1.
Northampton
–
Northampton /nɔːrθˈæmptən/ is the county town of Northamptonshire in the East Midlands of England. It lies on the River Nene, about 67 miles north-west of London and 50 miles south-east of Birmingham, One of the largest towns in the UK, Northampton had a population of 212,100 in the 2011 census. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the dates back to the Bronze Age, Roman. During the Middle Ages, the rose to national significance with the establishment of Northampton Castle. Medieval Northampton had many churches, monasteries and the University of Northampton and it was granted its first town charter by King Richard I in 1189 and its first mayor was appointed by King John in 1215. The town is also the site of two battles, the Battle of Northampton and the second in 1460. The town also suffered the Great Fire of Northampton which destroyed most of the town and it was soon rebuilt and grew rapidly with the industrial development of the 18th century. Northampton continued to grow following the creation of the Grand Union Canal, after the World Wars, Northamptons growth was limited until it was designated as a New Town in 1968, accelerating development in the town. Northampton unsuccessfully applied for status in 1996 and city status in 2000. According to Centre for Cities data in 2015, Northampton had a growth of 11. 3% between the years 2004 and 2013, one of the ten highest in the UK. The earliest reference to Northampton in writing occurred in 914 under the name Ham tune, the prefix North was added later to distinguish it from other towns called Hampton, most prominently Southampton. The Domesday Book records the town as Northantone, which evolved into Norhamptone by the 13th century, present-day Northampton is the latest in a series of settlements that began in the Bronze Age. During the British Iron Age, people lived in protected hill forts. Present-day Hunsbury Hill is an example of settlement, a circular ditch. In the Roman period, a rural settlement is thought to have existed in the present-day district of Duston. Following Danish invasion, the area of the town was turned into a stronghold called a burh. A ditch was dug around the settlement and it was fortified with earth ramparts, having conquered Mercia, the Danes turned the settlement into a centre for military and administrative purposes, which was part of the Danelaw. In the 9th century Regenhere of Northampton an East Anglian Saint with localised veneration was buried in Northampton, by 918, Northampton had an earl and an army dependent upon it, whose territory extended to the River Welland
Northampton
–
From top left: Skyline of Northampton town centre from Delapre Park;
All Saints' Church;
Northampton Guildhall; the
National Lift Tower;
Delapré Abbey;
Abington Park; Market Square.
Northampton
–
Northampton Castle was a royal residence and held the
Parliament of England, but suffered many fates and was eventually demolished for a
railway station. A
postern (above), dismantled from its original position and rebuilt into a wall by the station, is all that remains.
Northampton
–
Sessions House was one of the first buildings built after the
Great Fire of Northampton (1675)
Northampton
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A map of Northampton in 1810
2.
Australian nationality law
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Australian nationality law determines who is and who is not an Australian citizen. The status of Australian nationality or Australian citizenship was created by the Nationality, the 1948 Act was amended many times, notably in 1973,1984,1986 and 2002. The Australian Citizenship Act 2007 replaced the 1948 Act, commencing on 1 July 2007, on 13 December 1973, Australia acceded to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness and to the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. Australian passports are issued to Australian citizens by the Department of Foreign Affairs, a person may acquire citizenship automatically, by operation of law, or by application after a period of residence in Australia. The process of acquiring citizenship by application is referred to as naturalisation, until the passing in Australia of the Nationality Act 1920, Australias nationality law, like that of other Commonwealth countries, was governed by the English common law concept of a British subject. The British Nationality and Status of Aliens Act 1914 codified the common law rules, Australia followed with the passing of the Nationality Act 1920, which codified the concept of a British subject in Australia, effective from 1 January 1921. Until then all Commonwealth countries, with the exception of the Irish Free State, had a single nationality status of British subject. It was decided at that conference that the United Kingdom and the self-governing dominions would each adopt a national citizenship. However, the status of other British subjects in Australia differed from the status of those who were not British subjects, aborigines became Australian citizens under the 1948 Act in the same way as other Australians. The same applied to Torres Strait Islanders and the population of the Territory of Papua. The relationship between Australian citizenship and a citizen of the British Empire or Commonwealth continued to evolve, in 1986, the Australia Act 1986 severed almost all of the last remaining constitutional links between the United Kingdom and Australia. Subsequently, in 1988, for the first time, the High Court ruled that anyone who was not an Australian citizen, the 1948 Act was amended many times, notably in 1958,1973,1984,1986 and 2002. In 1973 the 1948 Act was renamed the Australian Citizenship Act 1948, on 15 March 2007, the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 received Royal Assent and replaced the 1948 Act, commencing on 1 July 2007. 1948, Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 created the concept of Australian citizenship, Australian citizens continued to also be British subjects. 1958, On 8 October 1958, provisions which caused some naturalised Australians resident outside Australia,1973, Significant changes to the law implemented by the Whitlam Labor government, mostly effective on 1 December 1973. Distinction between migrants from Commonwealth and other countries abolished, the previous residence requirements of 1 year and 5 years to become Australian citizens replaced by a common residence period of 3 years, but with a six-month transition period. Age of majority for citizenship purposes reduced from 21 to 18, the 1948 Act was renamed the Australian Citizenship Act 1948. 1975, The Papua New Guinea Regulations 1975 provided that any Australian citizen becoming a citizen of Papua New Guinea at Independence on 16 September 1975 should lose Australian citizenship
Australian nationality law
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Australia N series ePassport information page
Australian nationality law
3.
Desert Island Discs
–
Desert Island Discs is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942 and it was devised and originally presented by Roy Plomley. Since 2006, the programme has been presented by Kirsty Young, more than 3,000 episodes have been recorded, with some guests having appeared more than once and some episodes featuring more than one guest. Excerpts from their choices are played or, in the case of short pieces, at the end of the programme they choose the one piece they regard most highly. Guests are also given the Complete Works of Shakespeare and either the Bible or another appropriate religious or philosophical work. They are then prompted to select a book to accompany them. Popular choices include Charles Dickens and Jane Austen, actress Judi Dench, who suffers from macular degeneration, was permitted to take an audiobook in place of a printed manuscript. Guests also choose one luxury, which must be inanimate and of no use in escaping the island or allowing communication from outside, Roy Plomley enforced these rules strictly. He did, however, grant a dispensation to Princess Michael of Kent. The rules are, however, less strictly enforced today, for instance, Lawley allowed John Cleese to take Michael Palin with him, on the condition that he was dead and stuffed. Examples of luxuries have included champagne and a piano, the latter of which is one of the most requested luxuries, after Plomleys death in 1985, the programme was presented by Michael Parkinson and from 1988 by Sue Lawley. Lawley stepped down in August 2006 after 18 years, her final castaway being actress Joan Plowright and she was replaced by Kirsty Young, who interviewed illustrator Quentin Blake for her first show, broadcast on 1 October 2006. The most requested piece of music over the first 60 years was Ode to Joy, one of the most remarked broadcasts was Elisabeth Schwarzkopfs 1958 selection of seven of her own recordings. This record was beaten by British pianist Dame Moura Lympany on her second appearance on the programme on 28 July 1979 when all eight of her selections were of her own recordings. In the early 1970s, Roy Plomley attempted to interview Alistair MacLean, but ended up speaking to somebody else with the same name –, Plomley originally wanted the sounds of surf breaking on a shore and the cries of sea birds to open and close each programme. But Leslie Prowne, the head of popular programmes at the BBC, was concerned that it lacked definition. Plomley and the series producer Frederic Piffard selected By the Sleepy Lagoon, the tune has been used since the first transmission in 1942. The sound of herring gulls has accompanied the music except for a period of time in 1964 when tropical bird sounds were used
Desert Island Discs
–
Desert Island Discs logo used on the BBC website
4.
England
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England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west, the Irish Sea lies northwest of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east, the country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain in its centre and south, and includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly, and the Isle of Wight. England became a state in the 10th century, and since the Age of Discovery. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the worlds first industrialised nation, Englands terrain mostly comprises low hills and plains, especially in central and southern England. However, there are uplands in the north and in the southwest, the capital is London, which is the largest metropolitan area in both the United Kingdom and the European Union. In 1801, Great Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland through another Act of Union to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922 the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom, leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain, the name England is derived from the Old English name Englaland, which means land of the Angles. The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Great Britain during the Early Middle Ages, the Angles came from the Angeln peninsula in the Bay of Kiel area of the Baltic Sea. The earliest recorded use of the term, as Engla londe, is in the ninth century translation into Old English of Bedes Ecclesiastical History of the English People. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, its spelling was first used in 1538. The earliest attested reference to the Angles occurs in the 1st-century work by Tacitus, Germania, the etymology of the tribal name itself is disputed by scholars, it has been suggested that it derives from the shape of the Angeln peninsula, an angular shape. An alternative name for England is Albion, the name Albion originally referred to the entire island of Great Britain. The nominally earliest record of the name appears in the Aristotelian Corpus, specifically the 4th century BC De Mundo, in it are two very large islands called Britannia, these are Albion and Ierne. But modern scholarly consensus ascribes De Mundo not to Aristotle but to Pseudo-Aristotle, the word Albion or insula Albionum has two possible origins. Albion is now applied to England in a poetic capacity. Another romantic name for England is Loegria, related to the Welsh word for England, Lloegr, the earliest known evidence of human presence in the area now known as England was that of Homo antecessor, dating to approximately 780,000 years ago. The oldest proto-human bones discovered in England date from 500,000 years ago, Modern humans are known to have inhabited the area during the Upper Paleolithic period, though permanent settlements were only established within the last 6,000 years
England
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Stonehenge, a
Neolithic monument
England
–
Flag
England
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Boudica led an uprising against the
Roman Empire
England
–
Replica of a 7th-century ceremonial
helmet from the
Kingdom of East Anglia, found at
Sutton Hoo
5.
Perth
–
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth-most populous city in Australia, with a population of 2.06 million living in Greater Perth. The first areas settled were on the Swan River, with the central business district. Perth was founded by Captain James Stirling in 1829 as the centre of the Swan River Colony. It gained city status in 1856, and was promoted to the status of a Lord Mayorality in 1929. The city is named after Perth, Scotland, due to the influence of Sir George Murray, Member of Parliament for Perthshire and Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The citys population increased substantially as a result of the Western Australian gold rushes in the late 19th century, largely as a result of emigration from the eastern colonies of Australia. During Australias involvement in World War II, Fremantle served as a base for operating in the Pacific Theatre. An influx of immigrants after the war, predominantly from Britain, Greece, Italy and Yugoslavia, Aboriginal people have inhabited the Perth area for 38,000 years, as evidenced by archaeological remains at Upper Swan. The Noongar people occupied the southwest corner of Western Australia and lived as hunter-gatherers, the wetlands on the Swan Coastal Plain were particularly important to them, both spiritually and as a source of food. The Noongar people know the area where Perth now stands as Boorloo, Boorloo formed part of Mooro, the tribal lands of Yellagongas group, one of several based around the Swan River and known collectively as the Whadjuk. The Whadjuk were part of a group of fourteen tribes that formed the south-west socio-linguistic block known as the Noongar. The judgment was overturned on appeal, the first documented sighting of the region was made by the Dutch Captain Willem de Vlamingh and his crew on 10 January 1697. The British colony would be officially designated Western Australia in 1832, Captain James Stirling, aboard Parmelia, said that Perth was as beautiful as anything of this kind I had ever witnessed. On 12 August that year, Helen Dance, wife of the captain of the ship, Sulphur. The only contemporary information on the source of the name comes from Fremantles diary entry for 12 August, Murray was born in Perth, Scotland, and was in 1829 Secretary of State for the Colonies and Member for Perthshire in the British House of Commons. The town was named after the Scottish Perth, in Murrays honour, the racial relations between the Noongar people and the Europeans were strained due to these happenings. Because of the amount of building in and around Boorloo
Perth
–
Perth's skyline, viewed from South Perth.
Perth
–
The Foundation of Perth 1829 by
George Pitt Morison is a historically accurate reconstruction of the official ceremony by which Perth was founded.
Perth
–
Perth looking across the
Perth train station c. 1955
6.
Western Australia
–
Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Southern Ocean to the south, the state has about 2.6 million inhabitants, around 11% of the national total. 92% of the lives in the south-west corner of the state. The first European visitor to Western Australia was the Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog, the first European settlement of Western Australia occurred following the landing by Major Edmund Lockyer on 26 December 1826 of an expedition on behalf of the New South Wales colonial government. This was followed by the establishment of the Swan River Colony in 1829, including the site of the present-day capital, york was the first inland settlement in Western Australia. Situated 97 kilometres east of Perth, it was settled on 16 September 1831, Western Australia achieved responsible government in 1890, and federated with the other British colonies in Australia in 1901. Today its economy relies on mining, agriculture and tourism. The state produces 46% of Australias exports, Western Australia is the second-largest iron ore producer in the world. The International Hydrographic Organization designates the body of water south of the continent as part of the Indian Ocean, the total length of the states eastern border is 1,862 km. There are 20,781 km of coastline, including 7,892 km of island coastline, the total land area occupied by the state is 2.5 million km2. Most of the state is a low plateau with an elevation of about 400 metres, very low relief. This descends relatively sharply to the plains, in some cases forming a sharp escarpment. The extreme age of the landscape has meant that the soils are remarkably infertile, even soils derived from granitic bedrock contain an order of magnitude less available phosphorus and only half as much nitrogen as soils in comparable climates in other continents. Soils derived from extensive sandplains or ironstone are even less fertile, nearly devoid of soluble phosphate and also deficient in zinc, copper, molybdenum, the infertility of most of the soils has required heavy application by farmers of chemical fertilisers, particularly superphosphate, insecticides and herbicides. These have resulted in damage to invertebrate and bacterial populations, the grazing and use of hoofed mammals and, later, heavy machinery through the years have resulted in compaction of soils and great damage to the fragile soils. Large-scale land clearing for agriculture has damaged habitats for native flora, large areas of the states wheatbelt region have problems with dryland salinity and the loss of fresh water. The southwest coastal area has a Mediterranean climate and it was originally heavily forested, including large stands of karri, one of the tallest trees in the world. This agricultural region is one of the nine most bio-diverse terrestrial habitats, thanks to the offshore Leeuwin Current, the area is one of the top six regions for marine biodiversity and contains the most southerly coral reefs in the world
Western Australia
–
The
black swan is the state bird of Western Australia
Western Australia
–
Flag
Western Australia
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The
Red and green kangaroo paw is the floral emblem of Western Australia
Western Australia
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John Forrest was the first Premier of Western Australia.
7.
University of Western Australia
–
It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia. It is colloquially known as a sandstone university and it is also a member of the Group of Eight. UWA was established under and is governed by the University of Western Australia Act 1911, to date, the university has produced 100 Rhodes Scholars, one Nobel Prize laureate and one Australian Prime Minister. In 2010 UWA joined the Matariki Network of Universities as the youngest member, the university was established in 1911 following the tabling of proposals by a royal commission in September 1910. Irwin Street was also known as Tin Pan Alley as many buildings featured corrugated iron roofs and these buildings served as the university campus until 1932, when the campus relocated to its present-day site in Crawley. This allowed the construction of the main buildings, many buildings and landmarks within the university bear his name, including Winthrop Hall and Hackett Hall. In addition, his bequest funded many scholarships, because he did not wish eager students to be deterred from studying because they could not afford to do so. During UWAs first decade there was controversy whether the policy of free education was compatible with high expenditure on professorial chairs. An old student publicised his concern in 1921 that there were 13 faculties serving only 280 students, a remnant of the original buildings survives to this day in the form of the Irwin Street Building, so called after its former location. In the 1930s it was transported to the new campus and served a number of uses till its 1987 restoration, recently, the building has served as the Senate meeting room and is currently in use as a cricket pavilion and office of the university archives. The building has been heritage-listed by both the National Trust and the Australian Heritage Council, UWA is one of the largest landowners in Perth as a result of government and private bequests, and is constantly expanding its infrastructure. Recent developments include the $22 million University Club, opened in June 2005, in addition, in September 2005 UWA opened its $64 million Molecular and Chemical Sciences building as part of a commitment to nurturing and developing high quality research and development. In May 2008, a $31 million Business School building opened, in August 2014 a $9 million new CO2 research facility was completed, providing modern facilities for carbon research. A current expansion project is underway to introduce a multimillion-dollar Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, the 65-hectare Crawley campus sits on the Swan River, about five kilometres west of the Perth central business district. Many of the buildings are coastal limestone and Donnybrook sandstone, including the large and these buildings are dotted amongst expansive lawns and thickets of trees, such as the Sunken Garden and the Tropical Grove. The beauty of the grounds and rich history of the make it a popular spot for weddings. The Arts Faculty building encompasses the New Fortune Theatre, the venue is also home to a family of peafowl donated to the University by the Perth Zoo in 1975 after a gift by Sir Laurence Brodie-Hall. Its Asian and Melanesian collections are also of strong interest, st Catherines College also offers short stays for non-student visitors
University of Western Australia
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Winthrop Hall
University of Western Australia
–
Coat of arms of UWA
University of Western Australia
–
Irwin Street Building
University of Western Australia
–
Limestone arches are a prominent feature along the older undercover walkways
8.
Melbourne
–
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in Australia and Oceania. The name Melbourne refers to an urban agglomeration spanning 9,900 km2, the metropolis is located on the large natural bay of Port Phillip and expands into the hinterlands towards the Dandenong and Macedon mountain ranges, Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley. It has a population of 4,641,636 as of 2016, and its inhabitants are called Melburnians. Founded by free settlers from the British Crown colony of Van Diemens Land on 30 August 1835, in what was then the colony of New South Wales, it was incorporated as a Crown settlement in 1837. It was named Melbourne by the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Richard Bourke, in honour of the British Prime Minister of the day, William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne. It was officially declared a city by Queen Victoria, to whom Lord Melbourne was close, in 1847, during the Victorian gold rush of the 1850s, it was transformed into one of the worlds largest and wealthiest cities. After the federation of Australia in 1901, it served as the interim seat of government until 1927. It is a financial centre in the Asia-Pacific region. It is recognised as a UNESCO City of Literature and a centre for street art, music. It was the host city of the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the main passenger airport serving the metropolis and the state is Melbourne Airport, the second busiest in Australia. The Port of Melbourne is Australias busiest seaport for containerised and general cargo, Melbourne has an extensive transport network. The main metropolitan train terminus is Flinders Street Station, and the regional train. Melbourne is also home to Australias most extensive network and has the worlds largest urban tram network. Before the arrival of settlers, humans had occupied the area for an estimated 31,000 to 40,000 years. At the time of European settlement, it was inhabited by under 2000 hunter-gatherers from three indigenous tribes, the Wurundjeri, Boonwurrung and Wathaurong. The area was an important meeting place for the clans of the Kulin nation alliance and it would be 30 years before another settlement was attempted. Batman selected a site on the bank of the Yarra River. Batman then returned to Launceston in Tasmania, in early August 1835 a different group of settlers, including John Pascoe Fawkner, left Launceston on the ship Enterprize
Melbourne
–
(From top left to bottom right)
Melbourne City Centre,
Flinders Street Station,
Shrine of Remembrance,
Federation Square,
Melbourne Cricket Ground,
Royal Exhibition Building.
Melbourne
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Melbourne Landing, 1840; watercolour by W. Liardet (1840)
Melbourne
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"Canvas Town", South Melbourne in the 1850s depicting temporary accommodation for the thousands who poured into Melbourne each week during the gold rush.
Melbourne
–
Lithograph of the
Royal Exhibition Building, built to host the
Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880
9.
Darkside (Tim Minchin album)
–
Darkside is the first solo comedy album released by the Australian musical comedian Tim Minchin. It was recorded during Minchins show at the Spiegeltent in Melbourne during 2005 and it contains early versions of some of the songs Minchin still performs now, such as Inflatable You, Rock N Roll Nerd, and the title song Dark Side. The show and particularly the song Rock N Roll Nerd are described as kinda biographical by Minchin, as they tell of his dreams of being a rock star and how he failed to take himself seriously. Scotland On Sunday described the show as a mix of song, bleak humour. Chortle said of the show that Minchin is such a brilliant virtuoso pianist and also a bright, quirky, a reviewer for the Metro newspaper said that Minchins strengths lie in the inventive detail and witty wordplay of his songs. Inflatable You features a section which takes inspiration from The Beatles Dont Let Me Down. Rock N Roll Nerd finishes on a similar to Queens Seven Seas of Rhye. In Mitsubishi Colt, after being compared to Elton John, Minchin completes the song with a progression based on Song for Guy. The song Dark Side contains a reference of Beethovens Für Elise
Darkside (Tim Minchin album)
–
Darkside
10.
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
–
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is the third-largest international comedy festival in the world and the largest cultural event in Australia. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typically starting in March, the Melbourne Town Hall has served as the festival hub since the early 1990s, but performances are held in venues throughout the city. The MICF plays host to hundreds of local and international artists, although it is mainly a vehicle for stand-up and cabaret acts, the festival has also included sketch shows, plays, improvisational theatre, debates, musical shows and art exhibitions. The televised Gala is one of the flagship event, showcasing short performances from many headline. Other popular events include The Great Debate, a televised debate, the Opening Night Super Show, and Upfront. The Festival also undertakes an annual national roadshow, showcasing festival highlights in regional towns across Australia, the festival was launched in 1987 at a media conference hosted by Barry Humphries and Peter Cook. According to the festivals co-founder, John Pinder, the idea of holding an international comedy festival originated in the early 1980s, Pinder became convinced it would work, and after his return wrote a report for the state government, which they accepted. The following year, the first annual Melbourne International Comedy Festival launched, traditionally the festival would open on or around April Fools Day, though it now generally begins in mid to late March and runs for roughly four weeks. Its first year, in 1987, featured 56 separate shows, including performances by the Doug Anthony All Stars, Wogs Out Of Work, Gerry Connolly, Los Trios Ringbarkus and Rod Quantock. By 1999, it contained over 120 shows and was being attended by some 350,000 patrons annually. In 2010, it played host to a record 369 shows and 4,947 performances both local and international, including artists from the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland and China. In addition, it achieved an attendance of over 508,000 and its box office revenue of A$10.9 million. Soon after this, it spread out further to include an independently produced program at the Melbourne Trades Hall as well, in 2010, for the first time, the Festival also ran the Trades Hall venue. The MICF is the third-largest international comedy festival in the world, behind Edinburghs Fringe Festival, although it is mainly a vehicle for stand-up and cabaret acts, its programme has also featured sketch shows, plays, improvisational theatre, debates, musical shows and art exhibitions. In 2006, the opening of the festival was delayed due to the Festival Melbourne that occurred as part of the 2006 Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne. Following the end of the festival in Melbourne various local and international comedians join the MICF Roadshow, journalist Simon Fanshawe describes Melbourne as the festival where the comedians go to play. The most relaxed, least fevered and probably the most audience friendly of all the festivals, furthermore, these local comedians must compete with international acts, some of whom the festival pays to bring to Melbourne. Quartermaine says that makes people more likely to overlook the local acts, adopting an attitude of we can see you guys anytime
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
–
The
Melbourne Town Hall serves as a hub for the MICF, as well as a venue for many performances.
11.
2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe
–
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the worlds largest arts festival, which in 2016, spanned 25 days and featured 50,266 performances of 3,269 shows in 294 venues. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Edinburgh, Scotlands capital and it is an open access performing arts festival, meaning there is no selection committee, and anyone may participate, with any type of performance. The Fringe has often showcased experimental, challenging or controversial works that might not be invited to a more conservative arts festival, the Fringe board of directors is drawn from members of the Festival Fringe Society, who are often Fringe participants themselves – performers or administrators. Elections are held once a year, in August, and Board members serve a term of four years, the Board appoints the Fringe Chief Executive, who is currently Shona McCarthy and assumed the role in March 2016. The Chief Executive operates under the chair, currently Professor Sir Timothy OShea, the Fringe started life when eight theatre companies turned up uninvited to the inaugural Edinburgh International Festival in 1947. With the official festival using the major venues, these companies took over smaller. Seven performed in Edinburgh, and one undertook a version of the morality play Everyman in Dunfermline Abbey, about 20 miles north. These groups aimed to take advantage of the large assembled theatre crowds to showcase their own alternative theatre, although at the time it was not recognised as such, this was the first Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This meant that two defining features of the future Fringe were established at the very beginning – the lack of invitations to perform. I am afraid some of us are not going to be at home during the evenings. The word fringe had in fact used in a review of Everyman in 1947. Late night revues, which would become a feature of Fringes, the first one was the New Drama Groups After The Show, a series of sketches taking place after Donald Pleasences Ebb Tide, in 1952. Among the talent to appear in early Fringe revues were Ned Sherrin in 1955, due to many reviewers only being able to attend Fringe events late night after the official festival was finished, the Fringe came to be seen as being about revues. It was a few years before an official programme for the Fringe was created. John Menzies compiled a list of shows under the title Other Events in their omnibus festival brochure and this was funded by participating companies and was entitled Additional Entertainments, since the name Fringe was still not yet in regular usage. It also used a strange cover motif, a first attempt was made to provide a central booking service in 1955 by students from the university, although it lost money, which was blamed on those who had not taken part. Formal organisation progressed in 1959, with the formation of the Festival Fringe Society, the push for such an organisation was led by Michael Imison, director of Oxford Theatre Group. A constitution was drawn up, in which the policy of not vetting or censoring shows was set out, nineteen companies participated in the Fringe in that year
2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe
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A street performer on the High Street in 2010
2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe
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1971 Festival Fringe Club Membership Card
2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe
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John Bishop performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe
–
Street performer in the
High Street in 2013
12.
Showtime (TV channel)
–
The Showtime brand is used by a number of channels and platforms around the world, but primarily refers to the group of eight multiplex channels in the United States. As of July 2015, Showtimes programming is available to approximately 28.693 million television households in the United States, the channel and its corresponding networks are headquartered at Paramount Plaza on the northern end of New York Citys Broadway district. The following week on July 8, Showtime launched on Viacom Cablevisions system in Dublin, California, the first program and television special to be broadcast on Showtime was Celebration, a concert special featuring performances by Rod Stewart, Pink Floyd and ABBA. By the end of its first year on the air, Showtime had a total of 55,000 subscribers nationwide. On March 7,1978, Showtime became a nationally distributed service after it was uplinked to satellite, turning it into a competitor with HBO, in 1979, Viacom sold a 50% ownership interest in Showtime to the TelePrompTer Corporation. On July 4,1981, Showtime adopted a 24-hour programming schedule,1982 saw the premiere of Showtimes first made-for-cable movie Falcons Gold and its first original series and childrens program Faerie Tale Theatre. The three companies announced their agreement in principle to acquire interests in TMC on November 11,1982. Subsequently, in late December of that year, the U. S. Department of Justice launched a preliminary inquiry into the proposed partnership. On January 7,1983, Viacom International added itself as a partner, under the revised proposal, the four studios would each own a 22. 58% stake in the two networks, with American Express owning a 9. 68% minority interest. In addition, the consortium would appoint a management team separate from those employed by the two channels – which would continue to operate as separate services – to operate the joint venture, on August 10,1985, after Time Inc. and cable provider Tele-Communications Inc. The subsidiary was renamed Showtime Networks, Inc. in 1988, also in 1988, the company formed Showtime Event Television as a pay-per-view distributor of special event programming. In 1990, Showtime ventured into acquiring and premiering independent films exclusively for the channel as part of the 30-Minute Movie short film anthology series. One of its first premieres,12,01 PM, was nominated for an Academy Award, in the years that followed, Showtime expanded its acquisitions into the realm of feature-length fare, including the Adrian Lyne-directed 1997 remake of Lolita. In 2000, Showtime launched Showtime Interactive 24.7, a service that provided DVD-style interaction of its entertainment offerings. On June 14,2005, Viacom decided to separate itself into two companies, both of which would be controlled by Viacom parent National Amusements, amid stagnation of the stock price. A new company assumed the Viacom name kept Paramount Pictures, the MTV Networks and BET Networks cable divisions. Showtime broadcasts its primary and multiplex channels on both Eastern and Pacific Time Zone schedules and this planned extension to the multiplex did not come to fruition – although a third multiplex service, Showtime 3, would make its debut in 1996. Three additional themed channels made their debut in March 2001, Showtime Family Zone, Showtime Next, Showtime Family Zone, Showtime Next and Showtime Women do not have distribution by most pay television providers as extensive as the other Showtime multiplex channels
Showtime (TV channel)
–
Showtime
13.
Californication (TV series)
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Californication is an American comedy-drama television series created by Tom Kapinos, which aired for seven seasons on Showtime from August 13,2007, to June 29,2014. The show follows New Yorker Hank Moody, a troubled novelist who moves to California and his drinking, womanizing, and drug abuse complicate his relationships with his longtime lover Karen and their daughter Becca. Hank struggles to find purpose in his life as he passes up multiple opportunities, the shows other main characters are Hanks best friend and agent, Charlie Runkle, and Charlies wife, Marcy. Recurring themes are sex, drugs, and rock and roll, all of which are featured regularly, the show has been nominated for many awards and won several, including winning two Emmy Awards and one Golden Globe Award. The series revolves around Hank Moody, a novelist plagued by alcoholism and he blames his longtime writers block on reasons ranging from the hedonism of Los Angeles to the departure of his partner Karen. The show was renewed for a season on September 7,2007. The Season 1 finale, titled The Last Waltz, originally aired on Showtime on October 29,2007, Season 2 began filming in April 2008, and was underway as of June 2008. The premiere episode of Season 2 aired September 28,2008, the first season was released on DVD in the US on June 17,2008. Showtime renewed Californication for a season, which premiered on Sunday September 27,2009 at 10 pm. The show is laced with rock culture references and it frequently alludes to Warren Zevon and featured Henry Rollins in a guest appearance, some episode titles, such as Filthy Lucre and Turn the Page, allude to album and song names. Hanks lawyer in Season 4 is called Abby Rhodes, his first three novels, South of Heaven, Seasons in the Abyss and God Hates Us All, are all named after Slayer albums. The books Crack The Sky and Blood Mountain by Richard Bates are also the names of two Mastodon albums, the movie based on God Hates Us All, A Crazy Little Thing Called Love, is named after the song by the rock band Queen from their album The Game. The segment before the Opening Theme is the intro to The Stooges song, Season 1 followed Hank and the other main characters in the months leading up to Karens planned marriage to Bill, a Los Angeles publisher. Hank spends most of his drinking and not writing. One day he picks up a woman in a bookstore, after they have sex. Mia proceeds to harass Hank during his visits to his family and she uses the threat of illegal sex charges to extort stories from him that she passes off as her own for her high-school creative-writing class. The death of Hanks father drives Hank on an alcohol-fueled binge, after the funeral, Hank stays in New York to finish a manuscript for a new novella. On Karens and Bills wedding day, Hank chooses to be unselfish, but that evening, as he and Becca leave the reception, Karen runs out and jumps into his car, presumably to resume their life together
Californication (TV series)
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Californication
14.
ABC1
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ABC is a national public television network in Australia. Launched on 5 November 1956 it is the responsibility of the ABCs television division, commercial station TCN-9 Sydney was the first to broadcast in Australia, soon followed by the ABCs own ABN-2 Sydney and later ABV-2 in Melbourne. Six stations, three in Melbourne and three in Sydney, were in operation in time to cover the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. The channels first television broadcast was inaugurated by prime minister Robert Menzies on 5 November at the Gore Hill studios in Sydney, although radio programmes could be broadcast nationally by landline, television relay facilities were not put in place until the early 1960s. This meant that news bulletins had to be sent to each city by teleprinter, to be prepared and presented separately in each city, with filmed materials copied manually. A purpose-built television studio opened in Sydney on 29 January 1958—replacing temporary sound studios used since ABC-TVs inception, in the same year, technical equipment was also moved to permanent locations, while main transmitters were introduced to Melbourne and Sydney in 1957 and 1958 respectively. Australian Broadcasting Corporation series which debuted in 1956 included TV Channell, starting in 1957 the two ABC stations then in operation each produced one live drama presentation each month, which would be kinescoped for broadcast in the other city. Weekly current-affairs programme Four Corners began in 1961, followed in the year by Profiles of Power. Direct relays between Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra were also established in 1961, replacing temporary microwave relays as a means of simultaneously airing programmes across multiple stations. Videotape equipment, allowing the sharing of footage with much greater ease, ABC-TV was one of the first television networks in Australia to embrace the rocknroll revolution of the late 1950s, most notably with Six OClock Rock, hosted by Johnny OKeefe. In 1967, the weeknightly television current-affairs programme This Day Tonight was launched on ABC-TV, teletext services were introduced to ABC-TV in 1983 to allow hearing impaired viewers access to closed captions. Nationwide, successor to This Day Tonight, was replaced in turn by a new, hour-long, having proved unsuccessful, it reverted to a state ABC News bulletin at 7,00 pm, with a state-based edition of The 7.30 Report following afterwards. Lateline and Media Watch also launched in the 1980s, the year 2001 saw the launch of a new logo to celebrate the introduction of digital terrestrial television in Australia. The logo was modified to a three-dimensional metallic design, the channels idents featured elements – fire, leaf and ice, and the slogan was updated to Everyones ABC. The idents also featured the silver ring that morphs into the ABC logo and this however did not last, as later in 2003, the channels idents were modified to feature everyday Australians. In 2005, The ABC have switched from the Supertext logo to their own Closed Captioning logo, on 19 December that year, the channels idents were revamped featuring a modified ABC logo transforming to a television. These idents were also carried onto ABC2, which launched in the same year, further cementing the change in identity was the change from the slogan Theres more to television to It begins with 1. After concerns in some sections of the media that the 43-year-old Lissajous curve brand was to disappear completely, june 2010 saw ABC1s high definition digital transmission terminated, to be replaced with a fourth channel, ABC News 24
ABC1
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ABC-TV idents used from 2005 to 2008.
ABC1
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ABC
15.
Tony Award
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The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at a ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway productions and performances, and an award is given for regional theatre, several discretionary non-competitive awards are also given, including a Special Tony Award, the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, and the Isabelle Stevenson Award. The awards are named after Antoinette Tony Perry, co-founder of the American Theatre Wing, the rules for the Tony Awards are set forth in the official document Rules and Regulations of The American Theatre Wings Tony Awards, which applies for that season only. It also forms the fourth spoke in the EGOT, that is someone who has won all four awards, the Tony Awards are also considered the equivalent of the Laurence Olivier Award in the United Kingdom and the Molière Award of France. From 1997 to 2010, the Tony Awards ceremony was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City in June and broadcast live on CBS television, except in 1999, in 2011 and 2012, the ceremony was held at the Beacon Theatre. From 2013 to 2015, the 67th, 68th, and 69th ceremonies returned to Radio City Music Hall, the 70th Tony Awards were held on June 12,2016 at the Beacon Theatre. The 71st Tony Awards will be held on June 11,2017, as of 2014, there are 24 categories of awards, plus several special awards. Starting with 11 awards in 1947, the names and number of categories have changed over the years, some examples, the category Best Book of a Musical was originally called Best Author. The category of Best Costume Design was one of the original awards, for two years, in 1960 and 1961, this category was split into Best Costume Designer and Best Costume Designer. It then went to a category, but in 2005 it was divided again. For the category of Best Director of a Play, a category was for directors of plays. A newly established non-competitive award, The Isabelle Stevenson Award, was given for the first time at the ceremony in 2009. The award is for an individual who has made a contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian. The category of Best Special Theatrical Event was retired as of the 2009–2010 season, the categories of Best Sound Design of a Play and Best Sound Design of a Musical were retired as of the 2014-2015 season. Performance categories Show and technical categories Special awards Retired awards The award was founded in 1947 by a committee of the American Theatre Wing headed by Brock Pemberton. The award is named after Antoinette Perry, nicknamed Tony, an actress, director, producer and co-founder of the American Theatre Wing, who died in 1946. As her official biography at the Tony Awards website states, At Jacob Wilks suggestion, proposed an award in her honor for distinguished stage acting, at the initial event in 1947, as he handed out an award, he called it a Tony
Tony Award
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Designed by
Herman Rosse, 1949
Tony Award
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Former logo
16.
Grammy Award
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A Grammy Award, or Grammy, is an honor awarded by The Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the mainly English-language music industry. The annual presentation ceremony features performances by prominent artists, and the presentation of awards that have a more popular interest. It shares recognition of the industry as that of the other performance awards such as the Emmy Awards, the Tony Awards. The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held on May 4,1959, to honor, following the 2011 ceremony, The Academy overhauled many Grammy Award categories for 2012. The 59th Grammy Awards, honoring the best achievements from October 2015 to September 2016, was held on February 12,2017, the Grammys had their origin in the Hollywood Walk of Fame project in the 1950s. The music executives decided to rectify this by creating a given by their industry similar to the Oscars. This was the beginning of the National Academy of Recording Arts, after it was decided to create such an award, there was still a question of what to call it, one working title was the Eddie, to honor the inventor of the phonograph, Thomas Edison. They finally settled on using the name of the invention of Emile Berliner, the gramophone, for the awards, the number of awards given grew and fluctuated over the years with categories added and removed, at one time reaching over 100. The second Grammy Awards, also held in 1959, was the first ceremony to be televised, the gold-plated trophies, each depicting a gilded gramophone, are made and assembled by hand by Billings Artworks in Ridgway, Colorado. In 1990 the original Grammy design was revamped, changing the traditional soft lead for a stronger alloy less prone to damage, Billings developed a zinc alloy named grammium, which is trademarked. The trophies with the name engraved on them are not available until after the award announcements. By February 2009,7,578 Grammy trophies had been awarded, the General Field are four awards which are not restricted by genre. Album of the Year is awarded to the performer and the team of a full album if other than the performer. Record of the Year is awarded to the performer and the team of a single song if other than the performer. Song of the Year is awarded to the writer/composer of a single song, Best New Artist is awarded to a promising breakthrough performer who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording that establishes the public identity of that artist. The only two artists to win all four of these awards are Christopher Cross, who won all four in 1980, and Adele, who won the Best New Artist award in 2009 and the other three in 2012 and 2017. Other awards are given for performance and production in specific genres, as well as for other such as artwork. Special awards are given for longer-lasting contributions to the music industry, the many other Grammy trophies are presented in a pre-telecast Premiere Ceremony earlier in the afternoon before the Grammy Awards telecast
Grammy Award
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Grammy Awards
Grammy Award
17.
Matilda the Musical
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Matilda the Musical is a stage musical based on the childrens novel of the same name by Roald Dahl. It was adapted by Dennis Kelly, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, Matilda has received widespread critical acclaim and box-office popularity, winning seven 2012 Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical—the most such awards ever won by a single show at the time. At the 2013 Tony Awards, the show won five awards, the show is currently running in Londons West End, touring Australia, and touring the United States. The musical opened at the Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, the show is choreographed by Peter Darling. Bertie Carvel headlined as Miss Trunchbull, with Paul Kaye and Josie Walker as Matildas parents Mr and Mrs Wormwood, three young actresses, Adrianna Bertola, Josie Griffiths and Kerry Ingram, alternated in the title role. The show ended its premiere engagement on 30 January 2011, in 2011, the musical received its West End debut at Londons Cambridge Theatre. The show was scheduled to begin previews on 18 October 2011, but because of structural and installation work at the theatre. The opening night was postponed from 22 November to 24 November, the musical opened in London to uniformly positive reviews, Kaye and Carvel received high praise for their performances. Many of the adult cast from the Stratford run reprised their roles in London. Eleanor Worthington Cox, Cleo Demetriou, Sophia Kiely and Kerry Ingram—the only one to reprise her role from Stratford—rotated in the title role. In October 2011, Matilda won Best Musical and Best Actor in the Theatre Awards UK, the production was nominated in all 10 categories for which it was eligible at the 2012 Olivier Awards. The Four Matildas performed Naughty at the awards show, Matilda won 7 Oliviers, Best New Musical, Best Director, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Actress in a Musical, Best Theatre Choreographer, Best Set Design and Best Sound Design. This was a number for any show in the events 36 year history. In April 2012, Steve Furst and Haley Flaherty took over the roles of Mr. Wormwood and Miss Honey from Kaye, two of the original London Matildas were replaced by Jade Marner and Isobelle Molloy. Bertie Carvel left in July 2012 and the role of Miss Trunchbull was filled by David Leonard, at this cast change four new girls took over as Matilda, Lucy-Mae Beacock, Hayley Canham, Chloe Hawthorn and Lara Wollington. On 19 November 2012, the London cast were invited to perform at the 100th Royal Variety Performance for television station ITV which was broadcast live on 3 December. They performed When I Grow Up and Naughty with Chloe in the lead role, in March 2013, Hayley Canham left the show and was replaced as Matilda by Elise Blake and Cristina Fray. Lucy-Mae Beacock left in early May 2013, the next cast change occurred in September 2013
Matilda the Musical
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2011 West End illustration
Matilda the Musical
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Since 2011, Matilda the Musical is playing in the
Cambridge Theatre in West End, London
Matilda the Musical
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Matilda the Musical marquee at the
Shubert Theatre
Matilda the Musical
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Bertie Carvel performing "The Hammer"
18.
Roald Dahl
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Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter, and fighter pilot. His books have more than 250 million copies worldwide. He rose to prominence in the 1940s with works for children and adults and he became one of the worlds best-selling authors. He has been referred to as one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century and his awards for contribution to literature include the 1983 World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, and the British Book Awards Childrens Author of the Year in 1990. In 2008, The Times placed Dahl 16th on its list of The 50 greatest British writers since 1945 and his books champion the kind-hearted, and feature an underlying warm sentiment. Dahls works for children include James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and his adult works include Tales of the Unexpected. Roald Dahl was born in 1916 at Villa Marie, Fairwater Road, in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales, to Norwegian parents, Harald Dahl, Dahls father had emigrated to the UK from Sarpsborg in Norway, and settled in Cardiff in the 1880s. His mother came over and married his father in 1911, Dahl was named after the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen. His first language was Norwegian, which he spoke at home with his parents and his sisters Astri, Alfhild, Dahl and his sisters were raised in the Lutheran faith, and were baptised at the Norwegian Church, Cardiff, where their parents worshipped. In 1920, when Dahl was three years old, his sister, Astri, died from appendicitis. Weeks later, his father died of pneumonia at the age of 57, Dahl first attended the Cathedral School, Llandaff. This was known among the five boys as the Great Mouse Plot of 1924, a favourite sweet among British schoolboys between the two World Wars, Dahl would later refer to gobstoppers in his literary creation, Everlasting Gobstopper. Thereafter, he transferred to a school in England, St Peters in Weston-super-Mare. Roalds parents had wanted him to be educated at an English public school and, because of a regular ferry link across the Bristol Channel. His time at St Peters was an unpleasant experience for him and he was very homesick and wrote to his mother every week but never revealed to her his unhappiness. Only after her death in 1967 did he find out that she had saved every single one of his letters, in 2016, to mark the centenary of Dahls birth, his letters to his mother were abridged and broadcast as BBC Radio 4s Book of the Week. Dahl wrote about his time at St Peters in his autobiography Boy, from 1929, he attended Repton School in Derbyshire. There are echoes of these experiences in Dahls writings and his hatred of cruelty
Roald Dahl
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Dahl in 1954
Roald Dahl
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Mrs Pratchett's former sweet shop in Llandaff, Cardiff has a
blue plaque commemorating the mischief a young Roald Dahl played on her by putting a mouse in the
gobstoppers jar.
Roald Dahl
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Patricia Neal and Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl
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Dahl's gravestone, St Peter and St Paul's Church,
Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire
19.
Matilda (novel)
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Matilda is a childrens novel by British writer Roald Dahl. Matilda won the Childrens Book Award in 1988 and it was published in 1988 by Jonathan Cape in London, with 232 pages and illustrations by Quentin Blake. In 2012 Matilda was ranked number 30 among all-time childrens novels in a survey published by School Library Journal and it was the first of four books by Dahl among the Top 100, more than any other writer. In a small Buckinghamshire village, Matilda is a 4-year-old girl of unusual precocity, but she is often ill-treated or neglected by her parents. In retaliation, she resorts to such as gluing her fathers hat to his head, hiding a friends parrot in the chimney to simulate a burglar or ghost. At first, Matilda was evil and used her powers to cause problems, at school, Matilda befriends her kindergarten teacher, Jennifer Honey, who is astonished by Matildas intellectual abilities. She tries to move her into a class but is refused by the headmistress. Miss Honey also tries to talk to Mr and Mrs Wormwood about Matildas intelligence, Matilda quickly develops a particularly strong bond with Miss Honey and watches as Miss Trunchbull terrorizes her students with creative, over-the-top punishments. After Matilda reveals her powers to Miss Honey, Miss Honey confides that she was raised by an aunt after the suspicious death of her father. Her aunt is revealed to be Miss Trunchbull herself, who appears to be withholding her nieces inheritance, preparing to avenge Miss Honey, Matilda develops her telekinetic gift through practice at home. This is soon done, and with the approval of a new school headteacher, rather to her relief, she is no longer capable of telekinesis, this is explained by Miss Honey as the result of using her mind on a more challenging curriculum. Matilda continues to visit Miss Honey at her regularly, but one day finds her parents hastily packing to escape from the police. Matilda asks permission to live with Miss Honey, to which her parents rather uninterestedly agree, so both she and Miss Honey find their happy ending. Mr Wormwood was based on a real character from Roald Dahls hometown of Great Missenden. The novel was made into the film Matilda in 1996 and it was directed by Danny DeVito and starred Mara Wilson as Matilda. Although the film was not a box office success, it received acclaim at the time of its release. DeVito portrayed Mr. Wormwood as well as the narrator, in 1990, the Redgrave Theatre in Farnham produced a musical version, adapted by Rony Robinson with music by Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, which toured the UK. It starred Annabelle Lanyon as Matilda and Jonathan Linsley as Miss Trunchbull, a second musical version of the novel, Matilda the Musical, written by Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin and commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, premiered in November 2010
Matilda (novel)
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First UK edition
20.
Groundhog Day (film)
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Groundhog Day is a 1993 American fantasy-comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, starring Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, and Chris Elliott. It was written by Ramis and Danny Rubin, based on a story by Rubin, after indulging in hedonism and committing suicide numerous times, he begins to re-examine his life and priorities. On its release, Groundhog Day was a modest success and garnered positive reviews. It gained stronger appreciation among critics and film historians over time, in 2006, the film was added to the United States National Film Registry as being deemed culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. A stage musical version of the premiered in 2016. During his nightly TV weather forecast on February 1, weatherman Phil Connors confidently reassures Pittsburgh viewers that a winter storm will miss western Pennsylvania completely. He then sets off with news producer Rita Hanson and cameraman Larry for Punxsutawney, Phil makes no secret of his contempt for the assignment, the small town, and the hicks who live there. On February 2, Phil awakens at his Punxsutawney bed and breakfast to Sonny & Chers I Got You Babe on the clock radio and he tapes a half-hearted report on Punxsutawney Phil and the towns festivities. Rita wants to stay and cover some of the other events, the blizzard—the one that Phil predicted would miss the area—resolves the issue by blanketing the region in snow, stranding them in Punxsutawney. Phil shuns the celebrations and retires to bed early, Phil wakes to I Got You Babe and the same announcement from the radio, and soon discovers the days events repeating exactly as before. Thinking it is a bad dream, Phil relives the day and returns to bed, only to discover when he wakes and he finds he is trapped in a time loop that no one else is seemingly aware of. Phil realizes there are no consequences for his actions, and spends the first several loops in rambunctious behavior, such as drinking, one-night stands. Even with his apparent deaths, he wakes up to I Got You Babe on February 2. Phil tries to explain his situation to Rita, for whom he has feelings, to demonstrate his plight to Rita, he points out all the trivial actions of the various townsfolk he has memorized due to being stuck in the loop. Rita takes sympathy and they spend the entirety of one loop together, however, Phil still wakes up alone at the start of February 2. He decides to use his knowledge of the events to try to better himself. Over many loops, he learns how to play the piano, sculpt ice, Ultimately, on one loop, Phil eagerly attends the Groundhog Day festivities, and gives a very eloquent report that causes all of the other news-stations to turn their cameras to him, amazing Rita. Phil and Rita spend the rest of the day together, with Phil impressing her with his apparent overnight transformation through his contributions to the festivities and that evening at the towns Groundhog Day dinner-dance, she wins Phil with the high bid at the charity bachelor auction
Groundhog Day (film)
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Theatrical release poster
Groundhog Day (film)
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"Ned's Corner" commemorative plaque, Woodstock, IL
Groundhog Day (film)
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Tip Top Cafe, Woodstock, IL.
Groundhog Day (film)
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344 Fremont Street at Madison Street
21.
Honorary degree
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An example of identifying a recipient of this award is as follows, Doctorate in Business Administration. The degree is conferred as a way of honouring a distinguished visitors contributions to a specific field or to society in general. It is sometimes recommended that such degrees be listed in ones CV as an award, rev. Theodore Hesburgh held the record for most honorary degrees, having been awarded 150 during his lifetime. The earliest honorary degree on record was awarded to Lionel Woodville in the late 1470s by the University of Oxford and he later became Bishop of Salisbury. In the latter part of the 16th century, the granting of honorary degrees became quite common, generally, universities nominate several persons each year for honorary degrees, these nominees usually go through several committees before receiving approval. Under certain circumstances, a degree may be conferred on an individual for both the nature of the office they hold and the completion of a dissertation, the dissertation et jure dignitatis is considered to be a full academic degree. Although higher doctorates such as DSc, DLitt, etc. are often awarded honoris causa, the university will appoint a panel of examiners who will consider the case and prepare a report recommending whether or not the degree be awarded. Usually, the applicant must have some strong connection with the university in question, for example full-time academic staff. The Archbishop of Canterbury has the authority to award degrees, some institutes of higher education do not confer honorary degrees as a matter of policy - see below. Some learned societies award honorary fellowships in the way as honorary degrees are awarded by universities. A typical example of university regulations is, Honorary graduates may use the approved post-nominal letters and it is not customary, however, for recipients of an honorary doctorate to adopt the prefix Dr. In some universities, it is however a matter of preference for an honorary doctor to use the formal title of Doctor. Written communications where an honorary doctorate has been awarded may include the letters h. c. after the award to indicate that status. In some countries, a person who holds an honorary doctorate may use the title Doctor prenominally, abbreviated Dr. h. c. or Dr. Sometimes, they use Hon before the letters, for example. In recent years, some universities have adopted entirely separate post nominal titles for honorary degrees and this is in part due to the confusion that honorary degrees have caused. It is now common in countries to use certain degrees, such as LLD or HonD. For instance, a doctor of the Auckland University of Technology takes the special title HonD. Some universities, including the Open University grant Doctorates of the University to selected nominees, most American universities award the degrees of LLD, LittD, LHD, ScD, PedD and DD only as honorary degrees
Honorary degree
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The honoris causa
doctorate received by
Jimmy Wales from the
University of Maastricht (2015).
Honorary degree
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Letter from
Ezra Stiles to
George Washington announcing the awarding of an honorary degree to Washington by the president and fellows of
Yale College (1781).
Honorary degree
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Elena Ceauşescu becoming
Doctor Honoris Causa of the
University of Manila,
Philippines, in 1975
22.
Doctor of Letters
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Doctor of Letters is an academic degree, a higher doctorate which, in some countries, may be considered to be beyond the Ph. D. and equal to the Doctor of Science. It is awarded in many countries by universities and learned bodies in recognition of achievement in the humanities, original contribution to the arts or scholarship. When awarded without an application by the conferee, it is awarded as an honorary degree, the Litt. D. degree is awarded to candidates whose record of published work and research shows conspicuous ability and originality and constitutes a distinguished and sustained achievement. University committee and board approval is required, and candidates must provide documented mastery of an area or field. The degree may also be awarded honoris causa to such individuals as the university or the body in question deems worthy of this highest academic award. At the University of Oxford, the degree was established in 1900 as part of the development of research degrees that began with the introduction of the B. Litt. and B. Sc. degrees in 1895. Up until that point, Oxford had focused on teaching, with the doctorates, such as those in divinity. Degree, Oxford eventually created its doctor of philosophy degree in 1915, deliberately using a distinctive English, rather than a Latin, title, the D. Phil. became an accelerated, supervised, lower-status degree to the D. Litt. When it was established in 1900, the Oxford doctor of letters, the length of the required number of terms changed over the years, depending on the prior Oxford degree that a candidate held, and the requirements became more specific. By 2015, The Oxford University Examination Regulations called for a faculty board at Oxford to appoint judges to consider the evidence submitted by any candidate, between 1923 and 2016, Oxford awarded 219 D. Litt. Degrees, of which 196 were awarded to men and 23 to women, among the six higher doctoral degrees at Oxford, the D. Litt. Comprised 27. 5% of the doctorates awarded during this 93-year period. As of June 2016, the Oxford D. Litt. has been suspended, in the United States, the degree is often an honorary degree conferred on those who have contributed to the humanities or society. There is, however, at least one earned D. Litt, programme at Drew University, where the degree requires 36 graduate credit hours post-Masters and a successfully prepared and defended nine-credit doctoral dissertation. In France the doctorat is awarded with a speciality, but there is no official list of these, candidates for a doctorat in literature are awarded a Doctorat ès lettres, abbreviated Dr ès l. There is a degree, the Habilitation à diriger des recherches. In literature, the candidates must also present a new and unpublished work, the habilitation allows to apply for a position of professor in French universities. Before the 1950s, the now-abolished Doctorat dÉtat degree was called Doctorat ès lettres
Doctor of Letters
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Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), wearing the full-dress gown of an
Oxford DLitt. He was awarded an honorary doctorate in letters in 1907.
23.
Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts
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Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, originally called Mountview Theatre School from but commonly known as Mountview is an independent drama school situated in the Wood Green area of North London. It was founded in 1945 by Peter Coxhead and Ralph Nossek as the Mountview Theatre Club, the Academy currently provides specialist vocational training in acting and musical theatre, as well as production arts. Since 2006 the President of the school is Dame Judi Dench and it is one of the leading drama schools in the United Kingdom The institution prepares students for a professional career in the performing arts. The academy and its courses are accredited by Drama UK and it offers Qualifications and Curriculum Authority recognised and validated by the University of East Anglia and Trinity College and it was rated Outstanding by Ofsted in 2011. Key areas of study include Performance and Production, Mountview was founded in Crouch End in 1945 by Peter Coxhead and Ralph Nossek as The Mountview Theatre Club, an amateur repertory company staging a new production for a six-day run every second week. Early in 1946, when he was still only 21, Coxhead borrowed £2,300 to buy the lease of Cecile House, there was a substantial amount of work to be carried out, including the conversion of a gymnasium into what is now the Mountview Theatre. Coxhead, Nossek, and a handful of friends, who devoted every moment of their time to building the theatre, dressing rooms and rehearsal space. The Mountview Theatre officially opened in November 1947 with a production of The Importance of Being Earnest. The theatre presented a play per month until 1949, Peter Coxhead bought the building outright from the leaseholders and for the next 25 years, Ralph Nossek went on to pursue a professional acting career in 1955 that lasted 56 years. In 1969 the school started full-time drama courses and with Dame Margaret Rutherford becoming the second president until 1972 she was replaced by Sir Ralph Richardson. Sir Ralph Richardson died in 1983 and was replaced as president by Sir John Mills, by 1985 the school had leased additional premises at Wood Green, that were named the Sir Ralph Richardson Memorial Studios. Coxhead retired as Principal in 1996 he was replaced by Paul Clements the former Director of Drama at the Royal Welsh College of Music, in 2005 John Mills was replaced by new and current president Judi Dench. In 2007, the British reality television show E4 School of Performing Arts offered several would-be actors the chance to win scholarships to Mountview, Italia Conti, mountviews Director of Acting Programme, Amir M. Korangy appeared on the show as part of the panel. Paul Clements remained as principal until 2008 when he was replaced by Sue Robertson previously Dean of the School of Arts at City University London. In 2011, Mountview principal Robertson announced plans for the school to relocate to the Hornsey Town Hall in Crouch End, north London, the Grade II-listed building will be refurbished in a £19 million project. Sue Robertson stepped down as Principal in January 2014 and was replaced by Stephen Jameson who was Director of Performance since 2012 he was previously Associate Director at LAMDA, approval for Hornsey Town Hall handover to Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Official website The Board of Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts Senior Staff
Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts
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Acting
24.
Adelaide Zoo
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Adelaide Zoo is Australias second oldest zoo, and like other leading zoos in Australia, including Melbourne Zoo, Taronga Zoo, and Perth Zoo it is operated on a non-profit basis. It is located in the parklands just north of the city centre of Adelaide, and which also administers the Monarto Zoo near Murray Bridge. The zoo houses about 300 native and exotic species, with over 1,800 animals on site, five buildings within the zoo have been listed as state heritage places on the South Australian Heritage Register including the front entrance on Frome Road and the former Elephant House. The zoo is also a garden and the grounds contain significant exotic and native flora. The giant panda exhibit, which opened in December 2009, is home to two giant pandas, Wang Wang and Funi, Adelaide Zoo first opened on 23 May 1883, occupying 6.5 hectares of land granted by the Government. It was founded by the South Australian Acclimatization and Zoological Society, the society later became the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia after a Royal Charter was granted by King George VI in 1937. The first director of the zoo was R. E. Minchin and he was succeeded by his son A. C. Minchin, and grandson R. R. L. Minchin, another grandson, Alfred Keith Minchin ran the Koala Farm in the North Parklands 1936–1960, the surplus koalas were set free on Kangaroo Island. However, when Basse retired the trade in birds dropped to a tenth of what it had two years before. Since then the administration has been restructured and the zoo has regained public credibility. The modern zoo has moved away from the housing of species separately in pairs. Now species are grouped together as they would be in the wild, enclosures have been designed with the needs of the animals in mind, providing a more natural habitat, which also serves an educational purpose for visitors. Although some of the heritage listed enclosures such as the Elephant House have been retained. The last elephant housed at the Adelaide Zoo, Samorn, was moved to Monarto in 1991, the flamingo exhibit was opened in 1885, and is one of the few to have remained in the same position to date. Originally it was stocked with 10 flamingos, however most died during a drought in 1915, in 2014, one of two surviving flamingos in the exhibit, thought to be the oldest in the world at 83 years of age, died. The remaining Chilean flamingo at Adelaide zoo is now the only flamingo in Australia, the zoo has a particular focus on species from the Gondwana supercontinent which was made up of South America, India, Africa, Australia and South East Asia. The botanic similarities between the regions are featured in the main exhibits, which include a South East Asian Rainforest. The South East Asian exhibit combines Sumatran orangutan and siamang together and it also combines Malayan tapir and dusky leaf monkey together
Adelaide Zoo
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Adelaide Zoo
Adelaide Zoo
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One of the
Sumatran tigers at Adelaide Zoo
Adelaide Zoo
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The last
greater flamingo in Australia died at Adelaide Zoo in January 2014
Adelaide Zoo
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A
pied heron in one of the zoo's walk-in
aviaries
25.
Christ Church Grammar School
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Christ Church Grammar School is an independent Anglican day and boarding school for boys from Pre-Primary to Year 12. The school overlooks Freshwater Bay on the Swan River, Claremont, Christ Church Grammar School was founded in 1910 by the Reverend W. J. McClemans. The school opened on 7 February 1910 as Christ Church Preparatory School with a single classroom, in 1917, the schools status was raised from a preparatory school to university junior examination level and renamed Christ Church School. In 1931, it known as Christ Church Grammar School. Over 1600 boys,110 of whom are boarders, are enrolled at Christ Church, more than 1100 boys study in the Senior School and over 500 attend the Preparatory School. As a non-selective school, Christ Church caters for a range of boys from those who are academically gifted through to students with learning challenges. It also offers places to overseas students, Christ Church Grammar School opened on 7 February 1910 as the Christ Church Preparatory School. The founder, Canon W J McClemans, was the rector of Christ Church Claremont, the School opened with a single classroom and an enrolment of nine-day boys. In 1917, the status of Christ Church was raised from school to university junior examination level. During this year, the Old Boys Association was established and legislation by Synod brought Christ Church, from the 1920s through to the 1940s, the school continued to grow. However, financial hardship and uncertainty continued and led to the resignation of several headmasters, when Christ Church gained its own school council in 1950, it was considered a turning point in the history of the school. In 1951, PM Moyes became headmaster and throughout the post-war period, enrolments increased from 259 in 1951, to 853 in 1966. During this period, a number of buildings and facilities were built. A block of land, next to the Claremont campus, was acquired as well as 20 acres in Mt Claremont for use as playing fields, the students began to experience academic and sporting success. Moyes retired in 1981 after serving for 31 years as headmaster and was succeeded by AJ de V Hill in 1982, the next five years included significant developments in the school curriculum and system of pastoral care. The outdoor education centre at Kooringal, near Dwellingup, was extensively redeveloped, financial support from parents and old boys enabled the school to spend over $2 million on new facilities in less than three years. A major appeal in 1984 yielded $800,000, Hill served for six years as headmaster and was followed by JJS Madin in January 1988. Madin, whose approach was innovative and team-based, managed the next major projects in the schools development
Christ Church Grammar School
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Latin: Deus Dux Doctrina Lux
Christ Church Grammar School
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Canon W J McClemans 1914
Christ Church Grammar School
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The Leeuwin II
26.
Los Angeles
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Los Angeles, officially the City of Los Angeles and often known by its initials L. A. is the cultural, financial, and commercial center of Southern California. With a census-estimated 2015 population of 3,971,883, it is the second-most populous city in the United States, Los Angeles is also the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populated county in the United States. The citys inhabitants are referred to as Angelenos, historically home to the Chumash and Tongva, Los Angeles was claimed by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo for Spain in 1542 along with the rest of what would become Alta California. The city was founded on September 4,1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. It became a part of Mexico in 1821 following the Mexican War of Independence, in 1848, at the end of the Mexican–American War, Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thereby becoming part of the United States. Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4,1850, the discovery of oil in the 1890s brought rapid growth to the city. The completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913, delivering water from Eastern California, nicknamed the City of Angels, Los Angeles is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, and sprawling metropolis. Los Angeles also has an economy in culture, media, fashion, science, sports, technology, education, medicine. A global city, it has been ranked 6th in the Global Cities Index, the city is home to renowned institutions covering a broad range of professional and cultural fields, and is one of the most substantial economic engines within the United States. The Los Angeles combined statistical area has a gross metropolitan product of $831 billion, making it the third-largest in the world, after the Greater Tokyo and New York metropolitan areas. The city has hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1932 and 1984 and is bidding to host the 2024 Summer Olympics and thus become the second city after London to have hosted the Games three times. The Los Angeles area also hosted the 1994 FIFA mens World Cup final match as well as the 1999 FIFA womens World Cup final match, the mens event was watched on television by over 700 million people worldwide. The Los Angeles coastal area was first settled by the Tongva, a Gabrielino settlement in the area was called iyáangẚ, meaning poison oak place. Gaspar de Portolà and Franciscan missionary Juan Crespí, reached the present site of Los Angeles on August 2,1769, in 1771, Franciscan friar Junípero Serra directed the building of the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, the first mission in the area. The Queen of the Angels is an honorific of the Virgin Mary, two-thirds of the settlers were mestizo or mulatto with a mixture of African, indigenous and European ancestry. The settlement remained a small town for decades, but by 1820. Today, the pueblo is commemorated in the district of Los Angeles Pueblo Plaza and Olvera Street. New Spain achieved its independence from the Spanish Empire in 1821, during Mexican rule, Governor Pío Pico made Los Angeles Alta Californias regional capital
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
27.
Atheist
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Atheism is, in the broadest sense, the absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is the rejection of belief that any deities exist, in an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities. Atheism is contrasted with theism, which, in its most general form, is the belief that at least one deity exists, the etymological root for the word atheism originated before the 5th century BCE from the ancient Greek ἄθεος, meaning without god. The term denoted a social category created by orthodox religionists into which those who did not share their religious beliefs were placed, the actual term atheism emerged first in the 16th century. With the spread of freethought, skeptical inquiry, and subsequent increase in criticism of religion, application of the term narrowed in scope, the first individuals to identify themselves using the word atheist lived in the 18th century during the Age of Enlightenment. The French Revolution, noted for its unprecedented atheism, witnessed the first major movement in history to advocate for the supremacy of human reason. Arguments for atheism range from the philosophical to social and historical approaches, although some atheists have adopted secular philosophies, there is no one ideology or set of behaviors to which all atheists adhere. Since conceptions of atheism vary, accurate estimations of current numbers of atheists are difficult, an older survey by the British Broadcasting Corporation in 2004 recorded atheists as comprising 8% of the worlds population. Other older estimates have indicated that atheists comprise 2% of the worlds population, according to these polls, Europe and East Asia are the regions with the highest rates of atheism. In 2015, 61% of people in China reported that they were atheists, the figures for a 2010 Eurobarometer survey in the European Union reported that 20% of the EU population claimed not to believe in any sort of spirit, God or life force. Atheism has been regarded as compatible with agnosticism, and has also been contrasted with it, a variety of categories have been used to distinguish the different forms of atheism. Some of the ambiguity and controversy involved in defining atheism arises from difficulty in reaching a consensus for the definitions of words like deity, the plurality of wildly different conceptions of God and deities leads to differing ideas regarding atheisms applicability. The ancient Romans accused Christians of being atheists for not worshiping the pagan deities, gradually, this view fell into disfavor as theism came to be understood as encompassing belief in any divinity. Definitions of atheism also vary in the degree of consideration a person must put to the idea of gods to be considered an atheist, Atheism has sometimes been defined to include the simple absence of belief that any deities exist. This broad definition would include newborns and other people who have not been exposed to theistic ideas, as far back as 1772, Baron dHolbach said that All children are born Atheists, they have no idea of God. Similarly, George H. Smith suggested that, The man who is unacquainted with theism is an atheist because he does not believe in a god. This category would include the child with the conceptual capacity to grasp the issues involved. The fact that this child does not believe in god qualifies him as an atheist, ernest Nagel contradicts Smiths definition of atheism as merely absence of theism, acknowledging only explicit atheism as true atheism
Atheist
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Paul Henri Thiry, Baron d'Holbach, an 18th-century advocate of atheism. — d'Holbach,
The System of Nature
Atheist
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Epicurus is credited with first expounding the
problem of evil.
David Hume in his
Dialogues concerning Natural Religion (1779) cited Epicurus in stating the argument as a series of questions: "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is impotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?"
28.
Richard Dawkins
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Clinton Richard Dawkins FRS FRSL is an English ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author. He is a fellow of New College, Oxford, and was the University of Oxfords Professor for Public Understanding of Science from 1995 until 2008. Dawkins first came to prominence with his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, in 2006, he founded the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science. Dawkins is an atheist, and is known for his criticism of creationism. In The Blind Watchmaker, he argues against the watchmaker analogy, instead, he describes evolutionary processes as analogous to a blind watchmaker in that reproduction, mutation, and selection are unguided by any designer. In The God Delusion, Dawkins contends that a supernatural creator almost certainly does not exist and he opposes the teaching of creationism in schools. Dawkins was born in Nairobi, then in British Kenya, on 26 March 1941 and he is the son of Jean Mary Vyvyan and Clinton John Dawkins, who was an agricultural civil servant in the British Colonial Service in Nyasaland. His father was called up into the Kings African Rifles during World War II and returned to England in 1949 and his father had inherited a country estate, Over Norton Park in Oxfordshire, which he farmed commercially. Dawkins considers himself English and lives in Oxford, England, both his parents were interested in natural sciences, and they answered Dawkinss questions in scientific terms. Dawkins describes his childhood as a normal Anglican upbringing, and that left me with nothing. From 1954 to 1959 Dawkins attended Oundle School in Northamptonshire, an English public school with a distinct Church of England flavour, while at Oundle Dawkins read Bertrand Russells Why I Am Not a Christian for the first time. He studied zoology at Balliol College, Oxford, graduating in 1962, while there and he continued as a research student under Tinbergens supervision, receiving his MA and DPhil degrees by 1966, and remained a research assistant for another year. Tinbergen was a pioneer in the study of behaviour, particularly in the areas of instinct, learning and choice. From 1967 to 1969, he was an assistant professor of zoology at the University of California, during this period, the students and faculty at UC Berkeley were largely opposed to the ongoing Vietnam War, and Dawkins became involved in the anti-war demonstrations and activities. He returned to the University of Oxford in 1970 as a lecturer, in 1990, he became a reader in zoology. He held that professorship from 1995 until 2008, since 1970, he has been a fellow of New College, Oxford and he is now an emeritus fellow. In 1991, he gave the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures for Children on Growing Up in the Universe and he has also edited several journals, and has acted as editorial advisor to the Encarta Encyclopedia and the Encyclopedia of Evolution. He is listed as an editor and a columnist of the Council for Secular Humanisms Free Inquiry magazine
Richard Dawkins
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Dawkins at
Cooper Union,
New York City (2010)
Richard Dawkins
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The Great Hall, Oundle School
Richard Dawkins
–
Dawkins at the
University of Texas at Austin, March 2008
Richard Dawkins
–
Dawkins, wearing a
scarlet 'A' lapel pin, at the 34th annual conference of
American Atheists (2008).
29.
British Humanist Association
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The current President of the BHA is Shappi Khorsandi and the Chief Executive is Andrew Copson. The association currently has 70 affiliated regional and special interest groups, the advancement of education and in particular the study of and the dissemination of knowledge about Humanism and about the arts and science as they relate to Humanism. The promotion of understanding between people holding religious and non-religious beliefs so as to advance cooperation in society. The BHA also wishes to build itself as a sustainable and nationally-recognised organisation as a voice for non-religious people, the British Humanist Association was founded in 1896 by American Stanton Coit as the Union of Ethical Societies, which brought together existing ethical societies in Britain. In 1963 H. J. Blackham became the first Executive Director, and this transition followed a decade of discussions which nearly prompted a merger of the Union of Ethical Societies with the Rationalist Press Association and the South Place Ethical Society. In 1963 the discussions went as far as creating an umbrella Humanist Association of which Harold Blackham was the Executive Director, in the 1960s the BHA campaigned on the repeal of Sunday Observance laws and the reform of the 1944 Education Act’s clauses on religion in schools. More generally the BHA aimed to defend freedom of speech, support the elimination of world poverty and it was claimed in 1977 that the BHA aimed to make humanism available and meaningful to the millions who have no alternative belief. At this time the BHA also supported a number of local communities. A network of celebrants able to conduct funerals, weddings, naming ceremonies and same sex affirmations was also developed. Social concerns have persisted in the BHA’s programme, the BHA has been active in arguing for voluntary euthanasia and the right to obtain an abortion. It has always sought an open society, the BHA claims that the rules on religious programming within the BBC constitute a religious privilege and reserve particular criticism for the Thought for the Day slot on Radio 4s Today programme. They also support humanist volunteers on the Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education which currently determines the Religious Education syllabus for each local authority, the BHA opposes the teaching of creationism in schools. In September 2011, the BHA launched their Teach evolution, not creationism campaign, the Department for Education amended the funding agreement to allow the withdrawal of funding for free schools that teach creationism as established scientific fact. It has also campaigned for opt-out organ donor registers to improve the availability of life-saving organs in the UK, the BHA also campaigns on marriage laws, demanding full equality for same-sex and humanist marriage ceremonies throughout the UK. The BHA had been providing same-sex wedding ceremonies for decades, and had strongly supported legalising same-sex marriage years in advance of eventual UK, in 2013, it secured an amendment to the same sex marriage bill to require UK Government to consult on letting humanist celebrants conduct legal marriages. Though the consultation result strongly indicated that legalisation should go ahead and it also campaigns for same-sex and humanist marriages in Northern Ireland. Many of its campaigns are based on speech and human rights legislation. In 2008, the law was repealed, an issue over which the BHA had long-campaigned
British Humanist Association
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British Humanist Association logo
British Humanist Association
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BHA supporters, including
Andrew Copson and
Polly Toynbee, taking part in a 'No Prayer Breakfast' event at the Labour Party Conference in 2012
British Humanist Association
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Richard Dawkins accepting the Services to Humanism award at the British Humanist Association Annual Conference in 2012
British Humanist Association
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Ariane Sherine and BHA Vice President Richard Dawkins at the bus campaign launch
