Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen `` Jerry '' Seinfeld ( born April 29 , 1954 ) is an American comedian , actor , writer , producer , and director . He is known for playing a semifictional version of himself in the sitcom Seinfeld , which he created and wrote with Larry David . Seinfeld was heavily involved in the Bee Movie , in which he voiced its protagonist . In 2010 , he premiered a reality series called The Marriage Ref . He directed Colin Quinn in the Broadway show Long Story Short at the Helen Hayes Theater , which ran until January 2011 . He is the creator and host of the web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee . In his stand-up comedy career , Seinfeld is known for specializing in observational comedy , often ranting about relationships and embarrassing social situations .   In 2005 , Comedy Central named Seinfeld their `` 12th Greatest Stand-up Comedian of All Time '' .


Seinfeld Seinfeld is an American sitcom that originally ran for nine seasons on NBC , from 1989 to 1998 . It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld , the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself . Set predominantly in an apartment building in Manhattan 's Upper West Side in New York City , the show features a handful of Jerry 's friends and acquaintances , particularly best friend George Costanza ( Jason Alexander ) , former girlfriend Elaine Benes ( Julia Louis-Dreyfus ) , and neighbor across the hall Cosmo Kramer ( Michael Richards ) . It is often described as being `` a show about nothing '' , as many of its episodes are about the minutiae of daily life .   Seinfeld was produced by Castle Rock Entertainment . In syndication , the series has been distributed by Sony Pictures Television since 2002 . It was largely written by David and Seinfeld with script writers who included Larry Charles , Peter Mehlman , Gregg Kavet , Carol Leifer , David Mandel , Jeff Schaffer , Steve Koren , Jennifer Crittenden , Tom Gammill , Max Pross , Dan O'Keefe , Charlie Rubin , Marjorie Gross , Alec Berg , Elaine Pope , and Spike Feresten . A favorite among critics , the series led the Nielsen ratings in seasons six and nine , and finished among the top two ( with NBC 's ER ) every year from 1994 to 1998 .   Seinfeld is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential sitcoms ever made . It has been ranked among the best television shows of all time in publications such as Entertainment Weekly , Rolling Stone , and TV Guide . The show 's most renowned episodes include `` The Chinese Restaurant '' , `` The Parking Garage '' , and `` The Contest '' . In 2013 , the Writers Guild of America voted it the No. 2 Best Written TV Series of All Time ( second to The Sopranos ) . E! named the series the `` number 1 reason the '90s ruled '' , and quotes from numerous episodes have become catchphrases in popular culture .


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 cast of The Right Stuff includes Scott Glenn.

The Right Stuff (film) The Right Stuff is a 1983 American epic historical drama film that was adapted from Tom Wolfe 's best-selling 1979 book of the same name about the Navy , Marine and Air Force test pilots who were involved in aeronautical research at Edwards Air Force Base , California , as well as the seven military pilots who were selected to be the astronauts for Project Mercury , the first manned spaceflight by the United States . The Right Stuff stars Ed Harris , Scott Glenn , Sam Shepard , Fred Ward , Dennis Quaid and Barbara Hershey . Levon Helm is the narrator in the introduction and elsewhere in the film , as well as having a co-starring role as Air Force test pilot Jack Ridley . In 2013 the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant '' .


Terminator Genisys does not feature the main characters from the first two films.

Terminator Genisys Terminator Genisys is a 2015 American science fiction action film directed by Alan Taylor and written by Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier . The fifth installment in the Terminator franchise , it serves as a soft reboot to the film series that features the main characters from the first two films , portrayed by a new cast with the exception of Arnold Schwarzenegger , who reprises his role as the eponymous character . The film stars Schwarzenegger , Jason Clarke , Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtney . The plot follows soldier Kyle Reese in the war against Skynet ; Kyle is sent from the year 2029 to 1984 by John Connor , leader of the Human Resistance , to protect Connor 's mother Sarah from Skynet 's android agent . When Kyle arrives in the past , he discovers that the timeline has been altered and Sarah has been raised by his quarry 's reprogrammed facsimile , and must travel to 2017 to stop a dangerous scheme from Skynet and face its advanced enforcer , the T-3000 , with his new allies .   Megan Ellison and her production company , Annapurna Pictures , acquired the franchise rights in May 2011 . The following year , production of another installment in the series was set up in collaboration with Skydance Productions ( owned by Ellison 's brother , David ) . The Ellisons consulted Terminator creator James Cameron in the hope of returning to the spirit of the original film , The Terminator , and its sequel , Terminator 2 : Judgment Day . Principal photography was primarily in New Orleans , with some in the on-screen setting of San Francisco . Six companies handled the film 's visual effects ; its prosthetic make-up and animatronics were created by Legacy Effects , a studio founded by Terminator veteran Stan Winston .   The film was released by Paramount Pictures on July 1 , 2015 , in standard digital format , RealD 3D , and IMAX 3D . Terminator Genisys was not well received by critics , who found the story and performances unsatisfactory , although Schwarzenegger 's return to the franchise was praised . It grossed over $ 440 million worldwide , making it the second-highest-grossing film of the franchise and Schwarzenegger 's career ( after Terminator 2 : Judgment Day ) .


Easy Virtue (2008 film) Easy Virtue is a 2008 British romantic comedy film based on Noël Coward 's play of the same name . The play was previously made into the silent movie Easy Virtue ( 1928 ) by Alfred Hitchcock . This adaptation is directed by Stephan Elliott , written by Elliott and Sheridan Jobbins , and stars Jessica Biel , Ben Barnes , Colin Firth and Kristin Scott Thomas . The score contains many Coward and jazz-age songs , some of which are sung or partially sung by the cast .   Easy Virtue is a social comedy in which a glamorous American widow , Larita , impetuously marries a young Englishman , John Whittaker , in the South of France . When they return to England to meet his parents , his mother takes an immediate and strong dislike to the new daughter-in-law , while his father , Jim , finds a kindred spirit . Family tensions escalate .   The film was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and London Film Festival prior to its 7 November release by Pathé in the UK . Subsequently , the film was also screened at the Rio International Film Festival , Middle East International Film Festival in Abu Dhabi , and the Rome Film Festival . It closed the Adelaide Film Festival prior to the Australian theatrical release on 12 March 2009 . In May 2009 it was released in the US .   In the United States , the film enjoyed some commercial success . Sony Pictures Classics paid an estimated $ US1 million to acquire the film 's distribution rights in the United States , Latin America and South Africa . The film went on to gross $ US2 .5 million in limited theatrical release in the United States .


Iron Fist (TV series) Marvel 's Iron Fist , or simply Iron Fist , is an American web television series created for Netflix by Scott Buck , based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name . It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe ( MCU ) , sharing continuity with the films of the franchise and is the fourth in a series of shows that will lead up to The Defenders crossover miniseries . The series is produced by Marvel Television in association with ABC Studios and Devilina Productions , with Buck serving as showrunner .   Finn Jones stars as Danny Rand / Iron Fist , a martial arts expert with the ability to call upon the power of the Iron Fist . Jessica Henwick , Tom Pelphrey , Jessica Stroup , Ramón Rodríguez , Sacha Dhawan , Rosario Dawson and David Wenham also star . After a film based on the character spent over a decade in development at Marvel Studios , development for the series began in late 2013 at Marvel Television , with Buck hired as the series showrunner in December 2015 and Jones cast as Rand in February 2016 . Filming began in New York City in April 2016 and concluded in October 2016 .   Iron Fist had its premiere on March 15 , 2017 , in New York City , with the full season of 13 episodes releasing on Netflix on March 17 , 2017 . The series received mixed reviews from critics , with criticism aimed towards its pace and storytelling , underwhelming fight sequences , and Jones ' portrayal of Rand , while Henwick 's performance as Colleen Wing and the appearances of established characters Claire Temple and Jeri Hogarth received praise . Third-party data analytics determined the series had strong initial viewership , but this was shortly cut in half .


The Magna Carta was drafted for the first time by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Magna Carta Magna Carta Libertatum ( Medieval Latin for `` the Great Charter of the Liberties '' ) , commonly called Magna Carta ( also Magna Charta ; '' ( the ) Great Charter '' ) , is a charter agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede , near Windsor , on 15 June 1215 . First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury to make peace between the unpopular King and a group of rebel barons , it promised the protection of church rights , protection for the barons from illegal imprisonment , access to swift justice , and limitations on feudal payments to the Crown , to be implemented through a council of 25 barons . Neither side stood behind their commitments , and the charter was annulled by Pope Innocent III , leading to the First Barons ' War . After John 's death , the regency government of his young son , Henry III , reissued the document in 1216 , stripped of some of its more radical content , in an unsuccessful bid to build political support for their cause . At the end of the war in 1217 , it formed part of the peace treaty agreed at Lambeth , where the document acquired the name Magna Carta , to distinguish it from the smaller Charter of the Forest which was issued at the same time . Short of funds , Henry reissued the charter again in 1225 in exchange for a grant of new taxes ; his son , Edward I , repeated the exercise in 1297 , this time confirming it as part of England 's statute law .   The charter became part of English political life and was typically renewed by each monarch in turn , although as time went by and the fledgling English Parliament passed new laws , it lost some of its practical significance . At the end of the 16th century there was an upsurge in interest in Magna Carta . Lawyers and historians at the time believed that there was an ancient English constitution , going back to the days of the Anglo-Saxons , that protected individual English freedoms . They argued that the Norman invasion of 1066 had overthrown these rights , and that Magna Carta had been a popular attempt to restore them , making the charter an essential foundation for the contemporary powers of Parliament and legal principles such as habeas corpus . Although this historical account was badly flawed , jurists such as Sir Edward Coke used Magna Carta extensively in the early 17th century , arguing against the divine right of kings propounded by the Stuart monarchs . Both James I and his son Charles I attempted to suppress the discussion of Magna Carta , until the issue was curtailed by the English Civil War of the 1640s and the execution of Charles .   The political myth of Magna Carta and its protection of ancient personal liberties persisted after the Glorious Revolution of 1688 until well into the 19th century . It influenced the early American colonists in the Thirteen Colonies and the formation of the American Constitution in 1787 , which became the supreme law of the land in the new republic of the United States . Research by Victorian historians showed that the original 1215 charter had concerned the medieval relationship between the monarch and the barons , rather than the rights of ordinary people , but the charter remained a powerful , iconic document , even after almost all of its content was repealed from the statute books in the 19th and 20th centuries . Magna Carta still forms an important symbol of liberty today , often cited by politicians and campaigners , and is held in great respect by the British and American legal communities , Lord Denning describing it as `` the greatest constitutional document of all times -- the foundation of the freedom of the individual against the arbitrary authority of the despot '' .   In the 21st century , four exemplifications of the original 1215 charter remain in existence , held by the British Library and the cathedrals of Lincoln and Salisbury . There are also a handful of the subsequent charters in public and private ownership , including copies of the 1297 charter in both the United States and Australia . The original charters were written on parchment sheets using quill pens , in heavily abbreviated medieval Latin , which was the convention for legal documents at that time . Each was sealed with the royal great seal ( made of beeswax and resin sealing wax ) : very few of the seals have survived . Although scholars refer to the 63 numbered `` clauses '' of Magna Carta , this is a modern system of numbering , introduced by Sir William Blackstone in 1759 ; the original charter formed a single , long unbroken text . The four original 1215 charters were displayed together at the British Library for one day , 3 February 2015 , to mark the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta .


Poland Poland ( Polska -LSB- ˈpɔlska -RSB- ) , officially the Republic of Poland ( -LSB- Rzeczpospolita Polska , links = no -RSB- , ) , is a parliamentary republic in Central Europe . Poland is a unitary state divided into 16 administrative subdivisions , covering an area of 312679 km2 with a mostly temperate climate . With a population of over 38.5 million people , Poland is the sixth most populous member state of the European Union . Poland 's capital and largest city is Warsaw . Other cities include Kraków , Wrocław , Poznań , Gdańsk and Szczecin .   The establishment of a Polish state can be traced back to 966 , when Mieszko I , ruler of a territory roughly coextensive with that of present-day Poland , converted to Christianity . The Kingdom of Poland was founded in 1025 , and in 1569 it cemented a longstanding political association with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania by signing the Union of Lublin . This union formed the Polish -- Lithuanian Commonwealth , one of the largest and most populous countries of 16th and 17th century Europe with a uniquely liberal political system which declared Europe 's first constitution .   Following the partitions of Poland at the end of the 18th century , Poland regained its independence in 1918 with the Treaty of Versailles . In September 1939 , World War II started with the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany , followed by the Soviet Union invading Poland in accordance with the Molotov -- Ribbentrop Pact . More than six million of Poland 's citizens died in the war . After World War II , the Polish People 's Republic was established as a satellite state under Soviet influence . In the aftermath of the Revolutions of 1989 , most notably through the emergence of the Solidarity movement , Poland established itself as a democratic republic .   Poland is the eighth largest and one of the most dynamic economies in the European Union , simultaneously achieving a `` very high '' ranking on the Human Development Index . Additionally , the Polish Stock Exchange in Warsaw is the largest and most important in Central and Eastern Europe . Poland is a developed and democratic country , with a high-income economy , and a very high standard of living . It also ranks very highly in education , safety and economic freedom . According to the World Bank , Poland has one of the best educational systems in Europe , placing it among the most educated nations . The country provides free university education , state-funded social security and a universal health care system for all citizens . Situated between Eastern and Western European cultures and coined by a changing history , Poland developed a rich cultural heritage , including numerous historical monuments and 14 UNESCO World Heritage Sites . It is visited by approximately 16 million tourists every year ( 2014 ) , making it the 16th most visited country in the world . Poland is a member state of the European Union , the Schengen Area , the United Nations , NATO and the OECD .


WWI began on one of the World's continents.

World War I World War I ( WWI or WW1 ) , also known as the First World War , the Great War , or the War to End All Wars , was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918 . More than 70 million military personnel , including 60 million Europeans , were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history . Over nine million combatants and seven million civilians died as a result of the war ( including the victims of a number of genocides ) , a casualty rate exacerbated by the belligerents ' technological and industrial sophistication , and the tactical stalemate caused by gruelling trench warfare . It was one of the deadliest conflicts in history , and paved the way for major political changes , including revolutions in many of the nations involved and to WWII twenty-one years later .   The war drew in all the world 's economic great powers , assembled in two opposing alliances : the Allies ( based on the Triple Entente of the Russian Empire , the French Third Republic , and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ) versus the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary . Although Italy was a member of the Triple Alliance alongside Germany and Austria-Hungary , it did not join the Central Powers , as Austria-Hungary had taken the offensive against the terms of the alliance . These alliances were reorganised and expanded as more nations entered the war : Italy , Japan and the United States joined the Allies , while the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria joined the Central Powers .   The trigger for the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria , heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary , by Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 . This set off a diplomatic crisis when Austria-Hungary delivered an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia , and entangled international alliances formed over the previous decades were invoked . Within weeks , the major powers were at war and the conflict soon spread around the world .   On 25 July Russia began mobilisation and on 28 July , the Austro-Hungarians declared war on Serbia . Germany presented an ultimatum to Russia to demobilise , and when this was refused , declared war on Russia on 1 August . Being outnumbered on the eastern front , Russia urged its Triple Entente ally France to open up a second front in the west . Back in 1870 , the Franco-Prussian war had ended the Second French Empire and ceded the provinces of Alsace-Lorraine to a unified Germany . Bitterness over their defeat and the determinance to retake Alsace-Lorraine made the acceptance of Russia 's plea for help an easy choice so France began full mobilisation on 1 August and on 3 August , Germany declared war on France . The border between France and Germany was heavily fortified on both sides so according to the Schlieffen Plan , Germany then invaded neutral Belgium and Luxembourg before moving towards France from the north , leading the United Kingdom to declare war on Germany on 4 August due to their violation of Belgian neutrality . After the German march on Paris was halted in the Battle of the Marne , what became known as the Western Front settled into a battle of attrition , with a trench line that changed little until 1917 . On the Eastern Front , the Russian army led a successful campaign against the Austro-Hungarians , but the Germans stopped its invasion of East Prussia in the battles of Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes . In November 1914 , the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers , opening fronts in the Caucasus , Mesopotamia and the Sinai . In 1915 , Italy joined the Allies and Bulgaria joined the Central Powers ; Romania joined the Allies in 1916 , as did the United States in 1917 .   The Russian government collapsed in March 1917 , and a revolution in November followed by a further military defeat brought the Russians to terms with the Central Powers via the Treaty of Brest Litovsk , which granted the Germans a significant victory . After a stunning German offensive along the Western Front in the spring of 1918 , the Allies rallied and drove back the Germans in a series of successful offensives . On 4 November 1918 , the Austro-Hungarian empire agreed to an armistice , and Germany , which had its own trouble with revolutionaries , agreed to an armistice on 11 November 1918 , ending the war in victory for the Allies .   By the end of the war or soon after , the German Empire , Russian Empire , Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire ceased to exist . National borders were redrawn , with several independent nations restored or created , and Germany 's colonies were parceled out among the victors . During the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 , the Big Four ( Britain , France , the United States and Italy ) imposed their terms in a series of treaties . The League of Nations was formed with the aim of preventing any repetition of such a conflict . This effort failed , and economic depression , renewed nationalism , weakened successor states , and feelings of humiliation ( particularly in Germany ) eventually contributed to the start of World War II .


The USS Constitution is a fully commissioned United States Navy ship.

USS Constitution USS Constitution is a wooden-hulled , three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy , named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America . She is the world 's oldest commissioned naval vessel afloat . Constitution was launched in 1797 , one of six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794 and the third constructed . Joshua Humphreys designed the frigates to be the young Navy 's capital ships , and so Constitution and her sisters were larger and more heavily armed and built than standard frigates of the period . Constitution was built in the North End of Boston , Massachusetts at Edmund Hartt 's shipyard . Her first duties with the newly formed U.S. Navy were to provide protection for American merchant shipping during the Quasi-War with France and to defeat the Barbary pirates in the First Barbary War .   Constitution is most noted for her actions during the War of 1812 against the United Kingdom , when she captured numerous merchant ships and defeated five British warships : , , , , and . The battle with Guerriere earned her the nickname of `` Old Ironsides '' and public adoration that has repeatedly saved her from scrapping . She continued to serve as flagship in the Mediterranean and African squadrons , and circled the world in the 1840s . During the American Civil War , she served as a training ship for the United States Naval Academy . She carried American artwork and industrial displays to the Paris Exposition of 1878 .   Constitution was retired from active service in 1881 , and served as a receiving ship until designated a museum ship in 1907 . In 1934 , she completed a three-year , 90-port tour of the nation . Constitution sailed under her own power for her 200th birthday in 1997 , and again in August 2012 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of her victory over Guerriere .   Constitutions stated mission today is to promote understanding of the Navy 's role in war and peace through educational outreach , historical demonstration , and active participation in public events as part of the Naval History & Heritage Command . As a fully commissioned U.S. Navy ship , her crew of 60 officers and sailors participate in ceremonies , educational programs , and special events while keeping Constitution open to visitors year round and providing free tours . The officers and crew are all active-duty U.S. Navy personnel and the assignment is considered to be special duty in the U.S. Navy . Traditionally , command of the vessel is assigned to a Navy commander . She is usually berthed at Pier 1 of the former Charlestown Navy Yard , at one end of Boston 's Freedom Trail . In May 2015 , Constitution entered Dry Dock 1 to begin a three-year restoration program .


Alex Rodriguez has a sub-.1 batting average.

Alex Rodriguez Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez ( born July 27 , 1975 ) , nicknamed `` A-Rod '' , is a Dominican-American former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman . He played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball ( MLB ) for the Seattle Mariners , Texas Rangers , and New York Yankees . Rodriguez was one of the sport 's most highly touted prospects and is considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time . During his 22-year career , Rodriguez has amassed a .297 batting average , 696 home runs , over 2,000 runs batted in ( RBI ) , over 2,000 runs scored , and over 3,000 hits . He is a 14-time All-Star and has won three American League ( AL ) Most Valuable Player ( MVP ) Awards , ten Silver Slugger Awards , and two Gold Glove Awards . Rodríguez is the career record holder for grand slams with 25 . However , he has led a highly controversial career due to signing two of the most lucrative sports contracts in history while incurring criticism from the media for his behavior and use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs .   The Mariners selected Rodriguez first overall in the 1993 MLB draft , and he debuted in the major leagues the following year at the age of 18 . In 1996 , he became the Mariners ' starting shortstop and finished second in voting for the AL MVP Award . Rodriguez 's combination of power , speed , and defense made him a cornerstone of the franchise , but he left the team via free agency after the 2000 season to join the Rangers . The 10-year , $ 252 million contract he signed was the richest in baseball history . He played at a high level in his three years with Texas , highlighted by his first AL MVP Award win in 2003 , but the team failed to make the playoffs during his tenure . Prior to the 2004 season , Rodriguez was traded to the Yankees , for whom he converted to a third baseman due to incumbent shortstop Derek Jeter . In his first four seasons with New York , he was twice more named AL MVP . After opting out of his contract following the 2007 season , Rodriguez signed a new 10-year , $ 275 million deal with the Yankees , extending his record for the sport 's most lucrative contract . He became the youngest player ever to hit 500 home runs , reaching the milestone in 2007 . He won his first World Series in 2009 , which was the first year of the new Yankee Stadium . The following year , he became the career leader in home runs by a player of Hispanic descent . In recent years , Rodriguez has been hampered by hip and knee injuries , which have caused him to exclusively become a designated hitter . He played his final game as a Yankee on August 12 , 2016 .   In February 2009 , after previously denying use of performance-enhancing drugs , including during a 2007 interview with Katie Couric on 60 Minutes , Rodriguez admitted to using steroids , saying he used them from 2001 to 2003 when playing for Rangers due to `` an enormous amount of pressure '' to perform . While recovering from a hip injury in 2013 , Rodriguez made headlines by feuding with team management over his rehabilitation and for having allegedly obtained performance-enhancing drugs as part of the Biogenesis baseball scandal . In August 2013 , MLB suspended him 211 games for his involvement in the scandal , but he was allowed to play while appealing the punishment . Had the original suspension been upheld , it would have been the longest non-lifetime suspension in Major League Baseball history . After an arbitration hearing , the suspension was reduced to 162 games , keeping him off the field for the entire 2014 season .


O. J. Simpson Orenthal James `` O. J. '' Simpson ( born July 9 , 1947 ) , nicknamed The Juice , is a former American football running back , broadcaster , actor , and convicted armed robber and kidnapper .   Simpson attended the University of Southern California ( USC ) , where he played college football for the USC Trojans and won the Heisman Trophy in 1968 . He played professionally in the National Football League ( NFL ) as a running back for 11 seasons , with the Buffalo Bills from 1969 to 1977 and with the San Francisco 49ers from 1978 to 1979 . In 1973 , he became the first NFL player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season ; holding the record for the single season yards-per-game average , which stands at 143.1 . He is the only player to ever rush for over 2,000 yards in the 14-game regular season NFL format .   Simpson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985 . After retiring from football , he began new careers in acting and football broadcasting .   In 1995 , Simpson was acquitted of the 1994 murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman after a lengthy and internationally publicised trial . The families of the victims filed a civil suit against him , and in 1997 a civil court awarded a $ 33.5 million judgment against Simpson for the victims ' wrongful deaths .   In 2007 , Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas , Nevada , and charged with felonies including armed robbery and kidnapping . In 2008 , he was convicted and sentenced to 33 years imprisonment , with a minimum of nine years without parole . He is serving his sentence at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Lovelock , Nevada .


Marilyn Monroe only appeared in French films.

Clash by Night Clash by Night is a 1952 American drama film with some film noir aspects , directed by Fritz Lang and starring Barbara Stanwyck , Paul Douglas , Robert Ryan , Marilyn Monroe and Keith Andes . The movie was based on the play by Clifford Odets , adapted by writer Alfred Hayes . This was the first film in which Monroe was credited before the movie 's title , albeit with fourth billing .   During the shooting , the now famous nude calendar photos of Monroe surfaced and reporters swarmed around and hounded the actress , creating considerable distraction for the film makers .


Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( born Norma Jeane Mortenson ; June 1 , 1926 -- August 5 , 1962 ) was an American actress and model . Famous for playing comic `` dumb blonde '' characters , she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s , emblematic of the era 's attitudes towards sexuality . Although she was a top-billed actress for only a decade , her films grossed $ 200 million by the time of her unexpected death in 1962 . She continues to be considered a major popular culture icon .   Born and raised in Los Angeles , Monroe spent most of her childhood in foster homes and an orphanage and married at the age of sixteen . While working in a factory in 1944 as part of the war effort , she was introduced to a photographer from the First Motion Picture Unit and began a successful pin-up modeling career . The work led to short-lived film contracts with Twentieth Century-Fox ( 1946 -- 1947 ) and Columbia Pictures ( 1948 ) . After a series of minor film roles , she signed a new contract with Fox in 1951 . Over the next two years , she became a popular actress with roles in several comedies , including As Young as You Feel and Monkey Business , and in the dramas Clash by Night and Do n't Bother to Knock . Monroe faced a scandal when it was revealed that she had posed for nude photos before becoming a star , but rather than damaging her career , the story resulted in increased interest in her films .   By 1953 , Monroe was one of the most marketable Hollywood stars , with leading roles in three films : the noir Niagara , which focused on her sex appeal , and the comedies Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire , which established her star image as a `` dumb blonde '' . Although she played a significant role in the creation and management of her public image throughout her career , she was disappointed at being typecast and underpaid by the studio . She was briefly suspended in early 1954 for refusing a film project , but returned to star in one of the biggest box office successes of her career , The Seven Year Itch ( 1955 ) .   When the studio was still reluctant to change her contract , Monroe founded a film production company in late 1954 ; she named it Marilyn Monroe Productions ( MMP ) . She dedicated 1955 to building her company and began studying method acting at the Actors Studio . In late 1955 , Fox awarded her a new contract , which gave her more control and a larger salary . After a critically acclaimed performance in Bus Stop ( 1956 ) and acting in the first independent production of MMP , The Prince and the Showgirl ( 1957 ) , she won a Golden Globe for Best Actress for Some Like It Hot ( 1959 ) . Her last completed film was the drama The Misfits ( 1961 ) .   Monroe 's troubled private life received much attention . She struggled with substance abuse , depression , and anxiety . She had two highly publicized marriages , to retired baseball star Joe DiMaggio and playwright Arthur Miller , both of which ended in divorce . On August 5 , 1962 , she died at age 36 from an overdose of barbiturates at her home in Los Angeles . Although Monroe 's death was ruled a probable suicide , several conspiracy theories have been proposed in the decades following her death .


My Own Private Idaho is a commercial airline.

My Own Private Idaho My Own Private Idaho is a 1991 American independent adventure drama film written and directed by Gus Van Sant , loosely based on Shakespeare 's Henry IV , Part 1 , Henry IV , Part 2 , and Henry V , and starring River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves . The story follows two friends , Mike and Scott , as they embark on a journey of personal discovery that takes them to Mike 's hometown in Idaho and then to Italy in search of Mike 's mother .   Van Sant originally wrote the screenplay in the 1970s , but discarded it after reading John Rechy 's 1963 novel City of Night and concluding that Rechy 's treatment of the subject of street hustlers was better than his own . Over the years , Van Sant rewrote the script , which comprised two stories : that of Mike and the search for his mother , and Scott 's story as a modern update of the Henry IV plays . Van Sant had difficulty getting Hollywood financing , and at one point considered making the film on a minuscule budget with a cast of actual street kids . After Van Sant sent copies of his script to Reeves and then Reeves showed it to Phoenix , both agreed to star in the film on each other 's behalf .   My Own Private Idaho had its premiere at the 48th Venice International Film Festival , and received largely positive reviews from critics including Roger Ebert and those of The New York Times and Entertainment Weekly . The film was a moderate financial success , grossing over $ 6.4 million in North America , which was above its estimated budget of $ 2.5 million . Phoenix received several awards for his performance in the film , including the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the 1991 Venice Film Festival , Best Male Lead from the Independent Spirit Awards , and Best Actor from the National Society of Film Critics .


Laurence Fishburne Laurence John Fishburne III ( born July 30 , 1961 ) is an American actor , playwright , director and producer , best known for playing Morpheus in The Matrix trilogy , Jason `` Furious '' Styles in the 1991 drama film Boyz n the Hood and Tyrone `` Mr. Clean '' Miller in the 1979 war film Apocalypse Now .   Fishburne became the first African American to portray Othello in a motion picture by a major studio when he appeared in Oliver Parker 's 1995 film adaptation of the Shakespeare play . For his portrayal of Ike Turner in What 's Love Got to Do With It , he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor . He won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in Two Trains Running ( 1992 ) , and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in TriBeCa ( 1993 ) .   Fishburne starred in several cult classics , including Deep Cover and King of New York . From 2008 to 2011 , he starred as Dr. Raymond Langston on the CBS crime drama CSI : Crime Scene Investigation and from 2013 to 2015 starred as Special Agent Jack Crawford on the NBC thriller series Hannibal . In 2013 , he portrayed Perry White in the Zack Snyder-directed Superman reboot Man of Steel and in 2016 reprised his role in Batman v Superman : Dawn of Justice .


Academy Award for Best Actor The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ( AMPAS ) . It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role while working within the film industry .   The 1st Academy Awards ceremony was held in 1929 with Emil Jannings receiving the award for his roles in The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh . Currently , nominees are determined by single transferable vote within the actors branch of AMPAS ; winners are selected by a plurality vote from the entire eligible voting members of the Academy .   In the first three years of the awards , actors were nominated as the best in their categories . At that time , all of their work during the qualifying period ( as many as three films , in some cases ) was listed after the award . However , during the 3rd ceremony held in 1930 , only one of those films was cited in each winner 's final award , even though each of the acting winners had two films following their names on the ballots . The following year , this unwieldy and confusing system was replaced by the current system in which an actor is nominated for a specific performance in a single film . Starting with the 9th ceremony held in 1937 , the category was officially limited to five nominations per year .   Since its inception , the award has been given to 79 actors . Daniel Day-Lewis has received the most awards in this category with three Oscars . Spencer Tracy and Laurence Olivier were nominated on nine occasions , more than any other actor . As of the 2017 ceremony , Casey Affleck is the most recent winner in this category for his role as Lee Chandler in Manchester by the Sea .


Man of Steel (film) Man of Steel is a 2013 superhero film featuring the DC Comics character Superman . It is a British-American venture produced by Legendary Pictures , DC Entertainment , Syncopy Inc. , and Cruel and Unusual Films , and distributed by Warner Bros. . Pictures . It is the first installment in the DC Extended Universe . The film is directed by Zack Snyder , written by David S. Goyer , and stars Henry Cavill , Amy Adams , Michael Shannon , Kevin Costner , Diane Lane , Laurence Fishburne , Antje Traue , Ayelet Zurer , Christopher Meloni , and Russell Crowe . Man of Steel is a reboot of the Superman film series that retells the character 's origin story . In the film , Clark Kent learns that he is a superpowered alien from the planet Krypton and assumes the role of mankind 's protector as Superman , but finds himself having to prevent General Zod from destroying humanity .   Development began in 2008 , when Warner Bros. took pitches from comic book writers , screenwriters and directors , opting to reboot the franchise . In 2009 , a court ruling resulted in Jerry Siegel 's family recapturing the rights to Superman 's origins and Siegel 's copyright . The decision stated that Warner Bros. did not owe the families additional royalties from previous films , but if they did not begin production on a Superman film by 2011 , then the Shuster and Siegel estates would be able to sue for lost revenue on an unproduced film . Producer Christopher Nolan pitched Goyer 's idea after story discussion on The Dark Knight Rises , and Snyder was hired as the film 's director in October 2010 . Principal photography began in August 2011 in West Chicago , Illinois , before moving to Vancouver and Plano , Illinois .   Man of Steel was released in theaters on June 14 , 2013 , in conventional 2D , 3D , and IMAX formats . Despite receiving mixed reviews , the film became a box office success , grossing over $ 668 million worldwide . Critics praised the film 's visuals , action sequences , and Hans Zimmer 's musical score but criticized its pacing and lack of character development . A follow-up , Batman v Superman : Dawn of Justice was released on March 25 , 2016 while a standalone Superman sequel is in active development .


Deep Cover Deep Cover is a 1992 American neo-noir crime thriller film starring Laurence Fishburne ( this being the last film in which Fishburne was credited as `` Larry '' ) and Jeff Goldblum and directed by veteran actor Bill Duke . It is also notable for its theme song of the same name , composed by Dr. Dre and the then-newcomer Snoop Doggy Dogg .


France France ( -LSB- fʁɑ̃s -RSB- ) , officially the French Republic ( -LSB- ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz -RSB- ) , is a country with territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories . The European , or metropolitan , area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea , and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean . Overseas France include French Guiana on the South American continent and several island territories in the Atlantic , Pacific and Indian oceans . France spans 643801 km2 and had a total population of almost 67 million people as of January 2017 . It is a unitary semi-presidential republic with the capital in Paris , the country 's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre . Other major urban centres include Marseille , Lyon , Lille , Nice , Toulouse and Bordeaux .   During the Iron Age , what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls , a Celtic people . The area was annexed in 51 BC by Rome , which held Gaul until 486 , when the Germanic Franks conquered the region and formed the Kingdom of France . France emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages , with its victory in the Hundred Years ' War ( 1337 to 1453 ) strengthening state-building and political centralisation . During the Renaissance , French culture flourished and a global colonial empire was established , which by the 20th century would be the second largest in the world . The 16th century was dominated by religious civil wars between Catholics and Protestants ( Huguenots ) . France became Europe 's dominant cultural , political , and military power under Louis XIV . In the late 18th century , the French Revolution overthrew the absolute monarchy , established one of modern history 's earliest republics , and saw the drafting of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen , which expresses the nation 's ideals to this day .   In the 19th century Napoleon took power and established the First French Empire , whose subsequent Napoleonic Wars shaped the course of continental Europe . Following the collapse of the Empire , France endured a tumultuous succession of governments culminating with the establishment of the French Third Republic in 1870 . France was a major participant in the First World War , from which it emerged victorious , and was one of the Allied Powers in the Second World War , but came under occupation by the Axis Powers in 1940 . Following liberation in 1944 , a Fourth Republic was established and later dissolved in the course of the Algerian War . The Fifth Republic , led by Charles de Gaulle , was formed in 1958 and remains to this day . Algeria and nearly all the other colonies became independent in the 1960s and typically retained close economic and military connections with France .   France has long been a global centre of art , science , and philosophy . It hosts Europe 's fourth-largest number of cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites and receives around 83 million foreign tourists annually , the most of any country in the world . France is a developed country with the world 's sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest by purchasing power parity . In terms of aggregate household wealth , it ranks fourth in the world . France performs well in international rankings of education , health care , life expectancy , and human development . France remains a great power in the world , being one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council with the power to veto and an official nuclear-weapon state . It is a leading member state of the European Union and the Eurozone . It is also a member of the Group of 7 , North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) , Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ) , the World Trade Organization ( WTO ) , and La Francophonie .


Mark Burg Mark Burg ( born December 9 , 1959 ) is an American film producer , manager and actor , perhaps best known for his work on the Saw film series and on the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men .


Ontario Ontario ( -LSB- ɒnˈtɛərioʊ -RSB- -LSB- ɔ̃taʁjo -RSB- ) , one of the 13 provinces and territories of Canada , is located in east-central Canada . It is Canada 's most populous province by a large margin , accounting for nearly 40 percent of all Canadians , and is the second-largest province in total area . Ontario is fourth-largest in total area when the territories of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are included . It is home to the nation 's capital city , Ottawa , and the nation 's most populous city , Toronto .   Ontario is bordered by the province of Manitoba to the west , Hudson Bay and James Bay to the north , and Quebec to the east and northeast , and to the south by the U.S. states of ( from west to east ) Minnesota , Michigan , Ohio , Pennsylvania and New York . Almost all of Ontario 's 2700 km border with the United States follows inland waterways : from the west at Lake of the Woods , eastward along the major rivers and lakes of the Great Lakes/Saint Lawrence River drainage system . These are the Rainy River , the Pigeon River , Lake Superior , the St. Marys River , Lake Huron , the St. Clair River , Lake St. Clair , the Detroit River , Lake Erie , the Niagara River , Lake Ontario and along the St. Lawrence River from Kingston , Ontario , to the Quebec boundary just east of Cornwall , Ontario . There is only about 1 km of land border made up of portages including Height of Land Portage on the Minnesota border .   Ontario is sometimes conceptually divided into two regions , Northern Ontario and Southern Ontario . The great majority of Ontario 's population and arable land is located in the south . In contrast , the larger , northern part of Ontario is sparsely populated with cold winters and is heavily forested .


Warm Leatherette is the name of Grace Jones's child.

Warm Leatherette (album) Warm Leatherette is the fourth studio album by Grace Jones , released on 9 May 1980 by Island Records . The album features contributions from the reggae production duo Sly and Robbie and is a departure from Jones ' earlier disco sound , moving towards a new wave-reggae direction .


King Kong was produced by Peter Jackson.

King Kong (2005 film) King Kong is a 2005 epic monster adventure film co-written , produced , and directed by Peter Jackson . A remake of the 1933 film of the same name , the film stars Naomi Watts , Jack Black , Adrien Brody , and , through motion capture , Andy Serkis as the title character . Set in 1933 , King Kong tells the story of an ambitious filmmaker who coerces his cast and hired ship crew to travel to the mysterious Skull Island . There they encounter Kong , a legendary giant gorilla , whom they capture and take to New York City .   Filming for King Kong took place in New Zealand from September 2004 to March 2005 . The project 's budget climbed from an initial $ 150 million to a then-record-breaking $ 207 million . It was released on December 14 , 2005 in Germany and on December 16 in the United States , and made an opening of $ 50.1 million . While it performed lower than expected , King Kong made domestic and worldwide grosses that eventually added up to $ 550 million , becoming the fourth-highest-grossing film in Universal Pictures history . It also generated $ 100 million in DVD sales upon its home video release . The film garnered positive reviews from critics and appeared on several top ten lists for 2005 . It was praised for its special effects , performances , sense of spectacle and comparison to the 1933 original . It won three Academy Awards for Best Sound Editing , Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects .


The Republican Party supports free market capitalism, free enterprise, and fiscal conservatism.

Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party , commonly referred to as the GOP ( abbreviation for Grand Old Party ) , is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States , the other being its historic rival , the Democratic Party . The party is named after republicanism , the dominant value during the American Revolution . Founded by anti-slavery activists , modernists , ex-Whigs , and ex-Free Soilers in 1854 , the Republicans dominated politics nationally and in the majority of northern States for most of the period between 1860 and 1932 .   There have been 19 Republican presidents , the most from any one party . The first was 16th president Abraham Lincoln , who served from 1861 to 1865 , when he was assassinated , and the most recent being 45th and current president Donald Trump , who took office on January 20 , 2017 .   The Republican Party 's current ideology is American conservatism , which contrasts with the Democrats ' more progressive platform ( also called modern liberalism ) . Further , its platform involves support for free market capitalism , free enterprise , fiscal conservatism , a strong national defense , deregulation , and restrictions on labor unions . In addition to advocating for conservative economic policies , the Republican Party is socially conservative , and seeks to uphold traditional values based largely on Judeo-Christian ethics . The GOP was strongly committed to protectionism and tariffs from its founding until the 1930s , when it was based in the industrial Northeast and Midwest . Since 1952 there has been a reversal against protectionism and the party 's core support since the 1990s comes chiefly from the South , the Great Plains , the Mountain States and rural districts in the North . as well as from conservative Catholics , Mormons , and Evangelicals nationwide .   As of 2017 , the Republican Party is documented as being at its strongest position politically since 1928 . In addition to holding the Presidency ( via Trump and Vice President Mike Pence ) , the Republicans control the 115th United States Congress , having majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate . The party also holds a majority of governorships ( 33/50 ) and state legislatures ( full control of 32/50 , split control of six others ) .


Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh ( -LSB- ˈbrænə -RSB- born 10 December 1960 ) is a Northern Irish actor , director , producer , and screenwriter originally from Belfast . Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art ( RADA ) in London , and in 2015 succeeded Richard Attenborough as its President . He has directed or starred in several film adaptations of William Shakespeare 's plays , including Henry V ( 1989 ) ( for which he was nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Director ) , Much Ado About Nothing ( 1993 ) , Othello ( 1995 ) , Hamlet ( 1996 ) ( for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay ) , Love 's Labour 's Lost ( 2000 ) , and As You Like It ( 2006 ) .   Branagh has also starred in numerous other films and television series including Fortunes of War ( 1987 ) , Woody Allen 's Celebrity ( 1998 ) , Wild Wild West ( 1999 ) , The Road to El Dorado ( 2000 ) , Conspiracy ( 2001 ) , Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ( 2002 ) , Warm Springs ( 2005 ) , Valkyrie ( 2008 ) , The Boat That Rocked ( 2009 ) , Wallander ( 2008 -- present ) , and My Week with Marilyn ( 2011 ) as Sir Laurence Olivier ( Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor ) . He has directed such notable films as Dead Again ( 1991 ) , in which he also starred , Swan Song ( 1992 ) ( Academy Award nominated for Best Live Action Short Film ) , Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein ( 1994 ) in which he also starred , The Magic Flute ( 2006 ) , Sleuth ( 2007 ) , the blockbuster superhero film Thor ( 2011 ) , the action thriller Jack Ryan : Shadow Recruit ( 2014 ) in which he also co-stars , and Cinderella ( 2015 ) .   He also narrated the BBC documentary miniseries ' Walking with Dinosaurs ( starred in 1999 ) ( as well as The Ballad of Big Al ) , Walking with Beasts ( 2001 ) and Walking with Monsters ( 2005 ) . Branagh has been nominated for five Academy Awards , five Golden Globes , and has won three BAFTAs , and an Emmy . He was appointed a knight bachelor in the 2012 Birthday Honours and was knighted on 9 November 2012 .


Georgia is where Delta Air Lines' headquarters are located.

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines , Inc. ( `` Delta '' ; ) is a major American airline , with its headquarters and largest hub at Hartsfield -- Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta , Georgia . The airline along with its subsidiaries and regional affiliates operate over 5,400 flights daily and serve an extensive domestic and international network that includes 319 destinations in 54 countries on six continents , as of October 2016 . Delta is one of the four founding members of the SkyTeam airline alliance , and operates joint ventures with Air France-KLM , Alitalia , Korean Air , China Eastern Airlines , Virgin Atlantic , and Virgin Australia . Regional service is operated under the brand name Delta Connection .   One of the five remaining legacy carriers , Delta is the sixth-oldest operating airline by foundation date , and the oldest airline still operating in the United States . The company 's history can be traced back to Huff Daland Dusters , founded in 1924 in Macon , Georgia as a crop dusting operation . The company moved to Monroe , Louisiana , and was later renamed Delta Air Services , in reference to the nearby Mississippi Delta region , and commenced passenger services on June 17 , 1929 . Among predecessors of today 's Delta Air Lines , Western Airlines and Northwest Airlines began flying passengers in 1926 and 1927 , respectively .   In 2013 , Delta Air Lines was the world 's largest airline in terms of scheduled passengers carried ( 120.6 million ) , and the second-largest in terms of both revenue passenger-kilometers flown ( 277.6 billion ) and capacity ( 4.4 billion ASM/week ; March 2013 ) .


Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins ( -LSB- əˈdɛl -RSB- born 5 May 1988 ) is an English singer-songwriter . After graduating from the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in 2006 , Adele was given a recording contract by XL Recordings after a friend posted her demo on Myspace the same year . In 2007 , she received the Brit Awards `` Critics ' Choice '' award and won the BBC Sound of 2008 poll . Her debut album , 19 , was released in 2008 to commercial and critical success . It is certified seven times platinum in the UK , and three times platinum in the US . The album contains her first song , `` Hometown Glory '' , written when she was 16 , which is based on her home suburb of West Norwood in London . An appearance she made on Saturday Night Live in late 2008 boosted her career in the US . At the 51st Grammy Awards in 2009 , Adele received the awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance .   She released her second studio album , 21 , in early 2011 . The album was critically well received and surpassed the success of her debut , earning the singer numerous awards in 2012 , among them a record-tying six Grammy Awards , including Album of the Year ; two Brit Awards , including British Album of the Year , and three American Music Awards . The album has been certified 16 times platinum in the UK , and is the fourth best-selling album in the UK of all time . In the US , it has held the top position longer than any album since 1985 , and is certified diamond . The album has sold over 31 million copies worldwide . The success of 21 earned Adele numerous mentions in the Guinness Book of World Records . She is the first woman in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 to have three simultaneous top 10 singles as a lead artist , and the first female artist to simultaneously have two albums in the top five of the Billboard 200 and two singles in the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 . 21 is the longest-running number one album by a female solo artist in the history of the UK and US Album Charts .   In 2012 , Adele released `` Skyfall '' , which she co-wrote and recorded for the James Bond film of the same name . The song won an Academy Award , a Grammy Award , and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song , as well as the Brit Award for British Single of the Year . After taking a three-year break , Adele released her third studio album , 25 , in 2015 . It became the year 's best-selling album and broke first week sales records in the UK and US . 25 was her second album to be certified diamond in the US and earned her five Grammy Awards , including her second Grammy Award for Album of the Year , and four Brit Awards . The lead single , `` Hello '' , became the first song in the US to sell over one million digital copies within a week of its release . Her third concert tour , Adele Live 2016 , visited Europe , North America and Oceania , and will conclude with four finale concerts at Wembley Stadium in mid-2017 .   In 2011 , 2012 and 2016 , Billboard named Adele Artist of the Year . In 2012 , she was listed at number five on VH1 's 100 Greatest Women in Music . Time magazine named her one of the most influential people in the world in 2012 and 2016 . With sales of more than 100 million records , Adele is one of the best-selling recording artists in the world .


21 (Adele album) 21 is the second studio album by British singer Adele . It was released on 24 January 2011 in most of Europe , and on 22 February 2011 in North America . The album was named after the age of the singer during its production . 21 shares the folk and Motown soul influences of her 2008 debut album 19 , but was further inspired by the American country and Southern blues music to which she had been exposed during her 2008 -- 09 North American tour An Evening with Adele . Composed in the aftermath of the singer 's separation from her partner , the album typifies the near dormant tradition of the confessional singer-songwriter in its exploration of heartbreak , self-examination , and forgiveness .   Adele began writing 21 in April 2009 , when still involved in the relationship that subsequently inspired the record . Dissatisfied with once again portraying herself as the musical tragedian of her debut , she had intended to compose a more upbeat and contemporary follow-up . However , studio sessions ended prematurely due to a lack of inspiration . She resumed production immediately after the breakdown of her relationship , channelling her heartbreak and depression into her songs . Adele collaborated with various songwriters and producers , including Columbia Records co-president Rick Rubin , Paul Epworth , Ryan Tedder , Jim Abbiss , and Dan Wilson .   Praised by critics for its understated production , vintage aesthetic , and Adele 's vocal performance , 21 defied the modest commercial expectations of her indie record label XL Recordings . The album topped the charts in more than 30 countries and became the world 's best-selling album of the year for 2011 and 2012 . In the United Kingdom , it is the best-selling album of the 21st century and fourth best-selling album of all time , while its 23-week tenure atop the UK Albums Chart is the longest by a female solo artist . In the United States , the album held the top position for 24 weeks , longer than any other album since 1985 and the longest by a female solo artist in Billboard 200 history . As well , it had the most weeks on the Billboard 200 chart of any album by a woman .   It was certified Diamond by the RIAA and was ranked as the `` Greatest Billboard 200 Album of All Time . ''   Five singles were released to promote the album , with `` Rolling in the Deep , '' `` Someone like You '' and `` Set Fire to the Rain '' becoming international number-one songs , while `` Rumour Has It '' charted in the top 20 across Europe and North America . Globally , 21 was the biggest selling musical release for both 2011 and 2012 , and helped revitalise lagging sales of the UK and US music industry . With over 31 million copies sold worldwide , 21 is one of the best-selling albums of all time . Critics hailed the album as a shift from the overtly sexual and musically bombastic status quo , and attributed its success to its deeply autobiographical yet universal songs . Shortlisted for the 2011 Mercury Prize , 21 won the 2012 Grammy Award for Album of the Year and the Brit Award for British Album of the Year .


25 (Adele album) 25 is the third studio album by British singer and songwriter Adele . It was released on 20 November 2015 , through XL Recordings . Following the release and international success of her second studio album 21 .   Titled as a reflection of her life and frame of mind at 25 years old , 25 is a `` make-up record '' . The album 's lyrical content features themes of Adele `` yearning for her old self , her nostalgia '' , and `` melancholia about the passage of time '' according to an interview with the singer by Rolling Stone , as well as themes of motherhood and regret . In contrast to Adele 's previous works , the production of 25 incorporated the use of electronic elements and creative rhythmic patterns , with elements of 1980s R&B and organs . Like 21 , Adele worked with producer and songwriter Paul Epworth and Ryan Tedder , along with new collaborations with Max Martin and Shellback , Greg Kurstin , Danger Mouse , the Smeezingtons , Samuel Dixon , and Tobias Jesso Jr. .   25 received generally positive reviews from music critics , who commended Adele 's vocal performance and the album 's production . The album was a massive commercial success , debuting at number one in more than 25 markets and broke first-week sales records in multiple countries , including the United Kingdom and United States ; in the US , the album sold 3.38 million copies in its first week of release , marking the largest single-week sales for an album since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking point-of-sale music purchases in 1991 . 25 eventually became the world 's best-selling album of 2015 with 17.4 million copies sold within the year , and has sold 20 million copies as of June 2016 , making it one of the best selling albums worldwide .   Following 21 , it was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) , denoting shipments of ten million copies in the United States , making Adele the only artist of the 2010s to achieve this certification with two albums . Many journalists felt that the album impacted the music industry by encouraging the public to return to buying physical albums , instead of downloading or streaming . 25 received the BRIT Award for British Album of the Year , while the lead single `` Hello '' won British Single of the Year . The album then won the 2017 Grammy Awards for Album of the Year , and Best Pop Vocal Album . `` Hello '' also won Grammys for Record of the Year , Song of the Year , and Best Pop Solo Performance .


The United States has a border with another country.

Canada Canada ( -LSB- ˈkænədə -RSB- -LSB- kanadɑ -RSB- ) is a country in the northern part of North America . Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean , covering 9.98 e6km2 , making it the world 's second-largest country by total area and the fourth-largest country by land area . Canada 's border with the United States is the world 's longest binational land border . The majority of the country has a cold or severely cold winter climate , but southerly areas are warm in summer . Canada is sparsely populated , the majority of its land territory being dominated by forest and tundra and the Rocky Mountains . It is highly urbanized with 82 per cent of the 35.15 million people concentrated in large and medium-sized cities , many near the southern border . One third of the population lives in the three largest cities : Toronto , Montreal and Vancouver . Its capital is Ottawa , and other major urban areas include Calgary , Edmonton , Quebec City , Winnipeg and Hamilton .   Various aboriginal peoples had inhabited what is now Canada for thousands of years prior to European colonization . Beginning in the 16th century , British and French claims were made on the area , with the colony of Canada first being established by the French in 1535 during Jacques Cartier 's second voyage to New France . As a consequence of various conflicts , Great Britain gained and lost territories within British North America until it was left , in the late 18th century , with what mostly geographically comprises Canada today . Pursuant to the British North America Act , on July 1 , 1867 , the colonies of Canada , New Brunswick , and Nova Scotia joined to form the semi-autonomous federal Dominion of Canada . This began an accretion of provinces and territories to the mostly self-governing Dominion to the present ten provinces and three territories forming modern Canada .   In 1931 , Canada achieved near total independence from the United Kingdom with the Statute of Westminster 1931 , but at the time , Canada decided to allow the British Parliament to temporarily retain the power to amend Canada 's constitution , on request from the Parliament of Canada . With the Constitution Act 1982 , Canada took over that authority ( as the conclusion of Patriation ) , removing the last remaining ties of legal dependence on the Parliament of the United Kingdom , giving the country full sovereignty .   Canada is a federal parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy , with Queen Elizabeth II being the head of state . The country is officially bilingual at the federal level . It is one of the world 's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations , the product of large-scale immigration from many other countries . Its advanced economy is the eleventh largest in the world , relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade networks . Canada 's long and complex relationship with the United States has had a significant impact on its economy and culture .   Canada is a developed country and has the tenth highest nominal per capita income globally as well as the ninth highest ranking in the Human Development Index . It ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency , civil liberties , quality of life , economic freedom , and education . Canada is a Commonwealth realm member of the Commonwealth of Nations , a member of the Francophonie , and part of several major international and intergovernmental institutions or groupings including the United Nations , the North Atlantic Treaty Organization , the G8 , the Group of Ten , the G20 , the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum .


United States The United States of America ( USA ) , commonly known as the United States ( U.S. ) or America , is a constitutional federal republic composed of 50 states , a federal district , five major self-governing territories , and various possessions .  Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico . The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America , bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west . The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean . The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea . Nine time zones are covered . The geography , climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse .   At 3.8 million square miles ( 9.8 million km2 ) and with over 324 million people , the United States is the world 's third - or fourth-largest country by total area , third-largest by land area , and the third-most populous . It is one of the world 's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations , and is home to the world 's largest immigrant population . The capital is Washington , D.C. , and the largest city is New York City ; nine other major metropolitan areas -- each with at least 4.5 million inhabitants and the largest having more than 13 million people -- are Los Angeles , Chicago , Dallas , Houston , Philadelphia , Miami , Atlanta , Boston , and San Francisco .   Paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago . European colonization began in the 16th century . The United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast . Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the colonies following the Seven Years ' War led to the American Revolution , which began in 1775 . On July 4 , 1776 , during the course of the American Revolutionary War , the colonies unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence . The war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain , representing the first successful war of independence against a European power . The current constitution was adopted in 1788 , after the Articles of Confederation , adopted in 1781 , were felt to have provided inadequate federal powers . The first ten amendments , collectively named the Bill of Rights , were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties .   The United States embarked on a vigorous expansion across North America throughout the 19th century , displacing Native American tribes , acquiring new territories , and gradually admitting new states until it spanned the continent by 1848 . During the second half of the 19th century , the American Civil War led to the end of legal slavery in the country . By the end of that century , the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean , and its economy , driven in large part by the Industrial Revolution , began to soar . The Spanish -- American War and confirmed the country 's status as a global military power . The United States emerged from as a global superpower , the first country to develop nuclear weapons , the only country to use them in warfare , and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council . The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the world 's sole superpower . The U.S. is a founding member of the United Nations , World Bank , International Monetary Fund , Organization of American States ( OAS ) , and other international organizations .   The United States is a highly developed country , with the world 's largest economy by nominal GDP and second-largest economy by PPP . Though its population is only 4.3 % of the world total , Americans hold nearly 40 % of the total wealth in the world . The United States ranks among the highest in several measures of socioeconomic performance , including average wage , human development , per capita GDP , and productivity per person . While the U.S. economy is considered post-industrial , characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy , the manufacturing sector remains the second-largest in the world . Accounting for approximately a quarter of global GDP and a third of global military spending , the United States is the world 's foremost economic and military power . The United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally , and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations .


Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong ( August 5 , 1930 -- August 25 , 2012 ) was an American astronaut and the first person to walk on the Moon . He was also an aerospace engineer , naval aviator , test pilot , and university professor . Before becoming an astronaut , Armstrong was an officer in the U.S. Navy and served in the Korean War . After the war , he earned his bachelor 's degree at Purdue University and served as a test pilot at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics ( NACA ) High-Speed Flight Station , where he logged over 900 flights . He later completed graduate studies at the University of Southern California .   A participant in the U.S. Air Force 's Man in Space Soonest and X-20 Dyna-Soar human spaceflight programs , Armstrong joined the NASA Astronaut Corps in 1962 . He made his first space flight as command pilot of Gemini 8 in March 1966 , becoming NASA 's first civilian astronaut to fly in space . He performed the first docking of two spacecraft , with pilot David Scott . This mission was aborted after Armstrong used some of his reentry control fuel to prevent a dangerous spin caused by a stuck thruster , in the first in-flight space emergency .   Armstrong 's second and last spaceflight was as commander of Apollo 11 , the first manned Moon landing mission in July 1969 . Armstrong and Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin descended to the lunar surface and spent two and a half hours outside the spacecraft , while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit in the Command/Service Module . Along with Collins and Aldrin , Armstrong was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Richard Nixon . President Jimmy Carter presented Armstrong the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1978 . Armstrong and his former crewmates received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2009 .   Armstrong died in Cincinnati , Ohio on August 25 , 2012 , at the age of 82 , after complications from coronary artery bypass surgery .


Amazon Web Services included developer tools.

Amazon Web Services Amazon Web Services ( AWS ) describes both a technology and a company . The company AWS is a subsidiary of Amazon.com and provides on-demand cloud computing platforms to both individuals , companies and governments , on a paid subscription basis with a free-tier option available for 12 months . The technology allows subscribers to have at their disposal full-fledged virtual cluster of computers , available 24/7/365 , through the internet . AWS ' version of virtual computers have most of the attributes of a real computer including hardware ( CPU ( s ) & GPU ( s ) for processing , local/RAM memory , hard-disk/SSD storage ) ; a choice of operating systems ; networking ; and pre-loaded application software such as web servers , databases , CRM ... nearly anything . Each AWS system also virtualizes its console I/O ( keyboard , display , and mouse ) , allowing AWS subscribers to connect to their AWS system using a modern browser . The browser acts as a window into the virtual computer , letting subscribers log-in , configure and use their virtual systems just as they would a real physical computer . They can choose to deploy their AWS systems to provide internet-based services for their own and their customers ' benefit .   The AWS technology is implemented at server farms throughout the world , and maintained by the Amazon subsidiary . Fees are based on a combination of usage , the hardware/OS/software / networking features chosen by the subscriber , required availability , redundancy , security , and service options . Based on what the subscriber needs and pays for , they can reserve a single virtual AWS computer , a cluster of virtual computers , a physical ( real ) computer dedicated for their exclusive use , or even a cluster of dedicated physical computers . As part of the subscription agreement , Amazon manages , upgrades , and provides industry-standard security to each subscriber 's system . AWS services operate from many global geographical regions including 6 in North America .   In 2016 , AWS comprised more than 70 services spanning a wide range including compute , storage , networking , database , analytics , application services , deployment , management , mobile , developer tools , and tools for the Internet of Things . The most popular include Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud ( aka `` EC2 '' ) and Amazon Simple Storage Service ( aka `` S3 '' ) . Most services are not exposed directly to end users , but instead offer functionality through APIs for developers to use in their applications . Amazon Web Services ' offerings are accessed over HTTP , using the REST architectural style and SOAP protocol .   Amazon markets AWS to subscribers as a way of obtaining large scale computing capacity more quickly and cheaply than building an actual physical server farm . All services are billed based on usage , but each service measures usage in varying ways .


Jean-Claude Van Damme was born on the 18th day of October in 1960.

Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg ( born 18 October 1960 ) , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme and abbreviated as JCVD , is a Belgian actor , martial artist , screenwriter , film producer , and director best known for his martial arts action films . The most successful of these films include Bloodsport ( 1988 ) , Kickboxer ( 1989 ) , Lionheart ( 1990 ) , Double Impact ( 1991 ) , Universal Soldier ( 1992 ) , Hard Target ( 1993 ) , Street Fighter ( 1994 ) , Timecop ( 1994 ) , Sudden Death ( 1995 ) , JCVD ( 2008 ) and The Expendables 2 ( 2012 ) .


Gillian Anderson Gillian Leigh Anderson , OBE ( born August 9 , 1968 ) , is an American-British film , television and theatre actress , activist and writer . Her credits include the roles of FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the long-running and widely popular series The X-Files , ill-fated socialite Lily Bart in Terence Davies ' film The House of Mirth ( 2000 ) , and DSI Stella Gibson on the BBC crime drama television series The Fall . Among other honours , Anderson has won a Primetime Emmy Award , a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards .   After beginning her career on stage , Anderson achieved international recognition for her role as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully on the American sci-fi drama series The X-Files . Her film work includes the dramas The Mighty Celt ( 2005 ) , The Last King of Scotland ( 2006 ) , Shadow Dancer ( 2012 ) , Viceroy 's House ( 2017 ) and two X-Files films : The X-Files : Fight the Future ( 1998 ) and The X-Files : I Want to Believe ( 2008 ) . Other notable television credits include : portraying Lady Dedlock in the successful BBC production of Charles Dickens ' Bleak House , Wallis Simpson in Any Human Heart , Miss Havisham in Great Expectations ( 2011 ) , and Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier on Hannibal . Anderson is the co-writer of The EarthEnd Saga novel trilogy and the self-help guide book WE : A Manifesto for Women Everywhere .   Aside from film and TV , Anderson has taken on the stage and received both awards and critical acclaim . Her stage work includes Absent Friends ( 1991 ) -- for which she won a Theatre World Award for Best Newcomer , A Doll 's House ( 2009 ) -- that earned her a Laurence Olivier Award nomination , and a portrayal of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire ( 2014 , 2016 ) -- for which she won the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress and received her second Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress .   Anderson has been active in supporting numerous charities and humanitarian organizations . She is an honorary spokesperson for the Neurofibromatosis ( NF ) Network and a co-founder of South African Youth Education for Sustainability ( SAYes ) . Anderson was appointed an honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire ( OBE ) in 2016 for her services to drama .


The Mighty Celt The Mighty Celt is a 2005 drama film set in Northern Ireland , written and directed by Pearse Elliott . It stars Gillian Anderson , Robert Carlyle , Sean McGinley , Ken Stott and Tyrone McKenna . It is centred on greyhound racing in a Catholic community after the intercommunal `` Troubles '' have ended but where their legacy remains strong . The film was well received in Ireland , with Gillian Anderson receiving an IFTA Award for Best International Actress . The film 's title is based on the name of a comic book shown in the movie .


Artemis is depicted as a huntress, who carries a bow and arrows.

Artemis Artemis ( -LSB- ˈɑːrtᵻmᵻs -RSB- Ἄρτεμις , Modern Greek : Άρτεμις , Ártemis , -LSB- ár.te.mis -RSB- ) was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities . Her Roman equivalent is Diana . Some scholars believe that the name , and indeed the goddess herself , was originally pre-Greek . Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera , Potnia Theron : `` Artemis of the wildland , Mistress of Animals '' . The Arcadians believed she was the daughter of Demeter .   In the classical period of Greek mythology , Artemis was often described as the daughter of Zeus and Leto , and the twin sister of Apollo . She was the Hellenic goddess of the hunt , wild animals , wilderness , childbirth , virginity and protector of young girls , bringing and relieving disease in women ; she often was depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows . The deer and the cypress were sacred to her . In later Hellenistic times , she even assumed the ancient role of Eileithyia in aiding childbirth .


Taraji P. Henson appeared in Think Like a Man Too.

Taraji P. Henson Taraji Penda Henson ( -LSB- tə ` rɑːdʒi -RSB- ; born September 11 , 1970 ) is an American actress and author . She studied acting at Howard University and began her Hollywood career in guest-roles on several television shows before making her breakthrough in Baby Boy ( 2001 ) . She received praise for playing a prostitute in Hustle & Flow ( 2005 ) and a single mother in David Fincher 's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ( 2008 ) ; for the latter , she received Academy Award , SAG Award and Critics Choice Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress ; for the former , she received a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture nomination . In 2010 , she appeared in the comedy Date Night and co-starred in the remake of The Karate Kid .   Henson has also had an extensive career in television in series such as The Division , Boston Legal and Eli Stone . In 2011 Henson starred in the Lifetime Television film Taken from Me : The Tiffany Rubin Story , which earned her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie . From 2011 to 2013 , she co-starred as Detective Jocelyn Carter in the CBS drama Person of Interest , for which she won an NAACP Image Award . Henson went on to star in the ensemble film Think Like a Man ( 2012 ) and its 2014 sequel . In 2015 , she began starring as Cookie Lyon on the Fox drama series Empire , for which she became the first African-American woman to win a Critics ' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series . She also won a Golden Globe Award , and was nominated for two Emmy Awards , in 2015 and 2016 .   In 2016 , Time named Henson one of the 100 most influential people in the world on the annual Time 100 list . That year , Henson also released a New York Times best selling autobiography titled Around the Way Girl . Also that year , she received praise for her starring role as Katherine Johnson in the critically acclaimed drama film Hidden Figures , for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture .


Think Like a Man Too Think Like a Man Too is a 2014 romantic comedy film directed by Tim Story and the sequel to Story 's 2012 film Think Like a Man based on Steve Harvey 's book Act Like a Lady , Think Like a Man . The script is written by David A. Newman and Keith Merryman . The film was released on June 20 , 2014 . The cast from the first film returned to reprise their roles .


Jim Garrison was born with a different name.

Jim Garrison James Carothers `` Jim '' Garrison ( born Earling Carothers Garrison ; November 20 , 1921 -- October 21 , 1992 ) was the District Attorney of Orleans Parish , Louisiana , from 1962 to 1973 . A member of the Democratic Party , he is best known for his investigations into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy . He was played by Kevin Costner in Oliver Stone 's JFK .


Houston is located in the United States.

Texas Texas ( -LSB- ˈtɛksəs -RSB- , -LSB- localˈtɛksᵻz -RSB- Texas or Tejas -LSB- ˈtexas -RSB- ) is the second largest state in the United States by both area and population . Geographically located in the South Central region of the country , Texas shares borders with the U.S. states of Louisiana to the east , Arkansas to the northeast , Oklahoma to the north , New Mexico to the west , and the Mexican states of Chihuahua , Coahuila , Nuevo León , and Tamaulipas to the southwest , while the Gulf of Mexico is to the southeast .   Houston is the most populous city in Texas and the fourth largest in the U.S. , while San Antonio is the second most populous in the state and seventh largest in the U.S. Dallas -- Fort Worth and Greater Houston are the fourth and fifth largest metropolitan statistical areas in the country , respectively . Other major cities include Austin , the second most populous state capital in the U.S. , and El Paso . Texas is nicknamed `` The Lone Star State '' to signify its former status as an independent republic , and as a reminder of the state 's struggle for independence from Mexico . The `` Lone Star '' can be found on the Texan state flag and on the Texan state seal . The origin of Texas 's name is from the word `` Tejas , '' which means `` friends '' in the Caddo language .   Due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault , Texas contains diverse landscapes that resemble both the U.S. Southern and Southwestern regions . Although Texas is popularly associated with the U.S. southwestern deserts , less than 10 % of Texas ' land area is desert . Most of the population centers are located in areas of former prairies , grasslands , forests , and the coastline . Traveling from east to west , one can observe terrain that ranges from coastal swamps and piney woods , to rolling plains and rugged hills , and finally the desert and mountains of the Big Bend .   The term `` six flags over Texas `` For example , as used by the large Grand Prairie -- based national and international amusement park operator Six Flags refers to several nations that have ruled over the territory . Spain was the first European country to claim the area of Texas . France held a short-lived colony . Mexico controlled the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence , becoming an independent Republic . In 1845 , Texas joined the union as the 28th state . The state 's annexation set off a chain of events that led to the Mexican -- American War in 1846 . A slave state before the American Civil War , Texas declared its secession from the U.S. in early 1861 , and officially joined the Confederate States of America on March 2 of the same year . After the Civil War and the restoration of its representation in the federal government , Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation .   One Texan industry that thrived after the Civil War was cattle . Due to its long history as a center of the industry , Texas is associated with the image of the cowboy . The state 's economic fortunes changed in the early 20th century , when oil discoveries initiated an economic boom in the state . With strong investments in universities , Texas developed a diversified economy and high tech industry in the mid-20th century . As of 2015 , it is second on the list of the most Fortune 500 companies with 54 . With a growing base of industry , the state leads in many industries , including agriculture , petrochemicals , energy , computers and electronics , aerospace , and biomedical sciences . Texas has led the nation in export revenue since 2002 and has the second-highest gross state product .


Houston Houston ( -LSB- ˈhjuːstən -RSB- ) is the most populous city in the state of Texas and the fourth-most populous city in the United States . With a census-estimated 2014 population of 2.239 million within an area of 667 sqmi , it is also the largest city in the southern United States and the seat of Harris County . Located in Southeast Texas near the Gulf of Mexico , it is the principal city of the Greater Houston metro area , which is the fifth-most populated MSA in the United States .   Houston was founded on August 28 , 1836 , near the banks of Buffalo Bayou ( now known as Allen 's Landing ) and incorporated as a city on June 5 , 1837 . The city was named after former General Sam Houston , who was president of the Republic of Texas and had commanded and won at the Battle of San Jacinto 25 mi east of where the city was established . The burgeoning port and railroad industry , combined with oil discovery in 1901 , has induced continual surges in the city 's population . In the mid-20th century , Houston became the home of the Texas Medical Center -- the world 's largest concentration of healthcare and research institutions -- and NASA 's Johnson Space Center , where the Mission Control Center is located .   Houston 's economy has a broad industrial base in energy , manufacturing , aeronautics , and transportation . Leading in health care sectors and building oilfield equipment , outside of New York City , Houston has more Fortune 500 headquarters than any other U.S. municipality within its city limits . The Port of Houston ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled and second in total cargo tonnage handled . Nicknamed the `` Space City '' , Houston is a global city , with strengths in business , international trade , entertainment , culture , media , fashion , science , sports , technology , education , medicine , and research . The city has a population from various ethnic and religious backgrounds and a large and growing international community . Houston is the most diverse city in Texas and has been described as the most racially and ethnically diverse major metropolis in the U.S. . It is home to many cultural institutions and exhibits , which attract more than 7 million visitors a year to the Museum District . Houston has an active visual and performing arts scene in the Theater District and offers year-round resident companies in all major performing arts .


Southeast Texas Southeast Texas is a subregion of East Texas located in the southeast corner of the U.S. state of Texas . The subregion is geographically centered on the Houston -- Sugar Land -- The Woodlands and Beaumont -- Port Arthur metropolitan areas . Parts of Southeast Texas overlap with Central Texas , and the region borders Acadiana and the Sabine River .   Culturally Southeast Texas is more closely akin to Southwest Louisiana , and even Mississippi than it is with West Texas . Southeast Texas is in the Bible Belt creating a strong Fundamentalist Christian sentiment . Though 35 percent of Texas 's population is now Hispanic , African-Americans are still the most populous minority in Southeast Texas . During the Civil Rights Movement several communities clashed over integration . The subregion 's culture is similar to that of Northeast Texas , but has more of a Cajun/Louisiana Creole influence . Many of the largest cities in East Texas outside Houston still follow a rural Southern way of life , especially in dialect , mannerisms , religion , and cuisine .


The Golden Girls The Golden Girls is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that originally aired on NBC from September 14 , 1985 , to May 9 , 1992 , with a total of 180 half-hour episodes spanning over seven seasons . The show stars Beatrice Arthur , Betty White , Rue McClanahan , and Estelle Getty , as four older women who share a home in Miami , Florida . It was produced by Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions , in association with Touchstone Television , and Paul Junger Witt , Tony Thomas , and Harris served as the original executive producers .   The Golden Girls received critical acclaim throughout most of its run and won several awards , including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series twice . It also won three Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Series -- Musical or Comedy . Each of the four stars received an Emmy Award ( from multiple nominations during the series ' run ) , making it one of only three sitcoms in the award 's history to achieve this . The series also ranked among the top-10 highest-rated programs for six of its seven seasons . In 2013 , TV Guide ranked The Golden Girls number 54 on its list of the 60 Best Series of All Time . In 2014 , the Writers Guild of America placed the sitcom at number 69 in their list of the `` 101 Best Written TV Series of All Time '' .


William R. Tolbert Jr. William Richard Tolbert Jr. ( May 13 , 1913 -- April 12 , 1980 ) was the 20th President of Liberia from 1971 until 1980 , when he was killed in a coup d'état led by Samuel Doe .   Trained as a civil servant , he entered the country 's House of Representatives in 1943 for the True Whig Party , then the only established party in the country . He was elected Vice president to William Tubman in 1952 and served in that position until he became President following Tubman 's death in 1971 .


Andy Dwyer is the boyfriend of a fictional character.

Andy Dwyer Sir Andrew Maxwell `` Andy '' Dwyer KBE -LSB- ˈdwaɪ.ər -RSB- is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation portrayed by Chris Pratt . Originally meant to be a temporary character , Andy was so likable that producers asked Pratt back as a series regular . He appears in the first season as Ann Perkins ' unemployed slacker boyfriend , then takes a job as a shoe-shiner at Pawnee City Hall in the second season . Andy eventually marries April Ludgate and is later promoted to Leslie Knope 's assistant . Pratt was credited as a guest star for the first season , despite appearing in every episode ; he is part of the main cast for every season after season one .   Andy is one of the few starring characters not to appear in every episode , as he was absent for a multi-episode arc in season six while Chris Pratt was filming Guardians of the Galaxy .


List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players The ATP Rankings are the Association of Tennis Professionals ' ( ATP ) merit-based method for determining the rankings in men 's tennis . The top-ranked player is the player who , over the previous 52 weeks , has garnered the most ATP ranking points . Points are awarded based on how far a player advances in tournaments and the category of those tournaments . The ATP has used a computerized system for determining the rankings since 23 August 1973 . Starting in 1979 , an updated rankings list is released at the beginning of each week .   Since 1973 , 26 men have been ranked number 1 by the ATP , of which 17 have been year-end number 1 . The current world number one is Andy Murray .