Donnie Wahlberg Donald Edmond `` Donnie '' Wahlberg Jr. . ( born August 17 , 1969 ) is an American singer , songwriter , actor , record producer , and film producer . He is a founding member of the boy band New Kids on the Block . Outside of music , he has had roles in the Saw films , The Sixth Sense , Dreamcatcher , and Righteous Kill , also appearing in the World War II miniseries Band of Brothers as First Lieutenant Carwood Lipton . From 2002 to 2003 , he starred in the crime drama Boomtown . He has been starring in the drama series Blue Bloods as Danny Reagan with Tom Selleck ( his TV father ) and Bridget Moynahan ( his TV sister ) since 2010 , and since 2014 is an executive producer of the TNT reality television show Boston 's Finest . He was nominated for Choice Scream at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards for his work in the Saw films . He has also produced and starred in `` Rock this Boat '' , `` Donnie Loves Jenny '' and `` Return of the Mac '' on Pop TV .


Mel Gibson worked with Peter Weir on Gallipoli.

Mel Gibson Mel Colmcille Gerard Gibson ( born January 3 , 1956 ) is an American actor and filmmaker . He was born in Peekskill , New York , and moved with his parents to Sydney , Australia , when he was 12 years old .   Gibson is best known as an action hero , for roles such as Martin Riggs in the Lethal Weapon buddy cop film series , and Max Rockatansky in the first three films in the Mad Max post-apocalyptic action series .   He studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art . During the 1980s , he founded Icon Entertainment , a production company which independent film director Atom Egoyan has called , `` an alternative to the studio system '' . Director Peter Weir cast him as one of the leads in the critically acclaimed World War I drama Gallipoli ( 1981 ) , which earned Gibson a Best Actor Award from the Australian Film Institute . The film also helped to earn Gibson the reputation of a serious , versatile actor .   Gibson produced , directed , and starred in the epic historical drama film Braveheart ( 1995 ) , for which he won the Golden Globe Award and Academy Award for Best Director , along with the Academy Award for Best Picture . He later directed and produced the financially successful and controversial , biblical drama film The Passion of the Christ ( 2004 ) . He received further critical notice for his directorial work of the action-adventure film Apocalypto ( 2006 ) , which is set in Mesoamerica during the early 16th century . After a 10-year hiatus from directing , Gibson returned with the critically praised and financially successful Hacksaw Ridge ( 2016 ) , which won the Academy Awards for Best Sound Mixing and Best Film Editing and earned Gibson his second nomination for Best Director .


Ramona Marquez Ramona Marquez ( born 24 February 2001 ) is a British child actress from London , best known for her role as Karen Brockman in the BBC One sitcom Outnumbered .


George Clooney George Timothy Clooney ( born May 6 , 1961 ) is an American actor , filmmaker , activist and philanthropist . He has received three Golden Globe Awards for his work as an actor and two Academy Awards , one for acting in Syriana ( 2006 ) and the other for co-producing Argo ( 2012 ) .   Clooney made his acting debut on television in 1978 , and later gained wide recognition in his role as Dr. Doug Ross on the long-running medical drama ER from 1994 to 1999 , for which he received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations . While working on ER , he began attracting a variety of leading roles in films , including the superhero film Batman & Robin ( 1997 ) and the crime comedy Out of Sight ( 1998 ) , in which he first worked with director Steven Soderbergh , who would become a long-time collaborator . In 1999 , he took the lead role in Three Kings , a well-received war satire set during the Gulf War .   In 2001 , Clooney 's fame widened with the release of his biggest commercial success , the heist comedy remake Ocean 's Eleven , the first of what became a trilogy starring Clooney . He made his directorial debut a year later with the biographical spy comedy Confessions of a Dangerous Mind , and has since directed the historical drama Good Night , and Good Luck ( 2005 ) , the sports comedy Leatherheads ( 2008 ) , the political drama The Ides of March ( 2011 ) , and the war film The Monuments Men ( 2014 ) .   Clooney won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the Middle East thriller Syriana ( 2005 ) , and subsequently earned Best Actor nominations for the legal thriller Michael Clayton ( 2007 ) and the comedy-dramas Up in the Air ( 2009 ) and The Descendants ( 2011 ) . In 2013 , he received the Academy Award for Best Picture for producing the political thriller Argo . He is the only person who has been nominated for Academy Awards in six different categories .   In 2009 , Clooney was included in Time annual Time 100 as one of the `` Most Influential People in the World '' . He is also noted for his political and economic activism , and has served as one of the United Nations Messengers of Peace since January 31 , 2008 . His humanitarian work includes his advocacy of finding a resolution for the Darfur conflict , raising funds for the 2010 Haiti earthquake , Armenian Genocide recognition , 2004 tsunami , and 9/11 victims , and creating documentaries such as Sand and Sorrow to raise awareness about international crises . He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations .


Shia LaBeouf was in The Company You Keep.

Shia LaBeouf Shia Saide LaBeouf ( -LSB- ˈʃaɪ.ə _ ləˈbʌf -RSB- born June 11 , 1986 ) is an American actor , performance artist , and filmmaker . He became known among younger audiences as Louis Stevens in the Disney Channel series Even Stevens , a role for which LaBeouf received a Young Artist Award nomination in 2001 and won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2003 . He made his film debut in Holes ( 2003 ) , based on the novel of the same name by Louis Sachar . In 2004 , he made his directorial debut with the short film Let 's Love Hate and later directed a short film titled Maniac ( 2011 ) , starring American rappers Cage and Kid Cudi .   In 2007 , LaBeouf starred in the commercially successful films Disturbia and Surf 's Up . The same year he was cast in Michael Bay 's science fiction film Transformers as Sam Witwicky , the main protagonist of the series . Despite mixed reviews , Transformers was a box office success and one of the highest-grossing films of 2007 . LaBeouf later appeared in its sequels Transformers : Revenge of the Fallen ( 2009 ) and Transformers : Dark of the Moon ( 2011 ) , both also box office successes . In 2008 , he played Henry `` Mutt Williams '' Jones III in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull , the fourth film in the Indiana Jones franchise . His other films include Wall Street : Money Never Sleeps ( 2010 ) , Lawless ( 2012 ) , The Company You Keep ( 2012 ) , Nymphomaniac ( 2013 ) and Fury ( 2014 ) . Since 2014 , LaBeouf has pursued a variety of public performance art projects with LaBeouf , Rönkkö & Turner .


Moana received two Academy Award nominations.

Moana (2016 film) Moana ( -LSB- moʊˈɑːnə -RSB- ) is a 2016 American computer-animated musical fantasy-adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures . It is the 56th Disney animated feature film . Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker , co-directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams , the film introduces Auli'i Cravalho as Moana and features the voices of Dwayne Johnson , Rachel House , Temuera Morrison , Jemaine Clement , Nicole Scherzinger , and Alan Tudyk . The film features music written by Lin-Manuel Miranda , Opetaia Foa'i , and Mark Mancina .   The film tells the story of Moana , the strong-willed daughter of the chief of a Polynesian tribe , who is chosen by the ocean itself to reunite a mystical relic with a goddess . When a blight strikes her island , Moana sets sail in search of Maui , a legendary demigod , in the hope of saving her people .   Moana was released theatrically in the United States on November 23 , 2016 to critical acclaim , with critics particularly praising the film for its animation , music , and voice cast . The film went on to gross over $ 642 million worldwide . Along with Zootopia , it marked the first time since 2002 that Walt Disney Animation Studios released two feature films in the same year . It received two Academy Award nominations at the 89th Academy Awards : one for Best Animated Feature and another for Best Original Song ( `` How Far I 'll Go '' ) .


Italy is officially called the Italian Republic.

Italy Italy ( Italia -LSB- iˈtaːlja -RSB- ) , officially the Italian Republic ( -LSB- Repubblica italiana , links = no -RSB- ) , is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe.The Italian peninsula is geographically located in Southern Europe , while North Italy can be placed partly or totally in Central Europe . Due to cultural , political and historical reasons , Italy is a Western European country . Located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea , Italy shares open land borders with France , Switzerland , Austria , Slovenia , San Marino and Vatican City . Italy covers an area of 301338 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal and Mediterranean climate . Due to its shape , it is often referred to in Italy as lo Stivale ( the Boot ) . With 61 million inhabitants , it is the fourth most populous EU member state .   Since classical times , ancient Phoenicians , Carthaginians and Greeks established settlements in the south of Italy , with Etruscans and Celts inhabiting the centre and north of Italy respectively and various different ancient Italian tribes and Italic peoples dispersed throughout the Italian Peninsula and insular Italy . The Italic tribe known as the Latins formed the Roman Kingdom , which eventually became a republic that conquered and assimilated other nearby civilisations . Rome ultimately emerged as the dominant power in the Mediterranean basin , conquering much of the ancient world and becoming the leading cultural , political and religious centre of Western civilisation . The legacy of the Roman Empire is widespread and can be observed in the global distribution of civilian law , republican governments , Christianity and the Latin script .   During the Middle Ages , Italy suffered sociopolitical collapse amid calamitous barbarian invasions , but by the 11th century numerous rival city-states and maritime republics rose to great prosperity through shipping , commerce and banking , laying down the groundwork for modern capitalism . These independent statelets , acting as Europe 's main trading hubs with Asia and the Near East , often enjoyed a greater degree of democracy and wealth in comparison to the larger feudal monarchies that were consolidating throughout Europe at the time , though much of central Italy remained under the control of the theocratic Papal States , while Southern Italy remained largely feudal until the 19th century , partially as a result of a succession of Byzantine , Arab , Norman , Spanish and Bourbon conquests of the region .   The Renaissance began in Italy and spread to the rest of Europe , bringing a renewed interest in humanism , science , exploration and art . Italian culture flourished at this time , producing famous scholars , artists and polymaths such as Leonardo da Vinci , Galileo , Michelangelo and Machiavelli . Italian explorers such as Marco Polo , Christopher Columbus , Amerigo Vespucci and Giovanni da Verrazzano discovered new routes to the Far East and the New World , helping to usher in the European Age of Discovery . Nevertheless , Italy 's commercial and political power significantly waned with the opening of the Atlantic trade route and the route to the Indian Ocean via the Cape of Good Hope , which bypassed the Mediterranean . Furthermore , the Italian city-states constantly engaged one another in bloody warfare , culminating in the Italian Wars of the 15th and 16th centuries that left them exhausted , with no one emerging as a dominant power . The weakened sovereigns soon fell victim to conquest by European powers such as France , Spain and Austria .   By the mid-19th century , a rising movement in support of Italian nationalism and independence from foreign control led to a period of revolutionary political upheaval known as the Risorgimento , which sought the formation of a unified nation-state . After various unsuccessful attempts , the Italian Wars of Independence and the Expedition of the Thousand resulted in the eventual unification of the country in 1861 , now a great power after centuries of foreign domination and political division . From the late 19th century to the early 20th century , the new Kingdom of Italy rapidly industrialised , although mainly in the north , and acquired a colonial empire , while the south remained largely impoverished and excluded from industrialisation , fuelling a large and influential diaspora . Despite being one of the main victors in World War I , Italy entered a period of economic crisis and social turmoil , leading the way to the rise of a fascist dictatorship in 1922 . The subsequent participation in World War II on the Axis side ended in military defeat , economic destruction and an Italian civil war . Following the liberation of Italy and the rise of the resistance , the country abolished the monarchy , reinstated democracy , enjoyed a prolonged economic boom and , despite periods of sociopolitical turmoil ( e.g. Anni di piombo , Mani pulite , the Second Mafia War , the Maxi Trial and subsequent assassinations of anti-mafia officials ) , became a major developed country .   Today , Italy has the third largest economy in the Eurozone and the eighth largest in the world . It has a very high level of human development and is ranked sixth in the world for life expectancy . The country plays a prominent role in regional and global economic , military , cultural and diplomatic affairs , and it is both a regional power and a great power . Italy is a founding and leading member of the European Union and the member of numerous international institutions , including the UN , NATO , the OECD , the OSCE , the WTO , the G7/G8 , G20 , the Union for the Mediterranean , the Council of Europe , Uniting for Consensus and many more . As a reflection of its cultural wealth , Italy is home to 51 World Heritage Sites , the most in the world , and is the fifth most visited country .


Prussian Academy of Sciences was established in Berlin, Germany.

Prussian Academy of Sciences The Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences ( Königlich-Preußische Akademie der Wissenschaften ) was an academy established in Berlin , Germany on 11 July 1700 , four years after the Akademie der Künste , or `` Arts Academy , '' to which `` Berlin Academy '' may also refer . In the 18th century , it was a French-language institution , and its most active members were Huguenots who had fled religious persecution in France .


Little Boy `` Little Boy '' was the codename for the atomic bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 during World War II by the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay , piloted by Colonel Paul W. Tibbets , Jr. , commander of the 509th Composite Group of the United States Army Air Forces . It was the first atomic bomb to be used in warfare . The Hiroshima bombing was the second artificial nuclear explosion in history , after the Trinity test , and the first uranium-based detonation . It exploded with an energy of approximately 15 ktonTNT . The bomb caused significant destruction to the city of Hiroshima and its occupants .   Little Boy was developed by Lieutenant Commander Francis Birch 's group of Captain William S. Parsons 's Ordnance ( O ) Division at the Manhattan Project 's Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II . Parsons flew on the Hiroshima mission as weaponeer . The Little Boy was a development of the unsuccessful Thin Man nuclear bomb . Like Thin Man , it was a gun-type fission weapon , but derived its explosive power from the nuclear fission of uranium-235 . This was accomplished by shooting a hollow cylinder of enriched uranium ( the `` bullet '' ) onto a solid cylinder of the same material ( the `` target '' ) by means of a charge of nitrocellulose propellant powder . It contained 64 kg of enriched uranium , of which less than a kilogram underwent nuclear fission . Its components were fabricated at three different plants so that no one would have a copy of the complete design .   After the war ended , it was not expected that the inefficient Little Boy design would ever again be required , and many plans and diagrams were destroyed , but by mid-1946 the Hanford Site reactors were suffering badly from the Wigner effect , so six Little Boy assemblies were produced at Sandia Base . The Navy Bureau of Ordnance built another 25 Little Boy assemblies in 1947 for use by the Lockheed P2V Neptune nuclear strike aircraft ( which could be launched from but not land on the Midway-class aircraft carriers ) . All the Little Boy units were withdrawn from service by the end of January 1951 .


A South Koren entertainment company formed a musical act called Red Velvet (band).

Red Velvet (band) Red Velvet ( Hangul : 레드벨벳 ) is a South Korean girl group formed by S.M. Entertainment . The group debuted on August 1 , 2014 , with their digital single `` Happiness '' and with four members : Irene , Seulgi , Wendy and Joy . In March 2015 , fifth member Yeri was added to the group .   Since their debut , Red Velvet has experienced notable success and recognition . Their first EP , Ice Cream Cake which was released in March 2015 , topped the Gaon Album Chart on the 12th week of 2015 and in September 2015 , the group 's first full-length album , The Red , also topped the Gaon Album Chart and the Billboard World Albums Chart . Red Velvet has received several music awards , including two awards for choreography ; Best Dance -- Female and Best Dance Performance -- Female Group , as well as three new artist awards and multiple popularity awards . Red Velvet members have also made television appearances ; Irene as a host of Music Bank , Yeri as a host of Show ! Music Core , and Joy on the fourth season of variety show We Got Married .


Girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together . The term `` girl group '' is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups , many of whom were influenced by doo-wop , and which flourished in the late 1950s and early 1960s between the decline of early rock and roll and start of the British Invasion .   All-female bands , in which members also play instruments , are usually considered a separate phenomenon . These groups are sometimes called `` girl bands '' to differentiate , although this terminology is not universally followed .   With the advent of the music industry and radio broadcasting , a number of girl groups emerged , such as the Andrews Sisters . The late 1950s saw the emergence of all-female singing groups as a major force , with 750 distinct girl groups releasing songs that reached US and UK music charts from 1960 to 1966 . The Supremes alone held 12 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 during the height of the wave and throughout most of the British Invasion rivaled the Beatles in popularity . In later eras , the girl group template would be applied to disco , contemporary R&B , and country-based formats , as well as pop . A more globalized music industry saw the extreme popularity of dance-oriented pop music led by major record labels . This emergence , led by the US , UK , South Korea , and Japan , produced extremely popular acts , with eight groups debuting after 1990 having sold more than 15 million physical copies of their albums . Also , since the late 2000s , South Korea has had a significant impact , with 8 of the top 10 girl groups by digital sales in the world originating there .


S.M. Entertainment S.M. Entertainment is a South Korean entertainment company established in 1995 by Lee Soo-man . It is currently one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea . The company operates as a record label , talent agency , music production company , event management and concert production company , and music publishing house .   The label is home to prominent K-pop artists such as BoA , S.E.S. , TVXQ , TRAX , The Grace , Super Junior , Girls ' Generation , SHINee , f ( x ) , EXO , Red Velvet , NCT , and formerly to pioneering groups H.O.T. , Fly to the Sky , and Shinhwa . It also manages a number of actors , including Kim Min-jong and Lee Yeon-hee . In Japan , S.M. Entertainment co-publishes Avex Trax releases for artists including Ayumi Hamasaki , Namie Amuro , and Koda Kumi , as well as Johnny 's Entertainment artists such as Arashi and KAT-TUN .   In 2015 , S.M. Entertainment had reported revenues of KR 325 billion ( approximately US$ 287 million ) and a net income of KR 21.7 billion ( US$ 19 million ) .   In 2016 , Alibaba Group acquired a 4 % controlling stake in S.M. Entertainment .


Dungeons & Dragons was first published in 1974.

Dungeons & Dragons Dungeons & Dragons ( abbreviated as D&D or DnD ) is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game ( RPG ) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson , and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules , Inc. ( TSR ) . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast ( now a subsidiary of Hasbro ) since 1997 . It was derived from miniature wargames with a variation of the Chainmail game serving as the initial rule system . D&D publication is commonly recognized as the beginning of modern role-playing games and the role-playing game industry .   D&D departs from traditional wargaming and assigns each player a specific character to play instead of a military formation . These characters embark upon imaginary adventures within a fantasy setting . A Dungeon Master serves as the game 's referee and storyteller , while maintaining the setting in which the adventures occur and playing the role of the inhabitants . The characters form a party that interacts with the setting 's inhabitants ( and each other ) . Together they solve dilemmas , engage in battles and gather treasure and knowledge . In the process the characters earn experience points to become increasingly powerful over a series of sessions .   The early success of Dungeons & Dragons led to a proliferation of similar game systems . Despite this competition , D&D remains the market leader in the role-playing game industry . In 1977 , the game was split into two branches : the relatively rules-light game system of Dungeons & Dragons and the more structured , rules-heavy game system of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons ( abbreviated as AD&D or ADnD ) . AD&D 2nd Edition was published in 1989 . In 2000 , the original line of the game was discontinued and the AD&D version was renamed Dungeons & Dragons with the release of its 3rd edition with a new system . These rules formed the basis of the d20 System which is available under the Open Game License ( OGL ) for use by other publishers . Dungeons & Dragons version 3.5 was released in June 2003 , with a ( non-OGL ) 4th edition in June 2008 . A 5th edition was released during the second half of 2014 .   , Dungeons & Dragons remained the best-known and best-selling role-playing game , with an estimated 20 million people having played the game and more than US$ 1 billion in book and equipment sales . The game has been supplemented by many pre-made adventures as well as commercial campaign settings suitable for use by regular gaming groups . Dungeons & Dragons is known beyond the game for other D&D - branded products , references in popular culture , and some of the controversies that have surrounded it , particularly a moral panic in the 1980s falsely linking it to Satanism and suicide . The game has won multiple awards and has been translated into many languages beyond the original English .


Paul Pogba has won zero Coppa Italia titles.

Paul Pogba Paul Labile Pogba ( born 15 March 1993 ) is a French professional footballer who plays for Premier League club Manchester United and the France national team . He operates primarily as a central midfielder and is comfortable playing both in attack and defence .   After beginning his career with Manchester United in 2011 , Pogba joined Italian side Juventus in 2012 , and helped the club to four consecutive Serie A titles , as well as two Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa Italiana titles . During his time with the club , he established himself as one of the most promising young players in the world , and received the Golden Boy award in 2013 , followed by the Bravo Award in 2014 and was named by The Guardian as one of the ten most promising young players in Europe . In 2016 , Pogba was named to the 2015 UEFA Team of the Year as well as the 2015 FIFA FIFPro World XI , after helping Juventus to the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final . Despite leaving Manchester United on a free transfer , Pogba returned to the club in 2016 for a world record transfer fee of $ 105 million ( # 89.3 million ) .   Internationally , at under-20 level , he captained his nation to victory at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup and took home the Best Player award for his performances during the tournament . He made his debut for the senior French national team on 22 March 2013 in a 3 -- 1 win against Georgia , and scored his first World Cup goal on 30 June 2014 against Nigeria ; he was awarded the Best Young Player Award for his performances at the 2014 FIFA World Cup , after reaching the quarter-final . He later represented his nation at UEFA Euro 2016 on home soil , where he scored one goal as his team reached the final .


United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland , commonly known as the United Kingdom ( UK ) or Britain , is a sovereign country in western Europe . Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland , the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain , the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands . Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign statethe Republic of Ireland.Although Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state , two of its Overseas Territories also share land borders with other sovereign countries . Gibraltar shares a border with Spain , while the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia share borders with the Republic of Cyprus , the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the UN buffer zone separating the two Cypriot polities . Apart from this land border , the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean , with the North Sea to its east , the English Channel to its south and the Celtic Sea to its south-south-west , giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world . The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland . With an area of 242500 km2 , the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe . It is also the 21st-most populous country , with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants . Together , this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union ( EU ) .   The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance . The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II , who has reigned since 6 February 1952 . The capital of the United Kingdom and its largest city is London , a global city and financial centre with an urban area population of 10.3 million , the fourth-largest in Europe and second-largest in the European Union . Other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the conurbations centred on Birmingham , Leeds , Glasgow , Liverpool and Manchester . The United Kingdom consists of four countries -- England , Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland . The last three have devolved administrations , each with varying powers , based in their capitals , Edinburgh , Cardiff and Belfast , respectively . The nearby Isle of Man , Bailiwick of Guernsey and Bailiwick of Jersey are not part of the United Kingdom , being Crown dependencies with the British Government responsible for defence and international representation .   The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time . Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 . A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain , which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922 , leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed on 6 December 1921 to resolve the Irish War of Independence . When it took effect one year later , it established the Irish Free State as a separate dominion within the Commonwealth . The UK 's current name was adopted to reflect the change . There are fourteen British Overseas Territories . These are the remnants of the British Empire which , at its height in the 1920s , encompassed almost a quarter of the world 's land mass and was the largest empire in history . British influence can be observed in the language , culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies .   The United Kingdom is a developed country and has the world 's fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest economy by purchasing power parity . The UK is considered to have a high-income economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index , ranking 16th in the world . It was the world 's first industrialised country and the world 's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries . The UK remains a great power with considerable economic , cultural , military , scientific and political influence internationally . It is a recognised nuclear weapons state and is seventh in military expenditure in the world . The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 . It has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor , the European Economic Community ( EEC ) , since 1973 . However , on 23 June 2016 , a national referendum on the UK 's membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave , and its exit from the EU is currently being negotiated . The UK is also a member of the Commonwealth of Nations , the Council of Europe , the G7 finance ministers , the G7 forum , the G20 , NATO , the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ) , and the World Trade Organization ( WTO ) .


Splatoon 2 Splatoon 2 is an upcoming third-person shooter video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch . It is the sequel to the 2015 Wii U title , Splatoon , and is a team-based third-person shooter which is playable by up to eight players in online four-versus-four matches . The game was announced in January 2017 , and will be released worldwide in July 2017 .


Google Home Google Home is a smart speaker developed by Google . It was announced in May 2016 and released in the United States in November 2016 , with a release in the United Kingdom in April 2017 , followed by Australia , Canada , France , Germany , and Japan in summer 2017 .   Google Home enables users to speak voice commands to interact with services through the Home 's intelligent personal assistant called Google Assistant . A large number of services , both in-house and third-party , are integrated , allowing users to listen to music , look at videos or photos , or receive news updates entirely by voice . Google Home also has integrated support for home automation features , letting users speak commands to the device to control smart home appliances . Multiple Google Home devices can be placed in different rooms in a home for synchronized playback of music , and an update in April 2017 brought multi-user support , allowing up to six people to engage with the device . The product itself has a cylindrical shape with 4 LEDs on the top for visual representation of its status , and the cover over the base is modular , with different color options offered through Google Store intended for the device to blend into the environment . In May 2017 , Google announced multiple updates to Google Home 's functionality , including free hands-free phone calling in the United States and Canada , proactive updates ahead of scheduled events , visual responses on mobile devices or Chromecast-enabled televisions , Bluetooth music streaming , and the ability to schedule calendar appointments , with upcoming support for reminders .   Google Home received mixed reviews . Its design and sound input/output received significant praise , while a lack of interoperability between other Google Assistant-enabled devices was criticized . Critics voiced concerns about Google 's intentions with the device , particularly whether features would be more tightly integrated into other Google products and one critic noted that Google Home 's functionality was more limited than those offered through the Google Assistant on other platforms . Reviewers had very different experiences with the setup process , with one critic praising it while another criticized it , and Google Home 's search-based answers was the subject of debate , with one reviewer praising its capabilities while another highlighted multiple bad-quality answers comparable to fake news .


Robert Browning possessed mastery of dramatic monologue.

Robert Browning Robert Browning ( 7 May 1812 -- 12 December 1889 ) was an English poet and playwright whose mastery of the dramatic monologue made him one of the foremost Victorian poets . His poems are known for their irony , characterization , dark humour , social commentary , historical settings , and challenging vocabulary and syntax .   Browning 's early career began promisingly , but was not a success . The long poem Pauline brought him to the attention of Dante Gabriel Rossetti , and was followed by Paracelsus , which was praised by William Wordsworth and Charles Dickens , but in 1840 the difficult Sordello , which was seen as wilfully obscure , brought his poetry into disrepute . His reputation took more than a decade to recover , during which time he moved away from the Shelleyan forms of his early period and developed a more personal style .   In 1846 Browning married the older poet Elizabeth Barrett , who at the time was considerably better known than himself . So started one of history 's most famous literary marriages . They went to live in Italy , a country he called `` my university '' , and which features frequently in his work . By the time of her death in 1861 , he had published the crucial collection Men and Women . The collection Dramatis Personae and the book-length epic poem The Ring and the Book followed , and made him a leading British poet . He continued to write prolifically , but his reputation today rests largely on the poetry he wrote in this middle period .   When Browning died in 1889 , he was regarded as a sage and philosopher-poet who through his writing had made contributions to Victorian social and political discourse -- as in the poem Caliban upon Setebos , which some critics have seen as a comment on the theory of evolution , which had recently been put forward by Darwin and others . Unusually for a poet , societies for the study of his work were founded while he was still alive . Such Browning Societies remained common in Britain and the United States until the early 20th century .   Browning 's admirers have tended to temper their praise with reservations about the length and difficulty of his most ambitious poems , particularly The Ring and the Book . Nevertheless , they have included such eminent writers as Henry James , Oscar Wilde , George Bernard Shaw , G. K. Chesterton , Ezra Pound , Jorge Luis Borges , and Vladimir Nabokov . Among living writers , Stephen King 's The Dark Tower series and A.S. Byatt 's Possession refer directly to Browning 's work .   Today Browning 's critically most esteemed poems include the monologues Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came , Fra Lippo Lippi , Andrea Del Sarto , and My Last Duchess . His most popular poems include Porphyria 's Lover , How They Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix , the diptych Meeting at Night , the patriotic Home Thoughts from Abroad , and the children 's poem The Pied Piper of Hamelin . His abortive dinner-party recital of How They Brought The Good News was recorded on an Edison wax cylinder , and is believed to be the oldest surviving recording made in the United Kingdom of a notable person .


Ted Bundy Theodore Robert Bundy ( born Theodore Robert Cowell ; November 24 , 1946 -- January 24 , 1989 ) was an American serial killer , kidnapper , rapist , burglar , and necrophile who assaulted and murdered numerous young women and girls during the 1970s , and possibly earlier . Shortly before his execution -- after more than a decade of denials -- he confessed to 30 homicides committed in seven states between 1974 and 1978 . The true victim count remains unknown , and could be much higher .   Bundy was regarded by many of his young female victims as handsome and charismatic , traits that he exploited to win their trust . He typically approached them in public places , feigning injury or disability , or impersonating an authority figure , before overpowering and assaulting them at more secluded locations . He sometimes revisited his secondary crime scenes for hours at a time , grooming and performing sexual acts with the decomposing corpses until putrefaction and destruction by wild animals made further interaction impossible . He decapitated at least 12 of his victims , and kept some of the severed heads in his apartment for a period of time as mementos . On a few occasions , he simply broke into dwellings at night and bludgeoned his victims as they slept .   Initially incarcerated in Utah in 1975 for aggravated kidnapping and attempted criminal assault , Bundy became a suspect in a progressively longer list of unsolved homicides in multiple states . Facing murder charges in Colorado , he engineered two dramatic escapes and committed further assaults , including three murders , before his ultimate recapture in Florida in 1978 . He received three death sentences in two separate trials for the Florida homicides .   Bundy died in the electric chair at Raiford Prison in Starke , Florida , on January 24 , 1989 . Biographer Ann Rule described him as `` a sadistic sociopath who took pleasure from another human 's pain and the control he had over his victims , to the point of death , and even after '' . He once called himself `` the most cold-hearted son of a bitch you 'll ever meet '' . Attorney Polly Nelson , a member of his last defense team , agreed : `` Ted '' , she wrote , `` was the very definition of heartless evil . ''


A Primetime Emmy Award has been won by Jane Lynch.

Jane Lynch Jane Marie Lynch ( born July 14 , 1960 ) is an American actress , singer , and comedian . She is best known as Sue Sylvester on Glee . She also gained fame in Christopher Guest 's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show .   Lynch 's television cameos include an appearance in the Nickelodeon situation comedy iCarly and the Showtime dark comedy series Weeds . Lynch had a recurring role in the Warner Bros. situation comedy Two and a Half Men from 2004 to 2014 and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for her performance in 2010 . She has also had other notable roles in numerous mainstream comedies , such as Talladega Nights : The Ballad of Ricky Bobby , The 40-Year-Old Virgin , Role Models and The Three Stooges .   Her portrayal of Sue Sylvester in Glee has won numerous awards , including the Primetime Emmy Award , Golden Globe Award , Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series , TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy , Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress -- Series , Miniseries , or Television Film , and the People 's Choice Award for Favorite TV Comedy Actress .   On September 4 , 2013 , Lynch received the 2,505 th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the category of television located at 6640 Hollywood Blvd. . Lynch has lent her voice to multiple animated films , including Space Chimps , Ice Age : Dawn of the Dinosaurs , Shrek Forever After and Wreck-It Ralph . Since 2013 , she has hosted the NBC game show Hollywood Game Night , for which she has won two Emmy Awards .


Lana Del Rey's music contains connections to 1950s and 1960s Americana.

Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant ( born June 21 , 1985 ) , better known by her stage name Lana Del Rey , is an American singer , songwriter , and model . Her music has been noted for its cinematic style , its preoccupation with themes of tragic romance and melancholia , and its references to pop culture , particularly 1950s and 1960s Americana .   Born and raised in New York , Del Rey embarked on a music career in 2005 and first received widespread attention in 2011 , when the music video for her single `` Video Games '' became a viral internet sensation . Del Rey received further recognition after her major-label debut Born to Die peaked at number two on the United States charts and was the fifth best-selling album of 2012 . A remix of its single `` Summertime Sadness '' , produced by Cedric Gervais , peaked at number six in the United States , and the Paradise EP followed that November , garnering Del Rey her first Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album . Three of the EP 's tracks were featured in her short film Tropico , which premiered in December 2013 .   In 2014 , Del Rey released her third studio album , Ultraviolence ; it became her first number-one album in the United States . In 2015 , following a North American tour with Courtney Love and Grimes , Del Rey released her fourth studio album , Honeymoon . Both albums received positive critical response .   Del Rey is set to release her fifth studio album , titled Lust for Life , on July 21 , 2017 .


Dopamine Dopamine ( DA , contracted from 3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine ) is an organic chemical of the catecholamine and phenethylamine families that plays several important roles in the brain and body . It is an amine synthesized by removing a carboxyl group from a molecule of its precursor chemical L-DOPA , which is synthesized in the brain and kidneys . Dopamine is also synthesized in plants and most animals .   In the brain , dopamine functions as a neurotransmitter -- a chemical released by neurons ( nerve cells ) to send signals to other nerve cells . The brain includes several distinct dopamine pathways , one of which plays a major role in reward-motivated behavior . Most types of rewards increase the level of dopamine in the brain , and many addictive drugs increase dopamine neuronal activity . Other brain dopamine pathways are involved in motor control and in controlling the release of various hormones . These pathways and cell groups form a dopamine system which is neuromodulatory .   Outside the central nervous system , dopamine functions primarily as a local chemical messenger . In blood vessels , it inhibits norepinephrine release and acts as a vasodilator ( at normal concentrations ) ; in the kidneys , it increases sodium excretion and urine output ; in the pancreas , it reduces insulin production ; in the digestive system , it reduces gastrointestinal motility and protects intestinal mucosa ; and in the immune system , it reduces the activity of lymphocytes . With the exception of the blood vessels , dopamine in each of these peripheral systems is synthesized locally and exerts its effects near the cells that release it .   Several important diseases of the nervous system are associated with dysfunctions of the dopamine system , and some of the key medications used to treat them work by altering the effects of dopamine . Parkinson 's disease , a degenerative condition causing tremor and motor impairment , is caused by a loss of dopamine-secreting neurons in an area of the midbrain called the substantia nigra . Its metabolic precursor L-DOPA can be manufactured , and in its pure form marketed as Levodopa is the most widely used treatment for the condition . There is evidence that schizophrenia involves altered levels of dopamine activity , and most antipsychotic drugs used to treat this are dopamine antagonists which reduce dopamine activity . Similar dopamine antagonist drugs are also some of the most effective anti-nausea agents . Restless legs syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) are associated with decreased dopamine activity . Dopaminergic stimulants can be addictive in high doses , but some are used at lower doses to treat ADHD . Dopamine itself is available as a manufactured medication for intravenous injection : although it can not reach the brain from the bloodstream , its peripheral effects make it useful in the treatment of heart failure or shock , especially in newborn babies .


David Schwimmer was cast as the title character in the 2007 drama Duane Hopwood.

David Schwimmer David Lawrence Schwimmer ( born November 2 , 1966 ) is an American actor , director , and producer . He was born in Flushing , Queens , New York , and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was 2 . He began his acting career performing in school plays at Beverly Hills High School . In 1988 , he graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Arts in theater and speech . After graduation , Schwimmer co-founded the Lookingglass Theatre Company . For much of the late 1980s , he lived in Los Angeles as a struggling , unemployed actor .   He starred in the television movie A Deadly Silence in 1989 and appeared in a number of television roles , including on L.A. Law , The Wonder Years , NYPD Blue , and Monty , in the early 1990s . Schwimmer later gained worldwide recognition for playing Ross Geller in the sitcom Friends , for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1995 . His first leading film role was in The Pallbearer ( 1996 ) , followed by roles in Kissing a Fool ( 1998 ) , Six Days , Seven Nights ( 1998 ) , Apt Pupil , and Picking Up the Pieces ( 2000 ) . He was then cast in the miniseries Band of Brothers ( 2001 ) as Herbert Sobel .   After the series finale of Friends in 2004 , Schwimmer was cast as the title character in the 2005 drama Duane Hopwood . Other film roles include the voice of Melman the Giraffe in the computer-animated Madagascar film franchise , the dark comedy Big Nothing ( 2006 ) , and the thriller Nothing But the Truth ( 2008 ) . Schwimmer made his West End stage debut in the leading role in Some Girl ( s ) in 2005 . In 2006 , he made his Broadway debut in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial . Schwimmer made his feature film directorial debut with the 2007 comedy Run Fatboy Run . The following year he made his Off-Broadway directorial debut in the 2008 production , Fault Lines .   In 2016 , he starred as lawyer Robert Kardashian in American Crime Story , for which he received his second Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie .


Margaret Brown Margaret `` Maggie '' Brown ( née Tobin ) ( July 18 , 1867 -- October 26 , 1932 ) ( posthumously known as `` The Unsinkable Molly Brown '' ) was an American socialite and philanthropist . She is best remembered for exhorting the crew in to return to the debris field of the 1912 sinking of RMS Titanic to look for survivors . Accounts differ on whether the boat actually returned to look for survivors , and if so , if any survivors were found . During her lifetime , her friends called her `` Maggie '' , but even by her death , obituaries referred to her as the `` Unsinkable Mrs. Brown '' . The reference was further reinforced by a 1960 Broadway musical based on her life and its 1964 film adaptation were each entitled The Unsinkable Molly Brown .


Sir Lenny Henry worked with Richard Curtis.

Richard Curtis Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis , CBE ( born 8 November 1956 ) is a British screenwriter , producer and film director , who was born in New Zealand to Australian parents . One of Britain 's most successful comedy screenwriters , he is known primarily for romantic comedy films such as Four Weddings and a Funeral , Bridget Jones 's Diary , Notting Hill , and Love Actually , as well as the hit sitcoms Blackadder , Mr. Bean and The Vicar of Dibley . He is also the co-founder of the British charity Comic Relief along with Sir Lenny Henry .   In 2007 , Curtis received the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award , the highest award the British Film Academy can give a filmmaker . He received the BAFTA Humanitarian Award at the 2008 Britannia Awards , for co-creating Comic Relief and contributions to other charitable causes . In 2008 he was ranked number 12 in The Telegraph 's list of the `` 100 most powerful people in British culture '' . In 2012 , Curtis was among the British cultural icons selected by artist Sir Peter Blake to appear in a new version of his most famous artwork -- the Beatles ' Sgt. Pepper 's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover -- to celebrate the British cultural figures of his life .


Boeing 737s competes primarily with the Airbus A320 family.

Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is an American short - to medium-range twinjet narrow-body airliner . Originally developed as a shorter , lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing 's 707 and 727 , the 737 has developed into a family of ten passenger models with capacities from 85 to 215 passengers . The 737 is Boeing 's only narrow-body airliner in production , with the 737 Next Generation ( -700 , -800 , and -900 ER ) variants currently being built . Production has also begun on the re-engined and redesigned 737 MAX , which is set to enter service in 2017 .   Originally envisioned in 1964 , the initial 737-100 made its first flight in April 1967 and entered airline service in February 1968 at Lufthansa . Next , the lengthened 737-200 entered service in April 1968 . In the 1980s Boeing launched the -300 , -400 , and -500 models , subsequently referred to as the Boeing 737 Classic series . The 737 Classics added capacity and incorporated CFM56 turbofan engines along with wing improvements .   In the 1990s , Boeing introduced the 737 Next Generation , with multiple changes including a redesigned , increased span laminar flow wing , upgraded `` glass '' cockpit , and new interior . The 737 Next Generation comprises the four -600 , -700 , -800 , and -900 models , ranging from 102 ft to 138 ft in length . Boeing Business Jet versions of the 737 Next Generation are also produced .   The 737 series is the best-selling jet commercial airliner in history . The 737 has been continuously manufactured by Boeing since 1967 with 9,486 aircraft delivered and 4,478 orders yet to be fulfilled . Assembly of the 737 is performed at the Boeing Renton Factory in Renton , Washington . Many 737s serve markets previously filled by 707 , 727 , 757 , DC-9 , and MD-80 / MD-90 airliners , and the aircraft currently competes primarily with the Airbus A320 family . As of 2006 , there were an average of 1,250 Boeing 737s airborne at any given time , with two departing or landing somewhere every five seconds .


Cheyenne Jackson was a film directed by a corporation.

Cheyenne Jackson Cheyenne David Jackson ( born July 12 , 1975 ) is an American actor and singer-songwriter . His credits include leading roles in Broadway musicals and other stage roles , as well as film and television roles , concert singing , and music recordings .   After beginning his acting career in regional theatre in Seattle , he moved to New York and was an understudy in Thoroughly Modern Millie ( 2002 ) and Aida ( 2003 ) . He next originated the role of Matthew in Altar Boyz ( 2004 ) . Jackson 's first leading role on Broadway was in All Shook Up ( 2005 ) , which earned him a Theatre World Award for `` Outstanding Broadway Debut . '' Since then , on the New York stage , he has starred in The Agony & the Agony ( 2006 ) , Xanadu ( 2007 ; Drama League , Drama Desk nominations ) , Damn Yankees ( 2008 ) , Finian 's Rainbow ( 2010 ; Drama Desk nomination ) , 8 ( 2011 ) , The Heart of the Matter ( 2012 ) and The Performers ( 2013 ) .   He has also appeared in a number of films , including the 2006 Academy Award-nominated United 93 , in which his portrayal of Mark Bingham earned him the Boston Society of Film Critics 2006 award for Best Ensemble Cast . He also had a leading role in the 2014 independent romantic comedy ensemble , Mutual Friends , and guest roles in television series such as NBC 's 30 Rock and Fox 's Glee . Most recently , Jackson starred in the FX Horror-anthology , American Horror Story , in its fifth and sixth seasons .   In concert , Jackson has sold out Carnegie Hall twice : The Power of Two in 2010 and Music of the Mad Men Era in 2011 . He also performs in cabaret . In addition to his Broadway cast albums , he has released three albums of popular music , including a joint album called The Power of Two with Michael Feinstein in 2008 . In 2012 , Jackson released two singles , `` Drive '' and `` Before You '' , from his 2013 album I 'm Blue , Skies . In 2016 , Jackson released his latest album , Renaissance , an album adapted and expanded from his solo concert Music of the Mad Men Era .


Young MC Marvin Young ( born May 10 , 1967 ) , better known by his stage name Young M.C. , is an English-born American singer , rapper and actor . He is best known for his 1989 hit `` Bust a Move '' . His debut album Stone Cold Rhymin ' found international acclaim ; however , subsequent albums have not reached the same level of success . Young has also appeared in film in acting roles and cameo appearances and has appeared in several television programs .


The United States fought in the Vietnam War to prevent the spread of communism.

Vietnam War The Vietnam War ( Chiến tranh Việt Nam ) , also known as the Second Indochina War , and known in Vietnam as Resistance War Against America ( Kháng chiến chống Mỹ ) or simply the American War , was a war that occurred in Vietnam , Laos , and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975 . It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and the government of South Vietnam . The North Vietnamese army was supported by the Soviet Union , China and other communist allies and the South Vietnamese army was supported by the United States , South Korea , Australia , Thailand and other anti-communist allies . The war is therefore considered a Cold War-era proxy war .   The Viet Cong ( also known as the National Liberation Front , or NLF ) , a South Vietnamese communist common front aided by the North , fought a guerrilla war against anti-communist forces in the region , while the People 's Army of Vietnam , also known as the North Vietnamese Army ( NVA ) , engaged in more conventional warfare , at times committing large units to battle . As the war continued , the military actions of the Viet Cong decreased as the role and engagement of the NVA grew . U.S. and South Vietnamese forces relied on air superiority and overwhelming firepower to conduct search and destroy operations , involving ground forces , artillery , and airstrikes . In the course of the war , the U.S. conducted a large-scale strategic bombing campaign against North Vietnam .   The North Vietnamese government and the Viet Cong were fighting to reunify Vietnam . They viewed the conflict as a colonial war and a continuation of the First Indochina War against forces from France and later on the United States . The U.S. government viewed its involvement in the war as a way to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam . This was part of the domino theory of a wider containment policy , with the stated aim of stopping the spread of communism worldwide .   Beginning in 1950 , American military advisors arrived in what was then French Indochina.The Military Assistance Advisory Group , Indochina ( with an authorized strength of 128 men ) was set up in September 1950 with a mission to oversee the use and distribution of US military equipment by the French and their allies . U.S. involvement escalated in the early 1960s , with troop levels tripling in 1961 and again in 1962 . U.S. involvement escalated further following the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident , in which a U.S. destroyer clashed with North Vietnamese fast attack craft , which was followed by the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution , which gave the U.S. president authorization to increase U.S. military presence . Regular U.S. combat units were deployed beginning in 1965 . Operations crossed international borders : bordering areas of Laos and Cambodia were heavily bombed by U.S. forces as American involvement in the war peaked in 1968 , the same year that the communist side launched the Tet Offensive . The Tet Offensive failed in its goal of overthrowing the South Vietnamese government , but became the turning point in the war , as it persuaded a large segment of the U.S. population that its government 's claims of progress toward winning the war were illusory despite many years of massive U.S. military aid to South Vietnam .   Gradual withdrawal of U.S. ground forces began as part of `` Vietnamization '' , which aimed to end American involvement in the war while transferring the task of fighting the communists to the South Vietnamese themselves . Despite the Paris Peace Accord , which was signed by all parties in January 1973 , the fighting continued . In the U.S. and the Western world , a large anti-Vietnam War movement developed as part of a larger counterculture . The war changed the dynamics between the Eastern and Western Blocs , and altered North -- South relations .   Direct U.S. military involvement ended on 15 August 1973 . The capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese Army in April 1975 marked the end of the war , and North and South Vietnam were reunified the following year . The war exacted a huge human cost in terms of fatalities ( see Vietnam War casualties ) . Estimates of the number of Vietnamese soldiers and civilians killed vary from 966,000 to 3.8 million . Some 240,000 -- 300,000 Cambodians , 20,000 -- 62,000 Laotians , and 58,220 U.S. service members also died in the conflict , and a further 1,626 remain missing in action .


Containment Containment is a geopolitical strategy to stop the expansion of an enemy . It is best known as the Cold War policy of the United States and its allies to prevent the spread of communism . A component of the Cold War , this policy was a response to a series of moves by the Soviet Union to increase communist influence in Eastern Europe , China , Korea , Africa , and Vietnam . Containment represented a middle-ground position between detente and rollback .   The basis of the doctrine was articulated in a 1946 cable by U.S. diplomat George F. Kennan during the post-World War II administration of U.S. President Harry S. Truman . As a description of U.S. foreign policy , the word originated in a report Kennan submitted to U.S. Defense Secretary James Forrestal in 1947 , a report that was later used in a magazine article . It is a translation of the French cordon sanitaire , used to describe Western policy toward the Soviet Union in the 1920s .   Although the term `` containment '' was first used for the strategy in the 1940s , there were major historical precedents familiar to Americans and Europeans . In the 1850s anti-slavery forces in the United States developed a containment strategy ( they did not use the word ) for stopping the expansion of slavery and forcing its collapse . Historian James Oakes explains the strategy :  `` The federal government would surround the south with free states , free territories , and free waters , building what they called a ` cordon of freedom ' around slavery , hemming it in until the system 's own internal weaknesses forced the slave states one by one to abandon slavery . ''   Following the 1917 communist revolution in Russia , there were calls by Western leaders to isolate the Bolshevik government , which seemed intent on promoting worldwide revolution . In March 1919 , French Premier Georges Clemenceau called for a cordon sanitaire , or ring of non-communist states , to isolate the Soviet Union . Translating this phrase , U.S. President Woodrow Wilson called for a `` quarantine . '' Both phrases compare communism to a contagious disease . The U.S. initially refused to recognize the Soviet Union , but President Franklin D. Roosevelt reversed the policy in 1933 , hoping to expand American export markets . The Munich Agreement of 1938 was an attempt to contain Nazi expansion in Europe ; it failed . The U.S. tried to contain Japanese expansion in Asia in 1937-41 , and Japan reacted with its attack on Pearl Harbor .   After Germany invaded the USSR in 1941 during World War II , the U.S. and the Soviet Union found themselves allied in opposition to Germany . The policy was rollback , to defeat Germany , Italy , and Japan .


Everybody Needs a Best Friend is solely from a 2013 Canadian horror film.

Everybody Needs a Best Friend `` Everybody Needs a Best Friend '' is a song from the 2012 feature film Ted , with music composed by Walter Murphy and lyrics by Seth MacFarlane . Performed by Norah Jones during the film 's opening credits , the song was used as the film 's main theme song . It was released by Universal Republic Records on June 26 , 2012 .   In January 2013 , the song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 85th Academy Awards , but lost to `` Skyfall '' from the film of the same name . MacFarlane was also the host of the Oscars while also being nominated .


Asset management may apply to tangible assets.

Asset management Asset management , broadly defined , refers to any system that monitors and maintains things of value to an entity or group . It may apply to both tangible assets ( such as buildings ) and to intangible assets such as human capital , intellectual property , goodwill and/or financial assets ) . Asset management is a systematic process of deploying , operating , maintaining , upgrading , and disposing of assets cost-effectively .   The term is most commonly used in the financial sector to describe people and companies that manage investments on behalf of others . These include , for example , investment managers that manage the assets of a pension fund .   Alternative views of asset management in the engineering environment are : the practice of managing assets to achieve the greatest return ( particularly useful for productive assets such as plant and equipment ) , and the process of monitoring and maintaining facilities systems , with the objective of providing the best possible service to users in all dimensions ( appropriate for public infrastructure assets ) .


Joan Cusack received anything except a nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Joan Cusack Joan Cusack ( -LSB- ˈkjuːsæk -RSB- , born October 11 , 1962 ) is an American actress . She received Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in the romantic comedy-drama Working Girl ( 1988 ) and the romantic comedy In & Out ( 1997 ) , as well as one Golden Globe nomination for her performance in the latter . She is also known as the voice of Jessie in the Toy Story franchise .   Cusack was a cast member on the comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1986 . She starred on the Showtime hit drama/comedy Shameless as Sheila Gallagher ( née Jackson ) , a role for which she has received five consecutive Emmy Award nominations , winning for the first time in 2015 . She is the sister of actress Ann and actor John Cusack .


Idris Elba Idrissa Akuna `` Idris '' Elba , ( -LSB- ˈɪdrᵻs_ˈɛlbə -RSB- born 6 September 1972 ) is an English actor , musician , and DJ . He is known for playing druglord Russell `` Stringer '' Bell on the HBO series The Wire , Detective John Luther on the BBC One series Luther , and Nelson Mandela in the biographical film Mandela : Long Walk to Freedom ( 2013 ) . He has been nominated four times for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film , winning one , and was nominated five times for a Primetime Emmy Award .   Elba has appeared in films such as Ridley Scott 's American Gangster ( 2007 ) , Takers ( 2010 ) , Thor ( 2011 ) , Prometheus ( 2012 ) , Pacific Rim ( 2013 ) , Thor : The Dark World ( 2013 ) and Beasts of No Nation ( 2015 , for which he received BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor ) , and Star Trek Beyond ( 2016 ) . In 2016 , he also voiced Chief Bogo in Zootopia , Shere Khan in The Jungle Book , and Fluke in Finding Dory . He will make his directorial debut with an adaptation of 1992 novel Yardie by Victor Headley .   In addition to his acting work , Elba is a DJ under the moniker DJ Big Driis ( or Big Driis the Londoner ) and hip hop soul musician . In 2016 , he was named in the Time 100 list of the Most Influential People in the World .


Steven Gerrard represented his country at three FIFA World Cups.

Steven Gerrard Steven George Gerrard , ( born 30 May 1980 ) is an English football coach and former player who currently serves as an Academy coach at Liverpool and will take over as manager of the club 's U18 side ahead of the 2017 -- 18 season .  He played as a central midfielder and spent the majority of his career playing for Premier League club Liverpool , with most of that time spent as their captain .   Gerrard spent 17 seasons at Anfield , making his Liverpool debut in 1998 , cementing his place in the first team in 2000 , and succeeding Sami Hyypiä as team captain in 2003 . His honours include two FA Cups , three League Cups , one UEFA Champions League , one UEFA Cup , and one UEFA Super Cup . Gerrard scored Liverpool 's first goal and won the penalty kick for the third as Liverpool came from 3 -- 0 down to defeat Milan in the 2005 Champions League Final . He joined Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy in July 2015 , spending one-and-a-half seasons there before retiring on 24 November 2016 .   Gerrard made his international debut for the England national football team in 2000 , and represented his country at the 2000 , 2004 and 2012 UEFA European Football Championships , as well as the 2006 , 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups -- captaining the team at the latter two tournaments . He was named as the permanent England captain shortly before UEFA Euro 2012 , where he was named in the UEFA Team of the Tournament . Gerrard became the sixth player to win 100 caps for England in 2012 , and is currently fourth in the country 's all-time appearance list . He ended his international career in July 2014 , having won 114 caps .   Regarded to be one of the greatest midfielders of his generation , Gerrard came second to Kenny Dalglish in the `` 100 Players Who Shook The Kop '' , a 2008 Liverpool fan poll , and first in 2013 .  Zinedine Zidane and Pelé said in 2009 that they considered Gerrard to be the best footballer in the world . In 2005 , Gerrard was honoured as the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year and won the Ballon d'Or Bronze Award . He has also been named in the PFA Team of the Year a record eight times , the UEFA Team of the Year and FIFA World XI three times , and was named PFA Players ' Player of the Year in 2006 and the FWA Footballer of the Year in 2009 . He is , to date , the only footballer ever to have scored a goal in an FA Cup Final , a League Cup Final , a UEFA Cup Final and a UEFA Champions League Final , also being on the winning team on each occasion .


Juris Doctor is earned by completing law school in Canada.

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor degree ( J.D. or JD ) , also known as the Doctor of Jurisprudence degree ( J.D. , JD , D.Jur . or DJur ) , is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees . It is earned by completing law school in Australia , Canada and the United States , and some other common law countries . It has the academic standing of a second-entry , professional baccalaureate degree in Canada , a master 's degree in Australia and a professional doctorate in the United States ( in all three jurisdictions the same as other professional degrees such as M.D. or D.D.S. ) .   The degree was first awarded in the United States in the early 20th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree ( such as the Dottore in Giurisprudenza in Italy and the Juris Utriusque Doctor in Germany and central Europe ) . Originating from the 19th century Harvard movement for the scientific study of law , it is a degree that in most common law jurisdictions is the primary professional preparation for lawyers . It involves a three-year program in most jurisdictions .   To be authorized to practice law in the courts of a given state in the United States , the majority of individuals holding a J.D. degree must pass a bar examination . The state of Wisconsin , however , permits the graduates of its two law schools to practice law in that state , and in its state courts , without having to take its bar exam -- a practice called `` diploma privilege '' -- provided they complete the courses needed to satisfy the diploma privilege requirements . In the United States , passing an additional bar exam is not required of lawyers authorized to practice in at least one state to practice in the national courts of the United States , courts commonly known as `` federal courts '' . Lawyers must , however , be admitted to the bar of the federal court before they are authorized to practice in that court . Admission to the bar of a federal district court includes admission to the bar of the related bankruptcy court .


Monica Seles Monica Seles ( -LSB- ˈsɛləs -RSB- Szeles Mónika , Моника Селеш , Monika Seleš , -LSB- ˈsɛlɛʃ -RSB- , born December 2 , 1973 ) is a former Yugoslav world no. 1 professional tennis player and a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame . An ethnic Hungarian , she was born and raised in Novi Sad , SFR Yugoslavia . She became a naturalized American citizen in 1994 and also received Hungarian citizenship in June 2007 . She won nine Grand Slam singles titles , eight of them while a citizen of Yugoslavia and the final as a citizen of the United States of America . In 1990 , Seles became the youngest-ever French Open champion at the age of 16 . She went on to win eight Grand Slam singles titles before her 20th birthday and was the year-end world no. 1 in 1991 and 1992 . However , on April 30 , 1993 , she was the victim of an on-court attack , when a man stabbed her in the back with a 9 in long knife ; Seles did not return to tennis for over two years . Though she enjoyed some success after rejoining the tour in 1995 , including a fourth Australian Open title in 1996 , she was unable to consistently reproduce her best form . She played her last professional match at the 2003 French Open , but did not officially retire until February 2008 .   Regarded by many in the sport as one of the greatest tennis players of all time , Seles was named one of the `` 30 Legends of Women 's Tennis : Past , Present and Future '' by Time .


The Wachowskis wrote and directed The Matrix.

The Matrix The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction film written and directed by The Wachowskis , starring Keanu Reeves , Laurence Fishburne , Carrie-Anne Moss , Hugo Weaving , and Joe Pantoliano . It depicts a dystopian future in which reality as perceived by most humans is actually a simulated reality called `` the Matrix '' , created by sentient machines to subdue the human population , while their bodies ' heat and electrical activity are used as an energy source . Computer programmer `` Neo '' learns this truth and is drawn into a rebellion against the machines , which involves other people who have been freed from the `` dream world . ''   The Matrix is known for popularizing a visual effect known as `` bullet time '' , in which the heightened perception of certain characters is represented by allowing the action within a shot to progress in slow-motion while the camera 's viewpoint appears to move through the scene at normal speed . The film is an example of the cyberpunk science fiction genre . It contains numerous references to philosophical and religious ideas , and prominently pays homage to works such as Plato 's Allegory of the Cave , Jean Baudrillard 's Simulacra and Simulation and Lewis Carroll 's Alice 's Adventures in Wonderland . The Wachowskis ' approach to action scenes drew upon their admiration for Japanese animation and martial arts films , and the film 's use of fight choreographers and wire fu techniques from Hong Kong action cinema influenced subsequent Hollywood action film productions .   The Matrix was first released in the United States on , 1999 , and grossed over $ 460 million worldwide . It was generally well-received by critics and won four Academy Awards , as well as other accolades , including BAFTA Awards and Saturn Awards . Reviewers praised The Matrix for its innovative visual effects , cinematography and entertainment value . The film 's premise was both criticized for being derivative of earlier science fiction works and praised for being intriguing . The action also polarized critics , some describing it as impressive , but others dismissing it as a trite distraction from an interesting premise .   The film has since appeared in lists of the greatest science fiction films , and , in 2012 , was added to the National Film Registry for preservation . The success of the film led to the release of two feature film sequels , both written and directed by the Wachowskis : The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions . The Matrix franchise was further expanded through the production of comic books , video games and animated short films , in which the Wachowskis were heavily involved .


The Twelfth Doctor is the writer of Doctor Who.

Twelfth Doctor The Twelfth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor , the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television programme Doctor Who . He is portrayed by Scottish actor Peter Capaldi . Within the series ' narrative , the Doctor is a time travelling , humanoid alien from a race known as the Time Lords . When the Doctor is critically injured , he can regenerate his body , and in doing so gain a new physical appearance , and with it a distinct new personality ; this plot mechanism has allowed the Doctor to be portrayed by a series of actors over the decades since the programme 's inception in 1963 . Capaldi 's portrayal of the Doctor is a spiky , brusque , contemplative , and pragmatic character who conceals his emotions in the course of making tough and sometimes ruthless decisions .   Capaldi made his first , very brief appearance as the Doctor in the show 's fiftieth anniversary special `` The Day of the Doctor '' ( 2013 ) , as one of the thirteen incarnations of the Doctor who are summoned to save Gallifrey from destruction . Capaldi 's first full appearance as the Doctor was at the end of the 2013 Christmas special `` The Time of the Doctor '' . He is accompanied in the eighth and ninth series by companion Clara Oswald ( Jenna Coleman ) . He also appeared in `` For Tonight We Might Die '' , the first episode of the 2016 spin-off series Class . In the tenth series of Doctor Who , he is accompanied by two new companions : Nardole ( Matt Lucas ) and Bill Potts ( Pearl Mackie ) . On 30 January 2017 , Capaldi announced he would be leaving the programme , with the 2017 Christmas episode being his last .


Wrath of the Titans was released in the United States.

Wrath of the Titans Wrath of the Titans is a 2012 3D epic action adventure fantasy film that is a sequel to the 2010 film Clash of the Titans . The film stars Sam Worthington , Rosamund Pike , Bill Nighy , Édgar Ramírez , Toby Kebbell , Danny Huston , Ralph Fiennes , and Liam Neeson , with Jonathan Liebesman directing a screenplay by Dan Mazeau and David Leslie Johnson . Wrath of the Titans takes place a decade after the events of the preceding film as the gods lose control over the imprisoned Titans ( thanks to humanity 's lack of prayers which also is draining their immortality ) and Perseus is called , this time to rescue his father Zeus , overthrow the Titans , and save mankind .   Talk of a sequel began with the release of Clash of the Titans in March 2010 . Scribes Dan Mazeau and David Leslie Johnson were hired in June 2010 and director Jonathan Liebesman was brought on board in August 2010 . The majority of the casting took place between January and February 2011 . Principal photography began in London in March 2011 . Like its predecessor , the film was converted to 3D in post-production . Wrath of the Titans was released in 2D and 3D on March 30 , 2012 in the United States . The film received widespread negative reception from critics and grossed $ 305 million worldwide . A sequel entitled Revenge of the Titans was planned to a 2013 release , but was cancelled due to the two films 's critical failures and to less in ideas for the script .


Will Ferrell was employed with John C. Reilly.

Step Brothers (film) Step Brothers is a 2008 American comedy film directed by Adam McKay , written by Will Ferrell and McKay from a story by Ferrell , McKay , and John C. Reilly and starring Ferrell and Reilly . It follows Brennan ( Ferrell ) and Dale ( Reilly ) , two men who are forced to live together as brothers .   The film was released on July 25 , 2008 , two years after Talladega Nights : The Ballad of Ricky Bobby . Both films share main actors , as well as the writing and producing team .


Will Ferrell John William Ferrell ( -LSB- ˈfɛrəl -RSB- born July 16 , 1967 ) is an American actor , comedian , producer , and writer . He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live , and has subsequently starred in comedy films such as Anchorman : The Legend of Ron Burgundy ( 2004 ) , Talladega Nights ( 2006 ) , Step Brothers ( 2008 ) , The Other Guys ( 2010 ) and Anchorman 2 : The Legend Continues ( 2013 ) , all but one of which he co-wrote with his comedy partner Adam McKay . The two also founded the comedy website Funny or Die in 2007 . Other films roles include Elf , Old School ( both 2003 ) , Blades of Glory ( 2007 ) , and the animated films Megamind ( 2010 ) and The Lego Movie ( 2014 ) .   Ferrell is considered a member of the `` Frat Pack '' , a generation of leading Hollywood comic actors who emerged in the late 1990s and the 2000s , including Jack Black , Ben Stiller , Steve Carell , Vince Vaughn , and brothers Owen and Luke Wilson . He received an Emmy Award nomination for his work on Saturday Night Live , and two Golden Globe Award nominations for The Producers ( 2005 ) and Stranger than Fiction ( 2006 ) . He was also named the best comedian of 2015 in the British GQ Men of the Year awards . Ferrell received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 26 , 2015 .


Saving Private Ryan is a portrayal of war.

Saving Private Ryan Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 American epic war drama film set during the Invasion of Normandy in World War II . Directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat , the film is notable for its graphic portrayal of war , and for the intensity of its opening 27 minutes , which includes a depiction of the Omaha Beach assault during the Normandy landings . It follows United States Army Rangers Captain John H. Miller ( Tom Hanks ) and a squad ( Tom Sizemore , Edward Burns , Barry Pepper , Giovanni Ribisi , Vin Diesel , Adam Goldberg , and Jeremy Davies ) as they search for a paratrooper , Private First Class James Francis Ryan ( Matt Damon ) , who is the last-surviving brother of four servicemen .   The film received critical acclaim , winning several awards for film , cast , and crew , as well as earning significant returns at the box office . The film grossed US$ 481.8 million worldwide , making it the second-highest-grossing film of the year . The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards ; Spielberg 's direction won his second Academy Award for Best Director , with four more awards going to the film . Saving Private Ryan was released on home video in May 1999 , earning another $ 44 million from sales . In 2014 , the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress , being deemed `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant . ''


Blizzard Entertainment created World of Warcraft in 2005.

Blizzard Entertainment Blizzard Entertainment , Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher based in Irvine , California , and is a subsidiary of the American company Activision Blizzard . The company was founded on February 8 , 1991 , under the name Silicon & Synapse by three graduates of the University of California , Los Angeles : Michael Morhaime , Frank Pearce , and Allen Adham . The company originally concentrated primarily on the creation of game ports for other studios before beginning development of their own software in 1993 with the development of games like Rock n ' Roll Racing and The Lost Vikings . In 1994 the company became Chaos Studios , then Blizzard Entertainment , Inc. after being acquired by distributor Davidson & Associates .   Shortly thereafter , Blizzard released Warcraft : Orcs & Humans . Blizzard went on to create several other video games , including Warcraft sequels , the Diablo series , the StarCraft series , and in 2004 the massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft . Their most recent projects include the first expansion for Diablo III , Reaper of Souls , the online collectible card game Hearthstone : Heroes of Warcraft , the sixth expansion for World of Warcraft , Legion , the multiplayer online battle arena Heroes of the Storm , the third and final expansion for StarCraft II : Wings of Liberty , Legacy of the Void , and the multiplayer first-person shooter Overwatch .   On July 9 , 2008 , Activision merged with Vivendi Games , culminating in the inclusion of the Blizzard brand name in the title of the resulting holding company . On July 25 , 2013 , Activision Blizzard announced the purchase of 429 million shares from majority owner Vivendi . As a result , Activision Blizzard became a completely independent company .   Blizzard Entertainment hosts conventions for fans to meet and to promote their games : the BlizzCon in California , United States , and the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational in other countries , including France and South Korea .


Independence Day: Resurgence was released.

Independence Day: Resurgence Independence Day : Resurgence is a 2016 American science fiction film written and directed by Roland Emmerich with co-writers Dean Devlin , Nicolas Wright , James A. Woods , and James Vanderbilt . As sequel to the 1996 film Independence Day , it stars an ensemble cast featuring Liam Hemsworth , Jeff Goldblum , Bill Pullman , Maika Monroe , Jessie Usher , Travis Tope , William Fichtner , Charlotte Gainsbourg , Judd Hirsch , Brent Spiner and Sela Ward .   The film takes place twenty years after the events of the first film , during which the United Nations has collaborated to form Earth Space Defense ( ESD ) , an international military defense and research organization . Through reverse engineering , the world has harnessed the power of alien technology and laid the groundwork to resist a second invasion .   Plans for a sequel to Independence Day began as early as 2001 , with 20th Century Fox eventually green-lighting the project in 2014 . Principal photography began in April 2015 at locations primarily in New Mexico but also in the Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah , which were featured in the original . Independence Day : Resurgence was released in the United States on June 24 , 2016 , in 2D , 3D , and IMAX 3D , grossing $ 389.7 million worldwide at the box office . The film received generally unfavorable reviews from critics , who found the plot convoluted and action sequences overblown , though some praised its overall humor .


Beastie Boys was once known as the Young Aborigines.

Beastie Boys The Beastie Boys were an American hip hop group from New York City , formed in 1981 . For the majority of their career , the group consisted of Michael `` Mike D '' Diamond ( vocals , drums ) , Adam `` MCA '' Yauch ( vocals , bass ) and Adam `` Ad-Rock '' Horovitz ( vocals , guitar ) .   Originally formed as a four-piece hardcore punk band , the Young Aborigines , in 1978 by Diamond ( vocals ) , John Berry ( guitar ) , Yauch ( bass ) and Kate Schellenbach ( drums ) , the band appeared on the compilation cassette New York Thrash , before recording their first EP , Polly Wog Stew , in 1982 . Berry left shortly thereafter , and was replaced by Horovitz . After achieving moderate local success with the 1983 experimental hip hop 12-inch `` Cooky Puss '' , Schellenbach dropped out and the Beastie Boys made a full transition to hip hop , releasing a string of successful singles . They toured with Madonna in 1985 and a year later released their debut album Licensed to Ill. . The group sold 26 million albums in the United States and 50 million albums worldwide , making them , according to Billboard , the biggest-selling rap group since the magazine began recording sales data in 1991 .   With seven platinum or better albums from 1986 to 2004 , the Beastie Boys were one of the longest-lived hip hop acts worldwide . In 2009 , they released digitally remastered deluxe editions of their albums Paul 's Boutique , Check Your Head , Ill Communication and Hello Nasty . Their eighth studio album , Hot Sauce Committee Part Two , was released in 2011 , and received positive reviews . They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2012 , `` just the third rap group to enter the Hall , after Run -- D.M.C. ( 2009 ) and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five ( 2007 ) . '' The following month , MCA died of cancer of the parotid salivary gland . In June 2014 , Mike D confirmed that he and Ad-Rock would not continue the Beastie Boys , out of respect to MCA .


Vikrant Massey was incapable of starring in Qubool Hai.

Vikrant Massey Vikrant Massey is an Indian actor . He is noted for his leading roles in TV series , Dharam Veer ( 2008 ) , Balika Vadhu ( 2009 ) , Baba Aiso Varr Dhoondo ( 2010 ) , V The Serial ( 2012 ) and Qubool Hai ( 2013 ) and in Bollywood movies Lootera and Dil Dhadakne Do .


Steven Zaillian has received more than one award.

Steven Zaillian __ NOTOC __   Steven Ernest Bernard Zaillian ( born January 30 , 1953 ) is an Armenian-American screenwriter , director , film editor , producer , and founder of Film Rites , a film production company . He won an Academy Award , a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award for his screenplay Schindler 's List ( 1993 ) and he has been nominated for Awakenings , Gangs of New York and Moneyball . He was also presented with the Distinguished Screenwriter Award at the 2009 Austin Film Festival and the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement from the Writers Guild of America in 2011 .


Robert Redford was a guest star on a show.

Robert Redford Charles Robert Redford Jr. ( born August 18 , 1936 ) is an American actor , director , producer , businessman , environmentalist , and philanthropist . Redford is the founder of the Sundance Film Festival .   Redford 's career began in 1960 as a guest star on numerous TV shows , including : The Untouchables , Perry Mason , Alfred Hitchcock Presents , and The Twilight Zone , among others . He earned an Emmy nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Voice of Charlie Pont ( 1962 ) . His greatest Broadway success was as the stuffy newlywed husband of Elizabeth Ashley in Neil Simon 's Barefoot in the Park ( 1963 ) .   Redford made his film debut in War Hunt ( 1962 ) . His role in Inside Daisy Clover ( 1965 ) won him a Golden Globe for best new star . He starred in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ( 1969 ) , which was a huge success and made him a major star . In 1972 , he had a critical and box office hit with Jeremiah Johnson ( 1972 ) , and in 1973 had the greatest hit of his career , the blockbuster crime caper The Sting , for which he was nominated for an Academy Award . The popular and acclaimed All the President 's Men ( 1976 ) was a landmark film for Redford .   The first film that Redford directed , Ordinary People ( 1980 ) , was one of the most critically and publicly acclaimed films of the decade , winning four Oscars , and in the same year , he starred in Brubaker ( 1980 ) . He starred in Out of Africa ( 1985 ) , which was an enormous critical and box office success , and won seven Oscars including Best Picture , proving to be his greatest success of the decade . He released his third film as a director , A River Runs Through It , in 1992 .   Redford won the Academy Award for Best Director in 1981 for directing Ordinary People . He was previously nominated for Best Actor in 1974 for his performance in The Sting , and went on to receive Best Director and Best Picture nominations in 1995 for Quiz Show . He won a second Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2002 . In 2010 , he was made a chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur . He has won BAFTA , Directors Guild of America , Golden Globe , and Screen Actors Guild Awards .   In April 2014 , Time magazine included Redford in their annual Time 100 as one of the `` Most Influential People in the World '' , declaring him the `` Godfather of Indie Film '' . In 2016 , President Barack Obama honored Redford with a Presidential Medal of Freedom .


Richard Branson founded a chain of record stores.

Richard Branson Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson ( born 18 July 1950 ) is an English business magnate , investor and philanthropist . He founded the Virgin Group , which controls more than 400 companies .   Branson expressed his desire to become an entrepreneur at a young age . At the age of sixteen his first business venture was a magazine called Student . In 1970 , he set up a mail-order record business . In 1972 , he opened a chain of record stores , Virgin Records , later known as Virgin Megastores . Branson 's Virgin brand grew rapidly during the 1980s , as he set up Virgin Atlantic airline and expanded the Virgin Records music label .   In March 2000 , Branson was knighted at Buckingham Palace for `` services to entrepreneurship '' . For his work in retail , music and transport ( with interests in land , air , sea and space travel ) , his taste for adventure , and for his humanitarian work , he became one of the most prominent figures in British culture . In 2002 he was named in the BBC 's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons . In January 2016 , Forbes listed Branson 's estimated net worth at $ 5.2 billion .


Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British-founded record label founded by English entrepreneurs Richard Branson , Simon Draper , Nik Powell , and musician Tom Newman in 1972 . The company grew to be a worldwide phenomenon over time , with the success of its platinum performers such as Janet Jackson , Roy Orbison , Devo , Genesis , Keith Richards , the Human League , Culture Club , Simple Minds , Lenny Kravitz , dc Talk , the Smashing Pumpkins , Mike Oldfield , Spice Girls and more on their list of artists . It was later sold to Thorn EMI in 1992 .   Currently wholly owned by Universal Music Group after its purchase of EMI in 2012 , UMG absorbed Virgin 's British operations , Virgin Records , Ltd. , to create Virgin EMI Records in March 2013 , which in turn absorbed Mercury Records ' UK operations .   Today , the operations of Virgin Records America , Inc. ( a unit of Virgin Records , Ltd. ) are still active and headquartered in Hollywood , California , as it operates exclusively under the Capitol Music Group since 2007 . A heavily minor amount of artists remain on Virgin Records America 's roster , which today is mostly occupied with European artists such as Bastille , Circa Waves , Corinne Bailey Rae , Ella Eyre , Grizfolk , Walking on Cars , Seinabo Sey , and Prides . US artists include Knox Hamilton , L'Tric and Rise Against .


Watchmen was adapted into a movie in 2010.

Watchmen Watchmen is an American comic-book limited series published by DC Comics in 1986 and 1987 , and collected in 1987 . The series was created by a British collaboration consisting of writer Alan Moore , artist Dave Gibbons , and colorist John Higgins . Watchmen originated from a story proposal Moore submitted to DC featuring superhero characters that the company had acquired from Charlton Comics . As Moore 's proposed story would have left many of the characters unusable for future stories , managing editor Dick Giordano convinced Moore to create original characters instead .   Moore used the story as a means to reflect contemporary anxieties and to deconstruct and parody the superhero concept . Watchmen depicts an alternate history where superheroes emerged in the 1940s and 1960s and their presence changed history so that the United States won the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal was never exposed . In 1985 , the country is edging toward World War III with the Soviet Union , freelance costumed vigilantes have been outlawed and most former superheroes are in retirement or working for the government . The story focuses on the personal development and moral struggles of the protagonists as an investigation into the murder of a government-sponsored superhero pulls them out of retirement .   Creatively , the focus of Watchmen is on its structure . Gibbons used a nine-panel grid layout throughout the series and added recurring symbols such as a blood-stained smiley face . All but the last issue feature supplemental fictional documents that add to the series ' backstory , and the narrative is intertwined with that of another story , an in-story pirate comic titled Tales of the Black Freighter , which one of the characters reads . Structured , at times , as a nonlinear narrative , the story skips through space , time and plot . In the same manner , entire scenes and dialogue have parallels with others through synchronicity , coincidence and repeated imagery .   A commercial success , Watchmen has received critical acclaim both in the comics and mainstream press , and is considered by several critics and reviewers to be one of the most significant works of 20th-century literature . Watchmen was recognized in Times List of the 100 Best Novels as one of the best English language novels published since 1923 , and placed # 91 on The Comics Journals list of the top 100 comics of the 20th century . The BBC described it as `` The moment comic books grew up . ''   After a number of attempts to adapt the series into a feature film , director Zack Snyder 's Watchmen was released in 2009 . A video game series , Watchmen : The End Is Nigh , was released in the same year to coincide with the film 's release . In 2012 , DC Comics published Before Watchmen , a comic-book series acting as a prequel to the original Watchmen series , without Moore and Gibbons ' involvement .


International Space Station is suited for testing.

International Space Station The International Space Station ( ISS ) is a space station , or a habitable artificial satellite , in low Earth orbit . Its first component launched into orbit in 1998 , and the ISS is now the largest man-made body in low Earth orbit and can often be seen with the naked eye from Earth . The ISS consists of pressurised modules , external trusses , solar arrays , and other components . ISS components have been launched by Russian Proton and Soyuz rockets , and American Space Shuttles .   The ISS serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which crew members conduct experiments in biology , human biology , physics , astronomy , meteorology , and other fields . The station is suited for the testing of spacecraft systems and equipment required for missions to the Moon and Mars . The ISS maintains an orbit with an altitude of between 330 and by means of reboost manoeuvres using the engines of the Zvezda module or visiting spacecraft . It completes orbits per day .   The ISS is the ninth space station to be inhabited by crews , following the Soviet and later Russian Salyut , Almaz , and Mir stations as well as Skylab from the US . The station has been continuously occupied for since the arrival of Expedition 1 on 2 November 2000 . This is the longest continuous human presence in low Earth orbit , having surpassed the previous record of held by Mir . The station is serviced by a variety of visiting spacecraft : the Russian Soyuz and Progress , the American Dragon and Cygnus , the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle , and formerly the Space Shuttle and the European Automated Transfer Vehicle . It has been visited by astronauts , cosmonauts and space tourists from 17 different nations .   After the US Space Shuttle programme ended in 2011 , Soyuz rockets became the only provider of transport for astronauts at the International Space Station , and Dragon became the only provider of bulk cargo return to Earth ( called downmass ) . Soyuz has very limited downmass capability .   The ISS programme is a joint project among five participating space agencies : NASA , Roscosmos , JAXA , ESA , and CSA . The ownership and use of the space station is established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements . The station is divided into two sections , the Russian Orbital Segment ( ROS ) and the United States Orbital Segment ( USOS ) , which is shared by many nations . , the American portion of ISS is being funded until 2024 . Roscosmos has endorsed the continued operation of ISS through 2024 but has proposed using elements of the Russian Orbital Segment to construct a new Russian space station called OPSEK .   On 28 March 2015 , Russian sources announced that Roscosmos and NASA had agreed to collaborate on the development of a replacement for the current ISS . NASA later issued a guarded statement expressing thanks for Russia 's interest in future co-operation in space exploration but fell short of confirming the Russian announcement .