1.
Paradise, Nevada
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Paradise is an unincorporated town and census-designated place in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the city of Las Vegas. The population was 223,167 at the 2010 census, making it the most populous unincorporated community in Nevada, as an unincorporated town, it is governed by the Clark County Commission with input from the Paradise Town Advisory Board. Paradise was formed on December 8,1950, Paradise contains McCarran International Airport, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and most of the Las Vegas Strip. Paradise contains most tourist attractions in the Las Vegas area, excluding downtown, despite this, the name Paradise remains relatively unknown. All Paradise ZIP codes have Las Vegas mailing addresses, the southern part of the Las Vegas Valley was referred to as Paradise Valley as early as 1910, owing to a high water table that made the land particularly fertile for farming. County commissioners established a Paradise school district in 1914, the commission voted to create the unincorporated township of Paradise on December 8,1950. In 1975, Nevada enacted a law that would have incorporated Paradise into the City of Las Vegas, before it could take effect, however, the bill was struck down as unconstitutional by the Nevada Supreme Court. According to the United States Census Bureau, the place of Paradise has a total area of 46.7 square miles. At the census of 2010, there were 223,167 people residing in Paradise. The racial makeup was 59. 8% White,8. 9% African American,0. 8% Native American,9. 5% Asian,1. 0% Pacific Islander, and 5. 5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 31. 2% of the population and 46. 3% of the population was non-Hispanic White. As of the census of 2000, there were 186,070 people,77,209 households, the population density was 3,947.3 people per square mile. There were 85,398 housing units at a density of 1,811.6 per square mile. The racial makeup of the CDP was 72. 51% White,6. 59% African American,0. 77% Native American,6. 52% Asian,0. 59% Pacific Islander,8. 37% from other races, and 4. 65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23. 47% of the population,31. 9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7. 5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the family size was 3.04. In the CDP, the population was out with 21. 2% under the age of 18,10. 8% from 18 to 24,33. 3% from 25 to 44,23. 6% from 45 to 64. The median age was 35 years, for every 100 females there were 109.1 males
2.
Nevada
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Nevada is a state in the Western, Mountain West, and Southwestern regions of the United States of America. Nevada is the 7th most extensive, the 34th most populous, nearly three-quarters of Nevadas people live in Clark County, which contains the Las Vegas–Paradise metropolitan area where three of the states four largest incorporated cities are located. Nevada is officially known as the Silver State because of the importance of silver to its history and economy. It is also known as the Battle Born State, because it achieved statehood during the Civil War, as the Sage-brush State, for the plant of the same name. Nevada borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, Nevada is largely desert and semi-arid, much of it located within the Great Basin. Areas south of the Great Basin are located within the Mojave Desert, while Lake Tahoe, about 86% of the states land is managed by various jurisdictions of the U. S. federal government, both civilian and military. Before European contact, Native Americans of the Paiute, Shoshone, the first Europeans to explore the region were Spanish. They called the region Nevada because of the snow covered the mountains in winter. The area formed part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, the United States annexed the area in 1848 after its victory in the Mexican–American War, and it was incorporated as part of Utah Territory in 1850. The discovery of silver at the Comstock Lode in 1859 led to a boom that became an impetus to the creation of Nevada Territory out of western Utah Territory in 1861. Nevada became the 36th state on October 31,1864, as the second of two added to the Union during the Civil War. Nevada has a reputation for its libertarian laws, in 1940, with a population of just over 110,000 people, Nevada was by far the least-populated state, with less than half the population of the next least-populated state. However, legalized gambling and lenient marriage and divorce laws transformed Nevada into a major tourist destination in the 20th century, Nevada is the only U. S. state where prostitution is legal, though it is illegal in Clark County, Washoe County and Carson City. The tourism industry remains Nevadas largest employer, with mining continuing as a sector of the economy. The name Nevada comes from the Spanish nevada, meaning snow-covered, most Nevadans pronounce the second syllable of their state name using the vowel of trap. Many from outside the Western United States pronounce it with the vowel of father, although the latter pronunciation is closer to the Spanish pronunciation, it is not the pronunciation preferred by most Nevadans. State Assemblyman Harry Mortenson proposed a bill to recognize the alternate pronunciation of Nevada, though the bill was not supported by most legislators, the Nevadan pronunciation is the de facto official one, since it is the one used by the state legislature. Nevada is almost entirely within the Basin and Range Province, and is broken up by many mountain ranges
3.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
4.
Las Vegas Boulevard
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Las Vegas Boulevard is a major road in the Las Vegas Valley of Nevada, best known for the Las Vegas Strip portion of the road and its casinos. Las Vegas Boulevard runs the length of the Las Vegas metropolitan area in Clark County, the Boulevard, as it is sometimes called by longtime Las Vegas residents, starts at Apex, and continues south to about 2 mi south of Jean, in the Mojave Desert. The Boulevard shows up again in Primm, Nevada but is not connected to the northern sections. There are tentative plans to connect the section at Primm to the northern section at Jean. The north/south street address demarcation boundary is located at Fremont Street, at its northern end in Apex, the Boulevard starts in an industrial complex of manufacturing plants and power plants running along the Union Pacific Railroad line. Traveling south, the road meets Nellis Air Force Base on the east side, as the road enters the city of North Las Vegas, it passes through some of the older commercial areas in the region. On crossing Washington Avenue, the Boulevard is designated as the Downtown Las Vegas Boulevard Scenic Byway by the state and this designation continues south to Sahara Avenue. Further south is a stretch of road that has many of the older motels, bars, the Boulevard leaves the city of Las Vegas at Sahara Avenue and assumes its unofficial name the Las Vegas Strip for the next 4 miles. This portion of Las Vegas Boulevard begins a few blocks to the north at the Stratosphere and this is the section of the road most people are familiar with, it is home to casino megaresorts with their world-famous lights, huge video signs and other attractions. It is designated as an All-American Road, just past the end of The Strip, the road passes the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign as it abuts the western edge of the McCarran International Airport property. The South Strip is now used to describe the section of Las Vegas Boulevard between Russell Road and Blue Diamond Road. Along this stretch, development thins out except for newer shopping malls, hotels and condominiums as the Boulevard continues to travel south, Route 117 serves the southern end of Las Vegas Boulevard from the SSTT south towards Las Vegas Premium Outlet Stores, South Point Casino and Silverado Ranch. Las Vegas Boulevard has had names, including 5th Street, Main Street. South of the city, Las Vegas Boulevard was commonly known as the Los Angeles Highway, just north of Jean is the place where the last spike on the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad line was driven. With the construction of I-15, Las Vegas Boulevard went from being the main road to one that only served as a city street for locals. Its current name, in effect since 1959, reflects its importance to the Valley rather than past names when it served as a main intra-city road, on October 16,2009, the Federal Highway Administration announced the designation of a new National Scenic Byway on the boulevard. The 3. 5-mile section starting at Sahara Avenue and running north to Washington Avenue was designated the City of Las Vegas, Las Vegas Boulevard State Scenic Byway, Nevada portal Las Vegas portal U. S. Roads portal Tropicana – Las Vegas Boulevard intersection Las Vegas Strip Media related to Las Vegas Boulevard at Wikimedia Commons
5.
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
6.
Jennifer Lopez: All I Have
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Jennifer Lopez, All I Have is the first residency show by American entertainer Jennifer Lopez. Performed at The AXIS auditorium located in the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, the residency show began on January 20,2016. It was first reported that Lopez had been offered a Las Vegas residency at Planet Hollywood in October 2014, the residency was officially confirmed in May 2015. The show is going to be a multifaceted, high-energy Jenny from the Block party, mixing all aspects of what my fans and I love and she is reportedly working on new music to perform at her residency. The following set list is representative of the show on January 20,2016 and it is not representative of all concerts for the duration of the show. Eve Barlow of The Guardian gave the show 5/5 stars and commended it as two hours of entertainment, writing, Tonight, Lopez promised to give us all she had. Via a catalogue spanning many genres, flavours and dance moves, to borrow from her 2001 smash hit Play, that’s the hotness right there. Billboard rated the residencys opening night 4. 5/5 stars, with Katie Atkinson stating, feeney particularly favored the Latin music set, stating that it was the most electrifying part of the residency. Gerrick D. Lambert added, As for the singing, well, a lot of it sounds live, although there are clearly backing tracks to help out. Rolling Stone writer Stephen L. Betts described Lopezs rendition of I Hope You Dance by country singer Lee Ann Womack as one of the shows highlights, calling it emotional. Tickets for the show were available for sale to the public on May 16,2015. It was the most successful Las Vegas residency of 2016, grossing $34.6 million
7.
Murray SawChuck
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Murray John Sawchuk is a stage illusionist, magician, comedian, actor, and host. Based in Las Vegas, SawChuck has dubbed himself The Dennis the Menace of Magic and he was featured in the fifth season of Americas Got Talent, and is the resident magic historian on Pawn Stars. SawChuck has also appeared as a coach on five episodes of the VH1 series Celebracadabra. Last Comic Standing, Celebrity Blind Date, War of the Worlds 2, The Next Wave, Murray John Sawchuk was born in Burnaby, British Columbia to John and Arlene Sawchuck. His father and extended family have a history of working with railways and his father was also a musician and played in bands when Sawchuck was young, and he has cited that musical exposure as an influence on his later showmanship. Sawchuck began learning accordion, keyboard and saxophone at age five and he learned Ukrainian dancing at age five as well, and at age seven began taking dance lessons in a variety of genres. He was also active in sports, at age seven, his aunt and uncle gave him a Siegfried and Roy magic kit. Sawchuck, who then idolized entertainers such as Dean Martin, Johnny Carson, Lucille Ball, Danny Kaye and Phyllis Diller, began working on incorporating magic, music and he performed his first paid show at a birthday party when he was 11 years old. As a teenager, Sawchuck has stated he did five to six shows a week for six years, often incorporating dancing, accordion. He also worked over 21 jobs, including bus boy, lifeguard and he graduated from high school and received a college degree in Broadcast Communications and Journalism. Sawchuck soon met Marvyn and Carol Roy, also known as Mr. Electric, the couple, who had toured worldwide as magicians for over 50 years, mentored Sawchuck. He began performing in Europe, with his first show in Brussels and he has stated that one of his biggest breaks was performing Paris, France on the Le Plus Grand Cabaret du Monde, a television show that aired across Europe. He also performed in Monaco, Monte Carlo, and throughout Europe, between touring he lived for some time in Orlando, Florida. After a tour of Canada he moved to Las Vegas, headlining on the Las Vegas strip and he also toured in South Asia, including Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Hong Kong. Murray was also under contract with Norwegian Cruise Lines for the summer of 2008 performing his trademark CD act on the Norwegian Star on the Alaska run, in 1999, he was named Magic Champion at the Pacific Rim Professional Magic Challenge. Sawchuck has won over 24 awards, and at one point received the title of World Champion and he was purportedly the first magician to invent a professional magic act involving the manipulation of multiple CDs. He became a US citizen in 2009, Sawchuck appeared as a magic coach on five episodes of the 2008 VHI series Celebracadabra, where magician and celebrity pairs competed for a prize and title of Best Celebrity Magician. He was teamed up with Kimberly Wyatt of the Pussycat Dolls, in late summer of 2010, Sawchuck was featured on the fifth season of the NBC show Americas Got Talent
8.
Miracle Mile Shops
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Miracle Mile Shops is a 475,000 square foot,1. 2-mile long, enclosed shopping mall on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is home to more than 170 cutting-edge stores,15 restaurants, the $300 million mall, located in the center of the Las Vegas Strip, opened in August 2000 as the Desert Passage mall inside the reconstructed Aladdin hotel. It was built and operated by Trizec Properties and originally featured a Moroccan theme, the shopping complex featured an hourly indoor thunderstorm. The mall was sold in 2003 to Boulevard Invest LLC, owned by Investcorp, RFR Holding LLC, to match the conversion of the Aladdin to a Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, the Desert Passage was renovated and adopted a new Los Angeles theme. It was renamed Miracle Mile Shops, in 2016, Boulevard Invest sold the mall for about $1.1 billion to a partnership of Miller Capital Advisory and CalPERS. A dozen shows daily include the popular V-The Ultimate Variety Show, Miracle Mile Shops Miracle Mile Shops unveiled
9.
Caesars Entertainment Corporation
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Caesars Entertainment Corporation, is an American gaming corporation based in Paradise, Nevada that owns and operates over 50 casinos and hotels, and seven golf courses under several brands. It is the fourth-largest gaming company in the world, with revenues of $8.6 billion. Caesars is a company, majority-owned by a group of private equity firms led by Apollo Global Management. Caesarss largest operating unit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2015, the companys background can be traced to October 29,1937, when Bill Harrah opened a small bingo parlor in Reno, Nevada, a predecessor to Harrahs Reno. In 1955, he expanded to Stateline, Nevada, on the shore of Lake Tahoe. Harrahs Inc. made its public offering in 1971. Following that in 1972, it was listed on the American Stock Exchange and in 1973, Bill Harrah died on June 30,1978 of complications from aortic aneurysm and cardiac surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. In February 1980, Holiday Inns acquired Harrahs, Inc. for $300 million, liquidation of Harrahs collection of almost 7,000 antique automobiles reportedly returned the full purchase price of the company to Holiday Inn. In July 1987, Bills Casino Lake Tahoe opened, Harrahs Laughlin opened in August 1988. The company now known as Caesars Entertainment was formed in 1990 as The Promus Companies, which retained only the Holiday Inn assets. The next year, the headquarters moved from Reno to Memphis, Tennessee In April 1992. The late 1980s and early 1990s saw an increase in gambling markets with the growth of Indian gaming. In 1993 and 1994, the company opened Harrahs Joliet, Harrahs Vicksburg, Harrahs Tunica, Harrahs Black Hawk, Harrahs Central City, Harrahs Shreveport, Harrahs North Kansas City, and Harrahs Ak-Chin. In 1995, Promus decided to spin off its non-gaming hotel businesses, Promus Hotel Corp. was established, holding Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, and Homewood Suites, while the parent company, holding 16 casinos, was renamed as Harrahs Entertainment. In 1997, Harrahs launched its Total Gold loyalty program, developed at a cost of $20 million. It was the first gaming company to offer a systemwide comps program, allowing points earned at one casino to be redeemed for goods, the system would be credited as a major driver of Harrahs growth over the coming years. Harvard Business School professor Gary Loveman joined Harrahs as chief operating officer in 1998, in 1999, the company moved its headquarters from Memphis to Las Vegas. Harrahs made its largest single expansion in 2005, when it acquired Caesars Entertainment, negotiations were spurred on by news of a merger agreement between MGM Mirage and Mandalay Resort Group
10.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
11.
Hotel
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A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Small, lower-priced hotels may offer only the most basic guest services and facilities, Hotel rooms are usually numbered to allow guests to identify their room. Some boutique, high-end hotels have custom decorated rooms, some hotels offer meals as part of a room and board arrangement. In the United Kingdom, a hotel is required by law to serve food, in Japan, capsule hotels provide a tiny room suitable only for sleeping and shared bathroom facilities. The precursor to the hotel was the inn of medieval Europe. For a period of about 200 years from the mid-17th century, inns began to cater to richer clients in the mid-18th century. One of the first hotels in a sense was opened in Exeter in 1768. Hotels proliferated throughout Western Europe and North America in the early 19th century, Hotel operations vary in size, function, and cost. Most hotels and major hospitality companies have set standards to classify hotel types. Full service hotels often contain upscale full-service facilities with a number of full service accommodations, an on-site full service restaurant. Boutique hotels are independent, non-branded hotels that often contain upscale facilities. Small to medium-sized hotel establishments offer a limited amount of on-site amenities, economy hotels are small to medium-sized hotel establishments that offer basic accommodations with little to no services. Extended stay hotels are small to medium-sized hotels that offer full service accommodations compared to a traditional hotel. Timeshare and destination clubs are a form of property ownership involving ownership of a unit of accommodation for seasonal usage. A motel is a small-sized low-rise lodging with direct access to rooms from the car park. Boutique hotels are typically hotels with an environment or intimate setting. A number of hotels have entered the public consciousness through popular culture, some hotels are built specifically as a destination in itself, for example at casinos and holiday resorts. The organizational chart and volume of job positions and hierarchy varies by size, function and class
12.
Casino
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A casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. The industry that deals in casinos is called the gaming industry, casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions. There is much debate whether or not the social and economic consequences of casino gambling outweigh the initial revenue that may be generated. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertainment events, such as comedy, concerts. The term casino is a confusing linguistic false friend for translators, Casino is of Italian origin, the root casa originally meant a small country villa, summerhouse, or social club. In modern-day Italian, the term designates a bordello, while the gambling house is spelled casinò with an accent. Not all casinos were used for gaming, the Copenhagen Casino was a theatre, known for the mass public meetings often held in its hall during the 1848 Revolution, which made Denmark a constitutional monarchy. Until 1937, it was a well-known Danish theatre, the Hanko Casino in Hanko, Finland—one of that towns most conspicuous landmarks—was never used for gambling. Rather, it was a hall for the Russian nobility which frequented this spa resort in the late 19th century and is now used as a restaurant. In military and non-military usage in German and Spanish, a casino or kasino is an officers mess, in Italian—the source-language of the word—a casino is either a brothel, a mess, or a noisy environment, while a gaming house is called a casinò. The precise origin of gambling is unknown and it is generally believed that gambling in some form or another has been seen in almost every society in history. From the Ancient Greeks and Romans to Napoleons France and Elizabethan England and it was closed in 1774 as the city government felt it was impoverishing the local gentry. In American history, early gambling establishments were known as saloons, the creation and importance of saloons was greatly influenced by four major cities, New Orleans, St. Louis, Chicago and San Francisco. It was in the saloons that travelers could find people to talk to, drink with, during the early 20th century in America, gambling became outlawed and banned by state legislation and social reformers of the time. However, in 1931, gambling was legalized throughout the state of Nevada, Americas first legalized casinos were set up in those places. In 1976 New Jersey allowed gambling in Atlantic City, now Americas second largest gambling city, most jurisdictions worldwide have a minimum gambling age. Customers gamble by playing games of chance, in cases with an element of skill, such as craps, roulette, baccarat, blackjack. Most games played have mathematically determined odds that ensure the house has at all times an overall advantage over the players and this can be expressed more precisely by the notion of expected value, which is uniformly negative
13.
Las Vegas Strip
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The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of South Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada, known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip is approximately 4.2 miles in length, located south of the Las Vegas city limits in the unincorporated towns of Paradise. However, the Strip is often referred to as being in Las Vegas, most of the Strip has been designated an All-American Road, and is considered a scenic route at night. Many of the largest hotel, casino, and resort properties in the world are located on the Las Vegas Strip, fourteen of the worlds 25 largest hotels by room count are on the Strip, with a total of over 62,000 rooms. One of the most visible aspects of Las Vegas cityscape is its use of dramatic architecture, historically, the casinos that were not in Downtown Las Vegas along Fremont Street were limited to outside of the city limits on Las Vegas Boulevard. In 1959 the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign was constructed exactly 4.5 miles outside of the city limits, the sign is today about 0.4 miles south of the southernmost entrance to Mandalay Bay. In the strictest sense, the Strip refers only to the stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard that is roughly between Sahara Avenue and Russell Road, a distance of 4.2 miles. However, the term is used to refer not only to the road but also to the various casinos and resorts that line the road. The traditional definition considers the Strips northern terminus as the SLS, Mandalay Bay, located just north of Russell Road, is the southernmost resort considered to be on the Strip. Because of the number and size of the resorts, the Resort Corridor can be quite wide, Interstate 15 runs roughly parallel and 0.5 to 0.8 miles to the west of Las Vegas Boulevard for the entire length of the Strip. Paradise Road runs to the east in a fashion. The eastern side of the Strip is bounded by McCarran International Airport south of Tropicana Avenue, north of this point, the Resort Corridor can be considered to extend as far east as Paradise Road, although some consider Koval Lane as a less inclusive boundary. Interstate 15 is sometimes considered the edge of the Resort Corridor from Interstate 215 to Spring Mountain Road. North of this point, Industrial Road serves as the western edge, the famous Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign is located in the median just south of Russell Road, across from the now-demolished Klondike Hotel & Casino. Marketing for these casinos usually states that they are on southern Las Vegas Boulevard and not Strip properties. The first casino to be built on Highway 91 was the Pair-o-Dice Club in 1931 and that casino stood for almost 20 years before being destroyed by a fire in 1960. Its success spawned a second hotel on what would become the Strip, the funding for many projects was provided through the American National Insurance Company, which was based in the then notorious gambling empire of Galveston, Texas. Las Vegas Boulevard South was previously called Arrowhead Highway, or Los Angeles Highway, the Strip was named by Los Angeles police officer and businessman Guy McAfee, after his hometowns Sunset Strip
14.
Milton Prell
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Milton Prell was a hotel owner and developer most notable for his projects in Las Vegas, Nevada. Born in Saint Louis, Missouri, as a man he moved to Los Angeles. He was good friends with Colonel Tom Parker, best known as the manager of Elvis Presley, Elvis married Priscilla in Prells apartment at the Aladdin Hotel in a private wedding shielded from the media. Prell was married to Devorah Zion on July 9,1945, they had one child, Prell started in the gambling business with a bingo palace in California. Prell ordered that the prizes were to be given out honestly to the players, Milton Prell was a successful jewelry salesman in Los Angeles and moved to Butte, Montana in the 1930s. According to the Las Vegas Sun, “, went on to become an automobile salesman and later he became a jewelry salesman. Before long he organized his own organization which rapidly became one of the most successful in California. In 1937, still thinking in terms of his dream, Prell gave up his business in Los Angeles and moved to Butte. He originally planned to enter the business in Montana, but was sidetracked by the business potentialities of fabulous Las Vegas. ”Frank Schivo. Frank’s mother Emma, operated a small café and bar in Butte, the Schivos and the Prells became friends early on and Frank went to work in Prell’s casino behind his retail operation which was a front for the illegal but tolerated gaming operation. Schivo became a protégé of Prell and travelled with him to Reno and Las Vegas, after many preliminary trips to Nevada, Mr. Prell and his family moved to Las Vegas in 1945 with the idea of opening a small hotel. Remembering the success of his club in Butte, however, he decided first to open a similar spot, Club Bingo soon became one of the most popular non-hotel gathering places in Las Vegas and its rapid success again brought forth they young Milton Prells dream. Eda Schivo, Frank’s sister became Milton Prell’s private executive secretary, and her brother Frank Schivo became Prell’s key employee in the Club Bingo, Milton Prells first project in Las Vegas was Club Bingo on the Las Vegas Strip. This club was opened in 1947 before many of the hotels and casinos had opened on the strip. In 1952 the Club Bingo closed and the building was remodeled, Club Bingo opened on July 24,1947 with 240 rooms on the Los Angeles Highway across from the El Rancho Vegas. In addition to other games, it featured a 300-seat bingo parlor. Milton Prell took over in 1952, remodeled the club and opened in October of that year as the Sahara, called The Jewel in the Desert by Prell, the Sahara had a Moroccan theme with statues of camels standing in front of the hotel. Prell sold the Sahara to Del Webb in 1961 who owned it for the next 21 years, during that time Webb added the tower increasing the hotel to nearly 1,000 rooms
15.
Planet Hollywood
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Planet Hollywood International, Inc. is a theme restaurant inspired by the popular portrayal of Hollywood. It was launched in New York City on October 22,1991, with the backing of Hollywood stars Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Planet Hollywood was the idea of Bryan Kestner, a former actor who had some small parts in movies produced by Taft-Barish. Kestner approached his boss, Keith Barish, with the idea of a theme restaurant modeled after Hard Rock Cafe, Barish was a financier, real estate developer and film producer, whose credits include Sophies Choice, The Fugitive, The Running Man and 9½ Weeks. Kestner wanted to call the restaurant Cafe Hollyrock, instead, Barish, the similarity of the two restaurants led Hard Rock Cafe to sue Planet Hollywoods creators for $1.5 billion, the suit was not successful. Kestner received minimal shares in the company for his idea, it was Barish, and Robert Earl, former President and CEO of Hard Rock Cafe, who developed Planet Hollywood. Kestners involvement with development of the company was limited to attending grand opening parties, after Planet Hollywoods filing of numerous bankruptcies, Kestners shares were worthless and he had to file bankruptcy as well. Kestner still receives no money from the restaurant or corporation, Earl recruited many Hard Rock veterans to open new Planet Hollywood locations. Movie star owners received stock options at a low price in exchange for their endorsement, in 1994, Planet Hollywood founded the Official All Star Café restaurant chain, which aimed to use the same concept of branding and memorabilia in the world of sports. In April 1996, Planet Hollywood went public, the companys share price reached an all-time high of $32 on the first day of trading, by 1999, it was down to less than $1. The company has gone bankrupt twice, nearly 100 locations have closed worldwide, leaving about 8 currently open. In 1997, Planet Hollywood entered a joint partnership with AMC Theatres to establish, only one location opened through this partnership, both had no plans to expand on this partnership, and it was scrapped in 2001. In 1998, Planet Hollywood entered the business when it launched Cool Planet Ice Cream. The business was scrapped later that year, Schwarzenegger severed his financial ties with the business in early 2000. Schwarzenegger said the company had not had the success he had hoped for, claiming he wanted to focus his attention on new U. S. and global business ventures and his movie career. Marvel Mania opened on February 18,1998 near Universal Studios Hollywood with Marvel being a co-owner with Universal Studios Hollywood, however, Planet Hollywood had financial problems due to expanding too quickly and had to close it. The last Official All Star Cafe, at Disneys Wide World of Sports, Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas had its grand opening the weekend of November 16,2007, in the remodeled Aladdin Hotel & Casino. Planet Hollywood partnered with Westgate Resorts on the new Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, connected to the existing resort, which opened on January 1,2010. The 52-story luxury vacation ownership and condominium tower included over 1,200 1-4 bedroom units, the building is a key subject in the documentary film The Queen of Versailles
16.
Starwood
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Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is an American hotel and leisure company headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. One of the worlds largest hotel companies, it owns, operates, franchises and manages hotels, resorts, spas, residences, and vacation ownership properties under its 11 owned brands. As of 1 December 2014, Starwood Hotels and Resorts owned, managed, or franchised over 1,200 properties employing over 180,400 people, of whom approximately 26% were employed in the United States. On November 16,2015, Marriott International announced it would purchase Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide for $13.6 billion, the merger was finalized on September 23,2016 after gaining the final approval from the American authorities. After the acquisition by Marriott was approved, the Starwood Preferred Guest program announced it would provide reciprocal benefits with Marriotts guest reward program, the two programs will be merged under a single brand in the future. The Westin Hotels and Resorts brand is Starwoods largest upscale hotels and it was bought by Starwood in 1994 and is also the oldest brand within Starwood, dating back to 1930 and still continuing with it. Sheraton is Starwoods flagship brand, providing hotel and resort accommodation. It began operating in 1937 and was sold to Starwood in 1998 by ITT, also under the Sheraton brand are 7 Vacation Ownership properties. The flagship of the division was The St Regis in New York City, the majority of the CIGA hotels were folded into the ITT Sheraton Luxury Collection. Both ITT Sheraton and later Starwood kept CIGAs original logo for The Luxury Collection brand logo until 2010, after Starwood bought Sheraton, they established a separate brand identity for The Luxury Collection and expanded it. Many hotels in The Luxury Collection are smaller establishments in converted palaces or other significant buildings, launched in 1995 under the Sheraton Groups brand, this brand is a set of mid-range hotels that replaced the Sheraton Inn sub-brand of Sheraton. W Hotels is Starwoods luxury boutique hotel brand, generally marketed towards a younger crowd, for example, the lobbies of all the hotels are known as the Living Room. W Hotels attempt to include the letter W wherever possible - the swimming pool is known as Wet, the concierge is known as Whatever Whenever, the bag in every room is known as Wash. St. Regis is Starwoods main luxury brand, launched in 1999, in the 1930s, head bartender Fernand Petiot, introduced the Bloody Mary cocktail. It has a total of 137 properties operating or in the worldwide, with its first property being Le Méridien Etoile in Paris. Certain locations offer guests complimentary access to art galleries and museums through collaborations, Le Méridien has a partnership with the Italian coffee roasting company Illy, serving and promoting Illy-branded coffee and products throughout its hotels around the world. Aloft, was launched in 2005 as Aloft, a Vision of W Hotels, in a relationship with W similar to Four Points by Sheraton and its brand parent, Aloft is a mid-scale, urban-style business/boutique hotel brand. Announced in 2006, and originally known as Element by Westin, the designs include energy and water efficient features
17.
Hilton Grand Vacations Company
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Hilton Grand Vacations Inc. is based in Orlando, Florida with regional offices located in Las Vegas, Nevada, Oahu, Hawaii, New York City, Marco Island, Florida and Sanibel Island, Florida. It was formerly a wholly owned subsidary of Hilton Inc. until it was spun off into a publicly traded company, in February 2008, Mark Wang was named President of Hilton Grand Vacations. Dealing in timeshares, Hilton Grand Vacations Company, LLC develops, manages, markets, resort villas are jointly-owned by members who have exclusive use of the properties for limited periods of time. Club members can exchange their intervals for vacations at affiliated resorts worldwide. Various timeshare websites report timeshare owner critiques of the HGVC property experience, the Hilton Grand Vacation Club is a timeshare-point-based reservations and exchange system allowing HGVC Members leisure-travel opportunities. There are approximately 250,000 HGVC members worldwide, Club membership provides exclusive exchange, leisure-travel, and reservation services. Hilton reserves the right to purchase the ownership directly from the existing owner, Hilton must pay at least the amount the seller was originally contracted for. This program helps maintain long-term resale value for HGVC ownerships
18.
Timeshare
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A timeshare is a property with a particular form of ownership or use rights. These properties are typically resort condominium units, in multiple parties hold rights to use the property. Units may be on a partial ownership, lease, or right to use basis, the term timeshare was coined in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s expanding on a vacation system that became popular after World War II. They rotated seasons each year, so each family enjoyed the prime seasons equally and this concept was mostly used by related families because joint ownership requires trust and no property manager was involved. However, few families vacation for a season at a time. It took almost a decade for timeshares in Europe to evolve to a run successful business venture. The first timeshare in the United States was started in 1974 by Caribbean International Corporation, based in Fort Lauderdale and it offered what it called a 25-year vacation license rather than ownership. The company owned two other resorts the vacation license holder could alternate their vacation weeks with, one in St. Croix and one in St. Thomas, the Virgin Islands properties began their timeshare sales in 1973 with owners Hillie Meyers, Don Saunders, and Arthur Zimand. The license owner was allowed to rent or give his week away as a gift in any particular year, the only stipulation was that the $15.00 per diem must be paid every year whether the unit was occupied or not. This must be paid yearly fee would become the roots of what is today as maintenance fees. Shortly thereafter, the Florida Real Estate Commission stepped in, enacting legislation to regulate Florida timeshares and this meant that in addition to the price of the owners vacation week, a maintenance fee and a homeowners association had to be initiated. This fee simple ownership also spawned timeshare location exchange companies like Interval International, cancellations, or rescission to the timeshare contract, remain the industrys biggest hurdle to date. The industry is regulated in all countries where resorts are located, in Europe, it is regulated by European and by national legislation. On May 17,2010, Mexico’s Ministry of Economy through the General Directorate of Standards established new regulations, the new regulations are outlined in the Official Mexican Norm, which consists of a series of official standards and regulations applicable to diverse activities in Mexico. It established the standards, Marketing companies are not allowed to offer gifts. The requirements to cancel a contract must be more practical. NOM recognizes the rights of timeshare consumers. It is strictly prohibited for the provider to dispose of the consumer’s personal information without written consent
19.
Tudor architecture
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It is generally not used to refer to the whole period of the Tudor dynasty, but in prestige buildings to the period roughly between 1500 and 1560. It followed the Late Gothic Perpendicular style and was superseded by Elizabethan architecture from about 1560 in domestic building of any pretensions to fashion, in this form the Tudor style long retained its hold on English taste. The four-centered arch, now known as the Tudor arch, was a defining feature, some of the most remarkable oriel windows belong to this period. Mouldings are more out and the foliage becomes more naturalistic. During the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI, many Italian artists arrived in England, their decorative features can be seen at Hampton Court Palace, Layer Marney Tower, Sutton Place, and elsewhere. However, in the reign of Elizabeth I, the influence of Northern Mannerism. Courtiers and other wealthy Elizabethans competed to build houses that proclaimed their status. The Dissolution of the Monasteries redistributed large amounts of land to the wealthy, resulting in a building boom. The building of churches had already slowed somewhat before the English Reformation, after a boom in the previous century. Civic and university buildings became more numerous in the period. Tudor style buildings have features that separate them from Medieval. Castles and smaller manor houses often had moats, portcullises and crenellations designed for archers to stand guard, however, with the arrival of gunpowder and cannons by the time of Henry VI, fortifications like castles became increasingly obsolete. The autumn of 1485 marked the ascension of Henry VII to the throne, until Henrys accession, England had been engaged in the Wars of the Roses that had left the royal coffers in deep trouble-Yorkists had raided the treasury just after the death of Edward IV. Henry Tudor was hellbent on repairing the damage done by decades of war, though this period is better known for the luxuries and excesses of his son and granddaughter, it was actually under Henry VII that the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance began. In the early part of his reign, Henry Tudor favored a site at Sheen, someway down river from London and now known as Richmond Palace, as his primary residence. This had been one of the royal palaces since the reign of Edward II and this burnt to the ground at Christmas 1497, with the royal family in residence, and Henry began a new palace in a version of Renaissance style. This, called Richmond Palace and now completely lost, has described as the first prodigy house. During the reign of Henry VIII, architecture became a pastime of the king
20.
Las Vegas
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The city anchors the Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area and is the largest city within the greater Mojave Desert. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city known primarily for its gambling, shopping, fine dining, entertainment and it is the leading financial, commercial, and cultural center for Nevada. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World and it is a top three destination in the United States for business conventions and a global leader in the hospitality industry, claiming more AAA Five Diamond hotels than any city in the world. Today, Las Vegas annually ranks as one of the worlds most visited tourist destinations. The citys tolerance for numerous forms of adult entertainment earned it the title of Sin City, and has made Las Vegas a popular setting for literature, films, television programs, Las Vegas was settled in 1905 and officially incorporated in 1911. At the close of the 20th century, it was the most populated American city founded within that century, population growth has accelerated since the 1960s, and between 1990 and 2000 the population nearly doubled, increasing by 85. 2%. Rapid growth has continued into the 21st century, and according to a 2013 estimate, perhaps the earliest visitors to the Las Vegas area were nomadic Paleo-Indians, who traveled there 10,000 years ago, leaving behind petroglyphs. Anasazi and Paiute tribes followed at least 2,000 years ago, a young Mexican scout named Rafael Rivera is credited as the first non-Native American to encounter the valley, in 1829. Trader Antonio Armijo led a 60-man party along the Spanish Trail to Los Angeles, the area was named Las Vegas, which is Spanish for the meadows, as it featured abundant wild grasses, as well as desert spring waters for westward travelers. The year 1844 marked the arrival of John C, frémont, whose writings helped lure pioneers to the area. Downtown Las Vegas Fremont Street is named after him, eleven years later members of the LDS Church chose Las Vegas as the site to build a fort halfway between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, where they would travel to gather supplies. The fort was abandoned several years afterward, the remainder of this Old Mormon Fort can still be seen at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Washington Avenue. Las Vegas was founded as a city in 1905, when 110 acres of adjacent to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks were auctioned in what would become the downtown area. In 1911, Las Vegas was incorporated as a city,1931 was a pivotal year for Las Vegas. At that time, Nevada legalized casino gambling and reduced residency requirements for divorce to six weeks and this year also witnessed the beginning of construction on nearby Hoover Dam. The influx of workers and their families helped Las Vegas avoid economic calamity during the Great Depression. The construction work was completed in 1935, in 1941, the Las Vegas Army Air Corps Gunnery School was established. Currently known as Nellis Air Force Base, it is home to the team called the Thunderbirds
21.
Dunes (hotel and casino)
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The Dunes Hotel was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, that operated from May 23,1955 to January 26,1993. Designed by architect Maxwell Starkman, it was the resort to open on the Strip. Bellagio now stands on the former grounds, the Dunes golf course is now occupied by parts of Monte Carlo, New York-New York, CityCenter, and Cosmopolitan, and T-Mobile Arena. The Dunes opened on May 23,1955, as a resort with Hollywood star Vera-Ellen providing the entertainment in the Magic Carpet Review. The State Legislature was in an uproar, but the set a record for attendance in a single week at 16,000. In 1961, a 24 story northern tower, called Diamond of the Dunes, was built, at the time, it was one of the finest and largest hotels on the Strip. The hotel was built in part with financing from movie mogul Al Gottesman, the major investors were Joseph Sullivan, Alfred Gottesman and Bob Rice. It was designed by architect Maxwell Starkman, the resort soon ran into financial difficulties and the casino closed after a year. The resort was purchased in 1956 by two businessmen, Major A, riddle and Jake Gottlieb, who had dealings with the Chicago Outfit. The resort boasted an 18-hole golf course, a health spa. The Hotels Slogan was The Miracle in the Desert, in its early years, the Dunes was known for the 35 ft tall fiberglass sultan that stood above its main entrance. Many top performers, such as Dean Martin, Jayne Mansfield, Liberace, George Burns, Pat Cooper, Judy Garland, Violetta Villas, Phyllis Diller and Frank Sinatra, performed at the hotel. Although it opened to much fanfare, it struggled from the start, in the late 1960s, Morris Shenker bought an interest in the Dunes and became its Chairman of the Board. In 1970, there were unrealized rumors Howard Hughes would buy into the hotel, in The Showroom for 2 years, Johnny Elvis Foster starred in his Elvis show For The Love Of Elvis. Morris Shenker was Johnny Elvis Fosters godfather, Johnny was the first Elvis impersonator before Elvis died, on the strip, from 1976 to 1978 at the hotel. In 1979, the South Tower was added, expanding the hotel to 1300 rooms, a second casino in a separate, round building on the site opened in 1983 under the name Oasis Casino at The Dunes. In 1984, Shenker filed for bankruptcy, and soon after, Major Riddles company also filed bankruptcy, the sultan statue, by now on the golf course, caught fire in 1985, reportedly due to an electrical short. In 1987, Japanese investor Masao Nangaku purchased the Dunes for $155 million, on November 17,1992, the Dunes was sold for the last time to developer Steve Wynns company, Mirage Resorts, Inc. for $75 million
22.
Pitch and putt
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Pitch and putt is an amateur sport very similar to golf but where the hole length is typically less than 70 metres. For international competitions, the hole length is 70 metres. The game is played from raised artificial teeing surfaces using a tee, apart from the above differences, rules and regulations of the games are similar. The game was developed mainly in Ireland since the 1940s but is today a growing sport all over the world, in all cases pitch and putt has its own handicap system and applies the rules of FIPPA/IPPA with exceptions that are specifically approved in each country. The European Pitch and Putt Association was founded at a meeting in Dublin in 1999 by representatives from Ireland, Great Britain, Catalonia, France, later, Norway, Switzerland, San Marino, Denmark, Andorra and Germany joined the EPPA. The European Pitch and Putt Association stages a biennial European Team Championship, the Federation of International Pitch and Putt Associations was created in March 2006 in a meeting in Barcelona by representatives of 17 pitch and putt associations. FIPPA members are Ireland, Catalonia, Netherlands, Norway, Great Britain, Switzerland, Australia, Chile, Andorra, canada, China, and Germany are associated members. The Federation of International Pitch and Putt Associations stages a biennial Pitch and Putt World Cup and, since 2009, FIPPA the Pitch and putt World Strokeplay Championship
23.
Sheet rock
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Drywall is a panel made of calcium sulfate dihydrate with or without additives and normally pressed between a facer and a backer. It is used to make walls and ceilings. The plaster is mixed with fibre, plasticizer, foaming agent, and various additives that can decrease mildew, increase fire resistance, drywall construction became prevalent in North America as a speedier alternative to traditional lath and plaster. The first plasterboard plant in the UK was opened in 1888 in Rochester, Sackett Board was invented in 1894 by Augustine Sackett and Fred Kane. It was made by layering plaster within four plies of wool felt paper, sheets were 36 ×36 × 1/4 thick with open edges. Gypsum board evolved between 1910 and 1930 beginning with wrapped board edges and elimination of the two layers of felt paper in favor of paper-based facings. In 1910 United States Gypsum Corporation bought Sackett Plaster Board Company, providing efficiency of installation, it was developed additionally as a measure of fire resistance. Later air entrainment technology made boards lighter and less brittle, then joint treatment materials, rock lath was an early substrate for plaster. As it evolved, it was faced with paper impregnated with gypsum crystals that bonded with the applied facing layer of plaster, a wallboard panel consists of a layer of gypsum plaster sandwiched between two layers of paper. The raw gypsum, CaSO4·2 H2O, is heated to drive off the water then slightly rehydrated to produce the hemihydrate of calcium sulfate, the board is then formed by sandwiching a core of the wet mixture between two sheets of heavy paper or fibreglass mats. When the core sets it is dried in a large drying chamber. Drying chambers typically use natural gas today, to dry 1 MSF of wallboard, between 1,750,000 and 2,490,000 BTU is required. Organic dispersants/plasticisers are used so the slurry will flow during manufacture, coal-fired power stations include devices called scrubbers to remove sulphur from their exhaust emissions. The sulphur is absorbed by powdered limestone in a process called flue-gas desulphurization and this is commonly used in drywall construction in the United States and elsewhere. Drywall panels in the United States are manufactured in 48-inch, 54-inch and 96-inch wide panels in varying lengths to suit the application, lengths up to 12-feet are commonly available, though the most common length is 8-feet. Common panel thicknesses are 1⁄2-inch and 5⁄8-inch, with panels also available in 1⁄4-inch, 3⁄8-inch, 3/4-inch and 1-inch for specific applications, in Europe plasterboard is manufactured in metric sizes, with the common sizes being corollaries of old imperial sizes. Most plasterboard is made in 120 cm-wide sheets, though 90 cm and 60 cm wide sheets are also made,120 cm wide plasterboard is most commonly made in 240 cm lengths, though 250,260,270,280,300 cm and even longer are commonly available. Thicknesses of plasterboard available are 9.5 mm to 25 mm, however four side chamfered drywall is not currently offered by major UK manufacturers for general use
24.
Equestrianism
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Equestrianism, more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding, refers to the skill of riding, driving, steeplechasing or vaulting with horses. This broad description includes the use of horses for practical working purposes, transportation, recreational activities, artistic or cultural exercises, Horses are trained and ridden for practical working purposes such as in police work or for controlling herd animals on a ranch. They are also used in sports including, but not limited to, dressage, endurance riding, eventing, reining, show jumping, tent pegging, vaulting, polo, horse racing, driving. Some popular forms of competition are grouped together at horse shows, Horses are used for non-competitive recreational riding such as fox hunting, trail riding or hacking. There is public access to trails in almost every part of the world, many parks, ranches. Horses are also used for therapeutic purposes, both in specialized paraequestrian competition as well as non-competitive riding to improve health and emotional development. Horses are also driven in harness racing, at shows and in other types of exhibition, historical reenactment or ceremony. In some parts of the world, they are used for practical purposes such as farming. Horses continue to be used in service, in traditional ceremonies, police and volunteer mounted patrols. Riding halls enable the training of horse and rider in all weathers as well as indoor competition riding, though there is controversy over the exact date horses were domesticated and when they were first ridden, the best estimate is that horses first were ridden approximately 3500 BC. Indirect evidence suggests that horses were ridden long before they were driven, however, the most unequivocal early archaeological evidence of equines put to working use was of horses being driven. Chariot burials about 2500 BC present the most direct evidence of horses used as working animals. In ancient times chariot warfare was followed by the use of war horses as light, the horse played an important role throughout human history all over the world, both in warfare and in peaceful pursuits such as transportation, trade and agriculture. Horses lived in North America, but died out at the end of the Ice Age, Horses were brought back to North America by European explorers, beginning with the second voyage of Columbus in 1493. Humans appear to have expressed a desire to know which horse were the fastest. Gambling on horse races appears to go hand-in hand with racing and has a history as well. Thoroughbreds have the pre-eminent reputation as a breed, but other breeds also race. Under saddle, Thoroughbred horse racing is the most popular form worldwide, in the UK, it is known as flat racing and is governed by the Jockey Club in the United Kingdom
25.
Mount Charleston
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Not to be confused with, Town of Mount Charleston, Nevada. Mount Charleston, officially named Charleston Peak, at 11,916 feet, is the highest mountain in both the Spring Mountains and Clark County, in Nevada, United States and it is the eighth-highest mountain in the state. Well separated from higher peaks by large, low basins, it is the most topographically prominent peak in Nevada, and the eighth-most-prominent peak in the contiguous United States. It is located about 35 miles northwest of Las Vegas within the Mount Charleston Wilderness, Mount Charleston is a year-round getaway for Las Vegass residents and visitors, with a number of hiking trails and a modest ski area. The mountain, which is snow-capped more than half the year, Mount Charleston has nearly 200 camp sites and over 150 picnic areas, some of which are RV-accessible. The village of Mount Charleston lies at its base to the east, the state of Nevada issues license plates with the caption Mt. Charleston and an image of the peak in the background. Sales of the plate supports the natural environment of the Mount Charleston area through grants administered by the Nevada Division of State Lands, list of Ultras of the United States Charleston Peak
26.
Lake Mead
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Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States, measured by water capacity. It is on the Colorado River about 24 mi from the Las Vegas Strip southeast of the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, in the states of Nevada and Arizona. The lake has not reached full capacity, however, since 1983 due to a combination of drought, owing to current low water level, Lake Sakakawea holds claim over Lake Mead in terms of the United States largest reservoir by total area and water in reserve. The reservoir serves water to the states of Arizona, Nevada and California, providing sustenance to nearly 20 million people, Lake Mead was established as the Boulder Dam Recreation Area in 1936, administrated by the National Park Service. The name was changed to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in 1964, and Lake Mohave, both lakes and the surrounding area offer year-round recreation options. The accumulated water from Hoover Dam forced the evacuation of communities, most notably St. Thomas, Nevada. The ruins of St. Thomas are sometimes visible when the level in Lake Mead drops below normal. Lake Mead also covered the sites of the Colorado River landings of Callville and Rioville, at lower water levels, a high-water mark or bathtub ring is visible in photos that show the shoreline of Lake Mead. The bathtub ring is white because of the deposition of minerals on previously submerged surfaces, nine main access points to the lake are available. On the west are three roads from the Las Vegas metropolitan area, access from the northwest from Interstate 15 is through the Valley of Fire State Park and the Moapa River Indian Reservation to the Overton Arm of the lake. The lake is divided into several bodies, the large body closest to the Hoover Dam is Boulder Basin. The narrow channel, which was known as Boulder Canyon and is now known as The Narrows. The Virgin River and Muddy River empty into the Overton Arm, the next basin to the east is Temple Basin, and following that is Gregg Basin, which is connected to the Temple Basin by the Virgin Canyon. In addition, two basins, the Muddy River Inlet and the Virgin River Basin, are flooded when the lake is high enough where these two rivers flow into the lake. As of February 2015, these basins remain dry, jagged mountain ranges surround the lake, offering a scenic backdrop, especially at sunset. Two mountain ranges are within view of the Boulder Basin, the River Mountains, oriented northwest to southeast, bonelli Peak lies to the east of the Virgin Basin. Las Vegas Bay is the terminus for the Las Vegas Wash which is the outflow from the Las Vegas Valley. Lake Mead receives the majority of its water from snow melt in the Colorado, Wyoming, inflows to the lake are largely moderated by the upstream Glen Canyon Dam, which is required to release 8.23 million acre feet of water each year to Lake Mead
27.
Western United States
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The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West, the Far West, or simply the West, traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because European settlement in the U. S. expanded westward after its founding, prior to about 1800, the crest of the Appalachian Mountains was seen as the western frontier. Since then, the frontier moved westward and eventually lands west of the Mississippi River came to be referred to as the West. The West contains several major biomes, the Western U. S. is the largest region of the country, covering more than half the land area of the United States. Given this expansive and diverse geography it is no wonder the region is difficult to specifically define, a majority of the historian respondents placed the eastern boundary of the West east of the Census definition out on the eastern edge of the Great Plains or on the Mississippi River. The survey respondents as a whole showed just how little agreement there was on the boundaries of the West, within a region as large and diverse as the Western United States, smaller areas with more closely shared demographics and geography have developed as subregions. Meanwhile, the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington can be considered part of the Northwest or Pacific Northwest, West Texas in the Chihuahuan Desert may be considered as part of the Western U. S. Fort Worth has long laid claim to be Where the West Begins, the West is still one of the most sparsely settled areas in the United States with 49.5 inhabitants per square mile. Only Texas with 78.0 inhabitants/sq mi, Washington with 86.0 inhabitants/sq mi. and California with 213.4 inhabitants/sq mi. exceed the national average of 77.98 inhabitants/sq mi. The entire Western region has also strongly influenced by European, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Native Americans. African and European Americans, however, continue to wield a stronger political influence because of the rates of citizenship and voting among Asians. The West also contains much of the Native American population in the U. S. particularly in the reservations in the Mountain. The Western United States has a sex ratio than any other region in the United States. Because the tide of development had not yet reached most of the West when conservation became an issue, agencies of the federal government own. National parks are reserved for activities such as fishing, camping, hiking, and boating, but other government lands also allow commercial activities like ranching, logging. The largest city in the region is Los Angeles, located on the West Coast, Other West Coast cities include San Diego, San Bernardino, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Bakersfield, Sacramento, Seattle, Tacoma, and Portland. Prominent cities in the Mountain States include Denver, Colorado Springs, Phoenix, Tucson, Albuquerque, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Boise, El Paso, and Cheyenne. Along the Pacific Ocean coast lie the Coast Ranges, which and they collect a large part of the airborne moisture moving in from the ocean
28.
University of California, Los Angeles
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The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university in the Westwood district of Los Angeles, California, United States. It became the Southern Branch of the University of California in 1919 and it offers 337 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a wide range of disciplines. UCLA enrolls about 31,000 undergraduate and 13,000 graduate students, and had 119,000 applicants for Fall 2016, including transfer applicants, the university is organized into six undergraduate colleges, seven professional schools, and four professional health science schools. Fourteen Nobel laureates, three Fields Medalists, two Chief Scientists of the U. S. Air Force and three Turing Award winners have been faculty, researchers, or alumni, the university was elected to the Association of American Universities in 1974. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2015–2016 ranked UCLA 16th in the world for academics, in 2015-2016, UCLA ranked 12th in the world by the Academic Ranking of World Universities and 31st in the 2016/17 QS World University Rankings. UCLA student-athletes compete as the Bruins in the Pac-12 Conference, the Bruins won 126 national championships, including 113 NCAA team championships, more than any other university. UCLA student-athletes, coaches and staff won 251 Olympic medals,126 gold,65 silver and 60 bronze, UCLA student-athletes competed in every Olympics since 1920 with one exception, and won a gold medal in every Olympics that the United States participated in since 1932. The State Normal School at Los Angeles opened on August 29,1882, the facility included an elementary school where teachers-in-training could practice their technique with children. That elementary school is related to the present day version, UCLA Lab School, in 1887, the school became known as the Los Angeles State Normal School. In 1914, the moved to a new campus on Vermont Avenue in East Hollywood. However, David Prescott Barrows, the new President of the University of California, the same legislation added its general undergraduate program, the College of Letters and Science. After the athletic teams entered the Pacific Coast conference in 1926, the Southern Branch student council adopted the nickname Bruins, in 1927, the Regents renamed the Southern Branch the University of California at Los Angeles. In the same year, the state broke ground in Westwood on land sold for $1 million, less than one-third its value, by real estate developers Edwin and Harold Janss, the campus in Westwood opened to students in 1929. The original four buildings were the College Library, Royce Hall, the Physics-Biology Building, the first undergraduate classes on the new campus were held in 1929 with 5,500 students. A timeline of the history can be found on its website, during its first 32 years, UCLA was treated as an off-site department of UC. As such, its presiding officer was called a provost, in 1951, UCLA was formally elevated to co-equal status with UC Berkeley, and its presiding officer Raymond B. Allen was the first chief executive to be granted the title of chancellor. The appointment of Franklin David Murphy to the position of Chancellor in 1960 helped spark an era of growth of facilities. By the end of the decade, UCLA had achieved distinction in a range of subjects
29.
Shirley MacLaine
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Shirley MacLaine is an American film, television and theater actress, singer, dancer, activist and author. She is known for her New Age beliefs, and has an interest in spirituality and she has written a series of autobiographical works that describe these beliefs, document her world travels, and describe her Hollywood career. She has also won five competitive Golden Globe Awards and received the Golden Globe Cecil B, deMille Award at the 1998 ceremony. Named after Shirley Temple, Shirley MacLean Beaty was born in Richmond, MacLaines younger brother is the actor, writer and director Warren Beatty, he changed the spelling of his surname when he became an actor. Their parents raised them as Baptists and her uncle was A. A. MacLeod, a Communist member of the Ontario legislature in the 1940s. MacLaine played baseball in a team, holding the record for most home runs which earned her the nickname Powerhouse. During the 1950s, the family resided in the Dominion Hills section of Arlington. As a toddler she had weak ankles and would fall over with the slightest misstep and this was the beginning of her interest in performing. Strongly motivated by ballet, she never missed a class, in classical romantic pieces like Romeo and Juliet and The Sleeping Beauty, she always played the boys roles due to being the tallest in the group and the absence of males in the class. Ultimately she decided against making a career of professional ballet because she had grown too tall and was unable to acquire perfect technique and she explained that she didnt have the ideal body type, lacking the requisite beautifully constructed feet of high arches, high insteps and a flexible ankle. Also slowly realizing ballets propensity to be too all-consuming, and ultimately limiting, she moved on to forms of dancing, acting. She attended Washington-Lee High School, where she was on the cheerleading squad, the summer before her senior year, she went to New York City to try acting on Broadway, and had some success. After she graduated, she returned and within a year became an understudy to actress Carol Haney in The Pajama Game, Haney broke her ankle, a few months after, with Haney still injured, film producer Hal B. Wallis saw MacLaines performance, and signed her to work for Paramount Pictures and she later sued Wallis over a contractual dispute, a suit that has been credited with ending the old-style studio star system of actor management. MacLaine made her debut in Alfred Hitchcocks The Trouble with Harry. This was quickly followed by her role in the Martin and Lewis film Artists, soon afterwards, she had a role in Around the World in 80 Days. This was followed by Hot Spell and a role in Some Came Running, for the latter film she gained her first Academy Award nomination. Her second Oscar nomination came two years later for The Apartment, starring with Jack Lemmon, the film won five Oscars, including Best Director for Billy Wilder
30.
Groundbreaking
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Such ceremonies are often attended by dignitaries such as politicians and businessmen. The actual shovel or spade used during the actual groundbreaking is often a special ceremonial shovel meant to be saved for subsequent display, commemorative information may be subsequently engraved on the shovel. In some places, clergy may also provide blessings, particularly if the building is being constructed by a church or religious-affiliated organization. The term groundbreaking, when used as an adjective, may mean being or making something that has never been done, seen, or made before, builders rites Topping out Cornerstone Publicity stunt Ribbon cutting ceremony Media related to Ground-breaking ceremonies at Wikimedia Commons
31.
Showgirl
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A showgirl is a female dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show intended to showcase the performers physical attributes, typically by way of revealing clothing or even toplessness or nudity. Showgirls are often associated with Latin music and dance, particularly samba, the term showgirl is sometimes applied to a promotional model employed in trade fairs and car shows. Showgirls date back to the late 1800s in Parisian music halls and cabarets such as the Moulin Rouge, Le Lido, showgirls were presented in Las Vegas in 1952 as the opening and closing act for Las Vegas headliners, sometimes dancing around the headliner. They were introduced at the Sands Casino for a show with Danny Thomas, in 1957 Minskys Follies took the stage at the Desert Inn giving birth to the topless showgirl in Vegas. This was followed by a long-running The Lido de Paris at the Stardust Casino that ran for 31 years, kylie Minogue was inspired by different types of showgirls and named and styled her Showgirl, The Greatest Hits Tour and Showgirl, The Homecoming Tour concerts after them. Showgirl themes can be seen at many corners through Minogues entire career, several showgirl cars are seen at the Dinoco booth during the animated film Cars, former Motorama show car Flo displays vanity licence plate SHOGRL as a Motorama 1957 showgirl
32.
Neon Museum
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The Neon Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, features signs from old casinos and other businesses displayed outdoors on over 6 acres. The museum features a restored lobby shell from the defunct La Concha Motel as its visitor center, for many years, the Young Electric Sign Company stored many of these old signs in their boneyard. The signs were slowly being destroyed by exposure to the elements, the museum is slowly restoring the signs and placing them around the Fremont Street Experience. The signs are considered by Las Vegas locals, business owners, and government organizations to be not only artistically, each of the restored signs in the collection holds a story about who created it and why it is important. The Neon Museum was founded in 1996 as a partnership between the Allied Arts Council of Southern Nevada and the City of Las Vegas, today, it is an independent non-profit. The Neon Museum maintains restored signs along the Fremont Street Experience as well as the signs in the Boneyard collection, located on Las Vegas Boulevard and Bonanza, the Neon Museum includes a new park. November,1996, The Neon Museum at the Fremont Street Experience opens with the Hacienda Horse & Rider sign being lit at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard, on January 24,2006, the original 80-foot tall Sahara sign was donated to the museum. The Neon Museum recently restored three signs to the median, including the famous Silver Slipper, the Neon Boneyard City Park installed its sign based on pieces held in the collection and will open soon. The museum also took in the sign from the Moulin Rouge Hotel and is restoring the historic La Concha lobby to serve as the museums building. The Neon Museum maintains twelve restored signs throughout Downtown Las Vegas, some can be seen on a self-guided visitors walk through the Fremont Street Experience. Three others have added in recent years to the median of Las Vegas Boulevard in front of the eventual site for the Neon Museum itself. The Neon Museum is located on Las Vegas Boulevard and Bonanza Road, across the street from Cashman Center, the boneyard preserves over 150 neon signs from the Nevada area. While the core of the collection is from the old Yesco Boneyard, pieces in the boneyard include signage from the Moulin Rouge Hotel, the Stardust, Desert Inn and Caesars Palace as well as many others. The museum also houses fiberglass sculptures including a giant skull from the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino among others
33.
Orient
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The Orient is the East, traditionally comprising anything that belongs to the Eastern world, in relation to Europe. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the term Orient derives from the Latin word oriens meaning east. Also, many ancient temples, including temples and the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, were built with their main entrances facing the East. This tradition was carried on in Christian churches, to situate them in such a manner was to orient them in the proper direction. When something was facing the direction, it was said to be in the proper orientation. Another explanation of the stems from Rome during the Roman Empire, specifically the Eastern Roman Empire, or the Roman Orient. Although the original East-West line was the Italian Peninsulas East Coast, the opposite term Occident derives from the Latin word occidens, meaning west. This term meant the west but has fallen into disuse in English, over time, the common understanding of the Orient has continually shifted eastwards, as European people traveled farther into Asia. It finally reached the Pacific Ocean, in what Westerners came to call the Far East and these shifts in time and identification sometimes confuse the scope of Oriental Studies. Yet there remain contexts where the Orient and Oriental have kept their older meanings, travelers may again take the Orient Express train from Paris to its terminus in the European part of Istanbul, a route established in the early 20th century. In European historiography, the meaning of the Orient changed in several times. Originally, the referred to Egypt, the Levant. During the 1800s, India, and to a lesser extent China, by the mid-20th century, Western scholars generally considered the Orient as just East Asia, Southeast Asia, and eastern Central Asia. As recently as the early 20th century, the term Orient often continued to be used in ways that included North Africa, today, the term primarily evokes images of China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and peninsular Southeast Asia. Throughout the history of the sense of the term, the Orient was never equivalent to Asia as a whole. The Orient being largely a term, large parts of Asia—Siberia most notably—were excluded from the scholarly notion of the Orient. Equally valid terms for the Orient still exist in the English language in such collocations as Oriental studies, the adjectival term Oriental has been used by the West to mean cultures, peoples, countries, Asian rugs, and goods from the Orient. It is a designation for anything belonging to the Orient or East
34.
Martin Stern Jr.
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Martin Stern Jr. was an American architect who was most widely known for his large scale designs and structures in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is credited with originating the concept of the structurally integrated casino resort complex in Las Vegas, the International Hotel, which later became the Las Vegas Hilton, and the first MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, two pivotal Martin Stern Jr. When it was completed, the International was the largest hotel in the world and it is now the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. The first MGM Grand, larger than the Empire State Building and in its turn the largest hotel in the world, as the Telegraph observed, this loss only seven years after the hotel was completed was devastating to Stern. The MGM Grand was nonetheless rebuilt within eight months and reopened and it was sold in 1985 and is now Ballys Las Vegas. Nearly half of Martin Stern Jr. s projects were in Nevada while another quarter were in California, the following partial listing by decades sketches less than one third of Sterns work. 1955, Encino Village, a subdivision of 400 homes in Encino, Los Angeles,1955, Holiday Hotel Reno in Reno, Nevada - the birthplace of the World Series of Poker. 1958-61, Mountain Shadows in Scottsdale, Arizona 1959, Del Webbs Towne House, on Market between 7th and 8th Streets in San Francisco, California. 1960, Paradise Valley Country Club, Paradise Valley, Arizona 1963, Ships Coffee Shop, Los Angeles, California,1963, Beverly Hills, California Public Library. 1964, Kaanapali Beach Hotel, Maui, Hawaii 1964, Del Webbs Ocean House in Mission Bay, San Diego,1966, The Silver Slipper Hotel, known for its giant rotating rooftop silver slipper, Las Vegas. Purchased in 1968 by Howard Hughes,1969, Kings Castle in Incline Village, Nevada 1969, International Hotel, with Kirk Kirkorian. The International Hotel was purchased by the Hilton Hotels Corporation in 1970,1973, MGM Grand Hotel and Casino with Kirk Kirkorian. Rebuilt after the 1980 MGM Grand fire, sold in 1986 and reopened as Ballys Las Vegas. 1974, Las Vegas Hilton Benihana Village
35.
One Thousand and One Nights
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One Thousand and One Nights is a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the Arabian Nights, from the first English-language edition, the work was collected over many centuries by various authors, translators, and scholars across West, Central, and South Asia and North Africa. The tales themselves trace their roots back to ancient and medieval Arabic, Persian, Mesopotamian, Indian, Jewish, the stories proceed from this original tale, some are framed within other tales, while others begin and end of their own accord. Some editions contain only a few hundred nights, while others include 1,001 or more, the bulk of the text is in prose, although verse is occasionally used for songs and riddles and to express heightened emotion. Most of the poems are single couplets or quatrains, although some are longer, the main frame story concerns Shahryār, whom the narrator calls a Sasanian king ruling in India and China. Shahryār begins to marry a succession of only to execute each one the next morning. Eventually the vizier, whose duty it is to provide them, Scheherazade, the viziers daughter, offers herself as the next bride and her father reluctantly agrees. On the night of their marriage, Scheherazade begins to tell the king a tale, the king, curious about how the story ends, is thus forced to postpone her execution in order to hear the conclusion. The next night, as soon as she finishes the tale, she begins a new one, so it goes on for 1,001 nights. The tales vary widely, they include historical tales, love stories, tragedies, comedies, poems, burlesques, numerous stories depict jinns, ghouls, apes, sorcerers, magicians, and legendary places, which are often intermingled with real people and geography, not always rationally. The different versions have different individually detailed endings but they all end with the giving his wife a pardon. The narrators standards for what constitutes a cliffhanger seem broader than in modern literature, the history of the Nights is extremely complex and modern scholars have made many attempts to untangle the story of how the collection as it currently exists came about. Most scholars agreed that the Nights was a work and that the earliest tales in it came from India and Persia. At some time, probably in the early 8th century, these tales were translated into Arabic under the title Alf Layla and this collection then formed the basis of The Thousand and One Nights. The original core of stories was quite small, then, in Iraq in the 9th or 10th century, this original core had Arab stories added to it – among them some tales about the Caliph Harun al-Rashid. Devices found in Sanskrit literature such as stories and animal fables are seen by some scholars as lying at the root of the conception of the Nights. Indian folklore is represented in the Nights by certain animal stories, the influence of the Panchatantra and Baital Pachisi is particularly notable. The Jataka Tales are a collection of 547 Buddhist stories, which are for the most part moral stories with an ethical purpose
36.
Aladdin
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Aladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale. Aladdin is an impoverished young neer-do-well dwelling in one of the cities of China, the sorcerers real motive is to persuade young Aladdin to retrieve a wonderful oil lamp from a booby-trapped magic cave. After the sorcerer attempts to him, Aladdin finds himself trapped in the cave. Fortunately, Aladdin is still wearing a ring the sorcerer has lent him. When he rubs his hands in despair, he rubs the ring. When his mother tries to clean the lamp, so they can sell it to buy food for their supper, with the aid of the genie of the lamp, Aladdin becomes rich and powerful and marries Princess Badroulbadour, the sultans daughter. The genie builds Aladdin and his bride a wonderful palace, far more magnificent than the sultans, the sorcerer hears of Aladdins good fortune, and returns, he gets his hands on the lamp by tricking Aladdins wife by offering to exchange new lamps for old. He orders the genie of the lamp to take the palace, along all its contents. Fortunately, Aladdin still has the ring and is able to summon the lesser genie. The sorcerers more powerful and evil brother plots to destroy Aladdin for killing his brother by disguising himself as an old woman known for her healing powers, Badroulbadour falls for his disguise and commands the woman to stay in her palace in case of any illnesses. Aladdin is warned of danger by the genie of the lamp. Everyone lives happily ever after, Aladdin eventually succeeding to his father-in-laws throne, Gallands diary records that he met the Maronite scholar, by name Youhenna Diab, who had been brought from Aleppo to Paris by Paul Lucas, a celebrated French traveller. Gallands diary also tells that his translation of Aladdin was made in the winter of 1709–10 and it was included in his volumes ix and x of the Nights, published in 1710. One was written by a Syrian Christian priest living in Paris, named Dionysios Shawish, the other is supposed to be a copy Mikhail Sabbagh made of a manuscript written in Baghdad in 1703. It was purchased by the Bibliothèque Nationale at the end of the nineteenth century, however, modern scholars such as Muhsin Mahdi and Husain Haddawy claim that both manuscripts are forgeries—back-translations of Gallands text into Arabic. The opening sentences of the story, in both the Galland and the Burton versions, set it in China and imply, at least, on the other hand, there is practically nothing in the rest of the story that is inconsistent with a Persian or Arabian setting. A Jewish merchant buys Aladdins wares, but there is no mention of Buddhists or Confucians, of course, Chinas ethnic makeup has long included Muslim groups, including large populations of the Hui people whose origins go back to Silk Road travellers. In addition, large communities of Muslim Chinese have been known since the Tang Dynasty, some commentators have even suggested that the story might be set in Turkestan
37.
Canopy (building)
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A canopy is an overhead roof or else a structure over which a fabric or metal covering is attached, able to provide shade or shelter from weather conditions such as sun, hail, snow and rain. A canopy can also be a tent, generally without a floor, the word comes from the Ancient Greek κωνώπειον, from κώνωψ, which is a bahuvrihi compound meaning mosquito. The first o changing into a may be due to influence from the place name Canopus, architectural canopies include projections giving protection from the weather, or merely decoration. Such canopies are supported by the building to which they are attached, canopies can also stand alone, such as a fabric covered gazebo or cabana. Fabric canopies can meet various design needs, many modern fabrics are long-lasting, bright, easily cleaned, strong and flame-retardant. This material can be vinyl, acrylic, polyester or canvas, modern frame materials offer high strength-to-weight ratios and corrosion resistance. The proper combination of properties can result in safe, strong, economical
38.
Oil lamp
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An oil lamp is an object used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source. The use of oil lamps began thousands of years ago and continues to this day and they are often associated with stories in which rubbing an oil lamp would summon a genie dwelling in it, like seen in Aladdin. Oil lamps are a form of lighting, and were used as an alternative to candles before the use of electric lights, starting in 1780 the Argand lamp quickly replaced other oil lamps still in their basic ancient form. These in turn were replaced by the lamp in about 1850. In small towns and rural areas the latter continued in use well into the 20th century, until such areas were finally electrified, most modern lamps have been replaced by gas-based or petroleum-based fuels to operate when emergency non-electric light is required. Therefore, oil lamps of today are used for the particular ambience they produce. The following are the external parts of a terra-cotta lamp. The width ranges from 0. 5-5 cm in general, there may be single or multiple holes. It may be just an opening in the body of the lamp, in some specific types of lamps there is a groove on the superior aspect of the nozzle that runs to the pouring hole to collect back the oozing oil from the wick. Handle Lamps come with and without a handle, the handle comes in different shapes. The most common is ring shaped for the forefinger surmounted by a palmette on which the thumb is pressed to stabilize the lamp, other handles are crescent shaped, triangular and semi-oval. The handleless lamps usually have a nozzle, and sometimes have a lug rising diagonally from the periphery. The lug may act as a handle where the thumb rests. It was speculated that pierced lugs were used to place a pen or straw, called the acus or festuca, others think that the pierced lugs were used to hang the lamp with a metal hook when not in use. Discus Fuel chamber The fuel reservoir, the mean volume in a typical terra-cotta lamp is 20 cc. Lamps can be categorized based on different criteria, including material, shape, structure, design, and imagery. Typologically, lamps of the Ancient Mediterranean can be divided into seven categories, Wheel made, This category includes Greek. They are characterized by simple, little or no decoration, and a wide hole, a lack of handles. Pierced lugs occurred briefly between 4th and 3rd century BCE, unpierced lugs continued until the 1st century BCE
39.
Beverly Hills, California
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Beverly Hills is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, surrounded by the cities of Los Angeles and West Hollywood. By 2013, its population had grown to 34,658, sometimes referred to as 90210, one of its primary ZIP codes, it was home to many actors and celebrities throughout the 20th century. The city includes the Rodeo Drive shopping district and the Beverly Hills Oil Field, gaspar de Portolá arrived in the area that would later become Beverly Hills on August 3,1769, travelling along native trails which followed the present-day route of Wilshire Boulevard. The area was settled by Maria Rita Quinteros de Valdez and her husband in 1828 and they called their 4,500 acres of property the Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas. in 1854, she sold the ranch to Benjamin Davis Wilson and Henry Hancock. By the 1880s, the ranch had been subdivided into parcels of 75 acres and was being bought up by anglos from Los Angeles. Henry Hammel and Andrew H. Denker acquired most of it, at this point, the area was known as the Hammel and Denker Ranch. By 1888, Denker and Hammel were planning to build a town called Morocco on their holdings and they did not find enough to exploit commercially by the standards of the time, though. In 1906, therefore, they reorganized as the Rodeo Land and Water Company, renamed the property Beverly Hills, subdivided it, the development was named Beverly Hills after Beverly Farms in Beverly, Massachusetts and because of the hills in the area. The first house in the subdivision was built in 1907, although sales remained slow, Beverly Hills was one of many all-white planned communities started in the Los Angeles area around this time. Restrictive covenants prohibited non-whites from owning or renting property unless they were employed as servants by white residents and it was also forbidden to sell or rent property to Jews in Beverly Hills. Burton Green began construction on The Beverly Hills Hotel in 1911, the hotel was finished in 1912. The visitors drawn by the hotel were inclined to purchase land in Beverly Hills and that same year, the Rodeo Land and Water Company decided to separate its water business from its real estate business. The Beverly Hills Utility Commission was split off from the company and incorporated in September 1914, buying all of the utilities-related assets from the Rodeo Land. In 1919, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford bought land on Summit Drive and built a mansion, finished in 1921, the glamor associated with Fairbanks and Pickford as well as other movie stars who built mansions in the city contributed to its growing appeal. By the early 1920s the population of Beverly Hills had grown enough to make the water supply a political issue, in 1923 the usual solution, annexation to the city of Los Angeles, was proposed. There was considerable opposition to annexation among such famous residents as Pickford, Fairbanks, Will Rogers, the Beverly Hills Utility Commission, opposed to annexation as well, managed to force the city into a special election and the plan was defeated 337 to 507. In 1925, Beverly Hills approved an issue to buy 385 acres for a new campus for UCLA. The cities of Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Venice also issued bonds to pay for the new campus
40.
William H. Briare
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William Hubert Bill Briare was an American politician. He was the mayor of Las Vegas from 1975 to 1987. Briare was a member of the Democratic Party, Briare was born in Long Beach, California. In the 1960s, Briare served in the Nevada Assembly and as a Clark County Commissioner. In 1971, he lost his first campaign for mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada to Oran K. Gragson, Briare was so positive about the city that people would ask him if he was the president of the Chamber of Commerce. His obituary in the Las Vegas Review Journal noted that Briares public tenure came during a key time when control of casinos shifted from organized crime figures to corporations, in 1994, Briare ran for Lieutenant Governor of Nevada, but lost to Lonnie Hammargren. Briare died in Las Vegas at the age of 76, and was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery, william H. Briare at Find a Grave
41.
Las Vegas Sun
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The Las Vegas Sun is one of the Las Vegas Valleys two daily newspapers. It is owned by the Greenspun family and is affiliated with Greenspun Media Group, the paper published afternoons on weekdays from 1990 to 2005. The paper is now included as a section inside the pages of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, publisher and President Brian Greenspun, former publisher Hank Greenspuns son, was a college roommate of U. S. President Bill Clinton. Greenspun welcomed Clinton, while he was a sitting President, as a house guest during a Clinton fundraising trip to southern Nevada, the Las Vegas Sun was first published on May 21,1950, by Hank Greenspun, who served as its editor until his death. Hank acquired the Las Vegas Free Press and two weeks later renamed it to the Las Vegas Sun and he started the Las Vegas Sun after he received a US$1, 000-loan from businessman Nate Mack. From its founding the paper was published in the mornings, starting in 1989, after it signed a Joint Operating Agreement with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the paper switched to publishing in the afternoon. The Pulitzer Prize committee noted that the Suns coverage led to changes in government policy, alexandra Berzon was the primary author for the 4 part series. Berzon promptly left the paper upon her win, as did health reporter and Pulitzer finalist Marshall Allen in 2011. The afternoon edition of the paper was published until September 30,2005, when, on October 2,2005, the staff for each paper remained independent. The section typically contains no advertisements, the two newspapers editorial departments continue to have in-print disputes, often on the op-ed pages by Brian Greenspun and former Review-Journal publisher Sherman Frederick. Before Christmas in 2009, the Sun fired more than half its staff and changed its focus from news to feature stories. Then, in September 2011, the laid off a dozen additional employees
42.
Golf course
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A golf course is the grounds where the game of golf is played. It comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a ground, a fairway, the rough and other hazards. A standard round of golf consists of 18 holes, most courses contain 18 holes, some share fairways or greens, and a subset has nine holes, played twice per round. Par-3 courses consist of nine or 18 holes all of which have a par of three strokes, many older courses are links, often coastal. Courses are private, public, and municipally owned, and typically feature a pro shop, many private courses are found at country clubs. Although a specialty within landscape design or landscape architecture, golf course architecture is considered a field of study. While golf courses often follow the landscape, some modification is unavoidable. This is increasingly the case as new courses are likely to be sited on less optimal land. Bunkers and sand traps are almost always artificial, although other hazards may be natural, the layout of a fairway follows certain traditional principles, such as the number of holes, their par values, and the number of holes of each par value per course. It is also preferable to arrange greens to be close to the tee box of the next hole, to minimize travel distance while playing a round. Combined with the need to all the fairways within what is frequently a compact square or rectangular plot of land. In complex areas, two holes may share the same tee box, fairway, or even green and it is also common for separate tee-off points to be positioned for men, women, and amateurs, each one respectively lying closer to the green. Eighteen-hole courses are traditionally broken down into a front 9 and a back 9. On older courses, the holes may be out in one long loop, beginning and ending at the clubhouse, and thus the front 9 is referred to on the scorecard as out. More recent courses tend to be designed with the front 9, a successful design is as visually pleasing as it is playable. Most golf courses have only par-3, -4, and -5 holes, typical distances for the various holes from standard tees are as follows. Terrain can also be a factor, so that a long downhill hole might be rated par 4 and this compensates for the generally longer distance pro players can put on tee and fairway shots as compared to the average bogey golfer. The game of golf is played in what is called a round and this consists of playing a set number of holes in an order predetermined by the course
Media related to Planet Hollywood Las Vegas at Wikimedia Commons
