title: Keep

text: In England, ruined medieval castles became fashionable again in the middle of the 18th century. They were considered an interesting counterpoint to Palladian classical architecture, and gave a degree of medieval allure to their owners. Some keeps were modified to exaggerate this effect: Hawarden, for example, was remodelled to appear taller but also more decayed, the better to produce a good silhouette. The interest continued and, in the late 18th and 19th century, it became fashionable to build intact, replica castles in England, resulting in what A. Rowan has called the "Norman style" of new castle building, characterised by the inclusion of large keeps; the final replica keep to be built in this way was at Penrhyn between 1820 and 1840.


title: Keep

text: Where there was an existing castle on a site, another response across 19th-century Europe was to attempt to improve the buildings, bringing their often chaotic historic features into line with a more integrated architectural aesthetic, in a style often termed Gothic Revivalism. There were numerous attempts to restore or rebuild keeps so as to produce this consistently Gothic style: in England, the architect Anthony Salvin was particularly prominent – as illustrated by reworking and heightening of the keep at Windsor Castle, while in France, Eugène Viollet-le-Duc reworked the keeps at castles in locations like Pierrefonds during the 1860s and 1870s, admittedly in a largely speculative fashion, since the original keep had been mostly destroyed in 1617.


title: Keep

text: The Spanish Civil War and First and Second World Wars in the 20th century caused damage to many castle keeps across Europe; in particular, the famous keep at Coucy was destroyed by the German Army in 1917. By the late 20th century the conservation of castle keeps formed part of government policy across France, England, Ireland, and Spain. In the 21st century in England, most keeps are in ruins and form part of the tourism and heritage industries, rather than being used as functioning buildings – the keep of Windsor Castle being a rare exception. In Germany, large numbers of the "bergfried" towers were restored as functional buildings in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, often as government offices or youth hostels, or the modern conversion of tower houses, which in many cases have become modernised domestic homes.


title: Heinz Hitler

text: Heinrich "Heinz" Hitler (14 March 1920 – 21 February 1942) was the son of Alois Hitler, Jr. and his second "wife" Hedwig Heidemann (who he had actually married bigamously). He was the younger half-brother of William Stuart-Houston. He was also a nephew of Adolf Hitler, who reportedly called Heinz his favorite nephew.


title: Heinz Hitler

text: Heinz was a strong supporter of the Nazis. He attended an elite boarding school, the National Political Institutes of Education (Napola) at Ballenstedt in Saxony-Anhalt. When World War II began, he joined the Wehrmacht.


title: Heinz Hitler

text: Aspiring to be an officer, Heinz became a signals subofficer with the 23rd Potsdamer Artillery Regiment in 1941, and was sent to serve on the Eastern Front, participating in the invasion of the Soviet Union, known as Operation Barbarossa. On 10 January 1942, he was ordered to collect radio equipment from an army post. He was captured by Soviet forces and died at the Butyrka military prison in Moscow in February 1942, at the age of 21. Hitler approved of an offer to exchange Yakov Dzhugashvili (Stalin's son) through the Swedish Red Cross for Heinz, but Stalin, still enraged that Yakov surrendered, rejected it.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: Maria Ellen Cantwell (; born October 13, 1958) is an American politician and former businesswoman serving as the junior United States senator from Washington since 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the Washington House of Representatives from 1987 to 1993, and the United States House of Representatives from from 1993 to 1995.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, Cantwell graduated from Miami University before moving to Seattle to work on Alan Cranston's 1984 presidential campaign. In 1986, she was elected to the state House of Representatives, where she served until her election to Congress in 1992. Cantwell served one term in Congress before losing her seat to Republican Rick White in the 1994 election. She then briefly worked in the private sector as vice president of marketing for RealNetworks.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: Despite having vowed to remain out of politics, Cantwell ran for the United States Senate in 2000. She defeated Republican incumbent Slade Gorton in one of the closest elections in the state's history. Cantwell was reelected in 2006, 2012, and 2018. Upon the February 2017 resignation of Jeff Sessions to become United States Attorney General, she became the most senior junior senator. She is the second female senator from Washington, after Patty Murray.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: Cantwell was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. She was raised in a predominantly Irish American neighborhood on the south side of Indianapolis. Her father, Paul Cantwell, served as county commissioner, city councilor, state legislator, and chief of staff for U.S. Representative Andrew Jacobs Jr.; he was the Democratic nominee for Mayor of Indianapolis in 1979. Her mother, Rose, was an administrative assistant. Her ancestry includes Irish and German.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: Cantwell attended Emmerich Manual High School, and was inducted into the Indianapolis Public Schools Hall of Fame in 2006. After high school, Cantwell attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in public administration.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: Cantwell moved to Seattle, Washington, in 1983, to campaign for U.S. Senator Alan Cranston (D-CA) in his unsuccessful bid for the 1984 Democratic presidential nomination. She then moved to the Seattle suburb of Mountlake Terrace, because it reminded her of Indianapolis, and led a successful campaign in 1986 to build a new library there. As of 2000, Cantwell lived in Edmonds, Washington with her mother.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: In 1986, Cantwell was elected to the Washington State House of Representatives at the age of 28. She defeated George Dahlquist 54%–46%. In 1988, she was reelected with 66% of the vote. In 1990, she was reelected to a third term with 61% of the vote.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: As a state representative, Cantwell helped write Washington's Growth Management Act of 1990, which required cities to develop comprehensive growth plans, and she negotiated its passage. She also worked on legislation regulating nursing homes. Cantwell resigned on January 3, 1993, in preparation to be sworn in as a member of the United States House of Representatives.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: In the November election, Cantwell defeated Republican State Senator Gary A. Nelson 55%–42%. She became the first Democrat elected to the United States House of Representatives from Washington's first congressional district in 40 years.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: Republican Rick White defeated Cantwell 52%–48% in the 1994 United States House of Representatives elections. Before that year's "Republican Revolution", eight of the nine representatives from the Washington state delegation were from the Democratic Party. After the election, five Democratic representatives from Washington state lost their positions, despite running for re-election, including Cantwell, future governor Jay Inslee, and Speaker of the House Tom Foley.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: Cantwell was called a "savvy, pro-business Democrat". She supported President Clinton's 1993 budget, which raised taxes and passed without the votes of many Democrats. During her only term, she helped persuade the Clinton administration to terminate its support of the Clipper chip. She wrote a letter to Vice President Al Gore and staunchly opposed it because Microsoft Inc. was in her district. She voted for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).


title: Maria Cantwell

text: After her defeat, Cantwell vowed to leave politics. Political ally Rob Glaser offered her a job as vice president of marketing for RealNetworks. Among her accomplishments was the live Internet streaming broadcast of a Mariners-Yankees baseball game in 1995, which marked the start of Internet broadcasts of Major League Baseball games.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: In 1998, the company was criticized by privacy groups, which alleged that the RealJukebox software program incorporated spyware to track unsuspecting users' listening patterns and download history. In response, RealNetworks amended its privacy policy to fully disclose its privacy practices regarding user listening patterns. Subsequently, RealNetworks submitted to independent outside audits of its privacy practices. Several lawsuits regarding alleged privacy violations were settled out of court. This incident has shaped her views on privacy and her opposition to the Bush administration's post-9/11 policies.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: At the urging of party activists and officials, Cantwell formed an exploratory committee in October 1999 to consider a run for U.S. Senate against Democrat Insurance Commissioner Deborah Senn and incumbent Republican Senator Slade Gorton. She committed to the race on January 19, 2000. Cantwell entered the campaign a year after Senn, who was endorsed by the Washington State Labor Council and NARAL, and used her personal wealth to fund television advertisements. Early on, privacy became an issue; Senn cited her record protecting medical privacy as insurance commissioner, while Cantwell promoted internet privacy and cited her opposition to the Clipper chip. Senn later used television advertisements to accuse Cantwell of avoiding debates, as she had agreed to two debates while Senn preferred more. They participated in three debates, during which they attacked each other. Senn attacked RealNetworks and Cantwell's role in the company; Cantwell accused Senn of wanting to run against RealNetworks, and said that Senn was uninformed on internet issues. Cantwell was endorsed by "The Seattle Times", the "Seattle Post-Intelligencer", "The Spokesman-Review", and "The News Tribune". She easily won her party's nomination, defeating Senn by a 3–1 margin in the primary. Although he won re-nomination, Gorton got fewer votes than Cantwell and Senn's combined total.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: Social security, prescription drugs, dams, gun control, and campaign finance reform were among the most important issues in Cantwell's race against Gorton, which drew national attention. Cantwell also adopted the slogan "Your voice for a change", a veiled reference to Gorton's campaign theme in 1980, challenging incumbent Warren Magnuson's age. She said Gorton supported "19th-century solutions to 21st-century problems". Cantwell was endorsed by "The Seattle Times" and the "Seattle Post-Intelligencer", the state's two biggest newspapers. Gorton was endorsed by the smaller "News Tribune" and two of the largest Eastern Washington newspapers, "The Spokesman-Review" and "Tri-City Herald". At times, the campaign was accused of pettiness as national PACs and groups funded television attack advertisements. After a Cantwell campaign worker deep-linked to a humorous photo on Gorton's website, he accused Cantwell's campaign of hacking, and Senn accused Cantwell of hypocrisy. "Fiddling with people's websites and calling it good fun ... adds a very childish and unworthy character to the race", Senn's campaign spokeswoman Barbara Stenson said. Cantwell spent over $10 million of her own money on her campaign, pledging not to accept money from PACs. When RealNetworks stock declined at the end of 2000, she spent time raising funds for debt retirement, but kept her pledge not to accept PAC money. In the waning weeks of the campaign, the Federal Election Commission ruled that Cantwell violated federal campaign finance law by securing $3.8 million in bank loans for her campaign and failing to properly disclose the loans until January 30, 2001. The complaint alleged that she had received a $600,000 line of credit without sufficient collateral, and another $1,000,000, all at a preferential interest rate. After review, the Federal Election Commission sent a letter of admonishment, saying that the loans were "made on a basis that assures repayment, and that each loan bore the usual and customary interest rate".


title: Maria Cantwell

text: The election was among the closest in Washington history. Cantwell held a small lead in the initial returns on election night, but the race remained too close to call. Gorton overtook her the next day, amassing a lead of 12,500 votes by the second week of absentee ballot counting. The election result was certified on November 22 with a lead of 1,953 votes for Cantwell out of 2.5 million cast, credited to support from the Puget Sound region. The 0.08% margin triggered an automatic recount, which increased her lead to 2,229 votes, or 0.09%. It was the last Senate race to be called in the 2000 election, which resulted in a 50–50 tie ahead of a contentious presidential election recount. Cantwell and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan became the third and fourth women to defeat incumbent senators, following Kay Bailey Hutchison's 1993 and Dianne Feinstein's 1992 special-election victories.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: The close 2004 gubernatorial race between Democrat Christine Gregoire and Republican Dino Rossi suggested to many that the 2006 contest might go either way. Both Cantwell and her opponent Republican Mike McGavick dominated their primaries; initial speculation favored a Republican victory. "At one point", wrote analyst Larry Sabato, "all the talk in this race concerned Cantwell's cool relations with anti-war Democratic elements and McGavick's relatively united base. But Democrats appear to have closed ranks behind their junior senator." Cantwell was reelected by a 17-point margin, even winning several traditionally Republican counties in Eastern Washington, including Spokane County.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: During the 2006 campaign, Cantwell received heavy criticism for declining most of the invitations she received to debate McGavick in public fora. Media outlets across the state, including "The Olympian" and the "Yakima Herald-Republic", rebuked her, claiming she was afraid to confront McGavick, calling it "unacceptable" and "simply not fair". Cantwell agreed to two debates with McGavick in Seattle and Spokane, lasting 60 and 30 minutes, respectively. When she ran for Senate in 2000 against Gorton, Gorton also agreed to only two debates of a similar format. Similarly, when Washington's senior senator, Patty Murray, ran for reelection in 2004, she agreed to only two debates with George Nethercutt, although each debate lasted an hour.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: Cantwell was a proponent of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill of 2002, and co-sponsored the Clean Money, Clean Elections Act of 2001. In 2005, she wrote a letter in support of the Perkins Loan program, and told the "Seattle Times" in July 2006 that she opposed Social Security privatization. Cantwell co-sponsored the "Pension Fairness and Full Disclosure Act of 2005".


title: Maria Cantwell

text: Also in 2005, Cantwell voted for the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which angered many who opposed free trade agreements. Others argued that due to the state's unique economy, any senator from Washington almost had to vote for free trade pacts.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: Citing his potential views on abortion and the environment, Cantwell was one of 22 senators to vote not to confirm United States Supreme Court nominee John Roberts. In January 2006, after publicly announcing her opposition to Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, Cantwell, 18 other Democrats and all 53 present Republicans, voted for the cloture motion. The success of this motion ended an unlikely attempt to filibuster Alito's confirmation led by Senators John Kerry and Ted Kennedy. Alito was confirmed the next day by a vote of 58–42, with most Democrats, including Cantwell, voting against confirmation.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: In 2010, Cantwell voted to invoke cloture to begin debate on the Don't ask, don't tell policy in the military.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: In the 2016 United States presidential election, Cantwell received one electoral vote for vice president from a faithless elector in Washington.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: On October 11, 2002, Cantwell voted in favor of the Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq. Her October 10, 2002, press release, quotes her as stating on the floor of the U.S. Senate, "Mr. President, my vote for this resolution does not mean that I am convinced of the Administration has answered all the questions. I believe the following issues must be addressed before the U.N. or the U.S. move forward with military action." Cantwell detailed six specific areas in which her questions and concerns had yet to be satisfactorily addressed at the time of her vote to authorize war: "First: Continued Multilateral Approach ... Second: Successful Military Strategy ... Third: A Post-War Commitment Strategy ... Fourth: Fighting the Broader War on Terrorism ... Fifth: Maintaining Middle East Stability ... Sixth: Protecting Iraqi Civilians."


title: Maria Cantwell

text: In 2006, Cantwell voted against the Kerry-Feingold Amendment to S. 2766, which would have set a timetable for withdrawal, but for the Levin-Reed Amendment, which would encourage beginning a phased withdrawal by the end of the year, with no timetable for completion.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: In April 2017, Cantwell co-sponsored the Israel Anti-Boycott Act (S.270), which made it a federal crime, punishable by a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, for Americans to encourage or participate in boycotts against Israel and Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories if protesting actions by the Israeli government.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: In May 2006, Cantwell, along with 38 of 44 Senate Democrats, voted for the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 (S. 2611). This controversial legislation included provisions to improve border security, increased fines and other punishments for employers of illegal immigrants, created a guest worker program (which included a near doubling of the number of H1-B visas), and created a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the country. The bill, with support from Republican Party leadership, passed 62–36. Debate would have also commenced on the DREAM Act, but was halted by a Republican filibuster.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: Cantwell supports health care reform in the United States, and was a co-sponsor of Senator Ron Wyden's Healthy Americans Act. In her role as a member of the Finance Committee, she had an influential role in crafting health care reform legislation. On September 29, 2009, when the Finance Committee considered health care reform legislation, Cantwell supported amendments to establish a public health care option that would compete with private insurers.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: In 2009, "The Stranger" ran an article on Cantwell's opposition to the inclusion of a public option in the health-care reform plan. They reported: "Seattle congressman Jim McDermott supports it. Washington senator Patty Murray wants it. So does President Barack Obama. So does the often conservative "Seattle Times" editorial page. So do 72 percent of Americans, according to a recent poll. So what's going on with Washington's junior senator, Maria Cantwell? Why doesn't she want Congress to include a public option — a new government-run health-care plan that will be available to everyone, and will compete with private insurance companies to bring down costs — in its health-care-reform package?" Cantwell cited her concerns with getting the bill through the Senate as the reason for her opposition.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: In addition to her opposition to drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge, Cantwell was one of the most vocal critics of the increase of oil and gasoline prices during 2008. Advocating increased regulation of futures markets and windfall profits taxes on oil profits, she has drawn scathing criticism from the "Wall Street Journal". In December 2005, Cantwell scored what many perceived as one of the strongest victories of her first term when she blocked Alaska senator Ted Stevens's efforts to allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Stevens attached the measure to a bill that provided money for defense spending and Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. Cantwell managed to round up the votes of 41 Democrats and 2 Republicans, enough to block a final vote. Stevens removed the ANWR drilling measure from the larger bill, promising to bring the matter up at a later date.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: In 2004, Cantwell received the highest rating possible from the League of Conservation Voters for her environmental voting record. As of 2020, she has a lifetime score of 93% on the League's National Environmental Scorecard. She is known for supporting alternative energy research and for protecting Washington's forests from logging and the construction of paved roads and has earned endorsement from various prominent environmental advocacy groups and other environmental groups. She has opposed drilling in ANWR on multiple occasions, has voted to reduce oil usage by 40% by 2025, and has opposed legislation to relax or terminate CAFE standards. "The Seattle Times" has called Cantwell's environmental record "pristine", and the Wilderness Society has called her an "environmental champion".


title: Maria Cantwell

text: In 2009, Cantwell introduced the Carbon Limits and Energy for America's Renewal (CLEAR) Act (S. 2877), also called the Cantwell-Collins bill, a "cap and dividend" emissions trading proposal. Senator Susan Collins co-sponsored it. The bill died in the Senate Finance Committee without debate or votes.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: Cantwell chaired the Senate Democrats 20/20 Energy Independence campaign and co-chaired the Apollo Alliance in 2006. One of her main accomplishments was the passage of an amendment "To prevent energy market manipulation", which passed 57–40 in the Senate in November 2006; a previous effort was defeated by a vote of 50–48.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: In 2011, The Humane Society of the United States praised Cantwell's no-tolerance policy and effective removal of the practice of shark finning, which kills an estimated 73 million sharks per year.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: In February 2019, in response to reports that the EPA intended to decide against setting limits for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in drinking water as part of an upcoming national strategy to manage the chemicals, Cantwell was one of 20 senators to sign a letter to Acting EPA Administrator Andrew R. Wheeler calling on the EPA "to develop enforceable federal drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS, as well as institute immediate actions to protect the public from contamination from additional per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)."


title: Maria Cantwell

text: In September 2019, Cantwell was one of eight senators to sign a bipartisan letter to congressional leadership, requesting full and lasting funding of the Land and Water Conservation Act, in order to aid national parks and public lands, benefit the $887 billion American outdoor recreation economy, and "ensure much-needed investment in our public lands and continuity for the state, tribal, and non-federal partners who depend on them".


title: Maria Cantwell

text: In March 2021, Cantwell was among the 42 Democrats to vote unsuccessfully to include a $15 hourly minimum wage in the American Rescue Plan.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: Cantwell has expressed support for making Plan B contraceptives available to girls 16 and under. In 2007, she co-sponsored the Prevention First Act, a bill that sought to increase national access to family planning and preventative methods as a means to reduce unwanted pregnancies. It included providing women with access to Plan B, as well as expanding family planning to be covered under Medicaid. As an advocate of increasing access to family planning and sexual health education, Cantwell argues that these venues for increased education are necessary to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies. She received criticism from her Republican challenger, State Senator Michael Baumgartner, who suggested that she was too extreme and too far to the left of Washington voters on this issue, and expressed concern about 11-year-olds getting these drugs without a prescription.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: Cantwell calls herself "100% pro-choice", and consistently supports the pro-choice movement's positions. She was one of 34 senators to vote against the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, which President George W. Bush signed into law in November 2003. She also voted against the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which made it an additional crime to kill or harm a fetus during a criminal assault upon the mother. That bill passed the Senate by a vote of 61–38, and was signed into law by Bush on in 2004.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: Cantwell chairs the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, which has jurisdiction over the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), the United States Center for SafeSport (SafeSport), and the issue of sexual abuse in Olympic sports. She has praised the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017, crafted to protect athletes from emotional and physical abuse and harassment, which created SafeSport to prevent and respond to misconduct.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: Cantwell is a major supporter of fellow Democratic candidates for public office. In 2006, facing her own challenging race, she used ActBlue to raise $100,000 for Darcy Burner, Peter J. Goldmark, and Richard Wright, all of whom were facing difficult House races in Washington. In the 2008 cycle, Cantwell was particularly committed to supporting Senator Mary Landrieu's reelection.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: On December 31, 2007, Cantwell became the 10th senator to endorse Hillary Clinton for President of the United States. She supported Clinton throughout the primaries, but vowed to vote for the winner of the pledged delegates. After Clinton conceded on June 7, Cantwell endorsed Obama. At the Washington State Democratic Convention on June 15, she said: "I do want to see a strong Democratic woman in the White House ... That's why I'm so glad Michelle Obama will be the next first lady."


title: Maria Cantwell

text: On October 20, 2013, Cantwell was one of 16 female Democratic senators to sign a letter endorsing Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee in the 2016 Presidential Election.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: On December 4, 2009, the day that 22-year-old Washingtonian Amanda Knox was wrongly convicted by an Italian court of the murder of Meredith Kercher, Cantwell released a statement expressing her dismay at the verdict, saying that she had "serious questions about the Italian justice system and whether anti-Americanism tainted [the] trial." She stated that the evidence against Knox was insufficient, that Knox had been subjected to "harsh treatment" following her arrest, and that there had been "negligence" in the handling of evidence. She also complained that jurors had not been sequestered, allowing them to view "negative news coverage" about Knox, and that one of the prosecutors had a misconduct case pending in relation to another trial. Cantwell said she would seek assistance from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. A State Department spokesman said in December 2009 that the department had followed the case closely and would continue to do so. He added: "It is still in the early days but ... we haven't received any indications necessarily that Italian law was not followed." Knox was later exonerated.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: In 2006, it emerged that court files concerning a loan Cantwell made in 2001 to her former boyfriend, boss, and campaign manager, lobbyist Ron Dotzauer, to help him through his divorce litigation, had been sealed. A Sound Politics reporter had the file unsealed and discovered that Cantwell was identified in the divorce records "as the 'other woman'".


title: Maria Cantwell

text: Cantwell was also formerly in a relationship with Seattle-based track and cross country star Scott Daggatt, then serving as a stockbroker of a Seattle-based National Securities Corporation.


title: Maria Cantwell

text: Owing to a sharp decrease in the value of her RealNetworks stock, Cantwell's personal fortune had declined significantly by 2011.


title: Stiff upper lip

text: A person who is said to have a stiff upper lip displays fortitude and stoicism in the face of adversity, or exercises great self-restraint in the expression of emotion. The phrase is most commonly heard as part of the idiom "keep a stiff upper lip", and has traditionally been used to describe an attribute of British people in remaining resolute and unemotional when faced with adversity. A sign of fear is trembling of the upper lip, hence the saying keep a "stiff" upper lip.


title: Stiff upper lip

text: The idea of the stiff upper lip is traced back to Ancient Greece – to the Spartans, whose cult of discipline and self-sacrifice was a source of inspiration to the English public school system; and to the Stoics. Stoic ideas were adopted by the Romans, particularly the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who wrote, "If you are distressed by any external thing, it is not this thing which disturbs you, but your own judgment about it. And it is in your power to wipe out that judgment now." The concept reached England in the 1590s, and featured in the plays of William Shakespeare; his tragic hero Hamlet says, "There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so". Poems that feature a memorable evocation of Victorian stoicism and a stiff upper lip include Rudyard Kipling's "If—" and W. E. Henley's "Invictus". The phrase became symbolic of the British people, and particularly of those who were students of the English public school system during the Victorian era. Such schools were heavily influenced by stoicism, and aimed to instil a code of discipline and devotion to duty in their pupils through 'character-building' competitive sports (as immortalised in the poem "Vitai Lampada"), corporal punishments and cold showers.


title: Heyy Babyy

text: Heyy Babyy is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language comedy film produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and directed by Sajid Khan. It stars Akshay Kumar, Fardeen Khan, Riteish Deshmukh, Vidya Balan, Juanna Sanghvi and Boman Irani.


title: Heyy Babyy

text: The core storyline of this film is loosely based on the Malayalam film "Thoovalsparsham" (1990) which is an adaptation of the American film "Three Men and a Baby" (1987), in turn based on the French film "Three Men and a Cradle".


title: Heyy Babyy

text: Arush Mehra lives a fairly wealthy lifestyle in Sydney, Australia with roommates Tanmay Joglekar and Ali Haider. Arush works for a popular dance club, while Tanmay entertains children as 'Eddy Teddy', and Ali takes care of their apartment. He mostly watches cricket on the television and places bets on it. All three are womanizers and usually end up sleeping with different women. One day, they find a baby girl outside their door with a note instructing them to take care of her, since one of them is her father. The three men go to all the women they dated and slept with, but none claim the baby as theirs.


title: Heyy Babyy

text: The men try to take care of the baby, but she becomes a huge pain. So, they drop her off at a house near a church. Then, they set off for a Christmas party. They are all thinking of the girl. A big rainstorm occurs, and the baby develops pneumonia after being left in the rain. The three men rush the baby to the hospital, realizing how much they love her, and regret their decisions. She recovers, and the three become changed men. They love her, pamper her, grow an attachment towards her and even apologize to all women they used. They name her Angel due to the miracle that she survived. One morning, a woman named Isha Sahni comes to take Angel back, claiming the baby to be her daughter. The guys are shocked as Arush tells them about his past.


title: Heyy Babyy

text: One year ago, Arush traveled to Delhi to attend his cousin Arjun's wedding. There, he met Isha, who also resides in Australia. He put up a facade of being a guy with traditional Indian values, won her over and they spent the night together. Shortly after, Isha caught him in a compromising situation with Devika Sharma, Isha's friend, so the couple split up. It was not Arush's fault as Devika forced herself on top of him. Arush returned to Sydney and forgot about the incident.


title: Heyy Babyy

text: The guys find it very difficult to live without Angel. Arush ends up challenging Isha to marry someone faithful within seven days who will accept Angel as a daughter. If she's unsuccessful, she will have to give Angel back to him. They sign a contract to finalize the deal. The men worry that they might lose the bet since Isha is beautiful and wealthy. Arush plans with Tanmay, Ali, and Bharat, who is Isha's father to keep Angel with him.


title: Heyy Babyy

text: His first attempt involves Ali posing as a botany professor named Parimal Tripathi (inspired by Dharmendra's character from Chupke Chupke) who speaks very pure Hindi. Bharat is impressed by Parimal by this and Angel recognizes him as well. They manage to get through a few days of the week until one day Isha asks him about marriage the next day. After Isha says this, Ali talks to Arush and Tanmay who tells him to go to Disneyland where Ali gets Bharat attacked. He is stopped from further efforts by Tanmay in the 'Eddy Teddy' costume. Bharat decides that Tanmay is the right man for Isha. Tanmay, Arush, and Ali make plans to stop Isha from marrying someone else and tell the truth to Angel about their plans to convince her mother. As the contract is about to terminate, Isha somehow manages to find out the truth that she has been cheated by her father, Tanmay, Ali, and most of all Arush.


title: Heyy Babyy

text: Isha goes with Angel to her private jet to go somewhere very far because she has lost the deal. As she is about to leave she is stopped by some cops because Ali and Tanmay called them. As they are arguing, Arush turns up showing Isha the contract and tearing it up indicating that Isha now has every right over Angel. But before the three men leave heartbroken, Arush says that a child needs a mother the most but it also needs a father. Just as they are about to leave, Angel says her first word "Dada" indicating she has developed an attachment to the men as well, but Isha takes her away in the airplane.


title: Heyy Babyy

text: The three men are depressed as they assume that they may never see Angel again until they are surprised to see her on their doorstep. Isha finally realises that Angel needs her father too and the film ends with their marriage taking place, and Angel's photoshoot. During the wedding, Bharat's girlfriend crashes the wedding and questions Bharat about their relationship.


title: Heyy Babyy

text: An Australian features in a promotional video which was not to be in the film. The girl band from Sydney are called the Girlband.


title: Heyy Babyy

text: The album received favourable reviews from major critics. Joginder Tuteja of "Bollywood Hungama" in his four-star review, said that the album is a "must-buy": "The music score of "Heyy Babyy" is undoubtedly the best soundtrack of the year so far. Every track is a gem in its own way." Sukanya Verma of "Rediff" described the album as "a peppy soundtrack".


title: Heyy Babyy

text: The album made its debut at No. 6 in the charts, later climbed up to the top 5 and remained consistent in the middle of the charts. According to the Indian trade website "Box Office India", with around 12,00,000 units sold, this film's soundtrack album was the year's tenth highest-selling.


title: Heyy Babyy

text: Taran Adarsh gave the film 4 out of 5 stars saying it "is an entertainer that has something for everyone". He praised the performances of the lead stars. Critic Aparajita Ghosh gave 3 out 5 stars, saying ""Heyy Babyy" packs in enough masala and emotion to keep you entertained throughout its running time." Noyon Jyoti Parasara of AOL India stated "Sajid Khan's debut is one movie you can go and watch and leave your brains behind. Go laugh aloud!"


title: Heyy Babyy

text: "Heyy Babyy" opened to packed houses in over 650 cinemas in India. The opening was at 90%+ and continued to do well in the days following. It grossed in India, $1.4 million in the US and £763,000 in the UK and was declared a "super-hit".


title: Heyy Babyy

text: It was a hit abroad, opening to a favorable response and taking the second biggest Hindi film opening in the UK after "" (2007). "Heyy Babyy" debuted at number 10 and made £289,761 at a screen average of £4,765.


title: Surah

text: A surah (; , , ), is the equivalent of "chapter" in the Qur'an. There are 114 "surahs" in the Quran, each divided into "ayats" (verses). The chapters or "surahs" are of unequal length; the shortest surah ("Al-Kawthar") has only three verses while the longest ("Al-Baqara") contains 286 verses. Of the 114 chapters in the Quran, 86 are classified as Meccan, while 28 are Medinan. This classification is only approximate in regard to the location of revelation; any chapter revealed after migration of Muhammad to Medina ("Hijrah") is termed Medinan and any revealed before that event is termed Meccan. The Meccan chapters generally deal with faith and scenes of the Hereafter while the Medinan chapters are more concerned with organizing the social life of the nascent Muslim community and leading Muslims to the goal of darul islam by showing strength towards the unbelievers. Except for "surah" "At-Tawbah", all chapters or "surahs" commence with "In the Name of Allah, Ar-Rahman (The Beneficent), Ar-Rahim (The Merciful)". This formula is known as the "Bismillah" and denotes the boundaries between chapters. The chapters are arranged roughly in order of descending size; therefore the arrangement of the Quran is neither chronological nor thematic. "Surahs" (chapters) are recited during the standing portions ("Qiyam") of Muslim prayers. "Surah" "Al-Fatiha", the first chapter of the Quran, is recited in every unit of prayer and some units of prayer also involve recitation of all or part of any other "surah".


title: Surah

text: The word "surah" was used at the time of Muhammad as a term with the meaning of a "portion" or a set of verses of the Quran. This is evidenced by the appearance of the word "surah" in multiple locations in the Quran such as verse 24:1: "A "surah" that We have sent down and appointed, and We have sent down in it signs, clear signs, that haply you will remember." (see also verses 2:23, 9:64, 86, 124, 127, 10:38, and 47:20). It is also mentioned in plural form in the Quran: "Or do they say, He invented it? Say, "Then bring ten "surahs" like it and call upon whomever you can besides God, if you are truthful."


title: Surah

text: In 1938 Arthur Jeffery suggested that the name derived from the Syriac word "surṭā" meaning 'writing'.


title: Surah

text: Chapters in the Quran are not arranged in the chronological order of revelation, and the precise order has eluded scholars. According to tradition, Muhammad told his companions the traditional placement of every Wahy as he revealed it, and Wm Theodore de Bary, an East Asian studies expert, describes that "The final process of collection and codification of the Quran text was guided by one over-arching principle: God's words must not in any way be distorted or sullied by human intervention. For this reason, no attempt was made to edit the numerous revelations, organize them into thematic units, or present them in chronological order...".


title: Surah

text: A number of medieval Islamic writers attempted to compile a chronologically ordered list of the chapters, with differing results. As no transmitted reports dating back to the time of Muhammad or his companions exists, their works necessarily represent the opinions of scholars, and none originates before the first quarter of the 8th century. One version is given in a 15th-century work by Abd al-Kafi, and is included in the chronological order given by the standard Egyptian edition of the Quran (1924). Another list is mentioned by Abu Salih, while a significantly different version of Abu Salih's is preserved in the book 'Kitab Mabani'. Yet another, from the 10th century, is given by Ibn Nadim.


title: Surah

text: A number of verses are associated with particular events which helps date them. Muhammad's first revelation was chapter 96 (year 609). Verses 16:41 and 47:13 refer to migration of Muslims which took place in the year 622. Verses 8:1–7 and 3:120–175 refer to battles of Badr (624) and Uhud (625) respectively. Muhammad's last pilgrimage is mentioned in 5:3 which occurred in 632, a few months before he died. This method is of limited usefulness because the Quran narrates the life of Muhammad or the early history of the Muslim community only incidentally and not in detail. In fact, very few chapters contain clear references to events which took place in Muhammad's life.


title: Surah

text: Theodor Nöldeke's chronology is based on the assumption that the style of the Quran changes in one direction without reversals. Nöldeke studied the style and content of the chapters and assumed that first, later (Madinan) chapters and verses and are generally shorter than earlier (Meccan) ones, and second, that earlier Meccan verses have a distinct rhyming style while later verses are more prosaic (prose-like). According to Nöldeke, earlier chapters have common features: many of them open with oaths in which God swears by cosmic phenomena, they have common themes (including eschatology, creation, piety, authentication of Muhammad's mission and refutation of the charges against Muhammad), and some Meccan chapters have a clear 'tripartite' structure (for example chapters 45, 37, 26, 15, 21). Tripartite chapters open with a short warning, followed by one or more narratives about unbelievers, and finally address contemporaries of Muhammad and invite them to Islam. On the other hand, Madinan verses are longer and have a distinct style of rhyming and concern to provide legislation and guidance for the Muslim community.


title: Surah

text: Richard Bell took Nöldeke's chronology as a starting point for his research, however, Bell did not believe that Nöldeke's criteria of style were important. He saw a progressive change in Muhammad's mission from a man who preached monotheism into an independent leader of a paramount religion. For Bell this transformation in Muhammad's mission was more decisive compared with Nöldeke's criteria of style. Bell argued that passages which mentioned Islam and Muslim or implied that Muhammad's followers were a distinct community were revealed later. He classified the Quran into three main periods: the early period, the Quranic period, and the book period. Richard bell worked on the chronology of verses instead of chapters. Underlying Bell's method for dating revelations is the assumption that the normal unit of revelation is the short passage and the passages have been extensively edited and rearranged.


title: Surah

text: Mehdi Bazargan divided the Quran into 194 independent passages preserving some chapters intact as single blocks while dividing others into two or more blocks. He then rearranged these blocks approximately in order of increasing average verse length. This order he proposes is the chronological order. Bazargan assumed that verse length tended to increase over time and he used this assumption to rearrange the passages.


title: Surah

text: Neal Robinson, a scholar of Islamic studies, is of the opinion that there is no evidence that the style of Quran has changed in a consistent way and therefore style may not always be a reliable indicator of when and where a chapter was revealed. According to Robinson, the problem of the chronology of authorship is still far from solved.


title: Surah

text: The verses and chapters when revealed to Muhammad in the Quran did not come with a title attached to them. Muhammad, as we find in some reports in "hadith", used to refer to shorter chapters not by name, rather by their first verse. For example: Abu Hurairah quoted Muhammad as saying, ""Al-Hamdu Lillahi Rabb il-`Aalameen"" is the Mother of the Quran, the Mother of the Book, and the seven oft-repeated verses of the Glorious Quran.". We also find reports in which Muhammad used to refer to them by their name. For example, Abdullah bin Buraydah narrated from his father, "I was sitting with the Prophet and I heard him say, 'Learn Surah ul-Baqarah, because in learning it there is blessing, in ignoring it there is sorrow, and the sorceresses cannot memorize it."'


title: Surah

text: Arab tradition, similar to other tribal cultures of that time, was to name things according to their unique characteristics. They used this same method to name Quranic chapters. Most chapter names are found in hadith. Some were named according to their central theme, such as "Al-Fatiha" (The Opening) and "Yusuf" (Joseph), and some were named for the first word at the beginning of the chapter, such as "Qaf", "Ya-Sin", and "ar-Rahman". Some "surahs" were also named according to a unique word that occurs in the chapter, such as "al-Baqarah" (The Cow), "An-Nur" (The Light), al-Nahl (The Bee), "Az-Zukhruf" (The Ornaments of Gold), "Al-Hadid" (The Iron), and "Al-Ma'un" (The Small Kindness).


title: Surah

text: Most chapter names are still used to this day. Several are known by multiple names: chapter "Al-Masadd" (The Palm Fibre) is also known as "al-Lahab" (The Flame). "Surah" "Fussilat" (Explained in Detail) is also known as "Ha-Meem Sajda" ("...it is a chapter that begins with "Ha Mim" and in which a verse requiring the performance of prostration has occurred.")


title: Surah

text: The idea of textual relation between the verses of a chapter has been discussed under various titles such as ""nazm"" and ""munasabah"" in literature of the Islamic sphere and 'Coherence', 'text relations', 'intertextuality', and 'unity' in English literature. There are two points of view regarding the coherence of the verses of the Quran. In the first viewpoint, each chapter of the Quran has a central theme and its verses are related. The second viewpoint considers some chapters of the Quran as collections of passages which are not thematically related. Chapters deal with various subjects, for instance, chapter 99, which comprises only eight verses, is devoted exclusively to eschatology and chapter 12 narrates a story, while other chapters, in the same breath, speak of theological, historical, and ethico-legal matters. Chapters are known to consist of passages, not only verses. The borders between passages are arbitrary but are possible to determine. For example, chapter 54 may be divided into six passages:


title: Surah

text: The study of text relations in the Quran dates back to a relatively early stage in the history of Quranic studies. The earliest Quranic interpreter known to have paid attention to this aspect of the Quran is Fakhruddin al-Razi (d.1209 ). Fakhr Razi believed that text relation is a meaning that links verses together or mentally associates them like cause-effect or reason-consequence. He linked to verse 1 of a chapter to verse 2, verse 2 to verse 3 and so on, and rejected traditionist interpretations if they contradicted interrelations between verses. Zarkashi (d.1392), another medieval Quranic exegete, admitted that relationships of some verses to other verses in a chapter is sometimes hard to explain, in those cases he assigned stylistic and rhetorical functions to them such as parenthesis, parable, or intentional subject shift. Zarkashi aimed at showing how important understanding the inter-verse relations is to understanding the Quran, however, he did not attempt to deal with one complete chapter to show its relations.


title: Surah

text: Contemporary scholars have studied the idea of coherence in the Quran more vigorously and are of widely divergent opinions. For example, Hamid Farrahi (d. 1930) and Richard Bell (d. 1952) have different opinions regarding coherence within chapters. Farrahi believed that the whole structure of the Quran is thematically coherent, which is to say, all verses of a chapter of the Quran are integrally related to each other to give rise to the major theme of the chapter and again all of the chapters are interconnected with each other to constitute the major theme of the Quran. According to Farrahi, each chapter has a central theme ("umud" or pillar) around which the verses revolve:


title: Surah

text: Arthur J. Arberry states that the chapters in many instances, as Muslims have been recognized from the earliest times, are of a 'composite' character, holding embedded in them fragments received by Muhammad at widely differing dates. However he disregards this 'fact' and views each chapter as an artistic whole. He believed that a repertory of familiar themes runs through the whole Quran and each chapter elaborates one of more, often many of, them.


title: Surah

text: Angelika Neuwirth is of the idea that verses in their chronological order are interrelated in a way that later verses explain earlier ones. She believes that Meccan chapters are coherent units.


title: Surah

text: Salwa El-Awa aims in her work to discuss the problem of textual relations in the Quran from a linguistic point of view and the way in which the verses of one chapter relate to each other and to the wider context of the total message of the Quran. El-Awa provides a detailed analysis in terms of coherence theory on chapters 33 and 75 and shows that these two chapters cohere and have a main contextual relationship.


title: Surah

text: Gheitury and Golfam believe that the permanent change of subject within a passage in the Quran, or what they call non-linearity, is a major linguistic feature of the Quran, a feature that puts the Quran beyond any specific 'context' and 'temporality'. According to Gheitury and Golfam for the Quran there is no preface, no introduction, no beginning, no end, a reader can start reading from anywhere in the text.


title: Rear admiral

text: Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarded as a two-star rank with a NATO code of OF-7.


title: Rear admiral

text: The term originated in the days of naval sailing squadrons and can trace its origins to the Royal Navy. Each naval squadron was assigned an admiral as its head, who commanded from the centre vessel and directed the squadron's activities. The admiral would in turn be assisted by a vice admiral, who commanded the lead ships that bore the brunt of a battle. In the rear of the squadron, a third admiral commanded the remaining ships and, as this section was considered to be in the least danger, the admiral in command of it was typically the most junior. This has continued into the modern age, with rear admiral the most junior admiralty of many navies.


title: Rear admiral

text: The Royal Australian Navy maintains a rank of rear admiral; refer to Australian Defence Force ranks and insignia. The abbreviation is RADM.


title: Rear admiral

text: Since the mid-1990s, the insignia of a Royal Australian Navy rear admiral is the Crown of St. Edward above a crossed sword and baton, above two silver stars, above the word "Australia". Like the Royal Navy version, the sword is a traditional naval cutlass. The stars have eight points, unlike the four pointed Order of the Bath stars used by the army (which are often referred to as "pips"). Prior to 1995, the RAN shoulder board was identical to the Royal Navy shoulder board. The Royal Navy shoulder board changed again in 2001 and the Australian and UK shoulder boards are now identical except for the word "Australia".


title: Rear admiral

text: Rear Admiral Robyn Walker became the first female admiral in the Royal Australian Navy when she was appointed Surgeon-General of the Australian Defence Force on 16 December 2011.


title: Rear admiral

text: In the Royal Canadian Navy, the rank of rear-admiral (RAdm) ("contre-amiral" or "CAm" in French) is the Navy rank equivalent to major-general of the Army and Air Force. A rear-admiral is a flag officer, the naval equivalent of a general officer. A rear-admiral is senior to a commodore and brigadier-general, and junior to a vice-admiral and lieutenant-general.


title: Rear admiral

text: The rank insignia for a rear-admiral is two silver maple leaves beneath a silver crossed sword and baton, all surmounted by St Edward's Crown, worn on gold shoulder boards on the white short-sleeved shirt or the tropical white tunic. The service dress features a wide strip of gold braid around the cuff and, since June 2010, above it a narrower strip of gold braid embellished with the executive curl. On the visor of the service cap are two rows of gold oak leaves.


title: Rear admiral

text: A rear admiral in the Pakistani Navy is a senior and two-star rank naval officer, appointed in higher naval commands. Like most Commonwealth navies, the rear admiral rank is superior to commodore and captain. However, the rank is junior to the three-star rank vice-admiral and four-star rank admiral, who is generally a Chief of Naval Staff of the Navy.


title: Rear admiral

text: () is a Dutch Naval rank, equivalent to rear admiral in the US Navy and Royal Navy. It is the second most junior admiral position of the Dutch Navy, ranking above "commandeur" ("commodore") and below a "vice-admiraal" ("vice admiral").


title: Rear admiral

text: The rank of originated between the 15th and 16th century. Interpreted as "watch-at-night", the was the officer who supervised the ship when the captain was asleep.


title: Rear admiral

text: In later times the was also the officer who supervised an entire naval squadron, in the absence of a senior admiral, and by the 17th century was the common rank held by the naval commander of a battle fleet's rear squadron.


title: Rear admiral

text: In the 17th century the navies of Sweden and Denmark-Norway adopted the rank as and the early Imperial Russian Navy as шаутбенахт ("shautbenakht"). In 1724 the Russians, followed in 1771 by both the Swedish Navy and the Dano-Norwegian Navy changed the name of the rank to the originally German counter admiral ("контр-адмирал" in Russian, "konteramiral" in Swedish, in Danish and Norwegian).


title: Rear admiral

text: The highest ordinary rank currently filled in the Royal New Zealand Navy is rear admiral and this is the rank held by the Chief of Navy unless that person is also Chief of Defence Force.


title: Rear admiral

text: The Republic of Singapore Navy uses two ranks with the title of rear admiral: rear-admiral (one-star), a one-star rank; and rear-admiral (two-star), a two-star rank.


title: Rear admiral

text: The Royal Navy maintains a rank of rear admiral. Note that the rank of rear admiral is quite different from the honorary office Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom.


title: Rear admiral

text: In the United States, there have been two ranks with the title of rear admiral since 1985: rear admiral (lower half) (RDML), a one-star rank; and rear admiral (RADM), a two-star rank. Prior to that, a combination of ranks was used. Both the rear admiral (lower half) and rear admiral ranks exist in four of the uniformed services of the United States: the United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, United States Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps).


title: Randall Munroe

text: Randall Patrick Munroe (born October 17, 1984) is an American cartoonist, author, and engineer best known as the creator of the webcomic "xkcd". Munroe has worked full-time on the comic since late 2006. In addition to publishing a book of the webcomic's strips, he has written four books: "What If?", "Thing Explainer", "How To," and "What If?2".


title: Randall Munroe

text: Munroe was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, and his father has worked as an engineer and marketer. He has two younger siblings, and was raised as a Quaker. He was a fan of comic strips in newspapers from an early age, starting off with "Calvin and Hobbes". After graduating from the Chesterfield County Mathematics and Science High School at Clover Hill, a Renaissance Program in Midlothian, Virginia, he graduated from Christopher Newport University in 2006 with a degree in physics.


title: Randall Munroe

text: Munroe worked as a contract programmer and roboticist for NASA at the Langley Research Center, before and after his graduation with a physics degree. In late 2006, he left NASA and moved to Boston to focus on webcomics full time.


title: Randall Munroe

text: Munroe's blog, entitled "xkcd", is primarily a stick figure comic. The comic's tagline describes it as "A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language".


title: Randall Munroe

text: Munroe had originally used xkcd as an instant messaging screenname because he wanted a name without a meaning so he would not eventually grow tired of it. He registered the domain name, but left it idle until he started posting his drawings, perhaps in September 2005. The webcomic quickly became very popular, garnering up to 70 million hits a month by October 2007. Munroe has said, "I think the comic that's gotten me the most feedback is actually the one about the stoplights".


title: Randall Munroe

text: Munroe now supports himself by the sale of "xkcd"-related merchandise, primarily thousands of t-shirts a month. He licenses his "xkcd" creations under the Creative Commons attribution-noncommercial 2.5, stating that it is not just about the free culture movement, but that it also makes good business sense.


title: Randall Munroe

text: In 2010, he published a collection of the comics. He has also toured the lecture circuit, giving speeches at places such as Google's Googleplex in Mountain View, California.


title: Randall Munroe

text: The popularity of the strip among science fiction fans resulted in Munroe being nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist in 2011 and again in 2012. In 2014, he won the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story for the "xkcd" strip "Time".


title: Randall Munroe

text: Munroe is the creator of the now defunct websites "The Funniest", "The Cutest", and "The Fairest", each of which presents users with two options and asks them to choose one over the other.


title: Randall Munroe

text: In January 2008, Munroe developed an open-source chat moderation script named "Robot9000". Originally developed to moderate one of Munroe's xkcd-related IRC channels, the software's algorithm attempts to prevent repetition in IRC channels by temporarily muting users who send messages that are identical to a message that has been sent to the channel before. If users continue to send unoriginal messages, Robot9000 mutes the user for a longer period, quadrupling for each unoriginal message the user sends to the channel. Shortly after Munroe's blog post about the script went live, 4chan administrator Christopher Poole adapted the script to moderate the site's experimental /r9k/ board. Twitch trialed R9K mode but it did not pass beta.


title: Randall Munroe

text: In October 2008, "The New Yorker" magazine online published an interview and "Cartoon Off" between Munroe and Farley Katz, in which each cartoonist drew a series of four humorous cartoons.


title: Randall Munroe

text: In early 2010, Munroe ran the xkcd Color Name Survey, in which participants were shown a series of RGB colors and asked to enter a suitable name for each specific color. Munroe wanted to identify colors which were given identical or highly similar names by a large number of survey participants, which would then serve as an approximate list of the most common colors rendered similarly across a range of computer monitors. Over 200,000 people eventually completed the survey, and Munroe published the resulting list of 954 named RGB web colors on the xkcd website. They have since been adopted as conventional color identifiers in various programming and markup languages, including Python and LaTeX.


title: Randall Munroe

text: Munroe has a blog entitled "What If?", where he has answered questions sent in by fans of his comics. These questions are usually absurd and related to math or physics, and he explains them using both his knowledge and various academic sources. In 2014, he published a collection of some of the responses, as well as a few new ones and some rejected questions, in a book entitled "What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions". Starting in November 2019, Munroe began writing a monthly column in the "New York Times" titled "Good Question", answering user-submitted questions in the same style as "What If".


title: Randall Munroe

text: A sequel, "What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions", was published in September 2022.


title: Randall Munroe

text: In response to concerns about the radioactivity released by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011, and to remedy what he described as "confusing" reporting on radiation levels in the media, Munroe created a radiation chart of comparative radiation exposure levels. The chart was rapidly adopted by print and online journalists in several countries, including being linked to by online writers for "The Guardian", and "The New York Times". As a result of requests for permission to reprint the chart and to translate it into Japanese, Munroe placed it in the public domain, but requested that his non-expert status be clearly stated in any reprinting.


title: Randall Munroe

text: Munroe published an "xkcd"-style comic on scientific publishing and open access in "Science" in October 2013.


title: Randall Munroe

text: Munroe's book "Thing Explainer", announced in May 2015 and published later that year, explains concepts using only the 1,000 most common English words. The book's publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, saw these illustrations as potentially useful for textbooks, and announced in March 2016 that the next editions of their high-school-level chemistry, biology, and physics textbooks will include selected drawings and accompanying text from "Thing Explainer".


title: Randall Munroe

text: In February 2019, Munroe announced his next book, "How To", which was released in September of that year. The book deals with everyday problems by using physics to find absurd, and generally extreme, solutions to them.


title: Randall Munroe

text: In September 2013, Munroe announced that a group of "xkcd" readers had submitted his name as a candidate for the renaming of asteroid (4942) 1987 DU to 4942 Munroe. The name was accepted by the International Astronomical Union.


title: Randall Munroe

text: In October 2010, Munroe's fiancée was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer; there had been no prior family history. The emotional effect of her illness was referenced in the comic panel "Emotion", published 18 months later in April 2012. In September 2011, he announced that they had married. In November 2012, he published a comic entitled "Two Years', and in December 2017, Munroe followed this with a comic entitled "Seven Years". He revisited the subject in November 2020 in a comic entitled "Ten Years".


title: Randall Munroe

text: His hobbies and interests include kite photography, in which cameras are attached to kites and photographs are then taken of the ground or buildings.


title: Nickelback discography

text: The discography of Nickelback, a Canadian rock band, consists of 10 studio albums, two compilation albums, one extended play (EP), 44 singles, five video albums and 32 music videos. Formed in Hanna, Alberta in 1995 by Chad Kroeger, Ryan Peake, Mike Kroeger and Brandon Kroeger, the band issued its debut album "Curb" in 1996 through non-profit organization FACTOR, followed by a self-released follow-up "The State" in 1998. That year, Ryan Vikedal took over on drums after a brief tenure for Mitch Guindon. In late 1999 the group signed with Roadrunner Records, who issued "The State" internationally early the next year. The album reached number 130 on the US "Billboard" 200. Four singles were issued from "The State", with the first three all registering on the US "Billboard" Mainstream Rock chart.


title: Nickelback discography

text: Nickelback's first new album for Roadrunner, 2001's "Silver Side Up", was a worldwide commercial success which sold over 10 million copies and topped multiple album charts. Lead single "How You Remind Me" topped the Canadian and US singles charts. The 2003 follow-up "The Long Road" reached number 1 in Canada and number 6 in the US, selling over 5 million units worldwide. With new drummer Daniel Adair, Nickelback released its fifth album "All the Right Reasons" in 2005, which gave the band its first "Billboard" 200 number one. The album is the band's best-selling release to date with 18 million units sold worldwide, including 10 million in the US resulting in a diamond certification from the RIAA. Lead single "Photograph" reached number 2 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and was certified double platinum.


title: Nickelback discography

text: "Dark Horse", released in 2008, topped the Canadian Albums Chart and reached number 2 on the "Billboard" 200. It sold five million copies worldwide and spawned eight singles, two of which reached the Canadian Singles Chart top ten. "Here and Now", the band's final album on Roadrunner, was also its last to reach number 1 in Canada. After signing with Republic Records, Nickelback released "No Fixed Address" in 2014, which was their first major label release not to top the Canadian Albums Chart when it peaked at number 2. Lead single "Edge of a Revolution" was also the band's last to top the "Billboard" Mainstream Rock chart. Three years later, the group issued "Feed the Machine" on BMG, which reached number 2 in Canada and number 5 in the US.


title: Paul Khoury

text: Khoury was bass guitarist in a Melbourne band called Gravel, before entering and winning the Cleo Bachelor of the Year award in 2002. He has had roles on Australian TV shows such as Blue Heelers.


title: Paul Khoury

text: In 2009, Khoury provided commentary for Fox8's Crown Australian Celebrity Poker Challenge, hosted Miss World Australia for the Seven Network, and was the announcer for Bert's Family Feud on the Nine Network. Khoury left the show to take up an international project for cable television. He hosted a series shown around the world - "Coffee Lovers’ Guide to Italy" - which has been played in Australia on Foxtel's Lifestyle Channel, AFC (Asian Food Channel) and many countries around the world. Foxtel. His voice was his ticket to working with television legend Bert Newton as his voice-over and sidekick on Nine's Family Feud. Khoury is the lead anchor for the Asia Pacific Poker Tour series shown on ESPN and has also become the leading commentator in the international Poker arena working with 441 productions in New York City. From 2010 to 2015 he hosted one of the richest poker events in the world, The Aussie Millions- Aired on GSN in the United States -Prime Time - ESPN and One-HD


title: Momina Mustehsan

text: Momina Mustehsan (; born 5 September 1992) is a Pakistani singer, musician, and social activist. In 2017, BBC named her one of the 100 most influential women, and the following year, "Forbes" featured her among its "30 Under 30" Asia list along with nine other Pakistani individuals. She sang the song "Awari" for the Indian thriller film "Ek Villain" (2014). In Season 9 of Coke Studio, she performed a rendition of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's "Afreen Afreen", with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and received critical acclaim. Her next releases, the singles "Aaya Na Tu" (2018) and "Baari" (2019), topped the country's charts. Her track Uchiyaan Dewara (Baari 2) topped the Official Asian Top 40 Charts in November 2020.


title: Momina Mustehsan

text: Alongside her singing career, she participates in stage shows, is a prominent celebrity endorser for brands and products, and is active in humanitarian work. She is also known for promoting various causes such as education and mental health, and is particularly vocal about issues such as the role of women in Pakistan and feminism.


title: Momina Mustehsan

text: Mustehsan was born on 5 September 1992 in Quetta, Baluchistan, and was raised in Islamabad, though she also lived in New York, Paris, and Kyiv while growing up. Her mother, Huma Mustehsan, is a doctor, and father, Kazim Mustehsan, is a retired brigadier from the Pakistan Army, and a recipient of Sitara-i-Imtiaz, the third highest honour and civilian award of the country. She has two siblings, including her brother, Haider Mustehsan, who is also a singer.


title: Momina Mustehsan

text: Mustehsan completed her A'Level from Lahore Grammar School and later moved to the States for higher studies and graduated with a double majors degree in Biomedical Engineering and Applied Mathematics from the Stony Brook University in 2016. At the time of her graduation, her name was in the Dean's list.


title: Momina Mustehsan

text: Mustehsan at first learnt to play violin and sang in public for the first time in a choir of her grade school, without any formal music training. Recalling, Mustehsan told that her teacher had asked her if she had something to show and had said, "I think you sing well". She further told that she realized she had interest in music after when she had sung for the first time then. Her first encounter with the music came in 2004, when she recorded her first cover of Irish singer Damien Rice's song "The Blower's Daughter". Despite having no background of musical training she was praised at that time.


title: Momina Mustehsan

text: At Junoon's twentieth anniversary, Mustehsan recorded a song "Sajna" for their album "Junoon 20" in Volume I, the song was written by Ali Azmat and was a bonus track on album. In 2012, she wrote the lyrics for the song "Pee Jaun", and sung with Farhan Saeed. The song was also featured in 2015 "Nescafé Basement" with Mustehsan singing along with Hamza Tanveer.


title: Momina Mustehsan

text: In 2014, she recorded a song "Awari" for Pakistani band Soch who approached her, without telling her that they are going to use the song in Indian film "Ek Villain", she explained, "I was approached by Soch and they wanted me to feature on their track without disclosing what it was for," she recorded the song in her university dorm, "It was an extremely casual process and I never met anyone in person. I recorded the song on my own in New York. The contract was signed after the track had been lined up for release." On her future ventures she said, "I'm always working on new pieces. Music is a passion for me and not a profession. I have plenty of time on my hands… I might be working on a Pakistani project later this year. It's something that I am excited about."


title: Momina Mustehsan

text: In 2016, Mustehsan recorded her first song "Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hay" for the romantic drama film "Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hay", and marked her "Coke Studio" debut as a featured artist in season 9 later that year. Her first song "Afreen Afreen", alongside Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, broke all previous "Coke Studio" records by accumulating over 2.5 million views in one day. The other songs she performed "Main Raasta", partially written by her, and "Tera Woh Pyar (Nawazishein Karam)" along with Junaid Khan and Asim Azhar respectively. Commenting on her "Coke Studio" success she said, "it was very overwhelming for me because these are classics I am singing with very well-known singers. For me it was a great honour. I was also very nervous – I never get nervous for anything. But I got appreciated a lot once the songs were recorded."


title: Momina Mustehsan

text: Revealing on her future in music Mustehsan said "I don't want to pursue music as a career. For me, it was hard to make a decision since I had no references. Maybe after me, people would come out to show their talent," and explained "I don't think releasing number of albums defines a musician. I do music for myself and not for the masses. I'm not into the idea of being a celebrity or having people know or follow me."


title: Momina Mustehsan

text: In February 2017, she released the anthem for the Pakistan Super League franchise Islamabad United. Leading media outlets, "The Express Tribune" and Geo News criticized the heavy use of auto-tune and the lack of substance in the single, titled "Cricket Jorrey Pakistan" (Cricket Unites Pakistan). On 3 November, "Afreen Afreen" became the fastest Pakistani origin video to mark 100 million views on YouTube, and become the most viewed Pakistani origin YouTube video on 10 November, leaving behind Atif Aslam's rendition of "Tajdar-e-Haram" and Imran Khan's "Amplifier". That same year, she collaborated with the "Coke Studio" for a second time, and released three songs, one of which was the "Qaumi Taranah" (national anthem of Pakistan). which she sang with the other featured artists of the season. Released on 14 August, critics criticized the rendition, saying that it failed to "win hearts". Her next song released was "Muntazir", which was composed and written by Strings. Featured alongside the debutante Danyal Zafar, the song received positive reviews, and became one of the most viewed song of the season. The Sufi rock "Ghoom Taana" was her final song, released in the season, and also featured the band Irteassh. Both the original and the recreated versions were written and composed by Salman Ahmad, and the song was originally released in 2003 by the band Junoon in their album "Door". The song received mixed to positive reviews from the critics upon release, but Mustehsan and Irteassh were praised for their versatility in the song.


title: Momina Mustehsan

text: Mustehsan began 2018 with the single "Aaya Na Tu", which she sang with the Indian singer Arjun Kanungo. Composed by Kanungo, and written by Kunaal Vermaa, the single was released under the label of Universal Music India. The single was shot in Bangkok, and Mustehsan said that the song addresses "rejection, pain and the burden of true love". Upon release, the song topped the Hindi and Urdu music charts, trended at number five on YouTube several hours later, and has garnered more than 70 million views since its release on YouTube.


title: Momina Mustehsan

text: In 2019, Mustehsan collaborated with Bilal Saeed for the song "Baari", written and composed by Saeed from the platform of OneTwoRecords. The song received a positive response, and gained more than 17 million views with a week of its release.


title: Momina Mustehsan

text: In September 2016, Mustehsan confirmed and announced her engagement on Twitter to Ali Naqvi, a US based banker in California. The engagement was called off in early 2017.


title: Momina Mustehsan

text: Mustehsan supports several charitable causes and organizations, that works for the welfare of women in Pakistan. She often speaks out in support of education for girls, and is particularly vocal about issues, such as women's rights and gender equality. Mustehsan has also been outspoken about mental illness and depression, and in 2017, she spoke about her personal experience of overcoming depression.


title: Momina Mustehsan

text: In an online interview, Mustehsan stated that she had donated all of her earnings of 2016 to make water-wells in the Thar desert of Sindh. Mustehsan is planning a distant education program for children in rural Pakistan along with a polio campaign. In a chat show, she said, "I plan introducing distant education plans for children in rural areas where there are no schools or a learning environment. We'll introduce learning videos which, along with projectors, would be provided to the mosques in different areas to enable children to learn. From making roties [bread] to learning physics, they'll get it all." In 2017, Mustehsan was a part of the United Nations Women "Beat Me" campaign, that aimed to address the issue of domestic violence in the country. During the campaign, Mustehsan talked about feminism in Pakistan, and said:


title: Momina Mustehsan

text: "Do we hate our women? I don't think so. In fact, Pakistan has more women representation in government than the U.S., and we have twice elected a female head of state. Empowering women in Pakistan would mean raising them equal to boys, providing them the same education, giving them the same job opportunities, equal wages and equal respect."


title: Momina Mustehsan

text: In May 2018, Mustehsan (along with Sajal Aly, Ahad Raza Mir, Ali Rehman Khan, Sonya Hussain, Younis Khan, Ali Sethi and Gul Panra), appeared in the Coca-Cola advertisement. The purpose of the advertisement was to collect funds for Edhi Foundation, a non-profit welfare organization, under the "Eidi for Edhi" campaign. In addition to appearing, she also recited a part of the poem "Lab Pe Aati Hai Dua", in the Sindhi language for the advertisement. Later in the country's first ever live digital donation drive event, Mustehsan donated to the foundation. That same month, Mustehsan lend her support to the "Taleem Do" initiative, a non-profit right to education program, based in Tharparkar.


title: Momina Mustehsan

text: The release of the 2016 song "Afreen Afreen" established Mustehsan as one of the most recognized singers of Pakistan. She is among the most followed Pakistani celebrities on social media. In 2017, BBC named her one of the BBC's 100 most influential women. The following year, "Forbes" featured her among its "30 Under 30" Asia list along with nine Pakistani individuals. That same year, she was honored by the Stony Brook Universitynaming her among the "40 most successful graduates" for her civil service and activism. In December 2016, Mustehsan became the goodwill ambassador of a cricket team, Islamabad United for the Pakistan Super League. She is also the brand ambassador for the soft drink Sprite and the hair color L'Oréal. In 2017, Mustehsan represented Pakistan at the L’Oréal Pro Business forum in Seville, Spain.


title: Momina Mustehsan

text: Mustehsan performed at the fifth ceremony of the Hum Awards with Sajjad Ali, Asim Azhar and Ali Sethi in April 2017. The following year, she participated (with Christian Karembeu, Younis Khan and Qurat-ul-Ain Balouch) in the FIFA World tour, and traveled from Thailand to Lahore in a special chartered plane, for the unveiling of the FIFA World Cup Trophy in Pakistan.


title: Momina Mustehsan

text: In August 2018, "Coke Studio" produced a remake of Ahmed Rushdi's first South Asian pop song "Ko Ko Korina", originally lip-sync by Waheed Murad in the 1966 film "Armaan", in the voices of Mustehsan and Ahad Raza Mir. Their rendition of this Pakistani classic was widely criticized. Within a few days of the video being released on YouTube, it became the most-disliked video in the music show's 11-year history. Waheed Murad's son Adil Murad also reacted to the outcry by apologizing to the song's fans for the controversial remake.


title: Simon Birch

text: Simon Birch is a 1998 American comedy-drama film loosely based on the 1989 novel "A Prayer for Owen Meany" by John Irving and written for the screen and directed by Mark Steven Johnson in his directorial debut. The film stars Ian Michael Smith, Joseph Mazzello, Jim Carrey, Ashley Judd, and Oliver Platt. It omitted much of the latter half of the novel and altered the ending.


title: Simon Birch

text: The film does not share the book's title at Irving's request; he did not believe that his novel could successfully be made into a film. The name "Simon Birch" was suggested by him to replace that of Owen Meany. The opening credits of the film state that it was "suggested by" Irving's novel. The main plot centers on 12-year-old Joe Wenteworth and his best friend Simon Birch, who was born with dwarfism.


title: Simon Birch

text: On an autumn morning, an adult Joe Wenteworth visits the grave of his childhood friend Simon Birch and narrates Simon's story as the film transitions to the 1960s.


title: Simon Birch

text: In 1952, Simon is the smallest newborn in the history of Gravestown. As a kid, he loves baseball even though he almost never gets to play during Little League, and when he does, it’s only to get a walk from his small strike zone. Joe's mother, Rebecca Wenteworth, got pregnant when she was in high school. The only fact anyone knows about Joe's parentage is that Rebecca met his father on a train. Her refusal to reveal the identity of the father has made Joe a subject of rumors and gossip. Simon is obsessed with how long he can hold his breath underwater, always trying to improve this ability.


title: Simon Birch

text: One day Rebecca invites drama teacher Ben Goodrich over for dinner. He meets Joe and Simon and brings a stuffed armadillo for Joe. Simon expresses his belief that the niceties of church aren’t necessary. In front of the congregation, he says that if God has made niceties a priority, they are in trouble. Sunday School teacher Leavey belittles Simon, telling him that he doesn't belong in church and his belief that God has a special plan for him is ridiculous.


title: Simon Birch

text: While playing baseball, Simon Birch is given the perfect pitch, and hits it. It soon becomes a foul ball that hits Rebecca in the head, immediately killing her. Simon gives Joe his most prized possession, his baseball cards, as an apology. Simon and Joe have an argument, with Simon claiming that everything he does is foreordained. Joe disagrees, believing that his mother's death was simply an accident. Joe's grandmother informs him that there must be a plan should she die, as Rebecca never told anyone who Joe's father was, even in confidence. Joe decides his only hope is to find his real father.


title: Simon Birch

text: Joe and Simon believe that Joe's father may have taken the baseball. They break into the gym teacher's office to find if he has the baseball that killed Rebecca, as that would implicate him as Joe's father. It isn't there, and Joe vandalizes the office, believing that he will never find his real father. The police chief agrees to let them off if they go to the children's retreat over their winter break. Ben picks them up from the police station and takes them for ice cream. Simon informs Ben of his destiny to be a hero, but admits that he doesn't know what that will imply. However, he fears that it could happen at any time, and he could miss it.


title: Simon Birch

text: A Christmas pageant with a Nativity play is organized by the Sunday School. Marjorie, the school's prettiest girl, is chosen to play the Virgin Mary; the acrophobic Howard is chosen as the angel; Simon is cast as the baby Jesus, as he is the only one who fits in the manger. Despite his reluctance, Simon happily accepts when he realizes that he will be able to stay next to Marjorie for the entire play. Simon helps another child tame his fear and mentions that children listen to him because of how he looks. However, the play proves disastrous as the turtle doves look like winged mutant turtles, the wise men cannot remember the words to "We Three Kings", and Howard's acrophobia causes him to forget his lines. It soon escalates to chaos when Simon, incited by seeing Marjorie's cleavage, makes a move on her. When Joe attempts to rescue Marjorie and stop Simon, she hits him, while Howard vomits on the stage.


title: Simon Birch

text: As a result of the pageant chaos, Simon is not allowed on the retreat and his baseball cards are taken away. However, he breaks into the reverend's office to get them back, inadvertently finding the fateful baseball implicating the man as Joe's father. Simon has Ben drive him to the retreat to inform Joe. At the retreat, Reverend Russell admits to Joe he is his father, just as Simon arrives with the baseball.


title: Simon Birch

text: While Simon and Joe are riding the bus home, it crashes into a lake. When the bus driver abandons the children and the reverend is knocked unconscious, Simon takes command to get everyone out safely. With the help of Joe, Simon is successful evacuating almost everyone, but he nearly drowns while he is saving the last child. Joe wakes up in the hospital and visits Simon, who is dying. Simon mentions that the children listened to him because of how he looks, that the window he escaped through was "just his size" and that he held his breath for "200 Mississippi", then dies. Joe remarks that he will always remember Simon for the hero that he was.


title: Simon Birch

text: Joe's grandmother dies that summer, and he is adopted by Ben Goodrich just before his 13th birthday. The film then transitions back to the present day with adult Joe at Simon Birch's grave. Joe's son, who is named after Simon Birch, reminds him that he has a soccer game, and they drive away.


title: Simon Birch

text: The role of Simon Birch was Ian Michael Smith's first role in film, and he has not done film acting since. Smith was chosen because of his small height, due to Morquio syndrome. A hospital worker in Chicago suggested Smith try out for a role in the film "The Mighty," another film that called for a character with Morquio syndrome. When Smith didn't get the part, the director of "The Mighty" recommended Smith to Mark Steven Johnson whom he knew was searching for an actor to play the titular role in an "Owen Meany" adaptation. After Smith’s parents read through the novel "A Prayer for Owen Meany" they agreed to let him work on the film.


title: Simon Birch

text: The bus crash scene was filmed near Ontario's French River. The film's quarry scenes were shot at Elora, Ontario. The church featured in many parts of the film is in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Its black borders were painted white for the film. At the end of the film when it switches to the future, the borders are black. The baseball scene as well as many indoor scenes were filmed in Glen Williams, Ontario.


title: Simon Birch

text: "Simon Birch" features R&B songs from the 1950 and 1960s, as well as four score cues by Marc Shaiman. The film's original motion picture soundtrack was released on compact disc, LP and audio cassette on September 1, 1998, through Sony Wonder, Hollywood Records and Epic Records featuring the following songs:


title: Simon Birch

text: "Simon Birch" holds a 44% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the site's consensus calling the film "Overly mushy; tries too hard to pull at the heart-strings." On Metacritic, the film has a 39/100 rating, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews." Movie critic Gene Siskel rated it the 7th best movie of 1998. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.


title: Simon Birch

text: The film opened at #5 at the North American box office making $3,321,370 in its opening weekend. The film would go on to gross $18,253,415 domestically, against a $20 million budget.


title: Simon Birch

text: The film was released on stereo dts LaserDisc format as well as VHS and DVD on May 18, 1999 (Region 1). The region 1 DVD contains a theatrical trailer for this film.


title: Ram Kapoor

text: Ram Kapoor (; born 1 September 1973) is an Indian actor who works in films and television serials. He gained popularity portraying Jai Walia in the television series "Kasamh Se" and the character of Ram Kapoor in "Bade Achhe Lagte Hain". He played triple role Mamaji Kunwar Amar Nath Singh (KANS), Johnny and Balbir in the Bollywood film "Humshakals" and hosted the reality show "Rakhi Ka Swayamwar", based loosely on "The Bachelorette".


title: Ram Kapoor

text: He spent his formative years at the Sherwood College, in Nainital, Uttarakhand. At Sherwood College, Kapoor was introduced to acting, when as a challenge and an order from his head captain he auditioned for the annual school theatrical production of "Charley's Aunt" and performed the lead role. Under the direction and tutelage of Amir Raza Hussein, Kapoor found his career path and realised his love for acting.


title: Ram Kapoor

text: After completing his tenth board exams, Kapoor studied at the Kodaikanal International School. After his graduation, Kapoor decided to join the entertainment industry and left for Los Angeles in the United States with the intention of joining UCLA to study filmmaking but joined a Stanislavski-based acting academy in Los Angeles.


title: Ram Kapoor

text: Kapoor made his onscreen debut with the television serial "Nyaay" (1997). He took up three more shows "Heena" (1998), "Sangharsh" (1999) and "Kavita" (2000).


title: Ram Kapoor

text: In 2000, Kapoor acted in popular family drama "Ghar Ek Mandir". Kapoor worked with Amir Raza Hussein once again in the play "The Fifty Days of War – Kargil" which ran for 10 days in New Delhi as a tribute to the heroes of the Kargil War. Ram played five characters.


title: Ram Kapoor

text: In 2001, Kapoor acted in "Rishtey", in the serial "Kabhi Aaye Na Judaai" and made a cameo appearance in Mira Nair's acclaimed film "Monsoon Wedding".


title: Ram Kapoor

text: He went on to appear in films like "Dhadkan" (2003) and "Awaz - Dil Se Dil Tak", followed by "Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi" and "Bali" (2004), a telefilm in which he played Prithvi Singh.


title: Ram Kapoor

text: Kapoor was then seen in the soap opera "Basera" and participated in two reality shows: "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa" as a participant and "Rakhi Ka Swayamwar" as the host.


title: Ram Kapoor

text: Kapoor appeared in minor roles in two films in 2010. The first was the commercially successful "Karthik Calling Karthik", with Kapoor playing the role of Kamath Sir. The second, "Udaan", was a critically acclaimed and award-winning film directed by Vikrmaditya Motwane and was produced by Anurag Kashyap.


title: Ram Kapoor

text: In 2011, he starred on the TV show "Bade Achhe Lagte Hain" and played the male protagonist "Ram Amarnath Kapoor". The show was an instant success and Kapoor's performance was lauded.


title: Ram Kapoor

text: He appeared in Bollywood movies "Agent Vinod" (2012), "Student Of The Year" (2012) and "Humshakals" (2014).


title: Ram Kapoor

text: Kapoor is married to his "Ghar Ek Mandir" costar and actress Gautami Kapoor (née Gadgil). They met on the sets of the show and dated for a while before marrying on Valentines Day in 2003. They have two children.


title: Cameron Richardson

text: Cameron Richardson (born September 11, 1979) is an American producer, actress and model, who portrayed Chloe Carter on the CBS television miniseries "Harper's Island" in 2009.


title: Cameron Richardson

text: Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Richardson grew up in New Jersey. In 1997, she graduated from Old Bridge High School in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey. She moved to New York City to pursue modeling, and her agents suggested acting.


title: Cameron Richardson

text: Richardson modeled for "Mademoiselle", "Interview", "Cosmopolitan", and other fashion magazines. She appeared on the cover of "Ocean Drive" in 2006. She was cover model for the January–February 2008 issue of "Women's Health Magazine". She has modeled clothes for American Eagle Outfitters, GAP, Lucky Brand Jeans, Chic Jeans, and Roxy amongst others. She advertised Dasani bottled water from The Coca-Cola Company. As of 2010, she can be seen modeling for Forever 21's maternity line.


title: Cameron Richardson

text: Richardson appeared in a 2004 advertising campaign for burger chain Carl's Jr./Hardee's in which she ate a Western style burger while riding a mechanical bull to the tune of "Slow Ride" by Foghat.


title: Cameron Richardson

text: Richardson guest starred on the FOX television show "House" (Season 2. Episode 13 "Skin Deep"). She played 15-year-old supermodel Alex, having herself been a model before getting into acting. She is known for her role as Paula Hargrove in "Point Pleasant", a 2005 series on Fox. She also guest starred on the HBO television show, "Entourage" in the episodes "Strange Days", "Dog Day Afternoon" and "The Big Bang" in which she played a waitress named Lindsay who has a tryst in the coat room with character Vincent Chase during a silent auction. In 2009, she was a series regular on "Harper's Island", a murder mystery television series. Promotions for the series describe her character Chloe as "The Flirt". Richardson appeared in the film "Alvin and the Chipmunks".


title: Cameron Richardson

text: In 2013, Cameron Richardson played the role of Cheryl, Kev's (ex)wife, on the show “Shameless (season 3)”.


title: Cameron Richardson

text: Richardson was ranked #76 in "Stuff" magazine's "102 Sexiest Women In The World" (2002). She was named #52 on the "Maxim" "Hot 100 of 2005" list, and modeled for the cover of the "Hot 100" supplement.


title: Cameron Richardson

text: She appears in the country music videos "I Don't Want This Night to End" and "Drunk On You" with Luke Bryan.


title: Cameron Richardson

text: In March 2010 a visibly pregnant Richardson was photographed at the opening of the Odd Molly flagship store. Richardson gave birth to a boy named Milo Shulman in June or July 2010.


title: Dancing House

text: The Dancing House (), or Fred and Ginger, is the nickname given to the Nationale-Nederlanden building on the Rašínovo nábřeží (Rašín Embankment) in Prague, Czech Republic. It was designed by the Croatian-Czech architect Vlado Milunić in cooperation with Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry on a vacant riverfront plot. The building was designed in 1992. The construction, carried out by BESIX, was completed four years later in 1996.


title: Dancing House

text: Gehry originally called the house "Fred and Ginger" (after the dancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers – the house resembles a pair of dancers) but this nickname is now rarely used. Gehry himself later discarded his own idea, as he was "afraid to import American Hollywood kitsch to Prague".


title: Dancing House

text: The "Dancing House" is set on a property of great historical significance. Its site was the location of a house destroyed by the U.S. bombing of Prague in 1945. The plot and structure lay decrepit until 1960, when the area was cleared. The neighboring plot was co-owned by the family of Václav Havel, who spent most of his life there. As early as 1986 (during the Communist era), Vlado Milunić, then a respected architect in the Czechoslovak milieu, conceived an idea for a project at the place and discussed it with his neighbour, the then little-known dissident Havel. A few years later, during the Velvet Revolution, Havel became a popular leader and was subsequently elected president of Czechoslovakia. Thanks to his authority, the idea to develop the site grew. Havel eventually decided to have Milunić survey the site, hoping for it to become a cultural center, though this was not the result.


title: Dancing House

text: The Dutch insurance company Nationale-Nederlanden (ING Bank from 1991 to 2016) agreed to sponsor the construction of a house onsite. The superbank chose Milunić as the lead designer and asked him to partner with another world-renowned architect to approach the process. The French architect Jean Nouvel turned down the idea because of the small square footage, but the Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry accepted the invitation. Because of the bank's excellent financial state at the time, it was able to offer almost unlimited funding for the project. Starting with their first meeting in 1992 in Geneva, Gehry and Milunić began to develop Milunić's original idea of a building consisting of two parts, static and dynamic ("yin and yang"), which were to symbolize the transition of Czechoslovakia from a communist regime to a parliamentary democracy.


title: Dancing House

text: The style is known as deconstructivist ("new-baroque" to the designers) architecture due to its unusual shape. The "dancing" shape is supported by 99 concrete panels, each a different shape and dimension. On the top of the building is a large twisted structure of metal nicknamed "Mary".


title: Dancing House

text: In the middle of a square of buildings from the eighteenth and nineteenth century, the Dancing House has two main parts. The first is a glass tower that narrows at half its height and is supported by curved pillars; the second runs parallel to the river and is characterized by undulating mouldings and unaligned windows.


title: Dancing House

text: Dancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are represented in the structure. A tower made of rock is used to represent Fred. This tower also includes a metal head. A tower made of glass is used to represent Ginger.


title: Dancing House

text: This design was driven mainly by aesthetic considerations: aligned windows would make evident that the building has two more floors, although it is the same height as the two adjacent nineteenth century buildings. The windows have protruding frames, such as those of paintings, as the designer intended for them to have a three-dimensional effect. The winding mouldings on the façade also serve to confuse perspective and diminish contrast with the surrounding buildings.


title: Dancing House

text: The Czech-British architect, Eva Jiřičná, designed most of the interior. The building is 9 floors tall and consists of two floors underground. The layout of each of the floors varies due to the asymmetric shape of the building, causing the rooms inside to also be asymmetric. The commercial areas of the building are in the lobby and the first floor. The six floors above are used primarily as office spaces. The ninth floor housed a restaurant. Since the building takes a slim shape, and the building is split into two parts vertically, the office space is limited. To make the most of the space, architect Jiřičná used design elements common in ships and incorporated small hallways into the interior of the building. The total interior of the building is 3,796 sqm.


title: Dancing House

text: In 2016, over a course of five months, two floors of the building were renovated into a 21-room hotel by Luxury Suites s.r.o. The hotel also has apartments available in each of the tower named after Fred and Ginger. The Ginger & Fred Restaurant now operates on the seventh floor. There is now a glass bar on the eighth floor. There is also now an art gallery in the building.