Desperate Housewives was created by Marc Cherry for ABC.

Desperate Housewives Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama and mystery series created by Marc Cherry , and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions . It originally aired for eight seasons on ABC , from October 3 , 2004 to May 13 , 2012 . Executive producer Cherry served as showrunner . Other executive producers since the fourth season included Bob Daily , George W. Perkins , John Pardee , Joey Murphy , David Grossman , and Larry Shaw .   Set on Wisteria Lane , a street in the fictional town of Fairview in the fictional Eagle State , Desperate Housewives follows the lives of a group of women as seen through the eyes of their late friend and neighbor who committed suicide in the pilot episode . The storyline covers 13 years of the women 's lives over eight seasons , set between the years 2004 -- 2008 , and later 2013 -- 2017 ( the story arc includes a five-year passage of time , as well as flashbacks ranging from the 1980s to the 2020s ) . They work through domestic struggles and family life , while facing the secrets , crimes and mysteries hidden behind the doors of their -- on the surface -- beautiful and seemingly perfect suburban neighborhood .   The series features an ensemble cast , headed by Teri Hatcher as Susan Mayer , Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo , Marcia Cross as Bree Van de Kamp , and Eva Longoria as Gabrielle Solis . Brenda Strong narrates the series as the late Mary Alice Young , appearing sporadically in flashbacks or dream sequences .   Desperate Housewives was well received by viewers and critics alike . It won multiple Primetime Emmy , Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards . From the 2004 -- 05 through the 2008 -- 09 television seasons , its first five seasons were rated amongst the top ten most-watched series . In 2007 , it was reported to be the most popular show in its demographic worldwide , with an audience of approximately 120 million and was also reported as the third most watched television series in a study of ratings in twenty countries . In 2012 , it remained the most-watched comedy series internationally based on data from Eurodata TV Worldwide , which measured ratings across five continents ; it has held this position since 2006 . Moreover , it was the third highest revenue earning series for 2010 , with $ 2.74 million per half an hour . The show was ranked at number fifty-six on Entertainment Weekly `` New TV Classics '' list .   In 2011 , it was confirmed that Desperate Housewives would conclude after its eighth season ; the series finale aired on May 13 , 2012 . By the end of the series , it had surpassed Charmed as the longest running hour-long television series featuring all female leads by two episodes .


Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( -LSB- ( t ) ʃaˈkiɾa isaˈβel meβaˈɾak riˈpol -RSB- ; -LSB- langʃəˈki : rə -RSB- born 2 February 1977 ) is a Colombian singer , songwriter , dancer , and record producer . Born and raised in Barranquilla , she began performing in school , demonstrating Latin American , Arabic , and rock and roll influences and belly dancing abilities . Shakira 's first studio albums , Magia and Peligro , failed to attain commercial success in the 1990s ; however , she rose to prominence in Latin America with her major-label debut , Pies Descalzos ( 1996 ) , and her fourth album , Dónde Están los Ladrones ? ( 1998 ) .   Shakira entered the English-language market with her fifth album , Laundry Service . Its lead single , `` Whenever , Wherever '' , became one of the most successful singles of 2002 . Her success was solidified with her sixth and seventh albums Fijación Oral , Volumen Uno and Oral Fixation , Volume Two ( 2005 ) , the latter of which spawned one of the best-selling songs of the 21st century , `` Hips Do n't Lie '' . Shakira 's eighth and ninth albums , She Wolf ( 2009 ) and Sale el Sol ( 2010 ) , received critical praise . Her official song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup , `` Waka Waka ( This Time for Africa ) '' , became the biggest-selling World Cup song of all time . With over 1.3 billion views , it is one of the most-watched music videos on YouTube . Shakira served as a coach on the fourth and sixth seasons of the American version of The Voice in 2013 and 2014 , respectively . Her tenth album , Shakira ( 2014 ) , is preceded by its lead single , `` Ca n't Remember to Forget You '' .   Shakira has won many awards , including five MTV Video Music Awards , two Grammy Awards , eight Latin Grammy Awards , seven Billboard Music Awards , 28 Billboard Latin Music Awards and has been Golden Globe-nominated . She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame , and has sold between 70 and 125 million records worldwide ( depending on the source ) , making her the best selling South American singer and one of the best selling Latin artists of all time . She carries out well-known philanthropic activities through charity work most notably through her Pies Descalzos Foundation . In 2014 , she was listed as the 58th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes .


The RMS Titanic called at Queenstown in Ireland.

RMS Titanic RMS Titanic ( -LSB- taɪˈtænɪk -RSB- ) was a British passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in the early morning of 15 April 1912 , after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City . Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew aboard , more than 1,500 died , making it one of the deadliest commercial peacetime maritime disasters in modern history . The largest ship afloat at the time it entered service , the RMS Titanic was the second of three s operated by the White Star Line , and was built by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast . Thomas Andrews , her architect , died in the disaster .   Under the command of Edward Smith , who went down with the ship , Titanic carried some of the wealthiest people in the world , as well as hundreds of emigrants from Great Britain and Ireland , Scandinavia and elsewhere throughout Europe seeking a new life in North America . The first-class accommodation was designed to be the pinnacle of comfort and luxury , with an on-board gymnasium , swimming pool , libraries , high-class restaurants and opulent cabins . A high-power radiotelegraph transmitter was available for sending passenger `` marconigrams '' and for the ship 's operational use . Although Titanic had advanced safety features such as watertight compartments and remotely activated watertight doors , there were not enough lifeboats to accommodate all of those aboard , due to outdated maritime safety regulations . Titanic only carried enough lifeboats for 1,178 people -- slightly more than half of the number on board , and one third of her total capacity .   After leaving Southampton on 10 April 1912 , Titanic called at Cherbourg in France and Queenstown ( now Cobh ) in Ireland before heading west to New York . On 14 April , four days into the crossing and about 375 mi south of Newfoundland , she hit an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. ship 's time . The collision caused the ship 's hull plates to buckle inwards along her starboard ( right ) side and opened five of her sixteen watertight compartments to the sea ; she could only survive four flooding . Meanwhile , passengers and some crew members were evacuated in lifeboats , many of which were launched only partially loaded . A disproportionate number of men were left aboard because of a `` women and children first '' protocol for loading lifeboats . At 2:20 a.m. , she broke apart and foundered -- with well over one thousand people still aboard . Just under two hours after Titanic sank , the Cunard liner arrived at the scene , where she brought aboard an estimated 705 survivors .   The disaster was greeted with worldwide shock and outrage at the huge loss of life and the regulatory and operational failures that had led to it . Public inquiries in Britain and the United States led to major improvements in maritime safety . One of their most important legacies was the establishment in 1914 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea ( SOLAS ) , which still governs maritime safety today . Additionally , several new wireless regulations were passed around the world in an effort to learn from the many missteps in wireless communications -- which could have saved many more passengers .   The wreck of Titanic , first discovered over 70 years after the sinking , remains on the seabed , split in two and gradually disintegrating at a depth of 12415 ft. Since her discovery in 1985 , thousands of artefacts have been recovered and put on display at museums around the world . Titanic has become one of the most famous ships in history ; her memory is kept alive by numerous works of popular culture , including books , folk songs , films , exhibits , and memorials . Titanic is the second largest ocean liner wreck in the world , only beaten by her sister , the largest ever sunk .


Thinkin Bout You is Grammy nominated in the year 2013.

Thinkin Bout You `` Thinkin Bout You '' is a song by American singer Frank Ocean , released as the lead single from his debut studio album Channel Orange ( 2012 ) . The song was written by Ocean and produced by Shea Taylor . Originally to be featured on Bridget Kelly 's debut album , Ocean released his original version of the track for free on his Tumblr account in 2011 . In May 2012 , the song was officially sent to radio and released on iTunes as a single by Ocean . Kelly would later release her own version of the track entitled `` Thinking Bout Forever '' .   Lyrically , the track is about a relationship just out of his reach and the turmoil that ensues . The track also explores feelings of regret and heartbreak . The song received highly positive reviews from music critics , who praised the atmospheric production , Ocean 's falsetto and writing ability . Some critics noted the possible bisexual undertones featured on the track .   In September 2012 , the song peaked at position 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 , 94 on the UK Singles Chart , and 13 on the Heatseekers Songs chart . In 2011 , the song received a music video directed by visual art group High5Collective released on September 15 . Ocean appears in the violent clip revolving around an inter-dimensional love story and zombies . Ocean performed the track during his seven-show tour through North America and Europe in November 2011 , at the April 2012 Coachella Musical Festival , and his supporting tour for Channel Orange . `` Thinkin Bout You '' has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) and has sold more than one million units in the United States . The song was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2013 for Record of the Year .


Glee (TV series) Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that aired on the Fox network in the United States from May 19 , 2009 , to March 20 , 2015 . It focuses on the fictitious William McKinley High School glee club , New Directions , which competes on the show choir competition circuit while its disparate members deal with social issues , especially regarding sexuality and race , relationships , and learning to become an effective team . The initial twelve-member cast included club director and Spanish teacher Will Schuester ( Matthew Morrison ) , cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester ( Jane Lynch ) , guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury ( Jayma Mays ) , Will 's wife Terri ( Jessalyn Gilsig ) , and eight club members played by Dianna Agron , Chris Colfer , Kevin McHale , Lea Michele , Cory Monteith , Amber Riley , Mark Salling , and Jenna Ushkowitz . In subsequent seasons , the main cast has expanded to fourteen and fifteen members .   The series was created by Ryan Murphy , Brad Falchuk , and Ian Brennan , the latter of whom first conceived of Glee as a film . The three wrote all of the show 's episodes for the first two seasons , and Murphy and Falchuk initially served as the show 's main directors . The pilot episode was broadcast on May 19 , 2009 , and the first season aired from September 9 , 2009 , to June 8 , 2010 . Subsequent seasons aired in September through May . The sixth and final season aired from January to March 2015 . Glee features on-screen performance-based musical numbers that were selected by Murphy , who aimed to maintain a balance between show tunes and chart hits , and produced by Adam Anders and Peer Åström . Songs covered in the show were released through the iTunes Store during the week of broadcast , and a series of Glee albums have been released by Columbia Records . The music of Glee has been a commercial success , with over thirty-six million digital single sales and eleven million album sales worldwide through October 2011 . The series ' merchandise also includes DVD and Blu-ray releases , an iPad application , and karaoke games for the Wii . There were live concert tours by the show 's cast after the first and second seasons completed shooting ; a concert film based on the 2011 tour , Glee : The 3D Concert Movie , was produced by Murphy and Fox and directed by Kevin Tancharoen .   During its first season , Glee received generally favorable reviews from critics , with Metacritic 's weighted average of 77 out of 100 based on eighteen critical reviews . The season was nominated for nineteen Emmy Awards , four Golden Globe Awards , six Satellite Awards and fifty-seven other awards , with wins including the 2010 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series -- Musical or Comedy , and Emmy awards for Jane Lynch , guest-star Neil Patrick Harris and Murphy 's direction of the pilot episode . In 2011 , the show once again won the Golden Globe for Best Television Series , and Jane Lynch and Chris Colfer won Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor respectively , and Gwyneth Paltrow won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series . The show was also chosen by Fox to fill the coveted time slot that followed the network 's coverage of Super Bowl XLV in 2011 .   On October 17 , 2013 , in the wake of the death of Cory Monteith three months prior , and one week after his tribute episode `` The Quarterback '' aired , Murphy announced that the sixth season would be the final one of the series . After 121 episodes and over 728 music performances , Glee came to an end on March 20 , 2015 .


There is a Christian state called Liechtenstein with state churches.

Christian state A Christian state is a country that recognizes a form of Christianity as its official religion and often has a state church , which is a Christian denomination that supports the government and is supported by the government . Historically , the nations of Armenia , Aksum , Georgia , as well as the Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire declared themselves as Christian states . Today , several nations officially identify themselves as Christian states and/or have state churches , including Costa Rica , Denmark , England , Greece , Iceland , Liechtenstein , Monaco , Tonga , Tuvalu , Vatican City , and Zambia . A Christian state stands in contrast to a secular state , an atheist state , or another religious state , such as a Jewish state , or an Islamic state .


Joe Manganiello has been featured in Magic Mike.

Joe Manganiello Joseph Michael Manganiello ( -LSB- ˌmæŋɡəˈnɛloʊ -RSB- ; -LSB- maŋɡaˈnjɛllo -RSB- ; born December 28 , 1976 ) is an American actor , director , producer , author and philanthropist . He played Flash Thompson in Sam Raimi 's Spider-Man trilogy and had various recurring roles in television on ER , How I Met Your Mother , and One Tree Hill , before landing his breakout role as werewolf Alcide Herveaux on the HBO television series True Blood . In 2011 , he was voted `` Favorite Pop-Culture Werewolf of All Time '' by the readers of Entertainment Weekly , and one of Men 's Health `` 100 Fittest Men of All Time '' .   Manganiello has appeared in films such as Magic Mike , What to Expect When You 're Expecting , and Sabotage . In late 2013 , he became a published author when his first book , Evolution , was released by Simon & Schuster 's Gallery Books . He is active with several charities , including Children 's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC , and he serves on the committee of The Art of Elysium .


Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon ( born October 13 , 1941 ) is an American musician , singer-songwriter and actor . Simon 's fame , influence , and commercial success began as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel , formed in 1964 with musical partner Art Garfunkel . Simon wrote nearly all of the pair 's songs , including three that reached No. 1 on the U.S. singles charts : `` The Sound of Silence '' , `` Mrs. Robinson '' , and `` Bridge over Troubled Water '' .   The duo split up in 1970 at the height of their popularity and Simon began a successful solo career as a guitarist and singer-songwriter , recording three highly acclaimed albums over the next five years . In 1986 , he released Graceland , an album inspired by South African township music , which sold 14 million copies worldwide on its release and remains his most popular solo work . Simon also wrote and starred in the film One-Trick Pony ( 1980 ) and co-wrote the Broadway musical The Capeman ( 1998 ) with the poet Derek Walcott . On June 3 , 2016 , Simon released his 13th solo album , titled Stranger to Stranger , which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Album Chart and the UK charts .   Simon has earned sixteen Grammys for his solo and collaborative work , including three for Album of the Year ( Bridge Over Troubled Water , Still Crazy After All These Years , Graceland ) , and a Lifetime Achievement Award . In 2001 , he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2006 was selected as one of the `` 100 People Who Shaped the World '' by Time magazine . In 2011 , Rolling Stone magazine named Simon as one of the 100 Greatest Guitarists . In 2015 , he was named as one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters by Rolling Stone . Among many other honors , Simon was the first recipient of the Library of Congress 's Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2007 . In 1986 , Simon was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music , where he currently serves on the Board of Trustees .


Marcus Allen's brother was born in May 1963.

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


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


Michael Jordan was in a professional sports league.

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan ( born February 17 , 1963 ) , also known by his initials , MJ , is an American retired professional basketball player , businessman , and principal owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets . Jordan played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) for the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards . His biography on the NBA website states : `` By acclamation , Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time . '' Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was considered instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s .   Jordan played three seasons for coach Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina . As a freshman , he was a member of the Tar Heels ' national championship team in 1982 . Jordan joined the Bulls in 1984 as the third overall draft pick . He quickly emerged as a league star , entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring . His leaping ability , demonstrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line in slam dunk contests , earned him the nicknames Air Jordan and His Airness . He also gained a reputation for being one of the best defensive players in basketball . In 1991 , he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls , and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993 , securing a `` three-peat '' . Although Jordan abruptly retired from basketball before the beginning of the 1993 -- 94 NBA season to pursue a new venture in minor league baseball , he returned to the Bulls in March 1995 and led them to three additional championships in 1996 , 1997 , and 1998 , as well as a then-record 72 regular-season wins in the 1995 -- 96 NBA season . Jordan retired for a second time in January 1999 , but returned for two more NBA seasons from 2001 to 2003 as a member of the Wizards .   Jordan 's individual accolades and accomplishments include five Most Valuable Player ( MVP ) Awards , ten All-NBA First Team designations , nine All-Defensive First Team honors , fourteen NBA All-Star Game appearances , three All-Star Game MVP Awards , ten scoring titles , three steals titles , six NBA Finals MVP Awards , and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award . Among his numerous accomplishments , Jordan holds the NBA records for highest career regular season scoring average ( 30.12 points per game ) and highest career playoff scoring average ( 33.45 points per game ) . In 1999 , he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN , and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press 's list of athletes of the century . Jordan is a two-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame , having been enshrined in 2009 for his individual career , and again in 2010 as part of the group induction of the 1992 United States men 's Olympic basketball team ( `` The Dream Team '' ) . He became a member of the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2015 .   Jordan is also known for his product endorsements . He fueled the success of Nike 's Air Jordan sneakers , which were introduced in 1985 and remain popular today . Jordan also starred in the 1996 feature film Space Jam as himself . In 2006 , he became part-owner and head of basketball operations for the then-Charlotte Bobcats , buying a controlling interest in 2010 . In 2015 , Jordan became the first billionaire NBA player in history as a result of the increase in value of NBA franchises . He is the third-richest African-American , behind Oprah Winfrey and Robert F. Smith .


National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association ( NBA ) is the major men 's professional basketball league in North America , and is widely considered to be the premier men 's professional basketball league in the world . It has 30 teams ( 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada ) , and is an active member of USA Basketball ( USAB ) , which is recognized by FIBA ( also known as the International Basketball Federation ) as the national governing body for basketball in the United States . The NBA is one of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada . NBA players are the world 's best paid athletes by average annual salary per player .   The league was founded in New York City on June 6 , 1946 , as the Basketball Association of America ( BAA ) . The league adopted the name National Basketball Association on August 3 , 1949 , after merging with its rival National Basketball League ( NBL ) . The league 's several international as well as individual team offices are directed out of its head offices located in the Olympic Tower at 645 Fifth Avenue in New York City . NBA Entertainment and NBA TV studios are directed out of offices located in Secaucus , New Jersey .


Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte , North Carolina . The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) , as a member club of the league 's Eastern Conference Southeast Division . The team is largely owned by former NBA player and North Carolina native Michael Jordan , who acquired controlling interest in the team in 2010 . The Hornets play their home games at the Spectrum Center in Uptown Charlotte .   The original Hornets franchise was established in 1988 as an expansion team , owned by George Shinn . In 2002 , Shinn 's franchise relocated to New Orleans and became the New Orleans Hornets . In 2004 the NBA established the Charlotte Bobcats , which was regarded as a new expansion team at the time . In 2013 , the New Orleans franchise announced it would rebrand itself the New Orleans Pelicans , ultimately returning the Hornets name , records , and official history ( spanning 1988 -- 2002 ) to Charlotte . The Bobcats were officially renamed the Charlotte Hornets for the 2014 -- 15 NBA season .


Emily Blunt was in the film adaptation of a Lauren Weisberger novel.

The Devil Wears Prada (film) The Devil Wears Prada is a 2006 American comedy-drama film based on Lauren Weisberger 's 2003 novel of the same name . This screen adaptation stars Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly , a powerful fashion magazine editor , and Anne Hathaway as Andrea ( `` Andy '' ) Sachs , a college graduate who goes to New York City and lands a job as Priestly 's co-assistant . Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci co-star , as co-assistant Emily Charlton and art director Nigel , respectively .   Adrian Grenier , Simon Baker , and Tracie Thoms play key supporting roles . Wendy Finerman produced and David Frankel directed the film , which was distributed by 20th Century Fox . Streep 's performance drew critical acclaim and earned her many award nominations , including her record-setting 14th Oscar bid , as well as the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical . Blunt also drew favorable reviews and nominations for her performance , as did many of those involved in the film 's production .   The film was well received by both film critics and the public and became a surprise summer box-office hit following its June 30 North American release . The commercial success and critical praise for Streep 's performance continued in foreign markets with the film leading the international box office for most of October . Likewise , the U.S. DVD release was the top rental during December . The film finished in 2006 's Top 20 both in the U.S. and overseas and grossed over $ 300 million , mostly from its international run .   Although the movie is set in the fashion world , most designers and other fashion notables avoided appearing as themselves for fear of displeasing U.S. Vogue editor Anna Wintour , who is widely believed to have been the inspiration for Priestly . Still , many allowed their clothes and accessories to be used in the film , making it one of the most expensively costumed films in history . Wintour later overcame her initial skepticism , saying she liked the film and Streep in particular .


Emily Blunt Emily Olivia Leah Blunt ( born 23 February 1983 ) is a British film and stage actress . Blunt made her professional debut in a 2001 London production of the play The Royal Family . Two years later , she appeared on screen for the first time in the 2003 television film Boudica ( Warrior Queen ) . Her performance in the 2004 drama film My Summer of Love garnered her the Evening Standard British Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer .   For her performance in the TV film Gideon 's Daughter ( 2006 ) she received a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress . The same year , she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress -- Motion Picture and a nomination for a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for The Devil Wears Prada .   In 2009 , Blunt received the BAFTA Britannia Award for British Artist of the Year . She received more acclaim for portraying Queen Victoria in The Young Victoria ( 2009 ) , receiving a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture -- Drama . 2009 also saw Blunt appear in the crime caper comedy Wild Target with Bill Nighy and Rupert Grint . She found commercial success for roles in the romantic science-fiction thriller The Adjustment Bureau ( 2011 ) , the science-fiction action thriller Looper ( 2012 ) , and the science-fiction military film Edge of Tomorrow ( 2014 ) .   Blunt received her fourth and fifth Golden Globe Award nominations for her roles in the romantic comedy-drama Salmon Fishing in the Yemen ( 2012 ) and the musical fantasy Into the Woods ( 2014 ) in the Best Actress -- Motion Picture Comedy or Musical category . In 2016 , Blunt starred in the fantasy-action film The Huntsman : Winter 's War and The Girl on the Train , the latter based on the international best-selling novel of the same name , and a performance that earned her nominations for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role .


Tanzania is a highly multilingual country with languages such as Swahili and English.

Tanzania Tanzania -LSB- ˌtænzəˈniːə -RSB- , officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania ) , is a country in Eastern Africa within the African Great Lakes region . Parts of the country are in Southern Africa . It is bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north ; Rwanda , Burundi , and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west ; Zambia , Malawi , and Mozambique to the south ; and by the Indian Ocean to the east . Mount Kilimanjaro , Africa 's highest mountain , is in northeastern Tanzania .   Tanzania 's population of 51.82 million ( 2014 ) is diverse , composed of several ethnic , linguistic , and religious groups . Tanzania is a presidential constitutional republic , and since 1996 , its official capital city has been Dodoma , where the President 's Office , the National Assembly , and some government ministries are located . Dar es Salaam , the former capital , retains most government offices and is the country 's largest city , principal port , and leading commercial centre . Tanzania is a one party dominant state with the socialist-progressive Chama Cha Mapinduzi ( CCM ) party in power . From its formation until 1992 , it was the only legally permitted party in the country . This changed on 1 July 1992 , when amendments to the Constitution and a number of laws permitting and regulating the formation and operations of more than one political party were enacted by the National Assembly . Elections for president and all National Assembly seats were last held in October 2015 . The CCM holds approximately 75 % of the seats in the assembly .   Prehistoric population migrations include Southern Cushitic speakers , who are ancestral to the Iraqw , Gorowa , and Burunge and who moved south from Ethiopia into Tanzania . Based on linguistic evidence , there may also have been two movements into Tanzania of Eastern Cushitic people at about 4,000 and 2,000 years ago , originating from north of Lake Turkana . Archaeological evidence supports the conclusion that Southern Nilotes , including the Datoog , moved south from the present-day South Sudan-Ethiopia border region into central northern Tanzania between 2,900 and 2,400 years ago . These movements took place at about the same time as the settlement of the iron-making Mashariki Bantu from West Africa in the Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika areas . They brought with them the west African planting tradition and the primary staple of yams . They subsequently migrated out of these regions across the rest of Tanzania , between 2,300 and 1,700 years ago . European colonialism began in mainland Tanzania during the late 19th century when Germany formed German East Africa , which gave way to British rule following World War I . The mainland was governed as Tanganyika , with the Zanzibar Archipelago remaining a separate colonial jurisdiction . Following their respective independence in 1961 and 1963 , the two entities merged in April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania .   Tanzania is mountainous and densely forested in the northeast , where Mount Kilimanjaro is located . Three of Africa 's Great Lakes are partly within Tanzania . To the north and west lie Lake Victoria , Africa 's largest lake , and Lake Tanganyika , the continent 's deepest lake , known for its unique species of fish . The eastern shore is hot and humid , with the Zanzibar Archipelago just offshore . The Kalambo water falls in the southwestern region of Rukwa are the second highest uninterrupted fall in Africa and are located near the southeastern shore of Lake Tanganyika on the border with Zambia . The Menai Bay Conservation Area is Zanzibar 's largest marine protected area .   Over 100 different languages are spoken in Tanzania , making it the most linguistically diverse country in East Africa . Among the languages spoken in Tanzania are all four of Africa 's language families : Bantu , Cushitic , Nilotic , and Khoisan . Swahili and English are Tanzania 's official languages . A highly multilingual country , Swahili is used in parliamentary debate , in the lower courts , and as a medium of instruction in primary school ; and English is used in foreign trade , in diplomacy , in higher courts , and as a medium of instruction in secondary and higher education , although the Tanzanian government plans to discontinue English as a language of instruction altogether . In connection with his Ujamaa social policies , President Nyerere encouraged the use of Swahili ; as a means of unifying the country 's many ethnic groups . Approximately 10 % of Tanzanians speak Swahili as a first language , and up to 90 % speak it as a second language . Most Tanzanians thus speak both Swahili and a local language ; many educated Tanzanians are trilingual ; also speaking English . The widespread use and promotion of Swahili is contributing to the decline of smaller languages in the country . Young children increasingly speak Swahili as a first language , mostly in urban areas .   Tanzania-Malawi relations have been tense because of a dispute over the countries ' Lake Nyasa ( Lake Malawi ) border . An unsuccessful mediation regarding this issue happened in March 2014 . The two countries agreed in 2013 to ask the International Court of Justice ( ICJ ) to resolve the dispute should mediation be unsuccessful . Malawi , but not Tanzania , has accepted the compulsory jurisdiction of the ICJ .


Peyton Manning is currently an active athlete.

Peyton Manning Peyton Williams Manning ( born March 24 , 1976 ) is a former American football quarterback who played 18 seasons in the National Football League ( NFL ) , primarily with the Indianapolis Colts . Considered to be one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time , he spent 14 seasons with the Colts and was a member of the Denver Broncos in his last four seasons . Manning played college football for the University of Tennessee , leading the Tennessee Volunteers to the 1997 SEC Championship in his senior season . He is the second son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning and older brother of New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning .   Manning was selected by the Indianapolis Colts as the first overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft . From 1998 to 2010 , he improved the fortunes of the struggling Colts franchise and helped transform them into playoff contenders . During his tenure as starting quarterback , Manning led the team to eight division championships , two AFC championships , and one Super Bowl title , the franchise 's first in over three decades , as well as their first since relocating to Indianapolis .   After undergoing neck surgery that forced him to miss the entire 2011 season , Manning was released by the Colts and signed with the Denver Broncos . Serving as the team 's starting quarterback from 2012 to 2015 , he contributed to the Broncos reaching the top of their division each year and his playing career concluded with a victory in Super Bowl 50 .   Manning holds many NFL records , including passing yards ( 71,940 ) , touchdown passes ( 539 ) , AP MVP awards ( 5 ) , Pro Bowl appearances ( 14 ) , and 4,000-yard passing seasons ( 14 ) . A two-time Super Bowl winner and the most valuable player of Super Bowl XLI , Manning is also the only quarterback to start the Super Bowl for two different franchises more than once each and the only starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl with two different franchises . At 39 years of age , Manning is the oldest quarterback to start in and win a Super Bowl . Manning is also the only quarterback in NFL history to make the Super Bowl four times with four different head coaches ( Dungy , Caldwell , Fox , and Kubiak ) .   During a 2009 Monday Night Football game , Manning received the nickname `` The Sheriff '' from color commentator Jon Gruden due to his tendency to audible prior to the snap , and he was one of the most recognizable and parodied players in the NFL . Teams led by Manning typically utilized the hurry-up offense in place of the standard huddle .


Eurojust is an agency that deals with judicial co-operation in criminal matters for the European Union.

Eurojust Eurojust ( also spelled capitalised as EUROJUST ) is an agency of the European Union ( EU ) dealing with judicial co-operation in criminal matters . The seat of Eurojust is in The Hague .   Established in 2002 , it was created to improve handling of serious cross-border and organized crime by stimulating investigative and prosecutorial co-ordination among agencies of the EU Member States . Eurojust is composed of a College formed of 28 National Members -- experienced judges , prosecutors , or police officers of equivalent competence from each EU Member State . The terms and duties of the members are defined by the state that appoints them . Eurojust also co-operates with third states and other EU bodies such as the European Judicial Network , Europol , and OLAF .


Lana Del Rey put out the Paradise EP in November of 2012.

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


Paradise (Lana Del Rey EP) Paradise is the third extended play ( EP ) and second major release by American singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey ; it was released on November 9 , 2012 by Universal Music . It is additionally packaged with the reissue of her second studio album Born to Die ( 2012 ) , titled Born to Die : The Paradise Edition . Del Rey enlisted collaborators including producers Rick Nowels , Justin Parker , and Rick Rubin .   Upon its release , Paradise received generally favorable reviews from music critics . The extended play debuted at number 10 on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 67,000 copies . It also debuted at number 10 on the Canadian Albums Chart and peaked within the top-five of various other Billboard charts . Charting across Europe , the extended play became a top-ten hit in Flanders and Poland , charting within the top twenty in Wallonia and the Netherlands .   The EP 's lead single was the ballad `` Ride '' which became a modest hit in the United States , Switzerland , Ireland , and France and reached the top ten in Russia . `` Blue Velvet '' , a cover of the popular 1950s track , and `` Burning Desire '' were released as promotional singles . Music videos for `` Ride '' , `` Blue Velvet '' , `` Bel Air '' , and `` Burning Desire '' were posted to Vevo and YouTube to help promote the EP .   In December 2013 , Del Rey released the Anthony Mandler-directed Tropico , a short film that includes the songs `` Body Electric '' , `` Gods & Monsters '' , and `` Bel Air '' . That same month , an EP of the same name was made available for purchase on iTunes , containing the film along with the three aforementioned songs . In 2014 , the EP was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards .


Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde ( 16 October 185430 November 1900 ) was an Irish playwright , novelist , essayist , and poet . After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s , he became one of London 's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s . He is remembered for his epigrams , his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray , his plays , as well as the circumstances of his imprisonment and early death .   Wilde 's parents were successful Anglo-Irish , Dublin intellectuals . Their son became fluent in French and German early in life . At university , Wilde read Greats ; he proved himself to be an outstanding classicist , first at Dublin , then at Oxford . He became known for his involvement in the rising philosophy of aestheticism , led by two of his tutors , Walter Pater and John Ruskin . After university , Wilde moved to London into fashionable cultural and social circles .   As a spokesman for aestheticism , he tried his hand at various literary activities : he published a book of poems , lectured in the United States and Canada on the new `` English Renaissance in Art '' , and then returned to London where he worked prolifically as a journalist . Known for his biting wit , flamboyant dress and glittering conversation , Wilde became one of the best-known personalities of his day .   At the turn of the 1890s , he refined his ideas about the supremacy of art in a series of dialogues and essays , and incorporated themes of decadence , duplicity , and beauty into his only novel , The Picture of Dorian Gray ( 1890 ) . The opportunity to construct aesthetic details precisely , and combine them with larger social themes , drew Wilde to write drama . He wrote Salome ( 1891 ) in French in Paris but it was refused a licence for England due to the absolute prohibition of Biblical subjects on the English stage . Unperturbed , Wilde produced four society comedies in the early 1890s , which made him one of the most successful playwrights of late Victorian London .   At the height of his fame and success , while The Importance of Being Earnest ( 1895 ) , was still being performed in London , Wilde had the Marquess of Queensberry prosecuted for criminal libel . The Marquess was the father of Wilde 's lover , Lord Alfred Douglas . The libel trial unearthed evidence that caused Wilde to drop his charges and led to his own arrest and trial for gross indecency with men . After two more trials he was convicted and imprisoned for two years ' hard labour , the maximum penalty .   In 1897 , in prison , he wrote De Profundis , which was published in 1905 , a long letter which discusses his spiritual journey through his trials , forming a dark counterpoint to his earlier philosophy of pleasure . Upon his release he left immediately for France , never to return to Ireland or Britain . There he wrote his last work , The Ballad of Reading Gaol ( 1898 ) , a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life . He died destitute in Paris at the age of 46 .


Salome (play) Salome ( French : Salomé , -LSB- salome -RSB- ) is a tragedy by Oscar Wilde .  The original 1891 version of the play was in French . Three years later an English translation was published . The play tells in one act the Biblical story of Salome , stepdaughter of the tetrarch Herod Antipas , who , to her stepfather 's dismay but to the delight of her mother Herodias , requests the head of Jokanaan ( John the Baptist ) on a silver platter as a reward for dancing the dance of the seven veils .


The Chainsmokers The Chainsmokers are an American DJ/producer duo consisting of Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall . The EDM-pop duo achieved a breakthrough with their 2014 song '' #Selfie '' , which was a top twenty single in several countries . Their debut EP , Bouquet was released in October 2015 and featured the single `` Roses '' , which reached the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 . `` Do n't Let Me Down '' became their first top 5 single there and won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording at the 59th awards ceremony , while `` Closer '' became their first number-one single on the chart . They have also won an American Music Award and five iHeartRadio Music Awards .   The duo 's second EP Collage was released in November 2016 , consisting of several previously released singles . Their debut studio album Memories ... Do Not Open was released in April 2017 .


Richard Branson founded Virgin Records in 1972.

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


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


Mr. Nobody became a film with a cult following.

Mr. Nobody (film) Mr. Nobody is a 2009 science fiction drama film written and directed by Jaco Van Dormael and starring Jared Leto , Sarah Polley , Diane Kruger , Linh Dan Pham , Rhys Ifans , Natasha Little , Toby Regbo and Juno Temple . The film tells the life story of Nemo Nobody , a 118-year-old man who is the last mortal on Earth after the human race has achieved quasi-immortality . Nemo , memory fading , refers to his three main loves and to his parents ' divorce and subsequent hardships endured at three critical junctions in his life : at age nine , fifteen , and thirty-four . Alternate life paths branching out from each of those critical junctions are examined . The speculative narrative often changes course with the flick of a different possible decision at each of those ages . The film uses nonlinear narrative and the multiverse hypothesis style .   Mr. Nobody had its world premiere at the 66th Venice International Film Festival where it received the Golden Osella and the Biografilm Lancia Award . Critical response was generally strong and the film was nominated for seven Magritte Awards , winning six , including Best Film and Best Director for Van Dormael . The film was mostly funded through European financiers and was released in Belgium on 13 January 2010 . Since its original release , Mr. Nobody has become a cult film , noted for its philosophy and cinematography , personal characters and Pierre Van Dormael 's soundtrack .


Blue-ringed octopus The blue-ringed octopodes ( genus Hapalochlaena ) are three octopus species that live in tide pools and coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans , from Japan to Australia . Their primary habitat is around southern New South Wales , South Australia , and northern Western Australia . They are recognized as one of the world 's most venomous marine animals . Despite their small size , 12 to , and relatively docile nature , they are dangerous to humans if provoked and handled , because their venom contains tetrodotoxin , a neurotoxin powerful enough to kill humans .   They can be identified by their characteristic blue and black rings , and yellowish skin . When the octopus is agitated , the brown patches darken dramatically , iridescent blue rings , or clumps of rings , appear and pulsate within the maculae . Typically , 50 -- 60 blue rings cover the dorsal and lateral surfaces of the mantle .   They hunt small crabs , hermit crabs , shrimp , and other small crustaceans .


Ready Player One was the recipient of an Alex Award.

Ready Player One Ready Player One is a 2011 dystopian science-fiction novel , and the debut novel by Ernest Cline . In 2012 , the book received an Alex Award from the Young Adult Library Services Association division of the American Library Association and won the 2012 Prometheus Award .   Cline sold the novel in June 2010 , in a bidding war to the Crown Publishing Group ( a division of Random House ) . The book was published on August 16 , 2011 . An audiobook was released the same day ; it was narrated by Wil Wheaton , who was mentioned briefly in one of the chapters .   A film adaptation , directed by Steven Spielberg , is currently in production , and slated to premiere in spring 2018 .


Frenemies is based on a novel by the same name written by Alexa Young.

Frenemies (film) Frenemies is a 2012 teen comedy-drama television film and anthology based on the novel of the same name by Alexa Young which premiered on Disney Channel . It features an ensemble cast starring Bella Thorne , Zendaya , Stefanie Scott , Nick Robinson , Mary Mouser and features Connor Price , Jascha Washington and Dylan Everett . The film follows three pairs of teenage friends that go from friends to enemies and back again . The film was directed by Daisy Mayer and written by Dava Savel , Wendy Weiner , and Jim Krieg . The Disney Channel Original Movie premiered on January 13 , 2012 in the United States and Canada .


1.7% of water can be found in underground.

Water Water is a transparent and nearly colorless chemical substance that is the main constituent of Earth 's streams , lakes , and oceans , and the fluids of most living organisms . Its chemical formula is H2O , meaning that its molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms , that are connected by covalent bonds . Water strictly refers to the liquid state of that substance , that prevails at standard ambient temperature and pressure ; but it often refers also to its solid state ( ice ) or its gaseous state ( steam or water vapor ) . It also occurs in nature as snow , glaciers , ice packs and icebergs , clouds , fog , dew , aquifers , and atmospheric humidity .   Water covers 71 % of the Earth 's surface . It is vital for all known forms of life . On Earth , 96.5 % of the planet 's crust water is found in seas and oceans , 1.7 % in groundwater , 1.7 % in glaciers and the ice caps of Antarctica and Greenland , a small fraction in other large water bodies , and 0.001 % in the air as vapor , clouds ( formed of ice and liquid water suspended in air ) , and precipitation . Only 2.5 % of this water is freshwater , and 98.8 % of that water is in ice ( excepting ice in clouds ) and groundwater . Less than 0.3 % of all freshwater is in rivers , lakes , and the atmosphere , and an even smaller amount of the Earth 's freshwater ( 0.003 % ) is contained within biological bodies and manufactured products . A greater quantity of water is found in the earth 's interior .   Water on Earth moves continually through the water cycle of evaporation and transpiration ( evapotranspiration ) , condensation , precipitation , and runoff , usually reaching the sea . Evaporation and transpiration contribute to the precipitation over land . Large amounts of water are also chemically combined or adsorbed in hydrated minerals .   Safe drinking water is essential to humans and other lifeforms even though it provides no calories or organic nutrients . Access to safe drinking water has improved over the last decades in almost every part of the world , but approximately one billion people still lack access to safe water and over 2.5 billion lack access to adequate sanitation . There is a clear correlation between access to safe water and gross domestic product per capita . However , some observers have estimated that by 2025 more than half of the world population will be facing water-based vulnerability . A report , issued in November 2009 , suggests that by 2030 , in some developing regions of the world , water demand will exceed supply by 50 % .   Water plays an important role in the world economy . Approximately 70 % of the freshwater used by humans goes to agriculture . Fishing in salt and fresh water bodies is a major source of food for many parts of the world . Much of long-distance trade of commodities ( such as oil and natural gas ) and manufactured products is transported by boats through seas , rivers , lakes , and canals . Large quantities of water , ice , and steam are used for cooling and heating , in industry and homes . Water is an excellent solvent for a wide variety of chemical substances ; as such it is widely used in industrial processes , and in cooking and washing . Water is also central to many sports and other forms of entertainment , such as swimming , pleasure boating , boat racing , surfing , sport fishing , and diving .


Groundwater Groundwater ( or ground water ) is the water present beneath Earth 's surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations . A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water . The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock become completely saturated with water is called the water table . Groundwater is recharged from , and eventually flows to , the surface naturally ; natural discharge often occurs at springs and seeps , and can form oases or wetlands . Groundwater is also often withdrawn for agricultural , municipal , and industrial use by constructing and operating extraction wells . The study of the distribution and movement of groundwater is hydrogeology , also called groundwater hydrology .   Typically , groundwater is thought of as water flowing through shallow aquifers , but , in the technical sense , it can also contain soil moisture , permafrost ( frozen soil ) , immobile water in very low permeability bedrock , and deep geothermal or oil formation water . Groundwater is hypothesized to provide lubrication that can possibly influence the movement of faults . It is likely that much of Earth 's subsurface contains some water , which may be mixed with other fluids in some instances . Groundwater may not be confined only to Earth . The formation of some of the landforms observed on Mars may have been influenced by groundwater . There is also evidence that liquid water may also exist in the subsurface of Jupiter 's moon Europa .   Groundwater is often cheaper , more convenient and less vulnerable to pollution than surface water . Therefore , it is commonly used for public water supplies . For example , groundwater provides the largest source of usable water storage in the United States , and California annually withdraws the largest amount of groundwater of all the states . Underground reservoirs contain far more water than the capacity of all surface reservoirs and lakes in the US , including the Great Lakes . Many municipal water supplies are derived solely from groundwater .   Polluted groundwater is less visible , but more difficult to clean up , than pollution in rivers and lakes . Groundwater pollution most often results from improper disposal of wastes on land . Major sources include industrial and household chemicals and garbage landfills , excessive fertilizers and pesticides used in agriculture , industrial waste lagoons , tailings and process wastewater from mines , industrial fracking , oil field brine pits , leaking underground oil storage tanks and pipelines , sewage sludge and septic systems .


Caribbean Community The Caribbean Community ( CARICOM ) is an organization of fifteen Caribbean nations and dependencies whose main objective is to promote economic integration and cooperation among its members , to ensure that the benefits of integration are equitably shared , and to coordinate foreign policy . The organization was established in 1973 . Its major activities involve coordinating economic policies and development planning ; devising and instituting special projects for the less-developed countries within its jurisdiction ; operating as a regional single market for many of its members ( Caricom Single Market ) ; and handling regional trade disputes . The secretariat headquarters is based in Georgetown , Guyana . CARICOM is an official United Nations Observer .   Established mainly by the English-speaking parts of the Caribbean , CARICOM has become multilingual in practice with the addition of Dutch-speaking Suriname on 4 July 1995 and French - ( and Haitian Kreyòl - ) speaking Haiti on 2 July 2002 . Furthermore , it was suggested that Spanish should also become a working language . In July 2012 , CARICOM announced that they were considering making French and Dutch official languages.In 2001 , the heads of government signed a revised Treaty of Chaguaramas that cleared the way to transform the idea of a common market CARICOM into a Caribbean ( CARICOM ) Single Market and Economy . Part of the revised treaty establishes and implements the Caribbean Court of Justice . Since 2013 , the CARICOM-bloc and the Dominican Republic have been tied to the European Commission via an Economic Partnership Agreements known as CARIFORUM signed in 2008 . The treaty grants all members of the European Union and CARIFORUM equal rights in terms of trade and investment . Within the agreement under Article 234 , the European Court of Justice also carries dispute resolution mechanisms between CARIFORUM and the European Union states .


Bermuda Bermuda ( -LSB- pronbərˈmjuːdə -RSB- ) is a British Overseas Territory in the North Atlantic Ocean . It is approximately 1070 km east-southeast of Cape Hatteras , North Carolina ; 1236 km south of Cape Sable Island , Nova Scotia ; and 1578 km north of San Juan , Puerto Rico . The capital city is Hamilton . Bermuda is an associate member of Caribbean Community ( CARICOM ) .   The first person known to have reached Bermuda was the Spanish sea captain Juan de Bermúdez in 1503 , after whom the islands are named . He claimed the islands for the Spanish Empire . Bermúdez never landed on the islands , but made two visits to the archipelago , of which he created a recognisable map . Shipwrecked Portuguese mariners are now thought to have been responsible for the 1543 inscription on Portuguese Rock ( previously called Spanish Rock ) . Subsequent Spanish or other European parties are believed to have released pigs there , which had become feral and abundant on the island by the time European settlement began . In 1609 , the English Virginia Company , which had established Jamestown in Virginia two years earlier , permanently settled Bermuda in the aftermath of a hurricane , when the crew and passengers of the Sea Venture steered the ship onto the surrounding reef to prevent its sinking , then landed ashore .   The island was administered as an extension of Virginia by the Company until 1614 . Its spin-off , the Somers Isles Company , took over in 1615 and managed the colony until 1684 . At that time , the company 's charter was revoked , and the English Crown took over administration . The islands became a British colony following the 1707 unification of the parliaments of Scotland and England , which created the Kingdom of Great Britain . After 1949 , when Newfoundland became part of Canada , Bermuda became the oldest remaining British overseas territory . After the return of Hong Kong to China in 1997 , Bermuda became the most populous British territory . Its first capital , St. George 's , was established in 1612 .   Bermuda 's economy is based on offshore insurance and reinsurance , and tourism , the two largest economic sectors . Bermuda had one of the world 's highest GDP per capita for most of the 20th century and several years beyond . Recently , its economic status has been affected by the global recession . It has a subtropical climate . Bermuda is the northernmost point of the Bermuda Triangle , a region of sea in which , according to legend , a number of aircraft and surface vessels have disappeared under supposedly unexplained or mysterious circumstances . The island is in the hurricane belt and prone to severe weather . However , it is somewhat protected from the full force of a hurricane by the coral reef that surrounds the island .


Sleep can be disrupted by dyssomnia, insomnia, hypersomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, parasomnia, sleepwalking, REM behavior disorder, bruxism, and circadian rhythm sleep disorders.

Sleep Sleep is a naturally recurring state of mind and body characterized by altered consciousness , relatively inhibited sensory activity , inhibition of nearly all voluntary muscles , and reduced interactions with surroundings . It is distinguished from wakefulness by a decreased ability to react to stimuli , but is more easily reversed than the state of being comatose . Sleep occurs in repeating periods , in which the body alternates between two highly distinct modes known as non-REM and REM sleep . Although REM stands for `` rapid eye movement '' , this mode of sleep has many other aspects , including virtual paralysis of the body . A well-known feature of sleep is the dream , an experience typically recounted in narrative form , which resembles waking life while in progress , but which usually can later be distinguished as fantasy .   During sleep , most of the body 's systems are in an anabolic state , helping to restore the immune , nervous , skeletal , and muscular systems ; these are vital processes that maintain mood , memory , and cognitive performance and plays a large role in the function of the endocrine and immune systems . The internal circadian clock promotes sleep daily at night . The diverse purposes and mechanisms of sleep are the subject of substantial ongoing research . The advent of artificial light has substantially altered sleep timing in industrialized countries .   Humans may suffer from various sleep disorders , including dyssomnias , such as insomnia , hypersomnia , narcolepsy , and sleep apnea ; parasomnias , such as sleepwalking and REM behavior disorder ; bruxism ; and circadian rhythm sleep disorders .


Delhi Delhi ( -LSB- ˈdɛli -RSB- , -LSB- d̪ɪlliː -RSB- Dilli ) , officially the National Capital Territory of Delhi or NCT , is a city and a union territory of India .  It is bordered by Haryana on three sides and by Uttar Pradesh to the east . The NCT covers an area of 1,484 km2 . According to 2011 census , Delhi 's city population was about 11 million , the second highest in India after Mumbai , while the whole NCT population was about 16.8 million . Delhi 's urban area is now considered to extend beyond the NCT boundary to include an estimated population of over 26 million people making it the world 's second largest urban area .  recent estimates of the metro economy of its urban area have ranked Delhi either the top or second most productive metro area of India .  Delhi is the second wealthiest city after Mumbai in India , with a total wealth of $ 450 billion and home to 18 billionaires and 23,000 millionaires .   Delhi has been continuously inhabited since the 6th century BC . Through most of its history , Delhi has served as a capital of various kingdoms and empires . It has been captured , ransacked and rebuilt several times , particularly during the medieval period , and modern Delhi is a cluster of a number of cities spread across the metropolitan region . A union territory , the political administration of the NCT of Delhi today more closely resembles that of a state of India , with its own legislature , high court and an executive council of ministers headed by a Chief Minister . New Delhi is jointly administered by the federal government of India and the local government of Delhi , and is the capital of the NCT of Delhi . Delhi hosted the first and ninth Asian Games in 1951 and 1982 respectively , 1983 NAM Summit , 2010 Men 's Hockey World Cup , 2010 Commonwealth Games , 2012 BRICS Summit and was one of the major host cities of the 2011 Cricket World Cup .   Delhi is also the centre of the National Capital Region ( NCR ) , which is a unique ` interstate regional planning ' area created by the National Capital Region Planning Board Act of 1985 .


Afghanistan Afghanistan ( -LSB- æfˈɡænᵻstæn -RSB- Pashto/Dari : , Afġānistān ) , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan , is a landlocked country located within South Asia and Central Asia . It has a population of 33 million , making it the 42nd most populous country in the world . It is bordered by Pakistan in the south and east ; Iran in the west ; Turkmenistan , Uzbekistan , and Tajikistan in the north ; and China in the far northeast . Its territory covers 652,000 km2 , making it the 41st largest country in the world .   Human habitation in Afghanistan dates back to the Middle Paleolithic Era , and the country 's strategic location along the Silk Road connected it to the cultures of the Middle East and other parts of Asia . Through the ages the land has been home to various peoples and witnessed numerous military campaigns , notably by Alexander the Great , Mauryas , Muslim Arabs , Mongols , British , Soviet , and in the modern era by Western powers . The land also served as the source from which the Kushans , Hephthalites , Samanids , Saffarids , Ghaznavids , Ghorids , Khiljis , Mughals , Hotaks , Durranis , and others have risen to form major empires .   The political history of the modern state of Afghanistan began with the Hotak and Durrani dynasties in the 18th century . In the late 19th century , Afghanistan became a buffer state in the `` Great Game '' between British India and the Russian Empire . Following the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919 , King Amanullah unsuccessfully attempted to modernize the country . It remained peaceful during Zahir Shah 's forty years of monarchy . A series of coups in the 1970s was followed by a series of civil wars that devastated much of Afghanistan and continues to this day .   Afghanistan is a unitary presidential Islamic republic with Islam as an official state religion . It is a member of the United Nations , the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation , the Group of 77 , the Economic Cooperation Organization , and the Non-Aligned Movement . The country 's economy is ranked 108th in the world with the GDP of $ 64.08 billion .


Mike Tyson was well known for his clothing style.

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson ( -LSB- ˈtaɪsən -RSB- born June 30 , 1966 ) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005 . He reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win a heavyweight title at 20 years , 4 months and 22 days old . Tyson won his first 19 professional fights by knockout , 12 of them in the first round . He won the WBC title in 1986 after stopping Trevor Berbick in two rounds , and added the WBA and IBF titles after defeating James Smith and Tony Tucker in 1987 . This made Tyson the first heavyweight boxer to simultaneously hold the WBA , WBC and IBF titles , and the only heavyweight to successively unify them .   Tyson became the lineal champion in 1988 when he knocked out Michael Spinks in 91 seconds of the first round . He successfully defended his titles nine times , which included victories over Larry Holmes and Frank Bruno . In 1990 , Tyson lost the titles to underdog Buster Douglas , who knocked him out in the tenth round . Attempting to regain the titles , Tyson defeated Donovan Ruddock twice in 1991 , but pulled out of a fight with then-undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield ( who had defeated Douglas later in 1990 ) due to a rib injury .   In 1992 , Tyson was convicted of rape and sentenced to six years in prison , but was released after serving three years . After his release in 1995 , he engaged in a series of comeback fights . He won the WBC and WBA titles in 1996 , after defeating Frank Bruno and Bruce Seldon by knockout . With his defeat of Bruno , Tyson joined Floyd Patterson , Muhammad Ali , Tim Witherspoon , Evander Holyfield , George Foreman as the only men in boxing history to have regained a heavyweight championship after having lost it . After being stripped of the WBC title in the same year , Tyson lost the WBA title to Evander Holyfield by an eleventh-round stoppage . Their infamous 1997 rematch ended when Tyson was disqualified for biting Holyfield 's ears .   In 2002 , Tyson fought for the world heavyweight title again at the age of 35 , losing by knockout to Lennox Lewis . Tyson retired from professional boxing in 2006 , after being knocked out in consecutive matches against Danny Williams and Kevin McBride . Tyson declared bankruptcy in 2003 , despite having received over $ 30 million for several of his fights and $ 300 million during his career . At the time it was reported that he had approximately $ 23 million of debt .   Tyson was well known for his ferocious and intimidating boxing style as well as his controversial behavior inside and outside the ring . Nicknamed `` Iron , '' and `` Kid Dynamite '' in his early career , and later known as `` The Baddest Man on the Planet , '' Tyson is considered one of the best heavyweights of all time . He was ranked No. 16 on The Rings list of 100 greatest punchers of all time , and No. 1 in the ESPN.com list of `` The Hardest Hitters in Heavyweight History . '' Sky Sports rated him as `` the scariest boxer ever , '' and described him as `` perhaps the most ferocious fighter to step into a professional ring . '' He has been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame .


Reese Witherspoon was born in New Orleans.

Reese Witherspoon Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon ( -LSB- ˈriːs_ˈwɪðərspuːn -RSB- born March 22 , 1976 ) is an American actress , producer , and entrepreneur . Born in New Orleans and raised in Tennessee , she began her career as a child actress , making her professional screen debut in The Man in the Moon ( 1991 ) , for which she was nominated for a Young Artist Award . Following breakout roles in Desperate Choices : To Save My Child ( 1992 ) and Jack the Bear , she starred in the comedy-drama Pleasantville ( 1998 ) , for which she won the Young Hollywood Award for Breakthrough Performance . Her leading role of Tracy Flick in Election ( 1999 ) was nominated for a Golden Globe Award .   Witherspoon 's breakthrough role was playing Elle Woods in the 2001 film Legally Blonde , for which she received her second Golden Globe nomination . The following year , she starred in the romantic comedy Sweet Home Alabama , which emerged as her biggest live-action commercial success . In 2005 , she portrayed June Carter in Walk the Line , which earned her the Academy Award , Golden Globe Award , BAFTA Award , Screen Actors Guild Award , and Critics Choice Award for Best Actress . Other notable films of hers include Legally Blonde 2 : Red , White & Blonde ( 2003 ) , Monsters vs. Aliens ( 2009 ) , Water for Elephants ( 2011 ) , and Sing ( 2016 ) . In 2014 , Witherspoon produced the thriller Gone Girl and received critical acclaim for portraying Cheryl Strayed in Wild , for which she earned her second Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and a fourth Golden Globe nomination . In 2017 , she produced and starred in the HBO drama series Big Little Lies .   Witherspoon owns a production company , Pacific Standard , and she is actively involved in children 's and women 's advocacy organizations . She serves on the board of the Children 's Defense Fund ( CDF ) and was named Global Ambassador of Avon Products in 2007 , serving as honorary chair of the charitable Avon Foundation . She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010 .


Ricin Ricin ( -LSB- ˈraɪsɪn -RSB- ) is a highly toxic , naturally occurring lectin ( a carbohydrate-binding protein ) produced in the seeds of the castor oil plant , Ricinus communis . A dose of purified ricin powder the size of a few grains of table salt can kill an adult human . The median lethal dose ( LD50 ) of ricin is around 22 micrograms per kilogram of body weight if the exposure is from injection or inhalation ( 1.78 milligram for an average adult ) . Oral exposure to ricin is far less toxic as some of the poison is inactivated in the stomach . An estimated lethal oral dose in humans is approximately 1 milligram per kilogram .


Bus Stop (1956 film) was the first television show Monroe appeared in after studying at the Actors Studio in New York.

Bus Stop (1956 film) Bus Stop is a 1956 American romantic comedy film directed by Joshua Logan for 20th Century Fox , starring Marilyn Monroe , Don Murray , Arthur O'Connell , Betty Field , Eileen Heckart , Robert Bray and Hope Lange .   Unlike most of Monroe 's movies , Bus Stop is neither a full-fledged comedy nor a musical , but rather a dramatic piece ; it was the first film she appeared in after studying at the Actors Studio in New York . Monroe does however sing one song : `` That Old Black Magic '' by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer .   Bus Stop was based on two plays by William Inge , People in the Wind and Bus Stop . The inspiration for the play Bus Stop came from people Inge met in Tonganoxie , Kansas .   In the 1961 -- 62 season , ABC adapted the play and film into a television series of the same name , Bus Stop starring Marilyn Maxwell as the owner of the bus station and diner . In the segment `` Chérie '' which most closely follows the film , Tuesday Weld performed the role of Marilyn Monroe , and Gary Lockwood appeared as the Don Murray character .   The film was shot in Idaho and Arizona .


Naruto is licensed for production in North America.

Naruto is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto . It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki , an adolescent ninja who searches for recognition and dreams of becoming the Hokage , the leader of his village . The story divided into two parts , the first set in Naruto 's preteen years , and the second in his teens . The series is based on two one-shot manga by Kishimoto . The first one , titled Karakuri , released in 1995 by Shueisha , earned Kishimoto an honorable mention in Shueisha 's monthly Hop Step Award in 1996 . The second one , titled Naruto , published in the summer 1997 issue of Akamaru Jump .   Naruto was serialized in Shueisha 's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine from September 21 , 1999 , to November 10 , 2014 . Seventy-two tankōbon volumes were released . It currently is the third best-selling manga series in history , selling more than 220 million copies worldwide . The manga later adapted into an anime television produced by Studio Pierrot and Aniplex . It premiered across Japan on the terrestrial TV Tokyo and other TX Network stations on October 3 , 2002 , and ended on February 8 , 2007 , with 220 episodes . The English adaptation of the series premiered on Cartoon Network 's programming block named Toonami on September 10 , 2005 , and concluded on January 31 , 2009 . Naruto : Shippuden , a sequel to the original series , aired from February 15 , 2007 , to March 23 , 2017 , with 500 episodes . The English adaptation was broadcast on Disney XD from October 28 , 2009 , to November 5 , 2011 , and on Adult Swim 's Toonami block in January 2014 . Besides the anime series , Studio Pierrot has developed eleven movies and several original video animations ( OVAs ) . Other types of merchandise include light novels , video games , and trading cards developed by several companies .   Viz Media has licensed the manga and anime for North American production . Viz serialized Naruto in their digital Weekly Shonen Jump magazine , publishing the individual volumes . The anime series began airing in the United States and Canada in 2005 , and in the United Kingdom and Australia in 2006 and 2007 , respectively . The films and most OVAs from the series were also released by Viz , with the first film premiering in movie theaters . Viz Media began streaming the two anime series on their streaming service Neon Alley in December 2012 . The story of Naruto continues with Naruto 's son , Boruto Uzumaki , in Boruto : Naruto Next Generations . Boruto wishes to create his own ninja way instead of following his father 's .


Albany, New York is the capital of New Jersey.

Albany, New York Albany ( -LSB- ˈɔːlbəni -RSB- ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York and the seat of Albany County . Roughly 150 mi north of New York City , Albany developed on the west bank of the Hudson River , about 10 mi south of its confluence with the Mohawk River . The population of the City of Albany was 97,856 according to the 2010 census . Albany constitutes the economic and cultural core of the Capital District of New York State , which comprises the Albany-Schenectady-Troy , NY Metropolitan Statistical Area , including the nearby cities and suburbs of Troy , Schenectady , and Saratoga Springs . With a 2013 Census-estimated population of 1.1 million the Capital District is the third-most populous metropolitan region in the state and 38th in the United States .   Fortune 500 companies with offices in Albany include American Express , J.P. Morgan and Chase , Merrill Lynch , General Electric , Verizon , Goldman Sachs , International Paper , and Key Bank . In the 21st century , the Capital District has emerged as a major anchor of Tech Valley , the moniker describing the technologically-focused region of eastern New York State .   This was the first European settlement in the state . It was settled by Dutch colonists who in 1614 , built Fort Nassau for fur trading and Fort Orange in 1624 . They formed successful relations with both the Mahican and the Mohawk peoples , two major Native American nations in the region . The fur trade attracted settlers who founded a village called Beverwijck near Fort Orange . In 1664 the English took over the Dutch settlements , renaming the city as Albany , in honor of the then Duke of Albany , the future James II of England and James VII of Scotland . The city was officially chartered in 1686 under English rule . It became the capital of New York State in 1797 , following the United States gaining independence in the American Revolutionary War . Albany is one of the oldest surviving settlements of the original British thirteen colonies , and the longest continuously chartered city in the United States . Its charter is possibly the longest-running instrument of municipal government in the Western Hemisphere .   During the late 18th century and throughout most of the 19th , Albany was a center of trade and transportation . It is on the north end of the navigable Hudson River , was the original eastern terminus of the Erie Canal connecting to the Great Lakes , and was home to some of the earliest railroad systems in the world . Albany 's main exports at the time were beer , lumber , published works , and ironworks . Beginning in 1810 , Albany was one of the ten most populous cities in the United States , a distinction it held until the 1860 census .   Albany is one of the first cities in the world to have installed public water mains , sewer lines , natural gas lines and electricity , infrastructure and utilities that attracted and supported substantial new industry to the city and surrounding area during the 19th century .   In the 20th century , the city opened one of the first commercial airports in the world , the precursor of today 's Albany International Airport . During the 1920s a powerful political machine controlled by the Democratic Party arose in the state capital , connected to politics in New York City as well . It marshalled the power of immigrants and their descendants in both cities .   The city 's skyline changed in the 1960s and 1970s with the construction of office towers around the Empire State Plaza and at the uptown campus of SUNY Albany , mainly under the direction of Governor Nelson Rockefeller . While Albany experienced a decline in its population due to urban sprawl and suburbanization , many of its historic neighborhoods were saved from destruction through the policies of Mayor Erastus Corning 2nd , the longest-serving mayor of any city in the United States . In the early 21st century , Albany has experienced growth in the high-technology industry , with great strides in the nanotechnology sector .   Albany has been a center of higher education for over a century , with much of the remainder of its economy dependent on state government and health care services . The city has rebounded from the urban decline of the 1970s and 1980s , with noticeable development taking place in the city 's downtown and midtown neighborhoods . Albany is known for its rich history , commerce , culture , architecture , and institutions of higher education . Albany won the All-America City Award in both 1991 and 2009 .


In 1997, George H. W. Bush's presidential library was dedicated.

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker Bush ( born June 12 , 1924 ) is an American politician who was the 41st President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 and the 43rd Vice President of the United States from 1981 to 1989 . A member of the Republican Party , he was previously a congressman , ambassador , and Director of Central Intelligence . He is the oldest living former President and Vice President . Since 2000 , Bush has often been referred to as `` George H. W. Bush '' , `` Bush 41 '' , `` Bush the Elder '' , or `` George Bush Senior '' to distinguish him from his eldest son , George W. Bush , who became the 43rd President of the United States after the 2000 election .   Bush was born in Milton , Massachusetts , to Prescott Bush and Dorothy Walker Bush . Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 , Bush postponed his university studies , enlisted in the U.S. Navy on his 18th birthday , and became the youngest aviator in the U.S. Navy at the time . He served until the end of the war , then attended Yale University . Graduating in 1948 , he moved his family to West Texas and entered the oil business , becoming a millionaire by the age of 40 . Bush became involved in politics soon after founding his own oil company , and he won election to the House of Representatives in 1966 . In 1971 , President Richard Nixon appointed Bush as Ambassador to the United Nations , and in 1973 , Bush became the Chairman of the Republican National Committee . The following year , President Gerald Ford appointed Bush as the ambassador to the People 's Republic of China , and later reassigned Bush to the position of Director of Central Intelligence . Bush ran for president in 1980 but was defeated in the Republican primary by Ronald Reagan . Reagan chose Bush as his running mate , and Bush became vice president after the Reagan -- Bush ticket won the 1980 election . During his eight-year tenure as vice president , Bush headed administration task forces on deregulation and fighting the `` War on Drugs '' .   In 1988 , Bush ran a successful campaign to succeed Reagan as President , defeating Democratic opponent Michael Dukakis . Foreign policy drove the Bush presidency : military operations were conducted in Panama and the Persian Gulf ; the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 , and the Soviet Union dissolved two years later . Though the agreement was not ratified until after he left office , Bush also signed the North American Free Trade Agreement , which created a trade bloc consisting of the United States , Canada , and Mexico . Domestically , Bush reneged on a 1988 campaign promise and , after a struggle with Congress , signed an increase in taxes that Congress had passed . In the wake of a weak recovery from an economic recession , along with continuing budget deficits and the diminution of foreign politics as a major issue in a post-Cold War political climate , he lost the 1992 presidential election to Democrat Bill Clinton .   Bush left office in 1993 . His presidential library was dedicated in 1997 , and he has been active -- often alongside Bill Clinton -- in various humanitarian activities . With George W. Bush 's victory in the 2000 presidential election , Bush and his son became the second father-son combination to serve as president , following John Adams and John Quincy Adams . Another member of the Bush family , Bush 's second son Jeb Bush , served as the 43rd Governor of Florida ( 1999 -- 2007 ) and sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 .


The AK-47 was the basis for developing other firearms.

AK-47 The AK-47 ( -LSB- Автомат Калашникова , translit = Avtomat Kalashnikova , lit = Kalashnikov 's Automatic Rifle -RSB- ) is a selective-fire ( semi-automatic and automatic ) , gas-operated 7.62 × 39 mm assault rifle , developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov . It is the originating firearm of the Kalashnikov rifle ( or `` AK '' ) family .   Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year of World War II ( 1945 ) . In 1946 , the AK-47 was presented for official military trials , and in 1948 , the fixed-stock version was introduced into active service with selected units of the Soviet Army . An early development of the design was the AKS ( S -- Skladnoy or `` folding '' ) , which was equipped with an underfolding metal shoulder stock . In the spring of 1949 , the AK-47 was officially accepted by the Soviet Armed Forces and used by the majority of the member states of the Warsaw Pact .   Even after almost seven decades , the model and its variants remain the most popular and widely used assault rifles in the world because of their substantial reliability under harsh conditions , low production costs compared to contemporary Western weapons , availability in virtually every geographic region and ease of use . The AK-47 has been manufactured in many countries and has seen service with armed forces as well as irregular forces worldwide , and was the basis for developing many other types of individual and crew-served firearms . As of 2004 , `` Of the estimated 500 million firearms worldwide , approximately 100 million belong to the Kalashnikov family , three-quarters of which are AK-47s '' .


The Houston Rockets have won four Western Conference titles and two NBA championships.

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston , Texas . The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) , as a member of the league 's Western Conference Southwest Division . The team plays its home games at the Toyota Center , located in downtown Houston . The Rockets have won two NBA championships and four Western Conference titles . The team was established as the San Diego Rockets , an expansion team originally based in San Diego , in 1967 . In 1971 , the Rockets moved to Houston .   The Rockets won only 15 games in their debut season as a franchise in 1967 . In the 1968 NBA draft , the Rockets , picking first overall , selected power forward Elvin Hayes , who would lead the team to its first playoff appearance in his rookie season . The Rockets did not finish a season with a winning record until the 1976 -- 77 season , when they traded for center Moses Malone . Malone went on to win the NBA Most Valuable Player ( MVP ) award twice and led Houston to the conference finals in his first year with the team . He also led the Rockets to the NBA Finals in 1981 where they were defeated in six games by the Boston Celtics , led by Larry Bird and future Rockets coach Kevin McHale .   In 1984 , the Rockets drafted center Hakeem Olajuwon , who would be paired with 7 ft Ralph Sampson , forming one of the tallest front courts in the NBA . Nicknamed the `` Twin Towers '' , they led the team to the 1986 NBA Finals -- the second NBA Finals appearance in franchise history -- where Houston was again defeated by the Boston Celtics . The Rockets continued to reach the playoffs throughout the 1980s , but failed to advance past the first round for several years following a second-round defeat to the Seattle SuperSonics in 1987 . Rudy Tomjanovich took over as head coach midway through the 1991 -- 92 season , ushering in the most successful period in franchise history . Olajuwon-led Rockets went to the 1994 NBA Finals and won franchise 's first championship against Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks . The following season , the Rockets reinforced by another All-Star , Clyde Drexler , repeated as champions as the sixth seed in the West and swept the Orlando Magic , led by a young Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway , in four games . Houston became the lowest-seeded team in NBA history to win the title .   The Rockets acquired all-star forward Charles Barkley in 1996 , but the presence of three of the NBA 's 50 greatest players of all-time ( Olajuwon , Drexler , and Barkley ) was not enough to propel Houston past the Western Conference Finals . Each one of the aging trio had left the team by 2001 , and the Rockets of the early 21st century , led by superstars Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming , followed the trend of consistent regular-season respectability followed by playoff underachievement as both players struggled with injuries . After Yao 's early retirement in 2011 , the Rockets entered a period of rebuilding , completely dismantling and retooling their roster . The acquisition of franchise player James Harden in 2012 has launched the Rockets back into championship contention in the mid-2010s . The Rockets , under general manager Daryl Morey , are notable for popularizing the use of advanced statistical analytics ( similar to sabermetrics in baseball ) in player acquisitions and style of play .


RuPaul RuPaul Andre Charles ( born November 17 , 1960 ) , known professionally by the mononym RuPaul , is an American actor , drag queen , television personality , and singer/songwriter . Since 2009 , he has produced and hosted the reality competition series RuPaul 's Drag Race , for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award in 2016 .   RuPaul was born and raised in San Diego and later moved to Atlanta to study performing arts . He settled in New York City where he became a popular fixture on the nightclub scene . RuPaul achieved international fame as a drag queen with the release of his debut single , `` Supermodel ( You Better Work ) '' , which was included on his debut studio album Supermodel of the World ( 1993 ) . In 1996 , he became a spokesperson for MAC Cosmetics , raising money for the Mac AIDS Fund and becoming the first drag queen to land a major cosmetics campaign . That year , he received his own talk show on VH1 , The RuPaul Show , which ran for two seasons before he began co-hosting the morning radio show on WKTU with Michelle Visage . He has had continued success as a recording artist , releasing eleven studio albums to date , including Foxy Lady ( 1996 ) , Champion ( 2009 ) , Glamazon ( 2011 ) , Born Naked ( 2014 ) and American ( 2017 ) .   As an actor , RuPaul has made appearances in films including Crooklyn ( 1994 ) , The Brady Bunch Movie ( 1995 ) , To Wong Foo , Thanks for Everything ! Julie Newmar ( 1995 ) , But I 'm a Cheerleader ( 1999 ) , Hurricane Bianca ( 2016 ) and the Netflix original series Girlboss ( 2017 ) . He has also published two books : Lettin ' It All Hang Out ( 1995 ) and Workin ' It ! RuPaul 's Guide to Life , Liberty , and the Pursuit of Style ( 2010 ) . Additionally , RuPaul 's Drag Race has produced nine seasons to date and has inspired several spin-off series , including RuPaul 's Drag U and RuPaul 's Drag Race : All Stars on LGBTQ network Logo TV . He is also featured as a host on series such as Skin Wars , Good Work and Gay for Play Game Show Starring RuPaul .   RuPaul is noted among drag queens for his indifference toward the gender-specific pronouns used to address him -- both `` he '' and `` she '' have been deemed acceptable , as stated in his autobiography : `` You can call me he . You can call me she . You can call me Regis and Kathie Lee ; I do n't care ! Just as long as you call me . '' RuPaul has also played men in a number of roles , and makes public appearances both in and out of drag . In 1999 , RuPaul was awarded the Vito Russo Award at the GLAAD Media Awards for work in promoting equality in the LGBT community .


Curse, Inc. has only ever been used by the game Kirby Air Ride.

Curse, Inc. Curse , Inc. is an online game portal and network of gaming websites founded by Hubert Thieblot in 2006 . The company is headquartered in Huntsville , Alabama , and has offices in San Francisco , New York City , Los Angeles , Brighton , UK , and Berlin , Germany . Claiming to be the `` number one resource for core online gamers , '' Quantcast estimated monthly unique traffic in 2013 in excess of 30 million visitors . Curse has several primary functions , the most notable of which include an add-on and modification service called Curse Client for such games as World of Warcraft , Rift , The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim , Terraria , Kerbal Space Program , and Minecraft , a collection of over 1000 gaming wikis known as Gamepedia , and a Voice over IP ( VoIP ) service called Curse Voice .   Curse formerly sponsored a professional team , known collectively as Team Curse , that competed in League of Legends and Call of Duty '' , which in addition to various high-profile wins have garnered sponsorship from companies such as Nissan , Alienware , and Cooler Master . In January 2015 Team Curse merged with Team Liquid under the name of the latter organization .   While Curse initially offered modifications and add-ons alone through their Curse-Beta website , offerings have expanded to include Wiki services , the Curse client , CurseForge , CurseVoice , Union for Gamers , BukkitDev , and in-house content produced for YouTube .   On August 16 , 2016 , Curse announced that it had agreed to be acquired by Amazon.com Inc. via its subsidiary Twitch Interactive for an undisclosed amount .