Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie , Lady Mallowan , DBE ( née Miller ; 15 September 1890 -- 12 January 1976 ) was an English crime novelist , short story writer and playwright . She is best known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , particularly those revolving around her fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple . She also wrote the world 's longest-running play , a murder mystery , The Mousetrap , and six romances under the name Mary Westmacott . In 1971 she was made a Dame for her contribution to literature .   Christie was born into a wealthy upper-middle-class family in Torquay , Devon . She served in a Devon hospital during the First World War , tending to troops coming back from the trenches , before marrying and starting a family in London . She was initially an unsuccessful writer , but this all changed for the better when The Mysterious Affair at Styles was published in 1920 featuring Hercule Poirot . During the Second World War she worked as a pharmacy assistant at University College Hospital , London during the Blitz and acquired a good knowledge of poisons which featured in many of her novels .   Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling novelist of all time . Her novels have sold roughly 2 billion copies , and her estate claims that her works come third in the rankings of the world 's most-widely published books , behind only Shakespeare 's works and the Bible . According to Index Translationum , she remains the most-translated individual author -- having been translated into at least 103 languages . And Then There Were None is Christie 's best-selling novel , with 100 million sales to date , making it the world 's best-selling mystery ever , and one of the best-selling books of all time .  Christie 's stage play The Mousetrap holds the world record for longest initial run . It opened at the Ambassadors Theatre in the West End on 25 November 1952 and is still running after more than 25,000 performances .   In 1955 , Christie was the first recipient of the Mystery Writers of America 's highest honour , the Grand Master Award . Later the same year , Witness for the Prosecution received an Edgar Award by the MWA for Best Play .  In 2013 , The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was voted the best crime novel ever by 600 fellow writers of the Crime Writers ' Association . On 15 September 2015 , coinciding with her 125th birthday , And Then There Were None was named the `` World 's Favourite Christie '' in a vote sponsored by the author 's estate . Most of her books and short stories have been adapted for television , radio , video games and comics , and more than thirty feature films have been based on her work .


Temporary Fix was written by Niall Horan.

Niall Horan Niall James Horan ( born 13 September 1993 ) is an Irish singer and songwriter , best known as a member of the boy band One Direction . In 2010 , Horan auditioned as a solo artist for the seventh series of the British televised singing competition The X Factor . He failed to progress to the `` Boys '' category at the `` judges ' houses '' , but after guest judge Nicole Scherzinger suggested that Niall join One Direction , with Harry Styles , Zayn Malik , Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson , the group became a reality . The five-piece band made it to the final and finished in third place . Even though they did not win , One Direction was signed by Simon Cowell to his record label Syco .   In his career as a member of One Direction , Horan co-wrote many songs , beginning with `` Taken '' , `` Everything About You '' , `` Same Mistakes '' , `` Back for You '' and `` Summer Love '' from their debut albums Up All Night and Take Me Home . In the latter , he also played guitar . He continued to co-write , including the songs `` Do n't Forget Where You Belong '' , `` Why Do n't We Go There '' and `` Story of My Life '' for the album Midnight Memories ; `` Night Changes '' , `` Fool 's Gold '' and `` Change Your Ticket '' for the album Four ; and `` Wolves '' , `` A.M. '' , `` Temporary Fix '' and `` Never Enough '' for the band 's fifth album Made in the A.M. . He released his first single as a solo artist , `` This Town '' , in 2016 .


Natalie Wood did not work in films as a child.

Natalie Wood Natalie Wood ( born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko ; July 20 , 1938 -- November 28 or 29 , 1981 ) was an American film and television actress . She was known for her screen roles in Miracle on 34th Street , Splendor in the Grass , Rebel Without a Cause , The Searchers , and West Side Story . She first worked in films as a child , then became a successful Hollywood star as a young adult , receiving three Academy Award nominations before she was 25 years old .   Wood began acting in movies at the age of four and , at age eight , was given a co-starring role with Maureen O'Hara in the classic Christmas film Miracle on 34th Street . As a teenager , her performance in Rebel Without a Cause ( 1955 ) earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress . She starred in the musical films West Side Story ( 1961 ) and Gypsy ( 1962 ) , and received Academy Award for Best Actress nominations for her performances in Splendor in the Grass ( 1961 ) and Love with the Proper Stranger ( 1963 ) . Her career continued with films such as Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice ( 1969 ) .   After this , she took a break from acting and had two children with different husbands , appearing in only three theatrical films during the 1970s . She was married to actor Robert Wagner twice , and to producer Richard Gregson . She had one daughter with Gregson , actress Natasha Gregson Wagner . Wood gave birth to Courtney Wagner during her second marriage to Wagner . Her younger sister Lana Wood is also an actress .   Wood starred in several television productions , including a remake of the film From Here to Eternity ( 1979 ) for which she won a Golden Globe Award . During her career , her films represented a `` coming of age '' for both her and Hollywood films in general .


Star Search had a relaunch produced by 2929 Productions.

Star Search Star Search is an American television show that was produced by T.P.E. / Rysher Entertainment from 1983 to 1995 , hosted by Ed McMahon , and created by Alfred Masini . A relaunch was produced by 2929 Productions from 2003 to 2004 . On both versions of the show , contestants competed in several genres of entertainment . The show was originally filmed at the old Earl Carroll Theatre ( now known as Nickelodeon on Sunset ) , at 6230 Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood and later at the Disney Hollywood Studios in Orlando , Florida .


Lebanon Lebanon ( -LSB- ˈlɛbənɒn -RSB- لبنان ; Lebanese pronunciation : -LSB- lɪbˈnæːn -RSB- Liban ) , officially known as the Lebanese RepublicRepublic of Lebanon is the most common phrase used by Lebanese government agencies . The phrase Lebanese Republic is a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today 's world . Lebanese Arabic is the most common language spoken among the citizens of Lebanon . ( الجمهورية اللبنانية ; Lebanese pronunciation : -LSB- elˈʒʊmhuːɾɪjje l.ˈlɪbnæːnɪjje -RSB- République libanaise ) , is a sovereign state in Western Asia . It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south , while Cyprus is west across the Mediterranean Sea . Lebanon 's location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland facilitated its rich history and shaped a cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity . At just 10,452 km2 ( 4,036 sq. mi . ) , it is the smallest recognized country on the entire mainland Asian continent .   The earliest evidence of civilization in Lebanon dates back more than seven thousand years , predating recorded history . Lebanon was the home of the Canaanites/Phoenicians and their kingdoms , a maritime culture that flourished for over a thousand years ( c. 1550 -- 539 BC ) . In 64 BC , the region came under the rule of the Roman Empire , and eventually became one of the Empire 's leading centers of Christianity . In the Mount Lebanon range a monastic tradition known as the Maronite Church was established . As the Arab Muslims conquered the region , the Maronites held onto their religion and identity . However , a new religious group , the Druze , established themselves in Mount Lebanon as well , generating a religious divide that has lasted for centuries . During the Crusades , the Maronites re-established contact with the Roman Catholic Church and asserted their communion with Rome . The ties they established with the Latins have influenced the region into the modern era .   The region eventually was ruled by the Ottoman Empire from 1516 to 1918 . Following the collapse of the empire after World War I , the five provinces that constitute modern Lebanon came under the French Mandate of Lebanon . The French expanded the borders of the Mount Lebanon Governorate , which was mostly populated by Maronites and Druze , to include more Muslims . Lebanon gained independence in 1943 , establishing confessionalism , a unique , Consociationalism-type of political system with a power-sharing mechanism based on religious communities . Bechara El Khoury , President of Lebanon during the independence , Riad El-Solh , first Lebanese prime minister and Emir Majid Arslan II , first Lebanese minister of defence , are considered the founders of the modern Republic of Lebanon and are national heroes for having led the country 's independence . Foreign troops withdrew completely from Lebanon on 31 December 1946 . Lebanon has been a member of the Organisation internationale de la francophonie since 1973 .   Despite its small size , the country has developed a well-known culture and has been highly influential in the Arab world . Before the Lebanese Civil War ( 1975 -- 1990 ) , the country experienced a period of relative calm and renowned prosperity , driven by tourism , agriculture , commerce , and banking . Because of its financial power and diversity in its heyday , Lebanon was referred to as the `` Switzerland of the East '' during the 1960s , and its capital , Beirut , attracted so many tourists that it was known as `` the Paris of the Middle East '' . At the end of the war , there were extensive efforts to revive the economy and rebuild national infrastructure . In spite of these troubles , Lebanon has the highest Human Development Index and GDP per capita in the Arab world , to the exclusion of the oil-rich economies of the Persian Gulf .


Louis C.K. starred in The Secret Life of Pets.

Louis C.K. Louis Székely ( born September 12 , 1967 ) , known professionally as Louis C.K. ( -LSB- ˈluːi_siːˈkeɪ -RSB- ) , is an American comedian , actor , writer , producer , director , and editor . He began his career writing for several comedy shows in the 1990s and early 2000s for comedians including David Letterman , Conan O'Brien , Dana Carvey and Chris Rock . Also in this period , he was directing surreal short films and went on to direct two features -- Tomorrow Night ( 1998 ) and Pootie Tang ( 2001 ) -- before he starred in the short-lived HBO television sitcom Lucky Louie in 2006 .   Louie , an acclaimed semi-autobiographical comedy-drama series that C.K. created , stars in , writes , directs , executive produces , and is the primary editor of , began airing in 2010 on FX . He had supporting acting roles in the films The Invention of Lying ( 2009 ) , American Hustle , Blue Jasmine ( both 2013 ) , and Trumbo ( 2015 ) . During an extended Louie hiatus , C.K. created and starred in his web series Horace and Pete in 2016 , and voiced the lead role in the animated film The Secret Life of Pets the same year .   He released his debut comedy album , Live in Houston , in 2001 directly through his website and became among the first performers to offer direct-to-fan sales of tickets to his stand-up shows , as well as DRM-free video concert downloads , via his website . C.K. has released nine comedy albums in his career , often directing and editing his specials as well . He is known for his use of observational , self-deprecating , dark and vulgar humor .   C.K. won a 2012 Peabody Award , and has received six Emmy awards , as well as numerous awards for The Chris Rock Show , Louie , and his stand-up specials Live at the Beacon Theater ( 2011 ) and Oh My God ( 2013 ) . He has won the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album twice . Rolling Stone ranked C.K. 's stand-up special Shameless number three on their `` Divine Comedy : 25 Best Stand-Up Specials and Movies of All Time '' list and , in 2017 , ranked him fourth on its list of the 50 best stand-up comics of all time .


Joy-Con wireless controllers are used by the Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo Switch The Nintendo Switch is the seventh major home video game console developed by Nintendo . Known in development by its codename NX , it was unveiled in October 2016 and was released worldwide on March 3 , 2017 . Nintendo considers the Switch a `` hybrid '' console ; it is designed primarily as a home console , with the main unit inserted onto a docking station to connect to a television . Alternatively , it can be removed from the dock and used similarly to a tablet computer through its LCD touchscreen , or placed in a standalone tabletop mode visible to several players . The Switch uses Joy-Con wireless controllers , which include standard buttons and a directional joystick for user input , motion sensing , and high-definition tactile feedback . The Joy-Con can attach to both sides of the console to support handheld-style play , connect to a Grip accessory to provide a traditional home console gamepad form , or be used individually in the hand like the Wii Remote and supporting local multiplayer modes . The Switch 's software supports online gaming through standard Internet connectivity , as well as local wireless ad hoc connectivity with other Switch consoles . Switch games and software are available on both physical flash ROM cartridges and digital distribution , and does not use region locking .   The concept of the Switch came about as Nintendo 's reaction to several quarters of financial losses into 2014 , attributed to poor sales of its previous console , the Wii U , and market competition from mobile gaming . Then-Nintendo president Satoru Iwata pushed the company towards mobile gaming and novel hardware . The Switch 's design is aimed at a wider demographic of video game players through the multiple modes of use , while retaining Nintendo 's hardware uniqueness and innovation . Nintendo opted to use more standard electronic components , such as a chipset based on Nvidia 's Tegra line , to make development for the console easier for programmers and more compatible with existing game engines . As the Wii U had struggled to gain external support leaving it with a weak software library , Nintendo preemptively sought the support of many third-party developers and publishers to help build out the Switch 's game library alongside Nintendo 's own first-party titles , including many independent video game studios . Prior to launch , Nintendo had announced that over 100 titles were in development by 70 developers .   The console shipped over 2.74 million units in the first month of its launch , exceeding Nintendo 's initial projection of 2 million units , and making it the fastest-selling home console in its history . Switch sales were highly tied to the critically acclaimed The Legend of Zelda : Breath of the Wild , released alongside the console 's launch worldwide .


Seth MacFarlane wrote, directed, and produced Ted.

Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane ( -LSB- ˈsɛθ_ˈwʊdbɛri_məkˈfɑrlɪn -RSB- born October 26 , 1973 ) is an American actor , filmmaker , and singer , working primarily in animation and comedy , as well as live-action and other genres . MacFarlane is the creator of the TV series Family Guy ( 1999 -- 2003 , 2005 -- present ) , co-creator of the TV series American Dad ! ( 2005 -- present ) and The Cleveland Show ( 2009 -- 13 ) . He also wrote , directed , and starred in the films Ted ( 2012 ) , its sequel Ted 2 ( 2015 ) , and A Million Ways to Die in the West ( 2014 ) .   MacFarlane is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design , where he studied animation . Recruited to Hollywood , he was an animator and writer for Hanna-Barbera for several television series , including Johnny Bravo , Cow and Chicken , Dexter 's Laboratory , I Am Weasel , and Larry & Steve . As an actor , he has made guest appearances on series , such as Gilmore Girls , The War at Home and FlashForward . In 2008 , he created his own YouTube series titled Seth MacFarlane 's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy . He won several awards for his work on Family Guy , including two Primetime Emmy Awards and an Annie Award . In 2009 , he won the Webby Award for Film & Video Person of the Year . He occasionally speaks at universities and colleges throughout the United States , and he is a supporter of gay rights .   MacFarlane 's first feature-length comedy film , Ted , features his voice acting and performance-capture as the titular anthropomorphic teddy bear and became the highest-grossing original R-rated comedy . As a singer MacFarlane has performed at several venues , including Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert Hall . MacFarlane has released three studio albums , in the same vein of his musical idol Frank Sinatra , beginning with Music Is Better Than Words in 2011 . He wrote the lyrics for the Academy Award-nominated song `` Everybody Needs a Best Friend '' for Ted .   MacFarlane served as executive producer of Cosmos : A Spacetime Odyssey , an update of the 1980s Carl Sagan -- hosted Cosmos series , hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson . MacFarlane was instrumental in providing funding for the series , as well as securing studio support for it from other entertainment executives .


Legion (2010 film) Legion is a 2010 American apocalyptic supernatural action horror film directed by Scott Stewart and co-written by Stewart and Peter Schink . The cast includes Paul Bettany , Lucas Black , Tyrese Gibson , Adrianne Palicki , Kate Walsh , and Dennis Quaid . Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group acquired most of this film 's worldwide distribution rights , and the group opened this film in North America theatrically on January 22 , 2010 through Screen Gems .   A television series called Dominion , set 25 years after the end of the film , premiered on the American cable television network Syfy on June 19 , 2014 .


The Host stars an actress born in April.

Saoirse Ronan Saoirse Una Ronan ( -LSB- ˈsɜrʃə_ˈuːnə_ˈroʊnən -RSB- ; born 12 April 1994 ) is an Irish and American actress . She is a two-time Academy Award nominee ; receiving a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Atonement ( 2007 ) , and a Best Actress nomination for Brooklyn ( 2015 ) . She has also received three BAFTA Award nominations , two Golden Globe nominations , two Screen Actors Guild nominations and two Satellite Awards .   She had her feature film debut in the romantic comedy I Could Never Be Your Woman ( 2007 ) . Other roles include City of Ember ( 2008 ) , The Lovely Bones ( 2009 ) , Hanna ( 2011 ) , The Way Back ( 2010 ) , Byzantium ( 2012 ) , The Host ( 2013 ) , How I Live Now ( 2013 ) , and The Grand Budapest Hotel ( 2014 ) .   In January 2016 , Ronan was included in Forbes '30 Under 30 ' in both the European and USA editions . In March 2016 , Ronan made her Broadway debut in a revival of the The Crucible , in the role of Abigail Williams , for which she received much acclaim . She appeared on the cover of Time magazine in June 2016 , one of ten young leaders selected as ` Next Generation Leaders ' .


The Host (2013 film) The Host is a 2013 American romantic science fiction thriller film adapted from Stephenie Meyer 's novel of the same name . It tells the story of a young woman , Melanie , who is captured after the human race has been taken over by parasitic aliens called `` Souls '' . After Melanie is infused with a soul called `` Wanderer '' , Melanie and the alien `` Soul '' vie for control of her body . Written and directed by Andrew Niccol , the film stars Saoirse Ronan , Max Irons , Jake Abel , William Hurt , and Diane Kruger . Released in theaters on March 29 , 2013 , the film was poorly received by critics .


Marcus Allen's younger brother is named Damon Allen.

Marcus Allen Marcus LeMarr Allen ( born March 26 , 1960 ) is a former American football running back and football analyst for CBS . As a professional , Allen ran for 12,243 yards and caught 587 passes for 5,412 yards during his career for both the Los Angeles Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs from 1982 to 1997 . He scored 145 touchdowns , including a then league record 123 rushing touchdowns , and was elected to six Pro Bowls over the course of his career . He was also a fairly good passer for a running back , completing 12 of 27 passes for 285 yards and six touchdowns , with only one interception . Allen was the first player ever to gain more than 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards during his career .   Allen is considered one of the greatest goal line and short-yard runners in National Football League ( NFL ) history . His younger brother , Damon Allen , played quarterback for 23 seasons in the Canadian Football League and was professional football 's all-time leader in passing yards .   Allen has the distinction of being the only player in the history of football to have won a Heisman Trophy , an NCAA National Championship , a Super Bowl , and be named NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP . He has also been inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame .


Damon Allen Damon Allen ( born July 29 , 1963 ) is a former professional quarterback who played in the Canadian Football League . He is currently second in all-time professional football passing yards and second in all-time CFL passing yards after he was surpassed for first place by the Montréal Alouettes ' Anthony Calvillo on October 10 , 2011 . He is pro-football 's combined passing & rushing leader with a total of 84,301 yards . Allen retired as professional football 's all-time leading passer with 72,381 passing yards after he surpassed Warren Moon 's total of 70,553 yards ( in both the CFL and NFL combined ) on September 4 , 2006 in the annual Labour Day Classic . He also retired in third place in all-time CFL rushing yards with 11,920 yards , behind Mike Pringle and George Reed . The 2007 season marked Allen 's twenty-third season in the CFL and he officially announced his retirement on May 28 , 2008 at age 44 . Allen is the younger brother of Pro Football Hall of Famer Marcus Allen .   Allen has been mentioned as one of the greatest CFL quarterbacks of all time after winning four Grey Cups with four different teams , he also was a three time Grey Cup MVP . In 2005 , he was the CFL Most Outstanding Player at 42 yrs . old , becoming the oldest MVP of any North American sports franchise . He was a formidable passer and rusher , as he retired only 323 yards behind his brother Marcus . In 2012 , he was elected into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame .   In May 2010 , Allen launched the Damon Allen Quarterback Academy , in which he personally teaches the skills and strategies of quarterbacking to students of all ages and skill levels .


Twitter Twitter ( -LSB- ˈtwɪtər -RSB- ) is an online news and social networking service where users post and interact with messages , `` tweets '' , restricted to 140 characters . Registered users can post tweets , but those who are unregistered can only read them . Users access Twitter through its website interface , SMS or a mobile device app . Twitter Inc. is based in San Francisco , California , United States , and has more than 25 offices around the world .   Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey , Noah Glass , Biz Stone , and Evan Williams and launched in July . The service rapidly gained worldwide popularity . In 2012 , more than 100 million users posted 340 million tweets a day , and the service handled an average of 1.6 billion search queries per day . In 2013 , it was one of the ten most-visited websites and has been described as `` the SMS of the Internet '' . As of 2016 , Twitter had more than 319 million monthly active users . On the day of the 2016 U.S. presidential election , Twitter proved to be the largest source of breaking news , with 40 million election-related tweets sent by 10 p.m. ( Eastern Time ) that day .


Elephants have been featured in status reports.

Elephant Elephants are large mammals of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea . Three species are recognised , the African bush elephant ( Loxodonta africana ) , the African forest elephant ( L. cyclotis ) , and the Asian elephant ( Elephas maximus ) . Elephants are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa , South Asia , and Southeast Asia . Elephantidae is the only surviving family of the order Proboscidea ; other , now extinct , members of the order include deinotheres , gomphotheres , mammoths , and mastodons . Male African elephants are the largest extant terrestrial animals and can reach a height of 4 m and weigh 7000 kg . All elephants have several distinctive features , the most notable of which is a long trunk or proboscis , used for many purposes , particularly breathing , lifting water , and grasping objects . Their incisors grow into tusks , which can serve as weapons and as tools for moving objects and digging . Elephants ' large ear flaps help to control their body temperature . Their pillar-like legs can carry their great weight . African elephants have larger ears and concave backs while Asian elephants have smaller ears and convex or level backs .   Elephants are herbivorous and can be found in different habitats including savannahs , forests , deserts , and marshes . They prefer to stay near water . They are considered to be keystone species due to their impact on their environments . Other animals tend to keep their distance from elephants while predators , such as lions , tigers , hyenas , and any wild dogs , usually target only young elephants ( or `` calves '' ) . Females ( `` cows '' ) tend to live in family groups , which can consist of one female with her calves or several related females with offspring . The groups are led by an individual known as the matriarch , often the oldest cow . Elephants have a fission -- fusion society in which multiple family groups come together to socialise . Males ( `` bulls '' ) leave their family groups when they reach puberty and may live alone or with other males . Adult bulls mostly interact with family groups when looking for a mate and enter a state of increased testosterone and aggression known as musth , which helps them gain dominance and reproductive success . Calves are the centre of attention in their family groups and rely on their mothers for as long as three years . Elephants can live up to 70 years in the wild . They communicate by touch , sight , smell , and sound ; elephants use infrasound , and seismic communication over long distances . Elephant intelligence has been compared with that of primates and cetaceans . They appear to have self-awareness and show empathy for dying or dead individuals of their kind .   African elephants are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ) while the Asian elephant is classed as endangered . One of the biggest threats to elephant populations is the ivory trade , as the animals are poached for their ivory tusks . Other threats to wild elephants include habitat destruction and conflicts with local people . Elephants are used as working animals in Asia . In the past , they were used in war ; today , they are often controversially put on display in zoos , or exploited for entertainment in circuses . Elephants are highly recognisable and have been featured in art , folklore , religion , literature , and popular culture .


The Formula (1980 film) The Formula is a 1980 American mystery film directed by John G. Avildsen and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer . It features a preeminent cast including Marlon Brando , George C. Scott , John Gielgud , and Marthe Keller . Craig T. Nelson also makes a brief appearance as a geologist .


Baylor University has been in the second largest state in the US by both area and population for thirty years.

Baylor University Baylor University ( BU ) is a private Baptist university in Waco , Texas . Chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas , it is the oldest continuously-operating university in Texas and one of the first educational institutions west of the Mississippi River in the United States . Located on the banks of the Brazos River next to I-35 , between the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and Austin , the university 's 1,000-acre campus is the largest Baptist university campus in the world .   Baylor University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools but is currently on `` warning '' due to suspected non-compliance with SACS requirements , it is the least severe non-compliant status a university can be placed on .   Baylor University 's athletic teams , known as the Bears , participate in 19 intercollegiate sports . The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference in the NCAA Division I.


Gary Ridgway Gary Leon Ridgway ( born February 18 , 1949 ) is an American serial killer known as the Green River Killer . He was initially convicted of 48 separate murders and later confessed to nearly twice that number . As part of his plea bargain , an additional conviction was added , bringing the total number of convictions to 49 , making him the most prolific American serial killer in history according to confirmed murders . He murdered numerous women and girls in Washington State during the 1980s and 1990s . Most of his victims were alleged to be sex workers and other women in vulnerable situations , including underage runaways . The press gave him his nickname after the first five victims were found in the Green River before his identity was known . He strangled the women , usually by hand but sometimes using ligatures . After strangling them , he would dump their bodies in forested and overgrown areas in King County , often returning to the dead bodies to have sexual intercourse with them .   On November 30 , 2001 , as he was leaving the Kenworth truck factory where he worked in Renton , Washington , he was arrested for the murders of four women whose cases were linked to him through DNA evidence . As part of a plea bargain wherein he agreed to disclose the locations of still-missing women , he was spared the death penalty and received a sentence of life imprisonment without parole .


Helen Keller taught that deaf people are capable of speaking, just like hearing people.

Helen Keller Helen Adams Keller ( June 27 , 1880 -- June 1 , 1968 ) was an American author , political activist , and lecturer . She was the first deaf-blind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree . The story of how Keller 's teacher , Anne Sullivan , broke through the isolation imposed by a near complete lack of language , allowing the girl to blossom as she learned to communicate , has become widely known through the dramatic depictions of the play and film The Miracle Worker . Her birthplace in West Tuscumbia , Alabama , is now a museum and sponsors an annual `` Helen Keller Day '' . Her birthday on June 27 is commemorated as Helen Keller Day in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and was authorized at the federal level by presidential proclamation by President Jimmy Carter in 1980 , the 100th anniversary of her birth .   A prolific author , Keller was well-traveled and outspoken in her convictions . A member of the Socialist Party of America and the Industrial Workers of the World , she campaigned for women 's suffrage , labor rights , socialism , antimilitarism , and other similar causes . She was inducted into the Alabama Women 's Hall of Fame in 1971 and was one of twelve inaugural inductees to the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame on June 8 , 2015 . Helen proved to the world that deaf people could all learn to communicate and that they could survive in the hearing world . She also taught that deaf people are capable of doing things that hearing people can do . She is one of the most famous deaf people in history and she is an idol to many deaf people in the world .


Batman is the real full name of Calvin Harris.

Calvin Harris Adam Richard Wiles ( born 17 January 1984 ) , known professionally as Calvin Harris , is a Scottish record producer , DJ , singer and songwriter . His debut studio album I Created Disco was released in June 2007 , and was the precursor to his UK top 10 singles `` Acceptable in the 80s '' and `` The Girls '' . In 2009 , Harris released his second studio album Ready for the Weekend , which debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and was later certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry within two months of its release . Its lead single `` I 'm Not Alone '' became his first number-one single on the UK Singles Chart .   Harris rose to international prominence with the release of his third studio album 18 Months in October 2012 . Topping the UK charts , the album became his first to chart on the US Billboard 200 chart ( where it reached number 19 ) . All eight of the album 's singles , which were `` Bounce '' , `` Feel So Close '' , `` Let 's Go '' , `` We 'll Be Coming Back '' , `` Sweet Nothing '' , `` Drinking from the Bottle '' , `` I Need Your Love '' and `` Thinking About You '' reached the top 10 in the UK . Harris released his fourth studio album Motion in November 2014 . It debuted at number two in the UK and at number five in the US , and became Harris 's second consecutive number one album on the US Dance/Electronic Albums chart . The album 's first three singles `` Under Control '' , `` Summer '' and `` Blame '' all topped the UK chart .   Harris has collaborated with numerous other recording artists . His collaboration with Rihanna `` We Found Love '' became an international success , giving Harris his first US number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart . The two later collaborated on the singles `` Where Have You Been '' ( 2012 ) and `` This Is What You Came For '' ( 2016 ) . Harris currently holds the record for the most top 10 songs from one studio album on the UK Singles Chart with nine top 10 entries , surpassing Michael Jackson . In October 2014 , he became the first artist to place three songs simultaneously on the top 10 of Billboard 's Dance/Electronic Songs chart . He also became the first British solo artist to reach more than one billion streams on Spotify . Harris has received ten Brit Award nominations -- three for Best British Male , and four Grammy nominations , winning a Grammy for Best Music Video in 2013 . He received the British Academy 's Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of the Year in 2013 and at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards was named Top Dance/Electronic Artist . Additionally , Harris topped Forbes ' list of the world 's highest-paid DJs for three consecutive years from 2013 to 2015 . One of the most successful musicians in contemporary British popular culture , Harris appeared on Debrett 's 2017 list of the most influential people in the United Kingdom . Harris runs his own record label , Fly Eye Records .


Lance Armstrong founded the Cancer Foundation.

Lance Armstrong Lance Edward Armstrong ( born Lance Edward Gunderson on September 18 , 1971 ) is an American former professional road racing cyclist . Armstrong is the 1993 professional world champion , and won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005 . However , in 2012 , he was banned from sanctioned Olympic sports for life as a result of long-term doping offenses . As part of those sanctions , all results going back to August 1998 , including his seven Tour wins , were voided .   At age 16 , Armstrong began competing as a triathlete and was a national sprint-course triathlon champion in 1989 and 1990 . In 1992 , Armstrong began his career as a professional cyclist with the Motorola team . He had notable success between 1993 and 1996 , including the World Championship in 1993 , Clásica de San Sebastián in 1995 , Tour DuPont in 1995 and 1996 , and a handful of stage victories in Europe , including stage 18 of the 1995 Tour de France .   In 1996 , he was diagnosed with a potentially fatal metastatic testicular cancer . After his recovery , he founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation ( now the Livestrong Foundation ) to assist other cancer survivors .   Returning to cycling in 1998 , he was a member of the US Postal/Discovery team between 1998 and 2005 , when he won his Tour de France titles , as well as a bronze medal in the 2000 Summer Olympics . Armstrong retired from racing at the end of the 2005 Tour de France , but returned to competitive cycling with the Astana team in January 2009 , finishing third in the 2009 Tour de France later that year . Between 2010 and 2011 , he raced with Team Radio Shack , the UCI ProTeam he helped found . He retired for a second time in 2011 .   Armstrong had been the subject of doping allegations ever since winning the 1999 Tour de France . In 2012 , a United States Anti-Doping Agency investigation concluded that Armstrong had used performance-enhancing drugs over the course of his career and named him as the ringleader of `` the most sophisticated , professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen . '' Armstrong chose not to contest the charges , citing the potential toll on his family . As a result , he received a lifetime ban from all sports that follow the World Anti-Doping Code -- effectively ending his competitive career . He was also stripped of all of his achievements from August 1998 onward , including his seven Tour de France titles . The Union Cycliste Internationale upheld USADA 's decision and decided that his stripped wins would not be allocated to other riders . Armstrong chose not to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport . In a 2013 interview , Armstrong confessed that some of the allegations were true . He has declined to testify about the full extent of his use of the drugs . In the aftermath of his fall from grace , a CNN article wrote that `` The epic downfall of cycling 's star , once an idolized icon of millions around the globe , stands out in the history of professional sports . ''


The Taj Mahal brings 7-8 million tourists a year.

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal ( -LSB- ˌtɑːdʒ_məˈhɑːl -RSB- , more often -LSB- ˈtɑːʒ -RSB- meaning Crown of the Palace ) is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra . It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor , Shah Jahan ( reigned 1628 -- 1658 ) , to house the tomb of his favourite wife , Mumtaz Mahal . The tomb is the centrepiece of a 42 acre complex , which includes a mosque and a guest house , and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated wall .   Construction of the mausoleum was essentially completed in 1643 but work continued on other phases of the project for another 10 years . The Taj Mahal complex is believed to have been completed in its entirety in 1653 at a cost estimated at the time to be around 32 million rupees , which in 2015 would be approximately 52.8 billion rupees ( US$ 827 million ) . The construction project employed some 20,000 artisans under the guidance of a board of architects led by the court architect to the emperor , Ustad Ahmad Lahauri .   The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being `` the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world 's heritage '' . Described by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore as `` the tear-drop on the cheek of time '' , it is regarded by many as the best example of Mughal architecture and a symbol of India 's rich history . The Taj Mahal attracts 7 -- 8 million visitors a year . In 2007 , it was declared a winner of the New7Wonders of the World ( 2000 -- 2007 ) initiative .


Portia de Rossi Portia Lee James DeGeneres ( born Amanda Lee Rogers ; January 31 , 1973 ) , also known professionally as Portia de Rossi ( -LSB- ˈpɔərʃə_də_ˈrɒsi -RSB- ) , is an Australian and American actress , model , and philanthropist . She appeared as a regular cast member on the American political thriller television series Scandal in the role of Elizabeth North from 2014 to 2017 . She is also known for her roles as lawyer Nelle Porter on the American television series Ally McBeal -- for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award in 1999 -- and as Lindsay Fünke on the American television sitcom Arrested Development . She also portrayed Veronica Palmer on the ABC television sitcom Better Off Ted , and Olivia Lord on the television drama Nip/Tuck . De Rossi is married to comedian and television host Ellen DeGeneres .


Ellen DeGeneres Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( -LSB- dᵻˈdʒɛnərᵻs -RSB- born January 26 , 1958 ) is an American comedian , television host , actress , writer , and producer . DeGeneres starred in the popular sitcom Ellen from 1994 to 1998 and has hosted her syndicated TV talk show , The Ellen DeGeneres Show , since 2003 .   Her stand-up career started in the early 1980s , and included a 1986 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson . As a film actress , DeGeneres starred in Mr. Wrong ( 1996 ) , appeared in EDtv ( 1999 ) , and The Love Letter ( 1999 ) , and provided the voice of Dory in the Pixar animated films Finding Nemo ( 2003 ) and Finding Dory ( 2016 ) ; for Nemo , she was awarded the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress , the first time an actress won a Saturn Award for a voice performance . In 2010 , she was a judge on American Idol for its ninth season .   She starred in two television sitcoms , Ellen from 1994 to 1998 , and The Ellen Show from 2001 to 2002 . During the fourth season of Ellen in 1997 , she came out as a lesbian in an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show . Her character , Ellen Morgan , also came out to a therapist played by Winfrey , and the series went on to explore various LGBT issues , including the coming-out process . This made her the first openly lesbian actress to play an openly lesbian character on television . In 2008 , she married her longtime girlfriend Portia de Rossi .   DeGeneres has hosted the Academy Awards , Grammy Awards , and the Primetime Emmys . She has authored three books and started her own record company , Eleveneleven . She has won 29 Emmys , 20 People 's Choice Awards ( more than any other person ) , and numerous other awards for her work and charitable efforts . In 2016 , she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom .


Stranger than Fiction was released in 2009.

Stranger than Fiction (2006 film) Stranger than Fiction is a 2006 American fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Marc Forster , produced by Lindsay Doran , and written by Zach Helm . The film stars Will Ferrell , Maggie Gyllenhaal , Dustin Hoffman , Queen Latifah , and Emma Thompson . The main plot follows Harold Crick ( portrayed by Ferrell ) , a nondescript white-collar worker who begins hearing a disembodied voice narrating his life as it happens -- seemingly the text of a novel in which it is stated that he will soon die -- and he frantically seeks to somehow prevent that ending . The film was shot on location in Chicago , and has been praised for its innovative , intelligent story and fine performances . Ferrell , who came to prominence playing brash comedic parts , garnered particular attention for offering a restrained performance in his first starring dramatic role .


Mageia Mageia is a Linux based operating system , distributed as free and open source software . It is forked from the Mandriva Linux distribution . Mageia was the first Linux distribution where MariaDB replaced Oracle 's MySQL . The Greek term means enchantment , fascination , glamour , wizardry .   The first release of the software distribution , Mageia 1 , took place in June 2011 .


Linux Linux ( pronounced -LSB- - en audio = Linus-linux . oggˈlɪnəks -RSB- or , less frequently , -LSB- ˈlaɪnəks -RSB- ) is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open-source software development and distribution . The defining component of Linux is the Linux kernel , an operating system kernel first released on September 17 , 1991 by Linus Torvalds . The Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to describe the operating system , which has led to some controversy .   Linux was originally developed for personal computers based on the Intel x86 architecture , but has since been ported to more platforms than any other operating system . Because of the dominance of Android on smartphones , Linux has the largest installed base of all general-purpose operating systems . Linux is also the leading operating system on servers and other big iron systems such as mainframe computers , and is used on 99.6 % of the TOP500 supercomputers . It is used by around 2.3 % of desktop computers . The Chromebook , which runs the Linux kernel-based Chrome OS , dominates the US K -- 12 education market and represents nearly 20 % of the sub - $ 300 notebook sales in the US . Linux also runs on embedded systems -- devices whose operating system is typically built into the firmware and is highly tailored to the system . This includes TiVo and similar DVR devices , network routers , facility automation controls , televisions , video game consoles and smartwatches . Many smartphones and tablet computers run Android and other Linux derivatives .   The development of Linux is one of the most prominent examples of free and open-source software collaboration . The underlying source code may be used , modified and distributedcommercially or non-commerciallyby anyone under the terms of its respective licenses , such as the GNU General Public License . Typically , Linux is packaged in a form known as a Linux distribution ( or distro for short ) for both desktop and server use . Some of the most popular mainstream Linux distributions are Arch Linux , CentOS , Debian , Fedora , Gentoo Linux , Linux Mint , Mageia , openSUSE and Ubuntu , together with commercial distributions such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server . Distributions include the Linux kernel , supporting utilities and libraries , many of which are provided by the GNU Project , and usually a large amount of application software to fulfil the distribution 's intended use .   Desktop Linux distributions include a windowing system , such as X11 , Mir or a Wayland implementation , and an accompanying desktop environment such as GNOME or the KDE Software Compilation ; some distributions may also include a less resource-intensive desktop , such as LXDE or Xfce . Distributions intended to run on servers may omit all graphical environments from the standard install , and instead include other software to set up and operate a solution stack such as LAMP . Because Linux is freely redistributable , anyone may create a distribution for any intended use .


Dunkirk (2017 film) was filmed at least partially in Dunkirk, France.

Dunkirk (2017 film) Dunkirk is an upcoming English-language war film written , co-produced , and directed by Christopher Nolan . Set during World War II , it concerns the Dunkirk evacuation . The film is a co-production between the Netherlands , the United Kingdom , France , and the United States .   Nolan wrote the story with the intention to tell it from three perspectives -- the air , land and sea . Efforts were made to create suspense solely through details , as the script contained little dialogue . Filming began on 23 May 2016 in Dunkirk , France , and was shot on IMAX 65 mm and 65 mm large format film stock by cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema .   Dunkirk is scheduled to be released on 21 July 2017 in IMAX .


Anna Kendrick did not act in a 2015 sequel.

Anna Kendrick Anna Cooke Kendrick ( born August 9 , 1985 ) is an American actress and singer . She began her career as a child actor in theater productions . Her first prominent role was in the 1998 Broadway musical High Society , which earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical . She made her film debut in the musical comedy Camp ( 2003 ) .   Kendrick rose to prominence for her supporting role in The Twilight Saga ( 2008 -- 12 ) , the film franchise based on Stephenie Meyer 's book series . She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Up in the Air ( 2009 ) . She achieved further fame for playing the protagonist in the 2012 musical comedy Pitch Perfect and the 2015 sequel , Pitch Perfect 2 .   Kendrick has also featured in the comedy-drama 50/50 ( 2011 ) , the crime-drama End of Watch ( 2012 ) , the musical-fantasy Into the Woods ( 2014 ) , and the adult comedy Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates ( 2016 ) .  In 2016 , Kendrick published her memoir , Scrappy Little Nobody .


Jeremy Irons lost every Golden Globe Award.

Jeremy Irons Jeremy John Irons ( born 19 September 1948 ) is an English actor . After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School , Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969 and has since appeared in many West End theatre productions , including The Winter 's Tale , Macbeth , Much Ado About Nothing , The Taming of the Shrew , Godspell , Richard II , and Embers . In 1984 , he made his Broadway debut in Tom Stoppard 's The Real Thing and received a Tony Award for Best Actor .   Irons ' first major film role came in the 1981 romantic drama The French Lieutenant 's Woman , for which he received a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor . After starring in dramas such as Moonlighting ( 1982 ) , Betrayal ( 1983 ) , and The Mission ( 1986 ) , he gained critical acclaim for portraying twin gynaecologists in David Cronenberg 's psychological thriller Dead Ringers ( 1988 ) . In 1990 , Irons played accused murderer Claus von Bülow in Reversal of Fortune , and took home multiple awards , including an Academy Award for Best Actor .   Other notable films have included Steven Soderbergh 's mystery thriller Kafka ( 1991 ) , the period drama The House of the Spirits ( 1993 ) , the romantic drama M. Butterfly ( 1993 ) , the voice of Scar in Disney 's The Lion King ( 1994 ) , Simon Gruber in the action film Die Hard with a Vengeance ( 1995 ) , the drama Lolita ( 1997 ) , Musketeer Aramis in The Man in the Iron Mask ( 1998 ) , the action adventure Dungeons & Dragons ( 2000 ) , the drama The Merchant of Venice ( 2004 ) , the drama Being Julia ( 2004 ) , the epic historical drama Kingdom of Heaven ( 2005 ) , the fantasy-adventure Eragon ( 2006 ) , the Western Appaloosa ( 2008 ) , and the indie drama Margin Call ( 2011 ) . In 2016 , he appeared in Assassin 's Creed and , starting that year , he plays Alfred Pennyworth in the DC Extended Universe , beginning with Batman v Superman : Dawn of Justice , and later reprising the role in Justice League ( 2017 ) and The Batman ( TBA ) .   Irons has also made several notable appearances on TV . He earned his first Golden Globe Award nomination for his break-out role in the ITV series Brideshead Revisited ( 1981 ) . In 2005 , Irons starred opposite Helen Mirren in the historical miniseries Elizabeth I , for which he received a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor . From 2011 to 2013 he starred as Pope Alexander VI in the Showtime historical series The Borgias . He is one of the few actors who won the `` Triple Crown of Acting '' , winning an Academy Award ( for film ) , an Emmy Award ( television ) and a Tony Award ( for theatre ) . In October 2011 , he was nominated Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations .


New England New England is a geographical region comprising six states of the northeast United States : Connecticut , Maine , Massachusetts , New Hampshire , Rhode Island , and Vermont . It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and south , and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north , respectively . The Atlantic Ocean is to the east and southeast , and Long Island Sound is to the south . Boston , the capital of Massachusetts , is New England 's largest city . The largest metropolitan area is Greater Boston , which also includes Worcester ( the second-largest city in both Massachusetts and New England ) , Manchester ( the largest city in New Hampshire ) , and Providence ( the capital and largest city of Rhode Island ) , with nearly a third of the entire region 's population .   In 1620 , Puritan Separatist Pilgrims from England first settled in the region , forming the Plymouth Colony , the second successful English settlement in the Americas , following the Jamestown Settlement in Virginia founded in 1607 . Ten years later , more Puritans settled north of Plymouth Colony in Boston , thus forming Massachusetts Bay Colony . Over the next 126 years , people in the region fought in four French and Indian Wars , until the British and their Iroquois allies defeated the French and their Algonquin allies in North America . In 1692 , the town of Salem , Massachusetts and surrounding areas experienced one of the most infamous cases of mass hysteria in the history of the Western Hemisphere , the Salem witch trials . In the late 18th century , political leaders from the New England Colonies known as the Sons of Liberty initiated resistance to Britain 's efforts to impose new taxes without the consent of the colonists . The Boston Tea Party was a protest to which Britain responded with a series of punitive laws stripping Massachusetts of self-government , which were termed the `` Intolerable Acts '' by the colonists . The confrontation led to the first battles of the American Revolutionary War in 1775 , and the expulsion of the British authorities from the region in spring 1776 .   The region played a prominent role in the movement to abolish slavery in the United States , and was the first region of the U.S. transformed by the Industrial Revolution , centered on the Blackstone and Merrimack river valleys .   The physical geography of New England is diverse for such a small area ; southeastern New England is covered by a narrow coastal plain , while the western and northern regions are dominated by the rolling hills and worn-down peaks of the northern end of the Appalachian Mountains . With the Atlantic fall line lying so close to the coast , numerous industrial cities were able to take advantage of water power along the numerous rivers , such as the Connecticut River , which bisects the region from north to south .   Each state is principally subdivided into small incorporated municipalities known as towns , many of which are governed by town meetings . The only unincorporated areas in the region exist in the sparsely populated northern regions of Maine , New Hampshire , and Vermont . The region is one of the U.S. Census Bureau 's nine regional divisions and the only multi-state region with clear , consistent boundaries . It maintains a strong sense of cultural identity , although the terms of this identity are often contrasted , combining Puritanism with liberalism , agrarian life with industry , and isolation with immigration .


Ketogenic diet is not a low-carbohydrate diet.

Ketogenic diet The ketogenic diet is a high-fat , adequate-protein , low-carbohydrate diet that in medicine is used primarily to treat difficult-to-control ( refractory ) epilepsy in children . The diet forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates . Normally , the carbohydrates contained in food are converted into glucose , which is then transported around the body and is particularly important in fueling brain-function . However , if there is very little carbohydrate in the diet , the liver converts fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies . The ketone bodies pass into the brain and replace glucose as an energy source . An elevated level of ketone bodies in the blood , a state known as ketosis , leads to a reduction in the frequency of epileptic seizures . Almost half of children , and young people , with epilepsy who have tried some form of this diet saw the number of seizures drop by at least half , and the effect persists even after discontinuing the diet . There is some evidence that adults with epilepsy may benefit from the diet , and that a less strict regimen , such as a modified Atkins diet , is similarly effective . The most common adverse effect is constipation , affecting about 30 % of patients -- this was due to fluid restriction , which was once a feature of the diet , but this led to increased risk of kidney stones , and is no longer considered beneficial .   The original therapeutic diet for paediatric epilepsy provides just enough protein for body growth and repair , and sufficient calories to maintain the correct weight for age and height . The classic therapeutic ketogenic diet was developed for treatment of paediatric epilepsy in the 1920s and was widely used into the next decade , but its popularity waned with the introduction of effective anticonvulsant drugs . This classic ketogenic diet contains a 4:1 ratio by weight of fat to combined protein and carbohydrate . This is achieved by excluding high-carbohydrate foods such as starchy fruits and vegetables , bread , pasta , grains and sugar , while increasing the consumption of foods high in fat such as nuts , cream and butter . Most dietary fat is made of molecules called long-chain triglycerides ( LCTs ) . However , medium-chain triglycerides ( MCTs ) -- made from fatty acids with shorter carbon chains than LCTs -- are more ketogenic . A variant of the classic diet known as the MCT ketogenic diet uses a form of coconut oil , which is rich in MCTs , to provide around half the calories . As less overall fat is needed in this variant of the diet , a greater proportion of carbohydrate and protein can be consumed , allowing a greater variety of food choices .   In the mid-1990s , Hollywood producer Jim Abrahams , whose son 's severe epilepsy was effectively controlled by the diet , created the Charlie Foundation to promote it . Publicity included an appearance on NBC 's Dateline programme and ... First Do No Harm ( 1997 ) , a made-for-television film starring Meryl Streep . The foundation sponsored a multicentre research study , the results of which -- announced in 1996 -- marked the beginning of renewed scientific interest in the diet .   Clinical trials and studies in animal models ( including C. elegans ) suggest that ketogenic diets provide neuroprotective and disease-modifying benefits for a number of adult neurodegenerative disorders . As of 2012 , there is limited clinical trial data in these areas , and , outside of paediatric epilepsy , use of the ketogenic diet remains at the research stage .


Spencer Tracy was born on April 5th, 1900.

Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy ( April 5 , 1900 -- June 10 , 1967 ) was an American actor , noted for his natural style and versatility . One of the major stars of Hollywood 's Golden Age , Tracy was nominated for nine Academy Awards for Best Actor and won two , sharing the record for nominations in that category with Laurence Olivier .   Tracy first discovered his talent for acting while attending Ripon College , and he later received a scholarship for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts . He spent seven years in the theatre , working in a succession of stock companies and intermittently on Broadway . Tracy 's breakthrough came in 1930 , when his lead performance in The Last Mile caught the attention of Hollywood . After a successful film debut in Up the River , Tracy was signed to a contract with Fox Film Corporation . His five years with Fox were unremarkable , and he remained largely unknown to audiences after 25 films .   In 1935 , Tracy joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer , at the time Hollywood 's most prestigious studio . His career flourished with a series of hit films , and in 1937 and 1938 he won consecutive Oscars for Captains Courageous and Boys Town . By the 1940s , Tracy was one of the studio 's top stars . In 1942 , he appeared with Katharine Hepburn in Woman of the Year , beginning a popular partnership that produced nine movies over 25 years . Tracy left MGM in 1955 , and continued to work regularly as a freelance star , despite an increasing weariness as he aged . His personal life was troubled , with a lifelong struggle against alcoholism and guilt over his son 's deafness . Tracy became estranged from his wife in the 1930s , but never divorced , conducting a long-term relationship with Katharine Hepburn in private . Towards the end of his life , Tracy worked almost exclusively for director Stanley Kramer . It was for Kramer that he made his last film , Guess Who 's Coming to Dinner in 1967 , completed just 17 days before Tracy 's death .   During his career , Tracy appeared in 75 films and developed a reputation among his peers as one of the screen 's greatest actors . In 1999 the American Film Institute ranked Tracy as the 9th greatest male star of Classic Hollywood Cinema .


Adam Sandler founded a production company.

Happy Madison Productions Happy Madison Productions is an American film and television production company founded in 1996 by Adam Sandler which is best known for its comedy films . Happy Madison takes its name from the films Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison , two box office successes starring Sandler himself , both produced by Robert Simonds . The elderly man depicted in the logo is Sandler 's late father , Stanley .   In addition to various Sandler-produced films , the company has also released films produced by others , such as Steven Brill ( Little Nicky , Mr. Deeds ) , Dennis Dugan ( The Benchwarmers , I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry , You Do n't Mess with the Zohan , Grown Ups , Grown Ups 2 ) , Frank Coraci ( Click , Zookeeper , Blended ) , Fred Wolf ( Strange Wilderness , The House Bunny ) , Tom Brady ( The Animal , The Hot Chick , Bucky Larson : Born to Be a Star ) , Peter Segal ( Anger Management , 50 First Dates , The Longest Yard ) , and Nicholaus Goossen ( A Day with the Meatball , Grandma 's Boy , The Shortcut ) .   The 1998 films The Waterboy and The Wedding Singer helped jump start Sandler 's movie career and production company . He produced The Waterboy and co-wrote the script with Tim Herlihy . The film was extremely profitable , earning over $ 160 million in the United States alone and made Sandler a successful actor with The Waterboy becoming his second $ 100 million film in a year , along with The Wedding Singer .   The company 's production office is located in the Judy Garland Building on the Sony Pictures Studios lot in Culver City , California while its corporate and parent company offices ( Happy Madison , Inc. ) are located in Manchester , New Hampshire run by Adam 's brother Scott .   The company used to have a subsidiary , Madison 23 Productions , which was aimed towards the drama genre . The only production under Madison 23 was Reign Over Me , starring Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle . This studio company on the trailer of Funny People and the poster and trailer for Reign Over Me is also known as `` Mr. Madison Productions '' . However , after the financial failure of Reign Over Me , the `` Madison 23 '' label was shut down .   Happy Madison 's most recent releases are The Ridiculous 6 and The Do Over .


Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler ( born September 9 , 1966 ) is an American actor , comedian , screenwriter , film producer , and musician . After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member , Sandler went on to star in many Hollywood feature films that combined have grossed over $ 2 billion at the box office . He is best known for his comedic roles , such as in the films Billy Madison ( 1995 ) , the sports comedies Happy Gilmore ( 1996 ) and The Waterboy ( 1998 ) , the romantic comedy The Wedding Singer ( 1998 ) , Big Daddy ( 1999 ) , and Mr. Deeds ( 2002 ) , and voicing Dracula in Hotel Transylvania ( 2012 ) and Hotel Transylvania 2 ( 2015 ) . Several of his movies , most notably the widely panned Jack and Jill , have gained harsh criticism , culminating in a shared second place in the number of Raspberry Awards ( 3 ) and Raspberry Award Nominations ( 11 ) , in both cases second only to Sylvester Stallone . He has ventured into more dramatic territory with his roles in Punch-Drunk Love ( 2002 ) , Spanglish ( 2004 ) , Reign Over Me ( 2007 ) , Funny People ( 2009 ) and The Meyerowitz Stories ( 2017 ) .   Sandler has released five comedy albums in his career . They 're All Gon na Laugh at You ! ( 1993 ) and What the Hell Happened to Me ? ( 1996 ) are both certified double-platinum . In 1999 , Sandler founded Happy Madison Productions .


Days of Heaven Days of Heaven is a 1978 American romantic drama film written and directed by Terrence Malick and starring Richard Gere , Brooke Adams , Sam Shepard , and Linda Manz . Set in 1916 , it tells the story of Bill and Abby , lovers who travel to the Texas Panhandle to harvest crops for a wealthy farmer . Bill encourages Abby to claim the fortune of the dying farmer by tricking him into a false marriage .   Days of Heaven was Malick 's second feature film , after the enthusiastically received Badlands ( 1973 ) , and was produced on a budget of $ 3,000,000 . Production was particularly troublesome , with a tight shooting schedule and significant budget constraints . Additionally , editing took Malick a lengthy three years , due to difficulty with achieving a general flow and assembly of the scenes . This was eventually solved with an added , improvised narration by Linda Manz . The film was scored by Ennio Morricone and photographed by Nestor Almendros and Haskell Wexler .   Days of Heaven received positive reviews on its original theatrical release ; its photography was widely praised , although a small number of critics considered only this aspect to be worthy of high praise . It was not a significant commercial success , but did win an Academy Award for Best Cinematography along with three nominations for the score , costume design and sound . Malick also won the Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival .   Days of Heaven has since become one of the most acclaimed films of its decade , noted particularly for its cinematography . In 2007 , it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant '' . It continues to appear in polls of the best films ever made , and appeared at # 49 on a BBC poll of the greatest American films .


Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( -LSB- ˈɡɪər -RSB- ; born August 31 , 1949 ) is an American actor and humanitarian activist . He began acting in the 1970s , playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar and a starring role in Days of Heaven . He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo , which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol . He went on to star in several hit films , including An Officer and a Gentleman , Pretty Woman , Primal Fear , Runaway Bride , Arbitrage and Chicago , for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and a Screen Actors Guild Award for part of the Best Cast .


Hotel Transylvania is exclusively hand-drawn.

Hotel Transylvania Hotel Transylvania is a 2012 American 3D computer-animated fantasy comedy film produced by Sony Pictures Animation for Columbia Pictures . It was directed by Genndy Tartakovsky and produced by Michelle Murdocca , and stars the voices of Adam Sandler , Andy Samberg , Selena Gomez , Kevin James , Fran Drescher , Steve Buscemi , Molly Shannon , David Spade , and CeeLo Green . The film tells a story of Count Dracula , the owner of a hotel called Hotel Transylvania where the world 's monsters can take a rest from human civilization . Dracula invites some of the most famous monsters to celebrate the 118th birthday of his daughter Mavis . When the `` human-free hotel '' is unexpectedly visited by an ordinary 21-year-old traveler named Jonathan , Dracula must protect Mavis from falling in love with him before the hotel 's guests learn that there is a human in the castle , which may jeopardize the hotel 's future and his career .   The film was released on September 28 , 2012 and was met with mixed critical reception , while the general public received it favorably . Despite this , Hotel Transylvania earned a total of $ 358 million against a budget of $ 85 million at the box office . The film was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film . It launched a franchise with a sequel titled Hotel Transylvania 2 , which takes place seven years after the film , released in 2015 , and a third film scheduled for 2018 . A television series based on the film is planned to premiere on Disney Channel in June 2017 , and it will focus on the teenage years of Mavis and her friends at the Hotel Transylvania .


Bronson (film) is a fictionalized crime film based on someone's life.

Bronson (film) Bronson is a 2008 British fictionalized biographical crime film co-written and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and starring Tom Hardy . The film follows the life of notorious prisoner Michael Gordon Peterson , who was renamed Charles Bronson by his fight promoter . Born into a respectable middle-class family , Peterson would nevertheless become one of the United Kingdom 's most dangerous criminals , and is known for having spent almost his entire adult life in solitary confinement . Bronson is narrated with humour , blurring the line between comedy and horror .


Biographical film A biographical film , or biopic ( -LSB- ˈbaɪəʊpɪk -RSB- abbreviation for biographical motion picture ) , is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people . Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character 's real name is used . They differ from films `` based on a true story '' or `` historical drama films '' in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a single person 's life story or at least the most historically important years of their lives .   Because the figures portrayed are actual people , whose actions and characteristics are known to the public ( or at least historically documented ) , biopic roles are considered some of the most demanding of actors and actresses . Ben Kingsley , Johnny Depp , Jim Carrey , and Jamie Foxx all gained new-found respect as dramatic actors after starring in biopics : Ben Kingsley as Mahatma Gandhi in Gandhi ( 1982 ) , Depp as Ed Wood in Ed Wood ( 1994 ) , Carrey as Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon ( 1999 ) , and Foxx as Ray Charles in Ray ( 2004 ) .   In rare cases , sometimes called auto biopics , the subject of the film plays himself or herself : Jackie Robinson in The Jackie Robinson Story ; Muhammad Ali in The Greatest ; Audie Murphy in To Hell and Back ; Patty Duke in Call Me Anna ; Bob Mathias in The Bob Mathias Story , Arlo Guthrie in Alice 's Restaurant ; and Howard Stern in Private Parts .   Biopic scholars include George F. Custen of the College of Staten Island and Dennis P. Bingham of Indiana University -- Purdue University Indianapolis . Custen , in Bio/Pics : How Hollywood Constructed Public History ( 1992 ) , regards the genre as having died with the Hollywood studio era , and in particular , Darryl F. Zanuck . On the other hand , Bingham 's 2010 study Whose Lives Are They Anyway ? The Biopic as Contemporary Film Genre shows how it perpetuates as a codified genre using many of the same tropes used in the studio era that has followed a similar trajectory as that shown by Rick Altman in his study , Film/Genre . Bingham also addresses the male biopic and the female biopic as distinct genres from each other , the former generally dealing with great accomplishments , the latter generally dealing with female victimization . Ellen Cheshire 's Bio-Pics : a life in pictures ( 2014 ) examines UK/US films from the 1990s and 2000s . Each chapter reviews key films linked by profession and concludes with further viewing list . Christopher Robé has also written on the gender norms that underlie the biopic in his article , `` Taking Hollywood Back '' in the 2009 issue of Cinema Journal . Roger Ebert defended The Hurricane and distortions in biographical films in general , stating `` those who seek the truth about a man from the film of his life might as well seek it from his loving grandmother . ... The Hurricane is not a documentary but a parable . ''   Some biopics purposely stretch the truth . Confessions of a Dangerous Mind was based on game show host Chuck Barris ' widely debunked yet popular memoir of the same name , in which he claimed to be a CIA agent . Kafka incorporated both the life of author Franz Kafka and the surreal aspects of his fiction . The Errol Flynn film They Died with Their Boots On tells the story of Custer but is highly romanticized . The Oliver Stone film The Doors , mainly about Jim Morrison , was highly praised for the similarities between Jim Morrison and actor Val Kilmer , look-wise and singing-wise , but fans and band members did not like the way Oliver Stone portrayed Jim Morrison , and a few of the scenes were even completely made up .   Casting can be controversial for biographical films . Casting is often a balance between similarity in looks and ability to portray the characteristics of the person . Anthony Hopkins felt that he should not have played Richard Nixon in Nixon because of a lack of resemblance between the two . The casting of John Wayne as Genghis Khan in The Conqueror was objected to because of the American Wayne being cast as the Mongol warlord . Egyptian critics criticized the casting of Louis Gossett , Jr. , an African American actor , as Egyptian president Anwar Sadat in the 1982 TV miniseries Sadat . Also , some objected to the casting of Jennifer Lopez in Selena because she is a New York City native of Puerto Rican descent while Selena was Mexican-American .


Malala Yousafzai's father did charitable work.

Malala Yousafzai Malala Yousafzai ( Malālah Yūsafzay : -LSB- ; ملاله یوسفزۍ -LSB- məˈlaːlə jusəf ˈzəj -RSB- born 12 July 1997 ) is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate . She is known for human rights advocacy , especially education of women in her native Swat Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , northwest Pakistan , where the local Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school . Her advocacy has since grown into an international movement .   Yousafzai was born in Mingora , Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , Pakistan . Her family came to run a chain of schools in the region . Considering Jinnah and Benazir Bhutto as her role-models , she was particularly inspired by her father 's thoughts and humanitarian work . In early 2009 , when she was 11 -- 12 , she wrote a blog under a pseudonym for the BBC Urdu detailing her life during the Taliban occupation of Swat . The following summer , journalist Adam B. Ellick made a New York Times documentary about her life as the Pakistani military intervened in the region . She rose in prominence , giving interviews in print and on television , and she was nominated for the International Children 's Peace Prize by activist Desmond Tutu .   On the afternoon of 9 October 2012 , Yousafzai was injured after a Taliban gunman attempted to murder her . Yousafzai remained unconscious , in critical condition at the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology , but later her condition improved enough for her to be sent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham , UK . The murder attempt sparked a national and international outpouring of support for Yousafzai . Deutsche Welle wrote in January 2013 that she may have become `` the most famous teenager in the world . '' Weeks after her murder attempt , a group of fifty leading Muslim clerics in Pakistan issued a fatwā against those who tried to kill her .   Since recovering , Yousafzai became a prominent education activist . Based out of Birmingham , she founded the Malala Fund , a non-profit , and in 2013 co-authored I am Malala , an international bestseller . In 2015 , Yousafzai was a subject of the Oscar-shortlisted documentary He Named Me Malala . The 2013 , 2014 and 2015 issues of Time magazine featured her as one of the most Influential people globally . In 2012 , she was the recipient of Pakistan 's first National Youth Peace Prize and the 2013 Sakharov Prize . In 2014 , she was announced as the co-recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize , along with Kailash Satyarthi , for her struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education . Aged 17 at the time , she became the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate . Since March 2013 , she has been a pupil at the all-girls ' Edgbaston High School in Birmingham . In 2017 , she was awarded honorary Canadian citizenship and became the youngest person to address the House of Commons of Canada .


Unforgettable (2017 film) Unforgettable is a 2017 American erotic thriller film directed by Denise Di Novi ( in her directorial debut ) and written by Christina Hodson and David Leslie Johnson . The film stars Katherine Heigl , Rosario Dawson , Geoff Stults , Isabella Rice and Cheryl Ladd , and follows a divorcée who begins to torment the new fiancé of her ex-husband .   Principal photography began on August 17 , 2015 in Los Angeles . The film was released on April 21 , 2017 by Warner Bros. and has grossed $ 15 million against its $ 12 million budget .


Slovakia Slovakia ( listen ) , is a landlocked country in Central Europe . It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west , Poland to the north , Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south . Slovakia 's territory spans about 49000 km2 and is mostly mountainous . The population is over 5 million and comprises mostly ethnic Slovaks . The capital and largest city is Bratislava . The official language is Slovak .   The Slavs arrived in the territory of present-day Slovakia in the 5th and 6th centuries . In the 7th century , they played a significant role in the creation of Samo 's Empire and in the 9th century established the Principality of Nitra . In the 10th century , the territory was integrated into the Kingdom of Hungary , which itself became part of the Ottoman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire . After World War I and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire , the Slovaks and Czechs established Czechoslovakia . A separate ( First ) Slovak Republic ( 1939 -- 1945 ) existed in World War II as a client state of Nazi Germany . In 1945 , Czechoslovakia was re-established under Communist rule as a Soviet satellite . In 1989 the Velvet Revolution ended authoritarian Communist rule in Czechoslovakia . Slovakia became an independent state on 1 January 1993 after the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia , sometimes known as the Velvet Divorce .   Slovakia is a high-income advanced economy with a very high Human Development Index , a very high standard of living and performs favourably in measurements of civil liberties , press freedom , internet freedom , democratic governance and peacefulness . The country maintains a combination of market economy with a comprehensive social security system . Citizens of Slovakia are provided with universal health care , free education and one of the longest paid maternity leave in the OECD . The country joined the European Union in 2004 and the Eurozone on 1 January 2009 . Slovakia is also a member of the Schengen Area , NATO , the United Nations , the OECD , the WTO , CERN , the OSCE , the Council of Europe and the Visegrád Group . The Slovak economy is one of the fastest growing economies in Europe and 3rd fastest in eurozone . Its legal tender , the Euro , is the world 's 2nd most traded currency . Although regional income inequality is high , 90 % of citizens own their homes . In 2016 , Slovak citizens had visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 165 countries and territories , ranking the Slovak passport 11th in the world . Slovakia is the world 's largest per-capita car producer with a total of 1,040,000 cars manufactured in the country in 2016 alone and the 7th largest car producer in the European Union . The car industry represents 43 % of Slovakia 's industrial output , and a quarter of its exports .


There are five Davis Cup titles that Rod Laver has contributed to.

Rod Laver Rodney George `` Rod '' Laver ( born 9 August 1938 ) is an Australian former tennis player widely regarded as one of the greatest in tennis history . He was the No. 1 ranked professional from 1964 to 1970 , spanning four years before and three years after the start of the Open Era . He also was the No. 1 amateur in 1961 -- 62 according to Lance Tingay .   Laver 's 200 singles titles are the most in tennis history , and he holds the all-time male singles records of 22 titles in a single season ( 1962 ) and seven consecutive years ( 1964 -- 70 ) winning at least 10 titles per season . He excelled on all of the court surfaces of his time : grass , clay , hard , carpet , and wood/parquet .   Despite being banned from playing the Grand Slam tournaments for the five years prior to the Open Era , he still won 11 singles titles . He is the only player to twice achieve the calendar-year Grand Slam , in 1962 ( pre-open era ) and 1969 ( open era ) , and remains the only man to do so during the Open Era . He also won eight Pro Slam titles , including the calendar year Pro `` Grand Slam '' in 1967 , and contributed to five Davis Cup titles for Australia during an age when Davis Cup was deemed as significant as the Grand Slams .


Superman Superman is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics . The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster , high school students living in Cleveland , Ohio , in 1933 . They sold Superman to Detective Comics , the future DC Comics , in 1938 . Superman debuted in Action Comics # 1 ( cover-dated June 1938 ) and subsequently appeared in various radio serials , newspaper strips , television programs , films , and video games . With this success , Superman helped to create the superhero archetype and establish its primacy within the American comic book . The character is also referred to by such epithets as the Big Blue Boy Scout , the Man of Steel , the Man of Tomorrow , and the Last Son of Krypton .   The origin story of Superman relates that he was born Kal-El on the planet Krypton , before being rocketed to Earth as an infant by his scientist father Jor-El , moments before Krypton 's destruction . Discovered and adopted by a Kansas farm couple , the child is raised as Clark Kent and imbued with a strong moral compass . Very early on he started to display various superhuman abilities , which , upon reaching maturity , he resolved to use for the benefit of humanity through a `` Superman '' identity .   Superman resides and operates in the fictional American city of Metropolis . As Clark Kent , he is a journalist for the Daily Planet , a Metropolis newspaper . Superman 's love interest is generally Lois Lane , and his archenemy is the supervillain Lex Luthor . A close ally of Batman and Wonder Woman , he is typically depicted as a member of the Justice League . Like other characters in the DC Universe , several alternate versions of Superman have been characterized over the years .   Superman 's appearance is distinctive and iconic ; he usually wears a blue costume with a red-and-yellow emblem on the chest , consisting of the letter S in a shield shape , and a red cape . This shield is used in many media to symbolize the character . Superman is widely considered an American cultural icon . He has fascinated scholars , with cultural theorists , commentators , and critics alike exploring the character 's role and impact in the United States and worldwide . The character 's ownership has often been the subject of dispute , with Siegel and Shuster twice suing for the return of rights . The character has been adapted extensively and portrayed in other forms of media as well , including films , television series , and video games . Several actors have portrayed Superman in motion pictures and TV series including Kirk Alyn , George Reeves , Christopher Reeve , Dean Cain , Tom Welling , Brandon Routh , Henry Cavill , and Tyler Hoechlin .


The Netherlands is a sparingly populated country.

Netherlands The Netherlands , ( -LSB- ˈnɛðərləndz -RSB- Nederland -LSB- ˈneːdərˌlɑnt -RSB- ; Nederlân ) also known informally as Holland , is the main constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands . It is a densely populated country located in Western Europe with three island territories in the Caribbean.designated Bonaire , Sint Eustatius and Saba within ISO ISO 3166-1 . The European part of the Netherlands borders Germany to the east , Belgium to the south , and the North Sea to the northwest , sharing maritime borders with Belgium , the United Kingdom , and Germany .   The four largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam , Rotterdam , The Hague and Utrecht ( collectively known as G4 ) . Amsterdam is the country 's capital , while The Hague holds the Dutch seat of parliament and government . The port of Rotterdam is the world 's largest port outside East-Asia , and the largest port in Europe . The name Holland is used informally to refer to the whole of the country of the Netherlands.Formally ` Holland ' refers only to two of the country 's twelve provinces : North Holland and South Holland .   `` Netherlands '' literally means `` lower countries '' , influenced by its low land and flat geography , with only about 50 % of its land exceeding one metre above sea level . Most of the areas below sea level are artificial . Since the late 16th century , large areas ( polders ) have been reclaimed from the sea and lakes , amounting to nearly 17 % of the country 's current land mass . With a population density of 412 people per km2 -- 507 ( January 2017 ) if water is excluded -- the Netherlands is classified as a very densely populated country . Only Bangladesh , South Korea , and Taiwan have both a larger population and higher population density . Nevertheless , the Netherlands is the world 's second-largest exporter of food and agricultural products , after the United States . This is partly due to the fertility of the soil and the mild climate . The Netherlands was the third country in the world to have an elected parliament , and since 1848 it has been governed as a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy , organised as a unitary state . The Netherlands has a long history of social tolerance and is generally regarded as a liberal country , having legalised abortion , prostitution and euthanasia , while maintaining a progressive drugs policy . In 2001 , it became the world 's first country to legalise same-sex marriage .   The Netherlands is a founding member of the EU , Eurozone , G-10 , NATO , OECD and WTO ; as well as being a part of the Schengen Area and the trilateral Benelux Union . The country is host to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and five international courts : the Permanent Court of Arbitration , the International Court of Justice , the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia , the International Criminal Court and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon . The first four are situated in The Hague , as is the EU 's criminal intelligence agency Europol and judicial co-operation agency Eurojust . This has led to the city being dubbed `` the world 's legal capital . '' The country also ranks second highest in the world 's 2016 Press Freedom Index , as published by Reporters Without Borders .   The Netherlands has a market-based mixed economy , ranking 17th of 177 countries according to the Index of Economic Freedom . It had the thirteenth-highest per capita income in the world in 2013 according to the International Monetary Fund . In 2013 , the United Nations World Happiness Report ranked the Netherlands as the seventh-happiest country in the world , reflecting its high quality of life . The Netherlands also ranks joint third highest in the Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index , along with Australia .


Robbie Collin Robbie Collin is a British film critic .   Collin studied aesthetics and the philosophy of film at the University of St Andrews , Scotland , He edited the university 's student newspaper , The Saint .   Collin is chief film critic at The Daily Telegraph . From 2007 to 2009 he wrote a weekly film column for the News of the World until the newspaper 's closure in July 2011 . That year he was shortlisted for Critic of the Year at the British Press Awards .  He appeared on the Channel 4 Vue Film Show , presented by Edith Bowman , and contributed to the BBC Radio 2 Arts Show with Claudia Winkleman . In August 2013 he guest presented BBC Radio 4 's Film programme . In August 2014 , February 2015 , July -- August 2015 , February 2016 and in April 2016 he guest presented Kermode and Mayo 's Film Review , also with Edith Bowman .


Eagles (band) The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971 by Glenn Frey , Don Henley , Bernie Leadon , and Randy Meisner . With five number-one singles , six Grammy Awards , five American Music Awards , and six number one albums , the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s . At the end of the 20th century , two of their albums , Their Greatest Hits ( 1971 -- 1975 ) and Hotel California , were ranked among the 20 best-selling albums in the United States according to the Recording Industry Association of America . Hotel California is ranked 37th in Rolling Stones list of `` The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time '' and the band was ranked number 75 on the magazine 's 2004 list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time .   The Eagles are one of the world 's best-selling bands of all time , having sold more than 150 million records -- 100 million in the U.S. alone -- including 42 million copies of Their Greatest Hits ( 1971 -- 1975 ) and 32 million copies of Hotel California . Their Greatest Hits ( 1971 -- 1975 ) was the best selling album of the 20th century in the U.S. . They are the fifth-highest-selling music act and the highest-selling American band in U.S. history .   The band released their debut album , Eagles , in 1972 , which spawned three top 40 singles : `` Take It Easy , '' `` Witchy Woman , '' and `` Peaceful Easy Feeling . '' Their next album , Desperado ( 1973 ) , was less successful than the first , only reaching number 41 on the charts ; neither of its singles reached the top 40 . However , the album does contain what would go on to be two of the band 's most popular tracks : `` Desperado '' and `` Tequila Sunrise . '' The band released On the Border in 1974 , adding guitarist Don Felder as the fifth member midway through the recording of the album . The album generated two top 40 singles : `` Already Gone '' and their first number one , `` Best of My Love . ''   Their 1975 album One of These Nights included three top 10 singles : `` One of These Nights , '' `` Lyin ' Eyes , '' and `` Take It to the Limit , '' the first hitting the top of the charts . Guitarist and vocalist , Joe Walsh , also joined the band in 1975 . The Eagles continued that success and hit their commercial peak in late 1976 with the release of Hotel California , which would go on to sell more than 16 million copies in the U.S. alone and more than 32 million copies worldwide . The album yielded two number-one singles , `` New Kid in Town '' and `` Hotel California . '' They released their last studio album for nearly 28 years in 1979 with The Long Run , which spawned three top 10 singles : `` Heartache Tonight , '' `` The Long Run , '' and `` I Ca n't Tell You Why , '' the lead single being another chart-topping hit .   The Eagles disbanded in July 1980 but reunited in 1994 for the album Hell Freezes Over , a mix of live and new studio tracks . They toured consistently and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 . In 2007 , the Eagles released Long Road Out of Eden , their first full studio album in 28 years and their sixth number one album . The next year they launched the Long Road Out of Eden Tour in support of the album . In 2013 , they began the extended History of the Eagles Tour in conjunction with the band 's documentary release , History of the Eagles .   Following the death of Frey in January 2016 , Henley stated in several interviews that he did n't think the band would perform again . However , in March 2017 it was announced that the Eagles would be headlining two concerts in July 2017 .


South Korea's alphabet enabled the general population to use it.

Hangul The Korean alphabet , known as Hangul in South Korea ( also transcribed Hangeul ) and as Chosŏn ` gŭl / Chosŏn Muntcha in North Korea is the alphabet that has been used to write the Korean language since the 15th century . It was created in 1443 under King Sejong the Great during the Joseon Dynasty . Now , the alphabet is the official script of both South Korea and North Korea , and co-official in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture and Changbai Korean Autonomous County of China 's Jilin Province . In South Korea , Hangul is used primarily to write the Korean language , as using Hanja ( Chinese characters ) in typical Korean writing had fallen out of common usage during the late 1990s .   In its classical and modern forms , the alphabet has 19 consonant and 21 vowel letters . However , instead of being written sequentially like the letters of the Latin alphabet , Hangul letters are grouped into blocks , such as han , each of which transcribes a syllable . That is , although the syllable han may look like a single character , it is actually composed of three letters : h , a , and n. Each syllabic block consists of two to six letters , including at least one consonant and one vowel . These blocks are then arranged horizontally from left to right or vertically from top to bottom . Each Korean word consists of one or more syllables , hence one or more blocks . The number of mathematically possible distinct blocks is 11,172 , though there are far fewer possible syllables allowed by Korean phonotactics , and not all phonotactically possible syllables occur in actual Korean words . Of the 11,172 possible Hangul syllables , the most frequent 256 have a cumulative frequency of 88.2 % ; with the top 512 , it reaches 99.9 % .