Daniel Louis Castellaneta is an American actor, voice actor and screenwriter, best known for his long-running role as Homer Simpson on the Fox Broadcasting Company animated sitcom The Simpsons. He voices many other characters for the show including Abraham "Grampa" Simpson, Barney Gumble, Krusty the Clown, Sideshow Mel, Groundskeeper Willie, Mayor Quimby and Hans Moleman. Castellaneta had roles in several other programs, including Futurama for Fox Broadcasting Company and Darkwing Duck for ABC, The Adventures of Dynamo Duck for Fox Kids, Back to the Future: The Animated Series for CBS, Aladdin for Toon Disney, Taz-Mania for Warner Bros. Animation and in Hey Arnold! as Grandpa Phil for Nickelodeon. In 1999, he appeared in the Christmas special Olive, the Other Reindeer, won an Annie Award for his portrayal of the Postman, he released a comedy album I Am Not Homer, wrote and starred in a one-person show titled Where Did Vincent van Gogh?. Daniel Louis Castellaneta was born on October 29, 1957 at Roseland Community Hospital on Chicago's south side and was raised in River Forest and Oak Park, Illinois.

He is of Italian descent, born to Louis Castellaneta. Louis Castellaneta was an amateur actor. Castellaneta became adept at impressions at a young age and his mother enrolled him in an acting class when he was sixteen years old, he would do impressions of the artists. He was a "devotee" of the works of many performers, including Alan Arkin and Barbara Harris and directors Mike Nichols and Elaine May, he attended Oak Park and River Forest High School and upon graduation, started attending Northern Illinois University in the fall of 1975. Castellaneta studied art education, with the goal of becoming an art teacher, he would entertain his students with his impressions. Castellaneta was a regular participant in The Ron Petke and His Dead Uncle Show, a radio show at NIU; the show helped Castellaneta hone his skills as a voice-over actor. He recalled "We did parodies and sketches, we would double up on, so you learned to switch between voices. I got my feet wet doing voiceover; the show was just audible, but we didn't care.

It was the fact that we got a chance to do it and write our own material." He auditioned for an improvisational show. A classmate first thought Castellaneta would "fall on his face with improvisation" but soon "was churning out material faster than could make it work." Castellaneta started acting after his graduation from Northern Illinois University in 1979. He decided, he began taking improvisation classes. He started to work at The Second City, an improvisational theatre in Chicago, in 1983 and continued to work there until 1987. During this period, he did voice-over work with his wife for various radio stations, he auditioned for a role in The Tracey Ullman Show and his first meeting underwhelmed Tracey Ullman and the other producers. Ullman decided to fly to Chicago to watch Castellaneta perform, his performance that night was about a blind man who tries to become a comedian and Ullman recalled that although there were flashier performances that night, Castellaneta made her cry. She was impressed and Castellaneta was hired.

Castellaneta is most famous for his role as Homer Simpson on the longest running animated television show The Simpsons. The Tracey Ullman Show included a series of animated shorts about a dysfunctional family. Voices were needed for the shorts, so the producers decided to ask Castellaneta and fellow cast member Julie Kavner to voice Homer and Marge Simpson rather than hire more actors. Homer's voice began as a loose impression of Walter Matthau, but Castellaneta could not "get enough power behind that voice" and could not sustain his Matthau impression for the nine- to ten-hour long recording sessions, he tried to find something easier, so he "dropped the voice down", developed it into a more versatile and humorous voice during the second and third season of the half-hour show. Castellaneta's normal speaking voice has no similarity to Homer's. To perform Homer's voice, Castellaneta lowers his chin to his chest, is said to "let his IQ go."Castellaneta likes to stay in character during recording sessions, tries to visualize a scene in his mind so that he can give the proper voice to it.

Despite Homer's fame, Castellaneta claims he is recognized in public, "except, maybe, by a die-hard fan." Castellaneta provides the voices for numerous other characters, including Grampa Simpson, Barney Gumble, Krusty the Clown, Groundskeeper Willie, Mayor Quimby, Hans Moleman, Sideshow Mel, Kodos, Arnie Pye, the Squeaky Voiced Teen and Gil Gunderson. Krusty's voice is based on Chicago television's Bob Bell, who had a raspy voice and portrayed WGN-TV's Bozo the Clown from 1960 to 1984. Barney's trademark is a loud belch. During early recording sessions for the show, he recorded a new version of the belch for every episode but discovered that it was not easy for him to do it every time a script called for it. Castellaneta chose a recording of what he believed was his best belch and told the producers to make that the standard. Groundskeeper Willie's first appearance was in the season two episode "Principal Charming"; the character was written as an angry janitor and Castellaneta was assigned to perform the voice.

He did not know what voice to use and Sam Simon, directing at the time, suggested he use an accent. Castellaneta first tried, he tried a "big dumb Swede", rejected

The annual bluegrass weevil, scientific name Listronotus maculicollis, is a turfgrass insect pest which feeds on annual bluegrass. They prefer to feed on low mown grass, are thus found on golf courses or grass tennis courts. ABWs, as they are referred to, were only found in the Northeastern United States until the 2000s when sightings began to expand. In recent years they have been found as far north as Ontario and Quebec, as far west as Ohio, as far south as North Carolina, their choice of hosts has expanded, they have been reported feeding on perennial ryegrass and creeping bentgrass. Annual bluegrass weevils were first discovered in Connecticut in 1931, they spread at first, contained to New York, New Jersey, much of New England until after the 1970s, when they were seen in Pennsylvania. It was not until the 2000s, that they began to spread throughout the Mid-Atlantic and into the Midwest. Egg Laid by adult females in the leaf sheath Larvae Five instar stages Feed on inside of stem in early stage When too large for stem, larvae leave into the soil and begin to feed on crown of turf Fifth instar larvae are believed to be the most damaging stage Pupae Adult Feed on blades of turf but damage is negligible Damage to turfgrass appears as yellowing or browning of patches of turf that will grow larger if untreated.

As this symptom can be indicative of a number of issues, there are a few diagnostic features used to identify ABWs as the problem. Stems of the plants will be hollowed out and have a sawdust-like frass left in them, a result of the younger larvae feeding on them. Additionally, notches on blades of the turf observed. Biological management of annual bluegrass weevils has only been proven moderately effective in the lab environment. Research of parasitic nematodes has shown to be promising, while parasitic wasp research has been unsuccessful. Cultural management of annual bluegrass weevil can be achieved by limiting the populations of susceptible hosts, providing adequate moisture and fertility, removing leaf litter from turf areas in the fall as this is where the adult ABWs overwinter. Chemical management of annual bluegrass weevil is the most effective way to reduce the pest population. Preventive applications of insecticides pyrethroids, should be timed with the local Forsythia bloom in order to cut the population before the first generation of eggs are laid for the year

The Lighthouse of Ponta Garça is a beacon/lighthouse located along cliffs of the civil parish of Ponta Garça in the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo, in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. The lighthouse was built in the 20th century, consists of a circular tower and rectangular communications block, comparable to other lighthouses in the archipelago, namely Ponte do Cintrão and Ponta do Rosais; the lighthouse was constructed between 1956 and 1957, by the Comissão Administrativa das Novas Instalações para a Marinha, in an area of Ponta Garça called Cinzeiro. In 1979, two sections of red lamp were installed to differentiate the areas protecting the zones of the islet of Vila Franca do Campo and the lower Lobeira; the beacon's illumination was accomplished with an acetylene lamp. But, in September 1980, the lighthouse was connected to the public electrical network, thus making the acetylene lamp redundant. During this installation, a new 100 W/220 V lamp was installed in the beacon. Seven years this lamp was replaced with a new 50 W/12 V lamp produced by a national manufacturer.

The lighthouse is located along the southern coast of the island of São Miguel, in the area referred to as Cinzeiro, about 101 metres above sea level. The complex is encircled by a white plastered wall, with alameda forming a "L", with gardens and a vegetable garden; the various buildings are surrounded by pasture. Over the wall protecting the lighthouse is a granite plaque, with the inscription: MINISTÉRIO DA DEFESA NACIONAL MARINHA AUTORIDADE MARÍTIMA NACIONAL DIRECÇÃO DE FARÓIS - CAPITANIA DO PORTO PONTA DELGADA FAROL PONTA DA GARÇA 1957; the lighthouse consists of lighthouse keepers' residence and several annexes. The 14 metres cylindrical tower is plastered and painted, identifiable by eight 14 metres high false radial buttresses that narrow closer to the circular balcony of overlapping rings, painted red. At the top of the lighthouse is a glass cupola, covered in metal and painted red and surmounted by weathervane; the tower includes four registers, the first marked by a rectangular doorway and frame, the two intermediaries by friezes and the last by a window, from which a staircase accesses the cupola.

The top register window is flanked by two circular oculi. Access to the lighthouse is made from the single-story rectangular auxiliary building, inclined towards the front; the front facade is plastered and painted, with the corners of exposed rock, with rectangular door flanked by two windows and surmounted by two groups of five rectangles. The lighthouse keepers' residence rectangular, is a simple building covered in tile; the facades are decorated with cornerstones, encircled by brickwork, painted white and terminated in cornices. The principal facade, oriented towards the east, is marked by a rectangular door flanked by two groups of low windows, interconnected by sill and top frame, consisting of six on the left and four on the right; the lateral facades are dotted by central windows and sills above and below the frames, while a covered awning consisting of reinforced cement pillars. Notes SourcesFurtado, Eduardo Carvalho Vieira, Guardiães do Mar dos Açores: uma viagem pelas ilhas do Atlântico, Portugal Relatório da Actividade do Ministério no ano de 1956, Portugal: Ministério das Obras Públicas, 1957