Sigulda is a town in the Vidzeme Region of Latvia, 53 kilometres from the capital city Riga. Sigulda is on a picturesque stretch of the primeval Gauja river valley; because of the reddish Devonian sandstone which forms steep rocks and caves on both banks of the river, Sigulda has been called the "Switzerland of Vidzeme". After the restoration of Latvian independence in 1991, an emphasis was placed on conserving Sigulda's public monuments and parks as well as improving the town's tourist sector. Supported by the town council, a traditional Opera Festival takes place in an open-air music hall in the castle ruins each summer. A Town Festival is celebrated in May when cherry trees blossom, while Sigulda is known for the colors of its trees in autumn. Sports such as skiing and the luge are popular in wintertime and bungee jumping is practiced during the rest of the year; the Gutmanis Cave lies halfway between Sigulda Castle and Turaida Castle and has a small stream flowing from it. It is the largest cave in the Baltics, measuring 12 m wide and 10 m high.

The cave still bears inscriptions from as early as the 17th century. From the cave it is possible to take the cable car over the river valley; the town's population has been growing every year since 2000. 86 % of the population is 9 % Russian, 3 % Belarusian, 2 % others. In 2007 Sigulda celebrated its 800th anniversary. Aerodium Latvia Gauja National Park Gutmanis Cave Krimulda Castle Sigulda bobsleigh and skeleton track Sigulda Castle Sigulda Medieval Castle Turaida Castle Sigulda is a member of the Douzelage, a town twinning association of towns across the European Union; this active town twinning began in 1991 and there are regular events, such as a produce market from each of the other countries and festivals. As of 2019, its members are: Other twinnings Milda Lauberte – Latvia's leading female chess player for decades Sandis Ozoliņš – Latvian ice hockey player, Stanley Cup champion Andris Šics – Latvian luger, who has won a silver medal in the men's doubles event at Vancouver in 2010 and two bronze medals at Sochi in 2014 with his brother Juris Šics.

Juris Šics – Latvian luger, who has won a silver medal in the men's doubles event at Vancouver in 2010 and two bronze medals at Sochi in 2014 with his brother Andris Šics. Official website Media related to Sigulda at Wikimedia Commons Tourist information office of Sigulda

Jennifer Joanne Metcalfe is an English actress best known for her role in Hollyoaks playing Mercedes McQueen since 2006. Metcalfe has made appearances in the spin off show Hollyoaks Later between 2008 and 2012 as Mercedes. Metcalfe competed in the sixth series of Dancing on Ice. Metcalfe was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire and grew up on the Holme Wood housing estate, has been acting since age 12, she attended the Scala Kids drama school in her hometown. Metcalfe obtained a degree in Fitness before starting her acting career. In between acting jobs, Metcalfe worked as a fitness instructor in Bradford, she appeared in the sixth series of ITV's Dancing on Ice, partnered with Sylvain Longchambon. She co-owns the clothing rental boutique, The Closet, in Liverpool with Hollyoaks co-stars Claire Cooper and Leah Hackett, which opened in April 2010, she has been in a relationship with Geordie Shore star Greg Lake since 2012 and in February 2017 Metcalfe was pregnant with their first child. Metcalfe gave birth to a baby boy in the early hours of 20 June 2017 at Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital.

Her son is named Daye Colmic Lake. Colmic is an amalgamation of her partner's father. Metcalfe has appeared in several television roles including children's television series My Parents Are Aliens and ITV dramas Where The Heart Is, At Home with the Braithwaites and soap opera Emmerdale. On 19 June 2006, Metcalfe began playing Mercedes McQueen in the soap opera Hollyoaks. On 19 December 2010, it was announced Metcalfe was to take part in the sixth series of Dancing on Ice. Metcalfe was the seventh celebrity eliminated from the competition when she finished in the bottom two of the leaderboard along with fellow contestant Vanilla Ice, saved by the judging panel. Metcalfe announced she was leaving her role on Hollyoaks on 26 August 2014, her final scenes were aired on 20 November 2014, when Mercedes was murdered by gangster Grace Black. This was revealed in February 2015 to be a ploy by the producers as part of a dramatic new storyline involving Grace framing Freddie Roscoe for Mercedes murder, which Metcalfe proceed to return to her regular role as Mercedes on 18 February 2015.

She went on maternity leave in 2017 and made her return in July 2018. Jennifer Metcalfe on IMDb Jennifer Metcalfe on Twitter

Roy Brown Ramírez is a Puerto Rican musician and singer. Brown's father was his mother a native of Puerto Rico. Brown was raised during turbulent times in the United States. Among the important issues of those days were the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. Most of these events went on to form his way of thinking. In the late-1960s, Brown enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico, he enjoyed writing poems and while he was a student, he became involved in groups against the Vietnam War, poor living conditions, specially in favor of the independence movement of Puerto Rico. Brown was involved in the student disturbances which spread throughout the university, by participating in the protest and picket lines. During this period he recorded two albums, Yo Protesto and Basta Ya... Revolución. During that decade he recorded: Roy Brown III, La Profecía de Urayoán and Distancias. Brown's personal life started to suffer because of his political beliefs, he got into trouble with the police, his father and brother didn't want anything to do with him and he was fired from his job in the university.

His mother was dying. In the late-1970s, Brown moved to New York City and formed a group called Aires Bucaneros, with fellow musicians Zoraida Santiago, Carl Royce, Pablo Nieves, Rucco Gandía, among others; the group traveled and performed in many countries such as Greece, Spain, Ecuador, the Netherlands and Costa Rica. He recorded Casi Alba, Nuyol, Árboles and Balada de Otro Tiempo. Arboles was produced in Cuba. In 1988, Brown returned to Puerto Rico and held a concert at the University of Puerto Rico which sold out; the first time he held a concert alone at the same place in the 1970s, only thirteen people showed up. Among Brown's recordings in the 1990s were: Distancias en Vivo, Poetas Puertorriqueños, En Fuga. In 1996, he released a two-disc album called Colección containing the best of his musical trajectory through the Puerto Rican music scene. In 1997, Silvio Rodríguez visited Puerto Rico and held a concert with Brown at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium, with a soldout audience of 19,000 people.

In 2000 Brown reunited with Zoraida Santiago. Together they released Bohemia. Showing signs of musical growth, Roy continued to release quality albums in the late-1990s and early-2000s with Poeta en San Juan, Noche de Roy Brown and Balcon del Fin del Mundo. On June 7, 2003, Brown let WPKN FM of Bridgeport, Connecticut record his set in the historic Plaza de la Revolución in Lares, Puerto Rico. WPKN recorded Roy's "Ofelia" live from the Nuyorican Cafe in Old San Juan. On February 8, 2004, Brown held a concert in the Antonio Paoli Hall at the Luis A. Ferré Center of the Fine Arts in San Juan to celebrate his 35 years of music trajectory and the shows were all sold-out. Brown performs in the Claridad festival, honoring Claridad, a Puerto Rican newspaper which advocates independence. Joan Manuel Serrat, Susana Baca, Fiel a la Vega, Cultura Profética, Celia Cruz and Lucecita Benítez are among the many artists that have recorded songs written by Roy Brown Ramírez. In 2006 Brown recorded an album, titled Que Vaya Bien, with Tao Rodríguez-Seeger from The Mammals and Tito Auger, the frontman for Puerto Rican rock group Fiel A La Vega.

A single from this record, "El Banquete de Los Sánchez", was censored by some Puerto Rican radio stations due to the use of the slang term "chicho". Public backlash against the censorship attempt guaranteed radio airplay and good sales for the record during late 2006. After marrying Puerto Rican former tennis player Emilie Viqueira, Brown moved to Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, where he resides. Yo Protesto Basta Ya... Revolución Roy Brown III La Profecía de Urayoán Distancias Aires Bucaneros Casi Alba Nuyol Árboles Balada de Otro Tiempo Distancias en Vivo Nocturno Poetas Puertorriqueños En Fuga Colección Poeta en San Juan La Noche de Roy Brown Álbum 1970-1976 Bohemia Balcón del Fin del Mundo Yo protesto: Homenaje a Roy Brown Que Vaya Bien 1970: El Concierto Electrochócame Niños Sol Nueva Coleccíon Habanandando List of Puerto Rican songwriters Official website Roy Brown on Twitter Roy Brown on puertorico.com Roy Brown on musicofpuertorico.com Concierto En El Conservatorio de Musica de Puerto Rico, 1976

The Skywalk Hype is a German single-place paraglider, designed and produced by Skywalk GmbH & Co. KG of Grassau and introduced in the mid-2000s, it is now out of production. The Hype was designed as an beginner to intermediate glider; the models are each named for their relative size. Hype S Small-sized model for lighter pilots, its 11.03 m span wing has a wing area of 24.3 m2, 44 cells and the aspect ratio is 5.01:1. The pilot weight range is 65 to 85 kg; the glider model is DHV 1-2 certified. Hype M Mid-sized model for medium-weight pilots, its 11.52 m span wing has a wing area of 26.5 m2, 44 cells and the aspect ratio is 5.01:1. The pilot weight range is 80 to 100 kg; the glider model is DHV 1-2 certified. Hype L Large-sized model for heavier pilots, its 11.98 m span wing has a wing area of 28.7 m2, 44 cells and the aspect ratio is 5.01:1. The pilot weight range is 95 to 120 kg; the glider model is DHV 1-2 certified. Data from BertrandGeneral characteristics Crew: one Wingspan: 11.52 m Wing area: 26.5 m2 Aspect ratio: 5.01:1 Skywalk Cayenne

Songs from the Lion's Cage is the debut album of British Progressive rock group Arena, released on 25 July 1995. This is the only Arena album to feature bassist Cliff Orsi. All songs by Clive Nolan & Mick Pointer "Out of the Wilderness" - 8:02 "Crying for Help I" - 1:22 "Valley of the Kings" - 10:10 "Crying for Help II" - 3:08 "Jericho" - 6:50 "Crying for Help III" - 4:24 "Midas Vision" - 4:36 "Crying for Help IV" - 5:05 "Solomon" - 14:37From Irond Ltd label edition - 2004 "Chosen" - Live - 6:31 "Elea" - Live - 2:36 "Friday's Dream" - Live - 4:33 Clive Nolan - Keyboards Mick Pointer - Drums John Carson - Vocals Keith More - Guitars Cliff Orsi - Bass Steve Rothery - Guest Guitar Solo on "Crying For Help IV" 2 https://www.discogs.com/fr/Arena-Songs-From-The-Lions-Cage/release/7415389

HMS Swift was a unique destroyer leader designed and built for the Royal Navy prior to World War I, another product of Admiral "Jackie" Fisher's relentless quest for speed. The class was envisioned as a large ocean-going destroyer, capable of both the usual destroyer requirements and of high-speed scouting duties for a major fleet. Fisher put his specification to the Director of Naval Construction in October 1904; the DNC replied. In 1905 a revised design for 33.5 knots from 19,000 shp on a 1,400 t hull was pushed through followed by one for 36 knots on 1,350 tons from 29,000 shp. Given only four weeks to produce their tender, the major shipyards - Cammell Laird, Fairfields, John Brown and Armstrong Whitworth - put forward designs. There were problems meeting the high cost of the designs. A final design was not agreed until mid-December 1905; the vessel was 340 feet, 1,680 tons, armed with four Mark VIII 4-inch guns and two 18-inch torpedo tubes, 30,000 shp oil-fired Parsons steam turbines with four shafts.

The vessel was given the building name Flying Scud. Work started in December 1906 and she was launched on 7 December 1907. In the initial contract the Admiralty included an offer of £18,000 for every knot more than 36 knots. In trials over a measured mile at Skelmorlie in March 1909 she suffered a number of mechanical failures and never managed better than 35.099 knots, at a shocking fuel consumption of 27.5 tons/hour out of a total stock of only 180 tons. Trials, up to September 1909, used 26 different propeller designs in an attempt to reach the required speed; the Admiralty accepted her as she was for £236,764 with £44,240 in penalties for the failure to reach contracted speed and late delivery. After arguments from the builder as to the difficulty of the task the penalties were reduced to £5,000. Reports to the press at the time claimed. Despite being the prototype for her class, no other leaders were built before the outbreak of war in 1914, her weak armament, high cost caused Arthur Wilson to note "I do not think we require any repetition of Swift in the immediate future."

Naval historian Anthony Preston has for this reason given a sharp criticism of the ship, describing it as a'very expensive and disappointing outcome'. At the beginning of the war as leader of the 4th Torpedo Boat Destroyer Flotilla she joined the Grand Fleet. In October, Swift was dispatched from Scapa Flow to search for the protected cruiser HMS Hawke when she did not return from patrol. Instead, Swift found one of Hawke's rafts carrying one officer, 21 men. Hawke was sunk by a German U-boat, with only a handful of survivors; the extreme weather of the northern winter seas was more than Swift could withstand and in 1915, after a short refit, she was reassigned to the Dover Patrol. In 1916 her two forward 4-inch guns were replaced with a single 6-inch gun, her forward decks were reinforced to cope with the mass and recoil of the new gun and she received additional bridge structures and two anti-aircraft guns. On the night of 20–21 April 1917, while commanded by Ambrose Peck and accompanying the destroyer HMS Broke, she engaged a force of six enemy destroyers in the Battle of Dover Strait.

In a confused fight she hit G85 with a torpedo while Broke rammed, became enmeshed with, G42. The remaining German ships fled, Swift took several hits and was compelled to slow, she returned to assist rescue survivors of G42 before returning to Plymouth. Due to the poor performance of the 6-inch gun her armament was returned to two 4-inch guns. In the spring of 1918 she was with the Offshore Squadron during the First Ostend Raid. Sidelined and scrapped after the war, her size was not approached in the Royal Navy until the Tribal class of 1936. Destroyers of the Royal Navy, 1893-1981, Maurice Cocker, 1983, Ian Allan, ISBN 0-7110-1075-7 Destroyers, Anthony Preston, 1977, Bison Books, ISBN 0-86124-057-X Jane's Fighting Ships, 1919, Jane's Publishing Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906-921 1985, Conway Maritime Press p73 The World's Worst Warships, Anthony Preston, 2002, Conway Maritime Press, ISBN 0-85177-754-6