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The Isle of Axholme, now crossed by the M180 motorway, is part of which traditional English county? | Isle of Axholme
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Isle of Axholme
The Isle of Axholme is a geographical area of North Lincolnshire , England. It is the only part of Lincolnshire west of the River Trent . It is between the three towns of Doncaster , Scunthorpe and Gainsborough , in the traditional West Riding of Lindsey .
Contents
8 External links
Description
The name Isle is given to the area since, prior to the area’s being drained by the Dutchman Cornelius Vermuyden , each town or village was built on areas of dry, raised ground in the surrounding marshland. The River Don used to flow to the north and west (it has since been diverted), dividing the Isle from Yorkshire ; the River Idle separates the Isle from Nottinghamshire ; and the River Trent separates the Isle from the rest of Lincolnshire. Three small towns developed here: Epworth – birthplace of John Wesley and his brother Charles – Crowle , and Haxey .
The boundaries of the Isle of Axholme usually match with those of the ancient wapentake of Epworth [1] and its 17 communities: Belton , Crowle, Epworth, Haxey, Beltoft , (High and Low) Burnham, Owston Ferry , (East) Lound and (Graise)lound, Garthorpe , Luddington , Amcotts , (West) Butterwick , Althorpe , The Marshes, Waterton, Upperthorpe , and Westwoodside . Other settlements on the Isle include Eastoft , Sandtoft – home to Europe’s largest trolleybus museum – and Wroot .
Much of the northern part of the Isle has flat topography, with rich farmland used mainly to grow wheat and sugar beets. The land is particularly fertile due to its history of annual flooding from the Trent and peat soil which was created by dense ancient woodland which covered much of the Isle. Even today, in many parts of the northern Isle, petrified wood can be found at about six feet below ground; relics from this woodland, these are locally called “bog oaks”.
A long-distance walking route, the “Peatlands Way”, traverses the Isle.
Etymology
Axholme means “island by Haxey “, from the town name + Old Norse holmr “island”. The name was recorded as Hakirhomle in 1196. (The Old English suffix “ey” in “Haxey” also indicates an island).
1833 description
Axholme, Isle of Area of slight elevation above flat and formerly marshy tract bounded by the Rivers Trent, Torne and Idle. Towns include Crowle, Belton , Epworth and Haxey on higher ground and Owston Ferry and West Butterwick beside the River Trent
— Bartholomew’s Gazetteer of Britain compiled by Oliver Mason (John Bartholomew, 1833)
Land drainage history
The Isle is known for the early influence of the Dutchman, Cornelius Vermuyden , an engineer who initiated the realignment of several of the highland carriers flowing through the district, allowing increased agricultural production. This early agricultural activity has left a legacy in the unique strip farming which survives in the 21st century around Epworth. The watercourses of the Isle and the surrounding area are managed by the Isle of Axholme Internal Drainage Board which maintains 302 km of watercourse and 18 pumping stations, [2] and manages the water levels of the adjacent Thorne Moors and Hatfield Moors, both environmentally sensitive areas.
Road and railway
The Axholme Joint Railway traversed the area, but the line has now been abandoned. There are still railway stations in Crowle and Althorpe on the line between Scunthorpe and Sheffield. The M180 motorway now crosses the centre of the area, dividing ‘South Axholme’, centred on Epworth, from ‘North Axholme’, centred on Crowle. The A161 road crosses the Isle from north to south.
There was an Isle of Axholme Rural District from 1894 to 1974, which covered the entire Isle after 1936. This became part of the Boothferry district of Humberside in 1974, and since 1996 has been in the North Lincolnshire unitary authority.
Notes
| Lincolnshire |
Burl Ives played “Big Daddy” in the original 1955 Broadway cast of which play? | Axholme : Wikis (The Full Wiki)
The Full Wiki
Axholme: Wikis
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Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article! This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles .
(Redirected to Isle of Axholme article)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Isle of Axholme is part of North Lincolnshire , England . It is the only part of Lincolnshire west of the River Trent . It is between the three towns of Doncaster , Scunthorpe and Gainsborough .
Description
7 External links
The name Isle is given to the area since, prior to the area being drained by the Dutchman Cornelius Vermuyden , each town or village formerly lay on areas of dry, raised ground in the surrounding marshland. The River Don used to flow to the north and west (it has since been diverted), dividing the Isle from Yorkshire , the River Idle separates the Isle from Nottinghamshire and the River Trent separates the Isle from the rest of the county. There are three small towns: Epworth – birthplace of John Wesley and his brother Charles – Crowle and Haxey .
Other settlements on the isle include Garthorpe , Luddington , Eastoft , Belton , Sandtoft – home to Europe's largest Trolleybus museum – Westwoodside, Wroot and Owston Ferry .
Much of the northern part of the Isle has flat topography, with rich farmland used mainly to grow wheat and sugar beet. The land is particularly fertile due to its history of annual flooding from the Trent and peat soil which was created by dense ancient woodland which covered much of the Isle. Even today, in many parts of the northern Isle, petrified wood can be found at about 6ft below ground which is a relic from this woodland, locally called "Bog oaks".
A long-distance walking route, the "Peatlands Way" traverses the Isle.
Etymology
Axholme means "island by Haxey ", from the town name + Old Norse holmr "island". The name was recorded as Hakirhomle in 1196. (The Old English suffix "ey" in "Haxey" also indicates an island).
1833 description
Axholme, Isle of Area of slight elevation above flat and formerly marshy tract bounded by the Rivers Trent, Torne and Idle. Towns include Crowle, Belton , Epworth and Haxey on higher ground and Owston Ferry and West Butterwick beside the River Trent
–
Bartholomew's Gazetteer of Britain compiled by Oliver Mason (John Bartholomew, 1833)
Land drainage history
The Isle is known for the early influences of the Dutchman, Cornelius Vermuyden who initiated the realignment of several of the highland carriers flowing through the district allowing increased agricultural production. This early agricultural activity has left a legacy in the unique strip farming which is still in existence around Epworth. The watercourses of the Isle and the surrounding area are managed by the Isle of Axholme Internal Drainage Board who maintain 302km of watercourse and 18 pumping stations. [1] The Internal Drainage Board also provide water level management to the adjacent Thorne Moors and the Hatfield Moors, both environmentally sensitive areas.
Road and railway
The Isle of Axholme Joint Railway traversed the area, but the line has now been abandoned. The M180 motorway now crosses the north of the area.
There was an Isle of Axholme Rural District from 1894 to 1974, which covered the entire Isle after 1936. This became part of the Boothferry district of Humberside in 1974, and since 1996 has been in the North Lincolnshire unitary authority.
References
| i don't know |
Which programme is broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 10.45pm and 11.00pm each weekday evening? | 3 great programmes on BBC Radio 4. — Big Fish English
April 21, 2016
BBC Radio 4 is great way to improve your English.
If you haven’t come across radio 4 before then you don’t know what you are missing!
Radio 4 is a spoken-word station which broadcasts a wide range of programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history.
Of course, you can listen to the radio live, in the old fashioned way, but the most convenient way is to go to BBC iplayer radio , where you can browse and choose a programme that interests you.
Here are my suggestions to get you started:
1. Desert Island discs
Presenter Kirsty Young interviews a guest and asks them which 8 records, which book and which luxury they would take if they were stranded on a desert island.
As the interview unfolds we learn more about the lives of the guests and the reasons for the choices they made. Hundreds of guests have been interviewed since 1942 including Bill Gates, Louis Armstrong, Dustin Hoffman and JK Rowling.
The conversation moves quite slowly so it’s easy for non-native speakers to follow and the language it just right too – not too formal and not too colloquial.
2. The Archers
The Archers is a radio soap opera about life in the British country side – most of the main characters are farmers and it’s a fascinating insight into life in modern, rural Britain. It’s been on the air since 1951 and has over 5 million daily listeners in the UK.
The great thing about The Archers is that it’s on everyday (Monday – Friday) so you can get hooked on it and use it as part of your English habit. Each episode is short – just 14 mins so it doesn’t get too boring.
It’s fairly easy to follow and a great way to get used to different accents!
3. Book at Bedtime
Every weekday evening between 10:45pm and 11:00pm you can listen to a serialised, abridged reading of a fiction book, read by well known actors. The programme has been running since 1949, so it’s a real classic.
It’s a great way to discover new literature and on top of that, the books are serialised over two or three weeks, so you will be hooked in no time – helping to reinforce your English habit.
Do let me know if you have listened to anything on Radio 4 that you enjoyed.
Sign up to get your Big Fish Starter Pack!
THE 15 MOST COMMON MISTAKES IN ENGLISH
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| Book at Bedtime |
What is the family name of the Dukes of Westminster? | David Tennant - Radio / Audio 2010
David Tennant Radio / Audio
(2010)
MP3s of all of David Tennant's recent interviews and appearances can be found on the MP3 page of this website.
For posts related to David Tennant on the Radio and Audio on Blogger.com click here and here .
December 2010
The David Tennant / David Hare Radio 4 play Murder in Samarkand is currently available to download for free as an audiobook from this link . Updated 28/12
David Tennant Treat 4 Today - Marley Was Dead Updated 27/12
David Tennant's name is included in a spoof radio show called Marley Was Dead at 8pm tonight on BBC Radio 4 but David Tennant is not actually in the show (see here for more details). The satellite channel Watch are advertising a Doctor Who Day from 3pm on Saturday 1st January 2011 as they are showing lots of David Tennant's Doctor Who Christmas Specials. Updated 23/12
The BBC have posted two preview promo clips of the David Tennant narrated Polar Bear: Spy on the Ice documentary which airs next Wednesday (29th). Click here and here to view them. Updated 22/12
On Christmas Day from 2pm on Absolute Radio Christian O'Connell will be playing his 50 Top Moments which will include David Tennant. Updated 14/12
November 2010
Tonight at 10.45pm on BBC Radio Four David reads Clairmonde on Book At Bedtime . Updated 26/11
Tonight at 10.45pm on BBC Radio Four David reads Luella Miller on Book At Bedtime . Updated 25/11
Tonight at 10.45pm on BBC Radio Four David reads The Horla on Book At Bedtime . Updated 24/11
The Guardian have a review of How Roald Dahl Shaped Pop. Updated 23/11
If you missed David Tennant in How Roald Dahl Shaped British Pop yesterday and can't get it on the iPlayer, the MP3 has been added here . Updated 23/11
Tonight at 10.45pm on BBC Radio Four David reads The Family Of The Vourdalak on Book At Bedtime . Updated 23/11
At 10pm tonight David Tennant will be narrating How Roald Dahl Shaped British Pop on BBC Radio Two and at 10.45pm on BBC Radio Four David reads his first Book At Bedtime . Updated 22/11
The Stage have a preview of the David Tennant narrated How Roald Dahl Shaped British Pop programme which is broadcast on BBC Radio Two tomorrow evening. Updated 21/11
Click here to listen to the trailer for the David Tennant narrated How Roald Dahl Shaped Pop which airs on Monday at 10pm on BBC Radio 2. Updated 19/11
Click here to read about the stories which David Tennant will be reading on Radio 4 on Book At Bedtime next week. Updated 17/11
The Telegraph say that the 2 Minutes Silence single will be broadcast on the UK Chart Show tomorrow (David Tennant is in the video). Updated 13/11
At 8.30am and 10pm each Thursday from today for the next six weeks BBC Radio 7 are repeating Series Two of David Tennant's comedy Double Income, No Kinds Yet. (Over the past six weeks they repeated Series One.) Updated 11/11
For the week commencing Monday 22nd November (Monday to Friday) at 10.45pm on BBC Radio4 on the Book At Bedtime, David Tennant will be reading Antoine Calmet's accounts of real Vampires. Updated 9/11
The BBC have announced that on Monday 22nd November at 10pm on BBC Radio 2 David Tennant will present 'How Roald Dahl Shaped British Pop'. See here for full details. Updated 3/11
October 2010
Absolute Radio have added a video of David Tennant on the lie detector machine. Updated 30/10
Christian O'Connell said that the Absolute Radio webcam had 70,000 hits yesterday from David Tennant fans. Updated 29/10
Absolute Radio have posted a photo of David Tennant in a pink wig and boa and more photos here . Updated 28/10
MP3s (and photos) of all of David Tennant's sections of the Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show on Absolute Radio this morning have been added to the MP3 page of DavidTennantOnTwitter.com or click here for the direct link. Updated 28/10
David Tennant is co-hosting the Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show on Absolute Radio this morning from 6am until 10am. Updated 28/10
David Tennant will be interviewed on a Radio Four programme aired today at 8pm called Playing the Dane. Updated 23/10
On Saturday 23rd October at 8pm (and repeated on Monday 25th at 3pm) BBC Radio 4 are airing a documentary on Hamlet, including David Tennant's interpretation. It is presented by Michael Sheen. See here for more info. Updated 19/10
Absolute Radio have confirmed that David Tennant will be co-hosting their Breakfast Show on Thursday 28th October. (Previously there was some doubt whether it was the Thursday or Friday. It starts at 6am. Updated 19/10
Cressida Cowell mentions David Tennant in an article about How to Train Your Dragon on MovieWeb.com . Updated 18/10
Edith Bowman played a clip on Radio 1 today of David Tennant reading some song lyrics. Click here to listen to it. Updated 16/10
This morning Christian O'Connell played a David Tennant voicemail message. Click here to listen to a podcast of the show which includes the voicemail. Updated 15/10
Click here for a photo of David Tennant from earlier today by Christian O'Connell when they met for lunch. Christian has also tweeted that David Tennant will be co-hosting the Absolute Radio Breakfast Show with him on either Thursday 28th or Friday 29th October, probably with an online Q&A afterwards too. Updated 14/10
BBC Radio Two have added a photo of David Tennant with Graham Norton on Saturday. Updated 12/10
Click here for MP3s of David Tennant on the Jo Whiley Show on Radio One today to promote Single Father. Updated 10/10
Click here for David Tennant's interview on the Graham Norton Show earlier today. As well as Single Father, they spoke about Fright Night, Hamlet and Decoy Bride. Updated 9/10
David Tennant will be interviewed on The Graham Norton Show on Radio 2 sometime between 10am and 1pm today. Updated 9/10
Click here to listen to David Tennant's interview on Woman's Hour today. Updated 8/10
Click here to view video of David Tennant on the Christian O'Connell Show today. Updated 7/10
Click here to listen to David Tennant's interview and for photos of him on the Richard Bacon Show on Radio 5 Live this afternoon. Updated 7/10
After Heart and then Absolute Radio David Tennant moved to the BBC to record his slot for tomorrow's Woman's Hour on Radio 4 (broadcast tomorrow at 10am). Updated 7/10
Click here to listen to David Tennant's interview and for photos of him on Absolute Radio this morning to promote Single Father. Updated 7/10
Click here to listen to David Tennant's interview on Heart Radio this morning to promote Single Father. Updated 7/10
David Tennant will be interviewed on Heart Radio Breakfast Show and then on Absolute Radio Breakfast Show this morning sometime between 7.30am and 10am. He will then record Woman's Hour before being interviewed on the Richard Bacon Show on Radio 5 Live sometime between 2pm and 4pm. Updated 7/10
DavidTennantOnTwitter.com have heard from Woman's Hour who have confirmed that their interview with David Tennant will be broadcast on Friday (and recorded tomorrow). Updated 6/10
Click here for a MP3 of an interview with Single Father writer Mick Ford where he discusses the drama and his admiration for David Tennant as an actor. Updated 5/10
In a change of schedule David Tennant will be on the Christian O'Connell Show on Absolute Radio on Thursday morning now and not Friday. Updated 5/10
Click here to listen to a MP3 of the review of David Tennant's drama Single Father on Front Row tonight. Updated 4/10
David Tennant will be interviewed on the Richard Bacon show on BBC Radio 5 Live on Thursday 7th October at 2pm. Updated 4/10
On Front Row on BBC Radio 4 at 7.15pm tonight Sarah Crompton and Kirsty Land will review Single Father. Updated 4/10
David Tennant is confirmed for Friday this week on the Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show. See this link for all of David's media appearances to promote Single Father this week. Updated 4/10
David Tennant will be on the Graham Norton show on Radio Two on Saturday 9th from 10am. Updated 2/10
On Tuesday 5th October at 1.15pm The Culture Caf� on BBC Radio Scotland will preview Single Father. Updated 2/10
September 2010
David Tennant and Suranne Jones will be on the Jo Whiley Show on Radio 1 on Sunday 10th October sometime between 1pm and 4pm to discuss Single Father. Also Christian O'Connell gave quite a large hint that David Tennant would be on his breakfast show sometime next week. See here for full details. Updated 27/9
David Tennant can currently be heard several times each weekday on ITV at 2pm as Learn Direct sponsor the programme 60 MInute Makeover and David voices those adverts. Click here to listen to an example. Updated 8/9
MP3s of two of David Tennant's old radio plays have been added to the website. Click here for Paint Her Well from 1996 and here for The Rotters' Club from 2003. Updated 5/9
August 2010
Single Father was discussed on BBC Radio Two at this link at 2 hours 41minutes. They say "people who has seen it say it's fantastic." Updated 28/8
A David Tennant narrated audiobook for charity has been released today. See here for more details. Updated 19/8
On her show today Jo Whiley broadcast a short clip of David Tennant which she had found from a while ago. Click here to listen to it. Updated 15/8
July 2010
BBC News reports on David Tennant and Decoy Bride filming in Scotland (including a photo) at this link plus there is an audio interview from the set yesterday at this link . Updated 15/7
For those outside UK, the audio from the new ITN David Tennant video is available at this link (until it appears on YouTube!). Updated 9/7
Click here to listen to a 5 minute interview that David Tennant gave exclusively to to More Music 3FM while he was filming yesterday on the Isle Of Man for his forthcoming movie Decoy Bride. It includes the amazing line "Do gods go to the loo?" Updated 8/7
April 2010
The second part of the David Tennant read Doctor Who audiobook Pest Control is being given away in today's Telegraph. See here for more info. Updated 26/4
The David Tennant read Doctor Who audiobook Pest Control is being given away in today's Sunday Telegraph. The second part will be in tomorrow's Daily Telegraph. See here for more info. Updated 25/4
There was a review of Hamlet this morning on Radio 2 by Andrew Collins as the Blu-Ray version is being released. Click here to listen to the review. (It lasts about 4 minutes.) Updated 24/4
The Telegraph is giving away copies of the Doctor Who audiobook Pest Control read by David Tennant on Sunday 25th & Monday 26th April according to writer Peter Anghelides . More details are here . Updated 14/4
David Tennant is the voice-over for Eddie Izzard's Labour Party video. Click here to view it. David's voice-over is at the end of the video. Updated 16/4
David Tennant provides the voice-over for this new video for the Scottish Labour Party. Updated 14/4
Click here to see the new Labour Party video featuring David Tennant's voice at the end. Updated 11/4
March 2010
David Tennant's TV film Einstein and Eddington has its US premiere on HBO at 9pm tonight. There will be repeat viewings after this. Updated 23/3
Last night a fourth episode of Eddie Izzard: Marathon Man aired on BBC1 at 10.25pm. It was a highlights programme from the three episodes shown on BBC3 and was narrated by David Tennant. Click here to listen to a MP3 of the audio. Updated 22/3
David Tennant is doing the voice for a character called Spitelout in the new Dreamworks movie called How To Train Your Dragon. See here for more info and a featurette. Updated 21/3
Click here to see the video for the CuisineArt soup-maker advert (David Tennant does the voice-over) which is currently being shown on UK television. Updated 21/3
The David Tennant narrated We Are Astronomers short film will be shown at the Northern Lights Film Festival tonight in Newcastle. See here for more details. Updated 21/3
Tonight a fourth episode of Eddie Izzard: Marathon Man will be aired on BBC1 at 10.25pm. It is narrated by David Tennant and will be a selection of highlights from the three episodes screened on BBC3 over the past three weeks. Updated 21/3
Tonight the third episode of Eddie Izzard: Marathon Man aired on BBC3 at 10.30pm. It is narrated by David Tennant and will be repeated several times this coming week. Click here to listen to a MP3 of the audio. Updated 18/3
Click here for a MP3 of David Tennant narrating the documentary Diet Or My Husband Dies which was shown on BBC1 last night. Updated 16/3
David Tennant will be narrating part of an audio book for two wildlife charities. See here for more info. Updated 15/3
Click here to download a MP3 of David Tennant narrating My Life: Karate Kids. Updated 13/3
Click here to listen to the audio of David Tennant narrating the second of three episodes of the series Eddie Izzard: Marathon Man. Updated 11/3
David Tennant is doing a voiceover for the Scottish SPCA Click on the embeded video at this link to hear him. Updated 11/3
David Tennant is narrating another documentary. It is called Diet or My Husband Dies and will be broadcast on Monday 15th March on BBC1 at 10.35pm (11.05pm in Northern Ireland and at 11.15pm in Wales). See here for more details. Updated 9/3
Click here to download a MP3 of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men starring David Tennant. Updated 7/3
Today is the premier broadcast of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men starring David Tennant at 3pm on Radio 4. Updated 7/3
Following the earlier posts here about David Tennant narrating Eddie Izzard: Marathon Man, click here to listen to the audio of the first of the three episodes of the series. Updated 5/3
Click here to listen to the most important part of the David Tennant / Eddie Izzard / Sport Relief documentary. Updated 5/3
Unexpectedly David Tennant was heard narrating the documentary Eddie Izzard: Marathon Man tonight at 10.35pm on BBC3. See here for details about when this episode will be repeated and the second episode will be shown. Updated 4/3
David Tennant will be narrating a TV programme about Cerebra on Saturday 13th March at 11.30am on BBC2. See here for more details. Updated 4/3
The David Tennant narrated Doctor Who audio CD Dead Air is released today. See here for more details and how to purchase it. Updated 4/3
Next week's Radio Times lists Of Mice And Men as their programme of the week. See here for more information and here for a section on Of Mice And Men. Updated 3/3
Click here to download the MP3 of all of Murder in Samarkand and here for more information about the radio play. Updated 2/3
February 2010
The Independent has a review of Murder in Samarkand. Updated 21/2
Following the broadcast this afternoon of Murder in Samarkand on Radio 4, Craig Murray writes about his reaction, has the link to the play on iPlayer and a quip about David Tennant. Updated 20/2
Craig Murray on Murder in Samarkand which is being broadcast today at 2.30pm. Updated 20/2
Click here to see photos of David Tennant recording Of Mice And Men which will air on 7th March at 3pm on BBC Radio 4. Updated 19/2
Craig Murray has added a transcript of the David Hare interview from Front Row to his website (plus he links to the recording by DavidTennantOnTwitter.com!) Updated 16/2
Both an interview with David Hare and a trailer for Murder In Samarkand have been added to the Radio page of this website. Updated 15/2
Craig Murray talks about David Tennant playing him in the radio play Murder In Samarkand on Saturday in a Daily Mail article here . Updated 14/2
Click here to listen to David Tennant's intro for the Elaine Paige radio show which was broadcast this afternoon. Updated 7/2
Click here to hear David Tennant's voice-over from the latest Wii advert. Updated 7/2
The BBC have issued a press release about the David Hare radio play Murder In Samarkand which David Tennant stars in on Saturday 20th February. Click here to read the press release and some photos of David Tennant with David Hare. Updated 5/2
David Tennant is voicing a NewsRound Special about staying safe on the Internet. It is called Caught in the Web and will be shown at 4.55pm on BBC1 on Tuesday 9th February and at 6.30pm on the CBBC Channel on the same day. It will then be repeated on the CBBC Channel at 5pm on Saturday 13th February, plus a longer version will also be shown at 11am on BBC2 on Thursday 11th February 2010. Click here to hear an audio clip of David Tennant from the show and here for the full BBC press release. Updated 4/2
The Guardian has a positive review of David Tennant and Catherine Tate's stint of The Jonathan Ross Radio Show last Saturday on Radio Two online here . More info about this can be found on David_Tennant on Twitter @Blogspot.com Updated 4/2
BBC America have a short article about David Tennant in the Murder in Samarkand radio play online here . It also includes a Craig Murray video to give a taster. Updated 4/2
Today The Guardian have an article about the David Hare play Murder in Samarkand which David Tennant recorded last week. It airs on Radio 4 on Saturday 20th February. Updated 1/2
January 2010
The Daily Mail mentions David Tennant and Catherine Tate hosting The Jonathan Ross show on Radio 2 yesterday in this article and say that Jonathan tweeted afterwards "Big thanks to David and Catherine for stepping in." (There is a slight error in the article as we knew on Thursday David would be hosting the show.) Updated 31/1
All the David Tennant and Catherine Tate sections of their hosting of the Jonathan Ross Show on Radio Two today have been added to the Radio page of DavidTennantOnTwitter.com . Updated 30/1
David Tennant and Catherine Tate record the Jonathan Ross Radio 2 Show today (it will be broadcast tomorrow). See here for more info. Updated 29/1
According to a tweet by William Bowerman of the band La Roux, it appears that David Tennant and Catherine Tate will be hosting the Jonathan Ross Show on Radio 2 again this Saturday (30th). Updated 28/1
A new Doctor Who audiobook (which is read by David Tennant) will be released on 4th March 2010. The story is called Dead Air and is written by James Goss. Click here to pre-order it from Play.com for �6.99. Updated 27/1
Craig Murray posted on his Blog yesterday that they completed recording the Radio 4 David Hare play and it is called Murder in Samarkand. It will be broadcast on Saturday 20th February at 2.30pm as part of Radio 4's The Saturday Play series. See this link for more info. Updated 25/1
David Tennant's telephone call to the Christian O'Connell Show on Absolute Radio this morning has been added to the Radio page of this website. David speaks about his NTA award, Rex Is Not Your Lawyer and the Radio 4 drama he is recording today. Updated 21/1
schehera has posted on LiveJournal that David Tennant rang into Absolute Radio this morning to discuss the NTAs last night that that he said he was on his way to do a Radio 4 war on terror drama today. Updated 21/1
A second part of the interview from the Legally Blonde Gala Night was played on the Fearne Cotton Show on Radio One on Thursday 14th. The Radio page of this website has both clips. David talks about Sheridan Smith in the second clip and then they record her reaction to his comments! Updated 15/1
Last night at the Legally Blonde Gala Night, David Tennant was asked about the British paparazzi who photographed him on the set of Rex Is Not Your Lawyer in Los Angeles in December. This clip is David's response which was played on the Steve Wright Show on Radio Two this afternoon. Updated 14/1
A new New Doctor Who audiobook called The Last Voyage (which is read by David Tennant) is released today. Click here for more information. Updated 7/1
| i don't know |
Who did Robin Butler replace as Secretary to the Cabinet and head of the Home Civil Service in 1988? | The Cabinet Secretaries - Mile End Group
The Cabinet Secretaries
About The Project
About the project
The Cabinet Secretary is one of those uniquely British positions in government that exudes power. But how that power is exercised and with what result remain largely a mystery.
Read the interviewers' biographies
Supported by
Lord Robert Armstrong
1979 – 1988
The Rt Hon Lord Armstrong of Ilminster, GCB, CVO entered the Civil Service in 1964. After a three-year period in the Cabinet Office, he joined the Treasury in 1967, becoming Under Secretary the following year. In 1970 he was appointed Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, Edward Heath. He then moved to the Home Office, becoming Permanent Under Secretary in 1977. He was appointed Cabinet Secretary in 1979 and served throughout Margaret Thatcher’s Premiership until 1987.
Lord Robin Butler
1988 – 1998
The Rt Hon Lord Butler of Brockwell, KG, GCB, CVO, PC entered the Civil Service in 1961. He was Private Secretary to Edward Heath between 1972 and 1974, to Harold Wilson between 1974 and 1975, Principal Private Secretary to Margaret Thatcher between 1982 and 1985, and Second Permanent Secretary to HM Treasury between 1985 and 1987. He was Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service from 1988 until 1998 during the Premierships of Margaret Thatcher, John Major and Tony Blair.
Lord Richard Wilson
1998 - 2002
Lord Wilson of Dinton, GCB entered the Civil Service in 1966, joining the Board of Trade. He subsequently served in a number of departments including twelve years in the Department of Energy. He headed the Economic Secretariat in the Cabinet Office under Margaret Thatcher from 1987 to 1990, and after two years in the Treasury was appointed Permanent Secretary of the Department of the Environment in 1992. He became Permanent Under Secretary of the Home Office in 1994 and Secretary of the Cabinet and Head of the Home Civil Service in 1998 until 2002.
Lord Andrew Turnbull
2002 - 2005
Lord Turnbull, KCB, CVO entered the Civil Service in 1970, joining the Treasury. After a two year secondment to the IMF in Washington from 1976 to 1978, he returned to the UK, becoming Private Secretary of Economic Affairs to the Prime Minister between 1983 and 1985. This was followed by his service as Under Secretary to the Prime Minister from 1985 to 1988, and Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister between 1988 and 1992. He consequently returned to the Treasury as Deputy Secretary of Public Finances from 1992 to 1993, becoming Second Permanent Secretary of Public Expenditure from 1993 to 1994. He was then appointed Permanent Secretary to the Department of the Environment, 1994 to 1997, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, 1997 to 1998, and HM Treasury, 1998 to 2002. He was Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service between 2002 and 2005.
Lord Gus O'Donnell
2005 - 2012
Lord O'Donnell joined the Civil Service in 1979 as an economist in HM Treasury. He then served as First Secretary in the British Embassy in Washington DC from 1985 to 1988 when he then returned to HM Treasury as Senior Economic Advisor from 1988 until 1989. Between 1989 and 1990 he was Press Secretary to the Chancellor, Norman Lamont and the Prime Minister, John Major. He was Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service between 2005 and 2011 during the Premierships of Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron.
Sir Jeremy Heywood
2012 - Present Day
Sir Jeremy Heywood, KCB, CVO began his career in the Civil Service at the Treasury. He rose to occupy a range of senior roles, including Head of Securities and Markets Policy and Head of Corporate and Management Change. He also served as Principal Private Secretary to Chancellors Norman Lamont and Kenneth Clarke, before he was appointed Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister from 1999 to 2003. He then spent some time in the private sector as Managing Director and co-head of Morgan Stanley’s UK Investment Banking Division until 2007. Upon returning to the Civil Service, he was appointed Head of Domestic Policy and Strategy at the Cabinet Office, 2007 to 2008, then Permanent Secretary to the Prime Minister from 2008 until 2012, when he became the current Cabinet Secretary.
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About the project
The Cabinet Secretary is one of those uniquely British positions in government that exudes power. But how that power is exercised and with what result remain largely a mystery.
In this series of interviews Cabinet Secretaries past and present speak about life at the centre where the political leadership of the Cabinet and Prime Minister is translated into policy.
They will take you to the heart of things – to the right hand of the Prime Minister at the Cabinet table – which is where the Cabinet Secretary sits and records what is said and what is decided. Their notebooks are being progressively released through The National Archive. Here you will see the men who have wielded that pen.
The position of Cabinet Secretary is just under 100 years old. It was created by David Lloyd-George in December 1916 as a result of the tight government discipline needed to fight a world war.
Since then Britain has had 4 Sovereigns and 21 governments; but only 11 Cabinet Secretaries – 7 of whom have also been head of the home civil service.
So the Cabinet Secretary is a symbol of continuity. Maurice Hankey, the first to hold the position, did so for no less than 22 years, from 1916 to 1938. And 7 of the 11 cabinet secretaries served under more than one Prime Minister – often from different political parties. Conversely, Margaret Thatcher worked with three holders of the post, Tony Blair with four.
The Cabinet Secretaries you will see in these interviews cover the years 1979 to 2013 under Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron. During this time the requirements of the job have varied and there is no fixed job description.
What is required of the Cabinet Secretary depends on the personality of the Prime Minister, their style of leadership, the strength of their political position and their personal political priorities.
At times some were dominant (Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher come to mind); some were consensual, such as John Major; some, like Tony Blair, had a strong personal position. Even so three of the eleven Cabinet Secretaries worked under coalition governments.
If the job has changed, so too has the environment in which government operates; with much higher expectations of openness, tight media scrutiny and generally a much stronger requirement for the Cabinet Secretary (and most permanent secretaries too) to have modern communications skills in a world of 24/7 news.
The Civil Service has lost its monopoly of policy advice. Parliamentary select committees require officials to give evidence in public. There are legions of lobbyists vying for ministerial attention. Some of the mystery surrounding government has gone but we still expect it always to be in control of events.
Henry Kissinger the American Secretary of State once said of Sir Burke Trend who was Cabinet Secretary from 1963 to 1973 that, ‘he made the cabinet ministers he served appear more competent than they could possibly be.’
That is both a tribute and a challenge. Now let’s hear what Sir Burke Trend’s successors have to say
Dr. Ian Beesley
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Which city is home to the Texans NFL team? | EU referendum, then and now: Former cabinet secretary Lord Butler remembers the last time Britain went to the polls over membership of Europe | Civil Service World
EU referendum, then and now: Former cabinet secretary Lord Butler remembers the last time Britain went to the polls over membership of Europe
Written by Lord Butler on 4 February 2016 in Feature
Feature
David Cameron’s dilemma over the EU referendum bears striking similarities – and some notable differences – to that faced by Harold Wilson in 1975, says Robin Butler
The dilemmas faced by the prime minister as he approaches the referendum on the EU membership recall those faced by Harold Wilson in the lead-up to the 1975 referendum.
I was one of the private secretaries in 10 Downing Street in 1975, and was in a position to watch closely Wilson’s footwork. My responsibility was economic issues rather than European and foreign affairs, which were principally dealt with by Patrick Wright, now Lord Wright of Richmond. The principal private secretary, Robert Armstrong, now Lord Armstrong of Ilminster, was also closely involved in the re-negotiations, not least because he was principal private secretary to Edward Heath when the UK’s entry to what was then the European Economic Community (EEC) was negotiated. I was private secretary on duty in London over the crucial weekend of the Paris European Council, which opened the way to the re-negotiation of the terms of the UK’s membership.
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There were, of course, differences between the issues faced by Mr Wilson then and those faced by Mr Cameron today. For one thing, the UK’s economic situation was very different. The hike in the world oil prices had hit our economy hard; inflation and unemployment were high and rising, and union militancy had brought about the downfall of the Conservative government. So, while the referendum was an important event, there were other problems pre-occupying the British public.
Secondly, the EEC was much smaller, so there were fewer partners to negotiate with than the 26 today, and the disparities in wealth between the members were smaller than they now are. In consequence, freedom of movement was not such an issue. The focus was more on the imbalance between what the UK paid into an EEC dominated by the common agricultural policy and what we got out, and the effect on our relations with the Commonwealth, particularly over trade.
Thirdly, the European project was less developed and its tentacles around the lives of its nation members less extended. Finally, only two years or so had passed since the UK’s accession, and so the experience of both the government and the British people generally was more limited.
The division over Europe was one between, and within, the political parties rather than among the public. Even pro-Europeans within the Labour Party took the view that the terms of membership negotiated by the previous Conservative government were disadvantageous to the UK, while other Labour members were against membership on any terms. Conversely, divisions within the Conservative Party existed but were less developed than they are today.
Nevertheless, there were similarities with the present day. The principal one was that there were strongly held differences within the governing party, in that case the Labour Party, and within the Cabinet. There was also reluctance among the other members of the EEC to make substantial concessions to the UK, in that case because the terms of the UK’s membership had been so recently and so toughly negotiated.
In approaching the referendum, Harold Wilson had three objectives. One was to hold the Labour Party together. It was with that objective that he conceded the referendum in the first place and subsequently the “agreement to differ” which allowed members of the Cabinet to campaign on different sides. The second was to secure as great an improvement as he could in the terms of the UK’s membership, particularly on those aspects of which the Labour Party had been critical. The third, which was not apparent in the negotiations at the time but of which I am confident in retrospect, was that he always wanted the outcome to be the UK’s continued membership of the EU. David Cameron no doubt has similar objectives, although the balance between them may be different.
On the third objective – the UK’s continuing membership of the European community – Harold Wilson showed his hand much less than David Cameron has done. True, Cameron has said that, until he has completed his negotiations, he rules nothing out. But he has also said that he hopes to achieve a result that will keep the UK as a member. Harold Wilson did not go that far until the very end of his negotiations. In consequence, right up to that moment, the Europhiles and the Eurosceptics in the Cabinet were competing for his support. This made it easier for him to keep both camps toeing the line.
It was in the final stages of the negotiation that I saw what a deft political operator Harold Wilson was. Over the weekend preceding the start of serious negotiations at the Paris European Council in December 1974, Wilson entertained the German chancellor, Helmut Schmidt, at Chequers. On the following Thursday, at the weekly Cabinet, he told his colleagues what his bottom line was to be in Paris and added that, if he could not get these ambitious-sounding concessions, he would recommend a “no” vote in the referendum. Since the Eurosceptics in the Cabinet – principally Michael Foot, Tony Benn and Peter Shore – thought the achievement of these concessions unlikely, they left the Cabinet meeting in a buoyant mood.
On the evening before he flew to Paris for the Council, Harold Wilson had a longstanding engagement to address the London Labour Mayors’ Association. I doubt whether his audience were aware of the part they were playing in his strategy. At any rate, in his speech he put his statement to the Cabinet the other way round – “If I can get these concessions, I will recommend a ‘yes’ vote”. He then flew to Paris.
I was the duty private secretary that weekend. As soon as Messrs Foot, Benn and Shore read the reports of the prime minister’s speech in the press they saw the trap opening before them. He had left for Paris. My telephone started ringing but it was too late for them to talk to the prime minister. In any case, they had to recognise that what Harold Wilson had said to the Labour mayors was simply the corollary of what he had told the Cabinet.
I have no doubt that he had canvassed the support of Helmut Schmidt over the previous weekend. He concluded from his conversations at that meeting that, though it would not be possible to achieve all the changes proposed in the Labour Party’s election manifesto, it would be possible to achieve changes that could be presented as justifying a vote for staying in Europe.
The negotiations in Paris took a decisive step forward. The heads of government decided to set up a Regional Fund, of which the UK was to receive a quarter of the proceeds. This was something that Labour MPs had been pressing for. The heads of government also laid the foundation for a “correcting mechanism” in the budget. The formula was a complicated one, based on the national income and growth rate of a member state relative to its EEC budget contribution. This was designed to help the UK.
The negotiations were completed at the next meeting of the European Council in Dublin in March 1975. This concentrated on the details of the budget adjustment system and the tonnages of New Zealand cheese and butter which the UK would be allowed to continue to import. The intricacies of the latter must have caused eyes to glaze over, to the extent that the Belgian prime minister complained about the heads of government being “reduced to the level of auditors in a supermarket chain”. Nevertheless the outcome enabled Harold Wilson to claim a negotiating success and it was no surprise when he announced on his return from Dublin that it allowed his government to recommend continued membership of the EEC. The re-negotiation did not require any amendments to the EEC Treaty.
The Labour Party remained split. The Cabinet were divided between 16 for accepting the revised terms and seven against. In a Commons debate following the Dublin Council, a majority of Labour MPs voted against the government’s decision to recommend continued membership, but the Conservatives (now led by Margaret Thatcher) were almost solid in supporting the terms. So the Commons as a whole endorsed continued membership by a large majority, as did the Lords. Thereafter it was a foregone conclusion that the country would support the government’s recommendation, which they duly did in the referendum on 6 June 1975 by 67% to 33%, on a 65% turnout.
Harold Wilson had achieved his three objectives. The anti-marketeers in the Labour Party accepted the result and the party did not split; the terms of the UK’s membership were improved, although some subsequently claimed that the improvements were largely cosmetic; and the UK remained a member of the EEC. People say that, in his second term as prime minister, Wilson was not the force he had been in his first term, but in this episode he showed his mastery as a political tactician.
About the author
Robin Butler, Baron Butler of Brockwell, was principal private secretary to the prime minister from 1979-1985, and cabinet secretary and head of the home civil service from 1988-1998
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Harlech Castle was built during the reign of which king? | Harlech Castle, Edward I and the beginning of the United Kingdom
Harlech Castle, Edward I and the beginning of the United Kingdom
Britain is littered with ancient monuments, relics and stone buildings. They give us many clues about our ancestral heritage, and also provide us with exciting evidence about the historical turning points that actually brought Great Britain into being.
None is more powerful a reminder of Britain's turbulent and war-torn past than Harlech Castle, or a signifier of Wales' formal union with England. It was the focus of at least three revolts and sieges from the 13th century onwards, and was also in dispute during the Wars of the Roses and 17th century Civil War waged between Parliament and the Crown.
But the fortress at Harlech was primarily developed in 1283 to oppress the Welsh and see Wales become a part of a united kingdom. Merciless and ruthless King Edward I built this castle along with many others to ensure that Wales' rebellions and insurrections were readily stamped out and easy to control.
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With gothic-style, impregnable defences in mostly the concentric style, castles in the mould of Harlech were meant to withstand all kinds of siege warfare, and keep marauding armies at bay with just a bare minimum of troops or guardsmen.
Built over the course of 7 years, with an army of around 950 masons, quarrymen and labourers, under the supervision of Master James of St George, the castle was estimated to have cost over �6,000 to build - which would be equivalent to around �13 million today. In fact Edward supposedly spent a collosal �80,000 on all of his 22 castles in North Wales, that he either built from scratch, or refurbished from existing stock, in a bid to compel the Welsh to become a part of a greater Britain.
Harlech Today
In the 21st century, however, the castle betrays nothing of its deeply turbulent past, and it stands impressively, perched on a huge rocky crag, overlooking Tremadog Bay.
From the castle car park, it seems surprisingly compact and its bright stony walls typically glisten in the sunlight. And as said before, it did in fact survive a plentiful number of sieges and battles right up until the Civil War, when the Parliamentarians reduced it to much of its present ruinous state.
Up the narrow wooden staircase (which would previously have been removable), any would-be maurauders would have met with at least 7 other defences after this, including 3 portcullises, several doors and murder holes and so forth, to ensure that any invasions would have been difficult to bring to a successful triumph.
What makes the concentric castle design so interesting is that it allowed a castle to be almost developed within a castle. Harlech, for example, had a line of defensive walls that ran around its perimeter, as it still does today.
However there was a higher, thicker inner wall, which surrounded the keep and inner courtyard and main hall in addition to separate buildings for the bakery and store house and so on. Enemies could easily be seen attacking the outer walls from the higher inner vantage point. There was also an additional level of defence to overcome,beyond the moat, before the castle's inner core or heart could effectively be breached.
The large round towers that Harlech still contains, replete with narrow windows (or loopholes) for firing arrows, were said to have been copied from Saracen fortresses in the Holy Land, which Edward I become well acquainted with during his adventures in the 8th crusade.
The round tower design also made them more difficult to undermine, and the slit-type windows ensured that any enemies were constantly under a stream of fire when they tried to launch an attack or make a bid to take control of the castle for themselves.
When visiting Harlech today, once inside the main part of the castle, people can now walk around on the high-level walkways, on what would have been major ramparts and defensive positions. The windows in the inner sanctum are also much larger, because they were less likely to be compromised or exposed in the event of an attack.
Excellent views of the sea can also be seen from the southern walls. In its glory days, the sea would have lapped at these outer limits. This was meant to have been one of Harlech's major strengths and strategic siege breakers; and there is still a 200 ft� long stairway reaching down to the beach. (This was one of the main access routes that allowed the castle to be readily supplied by sea from either Ireland or Bristol, if and when would-be insurgents or invaders came out to fight - as in the case of the other iron ring castles at Caernarfon, Conwy and Beaumaris).
In fact 21st century-style Harlech, with the high cliff faces interspersed with rows of pretty cottages and compact and bijou houses, is a far cry from the days when the town was in its military prime.
The narrow winding streets, now house attractive and appealing gift shops, antique boutiques, tantalising tea rooms and a public house or two. But in times past, the landscape would have looked quite different.
The town's central square would have been a major assembly point for English troops and the main thoroughfare was likely to have been regularly filled with marching infantry or columns of cavalrymen. Most of Edward's castles were specifically located to be within a day's march of each other.
Solidiers would have guarded access in and out of the town, and free movement would have been restricted and virtually impossible.
Harlech was in fact meant to be a fortified town, that contained English settlers; and the Welsh would have been allowed to visit during daylight hours, but could not sell their own wares, but only buy those on offer from the English.
To all intents and purposes, the town was designed to keep unwanted rebels and invaders out; and more often not was surrounded by the said rebels and invaders wanting to get in.
When under siege, which was a fairly common occurence, it's likely that any number of medieval weapons would have been lined up taking aim at the castle.
These would have included trebuchets (or large catapults) that would fire huge boulders at the castle in a bid to breach its walls. Battering rams, ladders, siege towers, archers and so forth, would all have been key in trying to get the castle to fall to its oppressors.
Meanwhile, from its sturdy walls, it's likely that any number of missiles from hot sand, hot water or Roman fire (petroleum mix that ignited upon contact with the air) would have been pouring down from the ramparts and on to the invaders below.
Archers would have been stationed in the loopholes and have kept a steady stream of fire going in a bid to keep perpetrators firmly cowed and at bay, while at the same time shooting high in to the air with longbows in a bid to catch attackers within a 250 yard range. (But it has to be said that by far the most effective siege weapon was cutting off all supplies into the castle so that its occupants would be forced to surrender or starve).
Indeed Harlech's ramparts and battlements were severely put to the test during Welsh nationlist leader Owain Glyndwrs Revolt from 1400 to 1409. He managed to besiege Harlech Castle and take control of it in 1404 to hold his court there; however, the English in turn besieged him for eight months with a force of around 1000 men, and retook it in 1409.
The decisive battle winner was said to be the arrival of the cannon, which saw the much of the outer curtain walls along the east and south sides destroyed, and the future Henry V became victorious and retook the castle for England once again. The near starvation of Glyndwr's wife and relatives, within the besieged castle, also ensured that an English victory was imminent.
Harlech was also home to the longest siege ever staged in Britain it was said during the War of the Roses, 1461-1470, when the Lancastrian Forces (under Welsh constable Dafydd ap Ieuan) kept the Yorkists and forces of Edward IV at bay for a mere 7 years.
How Harlech came into being�
However, during Edward I's reign, Harlech only ever came into being because of his vehement desire to crush any political enemies or opponents, whatever that might happen to cost.
He had tried to gain the unconditional loyalty and fealty from Welsh prince, Llewelyn ap Gruffyd, or Llewelyn the Last, since he ascended to the English throne in 1274.
He had expected Llewelyn to pay him �3000 for the privelege of being recognised as Prince of Wales, and made stringent demands to be accepted as Wales' supreme overlord.
Llewelyn, however, was aghast at these kingly conditions and calls for hefty annual payments. He had during his the said king's father's reign, Henry III, signed the treaty of Montgomery (in 1267), which had secured what he thought was his irrevocable right to hold the position of Prince of all Wales.
Henry, much to Llewelyn's delight,� had been a much weaker king than Edward turned out to be. He had been beset by problems and power struggles with the leading barons in the country, chief among them had been one Simon de Montfort.
Llewelyn had been able to take advantage of the political turmoil, and pursue his own expansive ambitions within Wales and make de Montfort his political ally.
De Montfort had actually captured the future Edward I in 1264 (at the Battle of Lewes during a baronial induced civil war), and this very fact, may have made Edward less inclined to show any mercy to any of his future combatants or adversaries. This seemed to have led him to take root immediately in any lands he wished to conquer by building a series of solid and virtually impregnable castles - as he did so successfully in Wales.
During the 13th century civil war, Edward eventually managed to escape from the de Montfort's clutches and slaughtered him at the Battle of Evesham in 1265. When he took to the throne officially in 1274, he proved he was determined to brook no opposition to his authority, and, in almost all cases, stamped down hard on any rebellion or insurrection.
However, because Llewelyn had in fact managed to see off most English incursions in to Wales during Henry III's turbulent reign, he perhaps believed he would be able to repeat his success with the newly crowned king.�
He refused to pay homage to him between 1274-1277, or even attend his� coronation in 1274. He was supposed to have said the rights of Wales were entirely separate from the rights of England. He also abhorred the fact that Edward had also covertly been supporting his own brother Dafydd's plot to assassinate him, and carve up his Welsh lands for himself.
This increasingly tempestuous stand-off led to Edward I's incursions into Wales, and the building of his iron ring of Castles, of which Harlech was among the most promiment. Edward wanted to defeat Llewelyn as 'a rebel and disturber' of the peace.
First Welsh Invasion
Edward begain the war by commanding a number of Marcher lords to advance into Wales and surround Gwynedd in preparation for his major war maneouvres from Chester in the summer of 1277.
He also had back-up reinforcements stationed in Montgomery and Carmarthen in a bid to overwhelm Llewelyn's outer defences.
On 15 July, Edward left Chester with 1800 axeman clearning a route through the forests and valleys of North Wales. He had a massive army of 15,600 foot soldier and 800 horsemen and 26 ships on standby to supply provisions to the army.
To show he meant business,when� Edward had advanced as far as the River Conwy by August 20,.he then immediately began the building of what was to become Rhuddlan Castle. He sent his war leader de Vescey to Anglesey to ensure Llewelyn had no easy escape from his mountain fortresses in Snowdonia. And his brother, Edmund was circling Llewleyn in the south. Faced with such overwhelming odds, Llewleyn decided it was better to surrender, which he did on November 1 of that year.
Under the Treaty of Aberconwy, Llewleyn was reduced to a mere prince of Gwynedd; he was however, allowed to marry his intended, Simon de Montfort's daughter, Eleanor, who had been captured by Edward in a bid to punish Llewleyn further.
Further invasions
This major defeat still rankled, however, and while many of the Welsh had been unhappy with Llewelyn's rule, they found Edward's and his appointed overlords even more unbearable and untrustworthy.
Dafydd, Llewelyn's brother, surprisingly enough, launched his own secondary rebellion in 1282 when he took the castle at Hawarden completely by surprise. Llewleyn joined his brother in this revolt, which ultimately proved fatal for them both.
Llewelyn was ambushed and beheaded near Builth Wells in central Wales. His severed head was left to rot on a spike on the gates of the Tower of London. It was crowned for day with a wreath of ivy, to mock him as the Prince of Outlaws, and not the Y Mab Dagoran, or prophecised Welsh Ruler who would one day take to the English throne (this was said to in fact been Pembroke-born Henry VII). Llewleyn's brother fared little better; he was captured and hung, drawn and quartered at Shrewsbury soon afterwards. His head was then sent to join his brother's at the Tower.
Harlech is built
This second invasion, saw Edward extend his castle building programme, which had initially included Rhuddlan, flint, Builth Wells and Aberystwyth, to include the new super-fortresses of Harlech, Caernarfon, Beaumaris and Conwy. Other castles were also upgraded or repaired.
Edward did not want to see any further rebellions, so under the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284, Wales became a part of England, or what could be said to be the beginnings of the United Kingdom. His eldest son, Edward was invested as Edward of Caernarfon and as Prince of Wales in 1301, and since that time, there has been no other prince of Welsh blood holding that title, save for Owain Glwyndwr who crowned himself as such at Harlech in the early 1400s.
Like all Welsh attempts at independence, Glyndwr's was effectively crushed by Henry IV, and his vision of a separate Wales, incorporating much of Cheshire, Shropshire and Herefordshire never came into being.
His initial rebellion had sprung out of land disputes with his neighbouring land-owner Reginald� Grey (3rd Baron Grey de Ruthyn) in Ruthin. Surprisingly, many Welsh people flocked to his cause in a bid to oust the English from Wales once and for all. Scholars at Oxford were said to have left the university to fight as did Welshmen working on the land in Shropshire, Cheshire and Herefordshire. But, Glyndwr's near 15 year revolt eventually came to nought and England's superior manpower and weapons brought about his defeat.
It is said, that he was never actually captured, despite the offer of a royal pardon by Henry V, but instead it was said that he spent the remainder of his days in disguise as a friar on the estate of daughter Alys in rural Herefordshire. And some of his direct descendants to this day will not betray this alleged family secret.
Today, however, all the past tensions between Wales and England are largely forgotten, and a tour around Harlech and its grounds make for an excellent day out for family or friends staying at Glyn-yr-aur.
Re-enactors regularly stage mock battles or one-to-one medieval-style tournaments and combat. Most are more than willing to talk in detail about their weapons and knightly regalia, such as the Knights of Ardudwy, who will actually be putting on displays at Harlech on 29-30 August at Harlech. Another local re-enactment group, the Harlech Society, will also be putting on pageants at� Criccieth Castle on 1 August and Caernarfon on 31 August of 2009. Please see our Events section for more details.
And finally, Edward I's iron ring of castles were in recent years made World Heritage Sites, including Harlech, to pay tribute to them as being among the planet's most outstanding historical monuments, and as such they are well worth the journey to see them.
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Born in Delft in 1632, he painted small detailed domestic scenes notable for their treatment of various tones of daylight. Who was he? | Home » Activities » Castles
Castles
If you want to explore castles then you don’t have to go far – there’s a castle around every corner! Most were built in the 1200’s with the reign of King Edward I.
Caernarfon Castle
Possibly the most famous of Wales’s Castles. Famous for the investiture of Prince Charles as the Prince of Wales. Located in the walled town of Caernarfon just 10 minutes’ drive away. Originally built as a military stronghold, seat of government and Royal Palace.
Conwy Castle
Unbelievably built in just four years, an outstanding achievement of medieval military architecture. Built on rock its battlements give breath-taking views of mountains and sea.
Beaumaris Castle
A great unfinished masterpiece – due to King Edward I running out of money! Located on the Isle of Anglesey just 20 minutes drive away, this well-kept castle has a romantic feel about it.
Criccieth Castle
Originally a castle built for native Welsh Princes, acquired by Edward I through battle it stands high above Tremadog Bay in Criccieth. 45 minute drive.
Harlech Castle
Spectacularly sited with panoramic views of sea and mountains from its high position. A distance of about a 1hrs drive from Ty’n Rhos.
Chirk Castle
A mighty fortress with elegant stately interiors, stunning gardens, woods and wildlife walks. Tea rooms and farm shop. 1 ½ hrs away.
Penrhyn Castle
A modern folly! Located 6 miles away, this castle is stunning. It was built in the 1700’s by an entrepreneur who made his money from Penrhyn Quarry shipping slate to roof the world. It is fully furnished with a very Victorian feel, it also has workshops in a courtyard setting and beautiful informal gardens with picturesque views over the Menai Strait.
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“A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms” is the fourth part of which literary work? | GULLIVER’S TRAVELS AS A SATIRE
GULLIVER’S TRAVELS AS A SATIRE
July 31, 2012
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“Gulliver’s Travels” consists of four parts, each of which is about a different voyage to another strange place. The original title of the book was “Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of several Ships.”.
This work is a famous satire of the contemporary England and its institutions. In it Jonathan Swift uses an ancient satirical device: the imaginary voyage.
Lemuel Gulliver, the narrator, is a surgeon in a ship. He received a good education. He is in fact revealed as a good example of humanity. His personality is quite easy for the reader to identify with.
In the first voyage he is shipwrecked. Swimming, he comes to the empire of Lilliput, where he is a giant among diminutive people. He is at first quite amused by what he confronts there: the tiny people with their little civilization. But later it appears that they are vengeful, cruel, treacherous, ambitious, and malicious.
The second voyage is to Brobdingnag. This is the country of the giants, each of whom is ten times larger than a European. It seems that with this country Swift aimed at portraying the ideal country in his mind; therefore, Brobdingnag is a kind of utopia. It is ruled by a decent prince who is the embodiment of moral and political wisdom. Gulliver’s discussions with this prince contain clever satires of the contemporary British politics and institutions.
In his third voyage Gulliver is in Laputa, the flying island. This part is a clear allegory for the political life in England under the administration of the Whig minister Robert Walpole.
The fourth part takes place in the country of the Houyhnhnms (hwin-ims). Houynhnhms are a race of horses. These horses live by reason. Yahoos, who are their slaves, are mere creatures of appetite and passion. Their bodies look like human shapes but they have no sign of reason.
Gulliver’s travels appealed to everyone, and it still does. It was an interesting story for children, simple enough for them, and a challenging satire for adults, complicated enough to leave them in confusion. In the last chapter of ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ Gulliver says that he has become incapable of telling lies. What is strange about this is the oath he swears in narrating that is in fact a quotation from Sinon, through whose lies the Trojans were persuaded to accept the Trojan horse. Thus, he forces the reader to keep alert, not to be engaged with the surface , but to look for the depths. However, in the end the reader reaches no clear conclusions but left with some fundemental questions like what a human being is, whether we are reasonable beings. In fact this is what Swift aims at: to make the reader think.
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Gulliver's Travels Summary
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Gulliver's Travels Summary
In Gulliver's Travels, Gulliver encounters strange groups, like the Lilliputians and Brobdingnagians. Upon his return to England, he no longer wishes to associate with people, whom he associates with the repulsive Yahoos.
Gulliver's Travels summary key points:
In Gulliver's Travels, Gulliver first travels to the island of tiny men called Lilliputians. He is accused of treason and sentenced to death after putting out a fire with his urine, but escapes before having to face his punishment.
Two months later, Gulliver embarks on a second voyage. This time he travels to the land of the gigantic Brobdingnagians, where he is exhibited like a freak and made to fight animals. An eagle drops him into the sea where he is picked up by a British ship and returned to England.
On his third voyage, Gulliver visits a series of islands devoted to abstract things like mathematics, abstract ideas, and magic.
On his fourth voyage, he visits the land of the Houyhnhnms, who enslave the repulsive human-like Yahoos. He is expelled after the Houyhnhnms deem they cannot have a partly-rational Yahoo like Gulliver.
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Summary of the Novel
In Gulliver’s Travels, Gulliver describes his four voyages. In the first voyage, he is the only person to reach land after a shipwreck. He awakes to find himself tied down by tiny men; these are the Lilliputians. A Hurgo (official) supervises them. Gulliver agrees to cooperate, and is untied and taken to the capital where he meets Lilliput’s Emperor. He agrees to serve the Lilliputians, and is granted partial freedom in return. Gulliver prevents an invasion from Lilliput’s enemy, Blefuscu, by stealing the enemy’s ships and is given a high title of honor. He makes friends and enemies at court and learns details of Lilliputian society. After putting out a fire in the palace by urinating on it, he is accused of high treason through polluting the palace. He is sentenced to be blinded and starved. However, Gulliver escapes to Blefuscu, finds a boat, sails out to sea, and is picked up by an English ship.
Two months after his return to England, Gulliver leaves on his second voyage. He lands in an unknown country to get water and is abandoned. A giant reaper picks him up (he is in the country of the gigantic Brobdingnagians) and takes him to a farmer, who wants him to be on exhibit as a freak. He fights a gigantic cat and other monstrous animals. The Queen of Brobdingnag buys Gulliver and presents him to the King. The farmer’s daughter, Glumdalclitch, who had befriended Gulliver, is hired by the King as Gulliver’s guardian and nurse. Gulliver quarrels with the King’s dwarf, but describes England in detail to the King. Gulliver is carried around in a box and tours the kingdom. He fights birds and animals and finds the King’s Maids of Honor, who undress before him, disgusting him because of their great size. Gulliver’s box is picked up by a gigantic eagle and dropped into the sea; he is picked up by an English ship and returns to England.
Shortly after his return, Gulliver leaves on his third voyage. His ship is captured by pirates, who set him adrift in a small boat. He arrives on the flying island of Laputa, which flies over the continent of Balnibarbi. The people he meets are interested only in abstract speculations. Their king asks Gulliver only about mathematics in England. Gulliver learns that the island is kept flying by magnetism. He travels to Balnibarbi, and he is shown the Academy of Laputa, where scholars devote all their time to absurd inventions and ideas. He then goes to Glubbdubdrib, an island of magicians. The king is waited on by ghosts, and he calls up the ghosts of dead historical characters at Gulliver’s request. He then goes to Luggnagg, where the Struldbruggs who have eternal life but not eternal youth. After spending time in Japan, Gulliver returns to England.
On his fourth voyage, Gulliver is set on shore in an unknown land by mutineers. This is the land of the Houyhnhms: intelligent, rational horses who hold as servants repulsive animal-like human beings called Yahoos. A dapple-gray Houyhnhm who becomes his master is unable to understand the frailties and emotions in Gulliver’s account of England. The Assembly is distressed at the idea of a partly-rational Yahoo living with a Houyhnhm, votes to expel Gulliver. He makes a boat and is picked up by a Portuguese ship. On his return to England, Gulliver is so disgusted with human beings that he refuses to associate with them, preferring the company of horses.
The Life and Times of Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift, dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, was a major figure in literature and politics in both Ireland and England. He was famous in his own time as a witty satirist of many aspects of life. He later became world-famous as the author of a children’s classic, Gulliver’s Travels, which was not originally intended by its author as a children’s book. He was born in Dublin to a well-to-do family partly of English descent, was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and Oxford University, and worked as secretary to the retired politician Sir William Temple. These other experiences acquainted him with the vanity and follies of leading figures in British life. Later, after difficulties in obtaining employment as a clergyman of the Church of England, he increased his acquaintance with fashionable society and acquired the tinge of bitterness that characterizes much of his literary work.
At the beginning of the eighteenth century, Swift (already a fashionable satirist), received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from the University of Dublin and began to write political satires. In 1704, having already published some widely-read political works, Swift became famous with the publication of The Battle of the Books and The Tale of a Tub. Other satirical works spread Swift’s fame to London, which he visited frequently. Swift was a major figure in the Tory party as well as a journalist and writer when, in 1713, he became the dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Anglican (Episcopal) cathedral of Dublin. As dean, he was assistant to the bishop, supervising the cathedral’s day-to-day affairs.
Although he never married, Swift had a long and close friendship with Esther Johnson, known to him as Stella, to whom the published diary called the Journal to Stella was addressed. After becoming dean, Swift met Ester Vanhomrigh, daughter of a wealthy merchant. He called her “Vanessa,” and they too had a close friendship. In 1723, Vanessa, hearing of Swift’s friendship with Stella, died.
Gulliver’s Travels, which Swift began writing by 1720, was published anonymously in 1726. Additional successful satirical works were written in the following years, but as Swift grew old, his health deteriorated. In 1742, after suffering several strokes, he was declared insane. He died several years later in 1745.
Swift’s numerous works, including articles as well as books, attacked many of the evils of his time, particularly political corruption and the oppression of the Irish by the English. His wit and satire attract, amuse, and educate the reader.
Estimated Reading Time
Three weeks should be allowed for the study of Gulliver’s Travels. Two weeks will be required to read the novel, reading four chapters at a sitting. The student should read every day from Monday to Friday. After reading the chapters, the student should answer all study questions in this guide to ensure understanding and comprehension. The essay questions may be used if needed. The fourth week is set aside for reports, projects, and testing as deemed necessary by the teacher.
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Lemuel Gulliver, the title character of Gulliver’s Travels, is a capable, brave, and educated Englishman whose unlucky adventures drive him to sickness and madness. His simple, straightforward way of telling his story suggests that he lacks the imagination to understand what he has experienced.
Gulliver is shipwrecked off the shore of Lilliput and captured by humans only six inches tall. Practical man that he is, he promises to obey their laws controlling him. He finds Lilliput, not unlike Europe, in a state of perpetual and petty disorder. Low-heelers and High-heelers squabble over politics much as do the Whigs and Tories of Swift’s day. Courtiers compete for distinctions by leaping over sticks and other such ridiculous games. Protestants and Catholics are mirrored as Big-enders and Little-enders, who cannot agree on which end of the egg should be cracked first. The war between England and France is parodied in the conflict between Lilliput and its neighbor Blefuscu. Gulliver becomes a hero by wading into the surf and carrying off the tiny Blefuscan navy. When he puts out a fire in the palace by urinating on it, he falls from favor at court and joins the Blefuscans, who help him salvage the wrecked ship in which he makes his escape.
Gulliver’s next voyage takes him to Brobdingnag, the opposite of Lilliput. Proportions are reversed. People stand as tall as steeples. Gulliver is a caged pet exhibited as a freak. The queen buys him and brings him to court, where he is imperiled by the lewd curiosity of the ladies, by a dwarf who nearly drowns him in a bowl of cream, and by a monkey who almost dashes his brains out.
Yet Brobdingnagian society is a utopia, based on useful studies of poetry and history, not on metaphysics, theology, and speculative science, as in Europe. The king rules a prosperous state not torn by strife. In Brobdingnag, a law cannot be written using more than twenty-two words, and to comment on laws is a capital crime. Horrified by Gulliver’s description of England’s government, the king concludes that Englishmen must be “the most pernicious Race of little odious Vermin that Nature ever suffered to crawl upon the Surface of the Earth.”
His third voyage, to Laputa and other islands, is the most fantastic of them all. Gulliver finds himself on the airborne island of Laputa. Its people are devoid of practicality, so lost in abstraction that servants must flap their mouths and ears with inflated bladders to keep their minds on conversations. Though bent upon music, mathematics, and astronomy, they lack reason and cannot construct walls perpendicular to the floor. The monarch is proud of his dominion over the island of Balnibari below. Any mutiny can be literally crushed by dropping Laputa upon it, smashing whole towns. Yet the monarch is reluctant to use this power for fear of cracking Laputa, and, besides, Laputians own country estates on the nether island. Swift here satirizes England’s dominion over Ireland.
At the Academy of Lagado, Gulliver witnesses the absurdities of misapplied scholarship. There, the projectors experiment with building houses from the top down, making pillows out of marble, extracting sunshine from cucumbers, and the like. He visits nearby Glubbdubdrib, where the governor by sorcery summons dead persons back to life for a day. Gulliver thus meets with Alexander the Great, Homer, Aristotle, and René Descartes, who admits his philosophy is confounded conjecture. In Luggnagg, Gulliver views the ghastly spectacle of human immortality. The wretched Struldbrugs live forever, not in perpetual youth but in unending decay. From there, Gulliver makes a short trip to Japan, and thence back to England.
Gulliver leaves behind a pregnant wife to make his final journey to a land ruled by intelligent horses, called Houyhnhnms. These purely rational creatures know neither pride nor passion. Without love or lust, they procreate merely to meet a social obligation. They live in stoical calm, without government and without crime. They are served by a despised underclass of Yahoos, depraved, libidinous creatures quite unlike themselves but strongly resembling humans. Gulliver shares the Houyhnhnms’ disgust and disdain for them. When a lusty Yahoo woman tries to embrace him, he is repulsed. The Houyhnhnms, however, decide that Gulliver must live as a Yahoo or else leave, so he departs on a Portuguese ship with Captain Pedro de Mendez. Still, Gulliver cannot bear the smell of the captain and crew. He shuns their civilities and tries to jump overboard. He arrives in England only under shackles. Now too proud to associate with humans, whom he sees as Yahoos, Gulliver faints when his wife kisses him, and he abandons his family to consort with horses at pasture.
Gulliver himself has become the object of the satire, for he has lost all reason and proportion. The very Houyhnhnms he so admires do him the greatest wrong, but he scorns humanity with irrational pride. Having seen him from so many different perspectives, a reader recognizes that Gulliver’s weaknesses are those of humankind.
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Lemuel Gulliver, a physician, takes the post of ship’s doctor on the Antelope, which sets sail from Bristol for the South Seas in May, 1699. When the ship is wrecked in a storm somewhere near Tasmania, Gulliver has to swim for his life. Wind and tide help to carry him close to a low-lying shore, where he falls, exhausted, into a deep sleep. Upon awakening, he finds himself held to the ground by hundreds of small ropes. He soon discovers that he is the prisoner of humans six inches tall. Still tied, Gulliver is fed by his captors; then he is placed on a special wagon built for the purpose and drawn by fifteen hundred small horses. Carried in this manner to the capital city of the small humans, he is exhibited as a great curiosity to the people of Lilliput, as the land of the diminutive people is called. He is kept chained to a huge Lilliputian building into which he crawls at night to sleep.
Gulliver soon learns the Lilliputian language, and through his personal charm and natural curiosity, he comes into good graces at the royal court. At length, he is given his freedom, contingent upon his obeying many rules devised by the emperor prescribing his deportment in Lilliput. Now free, Gulliver tours Mildendo, the capital city, and finds it to be similar, except in size, to European cities of the time.
Learning that Lilliput is in danger of an invasion by the forces of the neighboring empire, Blefuscu, he offers his services to the emperor of Lilliput. While the enemy fleet awaits favorable winds to carry their ships the eight hundred yards between Blefuscu and Lilliput, Gulliver takes some Lilliputian cable, wades to Blefuscu, and brings back the entire fleet by means of hooks attached to the cables. He is greeted with great acclaim, and the emperor makes him a nobleman. Soon, however, the emperor and Gulliver quarrel over differences concerning the fate of the now helpless Blefuscu. The emperor wants to reduce the enemy to the status of slaves; Gulliver champions their liberty. The pro-Gulliver forces prevail in the Lilliputian parliament; the peace settlement is favorable to Blefuscu. Gulliver, however, is now in disfavor at court.
He visits Blefuscu, where he is received graciously by the emperor and the people. One day, while exploring, he finds a boat from a wreck washed ashore. With the help of thousands of Blefuscu artisans, he repairs the boat for his projected voyage back to his own civilization. Taking some cattle and sheep with him, he sails away and is eventually picked up by an English vessel.
Back in England, Gulliver spends a short time with his family before he boards the Adventure, bound for India. The ship is blown off course by fierce winds. Somewhere on the coast of Great Tartary a landing party goes ashore to forage for supplies. Gulliver, who wandered away from the party, is left behind when a gigantic human figure pursues the sailors back to the ship. Gulliver is caught in a field by giants threshing grain that grows forty feet high. Becoming the pet of a farmer and his family, he amuses them with his humanlike behavior. The farmer’s nine-year-old daughter, who is not yet over forty feet high, takes special charge of Gulliver.
The farmer displays Gulliver first at a local market town. Then he takes his little pet to the metropolis, where Gulliver is put on show repeatedly, to the great detriment of his health. The farmer, seeing that Gulliver is near death from overwork, sells him to the queen, who takes a great fancy to the little curiosity. The court doctors and philosophers study Gulliver as a quaint trick of nature. He subsequently has adventures with giant rats the size of lions, with a dwarf thirty feet high, with wasps as large as partridges, with apples the size of Bristol barrels, and with hailstones the size of tennis balls.
He and the king discuss the institutions of their respective countries, the king asking Gulliver many questions about Great Britain that Gulliver finds impossible to answer truthfully without embarrassment. After two years in Brobdingnag, the land of the giants, Gulliver miraculously escapes when a large bird carries his portable quarters out over the sea. The bird drops the box containing Gulliver, and he is rescued by a ship that is on its way to England. Back home, it takes Gulliver some time to accustom himself once more to a world of normal size.
Soon afterward, Gulliver goes to sea again. Pirates from a Chinese port attack the ship. Set adrift in a small sailboat, Gulliver is cast away upon a rocky island. One day, he sees a large floating mass descending from the sky. Taken aboard the flying island of Laputa, he soon finds it to be inhabited by intellectuals who think only in the realm of the abstract and the exceedingly impractical. The people of the island, including the king, are so absentminded that they have to have servants following them to remind them even of their trends of conversation. When the floating island arrives above the continent of Balnibari, Gulliver receives permission to visit that realm. There he inspects the Grand Academy, where hundreds of highly impractical projects for the improvement of agriculture and building are under way.
Next, Gulliver journeys by boat to Glubbdubdrib, the island of sorcerers. By means of magic, the governor of the island shows Gulliver such great historical figures as Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Thomas More. Gulliver talks to the apparitions and learns from them that history books are inaccurate.
From Glubbdubdrib, Gulliver ventures to Luggnagg. There he is welcomed by the king, who shows him the Luggnaggian immortals, or Struldbrugs—beings who will never die. Gulliver travels on to Japan, where he takes a ship back to England. He has been away for more than three years.
Gulliver becomes restless after a brief stay at his home, and he signs as captain of a ship that sails from Portsmouth in August, 1710, destined for the South Seas. The crew mutinies, keeping Captain Gulliver prisoner in his cabin for months. At length, he is cast adrift in a longboat off a strange coast. Ashore, he comes upon and is nearly overwhelmed by disgusting half-human, half-ape creatures who flee in terror at the approach of a horse. Gulliver soon discovers, to his amazement, that he is in a land where rational horses, the Houyhnhnms, are masters of irrational human creatures, the Yahoos. He stays in the stable house of a Houyhnhnm family and learns to subsist on oaten cake and milk. The Houyhnhnms are horrified to learn from Gulliver that horses in England are used by Yahoolike creatures as beasts of burden. Gulliver describes England to his host, much to the candid and straightforward Houyhnhnm’s mystification. Such things as wars and courts of law are unknown to this race of intelligent horses. As he did in the other lands he visited, Gulliver attempts to explain the institutions of his native land, but the friendly and benevolent Houyhnhnms are appalled by many of the things Gulliver tells them.
Gulliver lives in almost perfect contentment among the horses, until one day his host tells him that the Houyhnhnm Grand Assembly has decreed Gulliver either be treated as an ordinary Yahoo or be released to swim back to the land from which he had come. Gulliver builds a canoe and sails away. At length, he is picked up by a Portuguese vessel. Remembering the Yahoos, he becomes a recluse on the ship and begins to hate all humankind. Landing at Lisbon, he sails from there to England; on his arrival, however, the sight of his own family repulses him. He faints when his wife kisses him. His horses become his only friends on earth.
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In which constellation is Rigel the brightest star? | Rigel: Orion's Brightest Star
Rigel: Orion's Brightest Star
By Elizabeth Howell, Space.com Contributor |
September 19, 2013 06:16pm ET
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Light from the star Rigel reflects off the dust composing the Witch Head Nebula.
Credit: Rogelio Bernal Andreo / NASA
Rigel is a blue supergiant that is the brightest star in the constellation Orion (the Hunter). The star is only 10 million years old, compared to the sun's 4.5 billion, and due to its measured size and brightness it is expected to end in a supernova one day. It also has two known companions, Rigel B and Rigel C.
The star is variable and is considered an Alpha Cygni-type star. (Alpha Cygni is the scientific name for Deneb, the prototype star for this kind of variability.) Its luminosity is so bright that it shines and scatters in an adjacent nebula, called the Witch Head Nebula,which is about 40 Earth-sun distances or astronomical units away.
In science fiction, Rigel's name is on a a number of planets in the Star Trek universe, is mentioned in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and also features in a number of novels, computer games and comic books.
Rigel before modern astronomy
Rigel's name comes from an Arabic phrase, Rijl Jauzah al Yusrāʽ. It means "the left leg of the Jauzah," according to Richard Hinckley Allen's "Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning." It is also sometimes translated as "the left leg of the giant," reportedly referring to the constellation Orion , of which Rigel forms a part. Rigel is more properly known as Beta Orionis.
Scandinavian folklore said that Rigel indicated one of the large toes of Orwandil; the thunder god Thor broke off the other toe when it was frost-bitten, according to a report recorded by Allen.
In Japanese culture, Rigel is sometimes called Genji Boshi and a bright red star in Orion — Betelgeuse — has the name of Heike Boshi. Those names hearken back to the Heian era (794-1192) in Japan, according to an online account by Steve Renshaw and Saori Ihara . (A later version of the account was published in the "Kyoto Journal" in 2000.)
"The legendary war that brought the somewhat artistic and gentle Heian era to a close took place between the Taira (Heike) and Minamoto (Genji) families," the authors wrote.
"The colors of Taira were red, and the colors of the Minamoto family were white. Ultimately, the Minamoto (Rigel) family won the war and moved the capital to Kamakura, ushering in an era of Samurai warriors and leading to centuries of little true peace ... These two bright stars of red and white still do battle with the steepes of the belt holding them apart."
Though they look serene and silent from our vantage on Earth, stars are actually roiling balls of violent plasma. Test your stellar smarts with this quiz.
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Star Quiz: Test Your Stellar Smarts
Though they look serene and silent from our vantage on Earth, stars are actually roiling balls of violent plasma. Test your stellar smarts with this quiz.
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Locating Rigel
Rigel is today known as a class B supergiant. It's close to zero magnitude in Earth's sky, making it a bright star . But Rigel is also intrinsically luminous, shining with the equivalent light of 85,000 suns, according to astronomer Jim Kaler . Its radius is 73 times that of the sun. Rigel's location is:
Right ascension: 5 hours 14 minute 32.3 seconds
Declination: -8 degrees 12 minutes 6 seconds
Rigel to astronomers
Astronomers believe the star is about 10 million years old and that later in its life, it will likely transform into a red supergiant (just like Betelgeuse) and eventually explode into a supernova, Kaler added.
"If and when it does go, it would appear to us as bright as a quarter moon," Kaler wrote.
Rigel also has two distant stellar companions, Rigel B and Rigel C – a binary system. At the ninth magnitude, the combined light of these stars would usually be enough for most telescopes to pick up, but they are too close to the bright Rigel to be easily visible.
Rigel's bright starlight also bounces off a nebula some 40 light-years away, as shown in a picture published in 2012 on NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day website .
"The blue color of the Witch Head Nebula and of the dust surrounding Rigel is caused not only by Rigel's intense blue starlight, but because the dust grains scatter blue light more efficiently than red," NASA wrote. "The same physical process causes Earth's daytime sky to appear blue, although the scatterers in Earth's atmosphere are molecules of nitrogen and oxygen."
Rigel in science fiction
The name "Rigel" is a popular planetary name in "Star Trek," with references to it popping up in multiple versions of the series. The earliest mention of it was in the original 1960s-era pilot, "The Cage", which referred to Rigel VII. Although that episode did not actually air until the 1980s, Rigel VII and much of the footage from 'The Cage" was used in the two-part episode, "The Menagerie."
A few other uses of Rigel:
In Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," Rigel (presumably it is Rigel, as the name "Orion Beta" is used) was the site of madranite mining belts.
Several computer games of the 1980s and 1990s, such as "Rescue at Rigel,""Rigel's Revenge" and"Duke Nukem II."
A Season 2 episode of "The Simpsons," "Hungry Are the Damned", where the family is temporarily kidnapped by a couple of aliens from Rigel IV.
In comic book series such as "Justice League," "Thor," "Transformers" and "Monty."
Author Bio
Elizabeth Howell, Space.com Contributor
Elizabeth Howell is a contributing writer for Space.com who is one of the few Canadian journalists to report regularly on space exploration. She is pursuing a Ph.D. part-time in aerospace sciences (University of North Dakota) after completing an M.Sc. (space studies) at the same institution. She also holds a bachelor of journalism degree from Carleton University. Besides writing, Elizabeth teaches communications at the university and community college level. To see her latest projects, follow Elizabeth on Twitter at @HowellSpace .
Elizabeth Howell, Space.com Contributor on
Latest on Rigel: Orion's Brightest Star
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Born in Paris in 1848, he pained many pictures of Polynesian life and died in the Marquesas Islands in 1903. Who was he? | A Tale of Two Stars: The Inside Story of Orion's Belt
A Tale of Two Stars: The Inside Story of Orion's Belt
By Joe Rao, SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist |
February 14, 2012 02:43pm ET
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Orion is the brightest and most beautiful of the winter constellations. Some of its stars, including Betelgeuse and Rigel, are among the brightest stars.
Credit: Starry Night Software
Standing upright and shining down upon Earth on these midwinter nights is the brightest and grandest of all the constellations: Orion, the Mighty Hunter.
Currently, Orion can be easily seen by skywatchers with clear weather as a star pattern standing high in the southern sky at around 8 p.m. local time.
Three bright stars in line in the middle of a bright rectangle decorate Orion's belt , which points northward to the clusters of the Hyades and Pleiades of Taurus, and southward to the Dog Star, Sirius. Above and below the belt, we also find two immense stars, Rigel and Betelgeuse .
Rigel (the "Left Leg of the Giant"), is a blue-white supergiant star, one of the rarest breeds in our galaxy. But with their enormous brilliance — up to 100,000 times as bright as the sun — blue-white supergiants remain conspicuous over great distances.
In contrast, red supergiants like Betelgeuse ("The Armpit of the Giant") are gigantic bloated globes of cooler gas. If such a star were to replace the sun in the solar system, it might extend beyond Mars' orbit. [ Gallery: The Splendor of the Orion Nebula ]
Star at its prime
Rigel is one of the most intrinsically luminous of all stars and one of the hottest, apparently just reaching the prime of its life in the time span of a star and literally "burning the candle at both ends." It has been computed that Rigel's luminosity is something like 57,000 times that of the sun. The star is about 773 light-years away.
In stark contrast, bright red Betelgeuse is near the end of its career . It is located 522 light-years away, but does not shine with a steady light.
Betelgeuse is a "pulsating" star , expanding and contracting spasmodically with a diameter that varies from 550 to 920 times that of the sun, but so irregular are these pulsations that no one can predict exactly when it will expand or contract. In trying to describe Betelgeuse many years ago, Henry Neely, a lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium, once noted that it is "like an old man with his strength almost entirely spent, panting in the asthmatic decrepitude of old age."
Stars produce their energy by fusing hydrogen into helium deep within their cores. When a star accumulates sufficient helium in its core, its energy output increases significantly, and it swells into a red giant or supergiant, like Betelgeuse. This is what Rigel will become in a few million years.
In such stars, the core produces successively heavier elements to balance the incessant crush of gravity. But once the core begins creating iron, a star's days are numbered; the formation of elements heavier than iron consumes rather than produces energy.
Eventually, since the core can no longer support the star's vast weight, it collapses, triggering a cataclysmic supernova explosion. Betelgeuse is in its final stage and could explode in only a few million years.
Skywatcher Per-Magnus Heden wondered if the Vikings gazed at the same starry sky, which includes the constellation Orion at bottom, when he took this photo in Feb. 2011.
Credit: P-M Hedén/TWAN
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What is the name of the consumer affairs programme broadcast on Radio 4 from 12.04pm each weekday? | BBC - Press Office - You and Yours innovation
Since the beginning of April BBC Radio 4's You And Yours has been asking listeners to vote for the most significant technological innovation since 1800 and what they would most like to disinvent.
The answers, revealed in tomorrow's programme (Thursday 5 May, 12.04pm) are the bicycle and GM foods.
The washing machine emerged as listeners' favourite technological invention for the home.
The humble bike beat such technological innovations as electro-magnetic induction ring (which gave us the means to harness electricity), the internal combustion engine and the germ theory of infection (which gave rise to vaccination as we know it today).
The survey was launched on Friday 1 April on Radio 4's flagship consumer affairs programme, taking up the theme of this year's Reith Lectures: The Triumph Of Technology, given by Lord Alec Broers.
Experts from the field of science and technology as well as listeners were asked for their nominations.
Expert nominees included Sir Arthur C Clarke, the creator of Dolly the sheep - Professor Ian Wilmut, Professor Heinz Wolff, Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe and Baroness Susan Greenfield.
Transistor Radio
Visitors to the You and Yours website were also asked to complete an online survey, designed to investigate attitudes towards technology.
Participants were asked which innovation they'd most like to disinvent (GM foods came top with 26% of the vote, followed by nuclear power at 19%).
The piece of technology that most people would like to see invented is an AIDs vaccine (35%) with interplanetary commuter transport lagging behind at 15%.
When it came to voting for a technological innovation that was of most use in the home, 34% of listeners voted for the washing machine, with central heating coming second with 25% of the vote.
Looking ahead to the regulation of technological advancement, 43% said it should be down to independent international bodies.
Lord Alec Broers announces the results of the vote and survey on You and Yours on Thursday 5 May at 12.04pm on Radio 4.
Notes to Editors
1. You And Yours is BBC Radio 4's flagship consumer affairs programme, broadcast every weekday between noon and 1.00pm.
Presenters include Liz Barclay, Winifred Robinson, John Waite, Peter White and Sheila McClennon.
bbc.co.uk/youandyours
2. Listeners were invited to vote via the website or by phone on 0870 444 3900 between Monday 18 and Friday 22 April on the following question: What has been the most significant technological innovation since 1800?
3. An online survey was made available from the same day which asked the following questions: What technology would you most like to see invented? What technology would you most like to see disinvented? What technological innovation is of most practical use in your home? Which technological change has given the greatest benefit to society? If you could only take one piece of technology to your Desert Island, what would it be? Who should regulate the development of new technology?
4. The Reith Lectures were inaugurated in 1948 by the BBC to mark the historic contribution made to public service broadcasting by Sir John (later Lord) Reith, the corporation's first Director-General.
John Reith maintained that broadcasting should be a public service which enriches the intellectual and cultural life of the nation.
It is in this spirit that the BBC each year invites a leading figure to deliver a series of lectures on radio.
The aim is to advance public understanding and debate about significant issues of contemporary interest.
The very first Reith lecturer was the philosopher Bertrand Russell who spoke on Authority and the Individual.
| You and Yours |
Into which body of water does the River Nene drain? | BBC Radio 4 - Everything2.com
BBC Radio 4
Sat Jan 06 2007 at 20:15:42
BBC Radio 4 - A feast in audio form
BBC Radio 4 is an astonishing radio station broadcast in the UK . It is consistent in quality and varied in content. It does not assume you're stupid or have a short attention span. There are no advertisements ; little music— but there is a general atmosphere of quiet erudition. Radio 4 remains an outpost of the old Reithian ideal of broadcasting as a public service - to Educate, Inform and Entertain.
It is my near-constant companion in the home; I listen to Radio 4 almost continuously, only turning to music stations (or in extremis, television ) occasionally. I have a radio in the bedroom, living room , kitchen and bathroom . Radio 4 is the last thing I hear before putting out the light at night, and the first thing I listen to before getting up. It makes doing the ironing tolerable. The familiar voices and schedule are a sort of comfort blanket for the mind; an armchair for the intellect and an exercise bike for my opinions and pet peeves.
It's slightly pompous, slightly left -leaning, slightly dismissive of British institutions, slightly complicit with them, slightly staid and slightly forward-looking- it could be considered the voice of the nation. Or at least the middle class part. Or at least the English middle class part. It's programmes are of such high-quality that they transcend their target audiences; Women's Hour 's audience is 40% male; people enjoy Gardener's Question Time even if they've never picked up a trowel.
It has a unique role in the UK's nuclear defence strategy. If a submarine captain can neither establish contact with commanders nor pick up Radio 4, he is to assume that the country has been destroyed and act accordingly. In a potentially very direct way, Radio 4 is therefore the vital sign of the nation and the miner's canary for nuclear apocalypse. The BBC puts great efforts into their broadcast reliability nines.
How to Get It
BBC Radio 4 broadcasts in the UK on FM , Long Wave and Medium Wave , via DAB and terrestrial and satellite digital TV. Occasionally the Long Wave signal differs from the rest of the network to include church services and ball-by-ball cricket commentary ( Test Match Special ).
Several programmes are also available after broadcast on the Flash -based BBC iPlayer or MP3 files with podcast feeds- but usually only for a week after the initial broadcast. They have come a long way since Patrick Moore used to read out URLs saying "stop" instead of "dot".
The Best of Radio 4
Some of my personal favourites or otherwise notable programmes are described below:
The Today Programme — Monday to Saturday's morning news magazine programme. It has made a feature of combative interviews with government minister s and opposition spokesmen, but it also features in-depth news coverage with a dignified and authoritative air. Also, sports reports with none of that. The Today Programme really sets the news agenda for all media for the next 24 hours; a real case of "you heard it here first". The Today Programme is as much part of the UK's political system as green leather benches.
Start The Week— A discussion programme covering several important current issues from the spheres of politics , culture and science . The panel will include leaders from each of those fields; and the programme excels in allowing the brightest minds from one field the chance to quiz the opinion-formers from another.
In Our Time— An academic debate show of staggering ambition, which it often realises. Each week a panel of experts explore a topic from every angle; they are informative without being condescending, and manage to illuminate topics without assuming much pre-existing knowledge from the listener. This week, the topic was Jorge Luis Borges , with an Oxford professor of Spanish and a University of California professor of comparative literature. Previous topics have included the Great Exhibition , the number zero , the Diet of Worms , Hell , the Graviton , and Uncle Tom's Cabin . All past programmes can be listened to in full on the BBC Website- a remarkable resource.
From Our Own Correspondent— The BBC employs correspondents all over the world to report back on news wherever it happens. From Our Own Correspondent broadcasts reports about the daily lives of people in those countries whenever there is no particular international news event in the spotlight.
Desert Island Discs — Talk show in which a guest is asked to pick several recordings, books and luxury items that would see them through a lifetime stranded on a desert island.
I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue — Comedy panel game, in which some of the grand old men of British comedy and a handful of comparative newcomers compete to do silly things; like singing one song to the tune of another or coming up with new definitions. The quality and inventiveness of the innuendo , and the studied surliness of the (now sadly deceased) octogenarian chairman 's disapproval are timeless and priceless. The home of Mornington Crescent .
The Unbelievable Truth — Another panel game, under the masterful chairmanship of David Mitchell. The panellists take turns to deliver mostly-false lectures and to identify the rare truths within.
Quirky Stuff
As befits a broadcaster with such a long history, Radio 4 has gathered certain eccentricities . Its listenership are very protective of them, and react with fury when one changes or is replaced.
The UK Theme (RIP)— The day's broadcasting used to begin with the UK Theme, a slightly saccharine mash-up of stirring British and Irish folk songs and marches. Arranged by Fritz Spiegl , it featured " Rule Britannia !", " What Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor? " and Trumpet Voluntary , which are regarded as British tunes; the Londonderry Air (the tune of " Danny Boy ") from Northern Ireland, " Annie Laurie " and " Scotland the Brave " from Scotland; Men of Harlech from Wales, and the English " Greensleeves " and " Early One Morning ". It was used from 1973 until its retirement in 2006. There was a considerable controversy surrounding its removal.
The Pips — There is a news broadcast every hour, on the hour. These are preceded by "The Pips", a time signal derived ultimately from the BBC's own atomic clock . It sounds like 5 short beeps one second apart, followed by a longer beep on the hour. Since radio signals take time to propagate, (and digital signals take additional time to decode) the pips can actually be late by a significant fraction of a second, depending on where you listen. But the Pips serve another purpose- the BBC's way of saying "A
TTENTION,
ITIZEN;
NEWS!".
The Bongs— Certain news broadcasts, including the ones at 6pm and 12 midnight are prefixed by a live relay of the chimes of Big Ben. Yes live. Occasionally sirens or the chanting of protesters at parliament are broadcast alongside.
The Shipping Forecast — A 5 minute broadcast of weather reports and storm warnings for shipping in the waters around the UK. It is gibberish for most listeners, but vital information for sailors. It has a poetic rhythm, and the various shipping regions have romantic names. It evokes those in peril on the sea while the listener is tucked up in bed. It also has a distinctive, specially-written theme tune called " Sailing By ".
Thought For The Day — The Today Programme is a robust news and current affairs show. Politicians from any party can expect to be handled pretty roughly. However, an odd moment of calm is provided at about 7.45 each morning; a 5 minute sermon by an invited member of a monotheistic religion; a bishop is the usual choice, but laypeople , rabbi s and imam s are not uncommon. At its worst it's a wry look at modern life with a last-minute "that's a bit like Jesus/Moses/Mohamed" tacked on at the end. But sometimes "Thought For The Day" does live up to its name.
Test Match Special — When the England Cricket Team is in action in a test match , the Long Wave Radio 4 signal is given over to Test Match Special , a day-long, ball-by-ball commentary on the contest. When rain stops play, the commentators talk affably about whatever occurs to them. The Long Wave signal makes the whole thing sound like a old 78 record. The schedule on FM continues as usual.
The National Anthem — Another incongruous moment is provided by The Today Programme. Just before the 8am pips, one of the presenters will say "Today is the Birthday of Her Majesty the Queen"; the surprised listener will then hear a drum-roll and the National Anthem . Other key members of the royal family are honoured in this way. A high-tempo rendition of "God Save the Queen" is also heard at the end of each day's broadcast.
The Archers — A daily 15-minute soap opera set amongst rural folk in the fictional village of Ambridge . This programme began life in 1950 as a drama aimed at the farming community. Britain's food production had not yet recovered from the war, and The Archers storylines were used to introduce information about high-yield farming techniques to the rural listener. Nowadays it's a regular fixture, and is mainly enjoyed by soft-handed urbanites who enjoy the west country accents and vague insights into modern country life.
A Typical Weekday
Up with the larks...
The Radio 4 day begins at 5.20am with the first Shipping Forecast . A news report, schedule description and some trails for upcoming programmes follow; then a Prayer For The Day, and a farming bulletin. Then it's time for the station's main current affairs show, The Today Programme which runs until 9am. Next up is usually a panel discussion programme; the best of which are Start the Week , The Moral Maze and In Our Time . A dramatic reading from the Book of the Week fills the time until 10am, when begins the famous Woman's Hour ; a pair of documentaries or a comedy round off the morning.
Let's do lunch...
The afternoon begins with the consumer affairs programme, You and Yours - described by Dead Ringers as "an hour of nagging and fretting", which is not far off the mark. News magazine The World At One follows before an episode of a themed documentary series (this week's haul included a look at how landscapes affect history, the suitability or otherwise of the national anthem , souped-up cars, then men who soup them up and the women who love them; and the countryside), except on Fridays, when the slot is occupied by a media panel discussion called The Message .
Afternoon, all...
At 2pm, every day for the remainder of human history The Archers will be broadcast; then the Afternoon Play provides some varied drama. At 3pm comes a themed magazine programme, covering personal finance, the natural world, gardening ( Gardeners' Question Time ), health or the environment. A pair of short programmes such as dramatic readings or personal musings lead to a themed documentary at 4pm; this week being The Food Programme on Italian ox -meat, Word of Mouth on etymology , Thinking Allowed and All In the Mind on psychology, Bookclub on modern literature, The Last Word obituary programme, and others.
Twilight, when the lights are low...
From 5pm to 6.30 come the PM news magazine and the more formal Six O'Clock News. After all that education and information comes the entertainment; 6.30 during the week is comedy time; popular, long-running shows like Just a Minute , I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue and The News Quiz rub shoulders with newer efforts like The Personality Quiz , The Now Show and Dead Ringers . Many former Radio 4 comedy programmes from this slot have gone on to great success on TV or in the cinema, such as The Mighty Boosh , The League of Gentlemen and Dead Ringers . A repeat of The Archers follows at 7pm; and at 7.15 we are treated to Front Row , an excellent cultural review programme with news of the latest literature, stage productions, TV programmes, and movie s. A short serialised drama takes the listener up to 8pm.
Into the night...
From then it's more documentaries, this time with more of a current affairs or investigative journalism flavour. This is the home of the prestigious File on Four programme, which is often about problems facing public services, Crossing Continents on life in other countries. On Fridays, Any Questions? pits a panel of politicians, journalists and commentators against a live audience of questioners from the public in a church hall or school gymnasium somewhere in the country.
Bedtime?
The night-time schedule is again news-orientated, beginning at 10pm with The World Tonight , and including a repeated documentary or magazine programme from during office hours . Radio 4 takes the unusual step of telling you when to go to bed, by means of Book at Bedtime , a dramatic reading taken from a current novel. This is broadcast at 10.45pm, in case you were wondering when you should be tucked up. A comedy programme follows this, and it's usually a little more risque than the day-time comic fayre. When parliament is sitting, a half-hour programme of highlights from the days debate, Today in Parliament , is broadcast at 11.30. Then there's a half-hour news and weather bulletin from midnight; a repeat of Book of the Week , and the latest Shipping Forecast . At 1am, BBC Radio 4 shuts down for the night, and is replaced by the BBC World Service until 5.20.
Weekend Programming
On Saturdays and Sundays, the basic layout of the day is similar; and repeats from the past week are common. This is fair enough, since the weekend listenership has likely been at work during the original broadcasts.
Saturday's original programming includes new chat show Saturday Live (a new replacement for the much-loved Home Truths , a show of family anecdotes); travel programme Excess Baggage , and From Our Own Correspondent , consisting of several submissions from BBC news correspondents covering everyday life across the world. A repeat of Any Questions? is followed by Any Answers , a live phone-in covering the same topics. In the early evening comes Loose Ends , a witty showbiz roundup featuring the stars of the London stage and a few live musical acts. There is a summary of the best of Woman's Hour called Weekend Woman's Hour .
On Sunday, the "Prayer of the Day" is replaced by a peal of church-bells from a different parish . The magazine programmes include the religiously themed, yet inclusive Something Understood , presented by Indian Anglican Mark Tully . An actual complete church service is broadcast instead of The Today Programme . But religious programming does not dominate. Sunday is also home to the famous Desert Island Discs , a Classic Serial drama, children's magazine Go4It , In Business (in which the avuncular Peter Day is in turns confused and enthused by the latest trends from the IT and business worlds), Feedback airs listeners comments on all BBC broadcasting; and a look back at the week in parliament takes place in the Westminster Hour . Sunday mornings also include a gruelling omnibus edition of The Archers - a back-to-back repeat of all episodes from the last 7 days.
History of Radio 4
The origins of Radio 4 go back to the foundation of the British Broadcasting Company (now "Corporation") in 1922. The first broadcasts were from Marconi 's London studios; and within a few years the whole UK could receive the programming. Its general manager in those days was John Reith , later Sir John, Lord Reith. The BBC concept of an independent broadcaster, free from political and commercial influence was his idea. Reith was able to defend the BBC's political independence even during the General Strike of 1927, in the teeth of opposition from Winston Churchill . In these early days, they broadcast plays, classical music , talks and lectures, and entertainment programmes. The BBC provided two radio services, the BBC National Programme¹ from London ; and BBC Regional Programming (from 6 regional centres).
In 1932, they moved to a custom-built headquarters, Broadcasting House off Oxford Street in London. They formed an Orchestra and began commissioning new music, such as " Belshazzar's Feast " from William Walton . Light entertainment programmes like ITMA were immensely popular, and the streets emptied while they where on air. During this pre- World War II period, the beeb began its world-wide Empire Service (which is now the BBC World Service ) and national television broadcasts. In 1939 the two home radio services were merged into the BBC Home Service. During the war, news broadcasting became increasingly important; before this newspaper s had successfully lobbied to limit the amount of news available on-air.
In the post-war period, the Home Service continued, and was augmented by a new BBC Light Programme focused on light entertainment , and the BBC Third Programme focused on classical music , jazz , literature, dry cultural anaylsis, Test Match Special, and plays. This left the Home Service broadcasting some music, schools programming, five daily news bulletins, and current affairs analysis. A reorganisation in 1957 reduced the overlap between the three services still further.
In 1967, the whole of BBC Radio was reorganised and the familiar national line up was introduced:
BBC Radio 1 - New pop and rock music service, drawing on the old offshore pirate stations and the more mild-mannered pop music programmes on the old BBC Light Programme.
BBC Radio 2 - Then light music and light entertainment, from the old BBC Light Programme; today offering mainstream pop and rock as well.
BBC Radio 3 - Which inherited the mantle of the old Third Programme, but later retreated to a core of just serious music and drama, leaving the rest to Radio 4.
BBC Radio 4 - Which was a direct descendant of the Home Service, and is described elsewhere.
Various parallel local services, such as BBC Radio Ulster.
BBC Radio 4 has continued without significant changes from that time. Schedule rethinks have come and gone without making a huge impact to their mission. They thrive in the multi-channel digital broadcasting arena, and have embraced MP3 distribution of certain programmes and other Internet -era innovations .
¹ - Up until the 1960s, radio stations were called "radio programmes"; after this time, "programmes" came to be used as the term for individual "shows".
Sources (BBC Links typically feature links to MP3s or Real streams of the programmes):
The BBC Radio 4 website, http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/
The BBC Story, http://www.bbc.co.uk/heritage/story/index.shtml
Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Radio_4 (middling, even by their standards)
The Uk Theme, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Theme
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Justin Timberlake has spent three weeks at number one this year with which song from the album “The 20/20 Experience”? | Justin Timberlake's '20/20 Experience' Tops Billboard 200 Year-End Albums Chart | Billboard
Justin Timberlake's '20/20 Experience' Tops Billboard 200 Year-End Albums Chart
Tom Munro/RCA Records
Best Bets Albums 2013, Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake's 'The 20/20 Experience' leads the year-end Top Billboard 200 Albums chart , the first time a solo male artist has crowned the tally since 2005. That year, 50 Cent's "The Massacre" (on Shady/Aftermath/Interscope Records) claimed the prize.
Hot 100 | Billboard 200 | Tours
'The 20/20 Experience' (RCA) debuted at No. 1 on the weekly Billboard 200, selling 968,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. At press time, it remains the largest single sales week of the year for an album, and reigns as the year's best-selling title. It spent three weeks at No. 1 and was followed by sequel 'The 20/20 Experience (2 of 2),' which debuted at No. 1 on the Oct. 19 chart.
'The 20/20 Experience' spent 18 non-consecutive weeks in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart (all during the chart year). The album spun-off the singles "Suit & Tie," featuring Jay Z (a No. 3 hit on the Billboard Hot 100), "Mirrors" (No. 2) and "Pusher Love Girl" (No. 64).
Timberlake's No. 1 placing follows two years where Adele's '21' ruled the roost. The English singer's XL/Columbia set marked the first release to go back to back as the year's top album since 1983 and 1984, when Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' (Epic) was No. 1. While she may not be No. 1, Adele is still present on the year-end tally. "21" is, coincidentally, No. 21 on Top Billboard 200 Albums.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Bruno Mars Lead 2013 Hot 100 Chart
As for Timberlake, this is his first turn at No. 1 on the year-end Top Billboard 200 Albums as a solo artist. As a member of 'N Sync, he was No. 1 in 2000 with "No Strings Attached" (Jive).
At No. 2 on the year-end Top Billboard 200 Albums is Taylor Swift's 2012 release 'Red' (Big Machine/BMLG), followed by One Direction's 'Take Me Home' (No. 3, Syco/Columbia), Mars' 'Unorthodox Jukebox' and Mumford & Sons' 'Babel' (No. 5, Gentleman of the Road/Glassnote).
Billboard's year-end Billboard 200 is based on chart performance during the chart year that began with last year's Dec. 1 chart and ended with the Nov. 30, 2013, tally.
| Mirror |
Who plays Madame Thenardier in the 2012 film Les Miserables? | Justin Timberlake on Apple Music
To preview a song, mouse over the title and click Play. Open iTunes to buy and download music.
Biography
Justin Timberlake may be the quintessential pop star of the new millennium, a star who jumped from platform to platform on his way to establishing himself as something bigger than a star: he was a self-sustained empire. Timberlake began his rise as a TV star, performing on The New Mickey Mouse Club as a child in the '90s, but he earned his superstardom as one of the frontmen for *NSYNC, the most popular boy band of the turn of the millennium. Justin stepped away from the band just as its popularity crested, releasing the sleek Justified in 2002, its hit singles "Cry Me a River" and "Rock Your Body" establishing him as a force outside the group, and he consolidated that success in 2006 with FutureSex/LoveSounds, the album that generated his biggest hit, "SexyBack." After reaching this pop peak, he decided to pursue other ventures, choosing to concentrate on acting and entrepreneurship. Recurring appearances on Saturday Night Live proved to be among the show's most popular spots and he received acclaim for his performance in the 2010 Oscar-winning film The Social Network. After juggling numerous ventures outside the music industry, Timberlake returned to the top of the charts with help from Timbaland. Timberlake's journey to stardom began in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was born on January 31, 1981. He began performing early, appearing on the televised talent competition Star Search at the age of 11, singing under the name of Justin Randall. This was his first step into the big leagues, leading to him securing a spot on The New Mickey Mouse Club in 1993. This cast would prove to be filled with future stars; in addition to Timberlake there were the pop singers Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, actor Ryan Gosling, and JC Chasez, who'd later join Justin in *NSYNC, the group manager Lou Pearlman assembled in the late '90s. Pearlman formed *NSYNC after the cancellation of The New Mickey Mouse Club in 1994, taking Timberlake and Chasez as his anchors and adding Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, and Chris Kirkpatrick. *NSYNC began their march toward stardom in 1996 when their first album appeared in Europe. Two years later, their eponymous debut was released in the U.S. and the group scored hits with "Tearin' Up My Heart," "I Want You Back," and "(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time on You." The latter reached the Top Ten, paving the way for the smash success of No Strings Attached in 2000. Within one week of its March 2000 release, the album sold an astonishing 2.4 million copies and set a record that stood for 15 years. After generating the singles "It's Gonna Be Me" and "Bye Bye Bye," the group set to work on its next album, 2001's Celebrity. It was another massive hit, launching the Top Ten singles "Pop," "Gone," and "Girlfriend, but it proved to be the group's last album, as Timberlake's popularity was quickly eclipsing that of the rest of the group. It didn't take long for Justin to release his first solo album. Justified appeared a little over a year after Celebrity and its gleaming, stylish surfaces -- partially produced by the Neptunes and partially produced by Timbaland -- suggested a new, mature, adventurous musician who was as much an R&B vocalist as he was a pop singer. Timberlake supported the album with a co-headlining tour with Christina Aguilera in 2003 and he ruled the airwaves with the singles "Like I Love You," "Cry Me a River," Señorita," and "Rock Your Body," not to mention the "I'm Lovin' It" jingle for McDonalds. He weathered a scandal in early 2004 when he tore off part of Janet Jackson's costume during their half-time duet at Super Bowl XXXVIII, but he bounced back nicely, winning Grammys that year for Justified and "Cry Me a River." He also launched William Rast, a clothing line. As he worked on his second album with producer Timbaland, Timberlake found time to resume his acting career, taking on key roles in Southland Tales, Black Snake Moan, and Alpha Dog. Before any of these films appeared, his second album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, was released, preceded by the single "SexyBack," a cool synthesized groove in the vein of Prince that established the tone for the album. "SexyBack" stayed at number one for seven weeks and its two sequels, "My Love" and "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around Interlude," also reached number one over the following year, a year that also saw Justin launch an international tour in support of the album. Following the completion of the FutureSex/LoveSounds tour, Timberlake slowly stepped away from music, though he was featured on three major 2007-2008 pop hits: Timbaland's "Give It to Me" (number one), 50 Cent's "Ayo Technology" (number five), and Madonna's "4 Minutes" (number three). He had other musical endeavors over the next few years, but his main focus was acting. In 2007 he had a voice role in Shrek 3, and in 2008 had a lead part in Mike Myers' The Love Guru. Two years later, Timberlake had his greatest acting success as Sean Parker in David Fincher's The Social Network; he quickly followed this with roles in Bad Teacher and Friends with Benefits. During this period, he also appeared several times on Saturday Night Live. In January 2013, after investing in three Los Angeles and New York restaurants, he released a new single, "Suit & Tie," co-produced with Timbaland. Along with a glitzy performance at the 2013 Grammy Awards and another SNL appearance, it set the stage for The 20/20 Experience, released that March. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and eventually went double platinum, driven by Top Five showings for its singles, "Suit & Tie" and "Mirrors." Two months later, the Coen Brothers film Inside Llewyn Davis, in which he co-starred, premiered at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and won the Grand Prix. Part two of The 20/20 Experience, recorded during the same session that resulted in the first, was released that September. It followed the first to the top of the charts, and produced three Top 40 singles, "Take Back the Night," "TKO," and "Not a Bad Thing." In 2014, Timberlake returned to the Top Ten as a featured guest on "Love Never Felt So Good," a track from Michael Jackson's posthumous album Xscape. "Can't Stop the Feeling!," recorded for the soundtrack of Trolls -- a DreamWorks production in which Timberlake provided one of the lead voices -- topped the pop chart months ahead of the film's theatrical release. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Top Albums
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Charles VI, who ruled France from 1380 until his death in 1422, was a member of which royal house? | Charles VI’s Pillow | Warehouse 13 Artifact Database Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia
Edit
Charles VI, member of the House of Valois, was king of France from 1380 until his death in 1422. At age 11 during the Hundred Years, War, he inherited the throne. At this time, his uncles ruled the government but the dukes drained all the funds that had been set aside for the kingdom. In 1388 Charles VI dismissed his uncles and brought back to power his father's former advisers, known as the Marmousets.
The kingdom slightly improved, but then Charles suffered a sudden bout of insanity, killing four knights and almost his brother, Louis of Orléans. From then on, he suffered panic attacks where he believed he was made out of glass and wore protective clothing to prevent accidental shattering. He would also attack servants or run until exhaustion, wailing that his enemies threatened him. Unable to concentrate or make decisions, political power was taken away from him by the princes of the blood, which caused much chaos and political conflict in France.
Effects
Edit
The user’s skin will slowly crystallize into glass. Instead of protecting the user from accidental cracking, the pillow actually starts the process. The effects are intermittent and can last for long periods of time. When not consciously thinking about their transformation, the person will suffer from periods of madness. During this time they are unable to work properly and will become extremely harmful to their family members.
| Valois |
In which country were Nobel Prize winners Alan MacDiarmid, Maurice Wilkins and Ernest Rutherford born? | France History, The French Valois Dynasty 1358-1589
Henri III -- 1574-1589
Philippe VI, the Fortunate 1328-1350
Philippe VI, the Fortunate, (1293 - August 22, 1350) was King of France from 1328 to 1350. He was the son of Charles of Valois and would become the first king of the Valois Dynasty.
In 1328, King Charles IV of France died without a direct descendant. Philippe was one of the two chief claimants to the throne along with King Edward III of England whose mother, Isabella of France, was the late King Charles' sister. Philippe ascended to the crown based on Salic law which forbade females and those descended in the female line to succeed to the throne. He was crowned on May 27, 1328 at the Cathedral in Reims.
In July, 1313, Philippe VI married Jeanne of Burgundy. In an ironic twist to his ascendancy to the throne, the intelligent, strong-willed Jeanne was said to be the brains behind the throne and the real ruler of France.
Their children were:
Philippe (1336 - 1375)
Jeanne (1337 - 1337)
After Jeanne died in 1348, Philippe VI married Blanche d'Evreux on January 11, 1350. They had one daughter: Jeanne (1351 - 1371).
The reign of Philippe VI was punctuated with crises, many of which were the result of defeats on the battlefield, in particular at the Battle of l'Ecluse in 1340 and again at Crécy in 1346. In 1348 the bubonic plague struck, killing one-third of the entire population. The labor shortage caused inflation to soar and the king attempted to fix prices, further de-stabilizing the country. On his death, France was still very much a divided country filled with social unrest.
King Philippe VI died at Nogent-le-roi, Eure-et-Loir on August 22, 1350 and is interred with his wife, Blanche de Navarre (1330 - 1398) in Saint Denis Basilica. He was succeeded by the son of Jeanne of Burgundy, Jean II.
Jean II, the Good 1350-1364
Jean II the Good (Jean le Bon) (April 16, 1319 - April 8, 1364) was a King of France (1350 - 1364) and a member of the Valois Dynasty. He was the son of Philippe VI of France and Jeanne of Burgundy.
On July 28, 1332, at the age of 13, he was married to Bona (Bonne) of Luxemburg (May 20, 1315 - September 11, 1349), daughter of John the Blind of Luxemburg, king of Bohemia.
Their children were:
1) Charles V le Sage (January 21, 1338 - September 16, 1380)
2) Philippe II (January 17, 1342 - April 27, 1404)
3) Jeanne (June 24, 1343 - November 3, 1373)
4) Louis (July 23, 1339 - September 20, 1389)
5) Isabelle (October 1, 1348 - September 11, 1372)
6) Jean de Berry (November 30, 1340 - June 15, 1416)
7) Marie (September 12, 1344 - October, 1404)
8) Agnès (1345 - 1349)
9) Marguerite (1347 - 1352)
He was crowned King of France in 1350 in the cathedral at Reims. As king, Jean surrounded himself with poor administrators, preferring to enjoy the good life his wealth as king brought. The men he relied on to administer his kingdom were brutal thieves but eventually King Jean changed.
In the Battle of Poitiers in 1356 against Edward, the Black Prince (son of King Edward III of England), Jean suffered a humiliating defeat and was taken as captive back to England. While negotiating a peace accord, he was at first held in the Savoy Palace, then at Windsor, Hertford, Somerton Castle in Lincolnshire and finally in the Tower of London. As a prisoner of the English, the King of France was granted royal privileges, permitted to travel about, and to enjoy a regal lifestyle. A local tradition in St Albans is that he was also held in a house in that town, at the site of the 15th century Fleur de Lys inn, before he was taken to Hertford Castle. There is a sign on the inn to that effect, but apparently no evidence to confirm the tradition [1] (http://www.salbani.co.uk/Med%20Web/market_place.htm).
The treaty of Brétigny signed in 1360 set his ransom at 3,000,000 crowns. In keeping with the honor between himself and the English King Edward III, and leaving his son Louis of Anjou in English-held Calais as a replacement hostage, Jean was allowed to return to France to raise the his ransom funds.
While King Jean tried to raise the money, his son, accorded the same royal dignity, easily escaped from the English. An angry King Jean, believing his son had broken royal honor, and unable to raise his ransom, surrendered himself again to the English. He arrived in England in early 1364, looked upon by ordinary citizens and English royalty alike with great admiration. Accordingly, he was held as an honored prisoner in the Savoy Palace but died a few months later.
King Jean died in London in 1364 and his body was returned to France, where he was interred in the royal chambers at Saint Denis Basilica.
Charles V, the Wise 1364-1380
Charles V (January 31, 1338 - September 16, 1380), called the Wise, was king of France (1364 to 1380) and a member of the Valois Dynasty.
Born at Vincennes, Ile-de-France, France, son of King Jean II and Bonne of Luxembourg.
He was the first French heir to use the title dauphin after the region of Dauphine was acquired by his father. He was crowned King of France in 1364 at the cathedral at Reims, France.
His reign was marred by the Hundred Years' War, but Charles' army scored some victories and defeated the army of the King of Navarre. Despite the influence of his advisor, Philippe de Mézières, he declined to be drawn into a crusade. Nonetheless, dissatisfaction with his rule was such that at one point the Mayor of Paris, Etienne Marcel, led a revolt against Charles that forced the king to flee the city.
This matter was resolved but to protect Paris from the English, Charles V rebuilt the Left Bank wall and built a new wall on the Right Bank that extended to a new fortification called the Bastille. A strong supporter of the arts, Charles had the Louvre restored and improved and in 1367 created the first royal library in France.
Charles V died on September 16, 1380 at Beauté-sur-Marne, France and was interred with his wife, Jeanne de Bourbon in Saint Denis Basilica
Charles VI, the Well-Beloved 1380-1422
Charles VI (December 3, 1368 - October 21, 1422) was a King of France (1380 - 1422) and a member of the Valois Dynasty.
He was born in Paris, the son of King Charles V and Jeanne de Bourbon. At the age of eleven, he was crowned King of France in 1380 in the cathedral at Reims. Until he took complete charge as king in 1388, France was run by his uncle, Philip the Bold.
Charles VI was known both as Charles the Mad and as Charles the Well Beloved, since, beginning in his mid twenties, he experienced bouts of psychosis. These fits of madness would occur periodically for the rest of his life. Doctors today believe, based on his ups and downs, that he may in fact have suffered from bipolar disorder.
He married:
1) Charles (September 26, 1386 - December 28, 1386)
2) Jeanne (June 14, 1388 - 1390)
3) Isabella of Valois (November 09, 1389 - September 13, 1409), married Richard II of England
4) Jeanne (January 24, 1391 - September 27, 1433), married John VI, Duke of Brittany
5) Charles (February 06, 1392 - January 13, 1401)
6) Marie (August 24, 1393 - August 19, 1438), an abbess
7) Michèle (January 11, 1395 - July 08, 1422)
8) Louis, Duke of Guyenne (January 22, 1396 - December 18, 1415), married Marguerite of Burgundy
9) Jean, Duke of Touraine (August 31, 1398 - April 04, 1417), married Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut
10) Catherine (October 27, 1401 - January 03, 1437), married Henry V of England and Owen Tudor
11) king Charles VII (February 22, 1403 - July 21, 1461)
12) Philippe (November 10, 1407 - November 10, 1407)
Charles VI's reign was marked by the continuing war with the English (the Hundred Years' War), culminating in 1415 when the French army was defeated at the Battle of Agincourt. In 1420, Charles signed the Treaty of Troyes which recognized Henry V of England as his successor and meant his own son could not succeed him. Many citizens, including Joan of Arc, believed that the king only agreed to such disastrous and unprecedented terms, under the mental stress of his illness and that as a result France could not be held to them.
Charles VI died in 1422 at Paris and is interred with his wife, Isabeau de Bavière in Saint Denis Basilica.
Charles VII, the Victortius 1422-1461
Charles VII (February 22, 1403 - July 22, 1461) was king of France from 1422 to 1461, a member of the Valois Dynasty.
Born in Paris, Charles was the eldest surviving son of Charles VI of France and Isabeau de Bavière. On the death of his father in 1422, the French throne did not pass to Charles but to his infant nephew, King Henry VI of England in accordance with his father's Treaty of Troyes signed in 1420. The English right to the throne of France was part of the Treaty in an effort to put an end to the war that had been raging for decades. Under the Treaty, King Henry of England ruled Northern France through a regent in Normandy and southern France by the Dauphin Charles from his fortified castle at Chinon.
Without any organized French army, the English strengthened their grip over France until March 8, 1429 when Joan of Arc, claiming divine inspiration, urged Charles to declare himself king and raise an army to liberate France from the English.
One of the important factors that aided in the ultimate success of Charles VII wasthe support from the powerful and wealthy family of his wife Marie d'Anjou (1404-1463). Despite whatever affection he had for his wife, the great love of Charles VII's life, was his mistress, Agnès Sorel.
After the French won the Battle of Patay, Charles was crowned king Charles VII of France on July 17, 1429, in Reims Cathedral. Following this, king Charles VII recaptured Paris from the English and eventually all of France with the exception of the northern port of Calais.
While Charles VII's legacy is far overshadowed by the deeds and eventual martyrdom of Joan of Arc, he did something his predecessors had failed to do by creating a strong army and uniting most of the country under one French king. He established the University of Poitiers in 1432 and his policies brought some economic prosperity to the citizens. Although his leadership was sometimes marked by indecisiveness, hardly any other leader left a nation so much better improved than when he came on the scene.
King Charles VII died on July 22, 1461 at Mehun-sur-Yèvre, but his latter years were marked by an open revolt by his son who succeeded him as Louis XI.
Louis XI 1461-1483
Louis XI (July 3, 1423 - August 30, 1483) was a King of France (1461 - 1483). He was the son of Charles VII of France and Mary of Anjou. He was a member of the Valois Dynasty and was one of the most successful kings of France in terms of uniting the country. His 22-year reign was marked by political machinations, resulting in his being given the nickname of the "Spider King".
Born at Bourges, Cher, Louis despised his father and attempted to depose him on several occasions. However, it was only on his father's death in 1461 that he was able to take the throne.
His marriage on June 24, 1436 to Margaret, daughter of King James I of Scotland, gave Louis XI an interest in English affairs, and he schemed to restore King Henry VI of England and his Lancastrian heir to the throne - partly because his arch-enemy, Charles the Bold of Burgundy was allied with the Yorkists. Louis gained the upper hand in his feud with Charles, and brought about his death in 1477. A candid account of some of Louis' activities is given by the courtier, Philippe de Commines, in his Memoires of the period.
King Louis XI married strategically a second time on February 14, 1451 to eight-year-old Charlotte of Savoy (1445- December 1, 1483). Their marriage would not be consummated until she was fourteen and their children were:
Anne (April, 1461 - November 14, 1522)
Jeanne (April 23, 1464 - February 4, 1505)
Charles VIII (June 30, 1470 - April 8, 1498)
By war, by cunning and with sheer guile, Louis XI overcame France's feudal lords and at the time of his death in the chateau at Plessis-lez-Tours, he had united France and laid the foundations of a strong monarchy.
Louis XI was a superstitious man who surrounded himself with astrologers. Interested in science, he once pardoned a man sentenced to death on condition that he serve as a guinea pig in a gallstone operation.
Charles VIII , the Affable 1483-1498
On December 6, 1491 Charles married Anne de Bretagne, heiress to the duchy of Brittany, in an elaborate ceremony at Chateau Langeais. The fifteen-year-old Duchesse Anne, not happy with the politically arranged marriage, arrived for her wedding with her entourage carrying two beds. However, Charles's marriage brought him independence from his relatives, and thereafter he managed affairs according to his own inclinations. Queen Anne would live at the Clos Lucé in Amboise.
Having inherited a vague claim to the kingdom of Naples through his paternal grandmother, Marie of Anjou (1404 - 1463), and encouraged by Ludovico Sforza of Milan, he imagined himself capable of seizing that realm, and he thereupon set France's resources toward that goal - starting the Italian Wars. He contracted several unfavourable treaties with Austria, England, and Aragon, in order to free himself of distractions, and then commenced a massive buildup of forces.
He entered Italy in 1494, and marched across the peninsula, reaching Naples on February 22, 1495. Crowned king of Naples, he then found himself the subject of an opposing coalition from the League of Venice, involving that republic with Austria, the Papacy, and Ludovico Sforza of Milan. Defeated at Fornovo in July 1495, he escaped to France at the cost of the loss of most of his forces.
He attempted in the next few years to rebuild his army, but was hampered by the serious debts incurred by the previous one - he never succeeded in recouping anything substantive. He died two-and-a-half years after his retreat, of an accident - striking himself on the head while passing through a doorway, he succumbed to a sudden coma several hours later.
Charles bequeathed a meagre legacy - he left France in debt and in disarray as a result of an ambition most charitably characterized as unrealistic. On a more positive side, his expedition did broach contacts between French and Italian humanists, energizing French art and letters in the latter Renaissance.
Charles proved the last of the elder branch of the House of Valois, and upon his death at Amboise the throne passed to a cousin, the duc d'Orleans, who reigned as King Louis XII of France.
Louis XII, the Father of His People 1498-1515
Louis XII, father of the people (June 27, 1462 - January 1, 1515) was King of France from 1498-1515, the last French king from the Orleanist branch of the Valois Dynasty.
Born Louis d'Orléans in the Royal Chateau Blois on June 27, 1462, son of Charles, duc d'Orleans, Louis was required by royal command to marry Jeanne, the daughter of his second cousin King Louis XI.
Later, he was part of a rebellion against King Charles VIII of France and was imprisoned from 1487 to 1490. After regaining the King's trust, he led some troops in Charles' invasion of Italy. He ascended to the throne when Charles VIII died childless; Louis had the Pope annul the marriage to Jeanne so that he could marry Charles' widow, Queen Anne de Bretagne (1477-1514). This marriage had nothing to do with love, but was a strategy designed to securely link her region of Brittany to Louis' kingdom of France.
Louis XII proved to be a popular king, introducing reforms in the judicial system and reducing taxes. These reforms and his caring nature earned him the epithet Father of the People. However, like his predecessor, he led several invasions of Italy. He successfully secured Milan in 1500, and then partitioned the Kingdom of Naples with Ferdinand of Aragon.
Soon the two partitioning powers fell out with one another, and Spanish forces led by Hernandez Gonzalo de Cordoba drove the French from Southern Italy. The French grip on Milan remained strong, however, until 1511 when Pope Julius II formed the Holy League to oppose French ambition in Italy. The French were driven from Milan by the Swiss in 1513. In an attempt to divert English troops from the war, he encouraged the Scots to attack the English, leading the Scots to disaster at the Battle of Flodden Field.
After his wife Anne's death in 1514, a deal was struck with King Henry VIII of England, and 52-year-old King Louis married King Henry's 18-year-old sister, Mary Tudor (1496-1533), on October 9, 1514.
Less than three months later, Louis XII died on January 1, 1515 and was interred in Saint Denis Basilica.
François I -- 1515-1547
Francis I (François I in French) (September 12, 1494 - July 31, 1547) was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until 1547.
Francis I, a member of the Valois Dynasty, was born at Cognac, Charente, the son of Charles d'Angoulême (1459 - January 1, 1496) and Louise of Savoy (September 11, 1476 - September 22, 1531).
Francis is considered to be France's first Renaissance monarch. His reign saw France make immense cultural advances. He was a contemporary of King Henry VIII of England, his great rival.
When young Francis ascended the throne in 1515 he was a king with unprecedented humanist credentials. While his two predecessors, Charles VIII and Louis XII, had spent much of their reigns concerned with Italy they did not much embrace the new intellectual movements coming out of it.
Both monarchs continued in the same patterns of behaviour that had dominated the French monarchy for centuries. They were the last of the medieval French monarchs, but they did lay the groundwork for the entry of the Renaissance into France.
Contact between the French and Italians in the long running series of wars under Charles and Louis had brought new ideas to France by the time the young Francis was receiving his education. Thus a number of his tutors, such as Desmoulins, his Latin instructor, and Christophe de Longeuil were schooled in the new ways of thinking and they attempted to imbue Francis with it.
Francis' mother also had a great interest in Renaissance art, which she passed down to her son. One certainly cannot say that Francis received a humanist education; most of his teachers had not yet been affected by the Renaissance. One can, however, state that he clearly received an education more oriented towards humanism than any previous French king.
By the time Francis ascended the throne in 1515 the Renaissance had clearly arrived in France, and Francis was an important supporter of the change. Francis became a major patron of the arts. He lent his support to many of the greatest artists of his time and encouraged them to come to France.
Some did work for him, including such greats as Andrea del Sarto, and Leonardo da Vinci, who Francis convinced to leave Italy in the last and least productive part of his life. While Leonardo did little painting in his years in France, he brought with him many of his great works, such as the Mona Lisa, and these stayed in France upon his death.
Other major artists who Francis employed include the goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini, and the painters Rosso and Primaticcio, all of whom were heavily employed in decorating Francis' various palaces. Francis employed a number of agents in Italy who endeavoured to procure artworks by Italian masters such as Michelangelo, Titian, and Raphael and ship them to France.
These agents had some notable successes, even if plans to try to move Leonardo's Last Supper to France proved impractical. When Francis ascended the throne the royal palaces were decorated with only a scattering of great paintings, and not a single piece of sculpture either ancient or modern. It is during Francis' reign that the magnificent art collection of the French kings that can still be seen in the Louvre was truly begun.
Francis was also renowned as a man of letters. When Francis comes up in a conversation among characters in Castiglione's Book of the Courtier, it is as the great hope to bring culture to the war-obsessed French nation. Not only did Francis support a number of major writers of the period, he was a poet himself, if not one of immense quality. Francis worked hard at improving the royal library.
He appointed the great French humanist Guillaume Budé as chief librarian, and began to expand the collection. Francis employed agents in Italy looking for rare books and manuscripts, just as he had looking for art works. During his reign the size of the library increased greatly. Not only did Francis expand the library, there is also, according to Knecht, evidence that he read the books he bought for it, a much rarer feat in the royal annals. Francis set an important precedent by opening his library to scholars from around the world in order to facilitate the diffusion of knowledge.
Francis was an impressive builder and he poured vast amounts of money into new structures. He continued the work of his predecessors on the Château d'Amboise and also started renovations on the Royal Château de Blois. Early in his reign he also began construction of the magnificent Château de Chambord, very obviously inspired by the styles of the Italian renaissance, and perhaps even designed by Leonardo.
Francis rebuilt the Louvre, turning it from a gloomy medieval fortress into a building of renaissance splendour. Francis financed the building of a new City Hall (Hôtel de Ville) for Paris in order to have control over the building's design. He constructed the Château de Madrid and rebuilt the Château de St-Germain-en-Laye. The largest of Francis' building projects was the reconstruction and expansion of Royal Château of Fontainebleau, which quickly became his favourite place of residence. Each of Francis' projects was luxuriously decorated both inside and outside. Fontainebleau, for instance, had a gushing fountain in its courtyard where quantities of wine were mixed with the water.
Militarily and politically, Francis' reign was less successful; he tried and failed to become Holy Roman Emperor, and pursued a series of wars in Italy - see Italian Wars. His most devastating defeat occurred at the Battle of Pavia where he was captured by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Francis was held captive in Madrid and forced to make major concessions to Charles before he was freed. Upon his return to France, however, Francis argued that his agreement with Charles was made under duress and he repudiated it.
As King, in 1524, he assisted the citizens of Lyon to finance the expedition of Giovanni da Verrazano to North America; on this expedition, Verrazano claimed Newfoundland for the French crown. In 1534, he sent Jacques Cartier to explore the St. Lawrence River in Quebec to find certaines îles et pays où l'on dit qu'il se doit trouver grande quantité d'or et autres riches choses ("certain islands and lands where it is said there are great quantities of gold and other riches").
In his castle in Villers-Cotterêts, Aisne, in 1539, Francis signed the edict which made French the administrative language instead of Latin. The same edict required priests to register births and establish a registry office.
An important change Francis brought to European history was that he came to an understanding with the Ottoman Turks. No formal treaties with the 'infidels' were signed, but high-level meetings between the two powers let them collude against Charles V, and in 1543 the two powers even combined for a joint naval assault on Nice.
While Francis left France strewn with magnificent palaces he caused severe harm to the nation's economic well-being in order to do so. In his old age Louis XII worried that Francis, his successor, "would spoil everything." Francis' father-in-law had left France in good shape with the monarchy ascendant over the feudal lords and the economy prospering. While Francis continued to strengthen the crown he succeeded in undermining the nation's economy. Palaces were extremely expensive, as were wars against the Hapsburgs.
To pay for these efforts Francis undermined the nation's fiscal security. Taxes went up: the taille, the tax on peasants, more than doubled, while the gabelle, the salt tax, was tripled. Francis also used new ways to raise revenues. He sold many of the crown jewels and began alienating crown lands, disposing of important liquid assets. Francis also began the process of selling offices for quick revenue. While he did not practice the selling of offices extensively he did begin the trend that would eventually undermine the entire French government.
The amorous exploits of François inspired the 1832 play by Victor Hugo (1802-1885), Le Roi s'amuse (The King Enjoys Himself), in turn inspiring the 1851 opera of Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901), Rigoletto.
François' older sister, Marguerite (1492 - 1549), Queen of Navarre, wrote the classic, Heptameron.
François' legacy is a mixed one. He achieved great cultural feats, but they came at the expense of France's economic well being.
François I died at the Chateau Rambouillet and is interred with his first wife, Claude de France, Duchess of Bretagne, in Saint Denis Basilica.
Henri II -- 1547-1559
Henry II (Henri II in French) (March 31, 1519 - July 10, 1559), a member of the Valois Dynasty, was King of France from 1547 to his death.
Born in the Royal Château at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France, the son of François I and Claude de France, his marriage was arranged to Catherine de Medici (April 13, 1519 - January 5, 1589) on October 28, 1533 when both were 14 years old. His long-running affair with Diane de Poitiers lasted throughout his married life.
He was crowned King on July 25, 1547 in the cathedral at Reims. His reign was marked by wars with Austria, and the persecution of the Protestant Huguenots. Henri II severely punished them, burning them alive or cutting out their tongues for speaking their Protestant beliefs. Even someone suspected of being a Huguenot was imprisoned for life.
Henry II was an avid hunter and participant in jousting tournaments. On July 1, 1559, during a match to celebrate a peace treaty with his longtime enemies, the Hapsburgs of Austria and to celebrate the marriage of his daughter Elizabeth to King Philip II of Spain, King Henry's eye was pierced by a sliver that penetrated the brain, from the shattered lance of Gabriel Montgomery, captain of the King's Scottish Guard. He suffered terribly, passing away on July 10, 1559 and was buried in a cadaver tomb in Saint Denis Basilica.
He was succeeded by his son, François II. Henri II's death resulted in the next forty years in France being filled with turbulence as his sons and other claimants to the French crown fought for power.
François II -- 1559-1560
Francis II (François II in French) (January 19, 1544 - December 5, 1560) was a King of France (1559 - 1560). He was born at the Royal Chateau at Fontainbleau, Seine-et-Marne, the son of Henri II (March 31, 1519 - July 10, 1559) and Catherine de Medici (April 13, 1519 - January 5, 1589).
His marriage to Mary Stuart was arranged by his father in 1548 when François was 4 years old after Mary had been crowned Queen of Scotland in Stirling Castle on September 9, 1543, at the age of nine months old. Once the marriage agreement had been formally ratified, in 1548, Mary of Guise, Regent of Scotland, sent her six-year-old daughter, Queen Mary, to France to be raised in the Royal Court until the marriage.
On April 24, 1558, the 14-year-old Dauphin was married to Mary Stuart (later Mary, Queen of Scots) in a union that would give the future King of France the throne of Scotland and a strengthened claim to the throne of England. A year after his marriage, his father Henri II died, and François, still only 15 years old, was crowned King. His mother Catherine de Medici was appointed Regent, but it is considered that Mary's uncles François de Guise and Charles de Guise may actually have been the ones to hold the power in that period.
François II, who had always been a sickly child, died December 5, 1560 in Orléans, Loiret, at the age of 16 when an ear infection worsened and caused an abscess in his brain. King François II is buried in Saint Denis Basilica.
He was succeeded by his brother, Charles IX (June 27, 1550 - May 30, 1574).
Catherine de Medici (Regent) -- 1560-1563
Caterina di Lorenzo de' Medici (April 13, 1519 - January 5, 1589), (French: Catherine de Médicis) (English: Catherine de' Medici) was queen of France, wife of one Valois king and mother of three. Born in Florence, Italy, she was a daughter of Lorenzo II de' Medici and a French princess, Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne. Having lost both her parents at an early age, Catherine was sent to a convent to be educated; she was only fourteen when she was married (1533), at Marseilles, to the duke of Orléans, who would become King Henry II of France.
It was her uncle, Pope Clement VII, who arranged that marriage with Henry's father Francis I of France. Francis, still engaged in his lifelong struggle against Charles V, was only too glad of the opportunity to strengthen his influence in the Italian peninsula, while Clement, ever needful of help against his too powerful protector, was equally ready to hold out some bait.
During the reign of Francis, Catherine exercised little influence in France. She was young, a foreigner, in a country that had little weight in the great world of politics, of unproven ability, and over-shadowed by more important persons. For ten years after her marriage, she had no children. In consequence, whispers of a divorce began at court, and it seemed possible that Francis, alarmed at the possible extinction of his royal house, would listen to such a proposal. But Catherine did produce children, and Francis lived long enough to see his grandchildren before he died.
During the reign of her husband (1547-1559), Catherine lived a quiet and passive life but observed what was going on. Henry being completely under the influence of his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, Catherine had little authority. In 1552, when the king left the kingdom for the campaign of Metz, she was nominated regent, but with very limited powers.
This continued even after the accession of her sickly son Francis II of France at age 15. His wife, Mary, Queen of Scots, little disposed to meddle with politics on her own account, was managed by her uncles, the cardinal of Lorraine and the duke of Guise. The queen-mother, however, soon grew weary of the domination of the Guises, and entered upon a course of secret opposition. On April 1, 1560 she named as chancellor Michel de l'Hôpital, who advocated a policy of conciliation.
Catherine unwittingly had vast influence on fashions for the next 350 years when she enforced a ban on thick waists at court attendance during the 1550s. For nearly 350 years, women's primary means of support was the corset, with laces and stays made of whalebone or metal. They forcefully shrank women's waists from their natural dimensions to as little as 17, 15, or even fewer inches.
On the death of Francis (5 December 1560), Catherine became regent during the minority of her second son, Charles IX of France, and found before her a career worthy of the most soaring ambition. She was then forty-one years old, but, although she was the mother of nine children, she was still vigorous and active. She retained her influence for more than twenty years in the troubled period of the French Wars of Religion. At first she listened to the moderate counsels of l'Hôpital to avoid siding definitely with either party, but her character and the habits of policy to which she had been accustomed tended to be at odds with this stance. She was zealous in the interests of her children, especially of her favourite third son, the duke of Anjou.
Like many of that time, she looked upon statesmanship in particular as a career in which finesse, lying, and assassination were the most admirable, because the most effective, weapons. By habit a Catholic, but above all fond of power, she was determined to prevent the Protestants from getting the upper hand and almost equally resolved not to allow them to be utterly crushed, in order to use them as a counterpoise to the Guises.
This trimming policy met with little success: Rage and suspicion so possessed men's minds that she could not long control the opposing parties, and one civil war followed another toward the end of her life. In 1567, after the Enterprise of Meaux, she dismissed l'Hopital and joined the Catholic party. Having failed to crush the Protestant rebellion by arms, she resumed, in 1570, the policy of peace and negotiation. She conceived the project of marrying her favourite son, the duke of Anjou, to Queen Elizabeth I of England, but that did not come about.
She was successful in marrying her eldest daughter, Elizabeth (b. April 1545), to Philip II of Spain and then her third daughter, Marguerite, to Henry of Navarre. To this end she temporarily reconciled with the Protestants and allowed Coligny to return to court and to re-enter the council. Of this step she quickly repented: Charles IX conceived a great affection for the admiral and showed signs of taking up an independent attitude. Catherine, thinking her influence menaced, sought to regain it, first by the murder of Coligny, and, after that failed, by the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre.
After the death of Charles in 1574 and the succession of her son, Henri III, Catherine pursued her old policy of compromise and concessions, but as her influence was nothing compared to her son's, so it is unnecessary to dwell upon it. She died on 5 January 1589, a short time before the assassination of Henry and the end of the House of Valois.
In her taste for art and her love of magnificence and luxury, Catherine was a true Medici; her banquets at the Royal Palace of Fontainebleau in 1564 were famous for their sumptuousness. In architecture, especially, she was well versed, and Philibert de l'Orme (Philibert of the Elm) relates that she discussed with him the plan and decoration of her palace of the Tuileries. Catherine's policy provoked a crowd of pamphlets, the most celebrated being the Discours merveilleux de la vie, actions et diportemens de la reine Catherine de Medecis, in which Henri Estienne undoubtedly collaborated.
Catherine died at the Royal Royal Chateau Blois, France, where today, visitors to the castle can see her poison cabinets. She was interred with her husband in a cadaver tomb in the Saint Denis Basilica.
Charles IX -- 1560-1574
Charles IX (June 27, 1550 - May 30, 1574) was born Charles-Maximilien, the son of King Henri II of France and Catherine de Medici.
Born in the royal chateau at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, he was crowned King of France in 1561 in the cathedral at Reims, but ruled under the control of his powerful and ambitious mother.
During Charles IX reign, a new product designed to cure ulcers, heal wounds and other such benefits was introduced. Tobacco soon gained wide acceptance.
On November 26, 1570 he married Elisabeth of Austria. They had one daughter, Marie-Elisabeth (October 27, 1572 - April 9, 1578).
Charles proved a weak king in the shadow of his mother and died at Vincennes, Val-de-Marne.
Henri III -- 1574-1589
Henry III (Henri III in French) (September 19, 1551 - August 2, 1589) was King of France from 1574 to 1589.
Henri was born Edouard-Alexandre at the Royal Château of Fontainebleau, Seine-et-Marne, the son of King Henri II and Catherine de Medici. He was elected king of Poland in 1573 but shortly after, at the death of his brother Charles IX, he returned to France. He was crowned King of France in 1575 in the Cathedral at Reims.
Prior to ascending to the throne, he was a leader of the royal army in the French Wars of Religion against the Protestants. While still Duke, he aided his mother in the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre in which thousands of Huguenots were killed; his reign as king would see France in constant turmoil over religion.
In 1576, King Henri III signed the Edict of Beaulieu granting minor concessions to the Protestants. His action resulted in the Catholic extremist Henry I, Duke of Guise, forming the Catholic League. After much posturing and negotiations King Henri III was forced to rescind most of the concessions made to the Protestants in the Edict of Beaulieu.
In 1584 the King's youngest brother and heir presumptive, François, Duke of Anjou, died. Under the Salic Law, the next heir to the throne was Protestant Henri of Navarre, a descendant of St. Louis IX. Under pressure from the Duke of Guise, head of the Catholic League, Henri III issued an edict suppressing Protestantism and annulling Henri of Navarre's right to the throne.
On May 12, 1588 Henry III fled Paris after Henry of Guise entered the city.
On December 23, 1588, in the Château de Blois, the Duke of Guise arrived in the council chamber where his brother the Cardinal waited. He was told that the King wished to see him in the private room adjoining the King's bedroom.
There, guardsmen murdered him, and then the Cardinal. In order to make sure that no contender for the French throne was free to act against him, the King had the Duke's son imprisoned. Though deceitful and cruel, the Duke of Guise was highly popular in France and the citizenry turned against the king for the murders. The French Parliament instituted criminal charges against the King, and he fled Paris to join forces with Henry of Navarre.
On August 1, 1589, Henri III, lodged with his army in Saint-Cloud, Hauts-de-Seine, prepared to attack Paris when a young fanatical monk named Jacques Clément, carrying false papers, was granted access to deliver important documents to the King. The monk gave the king a bundle of papers and stated he had a secret message to deliver.
The King signaled for his attendants to step back for privacy and Clément whispered in his ear while plunging a knife in his stomach. At first the wound did not appear fatal but the King commanded all his officers around him that in the event he did not survive, they were to be loyal to Henri of Navarre as their new King. The following morning, King Henri III of France died, the day he was to have launched the assault to retake Paris.
Although he had been married on February 13, 1575 to Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont, and expected to produce an heir, the transvestite King Henri III was not highly respected by the citizens or the nobility as he paraded around dressed in women's clothes, accompanied by a number of youthful male attendants referred to as his mignons (darlings).
Henri III was interred in the Saint Denis Basilica. Childless, he was the last of the Valois kings.
Henri of Navarre succeeded him as Henri IV, the first of the Bourbon kings.
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Which element is between Uranium and Plutonium in the Periodic Table? | Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory
7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 0
History
Plutonium is the second transuranium element of the actinide series. Element 93 was discovered in 1940/41 by Glenn T. Seaborg , Edwin M. McMillan , J. W. Kennedy , and A. C. Wahl by deuteron bombardment of uranium-238 in the 60-inch cyclotron at the University of California, Berkeley Lab. They first synthesized neptunium-238 (half-life 2.1 days) which subsequently beta-decayed to form a new heavier element with atomic number 94 and atomic weight 238 (half-life 87.7 years). It was fitting that element 94 be named after the next planetoid, Pluto following the precedence that uranium was named after the planet Uranus and neptunium after the planet Neptune. Seaborg submitted a paper to the journal Physical Review in March 1941 documenting the discovery, but the paper was quickly withdrawn when it was found that an isotope of plutonium, Pu-239 could undergo nuclear fission making it useful in developing an atomic bomb. Pu-239 had a fission cross-section 50% greater than that of 235U, the best fissioning element known at that time.
Seaborg was called away from Berkeley to lead the Plutonium Production Lab or "Met Lab" at the University of Chicago. The Met Lab was to produce useful quantities of plutonium as part of the secret Manhattan Project during World War II to develop an atomic bomb. On August 18, 1942, a trace quantity of plutonium was isolated and measured at the Met Lab for the first time. About 50 micrograms of Pu-239 combined with uranium and fission products was produced and only about 1 microgram was isolated. This was enough material for chemists to determine the new element's atomic weight. In November 1943 a few milligrams of PuF3 was reduced to create the first sample of plutonium metal. Enough plutonium was produced to make it the first man-made element to be visible to the unaided eye.
The nuclear properties of plutonium-239 were also being studied and researchers found that when hit with a neutron it fissions by releasing energy and more neutrons. These neutrons can hit neighboring atoms of Pu-239 and so on, in an exponentially fast chain-reaction, releasing a tremendous amount of energy. This energy could result in an explosion large enough to destroy a city or fuel a nuclear reactor.
During WW II the three primary research and production sites of the Manhattan Project were the Plutonium Production Facility at what is now the Hanford Site , Washington, the Uranium Enrichment facilities at Oak Ridge, Tennessee , and the weapons research and design laboratory, now known as Los Alamos National Laboratory . In 1943, the first production reactor that made Pu-239 was the X-10 Graphite Reactor built at a facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee that later became the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The Manhattan Project produced the plutonium for the "Trinity Test" conducted in New Mexico by Los Alamos Laboratory Director Robert Oppenheimer and Army General Leslie Groves. The world’s first atomic bomb ("The Gadget") was exploded near Socorro, New Mexico on July 16, 1945, resulting in an explosion with an energy equivalent of approximately 20,000 tons of TNT . The first atomic bomb used in war had a uranium core and was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. The second atomic bomb used had a plutonium core and was nicknamed " Fat Man " because of its round shape. It was used to destroy Nagasaki, Japan in August 9, 1945, which put an end to WW II.
Publication of the discovery and the naming of the new element plutonium was delayed until a year after the end of World War II . Seaborg originally considered the name "plutium", but later thought that it did not sound as good as "plutonium."
Later, during the Cold-War era, large stockpiles of weapons-grade plutonium were built up by both the Soviet Union and the United States. Each year about 20 tons of plutonium is still produced as a by-product of the nuclear power industry. As of 2007 it was estimated that the plutonium stockpile was about 500 tons, world-wide. Since the end of the Cold War these stockpiles have become a focus of nuclear proliferation concerns. In 2000, the United States and the Russian Federation mutually agreed to each dispose of 34 tons of weapon grade plutonium before the end of 2019 by converting it to a mixed uranium-plutonium oxide (MOX) fuel to be used in commercial nuclear power reactors.
Today plutonium-239 remains an important component of nuclear weapons, and the United States maintains plutonium-related capabilities in support of national defense and global nuclear deterrence. Pu-239 for civilian nuclear power plants provides energy for many nations. Plutonium-238 continues to be vital to space exploration pushing the limits beyond which manned space exploration is possible and satisfying our quest for knowledge.
Isotopes
Twenty-three radioactive isotopes of plutonium have been characterized from mass numbers 228 to 247. Nine of these exhibit metastable states , though these all have half-lives less than one second. The longest-lived isotopes are plutonium-244, with a half-life of 80.8 million years, plutonium-242, with a half-life of 373,300 years, and plutonium-239, with a half-life of 24,110 years. All of the remaining radioactive isotopes have half-lives less than 7,000 years. The primary decay modes of isotopes with mass numbers lower than plutonium-244, are spontaneous fission and α emission , mostly forming uranium and neptunium isotopes as decay products along with a variety of daughter fission products. The primary decay mode for isotopes with mass numbers higher than plutonium-244 is by β emission , mostly forming americium isotopes as daughter decay products. Plutonium-241 is the parent isotope of the neptunium decay series , decaying to americium-241 via β decay. By far of greatest importance is the isotope 239Pu produced in extensive quantities in nuclear reactors from natural uranium:
238U (n, gamma) → 239U (beta) → 239Np (beta) → 239Pu
Plutonium-238 with a half-life of 87.7 years is another important isotope. Both Pu-239 and Pu-238 have many practical applications as discussed below.
Properties
Plutonium is unique among the elements in its physicochemical complexities by virtue of its position at a transitional location in the periodic table where the 5f electrons are at the border between delocalized (not associated with a single atom) and localized (associated with a single atom) behavior and it is considered one of the most complex of the elements. Plutonium also sits near the juncture where the actinide series transitions from main d-block element chemistry to rare earth like behavior as a result of the actinide contraction. Because of its defense and commercial importance, plutonium is one of the most intensely investigated of elements.
Plutonium metal has a bright silvery appearance at first and takes on a dull gray, yellow or olive green tarnish when oxidized in air. A relatively large piece of plutonium is warm to the touch because of the energy given off by alpha decay. Larger pieces will produce enough heat to boil water. The metal readily dissolves in concentrated mineral acids. Plutonium metal normally has six allotropes or crystal structures; alpha (α), beta (β), gamma (γ), delta (δ), delta prime (δ') and epsilon (ε). It forms a seventh phase (zeta, ζ) under high temperature and a limited pressure range. These allotropes have very similar energy levels but significantly varying densities (from 16.00 to 19.86 grams/cm3) and crystal structures . This makes plutonium very sensitive to changes in temperature, pressure, or chemistry, and allows for dramatic volume changes following phase transitions . At room temperature plutonium is in its alpha (α) form , the most common structural form of the element. It is as hard and brittle as cast iron unless alloyed with other metals to form the room-temperature stabilized delta (δ) phase which makes it soft and ductile. Unlike most metals, it is not a good conductor of heat or electricity . It has a low melting point (640 °C) and an unusually high boiling point (3,228 °C).
A ring of 99.96% pure electro-refined plutonium (Los Alamos National Laboratory)
Plutonium can form alloys and intermediate compounds with most other metals. Gallium, aluminum, americium, scandium and cerium can stabilize the δ phase of plutonium metal. Nuclear fuel pellets can be formed by alloying plutonium with various metals such as: aluminum; zirconium; cerium; cerium-cobalt; uranium-titanium, uranium-zirconium and uranium-molybdenum. Thorium-plutonium-uranium alloys were investigated as a nuclear fuel for fast breeder reactors. A plutonium-gallium-cobalt alloy (PuCoGa5) was found to be an unconventional superconductor, showing superconductivity below 18.5 Kelvin, an order of magnitude higher than the highest between heavy fermion systems known.
Plutonium forms compounds with a variety of other elements. Plutonium reacts with pure hydrogen, forming plutonium hydride s. It also reacts readily with oxygen, forming PuO and PuO2 as well as intermediate and sub-stoichiometric oxides. The metal reacts with the halogens , giving rise to trivalent Pu compounds with the general formula PuX3 where X can be F , Cl , Br or I and tetravalent plutonium compounds such as PuF4 . The following oxyhalides are observed: PuOCl, PuOBr and PuOI. Plutonium reacts with carbon to form PuC, nitrogen to form PuN and silicon to form PuSi2. Pu3+ and Pu4+ oxalates are important intermediates that are calcined to form oxides as a step in plutonium processing. Other important compounds in reprocessing are fluoride, peroxide, acetylacetone, carbonate and hydroxide.
The color displayed by plutonium solutions depends on both the oxidation state and the extent of complexation by various ligands. In aqueous solution plutonium exhibits five ionic valence states: Pu+3 (blue lavender), Pu+4 (salmon-colored, when uncomplexed), PuO+ (lavender), PuO+2 (orange-brown) and PuOxOHy (dark green in basic solution). The pentavalent ion, PuO+ is unstable in aqueous solutions and it disproportionates into Pu+4 and PuO+2. However, PuO2+ can be stabilized in aqueous solution in a narrow pH range around 4.5. By virtue of the close proximity of the electrode potentials of the various plutonium redox couples (~ 1 Volt/NHE), four oxidation states can co-exist in solution simultaneously: Pu3+, Pu4+, PuO2+ and PuO22+.
Various oxidation states of plutonium in aqueous solution; all in non-complexing perchloric acid, except Pu(VII) in strong base. (D. E. Hobart and P.D. Palmer, Los Alamos National Lab.)
Pu4+ is a "hard" (ionic) cation with the largest electronic charge of plutonium ions and it forms complexes with a variety of inorganic and organic ligands. In dilute perchloric acid, Pu4+ is un-complexed and is salmon-colored. However in concentrated acids, Pu4+ forms anionic complexes such as: Pu(NO3)62- (dark green) and Pu(Cl)62- (brick red). Pu4+, having a high ionic charge readily hydrolyzes (combines with hydroxide ion) at near-neutral pH values forming a green colloidal suspension that behaves like a solution but is actually a solid precipitate that can be separated by ultra-centrifugation.
Plutonium-organic complexes are very important for separation, reprocessing, and purification and include: Tributyl phosphate (TBP); Di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (DEHPA or HDEHP); octyl(phenyl)-N,N-diisobutyl-carbamoylmethylphosphine oxide (CMPO); crown-ethers; and many others.
Production
Plutonium is the heaviest primordial element in existence by virtue of its most stable isotope, plutonium-244, whose half-life of about 80 million years is just long enough for the element to be found in trace quantities in nature. In 1971 mass spectrometric measurements of plutonium isolated from Precambrian bastnasite (a lanthanide chloride-fluoride mineral) by Hoffman and coworkers confirmed the presence of Pu-244 in nature. Although the existence of Pu-244 as an extinct radioactive element had been postulated to explain the xenon isotope ratios observed in meteorites, this is the first indication of its present existence in nature. Plutonium also exists in trace quantities in naturally occurring uranium ores. It is formed in much the same manner as neptunium: by irradiation of natural uranium with the neutrons followed by beta decay. Exceedingly small amounts of Pu-238, attributed to the extremely rare double-beta decay of U-238, have been found in natural uranium samples. Plutonium was most likely formed by neutron activation of natural U-238 at the Oklo natural reactor but if formed it has long since decayed away. Plutonium is for the most part a by-product of nuclear reactions in reactors where some of the neutrons released by the fission process convert U-238 nuclei into plutonium. Plutonium-238 and -239 are the most widely synthesized isotopes. Plutonium-239 is synthesized via the following reaction using uranium (U) and neutrons (n) via beta decay (β−) with neptunium as an intermediate:
Plutonium-238 is synthesized by bombarding uranium-238 with deuterons in the following first discovery reaction:
Uses
Plutonium has assumed the position of dominant importance among the transuranium elements because of its use as an explosive ingredient in nuclear weapons and the place which it holds as a key material in the development of industrial use of nuclear power. During fission, a fraction of the binding energy, which holds a nucleus together, is released as a large amount of electromagnetic and kinetic energy which is quickly converted to thermal energy. Fission of a kilogram of plutonium-239 can produce an explosion equivalent to 21,000 tons of TNT which is equivalent to about 22 million kilowatt hours of heat energy. In 1982 it was estimated that about 300,000 kg had accumulated. The most common chemical process, PUREX (Plutonium–URanium EXtraction) reprocesses spent nuclear fuel to extract plutonium and uranium which can be used to form a mixed U/Pu oxide or "MOX" fuel for reuse in nuclear power reactors. MOX fuel production is also a good mechanism to reduce excessive defense plutonium stockpiles for peaceful purposes, which in effect is forging "swords into plowshares."
Plutonium isotopes undergo radioactive decay, which produces decay heat . Different isotopes produce different amounts of heat per mass. Pu-238 with a half-life of 88 years has a relatively high heat production rate which makes it useful as a power source with a long service life. The decay heat is usually listed as watt/kilogram, or milliwatt/gram. Pu-238 is a heat source in radioisotope thermoelectric generators, which are used to power spacecraft and extra-terrestrial rovers. As a power and heat source, Pu-238 has also been used to power instruments left on the Moon by Apollo astronauts, weather satellites and interplanetary probes and powers the Cassini Saturn mission and the Mars rovers.
Plutonium-238 was at one time used successfully to power artificial heart pacemakers but has been replaced by lithium-based primary cells. Plutonium-238 was studied as a way to provide supplemental heat to scuba divers. Pu-238 mixed with beryllium is a convenient method to generate neutrons.
Pu-238 powers the Cassini Mission now orbiting Saturn. (NASA)
Hazards
Plutonium, along with all of the other transuranium elements, is a radiological hazard and must be handled with specialized equipment and precautions. Animal studies have found that a few milligrams of plutonium per kilogram of tissue are lethal. Plutonium is more dangerous when inhaled than when ingested. When inhaled, plutonium can pass into the bloodstream moving throughout the body and into the bones, liver, or other body organs. Plutonium that reaches body organs generally stays in the body for decades and continues to expose the surrounding tissue to radiation and thus may cause cancer. Precautions must also be taken to prevent the unintentional formulation of a critical mass. Pure Pu-239 metal present in sufficient quantity with an appropriate geometry can form a critical mass and pose a serious and often lethal criticality event. Low levels of plutonium in the environment is a result of world-wide fallout from numerous above-ground nuclear tests during the Cold War (now banned) pose little health hazard. Disposal of plutonium waste from nuclear power plants and dismantled nuclear weapons built during the Cold War is a nuclear-proliferation and environmental concern.
Further Reading
D. L. Clark, S. S. Hecker, G. D. Jarvinen, and M. P. Neu (2006) "Plutonium", Chapter 7 in The Chemistry of the Actinide and Transactinide Elements, Third Edition, L. R. Morss, J. Fuger, and N. M. Edelstein, Eds, Springer Publishers.
Los Alamos Science (2000) Number 26, Volume I and II, Los Alamos National Laboratory report LA-UR-00-4100.
Updated by Dr. David Hobart, August 2013.
LA-UR-13-26653
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What is the family name of the Duke of Northumberland? | Facts About Plutonium
Facts About Plutonium
By Alina Bradford, Live Science Contributor |
December 7, 2016 09:30pm ET
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These buttons of refined plutonium metal were used in the core of the Fat Man bomb dropped on Nagasaki.
Credit: U.S. Department of Energy
Plutonium is a radioactive, silver metal that can be used to create or destroy. While it was used for destruction soon after it was made, today the element is used mostly for creating energy throughout the world.
Plutonium was first produced and isolated in 1940 and was used to make the "Fat Man" atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki at the end of World War II, just five years after it was first produced, said Amanda Simson, an assistant professor of chemical engineering at the University of New Haven.
Just the facts
Here are the properties of plutonium, according to the Los Alamos National Laboratory :
Atomic number: 94
Melting point: 1,184 F (640 C)
Boiling point: 5,842 F (3,228 C)
Discovery & history
Plutonium was discovered in 1941 by scientists Joseph W. Kennedy, Glenn T. Seaborg, Edward M. McMillan and Arthur C. Wohl at the University of California, Berkley. The discovery occurred when the team bombarded uranium-238 with deuterons that had been accelerated in a cyclotron device, which created neptunium-238 and two free neutrons. The neptunium-238 then decayed into plutonium-238 through beta decay.
This experiment wasn't shared with the rest of the scientific community until 1946, after World War II. Seaborg submitted a paper on their discovery to the journal Physical Review in March 1941, but the paper was removed when it was discovered that an isotope of plutonium, Pu-239, may be used to create an atomic bomb.
Soon, Seaborg was sent to lead the Plutonium Production Lab, also known as the Met Lab, at the University of Chicago, according to the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The purpose of the lab was to create plutonium as part of the Manhattan Project. The Manhattan Project was a secret venture during World War II that worked exclusively to develop an atomic bomb.
On August 18, 1942, they had their first big success. They were able to create a trace quantity of plutonium that was visible to the eye. It equaled only around 1 microgram. From the tiny sample, scientist determined plutonium's atomic weight.
The Manhattan Project eventually produced enough plutonium for the "Trinity Test." During the test, the world's first atomic bomb, or the "The Gadget," was exploded near Socorro, New Mexico, on July 16, 1945, by Los Alamos Laboratory director Robert Oppenheimer and Army General Leslie Groves.
Of the test, Oppenheimer said, "We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried. Most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, 'Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' I suppose we all thought that, one way or another," according to the Royal Society of Chemistry .
The explosion had the energy equivalent of approximately 20,000 tons of TNT. The first war-use atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945. That atomic bomb, dubbed "Little Boy," had a uranium core, though. The second bomb, dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, in August 9, 1945, had a plutonium core. The "Fat Man," as it was called, hastened the end of World War II.
Properties of plutonium
Freshly prepared plutonium metal has a silvery bright color but takes on a dull gray, yellow, or olive green tarnish when oxidized in air. The metal quickly dissolves in concentrated mineral acids. A large piece of plutonium feels warm to the touch because of the energy given off by alpha decay; larger pieces can produce enough heat to boil water. At room temperature alpha-form plutonium (the most common form) is as hard and brittle as cast iron. It can be alloyed with other metals to form the room-temperature stabilized delta form, which is soft and ductile. Unlike most metals, plutonium is not a good conductor of heat or electricity. It has a low melting point and an unusually high boiling point.
Plutonium can form alloys and intermediate compounds with most other metals, and compounds with a variety of other elements. Some alloys have superconductive abilities and others are used to make nuclear fuel pellets. Its compounds come in a variety of colors, depending on the oxidation state and how complex various ligands are. In aqueous solution there are five valance ionic states.
Plutonium, along with all of the other transuranium elements, is a radiological hazard and must be handled with specialized equipment and precautions. Animal studies have found that a few milligrams of plutonium per kilogram of tissue are lethal.
Sources
Plutonium generally isn't found in nature. Trace elements of plutonium are found in naturally occurring uranium ores. Here, it is formed in a way similar to neptunium: by irradiation of natural uranium with neutrons followed by beta decay.
Primarily, however, plutonium is a byproduct of the nuclear power industry. Each year, around 20 tons of plutonium is produced, according to the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Spent nuclear fuel can also be reprocessed to separate usable plutonium from other elements in the fuel.
Atmospheric weapons testing in the 1950s and 1960s left tons of plutonium in the Earth's atmosphere that is still there today, according to the World Nuclear Association .
Uses
For the most part, plutonium isn't used for much. In fact, of the five common isotopes, only two of plutonium's isotopes, plutonium-238 and plutonium-239, are used for anything at all.
Plutonium-238 is used to make electricity for space probes using radioisotope thermoelectric generators. These generators are switched on when the probes can't get enough solar power because they have traveled too far away from the sun. Some probes that use plutonium-238 are Cassini and Galileo.
When concentrated enough, plutonium-239 undergoes a fission chain reaction. Because of this, it is used in nuclear weapons and some nuclear reactors.
In fact, one of the biggest uses for plutonium is energy. According to the World Nuclear Association, over one-third of the energy produced in most nuclear power plants comes from plutonium. Plutonium is the main fuel in fast neutron reactors.
Who knew?
For decades, scientists wondered why plutonium didn't act like other metals in its group. For instance, plutonium is a poor conductor of electricity and it doesn't stick to magnets. Now researchers have figured out where its "missing magnetism" has been hiding out and it has to do with the wacky behavior of the electrons in the element's outer shell. Unlike other metals, which have a set number of electrons in their outer shells, when in a ground state, plutonium can have four, five or six electrons there.
This fluctuating number of outer-shell electrons explains why plutonium isn't magnetic: In order for an atom to interact with magnets the unpaired electrons in its outer shell must line up in a magnetic field. [ Read more about plutonium's missing magnetism ]
Plutonium's most stable isotope, plutonium-244, can last a long time. It has a half-life of about 82 million years and decays into uranium-240 through alpha decay, according to the Jefferson Lab .
Plutonium was named after the planet, Pluto. This is because it came after Uranium, which was named after the planet Uranus, and neptunium, which was named after the planet Neptune.
Plutonium emits neutrons, beta particles and gamma rays.
Additional resources
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The Canal Turn fence at Aintree is named after which canal? | Course and Fences
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Grand National Course and Fences
The Grand National is the ultimate test of horse and jockey. The race comprises two full circuits of a unique 2� mile (3,600 metres) course, where challengers will face 30 of the most testing fences in the world of jump racing.
It was originally designed as a cross-country steeplechase when it was first officially run in 1839. The runners started at a lane on the edge of the racecourse and raced away from the course out over open countryside towards the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. The gates, hedges and ditches that they met along the way were flagged to provide them with the obstacles to be jumped along the way with posts and rails erected at the two points where the runners jumped a brook.
The runners returned towards the racecourse by running along the edge of the canal before re-entering the course at the opposite end. The runners then ran the length of the racecourse before embarking on a second circuit before finishing in front of the stands. The majority of the race therefore took place not on the actual Aintree Racecourse but instead in the adjoining countryside. That countryside was incorporated into the modern course but commentators still often refer to it as "the country", much to the confusion of millions of once-a-year racing viewers.
Nowadays, around 150 tonnes of spruce branches, sourced and transported from forests in the Lake District, are used to dress the Liverpool course's jump fences. Each fence used to be made from a wooden frame and covered with the distinctive green spruce. However, a radical change for the 2013 renewal saw that frame replaced by a softer, more forgiving material known as "plastic birch", for safety reasons.
Each of the 16 fences on the course are jumped twice, with the exception of The Chair and the Water Jump, which are jumped on the first circuit only. You can take a jockey's eye view of the Grand National course via the video below:
Safety Changes
Following safety reviews after both the 2011 and 2012 renewals, a number of changes were made to the course with some reductions in fences or the drop after fences, plus the levelling of landing zones.
Since 2013, the start of the race is now 90 yards closer to the first fence, reducing the race to four miles and three-and-a-half furlongs, from four-and-a-half miles, while measures were introduced to stop horses getting caught up in the starting tape.
In particular, the start now includes the 'no-go' zone, which is defined by a line on the track, being extended from 15 yards to around 30 yards from the starting tape.
The starter's rostrum has been moved to a position between the starting tape and the 'no-go' zone to reduce the potential for horses to go through the starting tape prematurely.
The tapes themselves are also more user-friendly, with increased visibility, while there is now a specific briefing between the starters' team and the jockeys on Grand National day.
The changes to the start are aimed at slowing the speed the first fence is approached at, while moving the start further away from the crowd reduces noise that can distract the horses.
The makeup of all of the fences changed significantly in 2013. The new fences are still covered in spruce, but wooden posts have been replaced by a softer material known as "plastic birch", and on top of that birch there's a minimum of fourteen to sixteen inches of spruce that the horses can knock off. The outward appearance of the fences remains the same.
Other measures included �100,000 being invested in irrigation to produce the safest jumping ground possible and a new bypass and pen around fence four to catch riderless horses.
The Start
There is a hazard to overcome even before the race starts - the build up, parade and re-girthing prior to the off lasts for around 25 minutes, over double the time it takes for any other race.
With 40 starters, riders naturally want a good sight of the first fence and after the long build-up their nerves are stretched to breaking point, which means the stewards' pre-race warning to go steady is often totally ignored.
The Fences
1 & 17: Thorn fence, 4ft 6in high, 2ft 9in wide - The first often claims many victims as horses tend to travel to it far too keenly. As described above, the drop on the landing side was reduced in 2011.
2 & 18: Almost the same height as the first but much wider at 3ft 6in. Prior to 1888 the first two fences were located approximately halfway between the first to second and second to third jumps. The fence became known as The Fan after a mare refused at the obstacle three years in succession, but it lost that name when the fences were relocated.
3 & 19 Westhead: This is the first big test with a 6ft ditch on the approach guarding a 4ft 10in high fence.
4 & 20: Plain fence, 4ft 10in high and 3ft wide. In 2011, the 20th became the first fence in Grand National history to be bypassed on the second circuit, following an equine fatality on the first. In 2012, it was reduced in height by 2 inches to its current height of 4 foot 10 inches (1.47 metres) after it was shown to be the hardest fence on the course to jump along with Becher�s Brook. Its landing area was smoothed out ahead of the 2013 race.
5 & 21: Spruce dressed fence, 5ft high and 3ft 6in wide. Its landing side was also levelled in 2013. It was bypassed on the final lap for the first time in 2012 so that medics could treat a jockey who fell from his mount on the first lap and had broken a leg.
6 & 22 Becher's Brook: Although the fence looks innocuous from the take-off side, the steep drop on the landing side, together with a left-hand turn on landing, combine to make this the most thrilling and famous fence in the horse racing world. The fence actually measures well over 6 ft on the landing side, a drop of between 5 and 10in from take off. Horses are not expecting the ground the disappear under them on landing, riders need to sit back in the saddle and use their body weight to act as ballast to keep the horses stable.
As described above, there have been a number of alterations to this fence in recent season to try to make it a fairer and safer test for horse and rider, and the whole field managed to clear the obstacle on the first circuit last year.
Becher's Brook earned its name when a top jockey, Captain Martin Becher, took shelter in the brook after being unseated. "Water tastes disgusting without the benefits of whisky" he reflected.
7 & 23 Foinavon Fence: Basically an 'ordinary' fence (4ft 6in high and 3ft wide) that was made famous in 1967 when Fionavon was the only horse to scramble over it at the first time of asking, following a mass pile-up. The jump is the smallest on the course, but coming straight after the biggest drop, it can catch horses and riders out.
8 & 24 Canal Turn: Made of hawthorn stakes covered in Norway spruce, it gets its name from the fact that there is a canal in front of the horses when they land. To avoid it, they must turn a full 90 degrees when they touch down.
The race can be won or lost here, with a diagonal leap to the inside of the jump taking the fence at a scary angle, but reducing the turn on landing. With 30 or more horses often still standing when the field reaches this point on the first circuit, not every rider has the option of taking this daring passage. Before the First World War it was not uncommon for loose horses to continue straight ahead after the jump and end up in the Leeds and Liverpool Canal itself. There was once a ditch before the fence but this was filled in after a m�l�e in the 1928 race.
9 & 25 Valentine's Brook: The third of four famous fences to be jumped in succession, it is 5ft high and 3ft 3in wide with a brook on the landing side that�s about 5ft 6in wide. The fence was originally known as the Second Brook but was renamed after a horse named Valentine was reputed to have jumped the fence hind legs first in 1840. A grandstand was erected alongside the fence in the early part of the 20th century but fell into decline after the Second World War and was torn down in the 1970s.
10 & 26: Thorn fence, 5ft high and 3ft wide that leads the runners alongside the canal towards two ditches.
11 & 27 Booth: The main problem with this fence, which is 5ft high and 3ft wide, is the 6ft wide ditch on the take-off side.
12 & 28: Same size as the two previous fences, but with a 5ft 6in ditch on the landing side, which can catch runners out.
The runners then cross the Melling Road near to the Anchor Bridge, a popular vantage point since the earliest days of the race. This also marks the point where the runners are said to be re-entering the "racecourse proper". In the early days of the race it was thought there was an obstacle near this point known as the Table Jump, which may have resembled a bank similar to those still seen at Punchestown in Ireland. In the 1840s the Melling Road was also flanked by hedges and the runners had to jump into the road and then back out of it.
13 & 29: Second-last fence on the final circuit, it is 4ft 7in high and 3ft wide. This is the other obstacle to have had its landing side smoothed out ahead of the 2013 renewal.
14 & 30: Almost the same height as the previous fence and it is rare for any horse to fall at the final fence in the Grand National.
15 The Chair: The final two jumps of the first circuit form the only pair negotiated just once - and they could not be more different. The Chair is both the tallest (5ft 2in) and broadest fence on the course, with a 6ft wide ditch on the take-off side.
In addition, the landing side turf is actually raised six inches above the take-off ground. This has the opposite effect on horses and riders to the drop at Becher's, as having stretched to get over the ditch, horses are surprised to find the ground coming up to meet them. This is spectacular when horses get it right and equally so, for all the wrong reasons, when they don�t.
This fence is the site of the only human fatality in the National's history, Joe Wynne who sustained injuries in a fall in 1862. This brought about the ditch on the take-off side of the fence in an effort to slow the horses on approach. The fence was the location where a distance judge sat in the earliest days of the race. On the second circuit he would record the finishing order from his position and declare any horse that had not passed him before the previous runner passed the finishing post as "distanced", meaning a non-finisher. The practise was done away with in the 1850s but the monument where the chair stood is still there.
The fence was originally known as the Monument Jump but The Chair came into more regular use in the 1930s.
16 Water Jump: This 2ft 9in fence brings the first circuit to an end and the sight of the runners jumping it at speed presents a terrific spectacle in front of the grandstands. The fence was originally a stone wall in the very early Grand Nationals. On the final circuit, after the 30th fence the remaining runners bear right, avoiding The Chair and Water Jump, to head onto a "run-in" to the finishing post.
The Finish
The 474-yard long run in from the final fence to the finish is the longest in the country and has an acute elbow halfway up it that further drains the then almost empty stamina reserves of both horse and jockey.
For numerous riders over the years, this elongated run-in has proved mental and physical agony when the winning post seems to be retreating with every weary stride.
Don't count your money until the post is reached as with the rest of the Grand National course, the run-in can - and usually does - change fortunes. The likes of Devon Loch, Crisp and Sunnyhillbot have all famously had defeat snatched from the jaws of victory in heat breaking fashion.
Course Walking
No visit to Aintree would be complete without taking the opportunity to see some of these famous fences close up. The whole course can actually be walked on the morning of the race (subject to ground conditions and security requirements). Walkers should leave an hour to do a circuit, which must be completed one hour prior to the first race. Maps, guiding racegoers to the start point, are located around the racecourse.
The famous Becher's Brook with its steep drop on landing - a daunting obstacle
© Where To Bet Ltd 2004-16 (contact us: [email protected])
| leeds and liverpool |
In January 1988, who became the first woman to be appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal? | Grand National Course Guide
GUIDE TO AINTREE & THE GRAND NATIONAL
The course, fences and history of the race…
Race & Course Guide
Aintree has been the home of the Grand National since it’s first running in 1839, and although a version of the race took place in years prior to this, 1839 is the accepted date of the official commencement of The Grand National.
Since those early days the course and fences have undergone many changes. Most recently the wooden stakes at the core of the fences have been replaced with flexible plastic to reduce the risk of horses and jockeys getting injured. The starting line has also moved further away from the main stand as this helps the horses remain calmer in the moments before the off.
These changes haven’t effected the essence of the race, which still remains the one of the toughest tests of horse and rider in the world. Forty horses line up at the starting tape and around 60% of the entrants will not complete the race, which is four and a half miles long and has thirty fence jumps.
Aintree
Aintree is the home of the Grand National and apart from a couple of years during the first world war, the race has always taken place at the course, which is located just five miles from the centre of Liverpool. Well served by public transport and a train station, the course is modern and offers a wide range of facilities. The Grand National is just one of many race meetings that take place during the National Hunt season although not all meetings and races are run over the National course.
Getting to Aintree is very easy from all parts of the United Kingdom. Liverpool has excellent rail links, motorway access and is served by John Lennon Airport. Queues on the day of the Grand National can build up on the roads surrounding the course but this is to be expected for such a popular sporting occasion. Around 70,000 racing fans will watch the race live making it one of the biggest sporting events in the calendar.
Course
The Grand National course is 4 miles and 4 furlongs long. The horses encounter 16 different fences with varying degrees of height and width. Riders must navigate two circuits of the course (missing out fences 15 & 16 on the second circuit) before turning for the home straight which is the longest run-in of any UK racecourse.
The Grand National is the longest race in the UK but it’s the difficulty for the fences that provide the real challenge to horse and rider. Just a mention of the fences Becher’s Brook, The Chair and the Canal Turn make a jockey’s blood run cold.
Often called the ‘Original Extreme Sport’ steeplechase races originated in Ireland. Legend has it that the first race was between Cornelius O’Callaghan and Edmund Blake as they raced from Buttevant Church to St. Leger Church, or from steeple to steeple, hence the term steeplechase. Those original cross country races are now replicated on racecourses across England and Ireland. However, the Aintree course is arguably the toughest of all. Jockeys no longer have to jump a stone wall at Aintree or cross the ploughed field, but the water jumps, brooks and ditches still feature on many of its fences.
Famous Fences
THE GRAND NATIONAL FENCES
Few races can claim to have famous fences, maybe with the exception of the infamous ‘Taxis’ fence in the Velká pardubická, no other race can rival the Grand National for fearsome jumps.
Of the 16 fences which make up the National course six of the jumps have become famous in their own right. Becher’s Brook, Valentines’ Brook, The Chair, Canal Turn and Foinavon are names which are known throughout the world. These fences are woven into the very fabric of the Grand National race.
Becher’s Brook
Becher’s Brook is the the 6th and 22nd fence in the Grand National. Standing at 4ft 10 inches the fence has a fearsome reputation due to the fact that the landing side of the fence is 10 inches lower than the take off side. Jockeys have compared it to “jumping off the edge of the world.”
The fence takes its name from Captain Martin Becher, one of the Grand National pioneers and keen jockey. Becher fell at this fence and hid in the brook to avoid injury from the horses still jumping the fence.
Valentine’s Brook
Valentine’s Brook is fence 9 & 25 and is named after the horse who reputedly jumped the fence backwards in 1840. Although it’s more likely the horse pirouetted which gave the appearance of him jumping hind legs first.
In many ways the fence is like Becher’s Brook only less severe and it accounts for around 2% of all fallers in the race.
The Chair
At 5ft 3in The Chair (fence 15) is the tallest fence in the Grand National. Horses must also clear a 6ft ditch on the takeoff side, with the landing side being 6in higher than the takeoff side.
Although most horses successfully navigate this fence it has claimed two jockeys lives. In 1862 Joseph Wynne was fatally injuried during the Grand National and in 1872 George Ede died at the fence, albeit in a different race.
The fence was originally known as the Monument Jump and it is one of only two fences which are navigated once by the riders, the other being the Water Jump.
Foinavon
One of the smaller fences in the race, Foinavon is named after the 100/1 shot who avoided a mass pile-up here in 1967 and went on to win the race. Officially fence 7 & 23, Foinavon is just 4ft 6in and apart from 1967 rarely does this fence trouble the jockeys. It accounts for just 2% of fallers.
Canal Turn
The Canal Turn has been the scene of many a pile-ups over the years. Horses that refuse to jump this fence can interfere with other runners. Any jockey who decides to cut the corner also runs the risk of sliding out of the saddle.
Before the First World War it was not uncommon for loose horses to continue straight ahead after the jump and end up in the Leeds and Liverpool Canal!
Officially fence 8 & 24, it accounts for around 5% of race fallers and stands at 5ft.
Tickets
Tickets for the Grand National are available to buy online at aintree.co.uk, prices range from £20 all the way up to £600 for corporate hospitality packages. You are advised to book early as the last two Grand National meetings have sold out completely. Tickets in popular parts of the course are snapped up months before the race is due to take place (9th April 2016).
Aintree.co.uk is the official racecourse website where you can buy tickets for the 2017 Grand National.
| i don't know |
Stefan Gordy, a son of the founder of Motown Records, is known by which colourful stage name? | Redfoo Biography, Redfoo Music, Redfoo News, Redfoo Photos and more - KeepVid Music Artist
NEWS
Redfoo may be best known as one half of the duo LMFAO, but his music career started long before he began party-rocking with nephew Sky Blu. Born in Los Angeles, Stefan Kendal Gordy -- the youngest son of Motown founder Berry Gordy, Jr. -- started his career by working with rappers in the L.A. area in the late '90s, including the Black Eyed Peas. He featured on the appropriately titled "Duet" from BEP's debut album, which would prove fortuitous almost half a decade later. In 2006, after forming LMFAO, Redfoo and Sky Blu were introduced to Jimmy Iovine at Interscope Records by head Pea will.i.am and were immediately signed. Their debut album, Party Rock, was released in 2009, and a year later they were featured on David Guetta's remix of "Gettin' Over You" with another Black Eyed Pea, Fergie. Buoyed by their growing popularity, they released their second album, Sorry for Party Rocking, which spawned a string of hit songs and high-profile tour slots. They even performed at the Super Bowl with Madonna. In 2012, the duo announced their hiatus and Redfoo released his first solo single, "Bring Out the Bottles." He joined the judge's table on the Australian X Factor series and went on to release a steady string of singles, including the Australian hit "Let's Get Ridiculous." The high-energy big-beat electro-pop songs continued to roll out through 2015, when he announced his first proper solo LP, Party Rock Mansion. Released in early 2016, Party Rock Mansion included first single "Lights Out," a guest feature from Stevie Wonder on "Where the Sun Goes," and "Juicy Wiggle," which was included on the soundtrack to the Alvin & the Chipmunks movie Road Chip.
Stefan Kendal Gordy (born September 3, 1975), better known by his stage name Redfoo, is an American hip hop recording artist, dancer, record producer and DJ best known as part of the musical duo LMFAO. He formed the duo with his nephew Sky Blu in 2006 and they released two studio albums before going solo in 2013. He is the youngest son of Motown Record Corporation founder Berry Gordy, Jr.
| Redfoo |
The first two speakers in which Shakespeare play are a shipmaster and a boatswain? | Pop singer Redfoo attacked at Australian pub
Pop singer Redfoo attacked at Australian pub
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Redfoo, also known as Stefan Gordy of the band LMFAO, watches as his girlfriend Victoria Azarenka of Belarus plays Francesca Schiavone of Italy in their women's singles match during the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris June 3, 2013. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler
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SYDNEY (Reuters) - Redfoo, one half of LMFAO the U.S. pop duo behind the hit single "I'm Sexy and I Know It", has been hit with a glass at a pub in an upmarket Sydney suburb and suffered a minor facial injury, Australian police said on Thursday.
The singer and Australian X Factor talent show judge, whose real name is Stefan Kendal Gordy, has been left with a scar above his right eye after a man hurled a glass at him, police said.
“He looked at me and taunted me and winked his eye, just to say ‘I got you’ or something," Redfoo told Australian television.
Police have charged a 21-year-old man over the attack. He will appear in court next month.
Redfoo is the youngest son of Berry Gordy Jnr, the founder of Motown Records company.
(Reporting by Samantha Mountford; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)
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Which is the main city in the New Zealand region of Canterbury? | New Zealand Main Cities
Home » New Zealand Information » New Zealand Main Cities
New Zealand Main Cities
New Zealand is a relatively small country, with a population of little more than 4 million people. Consequently, our cities and towns are mostly quite small with large amounts of forestry and farmland surrounding them. If you are looking for a great place to holiday, then New Zealand is the perfect place. Throughout New Zealand you will find beautiful scenery, adrenaline activities, world-class skiing, geothermal attractions, towering alps, cascading waterfalls, vast glaciers, a strong culture, rich heritage and great lifestyle options.
The main cities in the North Island of New Zealand are:
Name
Auckland
405,000
Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand. The city is built around 2 large harbours, and has many world famous attractions including the Sky Tower. The Auckland Region has a population of about 1.3 million people, and enjoys a warm, temperate climate.
Wellington
393,000
Wellington is the Capital City of New Zealand and is home to Parliament, the head offices of all Government Ministries and Departments and the bulk of the foreign diplomatic missions in New Zealand. It is also home to Te Papa (the ground-breaking interactive Museum of New Zealand) and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
Hamilton
129,000
Hamilton rests on the banks of the Waikato River, south of Auckland City. The vast underground network of caves and caverns at Waitomo are near to Hamilton City.
Tauranga
121,000
Tauranga City rests on the south-eastern edge of the Tauranga Harbour and enjoys a sunny, "subtropical" climate. One of New Zealand's fastest growing cities, the Port of Tauranga is a main New Zealand export port. The sunny, beachy lifestyle attracts holiday makers from around the world - many come to swim, surf, kayak and kitesurf the local beaches.
Palmerston North
78,000
Palmerston North is a vibrant city with a large youth population. The city enjoys a rich arts and theatre scene with many restored heritage buildings. Here you will find Massey University and several other institutes of importance.
Rotorua
70,000
Rotorua is a multi-cultural city, built in the heart of a geothermal wonderland, with bubbly mud pools, spouting geysers and hissing vents. There are 17 lakes in the Rotorua district that offer great freshwater fishing, waterskiing, swimming and other water activities.
Hastings
66,000
Located less than 20 kilometres from Napier, Hastings has many heritage buildings. Other local attractions include Splash Planet - a large amusement park, Cape Kidnappers - home to the world's largest mainland gannet colony and Te Mata Peak.
Napier
58,000
A seaport, Napier was leveled in 1931 by a devastating earthquake, and rebuilt in the Art Deco style of the day. Today Napier prides itself as the "Art Deco Capital". Wine tours, heritage tours, sailing, fishing and other activities are popular here.
New Plymouth
52,000
New Plymouth is a port city, known for its beautiful gardens. A popular attraction is the Coastal Walkway - an 11 kilometre path that forms an expansive sea-edge promenade stretching almost the entire length of the city.
Whangarei
52,000
Whangarei is the northernmost city in New Zealand and enjoys a sunny, oceanic climate. Whangarei is a popular holiday detsination, with spectacular beaches and beautiful scenery.
Some of the larger towns in the North Island include:
Name
Wanganui
43,000
Wanganui is a large town built on the shores of the Whanganui River. Wanganui located about 75 kilometres northwest of Palmerston North. The surrounding region is a part of New Zealand's Nature Coast, featuring rivers, beaches, lakes, mountains, parks and golf courses. The Whanganui River is the longest navigable river in the country, with 239 rapids and stunning bush scenery.
Gisborne
34,000
Gisborne enjoys a sunny climate and is one of the first places in the world to see each new day. Gisborne is also the first part of New Zealand to be sighted by the crew of Captain James Cook's ship the Endeavour.
Whakatane
33,000
Whakatane is a population holiday town, nestled along the beautiful eastern Bay of Plenty coastline. The warm waters here are famous for deep sea fishing, whale watching and swimming with dolphins, and a variety of marine sports. Offshore from Whakatane, White Island is an active volcano that visitors can take a live volcano tour to.
Masterton
23,000
Masterton is the largest town in the Wairarapa region, and boasts great shopping and cafe culture. Explore the boutique shopping area in Kuripuni Village, the Queen Elizabeth Park or the huge Kidzone playground.
Taupo
22,000
Taupo is nestled on the shores of Lake Taupo. With a surface area of 616 square kilometres, Lake Taupo is the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand. Other popular attractions include the spectacular Huka Falls and the Craters of the Moon thermal area.
Ruapehu
13,000
The Ruapehu District is home to Mount Ruapehu, Tongariro National Park, and the Raurimu Spiral on the North Island Main Trunk railway line. The main towns of the Ruapehu region are Whakapapa, National Park and Ohakune.
The main cities in the South Island of New Zealand are:
Name
Christchurch
380,000
Christchurch City is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand. The city is known as the "Garden City"; The city suffered greatly with several large earthquakes in 2011 - 2012, and is still in the process of rebuilding its city center.
Dunedin
117,000
Dunedin is the second largest city in the South Island of New Zealand. Nestled on the shores of the Otago Harbour, Dunedin is a large eco tourism attraction. Explore the penguin colonies and other natural attractions on the Otago Peninsula.
Nelson
60,000
Nelson is a sunny city located at the top of the South Island of New Zealand. Nelson is home to the World of Wearable Art and Classic Cars Museum, and is near to three National Parks - the Abel Tasman National Park, the Kahurangi National Park and the Nelson Lakes National Park.
Invercargill
53,000
Invercargill is the most southern city of New Zealand, resting on the Southland Plains beside the Oreti River. Invercargill is home to the Southern Institute of Technology, a polytech that offers a zero-fees scheme to students.
Some of the larger towns in the South Island include:
Name
Timaru
42,000
Timaru is a major port town located in the Canterbury region, southwest of Christchurch. The port of Timaru is the most centrally located port in the South Island, and a base for many tourism activities. Caroline Bay is a popular local swimming beach.
Blenheim
30,000
Blenheim is well known for its many wineries. The town enjoys on of New Zealand's sunniest climates, with hot dry summers. Attractions include the Omaka Aerodrome - the setting for the biennial Classic Fighters Marlborough airshow, the annual "Blues, Brews and BBQ's" festival and the nearby town of Picton.
Ashburton
30,000
Ashburton is located along State Highway 1, south of Christchurch City. The town sits between the Rangitata River and the Rakaia River, so is ideally located for fishing enthusiasts.
Oamaru
13,000
Oamaru is a small coastal town, located south of Timaru. The town is famous for its historical white stone architecture, and the colonies of yellow-eyed penguins and little blue penguins that live nearby. The Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony is now Oamaru's largest tourist attraction.
Queenstown
10,000
Queenstown is a four season lake and alpine resort town, and the "Adventure Capital" of New Zealand. The town plays host to a constant stream of tourists year round. Queenstown has world class skiing, bungy jumping, sky diving, luging, Gondolas and many other activities.
| Christchurch |
Spain ceded Florida to Britain in the 1763 Treaty of Paris which ended which war? (The name by which it is known in Britain is required) | About the cities and regions
About Otago
Cities and regions
The main campus of the University of Otago is located in the city of Dunedin, which is the major city within the province of Otago.
Otago also has campuses in Christchurch and Wellington.
Dunedin campus and Otago region
The Dunedin campus is located close to the city centre and is surrounded by student housing. The vast majority of courses are offered here, including the only dental school in the country.
Find out more about:
Otago region
Christchurch campus and Canterbury region
The University of Otago, Christchurch is the base for medical and postgraduate health education, and for health research in Christchurch, the South Island’s major urban centre.
Find out more about:
Christchurch City and the Canterbury region
Wellington campus and region
The University of Otago, Wellington is located at Wellington Public Hospital in Newtown. A Health Science-focused campus home to undergraduate MBChB students, New Zealand’s only Medical Radiation Therapy programme, and many postgraduate programmes.
Find out more about:
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The first by-election of this Parliament was in January 2011 in …….. East and Saddleworth. Which town completes the name of the constituency? | Oldham East & Saddleworth (UK) by-election | World Elections
Oldham East & Saddleworth (UK) by-election
Posted by glhermine
Map of Oldham East and Saddleworth
The first by-election of the British Parliament since the May 2010 general election took place yesterday, January 13, in Oldham East and Saddleworth. This by-election came in somewhat unique circumstances, after an election court voided the result of the original vote in May 2010 after LibDem candidate Elwyn Watkins, who lost by 103 votes in May, petitioned for the result to be voided based on the nasty campaigning between former Labour MP Phil Woolas and Elwyn Watkins back in May. Attacks on Watkins by Woolas apparently breached the terms of the Representation of the People Act 1983 by making false statements about his personal character. Woolas, known not only for his controversial statements on Islam, also has a long history of making contests very nasty since 1995.
Oldham East and Saddleworth, which basically covers the eastern part of the largely working-class town of Oldham in addition to the middle-class commuter town of Saddleworth was created in 1997. Prior to that, most of it had been in Littleborough & Saddleworth, a traditionally Conservative seat where the Liberals, not Labour, were the main rivals. The area’s history of nasty contests began with the 1995 election in the old Littleborough & Saddleworth, held at the peak of John Major’s unpopularity. The Tories’ vote collapsed by 21 points, to the benefit of the LibDems’ Chris Davies, who gained the seat with a 4.7% majority over Labour’s Phil Woolas. The by-election campaign was particularly nasty, with Woolas accusing Davis of being “high on tax and soft on drugs”. The inclusion of more working-class parts of the old Oldham Central & Royton were unfavourable to Davies, who lost to Woolas by a 6% margin in the 1997 election in the new seat. Woolas’ majority reached 8% in 2005, but the seat has never been particularly safe for Labour, unlike Oldham West and Royton. In 2010, Woolas, who experimented with some particularly nasty methods again, held on by a hair against LibDem opponent Elwyn Watkins. The Conservatives, which lack a good organization and local government base in the constituency, recovered from their 1995 drubbing only in 2010, when Kashif Ali managed to increase the Tory vote by 8.7% to win 26.4%. The BNP, which had won 11% here in 2001 in the aftermath of race riots, won 5.7% in 2010. There had been rumours that BNP leader Nick Griffin might stand in the by-election, but did not in the end. The BNP’s organization in the area collapsed after their 2001 boom, and the party has been going through internal feuds since their disappointing 2010 showing.
Aside from the unique circumstances of this election, and the unique fact that the LibDems were the ones with the power to move the writ for the by-election (instead of the incumbent party, as is usually the case); this by-election was all the more interesting because it is the first one since the formation of the ConDem coalition in May. Both parties stood candidates after all, but all eyes were on the LibDem vote. Their vote here is probably largely centre-right, being concentrated in the middle-class areas of the seat such as Saddleworth, of a type which might be amenable to voting Tory in other, more “traditional” constituencies. Yet, polls have been showing that the LibDems have suffered a lot from going into coalition with Cameron’s Tories and that they were leaking lots of vote from their left to Labour. The results of the by-election provide an interesting look at the LibDem’s vote:
Debbie Abrahams (Labour) 42.14% (+10.27%)
Elwyn Watkins (Liberal Democrat) 31.95% (+0.32%)
Kashif Ali (Conservative) 12.83% (-13.62%)
Paul Nuttall (UKIP) 5.81% (+1.95%)
Derek Adams (BNP) 4.47% (-1.25%)
Peter Allen (Green) 1.52%
The Flying Brick (Monster Raving Loony Party) 0.42%
Stephen Morris (English Democrats) 0.41%
Loz Kaye (Pirate Party) 0.27%
David Bishop (Bus-Pass Elvis Party) 0.19%
Labour holds the seat with a majority of 10.2%, which means a majority and a popular vote share higher than 2005 and 1997 (the Labour majority in 2005 was actually higher than that of 1997, which is not all that mind-boggling given that Labour was on the offensive against a non-Tory incumbent in 1997). Its vote share is up 10.3%, a figure similar to its vote increase back in the 1995 by-election. Yet, the LibDem vote is also marginally up. The headline figures thus hide something. The Liberal Democrats picked up tactical votes from the Tories who voted LibDem to throw Labour out. This resulted in the Conservative vote collapsing to an all-time low, lower than even 1997. The Liberal Democrats picking up votes from their right was at the same neutralized by what was probably a pretty important leak of votes from its left to Labour. Labour’s vote, after all, went up quite dramatically and it can really only be at the expense of the LibDems. Turnout was 48%, which is good for a winter by-election, and this definitely helped Labour. The LibDems moving the writ for an election in early January was deliberate to minimize Labour turnout, but a Labour GOTV campaign proved quite effective. Paul Nuttall, a UKIP MEP, won a good result – polling ahead of the BNP here of all places, and likely picked up a few Tory votes. The BNP might have suffered from its internal divisions, a higher than expected turnout or its inexistent local organization in Oldham.
Extrapolating the world from a by-election is always a dreadfully bad idea, but doing so from the first by-election in a Parliament is even worse. Yet, the results of the by-election here are unambiguously favourable to Labour. On balance, they are unfavourable to the Liberal Democrats given that they benefited from Tory tactical voting which compensated for a big leakage to Labour. In other constituencies, where the LibDems don’t have a strong base and are on the long-shot offensive from third or distant second, they will not benefit from such tactical voting. In fact, they’ll suffer from it. The image is bleak for the Tories, but I wouldn’t take too much out from this by-election. A by-election in a seat where contests are usually Labour vs. Conservative with the LibDems a non-threatening third would perhaps be more interesting and more informative.
| Oldham |
In 1993, who was the last Australian golfer to win the Open Championship? | Becoming the standard-bearer of Britain’s progressive majority – Ed Miliband’s Fabian Conference speech | LabourList
Becoming the standard-bearer of Britain’s progressive majority – Ed Miliband’s Fabian Conference speech
By Ed Miliband / @ed_miliband
We’ve just witnessed our first by-election of the Parliament in Oldham East and Saddleworth.
It was an unusual by-election not only because – I am proud to say – Labour won, but also because of the behaviour of our opponents and the great churning of votes between the parties.
David Cameron became the first prime minister in recent years to campaign in a by-election.
And definitely the first party leader that I can remember to not know the name of his own party’s candidate.
Then we saw Nick Clegg vowing to have more public rows with Mr Cameron just to remind people that the Liberal Democrats still have a separate identity.
That is an unusual, probably unhealthy, way to conduct any relationship let alone one in a government that is having such a profound impact on people’s lives.
I suspect it is a symptom of a having coalition based on political convenience rather than values.
But, as I said, it was also unusual because we saw significant transfers of votes from the Liberal Democrats to Labour. From the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats. And from Conservatives to Labour.
Above all, what the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election shows us is that people are deeply uneasy about where this Conservative-led government is taking the country.
However our party would be deluding itself if we thought that meant that the next election would fall into our lap.
The next election will be as much about us as about them-and our ability to change and become the voice and standard-bearer of Britain’s progressive majority once again. And that’s what I want to talk about today.
Because I believe that from the very founding of the Labour party as the Labour Representation Committee through to the great reforming Labour governments of the second half of the twentieth century and the early years of this, Labour has succeeded when it has seen itself not as a narrow party of sectional interest, but when through a sense of mission, passion and optimism for the future it has become the voice and vehicle for progressive change.
We need to be honest over 13 years in government we forfeited the right in too many people’s minds to be the natural standard bearers for this progressive majority in Britain.
I want to talk today about the reasons why that happened and about the three ways we need to change and change profoundly if we are to put it right.
The first is to understand why our economy has stopped working for people – and how we can again offer a new economic model for Labour and for Britain. In particular, understanding that simply redistributing taxpayers’ money through the welfare state, important though that is, is inadequate and will not build the more just, more sustainable economy.
The second is to recognise the way our managerialism took us away from the instincts and values of the broad progressive majority in Britain.
That our communities came to see us as the people who put markets and commerce before the common good.
And many citizens came to see us also as the people who did not understand that the state could be intrusive as well as empowering.
We must respond to this by breathing new life into our sense of ideological purpose, drawing on what is enduringly good in the Labour tradition, and reaching outside it too.
And third we must accept that in how we do our politics we came to be not leaders of a broad, open progressive majority built on a coalition of values, but into a political force that was far less than that.
We must respond by putting democratic renewal and a willingness to reach out to others beyond our party at the heart of the way we do our politics.
Understanding that Labour must change the way it works and that no one party can claim to have a monopoly of wisdom in today’s politics. That Labour must earn its leadership of Britain’s progressive majority – it is not ours by right.
The Context
Before turning to my argument, let me set the context.
It’s two years since I opened the Fabian New Year Conference of 2009.
I remarked then that the Tories had never been more on the ideological defensive in my political lifetime.
The financial crash had demolished the Conservative fallacy that markets always know best and David Cameron was busy discovering that there was such a thing as society.
Two years later, we are clearly in a very different place.
David Cameron didn’t win the general election last May. But he did end up as Prime Minister and he hasn’t let the absence of a mandate stop him from embarking on the most ideologically dangerous assault on our public services in a generation.
These changes will re-shape Britain in as profound a way as Mrs Thatcher re-shaped Britain in the 1980s. I’m sure I speak for everyone here when I say that everywhere I go I see an assault on many of the things I value – from Sure Start to the way in which the trebling of student debt will kick the ladder of opportunity away from a generation of our young people.
The combination of this assault on our institutions, the global economic crisis and the formation of the Conservative-led government has marked a period of change which occurs only once in a generation.
There have been two other moments in my lifetime when economic upheaval has been followed by a dramatic break in the established pattern of British politics.
The first was the IMF crisis in 1976 and the Winter of Discontent two years later, followed by the defeat of the Callaghan government, the formation of the SDP and eighteen years of Conservative government.
The second was Britain’s ejection from the Exchange Rate Mechanism on Black Wednesday, the emergence of New Labour and the election of the first three-term Labour government in our history.
In both cases a fundamental shift in the character and direction of our national politics proved to be enduring.
Facing Up to Defeat
On these two occasions a governing party lost power on the expectation of a quick return to office, and it ended up in the wilderness for a generation.
In both cases that was because they didn’t learn the right lessons about the changing economic circumstances, about what their values meant for their time, and the way they did their politics.
We cannot afford to sit back and wait for this Conservative-led government to fail. That is why we must seize this moment to understand these lessons and to change if we are to ensure that this is a one-term government.
This government is making costly mistakes and will continue to do so. But it is the changes we make to ourselves that will decide whether we avoid the fate that has befallen parties in the past.
That is why “one more heave” just won’t do.
A party that slumps below 30% of the popular vote has a responsibility to face up to the scale of its loss.
Understanding why we lost touch means learning to see ourselves as the British people see us.
We began learning that lesson after 1983, but it took us far too long. I am determined that we will not make the same mistake again.
Of course I am proud of the achievements of our last Labour government. The truth is that for a lot of people those achievements are clearer, now that they are under threat from this government.
But let’s not mislead ourselves – aspects of our record in government are also the reason we are now in opposition.
Parties don’t suffer defeats like the one we suffered last May because of an accumulation of small errors.
They do so by making serious mistakes, and that’s why I have said what I have said on issues like Iraq, failing to properly regulate the banks, ignoring concerns about economic security and not doing enough to deliver on the promise of a new politics.
We have to show that we have learnt lessons if the British people are to trust us again.
The Progressive Majority
So that is the scale of the challenge we face.
But if the result of the election showed why we need to change, it also revealed something important about the nature of British politics from which we ought to draw encouragement.
Most people cast their votes for parties that talked about the need to make Britain fairer and more equal, that warned against the dangers of cutting the deficit too early and urged a deepening of democratic reform.
It’s easy to forget today, but that brief bout of Cleggmania was animated by this progressive hunger for change.
So there is a progressive majority in Britain. It’s just that we failed to attract enough of it to Labour’s cause to return a viable progressive government.
We will rebuild ourselves as a broad movement by understanding where the centre-ground of British politics truly lies.
I want us to become the voice and hope of those who feel squeezed by an economic system that promised to liberate them.
I want us to articulate the frustration of people who are fed up with bankers taking vast public subsidies and then rewarding themselves for failure while the rest of the country struggles.
I want us to be the party that answers the call for a fairer sharing of the nation’s wealth, strong and responsive public services and a different kind of politics.
Over the coming months, I will be talking in greater detail about how we approach the economic challenges, the challenges of renewing our values and the challenge of renewing our politics.
Today I want to set out the direction of that journey.
Economic Crisis
So let me start with the first change we need – on the economy.
The financial crisis shook the world economy, but more specifically it exposed some of the flawed assumptions on which the economic policies of Britain have been based under successive governments.
The last election saw a majority crying out for a party and a government which had learned the lessons of the crisis and could offer Britain a new economic future. But we must accept that we failed to win the argument that it was Labour that could offer people a better economy working in their interests.
If we are again to offer a vision of hope and change to the majority in Britain it is essential that we learn the right lessons of the crisis. This is the argument that will define this decade and beyond.
The implication of much of what the Conservative-led government say is that it was high levels of public borrowing that caused the crisis. That is just not true.
In fact, it was the crisis that caused high levels of public borrowing.
The deficit rose from manageable levels of around 2% of national income to above 10% because of the global financial crisis.
And when the Tories and the Liberal Democrats are trying to propagate this myth about the past we must not let them get away with it.
The reason is not simply because of desire for truth about the past but because they are using it to shape our future.
They want to tell people that the only lesson to learn from the crisis is that as long as we simply cut back spending far and fast enough, we will contain the deficit and reach the sunny uplands of economic prosperity.
But just as we need to counter their myth about the past, we need to acknowledge what we got wrong. Along with other national governments, we didn’t get banking regulation right.
And our economy was too vulnerable to the crisis because we were too reliant on financial services.
These are two important lessons of the crisis. But there is a deeper issue about why the crisis happened and what it teaches us about the economy we need to create.
Freer markets combined with ‘light touch’ regulation were sold to middle Britain on the basis that they would guarantee economic freedom, rising living standards and a fair reward for the hard working majority.
For the best of reasons, New Labour signed up to this vision precisely because it spoke to the hopes of aspirational voters.
Our period in office was marked by notable successes: record levels of employment, a decade of continuous growth until 2008, low inflation, low interest rates and the minimum wage.
What is more we used the proceeds of growth to both rebuild public services and tackle poverty.
Whereas before 1997, relative poverty had trebled and the public realm had crumbled, we comprehensively changed the direction in which our country was headed.
But economic growth and productivity masked a hidden truth: that life in the middle was getting harder not easier.
Real wages in the middle may have been rising but they weren’t keeping pace with the rest of the economy.
And they were wildly outstripped by the gains made by those at the top.
And though Labour did a lot to offset this with tax credits and other forms of public support, we found ourselves swimming against stronger economic currents.
The “squeezed middle”, a phrase some people might have thought I would never use again, is not a marketing concept but a reality of life for millions of people as the result of the economy we have.
It speaks to families working hard for long hours, stretching a limited family budget and who found the only way to increase their living standards was to increase their personal debt.
The lesson we must draw is that there is a connection between the inequality of a system that distributes wealth unfairly and the economic imbalances of a country that became too reliant on personal debt and financial services.
Put these parts of the argument together-about regulation, about the need for a broader industrial base and about inequality – and I come to this conclusion: we can’t build economic efficiency or social justice simply in the way we have tried before.
It won’t be enough to rely on a deregulated market economy providing the tax revenues for redistribution.
New Labour’s critical insight in the 1990s and 2000s was that we needed to be stewards of a successful market economy to make possible social justice through redistribution. The critical insight of Labour in my generation is that both wealth creation and social justice need to be built into the way our economy works.
That’s why I think the living wage, for example, is such a powerful idea.
Because I know that tax credits for all the good they do have their limits.
If we can build an economy with more living wage jobs – and well paying jobs – we embed social justice at the heart of the way the market economy is run rather than having to make it an optional extra.
This is important for us not just because it is necessary to create social justice but because it reflects the fiscal climate we will face in the coming decade.
Why was the last Labour government too slow in the language that we used, after the financial crisis had created a big deficit, to acknowledge what our own plans implied, that there would eventually have to be cuts? Part of the answer is that we hadn’t shown other ways of delivering social justice.
So the first part of the way we must change is to show we can build a fair economy, with wealth creation and social justice for all at its heart.
Our Values
The second part of our challenge is to understand how over 13 years of government we came to seem detached and remote from the instincts and values of families across Britain – families who share our values but saw a party that was out of touch with their daily struggle.
For all our achievements, I know what our biggest problem was – it afflicts all governments.
We became too technocratic and managerial.
But more than that, we sometimes lost sight of people as individuals, and of the importance of communities.
In our use of state power, too often we didn’t take people with us. That is why over time people railed against the target culture, the managerialism of public service reform and overbearing government.
At the same time, we seemed in thrall to a vision of the market that seemed to place too little importance on the values, institutions and relationships that people cherish the most.
We turned a blind eye to the impact of out of town retail developments and post office branch closures on our high streets. We knew all about the benefits of a flexible and mobile labour force, but we didn’t think enough about its impact on weakening social bonds and squeezing time with our families.
So people began to see a government which looked remote from they cared about. They could see a government doing things they either agreed with or disagreed with, but not a political movement that spoke to their values.
To change, we will look critically at our traditions and why they have led us to become remote.
Among the many strands of the British Labour tradition, two have proved particularly influential.
The first was the idea of socialism as a kind of missionary work to be undertaken on behalf of the people.
I’m sorry to give the Fabians a hard time, but this view is most obviously associated with the early Fabians around Sidney and Beatrice Webb.
The alternative strand, represented by the co-operative movement and the early trade unions, saw Labour as a grassroots, democratic movement to enable people to lead the most fulfilling lives.
As we seek the right traditions to draw on as a political party in the 21st century, it is so important that we understand the appropriate role of each tradition.
The Webb Fabian tradition was born of an era where the challenge of the Left was meeting people’s basic needs for health, housing, education and relief of poverty.
That need will always remain.
But people rightly expect more out of their lives than simply meeting basic needs.
The New Labour tradition which embraced dynamic markets is also important for our future and creating wealth.
But people don’t just care about the bottom line, there is so much more to life.
So the bureaucratic state and the overbearing market will never meet our real ambition as a party, that each citizen can be liberated to have the real freedom to shape their own lives.
To do that, we need to draw on that other tradition based on mutualism, localism and the common bonds of solidarity that captures the essence of our party at its best.
The belief in those common bonds means we should also be defenders of the things that people value and which are threatened – sometimes by market, sometimes by government.
When we say we care about the closure of a Sure Start, it isn’t just about the supply of a service to individual families. Sure Start is a place where community is built, as families get to know each other and form friendships.
The same is true of local libraries.
The same is true of ways of life which are deeply ingrained in our country and which we should understand.
Just before Christmas, I went with Jon Cruddas to Billingsgate fish market and met a porter there who told me that the best day of his life was when he got his porter’s badge and that there has not been a day since when he has not woken up feeling proud to be doing the job he does.
That is why politicians should not shrug and walk away when they hear that traditional ways of life are under threat. We should seek to defend ways of life which give people self-respect.
And a Britain of respect and decency demands obligations from all of us. What offends me most about the outrages in the banks is the sense that some of the bankers apparently feel little obligation to the society and country in which they are located.
It isn’t enough to say this is what the market will pay me – societies are built on deeper social obligation.
I care about the success of our financial services industry – about the jobs it creates.
But today when we you see some of our leading bankers constantly threatening to leave the country, trying to hold the country to ransom and thinking only of themselves, it makes me angry.
And that is why it makes me so angry that this government is refusing to act.
To be at heart of the progressive mainstream, we also need to draw on values that may not have always been central to our party. One of our tasks is to learn the lessons of the green movement and put sustainability at the heart of what we do. Another is to draw on the traditions of liberty.
Progressive politics is not just about meeting economic and social needs.
Those are only ever a means to human flourishing and freedom.
Part of that is about upholding the liberty of the person.
Nobody should pretend there aren’t important and difficult choices to be made about how to uphold security and protect liberty. But we didn’t take the need to uphold liberty seriously enough.
In recent months, we have shown with our willingness to support the reduction of 28 day detention to 14 days, we are determined to take liberty seriously as part of our governing philosophy.
The Way We Do Politics
So we must renew our approach to the economy, and renew our values.
But thirdly, we also have to reform our approach to politics.
Not since the era of the rotten borough has our political system faced such a grave crisis of legitimacy as the one it now faces.
From declining turnout and shrinking electoral rolls to anger over expenses and broken promises on tuition fees, people have lost trust in politics and its ability to offer solutions to the problems they face.
That crisis is a matter of national urgency. It’s a crisis of unreformed institutions, broken promises, remote political parties and a knee-jerk adversarial political culture.
Part of the problem has been the failure of all parties to honour repeated promises to usher in a new politics.
Of course that involves reforming our political institutions. Our own credibility was undermined by our failure to honour a manifesto commitment to hold a referendum on voting reform and the stalling of democratic reform of the House of Lords.
We will take every opportunity to reform the way our political system works. That is the reason I will be campaigning in favour of the Alternative Vote in the referendum. I will keep my promise.
But this audience knows that very few people on the doorstop ask about the Alternative Vote or reform of the House of Lords. They think the reason politics is discredited is because politicians always break their promises.
The reality is that that the broken promises of this government do not just damage their own reputations, but that of all politicians. That is why we have to be careful not to over-promise, either in terms of language or in terms of policy.
But that is just part of the story of how we renew our politics.
Think back to our early days as a political party.
Of course, we fought elections but we did a lot more than that.
We were part of the fabric of community life through our wider movement: not just the trade unions, but the co-operative movement.
Nostalgia for times past is not an answer to the challenges of the future.
But the challenge to us all is to be a genuine movement for change appropriate to our time up and down the country.
That is why as part of our party reform, we want to learn the lessons of organisations like London Citizens to become a genuine community organising movement.
The only way we rebuild the case for politics is from the ground up.
The campaign for the local library, the local zebra crossing, the improvement of a school, must be our campaign.
And not just campaigns for the state to do things, but campaigns that achieve things themselves.
There is one other thing we need to change in our politics.
No party has a monopoly of wisdom or virtue, and it is foolish to pretend that they do.
The decision of the Liberal Democrats to join a Conservative-led government was a tragic mistake, and I hope they come to see that in time.
Forgive me if I decline to join those who are gloating at the expense of the Liberal Democrats.
Because their mistake means they are part of a government attempting to shift politics to the Right.
I am certainly pleased that many Liberal Democrats now see Labour as the main progressive hope in British politics.
Thousands of them have joined us since the election.
I want them to find a welcome home in our party – not just making up the numbers, but contributing actively to the strengthening of our values and the renewal of our policies.
But equally there are many Liberal Democrats who have decided to stay and fight for the progressive soul of their party. Most of them do not want to see their progressive tradition sacrificed for personal ambition.
I respect their choice too and I understand how painful it must be to watch what is happening to their party.
We do not doubt that they hold sincere views and we will co-operate, where we can in Parliament and outside, with those that want to fight the direction of this government.
It is our duty to work with progressives everywhere.
Conclusion
So this is the way we need to seize the mantle of progressive politics and shape the economic, ideological and political landscape of the future.
Building a fair economy.
Rooting our values in traditions and ideas that go beyond the bureaucratic state and the overbearing market
And a different kind of politics
The prize is not simply a Labour government but more than that.
It is about a political movement that in every community up and down this country can shape the politics of the future.
Make our values and our ideas the commonsense of our age.
And shape a country and a world based on our ideals.
To report anything from the comment section, please e-mail [email protected]
| i don't know |
In which African country does 100 pesetas equal 1 cedi? | Top 5 Most Valuable and Expensive African Currencies | WhichCountry.co
87
SHARES
In ancient days, when people were not aware of the currency, then the barter system was used for exchanging goods and services , later on with the passage of time, the currency was introduced and made the human life more convenient and reliable and at present Strongest money bill in Africa belongs to Libya country . Today there is no concept for the barter system, and all the nations of this world are using their own currencies, but the value of their official money unit vary from country to country and fluctuation also comes with the foreign policies. So every country has the different value for its official currency units. Some have the highest values while on the other hand some countries have the low values due to below average economies.
Basically the African currencies bills have a historical importance because it was originally took into existence from the different materials, items, animals and even the people available in the locality were used as the medium of exchange. But later on it was totally eliminated and the European colonial powers introduced their own monetary system into the different countries that were administrated by them.
Currently Libyan Dinar is the High valued currency bill in Africa
History and facts about LYD
When it comes to the regions outside Libya, the word Dinar is not much used though its unit dirham is not or may be hardly ever used in our daily life. However instead of this, the world Garsh is used that is equal to ten dirham. In Libya, in September 1971, after the replacement of pound, the Dinar was introduced that is currently officially recognized as Libyan Dinar.
It is the officially used in Libya and its dinar is further divided into 1000 dirham.
Since May 2014 till June 2014, it retained the same value. From 1994 to the current year 2014, it averaged 0.95.
Its ISO code is known as LYD.
Its inflation rate is 6.1%
Its official bank notes are available in 1, 5, 10, 20 and 50 dinars. While coins of 50, 100 Dirham are used that are equal to ¼ and ½ dinar.
Q : Which African Country has the highest currency value?
Ans : At present, Libya is the African country having the highest valued expensive money value united than all other African nations.
After Libya, Tunisia is the nation that stands at second in the list of top five strongest currencies in Africa followed by Ghana, Sudan and Egypt. With $9774 per capita GDP, It is one of the richest nations in Africa continent. Following is a list of top five African nations having the highest currencies by their value.
| Ghana |
Three generations of the Hill-Wood family have been chairman of which football club? | Convert Old Ghanaian Cedis (GHC) and United States Dollars (USD): Currency Exchange Rate Conversion Calculator
Other countries and currencies
The Old Ghanaian Cedi is the currency in Ghana (GH, GHA). The United States Dollar is the currency in American Samoa (AS, ASM), British Virgin Islands (VG, VGB, BVI), El Salvador (SV, SLV), Guam (GU, GUM), Marshall Islands (MH, MHL), Micronesia (Federated States of Micronesia, FM, FSM), Northern Mariana Islands (MP, MNP), Palau (PW, PLW), Puerto Rico (PR, PRI), United States (United States of America, US, USA), Turks and Caicos Islands (TC, TCA), Virgin Islands (VI, VIR), Timor-Leste, Ecuador (EC, ECU), Johnston Island, Midway Islands, and Wake Island. The United States Dollar is also known as the American Dollar, and the US Dollar. The symbol for GHC can be written ¢. The symbol for USD can be written $. The Old Ghanaian Cedi is divided into 100 psewas. The United States Dollar is divided into 100 cents. The exchange rate for the Old Ghanaian Cedi was last updated on January 15, 2017 from Bloomberg. The exchange rate for the United States Dollar was last updated on January 18, 2017 from The International Monetary Fund. The GHC conversion factor has 4 significant digits. The USD conversion factor has 6 significant digits.
GHC
| i don't know |
The singer Solange is the sister of which other singer? | Solange – Songs & Albums : Napster
and 37 other albums
About Solange
The younger sister of superstar singer/actress Beyonce, Solange Knowles has been performing since the age of two. She began writing songs at seven, and by 13 was touring the world as a lead dancer with Destiny's Child. Like her older sister, Solange's vocal style is polished yet soulful, with relationship-centric lyrics layered over sleek, radio-ready production. Her debut album, Solo Star, was released in 2003 and features collaborations with the Neptunes, Timbaland, N.O.R.E. and Lil' Romeo. Bebop Digital
Similar Artists
| Beyoncé |
Whose statue in Merrion Square, Dublin is known to irreverent Dubliners as “The Fag on the Crag”? | stumbleupon
More StatsView More
About Solange Knowles
Solange Knowles, the younger sister of Beyoncé Knowles has an estimated net worth of $5 million. Solange is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, designer, businesswoman, and DJ.
Born in Houston Texas, Knowles began her singing career at the age of 16, her most successful album to date is Sol-Angel and The Hadley St. Dreams in 2008. She has recently released 2 studio albums, that reached number nine on the New York music chart. Most of her wealth has derived from the sophomore album that she released last year.
Knowles has endured many successes, including collaborations with Destiny’s Child, nominated for BET Awards and Soul Train Music Award nominations. She has also been highly regarded for her work as a DJ seeing as in October 2012, Solange, among other celebrities such as Nick Cannon, and Pauly D were nominated for Celebrity DJ Of The Year Award from The Golden Spin Awards.
Knowles married Daniel Smith in February 2004 when she was 17 and he was 19. That same year on October 18 Knowles gave birth to their son, Daniel Julez Smith, Jr. Knowles has noted that having a child at a young age was difficult at times but is more than grateful for her son that she calls “the greatest unplanned blessing”. In October 2007, Solange confirmed that she was no longer with Smith and that they had divorced. They now share custody of their child. After the divorce, Knowles and her Daniel Jr. moved to Los Angeles, California, where they established their new home
Solange Knowles has made it clear over the years that she does not want the same fame as her sister Beyonce, she has stated in several intervues that her sister is and always will be her role model but she is very different in her wants and lifestyle. She is an individual who has created her own success with her life and intents to keep it that way.
Earnings & Financial Data
The below financial data is gathered and compiled by TheRichest analysts team to give you a better understanding of Solange Knowles's net worth by breaking down the most relevant financial events such as yearly salaries, contracts, earn outs, endorsements, stock ownership and much more.
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Down which valley does The Mistral blow? | The infamous mistral wind in Provence
FrenchEntrée > Holidays in France > Weather in France > The infamous mistral wind in Provence
The infamous mistral wind in Provence
By Staff Writer
Provence is well known for its fierce and cold wind known locally as Le Mistral. This wind is the result of an atmospheric phenomenon that occurs mainly in the winter and spring in the gulf of the Mediterranean Sea. The Mistral usually develops as a cold front moving down across France. The air piles up in the Alps before spilling over the mountain’s top and rushing down into the Rhône valley between the Alps and Cevennes.
The Mistral may blow continuously for several days at a time, attain velocities of about 100 km (62 miles) and reach a height of 2 to 3 km (1 to 4m) towards the French Riviera and the Gulfe de Lion. Marseilles and St.Tropez often take the full brunt of this cold, strong wind as it finally reaches the sea. These winds can affect weather in North Africa, Sicily and throughout the Mediterranean. It is strongest and most frequent in winter, and sometimes causes considerable damage to crops. Trees in Provence are forever bent in the direction of this fierce wind.
Le Mistral can cause tiresome headaches. Many a mother will claim this wind incites a general restlessness in children – even pets are said to be affected! But as inhospitable an element as it may be, this beneficial wind does clear and dry the atmosphere in the region, leaving the sun to shine some 2800 hours per year!
“Behind the Mistral is the beauty of Provence. Its fierceness blows away clouds and grime and doubt, leaving colours the depth of dreams and a freshness that can come only after the Mistral’s scouring. Provence needs the Mistral or it ceases to be the Provence of my dreams. I need the Mistral to cut through those dreams to truth – beauty comes after the wind.” Kamiah A. Walker
Photo by Qcom/Flickr
| Rhône |
Firenze (Florence) is the capital city of which Italian region? | The Climate of, and Weather in, the Languedoc: Wind: Le Vent Mistral.
The Climate of, and Weather in, the Languedoc: Wind: The Mistral.
The Mistral usually develops as a cold front moves down across France piling up the air in the Alps before spilling over the top and rushing down the Rhône valley between the Alps and Cevennes at speeds of up to 95mph towards the French Riviera and the Gulf of Lyon . In the winter the wind pours down the Rh�ne valley in an icy flow that can seem relentless. It can last a fortnight in winter, but it's also common in spring, and occurs less often in Summer. In Provence the Mistral blows as often as 100 days of the year, gusting to force 10 and above. Marseilles and St.Tropez generally take the full brunt of this cold, strong wind as it reachs the sea. It does not usually affect the Roussillon or Languedoc, apart from the area around the Rhône delta - the famous Camargue .
A complex set of conditions gives rise to a Mistral, but in essence it is a kind of f�hn wind. When a high-pressure system sits over the plateau of the Massif Central, and a low-pressure system sits over the Mediterranean Sea , the cold mountain air will flow down the pressure slope, accelerating as it roars through the gap of the Rh�ne valley. You can see the Rh�ne valley clearly on the relief map on the right - it runs north-south in between the two big mountain ranges, the Massif Centrale to the west and the Alps to the east.
Locals claim that a sudden feeling of dejection or even depression sweeps through them just before the Mistral comes. Once the wind arrives, depression gives way to headaches and irritability. In Provence it is widely believed that the Mistral always blows for an odd number of days. The name "mistral" comes from the Occitan ( Provençal ) word for "master". The wind masters the population, knocking people off balance physically and out of their minds emotionally (Remember the Mistral in Jean de Florette). The Occitan ( Provençal ) name of 'le vent du fada', translates as "the idiot wind".
A piercingly clear sky accompanies the wind. In the Vaucluse, in northern Provence, they claim that it is possible to see Corsica from the summit of Mont Ventoux during a Mistral. Off the coast, sea temperatures have generally dropped noticeably by the end of the first day of a Mistral. At sea, sailors fear the deadly combination of the wind and the poor visibility caused by spume whipped off the wave crests.
The name of this wind is also the surname of one of the greatest French poets, who wrote in Occitan and won the Nobel prize for literature in 1904: Frederic Mistral .
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Madeline Bray married which eponymous character in a Charles Dickens novel? | Nicholas Nickleby Reviews & Ratings - IMDb
IMDb
39 out of 46 people found the following review useful:
Wonderful adaptation, Horrendous Marketing
from Dallas, Texas
19 January 2003
Greetings again from the darkness. Truly exceptional adaptation of Dickens really shows how terrific writing can allow a film to work. Yes, the cast was very capable and in fact, Christopher Plummer was multi-layered, pure evil as Uncle Ralph. The Squeers team of veterans Jim Broadbent and Juliet Stevenson made escape from their "school" seem the only rational approach. Charlie Hunnam is gorgeous and capable as Nicholas, and herein lies the problem. While not for the youngest of kids, those 12 and up would probably enjoy the movie very much. As a way to touch Dickens, this is easily the least painful and most accessible for 7th through 12th graders. Why aren't audience was filled with 40 and 50 somethings who read the novel growing up and a few (like me) brought teenagers with them. My daughter and her friends loved it! Very frustrating that studios will sink millions into drawing crowds for trash like "Planet of the Apes", "XXX", "Blue Crush", etc but almost nothing into this. Of course, this offers an education in story structure and the supporting casting was inspired. In addition to Hunnam, Anne Hathaway ("Princess Diaries"), Jamie Bell ("Billy Elliot"), Nathan Lane and Alan Cumming were all excellent. Tom Courtenay was funny and pitiful at the same time. Yes, the story is like much of Dickens, it provides hope for those who seem to have little. Good prevails over evil. Personally, I like that approach.
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35 out of 43 people found the following review useful:
Good Triumphs Over Evil
from United States
4 September 2007
Stunning photography, outrageous characters and a powerful, emotional story: that's Nicholas Nickleby, the 2002 adaptation from the famous book by Charles Dickens. I have not read that book, so this story was new to me and I couldn't help but be impressed.
Hopefully, most people are still satisfied to see good people triumph in the end. With a Dickens story, you know there will be a lot to overcome, too, and lots of suffering and heartache along the way to a happy ending.
Douglas McGrathdid a fine job directing this film. Dick Pope, director of photography (cinematographer) made England look as beautiful as any Merchant-Ivory film I've seen. Start-to-finish the landscape of England never looked prettier. Pope performed the same kind of magic two years later in "The Illusionist," a gorgeous-looking movie. Kudos to Rachel Portman for a magnificent score, too, with a beautiful, sweeping theme song. This movie is a treat for the ears, as well.
Charlie Hunnam as Nicholas Nickleby was adequate; Christopher Plummer as his Uncle Ralph was very good and Jamie Bell as the unforgettable "Smike" was excellent. It's hard to believe he's the same kid who played "Billy Elliott" just a couple of years ago.
Jim Broadbent and Juliet Stevens as the wicked, evil husband-and-wife-team who run DotheBoys Hall, a boys boarding school, were also memorable. Dickens also had cruel people mistreating little boys and these two personify cruelty.
Two beautiful women: Anne Hathaway's as Nicholas' love "Madeline Bray" and Romola Garai as his sister "Kate" were both pleasant and easy on the eyes. As for supporting actors, I enjoyed them all as well, getting an extra smile from Timothy Spall and Gerald Horan and "Charles and Ned Cherryble" The same can be said for Nathan Lane and Alan Cumming, who provide much-needed comic relief and whimsy.
I did not recognize Tom Courtenay as "Newman Noggs." I guess I still picture him from his younger and much thinner years. It's been almost 25 years since I last saw him in "The Dresser" and he's changed quite a bit.
One other thing that was fun to observe in this film: everyone's vocabulary! , I loved how they expressed themselves, the good and the bad people
Of the many well-put sentences delivered in this well-intentioned and high-minded film, I remember Nickleby saying near the end,
"Weakness is tiring, but strength is exhausting."
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29 out of 33 people found the following review useful:
England is lovingly represented in this film by a cinematography wedded to landscape.
from United States
8 January 2003
If Dickens were with us today, he would delight in the stock shenanigans of Michael Milken and the outrageous dysfunction of the Osbourne family. Speculation and family chaos rule his `Nicholas Nickleby,' directed on film by Douglas McGrath (`Emma') and starring Christopher Plummer as cold Uncle Ralph and Jim Broadbent as cruel Wackford Squeers.
The idyllic thatched cottage in Devonshire with its white smoke pluming to heaven contrasts sharply with the dark satanic mills of London spewing black smoke into every home and hovel. The eponymous hero, played by Brit TV star Charlie Hunnam, travels both worlds to defend the honor of his sister, overcome the tyranny of his uncle (Plummer), and find love. Along the way Broadbent's boarding-school proprietor, reflecting the workhouse slavery of 19th century England, helps his uncle sabotage Nickleby's spirit and endanger his best friend. But Nicholas also meets the delightful Cheeryble brothers, one of whom is Mike Leigh regular Timothy Spall in an uncharacteristically cheery role.
England is lovingly represented in this film by a cinematography wedded to landscape like a Constable painting, gentlemen appearing as stately as in a Reynolds, and women appearing to be sitting for Gainesboro. All seems well represented without being overdone or obvious.
Like a good Dickens novel, the filmed `Nicholas Nickleby' can't help but drive home lessons about honesty and family. Reliance on both will bring happiness. My only question is how did the Golden Globes ever nominate this as a comedy?
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26 out of 29 people found the following review useful:
sparkling Dickensian effort
from United States
14 August 2003
Writer/director Douglas McGrath has done a splendid job bringing Charles Dickens' delightful novel 'Nicholas Nickleby' to the big screen.
'Nickleby' is quintessential Dickens in its mixture of sentiment and satire; its finely drawn characters and caricatures; its clear cut delineation of good and evil, hero and villain; its melodramatic and coincidence-ridden plotting; and its championing of the downtrodden underclass of 19th Century England. Like many of Dickens' protagonists, Nicholas is a young man who is forced by circumstances (in this case the death of his father) to leave the comfort and security of his home and family and to venture forth to make his way in the world. On his journey he meets many vivid and colorful characters, all of whom reveal to him both the goodness and the cruelty inherent in human nature. These picaresque tales almost always end up with the hero a bit wiser and less naïve for his experiences - but more committed than ever to righting wrongs and seeking justice for those less able to do so on their own. And 'Nicholas Nickleby' is no exception.
In his approach to the material, McGrath has employed an amazing economy that allows him to effectively compress a 500-page novel into a 2 hour and 12 minute film. With so much storyline to work with, McGrath wastes no time in setting the scene and defining the characters, then moving merrily along from one dramatic incident and encounter to the next. Yet, the film never feels rushed or telescoped as movies derived from lengthy novels so often do. Each character, whether major or minor, is given the opportunity to make his or her mark on the scene. It's true that, in Dickens' world, the villains and eccentrics are generally far more intriguing and memorable than the comparatively pallid heroes and heroines, but McGrath has succeeded in making even those latter characters moving and interesting. Above all, the film is blessed with a cast made up of first-rate performers who bring each of the author's creations to vivid life. Charlie Hunnam, despite his having to embody a character who is a fairly one-dimensional, conventional 'pretty boy,' manages to make Nicholas a bit more active and a bit less passive than he might have become in lesser hands. Nathan Lane and Barry Humphries make a delightful couple as Mr. and Mrs. Crummles, the leaders of the fifth-rate theatrical troupe that, for a short while, becomes a family for young Nicholas. Jim Broadbent enacts a fine comic villain as Mr. Squeers, the brutal but henpecked schoolmaster with whom Nicholas quite literally comes to blows. The film's finest performance comes from the ubiquitous Christopher Plummer as Nicholas' evil Uncle Ralph. Plummer understands that the key to conveying villainy effectively is by underplaying the role. By doing so, he helps to ground the film with a much-needed center of gravity.
Special recognition should go to the handsome production and costume design, to the fine cinematography and to the lovely score by Rachel Portman. In fact, everyone involved in the making of 'Nicholas Nickelby' should take a bow for converting such a fun, entertaining novel into such a fun, entertaining film. Dickens, I believe, would feel honored and proud.
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13 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
A Very Good Dickens Adaptation
from Tunbridge Wells, England
8 January 2007
With his complex plots and casts of (often literally) hundreds of characters, Charles Dickens might not seem the most cinema-friendly of novelists, but as of January 2007 no fewer than 235 works are credited on the IMDb as being based on his works, all the way back to "The Death of Nancy Sykes" in 1897. In recent years, however, most of these have been multi-part series made for television, a medium which often seems better equipped to deal with Dickens's complexities than does the cinema. The most popular of his works in the cinema has been "A Christmas Carol", which is a novella rather than a novel, followed by "Oliver Twist" and "Great Expectations", both of which are among his shorter novels, and which are often simplified for the screen. Roman Polanski's recent "Oliver Twist", for example, omitted many of Dickens's details and sub-plots in order to concentrate on the essence of the story.
"Nicholas Nickleby", by contrast, is one of Dickens's lengthier novels, so it was perhaps a brave move to adapt it for the screen. The title character is the son of an impoverished country gentleman. When his father dies heavily in debt, young Nicholas sets out for London with his mother and sister Kate, hoping that his wealthy uncle Ralph will be able to help them. Ralph, however, proves to be arrogant, cold-hearted and avaricious. He takes Kate into his home, motivated not by kindness but by the hope that he might be able to marry her off to his business associate, Sir Mulberry Hawke. He sends Nicholas to Yorkshire to work as an assistant teacher in a run-down boys' boarding school, run by a sadistic headmaster named Wackford Squeers. Nicholas is appalled not only by Squeers's ignorance but also by his neglect of and cruelty towards the boys in his care; he is eventually forced to leave the school after intervening to prevent Squeers beating a crippled boy named Smike, who will play an important role in future plot developments. After a brief interval as an actor, Nicholas returns to London to be reunited with his family.
Dickens's villains are generally more memorable than his heroes (and even more so than his heroines, who are often rather colourless), and that is reflected in this film. Even an actress as lovely as Anne Hathaway tends to fade into the background as the saintly Madeline, Nicholas's love-interest. Romola Garai is rather livelier as the spirited Kate, and Charlie Hunnam makes her brother an honourable and brave, if headstrong, hero. The performances that stand out, however, are from Jim Broadbent as the vicious Squeers, Juliet Stephenson as his equally unpleasant wife, Edward Fox as the dissipated lecher Sir Mulberry (who turns his attentions to Madeline when he realises that Kate is not for him) and Christopher Plummer as Ralph, outwardly calm and rational but inwardly cold and stony-hearted, a man who cares for nobody except himself and for nothing except his bank balance. It is noteworthy that Ralph's luxurious house is filled with stuffed animals and birds, presumably intended to symbolise his cruelty and sadism. The one piece of casting I didn't like was that of "Dame Edna Everage" (a creation of the Australian comedian Barry Humphries) as Mrs Crummles; the idea of a fictitious female character being played by another fictitious character, who is herself being played by a male actor, is a bizarre, almost surreal, one. The only place for a pantomime dame is in a pantomime.
There have been complaints on this board that some reviewers' favourite characters or episodes from the novel have been omitted from the film, but such simplification is inevitable if a nine hundred page novel is to be adapted into a feature film with a running time of just over two hours. What matters is that the feel of the film is authentically Dickensian, and this is achieved here, not only through the recreation, in best "heritage cinema" style, of the England of the 1840s, but also through the steadily growing sense that good will triumph over evil, that the heroes will be vindicated and that the villains will receive their just deserts. This is a very good Dickens adaptation, on a par with Polanski's film and much better than Alfonso Cuaron's eccentric "Great Expectations". 8/10
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16 out of 21 people found the following review useful:
Victoriana
from New York
21 January 2003
Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens is a rather complicated novel. To even try to put a dent on the narrative is a task for someone very ambitious indeed. The film treatment directed and written by Douglas McGrath tries to condense it. In many ways he has succeded.
The story of how Nicholas avenge his dead father and in the process finds love and happiness is told with great assurance from the director and his notable players, some of the most brilliant figures in the English stage and films.
Christopher Plummer as the evil uncle, Ralph Nickleby, is excellent. This is an actor's actor. He plays this villain with relish and a panache not easily found in many other actors. Jim Broadbent appears as the lunatic Wackford Squeers in another star turn. Another performance that is subtle, yet very effective is by Tom Courtenay, as Newman Noggs, who at the end helps Nicholas get to the truth. Juliet Stevenson plays Mrs. Squeers with the right amount of bitchiness and evil. How about Nathan Lane?. He is outstanding again, as is Barry Humphreys, playing his wife.
The only problem are the younger roles. Charlie Hunnan is a likeable performer, but out of his league in this company. The role of Smike, a key figure in the novel, is handled with the clumsiness the role requires by Jamie Bell. Anne Hathaway as Madeline Bray, and Ramola Garai as Kate, are adequate.
All in all this makes a pleasant occasion, if somehow tamed, at the movies.
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14 out of 19 people found the following review useful:
From Some1 Who Didn't Read the Book
from Leicester, England
27 June 2007
This is a film adaptation, if you follow what others said, an altered plot even *based* on the book. If you wanted to see the book dramatized, then I guess you'll be disappointed. But I, however, wanted to see Alan Cumming, so I rented it. I don't care that it's supposed to be Dickens. I had to convince my husband to watch it because he hated the book. In fact, ours would not be described as Dickens house. We are not fans. We don't attend literary societies and haven't gone to university for literature. Neither are we fans. The closest we can come to liking Dickens is Blackadder's Christmas Carol.
What our perceptions are, will not be so elite as my fellow commenters here, but if you want a straight unbiased perspective on this film, do read on.
We found the acting inspirationally good. We would stop at times to comment to one another how excellent the acting is. Especially when Nicholas gets into a fury over his sister in Hawk's face. When he gets angry at the schoolmaster, Squeers, is equally good. The actors did a great job and the film was at once both charming and idyllistic and at other times, cruel and unforgiving. It definitely portraits a time long since past, a way of thinking, the gentry and the way society was at the time within a fictional story written by Charles Dickens. This is another version written by someone else. Regardless, it has its own merits. There are ALWAYS elitists around to hen scratch at any and all adaptations of classic works to film and usually it looks to me to be on principle alone if nothing else. The last comment said the acting was terrible, but really, it was fantastic, so I don't think they even watched beyond like 15 minutes of the film or whatever point they believed it deviated from the book. Let's face it, I haven't even read the book, but I know it would take many hours of time like the extended versions of the complete Lord of the Rings to capture it faithfully, in which case I wouldn't have finished watching it because it would be a) too damn long and b) far too boring because it'd be faithfully like Dickens. This version is shorter and appeals to me a lot more than the drivel shoved down my throat in the classroom at an age when I actually appreciated classic literature far more. And to reinforce this point, I don't remember a damn thing from that, because it was so boring.
So it is NOT the faithfully adapted verbatim snorefest it would have been. It is a very good film. I think only Dickens fans will moan about it. Otherwise, no one else would have a problem with it. Everyone's a critic. I don't usually post here, hardly ever post anywhere. But this is a great film and I came here to IMDb just to see who played Nicholas. Ladies will want to watch it just for his looks <.<
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11 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
Enjoyable film
25 May 2007
This film is an adaptation of the famous Charles Dickens work of the same name.
I must say I have not read the book. I enjoyed the film a lot, and hence I was surprised by the overwhelmingly negative comments on this site. I found the characters likable, believable and distinctly human. I enjoyed the interaction between good and evil characters, especially between Nicolas and Ralph. The story is tightly woven, and there is not a scene where it is followed up later. The presence of Anne Hathaway is a surprise, and her English accent is excellent! I found the ending particularly moving, and I would certainly recommend this movie to other people.
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16 out of 24 people found the following review useful:
Dickens stripped bare... but still worthwhile because of a few good actors
from Den Haag, The Netherlands
11 March 2005
Having read the novel NN a couple of times I know how rich and full of funny characters and episodes this novel is. This adaptation greatly reduces the number of events compared to the novel; though I understand a director has to make a choice what elements of a story he should put to the screen I think the director has been a bit too drastic in doing so. No reference at all to the Mantalini's, or to the downfall of the Squeerses and the closure of Dotheboys hall -I sorely missed those episodes! But what I missed story-wise was partly made up by the acting of Christopher Plummer as Ralph Nickleby and the heartrending performance of Jamie "Billie Elliot' Bell as Smike. A pity that the director also puts the accent mostly on the melodramatic aspects of a story which is full of delicious humor. This adaptation has it charms but check out the royal Shakespeare's Company's version for a faithful adaptation that does Dickens real justice!
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10 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Fantastic... Everything! Actors, Producers, Writers, etc.
from United States
24 July 2007
Juliet Stevenson seems to be devoted acting as Mrs. Squeers. After her first appearance in the movie, I knew Mrs. Squeers was very odd, rude, and has her own way of dealing almost every matter. Mrs. Squeers is worse than Mr. Squeers, who Jim Broadbent acted as. Juliet made the character so realistic, which is practically needed for every character in every movie/TV show. I think it's just amazing how she and Jim Broadbent made the characters seem so real.
The movie is absolutely perfect for Juliet Stevenson and Jim Broadbent. I almost didn't recognize Jim the first time I watched the movie. Actually, I have the DVD and watched the Special Features. All the major actors had fun being in the movie together. Two of the actors have previously done a movie together. I can't remember who it was. Oh, it was Charlie Hunnam and Tom Courtenay. Of course, I cannot forget Anne Hathaway, Nathan Lane, Alan Cumming, and Jamie Bell as (from start to finish) Madeline, Vincent Crummles, Mr. Folair, and Smike. Now, they were also amazing as well. (Anne Hathaway, Nathan Lane, and Alan Cumming are my personal favorite actors.)
To be honest, the entire cast and crew of the movie were amazing. I barely noticed any mistakes; all actors made their characters realistic; the choreography is fantastic, and the directing/producing made the movie a hit, even though I didn't know about the movie until this year. My sister gave me this movie, Nicholas Nickleby, as a high school graduation gift. I have not yet stopped watching this movie. The movie was so well written, produced, and directed that I can't stop watching this movie. I've probably watched it at least five to eight times since the beginning of June.
Anyone who is anyone can watch Nicholas Nickleby and not cry or laugh. It might matter what kind of genre movies you're into, but I do recommend Nicholas Nickleby to everyone. This movie is just fantastic, and has many twists, turns, and shocking news. *Whispers.* But I won't go into that. You'll have to watch the movie.
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| Nicholas Nickleby |
Which vitamin is also known as Alpha Tocopherol? | Nicholas Nickleby Summary - eNotes.com
Nicholas Nickleby Summary
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The title character of Nicholas Nickleby sets off to be a schoolmaster in the north of England when the death of his father leaves the Nickleby family in bad straits—a trial his pretentiously genteel and garrulous mother (a comic portrait of Dickens’s own mother) finds hard to bear. At Dotheboys Hall in Yorkshire, Nicholas wins a test of strength with the evil headmaster Squeers, whose reign of terror has resulted in the abuse and deaths of his cringing charges, all of whom are orphans and unwanted children—a fictionalization of the real-life horrors that Dickens documented during a visit to Yorkshire with his illustrator.
Next, Nicholas becomes an actor in the hilariously inept touring company of Mr. and Mrs. Crummies, a development that allows Dickens to demonstrate both his knowledge and his affection for the theater. Meanwhile, the rather precarious main plot of the novel concerns the pathetic Smike, a handicapped boy whom Nicholas rescued from Dotheboys; its climax occurs when the boy is revealed to be the illegitimate son of Nicholas’s evil uncle, Ralph Nickleby, who has also plotted against the innocence of Nicholas’s sister, Kate. Father and son both perish, but a happy conclusion is brought about by the fairy-tale benevolence of the Cheeryble Brothers. Not surprisingly, they have long been targets of attack for critics who believe that Dickens has no practical or political solutions to offer to the abuses that he exposes.
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When Nicholas Nickleby was nineteen years old, his father died, bankrupt. A short time after their bereavement, Nicholas, his sister Kate, and their mother set out for London. While there, they hope that the late Mr. Nickleby’s brother, Ralph, might be willing to do something for them. Ralph Nickleby, a miserly moneylender, grudgingly allows his sister-in-law and Kate to move into empty lodgings he owns, and he secures a position for Nicholas as assistant to Wackford Squeers, who operates a boys’ boarding school in Yorkshire.
Nicholas, leaving his mother and sister in Ralph’s care, travels to the school and finds it a terrible place where the boys are starved and mistreated almost beyond human imagination. Nicholas is forced to endure the situation, for his uncle had warned him that any help given to his sister and mother depends upon his remaining where he had been placed. A crisis arises, however, when Wackford Squeers unjustly and unmercifully beats an older boy named Smike. Nicholas intervenes, wresting the whip from Squeers and beating the schoolmaster with it instead. Immediately afterward, Smike and Nicholas leave the school and start walking toward London.
In London, meanwhile, Ralph Nickleby tries to use Kate to attract young Lord Verisopht into borrowing money at high rates. He also finds work for Kate in a dressmaking establishment, where there is a great deal of labor and almost no pay. Kate does not mind the work, but she is deeply distressed at the leers she has to endure when invited to her uncle’s home to dine with Lord Verisopht and Sir Mulberry Hawk. Not long afterward, the dressmaker goes bankrupt, and Kate becomes a companion to a wealthy but selfish and neurotic woman.
When Nicholas arrives in London, he seeks out Newman Noggs, his uncle’s clerk, who had promised to help him if it were ever in his power. Newman Noggs helps Nicholas clear himself of the false charges of being a thief that had been brought against him by Squeers and Ralph Nickleby.
With some notion of becoming sailors, Nicholas and Smike decide to go to Bristol. On the way, they meet Vincent Crummles, a theatrical producer, whose troupe they join. Both Smike and Nicholas are successful as actors. In addition, Nicholas adapts plays for the company to produce. After some weeks, however, Nicholas receives a letter from Newman Noggs warning him that his presence is urgently required in London. Nicholas leaves hurriedly and arrives in London late that night. Not wishing to disturb his family, Nicholas stays at an inn, where he encounters Sir Mulberry Hawk and Lord Verisopht and overhears them speaking in derogatory terms of Kate. Nicholas remonstrates with them and demands to know their names. In the altercation, Sir Mulberry’s horse bolts and the baronet is thrown from his carriage and severely injured.
Newman asks Nicholas to...
(The entire section is 1175 words.)
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When Godfrey Nickleby inherited five thousand pounds from his uncle, he bought a farm in Devonshire. When he died, his eldest son, Ralph, inherited the bulk of the estate and went to London where he managed to increase his fortune by financial speculation and sharpness. His brother, Nicholas, remained in Devonshire and also speculated but lost it all. He took to bed, said good-bye to his wife and two children (his son Nicholas and his daughter Kate) and died, leaving his family with no money but with a hope that his brother Ralph would look after Mrs. Nickleby and the children, though the two brothers had not been close since they reached adulthood.
Ralph Nickleby runs a business of unknown nature, but which generates a great deal of money. His clerk, Newman Noggs, had once been a gentleman, but, having run into financial difficulties, had come to Ralph for a loan, but was instead given the lowly job of clerk. Ralph Nickleby attends a meeting of the United Metropolitan Improved Hot Muffin and Crumpet Baking and Punctual Delivery Company to commence its business by request of Parliament. It is also decided that a petition be presented to Parliament for the elimination of muffin street-sellers, out of concern for their safety, but in actuality to prevent competition.
Ralph receives a letter telling him that his brother is dead (which does not upset him that much) and that his widow and two children are in London (which does upset him). He does not want poor relatives hanging about him, so he goes to the address where Mrs. Nickleby is staying. He talks to Miss La Creevy, a miniature portrait painter and Mrs. Nickleby’s landlady, that Mrs. Nickleby is poor and it would be best if Miss La Creevy throw her out. Miss La Creevy says that she hopes, if Mrs. Nickleby cannot afford to pay her rent, that her family will help her out. Ralph tells her that, as he is the only family, he will not do this. He visits Mrs. Nickleby and her children...
(The entire section is 536 words.)
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As Nicholas prepares to leave for Yorkshire, his sister and mother help and try to keep their emotions in check. Nicholas decides to leave early in the morning to avoid a tearful scene, but he runs into Miss La Creevy, who has also risen early to paint noses of pedestrians on the early morning street below. She tells Nicholas that his sister especially will miss the protection of a brother. Nicholas asks her to be kind to his family, then he walks to the inn where Mr. Squeers is giving a weak breakfast to five new students. Mrs. Nickleby and Kate, along with Ralph Nickleby, arrive just as Nicholas is boarding the stagecoach. Kate is very unnerved by Mr. Squeers, and they wish Nicholas a tearful goodbye. Newman Noggs also arrives and gives a note to Nicholas.
The coach takes off before Nicholas can ask Noggs any questions. The weather is cold and snowy during the trip, which is interrupted when the stagecoach overturns. When the horses are cut loose, Nicholas catches them before they run away. The passengers walk to the nearest public house, where they wait for the next coach. They listen to an old man tell the story of the Five Sisters, who grieve for their youngest sister who died before them. The sisters are memorialized in a stained-glass window in the cathedral at York. Another gentleman tells the story of the Baron of Grogswig and his unpleasant wife. At last the next coach arrives, and the company sets forth. Nicholas finally arrives at Greta Bridge in Yorkshire the next evening.
A chaise and a cart arrive to take Squeers, Nicholas, and the boys to Dotheboys Hall, though Squeers explains to Nicholas that it is not really a hall. When they arrive, Nicholas sees a one-story, run-down building. Squeers calls for Smike, a crippled boy in his late teens who does all the errands. Mr. Squeers takes a bundle of letters from his pocket and Smike looks anxiously toward the bundle, hoping that one of the letters might be for him. Squeers says no one ever has written to Smike, nor as anyone paid for him past the first six years. Nicholas meets Mrs. Squeers, who dotes on her husband but has no use for anyone else. She feeds her husband a steak dinner. Nicholas has lost his appetite by pondering Smike’s sad situation, so Mrs. Squeers sees no sense in cutting a meat pie for him; he is given only a bit of leftover meat.
Nicholas is given a place to sleep for the night while Mr. and Mrs. Squeers consider where to put him permanently. They mention a bed that is already full—currently housing four boys. After they retire for the night, Nicholas remembers Noggs’s letter, which says that, should Nicholas ever need any help, Noggs would gladly provide it. This touches Nicholas so that it brings a tear to his eyes.
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In the morning, the air is so cold that the water pump has frozen. Mrs. Squeers proclaims that it is “brimstone weather” and begins to shovel treacle and medicine down each of the schoolboys’ throats, announcing that, since it fends off illness as well as appetite, it does good to the boys and the Squeers at the same time. After the boys eat their meager breakfast, Mr. Squeers announces the mail. He reads the letters aloud to the whole school (including the bad news) and pockets whatever money is enclosed.
During lessons, Mr. Squeers reads off vocabulary and manages to find some connection to a chore, which the scholar is then sent off to do. At the end of the day, Nicholas sees Smike shivering and bids him come...
(The entire section is 443 words.)
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Kate prepares for her new life as a milliner’s assistant. Miss La Creevy warns her of the fate of milliners she has known, but Mrs. Nickleby is sure Kate’s fortune is assured. However, Mrs. Nickleby is enthralled by any new prospect solely for its newness. Newman Noggs arrives to escort Kate and her mother to their new home, but Mrs. Nickleby insists that they have a carriage; they may not own a great deal at present, but she does not want to be seen carrying large parcels through the streets. Newman states that he thought of getting them a carriage but was not sure if they would be ready. When the carriage arrives, Kate bids farewell to Miss La Creevy, who assures her that they will continue to be friends and stay in touch...
(The entire section is 513 words.)
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Newman Noggs finds Nicholas and Smike waiting in his rooms (which are in the same building as those of the Kenwigs). He gives the two a place to get dry and to sleep for the evening. He tells Nicholas that Fanny Squeers wrote a letter to Ralph Nickleby; she said Mr. Squeers is now crippled and Mrs. Squeers narrowly escaped death or brain injury from the beatings that Nicholas gave them. Ralph has had no chance to reply to this report, Noggs says, because he has been out of town.
Downstairs, the Kenwigs and their guests speculate on what might be the news that called Noggs away from the party; they think perhaps it is a return of his property after all this time. Soon they hear the baby crying and rush upstairs. They...
(The entire section is 423 words.)
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Kate’s position at Madame Mantalini’s millinery shop is enhanced when the forewoman, Miss Knag, befriends her. She walks Kate to meet Mrs. Nickleby, and the three of them stop in at Miss Knag’s brother’s business. This friendship lasts for three days, much to the amazement of the other female workers. However, when a lord and his family ask specifically to see Kate, it becomes clear that the women of the shop and especially Miss Knag become jealous of the attention Kate receives from the customers. Miss Knag declares that she hates Kate and effectively ends the pseudo-friendship she had instigated. The animosity against Kate from her coworkers continues and increases each day until Kate is glad when Saturday comes.
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Three days after the dinner party, Kate can finally manage to go back to work at Madame Mantalini’s. While she is there, two “professional gentlemen” of a rough and dirty appearance come and inquire for Mr. Mantalini. He has put himself into serious debt through gambling and horse racing and now must pay up. The two gentlemen have come to take inventory of his possessions. Madame Mantalini is beside herself and Mr. Mantalini runs off. Madame Mantalini sends Kate after him; she finds Mr. Mantalini in the act of sharpening a breakfast knife in preparation to end his life. Madame Mantalini arrives and takes the knife from him.
Kate discovers in the papers that the millinery has gone bankrupt, that it has been taken...
(The entire section is 492 words.)
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Mrs. Nickleby is thinking about her daughter’s future as Lady Mulberry Hawk when two gentlemen, Pyke and Pluck, arrive. They are emissaries of Sir Mulberry and request that Mrs. Nickleby join them, Sir Mulberry, and her brother-in-law Ralph at the theater that evening. Mrs. Nickleby explains that she never goes out, but Pyke and Pluck insist and tell her that a carriage will arrive to pick her up. Mrs. Nickleby eventually agrees, thrilled at the thought of being in the company of aristocracy and unhappy that Kate never told her of the acquaintance. When she arrives at the theater that night, Mrs. Nickleby is met by Pyke and Pluck and escorted to the box where Sir Mulberry Hawk and Lord Verisopht are waiting. As they settle into...
(The entire section is 440 words.)
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Mr. and Mrs. Mantalini come to see Ralph Nickleby about a loan, but Mrs. Mantalini also is interested in setting up an allowance for her husband. Mr. Mantalini proclaims his wife is trying to kill him, so Mrs. Mantalini postpones further thought of this. Mr. Mantalini asks Ralph if he has heard about Sir Mulberry Hawk’s recent attack. Ralph is pleased to learn that Nicholas was the attacker because this gives him further “ammunition” against his nephew.
Ralph’s next visitor is Mr. Wackford Squeers and his son. Mr. Squeers tells him of the low state of his own health due to Nicholas’s attack upon him. He hints that he would appreciate some financial compensation from Ralph because it was he who suggested...
(The entire section is 423 words.)
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Nicholas begins his work at the offices of the Cheeryble Brothers under the watchful eye of Tim Linkinwater, the elderly clerk. Linkinwater had worried that the business would fall apart after he died, but he now has confidence that Nicholas will carry on with success. The Cheeryble Brothers announce that it is Linkinwater’s birthday and there will be a dinner that evening, to which Nicholas is invited. The party is lively with the humor of the Ned and Charles Cheeryble, and Nicholas feels that he has at last fallen on good times.
On arriving at home, Nicholas is surprised to find his mother and Smike still awake and evidently waiting for him. Mrs. Nickleby has been entertaining (or rather confusing) Smike with tales...
(The entire section is 417 words.)
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Smike quickly runs away from the place of his imprisonment and takes a circuitous route back to the home of Newman Noggs. Newman and Nicholas are overjoyed to see him, having imagined the worst. Nicholas suspects that his uncle had something to do with Smike’s kidnapping. He goes to the Cheeryble Brothers’ office and unwittingly interrupts a conversation between the brothers and the young lady who caught his eye long ago in the Register Office. Forgetting his intention to discover Ralph’s involvement, he has Newman Noggs follow the young woman. Noggs returns to inform Nicholas that her name is Cecelia Bobster and that she lives with her widowed father. Nicholas has Noggs lead him to the Bobster residence, but it turns out...
(The entire section is 439 words.)
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Nicholas, at the Saracen’s Head Inn, overhears an argument between a young gentlemen and other patrons who have made inappropriate remarks about a young woman. Nicholas steps in and helps the young man, remembering a similar instance when he had to defend his sister’s honor from the remarks of Sir Mulberry Hawk. By a great coincidence, the young gentleman is Frank Cheeryble, the expected nephew of the Cheeryble Brothers. Frank has been in Germany, at the branch of the business there, and he spent a few months in the north of England. Nicholas wonders if Frank knows the young woman from the Register Office and the Cheeryble Brothers’ office, though he reasons that, since Frank has been gone for four and a half years, it is...
(The entire section is 501 words.)
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Nicholas goes to the Cheeryble brothers to report the events of the previous evening. He learns that Ralph has already been there and tried unsuccessfully to turn the brothers against Nicholas. They assure Nicholas that he will have their full support in keeping Smike away from his reputed father.
The Cheeryble brothers then tell Nicholas that they have a specific job for him. There is a young woman by the name of Madeline Bray who has come to them for help. She is the same woman with whom Nicholas has fallen in love, who fainted when he walked in on her meeting with the Cheerybles. Madeline is the daughter of a former love of Charles Cheeryble’s. Madeline’s mother had married Mr. Bray, who made her life miserable...
(The entire section is 495 words.)
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Smike seems to sink further into ill health. Nicholas calls a physician, who determines that it might be consumption but says it is too early to tell yet. His symptoms are not serious, so there is no cause to worry. However, Smike seems to take himself early to bed on the evenings when Frank Cheeryble comes to call, which is usually three nights a week. On one of these evenings, Miss La Creevy also comes to visit. Frank maneuvers himself close to Kate. As they talk, they hear a noise coming from the chimney in the next room. When they investigate, they find a pair of legs encased in grey stockings hanging down into the fireplace. Mrs. Nickleby and Kate immediately recognize them as belonging to the mad gentleman from next door, who...
(The entire section is 454 words.)
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Nicholas continues to run even when Newman Noggs catches up and tells him that he is unlikely to change Mr. Bray’s mind. When Nicholas speaks of going to see his uncle instead, Newman says this is also likely to be fruitless. Nicholas eventually goes home, determined to find some way to stop Madeline’s marriage.
Mrs. Kenwig is despairing that her eldest daughter, Morleena, is in need of a haircut but she has no time to take her. Newman volunteers and takes Morleena to the barbershop. The only other customer is an old man getting a shave. Morleena sits patiently, but then she cries out when she recognizes the old man as her great-uncle Lillyvick. Lillyvick asks Newman if the Kenwigs took the news of his marriage...
(The entire section is 550 words.)
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Nicholas takes Madeline to his own home, where Kate watches over her recovery. Mrs. Nickleby is confused as to why her son and his friends are so intent on preventing Madeline’s marriage. Kate tries to explain but is unsuccessful. Mrs. Nickleby tells Nicholas that she is sure Frank Cheeryble is in love with Kate. Nicholas is horrified rather than pleased. He explains to his mother that he cannot repay the Cheeryble brothers for their kindness by allowing their nephew to marry a girl from so poverty-stricken a family as the Nicklebys. Mrs. Nickleby does not agree, but Nicholas vows to find some way to divert Frank from Kate. Smike, in the meantime, becomes increasingly unwell. Nicholas decides to take him to Devonshire, where he...
(The entire section is 471 words.)
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When Newman Noggs does not appear at work by noon, Ralph sends for him. He learns that Newman is not at home and has not been at home all night. Ralph finds this suspicious, but he is interrupted when Charles Cheeryble arrives, offering him mercy. Ralph rejects this, so Charles leaves with the warning that he will soon come to him when he is forced to do so. Ralph goes to the home of Mr. Snawley. Mrs. Snawley, however, refuses to let him in. Ralph next goes to the inn where Mr. Squeers has been staying, but he is told that Squeers left with two men, and after him an old woman was taken away. He does not find Arthur Gride at home either. He realizes that he must go to the Cheeryble Brothers office, where he finds both brothers and...
(The entire section is 488 words.)
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Nicholas and Kate try not to regret their decisions while Mrs. Nickleby grieves over the loss of the excitement in her life, especially after Madeline is placed in another home. Frank no longer comes to visit. One day the Nicklebys receive an invitation to dinner from the Cheerybles. Mrs. Nickleby is suspicious, sensing that there is something more than just a dinner in this. When they arrive, they are surprised to find that Frank Cheeryble has returned. The Cheeryble brothers draw Nicholas and Frank aside. They explain that the will Gride had stolen shows that a considerable sum was left to Madeline by an uncle, who changed his mind from leaving it to charity out of spite for Madeline’s refusal to do what he wanted. Frank is...
(The entire section is 509 words.)
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Who composed the songs “Old Folks at Home” and “Beautiful Dreamer”? | "Beautiful Dreamer" by Stephen Foster - YouTube
"Beautiful Dreamer" by Stephen Foster
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Uploaded on Mar 7, 2010
One of Stephen Foster's most beautiful serenades, this piece was published posthumously, in 1864. It is sung here by Jonathan Guyot Smith, and it's available on a new CD, "Stephen Foster Melodies and Serenades for the American Parlor," with 18 Stephen Foster songs and a 12-page booklet.
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| Stephen Foster |
In which city was the actor and playwright Alan Bennett born? | Stephen Foster Bio | Stephen Foster Career | MTV
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About Stephen Foster
Blues/Folk
Stephen Foster is one of the most enduring figures in 19th century American music -- a status borne out by the fact that he and his music are still being discussed in the 21st century. In an era when even Charles K. Harris, whose "After the Ball" sold millions of copies of sheet music at the end of the 19th century and got a further boost from its inclusion in the musical Show Boat, is scarcely remembered at all, Stephen Foster still looms astonishingly large over American popular music and popular culture. His songs, including "Oh! Susanna," "Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair," "My Old Kentucky Home," "Old Folks at Home" (better known as "Swanee River," "Camptown Races," and "Beautiful Dreamer," remain among the best-known standards in American music, 150 years after they were written.
Stephen Foster was the ninth child of William Barclay Foster and the former Eliza Clayland Tomlinson. He was an indifferent student, but loved music, and he taught himself the flute, clarinet, guitar, violin, and piano. According to one account of his life, he was introduced to black church music through a household servant, who brought him to services in his community in what is now part of Pennsylvania -- there may be some truth in the contact, but his background was just as strongly rooted in European sources: English, Irish, and German. He never studied composition in any formal way, but by the age of 14 he was writing songs, and at 18 he had his first piece published.
Foster entertained at social gatherings and in other informal settings but earned his living as a bookkeeper. Initially, he made his way in music with two distinctly different bodies of music, one the minstrel song, which he offered to established stage performers, and the other the more dignified parlor songs, which were intended to engage middle-class listeners, especially women, in their homes. In 1849, he latched onto a piece of popular culture immortality when he wrote "Susannah," better known today as "Oh! Susannah"; adopted spontaneously by the forty-niners and others heading West, "Oh! Susannah" became an anthem of the era and was still identified with travel West a hundred years later. It was pieces such as this, for which he received only a very small fee from a publisher he was trying to court and the success of his minstrel songs, that got Foster his first serious publishing contract in 1849. He became a professional songwriter the following year, at around the same time that he married. He and his wife, the former Jane Denny McDowell, had one daughter.
Foster was massively prolific and supremely popular -- he was the first person in the history of the United States to make a living off of sales of his compositions, though this proved to be a chaotic and uncertain living at best. For most of the early 1850s, Foster concentrated on the authorship of minstrel songs, although he also saw some potential interest in larger scale works -- in 1853, Foster published a musical play called The Invisible Prince, co-authored with a friend, writer Charles Shiras, and in January of the following year, he released the Social Orchestra, a collection of 73 melodies, of his own and also those by others, specifically presented in dance arrangements. After 1854, Foster turned away from the authorship of minstrel songs, however, and instead concentrated on parlor ballads such as "Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair." In a time when the country was expanding and prosperous, different elements of Foster's music were accepted in all social classes -- native-born American and immigrant, rich and poor, white and black -- and sales of his songs through sheet music ran well into the hundreds of thousands and higher. His publisher, Firth, Pond & Co., were considered generous by the standards of the era, but the accounting methods of the period were dubious at best. In particular, he was vulnerable to being denied royalties for sales of his music that took place after the effective dates of his contracts.
One oddity of Foster's career is that his most successful songs were those with Southern themes. This has left the impression on future generations that he was tied to the Southern, slave-owning culture of the era. He did, in fact, earn most of his money -- as much as 90 percent of his royalty income -- from those songs, which is saying a lot given that the South was monetarily the poorest region of the country; the truth, however, was that Foster had no sympathy for the institution of slavery or the culture that supported it and also had very little direct knowledge of it. He spent most of his time in the North, around Philadelphia and Cincinnati and later, New York; he only ever took one trip, by steamboat, South of the Mason-Dixon line, in 1852, and that was on the occasion of the honeymoon that he and his wife spent in New Orleans. It simply happened that the sentimentality of his songs, which often dealt with separation from home and loved ones and feelings of nostalgia, tied in well with a peculiar element of Southern culture. Even before the Civil War, Southerners had a way of romanticizing their homes and homeland that was second to none among the different regions of the country. Indeed, Samuel Clemens and other observers of the period blamed the emotional impetus for the Civil War -- or, at least, the South's willingness and eagerness to fire the first shot and to fight to the last man -- on that same romanticism, and that element of Foster's music struck a responsive chord in whites south of the Mason-Dixon Line, as well as those settlers from the region who headed West into new territories. Blacks also liked his music because it was not only good, but it was inoffensive by the standards of the entertainment of the day.
In actual fact, Foster knew little of minstrel entertainment when he'd started out, and his music, including those minstrel songs that referred to blacks and even to slavery, often treated blacks better, with more dignity and sensitivity than was the custom of the period. Even W.E.B. Du Bois cited Foster's "Swanee River," as we now know it, and "Old Black Joe" as being different and separate from the truly racist songs of the period. Further productions of the play Uncle Tom's Cabin, which was as inflammatory an anti-slavery work as there was during the 1850s, often used the Foster songs "My Old Kentucky Home, Good-night!" and "Old Folks at Home." The fact that Foster was a northerner mattered not at all to his white southern audience, nor did his work offend educated blacks in the same way as other minstrel songs that caricatured blacks mercilessly.
One factor that is also difficult to appreciate now is that Foster kept his use of black dialect in his published minstrel songs to a minimum. And while he had anything to say about it, Foster insisted on the dignified, not burlesqued performance of his music, even when he was dealing with Edward Christy. The leader and founder of the Christy Minstrels, the most popular performing group (who often worked in blackface) of their era, Christy played a decisive role in popularizing Foster's songs, but he was forced to accede to Foster's demands. As a composer, he had that kind of clout that he could make those demands of a man in Christy's position. Foster seemed to have the world at his feet during the early 1850s, but then his life took a series of tragic turns. In the mid-1850s, his wife took their daughter and left him; this was followed by the deaths of Shiras and both of Foster's parents. He virtually ceased writing music, publishing only two songs in the next two years, and in 1857, in an effort to pay off his debts, he sold off all rights to his existing song catalog to his publisher. He might never have written another song, had he not moved to New York City in 1860. In his desire to be near the center of theater, he found new inspiration, and he wrote 98 songs over the next three years, including parlor songs, hymns, and music hall numbers. Although his output during this second great productive period was less distinguished, it did include "Beautiful Dreamer," which was published posthumously in 1864.
As with most songwriters, Foster was at the mercy of the business practices of the entertainment industry at the time, which were weighted in favor of the publisher. In any part of the 20th century, he would have been a millionaire at least twice over, but in the 1850s, he was never compensated remotely that well. Foster never fully caught up with his debts and was always writing new songs to keep his income flowing in. He managed to sustain himself until an accident In early 1864; on January 10 of that year, while living in a hotel in New York and weakened from a previous accident in which he was burned by a lamp, Foster collapsed and struck his head. He died three days later, not yet 38 years old. He was mourned publicly from the moment of his death, as a genuine American icon and symbol -- even today, he seems like Huckleberry Finn (or, perhaps, more correctly, Tom Sawyer) re-imagined with a musical education. Within months of his death, Foster was hailed as the truest American composer of the 19th century, much as William Billings before him had embodied the musical spirit of the American Revolution; but 19th century America was a bigger, greater country than its 18th century counterpart, and his music was spread across the continent and the globe. Singers ranging from Jenny Lind to Paul Robeson to Thomas Hampson have performed his songs, and his name and fame endured right into the age of television. Indeed, his song "Swanee River" (aka "Old Folks at Home") figured prominently in one of the most famous episodes ever done on the comedy series "The Honeymooners: The $99,000 Answer." Played throughout the episode as a running joke and finally turning up as the one song that hapless hero Ralph Kramden doesn't know, the song was the centerpiece of the program's audio props, and Foster even got his name mentioned at the denouement. More tellingly, Foster's work came to be included in the collections of American standards taught to seemingly every schoolchild in the country for most of the century after his death, and Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys saw nothing absurd about informally cutting a version of "Old Folks at Home" during one of their late-'60s sessions (which turned up on the 1990 CD of Friends/20/20).
Foster's music only began to disappear when it was caught up, unfairly, in the net of political correctness during the late '50s and 1960s, during and after the struggle for civil rights legislation. The distinctions that had made Foster's music different from other songs that came out of the background of minstrel shows were lost on modern activists and their allies in the school systems (where The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as anti-slavery, anti-Southern culture a novel as was ever written, also came under fire from black educators and their liberal white allies), and children simply stopped learning Foster's songs after the 1960s. In more recent years, however, his songs and reputation have once again been elevated, as scholars and musicologists have gotten their views heard. That academic defense, coupled with the fact that Foster's songs are an integral part of our popular culture landscape, inescapably presented in movies and entertainment in the United States (and also familiar to listeners on five other continents), renewed the respect and appreciation of Foster's songs just in time for the opening of the 21st century. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
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Which British coin, first minted in 1817, is still being minted and is still legal tender but nowadays is minted for the Indian market? | Great Britain Gold Sovereigns George V | Tavex
Great Britain Gold Sovereigns George V
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Great Britain Gold Sovereigns George V
Tavex is pleased to present the King George V sovereign gold coin, part of Britain’s most famous and longest issued gold coin series. The sovereign, introduced for the first time more than 500 years ago, is world renowned for its impeccable accuracy, strong liquidity and high quality. Recognised throughout the world, sovereign gold coins are probably one of the most iconic gold coins ever to be produced. Hailed throughout the British Empire as “the chief coins of the world”, they were at the heart of the classical gold standard, playing a key role in international finance and trade.
Sovereign gold coins were also used as legal tender currency by more than 20 countries during the nineteenth century, which is testimony to their widespread influence. This legacy is treasured by the current UK government which still deems the King George V sovereign gold coin as official legal tender. Gold sovereigns have a real and permanent tangible value, and thus will make a great addition to any investor’s portfolio.
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Great Britain Gold Sovereigns George V
Tavex is pleased to present the King George V sovereign gold coin, part of Britain’s most famous and longest issued gold coin series. The sovereign, introduced for the first time more than 500 years ago, is world renowned for its impeccable accuracy, strong liquidity and high quality. Recognised throughout the world, sovereign gold coins are probably one of the most iconic gold coins ever to be produced. Hailed throughout the British Empire as “the chief coins of the world”, they were at the heart of the classical gold standard, playing a key role in international finance and trade.
Sovereign gold coins were also used as legal tender currency by more than 20 countries during the nineteenth century, which is testimony to their widespread influence. This legacy is treasured by the current UK government which still deems the King George V sovereign gold coin as official legal tender. Gold sovereigns have a real and permanent tangible value, and thus will make a great addition to any investor’s portfolio.
Delivery
Sovereigns are Britain’s most famous coins. Gold sovereigns are Britain’s most cherished coins and likewise one of the most recognised gold pieces in the world, representing the golden age of the British Empire.
Sovereign gold coins are liquid. With more than 700 million pieces minted since the 1800s, the sovereign gold coins are supported by a deep and liquid market.
Sovereigns are money. All gold sovereigns minted after 1837 are considered legal tender and are exempt from Capital Gains Tax in the United Kingdom.
Sovereign gold coins are internationally recognised. The rich 500-year history of the gold sovereign and its effigy of King George V, ruler of the largest empire in human history, support the coin’s exchangeability worldwide.
Sovereign coins are the equivalent of savings. Gold sovereigns are an ideal choice for any long-term saver who appreciates the security and stability of owning physical legal tender gold coins.
Sovereign gold coins are an excellent way to diversify your portfolio. Gold’s low correlation with other financial assets makes sovereign gold coins serve as a portfolio hedge against market risk.
Sovereign gold coins – an investment that embodies more than 500 years of British history
When England’s King Henry VII authorised the mintage of the sovereign gold coin in 1489, little did he know that more than five centuries later the gold sovereign would still be minted by Britain’s Royal Mint. This makes the British gold sovereign the oldest continuously produced gold coin in the world. The sovereign represents over half a millennium of history, and in this entire period it has kept an almost unified consistency of purity and quality, which has earned it the reputation of being extremely trustworthy. The gold sovereign is today cherished by collectors because of its historical significance; it is desired as a gift by those who recognise its elegance and value; and it is sought after by those who want their wealth to be secure, liquid and portable.
The sovereign – a famous gold coin of the English royalty
The history of the sovereign began in the Middle Age, when precious metal coinage played an important role in spreading the fame of the ruling English sovereign. To show off his greatness, King Henry VII had the original gold sovereigns struck in almost 24 karat gold weighing half a troy ounce, depicting the King, enthroned majestically on the obverse side of the coin. Although too pure and valuable to be used in daily commerce, they were instead handed out as gifts to visiting high-ranking officials. As time passed, the technical specifications of the gold sovereign coin changed, creating a more durable alloy which standardised the gold content to 91.6%, or 22 karats. These changes helped to fuel its wider acceptance as a circulating coin, and due to its reach in promoting the sovereign of the realm, hence the name “sovereign”, it became the de facto coinage of English royalty. Kings and queens that ruled after King Henry VII continued in his footsteps by portraying their effigy on the obverse side of the sovereign gold coin, a tradition that is still practised, and which can be observed on the modern sovereign gold coin which portrays the effigy of the current “sovereign”, Queen Elizabeth II.
The gold sovereign – 22 karats of trust and accuracy
The sovereign gold coin gained its popularity not only because it portrayed a powerful ruler, although this probably helped, but it was rather the peerless uniformity of the gold coin that set the stage for its wider use in international trade. Every sovereign gold coin that was minted from 1817 onwards contained one pound’s (£1) worth of gold, or 22 karat gold weighing 7.322 grams. The coin itself weighed exactly 7.98805 grams and was considered legal tender by English law so long as it did not weigh less than 7.9379 grams. The Royal Mint, which was the chief comptroller of the coinage, went so far in keeping the accuracy of the gold sovereign that it even made announcements to the public that they could have their underweight coins exchanged for newly minted ones. Another unique feature of the gold sovereign was that it had no nominal face value, or denomination, since its value was exclusively tied to its fine gold content which at that time was valued at exactly £1.
The sovereign gold coin – buy, sell, and trade
This consistency of weight, purity, and value made the gold sovereign coin rapidly become one of the preferred gold coins in global trade and international settlements. Used by Chinese tea traders, Indian textile merchants, and American cotton sellers, gold sovereigns not only fulfilled the role of a stable currency, but acted as a promoter of British influence in the world. The sovereign gold coins became the currency of the British Empire, with minting outposts scattered around the globe in places like Perth in Australia, Bombay in India, and Pretoria in South Africa, just to name a few, ensuring that the supply of gold coins was always on hand for trade. By the early 1900s, more than 600 million sovereign gold coins had been minted and distributed throughout the world, reaching almost every corner of the earth. The sovereign had established itself as one of the foremost official monetary coins to influence world trade.
The gold sovereign – legal tender recognised throughout the British Empire
Britain’s victory over Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo in 1815 would leave her without any serious competitor, making her the undisputed leading power at that time. Unchallenged at sea, she quickly established trading outposts, colonies, dominions and possessions, and in the process adopted the role of global policeman to guard all her precious possessions. The sovereign gold coins played a key part in the advancement of Britain’s imperialism, as they helped to facilitate trade among its large number of protectorates. At the peak of Britain’s power in the early 1920s, the empire encompassed almost a quarter of the earth’s land area and contained almost a half a billion people. The British Empire was the largest empire ever to exist, earning it the phrase “the empire on which the sun never set”.
Sovereign gold coins – value rises
However, the unfortunate advent of the First World War made the United Kingdom abandon the gold standard and consequently its production of gold sovereigns. To fund the war, the British government even appealed to its citizens to give up their gold coins in exchange for war bonds, which resulted in a vast amount, by some estimates £100 million worth of gold sovereigns (€23 billion in today’s money), being handed over to the government. Although gold sovereigns helped Britain to win the war, their demonetisation would usher in the era of the paper pound, which would in the next century regrettably lose a great amount of its purchasing power. Just consider that a gold sovereign was worth £1 on the eve of WW1, while the same coin today is sold for around £200. Although some gold sovereigns were minted again in 1925, they ceased to be used in daily commerce, and their continuous production only resumed after 1957.
The King George V sovereign gold coin
The obverse of the coin portrays King George V, son of King Edward VII and grandson of Queen Victoria. Born in 1865, he acceded to the throne in 1910 and reigned until his death in 1936. King George V ruled during a great world upheaval and a fundamental change in the world order. It was a period marked by the a devastating First World War, the rise of socialism, communism and fascism, and two global depressions. The First World War dealt a major blow to Britain’s economy, left almost 800,000 dead, and drained the country of resources. This was followed by post-war stagnation that lingered on until the Great Depression and significantly undermined Britain’s hegemony as an Empire. Britain’s relations with its possessions went likewise through major changes when King George V, in 1926, hosted a conference in London, at which self-governing status was granted to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Canada. King George V was perceived as an inspiring leader. He made over 400 visits to the troops at the front during the war, and he also pressed for more equality and promoted family values and customs.
The UK Royal Mint runs out of sovereign gold coin on surging demand
The Royal Mint is one of the oldest and most respected government institutions of Great Britain. Its long operating history, by some estimates over 1100 years, and coupled with its production of many of the world’s most famous coins, like the gold sovereign, has contributed to making it one of the best known and renowned mints in the world. Since 1279 when the mint established its operation in the Tower of London, it has been responsible for the production of coins of the United Kingdom. Its reputation for excellence and trust was further reinforced when Sir Isaac Newton became Master of the Royal Mint. During his tenure at the Royal Mint, he was responsible for moving the British pound to the gold standard.
Today the Royal Mint is not only responsible for minting coins used for circulation in the UK, but is likewise producing official coinage for more than 60 countries in the world. However, the most important and renowned coin ever to come out of its minting presses has without doubt been the sovereign gold coin which even today is being produced at its minting facility in the town of Llantrisant, Wales, UK. The accuracy and quality of the modern gold sovereign coin is the same as it was two hundred years ago, containing 22 karats of fine gold and weighing exactly 7.98805 grams. The popularity of the gold sovereign has likewise not changed, as confirmed in 2014 when the Royal Mint ran out of 2014 sovereign gold coins due to exceptional demand. The gold sovereign is without doubt one of the foremost gold coins ever to be produced and the fact that almost 100,000,000 sovereigns gold coins have been minted since 1957 is a testament to their excellence and trustworthiness. The reputation of the gold sovereign coin as “the chief coin of the world” will live on for centuries, as savvy investors will always prefer to keep a portion of their wealth in gold coins which are secure, liquid and trustworthy.
The King George V sovereign gold coin was issued between 1911 and 1935.
Obverse: The obverse portrays King George V. Around his effigy is the text “GEORGE V DG BRITT OMN REX FD IND IMP” which translates as “George the fifth, by the Grace of God, King of all the Britons, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India”.
Reverse: The reverse displays the motif of the Christian martyr St. George slaying the dragon. The design was made by acclaimed Italian engraver and chief medallist at the Royal Mint, Benedetto Pistrucci. The year of mintage is shown at the bottom.
Purity: The King George V sovereign is a 22 karat gold coin which means it is composed of 22/24 = 91.6 % gold and the rest of the coin contains copper. The gold – copper alloy makes the surface of the coin more durable and less prone to scratches and marks.
Packaging: Each coin is individually packaged in a hard plastic capsule.
When placing an order through our online shop, you can choose to have the products sent to your local post office or to collect them at our shop in Copenhagen.
By post: Upon receipt of payment to Tavex’s account, your order will be shipped as an insured value package. You will receive an SMS and an e-mail from Post Danmark with a tracking number to get updates on your delivery.
In person: Upon receipt of payment to Tavex’s account, we will contact you via phone and e-mail when your order is ready to be picked up in our shop (during opening hours). Valid photo ID will be required when collecting your items.
Deliveries outside of Denmark are to be agreed with Tavex and can be arranged by contacting us on telephone + 45 33 12 09 07 or via e-mail through
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| Sovereign (British coin) |
If you ordered Homard in a French restaurant what shellfish would you be served? | Great Britain Gold Sovereigns George V - Köpa Guld och Silver - Tavex
Great Britain Gold Sovereigns George V
Great Britain Gold Sovereigns George V
SPECIAL OFFER:
The price of gold +6.2%!
Limited availability.
Tavex is pleased to present the King George V sovereign gold coin, part of Britain’s most famous and longest issued gold coin series. The sovereign, introduced for the first time more than 500 years ago, is world renowned for its impeccable accuracy, strong liquidity and high quality. Hailed throughout the British Empire as “the chief coins of the world”, they were at the heart of the classical gold standard, playing a key role in international finance and trade.
Sovereign gold coins were also used as legal tender currency by more than 20 countries during the nineteenth century, which is testimony to their widespread influence. This legacy is treasured by the current UK government which still deems the King George V sovereign gold coin as official legal tender. Gold sovereigns have a real and permanent tangible value, and thus will make a great addition to any investor’s portfolio.
This product is exempt from
VAT in Sweden
The price of gold +6.2%!
Limited availability.
Great Britain Gold Sovereigns George V
Tavex is pleased to present the King George V sovereign gold coin, part of Britain’s most famous and longest issued gold coin series. The sovereign, introduced for the first time more than 500 years ago, is world renowned for its impeccable accuracy, strong liquidity and high quality. Hailed throughout the British Empire as “the chief coins of the world”, they were at the heart of the classical gold standard, playing a key role in international finance and trade.
Sovereign gold coins were also used as legal tender currency by more than 20 countries during the nineteenth century, which is testimony to their widespread influence. This legacy is treasured by the current UK government which still deems the King George V sovereign gold coin as official legal tender. Gold sovereigns have a real and permanent tangible value, and thus will make a great addition to any investor’s portfolio.
Delivery
Sovereigns are Britain’s most famous coins. Gold sovereigns are Britain’s most cherished coins and likewise one of the most recognised gold pieces in the world, representing the golden age of the British Empire.
Sovereigns are money. All gold sovereigns minted after 1837 are considered legal tender and are exempt from Capital Gains Tax in the United Kingdom.
Sovereign gold coins are liquid. With more than 700 million pieces minted since the 1800s, the sovereign gold coins are supported by a deep and liquid market.
Sovereign gold coins are internationally recognised. The rich 500-year history of the gold sovereign and its effigy of King George V, ruler of the largest empire in human history, support the coin’s exchangeability worldwide.
Sovereign gold coins are the equivalent of savings. Gold sovereigns are an ideal choice for any long-term saver who appreciates the security and stability of owning physical legal tender gold coins.
Sovereign gold coins are an excellent way to diversify your portfolio. Gold’s low correlation with other financial assets makes sovereign gold coins serve as a portfolio hedge against market risk.
Sovereign gold coins – an investment that embodies more than 500 years of British history
When England’s King Henry VII authorised the mintage of the sovereign gold coin in 1489, little did he know that more than five centuries later the gold sovereign would still be minted by Britain’s Royal Mint. This makes the British gold sovereign the oldest continuously produced gold coin in the world. The sovereign represents over half a millennium of history, and in this entire period it has kept an almost unified consistency of purity and quality, which has earned it the reputation of being extremely trustworthy. The gold sovereign is today cherished by collectors because of its historical significance; it is desired as a gift by those who recognise its elegance and value; and it is sought after by those who want their wealth to be secure, liquid and portable.
The sovereign – a famous gold coin of the English royalty
The history of the sovereign began in the Middle Age, when precious metal coinage played an important role in spreading the fame of the ruling English sovereign. To show off his greatness, King Henry VII had the original gold sovereigns struck in almost 24 karat gold weighing half a troy ounce, depicting the King, enthroned majestically on the obverse side of the coin. Although too pure and valuable to be used in daily commerce, they were instead handed out as gifts to visiting high-ranking officials. As time passed, the technical specifications of the gold sovereign coin changed, creating a more durable alloy which standardised the gold content to 91.6%, or 22 karats. These changes helped to fuel its wider acceptance as a circulating coin, and due to its reach in promoting the sovereign of the realm, hence the name “sovereign”, it became the de facto coinage of English royalty. Kings and queens that ruled after King Henry VII continued in his footsteps by portraying their effigy on the obverse side of the sovereign gold coin, a tradition that is still practised, and which can be observed on the modern sovereign gold coin which portrays the effigy of the current “sovereign”, Queen Elizabeth II.
The gold sovereign – 22 karats of trust and accuracy
The sovereign gold coin gained its popularity not only because it portrayed a powerful ruler, although this probably helped, but it was rather the peerless uniformity of the gold coin that set the stage for its wider use in international trade. Every sovereign gold coin that was minted from 1817 onwards contained one pound’s (£1) worth of gold, or 22 karat gold weighing 7.322 grams. The coin itself weighed exactly 7.98805 grams and was considered legal tender by English law so long as it did not weigh less than 7.9379 grams. The Royal Mint, which was the chief comptroller of the coinage, went so far in keeping the accuracy of the gold sovereign that it even made announcements to the public that they could have their underweight coins exchanged for newly minted ones. Another unique feature of the gold sovereign was that it had no nominal face value, or denomination, since its value was exclusively tied to its fine gold content which at that time was valued at exactly £1.
The sovereign gold coin – buy, sell, and trade
This consistency of weight, purity, and value made the gold sovereign coin rapidly become one of the preferred gold coins in global trade and international settlements. Used by Chinese tea traders, Indian textile merchants, and American cotton sellers, gold sovereigns not only fulfilled the role of a stable currency, but acted as a promoter of British influence in the world. The sovereign gold coins became the currency of the British Empire, with minting outposts scattered around the globe in places like Perth in Australia, Bombay in India, and Pretoria in South Africa, just to name a few, ensuring that the supply of gold coins was always on hand for trade. By the early 1900s, more than 600 million sovereign gold coins had been minted and distributed throughout the world, reaching almost every corner of the earth. The sovereign had established itself as one of the foremost official monetary coins to influence world trade.
The gold sovereign – legal tender recognised throughout the British Empire
Britain’s victory over Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo in 1815 would leave her without any serious competitor, making her the undisputed leading power at that time. Unchallenged at sea, she quickly established trading outposts, colonies, dominions and possessions, and in the process adopted the role of global policeman to guard all her precious possessions. The sovereign gold coins played a key part in the advancement of Britain’s imperialism, as they helped to facilitate trade among its large number of protectorates. At the peak of Britain’s power in the early 1920s, the empire encompassed almost a quarter of the earth’s land area and contained almost a half a billion people. The British Empire was the largest empire ever to exist, earning it the phrase “the empire on which the sun never set”.
Sovereign gold coins – value rises
However, the unfortunate advent of the First World War made the United Kingdom abandon the gold standard and consequently its production of gold sovereigns. To fund the war, the British government even appealed to its citizens to give up their gold coins in exchange for war bonds, which resulted in a vast amount, by some estimates £100 million worth of gold sovereigns (€23 billion in today’s money), being handed over to the government. Although gold sovereigns helped Britain to win the war, their demonetisation would usher in the era of the paper pound, which would in the next century regrettably lose a great amount of its purchasing power. Just consider that a gold sovereign was worth £1 on the eve of WW1, while the same coin today is sold for around £200. Although some gold sovereigns were minted again in 1925, they ceased to be used in daily commerce, and their continuous production only resumed after 1957.
The King George V sovereign gold coin
The obverse of the coin portrays King George V, son of King Edward VII and grandson of Queen Victoria. Born in 1865, he acceded to the throne in 1910 and reigned until his death in 1936. King George V ruled during a great world upheaval and a fundamental change in the world order. It was a period marked by the a devastating First World War, the rise of socialism, communism and fascism, and two global depressions. The First World War dealt a major blow to Britain’s economy, left almost 800,000 dead, and drained the country of resources. This was followed by post-war stagnation that lingered on until the Great Depression and significantly undermined Britain’s hegemony as an Empire. Britain’s relations with its possessions went likewise through major changes when King George V, in 1926, hosted a conference in London, at which self-governing status was granted to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Canada. King George V was perceived as an inspiring leader. He made over 400 visits to the troops at the front during the war, and he also pressed for more equality and promoted family values and customs.
The UK Royal Mint runs out of sovereign gold coin on surging demand
The Royal Mint is one of the oldest and most respected government institutions of Great Britain. Its long operating history, by some estimates over 1100 years, and coupled with its production of many of the world’s most famous coins, like the gold sovereign, has contributed to making it one of the best known and renowned mints in the world. Since 1279 when the mint established its operation in the Tower of London, it has been responsible for the production of coins of the United Kingdom. Its reputation for excellence and trust was further reinforced when Sir Isaac Newton became Master of the Royal Mint. During his tenure at the Royal Mint, he was responsible for moving the British pound to the gold standard.
Today the Royal Mint is not only responsible for minting coins used for circulation in the UK, but is likewise producing official coinage for more than 60 countries in the world. However, the most important and renowned coin ever to come out of its minting presses has without doubt been the sovereign gold coin which even today is being produced at its minting facility in the town of Llantrisant, Wales, UK. The accuracy and quality of the modern gold sovereign coin is the same as it was two hundred years ago, containing 22 karats of fine gold and weighing exactly 7.98805 grams. The popularity of the gold sovereign has likewise not changed, as confirmed in 2014 when the Royal Mint ran out of 2014 sovereign gold coins due to exceptional demand. The gold sovereign is without doubt one of the foremost gold coins ever to be produced and the fact that almost 100,000,000 sovereigns gold coins have been minted since 1957 is a testament to their excellence and trustworthiness. The reputation of the gold sovereign coin as “the chief coin of the world” will live on for centuries, as savvy investors will always prefer to keep a portion of their wealth in gold coins which are secure, liquid and trustworthy.
Nominal value
| i don't know |
Which substance, used to make a drink, is Ghana’s main export? | Food Drink Ghana - Easy Track Ghana
Easy Track Ghana
Pizza, spaghetti and beef burgers
General observations
The cost of eating in Ghana will differ greatly depending upon whether you eat local Ghanaian food. Eating Chinese, Continental, Lebanese or other non-Ghanaian styles will be rather expensive, probably starting at around $7.00 per dish. Ghanaian meals will be half that, unless served at a restaurant catering to tourists.
It is essential that casual visitors to Ghana take proper precautions when eating. Keep your hands clean and try to ensure your food is prepared and stored in sanitary conditions.
Foods tend to be fried, boiled or grilled. The one common ingredient is a hot pepper that is found in almost everything and makes Ghana food spicy-hot.
Back to Top
Easy things to try
Here are some easy foods for you to try. Not too hot, not too spicy and not to strange to your palate.
Chichinga
Beef or sausage kabobs. These are prepared by street side vendors.
Kelewele
Fried plantain with ginger and peanuts. Again, prepared by street vendors.
Red Red
Fried plantain with beans and red palm oil. Can be served with or without fish.
Fried Rice
Standard fried rice you would eat anywhere in the world. Plain or with salad, egg and/or chicken.
Jollof Rice
This is a favorite rice dish in Ghana. The rice is prepared with much tomato and less of cooking oil that makes the rice red. As with fried rice, this is served plain or with salad, egg, chicken or beef.
Waakye (pronounced Waa-chi)
This is a mixed bag - literally. Starting with a mix of rice and beans, there may be optional items added. These would include spaghetti, whole boiled eggs and hot pepper.
Fried egg sandwich
There will be places that will fry an egg with some pepper, onion and tomato to make a small omelet that can be eaten in bread.
Back to Top
Ghanaian meals
Ghanaian meals tend to be served in a bowl and are comprised of three parts: A big hunk of a starch placed into the bowl, a soup or stew poured over top of the starch, and large pieces of fish or meat.
Starches
Boiled cassava and plantain pounded into a dough-like mass.
Banku
Ground fermented corn and cassava that is boiled and stirred into a thick starchy mass.
Kenkey
Ground fermented corn that is boiled and pressed into banana plant leaves.
Omo tuo
Plain rice balls
Yam
Like the potato you are familiar with, yams are eaten either boiled or fried. Fried yams are eaten with hot pepper or with a spinach-like Palava sauce rather than with a soup or stew.
Soups and stews
A tomato and palm nut based soup.
Palm nut soup
A palm nut based soup, more oily than light soup.
Agbamadeshi stew
More difficult to find, this is more likely encountered in Ewe areas. This is a thick and very pleasant stew.
Okra soup or stew
Okra based soup or thicker stew. Requires some special wrist motion to keep from getting it all over yourself.
Meat
Tilapia is the fish of choice
Chicken
Where to eat and drink
Hotels and Continental Restaurants
As mentioned, restaurants catering to tourists will be found in all larger towns and cities. This will be the most expensive option.
Local Restaurants
When at restaurants, you can expect that half or more of the items on any printed menu will be not available, or "finished" as your server will tell you. Food options in remote areas and villages will be rather limited. Whether in an urban or rural location, portions tend to be large when food is served.
Service in restaurants is generally poor-to-average, unless you are at an expensive restaurant. Poor service can sometimes be avoided by a small tip at the beginning of the relationship with your server.
Chop Bar
A Chop Bar is a local budget eating establishment. You will find locals eating local food quickly at all times of the day at chop bars located everywhere.
Roadside Vendors or Cold Store
Food is sold everywhere in Ghana.
Water and other beverages
Water
Drinking water is easy to find anywhere in Ghana. Basically there are two options for drinking water: bottled water and "pure" water.
Bottled water is what you are accustomed to in the West, with Voltic being the big name brand here. Make sure the seal is intact when the bottle is served to you.
Many first time visitors to Ghana are insistent on bottled water. That is fine, but people in Ghana consider that extreme and very expensive. You should feel free to drink pure water without any problem.
Pure water is sold everywhere in small sealed plastic bags. Even though this type of water has gone through a filtration system, there are no standards and each company producing pure water uses a different filtration technique. The water inside is clean, but beware what is on the outside of the sachet.
Other Beverages
All types of other beverages are available, from the ubiquitous Coca-Cola products, to juices, energy drinks, and soy beverages. Getting these served very cold becomes more difficult the farther you are from a city.
Juices may be either fresh, bottled, in a can or in a carton. Pineapple juice, orange juice, mango and guava are the most prevalent fruit juices. Fresh coconut juice is sold anywhere you see a pile of coconuts. Tampico is a refreshing juice drink sold in plastic bottles, while Milo is a chocolate beverage served cold along the roadside or hot for morning breakfast.
Unless at an upscale restaurant, you should avoid ice cubes. You do not know what water has been used to produce them.
Palm Wine, Akpeteshie and Kasapreko
Alcoholic beverages are a big part of life, whether it be for ceremony or the evening shot of akpeteshie (distilled palm wine). The blue and white picket fences you see are used to indicate a drinking establishment, or 'spot' as it is called in Ghana. You will frequently see people pour a small part of their libation on the ground as an offering to their ancestors.
Back to Top
Fresh fruits and vegetables
For fruits, make sure the skin is not broken and be sure to wash well with clean water. Many street vendors will sell fruit that is already cut. You should avoid this and take a fresh fruit that they cut in front of you.
The most commonly encountered fruits are orange, pineapple, mango, papaya, melon, coconut, guava and imported apples. Other fruits can be found in large supermarkets, but you will pay dearly for them.
Vegetables are limited to a few staples. Besides yam, the most common vegetables in the diet are corn, tomato, onion, beans and squash. Leafy vegetables are available also, but great care should be taken in preparing any vegetable that is eaten fresh.
Plantains (fruit or vegetable?) are the main staple of the food supply in Ghana. It looks like a banana, but tastes far different. Only when fried does it become sweet. It is also served fried into chips, grilled, with a side of peanuts, and boiled and mashed into fufu or other starches and noted in a previous section.
Peanuts are called 'groundnuts' in Ghana. (again, fruit or vegetable?) They are easy to find at most shops and anyplace where bananas or grilled plantains are being sold.
Back to Top
Meat, fish and dairy
Milk, cheese and other dairy products are rare in the Ghanaian diet and generally can only be found at large supermarkets or as Fan Milk frozen products (see below). On the other hand, soy milk can be found at any cold store.
Beware of butter and mayonnaise. These are typically not refrigerated and can be bad.
Back to Top
Snacks and sweets
Snacks are everywhere. It is a constant part of life, spending a small amount for a small snack.
Plantain chips are easily found.
Zoe is corn meal mixed with peanut butter, ginger and hot pepper to make small round snacks about the size of a golf ball.
Locally produced chocolate is sold mostly as Kingbite chocolate bars produced by the Cocoa Processing Company , Ghana's only chocolate manufacturer. Unfortunately, the factory does not give tours.
FanMilk dairy products are sold everywhere by street vendors. These include frozen strawberry yogurt, vanilla ice cream and frozen chocolate milk all in individual size packets. Usually referred to as Fan Ice, the vendors on bicycle will usually have meat pies, cakes, spring rolls and other snack foods too.
Cakes & donuts, popcorn are sold by street vendors.
Back to Top
Pizza, spaghetti and beef burgers
You can find a fair variety of food styles in larger cities, but only Ghanaian meals in rural areas. There are a couple American-style fast food chains, like Pizza Inn/Chicken Inn. You will see these around the larger cities and they serve good pizza and sandwiches. Blissfully, there is not a single McDonald's anywhere in Ghana - yet.
When you see other types of non-Ghanaian meals on a menu, it will be expensive and probably less than satisfactory unless you are at an upscale restaurant or a restaurant that exclusively prepares a particular style of food.
Pasta is considered a Chinese dish here. Most commonly seen is spaghetti Bolognaise, which is generally served in the Italian style as you would expect. Other pasta dishes, like stroganoff, will be more like a Chinese meal.
There are many Chinese, Continental and Lebanese restaurants in Accra and Kumasi. French, Italian, Indian and Thai restaurants are fewer and much more expensive.
(Note: There are no paid recommendations on this page. We link businesses on our site because of their unique offerings - not because they provide any incentives to Easy Track Ghana or our staff.)
| Cocoa |
Five of the world’s ten highest waterfalls are wholly or partly in which country? | Food Drink Ghana - Easy Track Ghana
Easy Track Ghana
Pizza, spaghetti and beef burgers
General observations
The cost of eating in Ghana will differ greatly depending upon whether you eat local Ghanaian food. Eating Chinese, Continental, Lebanese or other non-Ghanaian styles will be rather expensive, probably starting at around $7.00 per dish. Ghanaian meals will be half that, unless served at a restaurant catering to tourists.
It is essential that casual visitors to Ghana take proper precautions when eating. Keep your hands clean and try to ensure your food is prepared and stored in sanitary conditions.
Foods tend to be fried, boiled or grilled. The one common ingredient is a hot pepper that is found in almost everything and makes Ghana food spicy-hot.
Back to Top
Easy things to try
Here are some easy foods for you to try. Not too hot, not too spicy and not to strange to your palate.
Chichinga
Beef or sausage kabobs. These are prepared by street side vendors.
Kelewele
Fried plantain with ginger and peanuts. Again, prepared by street vendors.
Red Red
Fried plantain with beans and red palm oil. Can be served with or without fish.
Fried Rice
Standard fried rice you would eat anywhere in the world. Plain or with salad, egg and/or chicken.
Jollof Rice
This is a favorite rice dish in Ghana. The rice is prepared with much tomato and less of cooking oil that makes the rice red. As with fried rice, this is served plain or with salad, egg, chicken or beef.
Waakye (pronounced Waa-chi)
This is a mixed bag - literally. Starting with a mix of rice and beans, there may be optional items added. These would include spaghetti, whole boiled eggs and hot pepper.
Fried egg sandwich
There will be places that will fry an egg with some pepper, onion and tomato to make a small omelet that can be eaten in bread.
Back to Top
Ghanaian meals
Ghanaian meals tend to be served in a bowl and are comprised of three parts: A big hunk of a starch placed into the bowl, a soup or stew poured over top of the starch, and large pieces of fish or meat.
Starches
Boiled cassava and plantain pounded into a dough-like mass.
Banku
Ground fermented corn and cassava that is boiled and stirred into a thick starchy mass.
Kenkey
Ground fermented corn that is boiled and pressed into banana plant leaves.
Omo tuo
Plain rice balls
Yam
Like the potato you are familiar with, yams are eaten either boiled or fried. Fried yams are eaten with hot pepper or with a spinach-like Palava sauce rather than with a soup or stew.
Soups and stews
A tomato and palm nut based soup.
Palm nut soup
A palm nut based soup, more oily than light soup.
Agbamadeshi stew
More difficult to find, this is more likely encountered in Ewe areas. This is a thick and very pleasant stew.
Okra soup or stew
Okra based soup or thicker stew. Requires some special wrist motion to keep from getting it all over yourself.
Meat
Tilapia is the fish of choice
Chicken
Where to eat and drink
Hotels and Continental Restaurants
As mentioned, restaurants catering to tourists will be found in all larger towns and cities. This will be the most expensive option.
Local Restaurants
When at restaurants, you can expect that half or more of the items on any printed menu will be not available, or "finished" as your server will tell you. Food options in remote areas and villages will be rather limited. Whether in an urban or rural location, portions tend to be large when food is served.
Service in restaurants is generally poor-to-average, unless you are at an expensive restaurant. Poor service can sometimes be avoided by a small tip at the beginning of the relationship with your server.
Chop Bar
A Chop Bar is a local budget eating establishment. You will find locals eating local food quickly at all times of the day at chop bars located everywhere.
Roadside Vendors or Cold Store
Food is sold everywhere in Ghana.
Water and other beverages
Water
Drinking water is easy to find anywhere in Ghana. Basically there are two options for drinking water: bottled water and "pure" water.
Bottled water is what you are accustomed to in the West, with Voltic being the big name brand here. Make sure the seal is intact when the bottle is served to you.
Many first time visitors to Ghana are insistent on bottled water. That is fine, but people in Ghana consider that extreme and very expensive. You should feel free to drink pure water without any problem.
Pure water is sold everywhere in small sealed plastic bags. Even though this type of water has gone through a filtration system, there are no standards and each company producing pure water uses a different filtration technique. The water inside is clean, but beware what is on the outside of the sachet.
Other Beverages
All types of other beverages are available, from the ubiquitous Coca-Cola products, to juices, energy drinks, and soy beverages. Getting these served very cold becomes more difficult the farther you are from a city.
Juices may be either fresh, bottled, in a can or in a carton. Pineapple juice, orange juice, mango and guava are the most prevalent fruit juices. Fresh coconut juice is sold anywhere you see a pile of coconuts. Tampico is a refreshing juice drink sold in plastic bottles, while Milo is a chocolate beverage served cold along the roadside or hot for morning breakfast.
Unless at an upscale restaurant, you should avoid ice cubes. You do not know what water has been used to produce them.
Palm Wine, Akpeteshie and Kasapreko
Alcoholic beverages are a big part of life, whether it be for ceremony or the evening shot of akpeteshie (distilled palm wine). The blue and white picket fences you see are used to indicate a drinking establishment, or 'spot' as it is called in Ghana. You will frequently see people pour a small part of their libation on the ground as an offering to their ancestors.
Back to Top
Fresh fruits and vegetables
For fruits, make sure the skin is not broken and be sure to wash well with clean water. Many street vendors will sell fruit that is already cut. You should avoid this and take a fresh fruit that they cut in front of you.
The most commonly encountered fruits are orange, pineapple, mango, papaya, melon, coconut, guava and imported apples. Other fruits can be found in large supermarkets, but you will pay dearly for them.
Vegetables are limited to a few staples. Besides yam, the most common vegetables in the diet are corn, tomato, onion, beans and squash. Leafy vegetables are available also, but great care should be taken in preparing any vegetable that is eaten fresh.
Plantains (fruit or vegetable?) are the main staple of the food supply in Ghana. It looks like a banana, but tastes far different. Only when fried does it become sweet. It is also served fried into chips, grilled, with a side of peanuts, and boiled and mashed into fufu or other starches and noted in a previous section.
Peanuts are called 'groundnuts' in Ghana. (again, fruit or vegetable?) They are easy to find at most shops and anyplace where bananas or grilled plantains are being sold.
Back to Top
Meat, fish and dairy
Milk, cheese and other dairy products are rare in the Ghanaian diet and generally can only be found at large supermarkets or as Fan Milk frozen products (see below). On the other hand, soy milk can be found at any cold store.
Beware of butter and mayonnaise. These are typically not refrigerated and can be bad.
Back to Top
Snacks and sweets
Snacks are everywhere. It is a constant part of life, spending a small amount for a small snack.
Plantain chips are easily found.
Zoe is corn meal mixed with peanut butter, ginger and hot pepper to make small round snacks about the size of a golf ball.
Locally produced chocolate is sold mostly as Kingbite chocolate bars produced by the Cocoa Processing Company , Ghana's only chocolate manufacturer. Unfortunately, the factory does not give tours.
FanMilk dairy products are sold everywhere by street vendors. These include frozen strawberry yogurt, vanilla ice cream and frozen chocolate milk all in individual size packets. Usually referred to as Fan Ice, the vendors on bicycle will usually have meat pies, cakes, spring rolls and other snack foods too.
Cakes & donuts, popcorn are sold by street vendors.
Back to Top
Pizza, spaghetti and beef burgers
You can find a fair variety of food styles in larger cities, but only Ghanaian meals in rural areas. There are a couple American-style fast food chains, like Pizza Inn/Chicken Inn. You will see these around the larger cities and they serve good pizza and sandwiches. Blissfully, there is not a single McDonald's anywhere in Ghana - yet.
When you see other types of non-Ghanaian meals on a menu, it will be expensive and probably less than satisfactory unless you are at an upscale restaurant or a restaurant that exclusively prepares a particular style of food.
Pasta is considered a Chinese dish here. Most commonly seen is spaghetti Bolognaise, which is generally served in the Italian style as you would expect. Other pasta dishes, like stroganoff, will be more like a Chinese meal.
There are many Chinese, Continental and Lebanese restaurants in Accra and Kumasi. French, Italian, Indian and Thai restaurants are fewer and much more expensive.
(Note: There are no paid recommendations on this page. We link businesses on our site because of their unique offerings - not because they provide any incentives to Easy Track Ghana or our staff.)
| i don't know |
In which British city is Great Victoria Street station? | Belfast Great Victoria Street Train Station
Belfast Great Victoria Street Train Station
Click on image to enlarge
These are the contact details for Belfast Great Victoria Street Train Station. Facilities include public toilets, disabled toilet, public telephones, car parking and luggage trolleys as well as restaurant and newsagent.
NB. This map is based on the postcode and so may not reflect the exact location.
| Belfast |
Which wildflower is also known as the knapweed? | Belfast travel guide - Wikitravel
Understand[ edit ]
Belfast gained notoriety around the world during The Troubles (1969-1997) due to the frequency of gun and bomb attacks in the city. Parts of Belfast were effectively no-go areas for security forces and therefore took on a lawless quality. Today, the scars of Belfast's troubled past make it an intriguing destination for travellers from around the world.
Since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, most of the politically-motivated violence has evaporated. Belfast was recently awarded the accolade of being the safest city in the UK, based on a comparison of nation-wide crime figures, and, as part of its commitment to maintain peace, now seeks tourism from all around the world, especially from countries other than the Irish Republic and the rest of the UK.
Those who live in Belfast tend to either absolutely love the city or loathe it, although the outsider's perspective tends to be more forgiving, as Belfast was voted the fourth best city in the UK for a city break in the Guardian/Observer travel awards. Needless to say, a visit to Belfast will be rewarded by a glimpse of a unique city that has finally begun to celebrate, rather than fight over, its place as a cultural meeting-point of Britain and Ireland. Belfast is certainly exhibiting an air of determined optimism, with new hotels, bars, restaurants, clubs and shops opening at an incredible rate. It is a city that is proud of its Victorian and Edwardian heritage and efforts to restore historic buildings are proving successful. Tourism is on the increase in Northern Ireland, especially among those seeking a weekend away or short break in Ireland as Belfast can offer a significantly cheaper and more rewarding alternative to the bigger, busier, more expensive and more tourist-driven Dublin .
Belfast remains a great place to explore, as it is still relatively undiscovered compared with its neighbour in Dublin and is ideal for the tourist who enjoys a city with character, yet still has a raw, unspoilt energy. A visit to the capital of Northern Ireland will provide a more stimulating trip as, once you scratch the surface, it is easy to see beyond the ethno-political conflict of past years. It is a city which has changed dramatically in a decade due to this peace and prosperity and you will be greeted with warmth from locals who feel a new-found sense of pride in their city. Indeed, the old cliche that you will be welcomed like an old friend by the patrons of Belfast's many pubs and bars is actually true, as the locals love to find out what draws you to their little part of the world and, of course, they like the chance to share a little bit of their history with you! Ask any local and they will tell you that a trip to Belfast will mean that you learn far more about the Irish and British psyche than a trip to a cheesy Irish pub in Dublin or on a tourist-orientated tour in London .
By plane[ edit ]
Belfast has two airports:
George Best Belfast City Airport ( IATA : BHD) is just two miles from Belfast's city centre, with magnificent views of the city of Belfast or Belfast Lough on approach and departure. This small but beautifully formed airport principally serves routes from other parts of the British Isles plus a couple of flights from France. Airlines using the airport include:
Aer Lingus from London Heathrow, London Gatwick
[1] Amsterdam Schiphol starting May 2015.
The terminal is served every 20-30 min 06:00-22:00 by the Metro 600 bus (£2.40 single, £3.60 return - valid 1 month). Depending on traffic, the journey to Belfast's Laganside and Europa Buscentres should take no more than 15 min.
Alternatively, NIR trains serve the airport at Sydenham station twice an hour on the Portadown/Belfast/Bangor line. Upon arrival, ask at the airport information desk for a free shuttle ride to the station. If arriving by train, the courtesy bus may be requested just inside the airport perimeter across the bridge from Sydenham station. A single fare to Belfast Central, Botanic, City Hospital or Great Victoria Street costs £1.60. A single to Bangor costs £3.80
Taxis cost approximately £10 to most parts of the city and are an economical choice for small groups.
Belfast International Airport ( IATA : BFS) is further from Belfast than City Airport, lying closer to the towns of Templepatrick and Antrim, but offers significantly more international destinations. United Airlines has connections available to destinations throughout the Americas and beyond.
Easyjet [2] to Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin Schoenefeld, Bristol, Edinburgh, Faro, Geneva, Glasgow International, Ibiza, Krakow, Liverpool John Lennon, London Gatwick, London Stansted, Malaga, Newcastle, Nice, Palma, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Prague, Rome Ciampino, Venice
Jet2 [3] to Blackpool, Chambery, Dubrovnik, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Jersey, Leeds Bradford, Malaga, Murcia, Palma, Pisa, Tenerife South and Toulouse
United Airlines [4] to New York (Newark)
Wizzair [5] to Katowice (from 31.03.2015) and Vilnius (from 30.03.2015)
The terminal is served up to every 30 min from 5:35AM-11:20PM by the 300 Airport bus [6] (£7 single, £10 return). Depending on traffic, the journey to Belfast's Laganside and Europa Buscentres takes about 45 minutes. Taxis should cost no more than £25-30 to Belfast City Centre.
There is also a more slower route available by taking the (hourly service M-Sa) Ulsterbus 109A service to Antrim from the stand outside the airport, leave the bus at Antrim Bus station (£2.40 one way if bought on board and £2.50 if bought at the tourist info point inside the airport; Sep 2012). Take a train from Antrim to Belfast Great Victoria Street (£5.20 one way). In return, the views are greater when taking the train. Train times to be found on timetables at station, you can also get by train to Londonderry/Derry, Ballymena/Ballymoney and Coleraine/Portrush/Castlerock by train also just ask what platform they are departing from trains usually run every hour to Londonderry/derry and to Belfast Great Victoria Street
From Dublin[ edit ]
It is also possible to get to Belfast from Dublin Airport 160 km (100 mi) to the south. Ryanair, Aer Arann [7] and Aer Lingus (the national airline of the Republic of Ireland) serve many international destinations in Europe and North America (including Boston, Los Angeles and New York). Hourly buses (24 hours, daytime services operated by Ulsterbus, night services by Bus Éireann) [8] link Dublin Airport and the Belfast Europa Buscentre (which is in the same building as "Great Victoria Street " Train station Handy if you are planning on continuing your journey elsewhere in Northern Ireland by train. There are several day tour companies that operate daily tours to Belfast.
By train[ edit ]
You can now get cheap tickets to and from Belfast on http://www.translink.co.uk/en/Buy-Tickets-Online/Enterprise-Web-Fare/ . This link is quite tricky to find on translink website so here you go.
Despite decades of underinvestment and service cutbacks, Northern Ireland Railways [9] (a division of Translink, Northern Ireland's public transport operator) manages to maintain a small but increasingly reliable passenger rail network around the province, with four 'domestic' lines radiating out from Belfast. Great Victoria Street Station is in the centre of Belfast on, as the name suggests, Great Victoria Street. Just yards from the Grand Opera House and beside the Europa Hotel, the Great Victoria Station is part of a combined bus/rail station, the bus centre being called Europa Bus Centre. Look for the sign above the door to access the station from Great Victoria Street, Great Northern Mall. The so called "Central Station", is not very central at all - it's about half a mile from the city centre but is close to Belfast Courts, the Waterfront Hall and bus routes to east Belfast.
There are four rail corridors in/out of Belfast:
Belfast - Bangor
Belfast - Larne
Belfast - Coleraine - Londonderry/Derry or Portrush
Service is most frequent and reliable on the Portadown - Belfast - Bangor corridor, on which new trains offer frequent and fast suburban service. The line to Londonderry/Derry is exceptionally beautiful as it passes along the north coast after Coleraine, however travellers should note that the railway line is slower (two hours or more) than the equivilent Ulsterbus Goldline express coach (one hour and forty minutes). Contact NIR for information on tourist passes for exploring Northern Ireland by bus and train: with integrated bus and train stations in most major towns, the province is easily explored without a car.
Services to Dublin (with connections to other destinations in the Republic of Ireland) is offered by the Enteprise, a modern, comfortable, but relatively slow train jointly operated by Northern Ireland Railways and Iarnrod Eireann (which operates trains in the Republic of Ireland). Journeys between Dublin and Belfast take two hours and twenty minutes, and there are up to eight trains a day, offering two classes of service. The train takes a less direct route than the road, but offers some superb views and is still generally quicker than equivalent buses. Cheap day returns are available to those willing to book online [10] . Standard fare is £25 one-way when purchased on the day of travel.
By bus[ edit ]
Ulsterbus [11] (a division of Translink, Northern Ireland's public transport operator) operate the intercity bus network in Northern Ireland, linking most major towns and cities. Services are well-used and, in most cases, reasonably priced. The most frequent service is to Londonderry / Derry . Bus Éireann [12] jointly operate cross-border services with Ulsterbus and operate almost all intercity routes in the Republic of Ireland. Bus Éireann offer a €15 single fare and €22 return fare from Dublin Busaras (bus station) and Dublin Airport to the Europa Buscentre in Belfast (currently unavailable to purchase online); Ulsterbus offers similar specials in the opposite direction. There is also a daily bus to Cork, via Athlone and one to Galway via Cavan.
Under the Eurolines banner, Ulsterbus offer 2 daily services to Glasgow and Edinburgh , and 2 daily services to London via Manchester and Birmingham . All of these are via the fast ferry Stranraer. Connections are available via National Express to virtually every destination in mainland Great Britain.
For less independent travellers, you can also book day trips from Dublin to Belfast on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. This includes a bus trip to Belfast followed by a black taxi cab ride through the two neighbourhoods and a visit to the peace wall. See Belfast Taxi Tours [13] for info.
Local bus travel in Northern Ireland can be expensive outside of Belfast, but services are frequent and reliable. Belfast itself is small enough to walk anywhere comfortably.
There is also a bus based Park and Ride facility available, see National Park and Ride Directory [14]
By car[ edit ]
Belfast is the focus of the road network in Northern Ireland, and as such is very well connected to the road network in Northern Ireland. While there are only three motorways in Northern Ireland (M1, M2 and M22), the rest of the country is very well provided for with high quality trunk roads.
Access to Belfast from the Republic of Ireland has never been better. Due to the great improvements the peace process in Northern Ireland has gained, crossing the border into Northern Ireland is now nothing more noticeable than a change in signposts and road markings. The M1 connects Dublin to Dundalk and almost to the border with Northern Ireland. The M1 is 83km long and has one toll over the Boyne Cable Bridge near Drogheda (€1.80 for a car).
Car rental[ edit ]
Belfast is not as well served by car rental companies as Ireland in general. Some Irish car rental companies offer a drop off option in Belfast while others have locations in Belfast City. If you plan to rent a car in the Republic of Ireland and drive it into Northern Ireland be aware of the additional insurance cost. Dan Dooley and Hertz do not charge for additional cross border insurance.
Atlanticchoice Car Hire, [15] Belfast International Airport, Tel: +44 20 3700 6717
Logan Car Hire, [16] Belfast International Airport, Tel: +44 28 9581 0701
Logan Car Hire, [17] Belfast City Airport, Tel: +44 28 9581 0701
Avis Rent a Car Ltd - 69-71 Great Victoria St.
Budget - Belfast City Airport and Belfast International Airport.
Dan Dooley [18] - Belfast International Airport. Offers meet and greet service at Belfast City Airport and in the Belfast Docks.
Budget - Great Victoria St.
Europcar [19] - 105 Great Victoria St.
Enterprise Rent-a-car [20] , Unit 1 Boucher Crescent, Tel: +44 28 9066 6767. If you need a car for the duration of your stay, the branch at Unit 3, Bldg 10 Central Park Mallusk, Tel: +44 28 9084 3749, will be able to meet you and drop you off at either airport or the ferry terminals.
By boat[ edit ]
Frequent sailings across the Irish Sea connect Belfast to mainland Great Britain. All the operators listed below offer special promotions throughout the year, and some also offer through ticketing with rail and bus services at each end. For foot passengers without through tickets the only public transport link to the Belfast Stena terminals is bus 96 from Belfast city centre (North Queen Street and High Street) but this does not run at weekend. The coaches used by passengers with through tickets are not available to walk-up passengers (ie they do not sell tickets on board).
Stena Line [21] offer two types of service from the Port of Belfast to Stranraer in Scotland , with up to six sailings a day. The HSS Stena Voyager is a high speed catamaran (the fastest ferry from Northern Ireland to mainland Great Britain) and the Stena Caledonia is a more traditional and slower ferry.
Stena Line also offer up to three sailings a day from Larne (accessible from Belfast by train or bus) to Fleetwood, near Liverpool .
P&O Irish Sea Ferries runs two sailings a day each way between Larne and Troon in Scotland [22]
Norfolk Line [23] offer daytime and nightime crossings to Birkenhead , near Liverpool. Cabins and meals are available.
By sail and rail from Great Britain[ edit ]
It is possible to buy a through train ticket between any railway station in Great Britain and any railway station in Ireland, north or south. It is generally cheaper to do this than buy separate train tickets to ferry ports and then foot passenger tickets on the boat, and this remains one of the cheapest ways of reaching Northern Ireland, especially at short notice.
For journeys from Great Britain tickets can be bought from any staffed station and from some automated ticket machines. Few online ticket agents sell cross-channel rail tickets, and those that do add additional booking fees. Since tickets are no cheaper booked in advance, they can usually be bought at the station on departure.
For journeys from Northern Ireland cross-channel tickets (and, in fact, all rail tickets for travel within Great Britain) can be bought from NI Railways Travel, the travel agency located at Great Victoria Street railway station (with a small handling fee) or at the Stena Line terminal in Belfast.
Most rail and sail passengers between Great Britain and Northern Ireland are routed via Stena Line's Belfast/Stranraer Stena HSS fast ferry. Stranraer railway station is immediately adjacent to the ferry terminal, although Stena Line will leave Stranraer for the non-rail connected Cairnryan in 2011. Fares are priced by zones within Great Britain, starting at £25 single / £50 return (£16.50 / £33 with a National Rail railcard) between Belfast and destinations in south-west Scotland. London to Belfast via Stranraer costs £46 single / £92 return. Tickets include rail travel to Stranraer and passage on the Stena HSS, although not the transfer from Stena's terminal in the Port of Belfast. Metro 96 runs hourly throughout the day between the terminal and the city centre, or for slightly more rail and sail passengers can travel on the faster coach transfer to the Europa Buscentre offered free for cross-channel coach passengers.
An alternative 'rail and sail' routing from London and southern Britain is via Holyhead and Dublin. Seat61.com [24] offers informed and independent advice on how to book combined train and ferry tickets from any railway station in Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Get around[ edit ]
The centre of Belfast is small enough to be explored by foot. Translink [25] operate Belfast's urban bus network, called Metro (previously Citybus). Buses run along colour coded high frequency routes that radiate from the city centre from around 6AM until 11PM. All major bus routes start or pass through Donegall Square, and a Metro information kiosk is on the north-western side of the square. Tourist passes are available from here, or for the more frequent traveller, you can purchase and pre-load a Smartlink card with credit for bus trips. While the routes are extensive, the travel is expensive, as it is for the whole of the country. Buses frequently do not turn up and staff can at times be unhelpful.
There are no buses or trains running during the night (except to the airports), so your only option is to take a taxi if you need to travel anywhere you cannot walk to.
If your time is limited, the open-top 'Belfast Sightseeing' bus tours are recommended, costing about £10 per person for a 2 hour journey. You will be shown the sights in the city centre and suburbs including famous murals painted on the ends of terraced houses during 'The Troubles' in the Falls Road area, the Harland and Wolff shipyards where the Titanic was built and Queens University. The guides are friendly, well informed and interesting, although many locals still remark that is unusual to see bright red open top tour buses passing through once troubled neighbourhoods. You may prefer a less obvious exploration of the city.
Belfast is now famous for its Black Taxi tours of the city, which are highly recommended, and can be arranged by most hostels, hotels and at the tourist office (47 Donegall Place, above the Boots pharmacy, just north of the City Hall). These tours are given by regular taxi drivers who have worked through the troubled years, and have a wealth of knowledge and very personal experiences, which they are glad to share during a tour that can last up to two hours.
Also of interest are the shared taxi routes of North and West Belfast. These run along set routes and cost around £1, no matter how long the journey. Their origins date from the darkest days of the troubles, when city bus services were frequently disrupted by violence and attacks. There are fixed locations in the City Centre where these begin their routes, and will generally queue until filled with 4 or 5 people. Note that minicabs (regular saloon cars with taxi licence plates and illuminated roof signs) generally do not operate as black taxis.
See[ edit ][ add listing ]
To make the most of your time in the city your first point of contact should be the centrally located Belfast Welcome Centre (Tourist Office) [26] at Donegall Square North, just opposite City Hall. The staff can provide maps, book accommodation and tours, recommend itineraries and places of interest and sell you overpriced and tacky souvenirs. There is also a useful left luggage facility.
Central[ edit ]
Belfast city centre is focused on Donegall Square and Belfast City Hall in its centre. All major city bus routes converge here and, on sunny days, this is where shoppers and office workers can be found enjoying their breaks. The City Hall is the grand centerpiece of the city and the orientation point for your exploration of Belfast. Running north from the centre of Donegall Square is Donegall Place, a broad and bustling shopping street, which will lead you towards the Cathedral Quarter and the Arts School. The city centre is bordered to the east by the River Lagan, and to the south by the area around Donegall Pass. Where Belfast city centre meets the River Lagan, windswept pavements prove that meaningless sculptures and grandiose attempts at urban planning do not necessarily make for a popular urban space. The horrendous dual carriageway known as the Westlink separated the centre of Belfast from the western suburbs of the city in the 1970s; this borders the city centre to the west. On the plus side, the network of dual carriageways and motorways mean that one can get from the city centre to all the surrounding suburbs and satellite towns in less than fifteen minutes, even during the rush hour, something which is impossible in many other cities, for example Dublin.
In between these rough boundaries, you'll find Belfast's heart. Parts of it are blighted by dereliction, others are blighted by narrow-minded money-grabbing redevelopment. Note that while largely safe at all times, years of city centre curfews during the troubles means that the centre of Belfast can be startlingly empty of pedestrians after 8PM, with groups of teenagers the only people to found on Donegall Pl. City centre living has yet to become as popular here as in other parts of Britain and Ireland.
City Hall, Donegall Sq, Tel: +44 28 9032 0202 - Opened in 1906, the City Hall will possibly seem familiar to South African visitors, who may notice a resemblance to the city hall in Durban. This is a fine example of turn of the century architecture from the heart of the British Empire's drafting office. The City Hall houses Belfast's Council chambers and administrative offices. Excellently presented free guided tours are available every day; ring ahead for details of times. Also of note are the grounds, containing a memorial to victims of the Titanic and a statue of Queen Victoria. The City Hall will temporarily close to the public from November 2007 for essential renovation works. However, the grounds of the building will remain open and will continue to play host to popular events, such as the Continental Christmas Market. The building is scheduled to reopen in 2009 and, until then, most Council services, including the Registrar's office for births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships, will relocate to Adelaide Exchange in nearby Adelaide Street.
Place [27] , 40 Fountain St, Tel: +44 28 9023 2524. This diminutive shop space was recently taken over by the Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA) as a small gallery space to promote the built environment in Northern Ireland. Regular exhibitions and workshops are held here.
Ormeau Baths Gallery, 18a Ormeau Ave, Tel: +44 28 9032 1402, [28] . Significantly lacking in credibility, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland has now taken over the running of this once-lively and vibrant art gallery. This change of direction has left the OBG without a single artist involved in the running of the museum. A group of local artists has subsequently formed the Ormeau Baths Gallery in Exile, a mobile venue which hopes to 'return' to the OBG building in 2007.
Saint Anne's Cathedral, Donegall St, Tel: +44 28 9043 4006. The stunning cathedral building is situated at the opposite end of Royal Avenue, the main shopping street, from the City Hall. It is a fascinating building, and is at the centre of the "Cathedral Quarter", which is reluctantly being redesigned and cleaned up by various investment agencies to become Belfast's 'cultural' district. Thankfully, a lot of work remains to be done, and the area contains many fine cafés, bars and interesting buildings that recall the city's commercial and industrial heritage. Rent prices have yet to jump significantly, so keep an eye out for the small galleries and studio workspaces that remain in this area.
Belfast Exposed, 23 Donegall St, [29] . Tu-Sa 11AM-5PM, Tel: +44 28 9023 0965. Belfast Exposed is Northern Ireland's only dedicated photography gallery, and as well as operating a fine exhibition space in a refurbished warehouse building, also provides local photographers with dark room and processing facilities and a well maintained library. Exhibitions are usually free and always worth seeing.
Belfast Print Workshop and Gallery, 30-42 Waring St, Tel: +44 28 9023 1323, [30] . This gallery is combined with an active workshop, where local artists are able to use the facilities to print their work. Usually a good selection of local work.
Belfast Central Library, Royal Ave, Tel: +44 28 9050 9150. Opposite the road from the Cathedral, the Victorian library building houses an excellent Irish section and a newspaper library, containing archives of all Northern Irish newspapers.
Belfast Big Fish, beside the Lagan Lookout
Titanic Boat Tour, [31] . Belfast takes a bizarre pride in that the ill-fated Titanic was built here (not caring to promote the many hundreds of other ships that were built here which did not sink) and you can now take a boat tour around the area that the ship was built. The former boat yards of Belfast are being ambitiously redeveloped into a residential and commercial neighbourhood that will be called (you guessed it) the Titanic Quarter. Tours cost £10. Check sailing times on their website.
The Waterfront Hall, 2 Lanyon Pl, Tel: +44 28 9033 4455, [32] . Standing on the northern side of Donegall Square, Belfast's imposing concert and conference venue is visible to the east where Chichester St meets the riverside. Built in 1997, it has been credited with generating £10 for the Belfast economy for every £1 spent on its construction . The main auditorium offers some of the best performance hall acoustics anywhere in Europe, and it is worth checking with the box office for upcoming shows.
The Bar Council & Bar Library of Northern Ireland, 414 Chichester St, [33] . Not open to the public, but notable for its striking architectural design. The northern half of the building is the opulent home of Belfast's (privately employed) barristers; meanwhile the southern end of the building (visible from May St) is occupied by the more modest Royal Courts of Justice Stamp Office (a tax-payer-funded government agency). Presented with two clients with two wildly different budgets, local architects Robinson McIlwaine successfully designed one building which seamlessly merge a more modest design and cheaper materials for the southern half of the building and a more elaborate and expensive design at the northern end.
Cornmarket is at the centre of Belfast's retail area. Visitors from other parts of the UK and Ireland will feel immediately at home with the bland selection of high street chains.
South[ edit ]
Belfast's leafiest and most accessible suburbs are found south of the city centre along Botanic Ave, and University Rd around the Queen's University. Apart from the small loyalist community around Donegall Pass, the areas between University Rd and Lisburn Rd are mostly mixed, and there is a dense student population living in rented accommodation. It's a 20 min walk from Donegall Place to Botanic Avenue. The commercial core of Belfast is apparent on Bedford St, and the lively bars, takeaways of Dublin Rd are busy most nights of the week. Botanic Ave is somewhat quieter with less traffic and is lined with cafés, restaurants and small shops. Farther south, beyond the University, is the Lisburn Rd, recently christened "Belfast's Bond Street", with its eclectic mix of boutiques, chic bars and restaurants, and lively coffee shops. This part of town is the most affluent of the city, and is regularly referred to by its postcode: BT9.
Queen's University, University Rd, +44 28 9024 5133, [34] . Take any number 8 bus (8A - 8C) from the city center. At the southernmost end of the Golden Mile, the university is a fine Victorian building with extensive grounds. It contains a visitors' centre in the main central building.
Queens Film Theatre, 20 University Sq, +44 28 9097 1097, [35] . Belfast's art house and repertory cinema, and is the central location for the annual Belfast Film Festival.
Botanical Gardens, accessed from University Rd beside the university and at the southern end of Botanic Ave, [36] . Very popular with locals and visitors alike. The Palm House contains local and interesting plants, such as carnivorous plants. Beside it is the Tropical Ravine, unique to the British Isles, where visitors walk around a raised balcony observing tropical flora and fauna. With large lawns and well maintained planting, the park is a popular destination in the summer. Fans of the BBC TV hidden camera comedy show 'Just for Laughs' will recognise the park from many hidden stunts. During the summer months be on the lookout for cameras pointing at you from parked vans and badly disguised tents.
Ulster Museum, +44 28 9038 3000, [37] . Accessed off Stranmillis Rd in the Botanic Gardens, +44 28 9038 3000. This excellent museum has much to see, including a large section on the history of Irish conflict, Northern Ireland's marine life and a significant collection of art. While many locals dislike the 1970s extension, it is one of the finest examples of a Brutalist modern extension being added and successfully integrated to an older classically designed museum. The museum is closed until the end of October 2009 for major redevelopment. Free.
Lyric Theatre, 55 Ridgeway St, +44 28 9038 1081, [38] . The diminutive Lyric remains the only full-time producing theatre in Northern Ireland. A busy schedule of productions can be found online. A major redevelopment is planned to take place in the next few years.
North[ edit ]
Belfast Zoo, Antrim Road, +44 28 9077 6277, [39] . Open daily 10AM-7:00PM (April 1 to September 30)/ 10AM - 4PM (October 1 to March 31), admission £11.50 (adults)/£5.80 (children, students, senior), take any number 1 bus (1A - 1G) from the city centre. A substantial modernisation programme has recently been finished, and the zoo has a very good variety of animals. The prairie dogs are of particular interest, as their tunnels extend throughout the park, rendering any open space looking like a giant game of 'whack-a-rat'. Much merriment was caused when the zoo was praised for letting the prairie dogs run wild and free, an accident that was caused after much effort was spent preventing them from digging out of their enclousre but noone checked on their ablity to climb and they simply scampered over their small enclosing wall. The Zoo has recently welcomed Lily, the first Barbary lion cub to be born in Ireland.
Belfast Castle, Antrim Rd, +44 28 9077 6925, [40] . Daily 9AM-6PM, admission free, take any number 1 bus (1A - 1G) from the city centre. The castle (more accurately a large stately home) dates from 1870 and was restored in 1988. It is situated on Cave Hill and has good views of the city and coast. Cave Hill Country Park has marked walking routes and is an excellent viewpoint from which to get a view of Belfast.
West[ edit ]
An Chultúrlann (Irish Language Cultural Centre) [41] , 216 Falls Road, BT12 6AH, +44 28 9096 4180, the hub of Irish language activities in Belfast. Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich, at the heart of the Gaeltacht Quarter on the Falls Road is the Belfast Irish Experience, a friendly drop-in space where you can engage with the locals and experience Irish culture, but depending on your interests, it is also a dynamic arts centre, a centre for traditional music, a tourist information point, a café, a place to buy crafts or books, a place to learn the Irish language or take up new hobbies, to meet friends or book a tour, a place to feel proud of your heritage or to explore Irish culture.
West Belfast Taxi Association 35a King St, +44 28 9031 5777, operate a remarkably efficient service from Belfast city centre to areas of West Belfast. Taxis run every few minutes up the Falls Road to destinations including Whiterock, Andersonstown and Twinbrook. The services operate as taxi buses, with passengers sharing a black cab with others who are going to roughly the same place. The routes are similar to bus routes, but the driver will stop and let you out at any point. Taxis can be hailed along the Falls and Andersonstown Rds. Fare from the city centre to Andersonstown are £1.30 one-way, cheaper and more convenient than the equivalent bus service.
Fáilte Feirste Thiar (Welcome West Belfast) [42] , 243 Falls Rd, +44 28 9024 1100, Tourist Information office and welcome centre located in the heart of the Falls. The office distributes free maps, offers tours and general information about this part of the city.
Political Murals, throughout Falls Rd and Shankill Rd. Visit the world renowned murals in the nationalist Falls and unionist Shankill portions of West Belfast. The main murals are situated on gable walls of buildings on both the Falls and Shankill roads, but others are located in the lower Shankill estate (off the lower Shankill Rd onto North Boundary St) and Bombay St (off the Falls Rd onto Clonard Gardens).
Milltown Cemetery, 546 Falls Rd. One of the two massive cemeteries of West Belfast. Milltown is dripping with history, being the final resting place for many Republican paramilitary members (mostly buried at the Republican plot, beneath the tricolour flag). There is also a memorial garden for IRA members killed during the Troubles, including those who took part in the 1981 Hunger Strike. Milltown cemetery is also the site of the notorious killings in 1988 of three mourners at an IRA funeral by Loyalist paramilitary Michael Stone. The attack took place near the Republican plot.
Pictured: Milltown Cemetery in November 2010.
Falls Park, Falls Rd, 079 1754 3626. A large open space populated by a huge cemetery, gardens, Gaelic Football and Hurling pitches. Falls Park is a pleasant place to visit on a sunny day and provides a welcome respite from the city.
Casement Park (Páirc Mhic Asmaint) is the principal stadium of the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) in the province of Ulster. The sports of Gaelic Football and Hurling are played here, both of which provide a unique experience for visitors to the city. Tickets are extremely well priced (admittance to a major game would not be more than £20) and are, in most cases, available on the gate. For match dates and times check the Irish News newspaper or online [43] .
O'Neills Sportswear, 14 Andersonstown Rd, +44 28 9062 7032. O'Neills is the largest manufacturer and retailer of Gaelic Sports equipment and memorabilia, ideal for a more individual souvenir. Merchandise such as team or county jerseys are well priced, with a clearance department in-store where factory seconds and older stock are on sale at very low prices.
Eileen Hickey Republican History Museum [44] , Conway Mill, +44 28 9024 0504. Museum exploring the history of Republicanism in Belfast. A charming museum, offering the history of Belfast from a Republican perspective. Offers a very interesting glimpse into what Belfast was like for the Catholics and Nationalists who had to live there through the discrimination and violence of the troubles. Free admission.
East[ edit ]
East Belfast is the largest of the cities' 4 electoral wards and is serviced by a number of large arterial roads (Cregagh Road, Castlereagh Road, Newtownards Road and Holywood Road), which all start in or close to the city centre.
East Belfast is a mainly residential and largely Protestant area encompassing a wide range of housing from the working class terraced streets along the Beersbridge road, to wide tree lined avenues of Belmont, and all areas in between. Despite its largely Protestant nature East Belfast is generally the area of the city where newcomers to Belfast of all religious and political persuasions from within Northern Ireland will look to purchase houses in when they arrive in the city. The rationale for this may be that although South Belfast is often thought of as a desirable locale it is in many cases prohibitively expensive. North and West Belfast are even cheaper than the East but whilst both contain many pleasant neighbourhoods they still have a lot of echoes from the troubles that can put newcomers off. North Belfast especially has a large number of "interface areas" (regions where working class loyalist and republican areas meet) that can occasionally flare up into trouble. East Belfast, possibly because it has only one interface area and is relatively homogeneously Protestant, was less on the "coalface" of the troubles than both the North and the West.
Stormont Parliament Buildings, +44 28 9025 0000. The parliament buildings are the home of the recently reinstated Northern Ireland Assembly. The buildings are massive and have marble interiors. The grounds are interesting in themselves, and a walk down the mile long road to the main parliament buildings is well recommended. Guided tours commence at 10am and 3pm (Monday to Friday) during weeks when the Northern Ireland Assembly is active. During 'Recess' (Christmas, Easter week, July and August) there are tours from 10am to 3pm on the hour, every hour. These tours are free and do not need to booked in advance.
Be aware that the buses directly to Stormont are not frequent and there is usually one an hour (either Metro 20a or Metro 23, time depending) from the city centre which will bring you very close to the building itself. If you prefer to see the beatiful tree-lined Stormont Estate with its mile-long (1.2km) Prince of Wales way then get the Metro 4a to the gates of Stormont and make your way on foot up to Parliament Buildings. Do bear in mind that you are going to the top of a hill so it may take 15 minutes to get to the top if you are a fast walker.
Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, Cultra, +44 28 9042 8428, [45] . Approximately 8 miles north-east from Belfast City Centre and most easily reached by train from Cultra station. Open daily 10AM-6PM, admission £6.50. It is one of Ireland's premier tourist attractions. It has a vast collection, and you could spend days exploring all of it. Highlights of the transport museum include a DeLorean (great scott!, etc.) and two train sheds full full of old steam locomotives and buses from Northern Ireland's past. The Folk Museum, on the other side of the railway line features a re-creation of an old Irish town. On Saturdays, there is a miniature railway operating, which is great fun. The folk museum is outdoors, so come prepared for the changeable Irish climate.
Lorne Guide Headquarters Close to the * Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, about a mile. It is the guide headquarters for Northern Ireland but to access you must be part of the guiding community e.g. Brownie, Guide etc.
Theatres[ edit ]
Grand Opera House, Great Victoria Street, Booking, +44 28 9024 1919. A fine Victorian building, which showcases large productions, both local and touring.
The Lyric Theatre, 55 Ridgeway St, +44 28 9038 108. This smaller theatre has excellent local plays. Currently closed for refurbishment.
Belfast has a great thriving night life with many Show and Gig venues throughout the city Belfast Shows [47]
Buy[ edit ][ add listing ]
Belfast has the full complement of high street chain stores that can be found in any other UK and Irish city. It does however have a variety of more interesting places to browse and shop, and a visit to Belfast would not be complete without experiencing them.
A trader at St. George's Market
St. George's Market, on May Street, is situated near Belfast Central Station, [48] . It is Northern Ireland's largest indoor market and one of Belfast's major attractions for visitors and locals alike. It sells a fascinating range of foods, clothing and crafts and will appeal to all of your senses. You can pick up some real bargains here, and the market itself provides a charming glimpse into Belfast life both past and present - many of the stall holders will be more than happy to tell you some fantastic local lore. Details correct as of Sept 2015: Friday Variety Market 6am-2pm, Saturday City Food, Craft and Garden Market 9am-3pm, Sunday Food, Craft & Market 10am-4pm.
Victoria Square, this large shopping complex opened in 2008 and will appeal to fans of mainstream shopping. [49] There are plenty of places to eat and drink, as well as an 8-screen Odeon cinema. Additionally, the now-iconic glass dome at the top of Victoria Square offers unparalleled views of the city and beyond, not to be missed by visitors as this is a free attraction.
Smithfield Market, Winetavern Street, behind the Castle Court shopping centre, [50] . A treasure trove of independent retail outlets, and provides a much more authentic experience than the afore mentioned Castle Court centre in Royal Avenue.
No Alibis, 83 Botanic Avenue, +44 28 9020 1261, [51] . One of the finest independent bookstores anywhere in Northern Ireland or the Republic, this is a must for fans of British, Irish and American crime fiction, with a wide selection of books imported from the USA. No Alibis reassures book-lovers that there is more to life than Borders or Waterstones.
You will also find a number of interesting shops on and around College Street, and on Dublin Road, including quirky vintage shops.
Budget[ edit ]
Archana, 53 Dublin Rd (Just opposite Pizza Hut), ☎ 9032 3713. A great Indian restaurant with better deals at lunchtime. edit
Boojum, Botanic Ave and Chichester St. Opened in 2008, this Mexican grill offers superb burritos, fajitas and tacos. Similar in style, and layout to the U.S. chain Chipolte. All ingredients are sourced direct from Mexico. A delicious, reasonable and very satisfying alternative. £4.50-5.50. edit
Bright's Restaurant, 41-43 Castle St and 23-25 High St, ☎ +44 28 9024 5688. Two locations in the city centre known for serving the best traditional breakfast in town for only £2.95 before 11AM. Large portions and good service. Can be very busy at times. edit
Crown Dining Rooms, 46 Great Victoria St, ☎ 9027 9901. Above the Crown Liquor Saloon, this is a great place to eat local food in cosy surroundings. Ticks all the boxes for a warming meal on a cold day, but can be a little crowded with tourists: don't be surprised if you hear more American accents than Northern Irish. edit
Doorsteps Sandwiches, 455 Lisburn Rd, ☎ 9068 1645. A good place for sandwiches, which are large enough to justify the name of the café, and which are exceptionally good value. edit
Grapevine, 5 Pottingers Entry, ☎ 028 9023 8182. M-F 8.00-17.00, Sat 9.00-17.00, Closed Sun. Wholesome, filling, homemade comfort food available in this small cafe. A meal and a drink won't be likely to cost more than £5-6. Baked potatoes, chilli, gumbos, chowders, stews and soups with daily specials. *The John Hewitt, 51 Donegall St, ☎ 9023 3768. Decently priced meals are available during the day and until 9PM in this popular Cathedral Quarter pub. Big plates with well sourced local ingredients and traditional meals. One of the best pubs for lunch in the city. edit edit
Little Italy Pizza, 13 Amelia St, ☎ +44 28 9031 4914. If you're out on the town, this is the perfect place for something to soak up the booze. Just around the corner from the Crown Bar, this place does the very best (and the cheapest) pizza in Belfast. edit
Loaf Cafe, Maureen Sheehan Centre, 106 Albert St (Just around the corner from the International mural wall on the Falls Rd and across from St. Peter's Cathedral), ☎ +44 28 9090 0071. M-F 8:30AM-3PM. This lovely little cafe which serves a great range of breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea options. Check out their lovely lunch specials and pizza meal deal for 2 on a Wednesday! Profits from Loaf are used to support local people with learning disabilities. Lunch £3.50. edit
Maggie Mays, 50 Botanic Ave, ☎ 9032 2662. Anyone who has had a hangover in Belfast has had Maggie Mays' Ulster fry. Serves a hefty, but far from the best, traditional Ulster breakfast (bacon, sausage, egg, fried bread, soda bread etc). The cosy interior is decorated with paintings and street signs from around Belfast. Service can be patchy, but the main reason to come here is the food. Often difficult to get a table, but well worth it if you can! Avoid more than weekly visits, your heart will thank you. edit
Moghul Restaurant, 62a, Botanic Ave, ☎ 9032 6677. This fine Indian restaurant has good value lunch deals, and is a handy starting point for a night out on the Golden Mile. Try for the special Friday lunch buffet. edit
Nex D'Or, 34 Castle St and 13 Rosemary St. Oh, Belfast, where did you go? Proof that some parts of this city are resisting the onslaught of urban renewal, café lattés and trendification. When you really need classless comfort food in a smokey low level diner, nowhere is better than the two branches of Nex D'Or. Don't expect the world's finest food, but do expect fond memories of what this town used to be like. edit
The Bridge House (J.D. Wetherspoon), 35-43 Bedford Street. Ubiquitous chain pub found in almost every UK town. Serves undeniably good value food, though quality is sometimes sacrificed for price. Many meals served with free pint. edit
Mid-range[ edit ]
Apartment, 2 Donegall Square W, ☎ 9050 9777, [52] . Belfast's most stylish venue with amazing views over City Hall. Raised above Belfast's bustling streets this cosmopolitan bar & restaurant has it all to offer - whether its coffee & croissants, lunch & cocktails or wine & dinner. At night Apartment transforms from a modern eatery to a busy lounge bar with cool urban beats from some of Belfast's top DJ's. Apartment's ever evolving Cocktail List is the most extensive in Belfast with some of the city's finest & most original blends. edit
Lee Garden, 14-18 Botanic Ave, ☎ +44 28 9027 8882, [53] . Popular during the day, mainly due to its £6.95 lunch specials. Evening meals are of average quality and are quite expensive. edit
Little Wing Pizzeria, 10 Ann Street, ☎ +44 28 9024 7000, [54] . Belfast's trendiest pizzeria serves some fantastic quality food in comfortable surroundings. Ideally located near Victoria Square, bookings sometimes necessary at peak times. edit
Scalini, 85 Botanic Ave, ☎ +44 28 9032 0303, [55] . A very good Italian restaurant located in the trendy Botanic area of the city and close to Queen's University. Food and drink is very well priced and the portions are generous. Reservations not always required apart from on peak nights. edit
Darcy's Restaurant, 10 Bradbury Place, ☎ +44 28 9032 4040, [56] . A lovely family-run restaurant offering traditional food made with all Irish ingredients. Eat before 7pm and pay just £7.77 for your meal. edit
Splurge[ edit ]
Aldens Restaurant, 229 Upper Newtownards Rd, ☎ 9065 0079. This restaurant is further out of town but serves excellent food with great service. edit
Cayenne Restaurant, 7 Ascot House, Shaftsbury Sq, ☎ 9033 1532. Famous chefs Paul & Jeanne Rankin's Cayenne is a well established place for quality and funky food. Pre-theater menus cost £12. edit
The King's Head, 829 Lisburn Rd, ☎ 9050 9950, [57] . A recent, major refurbishment has seen The King's Head re-open and quickly become one of the Lisburn Road's finest venues, combining both fresh food and local character. A 120 seater restaurant, dedicated Live Lounge, Gastro Pub & beer garden allow you to have the complete entertainment experience under one roof. All the luxury touches with excellent customer service without the formality. edit
The Merchant Hotel, [58] . Belfast's most opulent hotel. A sumptuous, intimate and welcoming hotel in the heart of The Cathedral Quarter, in Belfast’s city centre. The Merchant Hotel offers unrivalled service in a luxurious, historically significant building. edit
Restaurant Michael Deane, 1F 36-40 Howard St (Brasserie on ground floor), ☎ +44 28 9033 1134. Belfast's only Michelin Star restaurant, ideal for all the frills dining but despite the accolades it is not overly stuffy. edit
Shu. On the lower Lisburn Road, this perenially popular restaurant is a must-visit for a special occasion. You can expect not only great food and excellent service, but also great craic and a real buzz in the modern and stylish dining room. edit
RBG Belfast, 4 Clarence Street West, Off Bedford Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland. BT2 7GP, ☎ +44 2890677707, [59] . All day dining in a relaxing atmostphere located at the heart of the city. Live music on Friday and Saturday nights. edit
Drink[ edit ][ add listing ]
Belfast has a vibrant and varied nightlife which is improving year on year. The most popular areas tend to be the Cathedral Quarter and around the Dublin Road area. Closing times and last orders are generally a source of confusion even to many locals - but as a rule of thumb nights out in Belfast begin early and end earlier than in many similar European cities. As of December 2015, pubs around the city centre are generally open until 1am on weekends, bars 2am and a handful of clubs stay open until 3am. Clubs rarely let people in after 1.30am. Occasionally there are BYOB pop-up parties in the city centre, which can last most of the night.
Be aware that getting a Taxi home on a Friday or Saturday night can be very difficult, as demand hugely outstrips supply around the peak hours of midnight-3am. There are a limited number of black taxis that can be hailed on the street; the rest are private hire which must be booked by phone. While increasing public pressure will hopefully help resolve the problem, the best current advice for late-night tourists is to try and stay in accommodation within easy walking distance of the city centre. Some hotels/hostels may be able to obtain priority bookings.
Belfast Pub Crawl (Belfast Crawl), Filthy McNasty's (Starting on the Dublin Road, a few hundred metres from the Europa Station.), ☎ 07445521950, [60] . 7.30-close. Belfasts only dedicated pub crawl service brings you to some of the best and most famous bars in the city, including Filthy McNasty's, Laverys, The Taphouse, The Elms, The Parlour and The Bot. The Belfast pub crawl also includes 4 free drinks and free entry to a night club, worth £5 alone! £8. edit
Style bars[ edit ]
The Northern Whig [61] , 2-10 Bridge St, +44 28 9050 9880. The Northern Whig is Belfast's most unique bar oozing sultry European style! What is most striking about The Northern Whig is the set of huge granite statues depicting Communist workers, which were acquired by the owners after the fall of Communism in Prague. Whether its brunch, lunch dinner or simply drinks The Northern Whig has it all. At night this smart & cosmopolitan venue comes to life with a varied mix of people & live music by some of Belfast's finest Dj's. The Northern Whig has an extensive choice of original & house cocktails which are a must to try!!
Night club bars[ edit ]
The Botanic Inn [62] , 23-27 Malone Rd, +44 28 9050 9740. Affectionately known as 'The Bot', this bar is very popular, especially with students during the university term. It has a reputation for great atmosphere and craic, though can get very crowded at weekends. Downstairs is a large, attractive bar that regularly shows live sport, while upstairs has a highly regarded club. Good food is offered and drinks are reasonably priced.
Scratch Nightclub [63] , 5-6 Lower Cresent, +44 28 9050 9750. Centrally located just off Botanic Avenue, Scratch has been recently refurbished and regularly hosts popular club nights. The bar/club stretches over three floors and has a great reputation as the place to dance the night away! Open six nights a week, Scratch caters for all tastes. Friday and Saturday nights are the most popular; with famous local DJ Paul Kennedy spinning dance classics every Saturday.
The Globe [64] , 36 University Rd, +44 28 9050 9840. Another popular university area bar, the Globe is open 7 days a week, serving fantastic food at a reasonable price. Like most of the university area bars, The Globe hosts regular club nights, but is also popular for big screen sports.
Brickies Bar (aka The Speakeasy) Brickies is in Queen's University Student Union and is usually a good starting point for a night out. Don't hesitate to ask the students about the best place to go on any particular night!
Thompsons [65] , seems to be the place to be. This club plays music too loud and too late, with good DJs and a foggy somewhat underground atmosphere. Next to the City Hall, look for the narrow entry across the street from the Belfast Eye.
Traditional bars[ edit ]
The Kitchen Bar [66] , 36-40 Victoria Sq, +44 28 9032 4901. One of the most historic bars in Belfast, the original Kitchen Bar dates back to 1859 and was one of the favourite watering holes of the star performers of Belfast's famous Empire Music Hall. Relocated just round the corner from its original site to an old converted warehouse, it retains all the charm and charisma that visitors experienced at the original venue. Real Ale...Real Food...Real Craic...is the keywords for The Kitchen Bar and it certainly delivers on all three points, a must for any visitor to Belfast. Traditional fresh food is served daily including the renowned soda bread based 'Paddy Pizza'!
McHugh's Bar & Restaurant [67] , 29-31 Queens Sq, +44 28 9050 9999. Situated in Belfast's oldest building, dating back to 1711. McHugh's has a 100 seater restaurant, a basement bar offering live entertainment and the main gallery, providing enough space and atmosphere for a great night out. The Basement & main bar hosts live traditional music sessions at various times of the week and weekend so make sure you go along and catch one of these free sessions! The restaurant provides impeccable service and great food with sacrificing value. With entertainment, art & culture, McHugh's is a traditional bar with a difference.
Madison's Hotel [68] , 59-63 Botanic Ave, +44 28 9050 9800. Set amidst the bustling Botanic Avenue this rather sexy boutique hotel is just a stones throw away from Belfast City Centre, Queens University & Botanic Gardens. The hotel has an excellent restaurant serving early morning breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. The main bar in Madison's is popular with locals & tourists alike with live music being played in the bar most nights. Offering all modern features a guest expects today, Madison's has an established reputation for great food, fine wines, amazing cocktails and fabulous entertainment all under the one roof.
Ryan's Bar & Restaurant [69] , 116-118 Lisburn Rd, +44 28 9050 9850. The emphasis in Ryan's is on providing good food, good value and great service. The ground floor provides an informal & comfortable venue for craic & conversation where you can partake of great all day bar food. One thing you have to be sure to try are Ryan's World Famous Chicken Wings - the recipe is a secret but it's no secret just how good they are! Best washed down with a pint of the black stuff. Ryan's 75 seater restaurant offers a comfortable setting to enjoy traditional meals cooked to perfection. A rather intriguing & tasty choice are the 'Boxty' selections - a kind of Irish potato pancake!
The Parador [70] , 116-118 Ormeau Rd, +44 28 9050 9850. The Ormeau Road's Parador Hotel has been given a new lease of life with a complete facelift and a packed schedule of nightly entertainment. There is a mix of live traditional music on a Tuesday, Pub Quiz on a Wednesday and live Jazz every Thursday. The Jazz Session has been described as one of the best in the city which draws jazz lovers from far and wide. The Parador Hotel offers the best budget accommodation in the city starting at only £25 per night for a single room and £38 for a twin or double. There's no need to venture out looking for somewhere to eat either as the hotel provides a great selection of homemade food.
Alternative and Indie bars[ edit ]
Limelight/Katy Dalys/Spring and Airbrake [71] , 17 Ormeau Ave. A great trio of adjacent venues that open up into each other for live music and alternative club nights. Tuesday nights are the most popular and can be very crowded; be sure to come before 10PM to make sure you get in. Famous bands can regularly be found gigging here, and there are always a at least a couple of live gigs a week.
The Rotterdam Bar [72] , 52-54 Pilot St, +44 28 9074 6021. One of Belfast's oldest bars, with great personality and character. Features music every night.
Pats Bar, 19-22 Princes Dock St, +44 28 9074 4524. Right next door to the Rotterdam, this bar has also great character. What a lot of people do is go between the two pubs.
The Menagerie Bar, 130 University St, +44 28 9023 5678. This hidden away place near the Holiday Inn Express is a fun, atmospheric place. Dilapidated, but nice. Note: its popularity has declined a lot recently, not as funky as it used to be.
The following bars are beside each other in the Cathedral quarter. These all get a friendly alternative crowd:
The Spaniard, 3 Skipper Street, +44 28 9023 2448. A fantastic small friendly bar.
Duke of York [73] , 7-11 Commercial Ct, +44 28 9024 1062. A very popular bar, check it out on Thursday where they have traditional music.
Whites Tavern, 2-4 Wincellar Entry. Founded in 1630, one of the many bars to claim to be Belfasts oldest. Cosy downstairs bar with live music on Friday nights, upstairs has a jumping alternative disco on Friday and Saturday nights that is usually crammed to the roof.
Mainstream bars[ edit ]
Cafe Vaudeville [74] , 25-39 Arthur St. A huge over-the-top, 1920's Paris themed restaurant and bar. The upstairs section features Northern Ireland's first "Bollinger bar".
Europa Piano Bar, Europa Hotel, Great Victoria St, +44 28 9027 1066. For the more mature drinker, this place is relaxed and offers great views of the Golden Mile below.
Empire Bar, 40 Botanic Ave, +44 28 9024 9276. This place, a former church, is a cosy bar downstairs, featuring traditional Irish music some nights. The upstairs section features live music and comedy.
The Pavilion 296 Ormeau Road, +44 28 9028 3283 A three-level atmospheric pub with live music, pool and cheap live open mic comedy every monday.
Errigle Inn, 320 Ormeau Rd, +44 28 9064 1410. Unchanged since the 1930's, this bar is a popular authentic Belfast boozer. A great local bar, but a bit out of the way if you are only in Belfast for a short space of time.
Odyssey Complex [75] , depending on your point of view its either a souless hole of a place populated with underage kiddies, or Belfast's entertainment mecca. It features about 3 bars, 6 restaurants, cinema, IMAX and a bowling alley. At weekends it gets a boozy slightly rough 'beautiful people' crowd. The best place to go to if you want girls in short skirts and guys who look like they're auditioning for a boy band.
The Cloth Ear and The Bar [76] , 35-39 Waring St, +44 28 9023 4888. The Cloth Ear is The Merchant Hotel’s comfortable public bar. The warm and welcoming interior provides the ideal environment to relax and enjoy oneself in style. Combining both modern and traditional elements with a healthy dose of the eccentric. For example, the many unique items of vintage and antique clothing, the wooden moose and deer heads and the classic 1930’s – 1950’s sheet music that adorn the walls. Alternatively, go next door to the Merchant Hotel's own classic cocktail bar, simply named “The Bar”. The Victorian Grandeur of the building is abundantly evident, with its ornate ceilings, silk damask walls, antique Baccarat chandeliers and a cocktail list to which all the superlatives apply. Also home to possibly the world's most expensive cocktail at £750 a go!
Traditional music[ edit ]
Robinsons Bar, Great Victoria St, right next to the Crown Bar, and opposite the Europa Hotel. Has tradional music every day in the back bar (Fibber Magees).
The Hatfield House, 130 Ormeau Rd. About as far from a tourist trap as one could possibly get. Located on the Ormeau Road, within walking distance from Botanic Avenue. Go to the Hatfield for an undiluted local experience - this is a real Irish pub, but be forewarned, it is very likely you will be the only tourist in the place. Very popular with a young crowd on weeknights and always busy on match days when Gaelic sports are shown on the big screen. Live music most nights.
Sunflower Pub, 590 Shore Rd. Very central location, right near the Linen House backpackers and the Cathedral Quarter, recognisable from the green steel cage out front, a leftover from The Troubles. Cheap pints, friendly staff & locals, with locals playing traditional Irish music in the booths regularly.
Kellys Cellars [77] , 30-32 Bank St, just off castle street. Has traditional music at weekends. Another place with a claim to Belfasts oldest bar title.
Maddens Bar situated beside Castlecourt Shopping Centre in the Old Smithfield Square. Has traditional music at the weekends, gets an intellectual political crowd. Don't freak if you have to press the buzzer for entry, its a leftover from the troubles days, the place is quite safe.
Note:Maddens and Kellys can be tricky to find so don't be scared to ask for directions.
Late Clubs[ edit ]
Generally, all clubs listed here are open until 3am. It is best to check the website or Facebook pages of the venues for the most up to date information on individual nights.
Aux The upstairs club in Aether and Echo has rapidly gained a reputation as one of the most progressive and atmospheric clubs in Belfast. Music played tends to be funk, house and techno. Alcohol served until close.
Thompsons Thompsons has given itself a makeover in recent years to become a very popular Belfast late night venue. Music differs depending on the night but covers all tastes.
Love & Death Inc. An intimate and fun club hidden away from the bustle of the Cathedral Quarter.
Coffee[ edit ]
Clements Coffee, 4 Donegall Square W, Castle St, 37-39 Rosemary St, 66 Botanic Ave, 139 Stranmillis Rd, 342 Lisburn Rd. Another reason why Starbucks Coffee have yet to make much progress in Belfast, largely due to the popularity of this Belfast coffee chain, which only sells fair-trade coffee. Bagels, sandwiches, cakes, soups and snacks are all reasonably priced. edit
Common Grounds, 12 -24 University Ave, ☎ 9032 6589. Fresh soups, chunky sandwiches, divine cakes and frequent live music or poetry reading events. This bright yet cosy café (underneath a church hall, but don't let that put you off) has great food, tea and coffee, and a large room to the rear for events. A portion of each month's profits go to help a community project or charity in the third world. edit
Javaman Coffee, Unit 5 St Georges Market, Oxford Street, ☎ 02890 329225. Freshly roasted coffee. Can be found inside St Georges Market Friday-Sunday. edit
Budget[ edit ]
City Backpacker , 53-55 Malone Avenue, +44 28 9066 0030. This is the newest Hostel in Belfast and it has raised the standards. Possibly the comfiest beds in the backpacking world. The location is close to the Botanic Gardens and Queens University and only a 20 minute stroll into town.
Lagan Backpackers, 121 Fitzroy Ave. This small hostel is good for meeting other travelers and you can have a lot of fun there.
Belfast International Youth Hostel [78] , 22-32 Donegal Rd, just off Shaftesbury Square (halfway between City Hall and Queen's University), +44 28 9031 5435. A good HI - YHA hostel near Shaftesbury Sq. Rates range from £10.50 for a bed in a shared dorm to £31.50 for an ensuite single room. The hostel has a wide range of rooms from dorms to doubles, some standard and some ensuite. This hostel has internet access, free wi-fi, free parking, laundry, self-catering kitchen and a great breakfast restaurant with vast range of meals between 8AM and 2PM including an innovative school-kid type take away lunch pack for those who are on the road.
ibis Belfast City Centre [79] , 100 Castle Street, (+44)2890/238888. Ibis Belfast City Centre hotel is a budget hotel, located in Belfast city centre.
Arnies Backpackers, 63 Fitzwilliam St, +44 28 9024 2867. A small independent hostel, with a good atmosphere and good location. Rates from £10 for a 8 bed dorm and £12 for a 4 bed dorm. This hostel offers free WIFI, tea and coffee.
The Ark Hostel, 18 University St, +44 28 9032 9626 [80] . Another small independent hostel , between University Rd and Botanic Ave. Rooms in near-by apartments also available to rent by the week and month.
Travelodge Hotel Belfast, 15 Brunswick Street (Just behind the Crown Liquor Saloon, and less than five minutes walk from the Europa Buscentre), ☎ 0870 1911 687 ( [email protected] , fax: +44 28 9023 2999), [81] . checkin: 3.00PM; checkout: 12.00PM. Part of the national chain of high value low frills motel-cum-hotels. Unusually brilliant central location for a Travelodge, and a popular base for the Easyjet weekenders who want to fall off the Airport bus at Europa and make the most of their time in the city's bars. Book ahead and online for 'Saver' rooms from £26. from £39. edit
Loughconnolly B+B, 103 Carnlough Rd, Broughshane (just east of Ballymena, road heading in direction of Carnlough), ☎ (+44) 07761014434. High quality B+B at refreshingly low rates in a beautiful area. NOTE this B+B is about 35mins north of Belfast so a car would be necessary. Makes an ideal base for exploring the Glens of Antrim and worth a stop if you are making an onwards journey to the North Coast.
Mid-range[ edit ]
Day's Hotel [82] , 40 Hope St, +44 28 9024 2494. One advantage of staying in this place is that you don't have to look at it. The building seems to have taken the design of a suburban house and stretched it upwards by twelve storeys. However, there are usually great deals to be had online (rooms from £65) and the location is good: right next to the side entrance of Great Victoria Street Station and the Europa Buscentre, and just around the corner from the Europa. The colourful kerbstones of the loyalist Sandy Row are just a few feet away in the other direction, however tourists need not be intimidated. If you can't sleep at noise, it is not recommended. The walls are very thin and you can hear the doors opening and closing in the corridor.
Malone Lodge Belfast [83] , 60 Eglantine Ave, Malone Rd, Tel: +44 28 9038 8060.
Tara Lodge Belfast [84] , 36 Cromwell Road, Botanic Avenue, Belfast, BT7 1JW, Tel: +44 28 9059 0900. Highly recommended on both Tripadvisor and Trivago, Tara Lodge is a boutique hotel located near Queen's University Belfast and is on the doorstep of nearly everything Belfast has to offer!
ibis Belfast Queens Quarter [85] , 75 University Street, BT7 1HL , Tel: (+44)2890/333366. Ibis Belfast Queens Quarter hotel is a 3-star hotel, just outside Belfast city centre.
Park Inn by Radisson Belfast Hotel [86] , 4 Clarence Street West, BT2 7GP , Tel: +44 (0)28 9067 7700. The park Inn Belfast is located in the heart of Belfast, close to premier shopping and historic attractions. Comfortable guest rooms feature flat screen TVs and individual climate control.
Splurge[ edit ]
Clayton Hotel Belfast [87] 22 Ormeau Avenue, +44 28 9032 8511. This 170-bedroom, 4-star boutique style hotel is located in the city centre opposite the BBC and within a very short walk to the major attractions within Belfast. This 4-star Belfast Hotel has a Club Vitae Leisure Club with swimming pool, gym, spa, steam/sauna room. The Academy Conference and Training Centre located on the 2nd floor of the hotel has 9 flexible meeting rooms with a capacity of 120 delegates along with a ground floor Ballroom for up to 550 people.
Hilton Belfast [88] 4 Lanyon Pl. Tel: +44 28 9027 7000. A luxurious Belfast hotel located next to the Waterfront Hall, or take a five minute walk into Belfast's new Victoria Square Shopping Center, stay in a recently refurbished guest room , executive Room or stay in one of the suites. Have a drink in the recently refurbished bar, Cables or have something to eat in the restaurant, Sonoma . Rooms from £100 per room per night, 5 min from Oddyssey Arena and Pavilion. Popular with conferences and many famous singers stay.
Europa Hotel [89] , Great Victoria St, +44 28 9027 1066. A Belfast landmark in itself, the Europa is famous for having been bombed more times than any other hotel in any other city. Raucous events in the popular ballroom are more likely to disturb you than car bombs now, but it's comforting to know that the hotel (Northern Ireland's largest) has been built to withstand both. Its location could not be better: beside Great Victoria St train station and the Europa Buscentre, across from the Crown Liquor Saloon and next door to the Belfast Grand Opera House. The rooms are comfortable, but increasingly outclassed by more modern arrivals in the city. Doubles from around £100, but why not treat yourself to one of the few Presidential Suites in Northern Ireland that can rightly claim the name: Bill Clinton has stayed in it twice. Popular with business folk, politicians and package tourists.
Radisson Blu Hotel [90] , 3 Cromac Pl (The Gasworks), off the Ormeau Rd, +44 28 9043 4065. Situated on the banks of the River Lagen and on the grounds of the old "Gasworks" this hotel manages to be in the city centre, but also off the main roads, so still quiet and peaceful.
Malmaison Belfast [91] , 34-38 Victoria St, +44 28 9022 0200. Condé Nast Traveller called it a 'Hot New Hotel' when it opened in 2005, and Belfast's upwardly mobile trend setters went crazy for the opulent bar and restaurant. Fashionably bold and different, and occupying a beautifully restored building that makes the Radisson look business-class dull and the Europa look like a monolith. No word on the rooms, but it's got a great location close to the increasingly popular night time hub of the Cathedral Quarter, and is a short walk from the Waterfront Hall. A serious contender for turning Belfast into a honeymoon location. Perfect for a romantic and/or dirty weekend away.
Merchant Hotel [92] , 35-39 Waring St (Cathedral Quarter), +44 28 9023 4888. The Merchant is an intimate, sumptuous, five star standard hotel. It was opened in April 2006 following an extensive conversion of the old Ulster Bank Headquarters in Waring Street. The architectural grandeur of the exterior and the opulence of the interior with its custom made furniture and carefully chosen antiques, demand an excellence of service and warmth of welcome, that immediately sets guests at ease with an ambiance that embodies luxury and comfort around the clock. Definitely worth the expense.
Boutique[ edit ]
Madison's Hotel [93] , 59-63 Botanic Ave, +44 28 9050 9800. Set amidst the bustling Botanic Avenue this rather sexy boutique hotel is just a stones throw away from Belfast City Centre, Queens University & Botanic Gardens. The hotel has an excellent restaurant serving early morning breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. The main bar in Madison's is popular with locals & tourists alike with live music being played in the bar most nights. Offering all modern features a guest expects today, Madison's has an established reputation for great food, fine wines, amazing cocktails and fabulous entertainment all under the one roof.
Stay safe[ edit ]
Belfast's reputation as a dangerous city is often exaggerated. A recent study by the United Nations International Crime Victimisation Survey (ICVS) shows that Northern Ireland has one of the lowest crime rates in Europe. The majority of incidents are committed by local people against local people, unsurprisingly following religious, sectarian or political differences. Tourists are outside this culture and should not be very concerned. As with any other city, it pays to be careful and always be aware of your surroundings. Do not flash valuables or money or walk around reading your guidebook or map. If you need directions, ask in any shop or bar.
There are areas in Belfast which have been scarred by trouble in the past. Though these areas are largely safe to visit, it is important to be aware of where you are. In nationalist areas of the city, it would be foolish to wear a Glasgow Rangers, England, or Northern Ireland football jersey. In unionist areas, wearing Glasgow Celtic, Republic of Ireland and Gaelic Football (GAA) jerseys would almost certainly lead to trouble. Though this is unlikely to affect tourists, it is best to avoid wearing green or orange or the name of any area, especially Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland or England.
The City Centre is generally a safe area and is also regarded as a neutral zone. Avoid leaving the main streets at night and try not to venture into dimly lit streets.
North Belfast is not usually on the tourist trail but is becoming increasingly popular with the more adventurous traveller. Tiger's Bay is a unionist enclave which is generally safe during the day but should be avoided at night. The New Lodge, a nationalist area, is similarly patchy and probably best avoided altogether. The Antrim Road (including Carlisle Circus) and Shore Road areas are best avoided at night. The Limestone Road is an interface (on one side is a nationalist area, the other a unionist enclave) and should be avoided at night due to occasional violence. It is best to avoid the nationalist Ardoyne area at night, especially the interface area which links it with the Crumlin Road and Shankill areas of the city.
West Belfast is perfectly safe and generally tourist-friendly during the day as long as you don't venture too far from the main roads. Do not venture off the Falls Road at night. The Shankill Road itself is best avoided especially at night. The nationalist Turf Lodge estate in Andersonstown is best avoided altogether. Falls Park and the area around it is dimly lit at night and is best avoided. The Crumlin Road is a unionist area and is generally safe during the day but not at night. I also suggest tourists don't write on the Peace Wall not because it is dangerous to do so but highly insensitive to do so. Messages like "tear down this wall" etc are not appreciated by the locals - the wall is there for a reason so be sensible and don't do it !
South Belfast is the most affluent part of the city and is generally trouble-free. Student night life can lead to altercations outside the bars and clubs on Bradbury Place at night. Sandy Row is a unionist neighbourhood that would probably be best avoided at night but is perfectly safe during the day and usually very quiet. The unionist Village area which lies further on from Sandy Row between the Lisburn Road and Boucher Road is quiet and residential but best avoided at night. The mixed Holylands and Ormeau Road areas do not deserve their reputations as trouble spots as they are generally both very quiet other than the occasional student party.
East Belfast is a predominantly unionist, working-class district that suffers from the same social problems as similar areas in other cities in Britain and Ireland. The Newtownards Road is generally safe and well lit at night. One potential flashpoint is the interface with the nationalist Short Strand neighbourhood. Though fairly well kept and safe during the day, it is best to avoid this area at night.
Perhaps more importantly, it is not advisable to make any overtly political statements about Northern Ireland, even if you think that your comments will align with the views of the people to whom you're making them. Otherwise, ask locals for advice and enjoy the hospitality of the majority of Belfast people. If anyone asks your opinion (unlikely as it is taboo to keep the peace but still just in case), say you don't have one and don't pay attention to politics.
Contact[ edit ]
There are free internet kiosks throughout Belfast which allow anyone to browse the internet. Here you can find up-to-date travel information and timetables. Kiosk locations [94]
Television[ edit ]
Northern Ireland receives the same basic package of national television and radio services as the rest of the United Kingdom, with regional variations on the BBC channels and UTV. UTV carries most of ITV-1's national programming, but is branded as UTV. It is the last remaining television channel in Britain to feature a live, on camera announcer introducing the evening's programming; usually the effervescent Julian Simmons. To get an understanding of what is happening, you'll find high quality regional news programming on BBC One at 1.30PM, 6.30PM and 10.30PM and on UTV at 6PM.
BBC One Northern Ireland [95]
BBC Two Northern Ireland [96]
UTV [97] (formerly "Ulster Television")
five [99]
Depending on geographic location and the availability of a signal, you may also receive stations from broadcasters in the Republic of Ireland.
RTÉ One [100] (the main RTÉ national station, broadcast primarily from Dublin)
RTÉ Two [101] (the secondary RTÉ national station, formerly "Network 2")
TV3 [102] (independent commercial broadcaster)
TG4 [103] (National Irish Language station)
RTÉ offers good coverage on the North side of the Border too.
Belfast Citybeat [104] - City centre music station.
U105 [105] - Music and talk station operated by UTV.
BBC Radio Ulster [106] - Music and talk station operated by the BBC.
Cool FM [107] - City centre music station, available throughout Northern Ireland.
Féile FM [108] - West Belfast community radio based on the Falls Road.
QueensRadio [109] - Small university station available in South Belfast.
Regional variations of shows on the national BBC Radio One [110] and the excellent Across the Line [111] on BBC Radio Ulster promote local music, and can be listened to online. These are a great way to find out about forthcoming concerts and gigs. Like television from south of the border, there are a number of Irish republic radio broadcasts which tend to spill over into Northern Ireland such as Today FM and RTÉ 2FM.
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Which former leader of the Lib Dems was the MP for Yeovil? | Yeovil Liberal Democrats
Yeovil Liberal Democrats
Daisy Benson calls for action to support rural communities in Yeovil constituency
Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson for Yeovil Constituency has reacted with concern to a new report highlighting the impact of cuts on rural areas. Research for Rural England shows people in rural communities spending an average of £26.60/week more on transport than those in urban are...
Paddy Ashdown pushes Government to answer question on the future of tooling equipment at GKN on first day back in the New Year
Lord Paddy Ashdown has secured the first question in the House of Lords for a Government Minster to answer the question: “to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to retain the Government-owned tooling and jigs for the A159 Wildcat helicopter within the United Kingdom; and if so, wheth...
Lord Ashdown reacts to news of GKN Plant Closure in Yeovil
Lord Ashdown has responded to the news that the GKN Plant in Yeovil is to close at the end of next year. “Even if this news was expected by many, it is sad news and bad news for Yeovil and those affected especially just before Christmas. My heart goes out to them and their families. This is the i...
Lord Ashdown demands the Government gives the Aerospace Industry in South Somerset a Nissan style deal
Lord Ashdown asked the Minster making a statement on the Nissan deal in the House of Lords yesterday the following question: “My Lords, the Government’s welcome clarity, albeit given in secret to Nissan, has assured the continuation of car jobs in Sunderland and the north.” “Does the Minister rea...
Lord Ashdown presses for answers in Parliament on the Government’s Industrial Strategy
Speaking today in the House of Lords, Lord Ashdown asked Baroness Mobarik: “May I draw the Minster’s attention to the fact that, in the light of the more than 250 job losses in Yeovil, I have just written to the Secretary of State for Defence to ask him to assure me that the preservation of Brita...
| Paddy Ashdown |
Which song was a top 40 hit for Soft Cell in 1981 and for Marilyn Manson in 2002? | YEOVIL NEWS: MP sees one of his team leave the Conservatives and join the LibDems - Yeovil Press with Christine Jones Event Photography
Leisure
YEOVIL NEWS: Tory MP sees one of his team leave the Conservatives and join the LibDems
A CASEWORKER for Yeovil’s Conservative MP Marcus Fysh - herself a councillor at South Somerset District Council - has defected from the Tories and joined the Liberal Democrats.
Cllr Amanda Broom has vowed that nothing will change in her determination to make a difference to her local community – even though she has resigned from the Conservative Party and joined the LibDems.
She officially joined the LibDems at South Somerset District Council earlier today (Friday, April 29, 2016) and in so doing turned her back on the Tories who she stood for and campaigned with. Crucially, however, she has also quit her post as a member of staff of Marcus Fysh’s team – the Conservative MP for the Yeovil constituency.
Cllr Broom has stressed that her decision to join to the LibDems was nothing to do with her working relationship with Mr Fysh – but more concerned with "not being comfortable supporting" Conservative policies at a national level.
In a prepared statement Cllr Broom said: “I have been increasingly concerned over the current Government’s direction of travel to the right and the potential impact of these policies on my ward members – in particular – those on low pay, long term ailments or disabilities.
“I am also disappointed with the Government’s lack of foresight with regards to sustainable environmental policies including renewable energy.
“It has now reached the point where I am not comfortable supporting or representing the Conservative Party and many of its policies at a national level, hence my decision to leave and move across to the Liberal Democrats.
“In my opinion the Liberal Democrats better reflect a more balanced approach to dealing with the deficit, whilst protecting those in our society less able to survive the increasing division between those who have and those who have not.”
Her decision to join the LibDems has been warmly welcomed by the party’s former leader and an ex-Yeovil MP himself, Paddy Ashdown.
Cllr Broom added: “Despite my change of political allegiance, I remain committed to working with colleagues from all parties and at all levels who continue to promote a fair society and equality of opportunity for the residents of South Somerset, in particular Chard, as I have done since first being elected.
“Nothing has changed and nor will it change in my commitment to represent residents to the very best of my ability.”
PHOTO – TOP: Cllr Amanda Broom has left the Conservatives and joined the Liberal Democrats.
PHOTO – RIGHT: Cllr Amanda Broom with Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh in the summer of 2015. They are now on different sides of the political spectrum, but Cllr Broom has stressed that her defection to the LibDems has nothing to do with her working relationship with the MP.
Cllr Broom, who also sits on Chard Town Council, will be hand delivering a letter to all households in her Combe ward in Chard to explain her decision.
“I will be remaining as your town and district councillor and will continue to work for you as I truly believe I have done since the election last May, but now as a Liberal Democrat,” she writes in her letter to voters.
“If you voted for me solely due to my Conservative label, then I can only apologise for my resignation from the party, though, I can assure you that my level of commitment as a councillor will not be affected.”
Cllr Broom has admitted she may get some sort of angry backlash from her former Conservative colleagues, but hopes to receive a good reception from her new LibDem allies.
The leader of South Somerset District Council, Cllr Ric Pallister, sent out an email to fellow LibDem members on the authority at midday today (Friday, April 29, 2016) to tell them officially of the news.
Cllr Pallister said: “Amanda is an activist for her community and really wants to make a difference to those she represents and Chard in particular.
“As such, I believe that as a LibDem group we will be stronger for having Amanda on board and I welcome her as I am sure my colleagues will.”
Yeovil Press awaits a Conservative reaction to the news of Cllr Broom’s defection to the LibDems.
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Who, upon splitting with her partner, said “At least I can wear high heels now”/ | Nicole Kidman - Biography - IMDb
Nicole Kidman
Biography
Showing all 314 items
Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (2) | Trade Mark (4) | Trivia (187) | Personal Quotes (91) | Salary (25)
Overview (4)
5' 11" (1.8 m)
Mini Bio (1)
Elegant blonde Nicole Kidman, known as one of Hollywood's top Australian imports, was actually born in Honolulu, Hawaii, while her Australian parents were there on educational visas.
Kidman is the daughter of Janelle Ann (Glenny), a nursing instructor, and Antony David Kidman, a biochemist and clinical psychologist. She is of English, Irish, and Scottish descent. Shortly after her birth, the family moved to Washington, D.C., where Nicole's father pursued his research on breast cancer, and then, three years later, made the pilgrimage back to her parents' native Sydney in Australia, where Nicole was raised. Young Nicole's first love was ballet, but she eventually took up mime and drama as well (her first stage role was a bleating sheep in an elementary school Christmas pageant). In her adolescent years, acting edged out the other arts and became a kind of refuge -- as her classmates sought out fun in the sun, the fair-skinned Kidman retreated to dark rehearsal halls to practice her craft. She worked regularly at the Philip Street Theater, where she once received a personal letter of praise and encouragement from audience member Jane Campion (then a film student). Kidman eventually dropped out of high school to pursue acting full-time. She broke into movies at age 16, landing a role in the Australian holiday favorite Bush Christmas (1983). That appearance touched off a flurry of film and television offers, including a lead in BMX Bandits (1983) and a turn as a schoolgirl-turned-protester in the miniseries Vietnam (1987) (for which she won her first Australian Film Institute Award). With the help of an American agent, she eventually made her US debut opposite Sam Neill in the at-sea thriller Dead Calm (1989).
Kidman's next casting coup scored her more than exposure. While starring as Tom Cruise 's doctor/love interest in the racetrack romance Days of Thunder (1990), she won over the Hollywood hunk hook, line and sinker. After a whirlwind courtship (and decent box office returns), the couple wed on December 24, 1990. Determined not to let her new marital status overshadow her fledgling career, the actress pressed on. She appeared as a catty high school senior in the Australian film Flirting (1991), then as Dustin Hoffman 's moll in the gangster flick Billy Bathgate (1991). She reunited with Cruise for Far and Away (1992), the story of young Irish lovers who flee to America in the late 1800s, and starred opposite Michael Keaton in the tear-tugger My Life (1993). Despite her steady employment, critics and moviegoers still had not quite warmed to Kidman as a leading lady. She tried to spice up her image by seducing Val Kilmer in Batman Forever (1995), but achieved her real breakthrough with Gus Van Sant 's To Die For (1995). As a fame-crazed housewife determined to eliminate any obstacle in her path, Kidman proved that she had an impressive range and deadly comic timing. She took home a Golden Globe and several critics' awards for the performance. In 1996, Kidman stepped into a corset to work with her countrywoman and onetime admirer, Jane Campion , on the adaptation of Henry James 's The Portrait of a Lady (1996). A few months later, she tore across the screen as a nuclear weapons expert in The Peacemaker (1997), adding "action star" to her professional repertoire.
She and Cruise then disappeared into a notoriously long, secretive shoot for Stanley Kubrick 's sexual thriller Eyes Wide Shut (1999). The couple's on-screen shenanigans prompted an increase in public speculation about their sex life (rumors had long been circulating that their marriage was a cover-up for Cruise's homosexuality); tired of denying tabloid attacks, they successfully sued The Star for a story alleging that they needed a sex therapist to coach them through love scenes. Family life has always been a priority for Kidman. Born to social activists (mother was a feminist; father, a labor advocate), Nicole and her little sister, Antonia Kidman , discussed current events around the dinner table and participated in their parents' campaigns by passing out pamphlets on street corners. When her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, 17-year-old Nicole stopped working and took a massage course so that she could provide physical therapy (her mother eventually beat the cancer). She and Cruise adopted two children: Isabella Jane (born 1993) and Connor Antony (born 1995). Despite their rock-solid image, the couple announced in early 2001 that they were separating due to career conflicts. Her marriage to Cruise ended mid-summer of 2001.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: IMDb Editors
Spouse (2)
Blonde hair and blue eyes
Statuesque, model-like figure
Her independent films often feature the theme of grief and sorrow, such as Birth (2004) and Rabbit Hole (2010)
Often portrays upper-class women in epics, such as Ada Monroe in Cold Mountain (2003), Marisa Coulter in The Golden Compass (2007), Lady Sarah Ashley in Australia (2008) and Gertrude Bell in Queen of the Desert (2015).
Trivia (187)
2000: She and her husband Tom Cruise donated to Hillary Clinton 's campaign for a seat in the U.S. Senate representing New York state.
Suffered a broken rib while rehearsing a dance routine for the movie Moulin Rouge! (2001). Production was halted while she recovered.
Chosen by People Magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1996, 1999 and 2002. In 2004, she was one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People for Most Wanted Skin". She ranked as #69 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement and in August 2008 she was voted the fifth Sexiest Female Movie Star in the Australian Empire Magazine.
Wore a corset while filming The Portrait of a Lady (1996) to take her waist down to 19".
Spent two weeks in bed after filming of The Portrait of a Lady (1996) - diagnosed as suffering from "emotional stress".
10/99: Crusader against child abuse. "Children should be allowed to grow up without fear of cruelty.".
Listed in "People Weekly"s "Most Intriguing People" list of 1995. In 2001, she was awarded "Celebrity of the Year" by E!, "Entertainer of the Year" by Entertainment Weekly and named one of People Magazine's "25 Most Intriguing People of 2001". Also, Premiere Magazine ranked her as #48 on a list of the "Greatest Movie Stars of All Time" in their 2005 feature "Stars in Our Constellation". Finally, she ranked #31 in Premiere's annual Power 100 List. Had ranked #83 in 2002.
Played a young girl named Grace on a sketch on Saturday Night Live (1975) with Mike Myers , the next time she played a character named Grace was her movie The Others (2001). She played a character named Grace for the third time in Dogville (2003) and for the fourth time as the protagonist in Grace of Monaco (2014).
She was supposed to be the star of Panic Room (2002), but she hurt herself in a stunt for Moulin Rouge! (2001). So, she played the voice of Jodie Foster 's divorced husband's wife.
Older sister of Australian television personality Antonia Kidman .
Although naturally left-handed, she taught herself to write right-handed for her role in The Hours (2002), where she played the right-handed author Virginia Woolf .
Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on January 13, 2003.
Found out about her first Academy Award nomination, for Moulin Rouge! (2001), while shooting Dogville (2003) in Sweden. She was in the middle of shooting a scene when someone held up a sign with the announcement.
First Australian actress to win the Best Actress Academy Award.
Prior to the release of Australia (2008), she was elected alongside fellow Aussie Hugh Jackman as one of the favorite upcoming romantic couples on screen.
Originally cast as Mrs. Smith in Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005). She was the one who suggested Brad Pitt as the co-lead.
Has appeared in My Life (1993) with Michael Keaton , Batman Forever (1995) with Val Kilmer , The Peacemaker (1997) with George Clooney and The Portrait of a Lady (1996) with Christian Bale . All four actors have played Batman in a movie.
She was awarded the Special Award at the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards for her special and significant contributions to London Theatre for her performance in "The Blue Room". She was also nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1999 (1998 season) for Best Actress for her performance in "The Blue Room".
A very tall woman at nearly 5' 11", she actually stood about 4 inches taller than ex-husband Tom Cruise , and rarely wore heels when seen publicly with him so that they could appear similar in height. Since their divorce, she is rarely seen on the red carpet without high heels, and she often meets 6' 4" actors in the eye. She was already 5' 9" when she was age 13.
Scored an IQ of 132+
While she usually commands $10 million+ for a movie, she was willing to receive only $500,000 for her role in "Eucalyptus" (2006), that eventually was scrapped. Produced by "Fox Searchlight", its financing guideline showed that each actor signed on to the project could receive no more than $500,000, in order to keep costs low. This movie was set to be produced in Australia, another reason she decided to accept it. She was slated to star alongside Russell Crowe in the movie, but the project was ultimately dropped.
Has never used a body double for her nude scenes.
Replaced Rene Russo as Dr. Chase Meridian in Batman Forever (1995) when Val Kilmer replaced Michael Keaton .
Likes the poetry of Anne Carson and the writing of Philip Larkin .
Writes short stories in her free time and hopes to publish them one day. She revealed in June 2014 that she's also working on her first screenplay for a feature film.
Is in the 50th-anniversary edition of the Guinness Book Of Records as the highest-paid actress in a commercial. She netted $3.71 million for her part in a four-minute Baz Luhrmann -directed Chanel No. 5 movie ad. The ad, costing $11 million a minute, is a short film titled "No 5: The Film". Guinness book editors noted the actress earned $928,800 per minute. Costumes designed by Karl Lagerfeld and score by Debussy.
Was considered for the role of Catwoman in Batman Returns (1992), for the Meg Ryan role in Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and for Jenny Curran in Forrest Gump (1994), which went to Robin Wright . She also auditioned for a part in The English Patient (1996) but was turned down.
Had played a witch twice: once in Practical Magic (1998) and again in Bewitched (2005). Witches also featured in her film The Golden Compass (2007).
Is a pianist, and did her own piano-playing in Cold Mountain (2003).
Is highly conscious of avoiding excessive sun exposure, and is rarely seen during her downtime without a hat, sunglasses and wearing sunscreen. In fact, best friend Naomi Watts has said that "Nicole won't cross the street without a hat."
In addition to having worked with all four of the most recent Batmans, she has also worked with both of the most recent actors to play Alfred Pennyworth. In Batman Forever (1995), she appears with Michael Gough . In Bewitched (2005), her father is played by Michael Caine .
Has one niece: Lucia (b. 1999) and two nephews: Hamish (b. 2001), James (b. 2003).
August 2004: Australian business magazine Business Review Weekly listed Kidman as the richest Australian woman under age 40, estimated at a worth of $155 million (Australian).
Is childhood friends with Peter Overton , a reporter for the Australian 60 Minutes (1979) program. Both lived in the same suburb of Sydney when they were children.
She has English, Irish and Scottish ancestry.
She and ex-husband Tom Cruise made three movies together: Days of Thunder (1990), Eyes Wide Shut (1999) and Far and Away (1992). They met on the set of Days of Thunder (1990).
Attended the same high school attended by Catherine Martin (two time Oscar winner for costume design and direction on Moulin Rouge! (2001) and wife of Baz Luhrmann ) and legendary Australian actress Ruth Cracknell .
Godmother of Harry (b. 19 September 2001), the son of Simon Baker and Rebecca Rigg . Riggs and Kidman are close friends.
Named goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Fund for Women.
Was listed as a potential nominee on both the 2006 and 2008 Razzie Award nominating ballots. She was suggested in the Worst Actress category on the 2006 ballot for her performance in Bewitched (2005). And she was suggested again two years later on the 2007 ballot in the Worst Actress category again for her performance in The Invasion (2007). She failed to receive either nominations.
2006: Her performance as Suzanne Stone Maretto in To Die For (1995) is ranked #40 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time.
2006: Accompanied her boyfriend Keith Urban to the Grammy Awards. It was their first public appearance together.
Is allergic to strawberries and scared of butterflies.
Wore a wedding gown at her wedding to Keith Urban by the label Balenciaga.
Married Keith Urban in the St. Patrick's church in Manly, a suburb of Sydney. The wedding ceremony lasted 35 minutes. 230 guests attended her wedding to Keith Urban . Among them were her best friend Naomi Watts , Russell Crowe , Baz Luhrmann , Hugh Jackman and Nicole's two children Isabella and Conor. Jim Carrey was invited and greatly wanted to come, in fact he booked plane tickets to Australia, but last minute scheduling conflicts stopped him from going.
She asked her wedding guests not to buy any presents for her and Keith Urban but to donate the money instead to some humanitarian organization.
She and Keith Urban honeymooned in Tahiti -- more precisely the St. Regis in Bora Bora. Eva Longoria and her boyfriend Tony Parker were also coincidentally staying there at the time.
Baz Luhrmann read a love Psalm by New Zealand writer Joy Cowley (a nod to Urban's birth place) at her wedding to Keith Urban .
Three star performers sang at her wedding reception to Keith Urban . Hugh Jackman sang "Tenterfield Saddler", a favorite of Urban's. Keith Urban sang his hit song "Making Memories of Us" to her. Neil Finn sang "Fall At Your Feet".
Dropped out of the role of Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator (2004) due to scheduling conflicts.
Author Philip Pullman requested her specifically to play the role of Marisa Coulter in The Golden Compass (2007), the movie adaptation of his book "His Dark Materials: Northern Lights" from 1995. Kidman was originally unsure if she would take the part when some producers from New Line Cinema offered it to her. However, with a beautiful letter, Pullman fully convinced her to take the role. Pullman knew she was right for the part after he saw her performance in To Die For (1995) and with a producer from New Line Cinema he had discussed the possibilities of her playing the part, from the day the rights to the book were sold, to 10 years later when she signed on for the film. As a part of her preparation, Kidman re-read the whole His Dark Materials trilogy, and wrote small notes, whenever she found something personal about the character, before filming began. The film ended up being the biggest film of her career, with a budget of $180 million and a box office income of $372 million worldwide, the biggest live-action success that she has experienced.
Studied ballet and drama in Australia.
Keith Urban 's brother, Shane Urban, was best man at their wedding. His friend, Marlon Holden , was the groomsman.
Keith Urban gave Nicole a first edition of Emily Brontë 's novel, "Wuthering Heights", purchased from Sotherby's for $200,000 as a wedding present.
Wrote the introduction to the book "Truth: Personas, Needs, and Flaws in the Art of Building Actors and Creating Characters" by her friend and acting consultant Susan Batson .
2004: Topped The Hollywood Reporter's list of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood. In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated her earnings for the year to be $28 million.
9/01: Attended the Royal Premiere of Moulin Rouge! (2001) alongside Kylie Minogue , 'Prince Charles' and Ewan McGregor .
Is a fan of actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan , and her film Bride & Prejudice (2004). Nicole got to meet Aishwarya for the first time at the 2005 Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world dinner held in New York City.
Was originally cast as Ulla in The Producers (2005) and was considered for roles in Nymphomaniac: Vol. I (2013) and Bel Ami (2012). All three roles eventually went to Uma Thurman . Furthermore, Joel Schumacher also wanted Kidman to play Poison Ivy in Batman Forever (1995), but the use of the character was delayed to a later entry in the Batman series, in which Thurman played the part.
The bridesmaids at her wedding were her adopted daughter Isabella Jane Cruise, her sister Antonia Kidman and her niece Lucia.
In honor of her June 2006 wedding to singer Keith Urban , Australian TV presenters Simon Reeve and Nelson Aspen teamed up to sing Nicole a live rendition of the theme song "Bewitched" on the morning news program Sunrise (2003).
On April 13, 2007, she was awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia, which is Australia's top civil honor, at a ceremony in Canberra. She was honored for her contribution to cinema as well as her charity work with women, children and cancer research.
Wore a red wig for her role in Moulin Rouge! (2001).
2006: Presented her The Peacemaker (1997) co-star George Clooney his Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
Had several projects lined up during the mid-aughts that never went to fruition; Baz Luhrmann''s doomed Alexander the Great-project with 'Leonardo Dicaprio', "American Darlings" with Jennifer Lopez , Kar-Wai Wong 's "The Lady from Shanghai", Ridley Scott 's "Emma's War", Paul Verhoeven 's "Other Powers", the Steven Spielberg produced "The Rivals" co-starring Marion Cotillard . She also circled roles in I Heart Huckabees (2004) and The Brothers Grimm (2005), but dropped out of both.
2004: Presented her The Interpreter (2005) co-star Sean Penn his Best Actor Oscar.
December 2007: According to Forbes, her movies averaged $8 of gross income for every dollar the actress got paid.
Earns $4 million per year endorsing Chanel No. 5 perfume. Her three year contract was up for renewal in 2007 and was extended to 2009, where it was concluded. She was replaced by Audrey Tautou .
Turned down the lead role of Roxie Hart in Chicago (2002) because she had just completed Moulin Rouge! (2001) and did not want to do two musicals in a row. Her friend, Renée Zellweger , won the role of Roxie and an Oscar nomination for her efforts.
She and husband Keith Urban , purchased a farm near Leipers Fork, Tennessee, which they are now renovating. (November 2007).
Moved in together with Jack Black and Jennifer Jason Leigh during filming Margot at the Wedding (2007), because they wanted to perfect their roles as a dysfunctional family.
To prepare for her role in The Human Stain (2003) she visited women's shelters and talked to former victims of abuse for inspiration.
Her and Tom Cruise 's high profile divorce was finalized the same week that her horror movie The Others (2001) was released.
When she went to Sweden to shoot Dogville (2003), it was the first time in 15 years that she had flown on a public plane.
For her role in Birthday Girl (2001) she went to the Russian Embassy in Australia for help in speaking Russian. She didn't work with any other coach on the set except the woman from the embassy.
Got the role as Diane Arbus in Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006) after Samantha Morton backed out.
While filming The Invasion (2007) she was involved in an accident while riding with others in a picture car mounted on trailer being towed by a camera truck rig. While filming a stunt in downtown Los Angeles, the truck took a turn too wide, slid on wet pavement, and collided with a light standard. Several stunt artists on the picture car were injured in the accident. Ms. Kidman was brought to the hospital as a precaution, but was able to return to the set the next day.
Did her own singing for Moulin Rouge! (2001), Happy Feet (2006) and Nine (2009).
While reaching a divorce from Tom Cruise , Nicole lived with her friend Naomi Watts .
It was widely claimed that her friend Naomi Watts turned down the female lead in The Interpreter (2005) because she knew Nicole wanted the role. However, the part was actually written exclusively for Kidman, who was a longtime friend of Sydney Pollack , the director of the film. They previously starred in Eyes Wide Shut (1999) and he produced her films Birthday Girl (2001) and Cold Mountain (2003).
Has worked with some of the most celebrated and acclaimed directors in the movie business: Stanley Kubrick , Lars von Trier , Werner Herzog , Chan-wook Park , Noah Baumbach , Anthony Minghella , Stephen Daldry , David Fincher , Baz Luhrmann , Jane Campion , Gus Van Sant , Ron Howard , The Wachowski siblings and George Miller . In addition to this, she has expressed an eagerness to work with Michael Haneke and has always dreamed of working with her friend Steven Spielberg .
One of her favorite collaborators is costume designer Ann Roth , with whom she worked on five projects including The Hours (2002) and Rabbit Hole (2010).
Some of her favorite movies are Gone with the Wind (1939), Breaking the Waves (1996), The Wizard of Oz (1939), Grease (1978), Rear Window (1954) and The Way We Were (1973).
Good friends with Renée Zellweger , Jim Carrey , Russell Crowe and Meryl Streep . She also became good friends with Daniel Craig after working with him on The Invasion (2007) and The Golden Compass (2007). In 2014 she revealed that whenever he goes to Australia, he always stays at her house.
She loved wearing the prosthetic nose, that she originally used in The Hours (2002) and wore it in private too, mainly as she was undergoing a divorce from Tom Cruise at the time and was attracting a lot of paparazzi interest. Much to her delight, by wearing her fake nose out and about, she found she could easily evade the paparazzi as they didn't recognize her.
She decided not to imitate Virginia Woolf 's actual tone and voice in her portrayal in The Hours (2002), because she feared people thought it would be comic.
She is distantly related to Isabel Kidman, the second wife of Jack Lee .
Replaced Catherine Zeta-Jones in the role of Claudia in Nine (2009) after she quit due to scheduling conflicts. Kidman began rehearsals two months after giving birth to her daughter Sunday.
Became pregnant twice by Tom Cruise during their marriage. In 1991, she suffered an ectopic pregnancy, resulting in their decision to adopt, and then in 2000, prior to their separation, she suffered a miscarriage.
Auditioned for the role of Molly Jensen in Ghost (1990). Director Jerry Zucker said in the DVD commentary that he was very impressed with Kidman, but ultimately cast Demi Moore because she was a bigger name. The film's writer, Bruce Joel Rubin , was equally impressed and later cast Kidman as the lead in My Life (1993).
Turned down Jodie Foster 's role in The Brave One (2007).
Is very close friends with fellow Aussie Hugh Jackman , her Australia (2008) co-star.
Was two months pregnant with her daughter Sunday when she completed filming on Australia (2008).
With her performance as Virginia Wolf in The Hours (2002) lasting around 25 minutes, she has one of the shortest Best Actress Oscar wins in history.
Returned to work two months after the birth of her daughter Faith in order to begin filming Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012).
Owns a massive 3-bedroom, 2-bath river-view apartment in renowned glass tower designed by Richard Meier on Greenwich Village's Perry Street by Hudson River in Manhattan.
Was in a band when she was a teenager, she was the singer.
Said that if she had not been an actress, she would have been a doctor.
She studied at St. Martin's Youth Theatre, Melbourne, Australia; Australian Theatre for Young People, Sydney, Australia and Philip Street Theatre, Sydney, Australia; majored in voice, production and theater history.
When she was a child, used to go fishing with her grandfather.
Decided to do Eyes Wide Shut (1999) before reading the script.
Tom Cruise used to call her "The Wild Australian".
When Stanley Kubrick died, she went to St. Patrick church in New York and lit a candle in his memory.
When she married Tom Cruise , part of their promise was that they would never be separated for more than two weeks. The same promise was applied between her and her second husband Keith Urban . However, they later reduced it to one week and finally they settled on three days of separation to be the limit.
Was nicknamed "Stalky" while attending school.
Raised in Longueville, Sydney and attended a Catholic school.
Shares the services of publicist Pat Kingsley with her friend, Sandra Bullock .
Has two adopted children with her first husband Tom Cruise - a daughter Isabella Jane Kidman-Cruise (aka Isabella Cruise, born on December 22, 1992) and a son Connor Anthony Kidman-Cruise (aka Connor Cruise , born on January 17, 1995).
When she separated from husband Tom Cruise in February 2001, she was 3 months pregnant with what would have been their first biological child, but had a miscarriage.
Gave birth to her third child at age 41, a daughter Sunday Rose Kidman-Urban on July 7, 2008. Child's father is her second husband, Keith Urban .
Became the mother for the fourth time at age 43, when her daughter Faith Margaret Kidman-Urban was born on December 28, 2010 via surrogate. Child's father is her second husband, Keith Urban .
Attended Princess Diana 's funeral with her then-husband, Tom Cruise .
The longest she has gone without an Oscar nomination is 8 years, between The Hours (2002) and Rabbit Hole (2010).
She serves as an Ambassador of the Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, and have hosted events for the children, including special screenings of Happy Feet (2006), The Golden Compass (2007) and Paddington (2014).
Originally turned down her part in Stoker (2013), because she wished to spend time with her kids. However, director Chan-wook Park was eager to have her play the part of Evelyn that he choose to place setting in Nashville. The movie was filmed five minutes from her home and she began filming a week after wrapping The Paperboy (2012).
On set of Cold Mountain (2003) she gave co-star Natalie Portman the advice to "Always choose a film by its director. You're never certain how the movie will turn out, but you are always guaranteed an interesting experience". In 2010, Portman said that she always had that in mind, during her career.
Zac Efron said that shooting the improvised dance scene with her in The Paperboy (2012), was "the day he became a man".
She saved Hugh Jackman from a poisonous scorpion on the set of Australia (2008). While she was about to join Hugh in the bag, she noticed the poisonous scorpion crawling up his leg. She calmly told him not to move and squatted down, scooped the arachnid into her hat and walked over to the woods and released it. Everyone applauded but was asked why she hadn't just stomped on it. She said, 'I would never kill an animal. Every creature here has its purpose. This one just didn't belong in Hugh's bag!'".
Has starred in two movies that have been nominated for Best Picture Academy Awards: Moulin Rouge! (2001) and The Hours (2002).
In both Dead Calm (1989) and Rabbit Hole (2010) Nicole played the mother of a boy named Danny. Danny was killed in car accidents in both films.
Developed shortsightedness in 1998 and had laser treatment to rectify the problem. Usually wears contact lenses but wears glasses on occasions.
Godmother of Simon Baker and Rebecca Riggs ' children Henry and Claude and of Rupert Murdoch 's daughters Grace and Chloe.
11 films in her career have been nominated for at least one Academy Award. The most common category among her representative films is 'Best Costume Design', for which five of her films have been nominated.
In October 2012, she was honored with a Gala event at the 50th-annual New York Film Festival.
She attended the opening ceremony of the London Summer Olympics, with husband Keith Urban , due to her status of spokeswoman for Omega Watches, the official time keeper for the Olympic Games.
In September 2013, she attended the announcement of Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis in Qingdao, China. She was honored as "Best Global Film Actress" at the same event. Jackie Chan presented her the honor.
Spent several weeks in Kununurra, Western Australia, filming Australia (2008) with temperatures soaring to 109 °F.
Attended the world premiere of her friend Naomi Watts 's first major studio film, The Ring (2002), next to Watts and Heath Ledger at the Mann Bruin Theatre, Westwood, CA.
Served member of the main competition jury at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.
Has starred in two films that were selected as the opening film at the Cannes Film Festival: Moulin Rouge! (2001) and Grace of Monaco (2014).
The Valentino dress she wore at the red carpet event of Nebraska (2013) at Cannes Film Festival, was the dress that Anne Hathaway originally was meant to wear at the The 85th Annual Academy Awards. Hathaway discarded the dress at the last minute, because it was too similar to Amanda Seyfried 's dress.
Was a longtime friend (25 years) of L'Wren Scott .
Her Hawaiian name is Hokulani, which means "heavenly star". She was named after a baby elephant, that lived at the local zoo of her childhood home, as her mother loves elephants.
Sofía Vergara was originally cast as Charlotte Bless in The Paperboy (2012), the role that Kidman eventually assumed. Vergara herself has said Kidman was a better fit for the part.
Often teaches herself various skills for different roles. Among them, she knows how to twirl and throw knives, due to her role in Paddington (2014), for which she also took a taxidermy class as part of her preparation.
Frank Ocean sampled one of her monologues from Eyes Wide Shut (1999) into his song "Love Crimes", released on his debut album "Nostalgia, Ultra" from 2011.
Both of her blockbusters from 2007, The Invasion (2007) and The Golden Compass (2007), went through massive creative changes during post-production, due to demand from the studios. The interference left both the directors publicly unsatisfied with the final results of their respective films. A director's cut edition has never been released of either films.
Was the 123rd actress to receive an Academy Award; she won the Best Actress Oscar for The Hours (2002) at The 75th Annual Academy Awards (2003) on March 23, 2003.
Producer Harvey Weinstein suggested her and Judi Dench to play Barbara and Violet in August: Osage County (2013), during the initial casting process of the film. However, the screenwriter of the film, Tracy Letts , voted against the idea, saying that the two roles should be played by American actors.
Sharks are one of her passions and to shark-dive is one of her favorite activities. She considers sharks to be "beautiful".
Was attached to produce and star as Einar Wegener in The Danish Girl (2015) for several years and she considered it to be a passion project for her. She revealed in 2010, that at one point, following difficulties with finding a director, she considered making it her directorial debut. However, in 2014, the project moved forward again, but without Kidman's involvement.
Has a skydiving license.
Meryl Streep considers her to be one of the best actresses of her generation. Emily Blunt , Freida Pinto , Dakota Johnson and Sophia Bush all considers her among their favorite actresses.
When she was 14, she got her first job at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, where she worked as an usherette at Sesame Street Live.
She and former husband Tom Cruise were offered guest roles in The Simpsons (1989) in the episode "When You Dish Upon A Star". They turned it down and were replaced by then-couple Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger .
She was originally reluctant to star in The Others (2001), since it explored such dark places. She tried to persuade the director Alejandro Amenábar and the Weinstein brothers, the producers of the film, to find another actress for the part and even suggested Julianne Moore to the Weinsteins. However, in 2010, Kidman revealed that the film is one of her favorites among her own filmography.
The on-location dressing room she used for Cold Mountain (2003) was an old converted bus once owned by executed Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.
Owns alpacas at her ranch in Nashville.
Was a part of the notoriously secret and long shoot of Eyes Wide Shut (1999). For one minute of footage of the film, director Stanley Kubrick demanded her to do shoot six days of naked sex scenes with a male model. Not only did he ask the pair to pose in over 50 erotic positions, he also banned her then-husband and co-star Tom Cruise from the set and forbade her to assuage her husband's tension by telling him what happened during the shoot. The decision to direct each actor separately an forbid them to share notes was done to exaggerate the distrust between their fictional husband and wife.
Was close friends with Lauren Bacall . She considered Bacall to be her "American Mother".
Noted comedienne Joan Rivers considered her to be one of the most intelligent and funniest actress in Hollywood. She also considered her to be among "the last real movie stars".
Her father, Dr. Antony "Tony" Kidman, died of a heart attack in Singapore at the age of 75. Dr. Kidman had been declared as deceased by Tan Tock Seng Hospital at 9:54 AM SGT. He is survived by, among others, his wife (Janelle, with whom he celebrated a Golden Anniversary in January), children, in-law children, and 10 grandchildren. [September 2014]
In December 2007, she was paid "substantial" damages by the British news paper Daily Telegraph, after they wrongly accused her of having breached provisions in her promotional contract for Chanel No. 5 perfume. In the article "Chanel Left Fuming", they reported that she carried a bottle of a rival fragrance at the premiere of The Golden Compass (2007). Kidman's lawyer, John Kelly, said his client suffered significant embarrassment and distress over the fabricated Telegraph story, The newspaper later determined that its source for the story had made it up. David Price, the Telegraph's solicitor-advocate, apologized on behalf of the paper and agreed to pay Kidman's legal costs as well as substantial undisclosed damages, which she donated to Unifem, the United Nations Development Fund for Women.
In 2013, both she and husband Keith Urban were nominated for a Golden Globe. She received her tenth nomination, while he received his first.
She was well-respected by the late and famed film-critic Roger Ebert . He considered her to have a dichotomous career; "She seems to be two people: the glamorous star of "Moulin Rouge" and "Nine," and the risky, daring actress in "Birth," "The Hours" and "Eyes Wide Shut." He also believed that in time, she will gain more respect; "Celebrity has clouded her image; if she were less glamorous, she would be more praised. Age will only be an asset to her.".
In 2014 she was honored at the Shanghai Film Festival with an "Outstanding Contribution to Film Industry Award". Hugh Grant presented the award to her at the event.
She cites Austrailian and South African accents as being the two most difficult dialects in English.
Her Oscar is placed over the fireplace in her mother's home.
Infamously, she made her debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003) by giving host Jimmy Kimmel a brief lap-dance.
Became a viral hit in January, 2015 following an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014), in which they discuss an embarrassing encounter between the two. The clip is said to have gained 55 million views online during its first week, including 18 million views on YouTube.
Her performance in Sam Mendes 's West End play "The Blue Room" (1999) inspired both Baz Luhrmann to cast her in Moulin Rouge! (2001) and Stephen Daldry to cast her in The Hours (2002). She received an Oscar nomination for both films.
As of 2015, three of her films - Australia (2008), Happy Feet (2006) and Moulin Rouge! (2001) are all in the top five of highest grossing Australian film productions at the box office of her native Australia. She is the only performer to achieve this feat.
Has portrayed the villain in two adaptations of British children literature that features a talking bear as one of the main characters: The Golden Compass (2007) and Paddington (2014). The two characters also shares the initials of M.C. - Marisa Coulter and Millicent Clyde.
To date (2015) she's been taller than both of her husbands and older than one.
Is one of 20 actresses who did not receive an Oscar nomination for their Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical Golden Globe-winning performance; hers being for To Die For (1995). The others, in chronological order, are: June Allyson for Too Young to Kiss (1951), Ethel Merman for Call Me Madam (1953), Jean Simmons for Guys and Dolls (1955), Taina Elg and Kay Kendall for Les Girls (1957), Marilyn Monroe for Some Like It Hot (1959), Rosalind Russell for A Majority of One (1961) and Gypsy (1962), Patty Duke for Me, Natalie (1969), Twiggy for The Boy Friend (1971), Raquel Welch for The Three Musketeers (1973), Barbra Streisand for A Star Is Born (1976), Bernadette Peters for Pennies from Heaven (1981), Kathleen Turner for Romancing the Stone (1984) and Prizzi's Honor (1985), Miranda Richardson for Enchanted April (1991), Jamie Lee Curtis for True Lies (1994), Madonna for Evita (1996), Renée Zellweger for Nurse Betty (2000), Sally Hawkins for Happy-Go-Lucky (2008), and Amy Adams for Big Eyes (2014).
Holds the all time record of being the actress to have appeared on most covers for the fashion magazine Vogue (US edition): 8 times.
Was considered for the role of Michelle in Elle (2016).
In 2009, she was among four Oscar-winning Australian actors to be immortalized onto postage stamps in their home country. Each of the actors has two stamps, showing them both in and out of character.
The filming process of Moulin Rouge! (2001) was halted for two weeks in November 1999 after she fractured two ribs and injured her knee while rehearsing a dance routine for the film. Many of the scenes of the film, where she is seen only from the chest up, including "A real actress!", were shot while she was in a wheelchair.
Eldest daughter Sunday Rose was born two weeks early at 9:00 am Central daylight time on July 7th 2008 weighing 2.934186 Kilos or 6 lbs 7.5 oz at birth.
Bewitched (2005) was the first movie among her own filmography, that was seen by her two youngest daughters, Sunday and Faith. However, due to their young age, the two girls believed their mother was able to perform magic tricks, and were left confused and disappointing when they realized the truth.
Spent four and a half years developing Rabbit Hole (2010). It marked her first movie as both leading actress and producer on a film.
Her fans refers to themselves as "Kidmaniacs".
In 2015, she starred as Rosalind Franklin, the English chemist and X-ray crystallographer, in the play "Photograph 51", as a tribute to her father, the late Antony Kidman, who worked as a biochemist and clinical psychologist. She donated her entire salary to The Actors' Benevolent Fund, and in her father's name to King's College, in honor of her father and Rosalind Franklin.
Has worked with producer Harvey Weinstein on seven projects.
Has co-starred opposite several up-and-coming actors in their feature film debut, such as Thandie Newton , Miles Teller , Dakota Blue Richards , Maddison Brown , Brandon Walters and Sunny Pawar .
Despite her singing skills, she has ruled out the possibility of ever making an official duet with husband Keith Urban . However, they did once perform together in the public, at G'Day Gala, where they reworked "Down Under" by Men at Work as a tribute to Simon Baker .
Learned to ride camels for her role in Queen of the Desert (2015) and on set she had her own male dromedary, named Barbie.
Spoofed by Jennifer Saunders and Patsy Kensit on French and Saunders (1987).
Was personally handpicked by Julia Roberts to be her co-star of Secret in Their Eyes (2015). Roberts sent her an email going; "Will you do this with me?".
Won the Evening Standard Theatre Award for her performance as Rosalind Franklin in "Photograph 51". Jeremy Irons presented her the award.
Cate Blanchett considers her a trailblazer for Australian actors having a chance making a career in the US.
She was nominated for the 2016 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award as 'Best Actress in a Play' (season 2015) for her performance in "Photograph 51".
She has worked with 4 directors who have won a Best Director Oscar: Robert Benton , Ron Howard , Anthony Minghella , and Sydney Pollack .
Was personally handpicked by Sue Brierley to portray her in Lion (2016). Kidman bonded with her young co-star Sunny Pawar by playing cricket with him - scenes which eventually made it into the final film.
Celebrated her 20th birthday on the set of Dead Calm (1989).
Personal Quotes (91)
[August 2000, on her marriage to Tom Cruise ] Every day there is a compromise. Living with somebody requires a lot of understanding. But I love being married. I really love it. Sometimes I try to downplay it a bit because people are like, "God you guys!" I just feel so fortunate that I have found someone who will put up with me and stay with me.
[on husband Tom Cruise ] I wouldn't want to be married to me, but luckily he does.
[8/01, commenting on her break-up with Tom Cruise ] Now I can wear heels.
It's so bizarre, I'm not scared of snakes or spiders. But I'm scared of butterflies. There is something eerie about them. Something weird!
[on winning the Academy Award for The Hours (2002)] And I am standing in front of my mother, and my whole life I have wanted to make my mother proud. And now I'm going to make my daughter proud.
When I heard about the Suzanne role in To Die For (1995), I thought, "I'll never get it - it'll be offered to someone else." So I called Gus [ Gus Van Sant ] at home, and he took my call, thank God. I told him I'd seen Drugstore Cowboy (1989), and I really wanted to work with him. I said I was destined to work with him.
I think it's important that we don't all have to hold our heads high all the time saying everything's fine.
These different people that I play become the loves of my life.
The split [from Tom Cruise ] left me very fragile but I'd love to marry again.
I would love to have boobs and a butt like Jennifer Lopez but I'm not having surgery so there it is.
[on receiving her star on the Walk of Fame] I've never been so excited to have people walk all over me for the rest of my life.
You want to take some responsibility in your choices so that it sets the groundwork for that next generation of actresses - so for me working with Lars von Trier , I would hope that says to another generation: "go and seek out those directors, it's ok"
[on Dogville (2003)] One day it would be a fairy tale, the next it was a nightmare. Lars [ Lars von Trier ] was gentle with me - he was gentle and soft, then he would beat me up emotionally when he felt he needed that. I did not always register what was happening until afterwards but you shouldn't have too much awareness as an actor, I don't think.
I have a boy's body. I would prefer to have more curves because I think that's more beautiful. I would much rather have J. Lo's [ Jennifer Lopez ] body than mine.
[on filming The Interpreter (2005) at UN headquarters in New York] As a backdrop for a thriller, it's fantastic, but also since I'm Australian and I've always worked internationally and this is an international place in New York, I really like the kind of communication it represents. I know I sound very much like my character now, but I do believe in this place.
[on Cold Mountain (2003), The Human Stain (2003) and Dogville (2003) being released within months of each other] It's weird because they're all coming out at once. But I made them over 2-1/2 years.
You look at somebody's work as an actor and you can see their emotional life being fed into it and you can kind of feel them through it. That's far more interesting than anything I could say about where I'm at or who I'm with. It's good to have a little distance. If you discuss your love too much, it just damages it.
[on the troubled The Stepford Wives (2004)] It's a comedy. We hope.
Even from a very early age I knew I didn't want to miss out on anything life had to offer just because it might be considered dangerous.
Cinema is a director's medium, so you're saying, "What do you want?" Being an actor is about adapting - physically and emotionally. If that means you have to look great for it and they can make you look great, then thank you. And if you have to have everything washed away, then I'm willing to do that too.
[on Birth (2004)] This is a film about love. What is a great love? Is there a love of our life? Do you ever recover from the loss of somebody that was so important to you?
Stanley Kubrick taught me to believe in myself artistically. I spent my 20s raising my children, and wanting to, and being married. That was my driving force. And then he said to me, "No, you have to respect your talent, and give it some space, and give it some time. Which was a lovely thing to be given. And my children were a little older then.
It was by chance that The Hours (2002) came along. Was I in a place where I could say, "I'm going to go to England and make this?" Yes. Could I do that earlier, when I was married? No, I couldn't travel like that. We had a thing where we couldn't be separated for more than two weeks. So that made a lot of work just not possible. Which was fine by me.
I have moments where I've said, "Don't tread on that crack in the pavement, don't have a black cat walk in front of you." Deep down am I superstitious? No. Do I believe in trying to be as kind as possible and as compassionate as possible because ultimately you're alone with yourself and your own conscience, and you want that to be as clear as possible? That's not superstition. You have to just try and stay pure and know what you value.
Usually, a young actress can't deliver because she doesn't have the emotional baggage, really, to play those things. That's something that's very beautiful about becoming a woman, and becoming a woman in your 30s. If you've lived your life, and lived it where you've said, "I want to be a participator and not a voyeur", then you have an enormous amount to pull on.
I'm still just finding my way through. I don't actually see a path in front of me. I can see not ever doing it again, and I can also see other things pulling me away from this. It's strange, because I know it's in my blood in terms of having to somehow act or express myself creatively, but I'm willing to do it different ways if need be. And I think that's partly because when I went through my divorce I dealt with the idea of never ever working again, and never being here and never able to be an actress, and went through an enormous amount of soul searching, and at that time, I was very ready to give it all up, and dealt with that emotionally. I was going, "Well, I'll never be able to do this again." And that was OK. And, strangely, as life is so strange, that was when everything exploded.
I never feel like I'm in control. There's a certain type of actor that relinquishes control when they act, and then there's another type who ends up being a producer and director and they're more someone that likes to take control. I fall in the first category, where I like to relinquish control, and fit into somebody else's world. And that's just lately, but you never feel like you are making choices. You feel like they're finding you in a strange way. That's why when people say, "What role do you want to play next?", I say, "I don't know". I never know. It's about responding to things rather than planning.
I think someone said my career defies all logic [laughs]. Because I choose the sort of strange little films, and somehow they're the things that make my career.
So if you talk about a box-office career, then I'm a disaster. But somehow, you know, I still manage to find my way to work.
I think actors are getting so much more power these days, but I'm not. I stay very much away from the decisions, the way in which things are orchestrated, what's been changed. I just try to stay completely in the role as the actor and as the character.
I'm at a time of my life now where, for me to want to go back and work, it'd have to be something that I really feel passionately about.
Regrets are ridiculous, so I don't regret, no.
[talking about her character from Batman Forever (1995)] Chase is attracted to the darker side of life. Batman is very appealing to her.
To be an actor you have to have a certain amount of madness in you. That's why, when people meet you and you seem very together, they are quite surprised--they don't see you behind closed doors.
[speaking of her father Antony Kidman] He's a great father, I can call him at three in the morning and he's there for me.
By the time I was a teenager, I had developed skills as a writer, and my father encouraged me to think about a career in journalism. I began keeping a diary, which I maintain to this day. I used to fill whole notebooks with my writings.
My parents thought it was nice to develop my imagination, but they never seriously thought that anything would ever come of it. They said that I couldn't be an actress because I would be taller than all my leading men, so I thought I would be a writer instead.
It was very natural for me to want to disappear into dark theater, I am really very shy. That is something that people never seem to fully grasp because, when you are an actor, you are meant to be an exhibitionist.
Do you know I'm always scared that one day I'll look back and say "God they were the best years of my life and now what?" There are moments when you feel as if you have been blessed for a while, moments when you think this is perfect, moments when you start to believe that even for an hour, even for a year, it might all happen. So I'm determined to keep making it get better and better.
It's a very brave thing to fall in love. You have to be willing to trust somebody else with your whole being, and that's very difficult, really difficult and very brave.
[about her first role at the age of five] I was one of those terrible kids who said everyone's lines.
Since I have fair skin, I have to stay out of the sun. I can't stand the sun. I dyed my hair red for a while during the 1990s but I'm actually a natural blonde.
I'm very close to my sister, Antonia [ Antonia Kidman ]. Every day we swim together. I love my sister.
When I was a child, I was a natural towhead. Now my hair is naturally a darker shade of blonde.
I'd like to be wise. You have to go through a lot to get there, but I'm willing to go through a lot.
What's the point of doing something good if nobody's watching?
Even from a very early age, I knew I didn't want to miss out on anything life had to offer just because it might be considered dangerous.
I believe that as much as you take, you have to give back. It's important not to focus on yourself too much.
I love acting but I don't like all of the other stuff associated with it. The interest in celebrities, the press, the Internet, when your identity becomes mixed up in the way people are perceiving you.
I have a little bit of a belly, a tiny bit of pooch. It's the one thing I don't want to lose. I just like having some softness. If I lose that, then Tom [husband Tom Cruise ] might leave me.
I never knew I'd be in a musical, let alone win an award for one.
There's no drugs, no Tom [ Tom Cruise ] in a dress, no psychiatrists.
Having gone through all of this, I feel in some ways calmer now. It's strange, but sad. I think I'll always be sad.
I love acting, but it's much more fun taking the kids to the zoo.
[on her split with Tom Cruise ] My life collapsed. People ran from me because suddenly it was, "Oh my God! It's over for her now!"
I love working with people who are inspired and obsessive.
As a child my hair was naturally red, but since I was 13 my hair turned light blonde naturally. It's really strange but it happened. Ever since Chase through the night, the directors made me dye my hair red, as they all thought it suited me at the time. Even for Dead Calm (1989), Phillip Noyce made me dye my hair red. Now the directors and studios just let me keep my natural blonde hair.
For an actor, facial expressions and emotions are really important. That's why I'll never have Botox. I've always been against that and seeing Botox on TV with all the swelling and pain put me off it anyway. The directors always allow actors with Botox but I just say. "No way, not for me". Drinking lots of water, eating fruit and doing yoga is what keeps me looking young naturally. I swear by it. I also use creams with natural ingredients to make wrinkles less visible. Everybody should try these things rather than going the plastic route, which I just hate.
You don't have to be naked to be sexy.
I'm a person that carries everything that happened to me in my past, with me into the future. I refuse to let it make me bitter. I still completely believe in love and I remain open to anything that will happen to me.
If I packaged toothpaste and told you you were gonna get half the toothpaste in the tube, you probably wouldn't buy it.
It would be far easier to go, "Oh, I wish I loved women," but I don't. I love the way a man thinks. I love the way a man smells. I love the way men look. And I'm hooked on the male physique - hooked on it.
You're either going to walk through life and experience it fully or you're going to be a voyeur. And I'm not a voyeur.
On living in Nashville: It's the warmest, loveliest community I've ever set foot in. For me, it's the perfect place to live. To me, it's the best part of America...It's the easiest place to live. Keith's lived there for 20 years. The country music community is very tight. I like the polite nature of it. No traffic. I'm a big Southern girl now. It's just suits me.
[on Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012)] I knew nothing about Martha, but I've always been drawn to unique women who are willing to take on the world. The exciting thing about this film is that you see her discovering her nature. At the beginning, she's a lot of talk. She knows that she's either got to get her hands dirty and become what she pretends to be or she's a fraud. In the end, Gellhorn out-Hemingways Hemingway.
[on music] I'm so eclectic and I use it in my work all the time. What I used a lot with Lee on The Paperboy (2012) was Al Green . Lee has never listened to anything past 1970!
[on The Golden Compass (2007)] I'm not a huge fan of fantasy. I've always been drawn to more - in terms of filmmaking - I've been drawn to more psychological dramas but I think what drew me to this was it had the intricacies of the characters allow strong performances and that's what I found compelling about it.
I know the feeling of polarizing films, that make people angry and uncomfortable and I'm very comfortable with that.
[on Birth (2004)] It created a lot of controversy because of a bathtub scene [with me] and a 10-year-old boy. But I never saw the film that way. It's fascinating when choose roles how you perceive them and how they're perceived on the outside.
I'll never forget sort of "DJ-ing" after [the Cannes screening of] Moulin Rouge! (2001). I think there is a photo of me with headphones on, it was with Fatboy Slim and the place was going crazy. I hold that dear to my heart.
I remember having really mixed reactions to different films I brought to [Cannes Film Festival]. One of them was the Von Trier film, one of them was To Die For (1995). It was actually an extraordinary reaction for To Die For (1995). We were not in competition, and I remember being terribly scared that people were gonna hate it, but people loved it. That was very, very instrumentally beginning my career in terms of serious film-making. The critics got behind me on that film and that kind of took me from being Tom Cruise 's wife into being something different, which artistically was such a joy for me.
My ability to escape myself probably comes from the riskier the role. It took me a while to learn that and to understand that. I've tried to comfort and play the girl-next-door and the less complicated supporting roles. And for whatever reason I can not latch on, I don't quite know how to do it. So the more complicated, the better for me. I don't know what that says about me.
[on not being Oscar-nominated for To Die For (1995)] I got a telegram from Sean Penn for that, and it said "You were robbed". That was all he sent me. And it was as good as an Academy Award nomination.
[on The Golden Compass (2007)]: I love that it's a little girl who's the protagonist, the hero of the piece, and also that it is about friendship, loyalty and honesty.
[on Australia (2008)]: It was the best experience I've ever had working on a film.
[on Charlize Theron ] I love that we're both so tall.
[on filming Nine (2009)] My favorite memories are Sophia Loren holding my four week-old baby, because that is something that goes down for me in the great memories, and also becomes part of Sunday Rose's infant picture book. I mean, you can't do better than that.
[on acting] It's the desire to study the human condition, the desire for collaboration, to learn and absorb, and to lead a well-examined life.
I work well with people who are extreme.
[on Lars von Trier ] He does things cinematically that nobody else does. And whether you love him or hate him, the filmmaking is incredibly strong.
[on Stanley Kubrick and working with him on Eyes Wide Shut (1999)] Stanley wanted six months of rehearsal. He didn't want to start, and then he didn't want to finish. Stanley taught Tom [Cruise] and I, 'Never say no.' When someone proposes an idea, you never shut it down. And that's a good lesson that goes far beyond work. That's a life lesson.
[on considering saying no to projects that take her away from her kids and husband for too long] I've worked hard to get to this place personally. I don't take any of it for granted. I cherish it. I'm more than willing to make those sacrifices because, when I'm 70 and 80, I want my family around me. I know other things can come into play about that, but it's certainly not going to be because I didn't show up.
I think love is the core emotion. Without that, and I've certainly existed without that, it's a very empty life. When I won the Oscar [for "The Hours"], I went home and I didn't have that in my life. That was the most intensely lonely moment in my life. [During] my professional highs, I've often had personal lows. It's always aggravated me that it's gone that way.
There was that whole time from when we took Moulin Rouge! (2001) to the Cannes Film Festival and then all the way through to winning the Oscar for The Hours (2002), that was a very strange time in my life because it was the collision of professional success and personal failure and that's just a very strange thing. When I won the Oscar it was kind of a mix of popping open a bottle of champagne but at the same time feeling incredibly lonely. It's been professional highs and personal lows and they collide. I'm hoping one day that won't happen. Now is a good time personally but it's not a professional high. The highs are pretty extreme and they don't happen that often, do they? I much prefer the personal high anyway. I'd never give that up.
I've turned things down, definitely. I was pregnant and I was going to do The Reader (2008) and I had to call and say, 'I've spent my whole life wanting to be pregnant and I'm finally pregnant and I won't be able to do it.' And they were like, 'You could work pregnant.' No. That's not what I wanted to do. "I didn't want to be working while I was pregnant. Some women could, maybe if they'd already had a lot of children, but for me it was such a huge place to be and I wanted to carry my baby and keep her healthy and peaceful. I was like, 'I'm going to do everything I can to just bring this baby into the world.
[on the beginning of her career] I had huge expectations. You start out with big dreams and I mean, big dreams artistically. You want to work with the greatest living directors, make a great movie. I wanted to make a great love story, I wanted to make a great epic and then you realize that the truth of it is that it's so hard to make a great film. It's hard to get a great role. Those big expectations change to realism pretty quickly. But what's never changed is my desire to work with great directors and to find projects that push me out of my comfort zone and keep me alive. I still don't think I've done my best work
[on her preparation for Paddington (2014)] I'm about to go down to the museum and do a taxidermy class on Saturday night. And I love animals! I also have to throw knives, so I'll be doing that in the backyard. I've got a guy coming over to teach me how to throw a knife. I want to be able to just do it with a bit of a flourish. I believe this is my path, so I'll go down in fire if I have to.
I think when you go into the orbit of a director, they bring certain things out in you. The greatest thing you can offer is abandonment, in terms of a performance, and also deep loyalty. Because when there is enormous loyalty to them, then it's a very safe place. It's like, O.K., so she'll stand by me no matter what, no matter if the film even succeeds or fails. We're in it together, and this is ours, together, forever. Which is why I probably stay very, very close to a lot of the directors that I've worked with, whether the outcome is successful or not. Because I get deeply sort of connected and close to them. Jane, Alejandro, Stephen, Lars - all of them. That's important to me, and the longevity of it.
[on choosing Aaron Eckhart ]: I've known Aaron for a long time and he has a side of him which is very raw and emotional, which he doesn't show on screen very often.
[on her villainous character in The Golden Compass (2007)]: The beauty of this story is that it's a trilogy and I think that if we get to make the second and the third film - which I would love - you get to see all of the layers peel away from this woman. So that was what I was trying to do in this film, to give her the layers. There's a mystery there and you're not quite sure and you feel the texture of her.
Snuggling is the secret to happiness.
Salary (25)
| Nicole Kidman |
Which planet has an ‘anomalous spin; in that it spins in the opposite direction to the other planets? | Nicole Kidman - Biography - IMDb
Nicole Kidman
Biography
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Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (2) | Trade Mark (4) | Trivia (187) | Personal Quotes (91) | Salary (25)
Overview (4)
5' 11" (1.8 m)
Mini Bio (1)
Elegant blonde Nicole Kidman, known as one of Hollywood's top Australian imports, was actually born in Honolulu, Hawaii, while her Australian parents were there on educational visas.
Kidman is the daughter of Janelle Ann (Glenny), a nursing instructor, and Antony David Kidman, a biochemist and clinical psychologist. She is of English, Irish, and Scottish descent. Shortly after her birth, the family moved to Washington, D.C., where Nicole's father pursued his research on breast cancer, and then, three years later, made the pilgrimage back to her parents' native Sydney in Australia, where Nicole was raised. Young Nicole's first love was ballet, but she eventually took up mime and drama as well (her first stage role was a bleating sheep in an elementary school Christmas pageant). In her adolescent years, acting edged out the other arts and became a kind of refuge -- as her classmates sought out fun in the sun, the fair-skinned Kidman retreated to dark rehearsal halls to practice her craft. She worked regularly at the Philip Street Theater, where she once received a personal letter of praise and encouragement from audience member Jane Campion (then a film student). Kidman eventually dropped out of high school to pursue acting full-time. She broke into movies at age 16, landing a role in the Australian holiday favorite Bush Christmas (1983). That appearance touched off a flurry of film and television offers, including a lead in BMX Bandits (1983) and a turn as a schoolgirl-turned-protester in the miniseries Vietnam (1987) (for which she won her first Australian Film Institute Award). With the help of an American agent, she eventually made her US debut opposite Sam Neill in the at-sea thriller Dead Calm (1989).
Kidman's next casting coup scored her more than exposure. While starring as Tom Cruise 's doctor/love interest in the racetrack romance Days of Thunder (1990), she won over the Hollywood hunk hook, line and sinker. After a whirlwind courtship (and decent box office returns), the couple wed on December 24, 1990. Determined not to let her new marital status overshadow her fledgling career, the actress pressed on. She appeared as a catty high school senior in the Australian film Flirting (1991), then as Dustin Hoffman 's moll in the gangster flick Billy Bathgate (1991). She reunited with Cruise for Far and Away (1992), the story of young Irish lovers who flee to America in the late 1800s, and starred opposite Michael Keaton in the tear-tugger My Life (1993). Despite her steady employment, critics and moviegoers still had not quite warmed to Kidman as a leading lady. She tried to spice up her image by seducing Val Kilmer in Batman Forever (1995), but achieved her real breakthrough with Gus Van Sant 's To Die For (1995). As a fame-crazed housewife determined to eliminate any obstacle in her path, Kidman proved that she had an impressive range and deadly comic timing. She took home a Golden Globe and several critics' awards for the performance. In 1996, Kidman stepped into a corset to work with her countrywoman and onetime admirer, Jane Campion , on the adaptation of Henry James 's The Portrait of a Lady (1996). A few months later, she tore across the screen as a nuclear weapons expert in The Peacemaker (1997), adding "action star" to her professional repertoire.
She and Cruise then disappeared into a notoriously long, secretive shoot for Stanley Kubrick 's sexual thriller Eyes Wide Shut (1999). The couple's on-screen shenanigans prompted an increase in public speculation about their sex life (rumors had long been circulating that their marriage was a cover-up for Cruise's homosexuality); tired of denying tabloid attacks, they successfully sued The Star for a story alleging that they needed a sex therapist to coach them through love scenes. Family life has always been a priority for Kidman. Born to social activists (mother was a feminist; father, a labor advocate), Nicole and her little sister, Antonia Kidman , discussed current events around the dinner table and participated in their parents' campaigns by passing out pamphlets on street corners. When her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, 17-year-old Nicole stopped working and took a massage course so that she could provide physical therapy (her mother eventually beat the cancer). She and Cruise adopted two children: Isabella Jane (born 1993) and Connor Antony (born 1995). Despite their rock-solid image, the couple announced in early 2001 that they were separating due to career conflicts. Her marriage to Cruise ended mid-summer of 2001.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: IMDb Editors
Spouse (2)
Blonde hair and blue eyes
Statuesque, model-like figure
Her independent films often feature the theme of grief and sorrow, such as Birth (2004) and Rabbit Hole (2010)
Often portrays upper-class women in epics, such as Ada Monroe in Cold Mountain (2003), Marisa Coulter in The Golden Compass (2007), Lady Sarah Ashley in Australia (2008) and Gertrude Bell in Queen of the Desert (2015).
Trivia (187)
2000: She and her husband Tom Cruise donated to Hillary Clinton 's campaign for a seat in the U.S. Senate representing New York state.
Suffered a broken rib while rehearsing a dance routine for the movie Moulin Rouge! (2001). Production was halted while she recovered.
Chosen by People Magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1996, 1999 and 2002. In 2004, she was one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People for Most Wanted Skin". She ranked as #69 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement and in August 2008 she was voted the fifth Sexiest Female Movie Star in the Australian Empire Magazine.
Wore a corset while filming The Portrait of a Lady (1996) to take her waist down to 19".
Spent two weeks in bed after filming of The Portrait of a Lady (1996) - diagnosed as suffering from "emotional stress".
10/99: Crusader against child abuse. "Children should be allowed to grow up without fear of cruelty.".
Listed in "People Weekly"s "Most Intriguing People" list of 1995. In 2001, she was awarded "Celebrity of the Year" by E!, "Entertainer of the Year" by Entertainment Weekly and named one of People Magazine's "25 Most Intriguing People of 2001". Also, Premiere Magazine ranked her as #48 on a list of the "Greatest Movie Stars of All Time" in their 2005 feature "Stars in Our Constellation". Finally, she ranked #31 in Premiere's annual Power 100 List. Had ranked #83 in 2002.
Played a young girl named Grace on a sketch on Saturday Night Live (1975) with Mike Myers , the next time she played a character named Grace was her movie The Others (2001). She played a character named Grace for the third time in Dogville (2003) and for the fourth time as the protagonist in Grace of Monaco (2014).
She was supposed to be the star of Panic Room (2002), but she hurt herself in a stunt for Moulin Rouge! (2001). So, she played the voice of Jodie Foster 's divorced husband's wife.
Older sister of Australian television personality Antonia Kidman .
Although naturally left-handed, she taught herself to write right-handed for her role in The Hours (2002), where she played the right-handed author Virginia Woolf .
Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on January 13, 2003.
Found out about her first Academy Award nomination, for Moulin Rouge! (2001), while shooting Dogville (2003) in Sweden. She was in the middle of shooting a scene when someone held up a sign with the announcement.
First Australian actress to win the Best Actress Academy Award.
Prior to the release of Australia (2008), she was elected alongside fellow Aussie Hugh Jackman as one of the favorite upcoming romantic couples on screen.
Originally cast as Mrs. Smith in Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005). She was the one who suggested Brad Pitt as the co-lead.
Has appeared in My Life (1993) with Michael Keaton , Batman Forever (1995) with Val Kilmer , The Peacemaker (1997) with George Clooney and The Portrait of a Lady (1996) with Christian Bale . All four actors have played Batman in a movie.
She was awarded the Special Award at the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards for her special and significant contributions to London Theatre for her performance in "The Blue Room". She was also nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1999 (1998 season) for Best Actress for her performance in "The Blue Room".
A very tall woman at nearly 5' 11", she actually stood about 4 inches taller than ex-husband Tom Cruise , and rarely wore heels when seen publicly with him so that they could appear similar in height. Since their divorce, she is rarely seen on the red carpet without high heels, and she often meets 6' 4" actors in the eye. She was already 5' 9" when she was age 13.
Scored an IQ of 132+
While she usually commands $10 million+ for a movie, she was willing to receive only $500,000 for her role in "Eucalyptus" (2006), that eventually was scrapped. Produced by "Fox Searchlight", its financing guideline showed that each actor signed on to the project could receive no more than $500,000, in order to keep costs low. This movie was set to be produced in Australia, another reason she decided to accept it. She was slated to star alongside Russell Crowe in the movie, but the project was ultimately dropped.
Has never used a body double for her nude scenes.
Replaced Rene Russo as Dr. Chase Meridian in Batman Forever (1995) when Val Kilmer replaced Michael Keaton .
Likes the poetry of Anne Carson and the writing of Philip Larkin .
Writes short stories in her free time and hopes to publish them one day. She revealed in June 2014 that she's also working on her first screenplay for a feature film.
Is in the 50th-anniversary edition of the Guinness Book Of Records as the highest-paid actress in a commercial. She netted $3.71 million for her part in a four-minute Baz Luhrmann -directed Chanel No. 5 movie ad. The ad, costing $11 million a minute, is a short film titled "No 5: The Film". Guinness book editors noted the actress earned $928,800 per minute. Costumes designed by Karl Lagerfeld and score by Debussy.
Was considered for the role of Catwoman in Batman Returns (1992), for the Meg Ryan role in Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and for Jenny Curran in Forrest Gump (1994), which went to Robin Wright . She also auditioned for a part in The English Patient (1996) but was turned down.
Had played a witch twice: once in Practical Magic (1998) and again in Bewitched (2005). Witches also featured in her film The Golden Compass (2007).
Is a pianist, and did her own piano-playing in Cold Mountain (2003).
Is highly conscious of avoiding excessive sun exposure, and is rarely seen during her downtime without a hat, sunglasses and wearing sunscreen. In fact, best friend Naomi Watts has said that "Nicole won't cross the street without a hat."
In addition to having worked with all four of the most recent Batmans, she has also worked with both of the most recent actors to play Alfred Pennyworth. In Batman Forever (1995), she appears with Michael Gough . In Bewitched (2005), her father is played by Michael Caine .
Has one niece: Lucia (b. 1999) and two nephews: Hamish (b. 2001), James (b. 2003).
August 2004: Australian business magazine Business Review Weekly listed Kidman as the richest Australian woman under age 40, estimated at a worth of $155 million (Australian).
Is childhood friends with Peter Overton , a reporter for the Australian 60 Minutes (1979) program. Both lived in the same suburb of Sydney when they were children.
She has English, Irish and Scottish ancestry.
She and ex-husband Tom Cruise made three movies together: Days of Thunder (1990), Eyes Wide Shut (1999) and Far and Away (1992). They met on the set of Days of Thunder (1990).
Attended the same high school attended by Catherine Martin (two time Oscar winner for costume design and direction on Moulin Rouge! (2001) and wife of Baz Luhrmann ) and legendary Australian actress Ruth Cracknell .
Godmother of Harry (b. 19 September 2001), the son of Simon Baker and Rebecca Rigg . Riggs and Kidman are close friends.
Named goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Fund for Women.
Was listed as a potential nominee on both the 2006 and 2008 Razzie Award nominating ballots. She was suggested in the Worst Actress category on the 2006 ballot for her performance in Bewitched (2005). And she was suggested again two years later on the 2007 ballot in the Worst Actress category again for her performance in The Invasion (2007). She failed to receive either nominations.
2006: Her performance as Suzanne Stone Maretto in To Die For (1995) is ranked #40 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time.
2006: Accompanied her boyfriend Keith Urban to the Grammy Awards. It was their first public appearance together.
Is allergic to strawberries and scared of butterflies.
Wore a wedding gown at her wedding to Keith Urban by the label Balenciaga.
Married Keith Urban in the St. Patrick's church in Manly, a suburb of Sydney. The wedding ceremony lasted 35 minutes. 230 guests attended her wedding to Keith Urban . Among them were her best friend Naomi Watts , Russell Crowe , Baz Luhrmann , Hugh Jackman and Nicole's two children Isabella and Conor. Jim Carrey was invited and greatly wanted to come, in fact he booked plane tickets to Australia, but last minute scheduling conflicts stopped him from going.
She asked her wedding guests not to buy any presents for her and Keith Urban but to donate the money instead to some humanitarian organization.
She and Keith Urban honeymooned in Tahiti -- more precisely the St. Regis in Bora Bora. Eva Longoria and her boyfriend Tony Parker were also coincidentally staying there at the time.
Baz Luhrmann read a love Psalm by New Zealand writer Joy Cowley (a nod to Urban's birth place) at her wedding to Keith Urban .
Three star performers sang at her wedding reception to Keith Urban . Hugh Jackman sang "Tenterfield Saddler", a favorite of Urban's. Keith Urban sang his hit song "Making Memories of Us" to her. Neil Finn sang "Fall At Your Feet".
Dropped out of the role of Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator (2004) due to scheduling conflicts.
Author Philip Pullman requested her specifically to play the role of Marisa Coulter in The Golden Compass (2007), the movie adaptation of his book "His Dark Materials: Northern Lights" from 1995. Kidman was originally unsure if she would take the part when some producers from New Line Cinema offered it to her. However, with a beautiful letter, Pullman fully convinced her to take the role. Pullman knew she was right for the part after he saw her performance in To Die For (1995) and with a producer from New Line Cinema he had discussed the possibilities of her playing the part, from the day the rights to the book were sold, to 10 years later when she signed on for the film. As a part of her preparation, Kidman re-read the whole His Dark Materials trilogy, and wrote small notes, whenever she found something personal about the character, before filming began. The film ended up being the biggest film of her career, with a budget of $180 million and a box office income of $372 million worldwide, the biggest live-action success that she has experienced.
Studied ballet and drama in Australia.
Keith Urban 's brother, Shane Urban, was best man at their wedding. His friend, Marlon Holden , was the groomsman.
Keith Urban gave Nicole a first edition of Emily Brontë 's novel, "Wuthering Heights", purchased from Sotherby's for $200,000 as a wedding present.
Wrote the introduction to the book "Truth: Personas, Needs, and Flaws in the Art of Building Actors and Creating Characters" by her friend and acting consultant Susan Batson .
2004: Topped The Hollywood Reporter's list of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood. In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated her earnings for the year to be $28 million.
9/01: Attended the Royal Premiere of Moulin Rouge! (2001) alongside Kylie Minogue , 'Prince Charles' and Ewan McGregor .
Is a fan of actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan , and her film Bride & Prejudice (2004). Nicole got to meet Aishwarya for the first time at the 2005 Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world dinner held in New York City.
Was originally cast as Ulla in The Producers (2005) and was considered for roles in Nymphomaniac: Vol. I (2013) and Bel Ami (2012). All three roles eventually went to Uma Thurman . Furthermore, Joel Schumacher also wanted Kidman to play Poison Ivy in Batman Forever (1995), but the use of the character was delayed to a later entry in the Batman series, in which Thurman played the part.
The bridesmaids at her wedding were her adopted daughter Isabella Jane Cruise, her sister Antonia Kidman and her niece Lucia.
In honor of her June 2006 wedding to singer Keith Urban , Australian TV presenters Simon Reeve and Nelson Aspen teamed up to sing Nicole a live rendition of the theme song "Bewitched" on the morning news program Sunrise (2003).
On April 13, 2007, she was awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia, which is Australia's top civil honor, at a ceremony in Canberra. She was honored for her contribution to cinema as well as her charity work with women, children and cancer research.
Wore a red wig for her role in Moulin Rouge! (2001).
2006: Presented her The Peacemaker (1997) co-star George Clooney his Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
Had several projects lined up during the mid-aughts that never went to fruition; Baz Luhrmann''s doomed Alexander the Great-project with 'Leonardo Dicaprio', "American Darlings" with Jennifer Lopez , Kar-Wai Wong 's "The Lady from Shanghai", Ridley Scott 's "Emma's War", Paul Verhoeven 's "Other Powers", the Steven Spielberg produced "The Rivals" co-starring Marion Cotillard . She also circled roles in I Heart Huckabees (2004) and The Brothers Grimm (2005), but dropped out of both.
2004: Presented her The Interpreter (2005) co-star Sean Penn his Best Actor Oscar.
December 2007: According to Forbes, her movies averaged $8 of gross income for every dollar the actress got paid.
Earns $4 million per year endorsing Chanel No. 5 perfume. Her three year contract was up for renewal in 2007 and was extended to 2009, where it was concluded. She was replaced by Audrey Tautou .
Turned down the lead role of Roxie Hart in Chicago (2002) because she had just completed Moulin Rouge! (2001) and did not want to do two musicals in a row. Her friend, Renée Zellweger , won the role of Roxie and an Oscar nomination for her efforts.
She and husband Keith Urban , purchased a farm near Leipers Fork, Tennessee, which they are now renovating. (November 2007).
Moved in together with Jack Black and Jennifer Jason Leigh during filming Margot at the Wedding (2007), because they wanted to perfect their roles as a dysfunctional family.
To prepare for her role in The Human Stain (2003) she visited women's shelters and talked to former victims of abuse for inspiration.
Her and Tom Cruise 's high profile divorce was finalized the same week that her horror movie The Others (2001) was released.
When she went to Sweden to shoot Dogville (2003), it was the first time in 15 years that she had flown on a public plane.
For her role in Birthday Girl (2001) she went to the Russian Embassy in Australia for help in speaking Russian. She didn't work with any other coach on the set except the woman from the embassy.
Got the role as Diane Arbus in Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006) after Samantha Morton backed out.
While filming The Invasion (2007) she was involved in an accident while riding with others in a picture car mounted on trailer being towed by a camera truck rig. While filming a stunt in downtown Los Angeles, the truck took a turn too wide, slid on wet pavement, and collided with a light standard. Several stunt artists on the picture car were injured in the accident. Ms. Kidman was brought to the hospital as a precaution, but was able to return to the set the next day.
Did her own singing for Moulin Rouge! (2001), Happy Feet (2006) and Nine (2009).
While reaching a divorce from Tom Cruise , Nicole lived with her friend Naomi Watts .
It was widely claimed that her friend Naomi Watts turned down the female lead in The Interpreter (2005) because she knew Nicole wanted the role. However, the part was actually written exclusively for Kidman, who was a longtime friend of Sydney Pollack , the director of the film. They previously starred in Eyes Wide Shut (1999) and he produced her films Birthday Girl (2001) and Cold Mountain (2003).
Has worked with some of the most celebrated and acclaimed directors in the movie business: Stanley Kubrick , Lars von Trier , Werner Herzog , Chan-wook Park , Noah Baumbach , Anthony Minghella , Stephen Daldry , David Fincher , Baz Luhrmann , Jane Campion , Gus Van Sant , Ron Howard , The Wachowski siblings and George Miller . In addition to this, she has expressed an eagerness to work with Michael Haneke and has always dreamed of working with her friend Steven Spielberg .
One of her favorite collaborators is costume designer Ann Roth , with whom she worked on five projects including The Hours (2002) and Rabbit Hole (2010).
Some of her favorite movies are Gone with the Wind (1939), Breaking the Waves (1996), The Wizard of Oz (1939), Grease (1978), Rear Window (1954) and The Way We Were (1973).
Good friends with Renée Zellweger , Jim Carrey , Russell Crowe and Meryl Streep . She also became good friends with Daniel Craig after working with him on The Invasion (2007) and The Golden Compass (2007). In 2014 she revealed that whenever he goes to Australia, he always stays at her house.
She loved wearing the prosthetic nose, that she originally used in The Hours (2002) and wore it in private too, mainly as she was undergoing a divorce from Tom Cruise at the time and was attracting a lot of paparazzi interest. Much to her delight, by wearing her fake nose out and about, she found she could easily evade the paparazzi as they didn't recognize her.
She decided not to imitate Virginia Woolf 's actual tone and voice in her portrayal in The Hours (2002), because she feared people thought it would be comic.
She is distantly related to Isabel Kidman, the second wife of Jack Lee .
Replaced Catherine Zeta-Jones in the role of Claudia in Nine (2009) after she quit due to scheduling conflicts. Kidman began rehearsals two months after giving birth to her daughter Sunday.
Became pregnant twice by Tom Cruise during their marriage. In 1991, she suffered an ectopic pregnancy, resulting in their decision to adopt, and then in 2000, prior to their separation, she suffered a miscarriage.
Auditioned for the role of Molly Jensen in Ghost (1990). Director Jerry Zucker said in the DVD commentary that he was very impressed with Kidman, but ultimately cast Demi Moore because she was a bigger name. The film's writer, Bruce Joel Rubin , was equally impressed and later cast Kidman as the lead in My Life (1993).
Turned down Jodie Foster 's role in The Brave One (2007).
Is very close friends with fellow Aussie Hugh Jackman , her Australia (2008) co-star.
Was two months pregnant with her daughter Sunday when she completed filming on Australia (2008).
With her performance as Virginia Wolf in The Hours (2002) lasting around 25 minutes, she has one of the shortest Best Actress Oscar wins in history.
Returned to work two months after the birth of her daughter Faith in order to begin filming Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012).
Owns a massive 3-bedroom, 2-bath river-view apartment in renowned glass tower designed by Richard Meier on Greenwich Village's Perry Street by Hudson River in Manhattan.
Was in a band when she was a teenager, she was the singer.
Said that if she had not been an actress, she would have been a doctor.
She studied at St. Martin's Youth Theatre, Melbourne, Australia; Australian Theatre for Young People, Sydney, Australia and Philip Street Theatre, Sydney, Australia; majored in voice, production and theater history.
When she was a child, used to go fishing with her grandfather.
Decided to do Eyes Wide Shut (1999) before reading the script.
Tom Cruise used to call her "The Wild Australian".
When Stanley Kubrick died, she went to St. Patrick church in New York and lit a candle in his memory.
When she married Tom Cruise , part of their promise was that they would never be separated for more than two weeks. The same promise was applied between her and her second husband Keith Urban . However, they later reduced it to one week and finally they settled on three days of separation to be the limit.
Was nicknamed "Stalky" while attending school.
Raised in Longueville, Sydney and attended a Catholic school.
Shares the services of publicist Pat Kingsley with her friend, Sandra Bullock .
Has two adopted children with her first husband Tom Cruise - a daughter Isabella Jane Kidman-Cruise (aka Isabella Cruise, born on December 22, 1992) and a son Connor Anthony Kidman-Cruise (aka Connor Cruise , born on January 17, 1995).
When she separated from husband Tom Cruise in February 2001, she was 3 months pregnant with what would have been their first biological child, but had a miscarriage.
Gave birth to her third child at age 41, a daughter Sunday Rose Kidman-Urban on July 7, 2008. Child's father is her second husband, Keith Urban .
Became the mother for the fourth time at age 43, when her daughter Faith Margaret Kidman-Urban was born on December 28, 2010 via surrogate. Child's father is her second husband, Keith Urban .
Attended Princess Diana 's funeral with her then-husband, Tom Cruise .
The longest she has gone without an Oscar nomination is 8 years, between The Hours (2002) and Rabbit Hole (2010).
She serves as an Ambassador of the Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, and have hosted events for the children, including special screenings of Happy Feet (2006), The Golden Compass (2007) and Paddington (2014).
Originally turned down her part in Stoker (2013), because she wished to spend time with her kids. However, director Chan-wook Park was eager to have her play the part of Evelyn that he choose to place setting in Nashville. The movie was filmed five minutes from her home and she began filming a week after wrapping The Paperboy (2012).
On set of Cold Mountain (2003) she gave co-star Natalie Portman the advice to "Always choose a film by its director. You're never certain how the movie will turn out, but you are always guaranteed an interesting experience". In 2010, Portman said that she always had that in mind, during her career.
Zac Efron said that shooting the improvised dance scene with her in The Paperboy (2012), was "the day he became a man".
She saved Hugh Jackman from a poisonous scorpion on the set of Australia (2008). While she was about to join Hugh in the bag, she noticed the poisonous scorpion crawling up his leg. She calmly told him not to move and squatted down, scooped the arachnid into her hat and walked over to the woods and released it. Everyone applauded but was asked why she hadn't just stomped on it. She said, 'I would never kill an animal. Every creature here has its purpose. This one just didn't belong in Hugh's bag!'".
Has starred in two movies that have been nominated for Best Picture Academy Awards: Moulin Rouge! (2001) and The Hours (2002).
In both Dead Calm (1989) and Rabbit Hole (2010) Nicole played the mother of a boy named Danny. Danny was killed in car accidents in both films.
Developed shortsightedness in 1998 and had laser treatment to rectify the problem. Usually wears contact lenses but wears glasses on occasions.
Godmother of Simon Baker and Rebecca Riggs ' children Henry and Claude and of Rupert Murdoch 's daughters Grace and Chloe.
11 films in her career have been nominated for at least one Academy Award. The most common category among her representative films is 'Best Costume Design', for which five of her films have been nominated.
In October 2012, she was honored with a Gala event at the 50th-annual New York Film Festival.
She attended the opening ceremony of the London Summer Olympics, with husband Keith Urban , due to her status of spokeswoman for Omega Watches, the official time keeper for the Olympic Games.
In September 2013, she attended the announcement of Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis in Qingdao, China. She was honored as "Best Global Film Actress" at the same event. Jackie Chan presented her the honor.
Spent several weeks in Kununurra, Western Australia, filming Australia (2008) with temperatures soaring to 109 °F.
Attended the world premiere of her friend Naomi Watts 's first major studio film, The Ring (2002), next to Watts and Heath Ledger at the Mann Bruin Theatre, Westwood, CA.
Served member of the main competition jury at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.
Has starred in two films that were selected as the opening film at the Cannes Film Festival: Moulin Rouge! (2001) and Grace of Monaco (2014).
The Valentino dress she wore at the red carpet event of Nebraska (2013) at Cannes Film Festival, was the dress that Anne Hathaway originally was meant to wear at the The 85th Annual Academy Awards. Hathaway discarded the dress at the last minute, because it was too similar to Amanda Seyfried 's dress.
Was a longtime friend (25 years) of L'Wren Scott .
Her Hawaiian name is Hokulani, which means "heavenly star". She was named after a baby elephant, that lived at the local zoo of her childhood home, as her mother loves elephants.
Sofía Vergara was originally cast as Charlotte Bless in The Paperboy (2012), the role that Kidman eventually assumed. Vergara herself has said Kidman was a better fit for the part.
Often teaches herself various skills for different roles. Among them, she knows how to twirl and throw knives, due to her role in Paddington (2014), for which she also took a taxidermy class as part of her preparation.
Frank Ocean sampled one of her monologues from Eyes Wide Shut (1999) into his song "Love Crimes", released on his debut album "Nostalgia, Ultra" from 2011.
Both of her blockbusters from 2007, The Invasion (2007) and The Golden Compass (2007), went through massive creative changes during post-production, due to demand from the studios. The interference left both the directors publicly unsatisfied with the final results of their respective films. A director's cut edition has never been released of either films.
Was the 123rd actress to receive an Academy Award; she won the Best Actress Oscar for The Hours (2002) at The 75th Annual Academy Awards (2003) on March 23, 2003.
Producer Harvey Weinstein suggested her and Judi Dench to play Barbara and Violet in August: Osage County (2013), during the initial casting process of the film. However, the screenwriter of the film, Tracy Letts , voted against the idea, saying that the two roles should be played by American actors.
Sharks are one of her passions and to shark-dive is one of her favorite activities. She considers sharks to be "beautiful".
Was attached to produce and star as Einar Wegener in The Danish Girl (2015) for several years and she considered it to be a passion project for her. She revealed in 2010, that at one point, following difficulties with finding a director, she considered making it her directorial debut. However, in 2014, the project moved forward again, but without Kidman's involvement.
Has a skydiving license.
Meryl Streep considers her to be one of the best actresses of her generation. Emily Blunt , Freida Pinto , Dakota Johnson and Sophia Bush all considers her among their favorite actresses.
When she was 14, she got her first job at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, where she worked as an usherette at Sesame Street Live.
She and former husband Tom Cruise were offered guest roles in The Simpsons (1989) in the episode "When You Dish Upon A Star". They turned it down and were replaced by then-couple Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger .
She was originally reluctant to star in The Others (2001), since it explored such dark places. She tried to persuade the director Alejandro Amenábar and the Weinstein brothers, the producers of the film, to find another actress for the part and even suggested Julianne Moore to the Weinsteins. However, in 2010, Kidman revealed that the film is one of her favorites among her own filmography.
The on-location dressing room she used for Cold Mountain (2003) was an old converted bus once owned by executed Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.
Owns alpacas at her ranch in Nashville.
Was a part of the notoriously secret and long shoot of Eyes Wide Shut (1999). For one minute of footage of the film, director Stanley Kubrick demanded her to do shoot six days of naked sex scenes with a male model. Not only did he ask the pair to pose in over 50 erotic positions, he also banned her then-husband and co-star Tom Cruise from the set and forbade her to assuage her husband's tension by telling him what happened during the shoot. The decision to direct each actor separately an forbid them to share notes was done to exaggerate the distrust between their fictional husband and wife.
Was close friends with Lauren Bacall . She considered Bacall to be her "American Mother".
Noted comedienne Joan Rivers considered her to be one of the most intelligent and funniest actress in Hollywood. She also considered her to be among "the last real movie stars".
Her father, Dr. Antony "Tony" Kidman, died of a heart attack in Singapore at the age of 75. Dr. Kidman had been declared as deceased by Tan Tock Seng Hospital at 9:54 AM SGT. He is survived by, among others, his wife (Janelle, with whom he celebrated a Golden Anniversary in January), children, in-law children, and 10 grandchildren. [September 2014]
In December 2007, she was paid "substantial" damages by the British news paper Daily Telegraph, after they wrongly accused her of having breached provisions in her promotional contract for Chanel No. 5 perfume. In the article "Chanel Left Fuming", they reported that she carried a bottle of a rival fragrance at the premiere of The Golden Compass (2007). Kidman's lawyer, John Kelly, said his client suffered significant embarrassment and distress over the fabricated Telegraph story, The newspaper later determined that its source for the story had made it up. David Price, the Telegraph's solicitor-advocate, apologized on behalf of the paper and agreed to pay Kidman's legal costs as well as substantial undisclosed damages, which she donated to Unifem, the United Nations Development Fund for Women.
In 2013, both she and husband Keith Urban were nominated for a Golden Globe. She received her tenth nomination, while he received his first.
She was well-respected by the late and famed film-critic Roger Ebert . He considered her to have a dichotomous career; "She seems to be two people: the glamorous star of "Moulin Rouge" and "Nine," and the risky, daring actress in "Birth," "The Hours" and "Eyes Wide Shut." He also believed that in time, she will gain more respect; "Celebrity has clouded her image; if she were less glamorous, she would be more praised. Age will only be an asset to her.".
In 2014 she was honored at the Shanghai Film Festival with an "Outstanding Contribution to Film Industry Award". Hugh Grant presented the award to her at the event.
She cites Austrailian and South African accents as being the two most difficult dialects in English.
Her Oscar is placed over the fireplace in her mother's home.
Infamously, she made her debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003) by giving host Jimmy Kimmel a brief lap-dance.
Became a viral hit in January, 2015 following an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014), in which they discuss an embarrassing encounter between the two. The clip is said to have gained 55 million views online during its first week, including 18 million views on YouTube.
Her performance in Sam Mendes 's West End play "The Blue Room" (1999) inspired both Baz Luhrmann to cast her in Moulin Rouge! (2001) and Stephen Daldry to cast her in The Hours (2002). She received an Oscar nomination for both films.
As of 2015, three of her films - Australia (2008), Happy Feet (2006) and Moulin Rouge! (2001) are all in the top five of highest grossing Australian film productions at the box office of her native Australia. She is the only performer to achieve this feat.
Has portrayed the villain in two adaptations of British children literature that features a talking bear as one of the main characters: The Golden Compass (2007) and Paddington (2014). The two characters also shares the initials of M.C. - Marisa Coulter and Millicent Clyde.
To date (2015) she's been taller than both of her husbands and older than one.
Is one of 20 actresses who did not receive an Oscar nomination for their Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical Golden Globe-winning performance; hers being for To Die For (1995). The others, in chronological order, are: June Allyson for Too Young to Kiss (1951), Ethel Merman for Call Me Madam (1953), Jean Simmons for Guys and Dolls (1955), Taina Elg and Kay Kendall for Les Girls (1957), Marilyn Monroe for Some Like It Hot (1959), Rosalind Russell for A Majority of One (1961) and Gypsy (1962), Patty Duke for Me, Natalie (1969), Twiggy for The Boy Friend (1971), Raquel Welch for The Three Musketeers (1973), Barbra Streisand for A Star Is Born (1976), Bernadette Peters for Pennies from Heaven (1981), Kathleen Turner for Romancing the Stone (1984) and Prizzi's Honor (1985), Miranda Richardson for Enchanted April (1991), Jamie Lee Curtis for True Lies (1994), Madonna for Evita (1996), Renée Zellweger for Nurse Betty (2000), Sally Hawkins for Happy-Go-Lucky (2008), and Amy Adams for Big Eyes (2014).
Holds the all time record of being the actress to have appeared on most covers for the fashion magazine Vogue (US edition): 8 times.
Was considered for the role of Michelle in Elle (2016).
In 2009, she was among four Oscar-winning Australian actors to be immortalized onto postage stamps in their home country. Each of the actors has two stamps, showing them both in and out of character.
The filming process of Moulin Rouge! (2001) was halted for two weeks in November 1999 after she fractured two ribs and injured her knee while rehearsing a dance routine for the film. Many of the scenes of the film, where she is seen only from the chest up, including "A real actress!", were shot while she was in a wheelchair.
Eldest daughter Sunday Rose was born two weeks early at 9:00 am Central daylight time on July 7th 2008 weighing 2.934186 Kilos or 6 lbs 7.5 oz at birth.
Bewitched (2005) was the first movie among her own filmography, that was seen by her two youngest daughters, Sunday and Faith. However, due to their young age, the two girls believed their mother was able to perform magic tricks, and were left confused and disappointing when they realized the truth.
Spent four and a half years developing Rabbit Hole (2010). It marked her first movie as both leading actress and producer on a film.
Her fans refers to themselves as "Kidmaniacs".
In 2015, she starred as Rosalind Franklin, the English chemist and X-ray crystallographer, in the play "Photograph 51", as a tribute to her father, the late Antony Kidman, who worked as a biochemist and clinical psychologist. She donated her entire salary to The Actors' Benevolent Fund, and in her father's name to King's College, in honor of her father and Rosalind Franklin.
Has worked with producer Harvey Weinstein on seven projects.
Has co-starred opposite several up-and-coming actors in their feature film debut, such as Thandie Newton , Miles Teller , Dakota Blue Richards , Maddison Brown , Brandon Walters and Sunny Pawar .
Despite her singing skills, she has ruled out the possibility of ever making an official duet with husband Keith Urban . However, they did once perform together in the public, at G'Day Gala, where they reworked "Down Under" by Men at Work as a tribute to Simon Baker .
Learned to ride camels for her role in Queen of the Desert (2015) and on set she had her own male dromedary, named Barbie.
Spoofed by Jennifer Saunders and Patsy Kensit on French and Saunders (1987).
Was personally handpicked by Julia Roberts to be her co-star of Secret in Their Eyes (2015). Roberts sent her an email going; "Will you do this with me?".
Won the Evening Standard Theatre Award for her performance as Rosalind Franklin in "Photograph 51". Jeremy Irons presented her the award.
Cate Blanchett considers her a trailblazer for Australian actors having a chance making a career in the US.
She was nominated for the 2016 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award as 'Best Actress in a Play' (season 2015) for her performance in "Photograph 51".
She has worked with 4 directors who have won a Best Director Oscar: Robert Benton , Ron Howard , Anthony Minghella , and Sydney Pollack .
Was personally handpicked by Sue Brierley to portray her in Lion (2016). Kidman bonded with her young co-star Sunny Pawar by playing cricket with him - scenes which eventually made it into the final film.
Celebrated her 20th birthday on the set of Dead Calm (1989).
Personal Quotes (91)
[August 2000, on her marriage to Tom Cruise ] Every day there is a compromise. Living with somebody requires a lot of understanding. But I love being married. I really love it. Sometimes I try to downplay it a bit because people are like, "God you guys!" I just feel so fortunate that I have found someone who will put up with me and stay with me.
[on husband Tom Cruise ] I wouldn't want to be married to me, but luckily he does.
[8/01, commenting on her break-up with Tom Cruise ] Now I can wear heels.
It's so bizarre, I'm not scared of snakes or spiders. But I'm scared of butterflies. There is something eerie about them. Something weird!
[on winning the Academy Award for The Hours (2002)] And I am standing in front of my mother, and my whole life I have wanted to make my mother proud. And now I'm going to make my daughter proud.
When I heard about the Suzanne role in To Die For (1995), I thought, "I'll never get it - it'll be offered to someone else." So I called Gus [ Gus Van Sant ] at home, and he took my call, thank God. I told him I'd seen Drugstore Cowboy (1989), and I really wanted to work with him. I said I was destined to work with him.
I think it's important that we don't all have to hold our heads high all the time saying everything's fine.
These different people that I play become the loves of my life.
The split [from Tom Cruise ] left me very fragile but I'd love to marry again.
I would love to have boobs and a butt like Jennifer Lopez but I'm not having surgery so there it is.
[on receiving her star on the Walk of Fame] I've never been so excited to have people walk all over me for the rest of my life.
You want to take some responsibility in your choices so that it sets the groundwork for that next generation of actresses - so for me working with Lars von Trier , I would hope that says to another generation: "go and seek out those directors, it's ok"
[on Dogville (2003)] One day it would be a fairy tale, the next it was a nightmare. Lars [ Lars von Trier ] was gentle with me - he was gentle and soft, then he would beat me up emotionally when he felt he needed that. I did not always register what was happening until afterwards but you shouldn't have too much awareness as an actor, I don't think.
I have a boy's body. I would prefer to have more curves because I think that's more beautiful. I would much rather have J. Lo's [ Jennifer Lopez ] body than mine.
[on filming The Interpreter (2005) at UN headquarters in New York] As a backdrop for a thriller, it's fantastic, but also since I'm Australian and I've always worked internationally and this is an international place in New York, I really like the kind of communication it represents. I know I sound very much like my character now, but I do believe in this place.
[on Cold Mountain (2003), The Human Stain (2003) and Dogville (2003) being released within months of each other] It's weird because they're all coming out at once. But I made them over 2-1/2 years.
You look at somebody's work as an actor and you can see their emotional life being fed into it and you can kind of feel them through it. That's far more interesting than anything I could say about where I'm at or who I'm with. It's good to have a little distance. If you discuss your love too much, it just damages it.
[on the troubled The Stepford Wives (2004)] It's a comedy. We hope.
Even from a very early age I knew I didn't want to miss out on anything life had to offer just because it might be considered dangerous.
Cinema is a director's medium, so you're saying, "What do you want?" Being an actor is about adapting - physically and emotionally. If that means you have to look great for it and they can make you look great, then thank you. And if you have to have everything washed away, then I'm willing to do that too.
[on Birth (2004)] This is a film about love. What is a great love? Is there a love of our life? Do you ever recover from the loss of somebody that was so important to you?
Stanley Kubrick taught me to believe in myself artistically. I spent my 20s raising my children, and wanting to, and being married. That was my driving force. And then he said to me, "No, you have to respect your talent, and give it some space, and give it some time. Which was a lovely thing to be given. And my children were a little older then.
It was by chance that The Hours (2002) came along. Was I in a place where I could say, "I'm going to go to England and make this?" Yes. Could I do that earlier, when I was married? No, I couldn't travel like that. We had a thing where we couldn't be separated for more than two weeks. So that made a lot of work just not possible. Which was fine by me.
I have moments where I've said, "Don't tread on that crack in the pavement, don't have a black cat walk in front of you." Deep down am I superstitious? No. Do I believe in trying to be as kind as possible and as compassionate as possible because ultimately you're alone with yourself and your own conscience, and you want that to be as clear as possible? That's not superstition. You have to just try and stay pure and know what you value.
Usually, a young actress can't deliver because she doesn't have the emotional baggage, really, to play those things. That's something that's very beautiful about becoming a woman, and becoming a woman in your 30s. If you've lived your life, and lived it where you've said, "I want to be a participator and not a voyeur", then you have an enormous amount to pull on.
I'm still just finding my way through. I don't actually see a path in front of me. I can see not ever doing it again, and I can also see other things pulling me away from this. It's strange, because I know it's in my blood in terms of having to somehow act or express myself creatively, but I'm willing to do it different ways if need be. And I think that's partly because when I went through my divorce I dealt with the idea of never ever working again, and never being here and never able to be an actress, and went through an enormous amount of soul searching, and at that time, I was very ready to give it all up, and dealt with that emotionally. I was going, "Well, I'll never be able to do this again." And that was OK. And, strangely, as life is so strange, that was when everything exploded.
I never feel like I'm in control. There's a certain type of actor that relinquishes control when they act, and then there's another type who ends up being a producer and director and they're more someone that likes to take control. I fall in the first category, where I like to relinquish control, and fit into somebody else's world. And that's just lately, but you never feel like you are making choices. You feel like they're finding you in a strange way. That's why when people say, "What role do you want to play next?", I say, "I don't know". I never know. It's about responding to things rather than planning.
I think someone said my career defies all logic [laughs]. Because I choose the sort of strange little films, and somehow they're the things that make my career.
So if you talk about a box-office career, then I'm a disaster. But somehow, you know, I still manage to find my way to work.
I think actors are getting so much more power these days, but I'm not. I stay very much away from the decisions, the way in which things are orchestrated, what's been changed. I just try to stay completely in the role as the actor and as the character.
I'm at a time of my life now where, for me to want to go back and work, it'd have to be something that I really feel passionately about.
Regrets are ridiculous, so I don't regret, no.
[talking about her character from Batman Forever (1995)] Chase is attracted to the darker side of life. Batman is very appealing to her.
To be an actor you have to have a certain amount of madness in you. That's why, when people meet you and you seem very together, they are quite surprised--they don't see you behind closed doors.
[speaking of her father Antony Kidman] He's a great father, I can call him at three in the morning and he's there for me.
By the time I was a teenager, I had developed skills as a writer, and my father encouraged me to think about a career in journalism. I began keeping a diary, which I maintain to this day. I used to fill whole notebooks with my writings.
My parents thought it was nice to develop my imagination, but they never seriously thought that anything would ever come of it. They said that I couldn't be an actress because I would be taller than all my leading men, so I thought I would be a writer instead.
It was very natural for me to want to disappear into dark theater, I am really very shy. That is something that people never seem to fully grasp because, when you are an actor, you are meant to be an exhibitionist.
Do you know I'm always scared that one day I'll look back and say "God they were the best years of my life and now what?" There are moments when you feel as if you have been blessed for a while, moments when you think this is perfect, moments when you start to believe that even for an hour, even for a year, it might all happen. So I'm determined to keep making it get better and better.
It's a very brave thing to fall in love. You have to be willing to trust somebody else with your whole being, and that's very difficult, really difficult and very brave.
[about her first role at the age of five] I was one of those terrible kids who said everyone's lines.
Since I have fair skin, I have to stay out of the sun. I can't stand the sun. I dyed my hair red for a while during the 1990s but I'm actually a natural blonde.
I'm very close to my sister, Antonia [ Antonia Kidman ]. Every day we swim together. I love my sister.
When I was a child, I was a natural towhead. Now my hair is naturally a darker shade of blonde.
I'd like to be wise. You have to go through a lot to get there, but I'm willing to go through a lot.
What's the point of doing something good if nobody's watching?
Even from a very early age, I knew I didn't want to miss out on anything life had to offer just because it might be considered dangerous.
I believe that as much as you take, you have to give back. It's important not to focus on yourself too much.
I love acting but I don't like all of the other stuff associated with it. The interest in celebrities, the press, the Internet, when your identity becomes mixed up in the way people are perceiving you.
I have a little bit of a belly, a tiny bit of pooch. It's the one thing I don't want to lose. I just like having some softness. If I lose that, then Tom [husband Tom Cruise ] might leave me.
I never knew I'd be in a musical, let alone win an award for one.
There's no drugs, no Tom [ Tom Cruise ] in a dress, no psychiatrists.
Having gone through all of this, I feel in some ways calmer now. It's strange, but sad. I think I'll always be sad.
I love acting, but it's much more fun taking the kids to the zoo.
[on her split with Tom Cruise ] My life collapsed. People ran from me because suddenly it was, "Oh my God! It's over for her now!"
I love working with people who are inspired and obsessive.
As a child my hair was naturally red, but since I was 13 my hair turned light blonde naturally. It's really strange but it happened. Ever since Chase through the night, the directors made me dye my hair red, as they all thought it suited me at the time. Even for Dead Calm (1989), Phillip Noyce made me dye my hair red. Now the directors and studios just let me keep my natural blonde hair.
For an actor, facial expressions and emotions are really important. That's why I'll never have Botox. I've always been against that and seeing Botox on TV with all the swelling and pain put me off it anyway. The directors always allow actors with Botox but I just say. "No way, not for me". Drinking lots of water, eating fruit and doing yoga is what keeps me looking young naturally. I swear by it. I also use creams with natural ingredients to make wrinkles less visible. Everybody should try these things rather than going the plastic route, which I just hate.
You don't have to be naked to be sexy.
I'm a person that carries everything that happened to me in my past, with me into the future. I refuse to let it make me bitter. I still completely believe in love and I remain open to anything that will happen to me.
If I packaged toothpaste and told you you were gonna get half the toothpaste in the tube, you probably wouldn't buy it.
It would be far easier to go, "Oh, I wish I loved women," but I don't. I love the way a man thinks. I love the way a man smells. I love the way men look. And I'm hooked on the male physique - hooked on it.
You're either going to walk through life and experience it fully or you're going to be a voyeur. And I'm not a voyeur.
On living in Nashville: It's the warmest, loveliest community I've ever set foot in. For me, it's the perfect place to live. To me, it's the best part of America...It's the easiest place to live. Keith's lived there for 20 years. The country music community is very tight. I like the polite nature of it. No traffic. I'm a big Southern girl now. It's just suits me.
[on Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012)] I knew nothing about Martha, but I've always been drawn to unique women who are willing to take on the world. The exciting thing about this film is that you see her discovering her nature. At the beginning, she's a lot of talk. She knows that she's either got to get her hands dirty and become what she pretends to be or she's a fraud. In the end, Gellhorn out-Hemingways Hemingway.
[on music] I'm so eclectic and I use it in my work all the time. What I used a lot with Lee on The Paperboy (2012) was Al Green . Lee has never listened to anything past 1970!
[on The Golden Compass (2007)] I'm not a huge fan of fantasy. I've always been drawn to more - in terms of filmmaking - I've been drawn to more psychological dramas but I think what drew me to this was it had the intricacies of the characters allow strong performances and that's what I found compelling about it.
I know the feeling of polarizing films, that make people angry and uncomfortable and I'm very comfortable with that.
[on Birth (2004)] It created a lot of controversy because of a bathtub scene [with me] and a 10-year-old boy. But I never saw the film that way. It's fascinating when choose roles how you perceive them and how they're perceived on the outside.
I'll never forget sort of "DJ-ing" after [the Cannes screening of] Moulin Rouge! (2001). I think there is a photo of me with headphones on, it was with Fatboy Slim and the place was going crazy. I hold that dear to my heart.
I remember having really mixed reactions to different films I brought to [Cannes Film Festival]. One of them was the Von Trier film, one of them was To Die For (1995). It was actually an extraordinary reaction for To Die For (1995). We were not in competition, and I remember being terribly scared that people were gonna hate it, but people loved it. That was very, very instrumentally beginning my career in terms of serious film-making. The critics got behind me on that film and that kind of took me from being Tom Cruise 's wife into being something different, which artistically was such a joy for me.
My ability to escape myself probably comes from the riskier the role. It took me a while to learn that and to understand that. I've tried to comfort and play the girl-next-door and the less complicated supporting roles. And for whatever reason I can not latch on, I don't quite know how to do it. So the more complicated, the better for me. I don't know what that says about me.
[on not being Oscar-nominated for To Die For (1995)] I got a telegram from Sean Penn for that, and it said "You were robbed". That was all he sent me. And it was as good as an Academy Award nomination.
[on The Golden Compass (2007)]: I love that it's a little girl who's the protagonist, the hero of the piece, and also that it is about friendship, loyalty and honesty.
[on Australia (2008)]: It was the best experience I've ever had working on a film.
[on Charlize Theron ] I love that we're both so tall.
[on filming Nine (2009)] My favorite memories are Sophia Loren holding my four week-old baby, because that is something that goes down for me in the great memories, and also becomes part of Sunday Rose's infant picture book. I mean, you can't do better than that.
[on acting] It's the desire to study the human condition, the desire for collaboration, to learn and absorb, and to lead a well-examined life.
I work well with people who are extreme.
[on Lars von Trier ] He does things cinematically that nobody else does. And whether you love him or hate him, the filmmaking is incredibly strong.
[on Stanley Kubrick and working with him on Eyes Wide Shut (1999)] Stanley wanted six months of rehearsal. He didn't want to start, and then he didn't want to finish. Stanley taught Tom [Cruise] and I, 'Never say no.' When someone proposes an idea, you never shut it down. And that's a good lesson that goes far beyond work. That's a life lesson.
[on considering saying no to projects that take her away from her kids and husband for too long] I've worked hard to get to this place personally. I don't take any of it for granted. I cherish it. I'm more than willing to make those sacrifices because, when I'm 70 and 80, I want my family around me. I know other things can come into play about that, but it's certainly not going to be because I didn't show up.
I think love is the core emotion. Without that, and I've certainly existed without that, it's a very empty life. When I won the Oscar [for "The Hours"], I went home and I didn't have that in my life. That was the most intensely lonely moment in my life. [During] my professional highs, I've often had personal lows. It's always aggravated me that it's gone that way.
There was that whole time from when we took Moulin Rouge! (2001) to the Cannes Film Festival and then all the way through to winning the Oscar for The Hours (2002), that was a very strange time in my life because it was the collision of professional success and personal failure and that's just a very strange thing. When I won the Oscar it was kind of a mix of popping open a bottle of champagne but at the same time feeling incredibly lonely. It's been professional highs and personal lows and they collide. I'm hoping one day that won't happen. Now is a good time personally but it's not a professional high. The highs are pretty extreme and they don't happen that often, do they? I much prefer the personal high anyway. I'd never give that up.
I've turned things down, definitely. I was pregnant and I was going to do The Reader (2008) and I had to call and say, 'I've spent my whole life wanting to be pregnant and I'm finally pregnant and I won't be able to do it.' And they were like, 'You could work pregnant.' No. That's not what I wanted to do. "I didn't want to be working while I was pregnant. Some women could, maybe if they'd already had a lot of children, but for me it was such a huge place to be and I wanted to carry my baby and keep her healthy and peaceful. I was like, 'I'm going to do everything I can to just bring this baby into the world.
[on the beginning of her career] I had huge expectations. You start out with big dreams and I mean, big dreams artistically. You want to work with the greatest living directors, make a great movie. I wanted to make a great love story, I wanted to make a great epic and then you realize that the truth of it is that it's so hard to make a great film. It's hard to get a great role. Those big expectations change to realism pretty quickly. But what's never changed is my desire to work with great directors and to find projects that push me out of my comfort zone and keep me alive. I still don't think I've done my best work
[on her preparation for Paddington (2014)] I'm about to go down to the museum and do a taxidermy class on Saturday night. And I love animals! I also have to throw knives, so I'll be doing that in the backyard. I've got a guy coming over to teach me how to throw a knife. I want to be able to just do it with a bit of a flourish. I believe this is my path, so I'll go down in fire if I have to.
I think when you go into the orbit of a director, they bring certain things out in you. The greatest thing you can offer is abandonment, in terms of a performance, and also deep loyalty. Because when there is enormous loyalty to them, then it's a very safe place. It's like, O.K., so she'll stand by me no matter what, no matter if the film even succeeds or fails. We're in it together, and this is ours, together, forever. Which is why I probably stay very, very close to a lot of the directors that I've worked with, whether the outcome is successful or not. Because I get deeply sort of connected and close to them. Jane, Alejandro, Stephen, Lars - all of them. That's important to me, and the longevity of it.
[on choosing Aaron Eckhart ]: I've known Aaron for a long time and he has a side of him which is very raw and emotional, which he doesn't show on screen very often.
[on her villainous character in The Golden Compass (2007)]: The beauty of this story is that it's a trilogy and I think that if we get to make the second and the third film - which I would love - you get to see all of the layers peel away from this woman. So that was what I was trying to do in this film, to give her the layers. There's a mystery there and you're not quite sure and you feel the texture of her.
Snuggling is the secret to happiness.
Salary (25)
| i don't know |
Who said on splitting from Mick Jagger “I’m sure he can find someone else to be unfaithful to soon”? | "'I Think Mick's Having a Hard Time. but I'm Sure He'll Find Someone Else to Be Unfaithful to Soon'; Cellulite? No Chance. Divorce? He'll Get over It. Does Nothing Faze Jerry Hall? Shane Watson Meets the Fabulous Texan, Who Is Back on the Stage in the Vagina Monologues" by Watson, Shane - The Evening Standard (London, England), September 4, 2001 | Online Research Library: Questia
Byline: SHANE WATSON
JERRY Hall is not one bit bothered about the whole cellulite thing.
But after I mention the offending paparazzi shot (Saint Tropez beach, dimply thighs) for the third time, she leaps up from her circle seat at the New Ambassadors Theatre and hitches up her Christian Dior dress at the back to reveal a smooth, tanned, model thigh that is quite rumple free.
"Do I have it? Maybe ah doo, liddle bit, liddle tiny bit of fat, maybe. I don't care. I thought it was a bit funny, you know. You have to laugh."
And she does, a girlish semi-cackle that's in unexpected contrast to that famously deep, drowsy, Texan voice that can slow down so far it sounds like she's going under. Jerry is better in the flesh. Her skin is glossy and golden - "I use olive oil all over" - and she has glittering blue eyes and a smile that I can't believe isn't advertising Pearl Drops, all curly lipped and wide and bright. In the 15 seconds it took her to slink down the passage to the stage door, swinging along in her short, black dress and scarlet cardigan, she was wolfwhistled, twice.
We're here, in the theatre, because Jerry is performing in The Vagina Monologues, but really, of course, because Jerry is endlessly fascinating, with her mane of home-dyed, mucky-blonde hair, her relationship with Mick Jagger, her Southern-girl style, her 30-year modelling career. Does she feel the pressure to stay the perfect size 10 for ever?
"No, I don't. I feel incredibly lucky to be so happy in my skin, and lucky to not mind about getting older. It's a spiritual thing, heh heh!" What about plastic surgery? (Jerry favours a cantilevered dEcolletage, but her chest size is 34a, so it's mostly padding.) "I would never do that, nooo, I just wanna be healthy and live a really long time and look after my grandkids."
Jerry Hall has become a kind of survivor role model in the manner of Princess Diana, the lovely girl who deserved better, the outsider who brought grace to a thoroughly difficult role and, in the process, joined the very short list of women who are loved by men and women alike. She was once described in a broadsheet newspaper as "an inspiration to wives everywhere".
Best of all, two years ago she left Mick Jagger and achieved the almost impossible: an amicable divorce and a personal revival. She's played Mrs Robinson in The Graduate - to mixed reviews, OK, but there are plenty of others still interested. She has a Broadway show in the pipeline, a part in the next Merchant Ivory film, Merci Docteur Rey, and she's enrolled on an Open University course. I wonder if the latter has anything to do with the drubbing she received when she was made a judge on the Whitbread panel in 1999? Jerry looks puzzled: "I don't think I got a drubbing." Well, there was a certain amount of bad press referring to the dumbing-down of literary prizes. "I didn't see that," she says flatly. "I don't feel I have to prove anything," and then she laughs one of her regular crackling laughs, just to show there are no hard feelings. Jerry has said in the past that she "doesn't remember bad things for long", plus, of course, there was the one about being "a lady in the parlour, a cook in the kitchen and a whore in the bedroom".
Around her, you are conscious that being a woman is a vocation, a responsibility tied up with looking good, pleasing everyone, and showing good manners at all times. Someone, at some point, back in Mesquite, Texas, before she left to be a model at 15, said: "Jerry, don't bore; pretty and vivacious is what we like."
Her speech is peppered with references to how lucky and happy she is. She smiles all the time, even when you are irritating her, and laughs on the beat, not because anything is particularly funny, but because she knows it lightens the mood, introduces a note of girlishness. You can't help feeling that after twentysomething years of living here, her Southern accent remains undiluted all the better to say: "I add-awe comedy - it's instant gradification", and follow through with a mane-tossing, throat-baring laugh that reminds you, if you're old enough, of the yowling vamp in the Bryan Ferry Stick Together video. …
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| Jerry Hall |
Who played the title role in the 2005 London police series “Jericho”? | T.R.O.T.
(London 2010)
Hope everyone had a great time in London and didn't feel too exhausted when returning home!
We were lucky with the weather and rather chuffed too that we we didn't leave anyone behind!
Congrats to Hilary and Elizabeth for comming up trumps on the quiz. (...and thanks to Hilary for these great photos - taken from the LONDON EYE)
Thanks to Axe Vale coaches, Janet and Emma who baked delicious biscuits, and Zoe and Mary for the bottle donations for the quiz and ofcourse to Sheila and Edwin for the use of their campground field for all of our vehicles, this was a great help as we could all get on and off the coach safetly avoiding the Wells Road traffic.
All in all we raised in excess of £230 from ticket sales, the quiz and onboard refreshments (with all proceeds going towards the village Hall)
In a bid to save paper I didn't print out the quiz answers....so here they are with the chocolate ones at the end, but before the quiz answers how about the biggest question of all.......WHERE NEXT?
The official TROTTER’s Quiz …… QUESTIONS and ANSWERS
What did Dr John S. Pemberton concoct in his backyard in 1886?
Coca-cola
Who was the youngest president of the USA?
Theodore Roosevelt
Who made the first telephone call to the moon?
Richard Nixon
Which people made Saddleworth Moor famous?
Ian Brady and Myra Hindley
Where are the Scottish Crown jewels held?
Edinburgh Castle
Who, according to a diary entry, said on March 17 1912 "I am just going outside and may be some time"?
Captain Oates
Donald F. Duncan introduced in 1929 a toy based on a weapon used by 16th-century Filipino hunters. What is it called?
Yo-yo
Who designed the dome of St. Peter's, Rome?
Michelangelo
In what year was Mahatma Gandhi assassinated?
1948
Who famously said: "I counted them all out and I counted them all back again"?
Brian Hanrahan
Who was king of England at the time of the War of Independence?
George III
The Battle of Edgehill was the first battle in which conflict?
English Civil War
In what year was the "Gunfight at the OK Corral"?
1881
What was Commonwealth day called before 1958?
Empire Day
The eruption of Mount Vesuvius destroyed the city of Pompeii and which other city? Herculaneum
At the outbreak of World War I, who was the British Prime Minister?
Herbert Asquith
In which year did Hitler become chancellor of Germany?
1933
Which daughter of Zeus was the cause of the Trojan War?
Helen of Troy
In which year was Nato formed?
1949
What great struture designed by Joseph Paxton was built in 1851?
Crystal palace
Who wrote "A Short History of Nearly Everything" and "Notes from a Small Island"?
Bill Bryson
According to Beatrix Potter, what type of animal was Mr Jeremy Fisher ?
A Frog
What is thanatology the scientific study of?
Death
What English military term translates as "little war" in Spanish?
Guerrilla
According to the rhyme, what is/has Thursday's child ?
(Far to Go)
What was the name of William Wordsworth's Cottage in Grasmere?
(Dove Cottage)
In which H G Wells novel was humanity split into two groups whereby the Eloi live above ground, and the Morlocks below?
Time Machine
What is the official language of Brazil?
Portugese
Greenmantle, dating from 1916, was the sequel to which other novel published in 1915?
The Thirty Nine Steps
In Bram Stoker's Dracula, Where did Dracula come ashore in England?
Whitby
Of what was the Vulgate a version?
The Bible
Who wrote the novel "Ben Hur"?
Lew Wallace
Who was the first vicar of Theale?
Rev White
In literature, between people of which particular profession do ECLOGUES take place? Shepherds
Correct name of Street?
Who was the first ever man seen of Channel 4?
RICHARD WHITELY
What was Don Diego De La Vega's secret identity?
ZORRO
Who teamed up with Nancy Sinatra for the 1971 hit 'Did You Ever'?
Lee Hazlewood
Who links Yazoo and Erasure?
Vince Clarke
Who was Jimmy Somerville's partner in the Communards?
Richard Coles
Who cover of an Elvis song gave the Pet Shop Boys a number one in 1987?
Always on My Mind
Where is Theale to the nearest degree of Latitude? 51 degrees
Where is Theale to the nearest degree of Longitude? 2 degrees
Which sixties duo could have been called Stewart and Clyde?
Chad and Jeremy
Which band had a hit in 1986 with 'Sometimes'?
Erasure
Difference in miles between motorway and A303?
20 miles
What was the title of the Pet Shop Boys second UK number one?
It' a Sin
Which girl duo got to number five in the charts in 1984 with 'Since Yesterday'?
Strawberry and Switchblade
What was Peter and Gordon's follow-up to 'A World Without Love'? Nobody I Know
With whom did Elton John release a live version of 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me'? in 1991? George Michael
For whom was it 'Yesterday Once More' in 1973? The Carpenters
Which Everly Brothers classic was a hit for Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell in 1969? All I Have To Do Is Dream
Which two country artists got together for 'Islands In The Steam' in 1983? Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
Who has daughters called Fifi Trixibelle and Peaches?
Bob Geldof
What is the date of the next Church Bazaar?
20/11/10
What is Ozzy Osborne' real first name?
John
Which actor played the 8th Doctor Who in a one-off TV Movie made by America in 1996?
Paul McGann
Which comedy duo lived in Oil Drum Lane?
Steptoe and Son
Which duo foiled master criminal Feathers McGraw?
Wallace & Gromit
In which year did Robbie Williams leave Take That?
1995
Who wrote The Sound of Music?
RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN
What is the small town in which called in which Clark Kent grew up?
Smallville
Which very popular animated series has characters called Dizzy, Scoop and Muck?
BOB THE BUILDER
In which year did the yellow puppet Flat Eric reach number 1 and Britney achieve her first UK #1?
1999
Which Nintendo arcade game first introduced the character of Mario?
Donkey Kong
Which musical does "youll never walk alone" come from?
Carousel
In 2003, which entertainer sparked interested with a publicity stunt of apparently cutting off his ear during a press conference?
David Blaine
Charles Bronson who died in 2003 was best know for the film Death Wish. In which year was it released?
1974
In a 2003 list compiled by the US film industry (actors, dir, critics), who was voted best screen villain?
Hannibal Lecter
Who directed the film Dune? A) David Lynch, b) Ridley Scott, c) David Fincher
answer A
How is Ilyena Lydia Mironoff better known?
Hellen Mirren
Who, upon splitting with her partner said, "At least I can wear high heels now."?
Nicole Kidman
Who replaced Rick Waller in the finals of the UK TV programme in 2002 "Pop Idol"?
Darius Danesh
One half of a comedy due, by what name was Arthur Jefferson better known?
Stan Laurel
What time does the coach leave the Nat History Museum?
5pm
What is the name of the cross eyed lion in "Daktari"?
Clarence
Who directed the film Crash?
David Kronenberg
Who said of Mick Jagger: I'm sure he'll find someone else to be unfaithful to soon.?
Jerry Hall
Who wrote the first series of Black Adder?
Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson
The song, Ain't Misbehavin' was written by which famous jazz musician?
Fats Waller
In which BBC TV series did Jean Alexander play Auntie Wainwright?
Last of the Summer Wine
Alison Hannigan plays which character in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer?
Willow
Who were the writers of the TV comedy series Father Ted?
Graham Linehan & Arthur Matthews
Who wrote and composed the opera Oedipus Rex?
Stravinsky
The Matrix reloaded took $93 mil in its opening US weekend, a record secondly only to which previous film?
Spider-man
Which insect is the most effective in pollinating flowers a honeybee or a bumble bee?
Honeybee
In what countries do the Alps appear?
Ger, Fra, Ital, Switz, Slovenia,Lichtenstein, Austr, Monaco
Mariana’s Trench question, Answer Challenger Deep
| i don't know |
Which song was a hit for both Nilsson in 1972 and Maria Carey in 1994? | Mariah Carey - Without You (With Lyrics) - YouTube
Mariah Carey - Without You (With Lyrics)
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Uploaded on Mar 27, 2008
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Category
| Without You |
The town of Leek is situated in which English county? | Without You Tab by Badfinger (text version) | Songsterr Tabs with Rhythm
E
No capo
BADFINGER - WITHOUT YOU (Ham/Evans) From NO DICE album. Released by APPLE RECORDS on 9th November 1970.
Tabbed by:PJVillanueva This song was never released as a Badfinger single. This may explain the fact that it never topped the charts in its original version, but it was a World Hit soon by Harry Nilsson in December 1972 and also by Maria Carey in February 1994. Well I can't forget this evening and your face when you were leaving But I guess that's just the way the story goes You always smile but in your eyes your sorrow shows Yes it shows. Well I can't forget tomorrow when I think of all my sorrow I had you there, then I let you go And now it's only fair that I should let you know What you should know I can't live, if living is without you I can't live, I can't give anymore I can't live, if living is without you I can't live, I can't give anymore Well I can't forget this evening and your face when you were leaving But I guess that's just the way the story goes You always smile but in your eyes your sorrow shows Yes it shows.
{guitar solo}
I can't live, if living is without you I can't live, I can't give anymore I can't live, if living is without you I can't live, I can't give anymore I can't live, if living is without you I can't live, I can't give anymore I can't live, if living is without you I can't live, I can't give anymore I can't live, if living is without you I can't live, I can't give anymore I can't live, if living is without you I can't live, I can't give anymore
Intro
| i don't know |
Charlotte is the largest city in which US State? | 10 fastest growing U.S. cities - Charlotte, N.C. (1) - CNNMoney
10 fastest growing U.S. cities
Despite the housing bust and the recession, these 10 U.S. cities still managed to record population gains of 30% or more in the decade ending in 2010, according to the Census Bureau. The national average was less than 10% during that time.
Charlotte, N.C.
Population: 1,249,449
Growth (2000-2010): 64.6%
Charlotte initially made its mark as a transportation hub, but these days the banking industry reigns.
Charlotte is the "second largest financial center in the nation, after New York," said Bob Morgan, president of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce.
Bank of America calls Charlotte home, while Citi, Ally Financial, JPMorgan and Wells Fargo all host operations there. The jobs offered by these big banks have helped this city's population to swell over the years.
Also contributing to the area's growth is the "half-back" phenomenon. North Carolina receives a large number of former Northerners who first retire to Florida, but later decide to leave the state.
"They get hit by their second or third hurricane and they move halfway back to their old homes," said Morgan.
By Les Christie @CNNMoney - Last updated April 05 2012: 12:42 PM ET
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| North Carolina |
Name the year – James Callaghan becomes PM; Britain and Iceland end the C od War; 21st Olympic Games begin in Montreal. | Fort Smith: Introduction
Located on the Arkansas River where the state of Arkansas meets Oklahoma, Fort Smith is the western gateway to Arkansas. The former military fort was situated with great purpose in 1817 to separate warring native tribes, and its location continues to serve Fort Smith today as a manufacturing and tourism destination.
Fort Smith: Geography and Climate
Fort Smith is located on the Arkansas-Oklahoma border, where it is bisected by the Arkansas River and sandwiched between the Ouachita and Ozark national forests. Built on the flats left by the meandering river, the city is level and green but enjoys easy access to mountains.
Fort Smith: Municipal Government
Fort Smith operates under a city administrator form of government in which the governing body is composed of a mayor and seven board directors. Four of the directors represent wards of the City of Fort Smith, while the mayor and the other three directors are elected by the broader population of the city.
Fort Smith: Economy
Fort Smith is the manufacturing hub of Arkansas, with more goods produced in that vicinity than anywhere else in the state. National and international companies such as Weyerhauser, Gerber Foods, Whirlpool Corporation and Rheem Air Conditioning Products have facilities in Fort Smith and employ thousands of area workers to generate wood and paper products, food products, air conditioning system components and appliances.
Fort Smith: Education and Research
The Fort Smith Public Schools (FSPS) offers education services to students within the city's municipal boundaries, with students from outside the area eligible to apply to the School of Choice program. The student population increased slightly during the 2003-2004 school year, with the most marked growth in non-English speaking and economically disadvantaged students.
Fort Smith: Health Care
The greater Fort Smith Arkansas-Oklahoma metropolitan area of 11 counties is served by 5 hospitals and 23 clinics, with outpatient and specialty services being provided by 591 organizations and individuals in private practice. The primary provider of healthcare services locally is Sparks Regional Medical Center, established in Arkansas in 1887.
Fort Smith: Recreation
The best way to get to know the city is to begin at the Fort Smith National Historical Site on the grounds of the old military installation. Here visitors can trace the history of the area from Wild West fort to "Trail of Tears" waystation, to frontier justice courtroom.
Little Rock: Introduction
Located in the geographic center of Arkansas, Little Rock is also the state's undisputed historic, cultural, and economic hub. The capital since 1821 (when Arkansas was still just a territory) and the seat of Pulaski County, Little Rock now finds itself to be a key link between markets in the southwest and the southeast.
Little Rock: Geography and Climate
Centrally located on the Arkansas River on the dividing line between the Ouachita Mountains to the west and the flat lowlands of the Mississippi River valley to the east, Little Rock experiences all of the air mass types common to North America. Winters are mild, but periods of cold weather can occur when arctic air moves in from the north.
Little Rock: History
The earliest inhabitants of the area that is now Little Rock were Stone Age people who—despite their lack of sophisticated tools, wagons, and domesticated animals—constructed huge earthen mounds that are still in existence. (Some of the most significant ones in the state are located just a short distance down the Arkansas River from Little Rock.) Used as public meeting places, living quarters, and burial chambers, these mounds have yielded numerous examples of pottery and other artifacts.
Little Rock: Education and Research
The Little Rock School District provides education to students within the city boundaries, as well as to students who live outside the city who opt to transfer to one of the magnet or interdistrict schools. Local schools are recognized for their multicultural diversity and high academic standards.
Little Rock: Health Care
Medical facilities in the Greater Little Rock area provide comprehensive, quality service for more than two million people in the metropolitan area and the state. Little Rock itself has 650 physicians and surgeons in 11 hospitals and 70 clinics, with bed space for more than 5,000 patients.
Little Rock: Recreation
A good place to begin a tour of Little Rock is Riverfront Park, located directly on the riverfront in the center of the city. The park is the site of numerous fairs and festivals during the year, and it also offers the visitor a place to relax or stroll along the promenade and read about the area's early history in an open-air pavilion.
Little Rock: Convention Facilities
With the development of Statehouse Plaza and its complex of meeting facilities and hotels, Little Rock has made a special effort to attract convention business. Situated along the Arkansas River, Statehouse Plaza is an eight-square-block area in downtown Little Rock that includes the Statehouse Convention Center and University Conference Center, Robinson Center, and several major hotels, including the Peabody, Capital, and Double Tree.
Little Rock: Transportation
The Little Rock National Airport is located within the city limits and is only three miles from downtown, thus making it one of the most convenient urban airports in the country. It is served by American Eagle, Comair, Continental Express, Delta, Delta Connection, Northwest, Northwest Airlink, Southwest, and US Airways Express.
Little Rock: Communications
Little Rock has one major daily newspaper, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, a morning paper that is circulated statewide. The weekly publication Arkansas Times is a general lifestyle newspaper aiming to educate readers about life in Arkansas, and the Arkansas Business News serves readers on a weekly basis.
Jacksonville: History
Historians hold that the Timucua tribe lived on the site of today's Jacksonville since before the year 2000 B.C. The first documented European visitors to the area were a group of French Huguenots, led by Rene de Laudonniere, who sailed into the mouth of the St.
Jacksonville: Municipal Government
The city of Jacksonville and Duval County voted in 1968 to establish a consolidated government designed to use all community resources in solving problems that affect the entire county area. The city's strong-mayor form of government is divided into 14 districts of nearly equal population, each of which is represented by a council member.
Miami: Introduction
Described as the "only great city of the world that started as a fantasy," Miami, with its subtropical climate, naturally protected harbor, and spectacular beaches, has traditionally been a haven for tourists and retirees. Since the late 1980s, however, the city has sustained unprecedented growth and, while transforming its image, has emerged as a center of international finance and commerce and as a regional center for Latin American and Haitian art.
Miami: Geography and Climate
Located at the mouth of the Miami River on the lower east coast of Florida, Miami is bordered on the east by Biscayne Bay, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean. Further east, the islands of Key Biscayne and Miami Beach shelter the bay from the Atlantic Ocean, thus providing Miami with a naturally protected harbor.
Miami: History
South Florida was settled more than four thousand years ago by primitive people who had established a thriving culture by the time Spanish explorers led by Ponce de Leon arrived in 1513. The principal native tribe in the region that is now Miami-Dade County was the Calusa (renamed Tequesta by de Leon), whose members built villages along the Miami River.
Miami: Economy
For most of Miami's history, its economy has been based on tourism. In fact, it was not so long ago that the city came to life only during the winter months when tourists from cold northern regions flocked to its beaches, hotels, and resorts.
Miami: Education and Research
Like all public schools in the state of Florida, the public elementary and secondary schools of Miami are part of a county-wide district. The Miami-Dade County district, fourth largest in the United States, is administered by a partisan nine-member elected school board that appoints a superintendent.
Miami: Health Care
Miami-Dade County, with 28 hospitals and more than 32,000 licensed healthcare professionals, has the state's largest concentration of medical facilities, which provide comprehensive human and social services through an array of programs. Hundreds of thousands of residents take part in a wide variety of county programs including emergency assistance, mental health care, substance abuse treatment and prevention, homeless shelter, veteran services, and other traditional social services.
Miami: Recreation
Visitors to Miami will find a variety of activities, from an adventure-filled day at a nature park to a nostalgic stroll through a historic district. The city's principal attraction is Miami Seaquarium, south Florida's largest tropical aquarium and home of Flipper, television's star dolphin.
Miami: Convention Facilities
With several convention centers, including a new ultramodern downtown facility, Miami is an attractive gathering place for large or small groups. Generous hotel space and a warm climate, coupled with a diverse range of available leisure activities, make the city an ideal spot for business mixed with pleasure.
Miami: Transportation
The visitor arriving in Miami by plane will stop at the Miami International Airport (MIA), an ultramodern facility only seven miles from downtown and served by more than 100 airlines. MIA is the one of the busiest in the world, and has the third highest international passenger traffic in the country.
Miami: Communications
Miami's major daily newspaper, the morning The Miami Herald is supplemented by two Spanish-language dailies, El Nuevo Patria and Diario Las Americas, a Spanish-language weekly, El Nuevo Herald(Sunday), and the Daily Business Review. The Miami Times is an African American community newspaper.
Orlando: Introduction
Orlando's pleasant weather, affordable housing, and location at the center of one of the country's fastest growing markets, have helped make the city a boom town. New residents are drawn by the city's attractive setting among the inland lakes and citrus groves and by the short drive from the coastal beaches.
Orlando: Geography and Climate
Orlando is the seat of Orange County, though its metropolitan area also includes portions of Seminole, Lake, and Osceola counties. Located approximately 150 miles from the Florida/Georgia border, in an area surrounded by numerous citrus growers and 1,200 lakes, Orlando lies about 50 miles from the Atlantic to the east, 75 miles from the Gulf Coast to the west, and about 375 miles from the tip of the Florida Keys.
Orlando: History
The last 170 years have been a time of phenomenal change for what was once referred to as "The Phenomenal City." Prior to the arrival of the first European settlers in 1837, the area that is now Orlando was occupied by the Seminole tribe of Native Americans. Historians believe that the Seminoles, whose named is said to mean "wild and separate," inhabited the Central Florida region for 6,000 to 12,000 years.
Tallahassee: Introduction
Tallahassee, which means "land of the old fields" in the Apalachee Indian language, still retains the feel of the Old South with its antebellum homes, historic churches, and Spanish moss-draped oaks. As the state capital, the city is a center of both government and education for the state of Florida.
Tallahassee: Geography and Climate
Nestled among the rolling hills of northwest Florida, Tallahassee is located in a region of the Florida panhandle known as the Big Bend. The city is set 20 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico, 178 miles west of Jacksonville, and 200 miles east of Pensacola.
Tallahassee: History
As long ago as 10,000 B.C., Native Americans lived in the Red Hills of Tallahassee where they constructed temple mounds on the shores of what is now Lake Jackson (six of the mounds are preserved at Lake Jackson Mounds State Archaeological Site). Prior to the coming of the Europeans, Tallahassee had gained importance as a village of more than 30,000 people.
Tallahassee: Municipal Government
Tallahassee has a council/manager form of government with a mayor and four council members elected at large who serve staggered four-year terms. The city commission appoints the city manager who oversees most city departments and administers the daily operation of the city.
Tampa: Geography and Climate
Located midway down Florida's west coast, about 25 miles east of the Gulf of Mexico, Tampa is bordered on the south and west by the Hillsborough and Old Tampa bays. Downtown is divided by the winding Hillsborough River, which originates northeast of the city and empties into Hillsborough Bay.
Tampa: History
When Spanish explorers first arrived in the Tampa Bay region in 1528, they encountered a native civilization that had flourished there for at least 3,500 years. Several different tribes dominated the Gulf Coast, including the Tocobaga, the Timucua, the Apalachee, and the Caloosa (also spelled Calusa).
Tampa: Education and Research
Like all public schools in the state, the public elementary and secondary schools of Tampa are part of a county-wide district. The Hillsborough district, third largest in the state and tenth largest in the country, is administered by a nonpartisan, seven-member school board that appoints a superintendent.
Tampa: Health Care
Well on its way to becoming one of the Southeast's premier centers for medical treatment of any kind, Tampa is home to more than a dozen major hospitals, a Children's Cancer Center, the University of South Florida's Medical Center (where teaching and research are combined with patient care), and the university's H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, a 162-bed hospital.
Tampa: Recreation
Visitors to Tampa can pursue a wide variety of activities, from the thrills of a day at a popular theme park to the quiet beauty of a leisurely walk along a waterfront boulevard. The city's premier attraction—and the state's second busiest, after Walt Disney World in Orlando—is Busch Gardens, a 335-acre entertainment center, jungle garden, and open zoo in which several thousand animals roam free on a simulated African veldt.
Atlanta: Introduction
Georgia's capital and largest city, Atlanta is a major Southern financial and cultural force and the focus of a metropolitan statistical area that covers more than 6,000 square miles and includes more than 110 municipalities. People from all over the country, joined by immigrants from other lands, have flocked to Atlanta's mild climate, physical beauty, and job opportunities.
Atlanta: Geography and Climate
Located in the foothills of the southern Appalachians in the north-central part of the state, Atlanta has a mild climate that rotates through all four seasons. The city's elevation and relative closeness to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean moderate the summer heat; mountains to the north retard the southward movement of polar air masses, thereby providing mild winters.
Atlanta: History
Until the early nineteenth century, the site near the Chattahoochee River where Atlanta is located (originally named the Standing Peach Tree for a peach tree on a small hill about seven miles away) was virgin territory sparsely occupied by Creek and Cherokee Native American tribes. The first permanent white settlers arrived during the War of 1812, when Fort Gilmer was built at the Standing Peach Tree.
Atlanta: Health Care
A regional as well as a national leader in the field of health care, the Atlanta metropolitan area is home to more than 50 hospitals supporting 40,000 medical personnel and more than 10,000 beds. Twelve hospitals are located in the city proper.
Atlanta: Recreation
The Atlanta area offers extraordinarily rich opportunities for leisure, pleasure, and culture. A popular site within the city is Grant Park, which includes scenic walking paths, the Zoo Atlanta featuring a Giant Panda exhibit until 2009, and some Civil War fortifications.
Atlanta: Convention Facilities
Easy access to the city, a good public transportation system, an abundance of hotel rooms, and a mild climate have combined to make Atlanta one of the leading convention centers in the United States, by most accounts ranking just behind Chicago and Orlando. Atlanta's major convention facilities are the Georgia World Congress Center, which contains 3.9 million square feet of exhibit space and 76 meeting rooms and is among the 5 largest nationwide; the Georgia Dome, which seats 71,500 and has 102,000 square feet of exhibit space, and the Philips Arena, which offers an 18,000-seat and 17,000 square-foot facility for meetings, athletic events, and concerts.
Atlanta: Transportation
Often referred to as Atlanta's number-one economic asset, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has been distinguished as "the world's busiest passenger airport." The huge, ultramodern facility, only 10 miles from downtown on 4,700 acres of land, is served by 25 passenger airlines that fly non-stop or one-stop to more than 200 national and international destinations along with 19 cargo airlines. Terminals are connected by an automated underground train system.
Savannah: Recreation
Visitors are attracted to Savannah for many reasons, the primary one being the opportunity to tour the city's beautiful Historic District, the country's largest historic urban landmark district. The Savannah Visitors Center, located at the former Central of Georgia Railroad Station, itself a national historic landmark, offers helpful brochures, maps, and publications.
Savannah: Convention Facilities
The $83 million Savannah International Trade & Convention Center is the centerpiece of a remarkable renaissance blending the best of the Old and New South into a unique meetings destination. The state-of-the-art, 365,000-square-foot complex features 100,000 square feet of customizable exhibit space with impressive vistas of Savannah's bustling waterfront.
Frankfort: Education and Research
Frankfort Independent Schools operates its elementary (Second Street School), high school (Frankfort High School), and alternative schools (Wilkingson Street School for troubled middle and high schoolers; EXCEL for skills enrichment; and the Panther Enrichment Program for additional learning opportunities) as a joint venture with the greater Franklin County Public School system. Frankfort schools open in early August, continue for nine weeks, then break for a three-week intersession.
Frankfort: Health Care
Frankfort Regional Medical Center, a 173-bed acute care facility, features a team approach and offers emergency care, maternity services, diagnostic imaging, and intensive care. The medical center provides outpatient service and treatment programs for substance abuse, as well as psychiatric care.
Frankfort: Recreation
The Frankfort/Franklin County Tourist and Convention Commission's Visitors Center, located five blocks from the Kentucky statehouse, offers maps and information about local sites. Two good places to get a feeling for the personalities that formed Frankfort's history are the Corner of Celebrities, which is actually one square block behind Wilkinson Street in the north part of town, and the Frankfort Cemetery, located on a high cliff overlooking the city.
Frankfort: Convention Facilities
Nestled along the Kentucky River within short walking distance of downtown's shops and restaurants, The Farnham Dudgeon Civic Center Complex adjoining Capital Plaza seats 5,365 people in arena seating, 5,047 people for concerts, and 800 people for banquets. The adjacent Holiday Inn Capital Plaza is equipped with an additional 8,000 square feet of meeting/convention space offered in 10 flexible meeting rooms.
Lexington: Introduction
In the heart of the nation's Bluegrass Country, Lexington, Kentucky, is a city that has artfully blended history, horses, culture, and industry to create a uniquely desirable quality of life. With its graciously restored downtown buildings complementing its modern office and convention facilities, Lexington exemplifies the benefits of a successful public-private partnership.
Lexington: Geography and Climate
Located on the lush, grassy plateaus of Kentucky's central Bluegrass Country at the edge of the Cumberland Gap, Lexington is the county seat of Fayette County. The fertile 283-square-mile region is dotted with numerous small creeks that run to the nearby Kentucky River.
Louisville: Economy
The geography of Louisville, specifically its river accessibility, central location, and mild climate have contributed to its importance as a center for industry and commerce. Kentucky has historically been a mining and agricultural state, but Louisville has greatly diversified its economic base in recent years.
Louisville: Education and Research
The public elementary and secondary schools in Louisville are part of a county-wide district operated by the Jefferson County Board of Education. The school system offers students a variety of optional programs including advanced programs for gifted students; career/technological programs for middle school students; magnet programs; strict, traditional school curriculums; trade schools; Learning Choice schools offering specialized instructional areas; and special programs for handicapped students.
Louisville: Health Care
Greater Louisville offers world-class medical facilities; the health care industry employs more than 45,000 people, many of whom work in downtown Louisville's medical center, hospitals, and related facilities close to the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Health care costs remain below the national average, and the city was one of the first in the nation to guarantee health care for the indigent.
Louisville: Recreation
Louisville offers a variety of recreational activities, from a leisurely steamboat excursion on the Ohio River to a fun-filled day at a theme park. The city's most famous attraction is Churchill Downs, the site of the Kentucky Derby, held annually on the first Saturday in May.
Louisville: Convention Facilities
Louisville's largest meeting facility is the Kentucky International Convention Center, expanded and renovated at a cost of $72 million. The expansion part of the project increased the facility's exhibit space to 200,000 square feet and added a 360-seat theater and a 30,000-square-foot ballroom.
Baton Rouge: Introduction
Baton Rouge, the state capital of Louisiana and the county seat of Baton Rouge Parish, has been described as "a happy blend of Cajun joie de vivre and progressive American know-how." Situated on the Mississippi River in the heart of the state, the city is an important center in the Sun Belt market. Moderate year-round temperatures and a relaxed environment make Baton Rouge a desirable place to live.
Baton Rouge: Geography and Climate
Located on the east side of the Mississippi River and situated on the first series of bluffs north of the river delta's coastal plain, Baton Rouge is about 60 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico in southeastern Louisiana. The city's subtropical climate is free of extremes in temperature, except for occasional brief winter cold spells.
Baton Rouge: History
The second largest city in Louisiana, Baton Rouge was established as a military post by the French in 1719. The present name of the city, however, dates back to 1699, when French explorers noted a red cypress tree stripped of its bark that marked the boundary between Houma and Bayou Goula tribal hunting grounds.
Baton Rouge: Economy
Baton Rouge has one of the nation's largest deep-water ports, equipped to handle both ocean-going vessels and river barges. A 45-foot channel on the lower Mississippi River has established the region as one of the nation's most attractive locations for large-scale industrial development.
Baton Rouge: Education and Research
Public elementary and secondary schools in Baton Rouge are part of the East Baton Rouge Parish (county) system, administered by a school board that appoints a superintendent. The system offers specialized programs for gifted students as well as arts, English as a second language, magnet, Montessori, college preparatory, and vocational programming.
New Orleans: Education and Research
Public schools in the New Orleans area are noted for their dedication to excellence. For instance, the Ben Franklin public high school produces a high number of National Merit scholars among its college-bound graduates, while the public New Orleans Center for Creative Arts is designed to provide special instruction to artistically gifted students.
New Orleans: Health Care
Internationally known as a center for medical care and research, New Orleans is home to 25 acute care hospitals, with approximately 5,200 staffed beds and 1,800 medical and surgical specialists, serving the health care needs of a multi-state area as well as Latin America and other foreign countries. One of the largest medical complexes in the United States is located in the city's central business district and consists of the U.S.
New Orleans: Convention Facilities
A central location, spacious facilities, and famous off-hour activities make New Orleans an extremely popular choice for trade show and professional conferences. More than 21,000 hotel guest rooms are available downtown, and more than 37,000 are found in the metropolitan area.
New Orleans: Transportation
The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, which is located west of the city in Kenner, provides full service on 20 carriers to every part of the United States with flights to and from South and Central America and Toronto and Mexico City. Private planes and corporate and charter flights often prefer to use Lakefront Airport, on the Lake Pontchartrain coast near the central business district.
New Orleans: Communications
The Times-Picayune is the city's leading newspaper. Other periodicals originating from New Orleans are the Clarion Herald, Gambit (covering local politics, dining and entertainment), Offbeat, a free monthly music magazine, Naval Reservist News, and Louisiana Weekly and New Orleans Data News Weekly (both covering the African American community).
Baltimore: Convention Facilities
With its mid-Atlantic coast location and easy access by air, rail, or automobile, Baltimore has long been a strategic choice for convention-holders. The recent redevelopment of the city's downtown Inner Harbor area has made Baltimore even more attractive to conventioneers, who enjoy the many fine restaurants, retail centers, and cultural attractions on or near the water.
Baltimore: Transportation
The recently expanded Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) Airport, located just 10 miles from downtown Baltimore, is one of the fastest-growing major airports in the country. BWI has 18 carriers that provide more than 600 daily flights, including nonstop flights to 72 cities in the United States, Canada, Europe and the Caribbean.
Jackson: Introduction
Jackson, Mississippi's capital and largest city, is still essentially a proud Southern city where the living is gracious and activities move at a relaxed pace. But Jackson is also a financial center and a rapidly growing major distribution center, with interstate highways and railroads affording access to all parts of the Sun Belt.
Jackson: Geography and Climate
Standing on the west bank of the Pearl River about 150 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico, Jackson is about 45 miles east of the Mississippi River. The city is the seat of Hinds County, though parts of Jackson are also located in Rankin and Madison counties.
Jackson: History
The earliest inhabitants of the Jackson area were of the Choctaw and Chickasaw Native American tribes. During the late eighteenth century, a French-Canadian named Louis LeFleur began operating a trading post on a high bluff along the west bank of the Pearl River.
Jackson: Health Care
With 11 hospitals and nearly 3,200 beds available for patient care, Jackson is a fully equipped regional health care center. Two of the largest facilities are the Mississippi Baptist Health System and the Central Mississippi Medical Center, with 642 and 429 beds, respectively.
Jackson: Recreation
As the capital of the Magnolia State, Jackson offers visitors several buildings of historical interest. The New Capitol, built in 1903 in the Beaux Arts style of architecture and patterned after the nation's capitol in Washington, is the working seat of Mississippi's government.
Jackson: Convention Facilities
In November 2004, voters decided that Jackson would no longer be one of the only capital cities without a convention center. The Capital City Convention Center will have a $40 million economic impact on the city by creating 700 new jobs and attracting convention delegates, thereby boosting tourism and hospitality revenue.
Charlotte: Health Care
The importance of the availability of quality, cost-efficient health care has long been recognized by Charlotte's citizens. Early recognition in the community of future cost problems and cooperative efforts to keep cost increases under control have resulted in reasonable costs, thoughtful use of services by physicians, and efficient hospital management.
Charlotte: Recreation
Sightseers in Charlotte enjoy the Mecklenburg County park system, which includes 175 parks with more than 14,000 acres, plus an extensive growing greenway system. Latta Plantation Nature Preserve—1,290 acres off Mountain Island Lake in northern Mecklenburg County—is a prime example, and the park is becoming a major recreational center in the Southeast.
Charlotte: Convention Facilities
Boasting more than 23,000 hotel rooms, Charlotte has become the major business travel center in the Carolinas and a prime meeting and convention center in the Southeast. The Charlotte Convention Center offers 850,000 square feet and hosts trade shows, conventions, conferences, and expositions.
Charlotte: Transportation
Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, a U.S. Airways hub, is about twenty minutes from uptown and is ranked among the nation's busiest airports (thirteenth in operations and seventeenth in passengers in 2003) averaging more than 500 daily departures serving about 25 million passengers every year.
Greensboro: Economy
For decades, the products of Greensboro's approximately 500 factories, such as Kent cigarettes and No Nonsense pantyhose, were known better than the city itself. However, an increasing number of companies have since discovered its award-winning quality of life, a low crime rate, and its thriving business climate including low lease rates and facility costs, below-average wages, and moderate overall costs appealing and have moved in or expanded their existing business.
Greensboro: Education and Research
The Guilford County Schools (GCS) system was created on July 1, 1993, when the former Greensboro, High Point, and Guilford County school systems merged to form the third largest school district in North Carolina. The system continues to grow each year by approximately 1,200 new students.
Greensboro: Recreation
A tour of Greensboro might begin with Blandwood Mansion, a 19th-century Italian villa in downtown Greensboro, which is a National Historic Landmark and former home of Governor John Motley Morehead. Not far from Blandwood is the William Fields House, a Gothic Revival-style structure that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Greensboro: Convention Facilities
The city-owned Greensboro Coliseum Complex, the largest facility of its kind in the state, seats 23,500 people in its Coliseum Arena; the War Memorial Auditorium has 2,376 seats. The special events center has 120,000 square feet for trade and consumer shows featuring three wings, a pavilion, and 12 meeting rooms while seating 4,300 for concerts and sporting events.
Oklahoma City: Introduction
From its birth at high noon on April 22, 1889, Oklahoma City, the state capital of Oklahoma, has grown to become one of the nation's largest cities in terms of area. A low unemployment rate, continuing steady economic expansion, and a prime Sun Belt location are attractive to new businesses.
Oklahoma City: Geography and Climate
Surrounded by gently rolling prairie and plains along the North Canadian River, Oklahoma City is at the geographic center of the state. With a climate influenced by the Great Plains region, Oklahoma City is one of the sunniest, windiest cities in the country.
Oklahoma City: History
Inhabited by Plains tribes and sold to the United States by France as a part of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, much of what is now Oklahoma was subsequently designated as Indian Territory. As such, it was intended to provide a new home for tribes forced by the federal government to abandon their ancestral lands in the southeastern United States.
Tulsa: Geography and Climate
Located 90 miles northeast of Oklahoma City and surrounded by gentle hills stretching toward the Ozark foothills, Tulsa lies along the Arkansas River at a latitude providing a moderate climate. Winters are generally mild with light snowfall, and the high temperatures of mid- to late-summer are often moderated by low relative humidity and southerly breezes.
Tulsa: History
French traders and plains-culture Osage tribes occupied the region now surrounding Tulsa when the United States bought the land from France as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Soon the federal government sought to remove communities of the Five Civilized Tribes—Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole—from their traditional lands in the southeastern United States to Indian Territory in what is now Oklahoma.
Charleston: Transportation
Visitors arriving at the Charleston International Airport will appreciate that the air exits, baggage claim area, and ground transportation facilities are all on one level for speedy accommodation to and from the terminal complex. The airport is located in North Charleston adjacent to the Charleston Air Force Base and uses the airport facilities and runways jointly with the USAF.
Charleston: Communications
The four television stations broadcasting from Charleston are network affiliates; additional television viewing is available through cable service. The city's seven radio stations broadcast educational, sports, religious, public, and special interest programming in addition to music ranging from popular and country-western to jazz and classical.
Columbia: Introduction
The capital city of South Carolina is a major industrial, cultural, and educational center located in the heart of a fertile farm region. The romance of the nineteenth century is writ large in the buildings and historical markers that grace its broad, tree-lined streets.
Columbia: Geography and Climate
Columbia is situated near the geographic center of South Carolina, midway between New York City and Miami. Set near the "fall line" dividing the South Carolina Piedmont and Coast Plains, the rolling hills surrounding the city slope from approximately 350 feet above sea level in the city's northernmost part to 200 feet above sea level in the southeast.
Columbia: History
Located at the middle of South Carolina, the city of Columbia was carved out of the countryside by order of the state legislature, which wanted to establish a new capital more centrally situated than Charleston. By that time, the area had been important in the state's development for more than a century.
Chattanooga: Health Care
Among the health services available to Chattanooga residents are public and private mental health facilities, drug and alcohol abuse recovery facilities, rehabilitation centers, a sports medicine center, speech and hearing services, facilities for the handicapped, free standing emergency medical centers, and community hospitals. Erlanger Medical Center, the region's largest and oldest public hospital with 818 acute-care beds and 50 long-term beds, offers Miller Eye Center, T.
Chattanooga: Recreation
More than four million people visit Chattanooga annually to explore the city's past, take part in activities, and enjoy the region's unique sights and diversions. The $45 million Tennessee Aquarium, the world's largest freshwater aquarium, takes spectators everywhere a river goes—from small mountain streams, to raging currents, to deep reservoirs, to the sea.
Knoxville: Introduction
Just 30 miles north of the country's most visited national park, Knoxville, Tennessee, has long been known as the "Gateway to the Smokies." The greater Knoxville area has won accolades for its "livability"—a combination of qualities that encompasses such factors as economic outlook, climate, cost of living, education, transportation, and the arts. The corporate hub of east Tennessee and home to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville's main campus, the city is not yet among the South's urban giants.
Knoxville: Geography and Climate
Knoxville is located at the headwaters of the Tennessee River in a broad valley between the Cumberland Mountains to the northwest and the Great Smoky Mountains to the southeast. Both mountain ranges modify the type of weather that plains areas at the same latitude experience by slowing and weakening cold winter air from the north and tempering hot summer winds from the west and south.
Knoxville: History
Archaeological evidence suggests that the first humans to live in what is now Knoxville were of the Woodland tribe, a group of hunters and trappers driven south from the Great Lakes region by climatic changes, probably about 1000 B.C. Their simple culture eventually gave way to that of the more sophisticated mound builders, whose influence was felt throughout most of the South.
Knoxville: Health Care
Quality, affordable health care is available through the Knoxville region's five general-use hospitals, offering about 2,590 beds and providing practically every imaginable specialty, including many that are generally not found in communities of this size. In addition, Knoxville's East Tennessee Children's Hospital devotes itself exclusively to prenatal and intensive care, pediatrics, and children's surgery.
Knoxville: Recreation
A good place to begin a tour of Knoxville is at Volunteer Landing on the riverfront, the site of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, which recounts the first 100 years of women's basketball, and the new Gateway Regional Visitor Center, 500,000 square feet of total space showcasing information about the scenic beauty surrounding Knoxville. In the four-county Knoxville area are hundreds of thousands of acres of parks and recreational space, including 800 miles of forests, 800 square miles of trout streams, and seven major Tennessee Valley Authority lakes that provide more than 11,000 miles of shoreline and 1,000 square miles of water surface.
Knoxville: Convention Facilities
Knoxville played host to the world in 1982 when the city staged a highly successful World's Fair. Situated within World's Fair Park is the Knoxville Convention Center, a sparkling, technologically-advanced facility boasting a 119,922 square-foot exhibit hall, a 27,300 square-foot divisible ballroom, 14 functional meeting rooms seating attendees in theater style, a lecture hall with seating for 461, and three luxury conference rooms.
Knoxville: Transportation
Knoxville's McGhee Tyson Airport, located 12 miles south of downtown, is served by three national carriers and six regional carriers. The city's other major facility is down-town's Island Home Airport, which is a base for smaller general aviation traffic and privately-owned planes.
Knoxville: Communications
Knoxville has one daily (morning) newspaper, The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Numerous other weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly publications are published in Knoxville, as well as quarterly academic journals on such topics as mental health nursing, education for the gifted, nematology, economics, and journalism.
Memphis: Introduction
Situated on bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River, Memphis, Tennessee, has historically served as a commercial and social center for western Tennessee, northern Mississippi, and eastern Arkansas, and is considered by many to be the true capital of the Mississippi River delta. The city's rich history includes eighteenth-century French and Spanish forts, colorful riverboat traffic, and a driving economic force—cotton.
Memphis: Economy
At the center of a major distribution network, Memphis works from a broad economic base as it continues to diversify its employment opportunities. Historically a trading center for cotton and hardwood, Memphis is the headquarters for major manufacturing, services, and other business concerns.
Memphis: Education and Research
The Memphis City Schools is the largest school system in the state of Tennessee and the 21st largest metropolitan school system in the nation. All Memphis City Schools are accredited; in comparison, 60 percent of elementary and 62 percent of secondary schools statewide are accredited.
Memphis: Health Care
The Memphis and Shelby County region supports numerous hospitals, including Methodist and Baptist Memorial health systems, two of the largest private hospitals in the nation. Methodist Healthcare system operates seven hospitals as well as several rural clinics; it is the largest healthcare provider in the Mid-South.
Memphis: Recreation
Sightseeing in Memphis encompasses historical and modern attractions. At Chucalissa Archaeological Museum and Village in south Shelby County it is easy to step back in time—via slide shows, case exhibits, and village reconstruction—and learn about the Indian farmers, craftsmen and artists who lived in the area from 1000 to 1500 A.D.
Memphis: Convention Facilities
The advantages of Memphis's meeting sites include accessibility, adequate space, elegant places for overnight visits, leisure sites to visit, and fine dining. Located at the north end of Main Street Mall, the recently expanded, 350,000 square-foot Memphis Cook Convention Center offers 190,000 square feet of exhibition space.
Memphis: Transportation
Located minutes from downtown, Memphis International Airport is served by international, regional, and commuter airlines. Expansion efforts in the late 1990s valued at $100 million included improvements to the concourse, taxiways, control tower, waiting areas, ticketing operations, parking facilities, and servicing systems, as well as land acquisition for further development.
Nashville: Introduction
Nestled in rolling hills in the part of the state known as Middle Tennessee, Nashville is often called the "garden spot of the world." The lush natural vegetation, changing seasons, and mild climate of the area make a pretty picture that is the setting for miles of green neighborhoods, shaded shopping districts, thick forests, and wide-open pastures, all inside the city limits. It is a city large enough to be headquarters for scores of international corporations, yet small enough for the neighborhood banker to call his customers by name.
Nashville: Geography and Climate
Situated in the center of middle Tennessee on the Cumberland River, Nashville is rimmed on three sides by an escarpment rising three to four hundred feet. The city ranks with Houston, Texas, and Los Angeles, California, as one of the nation's largest cities in terms of area.
Nashville: History
The first settlers in the area that now forms Nashville were attracted by the fertile soil, huge trees, plentiful water, and an abundance of animal life. Native Americans such as the Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Shawnee hunted throughout Middle Tennessee in the 1700s, but ongoing fighting over hunting rights kept them from establishing any permanent settlements.
Nashville: Recreation
A roster full of sports, the unspoiled countryside, and an endless choice of attractions have made Nashville one of the most popular vacation spots in the nation. Foremost among the city's historical attractions is The Hermitage, home of the seventh president of the United States, Andrew Jackson.
Nashville: Convention Facilities
Convention business and tourism form one of the Nashville area's most important industries, launched primarily by the growth of country music and entertainment. One of the most versatile convention-oriented hotels in Nashville is the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, offering more than 600,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space.
Nashville: Transportation
East of the city, the Nashville International Airport, located just eight miles from the central business district, is approximately a 12-minute ride away. Passengers landing in Nashville may choose from any number of commercial vehicles to take them to their destinations.
Austin: Introduction
Nestled in the Texas Hill Country, Austin strikes a balance between nature, education, the arts, and commerce. Austin, the Texas state capital and the Travis County seat, is fueled by an entrepreneurial attitude that has resulted in the city's placement at the top of numerous business and cultural lists.
Austin: Geography and Climate
Austin is located in south central Texas, where the Colorado River crosses the Balcones Escarpment, separating the Texas Hill Country from the black-land prairies to the east. The Colorado River flows through the heart of the city, creating a series of sparkling lakes that stretch for more than 100 miles.
Austin: History
Lured to the area by tales of seven magnificent cities of gold, Spanish explorers first passed through what is now Austin during the 1530s. But instead of gold, they encountered several hostile Native American tribes; for many years, reports of the natives' viciousness (which included charges of cannibalism) discouraged further expeditions and restricted colonization.
Austin: Economy
Austin's role as a center for high technology made it particularly vulnerable to the recession that struck the nation's economy in the early 2000s. For three consecutive years, Austin suffered layoffs and job reductions; even the city government slashed 1,000 jobs.
Austin: Education and Research
The Austin Independent School District (AISD), the largest public school system in the metro Austin area, was ranked one of the nation's top eight public education systems by Forbes magazine in March 2004. Magnet schools such as the Science Academy and the Liberal Arts Academy serve outstanding students from throughout the school district.
Austin: Health Care
Austin offers the best that modern medicine can supply and serves as a base for innovative technologies such as remote telecommunications uplinks and telephonic monitoring systems that carry health services into outlying areas or extend it to the home. With a total of 2,500 beds, the area has 12 major hospitals, including the Austin Women's Hospital that opened in 2004.
Austin: Recreation
Austin beckons the tourist with its carefully maintained natural beauty, historic buildings, art museums and galleries, and vibrant night life. On a walking tour of the downtown area, highlights include the Texas State Capitol, a pink granite structure with a magnificent rotunda, and the ante-bellum Greek Revival Governor's Mansion.
Dallas: Introduction
Nestled in the rolling prairies of north-central Texas, Dallas is a sophisticated, bustling metropolis that has earned its reputation in the marketplace of the world. Dallas is separated from its Fort Worth neighbor by less than 30 miles, leading many to link the two cities and their surrounding suburbs in the term "Metroplex," but each retains a distinctive identity.
Dallas: Geography and Climate
Dallas is located in north-central Texas, 70 miles south of the Oklahoma border, 174 miles west of Louisiana, and approximately 250 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico. The city is situated on the rolling plains near the headwaters of the Trinity River in an area known as the black-land prairies, midway between the Piney Woods of east Texas and the Great Plains.
Dallas: History
Since its pioneer days, Dallas has grown from a fledgling frontier trading post to a bustling city of more than one million people. Dallas was founded in 1841 when a bachelor lawyer from Tennessee, John Neely Bryan, settled on a small bluff above the Trinity River to open a trading post and lay claim to free land.
Dallas: Convention Facilities
Dallas ranks among the top cities in the nation in convention and meeting attendees, with more than 3.8 million people attending more than 3,600 conventions and spending more than $4.2 billion annually. With more than 65,000 hotel rooms available in a variety of hotels throughout the city, the Dallas metro area is the top visitor destination in the state.
Dallas: Transportation
Most visitors to Dallas arrive via the Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) Airport, located approximately 17 miles from the downtown areas of both cities and is served by 22 airlines. DFW is four hours or less by air from nearly every major North American market, with direct service to more than 165 nonstop destinations worldwide.
El Paso: Introduction
The county seat of El Paso County, El Paso is located on the far western edge of Texas on the north bank of the Rio Grande. At Mexico's border, El Paso and its Mexican sister city, Ciudad Juárez (in Chihuahua, Mexico), have downtowns that are within walking distance from one another.
El Paso: Geography and Climate
Located in the westernmost corner of Texas, El Paso resides in the Chihuahuan Desert at the confluence of Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico, nestled between the Franklin Mountains and the Rio Grande. With only about 8 inches of precipitation per year, a summer high of 95 degrees and mild winter temperatures, El Paso residents enjoy sun about 300 days of the year.
Fort Worth: Economy
Fort Worth has traditionally been a diverse center of manufacturing, and the city had demonstrated strong economic growth since the 1980s. However, an economic slowdown in the sector accounted for job losses for the first time in many years between 2001 and 2003.
Fort Worth: Education and Research
The Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) is the largest of the 20 school districts in Tarrant County. With a dedicated administration, in less than a decade the district saw a massive 833 percent increase in high-performing schools, from only 6 in 1994 to 59 in 2002.
Fort Worth: Health Care
The Southside Medical District, located south of Fort Worth's Central Business District, encompasses approximately 1,400 acres and includes the area's major hospitals, medical institutions, and support services. It has more than 30,000 employees, representing the second largest employment center in the City of Fort Worth.
Houston: Geography and Climate
Houston lies near the Gulf of Mexico and sprawls westward from the shores of Galveston Bay on the coastal prairie of eastern Texas. Major waterways include the San Jacinto River, part of which is encompassed by the man-made Houston Ship Channel, and an intricate network of meandering creeks and bayous, the largest of which are Buffalo Bayou and Bray's Bayou.
Houston: History
Inhabited by cannibals, visited by Spanish explorers and missionaries, a base for pirates, former capital of a fledgling nation, and site of a battle that ultimately added millions of acres to the United States—all of this can be said for the rich and varied history of the Houston area.
Houston: Economy
Energy has been the primary factor in the Houston economy since oil was first discovered in the region in 1901. Even during the oil and gas bust era of the 1980s and the recession of the early 2000s, the expertise, technology, and resources remained in the area, providing the crucial base required to meet current national and international market demands while laying the groundwork for future growth.
Houston: Education and Research
The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest in Texas and the seventh largest in the United States. In 2002 HISD was named the nation's top-performing urban school district by the California-based Broad Foundation, due in part to its success in narrowing the achievement gap between economic and ethnic groups.
Houston: Health Care
With more than 85 hospitals within the metropolitan area, Houston is a world leader in medicine and boasts the world's largest medical complex. Approximately 5.2 million patients—more than 10,000 of them foreign—are treated each year in the Texas Medical Center alone, a centralized facility begun in 1943.
Houston: Recreation
As the nation's fourth largest city, Houston offers a wide selection of recreational opportunities, ranging from professional football, basketball, and baseball to permanent companies in opera, ballet, theater, and symphony. Houston's retail offerings are world class, with several major shopping malls and urban entertainment centers.
Houston: Communications
Houston's major daily, the Houston Chronicle, is joined by four smaller-circulation dailies and by the weeklies Houston Business Journal and Houston Press, an alternative paper. Campus newspapers include the Houston Cougar (University of Houston), the Thresher (Rice University), and the UHCLidian (University of Houston-Clear Lake).
San Antonio: Introduction
San Antonio, the Alamo City, is often regarded as the Heart of Texas, for its illustrious past and its cosmopolitan present have come to symbolize the rich heritage of the state. The oft-quoted humorist Will Rogers is said to have called San Antonio "one of America's four unique cities," and this Sun Belt metropolis takes pride in its reputation.
San Antonio: Geography and Climate
Commonly known as "the place where the sunshine spends the winter," San Antonio is situated in south central Texas between the Edwards Plateau to the northwest and the Gulf Coastal Plains to the southeast. The city's gently rolling terrain is dotted with oak trees, mesquite, and cacti, which flourish under the clear or partly cloudy skies that prevail more than 60 percent of the time.
San Antonio: History
Crossing six miles of city blocks, the San Antonio River is the focus of the city, just as it has been ever since the surrounding valley drew wandering Coahuitecan tribes seeking respite from the heat. Members of the Payaya tribe who camped on the river's banks named the region Yanaguana, or "Place of Restful Waters." But written records of these tribes' presence are minimal, and it was not until 1691 that the first visit to the river valley was made by a European.
San Antonio: Education and Research
Unlike many school systems elsewhere, the San Antonio area's 19 school districts (the largest of which—the Northside Independent School District—is the sixth largest in Texas) function as separate, independent entities. Each has its own superintendent, its own elected board of education, and its own taxing authority.
San Antonio: Health Care
The 900-acre South Texas Medical Center (STMC) includes the prestigious University of Health Science Center at San Antonio, nine major hospitals including a veterans hospital, two physical rehabilitation centers, and two psychiatric hospitals. Approximately 25,000 people are employed at the facilities of STMC, which is recognized worldwide by medical and health care professionals for the impact of its advanced research, patient diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation, degree programs, and state-of-the-art physical structures.
San Antonio: Recreation
San Antonio's most popular tourist destinations are the Alamo and the Paseo del Rio, or River Walk. The River Walk is a one and a half mile winding waterway of landscaped cobblestone paths and bridges set 20 feet below street level.
Norfolk: Introduction
Norfolk, Virginia, one of the world's largest and busiest port cities, is the financial and legal center of southeastern Virginia. Water is central to the past, present and future of Norfolk, where the infamous Merrimac sea vessel was converted to the ironclad Virginia and where the National Maritime Center today recognizes the waterlogged character of this culturally and historically rich community.
Norfolk: Geography and Climate
Norfolk, nearly surrounded by the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, is located near the southern border of Virginia, 18 miles west of the Atlantic Ocean and about 200 miles southeast of Washington, D.C. Immediately north is Chesapeake Bay and west is Hampton Roads, the natural channel through which the waters of the James River and its tributaries flow into the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.
Richmond: Introduction
The capital of Virginia, Richmond is steeped in a history that spans nearly 400 years, dating back to 1607 when Jamestown colonists identified the site. During the Revolutionary War era, it was the locale of several important conventions at which such notables as Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry sounded the call for freedom and determined the course of a fledgling nation.
Richmond: Geography and Climate
Richmond is located at the head of the navigable part of the James River between Virginia's coastal plains and the Piedmont, beyond which are the Blue Ridge Mountains. The open waters of Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the mountain barrier to the west are responsible for the region's warm, humid summers and generally mild winters.
Richmond: History
On May 21, 1607, a week after Captain John Smith and his party landed at Jamestown, a group led by Captain Christopher Newport set out from camp to explore the James River. Within a week, their travels took them to some falls and a small island where on May 27 they set up a cross.
Richmond: Municipal Government
The city of Richmond operates under the mayor-council form of government, with council members serving two-year terms and each representing one of nine districts in the city. A mayor is elected by the general populace, and the council elects a vice-mayor and assistant vice-mayor from among its own ranks.
Richmond: Economy
The Richmond area has a strong and diverse manufacturing base that has helped the community remain resilient during economic recessions and even the Great Depression. Other factors that have contributed to this economic stability include the concentration of federal and state agencies, the headquarters of major corporations and bank-holding companies, numerous health facilities, and the concentration of educational institutions in the area.
Richmond: Education and Research
The Richmond public schools, one of four major systems in the area, are garnering a growing share of excellent achievement results, and the system has earned a reputation for innovative and highly successful new programs. The Special Achievement for Academic and Creative Excellence, or SPACE, program provides accelerated challenges for elementary, middle and high school students.
Virginia Beach: Education and Research
The Virginia Beach City Public Schools is the second largest city school system in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the thirty-ninth largest in the country. Its motto, "Ahead of the Curve", conveys its dedication to being in the forefront of innovative educational programs.
Virginia Beach: Health Care
Sentara Healthcare, a not-for-profit health care provider in southeastern Virginia, operates nine hospitals in the Hampton Roads area, with two of them in Virginia Beach. Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital is a 274-bed facility that houses the region's only Level 3 Trauma Center, plus a neonatal intensive care unit and a sleep disorder clinic.
Virginia Beach: Convention Facilities
In the summer of 2005 a new $202 million Virginia Beach Convention Center is scheduled to open its first phase, and the Pavilion Convention Center will be demolished. When finally completed in 2007, the new 500,000 square foot center will have a 150,000 square feet of exhibition space, a 31,000 square foot banquet room, 29,000 square feet of meeting space, and 2,230 free parking spaces.
Virginia Beach: Transportation
Air travelers to the city arrive at Norfolk International Airport, located less than a mile from the city limits. The airport is served by 9 carriers that offer more than 200 daily flights connecting to all major hubs and many major cities in the U.S.
Washington, D.C.: Introduction
During the nineteenth century, Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, was considered so unbearably warm and humid during the summer months that foreign diplomats received hardship pay for serving there. Now, the district holds a worldwide reputation as a cosmopolitan city rich in museums, monuments, and culture—and crackling with political power.
Washington, D.C.: Geography and Climate
Located on the Potomac River between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, Washington is known for its hot, humid summers, pleasant springs and autumns, and mild winters with seasonal snowfall averaging just over 17 inches. Carved from south-central Maryland, Washington is bordered on three sides by that state and sits across the Potomac River from Virginia on its fourth side.
Washington, D.C.: Recreation
As a city with tremendous history as a worldwide capital, and also a place where news and historic events take place nearly every day, Washington, D.C. is one of America's most popular tourist destinations for American families, serious researchers, and foreign travelers.
Washington, D.C.: Convention Facilities
In 2004 the city opened its all-new Washington Convention Center in the heart of downtown, with 2.3 million square feet total and 700,000 square feet of exhibit space covering 6 city blocks. With the addition of this state-of-the-art facility, along with the city's proximity to the nation's government, powerbase, and riches of cultural and tourist destinations, Washington D.C.
Charleston: Introduction
Charleston, the capital of West Virginia and seat of Kanawha County, is a regional hub for transportation, finance, retail trade, commerce, government, and health care, and acts as a lively center for the arts and recreation while also serving as West Virginia's state capital. A vital urban area, the city also projects a comfortable charm that invites visitors and residents alike; its downtown is active and filled with people in the evening.
Charleston: Geography and Climate
Charleston is located in a narrow valley in the western Appalachian Mountains at the junction of the Kanawha and Elk rivers. Framed with green hills, the city and neighboring towns have developed along the Kanawha to the east and west, though some residential areas can be found on the surrounding hills and in nearby valleys.
Charleston: History
Centuries before the first white frontiersmen explored the area that is now Charleston, the Adena, a Native American tribe, inhabited the Kanawha Valley. The Adenas were mound builders, and one of West Virginia's largest examples of their unique earthworks is located in downtown South Charleston.
Charleston: Economy
The Kanawha Valley owes much of its past and future prosperity to its reputation as a transportation and distribution hub. From river port to interstate hub, the sophisticated transportation routes have lured and kept industry in the region when other parts of West Virginia were troubled with the same economic doldrums that affected much of the nation.
Charleston: Education and Research
Public education in Charleston is provided by the Kanawha County Public Schools. The district is administered by a five-member board of education and a superintendent who follow policies established by the State Department of Education and the West Virginia Board of Education.
Charleston: Health Care
Charleston is the hub of West Virginia's health-care system. The area's largest major hospital, the Charleston Area Medical Center with 913 beds, has three locations in the city and is a major teaching facility, serving as the Charleston base for West Virginia University's School of Medicine.
Charleston: Recreation
Charleston's parks, museums, and music and cultural activities provide a variety of enjoyable and stimulating experiences. The state's Cultural Center at the Capitol Complex has a museum, performing arts, film and music festivals, and The Shop, which sells only West Virginia native crafts.
Charleston: Convention Facilities
In total, Charleston offers more than 173,300 square feet of meeting space, more than 4,000 hotel rooms, and easy access to shopping, dining, and recreation for visitors. One of the city's main meeting locations, the Charleston Civic Center, has more than 100,000 square feet of exhibition space in its Grand Hall, North and South halls, and meeting rooms.
Charleston: Transportation
Arriving in Charleston by air, travelers land at Yeager Airport—a facility located 10 minutes from downtown that is a remarkable feat of engineering named for an even more remarkable man. First known as the Kanawha Airport, it was built in the late 1940s by shearing off mountaintops and filling in adjacent valleys.
Huntington: Introduction
Huntington is the largest city in the Tri-State Region, being just across the Ohio River from Ohio and across the Big Sandy River from Kentucky. The city retains the charm of an earlier time, with century-old homes, historic districts, and nineteenth-century preserved villages.
Huntington: Geography and Climate
Huntington is located on the flood plain of the Ohio River, which acts as its northern border, and also sits at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. It is the county seat of Cabell County, but parts of the city are also in Wayne County.
Huntington: History
The first known inhabitants of the Ohio River Valley were the Adena people, also known as the "mound builders" because of the artifact-laden mounds they built, some over 2000 years ago. Since the 1500s, different Native American tribes lived in the Ohio Valley and in the area now called Huntington, such as the Hurons, but the area was also used as hunting grounds by the larger Shawnee of Ohio and the Iroquois Confederacy from New York.
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Which king did Henry Bolingbroke depose and then succees as Henry IV in 1399? | Henry IV | king of England | Britannica.com
king of England
Alternative Titles: Henry Bolingbroke, Henry of Lancaster
Henry IV
William III
Henry IV, also called (1377–97) earl of Derby or (1397–99) duke of Hereford, byname Henry Bolingbroke or Henry of Lancaster (born April? 1366, Bolingbroke Castle, Lincolnshire , England —died March 20, 1413, London ), king of England from 1399 to 1413, the first of three 15th-century monarchs from the house of Lancaster . He gained the crown by usurpation and successfully consolidated his power in the face of repeated uprisings of powerful nobles. However, he was unable to overcome the fiscal and administrative weaknesses that contributed to the eventual downfall of the Lancastrian dynasty .
Henry IV, king of England.
© Photos.com/Jupiterimages
Henry was the eldest surviving son of John of Gaunt , duke of Lancaster, by his first wife, Blanche. Before becoming king, he was known as Henry Bolingbroke, and he received from his cousin Richard II the titles earl of Derby (1377) and duke of Hereford (1397). During the opening years of the reign of King Richard II (ruled 1377–99), Henry remained in the background while his father ran the government. When Gaunt departed for an expedition to Spain in 1386, Henry entered politics as an opponent of the crown. He and Thomas Mowbray (later 1st duke of Norfolk) became the younger members of the group of five opposition leaders—known as the lords appellants —who in 1387–89 outlawed Richard’s closest associates and forced the king to submit to their domination. Richard had just regained the upper hand when Gaunt returned to reconcile the king to his enemies. Bolingbroke then went on Crusade into Lithuania (1390) and Prussia (1392). Meanwhile, Richard had not forgiven his past enmity . In 1398 the king took advantage of a quarrel between Bolingbroke and Norfolk to banish both men from the kingdom. The seizure of the Lancastrian estates by the crown upon John of Gaunt’s death (February 1399) deprived Henry of his inheritance and gave him an excuse to invade England (July 1399) as a champion of the nobility. Richard surrendered to him in August; Bolingbroke’s reign as King Henry IV began when Richard abdicated on September 30, 1399.
United Kingdom: Henry IV (1399–1413)
Henry IV used his descent from King Henry III (ruled 1216–72) to justify his usurpation of the throne. Nevertheless, that claim did not convince those magnates who aspired to assert their authority at the crown’s expense. During the first five years of his reign, Henry was attacked by a formidable array of domestic and foreign enemies. He quashed a conspiracy of Richard’s supporters in January 1400. Eight months later the Welsh landowner Owain Glyn Dŵr raised a rebellion against oppressive English rule in Wales . Henry led a number of fruitless expeditions into Wales from 1400 to 1405, but his son, Prince Henry (later Henry V), had greater success in reasserting royal control over the region. Meanwhile, Owain Glyn Dŵr encouraged domestic resistance to Henry’s rule by allying with the powerful Percy family—Henry Percy, earl of Northumberland, and his son Sir Henry Percy , called Hotspur. Hotspur’s brief uprising, the most serious challenge faced by Henry during his reign, ended when the king’s forces killed the rebel in battle near Shrewsbury, Shropshire, in July 1403. In 1405 Henry had Thomas Mowbray, the eldest son of the 1st duke of Norfolk, and Richard Scrope, archbishop of York, executed for conspiring with Northumberland to raise another rebellion. Although the worst of Henry’s political troubles were over, he then began to suffer from an affliction that his contemporaries believed to be leprosy—it may have been congenital syphilis. A quickly suppressed insurrection, led by Northumberland in 1408, was the last armed challenge to Henry’s authority. Throughout those years the king had to combat border incursions by the Scots and ward off conflict with the French, who aided the Welsh rebels in 1405–06.
Henry IV, detail of a manuscript illumination from Jean Froissart’s Chronicles, 15th …
By permission of the British Library
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Biography
Henry of Bolingbroke was born the only surviving son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (third surviving son of King Edward III), and his first wife, Blanche, on April 15, 1367. His mother died when he was two and his father was constantly busy with foreign campaigns and domestic government, leaving Henry with no real parental influence for most of his early life. He grew up primarily with his sisters and a series of governesses and was provided with a solid education. Very little of Henry’s childhood was documented to any great extent. He was given the courtesy title of Earl of Derby (a lesser title belonging to his father) and was made a Knight of the Garter by Edward III shortly before the old king’s death.
When his cousin ascended the throne as Richard II on June 22, 1377, Henry played a part in the coronation ceremony and subsequently spent time in the royal household. It is widely believed that, by this point, Henry was considered to be second in line to the throne, behind only his father, John of Gaunt. Many historians claim that, in the year before his death, Edward III had ratified a document which stated that succession was to be only through the male line. In other words, the succession could not pass to, or through, a female. Richard II was the only son of Edward III’s eldest son, Edward the Black Prince(who predeceased him); the second son, Lionel of Antwerp (also already deceased), had no male issue but did have two male grandchildren, Roger and Edmund Mortimer; John of Gaunt was the third son and the most senior living male descendent behind Richard II. It is highly important to discuss this issue involving the succession now, considering the trouble Henry would face with it when he ultimately usurped the throne and the fact that the ambiguousness of the succession is what many historians have concluded to be the cause of the Wars of the Roses during the reign of Henry’s grandson, Henry VI.
In 1381, Henry was married to Mary Bohun, co-heiress to the late Earl of Hereford. The marriage was widely believed to have been a genuine love match (despite the fact that it was, as most medieval aristocratic marriages were, an arranged marriage), just as the between Henry’s parents had been, and it produced six healthy children. During the Peasants’ Revolt that erupted later that year, Henry was in the king’s party when the rebels stormed the Tower of London and executed Richard’s hated ministers, chancellor Sudbury and treasurer Hales. Luckily, Henry himself was spared due to the intervention of one John Ferrour, though it must be assumed that the experience was nothing short of terrifying for the young prince nonetheless. Over the following years, Henry built up his reputation as a world-class jouster, scholar and patron of the arts, but played a very small, nearly insignificant role in the increasingly volatile politics that were developing in England. It must be assumed though, that Henry learned a few things from his father, the premier politician in the realm.
Henry did not become actively involved in politics until late 1387 (during his father’s absence in Castile) when he, along with his friend Thomas Mowbray, Earl of Nottingham, decided to join the Lords Appellants (the Duke of Gloucester and the Earls of Arundel and Warwick) in opposition to the excessive favoring of a small group of ineffective courtiers within Richard’s government. The three senior Appellants had basically been in control of the kingdom’s government ever since they successfully challenged the king’s authority the previous year. At the Battle of Radcot Bridge, Henry and his fellow Appellants were easily able to defeat the army the royal favorite Robert de Vere, Earl of Oxford and Duke of Ireland, forcing him to flee the country. Shortly after this skirmish, Richard was forced to submit to the Appellants. In the so-called Merciless Parliament that followed these events, the three senior Appellants proceeded to have many of the king’s favorites executed or exiled with very little evidence against them. Henry seems to have against some of the executions, but most present must have known he would hold little sway over the far-more-powerful senior Appellants. In particular, Henry voiced opposition to the execution of Sir Simon Burley, the king’s tutor since childhood and a man of reputable intellect and morals. Though Burley was executed nonetheless, Richard seems to have remembered Henry’s words in favor of his friend when he decided not to destroy him as he did the senior Appellants.
After the triumph of the Appellants, Henry seems to have continuously distanced himself from them and when Richard gained back power, the two cousins seem to have been reconciled to an extent. This is evidenced by the fact that, while Henry was added to the royal council, the other Appellants were dismissed from it. Once John of Gaunt returned to England and aided his nephew from gaining back power from the Appellants, the political situation in the country remained calm for the next several years. Henry, not wanting to deal with the dregs of English politics, decided to travel to France to take part in a large jousting tournament. From there, Henry made the decision to join with the Teutonic Knights on a crusade to Lithuania to subdue the pagans within the region. After a brief trip back to England for supplies, Henry and his small group of loyal Lancastrian retainers travelled to Lithuania. Unfortunately, since most of the Lithuanian leaders had already converted to Christianity, there were only small pockets of pagan resistance that needed to be dealt with. By the end of the campaign, Henry had only participated in a few small skirmishes and sieges. Despite his lack of action, Henry must have been content to know that he had gained some valuable experience in the battlefield, fighting for the Christian cause. He spent several more months on the continent before finally returning home.
After, once again, remaining in England for only a brief period of time, Henry set out for his second crusade to Lithuania. Once he made all the necessary preparations and arrived there, he discovered that peace had be made and there was no need for any more Christian armies in the land. Not wanting his journey to go to complete waste, Henry decided to travel to Jerusalem. He journeyed through Europe, making notable stops in Prague, Vienna and Venice, before finally arriving in the Holy Land. Henry remained in Jerusalem for only a small amount of time, before departing and making his slow journey through Europe back to England. Though nothing of particular note occurred on the journey, Henry became the first member of the royal family to travel to the Holy Land since the future King Edward I in 1270.
In 1394, Henry suffered a devastating loss when his beloved wife, Mary, died while giving birth to their sixth child. Over the following years, the king began to ignore Henry and treat him as a political non-entity more and more. When a protector needed to be appointed for the time that Richard was campaigning in Ireland, the king chose his uncle Edmund, Duke of York, over Henry. Henry was similarly passed over two years later, this time in favor of York’s son Edward, Earl of Rutland, when the king needed someone of importance to journey to France to work out the details of Richard’s marriage to the French princess Isabella. It would be hard to believe that the king’s neglectful treatment of his cousin did not have something to do with Henry’s close proximity to the throne and the fact that Richard still did not possess a son.
King Richard, at this point (in 1397), decided to take his revenge against the Lords Appellant, the men who had humiliated him nine years earlier. When informed of this, Henry was understandably nervous, considering that he had been one of them. Luckily, the king decided only to put the three senior Appellants, Gloucester, Arundel and Warwick, on trial for treason. After they were arrested, Henry (who must have been happy he had decided to protest against the execution of Simon Burley at the Merciless Parliament) played a part in sentencing the Appellants at the ensuing parliament. Warwick was sentenced to life exile; Arundel was beheaded; and Gloucester died under mysterious circumstances at his prison in Calais while in the custody of the fifth Appellant, Thomas Mowbray. A forth man, Arundel’s brother Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbury, was also exiled. The archbishop would go on to be one of Henry’s most loyal supporters after he became king. While Henry and his father mourned little for the Earl of Arundel, their political enemy, they were most certainly alarmed with the probable murder of Gloucester, John of Gaunt’s youngest brother. Gloucester’s murder meant that even members of the royal family were not safe from Richard’s new tyrannical behavior. For his services against the Appellants, Henry was created Duke of Hereford, one of six dukes to be created on the occasion, gaining the group the derogatory name of the “duketti.”
The events that directly led to Henry’s rise to the throne began in 1398 when he encountered Thomas Mowbray, now Duke of Norfolk, on his travels. Mowbray informed Henry that they were in danger of being prosecuted, just as the three senior Appellants had been, for their involvement in the events of 1388. Additionally, Henry was informed that the king planned on repealing the pardon granted to Thomas of Lancaster from 1327, which would mean that the entire Lancastrian inheritance would be absorbed into the crown. Henry almost immediately informed his father of these events, who then went directly to the king. Mowbray, obviously nervous about the situation, then concocted a plot to kill John of Gaunt. Certain chroniclers will claim that the king himself was involved in this plot, but it is doubtful that he would have been so reckless in his actions as to destroy his most powerful supporter. Both Mowbray and Henry were brought before the king to defend themselves and Henry continued to accuse his former friend of various charges, including the murder of Gloucester. With tensions high and Richard by no means eager to open an investigation on a murder which he had most likely sanctioned, it was agreed that Henry and Mowbray were to engage in a duel to the death. When the day of the deadly joust came, the king did not allow the contest to take place. Instead, he decided to exile the two men: Mowbray for life and Henry for ten years. Despite the protests of Henry and his father, the king was set in his decision and Henry departed for Paris, where he would spend his exile. Richard had now revenged himself on all five of the Appellants.
Henry was received kindly by the French king, Charles VI, and the rest of the French royal family and nobility and it was even proposed at one point that Henry should marry the daughter of the Duke of Berry, before Richard heard of the match and ruled against it. The biggest news out of England, however, was, by far, the death of Henry’s father, John of Gaunt, on February 3, 1399. Not only was Henry informed that he was not able to return home to attend his own father’s funeral, but it was also revealed that Richard had revoked all pardons awarded to Henry, therefore making him a traitor and ineligible to receive his inheritance. If depriving his cousin of the vast lands and incomes that went with the Duchy of Lancaster was not enough, Richard poured more salt on the wounds by extending Henry’s exile to life. This was most certainly the last insult that Henry would suffer and he began making preparations to gather a small force and invade England.
With the assistance of men such as Louis, Duke of Orleans (brother to the French king), and the son and brother of the late Earl of Arundel, Henry and his small army landed at Ravenspur, Yorkshire. The timing was ideal, as Henry knew that Richard would be leading an expedition to Ireland at the time, leaving, once again, the Duke of York to serve as protector of the realm. As Henry’s following continued to swell (he had now gained the support of the powerful Scottish marcher lords, Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, and his son, Henry “Hotspur” Percy), the question arose of what his intentions were. Had he returned to England simply to recover his lost inheritance or to begin a full-blown revolution where he would depose his cousin and place himself on the throne? The writings of the various chroniclers of the time all differ as to what Henry’s plans were at the time and it is nearly impossible to pinpoint just when he decided to have himself crowned king. It is clear though, that the reception he had received upon his return was a warm one and the people of England may have expected him to go the distance. In addition, Henry was well aware of the king’s vengeful side and most likely believed that he would end up like his uncle Gloucester if Richard remained on the throne. Whatever the case may be, Henry continued to make progress as the king slowly returned from Ireland.
At Bristol, Henry had three of Richard’s hated favorites, Sir John Bussy, Sir Henry Green and the Earl of Wiltshire, beheaded and proceeded to Berkeley Castle, where he easily convinced his uncle York to join in his cause. Henry was then able to gain possession of the king, who was stationed at Conway Castle in Wales. Richard was transferred to Flint Castle and then, as a prisoner, to London, where Henry was received by the citizens with open arms. Most certainly, Henry had intended to seize the throne by this point. He ran into difficulties though, when he was attempting to figure out just how to have himself declared king. Taking the throne by conquest was ruled out, as was the myth that Edmund of Lancaster, whom Henry was descended from through his mother, was actually the elder son of Henry III (as opposed to Edward I). The obvious example to follow was that of Henry’s great-grandfather, Edward II, who had been deposed for his misrule of the kingdom, but in favor of the proper heir, Edward III. It is true that Henry was Richard’s closest heir in the male line, but there were several other male competitors in the form of the Mortimer family, descended from Lionel of Antwerp, John of Gaunt’s elder brother. In the end, it seems that Henry was able to convince parliament that Richard was unfit to rule and that he (and not the Mortimer heir, who was a young child) was the best candidate to take the throne, being the most senior descendant of Edward III in the male line. On September 29, 1399, Richard was forced to publicly abdicate the throne and Henry became King Henry IV.
Henry’s next step was to proceed against the men who had aided Richard in his tyrannical behavior. One John Hall, a servant of Mowbray’s who was implicated in the murder of Gloucester, was executed, but otherwise, Henry was fairly lenient with Richard’s favorites. He did, however, strip most of the members of the so-called “duketti” of the titles and lands they had received the Revenge Parliament of 1397, which directly led to the Epiphany Rising (or the Earls’ Rebellion) of January 1400. Richard himself had been transferred to the more secure location of Pontefract Castle, a nearly impregnable Lancastrian fortress. The Earls of Salisbury, Kent, Huntingdon and Rutland, as well as the Lord Despenser and several other Ricardian loyalists (most of whom had been demoted in status by the new king), plotted to murder King Henry and his four sons at a tournament and place Richard back on the throne. Unfortunately, the earls did not receive the widespread support for their former king that they had anticipated and, to make matter worse, the scheme was relayed to Henry (most likely by Rutland, who undoubtedly wanted to save his own skin). The earls were forced to attempt to flee but were all captured and executed, mostly by common townspeople. Though Henry had survived the first crisis of his reign without any major difficulties, he now faced the greater dilemma of what he was to do with the former king, knowing very well that he would always be a beacon for rebellion if kept alive. Therefore, Henry reluctantly ordered his cousin’s murder and it was announced that Richard was dead by February 14, 1400. To prove that he former king had met his end, Henry had the body publicly displayed at several places throughout the realm for all to see. Though certain chroniclers of the time will swear that Richard was murdered by a knight named Sir Piers Exton, there is no other mention of this man in any of the records and therefore it must be assumed that Richard died of forced starvation, as most historians have concluded.
With the death of his cousin and former king no doubt looming over him, Henry focused his attentions on Scotland, where he led a substantial force in order to force the rebellious nation into excepting him as their overlord. However, Henry was unable to bring the Scots onto the battlefield and negotiations for a truce were equally futile. The king was then forced to return (as the last English king to lead an army into Scotland), having accomplished nothing. Upon his return to England, Henry learned that he now had to deal with a rapidly spreading rebellion in Wales, led by the self-proclaimed Prince of Wales, Owen Glendower.
Glendower’s revolt is believed to have originated in a land dispute between Glendower and his neighbor, Sir Reginald Grey of Ruthin. But soon developed into a full-fledged war of Welsh independence. Though Edward I had conquered Wales and annexed into England in 1382-83, the region had remained semi-autonomous (similarly to Scotland and Ireland) and did not always appreciate English intervention in their politics. Once Glendower proclaimed himself Prince of Wales, he began laying wasted to towns and capturing castles in northern Wales, prompting Henry to launch the first of his short and unsuccessful campaigns into the region. The failed campaign in Wales meant that, within the first two years of his reign, Henry had engaged in two pointless military endeavors and had a plot against his life. On top of this, he had gained the enmity of the French by refusing to return Princess Isabella, King Richard’s widow and daughter of Charles VI of France, or her substantial dowry, mainly due to the devastating financial situation he was in. So far, Henry had failed to deliver the hope and change he had promised upon his coronation, and his situation only became worse as Glendower continued to reap havoc in Wales, defeating the English at the minor Battle of Mount Hyddgen, which led to the king’s second failed Welsh campaign.
While Henry continued to struggle financially, Glendower and his rebel Welshmen kept up the pressure. The so-called prince was able to capture his enemy, Lord Grey, and handed a huge defeat to the English at the Battle of Bryn Glas, where he took the English commander, Edmund Mortimer, as his prisoner. In addition, the Scots, most likely working as allies of Glendower, began launching attacks in northern England. Henry’s allies, the Earl of Northumberland and his son Hotspur (the border lords who had helped him gain the throne) were able to defeat the Scots at the Battles of Nesbit Moor and, more significantly, Humbleton Hill. At the latter of these two battles, the Percys were able to gain possession of a number of valuable Scottish hostages, including Archibald, Earl of Douglas. Despite the success of his friends in the north, Henry himself was still not able to gain any ground in Wales and departed back to England after his third failed campaign.
In the following year (1403) Henry would face, by far, the greatest threat to his royal security to date. The Percy family had been some of Henry’s staunchest supporters when he began his revolution to dethrone Richard II, but had become disenchanted with the king because of a lack of financial assistance for the protection of the Scottish marches and Henry’s support and patronage of the Neville family, mortal enemies of the Percy clan. In other words, Henry was not the puppet monarch that they had expected him to be. Additionally, Hotspur (a childhood friend of Henry’s) was unhappy that the king had refused to offer a ransom for his brother-in-law, Edmund Mortimer (previously captured by Glendower). Henry most certainly had excellent reasons for not wanting to rescue Mortimer. For one thing, Mortimer had betrayed him by marrying Glendower’s daughter Katherine in support of the Welsh cause. However, it seems that the more significant reason was because Mortimer and his nephew, the twelve-year-old Earl of March were descended from Lionel of Antwerp, the elder brother of John of Gaunt, therefore giving them a better claim to the throne if succession was allowed through a female line. The Mortimer claim is explained here again to show just how tenuous Henry’s claim was. It was Henry’s reluctance to ransom Mortimer that most likely prompted Hotspur’s refusal to hand over his hostage, the Earl of Douglas, by far the most valuable of the prisoners taken after Humbleton Hill. All these reasons combined to turn Henry’s former friends into mortal enemies.
Hotspur had most likely already been in contact with Glendower and Mortimer to form plans to depose Henry and replace him with the young Earl of March. He also formed an alliance with his prisoner, Douglas, and the Scots and mustered his own army, which also included his uncle Thomas, Earl of Worcester, another man whom the king had once been extremely close with. With a full-scale civil rebellion now inevitable, Henry had to act fast and muster his own army. He was lucky enough to be warned of the rising soon enough to isolate the army containing Hotspur, Worcester and Douglas before it was able to join forces with those of Northumberland and Glendower, which undoubtedly would have spelled doom for the royal forces and Henry’s crown. Initial talks of peace between the two sides were dismissed and the fighting began. At the ensuing Battle of Shrewsbury, Henry scored a huge victory over the rebels in a particularly bloody encounter. In the end, Hotspur was dead and Douglas and Worcester had been taken prisoner, the latter of whom was executed soon after. In the aftermath of Henry’s glorious victory, Hotspur’s father, Northumberland, surrendered himself to the king and was pardoned, though he never gained back the political influence he once had. Henry then attempted a fourth march into Wales, which, like its three predecessors, failed, showing that, despite the king’s victory at Shrewsbury, rebellion was far from under control within his kingdom and would continue to cause him trouble for years to come.
The years after Shrewsbury did indeed bring further rebellions. First, the lady Constance Despenser (widow of the late Lord Despenser who had been executed for his participation in the Epiphany Rising and a cousin of the king, being a daughter of the late Duke of York) laid down a plot to seized the Earl of March and his younger brother Roger, both of whom had been kept in royal custody since Henry’s accession due to their close proximity to the crown. No sooner was this plot put down than Henry discovered that Northumberland and his close personal ally, Lord Thomas Bardolph, were, once again, conspiring with Glendower and Mortimer. The supposed plan of the rebels, known as the Tripartite Indenture, was for Henry to be deposed and the kingdom divided up into three sections: Northumberland was to rule in the north; Glendower in Wales and the marches; and the young Earl of March in the remainder. Also rebelling against the king this time (undoubtedly in league with Northumberland) were Archbishop Richard Scrope of York and the nineteen-year-old Thomas Mowbray, Earl of Norfolk, eldest son of the man Henry had quarreled with in 1398.
Scrope, who earlier supported Henry in his usurpation of the throne seems to have become disgruntled with him because of high clerical taxes. Mowbray’s motives are not as cut and dry, but he most likely rebelled because of the combination of Henry’s past quarrel with his father, which led to his ultimate death in exiled in 1399, and the fact that Henry did not fully restore him to his father’s lands and titles, including the Dukedom of Norfolk. Henry had already achieved some success against Glendower earlier in the year when an English army defeated the Welshman at the Battle of Pwll Melyn, capturing of Glendower’s sons in the process. The king was now to achieve even more success against his numerous enemies after he sent a forced led by Ralph Neville, Earl of Westmorland, to deal with Scrope and Mowbray. When the two armies met at Shipton Moor, Westmorland tricked the rebels into dismissing their men, claiming that all their grievances would be brought before the king for consideration. Once the rebel army had been disbanded, Scrope, Mowbray and several other of the leaders were promptly arrested and put on trial. What happened next was seen as appalling on a widespread level. Both Mowbray and the archbishop were executed for high treason. Henry was clearly not tolerating rebellion in his realm anymore and showed that even a high-ranking church official was not safe from severe punishment.
The very same day of Scrope’s execution, Henry began to suffer from the debilitating skin disease that would ultimately kill him. Many contemporaries thought that this was divine intervention from God, inflicted upon Henry for his execution of an archbishop. It is still a mystery to this day as to what Henry was suffering from, but many people at the time assumed it was leprosy. When the king recovered sufficiently, he launched his fifth and, once again, unsuccessful Welsh campaign and captured all of the Earl of Northumberland’s castles, forcing the earl himself to flee the country. The king also experienced a stroke of good luck when Prince James, the heir to the Scottish throne, was captured off the English coast. Mere weeks after the prince’s capture, he became King James I when his father, Robert III, died. Just as his grandfather, Edward III, had once been in possession of King David II of Scotland, Henry could now boast that he hosted a rival king at his court as a prisoner. The years following these events remained fairly quiet as Henry attempted to cement his authority, deal with continued trouble in Wales and France and balance the royal exchequer, all while coming to the realization that his health was steadily declining.
In early 1408, during one of the worst winters that England had ever seen, the Earl of Northumberland and Lord Bardolph, who, for the past three years had been attempting to seek out aid in France Wales and Scotland, decided to make a last ditch effort against Henry’s regime. The lords invaded England via Scotland with a small force of Scots and northern Englishmen. They were opposed by the forces of Sir Thomas Rokeby, a local sheriff, who soundly defeated them at the Battle of Brahmam Moor. Northumberland was killed in the fighting and Lord Bardolph died of his wounds later that night. With the earl’s death, Henry could finally say that the Percy rebellion was officially at an end.
The following year, Glendower’s rebellion gradually began to collapse as the English, under the command of the king’s eldest son and heir, Prince Henry (or “Hal”), took back the major Welsh strongholds of Aberystwyth and Harlech. Although Glendower and his fellow rebels would sporadically launch guerilla attacks against English forces for a number of years to come, the great Welsh rising was effectively over and Glendower himself, now nothing more than a hunted fugitive, was no longer a significant threat. Unfortunately, Henry was not able to enjoy the fact that civil war had finally come to an end within his kingdom. The king’s health was getting worse and worse as time went by and there was talk of his abdication, which Henry himself would hear nothing of. Meanwhile, Prince Hal, with the support of his Beaufort uncles, was beginning to become more influential in the royal council. The Beauforts were John of Gaunt’s children with Katherine Swynford, his long-time mistress and eventual third wife. Though they were legitimized by papal edict and by Richard II, Archbishop Arundel, Henry’s chancellor and primary advisor, added the stipulation that the Beauforts were to be cut out of the royal succession. This provocation, of course, pushed them onto the side of Prince Hal, who had equally odious feelings for the archbishop. As the king got sicker, these factions within the royal council became more prevalent.
It became clear that Henry would never abdicate the crown, that he had fought so hard to attain, while he still breathed and tensions between him and his eldest son rose to an all-time high. To make matters worse, there was a civil war going on in France between the Armagnac and Burgundian factions, both of whom were fighting for control of the country’s government while Charles VI was in one of his mad phases and both of whom wanted the support of the English. King Henry put his support behind the Armagnacs, while Prince Hal was in favor of aiding the Burgundians, causing a further rift in their relationship. On top of this, the king seemed to be showing more favor towards his second son, Thomas (whom he had created Duke of Clarence), than his heir. All these reasons prompted Hal to leave court for a short period of time. Fortunately, the separation between father and son did not last for long. Certain chronicles of the time will claim that rumors were floating about that Hal was planning to seize the throne by force, but, once these falsehoods were dispelled, the two were completely reconciled.
After the king sent his son Clarence to France with an army to aid the Armagnac faction, they made peace with their Burgundian enemies and turned their collective attentions against the English invader. Henry, however, was to ill by this point to think about the situation. It is rumored that he had planned another trip to Jerusalem, so that he may die there, but this was not meant to be. Henry died on March 20, 1413 (ironically in the Jerusalem chamber at the abbot’s house in Westminster), a month shy of his forty-sixth birthday. His eldest son succeeded him on the throne as King Henry V.
Analysis and Assessment
King Henry IV had the potential to be a great ruler. Besides the fact that he had four healthy sons to assure that the Lancastrian dynasty would continue (an accomplishment on its own in an age with such a high infant mortality rate), he was intelligent, brave, cultivated and a born leader. Unfortunately, Henry was never able to shake off the title of usurper when he deposed and ordered the murder of his cousin, the rightful king. He must be given credit, however, for his resilience in holding on to his throne. Not only was he able to quell rebellions by the earls, the Percys, Archbishop Scrope and Glendower, but was able to keep his throne until the end of his life even when he was threatened by his own son to abdicate. Henry’s predecessor, Richard II, always caved in when put under pressure.
Despite Henry’s brave spirit, good intentions and the fact that he sired the future Henry V, the great and renowned warrior king, his usurpation of the throne had far more over-reaching effects than to rid the realm of the despotic Richard II. In disinheriting the Mortimer family, Henry IV, in effect, brought about the Wars of the Roses, which would ultimately lead to the complete destruction of the Plantagenet dynasty. Anne Mortimer, the sister of the last Mortimer Earl of March, whom Henry kept in captivity for the entirety of his reign, would eventually marry Richard, Earl of Cambridge, the younger son of Edmund of Langley, Duke of York. They, in turn, produced Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, the father of the Yorkist kings, Edward IV and Richard III. The Yorkists therefore were Plantagenets in the male line, descended from the fourth son of Edward III, but claimed the throne through Lionel of Antwerp, the second son, over Henry’s father John of Gaunt, the third son. Though Henry and his sons would not suffer from this quarrel, it would ultimately lead the murder of his grandson, Henry VI. In the end, as noble of a man as Henry himself was, it would be extremely difficult not to blame his actions for the downfall of the House of Lancaster and the Plantagenet dynasty.
Further Reading
Bruce, Marie Louise. The Usurper King: Henry of Bolingbroke
Kirby, J. L. Henry IV of England
Mortimer, Ian. The Fears of Henry IV: The Life of England's Self-Made King
Wylie, James Hamilton. History of England Under Henry the Fourth
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Eight of the world’s ten highest mountains are situated wholly or partly in which country? | Mixed World Heritage site Khangchendzonga National Park to give boost to Sikkim eco-tourism | ANI News
Mixed World Heritage site Khangchendzonga National Park to give boost to Sikkim eco-tourism
Updated: Jul 31, 2016 08:05 IST
Gangtok (Sikkim), July 31 ( ANI ): Khangchendzonga National Park (KNP), which Unesco has declared as India's first " Mixed World Heritage Site, is set to give a major boost to Sikkim's eco-tourism sector.
The state government has set for itself a target of attracting at least 12 lakh tourists by 2025 to see the breath-taking view from India's highest mountain peak Kanchenjunga (28,169 feet or 8,586 metres). Kachenjunga is also the world's third highest mountain peak.
The KNP is popular for both its beauty and majesty and has been on the tentative list of World Heritage Sites since 2006. It represents India's unique traditional links between nature and culture, fulfilling the nomination criteria under both natural and cultural heritage.
As India's least populated state, Sikkim is a Himalayan wonderland, rich in mountain peaks, lush picturesque valleys, hills, pine forests and fast flowing rivers that offer opportunities for rafting, forest-trail trekking, monasteries and incredible flora, all required ingredients to declare it a tourist haven.
"Sikkim, with a highest forest cover of 47 per cent in the country, is a favoured northeastern tourist destination. In the last decade alone, tourist arrivals have doubled," said Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling.
He added, "Sikkim registered 347650 domestic tourist arrivals in the year 2005, which increased to 705023 in the year 2015. There were 16518 foreign tourist arrivals registered in the year 2005, which increased to 38479 in the year 2015 .The number of domestic and foreign tourist arrivals have more than doubled in the last ten years. The state has set a target of around 12 lakh tourist arrivals in the state by the year 2025."
Sikkim is a wholly mountainous state, with one third of its area lying above 3,000 meters to the highest point of India, Mount Khangchendzonga.
The Khangchendzonga National Park , which is located in the eastern Himalaya was set up in a 850 square-kilometer area in August 1977 and was subsequently enlarged to 1784 square-kilometers in May 1997 by including surrounding areas for the purpose of protecting and developing wildlife or its habitat.
The KNP has the widest altitudinal range of all the protected areas of the world. This park has an enviable altitudinal variation varying from 1,220m to 8,586 metres within an aerial distance of just 42 kilometres with permanently snowcapped mountains, glaciers, high altitude lakes, grasslands, cold deserts and varied forest types and consequent floral and faunal diversity to delight the visitor.
With an altitudinal range of 7,366m (1,220 m to 8,586 m) within an area of only 1,784 km2 , KNP is endowed with one of the highest ecosystems in the world.
There are 20 peaks, which are above 6,000 metres within the KNP. Of these peaks, 11 are between 6,000 to 7,000 metres, eight between 7,000 to 8,000 metres and one above 8,000 metres. The KNP along with the adjacent reserve forests is home to some 22 endemic and 22 rare and threatened plants.
It is listed as one of the 14 "eight-thousanders,"independent mountains on Earth that are more than 8,000 metres high above sea level , . Its name, "Khangchendzonga" literally means the "abode of Gods consisting of five treasure houses." Mt. Khangchendzonga is flanked by Mt. Narsing (5,825m) Mt. Pandim (6,691m) and Mt. Kabru on the southern side, the Twins (7,350 m), Nepal peak (7,150 m) and Tent peak (7,365 m) on the northern side, and Mt. Simvo (6,811 m) and Mt. Siniolchu (6,886 m) on the eastern side. All these mountains and peaks lie wholly or partly within KNP.
Mt. Khangchendzonga is perhaps, the finest example of an independent mountain having its own glacial system radiating from its several summits. There are eighteen glaciers. Among them, the huge, fearsome and turbulent looking Zemu Glacier which is at its widest point 300m and 26 km in length and ice reserve of 22 km is one of the largest in Asia. Similarly, 73 glacial lakes occur within the KNP which are all above 4,000 metres. Together with the mountain peaks, KNP has a claim to some of the most magnificent snow and ice scenery in the world.
The white snow leopard, jet black Asian black bear, red fox, blue sheep, blood pheasant, yellow throated marten, red panda, Tibetan argali (wild sheep), leopard cat and colourful high altitude pheasants are few of hundreds of species that enrich various niches in this unique hill range. The emerald waters of eighteen high altitude lakes dot this snow clad hill range and host more than a hundred species of birds. Numerous waterfalls which cascade down the hill slopes with their sonorous music also create hundreds of rainbows as the sunrays filter through the valleys between lofty hills.
The KNP has 18 sub-forest types . It has a large diversity of species of higher plants (1,580), mammals (124) and birds (300). There is no other protected area found in the Indian Himalaya with such variety of sub-forest types and species diversity.
Though KNP has less than 0.1 percent of the total area of India, a significant number of mammals are found here. , 124 species of mammals (31 percent of the estimated 400 mammal species found in India), 300 species of birds and 400 species of butterflies have been reported in KNP. More than 100 species of medicinal plants are found in KNP and its surrounding areas. The KNP along with the adjacent reserve forests is home to some 22 endemic, rare and threatened plants.
There are a total of 313 glacial lakes throughout the Teesta basin of the Sikkim Himalaya covering an area of 21.5 square kilometers. Of these, 73 glacial lakes occur within the KNP covering an area of about 3.34 square kilometers.
All the lakes within the KNP are above 4,000 metres and are classified as glacial lakes. The Prek Chu and the Zema Chu watersheds have the maximum number of 16 lakes each, while the Rangit Chu watershed has just two lakes. In terms of area, the Lhonak Chu watershed contains 43 percent of the total area under lakes, primarily due to the presence of South Lhonak Tsho which has an area of 0.71 square kilometers.
For trekking, there is the popular Yuksam-Dzongri-Gochela trek or the expedition to the Green Lake. Tourism has also improved the living standards of local communities, especially at Pelling, Yuksam, Gangtok and Rabongla. Tourism-related activities such as running pack animals, portering, guiding and lodge management have become major economic activities and now determine the way of life.
There are no major developmental projects like roads, buildings or public places which can affect the integrity of KNP. The only colony that existed within KNP comprising 10 family units of Tibetan refugees at Tshoka in its south-west part was relocated outside the park.
The mean minimum and mean maximum temperatures vary inversely with altitude with January being the coldest month and August the warmest . Due to altitudinal variation, the temperature distribution shows a north-south change. Average temperature of the warmest month is indicated as 22°C in the temperate area in Aug, 15°C in the sub-alpine area in July and 12°C in the alpine area in July. Average temperature of the coldest month is indicated as 3.8°C in the temperate area in January, -3°C in the sub-alpine area in January and - 17 °C in the alpine in January. ( ANI )
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What name is given to the smallest species of hummingbird, it being names after the insect it is closest in size to? | India | history - geography | Britannica.com
Convention of Wadgaon
The Himalayas (from the Sanskrit words hima, “snow,” and alaya, “abode”), the loftiest mountain system in the world, form the northern limit of India. That great, geologically young mountain arc is about 1,550 miles (2,500 km) long, stretching from the peak of Nanga Parbat (26,660 feet [8,126 metres]) in the Pakistani-administered portion of the Kashmir region to the Namcha Barwa peak in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China . Between those extremes the mountains fall across India, southern Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan. The width of the system varies between 125 and 250 miles (200 and 400 km).
Portion of the Himalayas in Jammu and Kashmir state, India.
© jayk67/Fotolia
Within India the Himalayas are divided into three longitudinal belts, called the Outer, Lesser, and Great Himalayas . At each extremity there is a great bend in the system’s alignment, from which a number of lower mountain ranges and hills spread out. Those in the west lie wholly within Pakistan and Afghanistan, while those to the east straddle India’s border with Myanmar (Burma). North of the Himalayas are the Plateau of Tibet and various Trans-Himalayan ranges, only a small part of which, in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir state (in the Indian-administered portion of Kashmir), are within the territorial limits of India.
Houseboats along the shore of Nagin Lake, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Gerald Cubitt
Because of the continued subduction of the Indian peninsula against the Eurasian Plate, the Himalayas and the associated eastern ranges remain tectonically active. As a result, the mountains are still rising, and earthquakes —often accompanied by landslides —are common. Several since 1900 have been devastating, including one in 1934 in what is now Bihar state that killed more than 10,000 people. In 2001 another tremor (the Bhuj earthquake ), farther from the mountains, in Gujarat state, was less powerful but caused extensive damage, taking the lives of more than 20,000 people and leaving more than 500,000 homeless. Still others—notably the 2005 quake in Pakistani-administered Kashmir and the 2015 temblor in Nepal —principally affected those regions but also caused widespread damage and hundreds of deaths in adjacent parts of India. The relatively high frequency and wide distribution of earthquakes likewise have generated controversies about the safety and advisability of several hydroelectric and irrigation projects.
The Outer Himalayas (the Siwalik Range)
The southernmost of the three mountain belts are the Outer Himalayas, also called the Siwalik (or Shiwalik) Range . Crests in the Siwaliks, averaging from 3,000 to 5,000 feet (900 to 1,500 metres) in elevation, seldom exceed 6,500 feet (2,000 metres). The range narrows as it moves east and is hardly discernible beyond the Duars , a plains region in West Bengal state. Interspersed in the Siwaliks are heavily cultivated flat valleys (duns) with a high population density. To the south of the range is the Indo-Gangetic Plain . Weakly indurated, largely deforested, and subject to heavy rain and intense erosion, the Siwaliks provide much of the sediment transported onto the plain.
The Lesser Himalayas
To the north of the Siwaliks and separated from them by a fault zone, the Lesser Himalayas (also called the Lower or Middle Himalayas) rise to heights ranging from 11,900 to 15,100 feet (3,600 to 4,600 metres). Their ancient name is Himachal (Sanskrit: hima, “snow,” and acal, “mountain”). The mountains are composed of both ancient crystalline and geologically young rocks, sometimes in a reversed stratigraphic sequence because of thrust faulting. The Lesser Himalayas are traversed by numerous deep gorges formed by swift-flowing streams (some of them older than the mountains themselves), which are fed by glaciers and snowfields to the north.
The Great Himalayas
The northernmost Great, or Higher, Himalayas (in ancient times, the Himadri), with crests generally above 16,000 feet (4,900 metres) in elevation, are composed of ancient crystalline rocks and old marine sedimentary formations. Between the Great and Lesser Himalayas are several fertile longitudinal vales; in India the largest is the Vale of Kashmir , an ancient lake basin with an area of about 1,700 square miles (4,400 square km). The Great Himalayas, ranging from 30 to 45 miles (50 to 75 km) wide, include some of the world’s highest peaks. The highest in the range, Mount Everest (at 29,035 feet [8,850 metres]; see Researcher’s Note: Height of Mount Everest ), is on the China-Nepal border, but India also has many lofty peaks. Notable among those is Kanchenjunga (28,169 feet [8,586 metres]) on the border of Nepal and the state of Sikkim , which is the world’s third tallest peak and India’s highest point. Other high mountains in India include Nanda Devi (25,646 feet [7,817 metres]), Kamet (25,446 feet [7,755 metres]), and Trisul (23,359 feet [7,120]) in Uttarakhand . The Great Himalayas lie mostly above the line of perpetual snow and thus contain most of the Himalayan glaciers.
Kanchenjunga, the world’s third highest mountain, in the Great Himalayas on the border between …
© saps/Fotolia
Associated ranges and hills
In general, the various regional ranges and hills run parallel to the Himalayas’ main axis. Those are especially prominent in the northwest, where the Zaskar Range and the Ladakh and Karakoram ranges (all in Jammu and Kashmir state) run to the northeast of the Great Himalayas. Also in Jammu and Kashmir is the Pir Panjal Range , which, extending along the southwest of the Great Himalayas, forms the western and southern flanks of the Vale of Kashmir.
Barren mountains of Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Courtesy of Iffat Fatima
At its eastern extremity, the Himalayas give way to a number of smaller ranges running northeast-southwest—including the heavily forested Patkai Range and the Naga and Mizo hills—which extend along India’s borders with Myanmar and the southeastern panhandle of Bangladesh. Within the Naga Hills, the reedy Logtak Lake, in the Manipur River valley , is an important feature. Branching off from those hills to the northwest are the Mikir Hills, and to the west are the Jaintia , Khasi , and Garo hills, which run just north of India’s border with Bangladesh. Collectively, the latter group is also designated as the Shillong (Meghalaya) Plateau .
Boatman on a canal south of Logtak Lake, near Imphal, Manipur, India.
Gerald Cubitt
Morning mist and frosty hillsides south of Shillong, Meghalaya, India.
Gerald Cubitt
The Indo-Gangetic Plain
The second great structural component of India, the Indo-Gangetic Plain (also called the North Indian Plain), lies between the Himalayas and the Deccan. The plain occupies the Himalayan foredeep, formerly a seabed but now filled with river-borne alluvium to depths of up to 6,000 feet (1,800 metres). The plain stretches from the Pakistani provinces of Sindh and Punjab in the west, where it is watered by the Indus River and its tributaries, eastward to the Brahmaputra River valley in Assam state.
Morning prayers along the Ganges River, Varanasi, India.
Gavin Hellier—Photographer’s Choice/Getty Images
The Ganges (Ganga) River basin (in India, mainly in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states) forms the central and principal part of the plain. The eastern portion is made up of the combined delta of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers, which, though mainly in Bangladesh, also occupies a part of the adjacent Indian state of West Bengal. That deltaic area is characterized by annual flooding attributed to intense monsoon rainfall, an exceedingly gentle gradient, and an enormous discharge that the alluvium-choked rivers cannot contain within their channels. The Indus River basin, extending west from Delhi , forms the western part of the plain; the Indian portion is mainly in the states of Haryana and Punjab .
The overall gradient of the plain is virtually imperceptible, averaging only about 6 inches per mile (95 mm per km) in the Ganges basin and slightly more along the Indus and Brahmaputra. Even so, to those who till its soils, there is an important distinction between bhangar —the slightly elevated, terraced land of older alluvium—and khadar , the more fertile fresh alluvium on the low-lying floodplain. In general, the ratio of bhangar areas to those of khadar increases upstream along all major rivers. An exception to the largely monotonous relief is encountered in the southwestern portion of the plain, where there are gullied badlands centring on the Chambal River . That area has long been famous for harbouring violent gangs of criminals called dacoit s, who find shelter in its many hidden ravines.
The Great Indian, or Thar , Desert forms an important southern extension of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It is mostly in northwestern India but also extends into eastern Pakistan and is mainly an area of gently undulating terrain, and within it are several areas dominated by shifting sand dunes and numerous isolated hills. The latter provide visible evidence of the fact that the thin surface deposits of the region, partially alluvial and partially wind-borne, are underlain by the much older Indian-Australian Plate, of which the hills are structurally a part.
Hindu pilgrims gathering at Pushkar in the Great Indian Desert (Thar Desert), Rajasthan, India.
© Brian A. Vikander/West Light
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South Africa is the world’s largest producer of what? | World's Largest Gold Producing Countries: South Africa
World's Largest Gold Producing Countries: South Africa
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Editor’s Note: Kitco News will be releasing a daily feature during the week of June 16 - June 20 focusing on the world's top five gold producing countries, which will include a daily graphic of the countries largest producing mines.
( Kitco News ) - South Africa’s place as the fifth-largest gold producer in the world would shock many as the country used to be the crowned king of the gold-mining world.
The rate of deterioration in terms of mining output from South Africa is staggering. In 1983 the country produced 21.847 million ounces of gold, roughly 64% of the world’s output. Today it accounts for a little over 6%.
Over the last decade, the country has seen a steady decline year-on-year as mines are getting older, no new discoveries are being made, grades are dropping and mines are going deeper and deeper into the ground.
Labor strikes have plagued the South African mining industry over the last few years and while the current strikes are focused in platinum group metals, it does not help the perception of an outside investor.
While the Witwatersand Basin in Gauteng and the Free State was the Mecca of gold mining, and to some extent still is as it provides most of South African output, the country continues to be in dire straits as Peru is expected to leap frog them for the fifth-largest gold producing country in 2014.
Data compiled from CPM Group, Morgans Financial, company reports
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Long before any gold can be extracted, significant exploration and development needs to take place, both to determine, as accurately as possible, the size of the deposit as well as how to extract and process the ore efficiently, safely and responsibly.
Interactive gold mining map
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Despite the scale of the global gold mining industry, its socio-economic impacts are not well understood. This report draws together a range of indicators illustrating gold mining’s significant contributions to socio-economic development. The report’s overall aim is to increase the understanding of these contributions, improving the ability of industry participants and stakeholders to work towards more effective partnerships that deliver shared value.
Conflict-Free Gold Standard
Developed by the World Gold Council and based upon internationally-recognised benchmarks, the Conflict-Free Standard helps companies to provide assurance that their gold is not contributing to conflict.
Download the Standard and supporting guidance materials for both implementing companies and the practitioners engaged to report on their compliance. They were developed through an intensive consultation process involving governments, civil society and supply chain participants.
Gold and Malaria
Member companies operate in many of the world’s lowest-income countries. These countries often lack developed health care services, and face the enormous task of dealing with poor nutrition and communicable diseases, including HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. Responsible mining companies see shared value in helping host countries to tackle public health challenges and improve the quality of life for their employees and host communities through corporate social responsibility programmes and occupational health initiatives. Dr Trevor Keel - Head of Technology, reports on the progress being made in the fight against Malaria in Ghana.
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Which former leader of the Lib Dems is the MP for North East Fife? | Ming Campbell’s successor selected: Tim Brett to fight North East Fife for Lib Dems in 2015
Ming Campbell’s successor selected: Tim Brett to fight North East Fife for Lib Dems in 2015
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Former Lib Dem leader Ming Campbell announced last October he’d retire as MP for North East Fife at the next general election, after eight elections (five of them successful) and 28 years.
His successor has now been announced: Tim Brett, leader of Fife Council Liberal Democrats and former chief executive of Ninewells Hospital, will contest the seat for the Lib Dems. Here’s what his biography on the Scottish Lib Dem website says about him:
Tim has lived in NE Fife since 1985 and has been a Councillor since 2003. He held senior management positions with NHS Tayside and latterly was Director of Health Protection Scotland.He is currently a member of NHS Fife Health Board and Chair of the Health and Social Care Partnership which works to achieve greater integration between health and social care.
Tim was part of the leadership team on Fife Council’s Lib Dem/SNP coalition and Chair of the Council’s Social Work and Health committee with a budget of £220 million from 2007-12. Fife was voted best social care provider in the UK and has the best results in the recently published Care Commission report “Making The Grade”. At his suggestion Fife was the first Scottish council to be showcased at the Liberal Democrat party conference in Liverpool in September 2010.
He has served on many Scottish government working groups, most recently on the Group charged with Reshaping Care for Older People and is a member of the Ministerial Advisory Group on Health and Social Care. He regards the challenge of meeting the needs of Scotlands growing elderly population as one of the key issues that Scotland faces.
Tim has worked closely with Sir Menzies Campbell MP n NE Fife and is currently vice convenor of the local party.
After graduating from university, Tim was a volunteer teacher with VSO in Sierra Leone, West Africa and later returned to manage a hospital there – one of the poorest countries in the world.
Tim is the session clerk of Creich, Flisk and Kilmany church and is also a keen hill walker, having completed the Munro’s in 2004 and having climbed Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe.
Tim believes strongly in the difference that Liberal Democrats can make to the life of the people of Scotland and that his wide experience will be a major asset to Tavish Scott’s team in the Parliament.
On paper, North East Fife is one of the party’s safer seats: it would take an 11% swing to the Tories for the Lib Dems to be defeated here, Ming having increased his majority from 1,447 in 1987 to 9,048 in 2010. But the party’s record of successfully defending seats when a long-term incumbent stands down is mixed.
Tim Brett’s selection is something of a first for the Lib Dems this parliament – he’s the first white man to have been selected to defend a held seat.
* Stephen was Editor (and Co-Editor) of Liberal Democrat Voice from 2007 to 2015, and writes at The Collected Stephen Tall .
| Menzies Campbell |
Known as “England’s Darling”, who led resistance against William the Conqueror on the isle of Ely in 1070? | / About Ming
Message from Menzies Campbell
“This website is no longer active since I have retired from the House of Commons. I am delighted that Tim Brett is the Liberal Democrat candidate for North East Fife constituency and I urge the people of North East Fife to support him. If elected I am certain he will be conscientious, effective and hard-working”
Menzies Campbell
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In “Far from the Madding Crowd” who became Bathsheba Everdene’s first Husband? | SparkNotes: Far from the Madding Crowd: Characters
Far from the Madding Crowd
Thomas Hardy
Summary
Chapters 1 to 4
Gabriel Oak - The novel's hero, Gabriel Oak is a farmer, shepherd, and bailiff, marked by his humble and honest ways, his exceptional skill with animals and farming, and an unparalleled loyalty. He is Bathsheba's first suitor, later the bailiff on her farm, and finally her husband at the very end of the novel. Gabriel is characterized by an incredible ability to read the natural world and control it without fighting against it. He occupies the position of quiet observer throughout most of the book, yet he knows just when to step in to save Bathsheba and others from catastrophe.
Bathsheba Everdene - The beautiful young woman at the center of the novel, who must choose among three very different suitors. She is the protagonist, propelling the plot through her interaction with her various suitors. At the beginning of the novel, she is penniless, but she quickly inherits and learns to run a farm in Weatherbury, where most of the novel takes place. Her first characteristic that we learn about is her vanity, and Hardy continually shows her to be rash and impulsive. However, not only is she independent in spirit, she is independent financially; this allows Hardy to use her character to explore the danger that such a woman faces of losing her identity and lifestyle through marriage.
Sergeant Francis (Frank) Troy - The novel's antagonist, Troy is a less responsible male equivalent of Bathsheba. He is handsome, vain, young, and irresponsible, though he is capable of love. Early in the novel he is involved with Fanny Robin and gets her pregnant. At first, he plans to marry her, but when they miscommunicate about which church to meet at, he angrily refuses to marry her, and she is ruined. He forgets her and marries the rich, beautiful Bathsheba. Yet when Fanny dies of poverty and exhaustion later in the novel with his child in her arms, he cannot forgive himself.
William Boldwood - Bathsheba's second suitor and the owner of a nearby farm, Boldwood, as his name suggests, is a somewhat wooden, reserved man. He seems unable to fall in love until Bathsheba sends him a valentine on a whim, and suddenly he develops feelings for her. Once he is convinced he loves her, he refuses to give up his pursuit of her, and he is no longer rational. Ultimately, he becomes crazy with obsession, shoots Troy at his Christmas party, and is condemned to death. His sentence is changed to life imprisonment at the last minute.
Fanny Robin - A young orphaned servant girl at the farm who runs away the night Gabriel arrives, attempts to marry Sergeant Troy, and finally dies giving birth to his child at the poor house in Casterbridge. She is a foil to Bathsheba, showing the fate of women who are not well cared for in this society.
Liddy Smallbury - Bathsheba's maid and confidant, of about the same age as Bathsheba
Jan Coggan - Farm laborer and friend to Gabriel Oak
Joseph Poorgrass - A shy, timid farm laborer who blushes easily, Poorgrass carries Fanny's coffin from Casterbridge back to the farm for burial.
Cainy Ball - A young boy who works as Gabriel Oak's assistant shepherd on the Everdene farm.
Pennyways - The bailiff on Bathsheba's farm who is caught stealing grain and dismissed. He disappears for most of the novel until he recognizes Troy at Greenhill Fair and helps Troy surprise Bathsheba at Boldwood's Christmas party.
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Which European city was called Christiania frm 1624-1925? | Advanced English Notes: Bathsheba Everdene- Character Sketch
Advanced English Notes
A website for students of Advanced English (Part 1 and 2) of Board of Intermediate Education Karachi. Notes are written and provided by Abu AbdurRahman.
Categories
A character from “Far From the Madding Crowd” by Thomas Hardy
Introduction
Bathsheba Everdene, the heroine of the novel, is an intriguing character from the beginning of Thomas Hardy’s novel, “Far From the Madding Crowd.” Bathsheba is introduced in the first chapter along with Gabriel Oak. Though the two marry at the very end of the novel, their relationship at this stage as well as throughout most of the novel is turbulent.
Like all of Hardy’s characters, Bathsheba is inherently virtuous and is not in essence wicked. Nevertheless, she possesses characteristics which make her at times captivating while at other times abhorrent. It is these behavioral traits which cause the novel to be interesting and add new dimensions to an otherwise mundane plot.
Appearance
Fundamentally, “Far From the Madding Crowd” is a romantic tragedy. Hence, a romantic novel requires a character who is attractive and whom others are vying to be with. That character is Bathsheba Everdene. From the onset of the novel, the first man who meets her, Gabriel Oak, falls in love with her.
Even Mr. Boldwood, who had previously never set his eyes upon a woman, became infatuated with her. Liddy, Bathsheba’s maidservant companion remarked about him,
“Never was such a hopeless man for a woman! He's been courted by sixes and sevens -- all the girls, gentle and simple, for miles round, have tried him.”
Pride and Vanity
Foreshadowing a twisted and intriguing plot, Gabriel Oak remarks in the first chapter that though Bathsheba is beautiful, her greatest weakness is her vanity. This characteristic of hers influences many of her consequential decisions early in the novel, but soon dies away as she experiences the troubles and miseries of life.
The most memorable example of her vanity is in the first chapter when she looks herself in the mirror and blushes. This trait is further emphasized when Oak pays for her toll at the entrance of Norcombe Hill and she does not thank him.
After taking the management of her farm into her own hands, her workers express disdainfully that though she has little experience, she listens to no advice and thinks herself to be knowledge in all affairs. Henery Fray, one of workers says
“"A headstrong maid,1 that's what she is -- and won't listen to no advice at all. Pride and vanity have ruined many a cobbler's dog.”
Sergeant Troy, an impulsive and reckless man by nature entices Bathsheba due to this weakness of hers. As Hardy simply puts,
“He had been known to observe casually that in dealing with womankind the only alternative to flattery was cursing and swearing.
Bathsheba, as a result of the self-love of her charms, became a wretched victim to
Troy
’s flattery. Though her consciousness told her that
Troy
was a dangerous man not to be dealt with, her vanity caused her to be dazzled by him.
Ironically, Bathsheba’s marriage to
Troy
slowly usurped her pride. When
Troy
kissed Fanny Robin, the last instance of Bathsheba’s vanity was seen. On Fanny’s death, she prepared flowers for her husband’s ex-lover. On
Troy
’s disappearance, she agreed to marry Boldwood to whom she felt a moral obligation towards.
Wildness and Impulsive Nature
As a young milkmaid, Bathsheba’s wild and impulsive nature is her second most prominent characteristic. Like her pride and vanity though, this too also erodes with the passage of time. As Bathsheba grows older, she becomes more thoughtful of the consequences of her actions.
Gabriel visits her house at Norcombe Hill with the intention of asking for her hand in marriage. She is not home and her aunt comments about her,
“You see, Farmer Oak, she's so good-looking, and an excellent scholar besides -- she was going to be a governess2 once, you know, only she was too wild.
Almost as if they are prophetic3 words, her aunt’s characterization of Bathsheba is shown in the same chapter when she runs to tell Gabriel that she has no suitors but still does not want to marry him.
"Well -- that IS a tale!" said Oak, with dismay." To run after anybody like this, and then say you don't want him!"
This characteristic is also later expressed when she, out of impulsiveness buys a valentine for one of her workers. And out of impulsiveness again, she decides to send it to Mr. Boldwood, a man of great respect and integrity. Glimpses of Bathsheba’s almost volatile nature are also brought out when she abruptly dismisses Gabriel and when she scolds her maids and her companion Liddy.
Another of Bathsheba’s prominent acts of impulsiveness is when she secretly tries to escape to
Bath
to warn Sergeant Troy. In the middle of the night, she obtains a horse from her stables and tries to quietly leave her farm. As Maryann, her maidservant says to herself, “A woman was out of the question in such an occupation at this hour,” because of the danger an expedition such as this posed to a woman. Bathsheba, a novice at traveling even miscalculated by a great deal the distance of the journey and time it would take her to get to
Bath
.
Boldness and Practicality
Early in the novel when Gabriel is suffocating in his hut, she, instead of becoming unnerved, throws milk unto an unconscious Gabriel and loosens his handkerchief to allow him to breathe. Months later, when Gabriel sees her as mistress of a large farm in Weatherbury, he is astonished at “the rapidity with which the unpractised girl of Norcombe had developed into the supervising and cool woman here.” Her abrupt dismissal of her bailiff, Pennyways, her decision to manage the farm herself and many other instances further enunciate this exceptional characteristic of hers.
Upon
Troy
’s harsh and inconsiderate words to Bathsheba, she runs away from home. Later, she realizes the folly of her act and tells her friend, Liddy that she has resolved that she will return home. Almost immediately, she starts her journey back home.
“It is only women with no pride in them who run away from their husbands. There is one position worse than that of being found dead in your husband's house from his ill usage, and that is, to be found alive through having gone away to the house of somebody else. I've thought of it all this morning, and I've chosen my course. A runaway wife is an encumbrance to everybody, a burden to herself and a byword…”
This admirable characteristic is clearly depicted upon her husband Sergeant Troy’s death. As Hardy points out, “All the female guests were huddled aghast against the walls like sheep in a storm, and the men were bewildered as to what to do.” Bathsheba, on the other hand, was sitting upon the floor with her husband’s head in her lap. She was using a handkerchief to cover his wound and not allow the blood to flow. Upon Gabriel’s arrival, she immediately tells him to fetch a surgeon. Three hours later, when the surgeon arrives, he is astonished to see that everything has been arranged.
“It is all done, indeed, as she says," remarked Mr. Aldritch5, in a subdued voice. "The body has been undressed and properly laid out in grave clothes. Gracious Heaven -- this mere girl! She must have the nerve of a stoic6!"
Regard for her Maiden Purity and Want of
Independence
Bathsheba is not a shy woman but still views her maiden purity with high regard. When Bathsheba’s personality is first introduced early in the novel, Hardy remarks about her,
“Had she been put into a low dress she would have run and thrust her head into a bush. Yet she was not a shy girl by any means; it was merely her instinct to draw the line dividing the seen from the unseen higher than they do it in towns.”
After
Troy
, the man she loves, kisses her, she is shocked and feels vulnerable and impure.
“That minute's interval had brought … upon her a stroke resulting, as did that of Moses in Horeb7, in a liquid stream -- here a stream of tears. She felt like one who has sinned a great sin.”
This characteristic of hers propels the plot forward in many cases. For example she tells Gabriel that she would like to have all the niceties of a marriage but does not want to have a husband. And though she regards Boldwood with high esteem, she does not want to marry him and keeps delaying the decision to do so. It is only
Troy
’s victimizing flattery, impulsiveness and her vanity that cause her to succumb to marriage.
Her regard for her maiden purity is associated with another desire of hers: her yearning to be independent. She tells Oak, “…nobody has got me yet as a sweetheart, instead of my having a dozen, as my aunt said; I HATE to be thought men's property in that way, though possibly I shall be had some day.”
Her Virtuous Nature
Like all of Hardy’s characters, Bathsheba is neither inherently evil nor possesses any malicious objective. Even
Troy
, the man who is deemed dangerous and untrustworthy, is not evil but rather lacks a moral compass to tell him right from wrong. The plot of “Far From the Madding Crowd” is propelled because of this characteristic of hers and often depicts scenes where Bathsheba is puzzled between morality and desires. Her decision to save Gabriel’s life, sympathize with Fanny Robin, and refusal to ignore an intruding Sergeant Troy are excellent instances of her high level of morality.
She sent her valentine to Boldwood on a whim without caring or thinking about its far-reaching effects. But after she realizes what it has done, she grieves for her mistake and tries in many ways to repent of her sin. Though she does not want to marry Boldwood, she does not want to reject him either, conscious of the fact that it was her actions which caused the love he had developed for her. She later agrees to marry him only because of this reason though every other instinct of hers tells her to do otherwise.
Self-Opinion
Bathsheba Everdene is an exemplary character in “Far From the Madding Crowd”. Though she has her faults and makes many wrong and disastrous decisions, she is always eager to correct her mistakes. Her good characteristics by far outweigh her bad ones and she is the most engaging and lovable character in the novel.
Notes
1-head-strong maid- This phrase used by Henery Fray means that Bathsheba is a woman who has little experience in how to manage a farm but still listens to no advice from anyone.
2-governess- Bathsheba’s aunt says that Bathsheba is fit to control and direct the making and administration of policy, meaning that Bathsheba has the traits necessary for management except that she often makes wild and inconsiderable actions, foreshadowing that she will become a manager some day.
3-prophetic-here I used the word prophetic to signify that her aunt’s words almost told the future, not necessarily that her aunt knew the future. The word prophetic has a different meaning from the word Prophet.
4-… high generation, hated at tea parties, feared in shops, and loved at crises.- here this quote refers to the fact that whatever Bathsheba, believes to be the right thing to do, she does it almost automatically.
5-Mr. Alderitch- in some versions of the novel, Mr. Granthead is used instead of Mr. Alderitch
6-stoic- meaning one apparently or professedly indifferent to pleasure or pain- refers to a member of a school of philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium about 300 b.c. holding that the wise man should be free from passion, unmoved by joy or grief, and submissive to natural law- Mr. Alderitch is impressed by the fact that she is almost emotionless.
7-Moses in Horeb- This phrase alludes to the verse 17:6 in the bible when Moses strikes a rock and water gushes forth from it so that the people can drink. Hardy uses this phrase to explain that Bathsheba cried so much that it was as if water from a spring was coming out from her eyes.
8-Jove- the Roman God Jupiter who was the king of Gods in
(Definitions of words taken from Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary)
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Which US actor was born Joe Yule Jr? | Joe Yule - Biography - IMDb
Biography
Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (2) | Trivia (8)
Overview (4)
5' 3" (1.6 m)
Mini Bio (1)
Joe Yule was born on April 30, 1892 in Glasgow, Scotland as Ninian Joseph Ewell. He was an actor, known for Boom Town (1940), Bringing Up Father (1946) and Jiggs and Maggie Out West (1950). He was married to Leota Hullinger and Nell Ruth Carter. He died on March 30, 1950 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Spouse (2)
Father-in-law of Martha Vickers .
Fought with the U.S. Army in France during World War I.
He and then-wife Nell Carter, a chorus girl and dancer, formed a family vaudeville act which quickly included son Mickey Rooney when he was about a year old. The couple broke up the act and the marriage when Mickey was 3.
Former burlesque and vaudeville entertainer who played Hollywood character roles from the late 30's until his death.
See also
| Mickey Rooney |
Jacksonville is the largest city in which US state? | Joe Yule • Biography & Facts
Joe Yule
Joe Yule
Joseph "Joe" Yule (April 30, 1892 – March 30, 1950) was a Scottish-American vaudeville comedian who starred in many films as a character actor. He was noted for his role in the Jiggs and Maggie film series, and for being the father of Mickey Rooney .Yule was born Ninian Joseph Ewell in the Polmadie district of Glasgow. As a child, he emigrated with his parents to the U.S. (circa 1900). He later changed his name to Joseph Yule. He married Nellie W. Carter, a native of Kansas City, Missouri. Both were vaudevillians and were appearing together in a Brooklyn production of A Gaiety Girl when their son Joseph Yule, Jr., was born. Their son adopted the professional name Mickey McGuire , then Mickey Rooney . The Yules separated in 1924 during a slump in vaudeville, and in 1925, Nell Yule moved with her son to Hollywood. Yule died 25 years later from a heart attack, the month before he turned 58.
Personal facts
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Who was King of Denmark in Shakespeare’s Hamlet? | SparkNotes: Hamlet: Plot Overview
Plot Overview
Context
Character List
On a dark winter night, a ghost walks the ramparts of Elsinore Castle in Denmark. Discovered first by a pair of watchmen, then by the scholar Horatio, the ghost resembles the recently deceased King Hamlet, whose brother Claudius has inherited the throne and married the king’s widow, Queen Gertrude. When Horatio and the watchmen bring Prince Hamlet, the son of Gertrude and the dead king, to see the ghost, it speaks to him, declaring ominously that it is indeed his father’s spirit, and that he was murdered by none other than Claudius. Ordering Hamlet to seek revenge on the man who usurped his throne and married his wife, the ghost disappears with the dawn.
Prince Hamlet devotes himself to avenging his father’s death, but, because he is contemplative and thoughtful by nature, he delays, entering into a deep melancholy and even apparent madness. Claudius and Gertrude worry about the prince’s erratic behavior and attempt to discover its cause. They employ a pair of Hamlet’s friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to watch him. When Polonius, the pompous Lord Chamberlain, suggests that Hamlet may be mad with love for his daughter, Ophelia, Claudius agrees to spy on Hamlet in conversation with the girl. But though Hamlet certainly seems mad, he does not seem to love Ophelia: he orders her to enter a nunnery and declares that he wishes to ban marriages.
A group of traveling actors comes to Elsinore, and Hamlet seizes upon an idea to test his uncle’s guilt. He will have the players perform a scene closely resembling the sequence by which Hamlet imagines his uncle to have murdered his father, so that if Claudius is guilty, he will surely react. When the moment of the murder arrives in the theater, Claudius leaps up and leaves the room. Hamlet and Horatio agree that this proves his guilt. Hamlet goes to kill Claudius but finds him praying. Since he believes that killing Claudius while in prayer would send Claudius’s soul to heaven, Hamlet considers that it would be an inadequate revenge and decides to wait. Claudius, now frightened of Hamlet’s madness and fearing for his own safety, orders that Hamlet be sent to England at once.
Hamlet goes to confront his mother, in whose bedchamber Polonius has hidden behind a tapestry. Hearing a noise from behind the tapestry, Hamlet believes the king is hiding there. He draws his sword and stabs through the fabric, killing Polonius. For this crime, he is immediately dispatched to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. However, Claudius’s plan for Hamlet includes more than banishment, as he has given Rosencrantz and Guildenstern sealed orders for the King of England demanding that Hamlet be put to death.
In the aftermath of her father’s death, Ophelia goes mad with grief and drowns in the river. Polonius’s son, Laertes, who has been staying in France, returns to Denmark in a rage. Claudius convinces him that Hamlet is to blame for his father’s and sister’s deaths. When Horatio and the king receive letters from Hamlet indicating that the prince has returned to Denmark after pirates attacked his ship en route to England, Claudius concocts a plan to use Laertes’ desire for revenge to secure Hamlet’s death. Laertes will fence with Hamlet in innocent sport, but Claudius will poison Laertes’ blade so that if he draws blood, Hamlet will die. As a backup plan, the king decides to poison a goblet, which he will give Hamlet to drink should Hamlet score the first or second hits of the match. Hamlet returns to the vicinity of Elsinore just as Ophelia’s funeral is taking place. Stricken with grief, he attacks Laertes and declares that he had in fact always loved Ophelia. Back at the castle, he tells Horatio that he believes one must be prepared to die, since death can come at any moment. A foolish courtier named Osric arrives on Claudius’s orders to arrange the fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes.
The sword-fighting begins. Hamlet scores the first hit, but declines to drink from the king’s proffered goblet. Instead, Gertrude takes a drink from it and is swiftly killed by the poison. Laertes succeeds in wounding Hamlet, though Hamlet does not die of the poison immediately. First, Laertes is cut by his own sword’s blade, and, after revealing to Hamlet that Claudius is responsible for the queen’s death, he dies from the blade’s poison. Hamlet then stabs Claudius through with the poisoned sword and forces him to drink down the rest of the poisoned wine. Claudius dies, and Hamlet dies immediately after achieving his revenge.
At this moment, a Norwegian prince named Fortinbras, who has led an army to Denmark and attacked Poland earlier in the play, enters with ambassadors from England, who report that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. Fortinbras is stunned by the gruesome sight of the entire royal family lying sprawled on the floor dead. He moves to take power of the kingdom. Horatio, fulfilling Hamlet’s last request, tells him Hamlet’s tragic story. Fortinbras orders that Hamlet be carried away in a manner befitting a fallen soldier.
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The town of Oswestry is in which English county? | Hamlet - Wikiquote
Hamlet
How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable
Seem to me all the uses of this world .
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a revenge tragedy by William Shakespeare , and is one of his most well-known and oft-quoted plays. It is uncertain exactly when it was written, but scholars tend to place its composition between 1600 and the summer of 1602.
Contents
I'll speak to it though Hell itself should gape
And bid me hold my peace .
You come most carefully upon your hour.
Francisco, scene i
Our sometime sister, now our Queen.
Claudius, scene ii
Claudius: ...But now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son —
Hamlet: A little more than kin, and less than kind.
Claudius: How is it that the clouds still hang on you?
Hamlet: Not so my lord; I am too much i' the sun.
scene ii
Seems, madam! Nay, it is; I know not "seems."
Hamlet, scene ii
O, that this too too solid flesh would melt,
Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew.
Hamlet, scene ii
Note: "Solid" is the word found in the First Folio edition of the plays (1623). Earlier versions (the First and Second Quartos), had used the word "sallied." In some later editions, the word was "sullied."
How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable
Seem to me all the uses of this world.
Hamlet, scene ii
Frailty, thy name is woman!
Hamlet, scene ii
But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue.
Hamlet, scene ii
Thrift, thrift, Horatio! The funeral bak'd meats
Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.
Hamlet, scene ii
A countenance more in sorrow than in anger.
Horatio, scene ii
I'll speak to it though Hell itself should gape
And bid me hold my peace.
Hamlet, scene ii
For Hamlet, and the trifling of his favours,
Hold it a fashion and a toy in blood;
A violet in the youth of primy nature,
Forward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting,
The perfume and suppliance of a minute —
No more.
Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,
Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,
Whiles, like a puff'd and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads.
And recks not his own rede.
Ophelia, scene iii
Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.
Polonius, scene iii
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice;
Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment.
Polonius, scene iii
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy;
For the apparel oft proclaims the man.
Polonius, scene iii
Neither a borrower nor a lender be:
For loan oft loses both itself and friend.
Polonius, scene iii
This above all — to thine own self be true;
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Polonius, scene iii
But to my mind, — though I am native here
And to the manner born, — it is a custom
More honour'd in the breach than the observance.
Hamlet, scene iv
Why, what should be the fear?
I do not set my life at a pin's fee,
And for my soul, what can it do to that,
Being a thing immortal as itself?
Hamlet, scene iv
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.
Marcellus, scene iv
My hour is almost come
When I to sulphrous and tormenting flames
Must render up myself.
Murder most foul, as in the best it is;
But this most foul, strange, and unnatural.
Ghost, scene v
The serpent that did sting thy father's life
Now wears his crown.
Cut off even in the blossoms of my sin.
Ghost, scene v
O horrible, O horrible, most horrible!
Ghost, scene v
And each particular hair to stand on end,
Like quills upon the fretful porpentine.
Ghost, scene v
Variant: Most modern publications modernize this phrase to "Like quills upon the fretful porcupine."
O most pernicious woman!
O, villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!
My tables, — meet it is I set it down,
That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain.
Hamlet, scene v
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Hamlet, scene v
How strange or odd soe'er I bear myself —
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on.
Hamlet, scene v
The time is out of joint; O cursed spite,
That ever I was born to set it right!
Hamlet, scene v
Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief.
More matter with less art.
Gertrude, scene ii.
That he is mad, 'tis true; 'tis true 'tis pity;
And pity 'tis 'tis true: a foolish figure;
But farewell it, for I will use no art.
Polonius, scene ii
Doubt thou the stars are fire;
Doubt that the sun doth move;
Doubt truth to be a liar;
But never doubt I love.
Hamlet, from a letter read by Polonius, scene ii
Polonius: Do you know me, my lord?
Hamlet: Excellent well; you're a fishmonger.
Polonius: Not I, my lord.
Hamlet Then I would you were so honest a man.
Polonius: Honest, my lord!
Hamlet: Ay, sir; to be honest, as this world goes, is to be one man picked out of ten thousand.
Polonius: That's very true, my lord.
Hamlet: [Reads] For if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a god kissing carrion, — Have you a daughter?
Polonius: I have, my lord.
Hamlet: Let her not walk i' the sun: conception is a blessing: but not as your daughter may conceive; — friend, look to 't.
Polonius: [Aside] How say you by that? Still harping on my daughter: — yet he knew me not at first; he said I was a fishmonger: he is far gone, far gone: and truly in my youth I suffered much extremity for love; very near this.
scene ii
Polonius: What do you read, my lord?
Hamlet: Words, words, words.
scene ii
Polonius: [Aside] Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't. — Will you walk out of the air, my lord?
Hamlet: Into my grave.
scene ii
Polonius: My honored lord, I will most humbly take my leave of you.
Hamlet: You cannot, sir, take from me anything that I will more willingly part withal — except my life — except my life — except my life.
scene ii
Hamlet: My excellent good friends! How dost thou Guildenstern? Ah, Rosencrantz! Good lads, how do you both?
Rosencrantz: As indifferent as children of the earth.
Guildenstern: Happy in that we are not overhappy; on Fortune's cap we are not the very button.
Hamlet: Nor the soles of her shoe?
Rosencrantz: Neither, my lord.
Hamlet: Then you live about her waist, or in the middle of her favours?
Guildenstern: Faith, her privates we.
Hamlet: In the secret parts of Fortune? O, most true! She is a strumpet. What's the news?
Rosencrantz: None, my lord, but that the world's grown honest.
Hamlet: Then is doomsday near.
scene ii
There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.
Hamlet, scene ii
I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams.
Hamlet, scene ii
Beggar that I am, I am even poor in thanks.
Hamlet, scene ii
I have of late, but wherefore I know not, lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises, and indeed it goes so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory. This most excellent canopy, the air, look you, this brave o'erhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire, why, it appears no other thing to me then a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours. What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form, in moving, how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? man delights not me; no, nor woman neither, though, by your smiling, you seem to say so.
Hamlet, scene ii
Use every man after his desert, and who should 'scape whipping?
Hamlet, scene ii
O! what a rogue and peasant slave am I!
Hamlet, scene ii
What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba,
That he should weep for her?
Hamlet, scene ii
That I, the son of a dear father murdered,
Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell,
Must like a whore unpack my heart with words,
and fall a-cursing like a very drab
Hamlet, scene ii
The spirit that I have seen
May be the devil: and the devil hath power
To assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps
Out of my weakness and my melancholy,
As he is very potent with such spirits,
Abuses me to damn me: I'll have grounds
More relative than this: the play 's the thing
Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.
Hamlet, scene ii
Be all my sins remembered.
Get thee to a nunnery: why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?
We are oft to blame in this, —
'Tis too much prov'd, — that with devotion's visage,
And pious action, we do sugar o'er
The devil himself.
To be, or not to be, — that is the question: —
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? — To die, to sleep, —
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, — 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep; —
To sleep, perchance to dream: — ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despis'd love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would these fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death, —
The undiscover'd country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns, — puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know naught of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought;
And enterprises of great pith and moment,
With this regard, their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.
Hamlet, scene i
The fair Ophelia! — Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remember'd.
Hamlet, scene i
Get thee to a nunnery: why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest; but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me. I am very proud, revengeful, ambitious; with more offences at my beck than I have thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape, or time to act them in. What should such fellows as I do crawling between earth and heaven? We are arrant knaves all; believe none of us.
Hamlet, scene i
Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind.
Ophelia, scene i
I say, we will have no more marriages: those that are married already, — all but one, — shall live; the rest shall keep as they are.
Hamlet, scene i
O! what a noble mind is here o'erthrown!
Ophelia, scene i
To have seen what I have seen, see what I see!
Ophelia, scene i
Madness in great ones must not unwatched go.
Claudius, scene i
Gertrude: Come hither, my dear Hamlet, sit by me.
Hamlet: No, good mother, here's metal more attractive. [Hamlet takes a place near Ophelia.]
scene ii
Hamlet: Lady, shall I lie in your lap?
Ophelia: No, my lord.
Hamlet: I mean, my head upon your lap?
Ophelia: Ay, my lord.
Hamlet: Do you think I meant country matters?
scene ii
So long? Nay, then, let the devil wear black, for I'll have a suit of sables. Oh heavens! die two months ago, and not forgotten yet? Then there's hope a great man's memory may outlive his life half a year.
Hamlet, scene ii
The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
Gertrude, scene ii
Why, look you now, how unworthy a thing you make of me. You would play upon me; you would seem to know my stops; you would pluck out the heart of my mystery; you would sound me from my lowest note to the top of my compass; and there is much music, excellent voice, in this little organ, yet cannot you make it speak. 'Sblood, do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe? Call me what instrument you will, though you can fret me, you cannot play upon me.
Hamlet, scene ii
Hamlet: Do you see yonder cloud that's almost in shape of a camel?
Polonius: By th' Mass, and 'tis like a camel, indeed.
Hamlet: Methinks it is like a weasel.
Polonius: It is backed like a weasel.
Hamlet: Or like a whale.
Polonius: Very like a whale.
scene ii
Tis now the very witching time of night,
When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out
Contagion to this world: now could I drink hot blood,
And do such bitter business, as the day
Would quake to look on.
Hamlet, scene ii
Let me be cruel, not unnatural;
I will speak daggers to her, but use none.
Hamlet, scene ii
O! my offence is rank, it smells to heaven.
Claudius, scene iii
What if this cursed hand
Were thicker than itself with brother's blood, —
Is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens
To wash it white as snow?
Claudius, scene iii
Now might I do it pat, now he is praying;
And now I'll do 't: and so he goes to heaven;
And so am I reveng'd.
Hamlet, scene iii
My words fly up, my thoughts remain below;
Words without thoughts never to heaven go.
Claudius, scene iii
Hamlet: How now! a rat? Dead, for a ducat, dead!
Polonius: Oh, I am slain!
scene iv
Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell!
I took thee for thy better.
Hamlet, scene iv
In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed,
Stew'd in corruption, honeying and making love
Over the nasty sty.
I must be cruel, only to be kind: Thus bad begins and worse remains behind.
Hamlet, scene iv
Be thou assur'd, if words be made of breath,
And breath of life, I have no life to breathe
What thou hast said to me.
Gertrude, scene iv
Good-night, ladies; good-night, sweet ladies; good-night, good-night.
So, haply, slander —
Whose whisper o'er the world's diameter,
As level as the cannon to his blank,
Transports his poisoned shot — may miss our name
And hit the woundless air. — O, come away!
My soul is full of discord and dismay.
Claudius, scene i
Rosencrantz: I understand you not, my lord.
Hamlet: I am glad of it: a knavish speech sleeps in a foolish ear.
Rosencrantz: My lord, you must tell us where the body is, and go with us to the king.
Hamlet: The body is with the king, but the king is not with the body. The king is a thing —
Guildenstern: A thing, my lord?
Hamlet: Of nothing.
scene ii
Hamlet: A man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a king, and eat of the fish that hath fed of that worm.
Claudius: What dost thou mean by this?
Hamlet: Nothing but to show you how a king may go a progress through the guts of a beggar.
scene iii
Claudius: Where is Polonius?
Hamlet: In heaven; send thither to see. If your messenger find him not there, seek him i' the other place yourself. But, indeed, if you find him not within this month, you shall nose him as you go up the stairs into the lobby.
scene iii
How all occasions do inform against me,
And spur my dull revenge!
Hamlet, scene iv
O! from this time forth,
My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!
Hamlet, scene iv
We know what we are, but know not what we may be.
Ophelia, scene v
Good-night, ladies; good-night, sweet ladies; good-night, good-night.
Ophelia, scene v
When sorrows come, they come not single spies,
But in battalions.
I'm lost in it, my lord. But let him come;
It warms the very sickness in my heart,
That I shall live and tell him to his teeth,
'Thus diest thou.'
Too much of water hast thou, poor Ophelia,
And therefore I forbid my tears.
Laertes, scene vii
What is the reason that you use me thus?
I lov'd you ever: but it is no matter.
Let Hercules himself do what he may,
The cat will mew, and dog will have his day.
Hamlet, scene i
There's a divinity that shapes our ends,
Rough-hew them how we will.
Hamlet, scene ii
We defy augury; there's a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all.
Hamlet, scene ii
The potent poison quite o'er-crows my spirit:
I cannot live to hear the news from England;
But I do prophesy the election lights
On Fortinbras: he has my dying voice;
So tell him, with the occurrents, more and less,
Which have solicited. The rest is silence.
Hamlet, scene ii; variant, from the First Folio: The rest is silence. O, o, o, o. [Dies]
If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart,
Absent thee from felicity awhile,
And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain,
To tell my story.
Now cracks a noble heart. Good-night, sweet prince;
And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.
Horatio, scene ii
Bear Hamlet, like a soldier, to the stage.
Fortinbras, scene ii
Go, bid the soldiers shoot.
Fortinbras, scene ii
| i don't know |
Who starred in the TV series “Nice Guy Eddie” as a Liverpool private investigator? | Nice Guy Eddie - Episode Guide - TV.com
Nice Guy Eddie
Episode 6
0.0
Episode Six from the show Nice Guy is a 60 minute TV drama series on BBC One which topbills Ricky Tomlinson as private investigator Eddie McMullen. The storyline tells of a warm-hearted private detective who treats every case he handles with utmost respect. He gets to personally involve himself in such cases and just wants to spread happiness around him. Johanne McAndrew and Elliot Hope both from Liverpool are the writers behind the TV drama which stars Rachel Davies as Ronnie the outspoken wife of Eddie, Elizabeth Squiggs as Mum Vera; Allison Burrows as Diane Vaughan and Cheryl Leigh as Mrs. Jackson. Episode Six is under the direction of Alam McMillan and Morag McKinnon.moreless
Episode 5
0.0
Nice Guy Eddie is a drama series based in Liverpool, England that tells the story of fifty year old private investigator Eddie McMullen (Ricky Tomlinson). Eddie and his glamorous wife Ronnie have three daughters. Also involved in Eddie's life is his mother Vera and twenty-four year old illegitimate son Frank. In episode 5 Eddie and Frank (Tom Ellis) work together and find themselves over involved in a client's personal life. Returning home Eddie has to calm his oldest daughter who has separated from her husband but is furious when she sees him with another woman.moreless
Episode 4
0.0
Nice Guy Eddie is a six part television drama produced by the BBC Northern Ireland. The story follows warm hearted private detective Eddie McMullen (Ricky Tomlinson) and his family, who live in Liverpool, England. During episode 4 Eddie and his outspoken wife Ronnie (Rachel Davies) argue and Eddie disappears. Ronnie believes that Eddie is being silly and has run away but in reality he and his daughter Laura (Stephanie Waring) are in serious danger.moreless
Episode 3
0.0
Episode Three from the show Nice Guy Eddie is the third 60-minute BBC One scripted, comedy drama in a six-part series. Working in Liverpool, an unselfish private detective, Eddie McMullen, (Ricky Tomlinson) works to solve his case amidst some crazy antics. Cast members include his wife, Veronica "Ronnie" McMullen (Rachel Davies), daughter, Angela Jones (Christine Tremarco) and Frank Bennett (Tom Ellis). Airing June 30, 2002, this episode features guest stars Sharon (Joanne Sherryden) and CID officer (Dave Rooney).moreless
Episode 2
0.0
Nice Guy Eddie is a six part television drama series that follows the life of private detective Eddie McMullen (Ricky Tomlinson). Eddie lives with his wife Ronnie (Rachel Davies) and their three daughters in Liverpool, England. Also involved in Eddie's life are his interfering mother and illegitimate son, Frank. During episode 2 Ronnie warms to Frank (Tom Ellis) and Eddie's daughter shocks him when she tells him about a young school girl made to earn money by working in the sex trade.moreless
6/16/02
0.0
Nice Guy Eddie is a six part television series set in Liverpool, England. The series follows private detective Eddie Mc Mullen ( Ricky Tomlinson) who lives with his wife and three daughters. Easy going Eddie enjoys his work and tries his hardest to keep his family happy. During episode 1 Eddie is working on a case following a woman whose boyfriend believes that she is having an affair. Returning home from work Eddie's enraged wife insists that he takes a DNA test after Frank (Tom Ellis) has appeared claiming that he is Eddie's illegitimate son.moreless
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| Ricky Tomlinson |
Name the year: Yasser Arafat new leader of the PLO; Dwight D Eisenhower dies; US Mariner 6 spacecraft launched to Mars. | Cheap Ricky Tomlinson Tickets
Details of Ricky Tomlinson and the Ticket Luck value
Ricky Tomlinson
An English actor, Ricky Tomlinson is best known for his character on the BBC kitchen sink sitcom titled The Royle Family.
Tomlinson was born on 26 September, 1939 in Bispham, Blackpool. He grew up in Bipham and then relocated to Liverpool where he spent most of his life.
Before breaking into show business, Tomlinson worked as a building site plasterer for many years. He soon joined trade union politics and became involve in activism.
Ricky Tomlinson joined acting industry late in life. His first TV acting role was when Roland Joffe cast him in United Kingdom. It was shown in the BBC's Play for Today slot. As an actor, Tomlinson has earned considerable success and garnered huge acclaim.
He appeared as as Jim Royle in the sitcom The Royle Family, DCI Charlie Wise in Cracker, and as Bobby Grant in the soap opera Brookside. Tomlinson is also a keen banjo player. He has made several appearances playing the instrument in many episodes of sitcom titled The Royle Family.
In 2001, Ricky Tomlinson teamed up with fellow Brookside actor, Michael Starke and other friends for his own rendition of popular folk songs. These songs included a cover of The Pogues' Are You Lookin' At Me?, and It's A Long Way To Tipperary.
That year also saw Tomlinson releasing a CD album entitled Music My Arse. He issued a single Christmas My Arse at Christmas 2006 which went straight to occupy 25th position in the UK Singles Chart. It was not before 2002, when Tomlinson had a break through with a BBC TV Series Nice Guy Eddie. In the series, he played a role of a Liverpool private investigator.
Ricky Tomlinson has appeared in a series of commercials designed for privatizing former nationalized utility British Gas. In 2003, Tomlinson published an autobiography, titled Ricky. He has also starred in a couple of films, notably Raining Stones, Mike Bassett: England Manager, and Hillsborough.
The last one was a made-for-TV film about the families of the sufferers of the Hillsborough stadium disaster. In June 2006, Tomlinson made his debut as the guest celebrity in Dictionary Corner. It was a segment in the long-running popular UK Channel 4 game show Countdown.
Around this time, Ricky Tomlinson embarked on a tour to the big theatres across the UK with his show An Evening with Ricky Tomlinson. The last quarter of 2006 saw him presenting a program in Five's Disappearing Britain series. It was entitled When Coal was King.
In March 2007, Tomlinson hosted BBC's One Life: Guilty My Arse. It detailed his version of the Shrewsbury Two case. On One Life: Guilty My Arse, he compared his political activism as a trade unionist to the work of the suffragettes. In the end of that year, Tomlinson underwent a major heart operation.
After recovering from the surgery, Ricky Tomlinson took his Laughter Show on the road in 2008. The show also featured his fellow comedians like Pauline Daniels, Duncan Norvelle, and Tony Barton.
In November, 2008, Lace DVD released the UK home video version of Ricky's Laughter Show Live. More recent events have shown him supporting the Campaign for a New Workers' Party.
After touring biggest venues around the world, Ricky Tomlinson is brining his road show to your City soon. So, make sure that your Ricky Tomlinson tickets before they all sell out!
Frequently Asked Questions
| i don't know |
What is thye common name of the plant Myosotis? | Myosotis scorpioides - Plant Finder
Plant Finder
Height: 0.50 to 1.00 feet
Spread: 0.75 to 1.00 feet
Bloom Time: June to August
Bloom Description: Sky blue with yellow center
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium to wet
Suggested Use: Water Plant, Naturalize, Rain Garden
Flower: Showy
Garden locations
Culture
Easily grown in organically rich, consistently moist to wet soils in full sun to part shade. Grows in up to 3” of standing water. Use containers for water garden plantings in order to control spread. For streams and ponds, place new plants directly in the soils of muddy banks at the water line. Plants will spread by creeping rhizomes but are not overly aggressive. Pinch young plants to promote bushiness. Plants will self seed. If additional plantings are desired, divide plant rhizomes in early spring. Stem cuttings may be taken in summer.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Myosotis scorpioides, commonly called water forget-me-not or true forget-me-not, is a rhizomatous marginal aquatic perennial that typically grows 6-10” ( less frequently to 18”) tall on decumbent to upright angular stems. Light sky blue 5-lobed flowers (1/4” diameter) with yellow centers bloom in branched scorpioid cymes that uncoil as the flowers open. Long spring through summer bloom period. The cymes, particularly when in bud and early bloom, resemble a coiled scorpion’s tail, hence the specific epithet. Shiny, oblong to lance-shaped, bright green leaves (to 4” long). Synonymous with Myosotis palustrus. Native to moist meadows and stream banks from Europe to Siberia, this wildflower has now escaped cultivation and has naturalized in wet places throughout many parts of North America. The common forget-me-not of borders and woodland gardens is Myosotis sylvatica.
Genus name comes from the classical Greek name myosotis from mus meaning mouse and ous or otos meaning ear applied to plants with short pointed leaves, later transferred to this genus.
Specific epithet means scorpion for the flower cymes, particularly when in bud and early bloom, resemble a coiled scorpion’s tail.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Susceptible to mildew and rust.
Garden Uses
Wet areas including stream banks, water gardens, bogs or pond edges. Woodland gardens near water. Will naturalize to form an attractive flowering ground cover.
| Forget-me-not |
Which comedian and actor presents the Radio 4 programme “The Unbelievable Truth”? | Forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides)
Scientific Name: Myosotis scorpioides
Family: Forget-me-not (Boraginaceae)
Other Common Names: True Forget-me-not, Scorpion Weed, Love-me, Marsh Scorpion Grass, Mouse-Ear Scorpion Grass, Snake Grass
Flower Color: Light blue with yellow center
Habitat: Wet soils, near lakes and rivers and sometimes in shallow water
General Bloom Dates: May - September
General Characteristics:
The Forget-me-not flower has five, bright blue, regular petals that surround a yellow center. The flower is 1/2" wide. The flowers grow near the end of the stem, each having its own short stalk off of the main stem. When the plant first emerges the stem is curled at the end; when the flowers begin to bloom the stem uncurls. The stem grows 6"-12" high. The simple leaves grow in an alternate pattern along the stem. Leaves are lance-shaped and are 1-2" long. Both the leaves and stem are covered in fine hair. Forget-me-nots grow in mats with a widespread root system.
Plant Lore:
There are four species of Forget-me-nots in Minnesota. There are both native and non-native species, but the Myosotis scorpioides is from Europe. It escaped from gardens and found suitable habitat. The plant's scientific name and common name have several interesting theories on their origin. The scientific name, Myosotis, means mouse ear, which describes the size and shape of the petal. Its species name, scorpiodes, and the common name "Scorpion Weed", are from the coiled plant stem that resembles a scorpion tail. This appearance led people to believe this flower was a remedy for scorpion stings; however, this claim has never been validated. The common name may have originated from an unpleasant edible experience that was hard to forget (these plants taste bad), or may have a more heartfelt meaning. It's said that whomever wore this flower wouldn't be forgotten by his or her lover. There are two stories that illustrate the flower's significance among lovers and explain the common name, although both have tragic endings. In the first story, a suitor was picking this flower for his love and saw the perfect specimen. It was close to the cliff's edge but he reached for it anyway. Losing his balance, the man plummeted over the cliff, shouting, "Forget me not!" as he fell. The second story originates in Germany. A knight and his lovely lady were walking along a riverbank. He was picking this flower for her when he tripped and fell into the river. Before he went under he threw the small bouquet to her and shouted "vergiss mein nicht", the German name of the flower.
Modern Uses of this Plant:
The Forget-me-not is used today in gardens and along walkways.
| i don't know |
By what name is the city of Madras now known? | Now, High Court of Bombay, Calcutta and Madras will be known by these names | Zee News
Now, High Court of Bombay, Calcutta and Madras will be known by these names
Last Updated: Tuesday, July 5, 2016 - 17:32
Zee Media Bureau
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New Delhi: Almost two decades after the city of ‘Madras’ became ‘Chennai’, ‘Bombay’ became ‘Mumbai’ and Calcutta became Kolkata, the High Courts in all the three cities on Tuesday finally adopted the respective city names by the act of Parliament.
The government announced a series of decisions including renaming of high courts in Kolkata, Bombay and Chennai Hours soon after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet reshuffle took place today.
Addressing a press conference, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "From now on Calcutta High Court will be known as Kolkata High Court, Bombay High Court as Mumbai High Court and Madras High Court as Chennai High Court.”
(Further details awaited)
| Chennai |
Which is the third inhabited island in the group with Malta and Gozo? | Indian city now known as Chennai - crossword puzzle clue
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Clue: Indian city now known as Chennai
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What name is given to Canada’s newest territory, created in 1999 , offering some self-determination to the Inuit people? | Nunavut Territory Established: Inuit Gain New Homeland April 1 | Cultural Survival
Cultural Survival Quarterly Magazine
Nunavut Territory Established: Inuit Gain New Homeland April 1
While January 1, 2000 signals the beginning of the new millennium for most of the world, the next century symbolically begins on April 1, 1999 for the Inuit of northern Canada. On April 1 st, a new flag and coat of arms will be unveiled as the Inuit celebrate the official establishment of their new homeland, Nunavut. Long-held aspirations of self-determination will finally be realized on this historic date. Economic growth coupled with a return to traditional Inuit values are among the long-term goals promised for this new state.
The last few months have been filled with last-minute preparations for the historic birthday of North America's newest territory. Multimillion dollar business expansions into the circumpolar region have included a new Internet service by Northwestel which will be provided to the Nunavut capital of Iqaluit this year. Higher education is entering the territory by way of the University of the Arctic, a new institution which is striving to be "in the North and for the North." Finally, and most notably, citizens have been laying the foundation for Nunavut's first government which was elected on February 15th of this year.
The creation of the Nunavut territory, where 82 percent of the people are Inuit, represents a victory for the political and cultural autonomy of indigenous peoples. While native groups in Canada, known as First Nations, suffer from some of the worst social pathologies and economic hardships in the country, there is a growing trend toward self-determination. For example, the Nisgaa Indians of northern British Columbia signed a treaty last year with the Canadian government that gave them the right of self-government over an area more than half the size of Rhode Island. Holding the reins of power to their own land provides the residents of Nunavut and these other areas the tools necessary for political stability, economic growth, and an increase in the standard living for everyone, as well as a boost in native identity and self-confidence. The establishment of Nunavut is the most ambitious Canadian aboriginal proposal for self-government, and reflects the obstacles and promises of political sovereignty for the native peoples of Canada.
The History of Nunavut
The story of Nunavut begins in 1976 when the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (ITC), a national Inuit organization, proposed that a new territory in Northern Canada be created as a settlement of Inuit land claims in the Northwest Territories (NWT). The new territory, to be called "Nunavut" after the Inuit word for "our land," would include the central and eastern area of the NWT where the majority of residents are Inuit. Following a plebiscite held in the NWT in 1982 in which 56.5 percent of the voting public favored the division of the territory, the Legislative Assembly accepted the idea of establishing a new territory. A Constitutional Alliance was then established, composed of members of the Legislative Assembly and representatives of Aboriginal organizations in the NWT, whose goal was to agree upon the physical boundaries of division and the appropriate political structures for the territory.
While the Constitutional Alliance finally negotiated the Iqaluit Agreement in 1987, disagreements over land claim areas resulted in the non-ratification of the agreement and the canceling of the proposed plebiscite on the boundary specifications. In 1990, a single-line boundary for division was recommended by John Parker, former Commissioner of the NWT, and was presented to all NWT voters in a May 1992 plebiscite. Fiftyfour percent of those voting supported the proposed boundary, which was then formally adopted by the government of the Northwest Territories, the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut (the Inuit claims organization), and the federal government in the Nunavut Political Accord.
During the discussions of the division boundary, a separate land claims negotiation was also occurring over the creation of Nunavut. In April 1990, an Agreement-in-Principle to settle the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement was finalized which affirmed federal, territorial, and Inuit support for the creation of Nunavut "as soon as possible." The final agreement on outstanding items in the land claim was negotiated in December 1991 and was signed after Inuit ratification vote in May 1993. Meanwhile, Canada, the government of the NWT, and the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut negotiated a political accord separate from the land claim settlement in October 1992 which dealt with powers, principles of financing and timing for the establishment of a distinct Nunavut government. The Nunavut Act, which received royal assent in June 1993, establishes the legal framework for the new government.
Nunavut Land Claims Agreement
The historic land claims settlement was signed after 20 years of negotiation in 1993 between representatives of the Inuit of central and eastern Arctic and the Governments of Canada and the Northwest Territories. The agreement, the largest native land claim settlement in Canadian history, provides title to the Nunavut Inuit of an area of land one-fifth the size of Canada. Among the provisions of the 41 articles are: equal representation of Inuit with government on a new set of wildlife management, resource management, and environmental boards; the right to harvest wildlife on lands and waters throughout the Nunavut settlement area; a $13 million Training Trust Fund; a share of federal government royalties for Nunavut Inuit from oil, gas, and mineral development on Crown lands; the creation of three new federally funded national parks; the right of first refusal on sport and commercial development of renewable resources in the Nunavut Settlement Area; and the right to negotiate with industry, where Inuit own surface title to the land, for economic and social benefits from non-renewable resource development.
This agreement ensures a stable environment for future economic development in the new territory of Nunavut. In addition to creating five-year economic development programs for each region and encouraging the growth of native development corporations, the agreement also provides for the training and development of a professional bureaucracy to implement the settlement. For instance, the Sivuliuqtit Nunavut Management Development Program was established to train a core of Inuit leaders needed to effectively manage the new government of Nunavut. One of the most significant parts of the land claims agreement is the creation of the Nunavut Planning Commission (NPC) which gives the Inuit control over all activities on their settlement lands. The NPC has already begun mapping wildlife populations, human use, waste sites, and areas of archaeological significance, as Well as examining such land use issues as the potential impact of mineral development on the regions environment. Since members of the NPC are nominated by Inuit organizations and the governments of Canada and the Northwest Territories, the people of Nunavut are directly involved in the management of their settlement area.
Nunavut Government Structure
On April 1, 1999, the Northwest Territories will divide into two parts, with the eastern portion of a population of about 24,000 known as Nunavut. Since the majority of the population is Inuit, the Nunavut government will represent many Inuit values and traditions, even allowing workers time off to pursue traditional activities like seal hunts. The government will be established in evolutionary stages over sixteen years, scheduled to end in 2009, with the federal government promising more than $1.2 billion dollars in capital transfer payments to the people of Nunavut. In 1993, an organization called the Nunavut Implementation Commission was established to make recommendations on the government structure. It was decided that the primary institutions of public government will be an elected Legislative Assembly, a Cabinet, and a territorial court, all operating on the three official languages of English, French, and Inuktituk. With government departments and agencies set up in the twenty-eight communities throughout the territory, the Nunavut government intends to be decentralized, responding to the economic needs of each region.
As the official unveiling of the new government quickly approaches, construction crews are working around the clock to finish commercial buildings, dozens of apartments, and the new igloo-shaped Nunavut legislative building. In the new capital of Iqaluit, there are now two tanning salons, a Chinese restaurant, a cellular telephone service provider, and a Kentucky Fried Chicken outpost. New construction has also brought negative effects including a growing mound of trash in the town dump, leading to huge flocks of ravens in the near vicinity. Moreover, seven new town houses were recently destroyed by a fire set by Inuit teenagers sniffing gasoline. Only time will tell whether the recurrent problems of alcoholism, teenage suicides, and spousal abuse will be ameliorated by the new government. One thing is certain, however. The entire country of Canada, as well as much of the world, will be eagerly waiting to see what the future has in store for the new territory of Nunavut.
Article copyright Cultural Survival, Inc.
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Which European City has Alcala as a main street? | Conciliator's Final Report: Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Implementation Planning Contract Negotiations for the Second Planning Period
Conciliator's Final Report: Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Implementation Planning Contract Negotiations for the Second Planning Period
Conciliator's Final Report: Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Implementation Planning Contract Negotiations for the Second Planning Period
Author: Thomas R. Berger, O.C., Q.C.
Date: March 1, 2006
PDF Version (840 Kb, 104 Pages)
THOMAS R. BERGER, O.C., Q.C.
SUITE 440, MARINE BUILDING, 355 BURRARD STREET,
VANCOUVER, B.C., CANADA
Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Parliament Buildings, Ottawa
RE: CONCILIATION
It is now six years on since the creation of Nunavut.
Nunavut today faces a moment of change, a moment of crisis. It is a crisis in Inuit education and employment, a crisis magnified by the advent of global warming in the Arctic and the challenge of Arctic sovereignty.
The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement that led to the creation of Nunavut is by far the largest of the land claims settlements in the modern land claims era. The territory is vast, covering one-fifth of Canada, extending from the 60th parallel to the waters off the northern coast of Ellesmere Island. If Nunavut were an independent country it would be the twelfth largest in area in the world.
Canada signed a land claims agreement with the Inuit of the Northwest Territories on May 25, 1993; it included a promise that a new territory, to be known as Nunavut, predominately Inuit, would be established in the Eastern Arctic. [Note 1] Prime Minister Mulroney, speaking at the signing ceremony, said:
"We are forging a new partnership, a real partnership. Not only between the Government of Canada and the future Government of Nunavut but between aboriginal and non-aboriginal Canadians."
On April 1, 1999 the new territory came into existence. Canada was proud of this achievement, one distinctively Canadian and exemplifying our nation's ideal of unity in diversity. We took several bows on the international stage. Prime Minister Chretien said:
"Canada is showing the world, once again, how we embrace many peoples and cultures. The new Government of Nunavut will reflect this diversity, incorporating the best of Inuit traditions and a modern system of open and accountable public government."
Nunavut was to be an expression of Inuit self-determination. For the Inuit of Nunavut, it would be their place on the map of our country. [Note 2] They did not seek an Aboriginal government; instead, the Agreement provided for the establishment of a public government in Nunavut, with a franchise extending to all residents, together with complete eligibility for all residents to stand for any public office.
The Government of Nunavut is now up and running. There have been two general elections in the territory. The elected government represents all the people of Nunavut.
Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI) represents the Inuit of Nunavut, the beneficiaries with respect to the lands and resources they now hold under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. It is responsible for the management of the funds received under the settlement on behalf of the Inuit and, along with regional Inuit organizations, for safeguarding Inuit interests regarding implementation of the Agreement. Since 2002, the Government of Canada, the Government of Nunavut and NTI have been engaged in negotiations to renew the Implementation Contract signed in 1993 (at the same time as the Agreement) to cover the second implementation period, 2003 to 2013.
But Canada, Nunavut and the NTI had been unable to agree on the terms of continuing implementation.
On June 1, 2005, I was appointed as Conciliator by your predecessor. [Note 3] My job has been to explore, with the Parties, new approaches to the implementation of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.
In Nunavut and in Ottawa, my counsel [Note 4] and I have heard from government officials from the highest levels through to the rank and file in territorial and federal departments. We have spoken with educators, parents, and students from kindergarten to college and university. We have met with Inuit entrepreneurs and artists, with municipal officials and employees, trainee lawyers, nurses and teachers. We have talked with officers of the RCMP and the Canadian Armed Forces, with hunters and trappers, community elders, linguists and historians.
As Conciliator I dealt first with the arrangements for the ongoing funding of the boards and commissions responsible for the management of land and resources in Nunavut. The members of these boards and commissions (known as Institutions of Public Government) are nominated by Canada, NTI and Nunavut. They are mandated to manage the wildlife, wildlife habitat, water, mineral and marine resources of Nunavut. They engage in land use planning and environmental impact assessment. Theirs is an immense task.
I dealt with the question of funding these Institutions of Public Government in my Interim Report of August 31, 2005. On the basis of my recommendations the parties have found themselves able to agree to funding for the work of these boards in the sum of $15 million per year for the balance of the ten year implementation period 2003 – 2013.
In my Final Report, which accompanies this letter, [Note 5] I have had to deal with a subject of even greater import, a subject with profound implications: Article 23 of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. Article 23 lies at the heart of the promise of Nunavut.
Article 23 has, as its stated objective, "to increase Inuit participation in government employment in the Nunavut Settlement Area to a representative level." Moreover, this objective applies to "all occupational groupings and grade levels" within government. It is an objective which is shared by the Government of Canada and the Government Nunavut.
On its face, Article 23 speaks only to employment in the public service. But I have found that it is impossible to consider Article 23 in isolation. Any examination of the objective – representative levels of Inuit employment – inevitably leads to a consideration of a range of issues implicated in the future of Nunavut, especially in the fields of employment and education.
The population of Nunavut is now approaching 30,000, of whom 85% are Inuit. Under Article 23 the Inuit ought to have 85% of the positions in the public service. The fact is, however, that only 45% of the employees of the Government of Nunavut are Inuit. This figure was more or less achieved early on, as Inuit took up mainly lower level (e.g. administrative support) positions in government, and has not been improved upon for the simple reason that only a few Inuit are qualified for the executive, management and professional positions that make up the middle and upper echelons of the public service. The result is that, although most of the elected members of the Government of Nunavut are Inuit, the great majority of the higher level positions in the public service are held by non-Inuit; in fact, these latter constitute a large part of the 15% of residents of Nunavut who are not Inuit.
The problem is not on the demand side of the equation. The Government of Nunavut has strived mightily to provide opportunities for virtually all qualified Inuit. The problem is that the supply of qualified Inuit is exhausted. Only 25% of Inuit children graduate from high school, and by no means all of these graduates go on to post-secondary education. The types of jobs where the need for increased Inuit participation is most acute – such as the executive, management and professional categories – have inescapable educational requirements.
The language spoken by the Inuit is Inuktitut. [Note 6] Indeed, for 75 per cent of the Inuit, Inuktitut is still their first language spoken in the home, and fully 15% of Inuit (mostly living in the smaller communities) have no other language. Given the demographics of the new territory Inuktitut ought, generally speaking, to be the language of the governmental workplace in Nunavut and the language of the delivery of government services. But it is not. The principal language of government in Nunavut is English. So the people of the new territory speak a language which is an impediment to obtaining employment in their own public service.
The Government of Nunavut has 3200 employees. The Inuit say they are entitled to their fair share of employment in the public service. They rely on Article 23; it is an equity clause – an equity clause not for a minority but for a majority.
The Inuit live today in 27 isolated communities in a vast land until now accessible only for a month or two in summer, except by air.
Until the post-World War II period, they had made their living for centuries by hunting, trapping and fishing. Today the traditional way of life is still of fundamental importance to the Inuit. But the movement away from the land promoted by Canada - over the past 50 years - into the communities, into a world in which government, schools and bureaucracy are paramount, has been inexorable. As Premier Paul Okalik has said, "Inuit are currently in a transition stage from a land-based (traditional hunting) economy to a modern or wage-based economy."
In Nunavut there is no developed wage economy, no industry. Unemployment is high, averaging 30 per cent but reaching 70 per cent in some communities. As well, many of the Inuit are dependent on income support in some form.
Thus the importance to the Inuit of the Government of Nunavut as employer.
In fact, the Government of Nunavut has decentralized its administration to ensure not only that the territorial government is closer to the people but also that the job opportunities it represents are spread around the territory. But such measures in themselves cannot fulfill the objective of Article 23: the Inuit must have the opportunity for an education that will enable them to take these jobs.
Article 23 therefore raises the question: What has to be done to qualify the Inuit for employment in all occupational groupings and grade levels in their own government? There must of course be near-term initiatives to increase the number of Inuit in the public service. I am recommending some of these measures: An expanded program of summer students and internships in the Government of Nunavut itself, career counselling, and scholarships for apprenticeships and for post-secondary studies. [Note 7] But you can't envisage any way of achieving the objective of Article 23 over the long term unless you start by increasing the number of high school graduates. So it all leads back to the schools, to education, for it is Inuit high school graduates and Inuit graduates of university and other post-secondary programs who will enter the public service. There will have to be major changes in the education system in order to vastly increase the number of Inuit high school graduates; in my view a new approach is required, a comprehensive program of bilingual education.
Canada, represented by Indian Affairs, has in the past adopted the position that it has no further obligations under Article 23, that by conducting a labour market survey and developing plans for Inuit employment and pre-employment training, it has done all that it specifically agreed to do under Article 23. It is true that Article 23 does not say anything about the schools, about education. It is quite apparent, however, that Article 23, which deals with employment, cannot be discussed intelligently without discussing education. The schools are supposed to equip students with the skills to obtain employment. But in Nunavut they have not produced an adequate pool of qualified Inuit. The schools are failing. They are not producing graduates truly competent in Inuktitut; moreover, the Inuit of Nunavut have the lowest rate of literacy in English in the country.
At the meetings we have had, it has become obvious that the status quo is unacceptable, that a strong program of bilingual education must be adopted. The Government of Nunavut, with the support of NTI, has argued the urgency of such a program. Indian Affairs has made an altogether positive contribution to the Conciliation process and has worked closely with the other parties and with me in developing my recommendations for consideration by you and your colleagues.
The Government of Nunavut in 1999 inherited from the old Northwest Territories a school curriculum which, while ostensibly bilingual, emphasized English at the expense of Inuktitut. The system is not working.
Today in Nunavut, Inuktitut is the language of instruction from kindergarten through Grades 3/4. In Grades 4/5 Inuktitut is abandoned as a language of instruction, and Inuit children are introduced to English as the sole language of instruction. Many of them can converse in English. But they can't write in English, nor are their English skills sufficiently advanced to facilitate instruction in English. In Grade 4, they are starting over, and they find themselves behind. Their comprehension is imperfect; it slips and as it does they fall further behind. By the time they reach Grade 8, Grade 9 and Grade 10, they are failing (not all of them, to be sure, but most of them). This is damaging to their confidence, to their faith in themselves. For them, there has been not only an institutional rejection of their language and culture, but also a demonstration of their personal incapacity. The Inuit children have to catch up, but they are trying to hit a moving target since, as they advance into the higher grades, the curriculum becomes more dependent on reading and books, more dependent on a capacity in English that they simply do not have.
In Nunavut this reinforces the colonial message of inferiority. The Inuit student mentally withdraws, then leaves altogether.
In such a system Inuktitut is being eroded. Of course, language is only one element of identity, but it is a huge one.
The drop out rate is linked to Nunavut's unhappy incidence of crime, drugs and family violence. Ejetsiak Peter chairman of the Cape Dorset District Education Authority, summed it up for me through an interpreter: "The children who drop out have not developed the skills to live off the land, neither do they have employment skills. So they are caught between two worlds." It is clear that out of this situation has emerged the social pathology that bedevil Cape Dorset and other communities.
The schools reflect contemporary life in Nunavut. In 1995, Rodolfo Stavenhagen, the United Nations' Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, in a report to the U.N. Committee on Human Rights, fairly summed up the condition of Nunavut today. He wrote:
"The overall health of Inuit continues to lag far behind that of other Canadians. Life expectancy is ten years lower than the rest of Canada. Many health indicators are getting worse. Arctic research shows that changes in traditional diets lead to increased health problems, particularly of mental health, characterized by increased rates of depression, seasonal affective disorder, anxiety and suicide. Inuit leaders are deeply concerned that the housing, education, health and suicide situation have reached crisis proportions and are not being addressed by the Federal Government."
So it is not only a question of language. Inuit children live in the most overcrowded, overheated houses in Canada, where one-third to one-half of the children, uniquely susceptible as a race to Chronic Otitis Media, suffer from hearing impairment (the teachers in Nunavut have to use microphones in the classroom) and delayed speech development.
Imagine the odds faced by a student attempting to do homework with 12 or 13 other people in the house (on average, half of them children), perhaps sleeping two, three or four to a room. Nunavut's climate dictates that these tiny homes will be shut tight against the weather for possibly 8 months of the year; virtually every home has at least one resident smoker; oil heating may produce carbon monoxide and other pollutants. The fact that even one quarter of Inuit students graduate from high school is, under the circumstances, a testament to the tenacity of those students, their parents, and their communities.
In my judgement the failure of the school system has occurred most of all because the education system is not one that was set up for a people speaking Inuktitut. It is a bilingual system in name only, one that produces young adults who, by and large, cannot function properly in either English (because they never catch up with the English curriculum) or Inuktitut (because they learn only an immature version of their first language before switching to English).
There has been some improvement in Inuit achievement in school in recent years. There is, however, no steady arc of improvement. In fact, there is a danger of a falling back, a danger that Inuktitut will continue to lose ground, and the sense of loss in Nunavut will become pervasive.
You might ask: why not just teach in English, and let Inuktitut fend for itself as an Aboriginal language for only private use? I have considered this alternative but it is impractical and, moreover, unacceptable. First, because experts on language in schools say that the foundations of language during the crucial early years of education are best developed using the child's native tongue as the language of instruction. In other words, if you want children speaking Inuktitut to develop real skills in English, it is better to focus on Inuktitut to provide a firm anchor of learning during those developmental years. The same is true of scholarship generally. Children who speak aboriginal languages will be better students, and will be more likely to stay in school, if they receive more instruction in their first language. Second, because those graduates who go on to positions of responsibility in government, though they will receive their post-secondary training in English, would nevertheless be required to deliver government services in the language of the community. Third, because Inuktitut is the vessel of Inuit culture. The Inuit are determined to retain their language; it is integral to their identity.
I would add one other reason why we cannot move to an English-only school system: we have tried it before, and we know it doesn't work. In the Indian residential schools, it led to tragedy. In Nunavut today, the schools in Kugluktuk and Cambridge Bay have an all-English program and graduation rates are no better than in the other regions of Nunavut, where an all-English system of instruction prevails after Grade 3.
The only solution is to provide a bilingual system that works.
The Government of Nunavut with the support of NTI proposes, and the experts agree, that we must undertake nothing less than a new program of bilingual education starting in the pre-school years, and from kindergarten through Grade 12. Inuktitut would still be the principal language of instruction from kindergarten to Grade 3, but it would not be effectively abandoned in Grade 4. Both Inuktitut and English would be languages of instruction right through Grade 12.
The exact distribution of subjects may vary. Perhaps Inuit history, traditions, and culture, the geography of Nunavut, the life of the Inuit in early times, contact with European explorers, the fur trade, the long struggle for their land claim the creation of Nunavut, and their present-day achievements in art, sculpture and film, should all be taught in Inuktitut. Crossover subjects such as social studies could be taught in Inuktitut. It may be that English will be the best choice for teaching science and mathematics.
Nunavut is made up of 27 communities and each community must tailor the system to its particular needs and resources. In Kugluktuk and Cambridge Bay, for instance, where Inuktitut is endangered, the choice may well be immersion in Inuktitut.
There is a shortage of Inuit teachers in Nunavut. Only 35 per cent of teachers speak Inuktitut, and their numbers are slipping due to attrition from retirement, the stresses of the job (particularly for women with families) and the temptations of other careers in the territory, since Inuit teachers are the largest cohort of qualified Inuit in any field. The program I am recommending will require that many more teachers be trained. In the meantime other measures can be taken. There are, for instance, middle-aged and adult Inuit in every community who speak Inuktitut well. They would be given a year of teacher training in the community and would teach Inuktitut in the schools. At the same time, local tradespeople, carvers and sculptors would give classes in their specialties. Life on the land would not be forgotten. Survival skills in danger of being lost would be transmitted in the classroom by veteran hunters. All this while more Inuit teachers are formally trained and introduced, year-by-year, into an expanding bilingual curriculum.
Language "nests," on the New Zealand model, to engage whole families in the use of Inuktitut, would be introduced. School would become the business of the whole community.
The objective would be, over time, to see high school graduation rates in Nunavut conforming to the rest of Canada.
We are not simply discussing the means by which the Inuit may acquire their fair share of government jobs. As the Inuit graduate from high school and go on to achieve the qualifications necessary to enter the middle and upper echelons of the public service, they will at the same time acquire the skills that will enable them to compete for good jobs in the private sector. Premier Paul Okalik has written that "I firmly believe that education is a key to individual development and future opportunities." It is my firm belief too. The fulfillment of Article 23 is the means by which the Inuit can be enabled to participate not only in their own government but also in private sector employment.
This is not to say that all Inuit children would be destined for graduation. Many would not. Nor is it to say that Nunavut ought to adopt a wholly academic program. If Inuit youth are going to live off the land or go into a trade, there would be a place for them in school.
The aim would be not to preserve Inuktitut as a cultural artifact but to affirm Inuit identity, to improve Inuit educational achievement. The idea is to strengthen the language that is at risk, but at the same time to improve ability in English.
What we have to get into our heads is that the loss of language and educational underachievement are linked. The strengthening of Inuktitut in the school, the home and the community can bring improvement in achievement in both Inuktitut and English.
The Inuit have decided that this is their only choice, and I believe that it is Canada's only choice. The Inuit have looked to the example of Greenland, where a program designed solely to develop competence in Greenlandic (the Inuit language of Greenland) has produced high school graduates who are not competent in Danish or English, foreclosing any post-secondary study except in Greenland.
Nunavut is the heartland of the Inuit of Canada; a majority of Canada's Inuit live in Nunavut. In Kugluktuk and Cambridge Bay, where English has to a great extent supplanted Innuinaqtun even in the home, parents insist it must be taught in the schools and eventually become a language of instruction. They firmly believe, however, like the Inuit throughout Nunavut, that their children must be competent in English also, since it is the language which enables them to speak to Canada and the world. And they understand it will continue to be used in the Government of Nunavut, especially in scientific and technical fields. But it will be replaced, over time as the principal language of government, by Inuktitut.
Why, it may be asked, hasn't the Government of Nunavut gone ahead with such a program? Well, it is a government that was organized only a few years ago. But the main reason is that the Government of Nunavut is not in a position to undertake such a program because it cannot afford it.
Such a program and the specific near-term initiatives that I am recommending go well beyond Nunavut's ordinary budget requirements for education and development of human resources. The Government of Nunavut must play its part, but the lion's share of the costs must be borne by the Government of Canada.
Neither in 1993 nor in 1999 was the magnitude of the task apparent. We erected a new government for a people speaking Inuktitut, but who were to be integrated into the life of a predominantly English and French speaking country. It was believed that we could achieve 85 per cent Inuit employment by 2008. All have now agreed that the target date ought to be 2020, but it is a target that can only be reached if we act now.
To establish a program of true bilingual education and to enable the Inuit to gain their fair share of places in the public service will be a major undertaking. But what did we expect? When we agreed to the establishment of Nunavut, it cannot have escaped our notice that the overwhelming majority of the people of the new territory would be Inuit, speaking Inuktitut.
Nunavut is a unique jurisdiction in Canada, a territory whose population speaks a language which is not predominantly English or French. No other province or territory has a majority of Aboriginal people speaking a single language.
In the late 1960s, the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism (the B & B Commission) warned us that French-speaking Canadians had to be given an opportunity to occupy their fair share of places in the public service of Canada and that their language and their communities should be given an opportunity to flourish throughout Canada.
The B & B Commission found that Francophones did not occupy in the higher echelons of the federal government the places their numbers warranted; that educational opportunities for the francophone minorities in the English-speaking provinces were not commensurate with those provided for the English-speaking minority in Quebec, and that French-speaking Canadians could neither find employment in nor be adequately served in their own language by the federal government.
The resemblance to the situation in Nunavut today is striking.
After the report of the B & B Commission, a series of measures followed, including the Official Languages Act of 1969, promotion of bilingualism in the federal public service, and in 1982 the adoption of Section 23 of the Charter of Rights, which provides a constitutional guarantee for minority language schooling throughout the country "where numbers warrant."
The Government of Canada has acknowledged that such expenditures are a federal responsibility.
So much was required for one of Canada's two founding peoples. [Note 8] No one now disputes the wisdom of the measures taken: Francophones should be, as Prime Minister Pearson argued at the time, "at home" in their own country. So should the Inuit.
Just as there had to be measures to enable Francophones to take their rightful place in the public service of Canada, and to promote and sustain the use of French, so also in Nunavut today there must be measures to enable the Inuit to take their rightful place in the public service of Nunavut and to promote and sustain the use of Inuktitut.
This is not to say that Inuktitut should be one of the official languages of Canada. It is to say, however, that the principle observed, the model adopted as a result of the of the work of B & B Commission, the type of programs undertaken to promote bilingualism in the federal government and to encourage and sustain French in schools in the English-speaking provinces, ought to be a useful guide to enable us to ensure that Inuktitut, the spoken language and the written language of the Inuit, [Note 9] should be encouraged and sustained in the schools, and in the public service.
The program I am recommending will require funding over and above the subsidy provided to Nunavut under the present Territorial Formula Financing arrangements. The Government of Nunavut has costed the near-term initiatives that I am recommending. As far as costing the proposed comprehensive program of bilingual education is concerned, there will have to be further discussions between Nunavut and Canada.
PricewaterhouseCoopers reported in 2003 that if the Inuit occupied their proportionate share of the posts in the public service, they would enjoy a net gain annually of $72 million. That is how much would go into their pockets. The same report estimated that government would also save tens of millions of dollars per year in costs such as those associated with the recruitment, hiring, and training of non-Inuit (mostly imported at considerable further expense from the South) for the same positions. [Note 10] These are substantial sums, amounting together to perhaps $97 million annually.
A much greater social cost will, however, await as if we do not act now.
The statistics relating to social pathology in Nunavut may seem bloodless on the page, but they represent a social catastrophe in the making, the loss of a whole generation.
All of this is occurring in a suddenly altered Arctic landscape and seascape.
The Arctic is the epicentre of global warming. The shrinking of the Arctic ice represents a threat to polar bears, seals, the whole range of Arctic marine mammals and wildlife - a threat to the traditional Inuit way of life. The evidence of climate change in the Arctic is accumulating day by day. In my travels in the Arctic in 2005 I have seen it. The permafrost is melting. The ice in the rivers goes out earlier, greater snowfall is impeding the migratory routes of the caribou, supply vessels are reaching Iqaluit and other communities measurably earlier. If present warming trends continue, the Arctic landscape could be greatly altered by 2020.
The Northwest Passage and the other passages through the Arctic archipelago may within ten or fifteen years be open to year-round navigation. Or it may be a more distant prospect. But it is coming. In any event with global warming the Arctic and the Arctic Islands are likely to be more accessible to oil and gas exploration and production, intensive development of mining and the establishment of navigation, ports and other infrastructure – all may occur in Nunavut sooner than anyone now reckons.
This makes even more urgent the kind of program I am recommending. Whatever the future climate and economic prospects of Nunavut may be, the Inuit have to be ready to play their part. In education lies that readiness.
From the earliest days the exploration of the Arctic by Europeans was carried on in partnership with the Inuit. They were partners in the whaling industry and the fur trade. The Inuit were then as they are today the permanent inhabitants of the Arctic – the people who were born there and will spend their lives there.
In 1993 the Inuit of Nunavut surrendered their Aboriginal title to Canada. This was of the first importance to Canada. Indeed, Canada acknowledged in 1993, when it signed the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, "the contributions of Inuit to Canada's history, identity and sovereignty in the Arctic." The presence of the Inuit, their occupation of the land since time immemorial, the surrender of their Aboriginal title to Canada, the establishment of Nunavut and today their participation in the Canadian Rangers, keeping watch on our northern fastnesses, have been instrumental in strengthening Canada's identity and its sovereignty in the Arctic.
For the Inuit, the advance of the industrial frontier coupled with the possibility of the loss of traditional resources, reveals how compelling it is that the Inuit should be able to equip themselves with education and training for employment. Climate change shows no sign of abating; its impact on the Inuit, their homeland and therefore on Canada will continue; perhaps at an accelerated pace.
The program I have laid out here is an ambitious program, and a costly program. The specific initiatives that I am recommending for the near term have been costed at approximately $20 million per annum. I have no doubt that, once a program of bilingual education is up and running it too will be expensive. But if we treat these measures as an integral part of an Arctic strategy, the costs can at once be placed in perspective. And I cannot see an alternative. If we fail to achieve the objective of Article 23, such failure would represent a fundamental breach of faith.
It must be obvious that the program of bilingual education, conceived by the Government of Nunavut and extending well beyond the subject of land and resources, cannot be shoehorned neatly into Article 23. It cannot be administered under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. The funding will have to come from Ottawa. The program will have to be delivered by the Government of Nunavut. There will have to be a performance audit by an independent committee. It must be understood, however, that it will take time to achieve results.
The steps needed to assert Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic will have to be measured over decades as the ice recedes. The establishment of infrastructure and the utilization of resources will be a long-term proposition. A unified Arctic strategy for sovereignty and industrial development must be founded on the long-term interests of the Inuit, which I believe can best be served by the program I am recommending.
Our relationship with the Inuit of Nunavut is still unfolding. Settlement of land claims was the first major step in decolonization. I think the emphasis must now be on education and employment.
The public service of the Government of Nunavut must be representative of the people of the territory. The task of administering and developing the land and resources of this vast area is one in which the Inuit must be qualified to participate.
This is not to say that life on the land will be lost. Inuit children will still learn about their own history in school, survival skills will still be taught. The links to tradition are still there and must not be severed.
The program cannot only be top-down. It must be a project in which all of Nunavut takes part – the Nunavut Project if you will. The Nunavut Project must involve all the people of Nunavut, not just teachers and students. Inuktitut must continue to be spoken in the home and in the communities. It cannot be a language used only in school. The Inuit will be enlisted, many of them, to teach Inuktitut, to bring their own skills into the classroom. There will have to be more Inuit teachers with bachelors' and masters' degrees than ever before. Elders must pass on the language. Parents must make sure the whole family enters the language nests. Parents will have to do more to keep their children in school.
The non-Inuit in Nunavut will, I believe, wholeheartedly support the program. Many do not expect to remain in the territory throughout their lives. But they all believe in the future of the Inuit and of Nunavut. Inspector John Henderson of the RCMP spoke for all of them when he told me that we must not allow this "glorious experiment" to miscarry.
Can it be done? Can Nunavut turn out graduates fluent and literate in Inuktitut and English?
Every Canadian must be aware of Inuit achievements in art and sculpture, in film and performance arts, achievements for which the Inuit have won international renown. The Inuit are a bright tile in the Canadian mosaic. Why not Inuit bilingualism? Why not an Inuit literature?
I believe Canadians will support this project – the Nunavut Project. They realize that no affirmation of Canada's Arctic sovereignty will be complete unless the people of the Arctic – the Inuit – are partners in the task.
Our ideas of human rights, of strength in diversity, of a northern destiny merge in the promise of Nunavut. It is a promise that we must keep.
Thomas R. Berger
Introduction
A. My Mandate
I was appointed on June 1, 2005 as Conciliator by the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, pursuant to an agreement reached by the Minister of State (Northern Development), the Premier of Nunavut, and the President of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (the representative body of the Inuit of Nunavut, known as "NTI"). My job is to recommend new approaches to the implementation of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, signed in 1993.
Every land claims agreement has to be implemented. The parties have to work out how they are going to do the things agreed. In 1993, in accordance with Article 37.2 of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, the Parties to the Agreement had developed an implementation plan which, under Article 37.2.3, was consolidated into a contract. [Note 21] This Implementation Contract identified the projects and activities required to implement the Agreement, including the identification of the responsible Party for implementing each of the provisions, time frames for implementation, and required funding levels for, among other things, the Institutions of Public Government (the boards and commissions set up under the Agreement).
Article 37 of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement required the establishment of a Nunavut Implementation Panel [Note 22] to oversee and provide direction and oversight for the implementation of the Agreement. The Implementation Panel was also required to take the initiative to renew the Implementation Contract.
In accordance with these provisions, in March 2001 the Parties established a working group to develop recommendations to the Implementation Panel on levels of funding for implementation of the Agreement during the next planning period, 2003-2013. On July 4, 2001, the Panel signed the Nunavut Implementation Panel Terms of Reference for the Working Group on Updating the Implementation Contract.
After that, negotiations stalled, resulting in uncertainty as to ongoing implementation, and uncertainty in particular over two issues: funding levels for the Institutions of Public Government established under the Agreement, and Canada's responsibility, if any, for further steps to ensure improvement in the level of Inuit employment in the public service of Nunavut under Article 23 of the Agreement.
In May, 2005, Ethel Blondin-Andrew, the Minister of State (Northern Development), Paul Okalik, the Premier of Nunavut, and Paul Kaludjak, the President of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., agreed to move to the present conciliation process, and Andy Scott, the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, signed off on my formal appointment.
On May 22, 2005, the Director General, Implementation Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, provided me with a Background Note on the Status of Negotiations and a memorandum regarding the scope of the Conciliation process. The Background Note stated that "the parties wish to embark on a new approach that involves engaging a recognized problem solver who could make a neutral assessment of the issues and provide the parties with recommendations that may resolve our differences and bring about a mutually acceptable solution."
The Background Note also states:
The role of the Conciliator, as agreed to by all parties, is to:
Review the background, current status and outstanding issues related to the update of the Contract, and
Make recommendations to the parties on possible approaches which could be taken to resolve the current impasse.
There was indeed a "current impasse"; in fact, the Parties had opened negotiations in 2002 and at the time of my appointment in 2005 had been unable to agree on a single item.
According to the Background Note, the Conciliator is to "submit a draft report as soon as possible, and if not possible within 90 days, submit an interim report, outlining recommendations to the Parties."
Early on in the process, I determined that there were two main areas of dispute between the Government of Nunavut and NTI, on the one side, and the Government of Canada on the other. The first issue concerned the appropriate level of funding to be provided for the Institutions of Public Government established under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement and funded by Canada. The initial funding levels were established in the Implementation Contract in 1993: the question now was, what ought to be the appropriate levels of funding for the next 10-year period, from 2003 to 2013?
The second main issue, and the thornier question, concerns Article 23 of the Agreement, which establishes the goal of a representative public service in Nunavut.
I began my review on June 1, 2005 and met with representatives of the Parties in Ottawa on June 8 and 9. Then I went to Nunavut and met again with the Parties at Iqaluit, Pangnirtung and Clyde River on July 8 to 15. I met with them again in Ottawa on July 26 to 29. Another series of meetings were conducted by my Counsel in Cambridge Bay, Arviat, Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit from September 14th to 24th. [Note 23] I met with Heritage Canada officials in Winnipeg on October 6th, and with the Parties again in Ottawa in the week of October 24th through 28th. I conducted a series of meetings in Cape Dorset and Iqaluit from November 28th to December 2nd. I then traveled to Kuujjuaq, Nunavik to meet with officials of the Kativik Regional Government and Kativik School Board on January 16 & 17, 2006, and then to Toronto on the 18th and 19th of that month where I met with Professors Ian Martin of York University and Jim Cummins of the University of Toronto, experts in the field of bilingual education.
A simple recitation of the meeting dates does not, I think, adequately describe the full extent of the discussions I have had. In Nunavut and in Ottawa we have heard from government officials from the highest levels through the rank and file in territorial and federal departments. We have spoken with educators, parents, and students from kindergarten through college and university. We have met with Inuit entrepreneurs and artists, with municipal officials and employees, lawyers, nurses and teachers. We have spoken with officers of the RCMP and the Canadian Armed Forces, with hunters and trappers, community elders, linguists and historians.
The materials that I have reviewed are voluminous, covering proposals and counter-proposals exchanged by the Parties between May 2001 and November 14, 2004 as well as extensive briefs presented to me at the meetings held in 2005 and 2006. I have also reviewed much of the published and unpublished literature on the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement and the establishment of Nunavut.
Throughout, all Parties have given me their complete co-operation.
I submitted my Interim Report to the Parties on August 31, 2005. It dealt primarily with the question of the appropriate level of funding for the Institutions of Public Government. I wrote at the time that the question of the implementation of the objective of Article 23, i.e. representative Inuit employment in the public service of Nunavut, would be reserved for my Final Report.
B. Progress Since The Interim Report
Following the issuance of my Interim Report at the end of August, 2005, the Parties resumed discussions on the basis of the recommendations I had made in that Report: they related mainly to funding for the Institutions of Public Government and improving the dispute resolution process. Initially little progress was made, and I became concerned that the process was in danger of slipping back into the earlier pattern of deadlock.
I met with the Parties in early December in Iqaluit, encouraging them to move more swiftly on the issue of funding for the Institutions of Public Government. The Parties then designated representatives to a new Working Group who met throughout that month by teleconference and email. On December 21st the Working Group - David Akeeagok for the Government of Nunavut, John Bainbridge for NTI, and Damon Rourke for the Government of Canada – came to a consensus, and sent the Group's recommendations to the Implementation Panel. The members of the Panel, David Akoak for the Government of Nunavut, Charlie Evalik for NTI, and Terry Sewell for the Government of Canada, met on January 24th and agreed on a position which was reduced to written form on February 6, 2006. The consensus, which provided for an increase to $15 million per year for the budgets of the Institutions of Public Government [Note 24] (an increase of approximately $2 million per year) took into full account the recommendations in my Interim Report.
The resulting report of the Implementation Panel proposes specific adjustments to ongoing implementation funding for the Institutions of Public Government, as well as proposals for moving forward in the following areas: structural reforms of the Implementation Panel itself; implementation funding for the Government of Nunavut; a General Monitoring Plan; a fund to be administered by the Implementation Panel to help address issues such as capacity and governance of the Institutions of Public Government; and new approaches for use by the Implementation Panel in resolving outstanding disputes.
I believe the significance of the Working Group's achievement goes well beyond agreement on the figures. The Implementation Panel's proposals are not only consistent with my own in the Interim Report, but they (and the Working Group) went further and developed recommendations for improving the process in the future. Most importantly though, the Parties, through the Working Group and the subsequent Implementation Panel consensus, evidenced a new spirit of cooperation that ought to form the basis of a new relationship.
I endorse the report of the Implementation Panel. I have attached as an Appendix to this Report the letter from the Panel dated February 6, 2006 and the report to which it refers.
The funding issues are of the first importance; as a subject of this Conciliation, they have now been resolved.
This is my Final Report. It contains my recommendations regarding Article 23 of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, recommendations relating to the future of employment and education in Nunavut.
Overview
A. "Our Land": The Inuit and the Establishment of the Canadian Arctic
No brief summary can do justice to the history of Nunavut, which means "Our Land" in Inuktitut, the Inuit language. [Note 25] Nevertheless, something must be said about the 400-year relationship between the Inuit and the Crown, so that the context of the present negotiations can be understood and the dimensions of the present crisis appreciated.
Canada's Arctic region consists of the continental territories ‘North of 60' and the huge cluster of islands that run from about 70 degrees North toward the Pole. For much of the year, polar ice covers most of the waterways in the far North, forming a solid white landscape from the edge of the continent to the North Pole. In the summer, much of the ice breaks up and the Arctic ice retreats, leaving most of the islands accessible by sea for at least one month of the year. In the last decade, however, we have observed, occurring quite suddenly, climate change that has substantially reduced the Arctic ice cover.
Inuit means "the people" in Inuktitut. In its modern form, the term refers to the Inuvialuit and Copper Inuit of the western Arctic, the Netsilik and Caribou Inuit of the central Arctic, the Iglulik and Baffinland Inuit of the eastern Arctic, the Ungava Inuit of northern Quebec, and the Labrador Inuit. The Canadian Inuit also share cultural and linguistic roots with the Inuit in Greenland, Alaska, and northeastern Siberia.
Prior to European contact, and indeed for most of the 400 years since, the Inuit lived in small nomadic multi-family hunting groups, migrating according to the seasons and the movements of the animals upon which they relied. In summer, the Inuit hunted the herds of caribou and fished in inland rivers and lakes, and put to sea in open boats to harvest whales. In winter, most Inuit lived at water's edge, hunting seals through holes in the ice and often traversing vast areas of the arctic floes in kayaks and open boats. Arctic hare, fox, muskoxen and walrus were also hunted for food and skins, and the Inuit diet was supplemented by eggs, shellfish, seaweed and berries.
The Inuit developed a sophisticated language, Inuktitut, in which they stored their collective knowledge and history. A defining characteristic of their society, which has served them well, is a deeply ingrained ethic of Ningiqtuq, or sharing.
The appearance of white people in the North was spearheaded by explorers, then fur traders and whalers. The clergy followed, offering salvation and schooling; then came representatives of government. In this the North resembles the pattern of historical development throughout Canada.
Volumes have been written about the history of the Arctic, especially the period of exploration beginning with Martin Frobisher's 1580 expedition. When you place the history of Western contact with the Inuit in its unique perspective, it is very much a story of a partnership – not always an equal partnership, to be sure – between, on the one hand, explorers, fur traders, and the Crown, and on the other, the Inuit.
The particular skills of the Inuit as hunters, trappers and guides made the Inuit a crucial part of successful exploration expeditions, of the Northern fur trade and, while it lasted, of the whaling industry. The Inuit guided Southern visitors safely on their travels; they hunted, fished and trapped to feed them; they built their snow-houses, they sewed the clothing that permitted their survival. They taught, when their guests were willing to learn. It is not fanciful to suggest that, but for the historical contribution of the Inuit, there would be no Canadian Arctic, and without the Canadian government, there would be no Nunavut. The Canadian adventure in the Arctic was always a joint venture.
The 1920s saw the establishment of a number of Royal Canadian Mounted Police posts in the High Arctic. The RCMP and their Inuit companions undertook extraordinary feats of navigation and endurance, as when the guide Nookapingwa led Inspector A.H. Joy, Constable Taggart and two dog teams 1700 miles from Dundas Harbour to Winter Harbour on Melville Island, then eastward to the Bache Peninsula by way of Lougheed, King Christian, Ellef Ringnes, Cornwall, and Axel Heiberg Islands in 1929. Other Inuit names from the period are equally illustrious: Eetookashoo, Kahdi (Peary's son), Quavigarsuaq, Kahkacho, Inuetuk and Seekeeunguaq were some of the Inuit who traversed thousands of miles with RCMP officers by dogsled and boat in search of the ill-fated Kruger expedition in the 1930s. [Note 26]
In 1944, on the St. Roch's second voyage, Captain Henry Larsen transited the Northwest Passage in one season. Joe Panipakoocho acted as guide, interpreter and hunter for the expedition. In fact the whole Panipakoocho family, eight in all, accompanied the RCMP, living in a tent on the cargo hatch.
Predictably, exploration gave way in many cases to exploitation, and many Inuit (even those who had only very infrequent contact with Southerners) became increasingly dependent on international markets for their economic wellbeing. And yet for the majority of Inuit, well into the twentieth century, life was still traditional, based on the same multi-family, usually nomadic groups which had engaged in harvesting for centuries.
Prior to the Second World War, the intrusion of Canadian authority into the Arctic was a minimalist affair, with a handful of RCMP officers, bureaucrats and Hudson's Bay Company employees manning small outposts in the region. While treaty-making proceeded with the Indians in the Mackenzie Valley and the Western Arctic, no corresponding attempt was made to treat with the Inuit with respect to their own immense lands in the Eastern Arctic. Canada did not set aside reserves for the Inuit, who were nevertheless regarded, if unofficially, to be wards of the federal government but were not brought under the Indian Act. [Note 27] In 1936, the Inuit were designated as a responsibility of the new Department of Mines and Resources. In 1939, in Re Eskimos, [Note 28] the Supreme Court of Canada held that the Inuit were "Indians" within the meaning of Section 91(24) of the Constitution Act, 1867, placing it beyond doubt that under the Constitution they were under the jurisdiction of the federal government
After World War II, a sea-change occurred in Inuit life which threatened to forever alter the nature of their relationship with Canada, replacing what had been a period of partnership with a period of intensified colonization which threatened the heart of Inuit culture. The reasons for the postwar crisis are many and I need only touch on a few well-known historical events.
The end of World War II, and the resulting abundance of skilled and adventurous pilots, flying new and sturdy aircraft equipped as necessary with wheels, skis or floats, made travel to (and supply of) all but the most remote areas a year-round reality. Frobisher Bay airport, originally developed for the supply of Europe by the United States Air Force in World War II, became the main gateway to the Baffin region.
At the same time, the coming of the Cold War meant that the Arctic was suddenly central to strategic planning: the threat to North America of a Soviet attack over the North Pole led to the creation of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line of radar installations stretching along the 70th Parallel from Alaska to Greenland. Military aircraft patrolled the Arctic airspace, and nuclear submarines were known to cross the North Pole under the ice. The Canadian Armed Forces formed the Canadian Rangers, an Aboriginal-based reservist organization, and instituted a regular program of light infantry patrols to reinforce claims of Canadian sovereignty over the Arctic. These manoeuvres supplemented the joint RCMP-Inuit dogsled patrols that had been crisscrossing some of the most dangerous terrain for decades. In Nunavut today, sovereignty patrols are mainly conducted by Inuit members of the Canadian Rangers. [Note 29]
Communications, previously limited even in the wireless age, became instantaneous with the advent of the satellite. As the North became accessible, so did its resources: fur traders, fishers and soldiers were followed by prospectors and geologists, although by the close of the 20th century their efforts had not in the Eastern Arctic led to the same enthusiasm for oil, gas and mineral exploration and development that has characterized much of the Western Arctic. [Note 30]
For the Inuit, the postwar period was marked by a series of events which brought economic and social distress. In 1949, the Arctic fox fur market collapsed, depriving many of the Inuit, who had used their hunting and survival skills to good effect as trappers, of their main source of income. In the 1980s, the European Community's ban on the import of Canadian seal pelts delivered a devastating financial blow to Inuit who had relied on sealing.
Regular contact between the Inuit and Southerners in the postwar period increased the incidence of epidemic disease. Influenza, tuberculosis, typhus and polio became at times widespread, and the ravaging of the population (and the federal government's apparent inaction) became the subject of outrage in Canada. Soon, the efficient provision of medical services became a primary goal of the official Canadian presence in the North. This, together with the introduction of formal schooling, facilitated Canada's policy of encouraging the Inuit to move away from traditional life on the land into the settlements.
A host of social and economic problems followed the shock of these changes. In The Road to Nunavut, R. Quinn Duffy wrote in 1988:
The chapters that follow chronicle the last 40 years of cultural near-extinction of the Inuit, from the years of the Second World War to the 1980s. During those 40 years the Inuit have sunk as low as any people could in dirt, degradation, disease and dependence. [Note 31]
The postwar history of colonization of the Inuit, which followed a path that many contemporary commentators saw as one of inexorable cultural decline, highlights the remarkable character of the Inuit achievement in recent decades. Duffy's account goes on to describe the second characteristic change of the period he was chronicling: the emergence of the Inuit as a people. He continued:
But with that tenacity of spirit that sustained them through thousands of years in the harshest environment on earth, they are fighting to regain their cultural independence, their self-respect, their identity as a unique people in the Canadian mosaic. And they are winning.
In a single generation, the Inuit forged a political cohesiveness previously unimagined. Where once the Inuit were dispersed in small, isolated and nomadic groups, advances in travel and communications and the gathering of the people into the settlements led to the development of what has been referred to, not inaccurately, as a sense of "Inuit nationalism". [Note 32]
It was this political cohesiveness and increasing confidence that enabled the Inuit, between 1976 and 1993, to negotiate a new partnership with Canada, a comprehensive settlement of land claims that is unique in North America.
B. The Nunavut Land Claim
The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement signed in 1993 is by far the largest of the four land claims agreements reached between Canadian governments and the Inuit. [Note 33] It covers one–fifth of the Canadian land mass, an area twice the size of Ontario. If the Nunavut Settlement Area were an independent country, it would be the twelfth largest in the world; by the terms of the Agreement, the Inuit of Nunavut own in fee simple more land and subsurface rights than any other Aboriginal people in Canada.
The Inuit claim was originally presented to the Government of Canada in 1976 by the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada. From 1982 the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut represented the Inuit in negotiations. In 1990, the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut, the Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories entered into an agreement-in-principle. After the Inuit ratified the agreement-in-principle, a final agreement was successfully negotiated and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement was signed in Iqaluit on May 25, 1993. Parliament accordingly passed the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act S.C. 1993 c. 29, and the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut was succeeded by the Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated. [Note 34]
The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement for the first time explicitly recognized "the contributions of Inuit to Canada's history, identity and sovereignty in the Arctic". The Preamble to the Agreement states four objectives shared by the Parties to the Agreement:
to provide for certainty and clarity of rights to ownership and use of lands and resources, and of rights for Inuit to participate in decision-making concerning the use, management and conservation of land, water and resources, including the offshore;
to provide Inuit with wildlife harvesting rights and rights to participate in decision-making concerning wildlife harvesting;
to provide Inuit with financial compensation and means of participating in economic opportunities; [and]
to encourage self-reliance and the cultural and social well-being of Inuit[.]
Hicks & White summarize the Agreement as follows:
At the heart of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement is a fundamental exchange between the Inuit of Nunavut and the federal Crown. For their part, the Nunavut Inuit agreed to surrender "any claims, rights, title and interests based on their assertion of an aboriginal title" anywhere in Canada (including the Nunavut Settlement Area - the area to which the terms of the land claim apply). In return, the Agreement set out an array of constitutionally protected rights and benefits that the Inuit of Nunavut will exercise and enjoy in perpetuity. [Note 35]
The terms of the Agreement are set out in 41 articles. The Agreement recognizes the title vested in the Inuit of Nunavut to 352,240 square kilometers of land in what was at the time the eastern part of the Northwest Territories, and Inuit subsurface rights to over 38,000 square kilometers in those same lands. The Inuit have priority rights to harvest wildlife for domestic, sport and commercial purposes throughout all the lands and waters covered by the Agreement. The Inuit (through NTI) also received financial compensation in the form of capital transfer payments of $1.148 billion payable over a 14-year period. There is no provision for distribution of this fund to individual Inuit. It is held in trust to be used for programs for the benefit of Inuit beneficiaries.
Under the Agreement the Inuit share in royalties collected by Canada on non-renewable resources. The Agreement also contains an obligation on the part of developers to conclude impact and benefit agreements; a $13 million training trust fund; and a federal commitment to establish three national parks in Nunavut.
The Agreement provides for the establishment of Institutions of Public Government (Article 10.1.1(b)) and through these same institutions for co-management by the Inuit and the federal and territorial governments of lands and resources within the Nunavut Settlement Area. The Nunavut Planning Commission is responsible for land-use monitoring (Article 11), the Nunavut Impact Review Board for environmental impact assessment (Article 12), the Nunavut Water Board for regulation of water use and management (Article 13), and the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board for management of wildlife and wildlife habitat (Article 5) within the Nunavut Settlement Area. These bodies are joint-management boards whose members are nominated by NTI, the Government of Canada and the Government of Nunavut. The Nunavut Surface Rights Tribunal, although not a co-management board, [Note 36] is created pursuant to the Agreement (Article 21), with jurisdiction mainly with respect to disputes over access to lands and related matters, including compensation payable for access and consequent environmental harm.
Under the Agreement an Arbitration Board was established to resolve disputes that might arise under the NLCA, especially disputes among the Parties over the interpretation, application or implementation of the Agreement.
From the time the original claim was presented in 1976, the Inuit insisted that any comprehensive settlement of their land claim must include the establishment of a territorial government for Nunavut. The Inuit did not wish their claim to be subsumed within the then-existing Northwest Territories, which was demographically dominated by the more densely populated (and mainly non-Inuit) Western Arctic. Nor, however, did they seek an Aboriginal government: Nunavut was to be a public government, with full enfranchisement of Inuit and non-Inuit residents.
The Agreement contained, in Article 4, an undertaking by Canada to recommend legislation to Parliament to establish the Territory of Nunavut. In 1992 a plebiscite was held to confirm the boundary between the Northwest Territories and the new territory, and a Political Accord was developed pursuant to Article 4 outlining the types of powers, financing and scheduling involved in establishing the new territory. On April 1, 1999, Nunavut came into being as Canada's third and newest territory.
C. Nunavut Today
The population of Nunavut is today approaching 30,000, of whom 85 percent are Inuit. Even this figure, however, does not do justice to the dominance of the Inuit presence in the Territory: outside the larger centres of Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay, the percentage of Inuit approaches 95 per cent. Approximately half the population of Nunavut resides in the Baffin region, with roughly 30 per cent in the Kivalliq (Keewatin) region and 20 per cent in the Kitikmeot region.
The Inuit, owing in part to their historical isolation and regional dominance, have retained their language to a degree that is quite exceptional among indigenous populations in North America, with fully 80 percent of Inuit in Nunavut reporting in the 2001 Census that they spoke Inuktitut. Thirty-five hundred Nunavut Inuit – 15 percent – are recorded in the same Census as speaking only Inuktitut.
Inuit communities are isolated from one another by lack of easy transportation but increasingly connected by telephone, satellite technology and the Internet. Only a handful of the communities have a population over 1,000, and the largest, Iqaluit, the capital, has a population of less than 7,000 residents.
Canadians are aware of the impact of European society on smaller Aboriginal societies. This is no less true of Nunavut.
For a great many Inuit the loss of a way of life, without securing a sure foothold in the new dispensation, can bring with it individual and collective desolation. Alcohol and other substance-abuse problems are prevalent in many communities; family cohesiveness has suffered; crime, violence and suicide affect every community. Although improved access to health care has greatly increased life expectancy in recent decades, Inuit life expectancy is still ten years below the national average.
Owing to the high cost of construction materials, housing is expensive (construction costs per square foot are roughly three times the Canadian average) and in short supply. Living quarters are cramped: while the average number of occupants in the average Canadian dwelling is 2.39, in Nunavut it is 3.27, and in some communities much higher still. According to Statistics Canada, 54 percent of Nunavut residents live in "crowded" conditions, compared to a Canadian average of 7 percent. Over half of Nunavut's Inuit - 14,225 – live in public housing, with 1,000 families on the waiting list.
Even these figures do not do justice to the problem of overcrowding in Nunavut. As I have seen for myself , the cost of materials and the expense of heating dictates that houses in Nunavut are generally very small. Overcrowding of such small buildings, which for a substantial part of the year are closed virtually airtight to conserve heat, exacerbates the transmission of disease and contributes to persistent health problems such as Chronic Otitis Media (COM), a cause of hearing loss which afflicts one-third to one-half of Inuit children.
Universal education has been available to the Inuit for only the past 35 years. Opportunities for higher education have been sharply limited. Many young Inuit have nevertheless successfully completed high school, and some have gained a university degree or advanced professional qualification. But levels of educational achievement remain well below the national average; seventy-five percent of the Inuit labour force do not have a high school diploma. Even today, only one in four Inuit children entering the education system is expected to graduate from high school.
Economically, the Inuit face persistent challenges. Although the price of most goods is high owing to transportation costs to Northern communities, Nunavut's per capita income is 27 percent lower than in the rest of the country. There is no agricultural or manufacturing base. There have been mines opened in the past but they are now closed.
Hunting, fishing and trapping, once the mainstay of the economy of the North and a principal source of employment, now provide full time support for a relative handful of Inuit. These traditional activities, however, remain central to Inuit culture and identity, and most Inuit families, even in the larger settlements, continue to hunt and fish, using both traditional and modern technologies. The production of Inuit art, sculpture and clothing is another cultural mainstay, with more than 2,000 families reportedly deriving some of their income from this source. [Note 37]
Unemployment among the Inuit is very high, between 30 and 70 percent depending on the measure used and the community in question. As might be expected, unemployment is highest in the smaller and more isolated communities.
In 2005 Rodolfo Stavenhagen, the United Nations' Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, reported to the United Nations Committee on Human Rights:
38. In Nunavut, the existing social housing units are among the oldest, smallest and most crowded in Canada. There is a severe housing shortage in Nunavut that adversely affects the health of Inuit, in particular of children, and it is estimated that 3,500 new units are needed over the next five years.
39. The overall health of Inuit continues to lag far behind that of other Canadians. Life expectancy is ten years lower than the rest of Canada. Many health indicators are getting worse. Arctic research shows that changes in traditional diets lead to increased health problems, particularly of mental health, characterized by increased rates of depression, seasonal affective disorder, anxiety and suicide. Inuit leaders are deeply concerned that the housing, education, health and suicide situation have reached crisis proportions and are not being addressed by the Federal Government. [Note 38]
Article 23 and the Future of Nunavut
A. The Creation of Nunavut
Nunavut came about in fulfillment of a promise made by Canada when the Inuit of what is now Nunavut settled their land claim in 1993. [Note 39]
Two prime ministers were in a sense present at the creation of Nunavut. When the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement was signed on May 25, 1993, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney spoke:
We are forging a new partnership, a real partnership. Not only between the Government of Canada and the future Government of Nunavut but between aboriginal and non-aboriginal Canadians.
In 1999, with the establishment of the new Territory, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien spoke:
…Canada is showing the world, once again, how we embrace many peoples and cultures. The new Government of Nunavut will reflect this diversity; incorporating the best of Inuit traditions and a modern system of open and accountable public government.
The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement provided for the creation of the new Territory. Its government was not to be an Aboriginal government, but a public government for the whole territory, where both Inuit and non-Inuit would have the right to vote and run for office.
John Amagoalik, often called the father of Nunavut, described the vision of Nunavut as
a public government with a democratically elected Legislative Assembly [which] will respect individual and collective rights as defined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It will be a government that respects and reflects Canada's political traditions and institutions, and it will be a territory that remains firmly entrenched within the bounds of Canadian confederation. [Note 40]
Moreover, it was provided in Article 23 that the public service would be representative of the people of the territory. The full implications of this promise are only now becoming apparent.
The world took note of this extraordinary development in the Canadian Arctic. The Manchester Guardian, for example, wrote:
The emergence of Nunavut is unequivocally good news. While large tracts of the world are mired in war and insurgency, an ethnic minority has quietly negotiated an equitable deal with a central government that gives them the freedom to run their own affairs. [Note 41]
TIME Magazine reported:
Canada's first experiment with de facto Native self – government – and only the second of its kind in the world. [It is] a socio-political experiment on an epic scale. [Note 42]
The Globe and Mail proclaimed:
Canada had done something of huge symbolic value… Nunavut is a powerful and worthy experiment [which] deserves to succeed. [Note 43]
Nunavut is a remarkable achievement. Three well-known scholars of the North described it as:
… the winning back by a numerically small and scattered hunter-gatherer population of their ancient territory under modern European constitutional and legal systems. [Note 44]
The Government of Nunavut was to be a public government, one that, in the best democratic tradition, would be a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. In Nunavut, "the people" are overwhelmingly Inuit.
The Inuit would be able to elect their own to the Legislative Assembly. What about the public service? This is addressed in Article 23.
Article 23.2.1 sets out the objective: "to increase Inuit participation in government employment … to a representative level." Under Article 23.1.1 this means a representative level of Inuit employment "within all occupational groupings and grade levels".
In Nunavut employment in the public service, if it is to be employment at a representative level, must therefore be 85 per cent Inuit employment "within all occupational groupings and grade levels".
Article 23 may bear a resemblance to a conventional equity clause of a type well known. Employment equity is not obviously a land and resources issue, to be included in a land claims agreement. But neither is a provision to establish a new Territory. If the one were included in the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement the other had to follow. It is in fact an equity clause for a majority.
B. A Unique Jurisdiction in Canada
Nunavut was to be a jurisdiction unique in Canada. Its population would consist mainly of Inuit, speaking their own language, Inuktitut. It would not be predominately English-speaking or French-speaking, but would have an overwhelming majority consisting of an Aboriginal people speaking a single Aboriginal language. There is no other such province or territory.
Over the last twenty years, Nunavut's population has seen the fastest rate of growth in Canada, a rate of growth that is still twice the national average. Nunavut's population has doubled in a single generation, from 15,000 in 1981 to almost 30,000 today. It is the youngest population in Canada, with approximately 60 per cent of residents under 25 years of age, 92 per cent of whom are Inuit.
The need for educational and career opportunities for the Inuit is pressing. The prevalence of Inuktitut as a first language of most Inuit, and the fact that 15 percent of Inuit have no other language, limits Inuit opportunities for jobs in government, and the ability of government (a great many in the public service speak only English) to serve the needs of the population of the territory.
Canada has said that, in terms of governmental arrangements, Nunavut "mirrors" the Northwest Territories and the Yukon. This is true as far as it goes, in that all three territories are constitutionally the creatures of Parliament and the bulk of territorial government funding is provided by the federal government.
Ninety-two per cent of the Government of Nunavut's revenue comes from Ottawa; in the Northwest Territories and the Yukon the figures are approximately 80 and 70 per cent respectively. In 2002 Newfoundland, the province most dependent on federal transfers, received 45 per cent of its revenue from Ottawa. In that year, the average among ‘have-not' provinces was 34 per cent; for all provinces it was 29 per cent. [Note 45] Hicks & White, writing in 2002, pointed out:
… Canadians will need to be reminded that in their early days many parts of the country enjoyed massive federal government infrastructure spending on railways, canals and other facilities necessary for economic development [the CNR, the St. Lawrence Seaway]. In contrast, the money Nunavut gets from Ottawa covers only costs of running the government; Nunavut has yet to see anything like the massive federal spending on economic development that many provinces enjoyed for decades. [Note 46]
But the demographics of the three territories are quite a different matter. In this respect Nunavut does not mirror the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.
Until 1999 (when Nunavut was carved out of the Eastern Arctic) the Northwest Territories had a majority Aboriginal population (61 percent) but no single Aboriginal group constituted a majority of the territory's (then) 65,000 residents. The Inuit and the Inuvialuit (the Inuit of the Western Arctic) were together around 37 percent of the population. There were five Dene peoples, whose languages are related to each other but are by no means identical, who constituted about 17 percent of the population; the Métis making up about 7 percent. English-speakers constituted almost all of the remaining 39 percent. [Note 47]
In the Northwest Territories today Aboriginal people may constitute around 45 percent of the population. The Dene peoples and the Inuvialuit are moving to develop their own Aboriginal governments within the framework of the Territory.
In the Yukon the First Nations constitute about 25 percent of the population. There, too, the First Nations are engaged in establishing Aboriginal governments.
The point is that in neither the Northwest Territories or the Yukon is there a majority, let alone an overwhelming majority, of Aboriginal people speaking a single Aboriginal language.
Nunavut remains, in terms of the reality on the ground, a jurisdiction where the first language of the vast majority of the population is Inuktitut. Achieving the objective of Article 23 means that the Inuit must over time occupy 85 per cent of the positions in all occupational groupings and at all grade levels in the public service, and this necessarily implies that Inuktitut must be the principal language of the workplace and that government services must be provided in Inuktitut.
Mary Simon, Canada's Ambassador to the Circumpolar Arctic, speaking at Queen's University said:
… the very scale of the Nunavut undertaking means it cannot be overlooked…For the first time in Canadian history, with the partial exception of the creation of Manitoba in 1870, a member of the federal-provincial-territorial club is being admitted for the precise purpose of supplying a specific Aboriginal people with an enhanced opportunity for self-determination. This is ground-breaking stuff. [Note 48]
I have said that Nunavut is unique. It is true that in 1870, when Manitoba entered Confederation as the "postage stamp" province, 10,000 of its population of 12,000 were Métis, the majority of them French-speaking.
The Manitoba Act of 1870 erected a new province. It provided that the official languages of the new province were to be English and French. There were guarantees for public funding for Roman Catholic schools, where instruction had always been in French. The Manitoba Act contained as well provisions to protect existing Métis lands and to establish a Métis land base.
Within a decade a wave of settlement completely altered the demographics of the new province. The Métis became a minority. The promises of the Manitoba Act relating to French as an official language and public funding for Catholic schools were soon thereafter abandoned by the provincial legislature, and Ottawa was not prepared to take steps effectively to enforce these rights. They were resolved by litigation. In the 1890s supporters of public funding for Catholic schools in Manitoba won their case in the Supreme Court of Canada but lost it in the Privy Council. [Note 49] It was not until the 1970s and 1980s that the place of French as an official language of the province was upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada. [Note 50]
The Manitoba Act contained no provision resembling Article 23. Manitoba's was to be a public government. Even had the Métis remained a majority of the provincial electorate, they had no claim under the Manitoba Act to a majority of places in the public service. In any event, the government of Manitoba was not conceived to be the new province's principal employer. Manitoba was not the Arctic. Manitoba was at the time confined to its "postage stamp" borders (there were changes in its boundaries, but not until 1912 did the province extend to the 60th parallel). Agriculture, not government, was to be the occupation of Manitobans.
Nunavut is unique today in Canada. It has no foreseeable counterpart.
C. The Extent of Inuit Representation in the Public Service of Nunavut
Since government is the principal employer in Nunavut, opening up opportunities for Inuit employment in the public service is of paramount importance to the Inuit. Under Article 23 of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement the Parties agreed that they would pursue the objective of achieving a representative level of Inuit employment in all three levels of government – federal, territorial and municipal – within Nunavut.
Article 23.2.1 reads:
The objective of this Article is to increase Inuit participation in government employment in the Nunavut Settlement Area to a representative level.
"Representative level" meant, in 1993 as it does today, approximately 85 percent. The objective is therefore to increase the level of Inuit employment in the public service to match the proportion of Inuit in the population.
The fact is that the objective of Article 23 has not nearly been realized. Although the figures can fluctuate almost daily, it seems uncontroversial that Inuit representation calculated as a percentage of employment has stalled at around 45 per cent. [Note 51] The shortfall is especially apparent in the executive, management, professional and para-professional positions.
The question of responsibility for implementing Article 23, that is, for achieving the objective of representative Inuit employment in the public service, is still outstanding. Moreover, assuming the issue of where responsibility lies for achieving the objective of Article 23 were to be resolved, the question of how to do it has only recently been squarely addressed by all the Parties.
Currently the Government of Nunavut has 3200 employees and Canada has 300 employees in the territory. In Nunavut government is, by far, not only the largest employer, but also represents the largest employment sector. This is so throughout the Arctic and sub-Arctic: in Nunavut, the NWT, the Yukon, Alaska and Greenland. These territories lie for the most part well beyond the agricultural frontier.
Villagers in the Arctic and sub-Arctic depend on employment provided by government activities; even the private sector in these villages is often the indirect product of government expenditures. This is typical of remote Inuit communities throughout Arctic and sub-Arctic regions from Alaska to Greenland. Industrial development may have arrived at some places in the Arctic and sub-Arctic, but not as yet in Nunavut. Thus the paramount importance in all these jurisdictions of government as an employer, but especially in Nunavut.
In Nunavut a policy of decentralization has actually been followed not only so that government will be responsive to local concerns but also to spread the government payroll across as much of the territory as possible.
Iqaluit is the capital. The Premier and members of the Cabinet are located there; it is where the Legislative Assembly sits. But government departments are distributed around the territory, located in eight intermediate – sized communities to ensure that government employment and the opportunities it represents are not confined to the capital. [Note 52]
The erection of the Government of Nunavut is not however, a "make work" proposition. The government of this vast territory is responsible for the welfare of almost 30,000 people in 27 scattered communities.
There are, as I say, 3200 jobs in the Government of Nunavut. The Inuit today occupy 45 percent of those positions. Nobody wants to parse employment to each occupational group down to the last percentile. But, however you calculate the matter today, there is an Inuit shortfall. Today the Inuit have only 45 percent of the 3200 jobs, or 1440 jobs instead of the 2720 they would have at 85 percent representation. The shortfall amounts to 1280 jobs. Similar calculations could be made for the federal government, where the shortfall would be over 150 positions. Overall, the numbers tell us that there are in the vicinity of 1500 jobs that could be claimed by Inuit had they the necessary skills.
It is, on one level, remarkable to have 45 percent Inuit employment in the Government of Nunavut after only six years. But the figure of 45 percent Inuit employment across the board is misleading. The Inuit are well represented in the administrative support categories. It is the shortfall in the executive, management, professional and para-professional areas that represents the most significant failure, as the following figures demonstrate:
Inuit Employment within the Territorial Government (Dec. 2003)
Executive 48%
Bilingual Education
A. The Importance of English
It may seem strange to begin a consideration of bilingual education with a discussion about education in English. It is necessary, though, to understand that when I emphasize the importance of producing bilingual high school graduates, it is not only their skills in Inuktitut that matter.
Most of the positions in government for which few Inuit qualify are those which require some sort of post-secondary or professional qualification. Nunavut has a population in the vicinity of 30,000 souls, about the size of a medium-sized town, and it is spread across 27 isolated communities. While extraordinary efforts have been made – often successfully – to provide post-secondary courses in Nunavut (the nursing and teacher training programs, and the Akitsiraq Law Program, for instance), it is simply not possible to provide the full spectrum of required courses in place. Even where it is possible to bring courses to the communities, advanced education is of necessity in English. Nunavut needs a generation of executives and managers, computer software designers, architects, audiologists, nurses, doctors, lawyers, accountants, [Note 56] x-ray technicians, RCMP members and, of course, teachers. It is likely that few of them will receive their post-secondary education in Inuktitut.
It is the objective of the Government of Nunavut to make Inuktitut the principal language of the workplace. In fact, in many departments it will be the principal language of the workplace. Nevertheless, in those departments where scientific and technical knowledge are essential, and where regular contact with the outside world is important, it is English that will be the principal language of the workplace.
A central objective of the Nunavut education system, therefore, must be to produce high school graduates whose ability to function in English enables them to enter colleges and universities in southern Canada and to achieve success in their chosen programs, so that they can qualify for responsible positions in their own public service.
Given the importance of English to the Inuit, it may be asked, why not simply educate children in that language only? Is there any reason to preserve Inuktitut in the schools, let alone dramatically increase its use, as I am recommending?
B. The Importance of Inuktitut
There are a number of reasons why English-only education is not the answer in Nunavut.
First and most obviously, the population of Nunavut is, in varying degrees, a bilingual population. Inuktitut, despite an advanced stage of erosion in the Inuinnaqtun communities and continued endangerment elsewhere, continues to be the first-acquired language of Inuit children and for most children remains the most-used language in the home. It is an effective base from which to build advanced language skills when the children progress through the school system. It is clear from the academic literature that loss of first language skills, while often not an apparent handicap, nevertheless can significantly retard academic progress:
In situations of face-to-face peer interaction, conversation concerning familiar topics, where the situational context coincides with the topic, the [aboriginal] child will be able to express him or herself fluently and understand messages in a way that does not distinguish him or her from other native speakers of [English].
However, aside from the erosion of the indigenous language itself, the issue that concerns teachers and parents is the possible effect of language loss on the student's ability to perform in academic situations, to be able to use language for the higher-order, literacy-related school tasks that with each grade become more and more challenging. For many bilingual children who undergo subtractive language loss, this very process may affect their ability to fully develop these kinds of literacy-related language skills, the broad category of discourse competencies that Cummins and Swain (1987) have termed Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency. [Note 57]
Also, paradoxically, it has been demonstrated that effective academic use of a child's second language (in Nunavut, this means English) is enhanced through the promotion of the first, indigenous language. Francis and Reyhner conclude a review of the literature on the subject with the following:
[A]voiding the negative consequences of subtractive bilingualism and promoting dual language proficiency in children will not only contribute to the historical continuity of the community's language, but will provide for children the most favorable conditions for success in school. Among these favorable conditions are those that provide for effective learning of a second language and for using it as a tool for cognitively demanding, higher-order thinking. [Note 58]
The second reason to avoid this "subtractive" unilingual education is that, because Inuktitut is the first language of most, and the only language of a significant minority (15 percent) of Inuit in Nunavut, Inuktitut is, and must continue to be, the language of delivery of government services in the communities. You need only visit the smaller communities, as I have, to understand how absurd would be a government operating there in English only. Bringing up a new generation of English-only public servants would effectively deny or severely limit access to government for many, if not most, of the citizens the government is meant to serve.
Third, Inuktitut is the vessel of Inuit culture. It grows out of a particular worldview. The Inuit want to remain true to their past; in Pascal's phrase, they want to become what they are. Inuktitut is an integral part of Inuit identity. Of course, collective and individual identity may be nourished by other means. But where a people's language thrives, their identity is more likely to be secure. In Ford v. Quebec (A.G.) [1988] 2 S.C.R. 712 at 748-9 the Supreme Court of Canada wrote:
Language is so intimately related to the form and content of expression that there cannot be true freedom of expression by means of language if one is prohibited from using the language of one's choice. Language is not merely a means or medium of expression, it colours the content and means of expression. It is… a means by which a people may express its cultural identify. It is also the means by which the individual expresses his or her personal identity and sense of individuality.
But the main reason why English cannot be the single language of instruction is that the Inuit do not want it to be. In the 2001 Census fully 87 percent of Inuit responded that "the Inuit language is very important to learn, re-learn or maintain." The Inuit are a majority in Nunavut but it is a majority besieged by the onslaught of English, which is pervasive, in books, magazines, newspapers, television, radio, and popular music. The prevalence of English threatens to crowd out their own language.
There is an almost universal desire among the Inuit to avoid loss or extinguishment of their language. This is so among not only Inuktitut speakers but also even stronger among those who speak Innuinaqtun, the most seriously endangered variant of the Inuit language in Nunavut.
English is, in many ways, the language of colonialism. But when it is mastered by the Inuit it is also the language they use to speak to Canadians and the world. It can be an enormous asset to them. For Inuktitut to survive, it has to counteract the competitive dominance of English. Yet the Inuit understand that they must speak English too; they want their children to be competent in both languages.
There is one thing to add about educating Aboriginal children in English only. We have tried it and it doesn't work. The Indian residential schools were established in order to detach Aboriginal children from their own culture, and the principal means was to deny them the right to use their own languages and require them to use only English. It led to tragedy.
In Nunavut today, the schools in Kugluktuk and Cambridge Bay have an all-English program and graduation rates there are no better than in the other regions of Nunavut, where an all-English system of instruction prevails after Grade 3.
Loss of language and educational underachievement are linked. The strengthening of Inuktitut in the school, the home and the community can bring improvement in achievement in both Inuktitut and English.
C. The Current State of the Inuktitut Language in Nunavut
Inuktitut is still the dominant language of Nunavut. It has three times as many speakers as English. The situation is reversed in the Yukon and the Northwest Territories; there English is the dominant language by far. The extent of Inuktitut usage in Nunavut is described by Hicks & White:
According to Statistics Canada's 1991 Aboriginal Peoples Survey, 96 per cent of adult (defined as age 15 and over) Inuit in Nunavut speak Inuktitut. In the 1996 Census 71 per cent of people living in Nunavut reported Inuktitut as their ‘mother tongue', and 60 per cent reported Inuktitut as their ‘home language'. English is the ‘home language' of 35 per cent of all residents and the territory also has a small but vibrant Francophone community – most of which resides in Iqaluit. 15 per cent of the population speaks neither English nor French.
The language spoken by Inuit of Nunavut consists of seven dialects, which are essentially variations on a single language. Six of these dialects are collectively referred to as Inuktitut, and are written using a Syllabic writing system. The dialect spoken by the residents of the communities of Kugluktuk and Cambridge Bay, in the western part of the Kitikmeot region, is called Inuinnaqtun – and is written in Roman orthography. (By contrast, the Dene of the Yukon and Northwest Territories comprise several different peoples each speaking a distinctive language.) [Note 59]
More recent Census data bear out the prevalence of Inuktitut among the Inuit of Nunavut. 2001 figures showed 99 percent understand the language "well or relatively well"; 94 percent report speaking it to that same standard, and 71 percent report using "Inuit language at home all or much of the time."
For thousands of years, Inuktitut was an oral language. In the 19th Century, two systems of writing were developed. One uses Roman orthography – that is, the familiar letters of the English alphabet – to spell out the words. A second, known as Syllabics, uses symbols to represent the syllables of the spoken language. In Nunavut, except for the Kitikmeot region, the written language is rendered in Syllabics. In Kitikmeot, Innuinaqtun is rendered in a Roman orthography. In the Western Arctic, the Inuvialuit use a Roman orthography; so also the Inuit of Labrador.
In the Inuit heartland of Canada, in Nunavut and Nunavik (the home of the Inuit of northern Quebec), however, Syllabics prevails. Nunavut historian Kenn Harper writes:
In the eastern Canadian Arctic, excluding Labrador, Inuit use a Syllabic writing system. This non-alphabetic system was developed first for the Cree by a missionary, James Evans. It was adapted to the Inuit language by two missionaries, John Hordern and E.A. Watkins, but the major work in promoting its use among Inuit was done by the Anglican, Rev. Edmund James Peck, still remembered by his Inuktitut name, Uqammak. He worked first in Arctic Quebec for almost two decades before establishing a mission in Baffin in 1894. His efforts, and those of the Inuit catechists he trained, notably Luke Kidlapik, Joseph Pudloo and Peter Tooloogakjuak, resulted in Syllabics being used by Inuit of the Baffin and Keewatin; when the Roman Catholic church established its first missions in the Keewatin region, they too used Syllabics. [Note 60]
Harper continues:
Before the advent of modern computer technology, Syllabics was a costly system to maintain. Today, however, there is probably little, if any, cost premium to publishing in Syllabics. No matter what orthography is used translation costs will remain constant. [Note 61]
Inuktitut still prospers in Nunavut, but it faces serious challenges. The depth of language –that unique facility of expression that improves with age – must be fostered. Inuktitut must not only be preserved, it must grow and adapt: vocabulary has to be developed to permit communication of modern ideas. Things must have names in order for the language to be one truly suitable for all aspects of daily work in government and the private sector.
The loss of their language among children, exposed as they are to English in ever-broadening areas of media and in their social lives, is of particular concern. Francis and Reyhner write:
[S]ubtractive bilingualism involves the loss, sometimes gradual, of the child's first, or primary, language. If the indigenous language community has made the decision to work toward the revitalization of their ancestral language, its widespread and early erosion among children represents a clear danger signal. If not reversed, the permanent and irreversible loss of the language is simply a matter [of] time. [Note 62]
The Inuit of Nunavut are faced with the erosion of Inuit language, knowledge and culture. Unless serious measures are taken, there will over time be a gradual extinction of Inuktitut, or at best its retention as a curiosity, imperfectly preserved and irrelevant to the daily life of its speakers. [Note 63]
D. The Need for Effective Bilingual Education Has Long Been Recognized
In 2000 the Government of Nunavut published the Bathurst Mandate, expressing the goal of seeing Nunavut become by 2020 "a fully functioning bilingual society, in Inuktitut and English". Also in that year, the Government of Nunavut commissioned a study into the Language of Instruction for Nunavut Schools. Canadian Heritage provided funding for the research. The purpose of the research was to lay the foundation for the design of a system of education that would result in bilingual graduates in Nunavut, consistent with the goal set out in the Bathurst Mandate and with the federal Nunavut Act. [Note 64]
In the result, Professor Ian Martin of York University produced Aajiigatigiingniq, a discussion paper that presents a 20-year plan for the development of a strong bilingual program for the Nunavut educational system. Dr. Martin observed that the "long-term threat to Inuit language from English is found everywhere, and current school language policies and practices on language are contributing to that threat." He stated that the current model, inherited from the NWT, forces Inuit students to become English speakers if they wish to continue education beyond the Grade 4/5 transition point and thus "replaces the child's first language with an imperfectly learned second language and…too often neither language develops to its full potential."
It is apparent from Professor Martin's report and the literature in the field that virtually all who have studied the subject have concluded that a program of strong bilingual education is called for. The original NWT policy document on bilingual education, published in 1981 after a year long research project into bilingual education around the world, called for 90 percent instruction in Inuktitut in Grades K-3, 70 percent Inuktitut in Grades 4-6, and an even 50-50 percent split in Grades 7-12. Professor Martin cites other early efforts, from the 1982 Learning Tradition and Change report, chaired by Tagak Curley to the 1985 document Bilingual Programming in the Keewatin - An Educational Model by Katherine Zozula and Simon Ford. Zozula and Ford developed what Professor Martin called "a very well thought out plan which, had it been followed 15 years ago, could have changed the linguistic landscape considerably." [Note 65]
Without solid linguistic skills, few Inuit struggle through to graduation. Employers complain that many students who leave school in grades 10, 11, or 12 to work do not have sufficient literacy skills in either language to be effective employees. In his 2000 report, Professor Martin called the present system "fundamentally flawed", one that "does not help students learn either language, English or Inuktitut, at a high level of bilingualism and biliteracy." [Note 66]
Professor Connie Heimbecker of Lakehead University, reviewing Arlene Stairs' research in Nunavik (in Northern Quebec) on the relationship between early Inuktitut fluency and literacy and later English fluency and literacy, noted this same phenomenon:
[Stairs'] study was conducted with grade 3 and 4 children who had experienced Inuktitut language programs in the early grades. Stairs found that children's English writing was related to the fluency of their earlier Inuktitut writing, and their current Inuktitut fluency… Communities with greater grade3-4 Inuktitut writing proficiency, also displayed greater proficiency in English writing and speaking. Communities which had spent less time with Inuktitut and more time with English in the lower grades, displayed a lower level of Inuktitut and only a similar level of English. As Cummins states "These community results show that the positive relationship between English and Inuktitut writing skills is not based only on the intelligence or general language aptitude of the individual students"[.] [Note 67]
Since publishing the Bathurst Mandate in 2000, the Government of Nunavut has established an Inuktitut Living Dictionary. New Inuktitut terminology has been developed for use in government. Language training in Inuktitut is being developed for non-Inuit and for Inuit who are not fluent in their own language. These and other measures lie within its authority and competence. But they will not, in and of themselves, produce the bilingual workforce Nunavut needs. Instead, we need to fundamentally expand the role of Inuktitut in the schools of the territory.
E. The Schools Today
The goal of a bilingual and biliterate society will not be achieved unless the schools of Nunavut produce graduates who are bilingual and biliterate in Inuktitut and in English. This is not happening now.
In fact the present system – an "early exit immersion" model whereby most students are abruptly switched from Inuktitut to English in Grades 4/5 – seems to be producing the opposite. Because it provides students with an insufficient foundation in their first language and too sudden immersion in the second, it is seen as a significant contributing cause of Nunavut's high dropout rates.
The present "early-exit" bilingual model is inherited from the Northwest Territories. In its time, this model was seen as an improvement over the English-assimilationist residential school system which preceded it. However, while the NWT model called for the use of Inuktitut as a language of instruction from K-12, schools could never achieve this goal owing to the lack of Inuit teachers and Inuktitut curriculum and resources. What resulted was the early-exit model that remains in place in Nunavut schools.
The "early-exit" model works like this: With some exceptions, children in Nunavut enter school speaking Inuktitut. In the early grades, Inuit children all over Nunavut are taught in their first language as the language of instruction, i.e., from kindergarten to Grades 3/4/5. Beginning at Grade 4/5, there is a "transition" from Inuktitut to English as the language of instruction (for students in the Inuinnaqtun communities, English is the only language of instruction from kindergarten to grade 12.). From Grades 4/5, Inuktitut is no longer a language of instruction, but merely a subject like any foreign language.
The result is that just as Inuit children are acquiring the ability to read and write in their own language they are abruptly transitioned into English and required to learn math, social studies and science – and all other subjects in the curriculum – in a second language
Some Nunavut schools teach oral English as a second language in the primary grades, but in many places, the curriculum that Inuit children are introduced to in Grades 4/5, with English as the language of instruction, is their first academic exposure to English. Many of them can converse in English. But they can't write in English. In Grade 4 or 5, they are starting over, well behind. Their comprehension is imperfect; it slips and as it does they fall further behind. By the time they reach Grade 8, Grade 9 and Grade 10, they are failing (not all of them, to be sure, but most of them). This is damaging to their sense of who they are. There has been not only an institutional rejection of their language and culture, but a demonstration of their personal incapacity. The Inuit children are trying to catch up; but they are trying to hit a moving target since, of course, as they advance into the higher grades, the curriculum becomes more complex, more dependent on reading, on books, more dependent on a capacity in English that they don't have.
Instead of adding a second language to a solidly anchored first language that they continue to develop, enriching their language skills by adding the second, the opposite occurs. As they gain more English Inuit children lose more Inuktitut. They lose fluency in their mother tongue; the literacy skills they acquired in the early years atrophy and the space left ‘vacant' by the loss of Inuktitut is not simply filled up with English. The children's initial threshold of fluency in Inuktitut should be – but isn't allowed to become - a foundation for the attainment of a second threshold of literacy – in Inuktitut. And they are not compensating for the lost Inuit language with new gains in English. Because they are never allowed to develop their Inuktitut initial fluency and literacy into advanced fluency and literacy through engagement with progressively more demanding subjects, and because the English program largely fails to develop higher-order skills, the children's Inuktitut linguistic strengths are never acknowledged. They are forced pay a high price for the early exit from their home language. They end up without fluency or literacy in either language. [Note 68]
The problem – the gulf between what the current program (inherited from the Northwest Territories) aspired to and what it has been able to deliver – is not likely to improve over time. High attrition rates of Inuit teachers mean that it is questionable whether even the present limited level of bilingual education can be sustained. Resource and curriculum development has continued to be slow owing to ongoing lack of resources. There is a slide, and it is expected to continue, unless something is done to stop it.
F. What Does Effective Bilingual Education Require?
There are essentially two methods of effectively producing bilingual graduates in Nunavut. One model is that which is common in many European countries, in which students are taught in both languages, typically the standard languages of European nation-states, from the first year to the last. The second model, perhaps more familiar to Canadians, is the immersion model, in which Anglophone or English-dominant students are taught exclusively – or nearly so – in a second language (i.e. French) for a substantial period of their education.
Either model appears to be capable of producing the desired results: students who are not only bilingual but also biliterate – able to read and write at an acceptable level in either language. The difficulty is in the detail: both require a high level of commitment to both languages, together with the resources – skilled teachers, appropriate curriculum materials, and methods for assessment of student progress – in both as well.
In Nunavut these challenges appear to all but foreclose the European "parallel instruction" model. Its adoption would require curriculum materials in Inuktitut to the Grade 12 level, and a cohort of teachers trained to teach a number of high school courses in Inuktitut, neither of which presently exist. If bilingual education is to become a reality in Nunavut within a generation, it must be through the implementation of a system that provides a gradual introduction of English instruction, and a longer retention of Inuktitut, not only as a subject of study, but as a language of instruction.
G. The Proposed System of Bilingual Education
I am convinced that only a robust and effective system of bilingual education can provide the foundation for the fulfillment of the objective of Article 23.
The objective is to ensure that Nunavut students have first and second language skills by the time they complete their schooling. They will be able to maintain their identity and their culture, and at the same time be equipped to enter governmental or private sector employment.
Nothing quite like this has been undertaken in Canada in the past. There is no template for a jurisdiction-wide bilingual education program for all children.
So what would a comprehensive program of bilingual education look like in Nunavut? It certainly could not be implemented immediately. Bilingual education was the policy of the Northwest Territories, as it is now, in a more fully-developed way, the policy of the Government of Nunavut. The NWT did not have the curriculum, the resources or the teachers to fully implement such a policy.
Neither, at present, does Nunavut. The Territory lacks the funding even to maintain the early-exit model adopted from the Northwest Territories, let alone to improve upon it. It has made a start, however, by assigning $7.5 million from its current education budget specifically to development of a bilingual curriculum and materials to the expansion of teacher education. But it does not have the resources to meet the demands of a fully bilingual education system.
The Bilingual Education Strategy adopted by the Nunavut government in November 2004 provides a glimpse of what needs to be done to achieve comprehensive bilingual education in the territory. The K-12 curriculum and resource development and implementation plans to achieve the strategy have been initiated. But the challenges should be borne in mind.
There remains a severe shortage of Inuktitut-speaking teachers in the education system such that even the kindergarten-to-Grade-3/4/5 Inuktitut programs will be difficult to maintain at present levels. There is also an almost complete absence of advanced teaching materials in Inuktitut. The plan I propose will require hiring and training teachers, and developing an advanced Inuktitut curriculum, at an unprecedented rate. Even the most optimistic forecasts indicate, however, that bilingual education will develop gradually, year-by-year, school-by-school, over a generation.
Fortunately the most successful model of bilingual education appears to be adaptable to gradual implementation. Francis and Reyhner write:
For Indian children entering school, dominant or monolingual in their Native, indigenous, language, the program model that appears to have produced the most consistently positive results is that described by Krashen and Biber (1988) and Krashen (1991, 1996): the "Gradual exit, variable threshold" approach. ESL students are mainstreamed early in activities where language comprehension is virtually guaranteed because of the complete context support in academically less demanding situations (art, music, and physical education). In school subjects, where context support is high (e.g. primary level mathematics), ESL students receive early immersion in the second language, reserving (in the early grades) the subjects that are more language-dependent and abstract (e.g. reading, language arts, social studies) primarily for the dominant, primary, language. [Note 69]
The model I propose would start with "language nests" (an innovation of the New Zealand Maori) carried out in conjunction with Inuktitut daycare and pre-school programs. It would then carry through the elementary and secondary years, and beyond into adult literacy and basic education programs.
The most critical component of the program will be the development of a strong new generation of Inuit teachers.
Presently, 35 per cent of teachers speak Inuktitut, and their numbers are slipping due to attrition owing to retirement, the stresses of the job (particularly for women with families) and the temptations of other careers in the territory, since Inuit teachers are the largest cohort of qualified Inuit in any field. The program I am recommending will require that many more teachers be trained. In the meantime other measures can be taken. There are, for instance, middle-aged and adult Inuit in every community who speak Inuktitut well. They would be given a year of teacher training in the community and would teach Inuktitut in the schools. At the same time, local tradespeople, carvers and sculptors would give classes in their specialties. Life on the land would not be forgotten. Survival skills in danger of being lost would be transmitted in the classroom by veteran hunters. All this while more Inuit teachers are formally trained and introduced, year-by-year, into an expanding bilingual curriculum.
There is an opportunity for economies of scale by working with other regions where Inuktitut and its variants are spoken. The Inuit population of Nunavut and Nunavik (in northern Quebec) speak the same language and use the same system of Syllabic writing. Together they constitute 90 percent of Canada's Inuit population. It is obvious that the model of bilingual education adopted in Nunavut might over time find a home there too, eventually perhaps in the Western Arctic and Labrador (it is true that Roman orthography is used in both these latter locales, but it is becoming easier to transcribe from one script to the other).
The aim would be to affirm Inuit identity, to improve Inuit educational achievement, to strengthen the language that is at risk, but at the same time to improve ability in English.
Success would meant that, over time, we will see Inuit high school graduation rates in Nunavut achieving parity with students in the rest of Canada. These graduates would be able to take their share of positions in the Government of Nunavut and in the federal government in Nunavut. They would be equipped to take post-secondary training anywhere in Canada. And they would be ready to enter an expanded private sector in Nunavut.
This is not to say that all Inuit children would be destined for graduation. Some would not. Nor is it to say that Nunavut ought to adopt a wholly academic program. Whether Inuit youth are going to live off the land or go into a trade, there would be a place for them in school. But high school graduates are the key.
In this way – and I believe only in this way – can the objective of Article 23 be achieved.
H. The Choice
I see no alternative to a strong program of bilingual education. I believe that under the direction of the Government of Nunavut, with the support of the federal government, and with the full participation of Inuit families, it can succeed. But nothing less than the full involvement of all partners at all levels of the education system will be sufficient.
There are valuable international precedents. Comprehensive attempts in recent decades to reverse the decline of traditional languages in the Basque and Catalonian regions of Spain (which were suppressed under Franco) and in Estonia and other Baltic countries (where under Soviet rule the local languages were used less and less) have met with some success. Describing the program in Catalonia, the Languages Commissioner of Nunavut reported:
There has been measurable and, indeed remarkable success in increasing the status of Catalan within the education system. By 1999, 98.5 percent of teachers in primary schools and 81.2 percent of teachers in secondary schools held a certificate of competence in the Catalan language. This compares with a figure of only 52 percent of pre-school and primary teachers just twenty years earlier. By 2000, 88.9 percent of primary schools and 51.2 percent of secondary schools carried out all their teaching in Catalan (except courses in Spanish and foreign languages), while the remainder carried out most of their teaching in Catalan. By comparison, in 1995-1996, the figures stood at 67.5 percent for primary schools and 25.9 percent for secondary schools. [Note 70]
The secret to these successful recovery programs appears to be based on comprehensive efforts on the demand side (by requiring or encouraging use of the local language in the public service) and on the supply side (by instituting a robust program of bilingual education). Similar programs have been instituted in the Scandinavian countries to reinvigorate the Sami language.
Here I urge adoption of the initiative taken by the Maori of New Zealand in the use of "language nests." By the early 1980s the use of Maori was dying. The Maori people, however, insisted that it had to be revived. And they knew they had to do it themselves. So in schools and community halls the Maori would meet in the evening. Elders would teach their children and their grandchildren their own language; soon the next generation and the generation after that would start to use Maori.
The proliferation of the Maori "language nests" – in 1992 there was only one, by 1998 there were 646 – was nevertheless not on its own enough to re-establish Maori as a language suitable for everyday adult life, and in 1997 the New Zealand government began an intensive effort centred on recruiting and training sufficient numbers of Maori-speaking teachers and developing appropriate materials. The Languages Commissioner of Nunavut reports:
Since then, budgets for producing Maori language teaching and learning materials have been increased substantially (to around $7 million per year). Various strategies have also been adopted to increase the supply of teachers competent in the Maori language, including scholarships for teacher trainees, face-to-face recruitment campaigns, in-service Maori language training for active teachers, etc. [Note 71]
But the best evidence that an Aboriginal language need not be overwhelmed by a European language is Greenland. In that country in the 1960s the colonial power, Denmark, which had asserted sovereignty over Greenland since 1721, promoted the use of Danish from the first grade. But Greenlanders resisted this.
A renaissance of Greenlandic occurred in the 1970s. In 1979 Home Rule came. The Home Rule government made the preservation of Greenlandic a priority. Today students are taught in Greenlandic throughout primary and secondary school. They have an indigenous Greenlandic literature and they have translated many works of world literature into Greenlandic.
The Greenlandic model, however, has its limitations. It is graduating students unable to use Danish or English; in a real sense they are unqualified for work or study outside Greenland, or even equipped to speak in any European language to the world outside Greenland. Greenland academics now urge the adoption of a more fully bilingual model, urging that English be taught from grade 4 and not from grade 7.
So the Inuit must be equipped to use English as well as Inuktitut. Thus the bilingual model I am recommending.
I. The Nunavut Project
This is a project for all of Nunavut, not just teachers and students. Inuktitut must be spoken and strengthened in the homes of Nunavut and in all the communities of Nunavut.
Every community should have a Head Start pre-school type of program (as opposed to day cares) and they, like other daycare and early-childhood programs, should all be conducted in Inuktitut.
In Nunavut the Inuit will have to take the initiative in establishing "language nests". Elders must pass on the language. Parents must participate in the nests and make sure the whole family uses Inuktitut. Communities must support the use of Inuktitut in family language camps and literacy activities throughout the year. And parents must do all they can to keep their children in school. Students who have graduated from Nunavut high schools say that two important factors in enabling them to be successful in school are parental support and high expectations. [Note 72]
Nunavut doesn't have enough teachers. They will have to be recruited, and young people will have to volunteer to be teachers, even knowing that more lucrative and possibly less arduous careers are available to them. The invaluable role of Inuit teachers must be recognized and their unique status must be cherished in every community. Men as well as women must come to see teaching as a worthwhile career. All teachers will have to receive the level of support they deserve. The schools must become the hub of community activity, a place where elders and infants are welcome along with students and teachers.
There are impediments. Inuit families do not usually resemble middle-class families in Vancouver or Calgary, accustomed to instilling in their children the virtues of learning through the written word, sending their children off to French immersion. These are families only a generation or two removed from hunting and gathering, who have seen their whole world turned upside down.
My emphasis has been on bilingual education, on the schools and on graduates, because there lies the long-term answer to the problem. But this is not a stand-alone project. It cannot succeed unless the housing and health of the Inuit improve. These things go together.
Housing for Inuit in Nunavut is cramped, to say the least. Students' health is at risk, and sickness and overcrowded homes contribute significantly to Nunavut schools' high absenteeism rates.
One of the biggest surprises you find in Nunavut schools is the presence of amplification systems in the classrooms. It was explained by school officials in Iqaluit that – incredibly – between 30 and 50 percent of Inuit children are believed to suffer from some degree of hearing loss. The reason the figure given is so vague is that there is very little known about the phenomenon. School-wide screening of students has never been instituted. [Note 73]
It appears that the hearing impairment in Inuit children is mainly caused by Chronic Otitis Media (COM), a chronic infection of the ear which is more prevalent among Inuit than any other race in the world. Hearing loss due to COM can cause delayed language and speech development. Students suffering from COM may have difficulty learning and poor academic achievement. [Note 74]
COM is closely associated with, among other things, overcrowding and exposure to tobacco smoke, two risk factors particularly prevalent in Nunavut communities. [Note 75]
Imagine the odds faced by a student attempting to do homework with 12 or 13 other people in the house (on average, half of them children), perhaps sleeping two, three or four to a room. Nunavut's climate dictates that these tiny homes will be shut tight against the weather for possibly eight months of the year; virtually every home has at least one resident smoker, and usually more; oil heating, particularly from poorly-constructed or maintained systems, may produce carbon monoxide and other pollutants. The fact that even one quarter of Inuit children graduate from high school is, under the circumstances, a testament to the tenacity of those students, their parents, and their communities.
I wrote in my Interim Report that the issue of social housing did not come within the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement and ought to be pursued in direct talks with the federal government at the highest levels. I still believe this to be the correct approach.
This does not, however, mean that housing is insignificant to the issues which concern me as Conciliator. Student, staff and government housing programs will be important parts of many of the initiatives I propose. But nor are the more basic issues of social housing irrelevant. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that very little that I am proposing regarding bilingual education and a representative public service in Nunavut can succeed without a comprehensive social housing program.
Questions of Funding
A. The Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism
I have said that if the objective of Article 23 is taken seriously, it implies there should be a program of bilingual education and that, in Nunavut, Inuktitut must be the principal language of the workplace and of the delivery of government services.
This country's language policies have been built on the concept of linguistic duality. But when Nunavut entered Confederation, a jurisdiction was created in which neither English nor French is the majority language.
In attempting to negotiate a new deal on language, either under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement or through Heritage Canada, Nunavut has run into a recurring obstacle. Unlike French and English, which are regarded as defining characteristics of Canada, and have been supported by the federal government with comprehensive programs and generous funding, the country's Aboriginal languages, including Inuktitut, are regarded as part of the nation's "heritage." The federal programs and services that support these languages are restricted to the community and the home. Nunavut government departments cannot access this funding for teacher training in Inuktitut or curriculum and resource development.
The Inuit of Nunavut do not want support for Inuktitut to be confined within the limited scope of Aboriginal language policy, but desire a funding partnership based on their unique status as a majority in Nunavut.
The Inuit, though a majority in their own territory, are a minority in the sea of English. In this they resemble the Francophones of Quebec, a majority in their own province, but a minority in North America.
The Government of Canada's own struggle to achieve fair representation for Francophones in its public service provides an illustration of the way in which we can achieve the objectives of Article 23 in Nunavut.
In the late 1960s the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism (the "B&B Commission") pointed out that there had been a failure to recognize the use of French in the federal public service, together with a failure to welcome Francophones into the public service, except in lower-paying categories.
The Commission revealed that in the federal government Francophones did not occupy in the higher echelons the place their numbers warranted; moreover, the Commission pointed out that educational opportunities for the Francophone minorities in the English-speaking provinces were not commensurate with those provided for the Anglophone minority in Quebec, and that French-Canadians could neither find employment in nor be served adequately in their language by the federal government .
The B & B Commission noted that, "there is an acute shortage of Francophones in higher salaried positions throughout the public service." [Note 76]
The B & B Commission wrote:
The problem of providing equal opportunity is universal. Wherever persons of different languages and cultures work with and for each other, patterns of differential participation in the work process develop. The patterns are based on the realties of group differences in types of training and skills. But they also tend to be based on stereotypes that suggest which people are suitable for what work and what social status. To a certain extent the stereotypes merge with the realities of genuine cultural difference and even reinforce them; in this sense they are self confirming. They can colour the whole environment of an organization. A supervisor who looks at subordinates of different cultural and linguistic backgrounds in terms of stereotypes will decide, on the basis of these stereotypes, whom to encourage and whom to ignore. As a direct result, some will become dynamic and self-confident, and others will become reticent and alienated. The upshot is not simple that people of ability or potential ability are overlooked (though this frequently happens), but that the environment itself partly determines who has ability by giving different labels to different types of people. [Note 77]
The Commission went on:
The cultural ambience of the federal administration is that of a British model adapted to the politics and technology of English-speaking Canada. It is on the whole, an effective adaptation, but its great limitation is its lack of Francophones and, indirectly, French ways of thinking and operating. Everywhere in the Public Service there is great concern for recruiting Francophones, but the desire seems to be for men who will fit easily into the existing structure. The desire for Francophones was rarely complemented by a willingness to provide the intellectual atmosphere and working conditions for the development of their talents. Furthermore, there was apprehension that the Francophones would behave in the federal Public Service as "French Canadians." There was little recognition for the beneficial impact such Francophones might have in broadening departmental orientations. The department of External Affairs, for example, showed a limited interest in French and French-speaking Africa before 1965. The department of Finance has neglected the later developments in econometrics that have come from Francophone economists, both in France and in Quebec, and its libraries lack the leading French-language economic journals. The greatest drawback Francophone public servants must face is the cultural milieu of the federal administration: it is so overwhelmingly "English" that it is difficult for Francophones to identify with its problems or with the style of life, honour, and prestige of its officers. The result is that some Francophones either give up, drained of ambition, or simply become narrowly ambitious. Neither orientation is conducive to a successful or useful career. The Public Service must recognize the necessity of creating work milieu in which the normal language will be French, where Francophones will constitute a majority, and where their experiences will incline them to stay in the Public Service. [emphasis added] [Note 78]
There is a striking similarity between the situation described by the B & B Commission and the situation in Nunavut today. The programs we developed in order to strengthen the French language in Canada can be useful models in Nunavut.
Beginning with the Official Languages Act in 1969 the Government of Canada pursued a comprehensive strategy aimed at increasing Francophone representation in the federal public service and supporting education and community development initiatives for Francophone minorities across Canada.
The Official Languages Act itself included strong measures to support French as a working language of the public service, a decisive step toward achieving a representative workforce.
The adoption of the Charter of Rights, section 23, in 1982 brought with it the establishment of minority language education rights for French (and English) throughout Canada "where numbers warrant".
All of these measures were intended, as Prime Minister Pearson put it, to ensure that French-speaking Canadians are "at home" in Canada. We must do as much to ensure the Inuit are "at home" in Nunavut.
The Official Languages Act is an expression of policy – a policy favouring English and French. But nothing in the Constitution or the Official Languages Act prevents Canada, as a matter of policy, from supporting a territorial initiative favouring Inuktitut.
As a result of its dual-language policy, the federal government subsidizes the teaching of French as a second language in schools in the provinces and the territories.
In Nunavut the fruits of this policy can today be observed. There are approximately 400 Francophones in the territory, concentrated in the capital, Iqualuit. With federal funding the local Francophone community has built a $5 million dollar school, where French is the language of instruction. Class sizes average six students. All of this was made possible under section 23 of the Charter of Rights. In addition, the federal government provides $4 million a year to promote the use of French in Nunavut.
The Inuit receive $1 million a year to promote the use of their language.
This is not to make invidious comparisons. But it shows what can be done to strengthen a minority language.
The French and the English are the founding peoples of Canada. They are the charter peoples of Confederation. Theirs are our two official languages. [Note 79]
I wish it to be understood that the program I am recommending of federal support for bilingual education in Nunavut would in no way challenge or undermine the paramount place of English and French, as constitutionally protected languages, in Canada or in Nunavut. They would remain the languages in which federal government services in Nunavut would be delivered. The right enjoyed by the Francophone minority to have schools, "where numbers warrant," under s.23 of the Charter would remain.
Today Francophones hold approximately one-third of positions in Canada's public service. The success of official bilingualism in Canada indicates that it is possible that extraordinary measures can be taken in Nunavut to make Inuktitut a language of the workplace and a language of the delivery of government services to the Inuit.
The B & B Commission cast its report in terms of "language rights," but conceded there was no constitutional mandate for its recommendations. At best, they said, section 133 of the Constitution Act, 1867, "represents embryonic concepts of equality". [Note 80]
The recommendations of the B & B Commission were made even though there was no constitutional instrument providing that the federal public service should be representative of the Canadian population, no provision in the Constitution similar to Article 23 of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. And certainly no provision in the Constitution which implied as a corollary mandating French as a language of the workplace and of service to the public. [Note 81]
But, it will be said, French is a world language, spoken by millions around the world and which has produced a body of great literature. It is a traditional language of diplomacy, a language whose purity is guarded by the Académie française. What reason is there to believe that the same measures that we took with respect to French could succeed in the case of an Aboriginal language?
To start with, it was not at all certain that French would thrive in Canada. In 1763 the population of New France, coming under British rule, numbered only 60,000 (no more than twice the population of Nunavut today). Under the Quebec Act of 1774 their laws and their religion were protected.
Nevertheless, in 1839 Lord Durham in his famous Report on the Affairs of British North America did not think that the French language could survive in North America. Where was their literature, he asked? Where were their books? He recommended the assimilation of the French Canadians in Quebec. Of course, the idea was rejected by the old Province of Canada. [Note 82]
Well, it is said, there are only 25,000 Inuit in Nunavut. But they are growing in numbers. In fact, since 1980 the Inuit population of Nunavut has almost doubled.
The recognition of the place of the French language in the federal public service and in schools across Canada is now unassailable. In the same way the recognition of Inuktitut in the public service and its place in the schools in Nunavut must bind the Inuit closer to Canada.
B. Federal Funding
Neither in 1993 or in 1999 was there adequate attention given to estimating, and then meeting, the real costs that would be required for the development of a bilingual education system to address the objective of Article 23. They are only now beginning to be appreciated.
Nevertheless, the Parties have always understood the centrality of the objective of Article 23, even if they did not understand the scope and scale of the efforts needed to fulfill it.
If we are to achieve the goal of Article 23, a goal to which Canada has committed itself, can it be left to the Government of Nunavut? I think not. Nunavut does not, under Territorial Formula Financing, have the resources.
If there ought to be a further commitment by Canada, when does it arise? I think now is the time. The Government of Nunavut is up and running. The initial representation of Inuit in the public service has levelled off. It is apparent that the specific measures contemplated by the Parties when the objective of Article 23 was agreed are not going to be sufficient.
The Government of Nunavut has since 2002 been seeking additional federal funding for a program of bilingual education.
I have set out in Part VI.D of this report the costs of the specific initiatives that I am recommending in the near term. They come to approximately $20 million per year. This figure does not include the cost of the program of bilingual education that I recommend for the long term.
These recommendations will require substantial investment immediately, particularly for teacher training and curriculum development, and the commitment must be sustained over a generation in order to bear fruit. The Government of Nunavut has come up with some cost estimates, but given that the program must be introduced in stages over years, it is not easy to determine the cost over the whole period of time.
But these costs must be put in perspective. In order to solidify our position in the Arctic, Canada is contemplating the purchase of several heavy naval icebreakers, the construction of a deep-water port at Iqaluit, and an enhanced military presence. These are matters for the Government of Canada to determine. I am simply urging the vital importance of what is truly incontrovertible evidence of our Northern commitment: a successful, thriving population with a well-functioning government, fully integrated into Canada but with a unique and historic Arctic character.
There can be no doubt that what I propose will be costly. Equally there can be no doubt that Canada must provide the lion's share of the funding.
I have discussed with the Parties the question of how such an arrangement should be structured. I think that the Governments of Canada and Nunavut should develop bilateral agreements for the design and implementation of this program. In my view no other approach will work. The Government of Nunavut is in the business of educating Inuit; it has the expertise, it runs the facilities; it trains the teachers; it is involved in the health, housing and general welfare of the students. It has developed plans for bilingual education: the design of a Nunavut-specific curriculum, the training of a new and greatly expanded cohort of Inuit teachers to deliver it, and the involvement of the whole community. It is also accountable to the citizens of Nunavut for the decisions it makes and the priorities it sets.
It is therefore, I think, through the Government of Nunavut that the program should be delivered.
In the Clyde River Protocol of 2002 the Government of Nunavut and NTI agreed that "NTI occupies a special place in the affairs of Nunavut with respect to the rights and benefits of Inuit under the Nunavut Agreement" and that "NTI has a mandate to protect and promote the interest of the Inuit as an Aboriginal people."
There can be no doubt that NTI, which in its submissions to me as Conciliator, has time and again expressed its belief in the need for bilingual education as the only means of meeting the objective of Article 23, is uniquely placed to support the Government of Nunavut in its determination to bring such a program to fruition.
I had thought that it might be possible to make Nunavut accountable to Ottawa, to require a financial audit and a performance audit by the federal government. But this would be inconsistent with the grant of authority that has been given to Nunavut to run its own affairs, which quite specifically provides Nunavut with jurisdiction over education. The Government of Nunavut is accountable to its own Legislative Assembly for the money it spends, and the Legislative Assembly is of course accountable to the citizens of the territory.
The federal funding will have to be over and above what Nunavut receives through Territorial Formula Financing. It is funding that, like the federal funds that go to the provinces and territories to fund English and French, will have to be targeted funding, not to be devoted to any other territorial priorities.
The Government of Nunavut is already spending $7.5 million in curriculum development and teacher education, specifically targeted to these objectives. The balance should come from Canada. Or it may be that a ratio corresponding to that which currently obtains, in the annual budget of Nunavut, between Canada's subvention and Nunavut's own revenue, would be appropriate. These are, of course, matters to be worked out between Canada and Nunavut.
Canada and the Government of Nunavut would develop a joint strategic plan setting out objectives and time frames.
I think there should be an independent panel to review the progress of the program. This should include experts in the field, ideally a blend of academics, teaching professionals and members of the community in Nunavut. The panel would monitor progress and results.
This will be a long-term project. Results will not be apparent at once. We have seen, however, in the case of French, that over time (in the case of French, over three decades) with federal support a minority language program can succeed.
C. The Cost of Failure
(1) Dollar Costs
The objective of Article 23 is to ensure that qualified Inuit occupy 85 percent of the positions in the public service in Nunavut. As long as there is a shortfall, there is continuing cost to the Inuit.
In February, 2003, PricewaterhouseCoopers provided an analysis of these costs in a study for NTI and the Government of Nunavut. [Note 83]
After comparing the present income of the Inuit with what they would be earning if they filled 85 percent of the positions in government in Nunavut, PricewaterhouseCoopers calculated the incremental lost income to the Inuit as $123 million annually. [Note 84]
Of course, the employed Inuit would have to pay income tax (as they always have) on these additional earnings, and Inuit on social assistance moving to employment would give up their social assistance. If you take these factors into account you get, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers, a net figure of $72 million in lost Inuit salary and wages for the year 2003 attributable to the failure to achieve the goal of Article 23.
Of course, failure to realize full Inuit employment also carries with it costs to the Governments of Nunavut and Canada.
PricewaterhouseCoopers, using data from the Saratoga Institute, went on in its 2003 report to consider the high cost of recruiting, hiring and training new employees, incorporating data indicating recruitment in the South was both more expensive [Note 85] and more frequent [Note 86] than when Inuit were hired. They factored in estimated savings in social assistance payments and the effect of tax revenue flowing back to government.
PricewaterhouseCoopers's conclusion was that the net dollar cost to all the Parties amounts to some $137 million per year as of 2003.
Such calculations are inherently elastic. But the report is nevertheless an indication of the scale of the costs to the Inuit of doing nothing, or not enough, towards the fulfillment of Article 23's objectives.
Furthermore, there is reason to believe that actual costs to all Parties must be higher still when indirect costs are taken into consideration. PricewaterhouseCoopers writes:
The indirect costs associated with not successfully implementing Article 23 are likely to extend well beyond just the direct costs described above. This is due the fact that many of the barriers that limit employment of the Inuit in the Government sector – such as education, housing, day care – also limit employment of the Inuit in the non-Government sector. Moreover, increasing Inuit employment and income is likely to have significant ripple-type effects throughout the whole economy… these costs are real and likely to be sizable in nature. [Note 87]
(2) Social Costs
And then of course there are the social costs. It seems difficult to contest the proposition that a population that is unemployed and marginalized is likely to have a higher rate of social pathology than one that is fully employed, with consequent costs (for treatment of alcohol and drug abuse, health costs, the costs of high incarceration rates, family violence, and suicide).
No one expected that the establishment of Nunavut would eradicate social problems among the Inuit. Indeed, the division of the former Northwest Territories into a wealthier, better-developed Western Arctic (the Northwest Territories today) and the predominantly-Inuit, underdeveloped Eastern Arctic (Nunavut) was expected to spotlight many problems that had long persisted. A former Chief Medical Officer of the Northwest Territories said before Nunavut was established:
Division will consolidate not only the Inuit, but also their problems, [statistics on which] now are diluted by the presence of a substantial NWT non-aboriginal population, and to a lesser extent by the non-Inuit aboriginal population, whose health status is better than that of Inuit. Thus, the health status profile for Nunavut may come as a shock to many who may have become inured even to the depressing aspects of the overall NWT profile. [Note 88]
Indeed the statistics for the Territory are bracing. Hicks and White, writing in 2002, synopsize:
When mortality data for Nunavut was first published by Statistics Canada, many Nunavummiut were shocked to learn that the life expectancy at birth for a baby born in Nunavut in 1996 was almost ten years lower than for Canada as a whole… Nunavut's infant mortality rates have been halved over the last fifteen years, but are still more than three times the national rate. Mortality due to lung cancer among women in Nunavut is almost five times the national rate, and women in Nunavut were about seven times more likely to die of respiratory disease than Canadian women as a whole.
To the outside observer it must seem like there is no end to the depressing, statistics: over two-thirds of Nunavut residents 12 years of age and older smoke (compared to less than 30 per cent nationally), almost three-quarters of all Nunavut mothers smoke during their pregnancies, Nunavut's rate of tuberculosis during the 1990s was more than eight times the national average, sexually transmitted disease rates are 15 to 20 times the national rate, and Nunavut's suicide rate is six times the national average.
This latter statistic is perhaps that most disturbing. For the period 1986 to 1996, Nunavut's crude suicide rate was 77.9 per 100,000 – and rising – compared to a national rate of 13.2 per 100,000.
The suicide rate was far higher among those between 15 to 29 years of age, much higher among males than among females, and higher in the Baffin region than in the Kitikmeot or Kivalliq regions. [Note 89]
Hicks & White went on:
[S]uicide rates in the eastern and central Arctic were also rising sharply before the creation of Nunavut in 1999. The suicide rate for the period 1992 to 1996 was almost double what it had been a decade before. And during the first 16 months of Nunavut's existence (April 1999 thru July 2000), at least 34 Nunavummiut took their own lives. Of the 21 suicides which occurred in the Baffin region, all but two were Inuit males. 12 of those 21 were from Iqaluit. [Note 90]
Hicks & White summarize the danger (and by implication the costs) of leaving these problems unchecked:
[T]he territory's new government, Inuit organizations and Institutions of Public Government face enormous challenges: a young work force with high levels of unemployment and dependence on social assistance, low (but rising) educational levels, high costs for goods and public services, inadequate public housing, poor health condition, and escalating rates of substance abuse, violence and incarceration. [Note 91]
No one has attempted to put a dollar figure on the costs or consequences of young people growing up uneducated or undereducated, and with little hope for their future. Two things do seem to be clear, though: first, the costs are staggering both in human terms as well as in dollars and cents; and second, the costs are avoidable. We can pay now, or we can pay a lot more later.
Climate Change, Sovereignty, and the Future of the Inuit
A. Nunavut in Canada's Foreign Policy
The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement is not only of national importance but of international importance: Nunavut is central to Canadian foreign policy, and will only become more so. NTI has put it this way:
Implementation of comprehensive land claims agreements is commonly "ghettoized" in the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, far from the locus of national and international policy debate between central agencies. This is not surprising, perhaps, in light of the small scale and local nature of many comprehensive land claims agreements. This is not, however, the case with the 1993 Nunavut Land Claims Agreement which intersects with Canada's national and international interests and obligations, and foreign policy objectives.
The centrality of the Agreement and of Nunavut to Canadian foreign policy in the Arctic is determined by the sheer size of Nunavut and the length of its coastline. Nearly forty percent of Canada is above the 60th parallel; and the geographic centre of Canada is near Baker Lake, in Nunavut, considerably north of the tree line.
The Arctic basin is no longer remote. The Arctic Ocean is surrounded by the islands and coastal regions of Russia, Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Scandinavia.
Indeed, there is already an international dimension to Canada's stewardship of the Arctic.
Areas designated by the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement as "Inuit Owned Lands" include areas with significant and proven mineral potential, and zones of high biological productivity. Sometimes referred to as "Arctic oases," many high productivity wetlands within Inuit-owned land are nationally and continentally important breeding and staging areas for migratory birds managed, in part, under the Migratory Birds Convention with the United States. Some wetlands in Nunavut (Queen Maud Gulf, Polar Bear Pass, Rasmussen Lowlands, and Dewey Soper) have been designated under the 1971 Ramsar Wetlands Convention and others are pending.
Inuit wildlife harvesting rights to the onshore and offshore include species of international importance and concern including large cetaceans such as bowhead whales, and marine mammals including polar bears. Polar bears are managed under the five-nation Polar Bear Convention, to which Canada is a party. Inuit traditional ecological knowledge, as outlined in articles 8j and 1Oc of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which Canada has also ratified, is increasingly important in setting harvest quotas by the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board.
Canada appointed its first ambassador for circumpolar affairs in 1990.
In 1996 the Arctic Council was established; its members are Canada, the U.S., Denmark, Norway Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Russia.
In 2001 Canada formally acknowledged the need to develop a "Northern dimension" to Canadian foreign policy.
But now Arctic warming has greatly added to the importance of this Northern dimension.
With Arctic warming, the landscape and seascape may be greatly altered. The Nunavut Settlement Area includes huge offshore waters such as the Northwest Passage and the other passages through the Arctic Islands. Canada asserts full jurisdiction and control over these waters as internal waters. The United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union do not accept Canada's assertion and characterize the waterways instead as international waters. If this contention were to prevail, it would limit Canada's authority to regulate shipping to combat marine pollution in what we claim to be Canadian waters. It might also give rise to disputes over ownership of oil and gas and mineral resources under the sea.
Canada may find that it is fully engaged in the Arctic, that it is as important a subject for the Department of Foreign Affairs as our Atlantic or Pacific coasts.
Experts disagree on whether the retreat of the ice in the Arctic archipelago represents an impending threat to sovereignty, as other countries and shipping firms challenge Canada's claim over Arctic waters, or a law enforcement problem (as "rogue" shippers begin to move through the passage without adequate regulation). [Note 96] Either way, though, all agree that the Inuit are key to demonstrating and maintaining Canada's control over the Arctic. Professor Franklyn Griffiths has written:
We should build a stronger capacity for collective choice in the Canadian Arctic… Inuit know the area best. They are constant in their attachment to it in ways that southerners cannot equal. In partnership with the Federal government, they will insist on an exercise of control which is not remote but sensitive to local conditions, not agitated about a distant place but grounded in that place. [Note 97]
NTI puts it this way:
In short, effective implementation of the [Nunavut Land Claims Agreement] contributes significantly to the objectives of the Government of Canada's 2001 Northern Dimension Foreign Policy. Some foreign governments characterize Nunavut as the "test" by which Canada is evaluated in terms of its treatment of aboriginal peoples and the key measure of its approach to northern development. Certainly Canada has and continues to trumpet Nunavut as an international model of accommodation between an Indigenous people and a nation state in which they reside.
B. The Changing Physical Environment and Economic Development
Although experts disagree over the rapidity of climate change and the extent to which it can be attributed to human activity, [Note 98] there is no question that global climate change is a reality.
We are accustomed to news of climate change, of the challenge that global warming may represent; nevertheless, for most of us in the temperate zones it is a distant rumble. In the Arctic, however, climate change is not remote. It is already happening.
We are now calling it climate change, but in the Arctic it is the warming that is apparent. It can be seen everywhere: Permafrost is melting, storm surges across extended open water are eroding the banks of coastal communities, the ice goes out earlier and forms again later than it did before, shifting patterns of ice and snowfall impede the migration of caribou as well as the seasonal movements of polar bears and seals.
On November 8, 2004 the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) was made public. It was sponsored by eight Arctic countries and carried out by a team of 300 scientists. The report, 1800 pages long, entitled "Impacts of a Warming Arctic", included findings that:
"The Arctic is warming much more rapidly than previously known at nearly twice the rate as the rest of the globe, and increasing greenhouse gases from human activities are calculated to make it warmer still."
"In Alaska, Western Canada, and Eastern Russia average winter temperatures have increased as much as 3 to 4 C (4 to 7 F) in the past 50 years, and are projected to rise 4 to 7 (7 to 13 F) over the next 100 years."
"Arctic summer sea ice is projected to decline by at least 50 per cent by the end of this century with some models showing near-complete disappearance of summer sea ice. This is very likely to have devastating consequences for some arctic animal species, such as ice-living seals and for local people for whom these animals are a primary food source. At the same time, reduced sea ice extent is likely to increase marine access to some of the region's resources."
"Warming over Greenland is projected to lead to substantial melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet, contributing to global level rise at increasing rates. Over the long term, Greenland contains enough melt water to eventually raise sea levels by about 7 meters (about 23 feet)."
Moreover, global warming may be accelerating. NASA's study of the Arctic ice, released on September 28, 2005 shows that Arctic ice cover has shrunk by 10 per cent in the last four years. The extent of Arctic sea ice in September last year was 20 percent below the long-term average for September, melting an extra 500,000 square miles.
In the summer of 2005 the Arctic pack ice retreated to its smallest size in recorded history, about 5.5 million square kilometres (in 1979 it was 7.5 million square kilometres). Every year, it is said, the polar ice cap is smaller by an area the size of Lake Superior.
Springtime melting in the Arctic has begun much earlier; in 2005 it started 17 days sooner than expected. In Greenland, across Davis Strait, the past two years were the warmest ever recorded in some of the coastal communities.
Ten years ago the people at Cape Dorset could travel in September or October over the ice of Telluk Inlet to Baffin Island. Last year they couldn't make the journey over the ice until mid-December. In Iqaluit, in December, Inuit were putting to sea in Frobisher Bay in small pleasurecraft; I was told that, even a few years past, they could far more easily have walked across the frozen Bay. Birds such as robins are appearing for the first time. The anecdotes were universal; no one who has more than a few years' experience in the Arctic doubts that change is upon us.
James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, in a presentation to the American Geophysical Union, December 6, 2005, said that:
Earth's climate has neared, but has not passed a tipping point beyond which it will be impossible to avoid climate change with far-ranging undesirable consequences. This includes not only the loss of the Arctic as we know it, with all that implies for wildlife and indigenous peoples, but losses on a much vaster scale due to rising seas.
The increasing warming of the North has obvious ramifications for economic development. The warming of the Arctic will make Nunavut's minerals, its oil and gas more accessible. The opening of the Northwest Passage and the other passages through the Arctic Islands will bring navigation and shipping.
The Inuit have in the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement safeguarded rights of harvesting, so as to ensure the survival of subsistence (hunting, fishing and trapping) activities, the principal means by which people of the Arctic and sub-Arctic have survived in the past. In our own time they still provides a measure of self- sufficiency. Arctic warming, however, may bring accelerated industrial activity. And it may mean the loss of animal species the Inuit have depended on for centuries. Polar bear, walrus, and other marine mammals and birds may over time be at risk of extinction. The hunting and food sharing culture of Inuit may be under significant threat. I know it is said that with global warming species will flourish in the new climate and replace the species that are gone. But no one can predict such things with any confidence.
Global warming could bring not only physical change but also demographic change to Nunavut - the possibility that an altered landscape, greatly increased navigation, mining on a much larger scale, and access to Arctic oil and gas might bring non-Inuit in numbers. I am not suggesting the agricultural frontier would migrate northward to the Arctic. But the number of permanent residents who are non-Inuit could significantly increase. It will be necessary to secure the place of the Inuit in the economic life of Nunavut as well as in their own public service.
Arctic warming may transform Nunavut. Resources that were locked in the snow and ice inaccessible through the frozen waterways may now be opened up.
The coming decades are likely to be a period of uncertainty and yet at the same time one of opportunity in the North; the Inuit must be ready to take their place – not only in the public service but also in the private sector as miners, drillers, mechanics, mariners, geologists and engineers.
This makes the case for the type of bilingual education program I am recommending, one qualifying the Inuit for post-secondary training and for work in the public sector or the private sector all the more compelling.
C. The Inuit and Arctic Sovereignty
The melting of polar ice has brought the world's attention to the fact that the Northwest Passage and the other passages through the Arctic Islands may in the quite foreseeable future be navigable for substantial periods of each year. Ownership of the resources and authority over the sea routes – in short, sovereignty over the North – is a topic of increasing discussion.
Effective occupation is one of the keys to sovereignty under international law. The immemorial presence of the Inuit in Canada's Arctic, as much as British and Canadian voyages through the Arctic Islands, is fundamental to Canada's claim. For centuries, the Inuit were the sole occupants of the Arctic Islands and most of Canada's Arctic coastline. They lived on the land and on the ice; they harvested the resources of the land and the sea. We used to think of the early explorers of the Arctic and sub-Arctic as if they were tracing their way across some far-off planet. We thought of them as the first cartographers of the Arctic. In Canada we now know, through Aboriginal mapping projects conducted in recent years, that before Europeans came the Arctic was already mapped by the Inuit—traced all over by their hunting patterns.
Canada was established in 1867. It did not then include the vast territory it encompasses today. It consisted of four provinces extending from Nova Scotia to the head of Lake Superior. It did not include northern Ontario or northern Quebec. Its borders did not reach James Bay or Hudson Bay, let alone the Arctic and the Arctic Islands. At Confederation, therefore, Canada did not include the traditional territory of the Inuit.
The United Kingdom formally transferred Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory to Canada in 1870, and then the Arctic Islands in 1880. The Inuit still held Aboriginal title over much of this area. But more importantly, the Inuit used and occupied their traditional territories in ways that Canada could not. Canada's gradual assertion of control over the Arctic was achieved not through conquest but rather through a remarkable partnership. The joint RCMP and Inuit dogsled patrols and oceanic voyages (such as the famous voyages of the St. Roch [Note 99] in 1940-42 and 1944) helped to secure Canadian sovereignty in the High Arctic.
A special reservist unit, the Canadian Rangers, was established in 1947 to provide a permanent Canadian military presence in even the remotest communities. [Note 100] To this day the almost entirely-Inuit Canadian Rangers are the only substantial full-time military presence in Nunavut and they continue the tradition begun by the RCMP/Inuit patrols, but with snowmobiles in place of dog teams. This year, the Inuit Rangers and Canadian Forces will conduct the most ambitious series of patrols yet undertaken: five teams supported by aerial resupply that will traverse disputed waters under the codename Operation Nunalivut (meaning "the land is ours").
Canada's desire to establish its sovereignty in the High Arctic also led, at least in part, to the 1953 decision of the federal government to resettle some Inuit families farther North. [Note 101] Seven families from the Inukjuak (Port Harrison) area in northern Quebec and three families from Pond Inlet in what is now Nunavut were resettled in communities at Resolute Bay on Cornwallis Island and at Grise Fiord on Ellesmere Island. Over the next three years, the number of resettled families rose to seventeen. These Inuit communities remain the most northerly Canadian presence apart from the military personnel who man a remote listening post at CFS Alert on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island, about 800 km south of the Pole.
The preamble to the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement recites the considerations that impelled the Parties to in 1993 to enter into the Agreement. One of the considerations is stated in this way:
" AND IN RECOGNITION of the contributions of Inuit to Canada's history, identity and sovereignty in the Arctic." [Note 102]
This provision is unique in Canadian relations with Aboriginal peoples: No other comprehensive land claims agreement or historic treaty acknowledges the contribution of an Aboriginal people to Canada's sovereignty in this way.
In signing the 1993 Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, the Inuit formally ceded to Canada their Aboriginal title to Nunavut. [Note 103] In Article 2.7.1 the following appears:
2.7.1 In consideration of the rights and benefits provided to Inuit by the Agreement, Inuit hereby:
(a) cede, release and surrender to Her Majesty The Queen in Right of Canada, all their aboriginal claims, rights, title and interests, if any, in and to lands and waters anywhere within Canada and adjacent offshore areas within the sovereignty or jurisdiction of Canada; and
(b) agree, on their behalf, and on behalf of their heirs, descendants and successors not to assert any cause of action, action for a declaration, claim or demand of whatever kind or nature which they ever had, now have or may hereafter have against Her Majesty The Queen in Right of Canada or any province, the government of any territory or any person based on any aboriginal claims, rights, title or interests in and to lands and waters described in Sub-section (a).
Only with this formal cession was Canada's claim to the Arctic and the Arctic Islands complete, unburdened by Aboriginal title. The signing of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement was thus a vital step in strengthening Canada's claim of sovereignty. For Canada to assert sovereignty over the Arctic and the Arctic Islands while the Aboriginal people who have always inhabited them had not yet freely ceded their title would have been more than an embarrassment; it would have impaired Canada's claim of sovereignty as against other nations. [Note 104]
Today, because the Inuit still use and occupy the Arctic, they continue to contribute to Canada's "history, identity and sovereignty in the Arctic."
In years to come Canada, in asserting its claim, will be dependent on international law. The Inuit presence in the Arctic, their use of the sea and the sea ice, is the surest proof of Canada's claim. As the ice melts and shipping lanes open and resources become accessible, their long-standing occupation of the land and the waterways (every one of Nunavut's 27 communities is on tidewater) will work to Canada's advantage. Canada must see that the opening of the Arctic works to the advantage of the Inuit.
Return to Table of Contents
Epilogue
In the negotiations leading to the signing of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement in 1993, the Inuit of the Eastern Arctic were faced with a choice. They chose to have their aspirations expressed, not through the establishment of an Aboriginal government dealing directly with Ottawa, but rather through a public government: the Government of Nunavut. In fact they insisted on it. Such a government, they believed, would be close to the people, yes, but it would also be something more: it would permit the Inuit people to express themselves through a political entity that emerged organically within our the federal system, one of unquestioned legitimacy on the national and – as subsequent experience has shown – on the international stage. The new Territory is unique, a jewel in the crown of Canadian federalism.
The success of Nunavut will ultimately be measured by the extent to which Inuit are able to participate in their own government and in the changing economic life of the Arctic.
The recommendations I am making are based on the experience we have had thus far, the goals of the Government of Nunavut, and the work of its Department of Education, considered in the light of academic knowledge. My job has simply been to bring these ideas together in the context of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement and Canada's own experience and within the context of Arctic policy-making.
Despite our attempts to separate the Inuit from their language, history and culture, their determination to retain their distinctive identity has sustained them. We see the outward signs of cultural loss and decay; we often do not comprehend the persistence of Inuit culture and values. I believe the Inuit are prepared for the challenge.
The steps needed to assert Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic will have to be measured over decades as the ice recedes. The establishment of infrastructure and the utilization of resources will be a long-term proposition. A unified Arctic strategy for sovereignty and industrial development must be founded on the long-term interests of the Inuit, which I believe can best be served by the program I am recommending.
John Amagoalik has written, in an essay entitled "We Must Have Dreams":
We must teach our children their mother tongue. We must teach them what they are and where they come from. We must teach them the values which have guided our society over the thousands of years. We must teach them the philosophies which go back beyond the memory of man….
When I talk about the future and try to describe what I would like for my children, some people sometimes say to me that I am only dreaming. What is wrong with dreaming sometimes dreams come true, if only one is determined enough. What kind of world would we live in if people did not have dreams? If people did not strive for what they believe in? We must have dreams. We must have ideals. We must fight for the things we believe in. We must believe in ourselves.
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Footnotes:
The promise was contained in Article 4 of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, 1993. (return to source paragraph)
Prime Minister Chrétien put it this way: "Fifty years from now schoolchildren will be reading about this day in their text books…when we redrew the map of Canada and helped achieve the long-promised destiny of the people of the Eastern Arctic." (return to source paragraph)
The Minister of State (Northern Development), the Premier of Nunavut and the President of NTI jointly recommended my appointment. (return to source paragraph)
Craig Jones of Bull, Housser & Tupper LLP has acted as Counsel to the Conciliator. He has worked closely with me throughout, and has conducted meetings and interviews on my behalf, as well as making an invaluable contribution to the preparation of my report. (return to source paragraph)
In accordance with the arrangement made at the outset by the Parties, I am sending copies of this Final Report, including this letter, to Premier Paul Okalik and Paul Kaludjak, the President of NTI. (return to source paragraph)
By Inuktitut I mean as well Innuinaqtun, the dialect of the Kitikmeot region, which includes Kugluktuk and Cambridge Bay. (return to source paragraph)
I also recommend expansion of Nunavut Sivinuksavut, a unique post-secondary program for Inuit students, based in Ottawa. (return to source paragraph)
There is a small but thriving Francophone community in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut. Numbering 400, they have received $5 million to build a new school in Iqaluit, and $4 million dollars per year in funding for the promotion of French. (return to source paragraph)
The written form of Inuktitut has existed for a century. It is a system of syllabics, a phonetic system. The Innuinaqtun dialect is written using a Roman orthography. (return to source paragraph)
Studies have shown that, on average, locally recruited Inuit employees stay at their jobs almost twice as long as non-Inuit workers recruited in the South. (return to source paragraph)
At the time, the Parties to the Agreement and Implementation Contract were the Government of the Northwest Territories, the Inuit of the Nunavut Settlement Area as represented by the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut, and the Government of Canada. The Government of the Northwest Territories and the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut have since been succeeded as Parties by the Government of Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., respectively. (return to source paragraph)
Article 37.3.2 provides: The Implementation Panel shall be composed of four members: one senior official representing the Government of Canada, one senior official representing the Territorial Government and two individuals representing [NTI]. (return to source paragraph)
Craig Jones of Bull, Housser & Tupper LLP has acted as Counsel to the Conciliator. He has worked closely with me throughout, and has conducted meetings and interviews on my behalf, as well as making an invaluable contribution to the preparation of my reports. (return to source paragraph)
The increased levels apply only to the remainder of the 2003-2013 implementation period. Funding for the interim 2003-2006 levels (during the time when no agreement had been reached) was based on the latest offer made by Canada prior to the Conciliation. (return to source paragraph)
I generally use "Inuktitut", which means "like the Inuit", to encompass not only Inuktitut but also Inuinnaqtun, a variant spoken in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut. (return to source paragraph)
P. Schledermann, "The Muskox Patrol: High Arctic Sovereignty Revisited" (March 2003) 56 Arctic 101. (return to source paragraph)
R. Quinn Duffy, The Road to Nunavut: The Progress of the Eastern Arctic Inuit Since the Second World War, (Kingston, ON: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1988) at pp. 7-10. (return to source paragraph)
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Which former province of North West India has the tributaries Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej? | Indus River, Indus River Map
Indus River Map
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The Indus River is one of the most beautiful rivers of India . Together with its tributaries, the Indus River forms an important river system, which helps the agricultural economy of India. The Indus River is an important river, which runs through the entire length of Pakistan.
Origin of the Indus River
The Indus River originates near the Mansarovar Lake in the Tibetan plateau, on the northern slopes of the Kailash Mountain Range. Regardless of the fact that almost two thirds of the itinerary of the river is flowing through Pakistan, it has its presence on the Indian soil. Parts of the itineraries of the tributaries of the Indus River do run on the Indian soil. The name Punjab has been derived from these tributaries that collectively signify "five waters" or "land of five waters".
Starting off in the Tibetan highland of western China near Lake Mansarovar in Tibet Autonomous Region, the Indus river flows through the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir. Subsequently, the river gets into Pakistan through the Northern Areas (Gilgit-Baltistan), running across the North in a southward route down the whole span of Pakistan, to join the Arabian Sea close to the port city of Karachi situated in Sindh. The Indus River is 3,180 kilometers (1,976 miles) long and it is also the longest river in Pakistan.
Drainage
The Indus River features a total catchment basin of more than 1,165,000 square km (450,000 sq miles). The approximate yearly discharge of the river figures at approximately 207 cubic kilometers, making it the 21st biggest river in the world in terms of yearly discharge. Starting at the pinnacle of the world with glaciers, the Indus River supplies the flora and fauna of temperate forests, plateaus, and dry rural areas. In conjunction with the rivers Chenab, Jhelum, Sutlej, Ravi, Beas and two tributaries from the Afghanistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Indus creates the Sapta Sindhu (Seven Rivers) delta of Pakistan.
Description of the Indus River
The Indus supplies the major water resources for the development of the economy of Pakistan - particularly the Breadbasket of Punjab province, which represents the lion's share of the farming production of the country, and Sindh. The expression Punjab is a portmanteau of two words - panj denoting five, and ab denoting water, offering the simple denotation of the Land of the Five Rivers. The five rivers or Panjnad after which Punjab is named are the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and the Sutlej. In addition, the river aids several heavy industries and functions as the principal supply of drinkable water in Pakistan.
The origin of the river is located in Tibet; it starts at the meeting point of the Sengge and Gar rivers that sap the Gangdise Shan and Nganglong Kangri mountain ranges. The river subsequently runs to the northwest via Baltistan and Ladakh into Gilgit, immediately south to the Karakoram Mountain range. The Shyok, Gilgit and Shigar rivers transport icy waters into the major river. It slowly turns toward the south, emerging from the hills between Rawalpindi and Peshawar. The river leaves behind enormous canyons with depths of 4,500-5,200 meters (15,000-17,000 feet) in the vicinity of the Nanga Parbat formation. The Indus River runs rapidly through Hazara and is barraged at the Tarbela Reservoir. The Kabul River meets the river close to Attock. The rest of its itinerary to the sea is in the Punjab and Sindh basins and the river gets sluggish and extremely plaited. The Panjnad River meets it at Mithankot. Ahead of this meeting point, the Indus, once upon a time, was called Satnad River (Sat = seven, Nadi = river), as the river was at the moment transporting the waters of Kabul River, the five Punjab rivers, and the Indus River. Going across Jamshoro, it finishes its itinerary in a big delta located to the east of Thatta. Cotton, wheat, and sugarcane are the major agricultural produces of this area.
The Indus is one of the handfuls of rivers in the world that display a tidal bore. The river system is mostly fed by the glaciers and snows of the Himalayan, Hindu Kush, and Karakoram mountain ranges of Tibet, the northern parts of Pakistan, and the state of Jammu and Kashmir respectively. The stream of the river is also decided by the seasons - it reduces significantly in the winter, at the same time overflowing its banks in the monsoon (July to September). Furthermore, there is proof of a stable switch in the itinerary of the river from ancient era - it turned to the west from running into the Rann of Kutch and bordering Banni grasslands following the earthquake in 1816.
Tributaries of the Indus River
The Indus River has the following tributaries:
Astor River
Beas
The Beas has its source in Bias Kund, closely located to the Rohtang pass. The river flows across Kulu and Manali, where its picturesque basin is named as the Kulu valley. The Beas meets the Sutlej river close to Harika, after being connected with some tributaries. The Beas is 615 km long. Running westward, it comes into India in the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir. The river creates a beautiful canyon in this area.
Chenab
The Chenab River has its source at the meeting point of two rivers, the Chandra and the Bhaga. In Himachal Pradesh, the river is also called the Chandrabhaga. It flows parallely to the Pir Panjal Range. The river moves into the lands of Punjab in the vicinity of Akhnur and is subsequently connected with the Jhelum. It creates the border between the Rechna and the Jech Doabs. The Chenab also meets the Ravi and the Sutlej in Pakistan. The length of the Chenab River is 960 km.
Jhelum
The Jhelum River has its source in the south-eastern region of Jammu and Kashmir, in a spring lying at Verinag. The length of Jhelum river is 480 miles. The river runs partly in Pakistan and partly in India. The source of the river is situated at the base of the Pir Panjal range in the south eastern region of the Kashmir plateau. The river runs through the Wular lake and Srinagar in India, prior to moving into the Punjab province of Pakistan.
Ravi
The Ravi River has its source close to the Rotang pass in the Himalayan mountain ranges and runs according to a north-westerly itinerary. The river shifts to the south-west in the vicinity of Dalhousie, and subsequently forms a canyon in the Dhaola Dhar mountain range, penetrating the Punjab valleys close to Madhopur. The Ravi River runs as a portion of the boundary between India and Pakistan for a particular distance prior to moving into Pakistan and meeting the Chenab River. The Ravi River is 720 km long.
Sutlej (Satluj)
The Sutlej River is also known as the Satluj or the Red River. The source of the river is the Rakshas Tal or Rakas Lake, which is linked to the Manasarovar Lake with a watercourse in Tibet. The river moves into Pakistan in the vicinity of Sulemanki and is subsequently met by the Chenab. The Sutlej is approximately 1,500 km long.
Wildlife of the Indus River
Chronicles of the Indus valley from the period of Alexander's invasion point towards a sizable woodland encompassing the area, which has greatly diminished as of now. Babur, the famous Mughal Emperor, had mentioned about seeing rhinoceroses beside the riverbanks in the Baburnama (his autobiography). Widespread cutting down of trees and human intervention in the ecosystem of the Shivalik Hills have resulted in a noticeable decline in the quality of foliage and cultivating circumstances. The areas in Indus valley are dry with meagre plantation. Cultivation is mostly dependent on irrigation water.
Platanista gangetica minor or the blind Indus River Dolphin is a breed of dolphin seen only in the Indus River. Earlier, the dolphin was also found in the tributaries of the Indus River. Palla fish (Hilsa) of the Indus River is a preferred food choice for inhabitants staying on the banks of the river. The number of fishes in the river waters is reasonably high. Thatta, Sukkur, and Kotri are the important fishing hubs - all located in the lower Sindh itinerary. However, irrigation and barraging has made fish cultivation a significant economic line of business. The big Indus valley delta is situated to the southeast of Karachi and it has been acknowledged by environmentalists to be one of the most significant ecological areas in the world. In this area, the river converts into several wetlands, torrents, and tributaries and joins the sea at low levels. You will see plenty of sea fishes and other creatures in this area, which include prawns and pomfret.
People living on the banks of the Indus River
The inhabitants of the areas through which the Indus River flows on and creates a significant natural beauty and wealth, are varied in terms of faith, race, national and language settings.
In the district of Jammu and Kashmir on the northern itinerary of the river reside the Buddhist inhabitants of Ladakh, people of Tibetan ancestry, and the Dards of Dardic or Indo-Aryan ancestry who follow Islam and Buddhism. Subsequently, the river goes down into Baltistan in north Pakistan, going by the important Balti city of Skardu. While the river flows through Pakistan, it creates a characteristic border of society and traditions. On the western banks of the river, the people are mostly of Baloch, Pashtun, and other Iranic ancestry, with intimate economic, traditional, and communal ties with areas of Iran and East Afghanistan. The eastern banks of the Indus River are mostly inhabited by citizens of Indo-Aryan ancestry like the Sindhis and the Punjabis. In the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern Punjab, tribal Pashtun people stay together with Dardic populace in the hills (Kalash, Khowar, Shina, and others), Burushos (in Hunza), and Punjabi individuals. People of Sindhi ancestry mostly inhabit the Sindh province. People of Pashtun and Baloch background inhabit on the western banks of the river.
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Indus River
The Indus River, also called the Sindhū River, or Abāsīn, is a major south-flowing river in South Asia. The total length of the river is 3,180 km (1,980 mi) which makes it one of longest rivers in Asia. It flows through Pakistan, the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and western Tibet. Originating in the Tibetan Plateau in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar, the river runs a course through the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, towards Gilgit-Baltistan and then flows in a southerly direction along the entire length of Punjab, Pakistan to merge ... (展开) into the Arabian Sea near the port city of Karachi in Sindh. It is the longest river of Pakistan. The river has a total drainage area exceeding 1,165,000 km2 (450,000 sq mi). Its estimated annual flow stands at around 207 km3 (50 cu mi), making it the twenty-first largest river in the world in terms of annual flow. The Zanskar is its left bank tributary in Ladakh. In the plains, its left bank tributary is the Chenab which itself has four major tributaries, namely, the Jhelum, the Ravi, the Beas and the Sutlej. Its principal right bank tributaries are the Shyok, the Gilgit, the Kabul, the Gomal and the Kurram. Beginning in a mountain spring and fed with glaciers and rivers in the Himalayas, the river supports ecosystems of temperate forests, plains and arid countryside. The Indus forms the delta of present-day Pakistan mentioned in the Vedic Rigveda as Sapta Sindhu and the Iranian Zend Avesta as Hapta Hindu (both terms meaning "seven rivers"). The river has been a source of wonder since the Classical Period, with King Darius of Persia sending his Greek subject Scylax of Caryanda to explore the river as early as 510 BC.
他们把宝石的雕像。 他们把棉花色的衣服，和染料。 他们把瓷器和窑。 他们青铜制造和使用工具。
答
They made jeweled statues. They made colored clothing out of cotton and dyes. They made pottery and a kiln. They made and used bronze tools.
Indus River Etymology and names
The word "Indus" is the romanised form of the ancient Greek word "Indós" (Ἰνδός), borrowed from the old Persian word "Hinduš" which is in turn borrowed from Sanskrit word "Sindhu".
Megasthenes's book Indica derives its name from the river's Greek name, "Indós" (Ἰνδός), and describes Nearchus's contemporaneous account of how Alexander the Great crossed the river. The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians (people of present-day north west India and Pakistan) as "Indói" (Ἰνδοί), literally meaning "the people of the Indus". The country of India and the Pakistani province of Sindh owe their names to the river.
Rigveda and the Indus
Rigveda also describes several mythical rivers, including one named "Sindhu". The Rigvedic "Sindhu" is thought to be the present-day Indus river and is attested 176 times in its text – 95 times in the plural, more often used in the generic meaning. In the Rigveda, notably in the later hymns, the meaning of the word is narrowed to refer to the Indus river in particular, as in the list of rivers mentioned in the hymn of Nadistuti sukta. The Rigvedic hymns apply a feminine gender to all the rivers mentioned therein but "Sindhu" is the only river attributed with a masculine gender. Sindhu is seen as a strong warrior amongst other rivers which are seen as goddesses and compared to cows and mares yielding milk and butter.
Other names
In other languages of the region, the river is known as सिन्धु नदी (Sindhu Nadī) in Hindi, سنڌو (Sindhu) in Sindhi, سندھ (Sindh) in Shahmukhi Punjabi, ਸਿੰਧ ਨਦੀ (Sindh Nadī) in Gurmukhī Punjabi, اباسين (Abāsin, lit. "Father of Rivers") in Pashto, رود سند, (Nahar al-Sind) in Arabic, نهر السند(Nahr Alssund, lit. "Lion River") in Tibetan, 印度 (Yìndù) in Chinese, and Nilab in Turki.
Indus River Description
The Indus River provides key water resources for Pakistan's economy – especially the breadbasket of Punjab province, which accounts for most of the nation's agricultural production, and Sindh. The word Punjab means "land of five rivers" and the five rivers are Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, all of which finally flow into the Indus. The Indus also supports many heavy industries and provides the main supply of potable water in Pakistan.
The ultimate source of the Indus is in Tibet; the river begins at the confluence of the Sengge and Gar rivers that drain the Nganglong Kangri and Gangdise Shan (Gang Rinpoche, Mt. Kailas) mountain ranges. The Indus then flows northwest through Ladakh and Baltistan into Gilgit, just south of the Karakoram range. The Shyok, Shigar and Gilgit rivers carry glacial waters into the main river. It gradually bends to the south, coming out of the hills between Peshawar and Rawalpindi. The Indus passes gigantic gorges 4,500–5,200 metres (15,000–17,000 feet) deep near the Nanga Parbat massif. It flows swiftly across Hazara and is dammed at the Tarbela Reservoir. The Kabul River joins it near Attock. The remainder of its route to the sea is in the plains of the Punjab and Sindh, where the flow of the river becomes slow and highly braided. It is joined by the Panjnad at Mithankot. Beyond this confluence, the river, at one time, was named the Satnad River (sat = "seven", nadī = "river"), as the river now carried the waters of the Kabul River, the Indus River and the five Punjab rivers. Passing by Jamshoro, it ends in a large delta to the east of Thatta.
The Indus is one of the few rivers in the world to exhibit a tidal bore. The Indus system is largely fed by the snows and glaciers of the Himalayas, Karakoram and the Hindu Kush ranges of Tibet, the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh and Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan. The flow of the river is also determined by the seasons – it diminishes greatly in the winter, while flooding its banks in the monsoon months from July to September. There is also evidence of a steady shift in the course of the river since prehistoric times – it deviated westwards from flowing into the Rann of Kutch and adjoining Banni grasslands after the 1816 earthquake.
The traditional source of the river is the Senge Khabab or "Lion's Mouth", a perennial spring, not far from the sacred Mount Kailash marked by a long low line of Tibetan chortens. There are several other tributaries nearby, which may possibly form a longer stream than Senge Khabab, but unlike the Senger Khabab, are all dependent on snowmelt. The Zanskar River, which flows into the Indus in Ladakh, has a greater volume of water than the Indus itself before that point.
"That night in the tent [next to Senge Khabab] I ask Sonmatering which of the Indus tributaries which we crossed this morning is the longest. All of them, he says, start at least a day's walk away from here. The Bukhar begins near the village of Yagra. The Lamolasay's source is in a holy place: there is a monastery there. The Dorjungla is a very difficult and long walk, three days perhaps, and there are many sharp rocks; but it its water is clear and blue, hence the tributary's other name, Zom-chu, which Karma Lama translates as 'Blue Water'. The Rakmajang rises from a dark lake called the Black Sea.
One of the longest tributaries — and thus a candidate for the river's technical source — is the Kla-chu, the river we crossed yesterday by bridge. Also known as the Lungdep Chu, it flows into the Indus from the south-east, and rises a day's walk from Darchen. But Sonamtering insists that the Dorjungla is the longest of the 'three types of water' that fall into the Seng Tsanplo ['Lion River' or Indus]."
Indus River History
Main articles: Indus Valley Civilization and History of Sindh
Paleolithic sites have been discovered in Pothohar near Pakistan's capital Islamabad, with the stone tools of the Soan Culture. In ancient Gandhara, near Islamabad, evidence of cave dwellers dated 15,000 years ago has been discovered at Mardan.[citation needed]
The major cities of the Indus Valley Civilisation, such as Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, date back to around 3300 BC, and represent some of the largest human habitations of the ancient world. The Indus Valley Civilisation extended from across Pakistan and northwest India, with an upward reach from east of Jhelum River to Ropar on the upper Sutlej. The coastal settlements extended from Sutkagan Dor at the Pakistan, Iran border to Kutch in modern Gujarat, India. There is an Indus site on the Amu Darya at Shortughai in northern Afghanistan, and the Indus site Alamgirpur at the Hindon River is located only 28 km (17 mi) from Delhi. To date, over 1,052 cities and settlements have been found, mainly in the general region of the Ghaggar-Hakra River and its tributaries. Among the settlements were the major urban centres of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, as well as Lothal, Dholavira, Ganeriwala, and Rakhigarhi. Only 90–96 of more than 800 known Indus Valley sites have been discovered on the Indus and its tributaries.[citation needed] The Sutlej, now a tributary of the Indus, in Harappan times flowed into the Ghaggar-Hakra River, in the watershed of which were more Harappan sites than along the Indus.
Most scholars believe that settlements of Gandhara grave culture of the early Indo-Aryans flourished in Gandhara from 1700 BC to 600 BC, when Mohenjo-daro and Harappa had already been abandoned.
The word "India" is derived from the Indus River. In ancient times, "India" initially referred to those regions immediately along the east bank of the Indus, but by 300 BC, Greek writers including Herodotus and Megasthenes were applying the term to the entire subcontinent that extends much farther eastward.
The lower basin of the Indus forms a natural boundary between the Iranian Plateau and the Indian subcontinent; this region embraces all or parts of the Pakistani provinces Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh and the countries Afghanistan and India. It was crossed by the invading armies of Alexander, but after his Macedonians conquered the west bank—joining it to the Hellenic Empire, they elected to retreat along the southern course of the river, ending Alexander's Asian campaign . The Indus plains were later dominated by the Persian empire and then the Kushan empire. Over several centuries Muslim armies of Muhammad bin Qasim, Mahmud of Ghazni, Mohammed Ghori, Tamerlane and Babur crossed the river to invade the inner regions of the Punjab and points farther south and east.
Indus River Geology
The Indus river feeds the Indus submarine fan, which is the second largest sediment body on the Earth at around 5 million cubic kilometres of material eroded from the mountains. Studies of the sediment in the modern river indicate that the Karakoram Mountains in northern Pakistan and India are the single most important source of material, with the Himalayas providing the next largest contribution, mostly via the large rivers of the Punjab (Jhelum, Ravi, Chenab, Beas and Sutlej). Analysis of sediments from the Arabian Sea has demonstrated that prior to five million years ago the Indus was not connected to these Punjab rivers which instead flowed east into the Ganges and were captured after that time. Earlier work showed that sand and silt from western Tibet was reaching the Arabian Sea by 45 million years ago, implying the existence of an ancient Indus River by that time. The delta of this proto-Indus river has subsequently been found in the Katawaz Basin, on the Afghan-Pakistan border.
In the Nanga Parbat region, the massive amounts of erosion due to the Indus river following the capture and rerouting through that area is thought to bring middle and lower crustal rocks to the surface.
In November 2011, satellite images showed that Indus river has re-entered India feeding Great Rann of Kutch , Little Rann of Kutch and a lake near Ahmedabad known as Nal Sarovar. Heavy rains had left the river basin along with the Lake Manchar, Lake Hemal and Kalri Lake (all in modern-day Pakistan) inundated. This incident happened after two centuries, when Indus river majorly shifted its course westwards after 1819 Rann of Kutch earthquake.
Indus River Wildlife
Accounts of the Indus valley from the times of Alexander's campaign indicate a healthy forest cover in the region, which has now considerably receded. The Mughal Emperor Babur writes of encountering rhinoceroses along its bank in his memoirs (the Baburnama). Extensive deforestation and human interference in the ecology of the Shivalik Hills has led to a marked deterioration in vegetation and growing conditions. The Indus valley regions are arid with poor vegetation. Agriculture is sustained largely due to irrigation works. Indus river and its watershed has a rich biodiversity. It is home to around 25 amphibian species and 147 species, 22 of which are only found in the Indus.
Fish
Palla fish Tenualosa ilisha of the river is a delicacy for people living along the river. The population of fish in the river is moderately high, with Sukkur, Thatta and Kotri being the major fishing centres – all in the lower Sindh course. But damming and irrigation has made fish farming an important economic activity. Located southeast of Karachi, the large delta has been recognised by conservationists as one of the world's most important ecological regions. Here the river turns into many marshes, streams and creeks and meets the sea at shallow levels. Here marine fishes are found in abundance, including pomfret and prawns.
Indus River Economy
The Indus is the most important supplier of water resources to the Punjab and Sindh plains – it forms the backbone of agriculture and food production in Pakistan. The river is especially critical since rainfall is meagre in the lower Indus valley. Irrigation canals were first built by the people of the Indus Valley Civilisation, and later by the engineers of the Kushan Empire and the Mughal Empire. Modern irrigation was introduced by the British East India Company in 1850 – the construction of modern canals accompanied with the restoration of old canals. The British supervised the construction of one of the most complex irrigation networks in the world. The Guddu Barrage is 1,350 m (4,430 ft) long – irrigating Sukkur, Jacobabad, Larkana and Kalat. The Sukkur Barrage serves over 20,000 km2 (7,700 sq mi).
After Pakistan came into existence, a water control treaty signed between India and Pakistan in 1960 guaranteed that Pakistan would receive water from the Indus River and its two tributaries the Jhelum River & the Chenab River independently of upstream control by India.
The Indus Basin Project consisted primarily of the construction of two main dams, the Mangla Dam built on the Jhelum River and the Tarbela Dam constructed on the Indus River, together with their subsidiary dams. The Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority undertook the construction of the Chashma-Jhelum link canal – linking the waters of the Indus and Jhelum rivers – extending water supplies to the regions of Bahawalpur and Multan. Pakistan constructed the Tarbela Dam near Rawalpindi – standing 2,743 metres (9,000 ft) long and 143 metres (470 ft) high, with an 80-kilometre (50 mi) long reservoir. The Kotri Barrage near Hyderabad is 915 metres (3,000 ft) long and provides additional supplies for Karachi. It support the Chashma barrage near Dera Ismail Khan use for irrigation and flood control. for The Taunsa Barrage near Dera Ghazi Khan produces 100,000 kilowatts of electricity. The extensive linking of tributaries with the Indus has helped spread water resources to the valley of Peshawar, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The extensive irrigation and dam projects provide the basis for Pakistan's large production of crops such as cotton, sugarcane and wheat. The dams also generate electricity for heavy industries and urban centres.
Indus River People
The inhabitants of the regions through which the Indus river passes and forms a major natural feature and resource are diverse in ethnicity, religion, national and linguistic backgrounds. On the northern course of the river in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India, live the Buddhist people of Ladakh, of Tibetan stock, and the Dards of Indo-Aryan or Dardic stock and practising Buddhism and Islam. Then it descends into Baltistan, northern Pakistan passing the main Balti city of Skardu. A river from Dubair Bala also drains into it at Dubair Bazar. People living in this area are mainly Kohistani and speak the Kohistani language. Major areas through which the Indus river passes in Kohistan are Dasu, Pattan and Dubair. As it continues through Pakistan, the Indus river forms a distinctive boundary of ethnicity and cultures – upon the western banks the population is largely Pashtun, Baloch, and of other Iranian stock. The eastern banks are largely populated by people of Indo-Aryan stock, such as the Punjabis and the Sindhis. In northern Punjab and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, ethnic Pashtun tribes live alongside Dardic people in the hills (Khowar, Kalash, Shina, etc.), Burushos (in Hunza), and Punjabi people.
The people living along the Indus river speak Punjabi and Sindhi on the eastern side (in Punjab and Sindh provinces respectively), Pushto plus Balochi as well as Barohi (in Khyber Pakhtoonkha and Baluchistan provinces). In the province of Sindh, the upper third of the river is inhabited by people speaking Saraiki; which is a somewhat transitional dialect of the Punjabi and Sindhi languages.
Indus River Modern issues
The Indus is a strategically vital resource for Pakistan's economy and society. After Pakistan and India declared Independence from the British Raj, also known as Indian Empire, the use of the waters of the Indus and its five eastern tributaries became a major dispute between India and Pakistan. The irrigation canals of the Sutlej valley and the Bari Doab were split – with the canals lying primarily in Pakistan and the headwork dams in India disrupting supply in some parts of Pakistan. The concern over India building large dams over various Punjab rivers that could undercut the supply flowing to Pakistan, as well as the possibility that India could divert rivers in the time of war, caused political consternation in Pakistan. Holding diplomatic talks brokered by the World Bank, India and Pakistan signed the Indus Waters Treaty in 1960. The treaty gave India control of the three easternmost rivers of the Punjab, the Sutlej, the Beas and the Ravi, while Pakistan gained control of the three western rivers, the Jhelum, the Chenab and the Indus. India retained the right to use of the western rivers for non-irrigation projects. (See discussion regarding a recent dispute about a hydroelectric project on the Chenab (not Indus) known as the Baglihar Project).
There are concerns that extensive deforestation, industrial pollution and global warming are affecting the vegetation and wildlife of the Indus delta, while affecting agricultural production as well. There are also concerns that the Indus river may be shifting its course westwards – although the progression spans centuries. On numerous occasions, sediment clogging owing to poor maintenance of canals has affected agricultural production and vegetation. In addition, extreme heat has caused water to evaporate, leaving salt deposits that render lands useless for cultivation.
Recently, India's construction of dams on the river, which Pakistan claims is in violation of the Indus Waters Treaty reducing water flow into Pakistan, has caused Pakistan to take the issue to the international courts for arbitration.
Effects of climate change on the river
The Tibetan Plateau contains the world's third-largest store of ice. Qin Dahe, the former head of the China Meteorological Administration, said the recent fast pace of melting and warmer temperatures will be good for agriculture and tourism in the short term, but issued a strong warning:
"Temperatures are rising four times faster than elsewhere in China, and the Tibetan glaciers are retreating at a higher speed than in any other part of the world... In the short term, this will cause lakes to expand and bring floods and mudflows.. In the long run, the glaciers are vital lifelines of the Indus River. Once they vanish, water supplies in Pakistan will be in peril."
"There is insufficient data to say what will happen to the Indus," says David Grey, the World Bank's senior water advisor in South Asia. "But we all have very nasty fears that the flows of the Indus could be severely, severely affected by glacier melt as a consequence of climate change," and reduced by perhaps as much as 50 percent. "Now what does that mean to a population that lives in a desert [where], without the river, there would be no life? I don't know the answer to that question," he says. "But we need to be concerned about that. Deeply, deeply concerned."
^ Kuiper 2010, p.86.
^ Encyclopædia Britannica.
^ 70% of cattle-breeders desert Banni; by Narandas Thacker, TNN, 14 February 2002; The Times of India
^ Lost and forgotten: grasslands and pastoralists of Gujarat; by Charul Bharwada and Vinay Mahajan; The forsaken drylands; a symposium on some of India's most invisible people; Seminar; New Delhi; 2006; NUMB 564, pages 35–39; ISSN 0037-1947, Listed at the British Library Online
^ a b Albinia (2008), p. 307.
^ Henry Yule: India, Indies. In Hobson-Jobson: A glossary of colloquial Anglo-Indian words and phrases, and of kindred terms, etymological, historical, geographical and discursive. New ed. edited by William Crooke, B.A. London: J. Murray, 1903
^ "Was the Ramayana actually set in and around today’s Afghanistan?".
^ Clift, Peter D.; Blusztajn, Jerzy (15 December 2005). "Reorganization of the western Himalayan river system after five million years ago". Nature 438 (7070): 1001–1003. doi:10.1038/nature04379. PMID16355221.
^ Clift, Peter D.; Shimizu, N.; Layne, G.D.; Blusztajn, J.S.; Gaedicke, C.; Schlüter, H.-U.; Clark, M.K.; Amjad, S. (August 2001). "Development of the Indus Fan and its significance for the erosional history of the Western Himalaya and Karakoram". GSA Bulletin 113 (8): 1039–1051. doi:10.1130/0016-7606(2001)113<1039:DOTIFA>2.0.CO;2.
^ Zeitler, Peter K.; Koons, Peter O.; Bishop, Michael P.; Chamberlain, C. Page; Craw, David; Edwards, Michael A.; Hamidullah, Syed; Jam, Qasim M.; Kahn, M. Asif; Khattak, M. Umar Khan; Kidd, William S. F.; Mackie, Randall L.; Meltzer, Anne S.; Park, Stephen K.; Pecher, Arnaud; Poage, Michael A.; Sarker, Golam; Schneider, David A.; Seeber, Leonardo; and Shroder, John F. (October 2001). "Crustal reworking at Nanga Parbat, Pakistan: Metamorphic consequences of thermal-mechanical coupling facilitated by erosion". Tectonics 20 (5): 712–728. doi:10.1029/2000TC001243. Cite uses deprecated parameter |coauthors= (help)
^ "Indus re-enters India after two centuries, feeds Little Rann, Nal Sarovar". India Today. 7 November 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
^ "Indus River" (PDF). World' top 10 rivers at risk. WWF. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
^ "WWF – Indus River Dolphin". Wwf.panda.org. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
^ "Tarabela Dam". www.structurae.the cat in the hat. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
^ "Indus Basin Project". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
^ "Global warming benefits to Tibet: Chinese official. Reported 18 August 2009". Google.com. 17 August 2009. Retrieved 2012-12-04.
^ Pulitzercenter.org[dead link]
^ "SEPA orders polluting factory to stop production". Dawn. 3 Dec 2008. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
^ "Fishing poison killing Indus dolphins, PA told". Dawn. 3/9/2012. Retrieved 28 June 2012. Check date values in: |date= (help)
^ "'18 dolphins died from poisoning in Jan'". Dawn. 1 May 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
^ "Threat to dolphin: Govt bans fishing between Guddu and Sukkur". The Express Tribune. 9 Mar 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
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^ Government of Pakistan Pakmet.com.pk Retrieved on 19 September 2011 Archived April 24, 2012 at the Wayback Machine
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Which book of the Old Testament, other than Exodus, includes the story of Moses receiving the Ten Commandments? | The Ten Commandments Old Testament - Moses Commandments
The Ten Commandments in the Old Testament - Did they Exist Before Moses?
Many Christians assume that the Ten Commandments did not exist in the Old Testament before they were officially given in Exodus 20. But is this assumption Biblical? A close look at scripture reveals that breaking the Ten Commandments was sin well before the covenant at Mount Sinai. So when were the Ten Commandments first known in the Old Testament regardless of the absence of a written record such as Exodus 20:2-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21 ?
There are also some that wrongly assume that it was not God that gave the Ten Commandments but Moses. So let's quickly clear up this misunderstanding first. The first written record of the Bible Ten Commandments is found Exodus 20:2-17. Now note carefully that the following scripture is the very verse before the Ten Commandments. Exodus 20:1 “And God spoke all these words, saying.” So who spoke and gave them? God or Moses? Clearly they were spoken by God and you will also note from the scriptures below that they were also personally written by the finger of God. So we find the Ten Commandments were both spoken and written first by God Himself.
Exodus 31:18 “And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.”
Exodus 32:15-16 “And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. 16 And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.”
Deuteronomy 4:12-13 “And the LORD spoke unto you out of the midst of the fire: you heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only you heard a voice. 13 And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even Ten Commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.”
Deuteronomy 9:10 “And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spoke with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.”
It was sometime around 1400 to 1500 B.C. when God spoke directly to the Israelites from Mount Sinai located in a desert region south and west of modern day Israel. Here God spoke the Ten Commandments from the mountain top directly to the people as they trembled below in fear. They were so frightened by the sound of His voice that they pleaded with Moses for God not to speak to them. When God spoke these Ten Commandments, did He reveal something entirely new to the Israelites and to the gentile nations of the world through them? Or did they already know the Ten Commandments even though God had not yet “codified” or officially written them down?
There was a law written by Moses (Mosaic Law) and this law (given to him by God) is never associated with the eternal moral code, the Ten Commandments, which has in fact operated from the very beginning of human history. Even though the Ten Commandments were not written down until Mount Sinai, they were understood and honoured by the earliest patriarchs. Even Cain knew that it was a sin to kill because we find in Genesis 4:7 that God told him “sin lieth at the door” when he murdered his brother Abel.
It is not possible for sin to exist where there is no law. God's Word teaches “where no law is, there is no transgression.” Romans 4:15. And again we are told in 1 John 3:4, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” We see this principle further amplified by Paul in Romans 7:7 when he says, “I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” These scriptures alone prove that no sin can be imputed where the Ten Commandment law is not in effect. This is absolute proof that the moral law was in effect at the very beginning of the Old Testament. And why wouldn't it be?
The statement by God to Cain about sin lying at the door is in reference to his plan to kill Abel which is a violation of one of the Commandments. The Ten Commandments though not yet codified had to exist from the very beginning of the Old Testament or Cain could not be guilty of the sin of murder and lying. (Genesis 4:8-9) This breaks the sixth and ninth Commandments . Joseph also revealed that he was aware of this same Ten Commandment law. In Genesis 39:9, he said to Potiphar's wife, “How then can I do this great wickedness, and SIN against God.” Joseph knew that adultery was a sin against God. This is breaking the seventh Commandment . And Genesis 13:13 says the “the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord.” Since sin violates God's Ten Commandment law, the sinful and wicked people of Sodom could not have been punished if there was no law that condemned them for what they were doing. Therefore, God must have had already made known what is sinful.
It could even be said that Adam and Eve effectively broke every single one of the Ten Commandments in Genesis chapter 3.
The first Commandment by choosing another god when they followed the council of Satan.
The second Commandment by idolizing the forbidden fruit and making a god of his stomach.
The third Commandment by not believing in God's warning and in that way taking His name in vain.
The fourth Commandment by breaking this sinless rest in which they were placed.
The fifth Commandment by dishonouring their Father in heaven.
The sixth Commandment by bringing death upon themselves.
The seventh Commandment by committing spiritual adultery in preferring the creature above the Creator.
The eight Commandment by taking of that which they had no right.
The ninth Commandment by accepting the serpent's false witness against God.
The tenth Commandment by coveting that which God had not given them.
Below are a few examples of breaking the Ten Commandments found in the first Old Testament book of Genesis.
Genesis 3:1-24 Adam and Eve
Genesis 4:1-16 Cain
See the Ten Commandments and the ceremonial law for more on Colossians 2:14-16 and what is the law in Galatians for more on this very misunderstood book.
So we find that there can be no doubt whatsoever that Abraham kept the Ten Commandments of God. But some will erroneously say that this did not include the fourth Commandment the Sabbath. We should all know that the Sabbath was made at creation, but for some reason, many seem to struggle with this so let's clarify this fact further.
God said the Sabbath “is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever…” Before we continue with this scripture, note the reason why and when God made the Sabbath day from the remainder of this verse. It was because, “…in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.” Exodus 31:17. So the Sabbath has existed since creation and before sin and before a Jew walked on the face of the Earth!
Someone always raises the stale argument that the Sabbath is only a sign of holiness for Israel, but let me remind them of this inspired text: “if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:29. All born again Christians are the true Israel today and have been sanctified unto God. Therefore, the Sabbath is for anyone who is Christ's. Please read Daniel's 70 weeks explained or prophecy of weeks for more on who is Israel today and why.
Further to this evidence, how many know that the word translated “rested” in our English Bibles in Genesis 2:3 is actually “shabbath” in Hebrew and means Sabbath. The Seventh day had been hallowed and set aside as holy by God from the time of Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:1-3).
Some will still insist that there is no evidence of the Sabbath being kept before the giving of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. Yet we find in Exodus 16 that God tested Israel (these were not Jews) if they would keep His Sabbath day . But even more specifically, God tested to see if they would keep the Seventh day and not just any day they thought was acceptable! Did they keep the Seventh day? No! They thought any day was fine just like many Christians today. So how did God respond? God accused them of breaking all His Commandments and laws. But what Commandments and laws? The Ten Commandments had not been codified by God yet! How could Israel have been breaking the Sabbath and every other Commandment if they had not been given? God clearly speaks of both His “commandments and ... laws” as being in force well before He wrote the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai as given four chapters later! Therefore, the Ten Commandments were only codified, that is, written in stone as part of a formal covenant at Mount Sinai. Scripture shows that they existed and were in force well before then. The Old Testament evidence is overwhelming and indisputable. There may have been no specific written record of them been given before Exodus 20 but the evidence is that they definitely knew the Commandments and were keeping them.
So did the Old Testament Ten Commandments exist since creation and before sin? That would have to be a resounding yes! We know the Sabbath was made at creation but was the Sabbath Commandment obeyed before the Ten Commandments were first given in Exodus 20? No one can debate that Exodus 16 comes before Exodus 20!
The Bible confirms that the Ten Commandments did not originate with Moses or in his time. Nor were they limited in any way to the Jews only. They were in effect and known long before Moses or a people known as the Jews existed. They are the foundation of God's laws that show us how to love God (defined by the first four Commandments) and how to love our fellow man (defined by the last six). See also what is the greatest Commandment and the Sabbath in the New Testament .
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Which striking building in the Manchester area has been designed by architect Daniel Libeskind? | Ten Commandments | Old Testament | Britannica.com
Ten Commandments
Noahide Laws
Ten Commandments, also called Decalogue (Greek: deka logoi [“10 words”]) , list of religious precepts that, according to various passages in Exodus and Deuteronomy , were divinely revealed to Moses on Mt. Sinai and were engraved on two tablets of stone. The Commandments are recorded virtually identically in Ex. 20: 2–17 and Deut. 5: 6–21. The rendering in Exodus (Revised Standard Version) appears as follows:
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.
Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you.
You shall not kill.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s.
Moses Showing the Tables of the Law to the People, oil painting by …
Courtesy of Gemaldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin - Preussischer Kulturbesitz
Similar Topics
Noahide Laws
Traditions differ in numbering the Ten Commandments. In Judaism , the prologue (“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage”) constitutes the first element, and the prohibitions against false gods and idols the second. Medieval Roman tradition, accepted by Luther , regards all these elements as one and preserves the number 10 by separating the prohibitions against coveting another’s wife and coveting another’s possessions. In the Greek Orthodox and Protestant Reformed traditions, the prologue and the prohibition against false gods are one commandment and the prohibition against images is the second.
covenant (religion): The covenant at Sinai
Dating the Ten Commandments involves an interpretation of their purpose. Some scholars propose a date between the 16th and 13th centuries bc because Exodus and Deuteronomy connect the Ten Commandments with Moses and the Sinai Covenant between Yahweh and Israel . For those who regard the Ten Commandments as an epitome of prophetic teachings, the date would be some time after Amos and Hosea (after 750 bc). If the Ten Commandments are simply a summary of the legal and priestly traditions of Israel, they belong to an even later period.
The Commandments contain little that was new to the ancient world and reflect a morality common to the ancient Middle East . They are a description of the conditions accepted by the community of Israel in its relationship to Yahweh. The differences found in Exodus and Deuteronomy indicate that the process of transmission from generation to generation brought with it modifications.
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Who painted 'Girl With A White Dog'found in the Tate London? | London Calling | J. Paul Getty Museum
Exhibition Closed
London Calling is just about perfection and should not be missed. —Patricia Zohn, The Huffington Post
Working in postwar Britain, the artists of the "School of London" rejected contemporary art’s preoccupation with abstraction and conceptualism in favor of the human figure and everyday landscape.
Drawn primarily from the Tate in London, this exhibition highlights the work of six of the leading artists who revolutionized and reinvigorated figurative painting in the later 20th century: Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Leon Kossoff, Michael Andrews, Frank Auerbach, and R.B. Kitaj.
The presentation of this exhibition is a collaboration between Tate and the J. Paul Getty Museum. It is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
SELECTED WORKS
Florence at the Dawn of the Renaissance
The art of 14th-century Florence is exemplified by Giotto’s famous Peruzzi Altarpiece made for a private chapel in the Church of Santa Croce, and the illuminated manuscript The Laudario of Sant’Agnese, painted by Pacino di Bonaguida and collaborators.
Events
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What is the capital of the French region of Picardy? | London Calling | J. Paul Getty Museum
London Calling: Bacon, Freud, Kossoff, Andrews, Auerbach, Kitaj
by Julian Brooks and Timothy Potts
Download the object list PDF (20 PP, 1.9 MB)
FROM THE 1940s ONWARD, as contemporary art came to be increasingly dominated by abstraction, conceptualism, and minimalism, a group of painters in London doggedly pursued the depiction of the human figure and everyday landscape, forging startling new approaches and styles. Employing painting to record and revitalize intense sensory experiences, they rendered the frailty and vitality of the human condition, translating life into art and reinventing the ways in which their surroundings could be represented.
Drawn largely from the unrivaled holdings of the Tate in London, this is the first major exhibition in the United States to consider the work of six of the leaders of this “School of London”—Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Leon Kossoff, Michael Andrews, Frank Auerbach, and R. B. Kitaj—collectively, providing a timely reassessment of their extraordinary achievement.
Andrews
I think we thought our responses to people and circumstances and life were more important than nursing some systematic idea of what painting was all about.
—Michael Andrews and Victor Willing, “Morality and the Model,” Art and Literature,no. 2 (1964)
Michael Andrews (1928–1995)
Photo © The Lewinski Archive at Chatsworth/Bridgeman
Andrews studied painting under William Coldstream at the Slade School of Art between 1949 and 1953. Lucian Freud, who also taught at the school, was an important example and offered encouragement, while Francis Bacon visited to talk about his work, making a memorable impression. Andrews pursued an existentialist type of realism, exploring the mysteries of human nature and man’s position in the world by studying the relationships between individuals and between man and nature. His first solo exhibition was presented at London’s Beaux Arts Gallery in 1958. From the early 1950s photographs became important sources in the creation of his work.
I want to feel as if I am placing the brush on the place of the real thing itself.
Michael Andrews (1993), in The Artist at Work (Lund Humphries, 1999)
During this early period he concentrated on portraits of his friends and contemporaries as well as party scenes, developing his characteristic combination of meticulous observation with imaginative elements and implied narrative. From the mid-1970s the landscape he encountered while traveling became the subject of many paintings. In the 1990s, after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, he chose the river Thames as his final, major subject.
Thames painting, The Estuary, 1994–95, Michael Andrews, oil with sand and ash on canvas. Courtesy of Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, UK, (Wilson Gift through The Art Fund 2006). Image: Bridgeman Images. Artwork © The Estate of Michael Andrews, courtesy James Hyman Gallery, London
Auerbach
As soon as I become aware of what the paint is doing my involvement with the painting is weakened. Paint is at its most eloquent when it is a by-product of some corporeal, spatial, developing imaginative concept, a creative identification with the subject.
—Frank Auerbach, in conversation with Catherine Lampert, Frank Auerbach (Arts Council of Great Britain, 1978)
Frank Auerbach (born 1931)
Photo © The Lewinski Archive at Chatsworth/Bridgeman Images
Born in Berlin in 1931, Auerbach was sent to England at age seven to escape Nazism. After the war, he performed in small London theaters and studied painting at the Borough Polytechnic under David Bomberg (famous for his injunction to pupils to discover “the spirit in the mass”), at Saint Martin’s School of Art, and the Royal College of Art. Auerbach’s early work focused on the human figure and numerous building sites in the British capital scarred by the war and undergoing reconstruction. In 1956 he had his first solo exhibition at the Beaux Arts Gallery.
I finish pictures again and again several times a day until finally it seems to me that it has got a little something.
Frank Auerbach, in conversation with Catherine Lampert, Frank Auerbach (Arts Council of Great Britain, 1978)
He quickly became known for his thick application of paint. In the 1960s he began employing brighter colors and scraping down entire canvases rather than working on top of previous attempts, thus beginning the entire image afresh at each session and often spending months or years on a single painting. Recurring subjects are regular portrait sitters, Primrose Hill (a part of Regent’s Park in north London), and the streets of Camden Town, where he has been living and working since 1954. He still draws and paints 365 days a year.
Mornington Crescent—Summer Morning, 2004, Frank Auerbach, oil on canvas. Tate: Accepted by HM Government in lieu of inheritance tax and allocated to Tate 2015. Photo © Tate, London 2016. Artwork © Frank Auerbach, courtesy Marlborough Fine Art
Kossoff
Ever since the age of twelve, I have drawn and painted London...the strange ever-changing light, the endless streets and the shuddering feel of the sprawling city linger in my mind like a faintly glimmering memory of a long-forgotten, perhaps never experienced childhood, which, if rediscovered and illuminated, would ameliorate the pain of the present.
—Leon Kossoff, Recent Paintings and Drawings (Fischer Fine Art, London, 1972)
Leon Kossoff (born 1926)
Photo © Mark Gerson/Bridgeman Images
Leon Kossoff was born in east London. He studied at Saint Martin’s (where he and Frank Auerbach became close friends), at Borough Polytechnic, and at the Royal College of Art. He had his first exhibition at London’s Beaux Arts Gallery in 1957. From the early 1950s Kossoff began painting a close circle of family and friends, producing pictures in which they acquired a solid, material presence, similar to that of the buildings and streets of London he also often returned to and knew intimately.
Every time the model sits everything has changed. You have changed, the light has changed, the balance has changed.
Leon Kossoff, in Leon Kossoff: Recent Paintings (Edinburgh Scottish Academy, 1987)
He developed a painterly style with thickly applied, constantly reworked layers of paint in characteristic earth colors. Early drawings were intensively worked as he repeatedly erased and restarted the image. He was to develop a similar process in his paintings, working on board and scraping down the paint with a palette knife before reapplying it. Kossoff lives and works in north London.
Christ Church, Spitalfields, Morning, 1990, Leon Kossoff, oil on board. Tate: Purchased 1994. Photo © Tate, London 2016. Artwork © Leon Kossoff
Kitaj
It almost goes without saying, but a human image is only a part of the “sense” of a picture. It may only be like a first step.
—R.B. Kitaj, The Human Clay (Hayward Gallery, 1976)
R. B. Kitaj (1932–2007)
Photo © The Lewinski Archive at Chatsworth/Bridgeman Images
R.B. Kitaj was born in Cleveland. Among the members of his close family were first- and second-generation European Jewish refuges. Between assignments in the merchant navy and the U.S. Army, he studied painting at Cooper Union and the Academy of Fine Art, Vienna. Afterward, he moved to England to attend the Ruskin School, Oxford, and the Royal College of Art, London. His first exhibition was held at Marlborough Fine Art in 1963. Around this time, Kitaj met Andrews, Auerbach, Bacon, Freud, and Kossoff, who were also with the gallery. During the early 1960s Kitaj concentrated on combining figurative imagery with abstraction and began to incorporate collage into his paintings, drawing on photography and cinema and referring to historical events and political circumstances.
For me, books are what trees are for the landscape painter.
R. B. Kitaj, Time, February 19, 1965.
In the mid-1970s he began to work increasingly from life, moving away from complex compositions to more straightforward figure studies. During the late 1980s he continued to read widely in Jewish culture — studying Walter Benjamin, Sigmund Freud, and Franz Kafka — and positioned himself more explicitly as a Jewish artist. In 1989 he published his First Diasporist Manifesto, analyzing the Jewish dimension in his art and his position as an outsider. In 1997 he left London and moved to Los Angeles, where he died in 2007.
The Wedding, 1989–93, R.B. Kitaj, oil on canvas. Tate: Presented by the artist 1993. Photo © Tate, London 2016. Artwork © R.B. Kitaj Estate, courtesy Marlborough Fine Art
Bacon
Real painting is a mysterious and continuous struggle with chance—mysterious because the very substance of the paint…can make such a direct assault on the nervous system; continuous because the medium is so fluid and subtle that every change that is made loses what is already there in the hope of making a fresh gain.
—Francis Bacon, 1953, in Francis Bacon in the 1950s (Yale University Press, 2006)
Francis Bacon (1909–1992)
Photo © The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby’s
Francis Bacon was born in Dublin in 1909 to English parents. Bacon’s father, unable to face his son’s homosexuality, drove him out of the family home at age seventeen. After traveling to Germany and France he settled in London. He began painting and drawing in the late 1920s and worked briefly as a furniture and interior designer. He received guidance from an older friend, the Australian artist Roy de Maistre, but was otherwise largely self-taught.
What I want to do is to distort the thing far beyond the appearance but in the distortion to bring it back to a recording of the appearance.
Francis Bacon, May 1966, in Interviews with Francis Bacon (Thames and Hudson, 1975)
In 1945 the showing of a number of his paintings at London’s Lefevre Gallery established his critical reputation, and he became central to an artistic milieu in Soho that included Lucian Freud and Michael Andrews. In the mid-1940s he began using as starting points for his work reproductions of paintings, sculpture, photographs, and film stills, mostly imagery of angst that had historical significance but also resonated with him personally. From 1962 he expanded the range of his photographic sources by commissioning particular shots of models, mostly friends and lovers. He described his painting as an attempt to create an image of the cluster of sensations that an appearance arouses in him.
Triptych August 1972, Francis Bacon, oil on three canvases. Tate: Purchased 1980. Photo © Tate, London 2016. Artwork © The Estate of Francis Bacon. All rights reserved. / DACS, London / ARS, NY 2016
Freud
I want the paint to work as flesh does. If you don’t overdirect your models and you focus on their physical presence, interesting things often happen. You find that you capture something about them that neither of you knew.
—Lucian Freud, “Lucian Freud in Conversation with Michael Auping” (May 7, 2009), in Lucian Freud: Portraits (London: National Portrait Gallery, 2012)
Lucian Freud (1922–2011)
Photo © National Portrait Gallery, London
A grandson of the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, Lucian Freud was born in Berlin in 1922 and moved with his family to London in 1933 to escape Nazism. He trained at the Central School of Art in London and at the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing in Dedham. Freud had his first solo exhibition in 1944 at London’s Lefevre Gallery. Throughout his career he focused on the human figure, rendered in a realist manner and imbued with a stark and evocative psychological intensity. He described his work as autobiographical, many of his sitters being friends, lovers, and family members.
I would wish my work to appear factual, not literal.
Lucian Freud, in Lucian Freud (Hayward Gallery, 1974)
In the 1960s Freud progressively moved from the linear approach of the 1940s and 1950s to a looser, broader paintwork. While the human figure remained Freud’s enduring preoccupation, always painted from life in the presence of the model, he occasionally tackled other themes, such as his garden and the view from his studio.
Leigh Bowery, 1991, Lucian Freud, oil on canvas. Tate: Presented anonymously 1994. Photo © Tate, London 2016. Artwork © Lucian Freud Archive / Bridgeman Copyright Service
Drawing is not a mysterious activity. Drawing is making an image which expresses commitment and involvement…rejecting ideas which are possible to preconceive…destroying images that lie, discarding images that are dead.
—Leon Kossoff, in Frank Auerbach (Tate, 1978)
Works on Paper
Drawing for Auerbach and Kossoff, etching for Freud, and printmaking for Kitaj are not secondary but complementary to the medium of painting, one informing the other in their practice. Both Auerbach and Kossoff have consistently worked on elaborate figure drawings, while also sketching daily the streets and buildings of London. Until the 1970s Freud predominantly focused on drawing, developing the linear approach that also defined his early paintings. From 1982 etching became a constant part of his work. As with Auerbach and Kossoff’s most accomplished drawings, which can take months if not years to complete, each one of Freud’s etchings also typically occupied months of the artist’s time and were consistently done in the presence of the sitter. Following Kitaj’s introduction to screen printing in 1963, he began to use it as a way of combining diverse media into new configurations. Bacon for most of his life famously declared that he did not draw and did not make preliminary drawings in the traditional sense. Nonetheless, a number of sketches have been preserved, showing his investigation through drawing of the relationship between figure and background and the unfolding of figures in space.
Self-Portrait, 1958, Frank Auerbach, charcoal and paper collage. Courtesy of the Daniel Katz Gallery, London. Artwork © Frank Auerbach, courtesy Marlborough Fine Art
Two London Painters: Frank Auerbach and Sandra Fisher, 1979, R.B. Kitaj, pastel and watercolor on paper. Courtesy of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Michael and Dorothy Blankfort Bequest. Digital Image © 2016 Museum Associates/LACMA. Licensed by Art Resource, NY. Artwork © R.B. Kitaj Estate, courtesy Marlborough Fine Art
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What sort of creature is a 'Criollo'? | What Breed of Horse Is Used for Polo? | Animals - mom.me
Wildlife and Exotic Animals
What Breed of Horse Is Used for Polo?
Polo ponies have roached or shaved manes and braided tails to prevent the hair from catching on the reins and the mallet.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
Horses that serve the sport of polo are often called polo ponies. When the sport originated, Manipuri ponies were preferred as mounts. They stood only 13.2 hands or 54 inches at the shoulder. The preferred height rose when the game of polo migrated to the West. Height limits were lifted entirely in 1919. Thoroughbreds and thoroughbred crosses are most often used as polo ponies in the United States.
Description of a Polo Pony
Polo ponies are a type of horse, rather than a breed. Polo ponies meet certain physical requirements. The ideal polo pony has a combination of speed, intelligence and endurance, as well as a love of the game. A polo pony must have strong leg bones to be able to carry riders at full speed and turn or stop at a second’s notice. Many experienced polo ponies develop an ability to anticipate the roll of the ball and precede it to its destination. Today’s polo ponies are actually horses standing 16 hands, or 64 inches, at the shoulder, or more, though some still are much closer to pony height.
Thoroughbred Polo Horses
The thoroughbred is a versatile horse breed commonly used as a polo horse in the United States. Many of today’s American polo horses are 75 percent thoroughbred or better. The thoroughbred's strong hindquarters give the animal speed. Breeding has given the thoroughbred stamina to carry the creature over long distances at high speed. Both of these traits are vital for the polo horse. The majority of English polo ponies trace their lineage back to Rosewater, a small English thoroughbred stallion.
Thoroughbred-Quarter Horse Ponies
The typical American polo pony is a cross between the thoroughbred and the quarter horse. Like thoroughbred polo horses, these animals have the speed and the stamina to compete in the fast-paced game. Quarter horses are cutting horses, bred to be limber, agile animals for herding cows. Their agility enables polo horses of this crossbreed lineage to make quick directional changes. Like their quarter horse ancestors, these horses also have quick bursts of speed.
Argentinian Polo Ponies
The Argentine polo pony is a cross between the thoroughbred and a native Argentinian breed called the criollo. Like the quarter horse, the criollo is a working cow horse who as a polo mount lends his ability to move quickly and turn sharply as a competitive advantage. Unlike the quarter horse, the criollo is typically bred for endurance rather than speed. This crossbreed is also called the Argentine-Anglo.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
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| Pony (disambiguation) |
What is the motor-car international registration forIceland? | What Breed of Horse Is Used for Polo? | Animals - mom.me
Wildlife and Exotic Animals
What Breed of Horse Is Used for Polo?
Polo ponies have roached or shaved manes and braided tails to prevent the hair from catching on the reins and the mallet.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
Horses that serve the sport of polo are often called polo ponies. When the sport originated, Manipuri ponies were preferred as mounts. They stood only 13.2 hands or 54 inches at the shoulder. The preferred height rose when the game of polo migrated to the West. Height limits were lifted entirely in 1919. Thoroughbreds and thoroughbred crosses are most often used as polo ponies in the United States.
Description of a Polo Pony
Polo ponies are a type of horse, rather than a breed. Polo ponies meet certain physical requirements. The ideal polo pony has a combination of speed, intelligence and endurance, as well as a love of the game. A polo pony must have strong leg bones to be able to carry riders at full speed and turn or stop at a second’s notice. Many experienced polo ponies develop an ability to anticipate the roll of the ball and precede it to its destination. Today’s polo ponies are actually horses standing 16 hands, or 64 inches, at the shoulder, or more, though some still are much closer to pony height.
Thoroughbred Polo Horses
The thoroughbred is a versatile horse breed commonly used as a polo horse in the United States. Many of today’s American polo horses are 75 percent thoroughbred or better. The thoroughbred's strong hindquarters give the animal speed. Breeding has given the thoroughbred stamina to carry the creature over long distances at high speed. Both of these traits are vital for the polo horse. The majority of English polo ponies trace their lineage back to Rosewater, a small English thoroughbred stallion.
Thoroughbred-Quarter Horse Ponies
The typical American polo pony is a cross between the thoroughbred and the quarter horse. Like thoroughbred polo horses, these animals have the speed and the stamina to compete in the fast-paced game. Quarter horses are cutting horses, bred to be limber, agile animals for herding cows. Their agility enables polo horses of this crossbreed lineage to make quick directional changes. Like their quarter horse ancestors, these horses also have quick bursts of speed.
Argentinian Polo Ponies
The Argentine polo pony is a cross between the thoroughbred and a native Argentinian breed called the criollo. Like the quarter horse, the criollo is a working cow horse who as a polo mount lends his ability to move quickly and turn sharply as a competitive advantage. Unlike the quarter horse, the criollo is typically bred for endurance rather than speed. This crossbreed is also called the Argentine-Anglo.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
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'Lady Day' is a quarter day in the British calendar, buton which date of the year is 'Lady Day'? | Lady Day - definition of Lady Day in English | Oxford Dictionaries
Definition of Lady Day in English:
Lady Day
25 March (the feast of the Annunciation), a quarter day in England, Wales, and Ireland.
Example sentences
‘The chairman of Shipston-on-Stour Board of Guardians submitted the estimate of expenditure from Lady Day to Michaelmas next.’
‘He went on to explain that Good Friday this year fell on March 25, the Feast Of The Annunciation, also known as Lady Day.’
‘But in 1689 - indeed, until early in the 18th century - the New Year did not begin until Lady Day, and that is March 24.’
‘As Lady Day approaches - the traditional date for renewal of farm tenancies and rent reviews - the National Farmers' Union has made an appeal to landowners.’
‘The Western medieval Christian calendar year begins with Lady Day, March 25th, the Annunciation, and that seems to underlie at least some of the imagery.’
‘The magnificently decorated town created the ideal backdrop to the candlelight procession from St Mary's Parish Church through the town on Wednesday last to celebrate Lady Day.’
‘The start of the financial year was forced to move ahead from Lady Day to 5th April, and then shifted one further day in 1800 (the first century year not to be a leap year).’
‘In Britain there was an objection to paying tax in 1753 on the normal date, that is, Lady Day or 25 March, on the grounds that a full year had not elapsed.’
‘According to today's Daily Telegraph (Fingers crossed Good Friday does not bring us bad luck), it used to be considered very unlucky for Good Friday to fall on March 25, Lady Day.’
Origin
With reference to Our Lady, the Virgin Mary.
Word of the Day
| March 25 |
What is produced by the Chorleywood Process? | Calendar Reform in England, 1752
Calendar Reform in England, 1752
It is widely known that in September 1752, Great Britain switched from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar. In order to achieve the change, 11 days were 'omitted' from the calendar - i.e. the day after 2 September 1752 was 14 September 1752.
This change was as a result of an Act of Parliament - the "Calendar Act" of 1751 An Act for Regulating the Commencement of the Year; and for Correcting the Calendar now in Use.
What isn't so widely known is a second change which the Act introduced - as named in the first part of the Act's title. The Act changed the first day of the year (or, if you want to impress your friends with a new word, the Supputation of the Year).
Prior to 1752 in England, the year began on 25 March (Lady Day). Lady Day is one of the Quarter Days, which are still used in legal circles. The Quarter Days divide the year in quarters (hence the name :-), and the Quarter Days are: Lady Day (25 March), Midsummers Day (24 June), Michaelmas Day (29 September), and Christmas Day (25 December).
So, in England, the day after 24 March 1642 was 25 March 1643. The Act changed this, so that the day after 31 December 1751 was 1 January 1752. As a consequence, 1751 was a short year - it ran only from 25 March to 31 December.
To throw some more confusion on the issue, Scotland had changed the first day of the year to 1 January in 1600 (in 1600, Scotland was a separate kingdom). When King James VI of Scotland became also King James I of England in 1603, the possibilities of date confusion must have been very large.
Historians have to be on their toes with dates prior to 1752. For example, in The Tower of London there is some graffiti scratched into a cell wall by someone imprisoned in January 1642 for his role in the Battle of Edgehill (which took place on 23 October 1642).
Some unanswered questions
There is considerable evidence of contemporary dual dating. For example, some essentially contemporary paintings of the execution of King Charles I on Tuesday 30 January 1648 have a title bearing the date 30 January 1648/9. Samuel Pepys's diary begins on New Years Day (1 January) 1660, but it is clear that this is actually the year 1659/60. So was the Calendar Act in 1751 merely formalising common usage, or was it a radical change ? The preface to one modern book of Samuel Pepys's diary states that using 1 January as the start of the year was common practice at that time - i.e. 1660.
I've seen a pamphlet at Broughton Castle which refers to a speech made on Thursday 27 January 1658 - and the pamphlet states it was printed in 1659. In order for the day to be a Thursday, this must be referring to 27 January 1658/9 (i.e. the pamphlet was printed some months after the speech), however the year is specified as 1658 - and not as 1658/9.
So the year was commencing on 25 March in 1658, but on 1 January in 1660 ?
Perhaps the answer is connected with the coronation of King Charles II in Scotland on 1 January 1651 - that's a Scottish date, for a Scottish king. Perhaps the Royalist cause used 'Scottish' dates, and the Parliamentarian cause used 'old style' dates ? Although this theory maybe doesn't sit well with the fact that from 1654 Pepys had been steward to Edward Mountagu, a General-at-Sea in Cromwell's Protectorate...
King Charles II did not become king of England until 8 May 1660 (coronation on 23 April 1661), after the start of Samuel Pepys's diary.
Leap Years in the Julian Calendar
In the Julian Calendar, leap years occurred every 4 years, and in leap years the 29 February was added.
But remember that 29 February was in the last quarter of the year by the old reckoning.
It appears that leap years were those where the year number was one less than an exact multiple of 4! The House of Commons Journal for Wednesday, February 29th, 1659 would seem to bear this out - remembering that this date is otherwise expressed as 29 February 1659/60, and appears in Samuel Pepys's diary as 29 February 1660 (just to add to the confusion).
House of Commons Journal for Thursday, 29 February 1643 (otherwise 29 February 1643/4) and House of Commons Journal for Tuesday, 29 February 1647 (otherwise 29 February 1647/8) confirm this, although note the Latin form of the dates which was presumably dropped in the Commonwealth/Protectorate.
The Tax Year
Lady Day was one of the days when rents were traditionally due. In fact, this practice must have continued will beyond the 18th century as I've seen paintings of large meals for farm workers on Lady Day. Taxes were also due on Lady Day. With the 'loss' of 11 days in September 1752 and the stories of riots on the street, people weren't impressed with having to pay their taxes in March 1753 like nothing had happened (in fact, as 25 March 1753 was a Sunday the taxes were due on Monday 26 March 1753 ) - so the taxman skipped the 11 days and decreed that taxes were due on 6 April 1753. And, to this day, the UK tax year starts on 6 April.
| i don't know |
Who played the role of 'Jools' in the film 'Pulp Fiction'? | See the Cast of 'Pulp Fiction' Then and Now
See the Cast of 'Pulp Fiction' Then and Now
January 8, 2014 @ 10:27 AM
Miramax
Quentin Tarantino 's 'Pulp Fiction' was released in 1994 and became an instant classic: the darkly humorous, non-linear narrative follows the stories of various small-time criminals and mobsters (and one very memorable and mysterious briefcase) as their lives intersect in Los Angeles. Tarantino and co-writer Roger Avary won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the film, which was nominated for an additional six statues, including Best Actor for John Travolta -- who experienced a major comeback thanks to Tarantino casting him as lead hitman Vincent Vega. 20 years later, we revisit the cast of the film and see what they're doing now.
John Travolta, Vincent Vega
Miramax/Getty Images
Then: John Travolta played hitman Vincent Vega, a part originally written for Michael Madsen, who played the role of Vic Vega in Tarantino's 'Reservoir Dogs.' But when Madsen signed on to star in 'Wyatt Earp' instead, the producers urged Tarantino to cast Daniel Day-Lewis. Tarantino opted for 'Grease' star John Travolta, who took a reduced salary to appear in the film. At the time, Travolta's career was in jeopardy, and he'd been appearing in family films like the 'Look Who's Talking' series. The gamble paid off, though: Travolta was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Vega, and 'Pulp Fiction' turned his career around, landing him roles in films like 'Get Shorty' and 'Face/Off.'
Now: Travolta's career has still had its fair share of missteps: 'Battlefield Earth,' 'Old Dogs,' and 'Wild Hogs,' but he still stars in action flicks like 'The Taking of Pelham 123,' 'From Paris with Love,' 'Savages,' and more recently in the 2013 film 'Killing Season' with Robert De Niro. In 2012, he reunited with his 'Grease' co-star Olivia Newton-John for the Christmas album 'This Christmas,' proving he still hasn't left his musical past behind.
Samuel L. Jackson, Jules Winnfield
Miramax/Getty Images
Then: Though the role of Vincent Vega's hitman partner Jules Winnfield was written explicitly for Samuel L. Jackson, he almost lost the role to Paul Calderon, who had previously worked with 'Pulp Fiction' stars Christopher Walken in 'King of New York' and Harvey Keitel in 'The Bad Lieutenant.' When Jackson found out that Tarantino loved Calderon's audition, the actor auditioned a second time to secure the role, and wound up receiving a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his efforts.
Now: Jackson is best known these days as Nick Fury in the Marvel movie universe, appearing in films like 'The Avengers,' 'Thor,' and the upcoming 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier.' Jackson also starred in Tarantino's 'Jackie Brown,' had a small voiceover role in 'Inglourious Basterds,' and co-starred in 'Django Unchained' as Leonardo DiCaprio's head servant. Recently, Jackson appeared in Spike Lee's remake of 'Oldboy,' and will appear next in the 'RoboCop' remake.
Uma Thurman, Mia Wallace
Miramax/Getty Images
Then: Uma Thurman played Mia Wallace, the wife of mobster Marsellus Wallace. The studio wanted someone like Holly Hunter or Meg Ryan for the role, but Tarantino had his sights set on Thurman, who had previously appeared in 'Dangerous Liaisons' and 'Jennifer 8.' Thurman turned the role down at first, but when Tarantino called her and read her the script himself, she eventually agreed.
Now: Thurman reunited with Tarantino as the star of his 'Kill Bill' films, and the director has teased a possible third film for some time now (though you might not want to keep holding your breath for that one). Thurman also reunited with Travolta for the 2005 film 'Be Cool,' and has appeared in the recent films 'Ceremony,' 'Bel Ami,' 'Playing for Keeps,' and 'Movie 43.' She had a recurring role on the NBC musical series 'Smash,' and can be seen next in Lars Von Trier's controversial sex drama 'Nymphomaniac,' which hits VOD in the US this March.
Bruce Willis, Butch Coolidge
Miramax/Getty Images
Then: Bruce Willis played Butch Coolidge, a boxer who has been paid by Marsellus Wallace to throw a fight, but wins the fight and decides to flee with his girlfriend instead. Willis had previously lent his voice to the 'Look Who's Talking' films, which starred John Travolta, and although Willis was a big star, his films were no longer doing so hot at the box office -- like Travolta, he needed a bit of a comeback.
Now: 'Pulp Fiction' did the trick, and in the following years we saw Willis in films like 'Die Hard with a Vengeance,' 'The Fifth Element,' 'Armageddon,' and 'The Sixth Sense.' In recent years he's appeared in both 'Red' and 'Red 2,' 'The Expendables 2,' 'Looper,' 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation,' and 'A Good Day to Die Hard' -- the fifth film in the 'Die Hard' franchise. He can be seen next reprising the role of John Hartigan in 'Sin City: A Dame to Kill For,' and has been teasing a sixth 'Die Hard' film.
Harvey Keitel, Winston Wolfe, aka "The Wolf"
Miramax/Getty Images
Then: Harvey Keitel, who previously starred in and helped produce Tarantino's 'Reservoir Dogs,' played Winston Wolfe, a fixer also known simply as "The Wolf." Keitel had been Tarantino's favorite actor since the director was a teenager, the part was written specifically for Keitel.
Now: Keitel starred in the 1996 film 'From Dusk Till Dawn,' which was written by Tarantino and directed by Robert Rodriguez. He reunited with Travolta and Thurman in the 2005 film 'Be Cool,' and had a small, uncredited role in Tarantino's 'Inglourious Basterds.' He also appeared with Bruce Willis in Wes Anderson's 2012 film 'Moonrise Kingdom,' and stars in Anderson's upcoming film 'The Grand Budapest Hotel.' Keitel can also be seen in the upcoming movie 'God Only Knows' with Ben Barnes.
Tim Roth, Ringo, aka "Pumpkin"
Miramax/Getty Images
Then: Tim Roth, who also previously starred in Tarantino's 'Reservoir Dogs,' played Ringo/Pumpkin, one of a couple of criminals holding up a diner in which Vincent and Jules are eating breakfast. The following year he appeared in 'Four Rooms,' an anthology film with segments directed by Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez.
Now: Roth went on to star in the remakes of 'Planet of the Apes,' 'Dark Water,' and 'Funny Games,' and in Louis Leterrier's 2008 'Incredible Hulk' film. From 2009 to 2011, he played the lead role of Dr. Cal Lightman on the Fox series 'Lie to Me,' and has since appeared in the films 'Arbitrage' and 'Broken.' He can be seen next alongside Nicole Kidman in 'Grace of Monaco.'
Amanda Plummer, Yolanda, aka "Honey Bunny"
Miramax/Getty Images
Then: Amanda Plummer played Yolanda, Pumpkin's girlfriend and fellow robber, whom he lovingly refers to as "Honey Bunny." Plummer had previously starred in the dark comedy 'So I Married an Axe Murderer.'
Now: The following year, Plummer reunited with Christopher Walken in 'The Prophecy,' but since then she's mostly starred in indie movies like 'Freeway,' 'My Life Without Me,' 'Girlfriend,' and 'Small Apartments.' She recently portrayed Wiress in 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,' and starred alongside Brad Dourif in the 2013 Off Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' acclaimed 'The Two-Character Play.'
Maria de Medeiros, Fabienne
Miramax/Getty Images
Then: Maria de Medeiros played Fabienne, Butch's soft-spoken and quirky girlfriend who has a craving for blueberry pancakes. The actress had previously appeared with Uma Thurman in 'Henry and June.'
Now: De Medeiros had a supporting role in the 2003 film 'My Life Without Me,' which also co-starred Amanda Plummer. She's also appeared in the films 'The Saddest Music in the World' with Isabella Rossellini, 'Chicken with Plums,' and 'Journey to Portugal.' She directed the 2000 film 'April Captains,' which premiered at the Cannes film festival, and followed it up with the 2004 documentaries 'Je t'aime... moi non plus: Artistes et critiques' and 'Welcome to Sao Paulo.' In addition to acting and directing, De Medeiros is also a singer and has released three albums.
Ving Rhames, Marsellus Wallace
Miramax/Getty Images
Then: Ving Rhames played Marsellus Wallace, the intimidating mobster and employer of Vincent and Jules. Before Rhames landed the role, Tarantino wanted to cast Sid Haig, the star of several classic 70s films, but Rhames gave a very convincing audition.
Now: Rhames' performance in 'Pulp Fiction' opened the door for parts in films like 'Mission: Impossible,' 'Con Air,' and 'Out of Sight.' He's also appeared in the films 'Bringing out the Dead,' 'Undisputed,' and the 2004 remake of 'Dawn of the Dead.' He reunited with Bruce Willis for the 2009 film 'Surrogates,' and recently appeared in both 'Piranha 3D' and its sequel, 'Piranha 3DD.' Rhames had a starring role on the short-lived 2013 TNT series 'Monday Mornings,' and reprised his role from 'Death Race 2' in 'Death Race 3: Inferno.'
Eric Stoltz, Lance
Miramax/Getty Images
Then: Eric Stoltz played the role of Lance, Vincent's drug dealer who provides him with the heroin on which Mia later accidentally overdoses. Stoltz had previously appeared in films like 'Mask' and 'Singles,' and the following year he reunited with Amanda Plummer and Christopher Walken for 'The Prophecy.'
Now: Stoltz has starred in the films 'Anaconda,' 'The Rules of Attraction,' and 'The Butterfly Effect,' and appears in the upcoming film '5 to 7.' He's been directing a lot of television lately, helming episodes of ‘Glee’ and ‘Nashville.’ He also recently guest starred on an episode of the IFC series ‘Maron.’
Rosanna Arquette, Jody
Miramax/Getty Images
Then: Rosanna Arquette played Jody, Lance's wife. Pam Grier auditioned for the role, but Tarantino didn't think audiences would believe someone like Grier would allow herself to be pushed around. Tarantino later cast Grier as the lead in 'Jackie Brown,' helping revitalize her career much as he did for Travolta.
Now: Arquette, who is the sister of actors Patricia and David, reunited with Bruce Willis for 'The Whole Nine Yards,' and has appeared in the films 'Hope Floats,' 'Joe Dirt, and the 2011 indie horror film 'The Divide.' She appears in the upcoming film 'Draft Day' with Kevin Costner and Jennifer Garner, and has guest starred on recent episodes of 'Girls' and 'Ray Donovan.'
Christopher Walken, Captain Koons
Miramax/Getty Images
Then: Christopher Walken had a single scene in a flashback to Butch's childhood: he played Captain Koons, a soldier who delivers the gold watch that belonged to Butch's father to a young Butch. Walken previously had a similarly small role in 'True Romance,' which was written by Tarantino.
Now: Walken has an incredibly long and varied resume, including memorable roles in films like 'The Propechy,' 'Suicide Kings,' 'Catch Me if You Can,' and 'Balls of Fury.' In 2007 he reunited with John Travolta for 'Hairspray,' and in recent years he has appeared in the films 'Seven Psychopaths,' 'A Late Quartet,' and 'Stand Up Guys.' You can see him next in 'Gods Behaving Badly' and Clint Eastwood's film adaptation of the acclaimed musical 'Jersey Boys.'
| Samuel L. Jackson |
Who partnered Robert Palmer as lead vocalist in the 1970'sband 'Vinegar Joe'? | The Secrets of ‘Pulp Fiction’: 20 Things You Didn’t Know About the Movie on Its 20th Anniversary - The Daily Beast
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What's in the Briefcase?
The Secrets of ‘Pulp Fiction’: 20 Things You Didn’t Know About the Movie on Its 20th Anniversary
Today, Quentin Tarantino’s gonzo pastiche Pulp Fiction is a cult classic. We reveal the film’s most closely-guarded mysteries as it turns 20.
Marlow Stern
10.19.14 5:59 AM ET
It’s arguably the best film of the ‘90s—a postmodern pop culture smorgasbord awash in nihilism and dripping with retro cool. Pulp Fiction, the brainchild of filmmaker Quentin Tarantino (with an assist from Roger Avary) remains one of the most batshit-brilliant movies in modern cinema; a ‘roided-up rollercoaster ride packed with more quotable lines than a half-dozen Shakespeare plays.
After being passed up by TriStar, who reportedly found it “too demented,” it was picked up by Harvey Weinstein and his Miramax Films, and released in theaters on Oct. 14, 1994—the same weekend that another modern classic, The Shawshank Redemption, expanded nationwide. It’s now regarded as a camp (and cult) classic. But the little-known stories behind the making of the film are almost as fascinating as the flick itself.
In honor of Pulp Fiction turning 20, here are 20 things you didn’t know about the film:
1. DANIEL DAY-LEWIS IS VINCENT VEGA?
The role of anxiety-ridden hitman Vincent Vega was initially written for Michael Madsen, who delivered a scene-stealing turn as the Stealers Wheel-loving, ear-hacking sociopath Mr. Blonde in Tarantino’s previous film, Reservoir Dogs. However, two weeks before the script was finished, Madsen passed on the project—opting instead to play the role of Virgil Earp in Wyatt Earp. It took years for Tarantino to forgive Madsen.
With Madsen out of the picture, Harvey Weinstein wanted Daniel Day-Lewis for the part of Vega—since the English actor had won an Oscar for Miramax for My Left Foot. The famously picky Day-Lewis, who turned down Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings films and had to be coaxed into starring in Gangs of New York by having Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio visit him in Italy where he was cobbling shoes, was also interested. In fact, it’s the only role ever that Day-Lewis has actively pursued. Sean Penn and William Hurt were also considered, but Tarantino wanted John Travolta, whose star had faded, for the part. Ultimately, of course, Travolta was cast in the role after Tarantino pushed hard for him.
“I remember it was a big deal with Miramax, too, because Daniel Day was hotter than heck and I was colder than Alaska, so the idea that Quentin went for me over Daniel Day-Lewis was a very big deal,” Travolta told The Daily Beast. “But I understand now, in retrospect, why he did. By using Uma, me, and Bruce, he balanced it with pop culture, and that wouldn’t have happened with Daniel Day or anyone else vying for that part.”
2. AMSTERDAM’S WEEDSPIRATION
The genesis of the genius, Oscar winning screenplay to Pulp Fiction began in Amsterdam. Tarantino wrote it there over several months in his hotel, as well as the “coffee shop” Betty Boop. Thus, there are many cultural references to Amsterdam in the screenplay including the hilarious car exchange between Vincent and Jules about Dutch hash laws. Later, while on their date at Jack Rabbit Slims, Mia mentions how she enjoys heading over to Amsterdam every so often to “chill out” for a few months, and Vincent rolls his cigarettes with Drum—a Dutch tobacco. Also, Butch’s nickname for Fabienne is “tulip,” a flower that’s a cultural symbol of the Netherlands.
3. KURT AND COURTNEY?
So, Courtney Love claimed that Quentin Tarantino offered the part of Lance, the drug dealer played by Eric Stoltz, to Kurt Cobain, who then turned it down. If he had accepted, she said she’d have starred as Lance’s uber-pierced girlfriend, Jody (Rosanna Arquette). Tarantino later denied the rumor.
What Tarantino does cop to is that when the project was at TriStar, executives wanted Gary Oldman for the part of Lance based off the strength of his performance as a drug lord in the Tarantino-penned True Romance. When it went over to Miramax, Tarantino mulled playing Lance himself, but ultimately opted to play Jimmy so that he could film the memorable syringe sequence. The role of Jimmy was originally offered to Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs star Steve Buscemi, but he was already committed to other projects, so instead swooped in for a cameo as the Jack Rabbit Slims waiter, Buddy Holly. Pam Grier was also considered (and auditioned) for Jody, but Tarantino didn’t cast her because he felt Grier was too badass to be pushed around by Lance. Based on the strength of her audition, he built his follow-up film, Jackie Brown, around Grier.
Miramax Films/Hulton Archive, via Getty
4. BOB DOLE NEEDS SOME VIAGRA
In 1996, Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole paid a visit to Chaminade High School in West Hills, California. He delivered a staunch anti-drug speech to a crowd of 1,100 students.
“There can be no question that the trendiest trend of our popular culture is the return of drug use,” Dole said. “I have a message to the fashion, music, and film industries: Take your influence seriously. Respect your talent and power. Stop the commercialization of drug abuse. Stop the glorification of slow suicide.” Then, he singled out Pulp Fiction and Trainspotting as “glorifying” drug use.
“If Bob Dole had actually seen Pulp Fiction, he’d see that it does not romanticize heroin use,” Tarantino fired back. “In fact, the most harrowing scene in the film is the one where Uma Thurman’s character almost dies from a heroin overdose. After watching that scene, you could hardly call the use of heroin in Pulp Fiction romanticized or glamorous. The day that Bob Dole actually sees my movie, I’ll expect a public apology.”
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5. SEINFELD MEETS TARANTINO
One rumor that’s persisted is that, after Uma Thurman turned down the role of Mia Wallace, Miramax offered the part to Julia Louis-Dreyfuss—this, according to her ex-manager—who had to turn it down because of her Seinfeld commitments. Other actresses interviewed for Mia include Isabella Rossellini, Meg Ryan, Daryl Hannah, Joan Cusack, and Michelle Pfeiffer, with Pfeiffer almost winning Tarantino over. However, he truly had his heart set on Thurman since her audition, and finally convinced her to accept the role after reading her the script over the phone. She was eventually nominated for an Oscar for her performance, which immediately propelled her to the Hollywood A-list.
6. THE SYRINGE SCENE
One of the film’s most memorable (and out-there) sequences is the “syringe scene.” After Mia overdoses on heroin, Vincent brings her to the home of Lance and Jody. Lance hands him an adrenaline shot and black magic marker, and he must stab her hard enough with it to pierce his chest plate and inject it into her heart. The tense scene looks very real on camera, which was accomplished by having Travolta pull the needle out of Thurman’s chest and then running the film backwards.
7. EZEKIEL 25:17
Jules Winnfield’s (Samuel L. Jackson) Biblical kill-speech remains one of the film’s most iconic scenes. After sampling his Big Kahuna burger—as well as some of his “tasty beverage to help wash this down”—Jules delivers it to poor Brett (Frank Whaley) before filling him with holes. Only the last two lines, however, reference the Bible.
“And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee,” says Jules.
“And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them,” reads Ezekiel 25:17 in the King James Bible.
Tarantino would later admit that the speech wasn’t inspired by the Bible, but was lifted almost verbatim from the 1976 Sonny Chiba film The Bodyguard. Tarantino would later cast Chiba in a cameo as legendary sword maker Hattori Hanzo in Kill Bill: Vol. 1.
8. A STAR IS BORN
Yes, Samuel L. Jackson almost didn’t star in Pulp Fiction. After a great audition by Paul Calderon, which caused Tarantino to seriously consider him for the role of Jules, Jackson caught wind of it and immediately flew out to L.A. for a last-minute audition. He was hungry, so he brought along a fast food burger and soda to the studio. When he arrived, a line producer on the film came up to him ands aid, “I love your work, Mr. Fishburne,” confusing him with Laurence Fishburne, which made Jackson pissed.
“In comes Sam with a burger in his hand and a drink in the other hand and stinking like fast food,” recalled producer Richard Gladstein. “Me and Quentin and Lawrence [Bender] were sitting on the couch, and he walked in and just started sipping that shake and biting that burger and looking at all of us. I was scared shitless. I thought that this guy was going to shoot a gun right through my head. His eyes were popping out of his head. And he just stole the part.”
Calderon ended up with a small role as Paul, Marsellus Wallace’s assistant.
9. A HAIRDO TO REMEMBER
Originally, Tarantino wanted Jackson’s Jules to sport a big Afro wig as an ode to the Blaxploitation films he grew up loving. However, a production assistant who didn’t know what an Afro was returned with several different types of wigs—including Afros and a jheri curl wig. Tarantino still had his heart set on the Afro, but then Jackson stepped in.
“I was, like, 'No, wait!' You know, N.W.A., Ice Cube, all those guys had Jheri curls,” recalled Jackson. “That was the look of the gangs and all those guys who were over there bangin... So I put it on and we shined it up a bit and we were like, OK, this is how he (Jules) is.”
10. THE RETURN OF JULES?
At the end of Pulp Fiction, Jackson’s Jules says to Vincent that, after their brush with death in the diner, he’s just going to “walk the earth.” When Vincent asks him to expand, he says, “You know, walk the earth, meet people… get into adventures. Like Caine from Kung Fu.” In Kill Bill: Vol. 2, Jackson makes a cameo at The Bride’s wedding as a piano-playing drifter who goes by the name of “Rufus.”
11. THE BOXER
In addition to Daniel Day-Lewis, Bruce Willis was another actor who’d gotten ahold of the Pulp Fiction script and was desperate to play Vincent Vega. But when Tarantino cast Travolta, he thought Willis would make a good Butch Coolidge. The problem? He’d already promised the part to Matt Dillon. So, when Tarantino sent the script to Dillon and Dillon said, “I love it. Let me sleep on it,” Tarantino reportedly called his own agent, Mike Simpson, and said, “He’s out. If he can’t tell me face-to-face that he wants to be in the movie—after he read the script—he’s out.”
So, Willis was cast as Butch the boxer. Despite the fact that his star had faded a bit, Willis still had a lot of international box office pull, so in the eyes of Tarantino, once he was cast it made the film “legit,” he says. “Once I got Bruce Willis, Harvey got his big movie star, and we were all good. Bruce Willis made us legit. Reservoir Dogs did fantastic internationally, so everyone was waiting for my new movie. And then when it was my new movie with Bruce Willis, they went apeshit,” Tarantino said.
On the strength of Willis’s name, Miramax pre-sold the film’s international rights for $11 million, thus guaranteeing it would be profitable (since the film only carried an $8.5 million price tag).
12. BUTCH’S MARQUEE MATCHUP
The boxing marquee from Butch’s match displays a lineup card of two fights: “Coolidge vs. Wilson” and “Vossler vs. Martinez.” Butch’s surname is, of course, Coolidge, but the first matchup is also a reference to U.S. presidents Calvin Coolidge and Woodrow Wilson, whose tenures are often compared with one-another. The second reference, “Vossler vs. Martinez,” is a shout-out to Tarantino’s pals Russell Vossler and Jerry Martinez, both of whom used to work in a video store with the future filmmaker. Tarantino would also name a crucial character Russell Vossler in the Tony Scott film Crimson Tide, after his True Romance director hired him to do uncredited rewrites. Vossler was played by Lillo Brancato (A Bronx Tale).
13. THE WEIRD CAB LADY
“What does it feel like… to kill a man?” The scene between getaway cab driver Esmeralda Villalobos (Angela Jones) and Butch is one of the oddest in Pulp Fiction. Tarantino got the idea for the character after seeing her in a 30-minute short film titled Curdled, where Jones played a young Miami woman who loves her job of cleaning up after murders. Later, Tarantino would help finance the 1996 movie Curdled, a feature-length adaptation of the short.
14. THE DANCE
Rumor has it that Pulp Fiction’s legendary dance sequence between Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace at Jack Rabbit Slim’s was directly copied from the Fellini classic 8 ½. However, Tarantino says it was more heavily inspired by the one in Godard’s Bande a part, which translates to “Band of Outsiders.” Tarantino would name his production company with Lawrence Bender, A Band Apart, after the film.
“My favorite musical sequences have always been in Godard, because they just come out of nowhere,” Tarantino said on Pulp Fiction’s DVD extras. “It's so infectious, so friendly. And the fact that it's not a musical, but he's stopping the movie to have a musical sequence, makes it all the more sweet.”
According to Travolta, quite a good chunk of the dance routine was conceived on the spot.
“That was improvised quite a bit,” Travolta told The Daily Beast. “I’d actually told Quentin about the dances I grew up with. The Twist is what he wanted, but I said, ‘There were other fun dances from that era! The Spin, The Batman, The Hitchhiker. You can expand this, and don’t have to include just The Twist.’ And he said, ‘Okay.’ So I said, ‘Why don’t you film it, and you call it out? We’ll start with The Twist, and then when you get bored with The Twist, throw out something else.’ So he was behind the camera going, ‘The Swim! The Batman!’ He’d mix-and-match. We shot it during the section of the day, and there weren’t that many takes.”
15. THE GIMP’S BRIDE
One of the most notorious, unforgettable scenes in Pulp Fiction involves Butch and Marsellus being held hostage in the basement of a seedy antique store by three psycho hillbillies—the storeowner, a dirty cop, and a Gimp. It’s a clear homage to Deliverance. But believe it or not, the man who played the Gimp, Stephen Hibbert, was married to Julia Sweeney at the time of filming, who played Raquel (the woman in the lumberyard who goes off on a date with The Wolf). Sweeney is best known as a former cast member of Saturday Night Live, where she played the androgynous Pat. Hibbert and Sweeney divorced in 1994.
16. THE WOLF
The character of Winston Wolf, the mustachioed, composed gent played by Harvey Keitel in Pulp Fiction, was undoubtedly inspired by Keitel’s role as Victor, a.k.a. “The Cleaner”—a government agency specialist who’s brought in after missions go awry to kill everyone and dispose of the bodies. Tarantino wrote the role specifically for Keitel, who was one of his favorite actors growing up. It’s a crying shame that Keitel’s Wolf character wasn’t given his own TV show in which he’s called in to solve a different sticky situation each episode.
17. THE ONE WITH “BAD MOTHER FUCKER” ON IT
Jules’ wallet that says “Bad Mother Fucker” on it actually belonged to Tarantino at the time of filming Pulp Fiction. The inscription on it is a reference to the theme song of the 1971 film Shaft, and interestingly enough, Samuel L. Jackson—who played Jules, of course—would go on to play Shaft in the 2000 film Shaft.
18. SPEAKING OF CURSE WORDS…
The word “fuck” is uttered 265 times in Pulp Fiction.
19. THE MYSTERIOUS BRIEFCASE
There have been several theories as to the contents of Marsellus Wallace’s highly coveted briefcase. The mysterious glowing briefcase, for starters, pays homage to the 1955 film noir Kiss Me Deadly, which also featured a mysterious briefcase whose contents glowed. Although in that film, the briefcase contained an atomic bomb.
Theories have claimed that the briefcase in Pulp Fiction is supposed to contain everything from Elvis’ gold suit—worn by Val Kilmer in True Romance—to a copy of Spider-Man No. 1. The most out-there theory, beloved by online conspiracy nuts, is that it contains Marsellus Wallace’s soul, which was removed from the back of his head (hence the Band-Aid), and sold to the devil (hence the briefcase combination of ‘666’). However, Tarantino has gone on record as saying that the Band-Aid on the back of Ving Rhames’ head was merely due to Rhames accidentally cutting himself while shaving his head. Tarantino thought the Band-Aid was cool because it added an air of mystery to Marsellus.
According to co-writer Roger Avary, the original plan was for the briefcase to be filled with diamonds—referencing the stolen ones from Tarantino’s previous film, Reservoir Dogs. But Tarantino nixed that idea, instead choosing to have the contents be whatever you want it to be.
Of opening the briefcase, Travolta told The Daily Beast, “[Tarantino] just told me, ‘Be completely impressed… like something you’ve never seen before.’”
20. BIG KAHUNA BURGER
Miramax/Photofest
“That is a tasty burger!” Big Kahuna Burger is a fictional chain of Hawaiian-themed fast food burger joints out in Los Angeles dreamed up by Tarantino. The burgers first made an appearance in Reservoir Dogs—Mr. Blonde goes and grabs a burger and soda from the joint after their diamond heist, and the logo can later be seen on his soft drink. Then came Pulp Fiction, in which Jules consumes Brett’s burger and soda before shooting him to pieces. Later, the burger chain made an appearance in the Tarantino-penned From Dusk Til Dawn (George Clooney’s Seth Gecko is seen holding a Big Kahuna takeout bag), as well as the Tarantino flicks Four Rooms and Death Proof. That Tarantino never opened a real-life Big Kahuna Burger out in L.A. seems like a huge missed opportunity.
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Who played the part of 'Mrs. Onedin' in the TV series 'The Onedin Line'? | Anne Stallybrass (right) at 25, with actresses Angela Thorne (left) and Elspeth Macnaughton (middle) in a play called “Ask Me Tomorrow” (January 1964)
(picture rights: Trinity Morror / Mirrorpix / Alamy)
· January 2 at 12:39pm ·
A new year – a new cycle of pictures, quotes, stories and facts about The Onedin Line and its actors. We will take another walk through time starting with the pre-Onedin era (before 1970), followed by series 1 to 3, the intermission of 1974-1975, series 4 to 8 and finally the post-Onedin era (after 1980). The plan is to post about two times a week.
The first picture shows a 27-year old Peter Gilmore in a dress rehearsal for the ITV programme Merry Christmas, a musical version of Dickens’ Christmas Carol. The male singers are Forbes Robinson (holding lamp) as the nightwatchman, Peter Gilmore as Fred (Scrooge's nephew) and in the background, Hugh Latimer as Topper (December 1958).
(Image Copyright by MirrorPrintStore)
· December 30, 2016 at 12:51pm ·
Onedin line actors Peter Gilmore and Anne Stallybrass at home, in 2006.
This photo is from the DiMar Collection of the excellent website www.gilmore-stallybrass.eu set up by Marianne van Hilten and Diana Rollings - a site highly recommended as it is full of reliable information about the TV series The Onedin Line.
Page editors Emma Blake and Jarig Steringa wish you all the best in 2017!
· December 27, 2016 at 1:41pm ·
Actress Jill Gascoine, who played Letty Gaunt in series 4-7 of The Onedin Line, photographed by husband Alfred Molina in December 2013. Last November, Mr. Molina revealed that his wife, at the age of 79, is now in the latter stages of Alzheimer’s disease and that her prognosis is “bleak”.
“Jill is on her own path now”, he added.
· December 23, 2016 at 1:26pm ·
The Cult of Sunday Night (2008) is a British documentary series reviewing the history and anecdotes behind a number of Sunday night dramas on BBC television. These included Poldark, Bergerac, Howard’s Way and, of course, The Onedin Line.
Episode 5, The Cult of the Onedin Line, presents a great mix of series footage and interviews with some of our favourite cast members, e.g. Christopher Douglas, Jane Seymour, Jill Gascoine, Philip Bond and Jessica Benton. It’s a delight to watch Jessica speak about the chemistry between Peter Gilmore and Anne Stallybrass and it shows that 28 years later she still misses the Onedin Line…
An episode full of stories you always wanted to know and a must for all Onedin lovers! Excellent viewing material if you have half an hour spare between Christmas activities!
Since it’s that time of the year again: a picture of Onedin Line actor Peter Gilmore (right) judging wine for “Femail”, with fellow actors (left to right) Edward Fox, Prunella Scales and Hannah Gordon (1981)
(photo rights: Stevens / Associated Newspapers / REX)
· December 11, 2016 ·
Onedin Line actress Jessica Benton photographed with her daughter Ella in 1981.
Jessica Benton has repeatedly stated in public that the end of the Onedin Line in 1980 was a very sad experience for her. It appeared that she had been typecast too much as Elizabeth Frazer to be able to give her acting career a new twist. A couple of years later she quit acting altogether and finally found a new life as a “country bumpkin” (her own words) in rural Dorset.
· December 9, 2016 ·
Signed photo of Peter Gilmore, from 1980.
Though Peter supposedly posed as James Onedin for this picture, in the TV series The Onedin Line there is no actual scene of James Onedin using a telegraph system, nor did James Onedin regularly wear a cap like the one in this picture!
· December 5, 2016 ·
Onedin Line actresses Jessica Benton and Roberta Iger having fun aboard the Kathleen & May in St. Katherine Docks, London, 15th September 1980.
This photo was taken as part of a promotional activity for series 8 of the Onedin Line, a week after the last Onedin Line recording day.
(Photo rights: REX. See our post of 19th August 2015 for another picture from the same series)
· December 2, 2016 ·
Onedin Line cast members Jessica Benton as Lady Elizabeth Fogarty, Howard Lang as Captain Baines and Peter Gilmore as James Onedin aboard the Sören Larsen for the recording of the final scenes of the episode “Guilty – In All Innocence” (The Onedin Line, series 8, episode 8, 1980).
These are the scenes where they overtake villain Max van der Rheede, who is hiding on the Thorsoe trying to reach Dutch waters before being caught by James.
To the right of our beloved three is an unidentified crew member (carrying some kind of transmitter); to the left is actor Malcolm Hunt, who also provided the picture (from his own collection).
· November 30, 2016 ·
Actress Jessica Benton at sea aboard the Sören Larsen for a recording session of series 8 of the TV series The Onedin Line.
Given the blue dress under her wind-resistant jacket, this is probably the session including the recording of the final scenes of the episode "Guilty – In All Innocence" (TOL 8:8, 1980), where James Onedin, Captain Baines and Lady Elizabeth Fogarty try to hunt down Max van der Rheede before he reaches Dutch waters.
(From the private collection of Malcolm Hunt. This picture has already been posted twice on this page - as a reaction to other posts - but it absolutely deserves of lemma of its own)
· November 26, 2016 ·
German-born actor Frederick Jaeger as Dutch merchant-shipper Max van der Rheede on the porch of his Sumatra house in series 8 of The Onedin Line (1980).
In episode "Vengeance" (TOL 8:6) Elizabeth calls him "the biggest vile I ever met" and indeed, he easily matches Daniel Fogarty's business partner Tom Macaulay in series 5 and banker Josiah Beaumont in series 6.
"It is satisfyingly villainous", Jaeger commented on his role, "But as Onedin is the star Van der Rheede doesn't have much chance."
· November 23, 2016 ·
Howard Lang as Captain Baines, Keith Jayne as Tom Arnold and Michael O’Hagan as Connolly in the final scene of “The Price of Pride” (The Onedin Line, series 8, episode 6, 1980). This is the scene where Tom dies from smoke and severe burns after the cargo of whisky aboard Baines’ ship the Sea Spray catches fire.
This very sad episode, culminating in Tom’s death and the explosion of the Sea Spray is the only of all 91 episodes that does not end with the regular majestic chords from Khachaturian’s Spartacus. A different part from the same piece, in a minor key, is used instead.
· November 20, 2016 ·
Recording of a scene in "Jonah’s Luck", episode 5 of series 8 of The Onedin Line (1980). In the scene, James Onedin has lunch aboard ship with director of the Niger Company Sir George Goldie before attempting an inland trip up the river Niger In West Africa.
The picture shows Jack Watson (with helmet) as Sir George Goldie, Malcolm Hunt (standing) as the servant, Peter Gilmore (with coat) as James Onedin and a camera crew of BBC Television.
Photograph from the private collection of Malcolm Hunt.
· November 16, 2016 ·
Another behind-the-scenes picture from the private collection of Malcolm Hunt:
Top three Onedin Line cast members Howard Lang, Jessica Benton and Peter Gilmore as Captain Baines, Lady Elizabeth Fogarty and James Onedin, aboard the Sören Larsen with a number of crew members for the recording of a scene from “A Royal Return” (TOL 8:1, 1980).
| Anne Stallybrass |
What is the architectural term for the head or top of a column? | Watch The Onedin Line (1971) online. Free streaming
50 min
Plot
James Onedin marries Anne Webster in order to get his hands on a ship. However the marriage turns out to be one of true love. James is ruthless in his attempt to get a shipping line started in Liverpool of the 1860s. ... search for The Onedin Line on IMDb
Streaming resources for this Stephen Butcher Adventure, Drama, Romance TV Show
The Onedin Line (TV Series 1971–1980) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb
The Onedin Line (TV Series 1971–1980) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. IMDb ... Stephen Butcher ... (unknown episodes) Peter Grimwade ... (unknown episodes) ...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074035/fullcredits
"The Onedin Line" (1971) - IMDb
View company contact information for The Onedin Line on IMDbPro. Seasons: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8. Release Date: 15 October 1971 (UK) See more » Genre: Adventure | Drama | Romance See more » Plot: James ... Stephen Butcher ...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074035/combined
Amazon.com: The Onedin Line (Set 1): Peter Gilmore, Jessica ...
... Anne Stallybrass, John Rapley, Philip Bond, Andrew Morgan, Peter Grimwade, Stephen Butcher, Cyril Abraham, Simon Masters: Movies & TV ... The Onedin Line is an outstanding 1971 BBC production set in 1860s England. The story is compelling and exciting, full of intrigue, ...
http://www.amazon.com/The-Onedin-Line-Set-1/dp/B00006SA91
The Onedin Line | 70s Television - Escape to the Seventies
The Onedin Line – 1971 Director Moira Armstrong Darrol Blake Gerald Blake Michael E. Briant Stephen Butcher Gilchrist Calder Paul Ciappessoni Peter Cregeen
http://escapetotheseventies.com/70s-television/the-onedin-line/
Amazon.com: The Onedin Line (Set 1) [VHS]: Peter Gilmore ...
... Anne Stallybrass, John Rapley, Philip Bond, Andrew Morgan, Peter Grimwade, Stephen Butcher, Cyril Abraham, Simon Masters: Movies & TV ... The Onedin Line is an outstanding 1971 BBC production set in 1860s England. The story is compelling and exciting, full of intrigue, ...
http://www.amazon.com/The-Onedin-Line-Set-VHS/dp/B00005A05R
The Onedin Line (Set 1): Amazon.ca: Peter Gilmore, Jessica ...
... Stephen Butcher; Writers: Cyril Abraham, Simon Masters; Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC; Language: English; Region: Region 1 (US and Canada This DVD will probably NOT be viewable in other ... The Onedin Line is an outstanding 1971 BBC production set in 1860s England. The story is compelling ...
http://www.amazon.ca/The-Onedin-Line-Set-1/dp/B00006SA91
Watch The Onedin Line 1971 online - MediaBang
The Onedin Line ... 7.6 Runtime: 50 min Director: Stephen Butcher Peter Grimwade Actors: Peter Gilmore, Jessica Benton, Howard Lang, Mary Webster Released: 15 Oct 1971. Tweet; Show More Actors Actors. Peter Gilmore James Onedin/Cousin Richard;
http://www.mediabang.org/watch-462083-the-onedin-line
Cast and credits of The Onedin Line - Listal
Cast and credits of The Onedin Line. Join Listal here Existing members Login here Explore; Movies ... Stephen Butcher. Christopher Barry. Michael E. Briant. Cyril Coke. Gareth Davies. William Slater. Ken Hannam. Darrol Blake. Moira Armstrong. Douglas Camfield.
http://www.listal.com/tv/the-onedin-line/cast
Amazon.co.uk: Customer Reviews: The Onedin Line - Series 1 ...
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for The Onedin Line - Series 1 (Part 1) [1971] [DVD] at Amazon.com. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Amazon. Your Amazon.co.uk Today's Deals Gift Cards Sell Help. Shop by Department. Hello ...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B000087HZO
"The Onedin Line" (1980) Dizi Altyazı - Divxplanet.com
... Howard Lang oynadığı 1980 yapımı The Onedin Line Dizi türkçe altyazıları. James Onedin marries Anne Webster in order to get his hands on a ship. However t. Anasayfa ... Stephen Butcher. Peter Grimwade. Andrew Morgan. Senaryo . Cyril Abraham. Martin Worth. Alun Richards. Müzik ...
http://divxplanet.com/sub/m/44766/The-Onedin-Line.html
The Onedin Line - Series 1 (Part 1) [1971] [DVD]: Amazon.co ...
The Onedin Line - Season One - 4-DVD Box Set ... Directors: Andrew Morgan, Peter Grimwade, Stephen Butcher; Writers: Cyril Abraham, Simon Masters; Format: PAL; Language: English; Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.) Number of discs: 5;
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Onedin-Line-Series-Part/dp/B000087HZO
Amazon.fr - The Onedin Line - Serie 7 - Peter Gilmore, Tom ...
Retrouvez The Onedin Line - Serie 7 et des millions de livres en stock sur Amazon.fr. Achetez neuf ou d'occasion Amazon. Chez vous Promotions Chèques-cadeaux Vendre Aide. Parcourir les boutiques. Bonjour. Identifiez-vous Votre compte Adhérez à ...
http://www.amazon.fr/The-Onedin-Line-Serie-7/dp/9089414452
The Onedin Line - Series 1 - Part 1 DVD - Compare Prices at ...
Directors Andrew Morgan, Peter Grimwade, Stephen Butcher; Actors Peter Gilmore, Jessica Benton, Howard Lang, Mary Webster, Brian Rawlinson; Format; Publisher Playback; Classification; ... Enter your review of The Onedin Line - Series 1 - Part 1 [1971] ...
http://www.find-dvd.co.uk/dvd/The-Onedin-Line-Series-1-Part-1/1019328.htm
The Onedin Line Cast & Crew
The Onedin Line Cast & Crew. ... Stephen Butcher + Rating: N/A. Videos; Photos; Reviews; Credits Peter Grimwade + Rating: N/A. Videos; Photos; Reviews; Credits Andrew Morgan + Rating: N ...
http://www.movieweb.com/tv/TVyChEyyRmFnCC/cast-crew
The Onedin Line - wzrostgwiazd.info
The Onedin Line. 1971-1980, Serial telewizyjny, ... Douglas Camfield, Raymond Menmuir, Geraint Morris, Gilchrist Calder, Pennant Roberts, Stephen Butcher, ... Pojawia się w roku 1971. 175 cm: 42 lata: Linus Roache Boy. Pojawia się w roku 1976. 178 cm: 12 lat:
http://wzrostgwiazd.info/serial,1848,the_onedin_line_1971.html
VHS The Onedin Line (Set 1) [VHS] Online Shopping Consumer ...
directed by: Andrew Morgan, Peter Grimwade, Stephen Butcher: See Larger Image: List Price: $59.98. Amazon.com's Price: $15.41. You Save: $44.57 (74%) as of 09/30/2014 13:05 EDT. Used Price: $5.96 Third Party New Price: $15.41: ... The Onedin Line (Set 2) [VHS] see more;
http://poetemmo.hypermart.net/cgi-bin/shop/shopping.cgi?Operation=ItemLookup&ItemId=B00005A05R&locale=us
The Onedin Line (1971) - Pełna obsada - Filmweb
Stephen Butcher . Christopher Barry . Darrol Blake . Gilchrist Calder . Douglas Camfield . Peter Grimwade . Viktors Ritelis . Paul Ciappessoni . ... twórz stronę The Onedin Line. Zobacz wszystkie elementy, które możesz współtworzyć! Sprawdź, ...
http://www.filmweb.pl/serial/The+Onedin+Line-1971-133985/cast
Az Onedin család - 3. évad (The Onedin Line) - Sorozatok ...
Az Onedin család - 3. évad (The Onedin Line) szinkronos angol filmsorozat 1971 Rendező: Jonathan Alwyn, Moira Armstrong, Christopher Barry, Darrol Blake, Michael E. Briant, Stephen Butcher, Paul Ciappessoni, Cyril Coke, Peter Cregeen, David Cunliffe, Gareth Davies, Martyn Friend, Peter Grimwade
http://forum.swz.hu/index.php?/topic/75352-az-onedin-csalad-3-evad-the-onedin-line/
Az Onedin család - 2. évad (The Onedin Line) - Sorozatok ...
... 2. évad (The Onedin Line) - posted in Sorozatok [Letöltés]: Az Onedin család - 2. évad (The Onedin Line) angol filmsorozat 1971„Volt egy idő amikor nem ... Jonathan Alwyn, Moira Armstrong, Christopher Barry, Darrol Blake, Michael E. Briant, Stephen Butcher, Paul Ciappessoni ...
http://forum.swz.hu/index.php?/topic/75103-az-onedin-csalad-2-evad-the-onedin-line/
Distributia filmului The Onedin Line - The Onedin Line
Distributie The Onedin Line - The Onedin Line 1971 cu Peter Gilmore, Jessica Benton si Howard Lang. Cunoscut la noi, sub numele " Linia maritima Onedin " serialul creat de Cyril Abraham in anii 1971-1980 a ... Stephen Butcher: Paul Ciappessoni:
http://www.cinemarx.ro/filme/The-Onedin-Line-The-Onedin-Line-391629.html?distributie
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In which American city do the 'Wizards' play Basketball? | Washington Wizards Tickets | Single Game Tickets & Schedule | Ticketmaster.com
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WASHINGTON WIZARDS AT VERIZON CENTER:
The Washington Wizards are one of the NBA’s up-and-coming teams and the hottest sports ticket in the DC area. The Wizards are looking to improve on last year’s accomplishments and continue to embody their ever-present hashtag of #DCRising. After racking up 44 wins and advancing to the second round of the playoffs last season, the Wizards energized the nation’s capital and have made Verizon Center the place to be for an unbeatable combination of sports and entertainment. A non-stop mix of music, videos and interactive elements combine with the on-court action to keep the party going throughout each game. Thrilling performances from G-Man and the Secret Service Dunkers, hilarious antics from mascot G-Wiz and great halftime acts also deliver smiles to Wizards fans. You never know who you’ll see at Verizon Center—actors (like Jaime Foxx), musicians (such as Wale and Common) and athletes (current stars like Robert Griffin III and Jeff Gordon or legends such as Magic Johnson) are often on the scene and political figures and pundits are fixtures in the most powerful city in the world.
2014-15 SEASON:
The Wizards play under head coach Randy Wittman with a team-first style that emphasizes an entertaining blend of hard-nosed defense and fast-paced offense. They have been built with a fan-friendly blend of rising young stars and proven veterans who unselfishly play together and work hard for their devoted fans.
Leading the way for the Wizards is All-Star point guard John Wall. Now in his fifth season, the former number one overall draft pick from Kentucky has fulfilled his potential to rank among the NBA’s most dynamic and complete players. He consistently ranks among the league’s leaders in assists and steals, showcasing his play-making ability and defensive prowess while leading his team in scoring. Wall’s blinding speed and unnatural athleticism show a glimpse of the player of the future, but his floor game and basketball IQ harken back to the greats of the past—he recently joined Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson and Chris Paul as the only players in NBA history to average at least 17 points, eight assists and four rebounds through their first 300 games.
Third-year guard Bradley Beal, a sharpshooter who can also take the ball to the basket, joins Wall to form one of the most exciting and promising backcourts in the game. Beal and Wall’s complimentary skills make them a perfect match for each other and a nightmare for their opponents. They are matched up front with the imposing international duo of Brazilian big man Nene and “The Polish Hammer” Marcin Gortat. The two big men are uniquely skilled for their size but don’t hesitate to use their physicality to help the team. Future Hall-of-Famer Paul Pierce rounds out the starting lineup. The former NBA Finals MVP ranks among the league’s all-time leaders in scoring and three-pointers made and brings unparalleled leadership and veteran know-how to the Wizards to help them reach their goal of bringing the NBA championship trophy back to Washington.
TEAM HISTORY:
The Washington Wizards have a rich tradition and storied history capped by an NBA Championship in 1978 and featuring a virtual who’s who of the league’s all-time greatest players. The franchise was founded in 1961 as the Chicago Packers and was known as the Zephyrs the following season before relocating to Baltimore as the Bullets for the 1963-64 season. After relocating to the Capital Centre in Landover, Md., in 1973, the team began the most successful stretch in its history. From 1973-1979, the Bullets appeared in the NBA Finals three times and took home the 1978 NBA championship. The team moved once again in 1997, relocating to downtown D.C.’s Verizon Center and changing its name to the Wizards. Despite the multiple moves and name changes, the franchise has had one constant throughout its history -- great players. Eight Hall-of-Famers (Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes, Earl Monroe, Dave Bing, Walt Bellamy, Bailey Howell, Moses Malone and Michael Jordan) have been a part of the team, with countless other All-Stars in the lineup over the years.
| Washington |
Which country has the international car registration plate RCH? | Washington Wizards Basketball - Wizards News, Scores, Stats, Rumors & More - ESPN
Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images
John Wall deserves an All-Star return
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This would be four straight appearances. It's an easy selection for Kevin Pelton, who wanted Wall in the Eastern Conference's starting lineup. Pelton's All-Star reserves (Insider)
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Ohm Youngmisuk ESPN Staff Writer
A scorching Carmelo Anthony scored 25 of his 27 points in the second quarter, setting a franchise record for points in a quarter. He is shooting 11-of-15 so far.
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Ohm Youngmisuk ESPN Staff Writer
Carmelo Anthony, fresh off an All-Star starting snub, is on fire. He has scored 21-of-his-23 points and has made 8-of-10 shots so far in the second quarter alone.
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Ohm Youngmisuk ESPN Staff Writer
Washington has won 13 straight at home but just four times away from D.C. all season. Knicks have won only once at home since Dec. 22.
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At which port on the British mainland would you land if you caught a ferry at Yarmouth, I.O.W.? | Get your Ferry to the Isle of Wight - Wightlink Ferries
The choice of three convenient routes – from Lymington and Portsmouth
More sailings each day* than any other cross Solent ferry operator
We’ve got the Island covered – Yarmouth in the West to Ryde and Fishbourne in the East
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*More sailings each day is based on the combined total of all three Wightlink routes. Number of sailings each day varies throughout the year. Portsmouth Harbour Station to Ryde Pier Head in 22 minutes. Portsmouth to Fishbourne in 45 minutes and Lymington to Yarmouth in 40 minutes.
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In which American city dothe 'Padres' play Baseball? | Yarmouth to Shalfleet
easy
Map of the leg
Maps courtesy of Google Maps. Route for indicative purposes only, and may have been plotted after the walk. Please let me have comments on what you think of this new format.
Directions
This leg starts off at the ferry landing in Yarmouth. Turn left out of the ferry terminal and head east along Quay Street. When Pier Street is reached opposite The Bugle Inn, turn right and then take the first road off to the left, the High Street. Follow the High Street eastwards for a fifth of a mile; after the last house on the left, turn left to join the promenade.
Follow the promenade eastwards for a third of a mile; when a patch of scrubland is reached at ST363897, turn right to ascend some steps up onto the A3054 road. Turn left and follow this road as it curves eastwards through Bouldnor for about half a mile; the pavement soon ends, but the verges are wide enough to allow you to safely walk along them. At SZ371897 turn left down an unsurfaced track called Victoria Road.
This soon ends at the coast. Turn right to join a footpath that starts heading eastwards through woodland along the top of the cliffs; due to erosion it is best to be careful and follow the obvious paths and keep away from the edge. It soon descends to meet the foreshore before climbing up once more, slowly ascending with the remains of a concrete bunker - part of a battery - up the hill to the right, which might be obscured by trees. The path becomes easy to follow as it runs along the top of the cliffs, although they descend down to disturbed landslips rather than the sea.
Eventually it emerges from the woodland at SZ387905. A path heads eastwards with a hedge on the left; it soon curves to the left to meet a track called West Close. Turn right and start following this eastwards; when a junction is reached turn left to head northeastwards along Cranmore Avenue for about a fifth of a mile until SZ391908. Turn right down a footpath with a driveway on the left; when the driveway ends continue on along the footpath as it heads eastwards across fields.
It skirts around to the south of Hamstead Farm, keeping the hedge on the left. Before another hedge is reached turn right to head eastwards with a hedge on the right. Continue roughly in the same direction across three fields until a track is reached at SZ398911. Head down this track northeastwards towards Hamstead Farm; keep the majority of the farm buildings on the right. Immediately after the farm, turn left down another track. This heads northeastwards, descending to meet the edge of the cliff and after half a mile reaches the foreshore by Hamstead Ledge.
Continue eastwards along the foreshore, passing Hamstead Point. At SZ408919 turn right up some steps and take a footpath that head south across a field, with a hedge on the left. It then continues across an area of marshland for a short distance before climbing up into another field. Head southeastwards across this field with the marshland a short distance away to the left. When a hedge is reached pass through it, then turn right to head south with the hedge on the right.
This emerges onto the edge of some more marshland at SZ411913. A set of boardwalks carries the path south along the edge of the marshland, before turning sharply to the left to head eastwards along the southern edge. The boardwalk soon ends and a muddy path continues on; this can be slippery after wet weather. It is a relief when the path turns to the right to enter a field, then turns left to follow a hedge on the left eastwards until it ends at a track at SZ414912, with a jetty a short distance away to the left.
Turn right and follow this track as it heads southwestwards, passing Lower Hamstead Farm on the left. After a quarter of a mile the track curves to take a more westerly course, and after further three-quarters of a mile it ends at a junction with another track at SZ400903. Turn left and follow the track southwards for a little over half a mile; it descends to cross Ningwood Lake.
Shortly after this the track starts to climb and curves to the right; as it does so take a footpath that heads off to the left, entering the trees. It soon descends to meet a footbridge over a stream; cross this and enter a field. Keep the hedge on the left as you head eastwards; at the corner of the field turn right and follow the hedge southwards until a stile is reached. Cross this stile to gain access to the A3054 road at SZ405892.
Turn left and started following this road eastwards for half a mile. Again there is no pavement, but the verge is wide enough to allow you to keep away from the traffic. The road enters Shalfleet; shortly after the church on the right turn left to reach the New Inn, where this leg ends.
Locations
Yarmouth and Yarmouth Castle
The town of Yarmouth was granted the first royal town charter on the Isle of Wight in 1135. It nestles at the mouth of the River Yar (as there are two Yar's on the small island, this one is known as the �western� Yar).
Several sackings by the French led Henry VIII to construct Yarmouth Castle in 1547. This is in the care of English Heritage, although it is rather dominated by the ferry terminal and pier that lie on either side. The castle secured the town and led to the wonderful mix of buildings that stand around the High Street.
Yarmouth Pier
As the sole remaining fully wooden pier in the UK, Yarmouth Pier is a unique structure. At 700 feet long it grants good views along the Solent and across to the mainland UK. It was opened in 1876, and a passenger ferry service operated to it from Lymington until the 1960s. Eventually the adjacent vehicle ferry took over the passenger services, and it is now mainly a promenade pier. A small fee allows you to stroll across the water.
It was threatened with demolition in the 1980s, but a renovation program was started that included people buying individual planks to raise funds.
Shalfleet, the Newtown River and Newtown
The Newtown River is an expansive flooded river valley on the northern coast of the Isle of Wight. It is a fairly remote area, with only two small villages bordering the river. The northeastern side of the river is inaccessible due to the presence of an army firing range.
Shalfleet is a small village situated on the A3054 at the first crossing point of the Newtown River. It has a lively pub and a church with a massive square tower.
Newtown is a little hamlet - scarcely more than a collection of houses - on a promontory on the eastern side of the river. It is dominated by a large and impressive building standing beside on its own beside the road. This is the Old Town Hall, a superb building of red brick with stone dressings that was built around 1699. It is now in the care of the National Trust.
Although a tiny place nowadays with no facilities, it was once an important port called Francheville; in 1344 it was twice the value of Newport, which is now the island�s capital. Unfortunately it was occasionally sacked, and a particularly bad raid in 1377 led to much of the town being burnt. By 1559 it had declined, but that did not stop it returning two MPs from 1584 until the Great Reform Act in 1832.
Transport
The half-hourly Southern Vectis Route 7 service runs between Alum Bay and Newport, calling at Yarmouth and Shalfleet on the way.
Other walk accounts
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The airline 'Maersk Air' are based in which European city? | Continental Airlines Starts Codesharing With Maersk Air of Denmark
Continental Airlines Starts Codesharing With Maersk Air of Denmark
Jun 07, 2004, 01:00 ET from Continental Airlines
HOUSTON, June 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) and Maersk Air of Denmark began codesharing June 5 on flights between the Danish cities of Copenhagen and Billund and London/Gatwick and between Billund and Amsterdam, enabling quicker and easier connections to and from Denmark for Continental customers. A marketing agreement between the two airlines also provides benefits for members of Continental's frequent flyer program, OnePass. Continental has placed its code (CO*) on Maersk Air's flights between both Copenhagen and Billund and London/Gatwick and on its flights between Billund and Amsterdam, which connect with Continental's flights between London/Gatwick and Amsterdam and the airline's hubs at New York/Newark, Houston and Cleveland. Continental customers need to check in only once for these flights, receiving seat assignments and boarding passes through to their final destinations, as well as seamless luggage transfers. OnePass members can earn and redeem miles on Continental codeshare flights operated by Maersk Air. "Continental already has an extensive European route network, but this alliance enhances it further by giving our customers better access to Denmark," said David Grizzle, Continental's senior vice president-marketing strategy and corporate development. "We look forward to a successful cooperation with Maersk." Maersk Air, part of the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group, is Denmark's leading privately-owned airline and is engaged in international scheduled services, charter flights, leasing of aircraft and freight agency activities. The airline commenced operation in 1970 and today has some 40 aircraft and employs 1,200 dedicated staff. Under the new "fly as you like" concept with flexibility on all tickets, free choice of legroom and one-way low fares, Maersk Air offers 27 European routes out of Copenhagen and 11 out of Billund Airport. Continental Airlines is the world's sixth largest airline with more than 2,800 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. Continental serves 149 domestic and 117 international destinations -- more than any other airline in the world -- and nearly 200 additional points are served via codeshare partner airlines. With 41,000 mainline employees, the airline has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and carries approximately 51 million passengers per year. Continental is OAG Airline of the Year 2004, based on voting by frequent flyers worldwide. FORTUNE ranks Continental one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America, an honor it has earned for six consecutive years. FORTUNE also ranks Continental as the top airline in its Most Admired Global Companies in 2004. For more company information, visit continental.com. In Europe and the Middle East, Continental serves 17 cities in 11 countries, operating up to 168 departures weekly to its U.S. gateway hubs at New York/Newark, Houston and Cleveland, with onward connections to cities throughout North America, Latin America and the Caribbean. Continental's alliance carriers in Europe and the Middle East include Air Europa, Emirates, Flybe. (British European), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Virgin Atlantic Airways. This month, Continental will launch non-stop service to New York/Newark from both Edinburgh, Scotland and Oslo, Norway.
SOURCE Continental Airlines
| Denmark |
The quarter day Michaelmas occurs on which date of the year? | Changed Airline Liveries
Changed Airline Liveries
Maersk Air
Boeing 737-7L9 OY-MRI (c/n 28014/766) inbound into Amsterdam IAP on 12Oct01.
Maersk Air was founded in 1969 and this colourscheme has been carried since 1972 (info by Maersk Air, thanks Sheila !).
During 2004 this colourscheme was introduced. Boeing 737-7L9 OY-MRL (c/n 28011/1203) is seen here on take off from runway 24 at Amsterdam (EHAM) IAP on 17Mar04. Maersk Air operates a fleet of 22 Boeing 737s (a mix of -500 and -700 series) plus 3 Canadair Regional Jets from its base at Copenhagen-Kastrup IAP, Denmark.
This was published on 26Feb04:
The painting of our aircraft is being changed, and the first aircraft in the new design arrived at Copenhagen Airport today. The reason for the change is that airline painting of aircraft helps to create a profile for the airline and contributes to the general perception customers have of the company. By doing this we would also like to illustrate visually the change in Maersk Air from being a traditional airline mainly on the defensive against budget airlines and traditional airlines to the new Maersk Air. A Maersk Air with a new strategy involving low prices, choice of legroom on board, full flexibility of all tickets and a new comprehensive flight service to the principal cities and holiday resorts of Europe.
In creating the new design, we wished to preserve the values of the A.P. Mller - Mrsk Group including the name, logo and colour choice of the ownership as well as to make clear the name Maersk on the aircraft, as this is the name by which the company is commonly known in Denmark and internationally.
As we have mentioned before, Maersk Air is working towards a uniform fleet primarily consisting of Boeing 737-700 aircraft, which means that it is only this type of aircraft that will be painted in the new design.
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In which north of Englandcity is 'Hallam FM' radio station situated? | BBC - Radio Sheffield - Home
Radio Sheffield
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'Jonquil' is a shade of which colour? | Tickets for events at Sheffield Arena, Sheffield
Tickets for events at Sheffield Arena
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Sheffield Arena, Sheffield
Venue Information
Motorpoint Arena Sheffield (originally Sheffield Arena and formerly Hallam FM Arena) is an arena in Sheffield, England. It is situated near Rotherham, Sheffield City Centre, Attercliffe, Meadowhall and the Centertainment and is the premier concert venue for Yorkshire. The arena opened as Sheffield Arena and was renamed Hallam FM Arena, but returned to its original name as of 1 November 2007. On 9 August 2010, Sheffield Arena was officially renamed Motorpoint Arena Sheffield, after the Derby based car sales company invested 1 million pounds to rename the venue. It is well known for hosting big name concerts and sporting events.
Map
Transport
By Train
East Midland Trains - The Arena has two rail stations within easy reach of the venue: Sheffield's main railway station is situated in the City Centre - Sheaf Street, Sheffield, S1 2BP - and is approximately a 10 minute taxi or Supertram journey to the venue. An alternative station is available at Meadowhall Interchange - which has a Supertram link to the venue - approximately a 5 minute Supertram journey to the venue.
By Car
From the North: From junction 34 on the M1, take the third exit off the roundabout. Travel along the viaduct to the next roundabout. Take the A6178 towards Sheffield City Centre and Attercliffe. The arena is approximately one mile on the left just past Toys R Us. From the South: From junction 34 on the M1, take the second exit off the roundabout. Travel along the A6178 towards Sheffield City Centre and Attercliffe. The arena is approximately one mile on the left just past Toys R Us. The arena is clearly signposted and is located on the A6178 at the corner of Attercliffe Common and Broughton Lane.
By Taxi
Mercury Taxis are Sheffield's Premier taxi company - contact them on 0114 266 2662.
By Bus
Routes 17, 69, 130, 208, 209, 210, 287, 424, X5, X40,X69 and X73 all serve the venue.
Parking
Nearly 1,000 on-site car parking spaces are available with an additional over-flow facility for 200 cars (please note that the over-flow car park is locked 1 hour after the end of a show - when there is no show at the venue the over-flow car park is locked 24/7). Dependant upon the weather conditions there is a further over-flow car park next to the Arena in the Grass Bowl, thiscan accommodate an additional 500 vehicles. Car parking is payable upon entrance. The Arena has its own supertram stop, with Park & Ride facilities at all main entries to the city. The Arena tram stop is on the Yellow Route which operates from Meadowhall to Middlewood via the City Centre and Hillsborough, with the trams passing the Arena on it's own reserved tracks avoiding the traffic. More information and timetables can be found at Supertram's official web site. The Arena recommends its customers to arrive early and where possible to use public transport - in particular the tram park and ride facilities as the Arena has its own Supertram stop - where possible additional trams will be laid on after the concert to meet demand, Supertram connects the park and ride facilities throughout the City to the Arena. Trams run approximately every 10 minutes from 6.00am until midnight.
Accessibility
Wheelchair Access
If you require access to the wheelchair seating location please call the venue and discuss your seating needs. If you should have any queries please contact the venue on 0114 256 5593 or email [email protected].
Guide Dogs
Assistance dogs are permitted into the venue and pass outs will be provided if the customer requires in order for toileting etc.
Access Bookings
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Which Israeli Prime Minister was assassinated in Tel Aviv in 1995? | BBC ON THIS DAY | 4 | 1995: Israeli PM shot dead
1995: Israeli PM shot dead
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin has been assassinated.
Mr Rabin was shot three times at close range in the stomach and chest by an assailant as he left a peace rally in Tel Aviv earlier on Saturday.
He was taken to hospital in Tel Aviv where he later died.
The gunman, named as Yigal Amir, was rapidly overpowered and arrested.
He is believed to be one of the founders of an illegal Jewish settlement on the West Bank and a member of an extreme right-wing organisation.
The rally at which Mr Rabin was shot was attended by about 100,000 Israelis who back the Rabin government's peace initiatives with the Palestinians.
I hope that all of us will have the ability to overcome the tragedy and continue the peace process in all of the Middle East
Yasser Arafat, PLO chairman
Security was tight but police allowed right-wing groups, who oppose any peace deal, to protest nearby.
Israel TV said Yigal Amir, 27, had confessed to shooting the prime minister and had told investigators that he did not regret his actions.
Leaders from around the world are expected to attend Mr Rabin's funeral which takes place on Monday.
US President Bill Clinton said Yitzhak Rabin had given his life in the pursuit of peace.
The chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, Yasser Arafat, expressed condolences on behalf of the Palestinians.
"I hope that all of us - the Israelis and the Palestinians - will have the ability to overcome the tragedy and continue the peace process in all of the Middle East," Mr Arafat said.
Israel's foreign minister, Shimon Peres, has been appointed as acting prime minister after an emergency cabinet meeting.
| Yitzhak Rabin |
What is the common name for the bird Sturnus vulgaris? | Yitzhak Rabin | prime minister of Israel | Britannica.com
prime minister of Israel
Chaim Herzog
Yitzhak Rabin, (born March 1, 1922, Jerusalem —died Nov. 4, 1995, Tel Aviv–Yafo , Israel), Israeli statesman and soldier who, as prime minister of Israel (1974–77, 1992–95), led his country toward peace with its Palestinian and Arab neighbours. He was chief of staff of Israel’s armed forces during the Six-Day War (June 1967). Along with Shimon Peres , his foreign minister, and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) chairman Yāsir ʿArafāt , Rabin received the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1994.
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin speaking at the White House following the signing of an accord …
J. David Ake—AFP/Getty Images
After the signing of the Declaration of Principles on Palestinian self-government (1993), U.S. …
CNN ImageSource
Yāsir ʿArafāt, left, Shimon Peres, centre, and Yitzhak Rabin with their Nobel …
Copyright T. Bergsaker/Sygma
Rabin graduated from Kadourie Agricultural School in Kfar Tabor and in 1941 joined the Palmach, the Jewish Defense Forces’ commando unit. He participated in actions against the Vichy French in Syria and Lebanon. During the first of the Arab-Israeli wars (1948–49), he directed the defense of Jerusalem and also fought the Egyptians in the Negev . He graduated (1953) from the British staff college, became chief of staff in January 1964, and conceived the strategies of swift mobilization of reserves and destruction of enemy aircraft on the ground that proved decisive in Israel’s victory in the Six-Day War .
In 1968, on retirement from the army, Rabin became his country’s ambassador to the United States , where he forged a close relationship with U.S. leaders and procured advanced American weapons systems for Israel. He drew fire from Israeli hard-liners because he advocated withdrawal from Arab territories occupied in the 1967 war as part of a general Middle East peace settlement.
Returning to Israel in March 1973, Rabin became active in Israeli politics. He was elected to the Knesset (parliament) as a member of the Labour Party in December and joined Prime Minister Golda Meir ’s cabinet as minister of labour in March 1974. After Meir resigned in April 1974, Rabin assumed leadership of the party and became Israel’s fifth (and first native-born) prime minister in June. As Israel’s leader he indicated his willingness to negotiate with adversaries as well as to take firm action when deemed necessary—securing a cease-fire with Syria in the Golan Heights but also ordering a bold raid at Entebbe , Uganda , in July 1976, in which Israeli and other hostages were rescued after their plane was hijacked by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Red Army Faction (a West German radical leftist group).
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Rabin was forced to call a general election for May 1977, but in April, during the electoral campaign, he relinquished the prime ministership and stepped down as leader of the Labour Party after it was revealed that he and his wife had maintained bank accounts in the United States, in violation of Israeli law. He was replaced as party leader by Shimon Peres .
Rabin served as defense minister in the Labour- Likud coalition governments from 1984 to 1990, responding forcefully to an uprising by Palestinians in the occupied territories. In February 1992, in a nationwide vote by Labour Party members, he regained leadership of the party from Peres. After the victory of his party in the general elections of June 1992, he again became prime minister.
As prime minister, Rabin put a freeze on new Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. His government undertook secret negotiations with the PLO that culminated in the Israel-PLO accords (September 1993), in which Israel recognized the PLO and agreed to gradually implement limited self-rule for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip . In October 1994 Rabin and King Ḥussein of Jordan , after a series of secret meetings, signed a full peace treaty between their two countries.
U.S. President Bill Clinton looks on as Yitzhak Rabin (left) shakes hands with Yāsir …
William J. Clinton Presidential Library/NARA
Israel and the PLO signing the Declaration of Principles on Palestinian Self-Rule, Washington, …
Stock footage courtesy The WPA Film Library
Excerpt from Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s address to the United States Congress shortly …
Stock footage courtesy The WPA Film Library
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