry. Included in these figures are 17,000 people who claimed Scots-Irish identity (Northern Irish, Ulster Scots) who are mostly descended from Irish Protestants who settled in North America in the 1700s. This is probably a gross undercount as over half of the Irish in the United States are Protestants, and most of these are likely descended from the 1700s immigrants. Most people of Scots-Irish ancestry live in the rural South, Appalachia, and the Ozarks. Any unique Scots-Irish identity has now been lost, and they are generally lumped and lump themselves with other Americans of either Irish or English ancestry. People thought of as ethnic Irish in the United States today are the descendants of the Roman Catholic Irish who arrived mainly between 1830 and World War I. Many of these immigrants were poor and fled to the United States to escape famine in Ireland. They formed distinctively Irish neighborhoods in eastern and midwestern cities, often centered around the parish church and large, stable families dominated by the wife/mother. It was in reference to these urban Catholic Irish that the negative stereotype of the drunken, violent Irishman developed. Involvement in the Roman Catholic church through social assistance programs, parochial schools, colleges and universities, and local and national Religious leaders and involvement in local politics brought the Irish into the mainstream of American society. These involvements also benefited the Irish community and have given them much influence in American life. The Irish are now dispersed across the United States in a pattern typical of the general American population. They were and remain a strongly urban-suburban group, however, with major concentrations in the Mid-Atlantic states, New England, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Despite their settlement across the nation, Irish cultural identity and influence on American society remains strong. Bibliography Akenson, Donald H. (1985). Being Bad: Historians, Evidence, and the Irish in North America. Port Credit, Ontario: P. D. Meany. Cahill, Kevin M., ed. (1984). The Irish American Revival Port Washington, N.Y.: Associated Faculty Press. Clark, Dennis (1986). Hibernia America: The Irish and Regional Cultures. Westport, Conn.: Westview Press. Greeley, Andrew M. (1982). The Irish Americans. New York: Harper and Row. McCaffrey, Lawrence J., Ellen Skerrett, Michael F. Funchion, and Charles Fanning (1987). The Irish in Chicago. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. Miller, Kerby A. (1985). Emigrants and Exiles: Ireland and the Irish Exodus to North America. New York: Oxford University Press. ITALIANS. In 1980, 6,883,320 Americans claimed Italian ethnic ancestry and another 5,300,372 claimed Italian and other ethnic ancestry. Italian immigration to the United States can be divided into two periods. Prior to 1880, most immigrants were from northern Italy (Tuscany, Lombardy, Piedmont) and represented only a minority of those coming to the New World, with most settling in Brazil and Argentina. Most of the men were skilled craftsmen (masons and stone-cutters), and the families lived in small communities often composed of people from the same town in Italy. The second period, beginning in 1880 and continuing to World War I, was a time of major Italian immigration to and settlement in the United States. After 1880 most Italian immigrants were poor men or families from the southern provinces and Sicily. In competition for low-level factory jobs with Eastern European immigrants, the Italians tended to settle in cities where the Eastern Europeans were less numerous. Thus, Italian communities formed in Portland, Maine; Rochester, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Newark, New Jersey; New Castle, Pennsylvania; Staten Island, New York; Chicago, Illinois; and New York City. Other Italian communities formed in midwestern cities, and a few farming communities formed in central California, Louisiana, Illinois, and Arkansas. But the Italian immigrants were mostly an urban group, with at least 85 percent settling in cities. Italy became a unified nation only in 1870; thus Italian immigrants generally felt only a weak identity with Italy and lacked an overarching cultural tradition typical of other Immigrant groups. This led to two unique developments in the United States. First, strong ties were maintained with the town from which emigration took place, and a weaker sense of Italian identity prevailed. Second, within the first two Generations of settlement, a syncretic Italian-American culture developed in the United States. Key features of the new cultural identity were an Americanized dialect of Italian that replaced the regional languages and dialects, a distinctly Italian tradition within the Irish-dominated American Roman Catholic church featuring a more "emotional-celebratory" set of practices, involvement in local politics, and the formation of associations, banks, and labor unions that served the Italian community. At the same time, the large patriarchal families were giving way to small families, with intermarriage to non-Italian Roman Catholics increasing in frequency. Assimilation has progressed rapidly since World War II, and the Italians are now a middle-class, urban-suburban group. Although much of the population has shifted to suburbs, distinct Italian neighborhoods remain in many cities, including Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Newark, and Providence. At the same time, the Italian-American cultural identity is maintained through extended family ties, the church, unique food preferences and practices, and a general sense of respect for the family and its oldest members. Bibliography Alba, Richard D. (1985). Italian Americans. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. Belfiglio, C. V. (1983). Italian Experience in Texas. Austin: Eakin Press. Cinel, Dino (1982). From Italy to San Francisco: The Immigrant Experience. Stanford: Stanford University Press. di Leonardo, Micaela (1984). The Varieties of Ethnic Experience: Kinship, Class, and Gender among California Italian-Americans. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Martinelli, Phyllis C. (1987). Ethnicity in the Sunbelt: Italian-American Migrants in Scottsdale, Arizona. New York: AMS Press. Mormino, Gary R. (1986). Immigrants on the Hill: Italian-Americans in St. Louis, 1882-1982. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. Nelli, Humbert S. (1983). From Immigrants to Ethnics: The Italian Americans. New York: Oxford University Press. Schoener, Allon (1987). The Italian Americans. New York: Macmillan. Tomasi, Lydio F., ed. (1985). Italian Americans: New Perspectives in Italian Immigration and Ethnicity. New York: Center for Migration Studies. Tricarico, Donald (1984). The Italians of Greenwich Village. New York: Center for Migration Studies. LATVIANS. In 1980, 55,563 Americans claimed Latvian ancestry and another 36,578 claimed Latvian and other Ethnic ancestry. Latvians are people who trace their ethnic identity to the territory that is now the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic. Latvian is an Indo-European language closely related only to Lithuanian. Latvians came to the United States in two major migrations. The first group, composed mainly of peasants and artisans looking for better opportunities, emigrated from Russia between 1905 and World War I. They were mostly Lutherans or Baptists and initially took unskilled work in the Northeast and in communities in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Some returned to Latvia after the Russian Revolution, and the descendants of those who remained in the United States are now largely assimilated into American Society. The second group contained about 40,000 emigrants who arrived after World War II, with many classified as displaced persons seeking refuge from war-ravaged Europe and Soviet rule. Because of their more recent arrival and strong Latvian nationalistic feelings, they have resisted assimilation and make up the majority of Latvian-Americans today. About 50 percent still speak Latvian and 85 percent are Members of Latvian ethnic organizations. Latvian culture is a mix of native, Slavic, Scandinavian, and German elements that have been combined over the centuries into a unique Latvian cultural tradition. To outsiders, Latvian culture is most notable for its rich collection of folk songs ( dainas ), unique art and design motifs, and native peasant dress. Bibliography Karklis, Maruta, Liga Streips, and Laimonis Streips, comps. (1974). The Latvians in America, 1640-1973: A Chronology and Fact Book. Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.: Oceania Publications. LITHUANIANS. In 1980, 339,438 Americans claimed Lithuanian ethnic ancestry and another 403,338 claimed Lithuanian and other ancestry. The majority of Americans of Lithuanian ancestry are descendants of immigrants who settled in the United States between 1880 and World War I. They came mainly from the eastern sections of the territory that is now the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic. Most were Roman Catholics, and they often settled near Polish communities in industrial cities and towns in the Northeast and Midwest where the men worked in the mines and factories. Beginning about 1890, Lithuanians began to distance themselves from the Poles and distinct Lithuanian communities formed around their own parishes, kin and friendship networks, local and national associations, and the Lithuanian-language press. From about 1900 on, their Economic role began changing, as Lithuanians were often involved in labor unions, strikes, and other efforts to improve working conditions. Since then, the Lithuanians have assimilated into American society, though distinct Lithuanian Ethnic enclaves, such as the Marquette Park area of Chicago, still exist. New arrivals after World War I and World War II brought strong nationalistic and anticommunist sentiments with them. Even in this group, however, a distinct Lithuanian cultural identity is disappearing. Bibliography Baskauskas, Liucija (1983). An Urban Enclave: Lithuanian Refugees in Los Angeles. New York: AMS Press. Gedmintas, Aleksandras (1988). An Interesting Bit of Identity: The Dynamics of Ethnic Identity in a Lithuanian-American Community. New York: AMS Press. Jonitis, Peter P. (1983). The Acculturation of the Lithuanians of Chester, Pennsylvania. New York: AMS Press. NORWEGIANS. In 1980, 1,260,997 Americans claimed Norwegian ancestry and another 2,192,842 claimed Norwegian and other ethnic ancestry. Starting in 1840, Norwegians began forming church-based farming communities in western Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota, regions that provided the settlers with affordable farmland. A migration of younger people from the Midwest farther west led to the formation of a Norwegian community in Washington. Today, over 20 percent of Norwegian-Americans live in Minnesota, mostly in and around Minneapolis. Beginning in 1853, the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church (the Norwegian Synod) became the focal point for the continuation of Norwegian culture in the New World. In 1962, the church merged with the German and Dutch churches to form the American Lutheran church, though Norwegian identity continues in rural Norwegian communities in the Midwest. Although most Americans of Norwegian ancestry are assimilated into American society, Norwegian ethnic identity is notably strong, because of a combination of factors including the rural church-based communities, Norwegian colleges, ethnic organizations, and Norwegian social and business networks in some Midwest cities. Bibliography Gjerde, Jon (1985). From Peasants to Farmers: The Migration from Balestrand, Norway, to the Upper Middle West. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Lovoll, Odd S. (1984). The Promise of America: A History of the Norwegian-American People. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press in cooperation with the Norwegian-American Historical Association. Strickon, Arnold, and R. A. Ibarra (1983). "The Changing Dynamics of Ethnicity: Norwegians and Tobacco in Wisconsin." Ethnic and Racial Studies 6:174-197. PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH. This general label refers to the Amish, Mennonites, Moravians, Dunkers, Schwenkfelders, and others who settled mostly in Pennsylvania. These peoples, fleeing religious persecution, were either German or Swiss (all were German speakers), not Dutch. The reference to "Dutch" is a modern-day confusion resulting from the word Deutsch meaning "German." Thus, the Pennsylvania Dutch are actually Pennsylvania Germans and are sometimes correctly labeled as such. Most Pennsylvania Dutch are today found in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. See also Amish , Mennonites Bibliography Reimensnyder, Barbara L. (1988). Powwowing in Union County: A Study of Pennsylvania German Folk Medicine in Context. New York: AMS Press. Swank, Scott (1983). Art of the Pennsylvania Germans. New York: W. W. Norton. POLES. In 1980, 3,805,740 Americans claimed Polish ancestry and another 4,422,297 claimed Polish and other Ethnic ancestry. The Poles are one of the largest and, in some ways, the least assimilated of the European-American groups. Poles in the United States are mostly ethnic Poles whose ancestors spoke Polish, German, and Russian. Distinct ethnic minorities in Poland, including the Carpatho-Rusyns, Kashubians, Górali, Mazurians, Silesians, and Galicians are also represented in the United States, and they have tended to remain somewhat separate from the ethnic Polish majority. The majority of Poles have arrived since 1850. The first large group of settlers was composed of German-speaking Poles who settled in cities already inhabited by Germans. Later arrivals, though from non-German sections of Poland, settled near those already in the United States. This migration pattern led to the formation of major Polish communities in cities with large German communities such as Buffalo, Milwaukee, Chicago, New York, and Cleveland. Other major Polish communities formed in Pittsburgh, Detroit, Philadelphia, and the Connecticut River valley in New England. Poles have remained an urban group, with 80 percent still living in urban areas. Small rural communities based on farming formed in south-central Texas, the northern Midwest, Missouri, and Nebraska. Polish men generally found relatively low-level physical work such as mining, steel-working, meat-packing, automobile manufacturing, and factory labor. From 1865 through World War II the Poles remained a relatively homogeneous group, with their lives centered around the Roman Catholic parish and parochial schools, extended family ties, associations, multiple-family housing, Polish neighborhoods and stores, the Polish press, and Polish beliefs and customs at holidays and life-cycle celebrations. A religious schism developed around the turn of the century, leading to the formation of the independent Polish National Catholic Church of America, which now has about 300,000 members. Since the end of World War II, Poles have been assimilating more rapidly into American society, fueled primarily by upward social mobility from a working-class to a middle-class life-style. Today, the majority of Poles work in white-collar and skilled occupations. Still, Polish assimilation has been slower than among other groups, with intermarriage mostly with other Eastern European Catholics, a slower loss of the Polish Language, the continued existence of Polish neighborhoods in large cities, and ties often maintained with relatives in Poland. A reaction to the negative stereotype of Poles and the Solidarity movement in Poland have also contributed to a strong sense of Polish identity in recent years. Bibliography Bodnar, John, Roger Simon, and Michael P. Weber (1982). Lives of Their Own: Blacks, Italians, and Poles in Pittsburgh, 1900-1960. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. Obidinski, Eugene, and Helen Stankiewicz Zand (1987). Polish Folkways in America: Community and Family. Polish Studies Series 5. Lanham, Md.: University Press of America. Mocha, Franck, ed. (1978). Poles in America. Stevens Point, Wis.: Worzalla Publishing. Polish-American Studies: A Journal of Polish-American History and Culture. Binghamton, N.Y.: Polish American Historical Association. PORTUGUESE. In 1980, 616,362 Americans claimed Portuguese ancestry and another 407,989 claimed Portuguese and other ethnic ancestry. Americans of Portuguese Descent came either from Portugal or from the Portuguese Azores and Madeira islands. Portuguese immigration patterns are different from most other European-American groups in that a large percentage arrived in recent years (about 39 percent since 1959) and a large number (29 percent) settled in California. The Portuguese are essentially bicoastal with major concentrations in Hawaii (descendants of Azorean whalers and Madeiran sugar plantation workers), farming communities in central California, and fishing and industrial communities in southern New England and the northern Mid-Atlantic states. The early arrivals were mostly Azoreans and Madeirans who settled and formed Communities populated by immigrants from the same islands. With life centered around the patriarchal family and family financial obligations, the traditional culture has survived to some extent even among the third and fourth generations. The more recent arrivals have resisted integration into these Communities and have instead directed their efforts at maintaining Political and economic ties with Portugal, activities of less interest to the descendants of the earlier settlers. Bibliography Cabrai, Stephen L. (1988). Tradition and Transformation: Portuguese Feasting in New Bedford. New York: AMS Press. Gilbert, Dorothy A. (1987). Recent Portuguese Immigrants to Fall River, Massachusetts. New York: AMS Press. Pap, Leo (1981). The Portuguese-Americans. Boston: Twayne. ROMANIANS. (Roumanians, Rumanians). In 1980, 141,675 Americans claimed Romanian ancestry and another 173,583 claimed Romanian and other ethnic ancestry. Most Romanians who arrived in the United States before 1895 were Jewish. Romanian immigrants since 1895 include Jews and non-Jews, with both groups included in the above figures. Romanians settled mainly in industrial cities such as Cleveland, East Chicago, Gary, and Detroit where men worked in the steel and auto industries. Although the Romanian church, clubs, and press were active for some years, the descendants of these immigrants are now largely assimilated into American society. More recent arrivals have lived apart from these communities and have focused their attention on anticommunist activities and Romanian-U.S. relations. The community has recently coalesced around the overthrow of the communist leadership of Romania in 1989-1990. Bibliography Bobango, Gerald J. (1978). "The Union and League of Romanian Societies: An 'Assimilating Force.'" East European Quarterly 12:85-92. Roceris, Alexandra (1982). Language Maintenance within an American Community: The Case of Romanian. Grass Lake and Jackson, Mich: Romanian-American Heritage Center. RUSSIANS. In 1980, 1,379,585 Americans claimed Russian ancestry and another 1,401,847 claimed Russian and other ancestry. The category "Russian" generally includes people who emigrated from what was the Russian Empire and is now the Soviet Union. This includes a number of culturally distinct groups including ethnic Russians, Ukrainians, Georgians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Belorussians (Byelorussians, White Russians), Galicians, Russian Jews, Doukhobors, Old Believers, Molokans, Carpatho-Rusyns, and Cossacks. Stretched to its limits, Russians can also include peoples from non-European regions of the Soviet Union such as the Azerbaijani, Kalmyk, and Turkestani who do not consider themselves Russian. In short, "Russians" is more correctly viewed as a territorial-political label than an ethnic one, except when applied specifically to ethnic Russians. Russians immigrated to the United States in five stages. The first group was composed of traders who settled in Alaska to trade for furs with the local American Indian groups. When Russia sold Alaska to the United States in 1867, they either returned home or migrated to California. From the 1880s to World War I, Russians settled in industrial cities in the East and Midwest. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, a large influx of mostly middle-class, anticommunist Russians also settled in large cities. After World War II, Russian displaced persons and refugees made their way to the United States, often with stays in other countries first. Finally, a small number of Russians have immigrated to the United States since the 1950s. In the past, participation in the Eastern Orthodox church was a major factor in maintaining Russian ethnic identity. Red scares in the twentieth century (1919-1920, 1950s) led to sometimes hostile relations Between Russian-Americans and mainstream society. But the cold war and the resultant interest in Russian life have Somewhat lessened hostility toward Russian-Americans. Today, the Russians do not form a viable, cohesive ethnic entity in the United States, partly because of internal variations and partly because of the relatively few Russians who have arrived in the past forty years. Bibliography Gerber, Stanford N. (1983). Russkoya Celo: The Ethnography of a Russian-American Community. New York: AMS Press. Townsend, Joan B. (1975). "Mercantilism and Societal Change: An Ethnohistoric Examination of Some Essential Variables." Ethnohistory 22:21-32. SCOTS. In 1980, 1,172,904 Americans claimed Scottish ancestry and another 8,875,912 claimed Scottish and other ethnic ancestry. The distinction between Lowland and Highland Scots, though still important in Scotland, has not been of concern for some years in the United States. Because of their early settlement beginning in the late 1600s, high Intermarriage rate, and dispersal across the entire United States, Scots are largely assimilated into American society and no longer display the degree of ethnic identity found in non-English-speaking ethnic groups of later arrival. Bibliography Chalker, Fussell M. (1976). "Highland Scots in the Georgia Lowlands." Georgia Historical Quarterly 60:35-42. MacDonell, M. (1982). The Emigrant Experience: Songs of Highland Emigrants in North America. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. SERBS. In 1980, 49,621 Americans reported Serbian Ethnic ancestry and another 51,320 reported Serbian and other ancestry. These figures are probably a gross undercount, as many people of Serbian background often identified themselves as Yugoslavians. A more realistic estimate of Americans of Serbian ancestry is 200,000. Serbia is one of the Regions of the modern nation of Yugoslavia. The other major regions are Slovenia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Macedonia, and Croatia. Most immigrants of Serbian background came from the Bosnia, Montenegro, Croatia, and Vojvodina regions, primarily between 1903 and 1909. While Serbs and Croats came from different villages in Europe, they tended to settle near one another in the United States, mainly in the iron and steel-producing cities of Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Cleveland and the western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio Regions, which provided men with employment opportunities. Since World War II, about 50,000 Serbs, many of them displaced persons, have settled in the United States. Better Educated and more urban than the earlier generation of Immigrants, they have tended to remain separate from the already established Serbian communities. Although many Serbs have assimilated into mainstream life, the opportunity for maintaining a strong Serbian identity is readily available for those who so choose. A strong, politically conservative Serbianism ethos still exists in the United States, ties are maintained with the homeland, Serbian social organizations at all levels are highly organized, and Serbian music, epic poetry, and traditions provide a unifying bond. Bibliography Brkich, Lazar (1980). "Serbian Fraternal, Social, and Cultural Organizations in America." In Studies in Ethnicity: The East European Experience in America, edited by C. A. Ward, P. Shashko, and D. E. Pienkos, 103-114. Boulder: East European Monographs. Padgett, Deborah (1988). Settlers and Sojourners: A Study of Serbian Adaptation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. New York: AMS Press. SLOVAKS. In 1980, 361,384 Americans reported Slovak ethnic ancestry and another 415,422 reported Slovak and other ancestry. These figures are almost certainly undercounts, as Slovaks who reported Czechoslovakian ancestry were classified as Czechs. Slovaks are people from the Slovakia region, which is today part of the modern nation of Czechoslovakia. The major Slovak immigration to the United States began in the 1870s, with the Slovaks settling in the anthracite mining region of eastern Pennsylvania and the coal mining and steel areas of western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio. By the 1920s, the Slovaks had settled in the towns and cities where they continue to live today, with the only major population shift being a movement by the post-World War II generation to the suburbs. The Slovaks display a high degree of geographical persistence, with only 3 percent living in California, the lowest percentage of any European ethnic group. The pre-World War II ethnic culture was centered on family-based communities, wage labor in what was often the only factory or mine in the town, the Roman Catholic church, local clubs, and home ownership. Cohesion was reinforced by a general disinterest in education and the settlement of people from the same Slovak villages near one another in the United States. Today, a strong sense of Slovak identity remains, focused on the church, Slovak cuisine, and holiday rituals, although intermarriage has increased, family visits have replaced the two-generation domestic unit, and Slovak is spoken by only a few. Bibliography Stolarik, Mark M. (1985). Growing up on the South Side: Three Generations of Slovaks in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 1880-1976, Lewisburg, Pa.: Bucknell University. Stolarik, Mark M. (1988). Immigration and Urbanization: The Slovak Experience. New York: AMS Press. SLOVENES (Slovenians). In 1980, 63,587 Americans claimed Slovenian ancestry and another 62,876 claimed Slovenian and other ethnic ancestry. Slovenes are people from Slovenia, the northwestern section of the modern nation of Yugoslavia. The major arrival of Slovenes took place before World War I with major population centers forming in the mining areas of Colorado, northern Minnesota, and Western Pennsylvania and in the industrial cities of Cleveland and Chicago. Slovene cultural identity was maintained through the Roman Catholic church, fraternal insurance societies, singing societies, and the Slovene press. Assimilation has been slowed by the arrival of a second large wave of Immigrants in the 1950s, who are much concerned about and involved in political developments in Yugoslavia. Bibliography Prisland, Marie (1968). From Slovenia to America. Chicago: Slovenian Women's Union of America. Susel, Rudolph M. (1983). "The Perpetuation and Transformation of Ethnic Identity among Slovene Immigrants in America and the American-Born Generations: Continuity and Change." In The Dynamics of East European Ethnicity outside of Eastern Europe, edited by Irene P. Winner and Rudolph M. Susel, 109-132. Cambridge, Mass.: Schenkman. Voynick, S. M. (1984). Leadville: A Miner's Epic. Missoula, Mont.: Mountain Press. SORBS. (Wends). The Sorbs are a distinct cultural group in Germany. The Sorbian territory is located in the Lusatia region in the southeastern corner of what was the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). Sorbian is a West Slavic language, with Lower and Upper dialects spoken in northern and southern Sorbia, respectively. The number of Sorbs in North America is unknown, as they have usually been counted as German. Most are descendants of Sorbs who emigrated in the last half of the nineteenth century and settled in Texas near already existing German communities in present-day Lee County. Smaller communities also formed in Nebraska and Canada, although the Texas ones were the largest and most distinctly Sorbian. In recent years, some Sorbs have moved to cities in Texas, including Houston, San Antonio, and Austin. Initially close to the Germans through intermarriage, nearby residence, and language (most Sorbs also spoke German), self-identification as Americans began with World War I, in part as an effort to distance themselves from Germany. The traditional culture centered on distinct religious customs and holiday and life-cycle celebrations, although assimilation has increased rapidly in recent years. SPANIARDS. Spaniards should be differentiated from Latinos who are people of Latin American ancestry. Because Spanish immigrants either were not counted at all or were at times lumped with Latinos, it is impossible to say how many Spaniards have immigrated to and settled in the United States—one estimate suggests about 250,000. Major population centers are in New York City, southern California, Louisiana, and Florida. The American Southwest has had an Especially strong Spanish influence, dating to Coronado's expedition of 1540, though Mexican (which is also partly Spanish) and American Indian influences are also important in the region. For the most part, Spanish immigrants and their descendants have rapidly assimilated into American Society and no strong sense of Spanish identity or culture has ever emerged. This is in part because they were few in number compared to other immigrant groups also arriving in the early twentieth century and in part because regional cultural identities (such as Galician, Catalonian) were more important in Spain than any sense of a national culture. In the United States these regional identities have been manifested in Regional associations. Bibliography Brophy, Don, and Edythe Westenhauer, eds. (1978). The Story of Catholics in America. New York: Paulist Press. Williams, James C. (1978). "Cultural Tension: The Origins of American Santa Barbara." Southern California Quarterly 60:349-377. SWEDES. In 1980, 1,288,341 Americans claimed Swedish ancestry and another 3,057,051 claimed Swedish and other ethnic ancestry. Swedes began immigrating to the United States in sizable numbers after 1840, settling mostly in the Midwest, where they often formed communities based on kin ties, or in areas where work similar to that in Sweden (such as metalworking, iron mining) was available. Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas were areas of heavy settlement, with smaller communities forming in New England and New York where specialized work was available. Chicago and Minneapolis were the major centers for urban Swedes, with ties maintained with the Norwegian and German communities. Although Swedes resisted Intermarriage (except with Norwegians), they nonetheless rapidly assimilated into American society. They learned English quickly (most Swedes were literate), desired U.S. citizenship, valued public education, and were upwardly mobile, moving from the cities to the suburbs. The 1970s saw a revival of interest in Swedish identity, reflected in public celebrations of Swedish holidays, Scandinavian study programs at colleges, and the economic success of Swedish retail outlets. Bibliography Kastrup, Allan (1975). The Swedish Heritage in America. St. Paul, Minn.: The Swedish Council of America. Moe, M. L., ed. (1983). Saga from the Hills: A History of the Swedes of Jamestown, New York. Jamestown, N.Y.: Fenton Historical Society. Wheeler, Wayne (1983). An Analysis of Social Change in a Swedish-Immigrant Community. New York: AMS Press. SWISS. In 1980, 235,355 Americans claimed Swiss ancestry and another 746,188 claimed Swiss and other ancestry. Switzerland is a pluralistic country populated by four linguistic-cultural groups: French speakers in the West, German speakers in the center and North, Romansch speakers in the East, and Italian speakers in the South. Nearly 90 percent of Swiss settlers in the United States prior to 1900 were German speakers (German-speaking Swiss are also the most Numerous group in Switzerland), although some had lived in other European countries prior to their migration to the New World, which may have blurred their sense of Swiss identity. The concentrations of Swiss in the United States today represent four distinct cultural traditions. The largest concentration of Swiss is the Old Order Amish and Mennonites in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Kansas. A second large concentration is the Swiss Mormons in northern Utah whose ancestors converted to Mormonism in the 1880s. A third group is the Italian Swiss in northern and central California whose ancestors settled in the San Francisco area. Last is the best-known Swiss concentration centered in and around Madison, Wisconsin, known as "the Swiss capital of the United States" and a major tourist attraction. The first Swiss settlement was formed in 1845 by immigrants who at first made their living from dairy farming and cheese making, two occupations associated also with other Swiss settlements. See also Amish , Mennonites , Mormons Bibliography Kuhn, W. Ernst (1976). "Recent Swiss Immigration into Nebraska: An Empirical Study." Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter 12:12-20. Lewis, Brian A. (1973). "Swiss-German in Wisconsin: The Impact of English." American Speech 48:211-228. UKRAINIANS. In 1980, 381,084 Americans claimed Ukrainian ethnic ancestry and another 348,972 claimed Ukrainian and other ancestry. The relatively low percentage of Ukrainians claiming mixed ethnic ancestry indicates that the Ukrainians continue to exist as a distinct cultural group in the United States. Among the Ukrainian immigrants who arrived between 1880 and World War I, 85 to 95 percent were classified as Carpatho-Rusyns (Ruthenians), and few saw themselves as ethnically Ukrainian. After the end of World War I and the establishment of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, descendants of this first wave of immigrants who were from Galicia have often preferred to define themselves as Ukrainian. The more than 100,000 Ukrainians who came to the United States after World War I were mainly from the center of the Ukraine, and their presence has strengthened Ukrainian identity. Fifty percent of Ukrainians lived in either New York State or Pennsylvania in 1980, with the New York City area being the major population and cultural center, Especially with many immigrants since World War II settling there. The Ukrainians continue to exist as a distinct cultural group within American society, although many are, at the same time, active participants in the national economic System. Ukrainian schools, social clubs, associations, churches (Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox), resorts, and publications all provide the opportunity for a full life within the Ukrainian community. A shared sense of identity is further maintained through continued use of the Ukrainian Language, a high rate of endogamous marriage, and strong and active membership in fraternal organizations. External forces also play a role in maintaining group identity, especially involvement in political movements to establish a free Ukrainian nation and continued estrangement from the Polish- and Russian-American communities. See also Ukrainians (Canada) Bibliography Stachin, Matthew (1976). "Ukrainian Religious, Social and Political Organization in the U.S. Prior to World War II." Ukrainian Quarterly 32:385-392. WELSH. In 1980, 308,363 Americans claimed Welsh ancestry and another 1,356,235 claimed Welsh and other Ethnic ancestry. Although the Welsh began arriving in North America in the late 1600s, the major migrations were in the mid- and late-1800s. Those who came first were largely farmers who sought to escape assimilation into English society by forming Welsh-speaking communities in North America. Those who came after 1880 were largely miners who settled in the coal-mining areas of northeast Pennsylvania, eventually moving from coal mining into work in the steel and related industries. Sizable populations of Welsh-Americans still live in this region, although most people of Welsh ancestry are assimilated into American society, as indicated by the high Intermarriage rate and migration of many Welsh to the West Coast. Bibliography Ashton, Elwyn T. (1984). The Welsh in the United States. Shoreham, England: Elwyn T. Ashton. Ellis, David M. (1973). "The Assimilation of the Welsh in Central New York State." Welsh Historical Review 6:424-447. Thomas, R. D. (1983). Hanes Cymry America: A History of the Welsh in America. Translated by Phillips G. Davies. Washington, D.C.: University Press of America. (Originally published, 1872.) Also read article about European-Americans from Wikipedia User Contributions:	Albania
In which country are the Harz mountains?	European ethnic groups \| Familypedia \| Fandom powered by Wikia Caucasian Turkic Kalmyk Arabic / Maltese Berber Of the total population of Europe of some 730 million (as of 2005), some 85% or 630 million fall within three large ethno-linguistic super-groups, viz., Slavic , Latin (Romance) and Germanic . The largest groups that do not fall within either of these are the Greeks and the Hungarians (about 13 million each). About 20-25 million residents are members of diasporas of non-European origin. The population of the European Union with some 500 million accounts for two thirds of European population. The largest ethnic group of Europe are probably the Russians with some 90 million settling in the European parts of Russia , followed by the Germans (69 million), French (63 million), Italians (58 million), English (45 million), Spanish (42 million), Ukrainians (40 million) and the Poles (38 million). the Basque people of France and Spain (marginalized by Latin / Western Romance expansion) Physical appearance and genetic origins Further information: White people and Caucasoid The vast majority of Europeans are of the " Caucasoid " ( White ) typological race , characterized by lightly pigmented skin and variability in eye and hair colour [2] , although typological division into races has now largely been discredited. There has been human habitation in Europe for over a million years, [3] [4] but humans with a recognisably modern anatomy can only be dated back to 40,000 years ago, with the Cro magnon settlement. Over the prehistoric period there was continual immigration to Europe, notably with the neolithic revolution . [5] It is probable that the origins of Cro Magnon man can be traced back to ancestors in East Africa . [6] European diasporas Japanese : ca. 100,000, mostly in the UK European identity and culture Main articles: European culture , Western world , Christendom , and Pan-European identity The culture of Europe might better be described as a series of overlapping cultures. Whether it is a question of West as opposed to East; Christianity as opposed to Islam; many have claimed to identify cultural fault lines across the continent. European culture also has a broad influence beyond the continent of Europe due to the legacy of colonialism . In this broader sense it is sometimes referred to as Western Civilization . Nearly all of the Americas and all of Africa were ruled by European powers at one time or another, and some parts of the New World, such as French Guiana , still are. The vast majority of the population of the Americas speak European languages, specifically Spanish , English , Portuguese , French and to a much lesser extent Dutch . Additionally the cultures of the European colonial powers ( Spain , Britain , the Netherlands , Portugal , Belgium and France ) exert a strong influence. Pan-European identity refers to both the sense of personal identification with Europe, and to the identity possessed by 'Europe' as a whole. 'Europe' is widely used as a synonym for the European Union even though there are millions of people living on the European continent in non-EU states. The prefix pan implies that the identity applies throughout Europe, and especially in an EU context, 'pan-European' is often contrasted with national . Religion Main article: Religion in Europe Since the High Middle Ages , most of Europe has been dominated by Christianity . There are three major denominations, Roman Catholic , Protestant and Eastern Orthodox , with Protestantism restricted mostly to Germanic regions, and Orthodoxy to Slavic regions and Greece. Catholicism, while centered in the Latin parts, has a significant following also in Germanic, Slavic and Celtic regions. Islam has some tradition in the Balkans (the European dominions of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th to 19th centuries), in Albania , Former Yugoslavia , Bulgaria and Turkish East Thrace , as well as among the Tatars and Chechens of Russia . With 20th century migrations, Muslims in Western Europe have become a noticeable minority. Judaism has a long history in Europe , but remains a small minority religion, with France (1%) the only European country with a Jewish population in excess of 0.5%. The Jewish population of Europe is comprised primarily of two groups , the Ashkenazi and the Sephardi . Ashkenazi Jews migrated to Europe as early as the 8th century , while Sephardi Jews established themselves in Spain and Portugal at least one thousand years before that. In modern times, significant secularization has taken place, notably in laicist France in the 19th century and in Communist Eastern Europe in the 20th century. Currently, distribution of theism in Europe is very heterogeneous, with more than 80% in Poland, and less than 20% in the Czech Republic. On average, the 2005 Eurobarometer poll [9] found that 52% of the citizens of EU member state that they believe in God. References	i don't know
What is the capital of Azerbaijan?	Baku - The capital of Azerbaijan - Baku Home » Baku » Baku - The capital of Azerbaijan Baku - The capital of Azerbaijan Baku - the capital of Azerbaijan, the largest city in the Caucasus and one of the most beautiful cities in the world is compared with Naples, San Francisco and other big cities of the world. The city is situated on the southern coast of the Absheron Peninsula and is the largest port in the Caucasus. According to one version, the name Azerbaijan comes from the Persian language "Badkube" - "wind blow", probably because of strong winds, hence "Baku - the city of winds", according to another version, Baku means - a city on the hill. The name Azerbaijan is found in written sources from the IX century. But the historical sources indicate that the settlements on the place of the city appeared long time ago. They tell about the area, notable with "flames rising from underwater rocks". These "eternal" fires appeared in spots of natural gas yield. The evidences of the ancient age of the city are rock carvings left by primitive people on the walls of caves in Absheron and Gobustan (12 thousand years ago), as well as various archaeological finds, rock inscription left by Augustus, Gaius Octavius, narrating of military camps, set in this area in the I century BC. Considering all given above, we can establish that the city of Baku is more than 5,5 thousand years old. Throughout its history the city has endured a lot - several times he was completely burned and looted, but revived again. Today Baku is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. In the capital of Azerbaijan , are spoken three languages: Azeri, Turkish and Russian. In Baku you can feel the fusion of eras and cultures and meet the architectural monuments of various international schools of architecture. In Baku resides over half of the whole country’s population (more than two million inhabitants). Here concentrated the oldest oil fields, the famous Oil Stones of deep base, powerful crane vessels, modern floating rigs. Baku is also a cultural center of Azerbaijan. Here was opened the first National Theatre, the first library and appeared in print the first newspaper. In the modern city is also well developed the entertainment industry: 7 theaters, 11 universities, 30 museums, a philharmonic society, libraries and cinemas, restaurants and nightclubs.	Baku
Which international football team are known as ‘The Albiceleste’?	Azerbaijan country profile - BBC News BBC News Read more about sharing. Close share panel Oil-rich Azerbaijan has redefined itself over the past two decades from a struggling newly independent state to a major regional energy player. Deals with international energy producers have allowed the country to use its energy revenues to create a government-run fund involved in international projects. It has also used its resources to rebuild its army, which is seen as a government priority as the country grapples with the breakaway territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Despite its wealth and increased influence in the wider region, poverty and corruption continue to overshadow the country's development. A government crackdown on human rights advocates and journalists has raised concern that Azerbaijan's embryonic democracy is under threat. Area 86,600 sq km (33,400 sq miles) Major languages Azeri, Russian Life expectancy 68 years (men), 74 years (women) (UN) Main exports Oil, oil products UN, World Bank Image copyright Getty Images Ilham Aliyev took over as president from his father, Heydar, in 2003. Mr Aliyev secured his second term in 2008 in an election Western observers said fell short of democratic standards. The following year, the law banning the president from serving more than two terms of office was scrapped after the change was approved in a referendum in March 2009 - paving the way for Mr Aliyev's third five-year term in 2013. In 2016 voters in a referendum approved constitutional changes to extend the powers of the president - including a controversial proposal to lower of the age limit for presidential candidates. The opposition said the move was aimed at cementing the rule of President Aliyev's family, with his 19-year-old-son seen as a potential heir. Under his rule, Azerbaijan has increased its international profile, including as host of the first ever Baku European Games in 2015. But human rights groups have accused his government of cracking down on the freedom of expression, arresting rights activists and journalists. MEDIA Image copyright Azarbaycan Image caption State outlets promote the ruling family, and independent websites are coming under increasing scrutiny Azerbaijan's impressive economic performance over the past two decades has not been matched by the development of free media. Mainstream media offer little scope for rigorous reporting of government activity or debate about policy. State outlets, and many private ones, promote the ruling Aliyev family. Reporters Without Borders ranks Azerbaijan 162 out of the 180 countries included in the 2015 World Press Freedom Index. It says Azerbaijan has given outspoken journalists and bloggers the same choice as human rights advocates: "shut up, flee abroad or be jailed on trumped-up charges". TIMELINE Some key dates in Azerbaijan's history: 1828 - Turkmanchay treaty between Russia, Persia divides Azerbaijan. Territory of present-day Azerbaijan becomes part of Russian empire while southern Azerbaijan is part of Persia. Twenty years later, the world's first oil well is drilled south of Baku. 1918 - Independent Azerbaijani Republic declared but the country becomes a Soviet Socialist Republic two years later after the Red Army invades. 1988 - Nagorno-Karabakh region seeks to become part of Armenia. Ethnic Azeris begin to leave Karabakh and Armenia and ethnic Armenians leave Azerbaijan. Ethnic strife between Armenia and Azerbaijan will boil over into a full blown war by 1992. 1991 - Azerbaijani parliament votes to restore independence. 1994 - Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh sign a ceasefire accord. Ethnic Armenians remain in control of Karabakh and a swathe of Azerbaijani territory around it. Azerbaijan signs what it calls the "contract of the century" with a consortium of international oil companies for the exploration and exploitation of three offshore oil fields. Image copyright Getty Images	i don't know
What is the name of the dragon that guards the treasure in The Hobbit?	Bard - Tolkien Gateway Bard This article is about the character in The Hobbit . For the King of Dale in the Fourth Age , see Bard II . Bard Bard I; Bard the Bowman Titles Images of Bard "Arrow! Black arrow! I have saved you to the last. You have never failed me and always I have recovered you. I had you from my father and he from of old. If ever you came from the forges of the true king under the Mountain, go now and speed well!" ― Bard [1] Bard the Bowman (died Third Age 2977), was a man of Lake-town , and later the restored King of Dale . Contents 7 References History Bard served as a soldier in Lake-town , and was one of the most skilled archers among Men . He was the heir of Girion , the last lord of Dale . Noted for his grim face and spirit, he was an able archer and inherited his Black Arrow from his ancestors. Considering it a lucky heirloom, he always used it last. [1] Ted Nasmith - The Black Arrow Bard organized the defense of the town when the Dragon Smaug attacked. When the old thrush (who had overheard Bilbo Baggins ' description of Smaug [2] ) revealed an unarmoured spot on the Dragon's underside to Bard, he shot the dragon's heart with the Black Arrow. Because of his miraculous shot he was given the epithet "the Bowman" and "the Dragon-slayer". [1] Bilbo Baggins delivers the Arkenstone to Thranduil and Bard After the disaster, he led the Lake-men to the Lonely Mountain demanding a part of the treasure from the Dwarves . [3] The Wood-elves and Thranduil came to demand their own shares. Seeing Thorin 's reluctancy to help, Bilbo Baggins delivered the Arkenstone to them to bargain with. [4] Afterwards, when the Orcs and Wargs came, Bard led his Men in the Battle of Five Armies . [5] The victors divided the treasure and Bard took Bilbo's fourteenth share of the gold and silver in return for the Arkenstone, whereupon he shared his reward with the Master of Lake-town to rebuild the town, and gave Thranduil the emeralds of Girion. [3] However, the Master stole the money and ran off into the wild where he died. [6] Three years later, after the rebuilding of the city, Bard became the first King of restored Dale as a wise and able ruler. [7] He was succeeded by his son, Bain . [7] Etymology As a Lake-man, Bard's name was in the language of Dale , which is represented by Old Norse in the book. [8] [9] In other Germanic names (such as Isembard ), bard refers to beard. This could be either the facial hair, or more likely "Battle-Axe" (beard is also a term for a part of an axe). Robert Ireland and Ruth S. Noel , who perhaps overlooked the connection to Old Norse, provide as translations the Celtic words, bárd ("guardian") [10] and bard ("poet"). [11] Genealogy fl. Fourth Age Other Versions of the Legendarium In his original concept of The Hobbit , J.R.R. Tolkien intended Bilbo Baggins to be the slayer of Smaug the Dragon, stabbing him in his sleep in his lair in the Lonely Mountain . Tolkien then changed his mind and in a major shift decided that Smaug would die at Esgaroth . [12] This necessitated the creation of a hero, Bard, who was revealed to be the descendant of Girion. Having created this dragon-slayer, Tolkien was going to let him die in the wreck of Lake-town. [13] However, realizing new possibilities for the story, especially having a rightful claimant to part of the dragon's hoard other than the Dwarves, Tolkien kept Bard alive. [14] Portrayal in adaptations 2003: The Hobbit (2003 video game) : No actor is credited for the part of Bard, but it appears to be André Sogliuzzo . He is portrayed as the Captain of the guard, a stout black haired man with a full beard. Bilbo helps him retrieve the Black Arrow and stop a gang of Orcs and men from taking over Lake-town. 2013: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug : Luke Evans portrays Bard. [16] He is first introduced coming across Bilbo and Thorin 's Company along the River Running when waiting to retrieve the empty wine barrels returned by the Woodland Realm . The Dwarves agree to pay him to smuggle them into Lake-town and get the weapons and supplies they need for reaching the Lonely Mountain . He takes them in to his home until they plan to leave. When he learns of Thorin's true identity, he becomes worried about the Dwarves' quest, believing the Dragon will destroy everything in its path if awakened. In addition to his son, Bain , Bard also has two daughters: Sigrid and Tilda . He is also revealed to be a widower. Known by the Master of Lake-town (and his right hand man Alfrid ) to be the descendant of Girion , the last lord of Dale , and fearing he may be trying to undermine their authority, Bard is under constant surveillance by various spies. He is ultimately arrested at the Master's behest on some vague charge and imprisoned at the end of the film. 2014: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies : Bard escapes from his prison cell during Smaug 's destruction of Lake-town and attempts to take down the fire-drake . Bain manages to find him and get him the last Black Arrow , which allows him to finally take down the Dragon . He becomes a hero among the town's survivors and leads them in taking refuge in the remains of Dale . When Thranduil arrives with an army of Elves to attack the mountain, Bard attempts to peacefully come to terms with Thorin. He asks him for a portion of the treasure which Thorin had promised to the people of Lake-town, but Thorin refuses to give them anything while Thranduil's army remains. After this, Bard reluctantly joins Thranduil in his attack. However, the arrival of an Orc army leads all involved to refocus their attention and battle the Orcs instead. See also	Smaug
Dr Claw is the arch-enemy of which children’s cartoon title character?	The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug \| The One Wiki to Rule Them All \| Fandom powered by Wikia The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 6,110pages on Share Ad blocker interference detected! Wikia is a free-to-use site that makes money from advertising. We have a modified experience for viewers using ad blockers Wikia is not accessible if you’ve made further modifications. Remove the custom ad blocker rule(s) and the page will load as expected. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Directed by The Battle of the Five Armies The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a film, the second part of The Hobbit film series. It was released on December 13, 2013. It grossed over $960 million worldwide. The film is the fifth Middle-Earth film adaptation to be released and the second chronologically. Contents The film itself is named after the dragon Smaug and the wastes surrounding his lair. The dragon's name, Smaug, derives from the Old English smeag (of or pertaining to a worm). Plot Edit On a rainy evening in Bree, Thorin Oakenshield discreetly arrives at the Prancing Pony , where he encounters Gandalf the Grey , who warns Thorin Oakenshield that someone is trying to have him killed. He persuades Thorin to march upon the Lonely Mountain and obtain the Arkenstone to unite the dwarves of Erebor, and suggests that a stealthy burglar may be needed to steal the jewel back from the great dragon Smaug that has claimed Erebor. Twelve months later, Thorin and his company are being pursued by Azog and his Orc party down the Carrock following the events of the previous film. Bilbo , who is on a ridge scouting out the surrounding area, spots a massive bear stalking them nearby, and returns to inform the group of the bear's presence. Gandalf expresses familiarity with the beast, and reveals he knows of a dwelling nearby where they can seek shelter. The bear suddenly picks up their scent and gives chase, forcing the company to make a desperate run for the house. Upon their arrival, they are attacked by the bear but manage to repel it by barring the door to the house. Gandalf reveals that it is the home Beorn , a skin-changer who is in fact the bear they have been fleeing from; as a bear, Beorn is violent and unpredictable in nature, but as a man he is more prone to reason, and that he may be able to aid them in their journey. That night, Azog and his war band watch Beorn's house from a distance, though Azog is unwilling to attack the settlement as Beorn is guarding the house in his bear form. Suddenly, Bolg , Azog's son, appears and informs Azog that he has been summoned to Dol Guldur by the Necromancer. Azog arrives at Don Goldur, where the Necromancer instructs him to abandon his pursuit of the dwarven company to lead the Necromancer's armies. Azog reluctantly obeys, instructing Bolg to take over the hunt for the dwarves in his stead. The next day, Beorn, having transformed back into his human form, discusses the dwarves's quest with the company, expressing doubt that they will reach the forest of Mirkwood alive due to the increasing numbers of Orcs roaming the lands of late. He expresses his disdain for dwarves, but admits that he harbors a far greater hatred of Orcs, having had his kind all but wiped out by Azog and the Orcs of Gundabad for sport. He agrees to loan his horses to the company so that they can safely reach Mirkwood, and transforms back into a bear in order to hinder the pursuing Orcs led by Bolg. Upon arriving at the forest's edge, Gandalf discovers Black Speech graffiti imprinted on an old ruin, coinciding with a telepathic message from Galadriel imploring him to investigate the High Fells of Rhudaur . Without giving any reason for his sudden departure, Gandalf advises the company to follow the Elven path though Mirkwood, and to wait for him before entering the Lonely Mountain. The dwarves make their way into the labyrinthian forest, traveling for days without seeing sunlight or any sign of reaching the other side of the forest, and paranoia begins to set in amongst the group. The dwarves eventually reach a chasm where the path runs off, and begin to succumb to hysteria upon realizing they have lost their way. Bilbo climbs a tree to try and get their bearings, and upon reaching the forest canopy he finds they have nearly reached the other side forest and sees Long Lake in the distance. He excitedly calls down his discovery to his companions, but myseriously receives no reply. Suddenly, Bilbo notices the trees moving off in the distance, and begins climbing down when he realizes his whatever it is is moving towards them. In the process of climbing down, he loses his footing on a web and falls into an even larger web, revealed to have been spun by a giant spider, who promptly attacks and cocoons him. Bilbo awakens some time later to find that he and the rest of his companions have all been captured, cocooned, and taken to a massive spider nest by a large number of Great Spiders . One of them prepares to carry Bilbo's cocooned body over to where the others are, which prompts Bilbo to spring into action, driving his sword through the webbing and impaling the spider's underbelly and sending it tumbling to the forest floor below. Bilbo quickly frees himself and hides behind a tree, slipping on the Ring, which he discovers allows him to hear and understand the giant spiders, who are excitedly planning to devour the entire group. Bilbo grabs a rock and throws it to the forest floor, distracting the spiders and allowing him to free the dwarves while the spiders investigate source of the noise. However, one spider lingers behind hoping to sample one of the dwarves before the others return. Bilbo sneaks up on it while still invisible and attacks it, slashing it several times and eventually stabbing it with his sword. causing it to cry out that the sword "stings" before falling to his death. Bilbo, struck by the spider's dying remark, decides to call his sword Sting, and sets about freeing the others. However, the spiders quickly return and a battle breaks out, during which Bilbo drops the Ring. He eventually relocates it and kills a crab-like spider who has taken possession of it. Upon being reunited with the Ring, Bilbo begins to realize that it may be beginning to exert a corrupting influence over him as he realizes he is growing increasingly unwilling to part with it. Meanwhile, the dwarves continue to battle the giant spiders, and are in danger of being overwhelmed until the sudden appearance of two wood elves, Legolas and Tauriel , who dispatch the remaining spiders. Suddenly, an entire squad of elven rangers appears, easily outnumbering the dwarven company, and Legolas orders them to search the dwarves. Upon discovering that Thorin is in possession of an elvish blade, Legolas orders them to be taken as prisoners, refusing to believe that he came into possession of the sword voluntarily. The elvish rangers bring the dwarves to the wood elven kingdom of Mirkwood, unaware that Bilbo is following them under the protective cloak of the Ring, managing to just barely slip inside of the front gates undetected. While the others are placed in cells, Thorin is brought before Legolas' father, King Thranduil , who reveals that he knows why Thorin seeks to return to the Lonely Mountain, offering to help Thorn if he shares some of Erebor's wealth with him. Thorin appears to consider the offer for a moment before angrily refusing, reminding Thranduil that the elves did not come to the dwarves' aid during the sacking of Erebor. Incensed, Thranduil has Thorin thrown into the dungeons with the others until he feels more agreeable to his offer. Meanwhile, Tauriel approaches Kili 's cell, where he is examining a talisman, and they engage in conversation, and although they hail from different worlds, they both clearly share a mutual curiousity of one another. Balin is angered that Thorin so callously dismissed their one chance at bargaining with the elves, but Thorin reveals that he has been aware that Bilbo has was tailing them in secret, and Bilbo suddenly appears, having stolen a key to the cells from the wine cellars. Upon freeing them, Bilbo helps the Dwarves to escape by using empty wine barrels, which are sent floating down the river. Along the way, they are ambushed by Bolg and his Orc party, while the elves pursue the Dwarves to halt their escape. In the ensuing chaos, Kili is shot wounded by a poisoned Morgul arrow while attempting to raise the portcullis barring the passage to the river. Legolas and Tauriel are forced to halt their pursuit of the Dwarves in order to end the Orc onslaught, allowing the dwarves and Bilbo to escape. One orc captive is imprisoned and questioned by Thranduil. When the orc reveals to Thranduil that "The One" has returned, he quickly decapitates the orc and orders the kingdom to be sealed off to protect it from the impending evil. However, Tauriel leaves to save Kili, who she learns has been poisoned by the orc's arrow, and Legolas reluctantly pursues her once he learns she has left. Subsequently, the Company reaches the shores of Long Lake where they are ambushed by the Bard , who keeps them at bay after displaying considerable skill with a bow and arrow. The situation is defused when Balin correctly guesses that Bard is a bargeman from Esgaroth , also known as Lake-town , where the descendants of Dale made their home, and where the Master of Laketown rules with an iron fist. The Master is a greedy and corrupt man who cares little for the welfare of his people and is especially suspicious of Bard, whom he believes is the leader behind a growing resistance to his rule. Bard manages to sneak the company into Lake-town by smuggling them in fishing barrells, although he is nearly caught by Alfrid , the Master's second-in-command, who is suspicious of Bard as he is not licensed to bring in shipments of fish from Mirkwood. After convincing Alfrid to not dump the barrells of fish as morale is low in Lake-town due to dwindling food supplies, Bard sneaks the dwarves into his home. The group attempt to steal weapons before being captured and in the process learn that Bard is a descendant of Dale's ruler, Girion , who died attempting to kill Smaug with Black Arrows during the fall of Dale. The dwarves are brought before the Master and the rest of the town, where Thorin reveals his identity and his company's quest, and convinces the townfolk and the Master that they will share the riches of the recaptured mountain if they are provided weapons and boats and allowed safe passage to the mountain. The Master readily agrees, and the adventurers receive a grand send-off. However, Thorin orders he injured Kili to remain behind, causing Fili to insist on staying with him, and Oin, Fili, and Bofur elect to remain to tend him in Bard's house. Meanwhile, Gandalf finally reaches the High Fells, revealed to be a chamber built precariously into the side the a mountain and barred by an iron gate, which has been ripped open violently. As Gandalf steps inside, he slips and begins sliding down a slanted chute leading to a bottomless chasm, nearly falling to his death but managing to land on a narrow staircase built into the wall at the base of the chute just in time. It is immediately clear that the place was neither meant to be found nor left once entered, but Gandalf continues his descent down into the darkness nonetheless. He reaches a chamber built into the wall whose iron gate has also been crudely smashed, where it is revealed to hold a tomb whose massive stone lid broken has been broken in two from the inside and now lies empty. Gandalf is startled by the sudden appearance of Radagast , who questions why they have chosen to meet there. Gandalf reveals that the chamber was designed to hold a being whose name has long been forgotten, and would be known only as a "servant of evil." Gandalf then shines his staff down the chasm to reveal the presence of eight similar chambers, all similarly broken out of by their captors, indicating that the chamber is the prison of the Nazgul , Sauron 's most terrible servants. Outside of the High Fells, Gandalf and Radagast discuss the Nazgul's reawakening, and Gandalf asserts that they have been summoned to Dol Guldur by the Necromancer. When Radagast asserts that no human sorcerer could possess such powerful dark magic, Gandalf relays his growing suspicion that the Necromancer is actually Sauron in disguise, still too weak to assume his true form, as the Nazgûl answer only to their one true master. Gandalf then prepares to return to the dwarven company, but Radagast insists that they must investigate Dol Guldur at once. Gandalf counters that the dwarves are in great danger without him, but Radagast reminds him that if Sauron has indeed returned, the entire world is in danger. Reluctantly convinced by Radagast's words, the two return to the entrance to Dol Guldur, where Gandalf orders Radagast to warn Galadriel of their discovery. Gandalf draws his sword and enters Dol Guldur alone, chanting incantations to undo the enchantment creating the illusioned that the fortress is abandoned. Suddenly, the enchantment dissapates and Gandalf is caught off guard by Azog, who reveals that Dol Guldur is in fact a secret staging ground for a massive orc army. Gandalf keeps the orcs at bay with his staff and demands to know where their master is, to which Azog replies that "he is everywhere." Gandalf, gravely outnumbered, attempts to escape by casting a spell of blinding light to disorient Azog and brings down a huge section of the fortress wall to prevent the orcs from following him. However, as he reaches the entrance the Necromancer appears as a massive incorporeal being of dark energy. The two engage in a battle of light and dark as the Necromancer launches a barrage of shadow energy at Gandalf, who repels it with a force field. After an intense standoff, Gandalf is eventually overwhelmed by the Necromancer, who appears wreathed in flames, disintegrating Gandalf's staff and telepathically pinning him to a wall. Gandalf's worst suspicions are confirmed as the Necromancer reveals himself to indeed be Sauron, who imprisons him in a cage and forces him to watch in horror as the orc army marches towards the Lonely Mountain. Thorin and Company eventualy reach Dale, which Balin reveals has stood in ruins for two hundred years since Smaug's arrival, and that the blasted lands around Erebor have become remained uninhabited and become known as the "Desolation of Smaug. The group finally reach the great gates of Erebor, and Bilbo manages to locate a secret stairway built into one of the massive dwarven statues guarding the mountain's entrance. Once at supposed location of the secret doorway, the dwarves desperately search for the hidden keyhole as the sun begins to set, but are unable to find it before the sun's rays disappear from sight. Utterly disheartened, the dwarves begin to make their way home, but Bilbo stays behind, refusing to give up so easily, and notices a thrush knocking at the wall. Suddenly, the moon appears and illuminates the secret door, and Bilbo realizes that it was in fact the last moon of autumn that the map spoke of. He calls to the group, who return and successfully open the secret door into the mountain. Once inside, Balin reveals the true purpose for bringing Bilbo along: He is to sneak into Erebor's treasure chamber and steal the Arkenstone without being detected by Smaug. Bilbo enters the abandoned dwarven kingdom and reaches the famed treasure hoard, a vast ocean of gold and jewels. He begins vainly searching for the Arkenstone, unwittingly causing a landslide that unveils Smaug, who is sleeping underneath the mountains treasure. Bilbo is dismayed to find that Smaug is enormous, far larger than he had anticipated, and is forced to put on the Ring to remain hidden when Smaug stirs from his sleep when he realizes someone is in the chamber with him. Smaug emerges from the sea of treasure and begins searching for Bilbo, beckoning him to come out of hiding as he can sense and smell his presence. When Smaug gets too close, Bilbo is overcome with fear and attempts to run, alerting Smaug, who gives chase after him through the chamber. Bilbo evades the dragon and hides behind a massive pillar, still under the cloak of the Ring. Smaug continues his search, claiming that he is aware of the Ring in Bilbo's possession, claiming that he senses that Bilbo has something "made of gold, but far more precious," which in turn forces the hobbit to remove the ring in front of him. He is amused by Bilbo's knowledge of who he is, and begins conversing with the Hobbit in order to deduce his origins. Bilbo lies and says he traveled alone to witness Smaug for himself, but Smaug reveals he knows that Bilbo has come there with dwarves seeking to reclaim the mountain. Smaug also reveals his knowledge of the growing threat from Sauron, stating that the quest to reclaim Erebor is ultimately futile as Sauron is preparing to openly declare himself once more. Smaug then discerns the Hobbit's true intentions to steal the Arkenstone from him, and claims that he is almost tempted to let Bilbo take it in order to watch it consume Thorin as it did Thror. At this point Smaug tires of their banter and immediately tries to eat Bilbo, but Bilbo uses the ring to evade him, causing Smaug to fly into a rage and unleash a torrent of flames around the treasure chamber in an attempt to roast the hobbit alive before he can escape. In Laketown , Bard hears the rumbling caused by Smaug's awakening and attempts to affix the last Black Arrow to the town's wind lance, but is arrested. Oin , Fili , Bofur , and Bard's daughters are attacked by Bolg's hunting party, who has been pursuing them since their narrow escape in Mirkwood, before Legolas and Tauriel arrive and drive them off, with the latter remaining behind to tend to Kili. As Tauriel attempts to heal Kili's wound, Legolas pursues the remaining orcs, engaging in a vicious duel with Bolg that ends in a stalemate and Bolg narrowly escaping on his warg to warn Azog that the dwarves have entered the Lonely Mountain. Tauriel successfully cleanses Kili's body of the Morgul poison, and in a dreamlike state, Kili admits his love for Tauriel. Outside of Erebor, Balin expresses his concern over Thorin's obssession with reclaiming the Lonely Mountain's treasure at the expense of Bilbo's life, and the other dwarves convince Thorin that they must help Bilbo. Thorin enters Erebor alone and is immediately overhwlemed by the sight of the treasure hoard, gripped by the sickness of greed that lies over it. Bilbo appears, warning Thorin that they have to leave, but Thorin halts him with his sword, demanding to know if Bilbo located the Arkenstone. Bilbo is shocked and refuses to give Thorin a straight answer, but their standoff is interrupted by the appearance of Smaug at the other end of the chamber. Suddenly, the rest of the dwarves rush in with swords drawn, enraging Smaug further, who charges after them and attempts to burn them to death with his fire breath. They manage to elude him, and he begins silently stalking the abandoned halls in search of them. They sneak towards a service passage out of Erebor only to find it blocked off and littered with mummified corpses, and realize he is blocking their only other route out of the mountain. Refusing to die like their kin, the dwarves hatch a desperate plan to lead Smaug to Erebor's forges in hopes that they can trick him into rekindling the smelting vats with his fire breath. They return to the main hall and are immediately spotted by Smaug, initiating a perilous game of cat an mouse through the halls of the mountain, with the dwarves doing everything in their power to encumber the pursuing dragon as they race towards the entrance to Erebor. They reach the forges and Thorin goads Smaug into unleashing his flames at them, tricking him into relighting the great forges. They then evade the dragon as he attempts to kill them and are eventually split up in the chaos, with Thorin commanding them all to make a run for the Gallery of Kings . Smaug spots Bilbo and chases after him, and he is quickly overrun by the dragon once they reach the Gallery of Kings. Smashing through the Gallery's wall, Smaug furiously roars that he finally understands that Bilbo and the Dwarves were aided by the men of Esgaroth, and leaves to destroy the town. Bilbo cries out in protest, claiming the people of Lake-town are innocent. Smaug stops in his tracks, and cruelly expresses his pleasure in Bilbo's compassion, proclaiming that he can watch them all die. As Smaug turns to leave again, Thorin appears atop a giant stone cast at the other end of the hall and taunts him. As the dragon reaches Thorin, the dwarf proclaims that they will have their revenge and yells out to the other dwarfs, who are revealed to be holding enormous chains attached to the stone cast upon which Thorin is standing. The dwarves pull the chains, causing the stone cast to fall apart and unveiling an enormous, freshly casted golden statue of a dwarf. Smaug gazes in awe of the statue, which suddenly explodes in a flood of molten gold and buries the engulfs the dragon. However, Smaug survives the scalding gold and erupts from the molten pool, roaring that he will show the dwarves what revenge really is. He smashes through the walls of the mountain, shakes off his gold coating, and takes flight. Smaug flies off towards Lake-town, and the film ends with him uttering "I am Fire, I am.....Death!" as he soars towards the unsuspecting town, leaving Bilbo and the others in horror at what they have unleashed. Appearances Main article: Tolkien vs. Jackson: Differences Between Story and Screenplay The enchanted river that makes causes drowsiness to anyone that touches it does not appear in the film. In the book, Thorin was captured separately and kept captive in his own room (he was treated and fed well) when he wouldn't tell his purpose in the woods. The other dwarves weren't told he was there. In the book, the elf-king didn't guess the purpose of the mission was the reconquest of Erebor , and didn't try to make a deal with Thorin. In the book, the elf-king at first allowed the other dwarves to move about freely within his halls, but he finally locked them up, each to his own cell, because they were being obnoxious and insulting. In the book, Bilbo hid the dwarves in the barrels (closed up, not opened) while the chief guard and Galion the butler were asleep, and later the elves themselves pushed the barrels (which they thought were empty) through the trapdoor and opened the portcullis at the water-gate to let the barrels into the river. In the book, the portcullis was a grate lowered down across the opening (the water-gate) that let the stream from the cave flow out into the river. In the film, the portcullis was a side-swinging type and it wouldn't have kept anybody inside the cave because it was outside on the river. In the book, there was no pursuit by elves after the escape from the elf-king's halls (where the elves did not yet know how the dwarves had escaped), and there was no orc attack as the barrels floated down the Forest River. Bard the Bowman did not meet the dwarves on the river in the book; elves intercepted the barrels and made them into a raft they steered down the river to Long Lake where men in boats pulled it into Lake-town with the undiscovered dwarves still inside and Bilbo (still wearing his ring) invisibly riding along. Neither Legolas nor Tauriel appear in the book. Tauriel's character was invented for the movies, and does not appear in any of Tolkien's works. In the movies, Peter Jackson greatly changed the story line concerning Azog, having him survive the Battle of Azanulbizar, losing his arm to Thorin instead of his head to Dáin, and thus living to become one of the three main antagonists in the series (the other two are Sauron and Smaug). In the book, Azog is not at Dol Guldur, and the confrontation between Sauron and Gandalf does not occur as in the movie. Gandalf is not captured and whether or not a direct one-on-one confrontation between the two occurred is unknown, but unlikely considering Sauron's diminished power at the time. In the book, when Gandalf confirms the Necromancer is Sauron, he convinces the White council to attack Dol Guldur, forcing Sauron to retreat. Sauron, having been ready for this attack however, flees to Mordor and openly declares himself. In Tolkien's stories, Bard the Bowman has only one child, a son named Bain, but he never appears in the book. In the screenplay, Bard has three children, along with Bain, he also has two daughter's, Sigrid and Tilda, and all three appear. In the novel, the last rays of the setting sun on Durin's Day reveal the keyhole to the secret door into the Lonely Mountain , as predicted by the runes on the map. But in the film, the light of the moon reveals the keyhole after the sun has set. The climax of the film is an involved battle between Thorin's dwarves and Smaug inside of The Lonely Mountain. In the novel, the dwarves never see the dragon at all; by the time they head downstairs to the dragon's lair, Smaug is long gone (in fact, although they don't know it, he's already dead). Extended Edition The extended edition of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug has 25 minutes of extended footage, and also includes some deleted material: Extended Scenes Additional flashback scenes during the Battle of Azanulbizar , wherein Thrain II stops his son Thorin from running after Azog. After shifting from bear to man, Beorn meets the Company one by one outside his house. The burial of the Witch-king There is a voiceover from Galadriel and a flashback narrating how the Witch-king of Angmar was buried in Rhudaur . In Mirkwood, the Company crosses a river, in which Bombur falls into. Across the river, Thorin and Bilbo come across a white stag. Thorin aims but misses, and Bilbo regards it as bad luck. Additional scene in the Master's study room, where he and Alfrid are talking. "Hey Braga, your wife would look lovely in this." The Dwarves are spotted by Laketown guards and a chase ensues. They knock the guards off with pots and pans. Soon after, Bard is confronted by Braga. Bard removes suspicion by showing off a dress and how it would look on Braga's wife. While the Dwarves are taking weapons from the armoury, the Master and Alfrid talk about prophecy. After Thorin and the others are left Laketown, Fili, Oin, and Bofur are carrying an injured Kili. Fili asks for medicine from the Master and Alfrid, who rudely send them away. In Dol Guldur, Gandalf comes across Thrain II. He reveals that he has been tortured by the Orcs, and that Azog the Defiler has stolen the Dwarven Ring of Power and cut off Thrain's index finger. Both are chased off by the orcs, and are soon confronted by the Necromancer. Tendrils of smoke whip out from the Necromancer, grabbing Thrain and killing him. Deleted Scenes Thranduil interrogates the Dwarves after they have been captured, but the Company claimed to have been only hungry and thirsty. Videos	i don't know
Benvolio is the cousin and friend of which Shakespearian hero?	What is the relationship between Romeo and his friends Mercutio and Benvolio in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet? \| eNotes What is the relationship between Romeo and his friends Mercutio and Benvolio in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet? Tamara K. H. \| Middle School Teacher \| (Level 3) Educator Emeritus Posted on June 20, 2013 at 3:21 AM While it is clear that Romeo is very close with his cousin Benvolio who is also his friend, as well as his friend Mercutio, it's also very evident that Romeo and his friends have very different views on things. In fact, Benvolio and Mercutio act as two different dramatic foils to Romeo. Benvolio serves as Romeo's dramatic foil by being the peace-loving, rational, voice of reason in comparison to Romeo who is impetuous and emotionally driven. We see the closeness of their friendship when Benvolio promises Lord Montague to find out what is troubling Romeo in the very first scene and to give him counsel. However, their dramatic foil relationship also becomes evident when Benvolio begs Romeo, "Be rul'd by me: forget to think of [Rosaline]," and Romeo's only response is "O, teach me how I should forget to think!" (I.i.227-28). Romeo's refusal to listen to Benvolio also shows us his refusal to think rationally, which helps us see their dramatic foil relationship despite their close friendship. Mercutio serves as Romeo's dramatic foil by taking love lightly and treating it as a joke in contrast to Romeo's tendency to treat love with complete seriousness. Like Benvolio, Mercutio's close friendship with Romeo is also seen in his desires to give Romeo advice and bring him out of his gloomy state of mind. Mercutio tries to coax Romeo out of his gloominess by trying to persuade him to crash the Capulets' ball along with Benvolio. His persuasion techniques not only show us his friendship with Romeo, they also show us his comic and even lewd side, demonstrating just how lightly he views love. One example can be seen in the lines, "If love be rough with you, be rough with love. / Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down," which can be interpreted as a sexual innuendo (I.iv.28-29). Sources:	Romeo
Which African country is regarded as the spiritual home of Rastafarianism?	All speeches (lines) and cues for Benvolio in "Romeo and Juliet" :\|: Open Source Shakespeare Put up your swords; you know not what you do. 2 Tybalt. What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds? Turn thee, Benvolio, look upon thy death. Benvolio. I do but keep the peace: put up thy sword, Or manage it to part these men with me. 3 Montague. Who set this ancient quarrel new abroach? Speak, nephew, were you by when it began? Benvolio. Here were the servants of your adversary, And yours, close fighting ere I did approach: I drew to part them: in the instant came The fiery Tybalt, with his sword prepared, Which, as he breathed defiance to my ears, He swung about his head and cut the winds, Who nothing hurt withal hiss'd him in scorn: While we were interchanging thrusts and blows, Came more and more and fought on part and part, Till the prince came, who parted either part. 4 Lady Montague. O, where is Romeo? saw you him to-day? Right glad I am he was not at this fray. Benvolio. Madam, an hour before the worshipp'd sun Peer'd forth the golden window of the east, A troubled mind drave me to walk abroad; Where, underneath the grove of sycamore That westward rooteth from the city's side, So early walking did I see your son: Towards him I made, but he was ware of me And stole into the covert of the wood: I, measuring his affections by my own, That most are busied when they're most alone, Pursued my humour not pursuing his, And gladly shunn'd who gladly fled from me. 5 Montague. Many a morning hath he there been seen, With tears augmenting the fresh morning dew. Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs; But all so soon as the all-cheering sun Should in the furthest east begin to draw The shady curtains from Aurora's bed, Away from the light steals home my heavy son, And private in his chamber pens himself, Shuts up his windows, locks far daylight out And makes himself an artificial night: Black and portentous must this humour prove, Unless good counsel may the cause remove. Benvolio. My noble uncle, do you know the cause? 6 Montague. I neither know it nor can learn of him. Benvolio. Have you importuned him by any means? 7 Romeo. Out of her favour, where I am in love. Benvolio. Alas, that love, so gentle in his view, Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof! 14 Romeo. Alas, that love, whose view is muffled still, Should, without eyes, see pathways to his will! Where shall we dine? O me! What fray was here? Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all. Here's much to do with hate, but more with love. Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate! O any thing, of nothing first create! O heavy lightness! serious vanity! Mis-shapen chaos of well-seeming forms! Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health! Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is! This love feel I, that feel no love in this. Dost thou not laugh? Benvolio. No, coz, I rather weep. 15 Romeo. Good heart, at what? Benvolio. At thy good heart's oppression. 16 Romeo. Why, such is love's transgression. Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast, Which thou wilt propagate, to have it prest With more of thine: this love that thou hast shown Doth add more grief to too much of mine own. Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs; Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes; Being vex'd a sea nourish'd with lovers' tears: What is it else? a madness most discreet, A choking gall and a preserving sweet. Farewell, my coz. Benvolio. Soft! I will go along; An if you leave me so, you do me wrong. 17 Romeo. Tut, I have lost myself; I am not here; This is not Romeo, he's some other where. Benvolio. Tell me in sadness, who is that you love. 18 Romeo. What, shall I groan and tell thee? Benvolio. Groan! why, no. But sadly tell me who. 19 Romeo. Bid a sick man in sadness make his will: Ah, word ill urged to one that is so ill! In sadness, cousin, I do love a woman. Benvolio. I aim'd so near, when I supposed you loved. 20 Romeo. A right good mark-man! And she's fair I love. Benvolio. A right fair mark, fair coz, is soonest hit. 21 Romeo. Well, in that hit you miss: she'll not be hit With Cupid's arrow; she hath Dian's wit; And, in strong proof of chastity well arm'd, From love's weak childish bow she lives unharm'd. She will not stay the siege of loving terms, Nor bide the encounter of assailing eyes, Nor ope her lap to saint-seducing gold: O, she is rich in beauty, only poor, That when she dies with beauty dies her store. Benvolio. Then she hath sworn that she will still live chaste? 22 Romeo. She hath, and in that sparing makes huge waste, For beauty starved with her severity Cuts beauty off from all posterity. She is too fair, too wise, wisely too fair, To merit bliss by making me despair: She hath forsworn to love, and in that vow Do I live dead that live to tell it now. Benvolio. Be ruled by me, forget to think of her. 23 Romeo. O, teach me how I should forget to think. Benvolio. By giving liberty unto thine eyes; Examine other beauties. To call hers exquisite, in question more: These happy masks that kiss fair ladies' brows Being black put us in mind they hide the fair; He that is strucken blind cannot forget The precious treasure of his eyesight lost: Show me a mistress that is passing fair, What doth her beauty serve, but as a note Where I may read who pass'd that passing fair? Farewell: thou canst not teach me to forget. Benvolio. I'll pay that doctrine, or else die in debt. 25 (stage directions). [Enter BENVOLIO and ROMEO] Benvolio. Tut, man, one fire burns out another's burning, One pain is lessen'd by another's anguish; Turn giddy, and be holp by backward turning; One desperate grief cures with another's languish: Take thou some new infection to thy eye, And the rank poison of the old will die. 26 Romeo. Your plaintain-leaf is excellent for that. Benvolio. For what, I pray thee? 27 Romeo. For your broken shin. Benvolio. Why, Romeo, art thou mad? 28 Benvolio. At this same ancient feast of Capulet's Sups the fair Rosaline whom thou so lovest, With all the admired beauties of Verona: Go thither; and, with unattainted eye, Compare her face with some that I shall show, And I will make thee think thy swan a crow. 29 Romeo. When the devout religion of mine eye Maintains such falsehood, then turn tears to fires; And these, who often drown'd could never die, Transparent heretics, be burnt for liars! One fairer than my love! the all-seeing sun Ne'er saw her match since first the world begun. Benvolio. Tut, you saw her fair, none else being by, Herself poised with herself in either eye: But in that crystal scales let there be weigh'd Your lady's love against some other maid That I will show you shining at this feast, And she shall scant show well that now shows best. 30 Romeo. What, shall this speech be spoke for our excuse? Or shall we on without a apology? Benvolio. The date is out of such prolixity: We'll have no Cupid hoodwink'd with a scarf, Bearing a Tartar's painted bow of lath, Scaring the ladies like a crow-keeper; Nor no without-book prologue, faintly spoke After the prompter, for our entrance: But let them measure us by what they will; We'll measure them a measure, and be gone. 31 Mercutio. If love be rough with you, be rough with love; Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down. Give me a case to put my visage in: A visor for a visor! what care I What curious eye doth quote deformities? Here are the beetle brows shall blush for me. Benvolio. Come, knock and enter; and no sooner in, But every man betake him to his legs. 32 Mercutio. True, I talk of dreams, Which are the children of an idle brain, Begot of nothing but vain fantasy, Which is as thin of substance as the air And more inconstant than the wind, who wooes Even now the frozen bosom of the north, And, being anger'd, puffs away from thence, Turning his face to the dew-dropping south. Benvolio. This wind, you talk of, blows us from ourselves; Supper is done, and we shall come too late. 33 Romeo. I fear, too early: for my mind misgives Some consequence yet hanging in the stars Shall bitterly begin his fearful date With this night's revels and expire the term Of a despised life closed in my breast By some vile forfeit of untimely death. But He, that hath the steerage of my course, Direct my sail! On, lusty gentlemen. Benvolio. Strike, drum. Mercutio. Nay, I'll conjure too. Romeo! humours! madman! passion! lover! Appear thou in the likeness of a sigh: Speak but one rhyme, and I am satisfied; Cry but 'Ay me!' pronounce but 'love' and 'dove;' Speak to my gossip Venus one fair word, One nick-name for her purblind son and heir, Young Adam Cupid, he that shot so trim, When King Cophetua loved the beggar-maid! He heareth not, he stirreth not, he moveth not; The ape is dead, and I must conjure him. I conjure thee by Rosaline's bright eyes, By her high forehead and her scarlet lip, By her fine foot, straight leg and quivering thigh And the demesnes that there adjacent lie, That in thy likeness thou appear to us! Benvolio. And if he hear thee, thou wilt anger him. 38 Mercutio. This cannot anger him: 'twould anger him To raise a spirit in his mistress' circle Of some strange nature, letting it there stand Till she had laid it and conjured it down; That were some spite: my invocation Is fair and honest, and in his mistress' name I conjure only but to raise up him. Benvolio. Come, he hath hid himself among these trees, To be consorted with the humorous night: Blind is his love and best befits the dark. 39 Mercutio. If love be blind, love cannot hit the mark. Now will he sit under a medlar tree, And wish his mistress were that kind of fruit As maids call medlars, when they laugh alone. Romeo, that she were, O, that she were An open et caetera, thou a poperin pear! Romeo, good night: I'll to my truckle-bed; This field-bed is too cold for me to sleep: Come, shall we go? Benvolio. Go, then; for 'tis in vain To seek him here that means not to be found. 40 Mercutio. Where the devil should this Romeo be? Came he not home to-night? Benvolio. Not to his father's; I spoke with his man. 41 Mercutio. Ah, that same pale hard-hearted wench, that Rosaline. Torments him so, that he will sure run mad. Benvolio. Tybalt, the kinsman of old Capulet, Hath sent a letter to his father's house. 42 Mercutio. A challenge, on my life. Benvolio. Romeo will answer it. 43 Mercutio. Any man that can write may answer a letter. Benvolio. Nay, he will answer the letter's master, how he dares, being dared. Mercutio. Alas poor Romeo! he is already dead; stabbed with a white wench's black eye; shot through the ear with a love-song; the very pin of his heart cleft with the blind bow-boy's butt-shaft: and is he a man to encounter Tybalt? Benvolio. Why, what is Tybalt? 45 Mercutio. More than prince of cats, I can tell you. O, he is the courageous captain of compliments. He fights as you sing prick-song, keeps time, distance, and proportion; rests me his minim rest, one, two, and the third in your bosom: the very butcher of a silk button, a duellist, a duellist; a gentleman of the very first house, of the first and second cause: ah, the immortal passado! the punto reverso! the hai! Benvolio. Here comes Romeo, here comes Romeo. 47 Mercutio. Why, is not this better now than groaning for love? now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo; now art thou what thou art, by art as well as by nature: for this drivelling love is like a great natural, that runs lolling up and down to hide his bauble in a hole. Benvolio. Stop there, stop there. 48 Mercutio. Thou desirest me to stop in my tale against the hair. Benvolio. Thou wouldst else have made thy tale large. 49 Mercutio. A sail, a sail! Benvolio. Two, two; a shirt and a smock. 50 Nurse. if you be he, sir, I desire some confidence with you. Benvolio. She will indite him to some supper. 51 (stage directions). [Enter MERCUTIO, BENVOLIO, Page, and Servants] Benvolio. I pray thee, good Mercutio, let's retire: The day is hot, the Capulets abroad, And, if we meet, we shall not scape a brawl; For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring. 52 Mercutio. Thou art like one of those fellows that when he enters the confines of a tavern claps me his sword upon the table and says 'God send me no need of thee!' and by the operation of the second cup draws it on the drawer, when indeed there is no need. Benvolio. Am I like such a fellow? 53 Mercutio. Come, come, thou art as hot a Jack in thy mood as any in Italy, and as soon moved to be moody, and as soon moody to be moved. Benvolio. And what to? Mercutio. Nay, an there were two such, we should have none shortly, for one would kill the other. Thou! why, thou wilt quarrel with a man that hath a hair more, or a hair less, in his beard, than thou hast: thou wilt quarrel with a man for cracking nuts, having no other reason but because thou hast hazel eyes: what eye but such an eye would spy out such a quarrel? Thy head is as fun of quarrels as an egg is full of meat, and yet thy head hath been beaten as addle as an egg for quarrelling: thou hast quarrelled with a man for coughing in the street, because he hath wakened thy dog that hath lain asleep in the sun: didst thou not fall out with a tailor for wearing his new doublet before Easter? with another, for tying his new shoes with old riband? and yet thou wilt tutor me from quarrelling! Benvolio. An I were so apt to quarrel as thou art, any man should buy the fee-simple of my life for an hour and a quarter. 55 Mercutio. The fee-simple! O simple! Benvolio. By my head, here come the Capulets. 56 Mercutio. Consort! what, dost thou make us minstrels? an thou make minstrels of us, look to hear nothing but discords: here's my fiddlestick; here's that shall make you dance. 'Zounds, consort! Benvolio. We talk here in the public haunt of men: Either withdraw unto some private place, And reason coldly of your grievances, Or else depart; here all eyes gaze on us. 57 Benvolio. O Romeo, Romeo, brave Mercutio's dead! That gallant spirit hath aspired the clouds, Which too untimely here did scorn the earth. 59 Romeo. This day's black fate on more days doth depend; This but begins the woe, others must end. Benvolio. Here comes the furious Tybalt back again. 60 (stage directions). [They fight; TYBALT falls] Benvolio. Romeo, away, be gone! The citizens are up, and Tybalt slain. Stand not amazed: the prince will doom thee death, If thou art taken: hence, be gone, away! 61 Romeo. O, I am fortune's fool! Benvolio. Why dost thou stay? 62 First Citizen. Which way ran he that kill'd Mercutio? Tybalt, that murderer, which way ran he? Benvolio. There lies that Tybalt. 63 Prince Escalus. Where are the vile beginners of this fray? Benvolio. O noble prince, I can discover all The unlucky manage of this fatal brawl: There lies the man, slain by young Romeo, That slew thy kinsman, brave Mercutio. 64 Prince Escalus. Benvolio, who began this bloody fray? Benvolio. Tybalt, here slain, whom Romeo's hand did slay; Romeo that spoke him fair, bade him bethink How nice the quarrel was, and urged withal Your high displeasure: all this uttered With gentle breath, calm look, knees humbly bow'd, Could not take truce with the unruly spleen Of Tybalt deaf to peace, but that he tilts With piercing steel at bold Mercutio's breast, Who all as hot, turns deadly point to point, And, with a martial scorn, with one hand beats Cold death aside, and with the other sends It back to Tybalt, whose dexterity, Retorts it: Romeo he cries aloud, 'Hold, friends! friends, part!' and, swifter than his tongue, His agile arm beats down their fatal points, And 'twixt them rushes; underneath whose arm An envious thrust from Tybalt hit the life Of stout Mercutio, and then Tybalt fled; But by and by comes back to Romeo, Who had but newly entertain'd revenge, And to 't they go like lightning, for, ere I Could draw to part them, was stout Tybalt slain. And, as he fell, did Romeo turn and fly. This is the truth, or let Benvolio die.	i don't know
The three types of chemical matter are – element, mixture and which other?	Element, Mixture, Compound - Activity - www.teachengineering.org Element, Mixture, Compound 20 minutes Expendable Cost/Grp Although no charge or fee is required for using TeachEngineering curricular materials in your classroom, the lessons and activities often require material supplies. The expendable cost is the estimated cost of supplies needed for each group of students involved in the activity. Any reusable equipment that is necessary to teach the activity is not included in this estimate; see the Materials List/Supplies for details. : Activity dependency indicates that this activity relies upon the contents of the TeachEngineering document(s) listed. : Print this activity Related Curriculum Most curricular materials in TeachEngineering are hierarchically organized; i.e., most hands-on activities are part of lessons, lessons are grouped into multiday curricular units and these again are bundled into subject areas. Some activities or lessons, however, were developed to stand alone, and hence, they might not conform to this strict hierarchy. Related Curriculum shows how the document you are currently viewing fits into this hierarchy of curricular materials.	Compound
What is the SI Unit of Luminous Intensity?	Chemical Properties of Matter \| Wyzant Resources Resources / Lessons / Science / Chemistry / Chemical Properties of Ma... Chemical Properties of Matter Written by tutor Andrew L. What do you mean property of matter...? Contrary to what it sounds like, matter does not own any property. Instead, properties of matter refer to any characteristic that we observe about a substance that can be used to distinguish it from other substances. There are two main types of properties of matter, physical properties and chemical properties. Think about every time we go out and see hundreds maybe thousands of people each day. Now, imagine we couldn’t identify any differences between them. Every person was a female with brown hair, blue eyes, 5 foot 3 inches, laughed at the same jokes, enjoyed the same movies, and even had the same name, Sandy. How would you tell Sandy and Sandy apart? Source You can’t! We would have a lot of identity theft and the world would certainly be boring. Luckily, people have determined a way to use their 5 senses to tell individuals apart. Everything, from hair color, height, clothing, and even the way we smell, can be used differentiate each person apart from one another. All of these different characteristics we inherently possess are considered properties, combine a bunch of different properties together and BOOM we have a unique individual, YOU! Physical vs. Chemical Properties Matter can be uniquely identified by using two main categories of properties, they are physical and chemical. Physical properties of matter refer to characteristics of a substance that can be observed WITHOUT changing the actual “makeup” of a substance. Some physical properties include mass, volume, color, boiling point, how hard a substance is, and even taste. Many things that we come in contact with can be accurately identified by just using some physical properties that we observe about it. For example, when we see a red octagon with white letters spelling “S-T-O-P” we automatically know it’s a stop sign and we should probably stop if we don’t want a ticket. Not many people need to get out of their car, rip out a bottle of hydrochloric acid, sprinkle some on the sign, and observe the chemical effects of a strong acid with a stop sign. On the other hand if we see a white, fluffy substance we can obviously assume it’s a pillow, right? Wrong! If you said pillow, that is a possibility, but if you said cloud you’re also right, even if you said your grandma’s dog, you could also be right. This presents a problem, a big problem. So what is a Chemical Property? Chemical properties are observable characteristics of the makeup of a substance. Observable does not necessarily mean that one can visually see it; rather it means that we can note the result. We can observe a smell, a voltage, or even a time. In the prior case, we saw a white, fluffy substance. We did some more testing and observed that upon addition of an aldehyde to the substance we were left with a hydrate. In organic chemistry we learn that aldehydes mix with water to produce hydrates. Because of this we can assume that the white, fluffy thing is made of water vapor and the substance is probably a cloud. More about Chemical Properties Now that we have an idea of what properties are and how they are broken up into physical and chemical components. Let’s talk about some well-known chemical properties and how they identify the substance that they represent. Remember, the more properties we know about a substance the more we can differentiate that substance from other substances. How many times have you been out where your friend asks you, "Dude what’s that shiny, silvery thing over there?" I know, not many times for me either. Well, we pick it up and it’s a silver necklace, at least we think it is. It’s reflective, silver, and taste like metal. But we want to be sure, so we look up some chemical properties of silver. “Chemical properties are observable characteristics of the makeup of a substance” We find out that Silver (Ag) reacts with elemental Oxygen (O2) to form Silver Oxide Ag2O. If this necklace were actually plated with silver instead of being made out of silver we would expect a different result than what we observe with pure silver. One element that we have an abundance of in our atmosphere is Oxygen (O2), so we could do a lot of tests it. We leave the necklace in a bottle and fill it with pure O2. After some time, we see that the necklace has reacted. We take out the necklace and analyze the chemical composition of the result; we find that we have a good amount of Silver Oxide (Ag2O) present. Great, chemical properties have helped us solve the mystery of the shiny necklace, but too bad we no longer have our necklace. That’s a main point that I should tell you, in the process of observing chemical properties we often must alter the chemical composition of the original substance to obtain the property. With this said, make sure not to go and react your mom’s necklace without letting her know, because the reaction is often irreversible! Chemical properties and the periodic table Now that we learned what chemical properties are, let’s get back to basics “The Periodic Table of Elements.” Of course there are many ways that we can classify these elements, we can classify them according to size, color, smell, behavior, or even by the way they react with water. Chemists have determined that the best way to organize the elements is to align them into vertical columns (“groups” or “families”) and then to further classify them into regions based on their behavior. Let’s start off by exploring the families of the periodic table: Group 1A: Alkali Metals (Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Fr) All of these elements are metals and exist as solids at room temperature. These elements are extremely reactive, due to their valence shell containing only 1 electron. They all react with water to produce hydrogen and alkaline solutions. In case you’re wondering, alkaline solutions are mixtures of a basic solid dissolved in water. Being that these elements absolutely hate being alone, we always find these elements reacted with another element in nature. An example of this is sodium chloride (NaCl). Group 2A: Alkaline Earth Metals (Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ra) Just like Group 1A metals, these elements (with the exception of Be) react with water to produce alkaline solutions. Many times these elements are found as their cousin oxides, such as Calcium Oxide (CaO), in which case they still react with water to produce alkaline solutions. Magnesium and Calcium are the earth’s seventh and fifth most abundant crust constituent. No wonder they are called “earth metals”. Group 3A: (B, Al, Ga, In, Tl) The main similarity of these elements is that they all form compounds with analogous formulas. What does that mean? Well if we take Boron (B) and mix it with abundance with Chloride (Cl), we end up with BCl3. Ok, I agree, not too interesting; but, what if we take another element of group 3A...how about Aluminum (Al). If Aluminum is mixed with an abundance of Chloride we get (drumroll please) AlCl3. This is pretty extraordinary, so because of this we can claim they are all a family and react similarly. Group 4A: (C, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb) Starting with this group and moving to the right, we start to see more and more nonmetals present in each family. In this family, Carbon (C) is a nonmetal, Silicon (Si) and Germanium (Ge) are metalloids, Tin (Sn) and lead (Pb) are metals. It becomes apparent that families are becoming more diverse moving to the right. Since this family, 4A, happens to be very diverse, more variation occurs in the properties of this group. Just as in group 3A, all of these elements happen to form similar compounds such as CO2, SiO2, GeO2, SnO2, and PbO2. Group 5A: (N, P, As, Sb, Bi) Again, we see a metal mixed with a nonmetal and a metalloid in this family...it appears that there probably won’t be that many properties that these elements share. It turns out that these elements are grouped together because they all form similar compounds. An example is in the case of Oxides, N2O5, P2O5, and As2O5. Group 6A: (O, S, Se, Te, Po) Like our families at home, group 6A is a very diverse family of elements. These elements don’t have a whole lot in common, but then again what do you really have in common with your parents?. All elements in group 6A form similar Oxygen containing compounds SO2, SeO2, and TeO2. Interestingly, they all form similar sodium containing compounds as well, Na2O, Na2S, Na2Se, and Na2Te. Group 7A: Halogens (F, Cl, Br, I, At) This entire group is formed of nonmetals indicating that we are likely to find a lot of similarities within this family. All of the halogens exist as diatomic molecules in nature, are extremely reactive (the most reactive of all the elements, in fact), and they all react extremely violent with the alkali metals to form salts. Enjoy your table salt (NaCl) because sodium reacted pretty violently with Chloride to form this. Group 8A: Noble Gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, Rn) The good old noble gases! Where would we be today without some helium balloons for your birthday or no neon light up signs? All of these gases are extremely rare on earth and therefore were not discovered until late 19th century. These elements absolutely hate to react with other elements. They prefer to be as isolated as possible because, after all, they are noble. Groups 1B-8B: Transition Metals All of these elements are metals, hence the name transition metals. It’s hard to find similar properties in these groups so we will leave them alone for now. The main classification that all these elements share is their unfilled d-subshell. We didn’t talk too much about quantum numbers, but you will soon see how valence shells can affect the behavior of elements and how they react. So let’s all give a round of applause for Dmitri Ivanovitch Mendeleev and his organization of the modern day Periodic Table of Elements. Mendeleev saw that elements possess similar characteristics (properties) if looked at by a function of their atomic number. This became known as “The law of chemical periodicity” it’s pretty obvious why. This law states that the properties of elements are functions of the atomic number of the element, WOW! Even more interesting, a lot of the elements were not even discovered when he made the first periodic table of elements, so he actually left spots in his original table for “possible elements” that he believed would be discovered in the future. Now that’s cool! Some more interesting chemical properties It turns out that chemistry is filled with tons and tons of chemical properties. Some properties are shared between substances and some are not. It turns out that there are so many different chemical compositions in our universe that it would be impossible to approach each separately. Luckily for us, chemists have taken individual compounds and grouped them into different classes that each share similar chemical properties. Let’s talk about a few: An alcohol is any organic compound that contains a hydroxyl group attached to a carbon. As you can imagine, there is a huge number of ways that one can attach a hydroxyl group to a carbon atom. There are so many ways that chemists realized, it’s probably smarter to just classify them all as types of alcohols. All alcohols share some common chemical properties, for instance upon reacting an alcohol with O2 (also known as a combustion reaction) we will always get carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). Another interesting property is alcohol’s ability to be oxidized. Alcohols can be oxidized into carboxylic acids with the usage of oxidizing agents such as potassium dichromate (VI) or potassium manganite (VII). By the way, this is the reason wine turns sour if left in the presence of oxygen. We can go on and on about the chemical properties of various classes, but the main point of this article is to get you acquainted to what a chemical property is. What’s the big idea? So what? I know what a chemical property is, how does that help me? Well, just like identifying your friends by their respective names, just like being able to tell the difference between day and night, and just like being able to differentiate between hot and cold, as maturing chemists we need the ability to identify a substance and set it apart from every other substance in the universe! We can’t go around claiming ethanol is the same as water just because they share the same property of color. We can’t breathe in carbon monoxide (CO) instead of Oxygen (O2) because they both are odorless. The more chemical properties we know about a certain type of matter, the better we can differentiate that substance from every other substance in our universe! Chemical Properties Practice Quiz Choose the answer with the correct coefficients. If the coefficient is 1, there will be a 1 present in the answer choice. Which of the following is a chemical property? A.	i don't know
Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses?	Men Seldom Make Passes at Girls Who Wear Glasses \| Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego Men Seldom Make Passes at Girls Who Wear Glasses Alexis Smith Men Seldom Make Passes at Girls Who Wear Glasses 1985, wall painting with two framed mixed-media collages. Museum purchase with partial funds from Ansley I. Graham Trust, Los Angeles. In her work, Smith often melds words and objects to analyze myths about the American Dream. Using found items and familiar texts, Smith charts types and stereotypes from recent American history. In this piece, the artist juxtaposes Dorothy Parker’s cautioning quip, “Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses”—which has become a part of the cultural vocabulary of Americans—and the mysterious allure of Marilyn Monroe’s sunglassed visage. Smith’s piece comprises many layers: on top of a 10-by-15-foot solarized mural of Monroe painted directly on the gallery wall are placed two collages—the angular, silvery blue-green frames of which function both as “art” for the wall and stylish “shades” for the Hollywood star. The collages/sunglasses are composed of images of well-padded football players on top of which Smith has layered lipstick traces, a letterman’s letter, an eye-exam chart, and Parker’s familiar phrase. In the piece, Smith concurrently asks the question: What is sexy? And who is gazing at whom?	Dorothy Parker
Which cry always opened the Billy Cotton Band Show?	25 of Dorothy Parker's Best Quotes \| Mental Floss 25 of Dorothy Parker's Best Quotes Evening Standard/Getty Images Like us on Facebook Had Dorothy Parker been a supercentenarian, she would have been 123 years old today—and she surely would have had some great observations about life in 2016. As luck would have it, many of her quotes apply to the current state of the world just fine. Here are 25 of our favorites. ON OTHER PEOPLE: 1. “Their pooled emotions wouldn’t fill a teaspoon.” 2. “You can lead a horticulture, but you can't make her think.” ON BEAUTY: 3. “Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone.” 4. “Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses.” ON WRITING: 5. “If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they’re happy.” 6. "I'd like to have money. And I'd like to be a good writer. These two can come together, and I hope they will, but if that's too adorable, I'd rather have money." 7. “I hate writing, I love having written.” 8. “The two most beautiful words in the English language are 'cheque enclosed.'" (Actually, this quote attributed to Parker is a paraphrase. In 1932, the New York Herald Tribune asked her for a list of the most beautiful words. Dorothy said, “To me, the most beautiful word in the English language is cellar-door. Isn’t it wonderful? The ones I like, though, are 'cheque' and 'enclosed.'") 9. “There's a hell of a distance between wise-cracking and wit. Wit has truth in it; wise-cracking is simply calisthenics with words.” ON DRINKING: 10. “One more drink and I’ll be under the host.” 11. “I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.” 12. When asked if she was going to join Alcoholics Anonymous: “Certainly not. They want me to stop now.” ON MONEY: 13. “Money cannot buy health, but I'd settle for a diamond-studded wheelchair.” 14. “I don't know much about being a millionaire, but I'll bet I'd be darling at it.” 15. When she was offended by the amount of money a producer offered her to write a script: “You can’t take it with you, and even if you did, it would probably melt.” ON LOVE: 16. “I require three things in a man: he must be handsome, ruthless, and stupid.” 17. “Now I know the things I know, and I do the things I do; and if you do not like me so, to hell, my love, with you!” 18. “Better be left by twenty dears / Than lie in a love-less bed; / Better a loaf that’s wet with tears, / Than cold, unsalted bread.” 19. “Four be the things I'd have been better without: love, curiosity, freckles and doubt.” 20. “It serves me right for putting all my eggs in one bastard.” 21. “By the time you swear you’re his, Shivering and sighing, And he vows his passion is Infinite, undying - Lady, make a note of this: One of you is lying." ON CHILDREN: 22. “The best way to keep children at home is to make the home atmosphere pleasant, and let the air out of the tires.” ON DEATH:	i don't know
Who played the Chief Petty Officer in The Navy Lark?	The Navy Lark \| All The Tropes Wiki \| Fandom powered by Wikia All The Tropes Wiki File:Navy lark 9770.jpg Ladies and Gentlemen, we present... the Navy Lark. A radio comedy produced by The BBC which ran from 1959 to 1977 starring Leslie Phillips, Stephen Murray, Jon Pertwee, Richard Caldicott, Ronnie Barker, Heather Chasen, Tenniel Evans and loads of others. The Navy Lark followed the adventures of the Royal Navy's least wanted crew on HMS Troutbridge [1] as scheming Commander (promoted over the course of the series to Commodore) Povey tried to dump them overboard and they tried to avoid life on civvy street. Generally these were interspersed with CPO Pertwee's doomed-to-failure get-rich-quick schemes and Sub-Lieutenant Phillips' equally doomed attempts to chase down WRN Chasen. Tropes Include The Baroness - A Lighter and Softer version in the form of Forbodian spy Natasha Snogitoff. Bonnie Scotland - At one point Troutbridge is assigned to hunt for the Loch Ness monster. Brits With Battleships - Mostly dented by Sub-Lieutenant Phillips, who caused more damage to naval property than two World Wars. Can't Hold His Liquor - Sub-Lieutenant Phillips, half a lemonade shandy and he is anyone's. Captain Crash - Sub-Lieutenant Phillips. He's cause more damage to Royal Naval property than both World Wars. Catch Phrase - Sub-Lieutenant Phillips' "Left hand down a bit", CPO Pertwee's "Everybody down!!", and Able/Leading Seaman Goldstein's "Starboard lookout here, Able Seaman Goldstein chatting". Ceiling Banger - The thin bedroom walls (and the requisite banging) were one of the reasons Commander Murray was so keen to move out of his parents-in-law house Chronically Crashed Frigate - Poor old HMS Troutbridge, the only ship in the Royal Navy with a corrugated iron-effect hull. The Clan - There are Pertwees in every branch of the UK services, all dedicated to running it for their own profit. Cloudcuckoolander - Sub-Lieutenant Phillips. When it comes to this trope, Vice-Admiral 'Burbly' Burwasher takes the biscuit, the set of chunky tumblers and the collection of World Cup Winners' medals with three Bobby Charltons and still no Bobby Moore. They are, of course, kindred spirits: Birwasher: Hello, I like this fellow with the blond rinse. Yes... he doesn't know what the hell's going on either! Lt Cmdr Bell, during his time as the mostly-absent captain of Troutbridge, also counts. Comically Missing the Point - Phillips is prone to this, what with his being a Cloudcuckoolander and all. Companion Cube - Troutbridge herself is treated like this. Cryptid Episode : In one episode, the Troutbridge crew is reassigned to find the Loch Ness Monster. The Danza - All three of the central characters have the same names as the actors who played them. Did I Just Say That Out Loud? - Vice-Admiral 'Burbly' Burwasher who used to deliver all of his stream-of-consciousness internal monologues out loud, apparently completely unaware that he was doing it. Drill Sergeant Nasty - C.P.O. Bull in the episode set during Phillip's naval training. Well at least according to Phillip's recollection anyway.. The Drunken Sailor - Several, but star example is Vice-Admiral Prout whose liver can be used to sole and heel boots. Eagle Land - Any visiting American character ended up here. Usually with only barely authentic American accents. Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep" - "The Lad", the only member of Troutbridge's engineering crew who actually knows how the ship runs. Executive Meddling - It was decided halfway through the run that forces based humour had had its day and that the series would therefore be Retooled to be set in a tv studio and called The TV Lark. A few episodes were recorded before sanity prevailed and the whole ghastly thing became Canon Dis Continuity . The official Retcon in the last episode of The TV Lark showed it to be a particularly ambitious scheme by CPO Pertwee. Henpecked Husband - Povey. Honest John's Dealership - CPO Pertwee can sell anything from a can of beans to a battleship. Often without the previous owner knowing. Would have had a minor Crowning Moment of Awesome by requisitioning all the Royal Navy's higher-class chairs to resell -- if Povey hadn't caught on. Incredibly Lame Pun - Number One was a frequent dealer of these. It was a Running Gag that he'd laugh at his own joke, and in everyone else there'd be an awkward silence. Insane Admiral - Too many to count, although Admiral Ffontbittocks can be disturbingly sane on occasion. Interactive Narrator and Lemony Narrator - in one episode having the cast abandon the story to go look at the narrator's dirty calendar. Not dirty, but a "Saucy Lillian Gish" calendar. Large Ham - Everyone, frequently leading to Ham-to-Ham Combat . Leaning on the Fourth Wall - Frequently. The characters often interacted at the beginning of the show, with the show's announcer, interrupting him during the show's introduction. One episode has the characters engage in an Overly Long Gag wondering if they can pick up The Navy Lark on the radio, with Sub-Lieutenant Phillips and CPO Pertwee remarking on the quality of the characters of "The silly-ass Sub-Lieutenant" and scheming CPO, respectively. Lethal Chef - Johnson's attempt at pie making produced some very convincing substitutes for limpet mines. Lighthouse Point - One episode had Pertwee becoming a lighthouse keeper to try and become a smuggler. Limited Advancement Opportunities - Averted and played straight. Certain characters are introduced at the same rank they finished with (CPO Pertwee, Sub-Lieutenant Phillips), but others such as Commander, then Captain, then Commodore Povey and The Second Number One Lieutenant, then Lt Cmdr, then Commander Murray rise up the ranks as much as they would in the real navy. Notice however that the two straight examples of this trope are a petty crook and a cretin, respectively; who'd want to promote them? Phillips was supposed to go before a promotion board in one episode, but ended up being court-martialled instead thanks to some kind of paperwork screw-up and nothing ever came of it. And Pertwee was a career NCO. As a Chief Petty Officer, he is pretty much at the top of his career tree. ...Unless the RN is totally different from the USN, that's inaccurate. Chief is topped by Senior and Master Chief PO. The RN is totally different from the USN. At the time Chief Petty Officer was the highest NCO rank in the Royal Navy. The modern form of Warrant Officers (originally called Fleet Chief Petty Officer) were not introduced until 1973, and the older form was abolished in 1949. One could be commissioned from CPO at this time, but that was only available to certain branches. Long Runner The Master - a recurring oriental/FuManchu villain. Funnily enough, The Master was played by Jon Pertwee, who would star in another show with an archvillain called "The Master"... Of course The Master had a Distaff Counterpart in the form of the imaginatively named The Mistress (played by Heather Chasen with an equally OTT accent), although the character was actually a case of The Dragon Lady . My Hovercraft Is Full of Eels - CPO Pertwee's less-than-helpful Chinsese phrasebook. Noisy Shut Up - A bickering meeting of Mad Brass is brought to silence by the shout of "SHUT UP or I'll lock up the Gin". Any time Fatso Johnson is about to let the cat out of the bag on Pertwee's latest scheme, he is shut up with a very loud and rapid fire "BELT UP!!" from the panicked CPO. No Sense of Direction - Sub-Lieutenant Phillips, once mistook Shanklin (Isle Of Wight, just off England) for Shanghai amongst other blunders. Yes, he is the navigation officer. Sub-Lieutenant Phillips: Assuming we're not going down a one-way channel, and allowing for a nor'easterly up our Faroes -- they're the people who live next door to the Cromarties, they often play whist together. Not the Egyptian Pharaohs, because they're dead anyway. Now, if we hoist over our fast nets, I reckon that Portsmouth should be that way, or that way, or that way, but definitely not that way, because that's where we just come from. So what we need now is a little touch of the old -- left hand down a bit... CPO Pertwee: Left hand down a bit -- eventually -- it is, Sir! Commander Murray: The awful thing is, he calls this "navigation". Sub-Lieutenant Phillips: If you think you can do better, sail on! See if I care! Commander Murray: Oh, no, no, no! I hate to interfere! The only thing that baffles me is how you know Sardinia is behind us, and why we're not sailing that way? Porky Pig Pronunciation - Commander Weatherby from Intelligence. Cmdr Weatherby (trying to buy an airline ticket to the Digital Islands):""I'd like a return ticket-t-t-t-t-t-ticket-t-t-t-t-t to the Digital-Digital-Digital I-mbrI-mbrI-mbrI-tidley-I-tidley-I, the Digital-mbrDigital-mbr-Digital-mbrI-tidley-tidley-mbro-mbro-mbro to hell with the Digital Islands, I'll go to Jersey". —The Admiral(explaining Weatherby's job): "No wonder he's head of security. By the time he finished telling secrets to a foreign power they'd be out of date!" Then, there was CPO Pertwee doing a spot-on impression of Weatherby singing in the tub. After attempting to get, repeatedly through the first few words of 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles," he ends with "oh, to Hell with it -- I've lost the soap!" Put on a Bus - The first Number One Lieutenant Price is put on loan to the US Navy at the end of series one. Later in the run they would try to do the same with Mister Phillips, but he accidentally got on a Forbodian ship and was kidnapped leading to a Pity the Kidnapper plot as he managed to sink half their fleet with his navigation and Troutbridge was forced to accept him back. Reassigned to Antarctica - How Povey ended up in charge of the Troutbridge mob to start with, and it almost happens to all of the cast at some point. Refuge in Audacity - How Pertwee usually ends up explaining things. Toward the beginning, they would refer to having seen the latest Carry On movie (e.g. Carry On Caveman) with that stupid blond with the mustache. Sickeningly Sweethearts : Sub-Lieutenant Phillips and WRN Chasen when they finally make up. Pertwee responds with audible retching. Soldiers At the Rear : C.P.O. Pertwee dreads the spectre of active service, mainly because he's making a very good living selling navy stores on the black market. Despite his best efforts HMS Troutbridge eventually does put to sea. Sound to Screen Adaptation - There was a movie, but it replaced virtually all the voice-actors with more telegenic cinema-actors and is pretty much an In Name Only adaptation. Suspiciously Similar Substitute - The lead officer was changed from Lieutenant Price to Lieutenant Murray after season 1. Talking to Himself - Usually averted, as even though the main cast played other characters, the scripts rarely had those characters interact (for instance, CPO Pertwee was almost never in the same scene as either The Master or CMDR Weatherby). Teeth-Clenched Teamwork - Whenever the crew and Povey are forced to work together. Theme Tune Cameo - Sub-Lieutenant Phillips whistling the show's theme music as a "Ditty" he'd picked up somewhere. He's promptly told to stop it by the rest of the cast as it sounds silly and annoying . Those Wacky Nazis - Literally, in one episode, as Troutbridge manages to capture a straggler U-Boat from World War Two , with hijinks and poor German accents abounding. Please note, the episode was set in and aired in 1960... They'd been convinced the war was still on and were being resupplied by (what they thought was) a Dutch Nazi-Sympathiser...called Pertwee . True Companions - Once Murray joined they started hanging together no matter what Povey and the Admiralty threw at them, Price was more willing to let Phillips and Pertwee take the fall for their misdeeds. Verbal Tic : CPO Pertwee had a habit-t-t-t of rolling his 't's, either when nervous or mocking. Also, there was Commander Ignatius Aloysius Atchuson, who suffered from a tendency to sneeze himself through his sentences. Atchuson: Atchually, I shuffer from a vitchus attack of...of...of...haychfever! Phillips: It's more than an attack, man...you're a one-man epidemic! Whole-Episode Flashback - Mr Phillips At Dartmouth recounts how Navigation Officer Phillips got lost on his way to Sandhurst and landed up at Dartmouth Naval College. World of Ham - It had to be a radio comedy, The BBC would never have been able to stand the scenery costs of a live action series.	Jon Pertwee
Which modern currency is derived from the old European coin the ‘thaler’?	The Navy Lark - Old Time Radio Network The Navy Lark by oldtimeradio The Navy Lark was a BBC radio comedy written by Laurie Wyman and George Evans about the crew of The Royal Navy ship HMS Troutbridge and their mis-adventures. The show was first aired on The Light Programme in 1959 and ran for thirteen series until 1976 making it the second longest running radio programme the BBC has made. The main characters of The Navy Lark are: Cheif Petty Officer Pertwee, played by Jon Pertwee; Sub Lieutenant Phillips, played by Leslie Phillips and The Number One, which was played by Dennis Price in the first series and Stephen Murray from then on. The rest of the regular characters (too many to list here – see the cast and crew section) were played by Richard Caldicot, Ronnie Barker, Tenniel Evans, Michael Bates and Heather Chasen. The series used accents and characterised voices to supplement the humour, as well as a good deal of innuendo. The programme featured musical breaks with a main harmonica theme by Tommy Reilly and several enduring catchphrases, most notably from Sub Lieutenant Phillips: “Corrrrr”, “Ooh, nasty…”, “Oh lumme!”, and “Left hand down a bit”. “Ev’rybody down!” was a phrase of CPO Pertwee’s, necessitated by a string of incomprehensible navigation orders by Phillips, and followed by a sound effect of the ship crashing. Also, whenever Pertwee had some menial job to be done, Able Seaman Johnson was always first in line to do it, inevitably against his will: “You’re rotten, you are!”. The telephone response from Naval Intelligence (Ronnie Barker), was always an extremely gormless and dimwitted delivery of “‘Ello, Intelligence ‘ere” or ‘This is intelligence speakin'” Other recurring verbal features were the invented words “humgrummits” and “floggle-toggle” which served to cover all manner of unspecified objects ranging from foodstuffs to naval equipment. The Navy Lark made Leslie Phillips a Household Name The series made household names of Leslie Phillips, Jon Pertwee and Richard Caldicot, but Ronnie Barker’s versatilecontributions were only recognised after he had become better known through television comedy. Michael Bates later appeared on television as Blamire in Last of the Summer Wine and as Rangi Ram in It Ain’t Half Hot Mum. Judy Cornwell was later to appear in the short series Moody and Pegg, but became best known when she was cast as Daisy, one of Hyacinth Bucket’s sisters in Keeping Up Appearances. Dennis Price returned for a guest appearance in the fourth series episode A Hole Lieutenant. There were several radio sequels, including The Embassy Lark and The Big Business Lark. The TV Lark was intended to be a replacement for The Navy Lark starting with what would have been the series’ fifth season.This situation came about due to the head of light entertainment believing that “forces” based humour had had its day and television was the next “big thing” so Lawrie was told to create a show with the same cast in an independent TV station situation. Alastair Scott Johnston and Lawrie Wyman tried to stop this folly but were over ruled, hence the arrival of The TV Lark. The entire cast had been drummed out of the service (as the announcer puts it) and hired by Troutbridge TV Ltd. Janet Brown joined the cast due to the absence of Heather Chasen for this season. However, mainly due to public pressure, the production team of Alastair Scott Johnston and Lawrie Wyman managed to revert the show back to nautical capers, and episode ten of The TV Lark revealed that although CPO Pertwee had arranged to flog almost the entirety of HMS Troutbridge. Storylines in The TV Lark nudged back to Naval origins across the ten shows until they were finally reunited with Troutbridge and acceptable storylines once more. 10 episodes were made but unfortunately Episode 9 is lost. The nine surviving episodes are available on YouTube. In 1959 a film version was made, written by Laurie Wyman and Sid Colin and directed by Gordon Parry. Jon Pertwee, better known to millions as Doctor Who It starred Cecil Parker, Ronald Shiner, Elvi Hale, Leslie Phillips and Nicholas Phipps. Wyman co-wrote with three other writers a television sitcom HMS Paradise (Associated-Rediffusion, 1964-5) set in a naval shore establishment in which Caldicot played Captain Turvey, but only one series was made. The entire series has been wiped, but a rumour exists that one episode still exists. The show was condensed from 30 to 27 minutes by Transcription services, the discs were then exported around the world except for South Africa. As Springbok Radio was a commercial station the BBC refused to allow the station to re-broadcast the British shows so the station acquired the scripts from Lawrie and edited them to around twenty five minutes, to accommodate the commercial breaks,the revised show was recorded them in front of a live audience before broadcasting them. All the UK associations were kept for the Durban audiences which must have been incomprehensible on occasions. Excerpts of these broadcasts can be heard on the Springbok celebration site and occasionally Pumamouse. LISTEN TO AN EPISODE: The Navy Lark – Demise Of The Depth Charges You can hear episodes of the Navy Lark daily on the British Comedy Channel…. Happy Listening! Related Posts	i don't know
Before adopting the Euro which country’s currency was the markka?	Finland and the euro - European Commission European Commission Communicating on the euro Finland and the euro Finland joined the European Union in 1995 and was one of the first-wave countries to adopt the euro on 1 January 1999. Finland at a glance Surface area: 338 140 km2 Population: 5 325 115 (Eurostat 2009) Joined the European Union: 1 January 1995 Currency: Euro since 1 January 1999 (formerly Finnish markka, FIM) Euro information Status: Euro-area member since 1 January 1999. Fixed conversion rate: €1 = 5.94573 FIM Adoption of the euro: The euro banknotes and coins were introduced in Finland on 1 January 2002, after a transitional period of three years when the euro was the official currency but only existed as 'book money'. The dual circulation period – when both the Finnish markka and the euro had legal tender status – ended on 28 February 2002. Exchange of former national currency: The Suomen Pankki (National Bank of Finland) will continue to exchange markka banknotes and coins until 29 February 2012, although some exceptions apply to old markka coins annulled before the euro changeover. Markka banknotes are also redeemed by commercial banks (Nordea and Sampo), co-operative banks, saving banks, and Forex Oy. Documents and publications Cash changeover plan (National Bank of Finland, October 2001, also in English and Swedish ) Opinion polls and surveys	Finland
On which peninsula are The Mumbles situated?	FIM \| Finnish Markka \| OANDA Finnish Markka Note: This currency has been replaced by the Euro . Overview The official currency for Finland until 2002 was the Finnish Markka (FIM). The Markka was subdivided into pennies; 100 pennies = 1 Markka. The abbreviation for the Markka was mk. In 2002, the Markka was replaced by the Euro . Economy Finland’s economy is a mixed economy and is highly industrialized. Main industries are clothing, textiles, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, electronics, metals, metal products, and scientific instruments. Export products are timber, paper and pulp, chemicals, metals, electrical equipment, and optical equipment. Import products are transport equipment, fabrics, yarn, iron, steel, foodstuffs, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, and grains. Unemployment is estimated at 8.1% and inflation at 1.2%. The service industry accounts for 68% of the yearly GDP, followed by 29.1% for industry, and 2.6% for agriculture. The European Union manages the trade policy, which is a big change for Finland because they supported free trade. History The Bank of Finland introduced the first Markka in 1860 to replace the Russian Ruble . In 1865, the Markka was no longer part of the Russian Ruble and was evaluated against silver. In 1917, Finland became independent and joined the gold standard. During the Second World War the Markka lost value, and in 1963 a new Markka was introduced. In 1948, Finland aligned itself with the Brent Woods agreement. The Brent Woods agreement dissolved in 1971 and the Markka was depreciating against the US Dollar and not gaining against the German Mark . During the 1980s and 1990s economic controls were abolished and the market started to liberalize. In 1969, the Mardka joined the ERM system and in 1999 formed a fraction of the Euro in 1999. In 2002, the Markka was replaced by the Euro. Symbols and Names Penni = 1/100 of a Markka Denominations Bills: 10mk, 20mk, 50mk, 100mk, 500mk, 1,000mk Coins: 1p (until 1979), 5p, 10p, 20p (until 1990) 50p, 1 mk, 5mk, 10 mk Countries Using This Currency SITE MAP © 1996 - 2017 OANDA Corporation. All rights reserved. "OANDA", "fxTrade" and OANDA's "fx" family of trademarks are owned by OANDA Corporation. All other trademarks appearing on this Website are the property of their respective owners. Leveraged trading in foreign currency contracts or other off-exchange products on margin carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for everyone. We advise you to carefully consider whether trading is appropriate for you in light of your personal circumstances. You may lose more than you invest. Information on this website is general in nature. We recommend that you seek independent financial advice and ensure you fully understand the risks involved before trading. 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OANDA Australia Pty Ltd is regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission ASIC (ABN 26 152 088 349, AFSL No. 412981) and is the issuer of the products and/or services on this website. It's important for you to consider the current Financial Service Guide (FSG) , Product Disclosure Statement ('PDS') , Account Terms and any other relevant OANDA documents before making any financial investment decisions. These documents can be found here . OANDA Japan Co., Ltd. First Type I Financial Instruments Business Director of the Kanto Local Financial Bureau (Kin-sho) No. 2137 Institute Financial Futures Association subscriber number 1571. Trading FX and/or CFDs on margin is high risk and not suitable for everyone. Losses can exceed investment.	i don't know
In which national park are the Black Mountains?	The Black Mountains - Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales Towns and villages The Black Mountains The northeast part of the Brecon Beacons National Park is dominated by the Black Mountains, a group of old red sandstone hills, the highest of which is Waun Fach. They're cloaked in grass and heather and laced with rivers. Located to the east of the arc described by Hay-on-Wye, Talgarth, Llangorse, Crickhowell and Abergavenny, the Black Mountains form a natural border with Herefordshire, England. Apart from Waun Fach (811m), the range has many peaks that are well known to walkers, including Black Mountain (703m), Hay Bluff (677m), the Sugar Loaf (596m) and Ysgyryd Fawr (486m), also known as The Skirrid. In the past, the area was quarried for sandstone which was used as a building material in the surrounding counties. Culturally, this is a lively area, known for its busy market towns, galleries, food scene and festivals. Top five things to do in the Black Mountains	Brecon Beacons
Which is the nearest town to Ben Nevis?	Waun Fach Black Mountains – blakmountphoto #201617 Waun Fach Black Mountains With the dubious title of “the highest summit” in the Black Mountains Waun Fach (Small Moor) stands at 811 m (2,661 ft) with a prominence of 622 m (2,041 ft) and for all that grandeur the summit is a very unassuming flat and very damp piece of moorland but don’t let that put you off as it is in fact a SSSI and a very unique environment with Golden Plover, Skylarks and Meadow Pipits (Corhedydd y waun ) perhaps another origin of the name, all using the open relatively flat moor as a nesting site. The unique flora`s crowning glory is the cotton grass Eriophorum more info where and when can be found here cotton road . This wet patch of the hill gives birth to two of the six rivers of the Black Mountains and feeds another significant body of water albeit a man made one. Waun Fach the birth place of the Grwyne Fechan river Following the Grwyne Fecahn river up from the Hermitage and the accompanying Mc Namara`s road, this wonderfully uninhabited valley leads you to the moody Waun Fach. Slowly being eroded by the ravages of peak baggers boots. Waun Fach is rather unpleasant to walk across but a journey one must take in exploring the Gader Ridge ( 2014 ) Waun Fach at the head of the Rhiangoll Valley The Rhiangoll valley with its accompanying road is littered with farms, houses and a pub not to mention Castle Dinas,well the remains of Castle Dinas with its battle ravaged slopes it is said the Rhiangoll ran red when Owain Glyndwr`s tribe arrived to evict the Norman lord. A good walk up and along the Dragons Back at Pengenford where you will find the Dragons Back pub with a well sizes car park. The climb up the dragons is a fine place to enjoy a sunset. Waun Fach from the Ffwddog ridge above Grwyne Fawr is not that impressive, as its here that one wonders if in fact its truly the highest summit in the Black Mountains as the neighbouring Pen Y Gader Fawr looks the more impressive peak. The weather can be very different than below in the valley and care must be taken when walking especially in the winter months as you might have to make a quick retreat off the slopes into a sheltered valley. Examples of the tasty weather can be found in the following blog posts ( low cloud and in a blizzard ) Into the Tundra Waun Fach the highest summit in the Black Mountains Being such a significant summit Waun Fach can be approached from many routes and you can find a good selection on the Walks & Routes page. Or in the diary with this entry titled Twin Peaks . I cannot leave the summit of Waun Fach hidden from you any longer as if you are planning to conquer this hill I don’t want you be to disappointed upon arrival at the trigpoint. It is very much a case of the journey to get there is by far the most important part as you do get to walk through the heart of the Black Mountains in the Brecon Beacons ( 2014) Waun Fach showing the scars of the title “highest summit” * Since the publishing of the article the summit of Waun Fach has undergone some work by the BBNP and a path has been installed across the open moor leading to Gader Fawr . The erosions has also been tackled with jute matting and moorland grass bales in the hope that it will reseed its self and thankfully the old and much hated concrete trig point has been buried and talk has it that one day a new dry stone cairn will be constructed. I was commission by the BBNP to provide documentary images and aerial video of the works being carried out. Description with the video reads, ” An airlift operation to carry hundreds of tonnes of heather brash and crushed stone to the top of Waun Fach – the highest hill in the Black Mountains – to repair to a damaged peat bog and a popular walking route is almost finished. The airlift kick started the first phase of a unique collaboration between Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, Natural Resources Wales, the Glanusk Estate and the Black Mountains Graziers Association to improve the biodiversity on the Black Mountains made possible with £200,000 from the Welsh Government’s Nature Fund. Earlier this year, Brecon Beacons National Park Authority was successfully awarded just over £200,000 from the Welsh Government’s Nature Fund to develop a continuous improvement programme to restore heathland, peat bogs and other habitats in the Black Mountains. Glanusk Estate, which owns a large area of the Black Mountains as well as Waun Fach, was also awarded nearly £20,000 from the Nature Fund to improve the state of nature in the area. The grants represent a significant portion of the Welsh Government’s Nature Fund – which is investing in innovative and collaborative projects across Wales to support practical action to improve areas of biodiversity while providing benefits to communities and local economies. This month the first phase of the funding has been rolled out to fund the use of helicopters to deliver hundreds of tonnes of stone and heather brash to the affected areas on Waun Fach. For the next two weeks it is anticipated that the helicopters will make numerous airlifts to complete the work – which is being delivered with the co-operation of the Glanusk Estate and Black Mountains Graziers Association. At 2660 feet above sea level, Waun Fach is an area where there is no vehicle access and is viewed as one of the most remote landscapes in the National Park. Over time, cumulative impact from walkers, as well as other factors, has contributed to the erosion of the walking route, with regular damage to the surrounding areas of peat bog. A specialist team made up of local contractors, National Park Authority wardens, graziers and volunteers will work in sub-zero temperatures to carefully create a footpath with a stable walking surface, which will lessen the impact of trampling in the unique SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) and carefully preserve the peat bog. The eroding and exposed areas of peat will be blanketed in heather brash and the gullies will be blocked to stop further erosive damage. The aggregate has been specially selected on advice from Natural Resources Wales because of its durability and compatibility with the existing stone. “	i don't know
Apart from the Bolshoi which is Russia’s other famous touring ballet company?	The Stars of the Classical Russian Ballet in the Summer Ballet Festival - BolshoiMoscow.com Hello. Returning customer? Sign in . New customer? Start here The Stars of the Classical Russian Ballet in the Summer Ballet Festival Russian State Ballet theatre Artistic Director: Viatcheslav Gordeev The "Russian State Ballet" theatre over 20 years remains one of the leading Russian ballet companies. The repertoire includes masterpieces of the world ballet classical repertoire and the best samples of modern choreography. The primary task of the "Russian State Ballet" is to preserve the heritage of the Russian and West-European choreography alongside with the seek for the newer forms of dancing. The "Russian State Ballet" has received international acknowledgement. It has been awarded by numerous prizes among which are "The Golden Ticket" � for the audiences of 100.000 people who visited the performances of the company during the just 2-months German tour, the "Most Grandioso Performance of the Year", the Association of West-European Impresario called the "Russian State Ballet" - "The Best Ballet Company of the Year". History Keeping a tradition alive. Creating the "Russian State Ballet" was the dream of Irina Tichomirova, the prima ballerina of the "Bolshoi Ballet" and Director of the Moscow Philharmonic Society. She was already 62 when her dream became reality in 1979.Talented stars from the famous Bolshoi, Kirov and Stanislavski ensembles joined her to take up the challenge of the project: to form a touring ensemble of the highest quality which would dance the message of Russian ballet into everybody�s heart all around the world . Under the "Bolshoi" star-soloist and choreographer Viatcheslav Gordeev �s leadership the "Russian State Ballet" was shaped into the high degree of artistic expression, gracefulness and body control we can enjoy today. Since a tour to the United States in 1987 attended by the former President Ronald Reagan the company has embarked on a series of international tours across the world. Also a lively response was encountered on various tours which led the ensemble through Mexico, Taiwan, The People�s Republic of China, Great Britain, Australia, Ireland and the Middle East. The "Russian State Ballet" now tours Europe every year and has become a wonderful part of the Christmas season not only in Germany. The company was honoured by the Association of West-European Impresarios as "the best touring ballet company of Europe". Several cities in the USA, France and Mexico have elected the dancers of the "Russian State Ballet" honorary citizens, and the people of New Orleans have a new public holiday: "The Russian State Ballet Day"! The "Russian State Ballet" presents an exciting and demanding programme of classical and modern ballet, created by traditional and new choreographers like Ivanov, Petipa, Gorsky or Gordeev himself. Especially Gordeev�s renderings of folk and pop songs, for example Lionel Richie�s "Hello", are always extremely well received by the audience. With its 50 soloists, of whom many are laureates of national and international ballet competitions, the "Russian State Ballet" is along with the "Bolshoi" and the "Kirov Ballets" the most famous Ballet world-wide. Even Mikhail Gorbachev as a great admirer of the "Russian State Ballet" has functioned as patron for some of the tours. Feedback If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us . Our Help pages often contain the answers to your questions. If it don't answer your question, please fill in brief form below. Name: Order ID or Customer ID (optional) E-mail:	Kirov
Detective Jimmy Perez investigates in which BBC drama?	• Premiere of Limited Edition 18” Kissy Doll $100 • Your Choice of 2 Moscow Ballet Branded Nutcrackers $90 • Valentina Ballerina and Nikolai Nutcracker Prince Plush Bears $50 • Choice of 4 Moscow Ballet Books or Audio Book $100 • Moscow Ballet Fairytale Nesting Dolls $200 Local Pre-professional “Wunderkind” Accompany Moscow Ballet Ballerina Live in Cities Coast to Coast Moscow Ballet proudly presents 20+ Musical Wunderkind violinist and cellist prodigies, critically-acclaimed choirs, and nationally-renowned orchestras performing with the company in the Great Russian Nutcracker. These pre-professional musicians auditioned to perform as part of Moscow Ballet’s educational Musical Wunderkind program, which focuses on the development and encouragement of talented pre-professional musicians. Pre-professional string musicians open the Great Russian Nutcracker by accompanying the principal ballerina in Saint-Saëns’ classic “Dying Swan.” Across the country, participating youth choirs will close Act I of the Great Russian Nutcracker while accompanying the ballet in Tchaikovsky’s famous Waltz of the Snowflakes. To the delight of audiences, selected Wunderkind orchestras who have mastered Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite will perform it live while Moscow Ballet performs onstage. These performances are a rare opportunity for audiences to experience the combined talent of principal ballerina and danseurs with musical prodigies. For more information and tickets go to www.nutcracker.com/your-city . “ Musical Wunderkind ” Choirs featured: Spokane Nov. 14: Crescendo Community Chorus ; NYC Dec. 3: Brooklyn High School of the Arts ; Kalamazoo Dec. 6: Gagie School Good Vibrations Chorus ; Baltimore Dec 17: American Kodály Children’s Chorus’ . “Musical Wunderkind” Orchestras featured : Bowling Green, Dec. 12, Paducah Dec. 13, and Louisville Dec. 16: University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Director John Nardolillo; Kalamazoo, MI Dec. 6: The Western Michigan University Symphony Orchestra was named "Best Classical University Symphony Orchestra" in Downbeat DANCE WITH US 2016 Announcing “ Dance with Us ” Local student dancers, ages 7 to 17 with at least 1 year of ballet training, performing with Moscow Ballet professional company of 40 from November 6 to December 30 in 115 cities across the Us and Canada this Christmas season. The aspiring dance students auditioned in person for Moscow Ballet Soloists/Auditions Directors in the fall and rehearsed their roles at Host Dance Studio ’s in each city on the tour. Children’s roles in Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker are created by Mary Gianonne Talmi . The roles are suited for the young dancers’ ages and skill levels and are ancillary to the professional’s roles. They are as Party Children, Small Mice, Snowflakes, Snow Sprites, Snow Maidens, and junior dancers in Act II’s Variations. The experience of being fitted in Moscow Ballet costumes, rehearsing on the stage with the Russian professionals, and performing for a live audience is often a once-in-a-lifetime experience for these children spurring some to become professionals. Moscow Ballet producers have included the Dance with Us opportunity in the North American tours since 1994 and have seen the program grow from local dance schools in 8 cities to over 100 host dance schools, with 50 children each, in 2016. Announcing Moscow Ballet’s Premiere of Limited Edition 18” Kissy Doll For the first time ever – Moscow Ballet is proud to announce the Limited Edition Kissy Doll - a 2016 Premiere ! This beautiful collector’s style doll wears the one-of-a-kind Ribbon-Candy Tutu which is exclusive to the ballerina Kissy Doll in the Great Russian Nutcracker andcomes with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. The 18” Doll has long curly hair and green eyes that open and close. Her tutu is made of woven red, green and gold satin ribbons and includes a matching hair barrette, bejeweled necklace, ribbon bracelet, white tights and red satin ballet slippers with long satin ribbons tied around her ankles. (Clothes are removable) The stage version of the Kissy Doll costume ’s bodice is woven from almost 100 yards of decorator ribbon and 30 yards of tulle make up the tutu skirt and is one of 200 costumes that travel to 100+ cities for the annual tour. $100 Limited Quantity Premiere Edition – Click to Order today ! This item is a Pre-Order and will begin to be shipped out November 1st. Patrons receive shipping confirmation via email once your order is processed and shipped. Hailing from Mariinsky, Kiev, & more top Russian Schools, Moscow Ballet Dances through 100+ Cities on 2016 tour Nov. 6 to Dec. 30 120 Ballerinas and Danseurs, 115 Cities, New Costumes and Backdrops (Berkshires, MA) Nov. 1, 2016 – Moscow Ballet announces Swan Lake and Great Russian Nutcracker performances featuring Principal Dancers and Balletmasters of the highest caliber and hailing from the world’s top ballet schools. The three tours feature award winning and celebrated Principal Dancers: Ekaterina Alaeva and Kostyantyn Vinovoy on East; Tatiana Nazarkhevich and Andrey Batalov on Central, and Alisa Voronova and Dmitry Kozhemyakin on West, all graduates of the top ballet schools in the world, perform Swan Lake and the Great Russian Nutcracker. Central Tour Balletmaster, Principal Danseur and Honored Artist of Russia Andrey Batalov has, “made the auditorium roar as loudly as a sports arena” reports the national Russian newspaper Kommersant; East Tour Ballet Master and Honored Artist of Ukraine Nobuhiro Tekada is the first and only Japanese person awarded the titles of Honored Artist of Ukraine and People’s Artist of Ukraine, two of the highest state awards. West Tour Balletmaster Vladimir Troschenko , an honors graduate from Vaganova Academy at Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, has partnered ballerinas Nadia Pavlova, Bolshoi’s Ludmilla Seminyaka, and Galina Mezentseva of Mariinsky Ballet. These honored artists create the 3 companies of 40 dancers each who entertain audiences from coast to coast with Russian skill and passion from November through December. (See detailed tour list below) New sets designed by multi Academy-Award nominee Carl Sprague include the opening promenade scene highlighting Moscow’s legendary St. Basil's Cathedral and is considered a masterpiece of Orthodox art; the icy Snow Forest has sparkling crystalline snowflakes everywhere, which melt away in Act II to reveal Moscow Ballet’s signature “Land of Peace and Harmony” – a scene filled with exotic Firebirds, Unicorns, Tigers, and Lions who entertain Masha and Nutcracker Prince. New costumes designed by Arthur Oliver , include a dazzling cerulean and ivory bedazzled Ded Moroz, aka Father Christmas, and Snegurochka, aka Snow Maiden, highlight the traditional Russian folklore style and more. Seeing Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker is a Christmas tradition for families since the first North American tour in 1993! The 2016 tour runs from November 6 to December 30 in over 100 U.S. and Canadian cities. Moscow Ballet’s Christmas production of the Great Russian Nutcracker will be in 115 cities from November 6 to December 30, including NYC, LA, Chicago, Boston, Detroit, Atlanta, and more. Tickets at www.nutcracker.com/buy-tickets . Calling local student dancers to audition to perform in Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker in cities on the 2016 North American tour “In addition to featuring local youth dancers as [small] mice and snowflakes...this acclaimed version of the perennial ballet from Russia includes special touches.” Chicago Tribune Calling local student dancers to audition to perform side-by-side with the professional company in Moscow Ballet ’s Great Russian Nutcracker in cities on the 2016 North American tour. Moscow Ballet Soloists/Audition Directors tour the country conducting auditions for student dancers at Moscow Ballet’s local Host Dance Studios from August through October. Student dancers, boys and girls, ages 7 to 17 years, who have at least one year of ballet training, may audition for ancillary roles in the Great Russian Nutcracker such as Party Children, Mice, Snowflakes, Angels and more. The auditions are free, there may be a casting fee. The selected children rehearse at the local Host Dance Studios and perform in the Great Russian Nutcracker in their city . Moscow Ballet’s “ Dance with Us ” program has brought tens of thousands of student dancers on stage to perform in a professional environment annually for 24 years – a once in a lifetime experience for many children! “It really brought the idea home that the Great Russian Nutcracker is a wonderful chance for children to be in a full-length production and experience first-hand an authentic classical ballet from this uniquely Russian company of remarkable performers.” Calgary Herald, Stephan Bonfield, 2014.Sign up to audition at www.nutcracker.com/youth-auditions . More info www.nutcracker.com . Soloists/Audition Directors: Olga Aru received her degree in ballet and dance pedagogy from Kiev State Ballet College, Ukraine, in 2008. Since graduation, Olga has had a whirlwind of performance and teaching experiences; from dancing in ballet’s greatest classics to the most contemporary and to traveling around the world in those performances. She is a Laureate and award winner of the “Crystal Shoe - Dance Beyond Boards” competition and she performed at the “Mikkeli Ballet Festival” in Finland. Click for more Mariia Skoruk was awarded "Honorable Mention" at the Fifth Serge Lifar International Ballet Competition in Kiev.She graduated with a Choreographic Teaching Degree from the National Dragomanova Pedagogical University and 2014 is Mariia’s second year as Moscow Ballet Audition Director. At just ten years old she was invited to attend the famous ballet school of the Kiev State Opera and Ballet Theater from which she graduated with a “Diploma of Distinction.” Click for more Lana Popova is new to Moscow Ballet in 2016. The multi-talented Lana is a very experienced ballerina, teacher and artist. Lana performed on ballet tours to New Zealand, Australia and China, Mexico, Europe; including Spain, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden; India, and more countries. She was the Head Assistant of the Delegation of the North-East of Moscow to the Para-Olympic Winter Games in Sochi 2014. Click for more Anna Radik hails from Kiev in Ukraine and was trained in the Ukraine State Ballet and Choreography School. She performs many roles including the Chinese Variation, Russian Variation, Act I ‘s magical Kissy Doll and the demanding acro-balletic Arabian Variation. Canada’s Calgary Herald Dance Critic Stephan Bonfield comments, “The standout Arabian Variation pas de deux, [was] danced breathtakingly beautifully by Anna Radik and Artem Kadurin, with sinewy grace and exquisitely contortioned smoothness of line.” Click for more Olena Nalyvaiko is a 2011 graduate of the Kiev State Ballet and Choreographic College in Ukraine with the title of accredited Artist of Ballet and Teacher of Professional Ballet Disciplines. Olena is also a ballerina and assistant teacher in the “The Young Kiev Ballet” theatre company. She has toured and danced with the renowned and historic Kiev National Opera and Ballet Theatre, Kharkov Opera and Ballet Theater, as well as with Chisinau Opera and Ballet Theatre. Click for more Announcing Moscow Ballet’s 24th season of the celebrated Great Russian Nutcracker and Swan Lake tour to U.S and Canadian cities from November 8 through December 30, 2016 Direct from Russia, the classic Great Russian Nutcracker will entertain the whole family this Christmas. Experience the exceptional dancing of a company of almost 40, a 60-foot growing Christmas tree, new and spectacular hand-made costumes by Resident Designer Arthur Oliver , and stunning sets hand-painted in Russia and designed by multi-Academy Award nominee Carl Sprague . Moscow Ballet consistently garners critical acclaim for performances in cities from New York to Los Angeles, and Miami to Calgary. The production is known for its dedication to world peace : naming Act II the “Land of Peace and Harmony;” featuring a rose shooting cannon, and a stunning 2-person “Dove of Peace” with a 20’ wingspan. Moscow Ballet also presents Swan Lake in 2016 staged by Ballet Master Vladimir Troschenko, a former partner to legendary Russian ballerinas Nadia Pavlova, Ludmilla Seminyaka, and Galina Mezentseva and an honors graduate of both the Bolshoi and Kirov Ballet academies. Moscow Ballet’s Swan Lake is based on the Ivanov/Lev version with changes by Yuri Grigorovich for the Bolshoi in 1967. The company features almost 40 Vaganova trained dancers that are praised by the critics. “Perhaps one of the most magical moments of all, was delivered by a truly excellent...corps, a veritable highlight excelling in both synchrony and grace. Both male and female corps were outstanding all night.” from Calgary Herald. Regina Herald writes, “Breathtaking...magical touches...a thrilling experience.” Revered as the epitome of classical ballets, Swan Lake is a gripping tale of love, betrayal, and the triumph of good over evil. The dual role of Odette/ Odile in which the ballerina first appears as the tragically ethereal Swan Queen and later as the alluring but deceptive Odile (Black Swan) is one of the most dramatic and technically challenging roles in all of classical ballet. See Moscow Ballet, the biggest Christmas experience of the year! The original, direct from Russia, Great Russian Nutcracker is called a “Knock Out..and... Hot Ticket!” by the New York Times. Enchant the whole family with larger than life magical props, a 60 foot growing Christmas tree and spectacular Russian-made costumes and sets. A must-see event, witness the world’s best dancers on stage in your city! Click to get the Best Seats in your city. Also see Swan Lake in Nampa ID, Nanaimo BC, and Victoria BC on the 2016 tour. Moscow Ballet’s renowned company of 40 dancers performs the greatest ballet of all time Swan Lake... “Brimful with feeling” says the New York Times and “Technically supreme dancing, dazzling moments,” from the Calgary Herald. Moscow Ballet’s traditional telling of the tragic Swan Lake story includes award-winning dancers, authentic costumes and lavish sets. Wow - must have been gooood coffee in Sioux Falls! Moscow Ballet on the Road http://pinterest.com/pin/520517669417181228/ Find shows in your state Find a performance in your state, or visit Your City to find out when we will be in your area. This holiday season, experience Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker – acclaimed by the press and adored by audiences everywhere. Get your tickets now! Buy Tickets Now “Knockout…Brimful with feeling…Expansive… the Russian style is elegantly generous, and so the experience is never meager. Kids…were wide-eyed with delight.” Chief Dance Critic Alastair Macaulay, New York Times Christmas cheer... brilliance... and a floating jump and...bravura expertise....[also] locally based, teen violinist Annelle Gregory with an expressive account of Saint-Saëns score. - Los Angeles Times, 2013 Menu	i don't know
Which English painter was the first President of the Royal Academy?	About the RA \| Royal Academy of Arts Benjamin West PRA, Self-portrait of Benjamin West PRA, 1793. Oil on panel. 1015 X 1320 mm. Photo R.A./John Hammond © Royal Academy of Arts. An American in London The story of our second President is a fascinating one. Benjamin West was born in Pennsylvania in 1738 and grew up in a world where art was little known. But with pioneering spirit, he travelled to Europe for his education and found success in Rome. Later arriving in England, he became a close friend of the King and his ‘History Painter’. He never returned to America but is considered the founding father of the American school of painting. He was so popular that he was elected President by his fellow members with just one opposing vote. He also had a first-rate eye for talent and once comforted a down-hearted young Constable after he’d had a work rejected by the Academy with these words, “Don’t be disheartened young man, we shall hear more of you again; you must have loved nature before you could have painted this.” After Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA, 1723 - 1792, Portrait of Angelica Kauffman RA, Published by John Boydell, 3 September 1780.. Engraved by Francesco Bartolozzi, RA. Photo: © Royal Academy of Arts, London. Women at the RA We have a somewhat chequered history when it comes to equality of the sexes. Although Mary Moser and Angelica Kauffman flew the flag for women in 1768, it took another 168 years before another woman was elected as a full Academician, Laura Knight in 1936. In 1879, the Council of the day came to the conclusion that our original Instrument of Foundation did not allow for women RAs. Eventually, they relented and passed a resolution to make women eligible, but only on the condition of restricted privileges. A few years later in 1913, we invoked the wrath of the suffragettes and a demonstration was held in the galleries. One woman slashed a portrait of Henry James by Sargent while another hacked at a painting by George Clausen. Catastrophe was also narrowly averted when one protestor attempted to start a fire in the toilets. Joseph Parkin Mayall, Sir John Everett Millais PRA, c. 1884. Photogravure. 166 x 219 mm. Published by Sampson Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington. From: F.G. Stephens (ed.), Artists at home photographed by J.P. Mayall, London 1884, pl.[6] Photo: RA © Copyright protected. The child prodigy The beginning of the Victorian period saw us admit our youngest ever student to the RA Schools, the ten year old John Everett Millais in 1839. He was immediately given the rather unoriginal nickname ‘The Child’. He went on to become one of the most successful artists of the 19th century and a founding member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The Brotherhood hoped to emulate the art of late medieval and early Renaissance Europe, characterised by intricate detail, bright colours and truth to nature. Although the movement’s activity lasted little more than five years, its influence on British art continues to this day. In 1896, Millais was elected President of the RA, but sadly, it was doomed to be a short tenure. He was in poor health at the time, and just six months after his election he was buried in Painters’ Corner of St Paul’s Cathedral. Our story Italian Art The first blockbusters One of our founding principles was to hold an annual exhibition that anyone could enter, and anyone could visit. Today, it’s called the Summer Exhibition and it has taken place every year since 1769, including during both World Wars. From the late 19th century, we began to hold international loan exhibitions. One in particular that went down in history was our Italian Art exhibition in 1930. The galleries were flooded with masterpieces, including Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, Raphael’s La Donna Velata and Donatello’s David – but it didn’t pass without controversy. Highly politicised, it was attended by Mussolini as a way of furthering the cause of Fascism. Sir Edwin Lutyens PRA and Royal Academy Planning Committee, Proposed re-modelling of Hyde Park Corner, London: bird's-eye perspective, 1942. Carbon pencil, pen & ink and coloured crayons. 533 x 837 mm. Drawn by an artist in the Office of Philip Dalton Hepworth. Photo: RA © Royal Academy of Arts, London. Reimagining London Our doors remained open during World War Two, just as they had during the First World War, but our President at the time, Edwin Lutyens, had some radical ideas about how London should be rebuilt after the conflict. Some of the schemes proposed in the RA Planning Committee’s London Replanned report, included a road bridge across the Thames that would obliterate Charing Cross Station, an enormous roundabout behind St Martin-in-the-Fields and the demolition of the existing Opera House in Covent Garden to make way for a new music and dramatic centre. Lutyens’ ideas may have been unpopular with most, but our next President, Alfred Munnings, didn’t do much better in endearing himself to his colleagues or the public… Edwin Whitney-Smith, Bust of Sir Alfred Munnings PRA, 1946. 578 x 533 mm. Bronze on wooden base. Photo: RA / Neil Greentree © Royal Academy of Arts, London. Famous last words Alfred Munnings took office in 1944. He became infamous when during one RA dinner, he drunkenly began to berate modern art and aspects of the Academy itself. After slating Picasso, he moved on to London County Council, who he criticised for exhibiting modern sculpture in Battersea Park, and the Tate for showing Matisse. To make matters worse, the whole tirade was being broadcast live by the BBC. Munnings had already decided to resign before he made the speech – and made sure he went out with a bang. Our story Sir Hugh Casson PRA, Why not be a Friend, c. 1980. Drawing printed on letterhead paper. Photo: Royal Academy of Arts. Making new Friends The 1970s saw a period of renewal, with the election of one of our most enterprising Presidents, Sir Hugh Casson. Casson had always been one to embrace change and in 1948, he had been appointed Director of Architecture at the Festival of Britain. Relishing the challenge, he set out to celebrate peace and modernity through working with other young architects, 39-year-old Leslie Martin for example, who designed the modernist Royal Festival Hall. Casson’s role in the Festival of Britain was a huge success and he was knighted in 1952. As President of the RA, he began our Friends of the RA membership scheme in 1977, the first of its kind in Europe. Our Friends now number over 90,000. They come to all our exhibitions for free, enjoy all day access to the Keeper’s House, are invited to special events and are sent RA Magazine three times a year. They’re some of our most loyal supporters: we’d be lost without them. Sackler Galleries CROP Photo: Dennis Gilbert A new view of the RA In 1991, we opened The Sackler Wing, designed by Royal Academicians Norman Foster and Spencer de Grey. With its sleek glass staircase and light-filled atrium, The Sackler Wing introduced elegant new gallery spaces to replace the Victorian Diploma Galleries and is a sensitive union of old and new. The landing before you enter these galleries is also where you will find Michelangelo’s Taddei Tondo, his only marble sculpture in the UK and one of the most treasured works in our Collection. Foster himself has spoken of how the design of our Sackler Wing helped lay the groundwork for later projects, including the Great Court at the British Museum, demonstrating “a clear philosophy about how you make modern intervention in historical structures” and create “a meaningful relationship between old and new”. The Royal Academy’s north-facing Entrance, Burlington Gardens, in 2018 Image: Hayes Davidson An Academy for the 21st century In 1998, we bought 6 Burlington Gardens, a beautiful listed building originally designed by Sir James Pennethorne RA for the University of London in the 19th century. Since 2012, we have hosted exciting contemporary shows in these new galleries, showcasing the work of our Academicians from Richard Rogers to Allen Jones . For our anniversary in 2018 we have exciting plans to link Burlington House with Burlington Gardens. This will open up the RA as never before, transforming our historic buildings – and inviting Friends and visitors old and new to celebrate with us. Come 2018, you will also find a 300-seat lecture theatre, our first dedicated learning centre and totally refurbished gallery spaces, one of which will be devoted to our historic Collection.	Joshua Reynolds
Which opera did Verdi supposedly compose for the opening of the Suez Canal?	Royal Academy Royal Academy Royal Academy Royal Academy The Royal Academy was founded in 1768 by a group of leading artists and under the patronage of George III . However, the Academy did not receive any state subsidies and was very much under the control of the artists in the form of forty Academicians and twenty Associates (later increased to thirty). The Academy's first president, Joshua Reynolds , established it as a school to train artists in drawing, painting, sculpture and architecture. Artists who trained at the Royal Academy include: William Blake , Thomas Lawrence and J. M. W. Turner . The first Academy was housed in Pall Mall (1768-1771) but moved to Somerset House (1771-1837) until the British government took over the rooms for office space. It shared premises with the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square until it moved to Burlington House in 1868. Rudolf Ackermann , Royal Academy, from Microcosm of London (1808) The Royal Academy also gave an opportunity for artists to exhibit and sell their work at an annual Summer Exhibition. The work displayed is chosen by the Royal Academy Selection Committee. The Summer Exhibition held from May to August, became an important feature of the national and international art world. In 1936 Laura Knight became the first woman to be elected to the academy since the original women members, Angelica Kauffmann and Mary Moser.	i don't know
What was the name of his American mother?	Churchill's American Heritage Churchill's American Heritage Churchill's American Heritage By Winston S. Churchill While recently assembling my grandfather's writings on America into a single volume entitled The Great Republic (reviewed in this issue. Ed.), I used it as the opportunity to research further my family's American forebears. Winston Churchill was half American by birth - a fact of which he was deeply proud. In his first address to a joint session of the United States Congress, on 26 December 1941, he teased the assembled Senators and Representatives with the mischievous suggestion, "If my father had been American and my mother British, instead of the other way 'round, I might have got here on my own!" His mother, Jennie Jerome of Brooklyn, New York, later Lady Randolph Churchill, was a noted beauty of her day and Winston, as a young cavalry officer, shamelessly used all the influence she was able to bring to bear in his quest to see action in different parts of the globe from Cuba in 1895 and the North-West Frontier of India in 1897, to the Sudan in 1898 and South Africa in 1899. Through his maternal grandfather, Leonard Jerome, sometime proprietor and editor of The New York Times, he had at least two forebears who fought against the British in the American War of Independence: one great-grandfather, Samuel Jerome, served in the Berkshire County Militia while another, Major Libbeus Ball, of the 4th Massachusetts Regiment, marched and fought with George Washington's army at Valley Forge. Furthermore Leonard Jerome's maternal grandfather, Reuben Murray, served as a lieutenant in the Connecticut and New York Regiments, while his wife Clara's grandfather, Ambrose Hall, was a captain in the Berkshire County Militia at Bennington. Indeed I have found no evidence of any ancestor who fought with the British in this misguided conflict, which Chatham and Burke had been so eager to avoid! Not only did Winston Churchill have Revolutionary blood in his veins but, possibly, native American as well. According to family tradition, Jennie's maternal grandmother, Clarissa Willcox, was half-Iroquois. Clarissa's father, David Willcox, is recorded as marrying Anna Baker and settling in Palmyra, New York in 1791. The implication is that Clarissa may have been a half Iroquois accepted into the family. The truth will perhaps never be known. It is unsurprising that such matters, most especially in those days, went unrecorded. What is certain is that Winston's mother, Jennie, and her sister Leonie, firmly believed the story to be true, having been told by their mother, Clara: "My dears, there is something you should know. It may not be chic but it is rather interesting...." Furthermore, the family portrait of his maternal grandmother Clara, which I have inherited from my grandfather, lends credence to the suggestion that she may have been quarter-Iroquois, with her oval face and mysteriously dark features. In recent years, genealogical researchers have sought to cast scorn on the suggestion that Clara's descent is other than "American Colonial of English background" (see "Urban Myths," this issue -Ed.). But this fails to explain why, some 130 years ago, Clara would have told her daughters the story, at a time when it would have been deeply unfashionable to make such a claim. Nor does it explain the evidence of Clara's features which have little in common with the Anglo-Saxon. Furthermore, it is undisputed that the densely wooded country south of Lake Ontario around Palmyra, New York, where Clarissa Willcox was born, was the heartland of the Iroquois nation. My cousin, Anita Leslie, in The Fabulous Leonard Jerome, quotes her grandmother Leonie, remarking on her exceptional energy: "That's my Indian blood, only don't let Mama know I told you!" While it is unlikely that the question of the family's native American heritage can be firmly proved either way, I have little doubt as to the truth of the matter. For me physical features speak louder than any entry in a register of births, but I leave it to the reader to make his or her own judgment of the matter. WHILE compiling The Great Republic I read that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, better known as the Mormons, had made available thirty years of their researches on both sides of the Atlantic (www.familysearch.org), dumping on the Internet the records of some 300 million individuals who had been born, been married or had died on either side of the Atlantic. The system is somewhat quirky, in that it refused to recognise my grandfather's name, but when I punched in the name of Jennie Jerome and her parents, suddenly an amazing family tree sprouted forth, detailing some 255 ancestors on the American side of my family, of whose existence I had previously been unaware. Many of the branches run back to before the time of Columbus, one even through twenty-eight generations to the West Country to one Gervaise Gifford born in 1122 at Whitchurch, Dorset. That particular branch of the family barely moved fifteen miles in the space of fifteen generations before William Gifford, born in 1614 at Milton Damerel, Devon, and who married at St. Martins, London, on 4 March 1683, sailed for America, dying soon afterwards at Sandwich, Massachusetts in 1687. Of these 255 ancestors I discovered no fewer than 26 who were born in England but died in America. To me they are true heroes - for these were the men and women who founded the America of today. In the course of my researches, I suddenly stumbled on the fact that one of my ancestors, John Cooke, who died in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1694, had been born in Leyden, Holland, in 1607. Aware that nearly half the Pilgrims on the Mayflower had been known as the "Leyden Community" - Walloon Protestants escaping religious persecution -I was prompted to wonder if any of my forebears had made that momentous voyage. Within seconds, using an admirable Internet search engine straight out of P. G. Wodehouse, appropriately named www.askjeeves.com, I was able to call up via the Mayflower website the full manifest of all 102 passengers and was fascinated to discover (assuming the Morman database to be correct) that Winston Churchill, ten generations removed, had not one but three ancestors who sailed on the Mayflower and who, more importantly, were among the mere fifty who survived the rigours of that first cruel winter on the shores of Massachusetts. John Cooke, a lad of just 13, was one of those passengers, as was his father, Francis, and his future father-in-law, Richard Warren. I was further intrigued to learn that through them we may be linked to no fewer than three Presidents of the United States - Ulysses S. Grant, Franklin D. Roosevelt and George Bush‹and to Alan Shephard, the first American in space and the fifth to walk on the moon. The one question mark regarding this lineage is whether John Cooke's and his wife Sarah Warren's daughter Elizabeth was indeed the mother of Churchill's ancestor, Daniel Willcox, Jr., born c. 1656/57 at Dartmouth, Massachusetts. While the Morman database is clear on this point, the suggestion has been advanced that Elizabeth may have been the second wife of Daniel Willcox - therefore only the step-mother of Daniel Jr.- in which case the direct link to the Mayflower would not be valid. There is here a conflict of evidence as yet unresolved. What is undisputed is that this injection of American blood, through my great-grandmother Jennie Jerome, kick-started to new triumphs the Marlborough dynasty which had slumbered through seven generations since John Churchill, First Duke of Marlborough, had won his series of dazzling victories that had humbled France's "Sun King," Louis XIV, at the turn of the 18th century. , =======	Lady Randolph Churchill
Which hormone is called epinephrine in the USA?	Winston Churchill's American mother - Telegraph Winston Churchill's American mother Pushy mother: Jennie Churchill badgered everyone she thought might advance Winston's career 12:01AM GMT 03 Jan 2008 Philip Eade reviews Jennie Churchill: by Anne Sebba When, in 1918, Jennie Churchill married her third husband, the implausibly named Montagu Phippen Porch, she was 67, he 44 - three years younger than her son Winston. Nevertheless, her nephew Sunny Marlborough noticed at the time that Porch seemed to be 'physically in love' with her, that she 'showed signs of his attentions' and looked worn out after three days with him. Jennie, meanwhile, was quoted as saying of her latest catch: 'He has a future and I have a past, so we should be alright.' This combination of sexual energy and breezy optimism had propelled Jennie - 'more panther than woman' according to one of many admirers - through an incredible roller-coaster life. Not surprisingly, given whose mother she was and her reputed tally of 200 lovers, there have been several biographies; this thoughtful and scrupulously researched book by Anne Sebba is the sixth. Born in New York in 1854, Jennie inherited from her financier father, Leonard Jerome, an indomitable spirit that had led him, as one of his grandsons wrote, up a new financial hill every time he fell down. Aged 19, at an afternoon ball aboard a ship in Cowes harbour, the sultry Jennie Jerome met Lord Randolph Churchill, then 23, the second surviving son of the 7th Duke of Marlborough. She fell instantly in love and three days later agreed to marry him. What made the young Jennie tick up to this point in her life is not easy to fathom - as Sebba points out, the letters between members of the Jerome family are 'short on emotions, expectations and anxieties'. But Sebba makes a convincing case that what occurred with Randolph was a coup de foudre - however unlikely that may seem given how Randolph looked and behaved. She is equally persuasive that Winston was most probably conceived before they married, in 1874 - attesting to Jennie's 'confidence, physical passion, craving for excitement and sexual fearlessness' - though the author's plea that her interest here is 'not a prurient one' sounds a little priggish. Overall, however, Sebba's tone is far from that; her prose is clear, her judgments sensible. She is good on how Jennie helped the erratic Randolph in his strangely meteoric political career and moving when chronicling the disintegration of their marriage and their final world cruise as he went through what were probably the last stages of syphilis - Rosebery memorably recorded that Randolph was 'the chief mourner at his own protracted funeral'. But the real strength of the book is its examination of Jennie's role in shaping the character and career of Winston. It is hard to disagree with the assessment of Winston's daughter Mary Soames that even by the standards of their generation, Lord and Lady Randolph Churchill were 'pretty awful parents' to their eldest son when he was a boy. This book has plenty of evidence to back this up - notably Winston's letters from his peculiarly sadistic prep school imploring his parents to take him away, or at least come and see him; on the back of some of these are scribbled the names of those Jennie planned to ask to dinner. Sebba does not deny the neglect, but nevertheless has us believe that Jennie always loved her eldest son, and that she 'always knew that Winston would be her greatest achievement'. Winston's adolescent letters accusing his mother of maltreatment, far from damaging their relationship, taught him 'how far he could push and still carry those who loved and supported him, basic leadership skills', writes Sebba. When he was ready to embark on a career, Jennie badgered everyone she thought might advance it. His pushy mother made Churchill a controversial figure at times, but no one could say that she hadn't helped him on his way. Sebba suggests that Jennie's liking for younger men - her second husband, George Cornwallis-West, was, like her third, more than 20 years her junior - was due to the fact that she did not wish to allow anyone to compete with Winston for her attention. And she never did. She even interrupted her honeymoon with Cornwallis-West to help her son's election campaign in Oldham.	i don't know
The protein fibrin aids which process in the blood?	Fibrinogen: Test Sample Test Sample The Test Sample What is being tested? Fibrinogen is a protein , a coagulation factor (factor I) that is essential for blood clot formation. Two types of tests are available to evaluate fibrinogen: a fibrinogen activity test evaluates how well fibrinogen functions in helping to form a blood clot while a fibrinogen antigen test measures the amount of fibrinogen in the blood. Fibrinogen is produced by the liver and released into circulation along with several other coagulation factor proteins. Normally, when a body tissue or blood vessel wall is injured, a process called hemostasis begins to help stop the bleeding by forming a plug at the injury site. Small cell fragments called platelets adhere to and aggregate at the site, a coagulation cascade begins, and clotting factors are activated one after the other. As the cascade nears completion, soluble fibrinogen is converted into insoluble fibrin threads. These threads crosslink together to form a fibrin net that stabilizes at the injury site. The fibrin net adheres to the site of injury along with the platelets to form a stable blood clot. This barrier prevents additional blood loss and remains in place until the injured area has healed. For a stable clot to form there must be enough normally functioning platelets and coagulation factors. If there are dysfunctional factors or platelets, or too little or too much of them, it can lead to bleeding episodes and/or to formation of an in appropriate blood clot ( thrombosis ). Several laboratory tests, including fibrinogen tests, can be used to evaluate hemostasis. It is now understood that coagulation tests are based on what happens artificially in the test setting (in vitro) and thus do not necessarily reflect what actually happens in the body (in vivo). Nevertheless, the tests can be used to evaluate specific components of the hemostasis system. The fibrinogen activity test evaluates that part of the hemostatic process in which soluble fibrinogen is converted into fibrin threads. With the addition of thrombin to the test sample, the fibrinogen test bypasses the rest of the coagulation factors and focuses on the function of fibrinogen. A fibrinogen activity test measures the time that it takes for a fibrin clot to form following the addition of a standard amount of thrombin to plasma . This test evaluates the function of fibrinogen, its ability to be converted into fibrin. The time that is required for a clot to form directly correlates with the amount of active fibrinogen that is present. Prolonged clot-formation times may be due to decreased concentrations of normal fibrinogen or due to dysfunctional fibrinogen. A fibrinogen antigen test uses a fibrinogen antibody to bind to fibrinogen in a blood sample. This test allows the quantity, but not activity, of fibrinogen to be measured. Fibrinogen is also one of several blood factors that are called acute phase reactants . Blood levels of fibrinogen along with other acute phase reactants rise sharply with conditions causing acute tissue inflammation or damage. Tests for these acute phase reactants, including fibrinogen, may be performed to determine the extent of inflammation in the body. How is the sample collected for testing? A blood sample is obtained by inserting a needle into a vein in the arm. NOTE: If undergoing medical tests makes you or someone you care for anxious, embarrassed, or even difficult to manage, you might consider reading one or more of the following articles: Coping with Test Pain, Discomfort, and Anxiety , Tips on Blood Testing , Tips to Help Children through Their Medical Tests , and Tips to Help the Elderly through Their Medical Tests . Another article, Follow That Sample , provides a glimpse at the collection and processing of a blood sample and throat culture. Is any test preparation needed to ensure the quality of the sample? No test preparation is needed. Proudly sponsored by ...	Coagulation
What was Elvis Presley’s first film – the only one in which he did not get top billing?	fibrin \| biochemistry \| Britannica.com biochemistry prothrombin Fibrin, an insoluble protein that is produced in response to bleeding and is the major component of the blood clot . Fibrin is a tough protein substance that is arranged in long fibrous chains; it is formed from fibrinogen , a soluble protein that is produced by the liver and found in blood plasma. When tissue damage results in bleeding, fibrinogen is converted at the wound into fibrin by the action of thrombin , a clotting enzyme . Fibrin molecules then combine to form long fibrin threads that entangle platelets, building up a spongy mass that gradually hardens and contracts to form the blood clot. This hardening process is stabilized by a substance known as fibrin-stabilizing factor, or factor XIII . Red blood cells (erythrocytes) trapped in a mesh of fibrin threads. Fibrin, a tough, insoluble … Eye of Science / Photo Researchers, Inc. Certain rare hereditary disorders may cause malfunction of this stage of the blood-clotting mechanism. A few individuals have a hereditary deficiency of fibrinogen or produce abnormal fibrinogen. Upon injury to these persons fibrin cannot form in sufficient quantity to enable a proper clot to form. Another rare hereditary disease involves a lack of factor XIII, resulting in a condition in which bleeding is difficult to stop. Learn More in these related articles:	i don't know
Who was the first British artist to top the US chart?	The UK Number Ones : 1950s Sheet Music Sales Week Ending SONG TITLE Notable Recording(s) + Artist Links Weeks COMMENT 7 Jan 1950 You're Breaking My Heart Ink Spots 2 They were a top close-harmony singing act of black Americans. 21 Jan 1950 Hop Scotch Polka Billy Whitlock 1 Whitlock wrote the piece with that title, but called it "Scotch Hot" on the recording! 28 Jan 1950 The Harry Lime Theme Anton Karas 4 (Returned for 3 weeks from w/e 18/2/50) Famed theme from the spy film "The Third Man", starring Orson Welles. The theme was composed by the performer. 4 Feb 1950 Dear Hearts And Gentle People 1: Dinah Shore Song was a radio favourite on the "Billy Cotton Band Show". 11 Mar 1950 Music! Music! Music! Teresa Brewer 6 First major hit for the girl from Ohio. She later did badly against UK cover versions. 22 Apr 1950 (If I Knew You Were Comin') I'd've Baked A Cake Eve Young & The Homesteaders 1 Another happy-go-lucky radio favourite which Billy Cotton helped to popularise. 29 Apr 1950 My Foolish Heart Billy Eckstine 11 He was a deep-voiced star from the 1930s, still very popular throughout the 50s. 8 Jul 1950 Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered) 1: Doris Day Written by Rodgers & Hart. Recorded by Doris Day in 1949. 9 Sep 1950 Silver Dollar (Roll, Roll, Roll) Eve Young & The Homesteaders 7 Similar style to Eve's previous hit, got the musicians buying again. 28 Oct 1950 Goodnight Irene 1: Frank Sinatra 2: Jo Stafford 4 A version by the Gordon Jenkins Orch was at no 1 in the US for 13 weeks. 25 Nov 1950 Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer 1: Gene Autry Christmas song that has remained ever popular since. 6 Jan 1951 I Taut I Taw A Puddy Tat Mel Blanc 3 Based on a line from the Tweetie Pie cartoons. Mel was the cartoon voice. 27 Jan 1951 Beloved, Be Faithful 1: Teddy Johnson Both of these were top British balladeers of their time. 3 Feb 1951 The Petite Waltz 1: Anne Shelton At this time, the most popular dance by far was the waltz. 17 Feb 1951 The Tennessee Waltz 1: Patti Page 2: Anita O'Day 9 The US country music star (Patti Page) battled it out in the UK with a jazz music star (Anita O'Day) a country music waltz. 21 Apr 1951 Mockin' Bird Hill Les Paul & Mary Ford 10 They were of multi-track recording and amplified electric guitars. 30 Jun 1951 With These Hands Nelson Eddy & Jo Stafford 3 Hits for Shirley Bassey in 1960 and Tom Jones in 1965. 21 Jul 1951 My Resistance Is Low Hoagy Carmichael 4 Written by the singer. Hit for Robin Sarstedt in 1976. Cole's version is now best known, but it was Young's first major success. 10 Nov 1951 Longing For You Teresa Brewer 11 Melody based on the classical piece "Waltz Dream" by Oscar Straus. 12 Jan 1952 The Loveliest Night Of The Year 1: Mario Lanza Was on the chart for a record 32 weeks before making No 1. 23 Feb 1952 There's Always Room At Our House Guy Mitchell 4 First major recording for this US singing star. 22 Mar 1952 Unforgettable Nat 'King' Cole 10 All-time Nat 'King' Cole classic. 24 May 1952 A-round The Corner Jo Stafford 3 She was the most popular American female singer in the UK at this time. 14 Jun 1952 Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart Vera Lynn 10 Immensely popular with people who remembered the war years. 23 Aug 1952 The Homing Waltz 1: Vera Lynn Successive No 1s for Vera Lynn recordings. 25 Oct 1952 Here In My Heart Al Martino 8 Became the first No 1 on the record-sales chart. 27 Dec 1952 You Belong To Me 1: Jo Stafford It was Jo Stafford's version that topped the infant records chart. 7 Feb 1953 Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes Perry Como 1 Como's version topped the record charts in UK and US. 14 Feb 1953 Broken Wings 1: Stargazers 2: Dickie Valentine 3: Art & Dottie Todd 6 These three versions were UK hits, but the Stargazers took it to No 1 in the records chart. 28 Mar 1953 (How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window 1: Patti Page Both UK record hits, but Lita Roza made it to the top. 9 May 1953 In A Golden Coach 1: Billy Cotton Band Celebrating the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Both these made the records Top 10. 13 Jun 1953 I Believe Frankie Laine 1 Massive record-chart hit for Frankie Laine, where it spent 18 weeks at No 1. 31 Oct 1953 Poppa Piccolino Diana Decker 1 Italian song. There were UK versions, but this US singer had the only record-chart hit. 7 Nov 1953 Answer Me 1: David Whitfield They both made No 1 in the record-chart, but Laine's version was the bigger seller. 26 Dec 1953 I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus 1: Beverley Sisters 2: Jimmy Boyd 1 The popular British trio were outsold by the US recording. 16 Jan 1954 Oh Mein Papa Eddie Calvert 8 Eddie had the classic-trumpet instrumental hit, but there were vocal versions too. 13 Mar 1954 I See The Moon Stargazers 5 Novelty song which they took to No 1 in the records chart. No other versions were hits. 10 Apr 1954 The Happy Wanderer Obernkirchen Children's Choir 5 German song which became the great sing-along of the year. Best-selling sheet music in 1954. 22 May 1954 Secret Love Doris Day 7 Oscar-winning song from the Doris Day film "Calamity Jane". 10 Jul 1954 Cara Mia David Whitfield & Mantovani Orchestra 2 Million-selling No 1 version that was the only one to make the charts. 24 Jul 1954 Little Things Mean A Lot 1: Kitty Kallen 2: Alma Cogan 12 The American took the single to No 1 in the records charts, but Alma Cogan made No 11. 16 Oct 1954 My Friend Frankie Laine 1 His was the only hit version back in 1954, although Roy Orbison had a minor hit with the same song in 1969. 23 Oct 1954 Hold My Hand Don Cornell 10 The American's only big hit in the UK. 1 Jan 1955 Mister Sandman 1: Chordettes 4: Max Bygraves 6 They all made the Top 20, but sales were too spread for anyone to reach the top spot. 5 Feb 1955 Mambo Italiano Rosemary Clooney 3 She was a US music and tv star who remained very popular throughout the 1950's. 26 Feb 1955 Softly, Softly Ruby Murray 8 Major British star of the mid 50s, but this was her only No 1 in the records chart. 23 Apr 1955 Stranger In Paradise 1: Tony Bennett 2: Four Aces 3: Tony Martin 7 From the 1953 Broadway musical "Kismet". Tune based on a theme from Borodin's opera "Prince Igor". 11 Jun 1955 Unchained Melody 1: Jimmy Young 3: Liberace 12 Song from the film "Unchained". This No 1 song made the top three times more, in 1990, 1995 and 2002. 3 Sep 1955 Ev'rywhere David Whitfield 5 The decade's most popular British tenor took this to No 3 in the records chart. 8 Oct 1955 Blue Star (The Medic Theme) 1: Cyril Stapleton Orch 2: Ron Goodwin Orch 8 Cyril Stapleton saw his version, with vocals by Julie Dawn, reach No 2 in the records chart. 3 Dec 1955 Christmas Alphabet Dickie Valentine 5 A Christmas No 1 that was forgotten until Cliff Richard included it on his 1991 Xmas album. 31 Dec 1955 Twenty Tiny Fingers 1: Stargazers British novelty song about the birth of twins. The Stargazers won the record-chart battle. 7 Jan 1956 Love Is A Many-splendoured Thing 1: Four Aces Ten versions were in the record shops but only the Four Aces charted, reaching No 2. 14 Jan 1956 The Ballad of Davy Crockett 1: Bill Hayes Theme from the highly popular mid-50s tv series. 3 Mar 1956 Memories Are Made Of This 1: Dean Martin 2: Dave King 3 Dean Martin was a major US star - King was a UK comedian who recorded the cover version. 24 Mar 1956 It's Almost Tomorrow Dreamweavers 6 They were a studio-only act from Miami. Mark Wynter had a hit with it in 1963. 5 May 1956 No Other Love Ronnie Hilton 6 British tenor with a Rodgers & Hammerstein song. 16 Jun 1956 My September Love David Whitfield 2 Another one from the British balladeer - this one made No 3. 30 Jun 1956 Hot Diggity 1: Perry Como 2: Michael Holliday 3 A Perry Como classic which was covered by the UK singer. 21 Jul 1956 Walk Hand In Hand 1: Tony Martin 2: Ronnie Carroll 6 Tony Martin got the big hit - No 2. Gerry & The Pacemakers charted in 1965 with the song. 1 Sep 1956 What Ever Will Be Will Be Doris Day 5 Oscar-winning song from the Doris Day film "The Man Who Knew Too Much". 6 Oct 1956 Lay Down Your Arms Anne Shelton 4 The song was based on a Swedish melody. She was a British star of the 40s & 50s. 3 Nov 1956 More 1: Jimmy Young In this battle of the nations, Young won, reaching No 4 against Como's No 10. 8 Dec 1956 Just Walking In The Rain Johnnie Ray 4 One of Johnnie's biggest hits, and one of his best-loved. 5 Jan 1957 Singing The Blues 1: Guy Mitchell 2: Tommy Steele 11 They both took this to No 1, but Guy stayed there longer - 3 weeks as opposed to 1. 23 Mar 1957 Young Love Tab Hunter 4 US movie idol who was asked to record the song. It had no connection with any film. 20 Apr 1957 Heart 1: Max Bygraves 2: Johnston Brothers 4 This did not fair well in the records charts. Max did best, but still only got to No 14. 18 May 1957 Butterfly 1: Andy Williams Verging on rock 'n' roll, rather than MOR which Williams specialised in later. 25 May 1957 Around The World 1: Bing Crosby 2: Ronnie Hilton These records all made the Top 10, but Hilton did best at No 4. 31 Aug 1957 Love Letters In The Sand Pat Boone 4 Pat's was the only hit at the time, reaching No 2. Vince Hill had a minor hit with the song in 1967. 28 Sep 1957 Tammy Debbie Reynolds 9 From the film in which she starred, "Tammy & The Bachelor". The record made No 2. 30 Nov 1957 Mary's Boy Child Harry Belafonte 5 Big No 1 record hit for Harry. Boney M made the song a Christmas No 1 in 1978. 4 Jan 1958 Alone 1: Petula Clark 2: Shephard Sisters 1 Rock 'n' Roll love song that the British girl covered and then won the chart battle. 11 Jan 1958 My Special Angel 1: Malcolm Vaughan 2: Bobby Helms 3 The US original was by country music singer Bobby Helms. Vaughan's version won easily. 1 Feb 1958 The Story Of My Life 1: Michael Holliday 2: Dave King 4 Burt Bacharach and Hal David song. The Brits fought it out and Holliday's record made No 1. 1 Mar 1958 Magic Moments Perry Como 9 2nd No 1 in a row for writers Burt Bacharach and Hal David. One of Como's best-known hits. 26 Apr 1958 Swingin' Shepherd Blues Ted Heath Orchestra 1 The most popular British big band of the day, but they never had a No 1 record. 10 May 1958 I May Never Pass This Way Again 1: Perry Como 2: Robert Earl 3 The sales of these two records cancelled each other out and only just made the Top 20. 31 May 1958 Who's Sorry Now Connie Francis 1 First female rock 'n' roll star to get a No 1 record, but this song was a 1920s ballad. 7 Jun 1958 Stairway Of Love 1: Michael Holliday 2: Terry Dene 1 Terry Dene was a minor star, most famous for his nervous breakdown after his army conscription. 14 Jun 1958 On The Street Where You Live Vic Damone 6 Song from the hit musical "My Fair Lady". He made No 1 in the records chart, no one else even made the Top 10. 26 Jul 1958 Tulips From Amsterdam Max Bygraves 6 One of the songs always associated with Max. The B-side was "You Need Hands". 6 Sep 1958 Trudie Joe "Mr Piano" Henderson 1 A Russ Conway rival who took this self-penned song to No 14 in the records chart. 13 Sep 1958 Volare Dean Martin 6 An Italian song - Dean Martin took the English translation to No 1 in the records chart. 25 Oct 1958 Come Prima (More Than Ever) 1: Marino Marini 2: Malcolm Vaughan 12 Another Italian song, which Marini sang in Italian. Vaughan had the English version with a new title. 17 Jan 1959 The Day The Rains Came Jane Morgan 2 A French song with English lyrics. The B-side of the single was in French! 31 Jan 1959 As I Love You Shirley Bassey 6 Her first No 1 which led to a career which extended into the 21st century. 14 Mar 1959 Side Saddle Russ Conway 12 Pianist who wrote these hits under his real name of Trevor Stanford. Was a records-chart No 1 too. 6 Jun 1959 Roulette Russ Conway 13 This was his single follow-up which also made No 1 in the records chart. 5 Sep 1959 Only Sixteen 1: Sam Cooke 2: Craig Douglas 6 This was written by Sam Cooke, but it was Douglas who got the No 1 in the records chart. 10 Oct 1959 China Tea Russ Conway 2 This gave him a total of over six months at No 1 in the sheet music chart of 1959. This tune made No 5 in the records chart. 31 Oct 1959 Mack The Knife 1: Bobby Darin 2: Louis Armstrong 2 From "The Threepenny Opera", Armstrong first charted with it in 1956. Darin made No 1 in the records chart. 14 Nov 1959 Little Donkey 1: Beverley Sisters	Vera Lynn
Which brewery produces Director’s Bitter?	- _Classic Bands - record chart facts Sean Garrett (15) Odds and Ends The longest title of a song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 is B.J. Thomas' "Hey Won't You Play Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song". The longest title of an album to reach the Billboard Hot 200 LP chart is Fiona Apple's "When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing 'Fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You'll Know That You're Right" The title is made up of 90 words. Paula Abdul's "Forever Your Girl" holds the record for the longest time between release date and reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart, taking sixty-four weeks to reach the top. When the LP finally got there in January, 1990, it stayed at #1 for 10 weeks. Although it is generally acknowledged that the "Rock 'n' Roll era" began in the US when Bill Haley And His Comets reached the top of the Billboard chart in July, 1955 with "(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock", many Rock historians believe that the first true Rock and Roll record was a song called "Rocket 88" by Jackie Brenston and The Delta Cats, which topped the American R&B chart in May, 1951. Herb Alpert is the only artist to have a US number one single with both a vocal arrangement (This Guy's in Love With You" in 1968) and an instrumental ("Rise" in 1979). Hank Ballard and the Midnighters were the first group to place three records on The Billboard Hot 100 at the same time - "Finger Poppin' Time", "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go" and "The Twist" in mid-July, 1960. The shortest record to reach the Billboard Top 40 was "Some Kind-A Earthquake" by Duane Eddy. This seldom heard instrumental, which is only one minute, seventeen seconds long, reached #37 in 1959 The first live recording to ever top the Billboard chart was "Fingertips part 2" by Little Stevie Wonder, in August, 1963. The first a cappella song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 was Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy", which reached the top on September 24th, 1988. The first foreign language recording to top the Billboard chart was "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)" by Domenico Modugno in 1958. Translated from Italian, the title means "In The Blue Sky Painted Blue (To Fly)". The first comedy album to ever top the Billboard chart was "The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart" in 1960. The first Country album to reach the top of the Hot 200 album chart was "Ring Of Fire" by Johnny Cash in January, 1964. The first triple-disc album to top the Billboard chart was the soundtrack to "Woodstock". In November, 1958, The Kingston Trio became the first group to ever have an album reach the top of the US chart. Before them, only solo artists had hit number one. The first 45 rpm record to reach the Billboard charts was "You're Adorable" by Perry Como, on May 7, 1949. Roy Hamilton's "Don't Let Go" became the first stereo single to reach the Billboard chart when it entered at #13 on February 22nd, 1958. The first artist to write and record his own US #1 hit was Buddy Knox. His tune "Party Doll" topped the Billboard chart in March, 1957. The first British artist to top the Billboard chart was Mr. Acker Bilk with "Stranger on the Shore" on May 26, 1962. However, Vera Lynn was the first British artist to have the best selling record in the U.S. with "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" on July 26, 1952, four years before The HOT 100 was introduced. "Wild Thing" by The Troggs is the only single to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 while being offered on two different labels simultaneously. Fontana was the group's British label and ATCO was also given a contract to release the song in the US. The compilers of the Billboard Hot 100 decided to combine the two singles (which had different B-sides) into one chart position. A 60 track album called "Beatles Anthology I" holds the record for first-day sales, selling 450,000 units on the day of its release, November 19th, 1995. The term "rock and roll", which was black slang for sexual intercourse, appeared on record for the first time in 1922 on Trixie Smith's "My Baby Rocks Me With One Steady Roll". The term "rhythm & blues" was coined in 1948 by a young Billboard reporter and future Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler, to replace the negative term "Race Records". Elvis Presley's 1956 recording of "Love Me" was the first million-seller to make the US charts without being released as a single. It was instead, an EP (extended play) 45 rpm, with three other songs on it: "Rip It Up", "Paralyzed" and "When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again". The Animals 1964 hit "House Of The Rising Sun" was the first Number 1 to have a playing time of more than four minutes. The Four Aces 1955 release of "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing" was the first US number one record that was specifically written for a motion picture. ClassicBands.com	i don't know
What is added to Scotch to make a Whisky Mac?	The Whiskey Mac Recipe - SheKnows Recipes Directions Pre-chill a cocktail glass by placing it into the freezer for 5 minutes. Fill the chilled glass with ice cubes and then add the scotch and the ginger wine. Slowly stir the mixture for 20 seconds and then serve immediately.	Ginger wine
In olden-day police parlance what were ‘darbies’?	Whisky Mac recipe Whisky Mac recipe Scan me to take me with you serve in Pour both of the ingredients into a wine goblet with no ice. More comments A good choice posted by nickgardner @ 01:09PM, 12/13/06 One of my favourites. Try it with Stones Ginger wine - a solid choice. This is not a drink to break out the single Malt either - I like the J&B or Johnny Walker Black - makes a good drink. Also for a variation Courvoisier and Stones makes a good choice as well. Nice posted by Mr V Shah @ 07:46PM, 4/02/07 Great on a brisk morning walk in the country. Winter warmer posted by JMSmith @ 04:14AM, 9/05/07 I'd say go for a nice brisk walk, and then light the fire and pour a large whisky mac, sit in the arm-chair, put on some music and drift away. I'd go for Crabbie's above Stones as Crabbie's is 'rougher' and has more of a ginger punch. 50/50 in mixing terms, and a nice single malt can't be beaten - the peatier the better. Lagavulin (if that's how its spelled). most popular drinks in this category...	i don't know

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