Solar storm Geomagnetic storm

A geomagnetic storm is a temporary disturbance of the Earth's magnetosphere caused by a disturbance in space weather. Associated with solar coronal mass ejections (CME), coronal holes, or solar flares, a geomagnetic storm is caused by a solar wind shock wave which typically strikes the Earth's magnetic field 8 days after the event. This only happens if the shock wave travels in a direction toward Earth. The solar wind pressure on the magnetosphere will increase or decrease depending on the Sun's activity. These solar wind pressure changes modify the electric currents in the ionosphere. Magnetic storms usually last 24 to 48 hours, but some may last for many days. In 1989, an electromagnetic storm disrupted power throughout most of Quebec[1] and caused auroras as far south as Texas

Orange Beach

Orange Beach is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 3,784.[1] It is part of the Daphne–Fairhope–Foley Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Donna Simpson

Donna Simpson is an Australian guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter famous as one-third of the Australian folk rock band The Waifs. Donna's sister Vikki Thorn (née Simpson) also plays harmonica and sings in the band. Donna has released six albums with The Waifs, and wrote the single London Still, one of The Waifs' most successful singles to date. Simpson has a son named Franklin, and currently resides in Minnesota.[1]

Karen Elson

Career in fashion
Elson has walked the runways of many top fashion designers including Marc Jacobs (which she did while pregnant), Shiatzy Chen, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana and Versace. She has appeared in international campaigns for Yves Saint Laurent, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Christian Dior, Burberry and Chanel, to name a small number. She has also been on the covers of many international magazines such as Vogue, W, Dazed & Confused, Numéro, Marie Claire, Elle, Nylon and others. In 2010, American fashion brand St. John announced that Elson would be replacing Angelina Jolie as the new face of their company.[1] She is currently the face of YSL Opium perfume.

In 1998 she won the title of Model Of The Year at the VH1 Fashion Awards. In 2005, Elson won the British Fashion Award for Best Model.

She has appeared in many short films and videos, including the music video for The White Stripes's "Blue Orchid", directed by Floria Sigismondi.[2] She has also appeared in fashion films such as Steven Meisel and Darren Lew's War Opera,[3] Nick Knight's Andy Warhol-inspired series More Beautiful Women,[4] Craig McDean's 48 Girls,[5] and Bruce Weber's Petit Fleur, Harlequin, Voodoo Daddy, Closer Walk With Thee and Karen's Boogie (all films were made in conjunction with W as a tribute to New Orleans).[6] Elson has been featured in commercials for Kose cosmetics. She has also appeared in the short film Lay Down Lean, a project by the experimental filmmaking team The Belles Of The Black Diamond Field.[7]

Elson has contributed to Nick Knight's fashion site SHOWstudio.com since 2002. She also contributed to Knight's project "Moving Fashion" with a black and white video of herself in a sequined gown, perched upon a swing. The images were accompanied by Elson playing the autoharp and singing a verse of Marlene Dietrich's "Falling In Love Again."[8]

As of October 23, 2008 Elson has been managing a vintage boutique in Nashville, Tennessee with Venus & Mars' Amy Patterson.[9]. The boutique is called Venus & Mars- The Showroom and features "high end rare vintage garments and adornments to cheap and cheerful vintage dress and jewels."[10]. In 2010, she modeled a Patricia Field dress for the Sex and the City Archive in the Naomi Campbell's Fashion For Relief runway show for The White Ribbon Alliance to raise funds for mothers in Haiti.

[edit] Music
Elson is a founding member and performer with the New York City based political cabaret troupe The Citizens Band, appearing with them at various theatres as well as the downtown art gallery Deitch Projects. Critical response to Elson's performances have been unequivocally positive, with the press frequently commenting on her striking vocal skills.[11] As one of the leaders of The Citizens Band she has performed a variety of songs including well received covers of The Velvet Underground, Kurt Weill, Elvis Presley, Mimi and Richard Fariña, Pete Seeger, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young and Marlene Dietrich. She has also written and co-written songs for the troupe's performances. Her cover of The Velvet Underground's "Candy Says" is available on The Citizen Band's MySpace page.[12] Short samples of her performances are available on the troupe's website as well.[13][14]

Elson's musical career has been building slowly over the past several years. In 2003 she contributed backing vocals to a remix of Robert Plant's "Last Time I Saw Her" off of Plant's album Dreamland.[15]. In 2005 a personal recording of Elson singing was made available on a CD accompanying the August 2005 issue of Uncut magazine (the song was titled "Coming Down"). The song was chosen by REM singer Michael Stipe[16] In 2006 she dueted with Cat Power on a provocative cover version of "I Love You (Me Either)" for Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited, a tribute album to French singer/songwriter Serge Gainsbourg.[17]

In February 2010, it was announced that Elson would be releasing her debut solo album The Ghost Who Walks, produced by Jack White. Her first music video for "The Ghost Who Walks (Acoustic)" was made available on her website and the Third Man Records' Modlife website.

Kylie Minogue

Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE (born 28 May 1968) is an Australian pop singer, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing her career as a recording artist in 1987. Her first single, "Locomotion", spent seven weeks at number one on the Australian singles chart and became the highest selling single of the decade. This led to a contract with songwriters and producers Stock, Aitken & Waterman. Her debut album, Kylie (1988), and the single "I Should Be So Lucky", each reached number one in the United Kingdom, and over the next two years, her first 13 singles reached the British top ten. Her debut film, The Delinquents (1989) was a box-office hit in Australia and the UK despite negative reviews.

Initially presented as a "girl next door", Minogue attempted to convey a more mature style in her music and public image. Her singles were well received, but after four albums her record sales were declining, and she left Stock, Aitken & Waterman in 1992 to establish herself as an independent performer. Her next single, "Confide in Me", reached number one in Australia and was a hit in several European countries in 1994, and a duet with Nick Cave, "Where the Wild Roses Grow", brought Minogue a greater degree of artistic credibility. Drawing inspiration from a range of musical styles and artists, Minogue took creative control over the songwriting for her next album, Impossible Princess (1997). It failed to attract strong reviews or sales in the UK, but was successful in Australia.

Minogue returned to prominence in 2000 with the single "Spinning Around" and the dance-oriented album Light Years, and she performed during the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Her music videos showed a more sexually provocative and flirtatious personality and several hit singles followed. "Can't Get You Out of My Head" reached number one in more than 40 countries, and the album Fever (2001) was a hit throughout the world, including the United States, a market in which Minogue had previously received little recognition. Minogue embarked on a concert tour but cancelled it when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. After surgery and chemotherapy treatment, she resumed her career in 2006 with Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour. Her tenth studio album X was released in 2007 and was followed by the KylieX2008 tour. In 2009, she embarked upon her For You, for Me Tour, her first concert tour of the US and Canada.

Although she was dismissed by some critics, especially during the early years of her career, she has achieved worldwide record sales of more than 68 million, and has received notable music awards, including multiple ARIA and Brit Awards and a Grammy Award. She has mounted several successful concert tours and received a Mo Award for "Australian Entertainer of the Year" for her live performances. She was awarded an OBE "for services to music", and an Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2008.

Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. She rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as Barbarella and Cat Ballou. She has won two Academy Awards and received several other awards and nominations. After 15 years of retirement, she returned to film in 2005 with Monster in Law followed by Georgia Rule two years later. She also produced and starred in several exercise videos released between 1982 and 1995.

Fonda has been an activist for many political causes, one of the most notable and controversial of which was her opposition to the Vietnam War. She has also protested the Iraq War and violence against women. She describes herself as a liberal and a feminist. Since 2001, Fonda has been a Christian. She published an autobiography in 2005.

Marina Semyonova

Marina Timofeyevna Semyonova[p] (Russian: Марина Тимофеевна Семёнова, 12 June [O.S. 30 May] 1908 – 9 June 2010) was the first Soviet-trained prima ballerina. She was born in Saint-Petersburg. She was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1975.

The first great dancer formed by Agrippina Vaganova, she graduated from the Vaganova School in 1925, which "is registered in the annals of Soviet ballet as the year of the unprecedented triumph of Marina Semyonova"

Flight of the Conchords

Flight of the Conchords is a New Zealand comedy duo composed of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. Billing themselves as "formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo",[1] the group uses a combination of witty observation, characterisation and acoustic guitar music. The duo's comedy and music became the basis of a BBC radio series and then an American television series, which premiered in 2007 on HBO, also called Flight of the Conchords.

They were named Best Alternative Comedy Act at the 2005 US Comedy Arts Festival and Best Newcomer at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, and they received a nomination for the Perrier Comedy Award at the 2003 Edinburgh Festival Fringe after performing at a venue called The Caves.[2] The duo's live performances have gained them a worldwide cult following

Generation Y

Generation Y, also known as the Millennial Generation, Generation Next or Net Generation,[1][2][3] describes the demographic cohort following Generation X. Its members are often referred to as Millennials[4][5] or Echo Boomers[6]. As there are no precise dates for when the Millennial generation starts and ends, commentators have used birth dates ranging somewhere from the early 1980s[7][8][9][9][10][11][12] to the early 2000s.[13][14][15][6][16][17][18][19][20] This generation generally represents an increase in births from the 1980s and 90s, not because of a significant increase in birthrates, but because the large cohort of baby boomers began to have children. The 20th century trend toward smaller families in developed countries continued,[21][22] however, so the relative impact of the "baby boom echo" was generally less pronounced than the original boom.

Characteristics of the generation vary by region, depending on social and economic conditions. However, it is generally marked by an increased use and familiarity with communications, media, and digital technologies. In most parts of the world its upbringing was marked by an increase in a neoliberal approach to politics and economics.[23] The effects of this environment are disputed

Generation X

The term Generation X was coined by the Magnum photographer Robert Capa in the early 1950s. He would use it later as a title for a photo-essay about young men and women growing up after the war. The project first appeared in "Picture Post" (UK) and "Holiday" (USA) in 1953. Describing his intention, Capa said 'We named this unknown generation , The Generation X, and even in our first enthusiasm we realised that we had something far bigger than our talents and pockets could cope with'.[12] The term was then used in a 1964 study of British youth by Jane Deverson. Deverson was asked by Woman's Own magazine to interview teenagers of the time. The study revealed a generation of teenagers who "sleep together before they are married, were not taught to believe in God as 'much', dislike the Queen, and don't respect parents." Because of these controversial findings, the piece was deemed unsuitable for the magazine; Deverson, in an attempt to save her research, worked with Hollywood correspondent Charles Hamblett to create a book about the study. Hamblett decided to name it Generation X.[13]

The term was popularized by Canadian author Douglas Coupland's 1991 novel, Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, concerning young adults during the late 1980s and their lifestyles. While Coupland's book helped to popularize the phrase "Generation X," in a 1989 magazine article[14] he erroneously attributed the term to Billy Idol. In fact, Idol had been a member of the punk band Generation X from 1976–1981, which was named after Deverson and Hamblett's 1965 sociology book—a copy of which was owned by Idol's mother.

In the U.S. Generation X was originally referred to as the "baby bust" generation because of the drop in the birth rate following the baby boom.[1]

Dannii Minogue

Danielle Jane "Dannii" Minogue (born 20 October 1971) is an Australian singer, actress, television personality, radio personality and model. Minogue rose to prominence in the early 1980s for her roles in the Australian television talent show, Young Talent Time and the soap opera Home and Away, before commencing her career as a pop singer in the early 1990s.[1] Minogue achieved early success with hits such as "Love and Kisses" and "This is It", though by the release of her second album, her popularity as a singer had declined, leading her to concentrate on other fields such as television presenting. The late 1990s saw a brief return to music after Minogue reinvented herself as a dance artist with "All I Wanna Do", her first number one UK Club hit.[2] In 2001, Minogue further returned to musical success with the release of her biggest worldwide hit to date, "Who Do You Love Now?", while her subsequent album, Neon Nights, became the most successful of her career. In the UK, she has achieved twelve consecutive number one dance singles, becoming the best-performing artist on the UK Upfront Club Chart.[2][3] Minogue is currently a judge on The X Factor and Australia's Got Talent.

2010 NCAA conference realignment

Background
Talk of conference expansion began in December 2009, when Big Ten Conference commissioner Jim Delany announced that the league would consider adding one or more teams. Media reports indicated that the Big Ten had two major motives for expansion. First, adding one or more schools would increase the reach of the conference's cable network, the Big Ten Network. The conference reportedly receives as much as 88 cents per month for every subscriber to the network in the Big Ten member states, and in the 2008–09 fiscal year, the Big Ten Network alone distributed $6.4 million to each of the conference's 11 schools. Second, expanding to 12 or more schools would allow the conference to launch a potentially lucrative conference championship game in football.[1]

Shortly after the Big Ten announced its intention to explore expansion, the Pacific-10 Conference, under new commissioner Larry Scott, announced similar plans. As with the Big Ten, television played a major role in the Pac-10's plans, although for a different reason. The conference's current deal with Fox Sports Net expires after the 2010–11 school year, and in the wake of lucrative TV deals recently signed by the ACC and SEC, the Pac-10 apparently felt a need to expand its footprint to gain more leverage in broadcast negotiations.[1]

[edit] Conferences affected
[edit] Big Ten Conference
See also: Big Ten Conference#History
On June 11, 2010, the University of Nebraska announced that it would apply for membership in the Big Ten.[2] Hours later, the Big Ten unanimously accepted.[3] Nebraska will join the Big Ten Conference beginning in July 2011.

[edit] Pacific-10 Conference
See also: Pacific-10 Conference#Pacific-10
On June 7, 2010, the universities that comprise the Pac-10 approved potential expansion plans and authorized commissioner Larry Scott to move ahead with expansion and issue invitations to six prospective teams: Colorado, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.[4]

On June 10, 2010, the Pac-10 announced that Colorado would be joining the conference in 2012.[5] Rumors continue to circulate that Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State may follow suit and join the Pac-10 as soon as June 15, 2010.[6] If Texas A&M decides to join the SEC, the Pac-10 may be prepared to take the Utah Utes in their place. If Utah declines, they will more than likely invite the Kansas Jayhawks.[citation needed]

[edit] Big 12 Conference
See also: Big 12 Conference
With the loss of Colorado (who had been a member of the Big 12 and its predecessor the Big Eight Conference since 1947) to the Pac-10 and Nebraska (whose association with the Big 12 dates back to the 1907 founding of what was to become the Big Eight) to the Big Ten, the Big 12 will be down to ten teams at present and still faces more possible attrition. Colorado will transfer to the Pac-10 for the 2012-13 season.[7] Nebraska announced that they would leave the Big 12 Conference for the Big Ten Conference effective 2011, becoming the second Big 12 member to leave the conference in 2010.[8][9]

Other Big 12 schools are currently rumored to be candidates for expansion by other conferences including further expansion by the Pac-10 or Big 10.[10] Speculation and rumors center on Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State following Colorado to the Pac-10. Texas A&M is also reportedly considering a move to the SEC.

ESPN reported on June 11 that Texas, Texas Tech, and the two Oklahoma schools were prepared to accept an invitation from the Pac-10. The report also indicated that Texas A&M was torn between the Pac-10 and SEC and was given a 72-hour deadline to decide on its future destination. However, one of ESPN's sources indicated that A&M's flirtation with the SEC was driven by "ego purposes" within the school, namely avoiding the appearance that A&M was merely following Texas' lead, and that A&M would ultimately join the Pac-10.[11] The remaining Big 12 schools (Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Baylor, Missouri) may be left to find new leagues, with early speculation pointing to a possible move for some (or all) of those schools to the Mountain West.

Malia Obama

Malia Obama and Sasha Obama
Barack and Michelle Obama have two daughters: Malia Ann (pronounced /məˈliːə/), born in 1998, and Natasha (known as Sasha /ˈsɑːʃə/), born in 2001. Sasha is the youngest child to reside in the White House since John F. Kennedy, Jr arrived as an infant in 1961.[6] Sasha is also the first White House resident born in the 21st century.
Before his inauguration, President Obama published an open letter to his daughters in Parade magazine, describing what he wants for them and every child in America: "to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world."[7]
While living in Chicago, they kept busy schedules, as the Associated Press reports: "soccer, dance and drama for Malia, gymnastics and tap for Sasha, piano and tennis for both."[8][9] In July 2008, the family gave an interview to the television series Access Hollywood; Obama later said they regretted allowing the children to be included.[10]
Malia and Sasha attend the private Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC, the same school as attended by Chelsea Clinton, Tricia Nixon Cox, and Archibald Roosevelt, and currently the grandchildren of Vice President Joe Biden.[11] The Obama girls began classes there on January 5, 2009.[12] While in Chicago, both attended the private University of Chicago Laboratory School.
In his victory speech on the night of his election, President Obama repeated his promise to Sasha and Malia to get a puppy to take with them to the White House.[13] The selection was slow because Malia is allergic to animal dander;[14] the president subsequently said that the choice had been narrowed down to either a labradoodle or Portuguese Water Dog, and they hoped to find a shelter animal.[15] On April 12, 2009, it was reported that the Obamas had adopted a six-month-old Portuguese Water Dog given to them as a gift from Senator Ted Kennedy,[16] named Bo by Malia and Sasha

Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are a National Basketball Association (NBA) team based in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers play their home games at Staples Center, which they share with their fellow NBA rival, the Los Angeles Clippers, and their sister team, the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA.[1] The Lakers are the current NBA champions after defeating the Orlando Magic in the Finals four games to one. In June 2009, basketball analyst and writer John Hollinger ranked the Lakers as the greatest NBA franchise of all time.[2]

The Lakers franchise was founded in 1946 in Detroit, Michigan before moving to Minneapolis, where the team got its official title from the state's nickname, "Land of 10,000 Lakes."[3] The Lakers won five championships before relocating to Los Angeles in the 1960–61 season. The Lakers lost all of their eight appearances in the NBA Finals in the 1960s, despite having help from Elgin Baylor and Jerry West. In 1972, the Lakers won their sixth title, first in Los Angeles, under coach Bill Sharman. The Lakers' popularity soared in the 1980s when they won five additional championships during a nine-year span with the leadership of Hall of Famers Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy and coach Pat Riley, the franchise's all-time leader in regular season game wins and playoff games coached and wins. Two of those championships during that span were against their arch-rivals, the Boston Celtics. From 2000 to 2002, the Lakers won three titles consecutively with the help of Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson. After losing both the 2004 and 2008 NBA Finals, the Lakers captured the championship for the 15th time in 2009, defeating the Orlando Magic four games to one.

The Lakers hold records for having (into the 2009–10 season) the most wins (3,000), the highest winning percentage (61.8%), the most NBA Finals appearances (31), the second fewest non-playoff seasons with five (San Antonio Spurs have four), and the second-most NBA championships with 15, behind the Boston Celtics' 17.[4][5] They also hold the record for compiling the longest win streak (33) in U.S. professional team sports (also an NBA record) in the 1971–72 season.[6] Fourteen Hall of Famers have played for the Lakers, while four Hall of Famers (John Kundla, Bill Sharman, Pat Riley and Phil Jackson) have coached the team. Four Lakers (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant) have won the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award[7] for a total of 8 MVP awards.

Face transplant

Beneficiaries of face transplant
People with faces disfigured by trauma, burns, disease, or birth defects might benefit from the procedure.[1]

The alternative to a face transplant is to move the patient's own skin from their back, buttocks or thighs to their face in a series of as many as 50 operations to regain even limited function and a face that is often likened to a mask or a living quilt.

L. Scott Levin MD FACS, Chair, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Penn Medicine, has described the procedure as "the single most important area of reconstructive research."

[edit] History
[edit] Self as donor ("face replant")
The world's first full-face replant operation was on nine year-old Sandeep Kaur, whose face was ripped off when her hair was caught in a thresher. Sandeep's mother witnessed the accident. Sandeep arrived at the hospital unconscious with her face in two pieces in a plastic bag. An article in the The Guardian recounts: "In 1994, a nine-year-old child in northern India lost her face and scalp in a threshing machine accident. Her parents raced to the hospital with her face in a plastic bag and a surgeon managed to reconnect the arteries and replant the skin."[2] The operation was successful, although the child was left with some muscle damage as well as scarring around the perimeter where the facial skin was sutured back on. Sandeep's doctor was Abraham Thomas, one of India's top microsurgeons. In 2004, Sandeep was training to be a nurse.[3]

In 1997, a similar operation was performed in the Australian state of Victoria, when a woman's face and scalp, torn off in a similar accident, was packed in ice and successfully reattached.[4]

[edit] Partial face transplant
The world's first partial face transplant on a living human was carried out on 27 November 2005[5][6] by Dr Bernard Devauchelle, a plastic and microsurgeon, and Dr Jean-Michel Dubernard in Amiens, France. Isabelle Dinoire[5] underwent surgery to replace her original face that had been ravaged by her dog. A triangle of face tissue from a brain-dead human's nose and mouth was grafted onto the patient. On 13 December 2007, the first detailed report of the progress of this transplant after 18 months was released in the New England Journal of Medicine and documents that the patient is happy with the results but also that the journey has been very difficult, especially with respect to her immune system's response.[7][8]

In April 2006, the Xijing military hospital in Xian, China carried out a similar operation, transplanting the cheek, upper lip, and nose of Li Guoxing, who was mauled by an Asiatic black bear while protecting his sheep.[9][10].

On 21 December 2008 it was reported that Li Guoxing had died in July in his home village in Yunnan Province. Prior to his death, a documentary on the Discovery Channel showed he had stopped taking immuno-suppressant drugs in favor of herbal medication.This was suggested to be a contributing factor to his death by his surgeon, Dr Guo Shuzhong.

A 29-year-old French man underwent surgery in 2007. He had a facial tumor called a neurofibroma caused by a genetic disorder. The tumor was so massive that the man could not eat or speak properly.

In March 2008, the treatment of 30-year-old neurofibromatosis victim Pascal Coler of France ended after he received what his doctors call the world's first successful full face transplant.[11][12]

[edit] Full face transplant
On 20 March 2010, a team of 30 Spanish doctors carried out the first full face transplant on a man injured in a shooting accident

Leap year

A leap year (or intercalary year) is a year containing one extra day (or, in the case of lunisolar calendars, a month) in order to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical or seasonal year.

For example, in the Gregorian calendar (common calendar), February in a leap year has 29 days instead of the usual 28, so the year lasts 366 days instead of the usual 365. Because seasons and astronomical events do not repeat in a whole number of days, a calendar that had the same number of days in each year would, over time, drift with respect to the event it was supposed to track. By occasionally inserting (or intercalating) an additional day or month into the year, the drift can be corrected. A year that is not a leap year is called a common year.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

The Twilight Saga: New Moon is a 2009 American romantic fantasy film based on Stephenie Meyer's 2006 novel New Moon. It is the second film in The Twilight Saga film series and is the sequel to 2008's Twilight, which is also based on Meyer's previous novel. Summit Entertainment greenlit the sequel in late November 2008, following the early success of Twilight.[3] Directed by Chris Weitz, the film stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner,[4] reprising their roles as Bella Swan, Edward Cullen, and Jacob Black, respectively.

Melissa Rosenberg, who handed in a draft of the film script during the opening weekend of Twilight, returned as screenwriter for The Twilight Saga: New Moon.[5] Filming began in Vancouver in late March 2009,[6][7][8] and in Montepulciano, Italy, in late May 2009.[9][10]

The Twilight Saga: New Moon was released on November 20, 2009, in most countries, and set domestic box office records as the biggest midnight screening with $26.3 million. This led to the biggest single day domestic gross with $72.7 million.[11] The film also opened with the third biggest domestic opening weekend ($142,839,137).[11] The film was well received by fans,[12] but critical reception was less favorable.[13][14]

The Twilight Saga: New Moon has become the highest grossing film released by Summit Entertainment, and also the film with the widest independent release, playing in over 4,000 theaters in its theatrical run.[15] The Twilight Saga: New Moon was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 20, 2010 through midnight release parties.[16] The film has grossed, as of April 2010, $144,808,588 in North American DVD sales, selling more than 6,367,352 units,[17] 4 million of which were sold within its first weekend, beating Twilight's 3.8 million units sold in its first two days

The Hollywood Reporter

The Hollywood Reporter was Hollywood's first daily entertainment industry trade paper. It began as a daily film publication, then added television coverage in the 1950s and began in the late 1980s to cover intellectual property industries.

[edit] Founder
William R. Wilkerson published the first issue of the Hollywood Reporter on September 3, 1930. This daily magazine reported on movies, studios and personalities in an outrageously candid style. Through its outspoken pages Wilkerson became one of the town's most colorful and controversial figures. He began each issue with a self-penned editorial entitled "Tradeviews", which exposed corrupt studio practices. "Tradeviews" went on to become one of the most widely read daily columns in the industry. The upstart publisher also employed hard-ball tactics to solicit advertising. Studios were literally blackmailed into giving their support. If they refused, he ordered a complete editorial blackout on all their material—from press releases to film reviews. The corporate moguls eventually banded together to deal with The Reporter. They refused Wilkerson all advertising support and deprived him of news from their studios. They even hired extra employees to burn The Hollywood Reporter when it was delivered every morning at their front gates. At the height of the battle, his reporters were barred from every lot in town. Wilkerson told them to climb over the studio walls and sift through executives' garbage. These tactics produced a flood of incriminating news, which Wilkerson cheerfully printed. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had the paper airmailed daily to his desk at the White House. By 1936, The Hollywood Reporter had become something even the most prescient studio heads never anticipated—a power that rivaled their own.[1]

[edit] The Hollywood Blacklist
Wilkerson believed that the Screen Writers Guild was one of the prime Communist strongholds in all of Hollywood. He used his TradeView column to publicize the "Communist Takeover" of the guild dating as early as 1938. Throughout the thirteen year Screen Writers Guild ban of its members advertising their services in trade papers, Wilkerson would not allow screenwriter credits in the Reporters film reviews.[2]

On Monday, July 29, 1946, Wilkerson published his TradeView entitled "A Vote For Joe Stalin". It contained the first industry names on what later became the infamous Hollywood Blacklist—Dalton Trumbo, Maurice Rapf, Lester Cole, Howard Koch, Harold Buchman, John Wexley, Ring Lardner Jr., Harold Salemson, Henry Meyers, Theodore Strauss and John Howard Lawson.[3]

Wilkerson soon went after Cole, who was the first Vice President of the Screen Writers Guild. Here, Wilkerson would be the first to ask the two questions that would ring throughout the nation for the next decade: "Are you a member of the Writers Guild?" and "Are you a member of the Communist Party of the United States?" On Monday August 19, 1946, Wilkerson wrote:

FOR THE PURPOSE of trying to tag the activity of the Screen-Writers Guild generally, and particularly its action proposing to our State Department that the U.S.-French film agreement be renegotiated to give "greater benefit" to the French film writers, we would like to ask Mr. Lester Cole, who authored the motion for SWG passage:

"Are you a Communist? Do you hold card number 46805 in what is known as the Northwest Section of the Communist party, a division of the party made up mostly of West Coast Commies?"[4]
In an editorial entitled "RED BEACH-HEAD!" on Tuesday August 20, 1946, Wilkerson took aim at Hollywood writer John Howard Lawson. On Wednesday August 21, 1946, in an editorial entitled "Hywd’s Red Commissars!", Wilkerson skewered John Leech, Emmet Lavery, Oliver H. P. Garrett, Harold Buchman, Maurice Rapf, and William Pomerance. On September 12, 1946, Wilkerson printed "the list" of names that would be plucked by The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) for their 1947 hearings. Wilkerson used two different colors to identify two different levels of participation in Communism. "Red" indicated that the individual was a card-carrying communist. "Pink" meant that an individual simply had communist sympathies.

Did You Hear About the Morgans?

Did You Hear About the Morgans? is a 2009 comedy film written and directed by Marc Lawrence. Golden Globe winners Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker portray the film's protagonists, Paul and Meryl Morgan, a recently separated New York power couple on the verge of divorce until they witness the murder of Meryl's client. They are forced to enter into temporary witness protection, given new identities, and relocated to a small Wyoming town. Supporting roles are played by Sam Elliott, Academy Award winner Mary Steenburgen, Elisabeth Moss, and Wilford Brimley.

The film premiered in New York on December 14, 2009 and in London the following day. It was released to the United States on December 18 and to most of Europe in January 2010. It received mostly negative reviews from critics. Compiled ratings from the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an average rating of 3.5 out of 10. The film grossed $6,616,571 in its opening weekend and has earned $25,693,886 in the United States as of January 5, 2010. Did You Hear About the Morgans? was the 106th most successful film worldwide for 2009.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African American civil rights movement. His main legacy was to secure progress on civil rights in the United States, and he has become a human rights icon: King is recognized as a martyr by two Christian churches.[1] A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career.[2] He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. There, he raised public consciousness of the civil rights movement and established himself as one of the greatest orators in U.S. history.

In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means. By the time of his death in 1968, he had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and the Vietnam War, both from a religious perspective. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. national holiday in 1986.

Paul Ladewski

Made headlines in January, 2007, when he confirmed in an article that he turned in a blank Hall of Fame ballot, rather than vote for any player from the "Steroid Era". Ladewski disclosed the result of the secret vote to a Baltimore sportswriter in a poll of BBWAA members.[1] Including his blank ballot, eight writers did not vote for Cal Ripken, Jr. and 13 did not vote for Tony Gwynn.[2]

During a January 9, 2007 interview on ESPN Radio's Mike and Mike in the Morning Ladewski also said that he does not vote for any player on his first year of eligibility. He stated that he believes that no player should go in unanimously because no player, not even the first class consisting of Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson has been voted in unanimously.[3] At least one contributor to ESPN.com, Jim Caple, blasted this stance, saying "Sorry, but the slap in the face came from the narrow-minded writers who refused to vote for [Willie] Mays and Hank Aaron in the first place."[4]

"To say the least, I'm disappointed how quickly some of my peers have forgotten perhaps the greatest scandal in baseball history," said Ladewski. "We need to demand more answers about the subject and pay less attention to the Boston Red Sox third-string catcher. Until then, there remains too many questions about an era that tarnished the game forever

Russell Brand

Russell Edward Brand[2] (born 4 June 1975) is an English comedian, actor, columnist, author and presenter of radio and television.

Brand achieved mainstream fame in the UK for presenting a Big Brother spin-off, Big Brother's Big Mouth, and for his radio show, among other television series and award ceremonies. He has also appeared in a number of films, including the romantic comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall, St Trinian's, and Bedtime Stories. He is noted for various controversies that have surrounded him in the British media, such as the 2008 prank calls that led to his resignation from the BBC.

Chris Dodd

Christopher John "Chris" Dodd (born May 27, 1944) is an American lawyer and Democratic Party politician serving as the senior United States Senator from Connecticut.

Dodd is a Connecticut native and a graduate of Georgetown Preparatory School in Bethesda, Maryland, and Providence College. His father, Thomas J. Dodd, was one of Connecticut's United States Senators from 1959-1971. Chris Dodd served in the Peace Corps for two years prior to entering law school at the University of Louisville, and during law school concurrently served in the United States Army Reserve.

Dodd returned to Connecticut, winning election in 1974 to the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut's 2nd congressional district and was reelected in 1976 and 1978. He was elected United States Senator in the elections of 1980, and is now the longest-serving senator in Connecticut's history, the 9th most senior of current senators and one of three from the 1980 freshman class who is still serving.[1][2]

Dodd served as general chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1995 to 1997. He serves as Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee.[3] In 2006, Dodd decided to run for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, but eventually withdrew after running behind several other competitors. In January 2010, Dodd announced that he would not run for re-election in the 2010 midterm elections

Patrick White

Patrick Victor Martindale White (28 May 1912 – 30 September 1990), an Australian author, was widely regarded as a major English-language novelist of the 20th century. From 1935 until his death, he published 12 novels, two short-story collections and eight plays. His fiction freely employs shifting narrative vantage points and a stream of consciousness technique. In 1973, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Charlie Sheen

Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), known professionally as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. His character roles in films have included Chris Taylor in the 1986 Vietnam War drama Platoon, Jake Kesey in the 1986 film The Wraith, and Bud Fox in 1987 film Wall Street. His career also included more comedic films, such as Major League, the Hot Shots! films, and Scary Movie 3 and 4. On television, Sheen is known for his roles on two sitcoms: as Charlie Crawford on Spin City, and as Charlie Harper on Two and a Half Men.

Katy Perry

Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), better known by her stage name Katy Perry, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Perry rose to fame in 2007 with her internet hit "Ur So Gay", and in 2008 with her breakthrough single "I Kissed a Girl".

Perry was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California by Christian pastor parents and grew up listening only to gospel music. After earning a GED during her freshman year of high school, she began to pursue a music career.

As Katy Hudson, she released a self-titled gospel album in 2001. In 2004, she recorded an album with production team The Matrix, but it was never released. After signing on with Capitol Music Group in 2007, she adopted the stage name Katy Perry and released her first mainstream album, One of the Boys.

Casey Johnson

Sale Trotter Case "Casey" Johnson (September 24, 1979 – January 4, 2010) was an American socialite and heiress. She was one of the great-great-granddaughters of Robert Wood Johnson I (co-founder of Johnson & Johnson).
Johnson was born in Florida.[1] Her father was Robert Wood Johnson IV, New York Jets owner, and her mother was Nancy Sale Frey, a former model. She was also niece of Jamie Johnson who directed the documentary Born Rich.[2] Johnson was raised in Manhattan and attended Chapin School, Marymount School, and Dwight School. She later enrolled in Brown University for one semester.[1]

As a child, Johnson was diagnosed with diabetes.[3] She and her father were both involved with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, working to find a cure for the disease.[4]

[edit] Career
At the age of 14, Johnson co-wrote a book with her father entitled Managing Your Child's Diabetes.[5] She appeared as herself on the television shows The Fabulous Life of... and E! True Hollywood Story. In 1999, Johnson had a minor role in the film Gloria starring Sharon Stone.[1] In 2002, she was featured in the documentary It Girls, which was filmed in 2000 during Manhattan's Fashion Week.[6] When Nicky Hilton declined to co-star with her sister Paris in The Simple Life, she asked Johnson. She too declined, and the role was subsequently given to Nicole Richie. Johnson called it the "stupidest mistake of my life" because her dream was to be an actress. Johnson also had a part in the never-aired The Tinsley Bumble Show, where she played a catty, vindictive socialite named Mimi von Lustig

Yemen

Yemen (Arabic: اليَمَن al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen (Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya al-Yamaniyya) is a country located on the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia. It has an estimated population of more than 23 million people and is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden to the south, and Oman to the east.

Yemen is just under 530,000 km2 (204,634 sq mi) in land area. Its territory includes over 200 islands, the largest of which is Socotra, about 415 km (258 mi) to the south of mainland Yemen, off the coast of Somalia. Yemen is the only state in the Arabian Peninsula to have a purely republican form of government. Its capital is Sana'a.

Health care bill

Health care bill may refer to:

Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962), an unsuccessful bill passed by the U.S. House in November 2009 (also known as the "House bill")
Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (H.R. 4872), a reconciliation bill passed by the U.S. House in March 2010, changing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590), drafted by the U.S. Senate as an alternative to the House bill, and passed by both houses of Congress during 2009 and 2010

List of college bowl games

From the 1998 season until the 2005 season, four BCS bowl games determined the national champion on a rotating basis. The other three games consisted of the champions of the 6 major conferences not playing in the championship game, as well as two at-large teams.

A change implemented before the beginning of the 2006 season allowed for the creation of a fifth BCS bowl, the BCS National Championship Game. The BCS National Championship Game is now played at the site of each of the four BCS bowls, but is played as a separate game one week after the regular BCS game. For example, in January 2007, Glendale hosted first the Fiesta Bowl, then the BCS National Championship Game a week later. The sponsor of the host game also sponsors the BCS National Championship Game (e.g., Tostitos will sponsor the game when in Glendale, Allstate will sponsor the game when in New Orleans, and so on).[1]

Brittany Murphy

Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack (November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009),[1] known professionally as Brittany Murphy, was an American actress and singer. She starred in films such as Clueless; Just Married; Girl, Interrupted; Spun; 8 Mile; Uptown Girls; Sin City; Happy Feet; and Riding in Cars with Boys. She voiced Luanne Platter on the animated TV series King of the Hill. Her final film, Abandoned, is expected to be released in 2010.

Tiger Woods

Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975)[4] is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Currently the World No. 1, he was the highest-paid professional athlete in 2008, having earned an estimated $110 million from winnings and endorsements.[5]

Woods has won 14 professional major golf championships, the second highest of any male player (Jack Nicklaus leads with 18), and 71 PGA Tour events, third all time.[6] He has more career major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other active golfer. He is the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam, and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on tour. Additionally, Woods is only the second golfer, after Jack Nicklaus, to have achieved a career Grand Slam three times. Woods has won 16 World Golf Championships, and has won at least one of those events each of the 11 years they have been in existence.

Woods has held the number one position in the world rankings for the most consecutive weeks and for the greatest total number of weeks. He has been awarded PGA Player of the Year a record ten times,[7] the Byron Nelson Award for lowest adjusted scoring average a record eight times, and has the record of leading the money list in nine different seasons.

On December 11, 2009, Woods announced he would take an indefinite leave from professional golf to focus on his marriage after he admitted infidelity. His multiple infidelities were revealed by over a dozen women, through many worldwide media sources.[8][9] Woods returned to competition for the 2010 Masters on April 8, 2010,[10] after a break lasting 20 weeks.

Slash (musician)

Saul Hudson (born 23 July 1965), better known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician.[3] Best-known as the former lead guitarist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he performed and recorded between 1985 and 1996, he later formed the eponymous Slash's Snakepit and co-founded Velvet Revolver with his former bandmates Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum. His debut solo album, Slash, was released in April 2010.

Slash has received critical recognition as a guitarist. In August 2009, Time Magazine ranked him #2 on its list of the "10 Best Electric Guitar Players of All-Time".[4] He was also ranked #21 on Gigwise's list of the "50 Greatest Guitarists Ever

How to Kiss

A kiss is the act of pressing one's lips against the lips of another. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. A kiss may be used to express sentiments of love, passion, affection, respect, greeting, friendship, and good luck, among many others. The word came from Old English cyssan "to kiss", in turn from coss "a kiss". The act of kissing has become a common expression of affection among many cultures worldwide. Yet in certain cultures, kissing was introduced only through European settlement; prior to this, kissing was not a routine occurrence. Examples of this include certain indigenous peoples of Australia, the Tahitians, and many tribes in Africa.

Oktapodi

Oktapodi is a 2007 French computer-animated short film that originated as a Graduate Student Project from Gobelins L'Ecole de L'Image. The short is about a pair of love struck octopuses who through a series of comical events are separated and find each other. Oktapodi was directed by Julien Bocabeille, François-Xavier Chanioux, Olivier Delabarre, Thierry Marchand, Quentin Marmier, and Emud Mokhberi. Music was composed by Kenny Wood.

Oktapodi was well received, winning a number of awards, as well as an Oscar nomination for Best Short Film (Animated) for the 81st Academy Awards.

Invictus

"Invictus" is a short Victorian poem by the English poet William Ernest Henley (1849–1903). It was written in 1875 and first published in 1888[1] in Henley's Book of Verses, where it was the fourth in a series of poems entitled Life and Death (Echoes).[2] It originally bore no title:[2] early printings contained only the dedication To R. T. H. B.—a reference to Robert Thomas Hamilton Bruce (1846–1899), a successful Scottish flour merchant and baker who was also a literary patron.[3] The familiar title "Invictus" (Latin for "unconquered"[4]) was added by Arthur Quiller-Couch when he included the poem in The Oxford Book Of English Verse

The Princess and the Frog

The Princess and the Frog is a 2009 American animated family film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, inspired in part [3] by E. D. Baker's novel The Frog Princess, which was in turn inspired by the Grimm brothers' fairy tale "The Frog Prince".[4] The film opened in limited release in New York and Los Angeles on November 25, 2009, and with a wide release by Walt Disney Pictures on December 11, 2009. It is the 49th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics line, and the first of these films to be traditionally (2D) animated since 2004's Home on the Range. The film was directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, directors of The Great Mouse Detective, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, and Treasure Planet, with songs and score composed by Randy Newman and featuring the voices of Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Keith David, Michael-Leon Wooley, Jennifer Cody, Jim Cummings, Peter Bartlett, Jenifer Lewis, Oprah Winfrey,[5] Terrence Howard, and John Goodman. Tiana, the main character, is also notable as Disney's first black princess.[6]

The film's plot concerns a prince named Naveen (Bruno Campos) from the land of Maldonia, who is transformed into a frog by the evil scheming voodoo magician Dr. Facilier (Keith David). The frog prince mistakes a girl named Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) for a princess and has her kiss him to break the spell. The kiss does not break the spell, but instead turns Tiana into a frog as well. Together, the two of them must reach the good voodoo queen of the deepest, darkest part of the Bayou, Mama Odie (Jenifer Lewis), while befriending a trumpet-playing alligator Louis (Michael-Leon Wooley) and a hopelessly romantic Cajun firefly named Ray (Jim Cummings) along the way.

The Princess and the Frog, which began production under the working title The Frog Princess, is an American fairy tale; a Broadway-style musical set in, and around, New Orleans, Louisiana at the height of the Roaring Twenties. The film received three 2010 Academy Award nominations: one for Best Animated Feature and two for Best Original Song

Up in the Air

Up in the Air is a 2009 American comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman and co-written by Reitman and Sheldon Turner. It is a film adaptation of the 2001 novel of the same name, written by Walter Kirn. The story is about a corporate downsizer Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) and his travels. The film follows his isolated life and philosophies along with the people he meets along the way. Filming was primarily in St. Louis, Missouri, which substituted for a number of other cities shown in the film. Several scenes were also filmed in Detroit, Michigan, Omaha, Nebraska, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Miami, Florida.

Reitman has heavily promoted Up in the Air with personal appearances during film festivals and other showings, starting with the Telluride Film Festival on September 5, 2009. The Los Angeles premiere was at the Mann Village Theater on Monday, November 30, 2009. Paramount scheduled a limited North American release on December 4, 2009, broadening the release on December 11, 2009 with wide release on December 23, 2009.

The National Board of Review and the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association have named it the best picture of 2009. It received eight Broadcast Film Critics Association nominations and garnered a win for Adapted Screenplay, six Golden Globe nominations, earning a win for Best Screenplay, and three Screen Actors Guild nominations. It received six Academy Award nominations, but did not win in any category. Up in the Air received recognition from numerous critics' associations.

The Blind Side (film)

The Blind Side is a 2009 American drama–sports film written and directed by John Lee Hancock, and based on the 2006 book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis.[2][3] The storyline features Michael Oher, an offensive lineman who plays for the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL. The film follows Oher from his impoverished upbringing, through his years at Wingate Christian School (a fictional representation of Briarcrest Christian School in the suburbs of Memphis, Tennessee[4]), his adoption by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, and on to his position as one of the most highly coveted prospects in college football. For her performance, Sandra Bullock won the Academy Award for Best Actress, as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role. The film itself also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.

Beside Bullock, the film stars Quinton Aaron as Michael Oher, Tim McGraw as Sean Tuohy, and Kathy Bates as Miss Sue[2] The movie also features appearances by several current and former NCAA coaches, including SEC coaches Houston Nutt and Ed Orgeron (Oher's coaches in college, though Nutt represented Arkansas at the time and therefore does so in the film) and Nick Saban (who was at LSU at the time and represents them in the film), former coaches Lou Holtz, Tommy Tuberville, Phillip Fulmer, as well as recruiting analyst Tom Lemming

Daisy Lowe

Daisy Rebecca Lowe[1] (born 27 January 1989) is an English fashion model who has modelled for editorial photo shoots and commercial advertising campaigns and has worked as a runway model. She is the daughter of Pearl Lowe, the singer/songwriter turned textile and fashion designer, and Gavin Rossdale, the front man for the band Bush.

Unemployment benefits

Unemployment benefits are payments made by the state or other authorized bodies to unemployed people. Benefits may be based on a compulsory para-governmental insurance system. Depending on the jurisdiction and the status of the person, those sums may be meager, covering only basic needs (thus a form of basic welfare), or may compensate the lost pay somewhat proportionally to the previous earned salary. They often are part of a larger social security scheme.

Unemployment benefits are generally given only to those registering as unemployed, and often on conditions ensuring that they seek work and do not currently have a job.

In some countries, a significant proportion of unemployment benefits are distributed by trade/labor unions, an arrangement known as the Ghent system.

New Year's resolution

Popular goals include resolutions to:[1]

Improve health: lose weight, exercise more, eat better, drink less alcohol, quit smoking
Improve finances: get out of debt, save money
Improve career: get a better job
Improve education: improve grades, get a better education, learn something new (such as a foreign language or music)
Improve self: become more organized, reduce stress, be less grumpy, manage time, be more independent
Take a trip
Volunteer to help others

Health care

The delivery of modern health care depends on an expanding group of trained professionals coming together as an interdisciplinary team.[1][2]

The health-care industry incorporates several sectors that are dedicated to providing services and products dedicated to improving the health of individuals. According to market classifications of industry such as the Global Industry Classification Standard and the Industry Classification Benchmark the health-care industry includes health care equipment & services and pharmaceuticals, biotechnology & life sciences. The particular sectors associated with these groups are: biotechnology, diagnostic substances, drug delivery, drug manufacturers, hospitals, medical equipment and instruments, diagnostic laboratories, nursing homes, providers of health care plans and home health care.[3]

According to government classifications of Industry, which are mostly based on the United Nations system, the International Standard Industrial Classification, health care generally consists of hospital activities, medical and dental practice activities, and other human health activities. The last class consists of all activities for human health not performed by hospitals or by physicians or dentists. This involves activities of, or under the supervision of, nurses, midwives, physiotherapists, scientific or diagnostic laboratiories, pathology clinics, ambulance, nursing home, or other para-medical practitioners in the field of optometry, hydrotherapy, medical massage, music therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, chiropody, homeopathy, chiropractics, acupuncture, etc

Harry Potter

Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry's quandary involving the evil wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents in his quest to conquer the wizarding world and subjugate non-magical people (Muggles).

Since the June 30, 1997 release of the first novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States, the books have gained immense popularity, critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide.[1] The series has also had some share of criticism, including concern for the increasingly dark tone, and the later books, such as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, may be less suitable for younger children. As of June 2008, the book series has sold more than 400 million copies and has been translated into 67 languages,[2][3] and the last four books have consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books in history.

A series of many genres, including fantasy and coming of age, it has many cultural meanings and references.[4][5][6][7] According to Rowling, the main theme is death,[8] which has led to much criticism, as it is primarily considered to be a work of children's literature. There are also many other themes in the series, such as love and prejudice.[9]

English-language versions of the books are published by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom, Scholastic Press in the United States, Allen & Unwin in Australia, and Raincoast Books in Canada. Through 2010, the first six books have been made into films by Warner Brothers, which is the highest grossing film series of all time so far. The seventh book is being made into two movies which are currently scheduled to be released nearly eight months apart: Part I in November 2010 and the series finale in July 2011. The series also originated much tie-in merchandise, making the Harry Potter brand worth £15 billion

Pogue

For people named Pogue, see Pogue (surname). For the Irish-English celtic punk band, see The Pogues.
Pogue is a pejorative military slang term used to describe non-infantry, non-combat soldiers, staff, and other rear-echelon or support units.[1] A related term is the acronym REMF, or "rear-echelon mother fucker". "Pogue" frequently describes those who don't have to undergo the stresses that the infantry does, and is generally used as a diminutive for any non-infantry personnel that disagrees or impedes the wants of a "grunt".

REMF also can mean Regional Engineering Manager (Field) or Ray Elliott (Manager, Field). The term has the same meanings as above.

Beyond its military use, Pogue is known to be used in civilian circles to describe a person who is in a less than admirable social position to the speaker, someone who poses to be more than they claim to be, or someone who is inept, i.e. marching-band pogue, fuckin pogue, or just pogue.

This term has somewhat been replaced by the word Fobbit which refers to non-combat arms soldiers who never leave their Forward Operating Base.

[edit] History & etymology
It has been used in the United States Navy and Marine Corps since before World War II, entering Army usage around the time of the Vietnam War.[2]

The term may be derived from a Tagalog word meaning "prostitute." Originally, the term was a sexual insult, as "pogue" was slang for a young male who submitted to sexual advances.[3] This led to the related term "pogey bait", meaning candy or sweets.

Another source to which the term is attributed is the Gaelic and Irish language phrase "póg mo thóin" pronounced [pog muh hon] (literally 'kiss my arse'), applied to sycophants, suck-ups and others engaging in behaviors or practices commonly viewed by their peers to be beneath the expected degree of military bearing.

Due to having lost contact with its linguistic source, the modern military vernacular has turned "pogue" into a retronym/backronym. "Pogue" is now described as the pronunciation of the acronym POG, or Person Other than Grunt, or Posted On Garrison.[2] It is also acronymed out to "Person On Ground with Unused Equipment" (Hence the spelling).

Pogue (various spellings) comes from the term "pogey-bait". In the days of the British empire, many of the sailors aboard British naval vessels were Gaelic speakers from Ireland or Scotland. When these sailors arrived at various ports, they would purchase bags of candy to give to girls as "kiss bait", but using the Gaelic word for kiss, "póg", which can sound like "pogey" in some accents. Over time, the original reason for the term was not passed on, and soldiers would reason that if candy or other junk food was used to catch a "pogue", then it stood to reason that a "pogue" must be a fat, lazy person.

Mark Bittman

Career
Bittman has written at least ten books on food and cooking, three of which won IACP/Julia Child awards, James Beard awards, or both. [2] Three books are related to his newspaper column:

The Minimalist Cooks at Home
The Minimalist Cooks Dinner
The Minimalist Entertains [3]. (Selected recipes from these are in the collection "Mark Bittman's Simple and Easy Recipes from The New York Times.]
Bittman also wrote two books with Jean-Georges Vongerichten: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef which received the James Beard Award.[4] In 2000 they published the Simple to Spectacular.[5]

Bittman’s book How to Cook Everything first published in 1998, was published in a revised second edition in 2008. "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" was published in 2007.

In 2009 Bittman published Food Matters discussing the topics of environmental challenges, lifestyle diseases, and the overproduction and over consumption of meat, simple carbohydrates, and junk food.

The publication of Food Matters followed a pair of articles on food production issues for The New York Times Week in Review, called “Rethinking the Meat Guzzler” and “The Future of Fish”.

Other books include "Fish - The Complete Guide to Buying and Cooking," "The Best Recipes in the World," "Leafy Greens," "Bittman Takes On America's Chefs" and "Kitchen Express."

[edit] Television and Film
Bittman is a regular on NBC's The Today Show and has appeared on NPR's All Things Considered and dozens of other shows. [6]

Bittman is the host of the Public Television series Bittman Takes on America's Chefs, which first aired in spring 2005, and later won the James Beard Award for the best cooking series. The second season, The Best Recipes in the World, aired a year later. [7]


In 2008 Bittman appeared with Gwyneth Paltrow and Mario Batali, in a PBS series called Spain... on the road Again.[8]

Bittman also created a film in 2007 entitled "What's wrong with what we eat?". [9]

Bittman appeared as a guest judge on the Food Network competition series Chopped.

[edit] Personal life
Bittman is married to New York Times graphic designer and art director Kelly Doe. They live in New York City. He has two adult daughters from his first marriage to the writer Karen Baar. Bittman is a licensed pilot and a marathon runner.[10]

David Brooks

David Gordon Brooks (born 12 January 1953 in Canberra) is an Australian author. He graduated from the Australian National University in 1974. He married Alison Summers in 1975. Brooks and Summers then studied abroad and received their M.A. degrees from the University of Toronto. Brooks completed his Ph.D from the University of Toronto after returning to Australia in 1981 while teaching at the Royal Military College, Duntroon located in Canberra. In 1982 he began teaching at the University of Western Australia in Perth, Western Australia, where he met the poet Nicolette Stasko, who became his partner for the next twenty years. In 1986 he returned to the Australian National University as a lecturer, a post he held for the next four years. Brooks currently is an associate professor of Australian Literature at the University of Sydney. He married the Slovenian translator and photographer Teja Pribac in 2005.

He is also a co-editor along with Elizabeth McMahon for Southerly, Australia’s oldest literary magazine.

His novel, The Fern Tattoo, was shortlisted for the 2008 Miles Franklin Award.

Panama City Fliers

The Panama City Fliers were a minor league baseball team based in Panama City, Florida that operated in the Alabama-Florida League. They were founded in 1951 as an affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. In 1958 they were affiliated with the San Francisco Giants and they ended up as an affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team won league championships in 1955 & 1957.

The team was moved to Andalusia, Alabama for the 1962 season and renamed the Andalusia Dodgers. They team was then moved again mid-season to Ozark, Alabama and renamed again as the Ozark Dodgers. The team folded after that.

Alvin Greene

Alvin Michael Greene (born August 30, 1977 in Florence, South Carolina) is the Democratic nominee in the 2010 United States Senate election in South Carolina. If elected he would be the first African-American in the Southern United States to win a seat in U.S. Senate since Reconstruction[1] when Republican senators Hiram Rhodes Revels and Blanche Bruce represented Mississippi in the 1870s. He would also be the first popularly elected African-American Senator from the South. He faces incumbent Republican Senator Jim DeMint in the general election.

Greene won the Democratic primary race against establishment candidate Vic Rawl[2] in June of 2010 with 59% of votes cast despite very limited campaigning and campaign spending, no website, and no yard signs.[3]

Greene served in the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force before receiving an involuntary honorable discharge. He is currently unemployed and lives with his father[4] in Manning, roughly halfway between Columbia and Charleston

Pearl Harbor (film)

Pearl Harbor is a 2001 American war film directed by Michael Bay. It features a large ensemble cast, including Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, Alec Baldwin, Jon Voight, Kate Beckinsale, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Dan Aykroyd, Colm Feore, Mako, Tom Sizemore, Jaime King, and Jennifer Garner.

It is a dramatic re-imagining of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor Naval Base and the subsequent Doolittle Raid and was produced by Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer. Some of its scenes were among the last to be filmed in Technicolor. Pearl Harbor became one of the highest-grossing films of 2001 despite receiving negative reviews from critics.

Obituary

An obituary is a death notice which often includes an attempt by an author, publication, or news organization to give an account of the life of someone considered significant who has recently died. It can, however, be simply a death notice (also known as a funeral notice), and may be a paid advertisement written by family members and placed in a newspaper either by the family or the funeral home.[1]

Many news organisations have pre-written (or pre-edited video) obituaries on file for notable individuals who are still living, allowing detailed, authoritative and lengthy obituaries to appear very quickly after their death.

Joe Bonamassa

Joe Bonamassa (born May 8, 1977) is an American blues guitarist, singer and DJ from Utica, New York.

Bonamassa's 2006 studio album, You & Me appeared at #1 on the Billboard Blues Album Chart.

He released his Sloe Gin album, in August 2007, and by March 2008 the album had spent more than 10 weeks at the top of the Billboard Blues Chart.

He played at the Royal Albert Hall in London on May 4, 2009. Tickets for the concert sold out in less than a week, despite going on sale four months ahead of the performance.

Bonamassa presented his first live show as DJ on the UK radio station Planet Rock on Sunday November 9, 2008.

Rory Macdonald

Roderick (Rory) MacDonald (Scottish Gaelic: Ruaraidh MacDhomhnaill; born 27 July 1949, Dornoch, Sutherland[1]) is the bassist of the Scottish Celtic rock band Runrig, as well as their primary songwriter with his younger brother, Calum MacDonald. Rory tends to write the melody, and Calum the lyrics. Since former lead singer Donnie Munro left the band in 1997, Rory has taken lead vocal duties on songs in the band's catalogue written in the Scots Gaelic language, as the band's new lead singer, Bruce Guthro, is not a Gaelic speaker.

In the mid to the late sixties, Rory was a part of a band called The Skyvers.

Rory previously attended the Glasgow School of Art and had a promising career as a graphic designer until Runrig went 'professional'. Later putting these skills into practise, he designed the sleeve notes for Runrig's Recovery and Heartland albums.

[edit] Early life
Rory MacDonald was born in Dornoch, Sutherland. His father, Donald John MacDonald of Scalpay, was a WWII veteran. The family moved to North Uist, when Rory was about four years old. On arrival in Lochmaddy, his younger brother Calum was born.

During the Second World War, Rory's father, Donald, and his unit were ambushed in Normandy. He witnessed the death of his best friend, Sandy MacIntyre. After this, Donald used to visit Sandy's family. On one such occasion, when Rory was eight, he was taken along to Sandy's old home. There, Sandy's parents gave him his old accordion. Back home, he began practising, playing at school concerts. On this accordion he wrote his first ever tune: a Scottish dance march called Sandy MacIntyre. This experience partly inspired the 1985 song The Everlasting Gun, featured on the Heartland album, along with news of the Falklands War.

Crossword

A crossword is a word puzzle that normally takes the form of a square or rectangular grid of white and shaded squares. The goal is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases, by solving clues which lead to the answers. In languages which are written left-to-right, the answer words and phrases are placed in the grid from left to right and from top to bottom. The shaded squares are used to separate the words or phrases.

Squares in which answers begin are usually numbered. The clues are then referred to by these numbers and a direction, for example, "4-Across" or "20-Down". At the end of the clue the total number of letters is sometimes given, depending on the style of puzzle and country of publication. Some crosswords will also indicate the number of words in a given answer, should there be more than one.

Daniel Nava

High School and College baseball
He played baseball at St. Francis High School in Mountain View, California and received his Psychology degree from Santa Clara University. His freshman year in high school he was 4'8" and 70 pounds and by his senior year, his stature was 5'5" and 150 pounds. [1]

Daniel was offered an opportunity to walk-on to the Santa Clara University baseball team but failed to make to the team as a player and became the team manager.[2]

He left Santa Clara after two years because he could no longer afford the tuition.[2] He then enrolled in the College of San Mateo (junior college).[3] He gave the baseball team a shot only on the encouragement of an old friend he happened to run into at a gym.[2] While at the College of San Mateo, he became a Junior College All-American. Later Santa Clara wanted him back[4] and eventually offered him a full scholarship.[5]

He hit .395 with an on-base percentage of .494 in his lone season with the Broncos, both tops in the West Coast Conference, and earned first-team All-WCC honors. He stole 15 bases without being caught, and he had more walks (31) than strikeouts (29).[2]

[edit] Minor League Professional baseball career
When Daniel Nava graduated, he went undrafted and signed with the Golden Baseball League team; Chico Outlaws. But even the Outlaws cut him after a tryout but brought him back a year later to fill a void.[2] In 2007 Nava hit 12 home runs for the Outlaws, with a.371 batting average and a 1.100 OPS.[6] Nava was named the number one independent league prospect by Baseball America in 2007.[6] Red Sox's assistant director of pro scouting, Jared Porter, recommended the Sox sign Nava from the Chico Outlaws in 2007.[7] The Red Sox paid the Outlaws $1 for the rights to Nava, with an agreement that the Outlaws would recieve an additional $1,499 if the Red Sox kept Nava after spring training.[8]

In 2008, he played low Single-A Lancaster. He hit .341 with 10 home runs and 59 RBI in 85 games. His On-base plus slugging percentage was .948.[9] In 2009, he hit .339 at high Single-A Salem before being called up to Double-A Portland where he batted .364 with four home runs and an exceptional 25-to-12 walk-to-strikeout ratio. His OPS was .991.[10]

In 2010, Daniel Nava spent two months in AAA.[11] At that time he was quoted as saying "I know I have the talent and the ability, and I can keep playing at the next level," he said. "If I didn't think I could, I would have been like, ‘You know what? There’s no point.’ … I definitely thought I could perform and perform well. That’s why I kept on going. Quitting’s just not much of an option for me."[2]

[edit] Major League Professional baseball career
Nava made his Major League Baseball debut with the Boston Red Sox on June 12, 2010 at Fenway Park as the starting left fielder against the Philadelphia Phillies. He was called up to help with the team's outfield situation, with two on the disabled list and one being sent down for more playing time. On the first pitch he saw, Nava hit a grand slam off Phillies pitcher Joe Blanton into the Red Sox bullpen. Nava is only the fourth player to have hit a grand slam in his first at-bat, following Bill Duggleby in 1898, Jeremy Hermida in 2005, and Kevin Kouzmanoff in 2006. Nava is only the second player, after Kouzmanoff, to do so against the first pitch of his Major League career.[12] He is the tenth player in Red Sox history to hit a home run in his first plate appearance with the club; the first since Darnell McDonald did so on April 20, 2010 against the Texas Rangers.[3] Creighton Gubanich is the only other player in Red Sox history to hit a grand slam for his first big league hit however, it was not in Gubanich's first at-bat. Bill LeFebvre is the only other player in Red Sox history to hit a home run on the first pitch thrown to him in the big leagues, doing so June 10, 1938.

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (DDD, The Triple D[1]) is an American food television series that premiered in April 2007 on the Food Network. Produced by Page Productions, the program stars and is hosted by Guy Fieri. The show originally began as a one-off special, based on the idea proposed by David Page.[2]

When Food Network launched its HD simulcast of its SD channel on March 31, 2008, later episodes of the series began to be presented in high definition, although it never aired on the former Food Network HD channel.

The show features a "road trip" concept, similar to Road Tasted, Giada's Weekend Getaways and $40 a Day. Fieri travels around the United States looking for the best drive-in restaurants, diners and dive bars.

[edit] Episodes
Each episode generally has a unifying theme (such as burgers or comfort food) with Fieri visiting multiple restaurants to sample the food that corresponds to this theme. The program focuses on small independent eateries featuring traditional American-style cuisine (such as barbecue, smoked meat, hamburgers, deep fried food, steak, and bacon-and-egg breakfast), regional styles, or ethnic specialties. Most often, the restaurants that the show chooses use fresh ingredients, home-style recipes, and gourmet culinary approaches to what is usually considered non-gourmet food.

Using his trademark good humor and playful banter, Fieri interacts with both the customers, to get their opinion on the food, and with the kitchen staff, who demonstrate how to prepare one or more of the dishes. Fieri's visual trademarks include his spiked and bleached hair, flip-flop shoes, red classic Chevrolet Camaro convertible car, and sunglasses (often worn on the back of his head while indoors).

Bethany

Bethany, in the Bible, was the name of a village near Jerusalem - see Bethany (Biblical village) - mentioned in the New Testament as the home of the siblings Mary, Martha, and Lazarus and, according to the Gospel of John, the site of a miracle in which Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. This village is commonly identified with the present-day West Bank city of al-Eizariya, located about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of Jerusalem on the south-eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. During the Crusades, al-Eizariya was still referred to as Bethany by Christians.

There a second biblical site of this name, Bethany beyond the Jordan, called Bethabara in the King James Version of the Bible. This locality on the Jordan River above the Dead Sea is described in the New Testament as the site where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.

Many places are named for the biblical village of Bethany. Bethany is also used as a female given name.

As a modern name, Bethany now means 'From the house of God's grace' and is a combination of Beth and Annie. It is of Aramaic origin.

Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) west of Amesbury and 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of earthworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones. It is at the centre of the most dense complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred burial mounds.[1]

Archaeologists had believed that the iconic stone monument was erected around 2500 BC, as described in the chronology below. One recent theory, however, has suggested that the first stones were not erected until 2400-2200 BC,[2] whilst another suggests that bluestones may have been erected at the site as early as 3000 BC (see phase 1 below). The surrounding circular earth bank and ditch, which constitute the earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about 3100 BC. The site and its surroundings were added to the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1986 in a co-listing with Avebury Henge monument. It is a national legally protected Scheduled Ancient Monument. Stonehenge is owned by the Crown and managed by English Heritage, while the surrounding land is owned by the National Trust.[3][4]

Archaeological evidence found by the Stonehenge Riverside Project in 2008 indicates that Stonehenge served as a burial ground from its earliest beginnings.[5] The dating of cremated remains found on the site indicate burials from as early as 3000 BC, when the initial ditch and bank were first dug. Burials continued at Stonehenge for at least another 500 years

Fethullah Gülen

M. Fethullah Gülen is a Turkish preacher, author, and educator living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania (USA).

Gülen teaches a moderate version of Sunni / Hanafi Islam, deriving from that of Said Nursi's teachings and modernizing them. Gülen condemns terrorism,[1] supports interfaith dialogue, and has initiated such dialogue with the Vatican and some Jewish organisations.[2]

In the Turkish context, however, Gülen appears relatively conservative and religiously observant. For example, he supports that women veil themselves,[3] and his female followers usually do wear headscarves

Osmosis Jones

Osmosis Jones (2001) is a live-action/animated film whose title character is Osmosis Jones, an anthropomorphic white blood cell. Unusual for this genre, the live action characters and cartoon characters never meet. The live action characters are people as they appear in the real world, and the animated characters are the cells and germs which live inside a man named Frank, whom the story concerns. It spawned a Saturday morning cartoon spinoff, Ozzy & Drix, which aired on Kids WB from 2002 to 2004, and featured Osmosis Jones and his friend

UFC 115

This was the fourth UFC event to be held in Canada, following UFC 83, UFC 97 and UFC 113 and the first UFC event held in British Columbia since they passed a bill to sanction MMA, on December 17, 2009.[2] For a few days, this event location was in jeopardy because there are still no regulations in place to promote the sport professionally within Vancouver[3] and Cincinnati was rumoured to be a possible location for moving this event.[4] However, the problems were resolved and Dana White confirmed that the show will be going ahead in Vancouver on the scheduled date.[5]

The main event was tentatively set to be a third bout featuring Ultimate Fighter coaches and former UFC Light Heayvweight Champions Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. In March, rumours began to circulate that Rich Franklin would replace Ortiz as Liddell's opponent, after Ortiz had supposedly withdrawn from the fight. However, Dana White denied this via his Twitter account on March 13th, 2010, noting that Liddell vs. Ortiz was still set to be the main event. Then, after the announcement, Ortiz had to withdraw from the match due neck surgery.

Despite confirming Liddell/Ortiz 3 would in fact be the main event for the card, the main event was confirmed on April 12 as Liddell vs. Franklin.[6]

The on-again, off-again rematch between Thiago Alves and Jon Fitch, first scheduled for UFC 107 then UFC 111 and then UFC 115 was moved again, to UFC 117[7].

The Ben Rothwell vs. Gilbert Yvel fight replaced Tyson Griffin vs. Evan Dunham on the main card. Griffin vs. Dunham was shown on the preliminaries aired on Spike TV.

Just like UFC 111 in March, UFC 115 was shown in Movie Theatres around the United States by NCM Fathom.

Frank Abagnale

Frank William Abagnale, Jr. (born April 27, 1948) is an American security consultant best known for his history as a former confidence trickster, check forger, skilled impostor and escape artist. He became notorious in the 1960s for successfully passing US$2.5 million worth of meticulously forged checks across 26 countries over the course of five years, starting when he was only 17 years old. In the process, he claimed to have assumed no fewer than eight separate identities, successfully impersonated an airline pilot, a doctor, a prison inspector and a lawyer. He escaped from police custody twice (once from a taxiing airliner and once from a US federal penitentiary), all before he was 21 years old.[1]

Abagnale's life story provided the inspiration for the feature film Catch Me If You Can, very loosely based on his ghostwritten autobiography of the same name. He is currently a consultant and lecturer at the academy and field offices for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He also runs Abagnale & Associates, a financial fraud consultancy company.

Amish Grace

Amish Grace is a television film that premiered on the Lifetime Movie Network on Palm Sunday, March 28, 2010. The movie is about the 2006 Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, Amish school shooting and the spirit of forgiveness the Amish community demonstrated in its aftermath.[1] The movie stars Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Tammy Blanchard, and Matt Letscher [2] and is based on the book Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy, Jossey-Bass, 2007, ISBN 0787997617, by Donald Kraybill, Steven Nolt, and David L. Weaver-Zercher.[3][4]

Amish Grace was executive-produced by Larry A. Thompson; written by Sylvie White and Teena Booth; and directed by Gregg Champion.

Gulen

Gulen (help·info) is a municipality in the southwestern part of Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Eivindvik.

The municipality of Gulen surrounds the Gulafjorden, which is considered to be the place where Norway's west-coastal Vikings met at the Gulating, a governing body. The area in Gulafjorden called Flolid (just east of the village of Eivindvik) is now a national historic place, where an open

Heightism

In business
Some jobs do require or at least favor tall people, including some manual labor jobs, most professional sports, and fashion modeling. U.S. military pilots have to be 64 to 77 inches (160 to 200 cm) tall with a sitting height of 34 to 40 inches (86 to 100 cm).[1] These exceptions noted, in the great majority of cases a person’s height would not seem to have an effect on how well they are able to perform their job. Nevertheless, studies have shown that short people are paid less than taller people, with disparities similar in magnitude to the race and gender gaps.[2][3]

A survey of Fortune 500 CEO height in 2005 revealed that they were on average 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) tall, which is approximately 2–3 inches (5.1–7.6 cm) taller than the average American man. 30% were 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) tall or more; in comparison only 3.9% of the overall United States population is of this height.[4] Similar surveys have uncovered that less than 3% of CEOs were below 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) or taller than 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) in height. Ninety percent of CEOs are of above average height.[5]

Others believe that height has a significant independent impact on economic success, pointing to specific instances of height-based discrimination.[6] Surveys of attitudes do reveal that people both perceive and treat people of shorter stature as inferior,[7] and that economic differentials exist which may be the result of height discrimination.[8] The relationship between height, cognitive ability, and discrimination based on height remains a subject of debate.

[edit] Intelligence
Main article: Height and intelligence
Certain epidemiological studies have shown that there is a slight, but statistically significant positive correlation between intelligence and height in human populations. However, intelligence is believed to be influenced by many different factors and a wide range of intelligence levels can be observed in individuals at any given height.

[edit] In politics
Taller candidates have the advantage in electoral politics, at least in the United States where statistics are available for study. Other countries may be different, such as Russia, where President Dmitry Medvedev is 5 ft 5.5 in (1.66 m) and former president Vladimir Putin is 5 ft 7.5 in (1.71 m). France's President Nicolas Sarkozy is 5 ft 6.5 in (1.69 m). Of the 43 U.S. Presidents, only five have been more than 1 inch (2.5 cm) below average height. Quantitative studies of U.S. Senators and Governors have shown that they are on average several inches taller than the U.S. population at large.[9] During the 2004 election, some anti-Bush artwork and political cartoons depicted him as much shorter than he actually stood[citation needed], favoring the taller Kerry.

Non-electoral politics are more difficult to study, as outcomes based on height are more difficult to quantify. Nevertheless, a number of powerful dictators have been below average height. Examples include Engelbert Dollfuss (4 ft 11 in or 1.50 m), Deng Xiaoping (5 ft 0 in or 1.52 m), Kim Jong Il (5 ft 3 in or 1.60 m), Nikita Khrushchev (5 ft 3 in or 1.60 m), Francisco Franco (5 ft 4 in or 1.63 m), Joseph Stalin (5 ft 5 in or 1.65 m) and Benito Mussolini (5 ft 6 in or 1.68 m). Contrary to popular impression[citation needed], Napoleon Bonaparte at 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) and Adolf Hitler at 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) were both within the average height range for their times and places.

In the United Kingdom, the influential Spitting Image satirical television series depicted David Steel as a midget. This was credited with undermining his political career.[10] When the French president Nicolas Sarkozy made a state visit to the UK in March 2008, the British press was uncommonly united in passing comment on the fact that he is a short man and in carrying a closeup photograph showing the sizeable heels on his shoes in contrast to the flat shoes of his taller wife, Carla Bruni.

[edit] Conflict
Heightism is cited as one of the underlying causes of the Rwandan Genocide, in which approximately one million people were killed. It is believed that one of the reasons that political power was conferred to the minority Tutsis by the exiting Belgians was because they were taller and therefore (in the eyes of the Belgians) considered superior and more suited to governance.[11]

[edit] Dating and marriage
Heightism is also a factor in dating preferences. For some people, height is the major factor in sexual attractiveness.

The greater reproductive success of taller men is attested to by studies indicating that taller men are more likely to be married and to have more children, except in societies with severe gender imbalances caused by war.[12][13] Quantitative studies of woman-for-men personal advertisements have shown strong preference for tall men, with a large percentage indicating that a man significantly below average height was unacceptable.[14]

Conversely, studies have shown that women of below average height are more likely to be married and have children than women of above average height. Some reasons which have been suggested for this situation include earlier fertility of shorter women, and that a shorter woman makes her mate feel taller in comparison and therefore more masculine.[15]

It is unclear and debated as to the extent to which such preferences are innate or are the function of a society in which height discrimination impacts on socio-economic status. Certainly, much is always made in newspapers and magazines of celebrity couples with a notable height difference, especially where a man is shorter than his wife (for example, Jamie Cullum, 5 inches (13 cm) shorter at 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) than Sophie Dahl, though the difference is often exaggerated).

Margarita

The margarita is a cocktail consisting of tequila mixed with triple sec and lime or lemon juice, often served with salt on the glass rim. It is the most common tequila-based cocktail in the United States.[1] The drink is usually served shaken with ice, on the rocks, blended with ice (frozen margarita) or without ice (straight up). All three methods are frequently served with salt or sugar on the rim of the glass which is optional.

Jeremy Roenick

Jeremy Shaffer[1] "J.R." Roenick (pronounced /ˈroʊnɨk/; born January 17, 1970) is a retired American professional ice hockey player who played the majority of his career in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks over the course of his 18 NHL season career and represented Team USA in numerous international tournaments. On November 10, 2007, he became the third American-born player (Joe Mullen and Mike Modano are the other two) to score 500 goals.

Jeff Koons

Jeff Koons (born January 21, 1955) is an American artist known for his giant reproductions of banal objects such as balloon animals produced in stainless steel with mirror finish surfaces, often brightly colored. Koons' work has sold for substantial sums including at least one world record auction price for a work by a living artist. Critics are sharply divided in their views of Koons. Some view his work as pioneering and of major art-historical importance. Others dismiss his work as kitsch: crass and based on cynical self-merchandising. Koons himself has stated that there are no hidden meanings in his works

Upright Citizens Brigade

The Upright Citizens Brigade is an improvisational comedy and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The most recent (and best known) incarnation consists of Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh. The original incarnation of the group consisted of Besser, Ali Farahnakian, Drew Franklin (a photocopy of Franklin wearing 3D glasses remained the UCB logo ever since), Adam McKay, Roberts, the late Rick Roman, and Horatio Sanz. Other early members included Neil Flynn, Armando Diaz, and Rich Fulcher.

The Upright Citizens Brigade began performing improv and sketch comedy at Kill the Poet in Chicago. Their first show was called Virtual Reality. The group followed with shows entitled UCBTV, Conference on the Future of Happiness, Thunderball, Bucket of Truth, Big Dirty Hands, The Real Real World, and Punch Your Friend in the Face.

In 1996, the Upright Citizens Brigade relocated to New York and began performing shows and offering improv training at Solo Arts Group. These shows and classes were so popular that the UCB were able to open their own theater, The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, at 161 W. 22nd Street in Chelsea on February 4, 1999, in a former nude dance club[1]. On April 1, 2003, they moved to a new space at 307 W. 26th Street. In July 2005, the UCB opened at the Tamarind Theatre in Los Angeles at 5919 Franklin Ave (between Tamarind & North Bronson Ave). The Upright Citizens Brigade have also been a featured performance in the Comedy Tent at the annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, TN for the past three years.

Anita Baker

The Songstress (1983)
Baker released her debut album, The Songstress, in 1983. Produced by the late Patrick Moten and Otis Smith, the album was released on a small label, Beverly Glen Records. The album helped launch Baker's career as it found minor success on the R&B chart. Baker herself co-wrote the album's opening track, "Angel".

[edit] Rapture (1985-1986)
In 1985, Baker signed a contract with Elektra Records, a division of Warner Music Group. She released her second album, Rapture, in 1986. Produced by her friend Michael J. Powell (from the Detroit soul band Chapter 8), Baker wrote several tracks for the album herself including "Been So Long" and "Watch Your Step", and co-wrote the single "Sweet Love" which became her first mainstream hit; it peaked at number eight on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, number two on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and number thirteen in the United Kingdom. "Caught Up in the Rapture", "No One in the World", and "Same Ole Love" also became major R&B and adult contemporary chart hits during 1986 and 1987. Rapture ultimately went on to sell eight million copies worldwide and earned Baker two Grammy Awards in 1987: Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female for the album and Best Rhythm & Blues Song for "Sweet Love". Baker's world tour for her Rapture album, entitled A Night of Rapture, was filmed and released on home video (and DVD in 2007).

In 1987, Baker collaborated with The Winans on the single "Ain't No Need to Worry", which led Baker to her third Grammy Award the following year, in the Best Soul Gospel Performance by a Duo or Group, Choir or Chorus category.

[edit] Giving You the Best That I Got (1988)
Baker's third album, Giving You the Best That I Got, was released in October 1988. She again worked with Powell, and the album became a critical and commercial success, reaching number one on the Billboard 200 chart and selling five million copies worldwide (including three million in the U.S. alone). It featured such hits as "Just Because" and the title track, which became Baker's biggest pop hit, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 while topping both the R&B and adult contemporary charts.[1]

[edit] Compositions (1990)
Baker returned to the studio in 1990 for her fourth album (her third for Elektra), entitled Compositions. Once again produced by Powell, this time Baker became more involved in the songwriting and production process and began to experiment with jazz influences. Baker wrote or co-wrote seven of the nine songs on the album, including the hits "Talk to Me", "Fairy Tales", "No One to Blame", and "Whatever It Takes" (written with Gerald Levert). The album was mostly cut "live", in that the rhythm section was playing as Baker sang. The album included musicians Greg Phillinganes, Nathan East, Paulinho da Costa, Vernon Fails, Ricky Lawson, and Stephen Ferrone.

Though the three singles from Compositions all failed to reach the top forty of the Billboard Hot 100 ("Talk to Me" came closest at number forty-four), they still became top twenty hits on the R&B chart and were also moderate adult contemporary hits. Compositions peaked at number five on the Billboard 200, number three on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and number four on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album also earned Baker her seventh Grammy Award.

Following Compositions, Elektra Records secured the rights to Baker's debut album The Songstress from 1983, and re-released it with a new cover artwork in 1991.

After almost five years of touring, performing, and recording non-stop, Baker took a break, only entering the studio to record the jazz standard "Witchcraft" with Frank Sinatra for his 1993 Duets album.

[edit] Rhythm of Love (1994)
Baker's fifth album, Rhythm of Love, was issued in September 1994. After ending her successful partnership with Powell, Baker produced most of the album herself along with many famous producers such as George Duke, Arif Mardin, Barry J. Eastmond, and Tommy LiPuma. Rhythm of Love was mainly recorded at Baker's home due to her pregnancy at the time, and she wrote five of the album's twelve songs. The album was another commercial success, peaking at number three on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and eventually being certified double platinum by the RIAA. The first single, "Body and Soul", became Baker's first U.S. top forty hit in over five years. Baker won the award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for the single "I Apologize" at the 1996 Grammy Awards, her fifth Grammy Award in this category and her eighth overall.

[edit] Recent career
In June 2002, Rhino Records released The Best of Anita Baker (known as Sweet Love: The Very Best of Anita Baker in the UK, with a slightly different track listing), a compilation of Baker's material from 1983–2002.

Two years later, in March 2004, Blue Note Records announced that they had signed Baker to an exclusive recording contract that would result in at least two albums. Bruce Lundvall, president and CEO of EMI Jazz & Classics, signed her after she approached him to record for Blue Note. At the same time Rhino Records released A Night of Rapture: Live, a compilation that contained nine live tracks and three multimedia videos recorded in the late 1980s.

In September 2004, a decade after her last studio album, Baker released a new album, entitled My Everything. Co-produced by Barry J. Eastmond and Baker herself, she wrote or co-wrote nine of this album's ten tracks, including a duet with Babyface, "Like You Used to Do". Though she had been out of the limelight for some considerable time, the album was a success and debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The album was certified gold by the RIAA, denoting sales in excess of 500,000 units in the U.S.

In October 2005, Baker released her first Christmas album, Christmas Fantasy. Again produced by Baker and Eastmond, the album mixed traditional Christmas carols ("God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen"), standards ("I'll Be Home for Christmas"), re-imagined classics ("Frosty's Rag"), Broadway show tunes ("My Favorite Things"), and three new songs by Baker and Eastmond ("Moonlight Sleighride", "Family of Man", and "Christmas Fantasy"). She received a Grammy Award nomination in 2007 for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for the song "Christmas Time Is Here".

In 2007, Baker appeared on Dave Koz's album At the Movies. She sang "Somewhere" from the broadway musical West Side Story.

Baker embarked on a concert tour in 2008, entitled An Evening with Anita Baker. Her performance at DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan, on July 12, 2008, was recorded and Baker has announced plans to release a new DVD and/or CD live album in early 2009.

On September 19, 2008 BusyBoy Productions[2] filmed her entire An Evening with Anita Baker concert at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minnesota, for Baker's up-and-coming DVD and B-roll footage for promotional purposes.

On April 25, 2010 Anita performed at the New Orleans Annual Jazz Fest 2010 at the Congo Square Stage.