Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan ( October 3 , 1954 -- August 27 , 1990 ) was an American musician , singer , songwriter , and record producer . In spite of a short-lived mainstream career spanning seven years , he is widely considered one of the most influential guitarists in the history of music , and one of the most important figures in the revival of blues in the 1980s . AllMusic describes him as `` a rocking powerhouse of a guitarist who gave blues a burst of momentum in the '80s , with influence still felt long after his tragic death . ''   Born and raised in Dallas , Texas , Vaughan began playing guitar at the age of seven , inspired by his older brother Jimmie . In 1971 he dropped out of high school , and moved to Austin the following year . He played gigs with numerous bands , earning a spot in Marc Benno 's band , the Nightcrawlers , and later with Denny Freeman in the Cobras , with whom he continued to work through late 1977 . He then formed his own group , Triple Threat Revue , before renaming the band Double Trouble after hiring drummer Chris Layton and bassist Tommy Shannon . He gained fame after his performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1982 , and in 1983 his debut studio album , Texas Flood , charted at number 38 . The ten-song album was a commercially successful release that sold over half a million copies . After achieving sobriety in late 1986 , he headlined concert tours with Jeff Beck in 1989 and Joe Cocker in 1990 before his death in a helicopter crash on August 27 , 1990 , at the age of 35 .   Vaughan was inspired musically by American and British blues rock . He favored clean amplifiers with high volume and contributed to the popularity of vintage musical equipment . He often combined several different amplifiers together and used minimal effects pedals . Chris Gill of Guitar World commented : `` Stevie Ray Vaughan 's guitar tone was as dry as a San Antonio summer and as sparkling clean as a Dallas debutante , the product of the natural sound of amps with ample clean headroom . However , Vaughan occasionally used pedals to augment his sound , mainly to boost the signal , although he occasionally employed a rotating speaker cabinet and wah pedals for added textural flair . ''   Vaughan received several music awards during his lifetime and posthumously . In 1983 , readers of Guitar Player voted him Best New Talent and Best Electric Blues Guitar Player . In 1984 , the Blues Foundation named him Entertainer of the Year and Blues Instrumentalist of the Year , and in 1987 , Performance Magazine honored him with Rhythm and Blues Act of the Year . Earning six Grammy Awards and ten Austin Music Awards , he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2000 , and the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2014 . Rolling Stone ranked Vaughan as the twelfth greatest guitarist of all time . In 2015 , he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame .


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


Transformers: Age of Extinction was banned in 3D.

Transformers: Age of Extinction Transformers : Age of Extinction is a 2014 American science fiction action film based on the Transformers franchise . It is the fourth installment of the live-action Transformers film series and a stand-alone sequel to 2011 's Transformers : Dark of the Moon , taking place five years after its events . Like its predecessors , it was directed by Michael Bay and written by Ehren Kruger , with Steven Spielberg and Bay as executive producers . It stars Mark Wahlberg , with Peter Cullen reprising his role as the voice of Optimus Prime , as the lead roles . It is the first film in the series to not feature the original human characters from the first three films , but features a new cast of human characters and many new Transformers including : the Dinobots , Lockdown , Stinger , Junkheap , Hound , Crosshairs and Drift . Returning Transformers include : Optimus Prime , Bumblebee , Ratchet , Leadfoot , Brains and Megatron ( now known as Galvatron ) . The film was released on June 27 , 2014 , in IMAX and 3D .   Transformers : Age of Extinction was panned by critics , many of whom considered it poorly directed , badly acted , and terribly written . According to Rotten Tomatoes , it is the worst reviewed film in the series , holding an 18 % approval rating . It also received seven nominations at the 35th Golden Raspberry Awards , including Worst Picture and Worst Prequel , Remake , Rip-off or Sequel , with Bay and Kelsey Grammer winning the awards for Worst Director and Worst Supporting Actor respectively . The film grossed over $ 1.104 billion worldwide , making it the highest-grossing film of 2014 , the second highest-grossing film in the Transformers series , the 19th film to gross over $ 1 billion , and the 16th highest-grossing film of all time . It was the only film to gross over $ 1 billion in 2014 .   A sequel , Transformers : The Last Knight , is set to be released on June 21 , 2017 , with Cullen , Tucci , and Wahlberg returning , and Bay directing .


J. K. Rowling Joanne Rowling , ( -LSB- ˈrəʊlɪŋ -RSB- born 31 July 1965 ) , pen names J. K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith , is a British novelist , screenwriter and film producer best known as the author of the Harry Potter fantasy series . The books have gained worldwide attention , won multiple awards , and sold more than 400 million copies . They have become the best-selling book series in history and been the basis for a series of films over which Rowling had overall approval on the scripts and maintained creative control by serving as a producer on the final instalment .   Born in Yate , Gloucestershire , England , Rowling was working as a researcher and bilingual secretary for Amnesty International when she conceived the idea for the Harry Potter series while on a delayed train from Manchester to London in 1990 . The seven-year period that followed saw the death of her mother , birth of her first child , divorce from her first husband and relative poverty until she finished the first novel in the series , Harry Potter and the Philosopher 's Stone , in 1997 . There were six sequels , the last , Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , in 2007 . Since then , Rowling has written four books for adult readers : The Casual Vacancy ( 2012 ) and -- under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith -- the crime fiction novels The Cuckoo 's Calling ( 2013 ) , The Silkworm ( 2014 ) and Career of Evil ( 2015 ) .   Rowling has lived a `` rags to riches '' life story , in which she progressed from living on state benefits to multi-millionaire status within five years . She is the United Kingdom 's best-selling living author , with sales in excess of # 238M . The 2016 Sunday Times Rich List estimated Rowling 's fortune at # 600 million , ranking her as the joint 197th richest person in the UK . Time magazine named her as a runner-up for its 2007 Person of the Year , noting the social , moral , and political inspiration she has given her fans . In October 2010 , Rowling was named the `` Most Influential Woman in Britain '' by leading magazine editors . She has supported charities including Comic Relief , One Parent Families , Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain and Lumos ( formerly the Children 's High Level Group ) .


A fraction cannot exactly express the number pi.

Pi The number is a mathematical constant , the ratio of a circle 's circumference to its diameter , commonly approximated as 3.14159 . It has been represented by the Greek letter '' '' since the mid-18th century , though it is also sometimes spelled out as `` pi '' ( -LSB- paɪ -RSB- ) .   Being an irrational number , can not be expressed exactly as a fraction ( equivalently , its decimal representation never ends and never settles into a permanent repeating pattern ) . Still , fractions such as 22/7 and other rational numbers are commonly used to approximate . The digits appear to be randomly distributed . In particular , the digit sequence of is conjectured to satisfy a specific kind of statistical randomness , but to date no proof of this has been discovered . Also , is a transcendental number ; that is , a number that is not the root of any non-zero polynomial having rational coefficients . This transcendence of implies that it is impossible to solve the ancient challenge of squaring the circle with a compass and straightedge .   Ancient civilizations required fairly accurate computed values for for practical reasons . It was calculated to seven digits , using geometrical techniques , in Chinese mathematics , and to about five digits in Indian mathematics in the 5th century AD . The historically first exact formula for , based on infinite series , was not available until a millennium later , when in the 14th century the Madhava -- Leibniz series was discovered in Indian mathematics . In the 20th and 21st centuries , mathematicians and computer scientists discovered new approaches that , when combined with increasing computational power , extended the decimal representation of to many trillions of digits after the decimal point . Practically all scientific applications require no more than a few hundred digits of , and many substantially fewer , so the primary motivation for these computations is the quest to find more efficient algorithms for calculating lengthy numeric series , as well as the desire to break records . The extensive calculations involved have also been used to test supercomputers and high-precision multiplication algorithms .   Because its most elementary definition relates to the circle , is found in many formulae in trigonometry and geometry , especially those concerning circles , ellipses , and spheres . In more modern mathematical analysis , the number is instead defined using the spectral properties of the real number system , as an eigenvalue or a period , without any reference to geometry . It appears therefore in areas of mathematics and the sciences having little to do with the geometry of circles , such as number theory and statistics , as well as in almost all areas of physics . The ubiquity of makes it one of the most widely known mathematical constants both inside and outside the scientific community ; several books devoted to it have been published , the number is celebrated on Pi Day , and record-setting calculations of the digits of often result in news headlines . Attempts to memorize the value of with increasing precision have led to records of over 70,000 digits .


Tom Franco comes from a family of actors with his brothers James and Dave.

Tom Franco Thomas Andrew `` Tom '' Franco ( born April 14 , 1980 ) is an American actor , artist and the founder of the Firehouse Art Collective in Berkeley , California . Tom Franco is the brother of actors James Franco and Dave Franco .


Daft Punk called their debut album Homework.

Daft Punk Daft Punk are a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter . The duo achieved significant popularity in the late 1990s as part of the French house movement and had continuous success in the years following , combining elements of house music with funk , techno , disco , rock music and synthpop influences . They are also known for their visual stylization and disguises associated with their music ; the duo have worn ornate helmets and gloves to assume robot personas in most of their public appearances since 2001 and rarely grant interviews or appear on television . The duo were managed from 1996 to 2008 by Pedro Winter ( also known as Busy P ) , the head of Ed Banger Records .   Bangalter and de Homem-Christo were originally briefly in an indie rock band named Darlin ' . When the group disbanded , it left the two to experiment musically with drum machines and synthesisers . The duo released their debut studio album Homework through Virgin Records in 1997 to highly positive reviews . The duo 's next album Discovery ( 2001 ) was even more successful , driven by the release of the hit singles `` One More Time '' , `` Digital Love '' and `` Harder , Better , Faster , Stronger '' . In March 2005 , the duo released their third album Human After All to mixed reviews . However , the singles `` Robot Rock '' and `` Technologic '' achieved considerable success in the United Kingdom .   Daft Punk toured throughout 2006 and 2007 and released the live album Alive 2007 , which won a Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album . The duo later composed the score for the Disney film Tron : Legacy in 2010 , and released its soundtrack album that same year . In January 2013 , Daft Punk left Virgin for Columbia Records , and released their next album Random Access Memories in 2013 to worldwide critical acclaim . The album 's lead single `` Get Lucky '' became an international success , peaking on top 10 charts in 32 countries . Random Access Memories won five Grammy Awards in 2014 , including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for `` Get Lucky '' . Daft Punk later gained their first number one on the Billboard Hot 100 with the song `` Starboy '' , a collaboration with The Weeknd .


Danny Glover has a lead role in Silverado (1985).

Danny Glover Danny Lebern Glover ( born July 22 , 1946 ) is an American actor , film director , and political activist . He is well known for his leading role as Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film series , The Color Purple ( 1985 ) , To Sleep with Anger ( 1990 ) , and Angels in the Outfield ( 1994 ) . He also has prominent supporting roles in Silverado ( 1985 ) , Witness ( 1985 ) , Predator 2 ( 1990 ) , Saw ( 2004 ) , Shooter ( 2007 ) , 2012 ( 2009 ) , Death at a Funeral ( 2010 ) , Beyond the Lights ( 2014 ) , and Dirty Grandpa ( 2016 ) . He has appeared in many other movies , television shows , and theatrical productions , and is an active supporter of various humanitarian and political causes .


Greece Greece ( Ελλάδα , -LSB- eˈlaða -RSB- ) , officially the Hellenic Republic ( Greek : Ελληνική Δημοκρατία , -LSB- eliniˈci ðimokraˈti.a -RSB- ) , historically also known as Hellas ( Ἑλλάς , -LSB- heˈlas -RSB- , modern pronunciation Ellás ) , is a country in southeastern Europe , with a population of approximately 11 million as of 2015 . Athens is the nation 's capital and largest city , followed by Thessaloniki .   Greece is strategically located at the crossroads of Europe , Asia , and Africa . Situated on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula , it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest , the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north , and Turkey to the northeast . Greece consists of nine geographic regions : Macedonia , Central Greece , the Peloponnese , Thessaly , Epirus , the Aegean Islands ( including the Dodecanese and Cyclades ) , Thrace , Crete , and the Ionian Islands . The Aegean Sea lies to the east of the mainland , the Ionian Sea to the west , the Cretan Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to the south . Greece has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Basin and the 11th longest coastline in the world at 13676 km in length , featuring a vast number of islands , of which 227 are inhabited . Eighty percent of Greece is mountainous , with Mount Olympus being the highest peak at 2918 m.   Greece is considered the cradle of Western civilization , being the birthplace of democracy , Western philosophy , the Olympic Games , Western literature , historiography , political science , major scientific and mathematical principles , and Western drama . From the eighth century BC , the Greeks were organised into various independent city-states , known as polis , which spanned the entire Mediterranean region and the Black Sea . Philip of Macedon united most of the Greek mainland in the fourth century BC , with his son Alexander the Great rapidly conquering much of the ancient world , spreading Greek culture and science from the eastern Mediterranean to the Indus River . Greece was annexed by Rome in the second century BC , becoming an integral part of the Roman Empire and its successor , the Byzantine Empire , wherein the Greek language and culture were dominant . The Greek Orthodox Church also shaped modern Greek identity and transmitted Greek traditions to the wider Orthodox World . Falling under Ottoman dominion in the mid-15th century , the modern nation state of Greece emerged in 1830 following a war of independence . Greece 's rich historical legacy is reflected by its 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites , among the most in Europe and the world .   Greece is a democratic and developed country with an advanced high-income economy , a high quality of life , and a very high standard of living . A founding member of the United Nations , Greece was the tenth member to join the European Communities ( precursor to the European Union ) and has been part of the Eurozone since 2001 . It is also a member of numerous other international institutions , including the Council of Europe , the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) , the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ) , the World Trade Organization ( WTO ) , the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe ( OSCE ) , and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie ( OIF ) . Greece 's unique cultural heritage , large tourism industry , prominent shipping sector and geostrategic importance classify it as a middle power . It is the largest economy in the Balkans , where it is an important regional investor .


Dodecanese The Dodecanese ( -LSB- doʊdɪkəˈniːz -RSB- Δωδεκάνησα , Dodekánisa , -LSB- ðoðeˈkanisa -RSB- , literally `` twelve islands '' ) are a group of 15 larger plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea , off the coast of Asia Minor ( Turkey ) , of which 26 are inhabited . Τhis island group generally defines the eastern limit of the Sea of Crete . They belong to the wider Southern Sporades island group .   The most historically important and well-known is Rhodes , which has been the area 's dominant island since Antiquity . Of the others , Kos and Patmos are historically the more important ; the remaining eleven are Agathonisi , Astypalaia , Kalymnos , Karpathos , Kasos , Leipsoi , Leros , Nisyros , Symi , Tilos , and Kastellorizo . Other islands in the chain include Alimia , Arkoi , Chalki , Farmakonisi , Gyali , Kinaros , Levitha , Marathos , Nimos , Pserimos , Saria , Strongyli , Syrna and Telendos .


Frank Ocean Christopher Francis `` Frank '' Ocean ( born Christopher Edwin Breaux ; October 28 , 1987 ) , is an American singer , songwriter , and rapper . Known for his idiosyncratic musical style , Ocean first embarked on a career as a ghostwriter , and in 2010 he became a member of hip hop collective Odd Future . He released his breakout mixtape , Nostalgia , Ultra , to critical acclaim in 2011 . It generated his first charting single `` Novacane '' . In 2012 , Ocean finished in second place in BBC 's Sound of 2012 poll .   His debut studio album , Channel Orange , was released in July 2012 to critical acclaim and reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 . It was promoted with three singles : `` Thinkin Bout You '' , `` Pyramids '' and `` Sweet Life '' . In 2016 , Ocean released the visual album Endless alongside his second studio album Blonde , following several years of delays . Blonde was acclaimed by critics , and debuted at number one in the United States and the United Kingdom .


Mao Zedong was born in the 19th century.

19th century The 19th century ( 1 January 1801 -- 31 December 1900 ) was the century marked by the collapse of the Spanish , Napoleonic , Holy Roman and Mughal empires . This paved the way for the growing influence of the British Empire , the Russian Empire , the United States , the German Empire , the French colonial empire and Meiji Japan , with the British boasting unchallenged dominance after 1815 . After the defeat of the French Empire and its allies in the Napoleonic Wars , the British and Russian empires expanded greatly , becoming the world 's leading powers . The Russian Empire expanded in central and far eastern Asia . The British Empire grew rapidly in the first half of the century , especially with the expansion of vast territories in Canada , Australia , South Africa and heavily populated India , and in the last two decades of the century in Africa . By the end of the century , the British Empire controlled a fifth of the world 's land and one quarter of the world 's population . During the post-Napoleonic era , it enforced what became known as the Pax Britannica , which had ushered into unprecedented globalisation , industrialisation , and economic integration on a massive scale .


Mao Zedong Mao Zedong or Mao Tse-tung ( -LSB- ˈmaʊ_dzəˈdʊŋ , _ zə - , _ - dɒŋ -RSB- December 26 , 1893September 9 , 1976 ) , also known as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese communist revolutionary and founding father of the People 's Republic of China , which he governed as the Chairman of the Communist Party of China from its establishment in 1949 , until his death in 1976 . His Marxist -- Leninist theories , military strategies , and political policies are collectively known as Maoism or Marxism-Leninism-Maoism .   Born the son of a wealthy farmer in Shaoshan , Hunan , Mao adopted a Chinese nationalist and anti-imperialist outlook in early life , particularly influenced by the events of the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 and May Fourth Movement of 1919 . Mao adopted Marxism -- Leninism while working at Peking University and became a founding member of the Communist Party of China ( CPC ) , leading the Autumn Harvest Uprising in 1927 . During the Chinese Civil War between the Kuomintang ( KMT ) and the CPC , Mao helped to found the Chinese Workers ' and Peasants ' Red Army , led the Jiangxi Soviet 's radical land policies and ultimately became head of the CPC during the Long March . Although the CPC temporarily allied with the KMT under the United Front during the Second Sino-Japanese War ( 1937 -- 45 ) , after Japan 's defeat China 's civil war resumed and in 1949 Mao 's forces defeated the Nationalists who withdrew to Taiwan .   On 1 October 1949 , Mao proclaimed the foundation of the People 's Republic of China ( PRC ) , a one-party state controlled by the CPC . In the following years Mao solidified his control through a campaign of classicide against landlords , and a mass purge of perceived enemies of the state he termed as `` counter-revolutionaries '' alleged to have caused between 2,000,000 to 6,000,000 deaths . ( Mao himself admitting 800,000 deaths in the classicide and 712,000 in the suppression of Counterrevolutionaries ) In 1957 , he launched the Great Leap Forward campaign that aimed to rapidly transform China 's economy from an agrarian economy to an industrial one . The campaign contributed to a widespread famine , whose death toll is estimated at between 15,000,000 and 55,000,000 . In 1966 , he initiated the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution , a program to remove `` counter-revolutionary '' elements of Chinese society that lasted 10 years and which was marked by violent class struggle that killed 400,000 to 10,000,000 people , widespread destruction of cultural artifacts and unprecedented elevation of Mao 's personality cult . In 1972 , Mao welcomed American President Richard Nixon in Beijing , signalling a policy of opening China , which was furthered under the rule of Deng Xiaoping ( 1978 -- 1992 ) . Mao suffered a series of heart attacks in 1976 , and died in September , aged 82 . He was succeeded as Paramount leader by Hua Guofeng ( 1976 -- 1978 ) , who was quickly sidelined and replaced by Deng .   A controversial figure , Mao is regarded as one of the most important individuals in modern world history , and is also known as a theorist , military strategist , poet and visionary . Supporters credit him with driving imperialism out of China , modernising China and building it into a world power , promoting the status of women , improving education and health care , and increasing life expectancy as China 's population grew from around 550 million to over 900 million under his leadership . In contrast , critics consider him a dictator comparable to Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin who damaged traditional Chinese culture , as well as considering him a perpetrator of human rights abuses , and they estimate that Mao was responsible for 40 to 70 million deaths through starvation , prison labour and executions , which would rank his tenure as the top incidence of excess mortality in human history .


Jared Padalecki appeared in Gilmore Girls.

Jared Padalecki Jared Tristan Padalecki ( born July 19 , 1982 ) is an American actor . He is best known for his role as Sam Winchester on Supernatural . He grew up in Texas and rose to fame in the early 2000s after appearing on the television series Gilmore Girls as well as such films as New York Minute and House of Wax .


The Twilight Saga has Kristen Stewart on the cast list.

The Twilight Saga (film series) The Twilight Saga is a series of five romance fantasy films from Summit Entertainment based on the four novels by American author Stephenie Meyer . The films star Kristen Stewart , Robert Pattinson , and Taylor Lautner . The series has grossed over $ 3.3 billion in worldwide receipts and consists , to date , of five motion pictures . The first installment , Twilight , was released on November 21 , 2008 . The second installment , New Moon , followed on November 20 , 2009 , breaking box office records as the biggest midnight screening and opening day in history , grossing an estimated $ 72.7 million . The third installment , Eclipse , was released on June 30 , 2010 , and was the first Twilight film to be released in IMAX .   The series was in development since 2004 at Paramount Pictures , during which time a screen adaptation of Twilight that differed significantly from the novel was written . Three years later , Summit Entertainment acquired the rights to the film . After Twilight grossed $ 35.7 million on its opening day , Summit Entertainment announced they would begin production on New Moon ; they had acquired the rights to the remaining novels earlier that same month . A two-part adaptation of Breaking Dawn began shooting in November 2010 with release dates of November 18 , 2011 , and November 16 , 2012 , respectively .


Kristen Stewart Kristen Jaymes Stewart ( born ) is an American actress and model . Born in Los Angeles to parents working in show business , Stewart began her acting career in 1999 with uncredited roles and a minor character appearance in several films . She gained notice in 2002 for playing Jodie Foster 's daughter in the thriller Panic Room , which garnered her a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Feature Film . She went on to star in Speak ( 2004 ) , Catch That Kid ( 2004 ) , Zathura ( 2005 ) , and Into The Wild ( 2007 ) , for which she was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award . She received widespread recognition in 2008 for playing Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga film series ( 2008 -- 12 ) , which grossed over $ 3.3 billion worldwide .   Stewart has appeared in a wide variety of films , including Adventureland ( 2009 ) , The Runaways ( 2010 ) , Snow White and the Huntsman ( 2012 ) , On the Road ( 2012 ) , Camp X-Ray ( 2014 ) , Still Alice ( 2014 ) and Equals ( 2015 ) . She won the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2010 and was awarded the Milan International Film Festival Award for Best Actress in 2011 for Welcome to the Rileys ( 2010 ) . In 2015 , she received critical acclaim for her role opposite Juliette Binoche in Clouds of Sils Maria , for which she won a multitude of accolades , including the César Award for Best Supporting Actress , making her the first American actress to win a César Award . She starred in Personal Shopper ( 2016 ) , written for her by director Olivier Assayas , who had worked with her in the previous film .   Stewart was listed as the highest-earning female actress in the Vanity Fair `` Hollywood Top Earners List of 2010 , '' with an estimated earning of $ 28.5 million . In 2011 , she was named number one on Forbes list of `` Hollywood 's Best Actors for the Buck . '' Forbes also named her as the highest paid actress in 2012 , with total earnings of $ 34.5 million . She is the `` face '' of Chanel and Balenciaga fashion brands .


Chinese people are people associated with northern China.

Chinese people Chinese people are the various individuals or groups of people associated with China , either through ancestry , ethnicity , nationality , citizenship , or other affiliation .


Donald Duck is a character in Kingdom Hearts III.

Kingdom Hearts III Kingdom Hearts III is an upcoming action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One . It is the twelfth installment in the Kingdom Hearts series , sequel to Kingdom Hearts II , and the final chapter in the Dark Seeker saga . Set after the events of Kingdom Hearts 3D : Dream Drop Distance , returning protagonist Sora is joined by Donald Duck , Goofy , King Mickey and Riku in their search for the seven guardians of light and the `` Key to Return Hearts '' as they attempt to thwart Master Xehanort 's plan to bring about a second Keyblade War . Their journey has them cross paths with characters , and visit worlds , based on Disney properties and Final Fantasy .   Concepts for the game began as early as 2006 , after the release of Kingdom Hearts II : Final Mix in Japan , with the game not officially confirmed to be in development until E3 2013 , after years of rumors and speculation . Kingdom Hearts III sees many returning gameplay features from the series , while introducing new `` Attraction Flow '' attacks that incorporate Disney Parks attractions . The game also is the first in the series to utilize Unreal Engine 4 .


Mel Gibson only had basic high school education.

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


National Institute of Dramatic Art The National Institute of Dramatic Art ( NIDA ) is an Australian national education and training institute for students in the performing arts . Since 1958 , NIDA has educated students in performance and production for theatre , film and television . It offers programs ranging from degrees to public short courses , including holiday programs and corporate training .   In 2013 , NIDA was ranked as the 8th best drama school in the world by The Hollywood Reporter .   NIDA 's main campus is based in the Sydney suburb of Kensington , located adjacent to the University of New South Wales , and is made up of a range of rehearsal and performance venues . NIDA is affiliated with the University of New South Wales .   NIDA receives funding from the Australian Government through the Minister for the Arts , Attorney-General 's Department and is a member of the `` Australian Roundtable for Arts Training Excellence ( Arts8 ) : '' an initiative between the national performing arts training organisations and the Australian Government committed to providing unique and high-level training for emerging artists .


Justin Bieber is one of the world's best-selling music artists.

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( -LSB- ˈbiːbər -RSB- born March 1 , 1994 ) is a Canadian singer and songwriter . After a talent manager discovered him through his YouTube videos covering songs in 2008 and signed to RBMG , Bieber released his debut EP , My World , in late 2009 . It was certified Platinum in the U.S. . He became the first artist to have seven songs from a debut record chart on the Billboard Hot 100 . Bieber released his first full-length studio album , My World 2.0 , in 2010 . It debuted at or near number one in several countries , was certified triple Platinum in the U.S. , and contained his single `` Baby '' .   Following his debut album , he had his first headlining tour , the My World Tour , released the remix albums My Worlds Acoustic and Never Say Never -- The Remixes -- and the 3D biopic-concert film Justin Bieber : Never Say Never . He released his second studio album , Under the Mistletoe , in November 2011 , when it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 . Bieber released his third studio album , Believe , in 2012 . His fourth studio album Purpose was released in November 2015 , spawning three number one singles : `` What Do You Mean ? '' , `` Sorry '' , and `` Love Yourself '' . His U.S. album and singles sales total 44.7 million . He has sold an estimated 100 million records , making him one of the world 's best-selling music artists .   Bieber has won numerous awards , including the American Music Award for Artist of the Year in 2010 and 2012 . In his career , he has won one Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for the song `` Where Are Ü Now '' at the 2016 ceremony . He has been listed four times by Forbes magazine among the top ten most powerful celebrities in the world in 2011 , 2012 , and 2013 . Bieber also became the first artist to surpass 10 billion total video views on Vevo .


Joseph Fiennes Joseph Alberic Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes ( -LSB- ˈfaɪnz -RSB- born 27 May 1970 ) is an English film and stage actor .   He is known for his portrayals of William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love ( 1998 ) , for which he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role , Sir Robert Dudley in Elizabeth ( 1998 ) , Commisar Danilov in Enemy at the Gates ( 2001 ) , and Monsignor Timothy Howard in the second season of the TV series American Horror Story ( 2012 -- 2013 ) . He currently stars in the drama series The Handmaid 's Tale ( 2017-present ) .


Tobey Maguire is not an American producer.

Tobey Maguire Tobias Vincent `` Tobey '' Maguire ( born June 27 , 1975 ) is an American actor and producer . He began his career in the late 1980s . His first appearance in a feature film was a non-speaking part in The Wizard ( 1989 ) . He is known for playing the title character in Sam Raimi 's Spider-Man film trilogy ( 2002 , 2004 , and 2007 ) , as well as for his roles in Pleasantville ( 1998 ) , The Cider House Rules ( 1999 ) , Wonder Boys ( 2000 ) , Seabiscuit ( 2003 ) , The Good German ( 2006 ) , Brothers ( 2009 ) , and The Great Gatsby ( 2013 ) .   He was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe Awards , and received two Saturn Awards , including one for Best Actor . In 2012 he established his own production company , Material Pictures , and co-produced Good People that same year . In 2014 he produced and starred as Bobby Fischer in Pawn Sacrifice .


Saif Ali Khan's career declined in the 1960s.

Saif Ali Khan Saif Ali Khan ( -LSB- ˈsɛːf əˈli ˈxaːn -RSB- ; born Sajid Ali Khan on 16 August 1970 ) is an Indian film actor and producer . The son of actress Sharmila Tagore and the late cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi , Khan made his acting debut in Yash Chopra 's unsuccessful drama Parampara ( 1993 ) , but achieved success with his roles in the romantic drama Yeh Dillagi and the action film Main Khiladi Tu Anari ( both 1994 ) . Khan 's career prospect declined through much of the 1990s , and his biggest commercial success of the decade came with the ensemble drama Hum Saath-Saath Hain ( 1999 ) . He rose to prominence with roles in two ensemble comedy-dramasDil Chahta Hai ( 2001 ) and Kal Ho Naa Ho ( 2003 ) .   The 2004 romantic comedy Hum Tum proved to be Khan 's first success in which he played the sole male lead , earning him the National Film Award for Best Actor , and starring roles in the drama Parineeta and the romantic comedy Salaam Namaste ( both 2005 ) established him as a leading actor in Bollywood . He went on to earn wide critical praise for his portrayal of an apprentice in the 2006 English film Being Cyrus , a character based on William Shakespeare 's antagonist Iago in the 2006 crime film Omkara and a terrorist in the 2009 thriller Kurbaan . Khan 's greatest commercial success came with the 2008 thriller Race and its 2013 sequel , the 2009 romance Love Aaj Kal , and the 2012 romantic comedy Cocktail .   Khan is the recipient of several accolades , including a National Film Award and six Filmfare Awards , and received the Padma Shri , the fourth highest Indian civilian award , in 2010 . He has been noted for his performances in a range of film genres -- from crime dramas to thrillers and occasional romances -- and his film roles have been credited with contributing to a change in the concept of a Hindi film hero . Khan was married to his first wife , Amrita Singh , for thirteen years , after which he married the actress Kareena Kapoor . He has three childrentwo with Singh and one with Kapoor . In addition to film acting , Khan is a frequent television presenter , stage show performer and the owner of the production company Illuminati Films .


Francis Ford Coppola assisted in the writing of Apocalypse Now.

Apocalypse Now Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American epic war film directed , produced and co-written by Francis Ford Coppola . It was co-written by John Milius with narration written by Michael Herr . It stars Marlon Brando , Robert Duvall , Martin Sheen , Frederic Forrest , Albert Hall , Sam Bottoms , Larry Fishburne , and Dennis Hopper . The screenplay , written by Milius , adapts the story of Joseph Conrad 's novella Heart of Darkness changing its setting from late 1800 's Congo to the Vietnam War . It draws from Herr 's Dispatches , and Werner Herzog 's Aguirre , the Wrath of God ( 1972 ) . The film revolves around Captain Benjamin L. Willard ( Sheen ) on a secret mission to assassinate Colonel Kurtz , a renegade who is presumed insane .   The film has been noted for the problems encountered while making it , chronicled in the documentary Hearts of Darkness : A Filmmaker 's Apocalypse ( 1991 ) . These problems included Brando arriving on the set overweight and completely unprepared , expensive sets being destroyed by severe weather , and its lead actor ( Sheen ) having a breakdown , and suffering a near-fatal heart attack , while on location . Problems continued after production as the release was postponed several times while Coppola edited thousands of feet of film .   Apocalypse Now was released to universal acclaim . It was honored with the Palme d'Or at Cannes , nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture , and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture -- Drama . It is considered to be one of the greatest films ever made . The film was ranked No. 14 in the British Film Institute 's Sight and Sound greatest films poll in 2012 . In 2000 , the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being `` culturally , historically or aesthetically significant '' .


David Angell David Lawrence Angell ( April 10 , 1946September 11 , 2001 ) was an American producer of sitcoms . Angell won multiple Emmy Awards as the creator and executive producer , along with Peter Casey and David Lee , of the comedy series Frasier . Angell and his wife Lynn both died heading home from their vacation in Cape Cod aboard American Airlines Flight 11 . This was the first plane to hit the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks .


Tel Aviv is the economic center of Israel.

Israel Israel ( -LSB- ˈɪzreiəl -RSB- ; ) , officially the State of Israel ( -LSB- mediˈnat jisʁaˈʔel -RSB- دَوْلَة إِسْرَائِيل -LSB- dawlat ʔisraːˈʔiːl -RSB- ) , is a country in the Middle East , on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea . It has land borders with Lebanon to the north , Syria to the northeast , Jordan on the east , the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the east and west , respectively , and Egypt to the southwest . The country contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area . Israel 's economy and technology center is Tel Aviv , while its seat of government and proclaimed capital is Jerusalem , although the state 's sovereignty over East Jerusalem is internationally unrecognized.The Jerusalem Law states that `` Jerusalem , complete and united , is the capital of Israel '' and the city serves as the seat of the government , home to the President 's residence , government offices , supreme court , and parliament . United Nations Security Council Resolution 478 ( 20 August 1980 ; 14 -- 0 , U.S. abstaining ) declared the Jerusalem Law `` null and void '' and called on member states to withdraw their diplomatic missions from Jerusalem . The United Nations and all member nations refuse to accept the Jerusalem Law ( see ) and maintain their embassies in other cities such as Tel Aviv , Ramat Gan , and Herzliya ( see the CIA Factbook and Map of Israel ) . The U.S. Congress subsequently adopted the Jerusalem Embassy Act , which said that the U.S. embassy should be relocated to Jerusalem and that it should be recognized as the capital of Israel . However , the US Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel concluded that the provisions of the act `` invade exclusive presidential authorities in the field of foreign affairs and are unconstitutional '' . Since passage of the act , all presidents serving in office have determined that moving forward with the relocation would be detrimental to U.S. national security concerns and opted to issue waivers suspending any action on this front . The Palestinian Authority sees East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state . The city 's final status awaits future negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority ( see `` Negotiating Jerusalem , '' Palestine -- Israel Journal ) . See Positions on Jerusalem for more information .   In 1947 , the United Nations adopted a Partition Plan for Mandatory Palestine recommending the creation of independent Arab and Jewish states and an internationalized Jerusalem . The plan was accepted by the Jewish Agency for Palestine , and rejected by Arab leaders . Next year , the Jewish Agency declared `` the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Israel , to be known as the State of Israel . '' Israel has since fought several wars with neighboring Arab states , in the course of which it has occupied territories including the West Bank , Golan Heights and the Gaza Strip ( still considered occupied after 2005 disengagement ) . It extended its laws to the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem , but not the West Bank . Israel 's occupation of the Palestinian territories is the world 's longest military occupation in modern times . Efforts to resolve the Israeli -- Palestinian conflict have not resulted in peace . However , peace treaties between Israel and both Egypt and Jordan have successfully been implemented .   The population of Israel , as defined by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , was estimated in to be people . It is the world 's only Jewish-majority state , with 74.8 % being designated as Jewish . The country 's second largest group of citizens are Arabs , at 20.8 % ( including the Druze and most East Jerusalem Arabs ) . The great majority of Israeli Arabs are Sunni Muslims , including significant numbers of semi-settled Negev Bedouins ; the rest are Christians and Druze . Other minorities include Arameans , Armenians , Assyrians , Black Hebrew Israelites , Circassians , Maronites and Samaritans . Israel also hosts a significant population of non-citizen foreign workers and asylum seekers from Africa and Asia , including illegal migrants from Sudan , Eritrea and other Sub-Saharan Africans .   In its Basic Laws , Israel defines itself as a Jewish and democratic state . Israel is a representative democracy with a parliamentary system , proportional representation and universal suffrage . The prime minister is head of government and the Knesset is the legislature . Israel is a developed country and an OECD member , with the 35th-largest economy in the world by nominal gross domestic product . The country benefits from a highly skilled workforce and is among the most educated countries in the world with one of the highest percentage of its citizens holding a tertiary education degree . The country has the highest standard of living in the Middle East and the third highest in Asia , and has one of the highest life expectancies in the world .


Robert Duvall Robert Selden Duvall ( -LSB- duːˈvɔːl -RSB- born January 5 , 1931 ) is an American actor and filmmaker . He has been nominated for seven Academy Awards ( winning for his performance in Tender Mercies ) , seven Golden Globes ( winning four ) , and has multiple nominations and one win each of the BAFTA , Screen Actors Guild Award , and Emmy Award . He received the National Medal of Arts in 2005 . Duvall has starred in numerous films and television series , including To Kill a Mockingbird ( 1962 ) , The Twilight Zone ( 1963 ) , The Outer Limits ( 1964 ) , Bullitt ( 1968 ) , True Grit ( 1969 ) , MASH ( 1970 ) , THX 1138 ( 1971 ) , Joe Kidd ( 1972 ) , The Godfather ( 1972 ) , The Godfather Part II ( 1974 ) , The Conversation ( 1974 ) , Network ( 1976 ) , Apocalypse Now ( 1979 ) , The Great Santini ( 1979 ) , Lonesome Dove ( 1989 ) , The Handmaid 's Tale ( 1990 ) , Rambling Rose ( 1991 ) , and Falling Down ( 1993 ) .   Duvall began appearing in theatre during the late 1950s , moving into television and film roles during the early 1960s , playing Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird ( 1962 ) and appearing in Captain Newman , M.D. ( 1963 ) . He landed many of his most famous roles during the early 1970s , such as Major Frank Burns in the blockbuster comedy MASH ( 1970 ) and the lead role in THX 1138 ( 1971 ) , as well as Horton Foote 's adaptation of William Faulkner 's Tomorrow ( 1972 ) , which was developed at The Actors Studio and is Duvall 's personal favorite . This was followed by a series of critically lauded performances in commercially successful films .   Since then , Duvall has continued to act in both film and television with such productions as Tender Mercies ( 1983 ) , The Natural ( 1984 ) , Colors ( 1988 ) , the television mini-series Lonesome Dove ( 1989 ) , Stalin ( 1992 ) , The Man Who Captured Eichmann ( 1996 ) , A Family Thing ( 1996 ) , The Apostle ( 1997 ) , A Civil Action ( 1998 ) , Deep Impact ( 1998 ) , Gods and Generals ( 2003 ) , Secondhand Lions ( 2003 ) , Broken Trail ( 2006 ) , Get Low ( 2010 ) , Jack Reacher ( 2012 ) , and The Judge ( 2014 ) .


Heikegani is native to a sovereign island nation in Cleveland.

Japan Japan ( 日本 Nippon -LSB- ɲip̚poɴ -RSB- or Nihon -LSB- ɲihoɴ -RSB- formally or Nihon-koku , meaning `` State of Japan '' ) is a sovereign island nation in East Asia . Located in the Pacific Ocean , it lies off the eastern coast of the Asian mainland , and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the southwest .   The kanji that make up Japan 's name mean `` sun origin '' . 日 can be read as ni and means sun , while 本 can be read as hon , or pon and means origin . Japan is often referred to by the famous epithet `` Land of the Rising Sun '' in reference to its Japanese name .   Japan is a stratovolcanic archipelago consisting of about 6,852 islands . The four largest are Honshu , Hokkaido , Kyushu and Shikoku , which make up about ninety-seven percent of Japan 's land area and often are referred to as home islands . The country is divided into 47 prefectures in eight regions ; Hokkaido being the northernmost prefecture and Okinawa being the southernmost one . The population of 127 million is the world 's tenth largest . Japanese people make up 98.5 % of Japan 's total population . Approximately 9.1 million people live in the city of Tokyo , the capital of Japan .   Archaeological research indicates that Japan was inhabited as early as the Upper Paleolithic period . The first written mention of Japan is in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD . Influence from other regions , mainly China , followed by periods of isolation , particularly from Western Europe , has characterized Japan 's history . From the 12th century until 1868 , Japan was ruled by successive feudal military shoguns who ruled in the name of the Emperor .   Japan entered into a long period of isolation in the early 17th century , which was ended in 1853 when a United States fleet pressured Japan to open to the West . After nearly two decades of internal conflict and insurrection , the Imperial Court regained its political power in 1868 through the help of several clans from Chōshū and Satsuma , and the Empire of Japan was established . In the late 19th and early 20th centuries , victories in the First Sino-Japanese War , the Russo-Japanese War and World War I allowed Japan to expand its empire during a period of increasing militarism .   The Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937 expanded into part of World War II in 1941 , which came to an end in 1945 following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Japanese surrender . Since adopting its revised constitution on May 3 , 1947 during the occupation by the SCAP , Japan has maintained a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy with an Emperor and an elected legislature called the National Diet .   Japan is a member of the UN , the OECD , the G7 , the G8 , and the G20 and is considered a great power . The country has the world 's third-largest economy by nominal GDP and the world 's fourth-largest economy by purchasing power parity . It is also the world 's fourth-largest exporter and fourth-largest importer . The country benefits from a highly skilled workforce and is among the most highly educated countries in the world , with one of the highest percentages of its citizens holding a tertiary education degree .   Although Japan has officially renounced its right to declare war , it maintains a modern military with the world 's eighth-largest military budget , used for self-defense and peacekeeping roles . Japan is a developed country with a very high standard of living and Human Development Index . Its population enjoys the highest life expectancy and the third lowest infant mortality rate in the world .


Cleveland Cleveland ( -LSB- ˈkliːvlənd -RSB- ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County , the state 's second most populous county . The city proper has a population of 388,072 , making Cleveland the 51st largest city in the United States , and the second-largest city in Ohio after Columbus . Greater Cleveland ranked as the 32nd largest metropolitan area in the United States , with 2,055,612 people in 2016 . The city anchors the Cleveland -- Akron -- Canton Combined Statistical Area , which had a population of 3,515,646 in 2010 and ranks 15th in the United States .   The city is located on the southern shore of Lake Erie , approximately 60 mi west of the Pennsylvania border . It was founded in 1796 near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River , and became a manufacturing center owing to its location on the lake shore , as well as being connected to numerous canals and railroad lines . Cleveland 's economy has diversified sectors that include manufacturing , financial services , healthcare , and biomedical . Cleveland is also home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame .   Residents of Cleveland are called `` Clevelanders '' . Cleveland has many nicknames , the oldest of which in contemporary use being `` The Forest City '' .


Heikegani is a species of crab native to Japan , with a shell that bears a pattern resembling a human face which many believed to be the face of an angry samurai hence the nickname Samurai Crab . It is locally believed that these crabs are reincarnations of the spirits of the Heike warriors defeated at the Battle of Dan-no-ura as told in The Tale of the Heike .


Rich Girl (Gwen Stefani song) `` Rich Girl '' is a song by American singer and songwriter Gwen Stefani from her debut solo studio album , Love . Angel . Music . Baby . ( 2004 ) . Produced by Dr. Dre , the track features American rapper Eve , and is a remake of Louchie Lou & Michie One 's 1993 song of the same name , which is in turn an adaptation of the Fiddler on the Roof song `` If I Were a Rich Man '' . Stefani says the song discusses her dreams of fame and riches from the perspective of `` when she was just an Orange County girl '' .   The last song to be included on the album , `` Rich Girl '' was released as the album 's second single in late 2004 to mixed reviews from music critics . It was a commercial success , reaching the top 10 on most of the charts it entered . In the United States , `` Rich Girl '' was certified gold , and it received a nomination for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 47th Grammy Awards .


Doctor Doom is the leader of the Romani people.

Doctor Doom Doctor Victor Von Doom ( or simply Doctor Doom ) is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . The son of Romani witch Cynthia Von Doom , Doctor Doom traditionally has been the archenemy of the Fantastic Four , and the leader of the fictional nation of Latveria . He is both a genius inventor and a sorcerer . While his chief opponents have been the Fantastic Four , he has also come into conflict with Iron Man , the Avengers and other superheroes in the Marvel Universe . Though normally portrayed as a supervillain , since Civil War II in 2016 , Doom has been depicted as a superhero , taking up the mantle of Iron Man from Tony Stark , and going on to join the Avengers .   Doctor Doom has made many appearances in video games , television series , and merchandise such as action figures and trading cards . He was ranked as the 4th Greatest Villain by Wizard on its 100 Greatest Villains of All Time list . IGN 's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time ranked Doctor Doom as # 3 .   Doctor Doom has also been featured in other Marvel-endorsed feature films such as Roger Corman 's unreleased 1994 The Fantastic Four played by Joseph Culp , and the 2005 film Fantastic Four and its 2007 sequel Fantastic Four : Rise of the Silver Surfer played by Julian McMahon . Toby Kebbell portrays the character in the 2015 reboot .


Egypt is in the northeast corner of Africa near Asia.

Egypt Egypt ( -LSB- ˈiːdʒɪpt -RSB- ; مِصر , مَصر , Kimi ) , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt , is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia by a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula . Egypt is a Mediterranean country bordered by the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast , the Gulf of Aqaba to the east , the Red Sea to the east and south , Sudan to the south , and Libya to the west . Across the Gulf of Aqaba lies Jordan , and across from the Sinai Peninsula lies Saudi Arabia , although Jordan and Saudi Arabia do not share a land border with Egypt .   Egypt has one of the longest histories of any modern country , emerging as one of the world 's first nation states in the tenth millennium BC . Considered a cradle of civilisation , Ancient Egypt experienced some of the earliest developments of writing , agriculture , urbanisation , organised religion and central government . Iconic monuments such as the Giza Necropolis and its Great Sphinx , as well the ruins of Memphis , Thebes , Karnak , and the Valley of the Kings , reflect this legacy and remain a significant focus of archaeological study and popular interest worldwide . Egypt 's rich cultural heritage is an integral part of its national identity , which has endured , and at times assimilated , various foreign influences , including Greek , Persian , Roman , Arab , Ottoman , and European . One of the earliest centres of Christianity , Egypt was Islamised in the seventh century and remains a predominantly Muslim country , albeit with a significant Christian minority .   With over 92 million inhabitants , Egypt is the most populous country in North Africa and the Arab world , the third-most populous in Africa ( after Nigeria and Ethiopia ) , and the fifteenth-most populous in the world . The great majority of its people live near the banks of the Nile River , an area of about 40000 km2 , where the only arable land is found . The large regions of the Sahara desert , which constitute most of Egypt 's territory , are sparsely inhabited . About half of Egypt 's residents live in urban areas , with most spread across the densely populated centres of greater Cairo , Alexandria and other major cities in the Nile Delta .   Modern Egypt is considered to be a regional and middle power , with significant cultural , political , and military influence in North Africa , the Middle East and the Muslim world . Egypt 's economy is one of the largest and most diversified in the Middle East , and is projected to become one of the largest in the 21st century . Egypt is a member of the United Nations , Non-Aligned Movement , Arab League , African Union , and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation .


Lay (entertainer) Zhang Yixing ; 장이씽 レイ , 張芸興 born ) , better known as Lay , is a Chinese singer-songwriter , record producer , author , dancer , and actor . He is a member and the main dancer of the South Korean-Chinese boy group Exo and its sub-unit Exo-M . He first became known after participating in the Chinese TV talent show Star Academy in 2005 . In January 2015 , Lay was ranked 5th on Baidu 's `` 2014 Top 10 Most Popular Celebrities '' list . In September 2015 , he released his autobiography titled Standing Firm at 24 , which broke several online book records . In July 2016 , Lay was appointed by the Communist Youth League of China ( CYLC ) of Changsha as the publicity ambassador , the first celebrity to hold such title . On October 28 , 2016 , Lay released his mini album Lose Control in both South Korea and China . The EP was a commercial success peaking at number 1 on the Gaon Album Chart .


In January, Thomas DeSimone disappeared.

Thomas DeSimone Thomas Anthony DeSimone ( May 24 , 1950 -- disappeared January 14 , 1979 ) , also known as Two-Gun Tommy or Tommy D , was a Sicilian-American gangster and associate of the Lucchese crime family in New York City . DeSimone was a grandson and nephew of Los Angeles mob bosses Rosario DeSimone and Frank DeSimone , respectively . He was married to Angelica `` Cookie '' Spione , but had many mistresses , including Theresa Ferrara .   In Martin Scorsese 's film Goodfellas , the character Tommy DeVito ( portrayed by Joe Pesci ) is based on DeSimone .


George Cukor wrote the screenplay for the 1933 dramatic film Little Women.

Little Women (1933 film) Little Women is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film , directed by George Cukor and starring Katharine Hepburn , Joan Bennett , Frances Dee , and Jean Parker . The screenplay , by Sarah Y. Mason and Victor Heerman , is based on the 1868 novel of the same name , by Louisa May Alcott .   This is the third screen adaptation of the book , following silent versions , released in 1917 , with Minna Grey , and in 1918 , with Dorothy Bernard . After this first sound version came a 1949 remake , with June Allyson , Elizabeth Taylor and Peter Lawford , and the 1994 release , starring Winona Ryder .


George Cukor George Dewey Cukor ( -LSB- ˈkjuːkər -RSB- July 7 , 1899 -- January 24 , 1983 ) was an American film director . He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations . His career flourished at RKO when David O. Selznick , the studio 's Head of Production , assigned Cukor to direct several of RKO 's major films , including What Price Hollywood ? ( 1932 ) , A Bill of Divorcement ( 1932 ) , Our Betters ( 1933 ) , and Little Women ( 1933 ) . When Selznick moved to MGM in 1933 , Cukor followed and directed Dinner at Eight ( 1933 ) and David Copperfield ( 1935 ) for Selznick and Romeo and Juliet ( 1936 ) and Camille ( 1936 ) for Irving Thalberg .   He was replaced as the director of Gone with the Wind ( 1939 ) , but he went on to direct The Philadelphia Story ( 1940 ) , Gaslight ( 1944 ) , Adam 's Rib ( 1949 ) , Born Yesterday ( 1950 ) , A Star Is Born ( 1954 ) , Bhowani Junction ( 1956 ) , and My Fair Lady ( 1964 ) . He continued to work into the 1980s .


There is a port named Vallejo, California.

Vallejo, California Vallejo ( -LSB- vəˈleɪ.oʊ , _ - hoʊ -RSB- ; Spanish : -LSB- baˈʎexo -RSB- ) is a waterfront port city in Solano County , California , located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area . The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census . It is the tenth most populous city in the San Francisco Bay Area , and the largest in Solano County . Vallejo sits on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay , 30 miles north of San Francisco . The city is named after General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo , a native Californio , leading proponent of California 's statehood , and one of the first members of the California State Senate ; the neighboring city of Benicia is named for his wife , Francisca Benicia Carillo de Vallejo .   Vallejo is home to the Six Flags Discovery Kingdom theme park , the now-defunct Mare Island Naval Shipyard , and the regional office for Region 5 of the United States Forest Service . The colleges and universities in Vallejo are California Maritime Academy , the Vallejo Center campus of Solano Community College , and Touro University California . Ferry service runs from a terminal on Mare Island Strait to San Francisco , through the BayLink division of SolTrans .   Vallejo has twice served as the capital of the state of California : once in 1852 and again in 1853 , both periods being brief . The State Capitol building burned to the ground in the 1880s and the Vallejo Fire Department requested aid from the Fire Department at Mare Island Naval Shipyard . As there were no bridges at that time , the Mare Island Fire Department had to be ferried across the Napa River , arriving to find only the foundation remaining . This was the first recorded mutual aid response in the state of California .   Some of the first Europeans drawn to the Vallejo area were attracted by the sulfur springs ; in the year 1902 the area was named Blue Rock Springs . It was also known as White Sulfur Springs and that was the name of the road leading to it from town , today shortened to `` Springs Road '' .   Vallejo is best known for the Zodiac Killer and being the hometown of Bay Area rappers E-40 and Mac Dre .


Measles develop 10-12 days after exposure to an infected person.

Measles Measles is a highly contagious infection caused by the measles virus . Initial signs and symptoms typically include fever , often greater than 40 C , cough , runny nose , and inflamed eyes . Two or three days after the start of symptoms , small white spots may form inside the mouth , known as Koplik 's spots . A red , flat rash which usually starts on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body typically begins three to five days after the start of symptoms . Symptoms usually develop 10 -- 12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7 -- 10 days . Complications occur in about 30 % and may include diarrhea , blindness , inflammation of the brain , and pneumonia among others . Rubella ( German measles ) and roseola are different diseases .   Measles is an airborne disease which spreads easily through the coughs and sneezes of those infected . It may also be spread through contact with saliva or nasal secretions . Nine out of ten people who are not immune and share living space with an infected person will catch it . People are infectious to others from four days before to four days after the start of the rash . People usually do not get the disease more than once . Testing for the virus in suspected cases is important for public health efforts .   The measles vaccine is effective at preventing the disease . Vaccination has resulted in a 75 % decrease in deaths from measles between 2000 and 2013 with about 85 % of children globally being currently vaccinated . No specific treatment is available . Supportive care may improve outcomes . This may include giving oral rehydration solution ( slightly sweet and salty fluids ) , healthy food , and medications to control the fever . Antibiotics may be used if a secondary bacterial infection such as pneumonia occurs . Vitamin A supplementation is also recommended in the developing world .   Measles affects about 20 million people a year , primarily in the developing areas of Africa and Asia . It causes the most vaccine-preventable deaths of any disease . It resulted in about 73,000 deaths in 2014 , down from 545,000 deaths in 1990 . In 1980 , the disease was estimated to have caused 2.6 million deaths per year . Most of those who are infected and who die are less than five years old . The risk of death among those infected is usually 0.2 % , but may be up to 10 % in those who have malnutrition . It is not believed to affect other animals . Before immunization in the United States , between three and four million cases occurred each year . As a result of widespread vaccination , the disease was eliminated from the Americas by 2016 .


Gregor Clegane Ser Gregor Clegane , nicknamed The Mountain , is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin , and its television adaptation Game of Thrones . He is a retainer to House Lannister . An enormous man , he is well known for his size , prowess in battle and cruelty .   Introduced in 1996 's A Game of Thrones , Gregor is the older brother of Sandor Clegane , from the fictional kingdom of Westeros . He subsequently appeared in Martin 's A Clash of Kings ( 1998 ) , A Storm of Swords ( 2000 ) and in A Dance with Dragons ( 2011 ) as Ser Robert Strong .   Ser Gregor Clegane is a huge knight and the elder brother of Sandor Clegane . Called `` The Mountain That Rides '' , he is known for his incredibly cruel nature and uncontrollable temper . His size and strength make him a fearsome warrior , and he has earned a reputation for cruelty and brutality . He is able to wield a two-handed sword one handed . When they were children , Gregor shoved Sandor 's face into a brazier , gruesomely scarring him .   Gregor Clegane is portrayed by Conan Stevens in season one , by Ian Whyte in season two , and by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson in seasons four , five , and six in the HBO television adaptation .


Floyd Mayweather Jr. Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. ( born Floyd Joy Sinclair ; February 24 , 1977 ) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2015 , and currently works as a boxing promoter . Widely considered to be one of the greatest boxers of all time , undefeated as a professional , and a five-division world champion , Mayweather won fifteen world titles and the lineal championship in four different weight classes ( twice at welterweight ) . As an amateur , he won a bronze medal in the featherweight division at the 1996 Olympics . Mayweather is a two-time winner of The Ring magazine 's Fighter of the Year award ( 1998 and 2007 ) , a three-time winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America ( BWAA ) Fighter of the Year award ( 2007 , 2013 , and 2015 ) , and a six-time winner of the Best Fighter ESPY Award ( 2007 -- 2010 , 2012 -- 2014 ) .   In 2016 , Mayweather was ranked by ESPN as the greatest boxer , pound for pound , of the last 25 years . In the same year , he peaked as BoxRec 's number one fighter of all time , pound for pound , as well as the greatest welterweight of all time . Many sporting news and boxing websites ranked Mayweather as the best boxer in the world , pound for pound , twice in a span of ten years ; including The Ring , Sports Illustrated , ESPN , BoxRec , Fox Sports , and Yahoo! Sports . He is also regarded as the best defensive boxer in the sport , as well as being the most accurate puncher since the existence of CompuBox , having the highest plus -- minus ratio in recorded boxing history . He finished his career with a record of 26 wins without a loss or draw in world title fights ( 10 by KO ) ; 23 wins ( 9 KOs ) in lineal title fights ; 24 wins ( 7 KOs ) against former or current world titlists ; 12 wins ( 3 KOs ) against former or current lineal champions ; and 2 wins ( 1 KO ) against International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees .   In addition to his accomplishments in the ring , Mayweather is well known for being one of the most lucrative pay-per-view ( PPV ) attractions of all time , in any sport . He topped the Forbes and Sports Illustrated lists of the 50 highest-paid athletes of 2012 and 2013 respectively , and the Forbes list again in both 2014 and 2015 , listing him as the highest paid athlete in the world . In 2007 , he founded Mayweather Promotions , his own boxing promotional firm after defecting from Bob Arum 's Top Rank . Mayweather has generated approximately 19.5 million in PPV buys and $ 1.3 billion in revenue throughout his career , surpassing the likes of former top PPV attractions including Mike Tyson , Evander Holyfield , Lennox Lewis , Oscar De La Hoya , and Manny Pacquiao .


The Politburo Standing Committee included Xi Jinping.

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( -LSB- - cmnɕǐ tɕìn.pʰǐŋ -RSB- , ; born 15 June 1953 ) is the current General Secretary of the Communist Party of China , President of the People 's Republic of China , and Chairman of the Central Military Commission . As Xi holds the top offices of the party and the military , in addition to being the head of state through the office of the president , he is sometimes referred to as China 's `` Paramount Leader '' and recognized by the party as its leadership `` core '' . As General Secretary , Xi holds an ex-officio seat on the Politburo Standing Committee , China 's top decision-making body .   The son of Communist veteran Xi Zhongxun , Xi Jinping rose through the ranks politically in China 's coastal provinces . Xi was governor of Fujian from 1999 to 2002 , and governor , then party secretary of neighboring Zhejiang province from 2002 to 2007 . Following the dismissal of Chen Liangyu , Xi was transferred to Shanghai as party secretary for a brief period in 2007 . Xi joined the Politburo Standing Committee and central secretariat in October 2007 , spending the next five years as Hu Jintao 's presumed successor . Xi was vice-president from 2008 to 2013 and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission from 2010 to 2012 .   Since assuming power , Xi has attempted to legitimize the authority of the Communist Party by introducing far-ranging measures to enforce party discipline and to ensure internal unity . He initiated an unprecedented and far-reaching campaign against corruption , leading to the downfall of prominent incumbent and retired officials . Xi has also imposed further restrictions over civil society and ideological discourse , advocating the concept of `` internet sovereignty '' .   Considered the central figure of the People 's Republic 's fifth generation of leadership , Xi has significantly centralized institutional power by taking on a wide range of leadership positions , including chairing the newly formed National Security Commission , as well as new steering committees on economic and social reforms , military reform , and the Internet . Xi has called for further market economic reforms , for governing according to the law and for strengthening legal institutions , with an emphasis on individual and national aspirations under the neologism `` Chinese Dream '' . Xi has also championed a more assertive foreign policy , particularly with regards to Sino-Japanese relations , China 's claims in the South China Sea , and its role as a leading advocate of free trade and globalization . He has also sought to expand China 's regional influence through the One Belt , One Road initiative , played a leading role in the fight against climate change , and invested heavily in energy and natural resources .


Tony Bill shared a Best Picture Oscar with Michael Phillips and Julia Phillips.

Tony Bill Gerard Anthony `` Tony '' Bill ( born August 23 , 1940 ) is an American actor , producer , and director . He produced the 1973 movie The Sting , for which he shared the Academy Award for Best Picture with Michael Phillips and Julia Phillips . As an actor , Bill has had supporting roles in films including Come Blow Your Horn ( 1963 ) , Shampoo ( 1975 ) , Pee-Wee 's Big Adventure ( 1985 ) , and Less Than Zero ( 1987 ) . He made his directorial debut with My Bodyguard ( 1980 ) , and has since directed movies like Six Weeks ( 1982 ) , Five Corners ( 1987 ) , Crazy People ( 1990 ) , and Flyboys ( 2006 ) . He often casts Dudley Moore in his films .


Michael McCullers Michael McCullers ( born 1971 ) is an American comedy film screenwriter .   A native of Indian Springs Village , Alabama , McCullers attended Indian Springs School , a private high school just south of Birmingham , Alabama . McCullers is a former writer on Saturday Night Live and is best known for co-writing the script for two Austin Powers movies , Austin Powers : The Spy Who Shagged Me and Austin Powers in Goldmember with Mike Myers . He is the writer and director of the 2008 comedy Baby Mama starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler . He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and four children .


The Himalayas has some of its mountains in China.

Himalayas The Himalayas , or Himalaya , ( -LSB- ˌhɪməˈleɪ.ə -RSB- or -LSB- hɪˈmɑːləjə -RSB- ) form a mountain range in Asia separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau .   The Himalayan range has many of the Earth 's highest peaks , including the highest , Mount Everest . The Himalayas include over fifty mountains exceeding 7200 m in elevation , including ten of the fourteen 8000m peaks . By contrast , the highest peak outside Asia -- Aconcagua , in the Andes -- is 6961 m tall .   The Himalayan range is bordered on the northwest by the Karakoram and Hindu Kush ranges , on the north by the Tibetan Plateau , and on the south by the Indo-Gangetic Plain . The Himalayas are distinct from the other great ranges of central Asia , although sometimes the term Himalaya is loosely used to include the Karakoram and some of the other ranges . The Himalayas are spread across five countries : Nepal , India , Bhutan , China and Pakistan , with the first three countries having sovereignty over most of the range . Some of the world 's major rivers , the Indus , the Ganges , and the Tsangpo-Brahmaputra , rise in the Himalayas , and their combined drainage basin is home to roughly 600 million people . The Himalayas have profoundly shaped the cultures of South Asia ; many Himalayan peaks are sacred in Hinduism and Buddhism .   Lifted by the subduction of the Indian tectonic plate under the Eurasian Plate , the Himalayan Mountain range runs , west-northwest to east-southeast , in an arc 2400 km long . Its western anchor , Nanga Parbat , lies just south of the northernmost bend of Indus river . Its eastern anchor , Namcha Barwa , is just west of the great bend of the Tsangpo river . The range varies in width from 400 km in the west to 150 km in the east .


Champion (1949 film) Champion is a 1949 American film noir drama sport film based on a short story by Ring Lardner . It recounts the struggles of boxer `` Midge '' Kelly fighting his own demons while working to achieve success in the boxing ring . The drama was directed by Mark Robson , with cinematography by Franz Planer . The drama features Kirk Douglas , Marilyn Maxwell , and Arthur Kennedy .   The film won an Academy Award for Editing and gained five other nominations as well , including a Best Actor for Douglas .   Several clips from the film were used in Douglas ' 1999 film Diamonds to illustrate his character 's career as a boxer .


Same-sex marriage is legal in parts of Europe.

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


Belgium Belgium ( -LSB- ˈbɛldʒəm -RSB- België -LSB- ˈbɛlɣijə -RSB- ; Belgique -LSB- bɛlʒik -RSB- ; Belgien -LSB- ˈbɛlɡi̯ən -RSB- ) , officially the Kingdom of Belgium , is a sovereign state in Western Europe bordered by France , the Netherlands , Germany , Luxembourg , and the North Sea . It is a small , densely populated country which covers an area of 30528 km2 and has a population of about 11 million people . Straddling the cultural boundary between Germanic and Latin Europe , Belgium is home to two main linguistic groups : the Dutch-speaking , mostly Flemish community , which constitutes about 59 % of the population , and the French-speaking , mostly Walloon population , which comprises 41 % of all Belgians . Additionally , there is a small group of German-speakers who live in the East Cantons located around the High Fens area , and bordering Germany .   Historically , Belgium , the Netherlands and Luxembourg ( along with parts of Northern France and Western Germany ) were known as the Low Countries ; it once covered a somewhat larger area than the current Benelux group of states . The region was called Belgica in Latin , after the Roman province of Gallia Belgica . From the end of the Middle Ages until the 17th century , the area of Belgium was a prosperous and cosmopolitan centre of commerce and culture . From the 16th century until the Belgian Revolution in 1830 , when Belgium seceded from the Netherlands , the area of Belgium served as the battleground between many European powers , causing it to be dubbed the `` Battlefield of Europe , ''  a reputation strengthened by both world wars .   Today , Belgium is a federal constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance . It is divided into three regions and three communities , that exist next to each other . Its two largest regions are the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders in the north and the French-speaking southern region of Wallonia . The Brussels-Capital Region is an officially bilingual ( French and Dutch ) enclave within the Flemish Region .  A German-speaking Community exists in eastern Wallonia .  Belgium 's linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in its political history and complex system of governance , made up of six different governments .   Belgium participated in the Industrial Revolution  and , during the course of the 20th century , possessed a number of colonies in Africa . The second half of the 20th century was marked by rising tensions between the Dutch-speaking and the French-speaking citizens fueled by differences in language and culture and the unequal economic development of Flanders and Wallonia . This continuing antagonism has led to several far-reaching reforms , resulting in a transition from a unitary to a federal arrangement during the period from 1970 to 1993 . Despite the reforms , tensions between the groups have remained , if not increased ; there is significant separatism particularly among the Flemish ; controversial language laws exist such as the municipalities with language facilities ; and the formation of a coalition government took 18 months following the June 2010 federal election , a world record . Belgium is one of the six founding countries of the European Union and hosts the official seats of the European Commission , Council of the European Union , and European Council , as well as a seat of the European Parliament in the country 's capital , Brussels . Belgium is also a founding member of the Eurozone , NATO , OECD and WTO , and a part of the trilateral Benelux Union . Its capital , Brussels , hosts several of the EU 's official seats as well as the headquarters of many major international organizations such as NATO.Belgium is a member of , or affiliated to , many international organizations , including ACCT , AfDB , AsDB , Australia Group , Benelux , BIS , CCC , CE , CERN , EAPC , EBRD , EIB , EMU , ESA , EU , FAO , G-10 , IAEA , IBRD , ICAO , ICC , ICRM , IDA , IDB , IEA , IFAD , IFC , IFRCS , IHO , ILO , IMF , IMO , IMSO , Intelsat , Interpol , IOC , IOM , ISO , ITU , MONUC ( observers ) , NATO , NEA , NSG , OAS ( observer ) , OECD , OPCW , OSCE , PCA , UN , UNCTAD , UNECE , UNESCO , UNHCR , UNIDO , UNMIK , UNMOGIP , UNRWA , UNTSO , UPU , WADB ( non-regional ) , WEU , WHO , WIPO , WMO , WTrO , ZC . Belgium is also a part of the Schengen Area . Belgium is a developed country , with an advanced high-income economy and is categorized as `` very high '' in the Human Development Index .


Same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage , also known as gay marriage , is marriage between people of the same sex , either as a secular civil ceremony or in a religious setting .   In the late 20th century , rites of marriage for same-sex couples without legal recognition became increasingly common . The first law providing for marriage of people of the same sex in modern times was enacted in 2001 in the Netherlands . , same-sex marriage is legally recognized ( nationwide or in some parts ) in the following countries : Argentina , Belgium , Brazil , Canada , Colombia , Denmark,Same-sex marriage is legal in Denmark proper and Greenland . Legislation allowing same-sex marriage in the Faroe Islands has received royal assent though is not yet in effect . Finland , France , Iceland , Ireland , Luxembourg , Mexico,Same-sex marriage is legal in the states of Campeche , Coahuila , Colima , Jalisco , Michoacán , Morelos , Nayarit , Quintana Roo and Mexico City as well as in some municipalities in Guerrero , Puebla , Querétaro and Tamaulipas . Same-sex marriages performed in these jurisdictions are recognized throughout Mexico . the Netherlands,Same-sex marriage is legal in The Netherlands proper . Same-sex marriages performed there are recognized in Aruba , Curaçao and Sint Maarten . New Zealand,Same-sex marriage is legal in New Zealand proper , though is not legal in Tokelau , the Cook Islands and Niue , which together make up the Realm of New Zealand . Norway , Portugal , South Africa , Spain , Sweden , the United Kingdom,Same-sex marriage is legal England and Wales and Scotland ; though is notably not legal in Northern Ireland . Same-sex marriage is legal in the overseas territories of Akrotiri and Dhekelia , Ascension Island , Bermuda , the British Antarctic Territory , the British Indian Ocean Territory , Gibraltar and the Pitcairn Islands ; and in the Crown dependencies of Guernsey and the Isle of Man . The law in the Falkland Islands is not yet in force . the United StatesSame-sex marriage is legal in all 50 states , the District of Columbia , Guam , the Northern Mariana Islands , Puerto Rico , the United States Virgin Islands and some tribal jurisdictions . Some tribal jurisdictions do not recognize same-sex marriage . In the United States , Congress ( not the federal courts ) has legal authority over Indian country . Thus , unless Congress passes a law regarding same-sex marriage for Indian tribes , federally recognized American Indian tribes have the legal right to form their own marriage laws . American Samoa is the only unincorporated territory of the United States not to have legalized same-sex marriage . and Uruguay . Same-sex marriage is likely to soon become legal in Taiwan , after a constitutional court ruling in May 2017 . Polls show rising support for legally recognizing same-sex marriage in the Americas , Australia and most of Europe .  However , as of 2017 , South Africa is the only African country where same-sex marriage is recognized . No country in Asia legally recognises same-sex marriage ceremonies performed under its jurisdiction , although Israel recognises same-sex marriages performed overseas for some purposes .   Introduction of same-sex marriage laws has varied by jurisdiction , being variously accomplished through legislative change to marriage laws , a court ruling based on constitutional guarantees of equality , or by direct popular vote ( via ballot initiative or referendum ) . The recognition of same-sex marriage is a political and social issue , and also a religious issue in many countries , and debates continue to arise over whether people in same-sex relationships should be allowed marriage or some similar status ( a civil union ) . Same-sex marriage can provide those in same-sex relationships who pay their taxes with government services and make financial demands on them comparable to those afforded to and required of those in opposite-sex marriages . Same-sex marriage also gives them legal protections such as inheritance and hospital visitation rights . Various faith communities around the world support allowing those of the same sex to marry , while many major religions oppose same-sex marriage . Opponents of same-sex marriages have argued that recognition of same-sex marriages would erode religious freedoms , undermine a right of children to be raised by their biological mother and father or erode the institution of marriage itself .   Some analysts state that financial , psychological and physical well-being are enhanced by marriage , and that children of same-sex parents or carers benefit from being raised by two parents within a legally recognized union supported by society 's institutions . Court documents filed by American scientific associations also state that singling out gay men and women as ineligible for marriage both stigmatizes and invites public discrimination against them . The American Anthropological Association asserts that social science research does not support the view that either civilization or viable social orders depend upon marriage as an exclusively heterosexual institution .


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