1.
Vancouver Film School
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Vancouver Film School is a private entertainment arts school located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1987, it has achieved international recognition, the Vancouver Film School has campus locations around Downtown Vancouver and comprises six buildings. As part of the schools 20th anniversary in 2007, in August 2006 one million dollars was set aside in scholarships for new students, VFS opened in January 1987 with a single class of six film students and has steadily expanded since. The school also runs a four-month Acting Essentials course and a 6-month Digital Character Animation program, michael S. Baser, Head of Writing for Film & Television - writer/producer whose credits include Good Times, Threes Company, The Jeffersons, and Maude. Mark Busse, Instructor - Founder & Managing Director of Industrial Brand, Founder & Host of CreativeMornings in Vancouver, author of Design School Didnt Tell You. Stan Edmonds, Head of Makeup Design for Film & Television - Key Makeup Artist on The Butterfly Effect, Get Carter, and Scary Movie, marv Newland, Instructor - Animator of the 1969 short Bambi Meets Godzilla. Magda Apanowicz – actor known for her roles as Andy Jensen on the TV series Kyle XY, shakun Batra - Bollywood director of Kapoor & Sons and Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu. Neill Blomkamp - Oscar nominated screenwriter and director of District 9, anugrah Bohrey - writer of Best of Luck and Himmat Singh. Sara Canning - Series regular on the television series The Vampire Diaries as well as numerous film, jonathan Cherry - actor in House of the Dead, Final Destination 2, and many other television and film productions. Colin Cunningham - actor in television and film on both sides of the border, colin Davies - VFX Supervisor and partner and SPIN VFX in Toronto. David Gratton - Founder and CEO of digital agency Work At Play, Hanna Hall - She is most known for her roles in Forrest Gump, The Virgin Suicides and the 2007 remake of Halloween. Dave Klein - cinematographer, best known for work with Kevin Smith, neil Kopp - producer of Old Joy and director Gus Van Sants 2007 film Paranoid Park for which Kopp won a 2008 Independent Spirit Award. John G. Lenic – TV producer and production manager best known for his work on Stargate SG-1, Stargate, Atlantis, seth Lochhead - writer of Hanna. Alec McClymont - lead CGI artist and animator who shared a 2007 Primetime Emmy Award for Special Visual Effects - Series on Battlestar Galactica, niall Matter - actor, best known for Primeval, New World and Eureka. Chad Moffitt - Academy Award–winning animator on The Lord of the Rings Lon Molnar - co-founder, CEO, scott Mosier - film producer, editor, and cameo actor who produced the Academy Award nominated documentary Salim Baba. He met Kevin Smith and cinematographer Dave Klein at VFS, and since graduating, andrew Overtoom - Animation Director on SpongeBob SquarePants, for which he was nominated for Emmy Awards in 2004 and 2007. Emily Bett Rickards - Actress best known for her role as Felicity Smoak on Arrow, tara Spencer-Nairn - actor in Corner Gas. Jewel Staite - Canadian-born actress famous for her work on Joss Whedons Firefly, emilie Ullerup - actor in Sanctuary
2.
House of Lords
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The House of Lords of the United Kingdom, referred to ceremonially as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster, officially, the full name of the house is, The Right Honourable the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled. Unlike the elected House of Commons, all members of the House of Lords are appointed, the membership of the House of Lords is drawn from the peerage and is made up of Lords Spiritual and Lords Temporal. The Lords Spiritual are 26 bishops in the established Church of England, of the Lords Temporal, the majority are life peers who are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister, or on the advice of the House of Lords Appointments Commission. However, they include some hereditary peers including four dukes. Very few of these are female since most hereditary peerages can only be inherited by men, while the House of Commons has a defined 650-seat membership, the number of members in the House of Lords is not fixed. There are currently 805 sitting Lords, the House of Lords is the only upper house of any bicameral parliament to be larger than its respective lower house. The House of Lords scrutinises bills that have approved by the House of Commons. It regularly reviews and amends Bills from the Commons, while it is unable to prevent Bills passing into law, except in certain limited circumstances, it can delay Bills and force the Commons to reconsider their decisions. In this capacity, the House of Lords acts as a check on the House of Commons that is independent from the electoral process, Bills can be introduced into either the House of Lords or the House of Commons. Members of the Lords may also take on roles as government ministers, the House of Lords has its own support services, separate from the Commons, including the House of Lords Library. The Queens Speech is delivered in the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament, the House also has a Church of England role, in that Church Measures must be tabled within the House by the Lords Spiritual. This new parliament was, in effect, the continuation of the Parliament of England with the addition of 45 MPs and 16 Peers to represent Scotland, the Parliament of England developed from the Magnum Concilium, the Great Council that advised the King during medieval times. This royal council came to be composed of ecclesiastics, noblemen, the first English Parliament is often considered to be the Model Parliament, which included archbishops, bishops, abbots, earls, barons, and representatives of the shires and boroughs of it. The power of Parliament grew slowly, fluctuating as the strength of the monarchy grew or declined, for example, during much of the reign of Edward II, the nobility was supreme, the Crown weak, and the shire and borough representatives entirely powerless. In 1569, the authority of Parliament was for the first time recognised not simply by custom or royal charter, further developments occurred during the reign of Edward IIs successor, Edward III. It was during this Kings reign that Parliament clearly separated into two chambers, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The authority of Parliament continued to grow, and, during the fifteenth century
3.
Lords Temporal
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This article is about the secular members of the British House of Lords. For the fictional lords of time, see Time Lords, in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the Lords Temporal are secular members of the House of Lords. Before the enactment of the House of Lords Act 1999, all peers were members of the House of Lords, membership of the Lords is now limited to life peers and a number of elected hereditary peers. The Lords Temporal are all members of the Peerage, formerly, they were all hereditary peers. A similar arrangement was made in respect of the Kingdom of Ireland when that nation merged with Great Britain in January 1801 to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. However, when most of Ireland left the United Kingdom as the Irish Free State in December 1922, by the Peerage Act 1963, the election of Scottish representative peers also ended, and all Scottish peers were granted the right to sit in Parliament. Under the House of Lords Act 1999, only life peerages automatically entitle their holders to seats in the House of Lords. Of the hereditary peers, only 92 – the Earl Marshal, the Lord Great Chamberlain and 90 elected by other peers – retain their seats in the House
4.
Hereditary peer
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Hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. There are over eight hundred peers who hold titles that may be inherited. Formerly, most of them were entitled to sit in the House of Lords, Peers are called to the House of Lords with a writ of summons. A hereditary title is not necessarily a title of the peerage, for instance, baronets and baronetesses may pass on their titles, but they are not peers. Conversely, the holder of a title may belong to the peerage. Peerages may be created by means of letters patent, but the granting of new hereditary peerages has dwindled, with six having been created since 1965. The hereditary peerage, as it now exists, combines several different English institutions with analogous ones from Scotland and Ireland, English Earls are an Anglo-Saxon institution. Around 1014, England was divided into shires or counties, largely to defend against the Danes, each shire was led by a great man, called an earl. When the Normans conquered England, they continued to appoint earls, but not for all counties, Earldoms began as offices, with a perquisite of a share of the legal fees in the county, they gradually became honours, with a stipend of £20 a year. Like most feudal offices, earldoms were inherited, but the kings frequently asked earls to resign or exchange earldoms, William the Conqueror and Henry II did not make Dukes, they were themselves only Dukes of Normandy or Aquitaine. But when Edward III of England declared himself King of France, he made his sons Dukes, to them from other noblemen. Later Kings created Marquesses and Viscounts to make finer gradations of honour, which men were ordered to Council varied from Council to Council, a man might be so ordered once and never again, or all his life, but his son and heir might never go. Under Henry VI of England, in the 15th century, just before the Wars of the Roses, the first claim of hereditary right to a writ comes from this reign, so does the first patent, or charter declaring a man to be a Baron. The five orders began to be called Peers, holders of older peerages also began receive greater honour than Peers of the same rank just created. If a man held a peerage, his son would succeed to it, if he had no children, if he had a single daughter, his son-in-law would inherit the family lands, and usually the same Peerage, more complex cases were decided depending on circumstances. Customs changed with time, Earldoms were the first to be hereditary, after Henry II became the Lord of Ireland, he and his successors began to imitate the English system as it was in their time. A writ does not create a peerage in Ireland, all Irish peerages are by patent or charter, in the 18th century, Irish peerages became rewards for English politicians, limited only by the concern that they might go to Dublin and interfere with the Irish Government. Scotland evolved a system, differing in points of detail
5.
House of Lords Act 1999
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The House of Lords Act 1999 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. The Act reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament, for centuries, the House of Lords had included several hundred members who inherited their seats, the Act removed such a right. However, as part of a compromise, the Act did permit ninety-two hereditary peers to remain in the House on an interim basis, another ten were created life peers to enable them to remain in the House. The Act decreased the membership of the House from 1,330 in October 1999 to 669 in March 2000, as another result of the Act, the majority of the Lords were now life peers, whose numbers had been gradually increasing since the Life Peerages Act 1958. As of August 2012, there were 825 Peers, of whom 26 were senior Church of England bishops, prior to the 16th century, the Lords was the stronger of the two houses of Parliament. The rising wealth of the Commons eventually allowed it to two civil wars, dethrone two Kings, and gradually reduce the power of the Lords. Furthermore, the Commons has absolute power when it comes to money bills, the Labour Party had for years endorsed abolition of the unelected House of Lords in its election platforms, though since 1992 this had changed to a policy of reforming the House instead. In the first year of the Blair government, the Lords passed back Government bills 38 times, the rejection considered the most contentious was of the European Elections Bill, against which the Lords voted five times. Blair stated that the Conservatives were using the hereditary peers to frustrate, here Blair found an opportunity to implement one of Labours campaign promises, reforming the Lords. In it, she suggested that her Government would pursue a reform of the House of Lords and these remarks were followed by shouts of Hear. Hear. from supportive Labour Members of Parliament, and by similar shouts of Shame, Shame. from Conservative peers, such outbursts were unprecedented, for the Queens Speech is with few exceptions heard by a silent Parliament. The House of Lords Bill was expected to face a fight in the House of Lords. Several Lords threatened to disrupt the Governments other bills if they continued with the plan to abolish the right to sit in the House of Lords. The Earl of Onslow, for instance, said, Im happy to force a division on each, each division takes 20 minutes and there are more than 270 clauses. Lords had plenty of other means by which they could obstruct the Governments programme, Lord Randall put forward the idea of phasing out the hereditary peers by disqualifying their heirs. Baroness Jay reminded the House that under the Salisbury Convention they could not block the bill. In order to convince some peers to vote for reform, Tony Blair announced that he would compromise by allowing a number of peers to remain in the House of Lords on an interim basis. On 2 December 1998, the Conservative Leader of the Opposition, William Hague and he suggested that Blairs changes indicated his lack of principles, claiming that Blair wanted to turn the House of Lords into a House of Cronies
6.
New York City
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The City of New York, often called New York City or simply New York, is the most populous city in the United States. With an estimated 2015 population of 8,550,405 distributed over an area of about 302.6 square miles. Located at the tip of the state of New York. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy and has described as the cultural and financial capital of the world. Situated on one of the worlds largest natural harbors, New York City consists of five boroughs, the five boroughs – Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, and Staten Island – were consolidated into a single city in 1898. In 2013, the MSA produced a gross metropolitan product of nearly US$1.39 trillion, in 2012, the CSA generated a GMP of over US$1.55 trillion. NYCs MSA and CSA GDP are higher than all but 11 and 12 countries, New York City traces its origin to its 1624 founding in Lower Manhattan as a trading post by colonists of the Dutch Republic and was named New Amsterdam in 1626. The city and its surroundings came under English control in 1664 and were renamed New York after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, New York served as the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790. It has been the countrys largest city since 1790, the Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to the Americas by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is a symbol of the United States and its democracy. In the 21st century, New York has emerged as a node of creativity and entrepreneurship, social tolerance. Several sources have ranked New York the most photographed city in the world, the names of many of the citys bridges, tapered skyscrapers, and parks are known around the world. Manhattans real estate market is among the most expensive in the world, Manhattans Chinatown incorporates the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere, with multiple signature Chinatowns developing across the city. Providing continuous 24/7 service, the New York City Subway is one of the most extensive metro systems worldwide, with 472 stations in operation. Over 120 colleges and universities are located in New York City, including Columbia University, New York University, and Rockefeller University, during the Wisconsinan glaciation, the New York City region was situated at the edge of a large ice sheet over 1,000 feet in depth. The ice sheet scraped away large amounts of soil, leaving the bedrock that serves as the foundation for much of New York City today. Later on, movement of the ice sheet would contribute to the separation of what are now Long Island and Staten Island. The first documented visit by a European was in 1524 by Giovanni da Verrazzano, a Florentine explorer in the service of the French crown and he claimed the area for France and named it Nouvelle Angoulême. Heavy ice kept him from further exploration, and he returned to Spain in August and he proceeded to sail up what the Dutch would name the North River, named first by Hudson as the Mauritius after Maurice, Prince of Orange
7.
Jamie Lee Curtis
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Jamie Lee Curtis, Lady Haden-Guest is an American actress and author. She made her debut in 1978 by starring as Laurie Strode in John Carpenters Halloween. Curtis other notable films include Blue Steel and Freaky Friday, for which she received her third Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress - Musical or Comedy. For her role in the television series Anything But Love, Curtis received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy. Curtis received her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie for her performance in the television film, Curtis currently stars in the comedy horror series Scream Queens on FOX. Curtis is the daughter of the actress Janet Leigh and actor Tony Curtis and she is married to actor, screenwriter, and director Christopher Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest. Her 1998 book Today I Feel Silly, and Other Moods That Make My Day made the best-seller list in The New York Times and she has appeared in advertisements and is a blogger for The Huffington Post. Curtis was born in Santa Monica, California, to actor Tony Curtis and her paternal grandparents were Hungarian Jewish immigrants and two of her maternal great-grandparents were Danish. Curtiss parents divorced in 1962, after which her mother married Robert Brandt, Curtis has an older sister, Kelly Curtis, who is also an actress, and several half-siblings, Alexandra, Allegra, Benjamin, and Nicholas Curtis. Curtis attended Westlake School in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills High School, returning to California in 1976, she attended the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. She considered majoring in social work, but quit after one semester to pursue an acting career, curtiss film debut occurred in the 1978 horror film Halloween, in which she played the role of Laurie Strode. The film was a success and was considered the highest grossing independent film of its time. Curtis was subsequently cast in several films, garnering her the title. Her next film was the horror film The Fog, which was helmed by Halloween director John Carpenter, the film opened in February 1980 to mixed reviews but strong box office, starting Curtis as a horror film starlet. Her next film, Prom Night, was a low-budget Canadian slasher film released in July 1980 and that year, Curtis also starred in Terror Train, which opened in October and was met with negative reviews akin to Prom Night. Both films performed well at the box office. Curtis had a function in both films - the main character whose friends are murdered, and is practically the only protagonist to survive. Curtis later appeared in Halloween II, Halloween H20,20 Years Later and Halloween, Resurrection, as well as giving a voice role in Halloween III
8.
Santa Monica, California
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Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. The Census Bureau population for Santa Monica in 2010 was 89,736, due in part to an agreeable climate, Santa Monica became a famed resort town by the early 20th century. The city has experienced a boom since the late 1980s through the revitalization of its core, significant job growth. The Santa Monica Pier remains a popular and iconic destination, Santa Monica was long inhabited by the Tongva people. Santa Monica was called Kecheek in the Tongva language, the first non-indigenous group to set foot in the area was the party of explorer Gaspar de Portolà, who camped near the present-day intersection of Barrington and Ohio Avenues on August 3,1769. Named after the Christian saint Monica, there are two different accounts of how the name came to be. One says it was named in honor of the feast day of Saint Monica, another version says it was named by Juan Crespí on account of a pair of springs, the Kuruvungna Springs, that were reminiscent of the tears Saint Monica shed over her sons early impiety. In Los Angeles, several battles were fought by the Californios, following the Mexican–American War, Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which gave Mexicans and Californios living in state certain unalienable rights. US government sovereignty in California began on February 2,1848, in the 1870s the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad, connected Santa Monica with Los Angeles, and a wharf out into the bay. The first town hall was a modest 1873 brick building, later a beer hall and it is Santa Monicas oldest extant structure. By 1885, the towns first hotel was the Santa Monica Hotel, around the start of the 20th century, a growing population of Asian Americans lived in and around Santa Monica and Venice. A Japanese fishing village was near the Long Wharf while small numbers of Chinese lived or worked in Santa Monica, the two ethnic minorities were often viewed differently by White Americans who were often well-disposed towards the Japanese but condescending towards the Chinese. The Japanese village fishermen were an economic part of the Santa Monica Bay community. Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. built a plant in 1922 at Clover Field for the Douglas Aircraft Company, in 1924, four Douglas-built planes took off from Clover Field to attempt the first aerial circumnavigation of the world. Two planes returned after covering 27,553 miles in 175 days, the Douglas Company kept facilities in the city until the 1960s. The Great Depression hit Santa Monica deeply, one report gives citywide employment in 1933 of just 1,000. Hotels and office building owners went bankrupt, in the 1930s, corruption infected Santa Monica. The federal Works Project Administration helped build several buildings, most notably City Hall, the main Post Office and Barnum Hall were also among other WPA projects
9.
Alma mater
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Alma mater is an allegorical Latin phrase for a university or college. In modern usage, it is a school or university which an individual has attended, the phrase is variously translated as nourishing mother, nursing mother, or fostering mother, suggesting that a school provides intellectual nourishment to its students. Before its modern usage, Alma mater was a title in Latin for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele. The source of its current use is the motto, Alma Mater Studiorum, of the oldest university in continuous operation in the Western world and it is related to the term alumnus, denoting a university graduate, which literally means a nursling or one who is nourished. The phrase can also denote a song or hymn associated with a school, although alma was a common epithet for Ceres, Cybele, Venus, and other mother goddesses, it was not frequently used in conjunction with mater in classical Latin. Alma Redemptoris Mater is a well-known 11th century antiphon devoted to Mary, the earliest documented English use of the term to refer to a university is in 1600, when University of Cambridge printer John Legate began using an emblem for the universitys press. In English etymological reference works, the first university-related usage is often cited in 1710, many historic European universities have adopted Alma Mater as part of the Latin translation of their official name. The University of Bologna Latin name, Alma Mater Studiorum, refers to its status as the oldest continuously operating university in the world. At least one, the Alma Mater Europaea in Salzburg, Austria, the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, has been called the Alma Mater of the Nation because of its ties to the founding of the United States. At Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, the ancient Roman world had many statues of the Alma Mater, some still extant. Modern sculptures are found in prominent locations on several American university campuses, outside the United States, there is an Alma Mater sculpture on the steps of the monumental entrance to the Universidad de La Habana, in Havana, Cuba. Media related to Alma mater at Wikimedia Commons The dictionary definition of alma mater at Wiktionary Alma Mater Europaea website
10.
New York University
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New York University is a private nonprofit research university based in New York City. Founded in 1831, NYU is considered one of the worlds most influential research universities, University rankings compiled by Times Higher Education, U. S. News & World Report, and the Academic Ranking of World Universities all rank NYU amongst the top 32 universities in the world. NYU is a part of the creativity, energy and vibrancy that is Manhattan, located with its core in Greenwich Village. Among its faculty and alumni are 37 Nobel Laureates, over 30 Pulitzer Prize winners, over 30 Academy Award winners, alumni include heads of state, royalty, eminent mathematicians, inventors, media figures, Olympic medalists, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, and astronauts. NYU alumni are among the wealthiest in the world, according to The Princeton Review, NYU is consistently considered by students and parents as a Top Dream College. Albert Gallatin, Secretary of Treasury under Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, declared his intention to establish in this immense, a system of rational and practical education fitting and graciously opened to all. A three-day-long literary and scientific convention held in City Hall in 1830 and these New Yorkers believed the city needed a university designed for young men who would be admitted based upon merit rather than birthright or social class. On April 18,1831, an institution was established, with the support of a group of prominent New York City residents from the merchants, bankers. Albert Gallatin was elected as the institutions first president, the university has been popularly known as New York University since its inception and was officially renamed New York University in 1896. In 1832, NYU held its first classes in rented rooms of four-story Clinton Hall, in 1835, the School of Law, NYUs first professional school, was established. American Chemical Society was founded in 1876 at NYU and it became one of the nations largest universities, with an enrollment of 9,300 in 1917. NYU had its Washington Square campus since its founding, the university purchased a campus at University Heights in the Bronx because of overcrowding on the old campus. NYU also had a desire to follow New York Citys development further uptown, NYUs move to the Bronx occurred in 1894, spearheaded by the efforts of Chancellor Henry Mitchell MacCracken. The University Heights campus was far more spacious than its predecessor was, as a result, most of the universitys operations along with the undergraduate College of Arts and Science and School of Engineering were housed there. NYUs administrative operations were moved to the new campus, but the schools of the university remained at Washington Square. In 1914, Washington Square College was founded as the undergraduate college of NYU. In 1935, NYU opened the Nassau College-Hofstra Memorial of New York University at Hempstead and this extension would later become a fully independent Hofstra University. In 1950, NYU was elected to the Association of American Universities, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, financial crisis gripped the New York City government and the troubles spread to the citys institutions, including NYU
11.
Cinema of the United States
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The cinema of the United States, often metonymously referred to as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. The dominant style of American cinema is Classical Hollywood Cinema, which developed from 1917-1960, while the French Lumière Brothers are generally credited with the birth of modern cinema, it is American cinema that soon became the most dominant force in an emerging industry. Since the 1920s, the American film industry has grossed more money every year than that of any other country, in 1878, Eadweard Muybridge demonstrated the power of photography to capture motion. In 1894, the worlds first commercial motion picture exhibition was given in New York City, the United States was in the forefront of sound film development in the following decades. Since the early 20th century, the U. S. film industry has largely been based in and around Hollywood, Los Angeles, director D. W. Griffith was central to the development of film grammar. Orson Welless Citizen Kane is frequently cited in critics polls as the greatest film of all time. T, the Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park, Titanic, Avatar, The Avengers, Furious 7, Jurassic World, and Star Wars, The Force Awakens. Today, American film studios collectively generate several hundred movies every year, muybridges accomplishment led inventors everywhere to attempt to make similar devices that would capture such motion. In the United States, Thomas Edison was among the first to produce such a device, the history of cinema in the United States can trace its roots to the East Coast where, at one time, Fort Lee, New Jersey was the motion picture capital of America. The industry got its start at the end of the 19th century with the construction of Thomas Edisons Black Maria, in 1909, a forerunner of Universal Studios, the Champion Film Company, built the first studio. They were quickly followed by others who either built new studios or who leased facilities in Fort Lee, such notables as Mary Pickford got their start at Biograph Studios. In New York, the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, was built during the silent film era, was used by the Marx Brothers, the Edison Studios were located in the Bronx. Chelsea, Manhattan was also frequently used, other major centers of film production also included Chicago, Florida, Texas, California, and Cuba. The film patents wars of the early 20th century led to the spread of film companies across the U. S and they started filming on a vacant lot near Georgia Street in downtown Los Angeles. While there, the decided to explore new territories, traveling several miles north to Hollywood. Griffith then filmed the first movie shot in Hollywood, In Old California, a Biograph melodrama about California in the 19th century. Griffith stayed there for months and made several films before returning to New York, after hearing about Griffiths success in Hollywood, in 1913, many movie-makers headed west to avoid the fees imposed by Thomas Edison, who owned patents on the movie-making process. Nestor Studios of Bayonne, New Jersey, built the first studio in Hollywood in 1911, Californias more hospitable and cost-effective climate led to the eventual shift of virtually all filmmaking to the West Coast by the 1930s. In Los Angeles, the studios and Hollywood grew, before World War I, movies were made in several U. S. cities, but filmmakers gravitated to southern California as the industry developed
12.
Mockumentary
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A mockumentary or docucomedy is a type of movie or television show depicting fictional events but presented as a documentary. These productions are used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictional setting. While not always comedic, comedic mockumentaries are common, a dramatic mockumentary should not be confused with docudrama, a fictional genre in which dramatic techniques are combined with documentary elements to depict real events. Mockumentaries are often presented as documentaries, with B roll and talking heads discussing past events. Examples emerged during the 1950s when archival film footage became relatively easy to locate, a very early example was a short piece on the Swiss Spaghetti Harvest that appeared as an April fools joke on the British television program Panorama in 1957. The term mockumentary, which originated in the 1960s, was popularized in the mid-1980s when This Is Spinal Tap director Rob Reiner used it in interviews to describe that film. Mockumentaries are often partly or wholly improvised, as a style of acting helps to maintain the pretense of reality. Comedic mockumentaries rarely have laugh tracks, also to sustain the atmosphere, albert Brooks was also an early popularizer of the mockumentary style with his film Real Life,1979, a spoof of a PBS documentary. Woody Allens Take the Money and Run is presented in documentary-style with Allen playing a criminal, Virgil Starkwell. Jackson Beck, who used to narrate documentaries in the 1940s, fictional interviews are interspliced throughout, especially those of Starkwells parents who wear Groucho Marx noses and mustaches. The style of film was widely appropriated by others and revisited by Allen himself in films such as Zelig and Sweet. Since the beginning of the 1980s, the format has enjoyed considerable attention. In 1984, Christopher Guest co-wrote and starred in the mockumentary This is Spinal Tap, directed by Rob Reiner, films such as Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind, all written with costar Eugene Levy, were critical successes. Man Bites Dog is a 1992 Belgian black comedy crime mockumentary written, produced, and directed by Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, in 1995, directed by Peter Jackson and Costa Botes, Forgotten Silver claimed New Zealand director Colin McKenzie to be a pioneer in filmmaking. When the film was revealed to be a mockumentary, Jackson received criticism for tricking viewers. In 1999, Drop Dead Gorgeous by Michael Patrick Jann used the style to narrate a fictional small-town beauty pageant as a way to satirize Middle America. Dark Side of the Moon is a 2002 French mockumentary by director William Karel, the premise for the film is the theory that the television footage from the Apollo 11 Moon landing was faked and actually recorded in a studio by the CIA with help from director Stanley Kubrick. FUBAR is a 2002 Canadian mockumentary film, directed by Michael Dowse, the Confederate States of America is a 2004 mockumentary presenting an alternative history in which the Confederacy won the American Civil War
13.
This Is Spinal Tap
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This Is Spinal Tap is a 1984 American rock music mockumentary comedy film written, scored by, and starring Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer. The film portrays the fictional British heavy metal band Spinal Tap, Reiner and the three main actors are credited as the writers of the movie because they ad libbed much of the dialogue. Several dozen hours of footage were filmed before Reiner edited it to the released movie, the three main members of Spinal Tap—David St. Hubbins, Derek Smalls and Nigel Tufnel—are played by actors McKean, Shearer, and Guest, respectively. The three actors play their instruments and speak with mock English accents throughout the movie. Reiner appears as Marty Di Bergi, the maker of the documentary, other actors in the movie are Tony Hendra as group manager Ian Faith, and June Chadwick as St. Hubbins interfering girlfriend Jeanine. In 2002, This Is Spinal Tap was deemed culturally, historically and this is Spinal Tap is presented as a serious rock documentary, purportedly filmed and directed by the fictional Marty Di Bergi. The band was started by friends, David St. Hubbins and Nigel Tufnel. They changed their name again to Spinal Tap and enjoyed limited success with the flower power anthem Listen to the Flower People, ultimately, the band became successful with heavy metal and produced several albums. Di Bergis interviews with St. Hubbins and Tufnel reveal that they are competent composers and musicians, Tufnel can only reply, These go to eleven. Tufnel later plays a somber quasi-classical music composition on piano for Di Bergi, claiming it to be a Mach piece, as the tour starts, concert appearances are repeatedly canceled because of low ticket sales. Tensions continue to increase when several major retailers refuse to sell Smell the Glove because of its sexist cover art, the bands distributor, Polymer Records, opts to release Smell the Glove with an entirely black cover without consulting the band. The album fails to draw crowds to autograph sessions with the band, however, Tufnel, rushing a sketch on a napkin, mislabels its dimensions, using a double prime symbol instead of single prime. The resulting prop, seen for the first time by the group during a show, is only 18 inches high, the group accuses Faith of mismanagement, and when St. Hubbins suggests Jeanine should co-manage the group, Faith quits in disgust. The tour continues, rescheduled into smaller and smaller venues, Tufnel becomes marginalized by Jeanine and St. Hubbins. At their next gig Tufnel is upset by an equipment malfunction, in their next gig, in an amphitheater at an amusement park in Stockton, California, they find that Nigels absence severely limits their repertoire. They are forced to improvise a fusion-esque, experimental song entitled Jazz Odyssey and he then tells St. Hubbins that Faith would like to arrange a new tour in that country. St. Hubbins is initially cool to the idea, but later on during their show, St. Hubbins convinces Tufnel to join them on stage and this Is Spinal Tap was only a modest success upon its initial release. However, the film found success, and a cult following
14.
Rob Reiner
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Robert Rob Reiner is an American actor, writer, director, producer, and activist. As an actor, Reiner first came to prominence with the role of Michael Stivic on All in the Family. That role earned him two Emmy Awards during the 1970s and he also directed the psychological horror-thriller Misery, the romantic comedy fantasy adventure The Princess Bride and the heavy metal mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap. Reiner was born to a Jewish family in the Bronx, New York, and is the son of Estelle Reiner, an actress, and Carl Reiner, a renowned comedian, actor, writer, producer and director. As a child, Reiner lived at 48 Bonnie Meadow Road in New Rochelle, New York and he studied at the UCLA Film School. In the late 1960s, Reiner acted in bit roles in television shows including Batman, The Andy Griffith Show, Room 222, Gomer Pyle, U. S. M. C. He began his writing for the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1968 and 1969. The characters nickname became closely associated with him, even after he had left the role, Reiner has stated, I could win the Nobel Prize and theyd write Meathead wins the Nobel Prize. For his performance, Reiner won two Emmy Awards in addition to three other nominations and five Golden Globe nominations, after an extended absence, Reiner has recently returned to television acting with a recurring role on New Girl. In 1972, Reiner, Phil Mishkin, and Gerry Isenberg created the situation comedy The Super for ABC. Starring Richard S. Castellano, the show depicted the life of the harried Italian American superintendent of a New York City apartment building, Reiner and Mishkin co-wrote the premiere episode. Beginning in the 1980s, Reiner became known as a director of several successful Hollywood films that many different genres. Several of these film remains popular with fans and critics. He often collaborates with film editor Robert Leighton, whom he shares with fellow director-actor Christopher Guest as their go-to editor. Reiner has gone on to other critically and commercially successful films with his own company. These include several iconic films such as the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally, subsequent films directed by Reiner include the political romance The American President, the courtroom drama Ghosts of Mississippi, and the uplifting comedy The Bucket List. He has also parodied himself with cameos in such as Dickie Roberts. Reiner has devoted time and energy to liberal activism in recent years
15.
Waiting for Guffman
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Waiting for Guffman is a 1997 American mockumentary comedy film co-written and directed by Christopher Guest. The films cast includes Catherine OHara, Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, the title of the film is a reference to Samuel Becketts play Waiting for Godot. As in the other created by Guest, the majority of the dialogue is improvised. Because the film is about the production of a stage musical, in the fictional small town of Blaine, Missouri, a handful of utterly delusional residents prepare to put on a community theater production led by eccentric director Corky St. Clair. The show, a musical chronicling the towns history titled Red, White, alan Pearl, a tragically square dentist determined to discover his inner entertainer. High school teacher Lloyd Miller is the shows increasingly frustrated musical director, Corky has used connections from his Off-Off-Off-Off-Broadway past to invite Mort Guffman, a Broadway producer, to critique Red, White and Blaine. Corky leads the cast to believe that a review from Guffman could mean their show might go all the way to Broadway. The program itself is designed to retell the history of Blaine. We also learn why the town refers to itself as the stool capital of the United States. The music is a series of performed songs such as Nothing Ever Happens on Mars a reference to the towns supposed visit by a UFO. Central to the film are Corkys stereotypically gay mannerisms and he supposedly has a wife called Bonnie, whom no one in Blaine has ever met or seen. He uses her to explain his habit of shopping for womens clothing, Corky never sheds his dainty demeanor, bowl haircut, lisp, or earring in spite of his historical roles, and his face is pasted with an overkill of stage rouge and eyeliner. But the distraught cast and persuasive city fathers convince Corky to return, at the shows performance, Guffmans seat is seen to be empty, much to the dismay of the cast. Corky reassures them that Broadway producers always arrive a bit late for the show, the show is well received by the audience, whereupon Corky invites the assumed Guffman backstage to talk to the actors. The man is actually Roy Loomis, who came to Blaine to witness the birth of his nieces baby, but he did enjoy the show. Corky then reads a telegram stating that Guffmans plane was grounded by snowstorms in New York City, meaning that, like the Godot being spoofed, an epilogue shows the fates of the cast, Libby Mae has returned to Dairy Queen. Christopher Guest as Corky St. Clair Eugene Levy as Dr. 8/10, the sites critical consensus reads, This riotously deadpan mockumentary about aspiring community theater performers never stoops to ridicule oft-ridiculous characters. The film also received a score of 71 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 19 critics, during opening weekend in 1997, the film made $37,990
16.
Best in Show (film)
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Best in Show is a 2000 American mockumentary comedy film co-written and directed by Christopher Guest. There are also depictions of the characters six months after the show is over. Among the comedic aspects of the film are similarities between the personalities and characteristics of the owners and those of their dogs, much of the dialogue was improvised. Many of the actors were also involved in Guests other films, including This Is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration. Best in Show is presented as a documentary of five dogs and their owners destined to show in the Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show, throughout the film, they encounter men Cookie has slept with during her youth. At the show, the Swans believe that Beatrice will become unnerved without her favorite toy, the Busy Bee, Harlan Pepper and his Bloodhound Hubert - Harlan is the owner of a fishing goods store, and prides himself on being able to name nuts. Peppers family has raised a variety of hounds for generations, Sherri Ann and Leslie Ward Cabot with their Standard Poodle Rhapsody in White - A two-time past winner of the show. Sherri Ann is a wife to the elderly Leslie, her sugar daddy. They are assisted by trainer Christy Cummings who makes sure the dog is ready for the show, while Sherri Ann fixates on giving Christy a makeover. Over the course of the film, Sherri Ann and Leslies sham marriage and Sherri Ann, Scott Donlan and Stefan Vanderhoof and their Shih Tzu Miss Agnes - A campy gay couple, they take great pride in their dog, and are confident that she will win the competition. They have a love of old movies, and enjoy making fun of Christy Cummings, in fact, when Winky wins Best in Show, Scott is the first to walk up and congratulate Gerry. The owners and their dogs all arrive in time for the show, which is hosted by dog expert Trevor Beckwith, during the first round, Beatrice is disqualified when Hamilton cannot control her, but the other four dogs advance to the final round. Just before the finals, Cookie dislocates her knee and insists that Gerry take over for her, though the audience is initially awed by seeing Gerrys two left feet, ultimately Winky takes Best in Show. Afterwards, the film explores what each character is doing after the competition, Gerry and Cookie return home to Florida and are overcome with attention after the victory. They go on to record, in bad style, songs about terriers. Sherri Ann and Christy have entered into a partnership and publish a magazine for owners of purebred dogs. Harlan fulfills his dreams and becomes a ventriloquist, entertaining crowds with a honky tonk song. The closing shot is of the Pug attempting to have sex with the therapists leg, the starring dogs listed here are denoted by their registered names
17.
A Mighty Wind
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A Mighty Wind is a 2003 American mockumentary comedy film about a folk music reunion concert in which three folk bands reunite for a television performance for the first time in decades. The film was directed, co-written and composed by Christopher Guest, the film is widely acknowledged to reference the 2003 tribute concert to folk music producer Harold Leventhal that reunited several of the folk groups that Leventhal had managed. More broadly, the film is a parody of the American folk music revival of the early 1960s, Guest co-stars and reunites many of his company of actors from This Is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, and Best in Show for this film. They include Eugene Levy, Catherine OHara, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Fred Willard, Bob Balaban, Ed Begley, Jr. Jennifer Coolidge, John Michael Higgins, Jane Lynch and Parker Posey. Several characters in the film originated in a written by Guest for Saturday Night Live in 1984. Shearer, Guest, and McKean appeared as The Folksmen on Saturday Night Live, in the movie This is Spinal Tap, and occasionally on concert stages. J. A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow, which was composed for the film by McKean, the film is structured as mockumentary about a memorial concert for folk music producer Irving Steinbloom. Upon his death, his children organize a concert, which hope to feature his three most famous acts, The Folksmen, The New Main Street Singers, and Mitch & Mickey. The Folksmen trio — Mark Shubb, Alan Barrows, and Jerry Palter — were once the most popular of the acts but have not appeared together in decades and they had several minor hits, and their most famous song was Old Joes Place. Despite not playing or seeing each other for years, their reunion is a very positive affair as the Folksmen give each other big hugs and are happy to see one another. The New Main Street Singers are the generation of the original Main Street Singers, formed by George Menschell. Menschell sings and holds a guitar he cannot play, performers include Terry Bohner and his wife Laurie Bohner. Laurie, an adult film star, and her husband are founders of Witches in Natures Colors. Another member is Sissy Knox, a juvenile delinquent and daughter of one of the original Main Street Singers. They are managed by Mike LaFontaine, whose fifteen minutes of fame came by way of a failed 1970s sitcom, the show lasted for less than one season and has largely been forgotten, but LaFontaine is constantly quoting the titular tagline to the puzzlement of others. The group, which is entirely white, includes one Filipino American member, Mike Maryama. Mitch Cohen and Mickey Crabbe comprised Mitch & Mickey, a couple that released seven albums until their dramatic break-up years before the setting of the film. Mickey seemingly moved on and has married a medical supply salesman and their most famous song was A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow, at the end of which the pair would actually kiss on stage
18.
For Your Consideration (film)
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For Your Consideration is a 2006 comedy film directed by Christopher Guest. It was co-written by Guest and Eugene Levy, and both also star in the film, the title is a phrase used in trade advertisements to promote films for honors such as the Academy Awards. Michael Hitchcock, John Michael Higgins and Jim Piddock, ricky Gervais, the co-creator of the British television series The Office, also appears, while John Krasinski, Richard Kind, Scott Adsit, and Sandra Oh make brief cameos. Though the dialogue is improvised by the actors as in Guests earlier films. The film received its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10,2006 and it was produced by Warner Independent Pictures in association with Castle Rock Entertainment and Shangri-La Entertainment. Character actress Marilyn Hack, despite having been in the entertainment industry for 30 years, is best known for playing a prostitute in a film from the late 1980s. Victor Allen Miller is also a veteran who is known to the public as the hot-dog wearing mascot for a kosher line of frankfurters. Together they are cast in a new film called Home for Purim as the patriarch. A newcomer ingenue, Callie Webb, plays their lesbian daughter, rounding out the cast is Brian Chubb, playing Webbs brother who has returned home from the Navy. The family reunites in time to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim, Home for Purims cast and crew are in the process of making what appears to be a cheap melodrama. The director is constantly adding bizarre camera shots and acting notes, the producer, heiress to a diaper service, dresses flamboyantly but doesnt seem to know much about managing a film beyond paying for expenses. The two writers are at odds with the director, seeing their script mash together Southern genteel with out-of-place Jewish references, the film-within-a-films plot centers around the daughters confession of her lesbianism as her mother gets nearer to death and the family celebrates an awkward Purim. Because of a remark that turns into a full-blown rumor. Each begins obsessing about the potential in his or her own way. Hack pretends not to care while secretly pining for the award, Miller begins to demand a higher salary and push his agent for more dignified work. Webb breaks up with Chubb, claiming he is not being supportive and he is virtually left in the dark. The obnoxious entertainment news program Hollywood Now and its hosts fuel the awards-season buzz, at this point, studio executives butt in and force the writers to make script changes, feeling the film is too Jewish. It is retitled Home for Thanksgiving, despite the changes, the Oscar buzz intensifies to the point where Hack, Miller, and Webb are convinced they will be nominated for Academy Awards
19.
Peerages in the United Kingdom
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The peerage is a legal system historically comprising hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, comprising various noble ranks, and forms a constituent part of the British honours system. The term peerage can be used collectively to refer to the entire body of nobles, and individually to refer to a specific title. British peerage title holders are termed peers of the Realm, New Labour, elected to power in 1997, sought to eject all hereditary peers from Parliament but PM Tony Blair relented by allowing only 92 members to remain by legislation enacted in 1999. The House of Lordss purpose is now that of a legislative chamber. Peerages are created by the British monarch, like all Crown honours, HMG recommends to the Sovereign who to be elevated to the peerage, after external vetting by the House of Lords Appointments Commission. The Sovereign, traditionally the fount of honour, cannot hold a British peerage, succession claims to existing hereditary peerages are regulated by the House of Lords Committee for Privileges and Conduct and administered by The Crown Office. The modern-day parliamentary peerage is a continuation of the renamed medieval baronage system which existed in feudal times, certain other office-holders such as senior clerics and Freemen of the Cinque Ports were deemed barons. This right, entitlement or title, began to be granted by decree in the form of a Writ of Summons from 1265, additionally, many holders of smaller fiefdoms per baroniam ceased to be summoned to parliament, resulting in baronial status becoming personal rather than territorial. In the UK, five peerages co-exist, namely, The Peerage of England — titles created by the Kings, the Peerage of Scotland — titles created by the Kings and Queens of Scotland before 1707. The Peerage of Ireland — titles created for the Kingdom of Ireland before the Act of Union of 1801, the Peerage of Great Britain — titles created for the Kingdom of Great Britain between 1707 and 1801. The Peerage of the United Kingdom — most titles created since 1801 to the present, Peers are of five ranks, in descending order of hierarchy, Duke comes from the Latin dux, leader. The first duke in a peerage of the British Isles was created in 1337, Marquess comes from the French marquis, which is a derivative of marche or march. This is a reference to the borders between England, Scotland, and Wales, a more evident in the feminine form. The first marquess in a peerage of the British Isles was created in 1385, earl comes from the Old English or Anglo-Saxon eorl, a military leader. The meaning may have been affected by the Old Norse jarl, meaning free-born warrior or nobleman, during the Danelaw, since there was no feminine Old English or Old Norse equivalent for the term, Countess is used, from the Latin comes. Viscount comes from the Latin vicecomes, vice-count, Baron comes from the Old Germanic baro, freeman. In the Peerage of Scotland alone, a holder of the rank is not called a Baron. Barons in Scotland were traditionally holders of feudal dignities, not peers, baronets, while holders of hereditary titles, are not peers since baronetcies have never conferred noble status, although socially they came to be regarded as part of the aristocracy
20.
Baron Haden-Guest
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Baron Haden-Guest, of Saling in the County of Essex, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1950 for the Labour Party politician Leslie Haden-Guest and he had previously represented Southwark North and Islington North in the House of Commons. His third son, the fourth Baron, was a United Nations official for many years, since 1996, the title has been held by his son Christopher Guest, the fifth Baron, who succeeded in 1996. Christopher Guest is a director, writer, actor and musician, married to the actress Jamie Lee Curtis. As the current barons children are adopted, the heir presumptive is the present holders brother, ARMS, Sable two flaunches or, three Welsh triple harps in fess counter-changed. CREST, A caladrius displayed sable, beaked, legged and charged on the breast with a sun in splendour or. SUPPORTERS, Dexter, a leopard sable semée or roundels and grasping in the interior paw a quill or, Sinister, MOTTO, Non nobis solum nati sumus. New York, St Martins Press,1990
21.
United Nations
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The United Nations is an intergovernmental organization to promote international co-operation. A replacement for the ineffective League of Nations, the organization was established on 24 October 1945 after World War II in order to prevent another such conflict, at its founding, the UN had 51 member states, there are now 193. The headquarters of the UN is in Manhattan, New York City, further main offices are situated in Geneva, Nairobi, and Vienna. The organization is financed by assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states, the UNs mission to preserve world peace was complicated in its early decades by the Cold War between the US and Soviet Union and their respective allies. The organization participated in actions in Korea and the Congo. After the end of the Cold War, the UN took on major military, the UN has six principal organs, the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Secretariat, the International Court of Justice, and the UN Trusteeship Council. UN System agencies include the World Bank Group, the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, UNESCO, the UNs most prominent officer is the Secretary-General, an office held by Portuguese António Guterres since 2017. Non-governmental organizations may be granted consultative status with ECOSOC and other agencies to participate in the UNs work, the organization won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001, and a number of its officers and agencies have also been awarded the prize. Other evaluations of the UNs effectiveness have been mixed, some commentators believe the organization to be an important force for peace and human development, while others have called the organization ineffective, corrupt, or biased. Following the catastrophic loss of life in the First World War, the earliest concrete plan for a new world organization began under the aegis of the US State Department in 1939. It incorporated Soviet suggestions, but left no role for France, four Policemen was coined to refer to four major Allied countries, United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and China, which emerged in the Declaration by United Nations. Roosevelt first coined the term United Nations to describe the Allied countries, the term United Nations was first officially used when 26 governments signed this Declaration. One major change from the Atlantic Charter was the addition of a provision for religious freedom, by 1 March 1945,21 additional states had signed. Each Government pledges itself to cooperate with the Governments signatory hereto, the foregoing declaration may be adhered to by other nations which are, or which may be, rendering material assistance and contributions in the struggle for victory over Hitlerism. During the war, the United Nations became the term for the Allies. To join, countries had to sign the Declaration and declare war on the Axis, at the later meetings, Lord Halifax deputized for Mr. Eden, Wellington Koo for T. V. Soong, and Mr Gromyko for Mr. Molotov. The first meetings of the General Assembly, with 51 nations represented, the General Assembly selected New York City as the site for the headquarters of the UN, and the facility was completed in 1952. Its site—like UN headquarters buildings in Geneva, Vienna, and Nairobi—is designated as international territory, the Norwegian Foreign Minister, Trygve Lie, was elected as the first UN Secretary-General
22.
CBS
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CBS is an American commercial broadcast television network that is a flagship property of CBS Corporation. The company is headquartered at the CBS Building in New York City with major facilities and operations in New York City. CBS is sometimes referred to as the Eye Network, in reference to the iconic logo. It has also called the Tiffany Network, alluding to the perceived high quality of CBS programming during the tenure of William S. Paley. It can also refer to some of CBSs first demonstrations of color television, the network has its origins in United Independent Broadcasters Inc. a collection of 16 radio stations that was purchased by Paley in 1928 and renamed the Columbia Broadcasting System. Under Paleys guidance, CBS would first become one of the largest radio networks in the United States, in 1974, CBS dropped its former full name and became known simply as CBS, Inc. In 2000, CBS came under the control of Viacom, which was formed as a spin-off of CBS in 1971, CBS Corporation is controlled by Sumner Redstone through National Amusements, which also controls the current Viacom. The television network has more than 240 owned-and-operated and affiliated stations throughout the United States. The origins of CBS date back to January 27,1927, Columbia Phonographic went on the air on September 18,1927, with a presentation by the Howard Barlow Orchestra from flagship station WOR in Newark, New Jersey, and fifteen affiliates. Operational costs were steep, particularly the payments to AT&T for use of its land lines, in early 1928 Judson sold the network to brothers Isaac and Leon Levy, owners of the networks Philadelphia affiliate WCAU, and their partner Jerome Louchenheim. With the record out of the picture, Paley quickly streamlined the corporate name to Columbia Broadcasting System. He believed in the power of advertising since his familys La Palina cigars had doubled their sales after young William convinced his elders to advertise on radio. By September 1928, Paley bought out the Louchenheim share of CBS, during Louchenheims brief regime, Columbia paid $410,000 to A. H. Grebes Atlantic Broadcasting Company for a small Brooklyn station, WABC, which would become the networks flagship station. WABC was quickly upgraded, and the relocated to 860 kHz. The physical plant was relocated also – to Steinway Hall on West 57th Street in Manhattan, by the turn of 1929, the network could boast to sponsors of having 47 affiliates. Paley moved right away to put his network on a financial footing. In the fall of 1928, he entered talks with Adolph Zukor of Paramount Pictures. The deal came to fruition in September 1929, Paramount acquired 49% of CBS in return for a block of its stock worth $3.8 million at the time
23.
Labour Party (UK)
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The Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom. Labour later served in the coalition from 1940 to 1945. Labour was also in government from 1964 to 1970 under Harold Wilson and from 1974 to 1979, first under Wilson and then James Callaghan. The Labour Party was last in government from 1997 to 2010 under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, beginning with a majority of 179. Having won 232 seats in the 2015 general election, the party is the Official Opposition in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the party also organises in Northern Ireland, but does not contest elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Labour Party is a member of the Party of European Socialists and Progressive Alliance. In September 2015, Jeremy Corbyn was elected Leader of the Labour Party, the first Lib–Lab candidate to stand was George Odger in the Southwark by-election of 1870. In addition, several small socialist groups had formed around this time, among these were the Independent Labour Party, the intellectual and largely middle-class Fabian Society, the Marxist Social Democratic Federation and the Scottish Labour Party. In the 1895 general election, the Independent Labour Party put up 28 candidates, Keir Hardie, the leader of the party, believed that to obtain success in parliamentary elections, it would be necessary to join with other left-wing groups. Hardies roots as a lay preacher contributed to an ethos in the party led to the comment by 1950s General Secretary Morgan Phillips that Socialism in Britain owed more to Methodism than Marx. The motion was passed at all stages by the TUC, the meeting was attended by a broad spectrum of working-class and left-wing organisations—trades unions represented about one third of the membership of the TUC delegates. This created an association called the Labour Representation Committee, meant to coordinate attempts to support MPs sponsored by trade unions and it had no single leader, and in the absence of one, the Independent Labour Party nominee Ramsay MacDonald was elected as Secretary. He had the task of keeping the various strands of opinions in the LRC united. The October 1900 Khaki election came too soon for the new party to campaign effectively, only 15 candidatures were sponsored, but two were successful, Keir Hardie in Merthyr Tydfil and Richard Bell in Derby. Support for the LRC was boosted by the 1901 Taff Vale Case, the judgement effectively made strikes illegal since employers could recoup the cost of lost business from the unions. In their first meeting after the election the groups Members of Parliament decided to adopt the name The Labour Party formally, the Fabian Society provided much of the intellectual stimulus for the party. One of the first acts of the new Liberal Government was to reverse the Taff Vale judgement, the Peoples History Museum in Manchester holds the minutes of the first Labour Party meeting in 1906 and has them on display in the Main Galleries. Also within the museum is the Labour History Archive and Study Centre, the governing Liberals were unwilling to repeal this judicial decision with primary legislation
24.
Conversion to Judaism
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The procedure and requirements for conversion depend on the sponsoring denomination. A conversion in accordance with the process of a denomination is not a guarantee of recognition by another denomination, in some cases, a person may forgo a formal conversion to Judaism and adopt some or all beliefs and practices of Judaism. However, without a conversion, many highly observant Jews will reject a converts Jewish status. There are some groups that have adopted Jewish customs and practices, for example, in Russia the Subbotniks have adopted most aspects of Judaism without formal conversion to Judaism. However, if Subbotniks, or anyone without a conversion, wish to marry into a traditional Jewish community or immigrate to Israel. A male convert to Judaism is referred to by the Hebrew word ger, the word is rendered by the Greek proselyte as used in the Septuagint to denote a stranger. In Karaite Judaism a Ger is a non-Jew who has yet to convert to Judaism. After a Ger converts to Judaism, they are no longer considered a Ger, the word ger comes from the Hebrew verb lagur meaning to reside or to sojourn. In the Hebrew Bible ger is defined as a foreigner, or sojourner, Rabbi Marc Angel writes, The Hebrew ger literally means resident and refers to a non-Israelite who lived among the Israelite community. When the Torah commands compassion and equal justice for the ger, Rabbinic tradition interpreted the word ger as referring to proselytes. The Jews were not converts in Egypt, but rather foreigners, another passage which may be relevant to a process of conversion involves non-Jewish women captured in war who could be adopted forcibly as wives. Another verse which has interpreted as referring to non-Jews converting to Judaism is Esther 8,17. In Modern Hebrew, ger refers to a convert to Judaism, according to Maimonides, converts were accepted since the beginning of Jewish history, and the foreign wives of Jewish leaders - such as Samson and Solomon - were converts. For Rabbinic Judaism, the laws governing conversion are based on codes of law and texts, including discussions in the Talmud, through the Shulkhan Arukh and these rules are held as authoritative by Orthodox Judaism and Conservative Judaism. Jewish law is interpreted as somewhat discouraging proselytizing, and religious gerut is also somewhat discouraged. In the past, rabbis often rejected potential converts three times, and if they remained adamant in their desire to convert, they would allow them to begin the process. However, a rabbi convinced of the prospective converts sincerity may allow him or her to follow the process of conversion and this requires the person to appear before an established three-judge Jewish religious court known as a beth din to be tested and formally accepted. Conservative Judaism takes a lenient approach in application of the halakhic rules than Modern Orthodox Judaism
25.
Goldsmid family
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Goldsmid is the name of a family of Anglo-Jewish bankers who sprang from Aaron Goldsmid, a Dutch merchant who settled in England about 1763. Abraham Goldsmid was in 1810 joint contractor with the Barings for a government loan and his brother, in a fit of depression, had similarly taken his own life two years before. Both were noted for their public and private generosity, and both played roles in funding, and managing the Naval Asylum - later renamed the Royal Naval Asylum. Benjamin left four sons, the youngest being Lionel Prager Goldsmid, Abraham a daughter and they had a nephew, Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid. Isaac had married his cousin Isabel, and their son was Sir Francis Henry Goldsmid. Francis Henry became the first Jew to become an English barrister and he also married his cousin - Louisa Goldsmid. They had no children so Francis was succeeded in the baronetcy by his nephew Sir Julian Goldsmid, son of Frederick David Goldsmid, long MP for Honiton. Sir Julian was for years in Parliament, and his wealth, ability. He was eventually made a privy councillor and he had eight daughters, but no son, and his entailed property passed to his relation, Osmond Elim dAvigdor, his house in Piccadilly being converted into the Isthmian Club. Another distinguished member of the family was Sir Frederic John Goldsmid. 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica entry Jewish Encyclopedia entry An article on Neville Davison Goldsmid, businessman and art collector in The Hague, in the Dutch Wikipedia
26.
Colonel (United Kingdom)
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Colonel is a rank of the British Army and Royal Marines, ranking below brigadier, and above lieutenant colonel. British colonels are not usually field commanders, typically they serve as staff officers between field commands at battalion and brigade level, the insignia is two diamond-shaped pips below a crown. The crown has varied in the past with different monarchs, the current Queens reign has used St Edwards Crown, the rank is equivalent to captain in the Royal Navy and group captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of colonel was popularized by the tercios that were employed in the Spanish Army during the 16th and 17th centuries, general Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba divided his troops in to coronelías ). These units were led by a coronel and this command structure and its titles were soon adopted as colonello in early modern Italian and in Middle French as coronel. The modern English pronunciation of the word is derived from the French variant, the British Army has historically been organized around the regiment, with each regiment being raised, uniformed, and equipped or either directly by the crown or by a nobleman. By the end of 17th century in Great Britain, the colonel of a regiment was often a person who had been given Royal Assent to raise it for service. As such, he was required to cover all costs of the equipment, uniforms. Until the late 18th century most British regiments were known by the name of the colonelcy. It occasionally raised its own fighting units, such as battoemen, the reforms meant that the British government was now financially responsible for the pay, clothing and equipment of the troops in the service of the British Crown. Colonels were also no longer permitted to directly from the sale of officer commissions in their regiments. A lieutenant-colonel commanded the regiment in battle, by the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars, the title colonel of the regiment had become a sinecure appointment for distinguished generals and members of the royal family or British nobility. Despite an individual only being permitted to hold one colonelcy, it was a position as they were in financial charge of their regiments allowance from the government. This meant they could hope to make a profit on the allocated for equipment, supplies. As generals were mostly on half-pay, a colonelcy was a method of providing them with extra income, however it should be noted that many colonels spent large sums of their own money on their regiments. Some of the duties associated with the title Colonel of the Regiment continue to be used in the modern British Army. The ceremonial position is often conferred on retired general officers, brigadiers or colonels who have a link to a particular regiment. Non-military personnel, usually for positions within the Army Reserve may also be appointed to the ceremonial position, when attending functions as Colonel of the Regiment, the titleholder wears the regimental uniform with rank insignia of colonel, regardless of their official rank
27.
JLGB
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The JLGB is a national Jewish youth organisation based in and primarily serving the United Kingdom. The first company was launched in Londons East End but others soon appeared throughout the city, the movement later spread as far as South Africa and Canada. Modelled on the Church Lads and Church Girls Brigade, The Brigade catered for boys only in the early days, providing them with more than just spare-time activities. It offered food, clothes and the chance to learn skills which help in finding a job. Just 19 boys attended the first summer camp in 1896, Girls were admitted to membership in the 1963 and in 1974 the JLB and JGB amalgamated to become the JLGB. Nowadays, several hundred youngsters camp with JLGB throughout the year, JLGB still gives young people the type of valuable training which helps them to succeed in todays world. It also offers a Summer tour to Israel for its members, since the Second World War the formation of the first girls company, the first junior units for the under-elevens and several bands has resulted in a larger and more exciting Brigade. There are now hundreds of Jewish boys and girls sharing in the Brigades experiences, the JLGB has a rank-structured hierarchy, with members progressing as Non-Commissioned Officers to become leaders as Warrant Officers and Officers. Lazarus Debating Competition By virtue of its work towards the personal and social development of young people, recruits were drawn from JFS, the Norwood Orphanage and local elementary schools, known as Board Schools, which had been set up under the Education Act of 1870. In 1896 the first summer camp, of nineteen boys, was held at Deal, the idea quickly became popular, and by March 1898, there were thirteen companies in England, while a company was also established at Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Four of these, consisting of five officers and ninety boys, had represented at the seaside camp at Deal, England. A labour bureau was established with a view to obtaining employment for the boys. In 1898 the summer encampment consisted of 400 boys, and a year later the number of companies in existence rose to 23, including one at Johannesburg, South Africa. In August 1899, a summer camp was formed in the north of England for the benefit of the members of the northern contingent. Sir Charles Warren, who praised the efficiency of the lads. In 1900 a public display was given in London, which was attended by Maj. -Gen, sir Henry Trotter, the general officer commanding the home district. The following year the number of companies had increased to thirty, seventeen officers and members of the brigade took part in the South-African war, including Colonel Goldsmid, his place as commandant being occupied by Lieut. -Col. Of the seventeen, two lost their lives, one of them being Lieut, F. M. Raphael, who was killed at Spion Kop while attempting to rescue a wounded soldier
28.
Atheist
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Atheism is, in the broadest sense, the absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is the rejection of belief that any deities exist, in an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities. Atheism is contrasted with theism, which, in its most general form, is the belief that at least one deity exists, the etymological root for the word atheism originated before the 5th century BCE from the ancient Greek ἄθεος, meaning without god. The term denoted a social category created by orthodox religionists into which those who did not share their religious beliefs were placed, the actual term atheism emerged first in the 16th century. With the spread of freethought, skeptical inquiry, and subsequent increase in criticism of religion, application of the term narrowed in scope, the first individuals to identify themselves using the word atheist lived in the 18th century during the Age of Enlightenment. The French Revolution, noted for its unprecedented atheism, witnessed the first major movement in history to advocate for the supremacy of human reason. Arguments for atheism range from the philosophical to social and historical approaches, although some atheists have adopted secular philosophies, there is no one ideology or set of behaviors to which all atheists adhere. Since conceptions of atheism vary, accurate estimations of current numbers of atheists are difficult, an older survey by the British Broadcasting Corporation in 2004 recorded atheists as comprising 8% of the worlds population. Other older estimates have indicated that atheists comprise 2% of the worlds population, according to these polls, Europe and East Asia are the regions with the highest rates of atheism. In 2015, 61% of people in China reported that they were atheists, the figures for a 2010 Eurobarometer survey in the European Union reported that 20% of the EU population claimed not to believe in any sort of spirit, God or life force. Atheism has been regarded as compatible with agnosticism, and has also been contrasted with it, a variety of categories have been used to distinguish the different forms of atheism. Some of the ambiguity and controversy involved in defining atheism arises from difficulty in reaching a consensus for the definitions of words like deity, the plurality of wildly different conceptions of God and deities leads to differing ideas regarding atheisms applicability. The ancient Romans accused Christians of being atheists for not worshiping the pagan deities, gradually, this view fell into disfavor as theism came to be understood as encompassing belief in any divinity. Definitions of atheism also vary in the degree of consideration a person must put to the idea of gods to be considered an atheist, Atheism has sometimes been defined to include the simple absence of belief that any deities exist. This broad definition would include newborns and other people who have not been exposed to theistic ideas, as far back as 1772, Baron dHolbach said that All children are born Atheists, they have no idea of God. Similarly, George H. Smith suggested that, The man who is unacquainted with theism is an atheist because he does not believe in a god. This category would include the child with the conceptual capacity to grasp the issues involved. The fact that this child does not believe in god qualifies him as an atheist, ernest Nagel contradicts Smiths definition of atheism as merely absence of theism, acknowledging only explicit atheism as true atheism
29.
Communist Party of Great Britain
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The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991, the Communist Party of Great Britain was founded in 1920 after the Third International decided that greater attempts should be made to establish communist parties across the world. Several branches and many members of the Independent Labour Party also affiliated. As a member of the British Socialist Party, the Member of Parliament Cecil LEstrange Malone joined the CPGB, in January 1921, the CPGB was refounded after the majorities of Sylvia Pankhursts group the Communist Party, and the Scottish Communist Labour Party agreed to unity. During the negotiations leading to the initiation of the party a number of issues were hotly contested, among the most contentious were the questions of parliamentarism and the attitude of the Communist Party to the Labour Party. Parliamentarism referred to a strategy of contesting elections and working through existing parliaments and it was a strategy associated with the parties of the Second International and it was partly for this reason that it was opposed by those who wanted to break with Social Democracy. Similarly, affiliation to the Labour Party was opposed on the grounds that communists should not work with reformist Social Democratic parties and these Left Communist positions enjoyed considerable support, being supported by Sylvia Pankhurst and Willie Gallacher among others. However, the Russian Communist Party took the opposing view, initially, therefore, the CPGB attempted to work within the Labour Party, which at this time operated mainly as a federation of left-wing bodies, only having allowed individual membership since 1918. However, despite the support of James Maxton, the Independent Labour Party leader, even while pursuing affiliation and seeking to influence Labour Party members, however, the CPGB promoted candidates of its own at parliamentary elections. Following the refusal of their affiliation, the CPGB encouraged its members to join the Labour Party individually, several Communists thus became Labour Party candidates, and in the 1922 general election, Shapurji Saklatvala and Walton Newbold were both elected. The affair of the forged Zinoviev Letter occurred in late October 1924 and it was probably the work of SIS or White Russian counter revolutionaries. Throughout the 1920s and most of the 1930s the CPGB decided to maintain the doctrine that a communist party should consist of revolutionary cadres, the CPGB as the British section of the Communist International was committed to implementing the decisions of the higher body to which it was subordinate. This proved to be a blessing in the General Strike of 1926 immediately prior to which much of the central leadership of the CPGB was imprisoned. Twelve were charged with seditious conspiracy, five were jailed for a year and the others for six months. Another major problem for the party was its policy of abnegating its own role, the result was that membership of the party in mining areas increased greatly through 1926 and 1927. Much of these gains would be lost during the Third Period, indeed, Maerdy in the Rhondda Valley along with Chopwell in Tyne and Wear were two of a number of communities known as Little Moscow for their Communist tendencies. Any kind of alliance with social-fascists was obviously to be prohibited, the Third Period also meant that the CPGB sought to develop revolutionary trade unions in rivalry to the established Trades Union Congress affiliated unions. They met with an almost total lack of success although a handful of red unions were formed, amongst them a miners union in Scotland
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Spanish Civil War
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Ultimately, the Nationalists won, and Franco then ruled Spain for the next 36 years, from April 1939 until his death in November 1975. Sanjurjo was killed in an accident while attempting to return from exile in Portugal. The coup was supported by units in the Spanish protectorate in Morocco, Pamplona, Burgos, Zaragoza, Valladolid, Cádiz, Córdoba. However, rebelling units in some important cities—such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao, and Málaga—did not gain control, Spain was thus left militarily and politically divided. The Nationalists and the Republican government fought for control of the country, the Nationalist forces received munitions and soldiers from Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, while the Republican side received support from the Communist Soviet Union and leftist populist Mexico. Other countries, such as the United Kingdom and France, operated a policy of non-intervention. The Nationalists advanced from their strongholds in the south and west and they also besieged Madrid and the area to its south and west for much of the war. Those associated with the losing Republicans were persecuted by the victorious Nationalists, with the establishment of a dictatorship led by General Franco in the aftermath of the war, all right-wing parties were fused into the structure of the Franco regime. The war became notable for the passion and political division it inspired, organized purges occurred in territory captured by Francos forces to consolidate the future regime. A significant number of killings took place in areas controlled by the Republicans, the extent to which Republican authorities took part in killings in Republican territory varied. The 19th century was a turbulent time for Spain and those in favour of reforming Spains government vied for political power with conservatives, who tried to prevent reforms from taking place. Some liberals, in a tradition that had started with the Spanish Constitution of 1812, sought to limit the power of the monarchy of Spain, the reforms of 1812 did not last after King Ferdinand VII dissolved the Constitution and ended the Trienio Liberal government. Twelve successful coups were carried out between 1814 and 1874, until the 1850s, the economy of Spain was primarily based on agriculture. There was little development of an industrial or commercial class. The land-based oligarchy remained powerful, a number of people held large estates called latifundia as well as all the important government positions. In 1868 popular uprisings led to the overthrow of Queen Isabella II of the House of Bourbon, two distinct factors led to the uprisings, a series of urban riots and a liberal movement within the middle classes and the military concerned with the ultra-conservatism of the monarchy. In 1873 Isabellas replacement, King Amadeo I of the House of Savoy, abdicated owing to increasing pressure. After the restoration of the Bourbons in December 1874, Carlists and Anarchists emerged in opposition to the monarchy, alejandro Lerroux, Spanish politician and leader of the Radical Republican Party, helped bring republicanism to the fore in Catalonia, where poverty was particularly acute
31.
International Brigades
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The International Brigades were paramilitary units set up by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The organisation existed for two years, from 1936 until 1938, the headquarters of the brigade was located at the Los Llanos Air Base, Albacete, Castilla-La Mancha. They participated in the Battle of Madrid, Jarama, Guadalajara, Brunete, Belchite, Teruel, Aragon, most of these ended in defeat. For the last year of its existence, the International Brigades were integrated into the Spanish Republican Army as part of the Spanish Foreign Legion. The organisation was dissolved on 23 September 1938 by Spanish Prime Minister, Juan Negrín, the largest number of volunteers came from France and communist exiles from Italy and Germany. A large number of Jews from the English-speaking world and Eastern Europe also participated, as a security measure, non-Communist volunteers would first be interviewed by an NKVD agent. By the end of September, the Italian and French Communist Parties had decided to set up a column, Luigi Longo, ex-leader of the Italian Communist Youth, was charged to make the necessary arrangements with the Spanish government. The Soviet Ministry of Defense also helped, since they had experience of dealing with corps of volunteers during the Russian Civil War. The idea was opposed by Largo Caballero, but after the first setbacks of the war, he changed his mind. However, the Soviet Union did not withdraw from the Non-Intervention Committee, probably to avoid conflict with France. The main recruitment centre was in Paris, under the supervision of Soviet colonel Karol Walter Świerczewski, volunteers were sent by train or ship from France to Spain, and sent to the base at Albacete. However, many of them went by themselves to Spain. The volunteers were under no contract, nor defined engagement period, there were also many unemployed workers, and adventurers. Finally, some 500 communists who had exiled to Russia were sent to Spain. The operation was met with enthusiasm by communists, but by anarchists with skepticism, at first, the anarchists, who controlled the borders with France, were told to refuse communist volunteers, but reluctantly allowed their passage after protests. A group of 500 volunteers arrived in Albacete on 14 October 1936 and they were met by international volunteers who had already been fighting in Spain, Germans from the Thälmann Battalion, Italians from Centuria Gastone Sozzi and French from Commune de Paris Battalion. Among them was British poet John Cornford, men were sorted according to their experience and origin, and dispatched to units. In 30 May 1937, the Spanish liner Ciudad de Barcelona, the ship sunk and up to 65 volunteers are estimated to have drowned
32.
Stockbridge School
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Stockbridge School was a progressive co-educational boarding school for adolescents near the Interlaken section of Stockbridge, Massachusetts and which operated from 1948 to 1976. At the time of the Maeders purchase, the property contained 18 buildings and 2,500 feet of frontage on the known as Stockbridge Bowl. The property had previously been named Bonnie Brier Farm, the Maeders purchase occurred shortly after the failure of Liberal Arts, Inc. to establish a Great Books-based college associated with St. Johns College, Annapolis, Maryland, on the same site. Only a portion of this extensive, largely forested property, which ranged from the summit of West Stockbridge Mountain to the shore of the Stockbridge Bowl, the Maeders retained title to the remainder of the land at the time of their purchase. Following the schools closure, some of other property was subdivided for residential development. The school flew the United Nations flag just below the United States flag beginning in 1948, three years after the United Nations came into existence. The credo of the school was finally stated with the opening of the new building in the middle 50s, All Men are created equal in dignity and rights. For some years, its curriculum included a year abroad. Six days per week, students, whose number never exceeded about 200, were required to assemble after breakfast, selections were mostly European romantic and classical music, chosen by a very limited number of faculty, who provided brief commentary. On Saturdays, selections were chosen by a student, and were popular music. For a brief period in the 1970s immediately following Maeders 1971 retirement, and during the directorship of Thomas Newman, the school director held veto power over decisions. Much of the used to pay for the school came from this source. Maeder retired as headmaster of Stockbridge in 1971, and was followed in quick succession by headmasters Thomas Newman. The school had fulfilled its founders goals, and therefore was no longer needed, the campus later became the site of the DeSisto School, an unrelated organization, also now defunct. In April 2009 the DeSisto parcel was sold at auction to Sheehan Health Group for about $1, the alumnus most closely associated with Stockbridge School is Arlo Guthrie, whose arrest for littering by Stockbridge police shortly after graduation in 1965 inspired the song Alices Restaurant. Alice Brock had been the school librarian before opening a lunch counter in Stockbridge, ray Brock, husband of Alice, was a shop teacher at the school. Other notable alumni include comedian Chevy Chase and political theorist Benjamin Barber, christopher Guest also attended but did not graduate
33.
Mandolin
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A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family and is usually plucked with a plectrum or pick. It commonly has four courses of doubled metal strings tuned in unison, although five, the courses are normally tuned in a succession of perfect fifths. It is the member of a family that includes the mandola, octave mandolin, mandocello. There are many styles of mandolin, but three are common, the Neapolitan or round-backed mandolin, the mandolin and the flat-backed mandolin. The round-back has a bottom, constructed of strips of wood. The carved-top or arch-top mandolin has a shallower, arched back. The flat-backed mandolin uses thin sheets of wood for the body, each style of instrument has its own sound quality and is associated with particular forms of music. Neapolitan mandolins feature prominently in European classical music and traditional music, carved-top instruments are common in American folk music and bluegrass music. Flat-backed instruments are used in Irish, British and Brazilian folk music. Some modern Brazilian instruments feature a fifth course tuned a fifth lower than the standard fourth course. There has also been a type and an instrument with sixteen-strings. Much of mandolin development revolved around the soundboard, pre-mandolin instruments were quiet instruments, strung with as many as six courses of gut strings, and were plucked with the fingers or with a quill. However, modern instruments are louder—using four courses of metal strings, the modern soundboard is designed to withstand the pressure of metal strings that would break earlier instruments. The soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections, there is usually one or more sound holes in the soundboard, either round, oval, or shaped like a calligraphic f. A round or oval sound hole may be covered or bordered with decorative rosettes or purfling, Mandolins evolved from the lute family in Italy during the 17th and 18th centuries, and the deep bowled mandolin, produced particularly in Naples, became common in the 19th century. Dating to around c.13,000 BC, a painting in the Trois Frères cave in France depicts what some believe is a musical bow. From the musical bow, families of stringed instruments developed, since each string played a note, adding strings added new notes, creating bow harps, harps. In turn, this led to being able to play dyads and chords, another innovation occurred when the bow harp was straightened out and a bridge used to lift the strings off the stick-neck, creating the lute
34.
Country music
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Country music is a genre of United States popular music that originated in the southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from the genre of United States, such as folk music. Blues modes have been used throughout its recorded history. The term country music is used today to many styles and subgenres. In 2009 country music was the most listened to rush hour radio genre during the evening commute, immigrants to the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North America brought the music and instruments of Europe and Africa along with them for nearly 300 years. Country music was introduced to the world as a Southern phenomenon, Bristol, Tennessee, has been formally recognized by the U. S. Congress as the Birthplace of Country Music, based on the historic Bristol recording sessions of 1927. Since 2014, the city has been home to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, historians have also noted the influence of the less-known Johnson City sessions of 1928 and 1929, and the Knoxville sessions of 1929 and 1930. Prior to these, pioneer settlers, in the Great Smoky Mountains region, had developed a musical heritage. The first generation emerged in the early 1920s, with Atlantas music scene playing a role in launching countrys earliest recording artists. Okeh Records began issuing hillbilly music records by Fiddlin John Carson as early as 1923, followed by Columbia Records in 1924, many hillbilly musicians, such as Cliff Carlisle, recorded blues songs throughout the 1920s. The most important was the Grand Ole Opry, aired starting in 1925 by WSM in Nashville, during the 1930s and 1940s, cowboy songs, or Western music, which had been recorded since the 1920s, were popularized by films made in Hollywood. Bob Wills was another musician from the Lower Great Plains who had become very popular as the leader of a hot string band. His mix of country and jazz, which started out as dance hall music, Wills was one of the first country musicians known to have added an electric guitar to his band, in 1938. Country musicians began recording boogie in 1939, shortly after it had played at Carnegie Hall. Gospel music remained a component of country music. It became known as honky tonk, and had its roots in Western swing and the music of Mexico. By the early 1950s a blend of Western swing, country boogie, rockabilly was most popular with country fans in the 1950s, and 1956 could be called the year of rockabilly in country music. Beginning in the mid-1950s, and reaching its peak during the early 1960s, the late 1960s in American music produced a unique blend as a result of traditionalist backlash within separate genres
35.
Arlo Guthrie
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Arlo Davy Guthrie is an American folk singer-songwriter. Like his father, Woody Guthrie, he is known for singing songs of protest against social injustice, Guthries best-known work is his debut piece, Alices Restaurant Massacree, a satirical talking blues song about 18 minutes in length that has since become a Thanksgiving anthem. His only top-40 hit was a cover of Steve Goodmans City of New Orleans and his song Massachusetts was named the official folk song of the state in which he has lived most of his adult life. Guthrie has also made acting appearances. He is the father of four children, who have also had careers as musicians, Guthrie was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of the folk singer and composer Woody Guthrie and Marjorie Mazia Guthrie. His sister is the record producer Nora Guthrie and his mother was a one-time professional dancer with the Martha Graham Company and founder of the Committee to Combat Huntingtons Disease, the illness from which Woody Guthrie died in 1967. Arlos father was from a Protestant family and his mother was Jewish and his maternal grandmother was the renowned Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt. Guthrie received religious training for his bar mitzvah from Rabbi Meir Kahane, Rabbi Kahane was a really nice, patient teacher, Guthrie later recalled, but shortly after he started giving me my lessons, he started going haywire. Guthrie converted to Catholicism in 1977, before embracing interfaith beliefs later in his life, Guthrie attended Woodward School in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn from first through eighth grades and later graduated from the Stockbridge School, in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, in 1965. He spent the summer of 1965 in London, eventually meeting Karl Dallas and he briefly attended Rocky Mountain College, in Billings, Montana. He received an Honorary Doctorate from Siena College in 1981 and from Westfield State College in 2008, as a singer, songwriter and lifelong political activist, Guthrie carries on the legacy of his father. He was awarded the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience award on September 26,1992, Guthrie and his collaborator appeared in court, pled guilty to the charges, were levied a nominal fine and picked up the garbage that weekend. Guthrie has pointed out that this was also the length of one of the famous gaps in Richard Nixons Watergate tapes. The Alice in the song is Alice Brock, who had been a librarian at Arlos boarding school in the town before opening her restaurant and she now owns an art studio in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The song lampoons the Vietnam War draft, however, Guthrie has stated in multiple interviews that the song is more an anti-stupidity song than an anti-war song, adding that it is based on a true incident. In the song, Guthrie is called up for an examination and rejected as unfit for military service as a result of a criminal record consisting in its entirety of one crime. Alices restaurant is the subject of the recurrent refrain, but is not mentioned in the story, on the DVD commentary for the 1969 movie, Guthrie stated that the events presented in the song all actually happened. For a short period after its release in 1967, Alices Restaurant was heavily played on U. S. college and it became a symbol of the late 1960s, and for many it defined an attitude and lifestyle that were lived out across the country in the ensuing years
36.
Bluegrass music
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Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a related genre of country music. Settlers from Britain and Ireland arrived in Appalachia during the 18th century and these traditions consisted primarily of English and Scottish ballads—which were essentially unaccompanied narrative—and dance music, such as Irish reels, which were accompanied by a fiddle. Many older bluegrass songs come directly from the British Isles, several Appalachian bluegrass ballads, such as Pretty Saro, Barbara Allen, Cuckoo Bird and House Carpenter, come from England and preserve the English ballad tradition both melodically and lyrically. Others, such as The Two Sisters, also come from England, however, some bluegrass fiddle songs popular in Appalachia, such as Leather Britches, and Pretty Polly, have Scottish roots. The dance tune Cumberland Gap may be derived from the tune that accompanies the Scottish ballad Bonnie George Campbell and this is in contrast to old-time music, in which all instruments play the melody together or one instrument carries the lead throughout while the others provide accompaniment. Breakdowns are often characterized by rapid tempos and unusual instrumental dexterity, there are three major subgenres of bluegrass and one unofficial subgenre. Traditional bluegrass has musicians playing folk songs, tunes with traditional chord progressions, progressive bluegrass groups may use electric instruments and import songs from other genres, particularly rock & roll. Examples include Cadillac Sky and Bearfoot, another subgenre, Bluegrass gospel uses Christian lyrics, soulful three- or four-part harmony singing, and sometimes the playing of instrumentals. Bluegrass music has attracted a following worldwide. Bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe characterized the genre as, Scottish bagpipes and its Methodist and Holiness and Baptist. Its blues and jazz, and it has a high lonesome sound, unlike mainstream country music, bluegrass is traditionally played on acoustic stringed instruments. The fiddle, five-string banjo, guitar, mandolin, and upright bass are often joined by the resonator guitar and this instrumentation originated in rural dance bands and is the basis on which the earliest bluegrass bands were formed. The guitar is now most commonly played with a style referred to as flatpicking, unlike the style of bluegrass guitarists such as Lester Flatt. Banjo players often use the three-finger picking style made popular by such as Don Reno. Fiddlers frequently play in thirds and fifths, producing a sound that is characteristic to the bluegrass style, bassists almost always play pizzicato, occasionally adopting the slap-style to accentuate the beat. A bluegrass bass line is generally a rhythmic alternation between the tonic and dominant of each chord, with walking bass excursions. Instrumentation has been a topic of debate. Traditional bluegrass performers believe the correct instrumentation is used by Bill Monroes band
37.
Rock and roll
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While elements of rock and roll can be heard in blues records from the 1920s and in country records of the 1930s, the genre did not acquire its name until the 1950s. For the purpose of differentiation, this deals with the first definition. The beat is essentially a blues rhythm with an accentuated backbeat, classic rock and roll is usually played with one or two electric guitars, a double bass or string bass or an electric bass guitar, and a drum kit. Beyond simply a style, rock and roll, as seen in movies and on television, influenced lifestyles, fashion, attitudes. In addition, rock and roll may have contributed to the civil rights movement because both African-American and white American teens enjoyed the music and it went on to spawn various genres, often without the initially characteristic backbeat, that are now more commonly called simply rock music or rock. The term rock and roll now has at least two different meanings, both in common usage, the American Heritage Dictionary and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary both define rock and roll as synonymous with rock music. Encyclopædia Britannica, on the hand, regards it as the music that originated in the mid-1950s. In 1934, the song Rock and Roll by the Boswell Sisters appeared in the film Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round, in 1942, Billboard magazine columnist Maurie Orodenker started to use the term rock-and-roll to describe upbeat recordings such as Rock Me by Sister Rosetta Tharpe. By 1943, the Rock and Roll Inn in South Merchantville, in 1951, Cleveland, Ohio disc jockey Alan Freed began playing this music style while popularizing the phrase to describe it. The origins of rock and roll have been debated by commentators. The migration of former slaves and their descendants to major urban centers such as St. The immediate roots of rock and roll lay in the rhythm and blues, then called race music, particularly significant influences were jazz, blues, gospel, country, and folk. The 1940s saw the use of blaring horns, shouted lyrics. In the same period, particularly on the West Coast and in the Midwest, similarly, country boogie and Chicago electric blues supplied many of the elements that would be seen as characteristic of rock and roll. Rock and roll arrived at a time of technological change, soon after the development of the electric guitar, amplifier and microphone. It was the realization that relatively affluent white teenagers were listening to music that led to the development of what was to be defined as rock. Because the development of rock and roll was a process, no single record can be identified as unambiguously the first rock. Other artists with rock and roll hits included Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis
