George Orwell is the author of Animal Farm.

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair ( 25 June 1903 -- 21 January 1950 ) , better known by his pen name George Orwell , was an English novelist , essayist , journalist , and critic . His work is marked by lucid prose , awareness of social injustice , opposition to totalitarianism , and outspoken support of democratic socialism .   Orwell wrote literary criticism , poetry , fiction , and polemical journalism . He is best known for the allegorical novella Animal Farm ( 1945 ) and the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four ( 1949 ) . His non-fiction works , including The Road to Wigan Pier ( 1937 ) , documenting his experience of working class life in the north of England , and Homage to Catalonia ( 1938 ) , an account of his experiences in the Spanish Civil War , are widely acclaimed , as are his essays on politics , literature , language , and culture . In 2008 , The Times ranked him second on a list of `` The 50 greatest British writers since 1945 '' .   Orwell 's work continues to influence popular and political culture , and the term Orwellian -- descriptive of totalitarian or authoritarian social practices -- has entered the language together with many of his neologisms , including cold war , Big Brother , Thought Police , Room 101 , memory hole , newspeak , doublethink , and thoughtcrime .


Animal Farm Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell , first published in England on 17 August 1945 . According to Orwell , the book reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union . Orwell , a democratic socialist , was a critic of Joseph Stalin and hostile to Moscow-directed Stalinism , an attitude that was critically shaped by his experiences during the Spanish Civil War . The Soviet Union , he believed , had become a brutal dictatorship , built upon a cult of personality and enforced by a reign of terror . In a letter to Yvonne Davet , Orwell described Animal Farm as a satirical tale against Stalin ( `` un conte satirique contre Staline '' ) , and in his essay `` Why I Write '' ( 1946 ) , wrote that Animal Farm was the first book in which he tried , with full consciousness of what he was doing , `` to fuse political purpose and artistic purpose into one whole '' .   The original title was Animal Farm : A Fairy Story ; U.S. publishers dropped the subtitle when it was published in 1946 , and only one of the translations during Orwell 's lifetime kept it . Other titular variations include subtitles like `` A Satire '' and `` A Contemporary Satire '' . Orwell suggested the title Union des républiques socialistes animales for the French translation , which abbreviates to URSA , the Latin word for `` bear '' , a symbol of Russia . It also played on the French name of the Soviet Union , Union des républiques socialistes soviétiques .   Orwell wrote the book between November 1943 and February 1944 , when the UK was in its wartime alliance with the Soviet Union and the British people and intelligentsia held Stalin in high esteem , a phenomenon Orwell hated . The manuscript was initially rejected by a number of British and American publishers , including one of Orwell 's own , Victor Gollancz , which delayed its publication . It became a great commercial success when it did appear partly because international relations were transformed as the wartime alliance gave way to the Cold War .   Time magazine chose the book as one of the 100 best English-language novels ( 1923 to 2005 ) ; it also featured at number 31 on the Modern Library List of Best 20th-Century Novels . It won a Retrospective Hugo Award in 1996 , and is included in the Great Books of the Western World selection .


CBS is an acronym for Columbia Broadcasting System.

CBS CBS ( an initialism of the network 's former name , the Columbia Broadcasting System ) is an American English language commercial broadcast television network that is a flagship property of CBS Corporation . The company is headquartered at the CBS Building in New York City with major production facilities and operations in New York City ( at the CBS Broadcast Center ) and Los Angeles ( at CBS Television City and the CBS Studio Center ) .   CBS is sometimes referred to as the `` Eye Network '' , in reference to the company 's iconic logo , in use since 1951 . It has also been called the `` Tiffany Network '' , alluding to the perceived high quality of CBS programming during the tenure of William S. Paley . It can also refer to some of CBS 's first demonstrations of color television , which were held in a former Tiffany & Co. building in New York City in 1950 .   The network has its origins in United Independent Broadcasters Inc. , a collection of 16 radio stations that was purchased by Paley in 1928 and renamed the Columbia Broadcasting System . Under Paley 's guidance , CBS would first become one of the largest radio networks in the United States , and eventually one of the Big Three American broadcast television networks . In 1974 , CBS dropped its former full name and became known simply as CBS , Inc. . The Westinghouse Electric Corporation acquired the network in 1995 , renamed its corporate entity to the current CBS Broadcasting , Inc. in 1997 , and eventually adopted the name of the company it had acquired to become CBS Corporation . In 2000 , CBS came under the control of Viacom , which was formed as a spin-off of CBS in 1971 . In late 2005 , Viacom split itself into two separate companies , and re-established CBS Corporation -- through the spin-off of its broadcast television , radio and select cable television and non-broadcasting assets -- with the CBS television network at its core . CBS Corporation is controlled by Sumner Redstone through National Amusements , which also controls the current Viacom .   CBS continues to operate the CBS Radio network , which now mainly provides news and features content for its portfolio of owned-and-operated radio stations in large and mid-sized markets , and affiliated radio stations in various other markets . The television network has more than 240 owned-and-operated and affiliated television stations throughout the United States .


Michael Fassbender appeared in a 2013 film.

12 Years a Slave (film) 12 Years a Slave is a 2013 period drama film and an adaptation of the 1853 slave narrative memoir Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup , a New York State-born free African-American man who was kidnapped in Washington , D.C. , in 1841 and sold into slavery . Northup worked on plantations in the state of Louisiana for 12 years before being released . The first scholarly edition of Northup 's memoir , co-edited in 1968 by Sue Eakin and Joseph Logsdon , carefully retraced and validated the account and concluded it to be accurate . Other characters in the film were also real people , including Edwin and Mary Epps , and Patsey .   The film was directed by Steve McQueen . The screenplay was written by John Ridley . Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as Solomon Northup . Michael Fassbender , Benedict Cumberbatch , Paul Dano , Paul Giamatti , Lupita Nyong ` o , Sarah Paulson , Brad Pitt , and Alfre Woodard are all featured in supporting roles . Principal photography took place in New Orleans , Louisiana , from June 27 to August 13 , 2012 . The locations used were four historic antebellum plantations : Felicity , Bocage , Destrehan , and Magnolia . Of the four , Magnolia is nearest to the actual plantation where Northup was held .   12 Years a Slave received widespread critical acclaim , and was named the best film of 2013 by several media outlets . It proved to be a box office success , earning over $ 187 million on a production budget of $ 22 million . The film won three Academy Awards : Best Picture , Best Supporting Actress for Nyong ` o , and Best Adapted Screenplay for Ridley . The Best Picture win made McQueen the first black producer ever to have received the award and the first black director to have directed a Best Picture winner . The film was awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture -- Drama , and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts recognized it with the Best Film and the Best Actor award for Ejiofor .


Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender ( born 2 April 1977 ) is a German-born Irish actor . His feature film debut was in the fantasy war epic 300 ( 2007 ) as a Spartan warrior ; his earlier roles included various stage productions , as well as starring roles on television such as in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers ( 2001 ) and the Sky One fantasy drama Hex ( 2004 -- 05 ) . He first came to prominence for his role as IRA activist Bobby Sands in Hunger ( 2008 ) , for which he won a British Independent Film Award . Subsequent roles include in the independent film Fish Tank ( 2009 ) , as a Royal Marines lieutenant in Inglourious Basterds ( 2009 ) , as Edward Rochester in the 2011 film adaptation of Jane Eyre , as Carl Jung in A Dangerous Method ( 2011 ) , as a sentient android in Prometheus ( 2012 ) and its sequel , Alien : Covenant ( 2017 ) , and in the musical comedy-drama Frank ( 2014 ) as an eccentric musician loosely inspired by Frank Sidebottom .   In 2011 , Fassbender debuted as the Marvel Comics antihero Magneto in X-Men : First Class , and went on to share the role with Ian McKellen in X-Men : Days of Future Past ( 2014 ) , and reprise it again in X-Men : Apocalypse ( 2016 ) . Also in 2011 , Fassbender 's performance as a sex addict in Shame earned him the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards . In 2013 , his role as slave owner Edwin Epps in the slavery epic 12 Years a Slave was similarly praised , earning him his first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor . In 2013 , Fassbender appeared in another Ridley Scott film , The Counselor . In 2015 , he portrayed the title role in the Danny Boyle-directed biopic Steve Jobs ( 2015 ) , and played Macbeth in Justin Kurzel 's adaptation of William Shakespeare 's play . For the former , he has received Academy Award , BAFTA , Golden Globe and SAG nominations . In 2015 , he produced the western Slow West , in which he also starred .


The Counselor The Counselor is a 2013 British-American dark thriller film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Cormac McCarthy . It stars Michael Fassbender as the eponymous Counselor as well as Penélope Cruz , Cameron Diaz , Javier Bardem and Brad Pitt . The film deals with primal human concerns like greed , mortality , love , and trust related to the theme of corruption and profit in a high stakes criminal environment . Fassbender plays the eponymous Counselor who out of greed gets irrevocably in over his head in a drug deal around the troubled Ciudad Juarez , Mexico / Texas border area .   The Counselor was chosen as the closing film at the 2013 Morelia Film Festival and also played the Cork Film Festival . The London premiere was held on October 3 , 2013 in Leicester Square . The New York City premiere was held on October 9 , 2013 . The film was theatrically released on October 25 , 2013 . It is dedicated to Scott 's brother , Tony , who died in 2012 .


Silicon Valley accounts for one-third of all venture capital investment in the United States.

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a nickname for the southern portion of the San Francisco Bay Area , in the northern part of the U.S. state of California . The `` valley '' in its name refers to the Santa Clara Valley in Santa Clara County , which includes the city of San Jose and surrounding cities and towns , where the region has been traditionally centered . The region has expanded to include the southern half of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Mateo County , and southern portions of the East Bay in Alameda County .   The word `` silicon '' originally referred to the large number of silicon chip innovators and manufacturers in the region , but the area is now the home to many of the world 's largest high-tech corporations , including the headquarters of 39 businesses in the Fortune 1000 , and thousands of startup companies . Silicon Valley also accounts for one-third of all of the venture capital investment in the United States , which has helped it to become a leading hub and startup ecosystem for high-tech innovation and scientific development . It was in the Valley that the silicon-based integrated circuit , the microprocessor , and the microcomputer , among other key technologies , were developed . As of 2013 , the region employed about a quarter of a million information technology workers .   As more high-tech companies were established across the Santa Clara Valley , and then north towards the Bay Area 's two other major cities , San Francisco and Oakland , the `` Silicon Valley '' name eventually came to refer to all high-tech businesses in the region . The term is now generally used as a synecdoche for the American high-technology economic sector . The name also became a global synonym for leading high-tech research and enterprises , and thus inspired similar named locations , as well as research parks and technology centers with a comparable structure all around the world .


Dennis Quaid was in The Parent Trap, directed by Nancy Meyers.

The Parent Trap (1998 film) The Parent Trap is a 1998 family comedy film co-written and directed by Nancy Meyers , and produced and co-written by Charles Shyer . It is the second American adaptation of Erich Kästner 's German novel Lottie and Lisa ( Das doppelte Lottchen ) following the 1961 film of same name .   Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson star as a couple who divorced soon after marrying ; Lindsay Lohan stars ( in her film debut ) as both Hallie Parker and Annie James , identical twins who are accidentally reunited at summer camp after being separated at birth . David Swift wrote the screenplay for the original 1961 film based on Lottie and Lisa . The story is comparable to that of the 1936 Deanna Durbin film Three Smart Girls . Swift is credited along with Meyers and Shyer as co-writers of the 1998 version . The film received positive reviews .


Dennis Quaid Dennis William Quaid ( born April 9 , 1954 ) is an American actor known for a wide variety of dramatic and comedic roles . First gaining widespread attention in the 1980s , his career rebounded in the 1990s after he overcame an addiction to drugs and an eating disorder . Some of his notable credits include Breaking Away , The Right Stuff , Wyatt Earp , The Rookie , The Day After Tomorrow , Traffic , Vantage Point , Footloose , Frequency , The Parent Trap , Yours , Mine & Ours and Soul Surfer . For his role in Far from Heaven ( 2002 ) he won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor and several other accolades .


Hadera has only United States immigrants.

Hadera Hadera is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel , in the northern Sharon region , approximately 45 kilometers ( 28 miles ) from the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa . The city is located along 7 km ( 5 mi ) of the Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Plain . The city has a population of about 91,634 , which includes a high proportion of immigrants arriving since 1990 , notably from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union . In it had a population of .   Hadera was established in 1891 as a farming colony by members of the Zionist group , Hovevei Zion , from Lithuania and Latvia . By 1948 , it was a regional center with a population of 11,800 . In 1952 , Hadera was declared a city , with jurisdiction over an area of 53,000 dunams .


Shueisha is a publisher headquartered in Setagaya.

Shueisha is a Japanese book and video game publisher headquartered in Chiyoda , Tokyo , Japan . The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan . The following year , Shueisha became a separate , independent company .   Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump , Weekly Young Jump , Non-no and Ultra Jump . Shueisha , along with Shogakukan , owns VIZ Media , which publishes manga from all three companies in North America .


Tiger Woods was the winner of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont `` Tiger '' Woods ( born December 30 , 1975 ) is an American professional golfer who is among the most successful golfers of all time . He has been one of the highest-paid athletes in the world for several years .   Following an outstanding junior , college , and amateur career , Woods turned professional at the age of 20 , at the end of the summer in 1996 . By April 1997 he had already won his first major , the 1997 Masters . Woods won this tournament in a record-breaking performance , winning by 12 strokes while pocketing $ 486,000 . He first reached the number one position in the world rankings in June 1997 , after less than a year as a professional . Throughout the 2000s , Woods was the dominant force in golf ; from August 1999 to September 2004 ( 264 weeks ) and from June 2005 to October 2010 ( 281 weeks ) , Woods was the top-ranked men 's golfer in the world .   From December 2009 to early April 2010 , Woods took leave from professional golf to focus on his personal life after he admitted infidelity . Despite attempts at reconciliation , he and his wife Elin Nordegren eventually divorced . His many alleged extramarital indiscretions were revealed by several women , through many worldwide media sources . This was followed by a loss of golf form , and his ranking gradually fell to a low of No. 58 in November 2011 . He ended a career-high winless streak of 107 weeks when he triumphed in the Chevron World Challenge in December 2011 . After winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational on March 25 , 2013 , he ascended to the No. 1 ranking once again , holding the top spot until May 2014 . Woods had back surgery in April 2014 and September 2015 and has struggled since to regain his dominant form . By March 29 , 2015 , Woods had fallen to # 104 , outside of the top 100 for the first time since 1996 . In May 2016 , Woods dropped out of the world top 500 for the first time in his professional career .   Woods has broken numerous golf records . He has been World Number One for the most consecutive weeks and for the greatest total number of weeks of any golfer . He has been awarded PGA Player of the Year a record eleven times , the Byron Nelson Award for lowest adjusted scoring average a record eight times , and has the record of leading the money list in ten different seasons .  He has won 14 professional major golf championships , the second-highest of any player ( Jack Nicklaus leads with 18 ) , and 79 PGA Tour events , second all time behind Sam Snead , who had 82 wins . He has more career major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other active golfer . He is the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam , and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on tour . Additionally , Woods is only the second golfer ( after Nicklaus ) to have achieved a career Grand Slam three times . Woods has won 18 World Golf Championships , and won at least one of those events in each of the first 11 years after they began in 1999 . Woods and Rory McIlroy are the only golfers to win both The Silver Medal and The Gold Medal at The Open Championship .


Resident Evil Resident Evil , known as in Japan , is a survival horror video game-based media franchise created by Shinji Mikami and Tokuro Fujiwara and owned by the video game company Capcom . The franchise focuses around a series of survival horror video games , but has since branched out into comic books , novels , novelizations , sound dramas , live-action films , animated sequels to the games , and a variety of associated merchandise , such as action figures . The series ' overarching plot focuses on multiple characters , and their roles in recurring outbreaks of zombies and other monsters , initially due to the release of the T-virus , but still more biological weapons over time , created mainly by the fictional Umbrella Corporation and various other organizations in later games .   The eponymous first game in the series was released in 1996 as a survival horror video game , but the franchise has since grown to encompass other video game genres . The series is a mix of action and horror film-inspired plotlines , exploration , and puzzle solving . As of January 27 , 2017 , the video game series has sold 75 million units worldwide , and is Capcom 's biggest franchise in terms of software sales .


Teen Wolf's sixth season premiered on television.

Teen Wolf (2011 TV series) Teen Wolf is an American television series developed by Jeff Davis for MTV . It is loosely based on the 1985 film of the same name , and stars Tyler Posey as a teenager named Scott McCall , who is bitten by a werewolf and must cope with how it affects his life and the lives of those closest to him , and Dylan O'Brien as `` Stiles '' Stilinski , Scott 's best friend . The series has received generally positive reviews from critics and is a fan favorite on social media .   Teen Wolf premiered on June 5 , 2011 , following the 2011 MTV Movie Awards . On July 9 , 2015 , Teen Wolf was renewed for a sixth season of 20 episodes , which premiered on November 15 , 2016 . On July 21 , 2016 , the cast announced at Comic Con that the sixth season would be the series ' final .


Bulgaria Bulgaria ( -LSB- bʌlˈɡɛəriə , _ bʊl - -RSB- България , tr . ) , officially the Republic of Bulgaria ( -LSB- Република България , links = no -RSB- , tr . , -LSB- rɛˈpublikɐ bɐɫˈɡarijɐ -RSB- ) , is a country in southeastern Europe . It is bordered by Romania to the north , Serbia and Macedonia to the west , Greece and Turkey to the south , and the Black Sea to the east . With a territory of 110994 km2 , Bulgaria is Europe 's 16th-largest country .   Organised prehistoric cultures began developing on current Bulgarian lands during the Neolithic period . Its ancient history saw the presence of the Thracians , Greeks , Persians , Celts , Romans , Goths , Alans and Huns . The emergence of a unified Bulgarian state dates back to the establishment of the First Bulgarian Empire in 681 AD , which dominated most of the Balkans and functioned as a cultural hub for Slavs during the Middle Ages . With the downfall of the Second Bulgarian Empire in 1396 , its territories came under Ottoman rule for nearly five centuries . The Russo-Turkish War of 1877 -- 78 led to the formation of the Third Bulgarian State . The following years saw several conflicts with its neighbours , which prompted Bulgaria to align with Germany in both world wars . In 1946 it became a one-party socialist state as part of the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc . In December 1989 the ruling Communist Party allowed multi-party elections , which subsequently led to Bulgaria 's transition into a democracy and a market-based economy .   Bulgaria 's population of 7.2 million people is predominantly urbanised and mainly concentrated in the administrative centres of its 28 provinces . Most commercial and cultural activities are centred on the capital and largest city , Sofia . The strongest sectors of the economy are heavy industry , power engineering , and agriculture , all of which rely on local natural resources .   The country 's current political structure dates to the adoption of a democratic constitution in 1991 . Bulgaria is a unitary parliamentary republic with a high degree of political , administrative , and economic centralisation . It is a member of the European Union , NATO , and the Council of Europe ; a founding state of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe ( OSCE ) ; and has taken a seat at the UN Security Council three times .


Bermuda is approximately 1070 km west-southwest of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

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


The Houston Rockets have been the victors of four Western Conference titles.

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


Acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication was the cause of Michael Jackson's death.

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson ( August 29 , 1958 -- June 25 , 2009 ) was an American singer , songwriter , record producer , dancer , actor , and philanthropist . Called the `` King of Pop '' , his contributions to music , dance , and fashion along with his publicized personal life made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades .   The eighth child of the Jackson family , Michael made his professional debut in 1964 with his elder brothers Jackie , Tito , Jermaine , and Marlon as a member of the Jackson 5 . He began his solo career in 1971 . In the early 1980s , Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music . His music videos , including those of `` Beat It '' , `` Billie Jean '' , and `` Thriller '' from his 1982 album Thriller , are credited with breaking racial barriers and transforming the medium into an art form and promotional tool . The popularity of these videos helped bring the television channel MTV to fame . Jackson 's 1987 album Bad spawned the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles `` I Just Ca n't Stop Loving You '' , `` Bad '' , `` The Way You Make Me Feel '' , `` Man in the Mirror '' , and `` Dirty Diana '' , becoming the first album to have five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 . He continued to innovate with videos such as `` Black or White '' and `` Scream '' throughout the 1990s , and forged a reputation as a touring solo artist . Through stage and video performances , Jackson popularized a number of complicated dance techniques , such as the robot and the moonwalk , to which he gave the name . His distinctive sound and style has influenced numerous artists of various music genres .   Thriller is the best-selling album of all time , with estimated sales of 65 million copies worldwide . Jackson 's other albums , including Off the Wall ( 1979 ) , Bad ( 1987 ) , Dangerous ( 1991 ) , and HIStory ( 1995 ) , also rank among the world 's best-selling albums . He is recognized as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time by Guinness World Records . Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice , and was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Dance Hall of Fame as the only dancer from pop and rock music . His other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records , 13 Grammy Awards , the Grammy Legend Award , the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award , 26 American Music Awards -- more than any other artist -- including the `` Artist of the Century '' and `` Artist of the 1980s '' , 13 number-one singles in the United States during his solo career -- more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era -- and estimated sales of over 350 million records worldwide . Jackson won hundreds of awards , making him the most awarded recording artist in the history of popular music . He became the first artist in history to have a top ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades when `` Love Never Felt So Good '' reached number nine on May 21 , 2014 . Jackson traveled the world attending events honoring his humanitarianism , and , in 2000 , the Guinness World Records recognized him for supporting 39 charities , more than any other entertainer .   Aspects of Jackson 's personal life , including his changing appearance , personal relationships , and behavior , generated controversy . In 1993 , he was accused of child sexual abuse , but the civil case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount and no formal charges were brought . In 2005 , he was tried and acquitted of further child sexual abuse allegations and several other charges after the jury found him not guilty on all counts . While preparing for his comeback concert series , This Is It , Jackson died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication on June 25 , 2009 , after suffering from cardiac arrest . The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled his death a homicide , and his personal physician , Conrad Murray , was convicted of involuntary manslaughter . Jackson 's death triggered a global outpouring of grief , and a live broadcast of his public memorial service was viewed around the world . Forbes ranks Jackson the top-earning dead celebrity , with earnings of $ 825 million in 2016 , the highest yearly amount ever recorded by the publication .


Tim Allen Timothy Allen Dick ( born June 13 , 1953 ) , known professionally as Tim Allen , is an American actor , comedian and author .   He is known for his role as Tim `` The Toolman '' Taylor in the ABC television show Home Improvement ( 1991 -- 1999 ) as well as for his starring roles in several films , including the role of Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story franchise . From 2011 to 2017 , he starred as Mike Baxter in the TV series Last Man Standing . Since 2007 , he is the owner of the company Boxing Cat Films .


Home Improvement (TV series) Home Improvement is an American television sitcom starring Tim Allen that aired on ABC from September 17 , 1991 , to May 25 , 1999 , with a total of 204 half-hour episodes spanning over eight seasons . The series was created by Matt Williams , Carmen Finestra , and David McFadzean . In the 1990s , it was one of the most watched sitcoms in the American market , winning many awards . The series launched Tim Allen 's acting career and was the start of the television career of Pamela Anderson , who was part of the recurring cast for the first two seasons .


Last Man Standing (U.S. TV series) Last Man Standing is an American television sitcom starring Tim Allen . The series aired on ABC from October 11 , 2011 to March 31 , 2017 with 130 episodes .


Lymelife is a movie that was released in 2008.

Lymelife Lymelife is a 2008 independent comedy-drama film written by brothers Derick Martini and Steven Martini , and directed by Derick Martini , depicting aspects of their life in 1970s Long Island from the perspective of a teenager . The film stars Alec Baldwin , Rory Culkin , and Emma Roberts . Martin Scorsese served as an executive producer .   The film debuted at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival , in September 2008 and won the International Federation of Film Critics Award ( FIPRESCI ) . After its theatrical release in 2009 , writer director Derick Martini was nominated for a Gotham Award for Breakthrough Director .


Tiger Woods has competed in a golf tournament.

1997 Masters Tournament The 1997 Masters Tournament was the 61st Masters Tournament , held April 10 -- 13 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta , Georgia .   Tiger Woods won his first major championship , twelve strokes ahead of runner-up Tom Kite . Through 2017 , the margin of victory and four-day score of 270 ( − 18 ) are tournament records . Woods also became both the youngest ( 21 ) and the first non-white player to win at   Woods struggled on his first nine holes of the first round , turning at 4-over-par 40 . Making four birdies and an eagle gave him a 6-under-par 30 the back nine for a 70 , three shots behind first-round leader John Huston .   In the second and third rounds , Woods scored the best rounds of each day ( 65-66 ) to open up a commanding nine-shot lead . A final-round 69 gave Woods a tournament record 270 ( − 18 ) , bettering the previous record of 271 set by Jack Nicklaus in 1965 and matched by Raymond Floyd in 1976 .   Woods ' victory set television ratings records for golf ; the final round broadcast on Sunday was seen by an estimated 44 million viewers in the United States .


Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont `` Tiger '' Woods ( born December 30 , 1975 ) is an American professional golfer who is among the most successful golfers of all time . He has been one of the highest-paid athletes in the world for several years .   Following an outstanding junior , college , and amateur career , Woods turned professional at the age of 20 , at the end of the summer in 1996 . By April 1997 he had already won his first major , the 1997 Masters . Woods won this tournament in a record-breaking performance , winning by 12 strokes while pocketing $ 486,000 . He first reached the number one position in the world rankings in June 1997 , after less than a year as a professional . Throughout the 2000s , Woods was the dominant force in golf ; from August 1999 to September 2004 ( 264 weeks ) and from June 2005 to October 2010 ( 281 weeks ) , Woods was the top-ranked men 's golfer in the world .   From December 2009 to early April 2010 , Woods took leave from professional golf to focus on his personal life after he admitted infidelity . Despite attempts at reconciliation , he and his wife Elin Nordegren eventually divorced . His many alleged extramarital indiscretions were revealed by several women , through many worldwide media sources . This was followed by a loss of golf form , and his ranking gradually fell to a low of No. 58 in November 2011 . He ended a career-high winless streak of 107 weeks when he triumphed in the Chevron World Challenge in December 2011 . After winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational on March 25 , 2013 , he ascended to the No. 1 ranking once again , holding the top spot until May 2014 . Woods had back surgery in April 2014 and September 2015 and has struggled since to regain his dominant form . By March 29 , 2015 , Woods had fallen to # 104 , outside of the top 100 for the first time since 1996 . In May 2016 , Woods dropped out of the world top 500 for the first time in his professional career .   Woods has broken numerous golf records . He has been World Number One for the most consecutive weeks and for the greatest total number of weeks of any golfer . He has been awarded PGA Player of the Year a record eleven times , the Byron Nelson Award for lowest adjusted scoring average a record eight times , and has the record of leading the money list in ten different seasons .  He has won 14 professional major golf championships , the second-highest of any player ( Jack Nicklaus leads with 18 ) , and 79 PGA Tour events , second all time behind Sam Snead , who had 82 wins . He has more career major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other active golfer . He is the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam , and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on tour . Additionally , Woods is only the second golfer ( after Nicklaus ) to have achieved a career Grand Slam three times . Woods has won 18 World Golf Championships , and won at least one of those events in each of the first 11 years after they began in 1999 . Woods and Rory McIlroy are the only golfers to win both The Silver Medal and The Gold Medal at The Open Championship .


Men's major golf championships The men 's major golf championships , commonly known as the Major Championships , and often referred to simply as the majors , are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf . In order of play date , they are :  April -- Masters Tournament ( weekend ending 2nd Sunday in April ) -- hosted as an invitational by and played at Augusta National Golf Club in the U.S. state of Georgia .  June -- U.S. Open ( weekend ending with the 3rd Sunday in June , or Father 's Day . ) -- hosted by the United States Golf Association ( USGA ) and played at various locations in the United States .  July -- The Open Championship ( week containing the 3rd Friday in July ) -- hosted by The R&A , an offshoot of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews , and always played on a links course at one of ten locations in the United Kingdom .  August -- PGA Championship ( 3rd weekend prior to Labor Day weekend , although subject to change during Summer Olympics years ) -- hosted by the Professional Golfers ' Association of America and played at various locations in the United States .


Arnold Palmer Invitational The Arnold Palmer Invitational is a professional golf tournament in Florida on the PGA Tour . It is played each March at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge , a private golf resort owned since 1974 by Arnold Palmer in Bay Hill , a suburb southwest of Orlando .   The event was founded in 1979 as a successor to the Florida Citrus Open Invitational , which debuted in 1966 and was played at Rio Pinar Country Club , east of Orlando , through 1978 . It has had a number of different names since then , most of them including `` Bay Hill , '' but has played under the Palmer name since 2007 . On March 21 , 2012 , the Arnold Palmer Invitational and MasterCard Worldwide announced an extension to MasterCard 's `` Presented by '' sponsorship until the 2016 tournament .   As a restricted field event , only the first 70 players on the previous year 's money list are guaranteed invitations .   Tiger Woods won four years in a row at Bay Hill , from 2000 to 2003 , one of only four occasions that an event was won four consecutive times on the PGA Tour . In 2004 , he was one shot off the lead after opening with a 67 , but followed up with consecutive 74s on Friday and Saturday , and tied for 46th place . Woods also won the 2008 and 2009 tournaments , both times with birdie putts on the final hole . He then won the tournament in 2012 by five shots , his first official PGA Tour win in 924 days and his seventh win at the event . Woods repeated in 2013 for his eighth victory at the tournament . He withdrew two days before the 2014 event , citing a bad back , and underwent surgery shortly after .


Jamie Oliver James Trevor `` Jamie '' Oliver , ( born 27 May 1975 ) is a British celebrity chef and restaurateur . He is most known for his typically English cuisine that has garnered him numerous television shows and restaurants .   Born and raised in the village of Clavering , Essex , he was educated in London before taking his first culinary engagement at Antonio Carluccio 's Neal Street restaurant as a pastry chef . When he moved to serve as a sous chef at the River Cafe he was noticed by the BBC and in 1999 debuted his television show , The Naked Chef which was followed by his first cook book subsequently becoming the No. 1 bestseller in the UK . After his Naked Chef Series he was endorsed by multiple companies and expanded his television capacity to include a documentary called Jamie 's Kitchen ; garnering him an invitation from the Prime Minister to 10 Downing Street . In June 2003 , Oliver was honored as a Member of the Order of the British Empire .   In 2005 , Oliver initiated a campaign originally called Feed Me Better to move British schoolchildren towards eating healthy foods and cutting out junk food ; this campaign was eventually backed by the British government . Soon after he launched his first high-end restaurant , Jamie 's Italian , in Oxford in 2008 and hosted a TED Talk winning him the 2010 TED Prize .


Stockard Channing was nominated for an award.

Stockard Channing Stockard Channing ( born Susan Antonia Williams Stockard ; February 13 , 1944 ) is an American stage , film and television actress . She is known for playing Betty Rizzo in the film Grease ( 1978 ) and First Lady Abbey Bartlet on the NBC television series The West Wing ( 1999 -- 2006 ) . She is also known for originating the role of Ouisa Kittredge in the stage and film versions of Six Degrees of Separation , for which she was nominated for a Tony Award and the Academy Award for Best Actress .   A 13-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee and seven-time Tony Award nominee , she won the 1985 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for the Broadway revival of A Day in the Death of Joe Egg , and won Emmy Awards for The West Wing and The Matthew Shepard Story , both in 2002 . She won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2004 for her role in Jack . Her film appearances include The Fortune ( 1975 ) , The Big Bus ( 1976 ) , The Cheap Detective ( 1978 ) , Heartburn ( 1986 ) , Up Close & Personal ( 1996 ) , Practical Magic ( 1998 ) , and Woody Allen 's Anything Else ( 2003 ) . She also played the recurring role of Veronica Loy on the CBS drama The Good Wife ( 2012 -- 16 ) .


William Shatner hosted a television series.

William Shatner William Shatner ( born March 22 , 1931 ) is a Canadian actor , author , producer , and director . In his seven decades of television , Shatner became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T. Kirk , Captain of the USS Enterprise , in the Star Trek franchise . He has written a series of books chronicling his experiences playing Captain Kirk and being a part of Star Trek , and has co-written several novels set in the Star Trek universe . He has written a series of science fiction novels called TekWar , which were adapted for television .   Shatner also played the eponymous veteran police sergeant in T. J. Hooker ( 1982 -- 86 ) and hosted the reality-based television series , Rescue 911 ( 1989 -- 96 ) , which won a People 's Choice Award for the Favorite New TV Dramatic Series . Shatner also appeared in the NBC series , 3rd Rock from the Sun in seasons 4 and 5 as the role of the `` Big Giant Head '' whom the alien characters of the Series reported to . From 2004 until 2008 , he starred as attorney Denny Crane in the final season of the legal drama The Practice and its spinoff series Boston Legal '' , a role that earned him two Emmy Awards .   Shatner has also worked as a musician , an author , a director , and a celebrity pitchman .


Oliver Reed Robert Oliver Reed ( 13 February 1938 -- 2 May 1999 ) was an English actor known for his upper-class , macho image , hellraiser lifestyle , and `` tough guy '' roles . Notable films include The Trap ( 1966 ) , Oliver ! ( 1968 ) , Women in Love ( 1969 ) , Hannibal Brooks ( 1969 ) , The Devils ( 1971 ) , The Three Musketeers ( 1973 ) , Tommy ( 1975 ) , Lion of the Desert ( 1981 ) , Castaway ( 1986 ) , The Adventures of Baron Munchausen ( 1988 ) and Funny Bones ( 1995 ) . For Gladiator ( 2000 ) , his final film , Reed was posthumously nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role .   At the peak of his career , in 1971 , British exhibitors voted Reed 5th most popular star at the box office .


Tiffany Hwang was the second Girls' Generation member to release a solo debut album.

Tiffany Hwang Stephanie Young Hwang ( born August 1 , 1989 ) , known professionally as Tiffany or Tiffany Hwang , is an American singer based in South Korea . Born and raised in California , she was discovered by South Korean entertainment agency S.M. Entertainment at the age of fifteen and subsequently moved to South Korea . After four years of training , Tiffany debuted as a member of girl group Girls ' Generation ( and later its subgroup TTS ) in August 2007 , who went on to be one of the best-selling artists in South Korea and one of South Korea 's most popular girl groups worldwide . In 2016 , following her contribution to several side projects during the early part of her career , Tiffany became the second Girls ' Generation member to release a solo debut album , I Just Wan na Dance .


Taiwan's high-tech industry plays a key role in the global economy.

Taiwan Taiwan ( -LSB- taɪˈwɑːn -RSB- ) , officially the Republic of China ( ROC ) , is a state in East Asia . Its neighbours include China ( officially the People 's Republic of China , PRC ) to the west , Japan to the northeast , and the Philippines to the south .  Taiwan is the most populous state that is not a member of the United Nations , and also possesses the largest economy of any state outside of the UN .   The island of Taiwan , also known as Formosa , was mainly inhabited by Taiwanese aborigines before the 17th century , when Dutch and Spanish colonies opened the island to Han Chinese immigration . After a brief rule by the Kingdom of Tungning , the island was annexed by the Qing dynasty , the last dynasty of China . The Qing ceded Taiwan to Japan in 1895 after the Sino-Japanese War . While Taiwan was under Japanese rule , the Republic of China ( ROC ) was established on the mainland in 1912 after the fall of the Qing dynasty . Following the Japanese surrender to the Allies in 1945 , the ROC took control of Taiwan . However , the resumption of the Chinese Civil War led to the ROC 's loss of the mainland to the Communists , and the flight of the ROC government to Taiwan in 1949 . Although the ROC continued to claim to be the legitimate government of China , its effective jurisdiction since 1949 has been limited to Taiwan and its surrounding islands , with the main island making up 99 % of its de facto territory . As a founding member of the United Nations , the ROC continued to represent China at the United Nations until 1971 , when the PRC assumed China 's seat , causing the ROC to lose its UN membership .   In the early 1960s , Taiwan entered a period of rapid economic growth and industrialization , creating a stable industrial economy . In the 1980s and early 1990s , it changed from a one-party military dictatorship dominated by the Kuomintang to a multi-party democracy with a semi-presidential system . Taiwan is the 22nd-largest economy in the world , and its high-tech industry plays a key role in the global economy . It is ranked highly in terms of freedom of the press , healthcare , public education , economic freedom , and human development . 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 .   The PRC has consistently claimed sovereignty over Taiwan and asserted the ROC is no longer in legitimate existence . Under its One-China Policy the PRC refused diplomatic relations with any country that recognizes the ROC . Today only a few smaller nations recognize the ROC as the sole legal representative of China , but many other states maintain unofficial ties through representative offices and institutions that function as de facto embassies and consulates . Although Taiwan is fully self-governing , most international organizations in which the PRC participates either refuse to grant membership to Taiwan or allow it to participate only as a non-state actor . Internally , the major division in politics is between the aspirations of eventual Chinese unification or Taiwanese independence , though both sides have moderated their positions to broaden their appeal . The PRC has threatened the use of military force in response to any formal declaration of independence by Taiwan or if PRC leaders decide that peaceful unification is no longer possible .


Down syndrome resulted in 27,000 deaths in 2015.

Down syndrome Down syndrome ( DS or DNS ) , also known as trisomy 21 , is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21 . It is typically associated with physical growth delays , characteristic facial features and mild to moderate intellectual disability . The average IQ of a young adult with Down syndrome is 50 , equivalent to the mental ability of an 8 - or 9-year-old child , but this can vary widely .   The parents of the affected individual are typically genetically normal . The extra chromosome occurs by chance . The possibility increases from less than 0.1 % in 20-year-old mothers to 3 % in those age 45 . There is no known behavioral activity or environmental factor that changes the possibility . Down syndrome can be identified during pregnancy by prenatal screening followed by diagnostic testing or after birth by direct observation and genetic testing . Since the introduction of screening , pregnancies with the diagnosis are often terminated . Regular screening for health problems common in Down syndrome is recommended throughout the person 's life .   There is no cure for Down syndrome . Education and proper care have been shown to improve quality of life . Some children with Down syndrome are educated in typical school classes , while others require more specialized education . Some individuals with Down syndrome graduate from high school and a few attend post-secondary education . In adulthood , about 20 % in the United States do paid work in some capacity with many requiring a sheltered work environment . Support in financial and legal matters is often needed . Life expectancy is around 50 to 60 years in the developed world with proper health care .   Down syndrome is one of the most common chromosome abnormalities in humans . It occurs in about one per 1000 babies born each year . In 2015 , Down syndrome was present in 5.4 million individuals and resulted in 27,000 deaths down from 43,000 deaths in 1990 . It is named after John Langdon Down , the British doctor who fully described the syndrome in 1866 . Some aspects of the condition were described earlier by Jean-Étienne Dominique Esquirol in 1838 and Édouard Séguin in 1844 . In 1957 , the genetic cause of Down syndrome , an extra copy of chromosome 21 , was discovered .


Kurupt graduated college in November 1972.

Kurupt Ricardo Emmanuel Brown ( born November 23 , 1972 ) , better known by his stage name Kurupt , is an American rapper , actor and former Executive Vice President of Death Row Records . He is a member of the rap group Tha Dogg Pound , and is mostly known for his work with Death Row Records . He is also a member of the hip-hop supergroup The HRSMN .


Ethiopia is the second-most populous nation on the African continent after Nigeria.

Ethiopia Ethiopia ( -LSB- ˌiːθiˈoʊpiə -RSB- ኢትዮጵያ , , ) , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia ( የኢትዮጵያ ፌዴራላዊ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ሪፐብሊክ , yeʾĪtiyoṗṗya Fēdēralawī Dēmokirasīyawī Rīpebilīk ) , is a country located in the Horn of Africa . It shares borders with Eritrea to the north and northeast , Djibouti and Somalia to the east , Sudan and South Sudan to the west , and Kenya to the south . With over 100 million inhabitants , Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country in the world , as well as the second-most populous nation on the African continent after Nigeria . It occupies a total area of 1,100,000 km2 , and its capital and largest city is Addis Ababa .   Some of the oldest evidence for anatomically modern humans has been found in Ethiopia . It is widely considered as the region from which modern humans first set out for the Middle East and places beyond . According to linguists , the first Afroasiatic-speaking populations settled in the Horn region during the ensuing Neolithic era . Tracing its roots to the 2nd millennium BC , Ethiopia was a monarchy for most of its history . During the first centuries AD , the Kingdom of Aksum maintained a unified civilization in the region , followed by the Ethiopian Empire circa 1137 . Ethiopia derived prestige with its uniquely successful military resistance during the late 19th-century Scramble for Africa , becoming the only African country to defeat a European colonial power and retain its sovereignty . Subsequently , many African nations adopted the colors of Ethiopia 's flag following their independence . It was the first independent African member of the 20th-century League of Nations and the United Nations . In 1974 , at the end of Haile Selassie 's reign , power fell to a communist military dictatorship known as the Derg , backed by the Soviet Union , until it was defeated by the Ethiopian People 's Revolutionary Democratic Front , which has ruled since about the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 .   Ethiopia 's ancient Ge'ez script , also known as Ethiopic , is one of the oldest alphabets still in use in the world . The Ethiopian calendar , which is approximately seven years and three months behind the Gregorian calendar , co-exists alongside the Borana calendar . A majority of the population adheres to Christianity ( mainly the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and P'ent ` ay ) , while around a third follows Islam ( primarily Sunni Islam ) . The country is the site of the Migration to Abyssinia and the oldest Muslim settlement in Africa at Negash . A substantial population of Ethiopian Jews , known as Bete Israel , resided in Ethiopia until the 1980s , but most of them have since emigrated to Israel . Ethiopia is a multilingual nation with around 80 ethnolinguistic groups , the four largest of which are the Oromiffa , Amhara , Somali , and Tigrayans . Most people in the country speak Afroasiatic languages of the Cushitic or Semitic branches . Additionally , Omotic languages are spoken by ethnic minority groups inhabiting the southern regions . Nilo-Saharan languages are also spoken by the nation 's Nilotic ethnic minorities .   Ethiopia is the place of origin for the coffee bean which originated from the place called Kefa ( which was one of the 14 provinces in the old Ethiopian administration ) . It is a land of natural contrasts , with its vast fertile West , jungles , and numerous rivers , and the world 's hottest settlement of Dallol in its north . The Ethiopian Highlands are Africa 's largest continuous mountain ranges , and Sof Omar Caves contain Africa 's largest cave . Ethiopia has the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Africa .   Ethiopia is one of the founding members of the UN , the Group of 24 ( G-24 ) , the Non-Aligned Movement , G-77 and the Organisation of African Unity . Ethiopia 's capital city Addis Ababa serves as the headquarters of the African Union , the Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry , the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa , African Aviation Training HQ , the African Standby Force , and many of the global NGOs focused on Africa . In the 1970s and 1980s , Ethiopia suffered from civil wars and communist purges which devastated its economy . The country has begun to recover recently however , and now has the largest economy ( by GDP ) in East Africa and Central Africa . According to Global Fire Power , Ethiopia has the 42nd most powerful military in the world , and the third most powerful in Africa .


Planet of the Apes (1968 film) was written.

Planet of the Apes (1968 film) Planet of the Apes is a 1968 American science fiction film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner . It stars Charlton Heston , Roddy McDowall , Kim Hunter , Maurice Evans , James Whitmore , James Daly and Linda Harrison . The screenplay by Michael Wilson and Rod Serling was loosely based on the 1963 French novel La Planète des Singes by Pierre Boulle . Jerry Goldsmith composed the groundbreaking avant-garde score . It was the first in a series of five films made between 1968 and 1973 , all produced by Arthur P. Jacobs and released by 20th Century Fox .   The film tells the story of an astronaut crew who crash-land on a strange planet in the distant future . Although the planet appears desolate at first , the surviving crew members stumble upon a society in which apes have evolved into creatures with human-like intelligence and speech . The apes have assumed the role of the dominant species and humans are mute creatures wearing animal skins .   The script was originally written by Rod Serling , but underwent many rewrites before filming eventually began . Directors J. Lee Thompson and Blake Edwards were approached , but the film 's producer Arthur P. Jacobs , upon the recommendation of Charlton Heston , chose Franklin J. Schaffner to direct the film . Schaffner 's changes included an ape society less advanced -- and therefore less expensive to depict -- than that of the original novel . Filming took place between May 21 and August 10 , 1967 , in California , Utah and Arizona , with desert sequences shot in and around Lake Powell , Glen Canyon National Recreation Area . The film 's final `` closed '' cost was $ 5.8 million .   The film was released on February 8 , 1968 , in the United States and was a commercial success , earning a lifetime domestic gross of $ 32.6 million . The film was groundbreaking for its prosthetic makeup techniques by artist John Chambers and was well received by critics and audiences , launching a film franchise , including four sequels , as well as a short-lived television show , animated series , comic books , and various merchandising . In particular , Roddy McDowall had a long-running relationship with the Apes series , appearing in four of the original five films ( absent , apart from a brief voiceover , from the second film of the series , Beneath the Planet of the Apes , in which he was replaced by David Watson in the role of Cornelius ) , and also in the television series .   The original series was followed by Tim Burton 's remake Planet of the Apes in 2001 and the reboot Rise of the Planet of the Apes in 2011 . Also in 2001 , Planet of the Apes was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant '' .


Ilkhanate The Ilkhanate , also spelled Il-khanate ( ایلخانان , Ilkhānān ; Хүлэгийн улс , Hulagu-yn Ulus ) , was established as a khanate that formed the southwestern sector of the Mongol Empire , ruled by the Mongol House of Hulagu . It was founded in the 13th century and was based primarily in Iran as well as neighboring territories , such as present-day Azerbaijan and the central and eastern parts of present-day Turkey . The Ilkhanate was originally based on the campaigns of Genghis Khan in the Khwarazmian Empire in 1219 -- 24 and was founded by Hulagu Khan , a grandson of Genghis Khan . With the fragmentation of the Mongol Empire after 1259 it became a functionally separate khanate . At its greatest extent , the state expanded into territories that today comprise most of Iran , Iraq , Armenia , Azerbaijan , Georgia , Turkmenistan , Turkey , western Afghanistan , and southwestern Pakistan . Later Ilkhanate rulers , beginning with Ghazan in 1295 , would convert to Islam .


Kaakha Kaakha Kaakha Kaakha ( To Protect ) is a 2003 Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by Gautham Menon . Starring Suriya , Jyothika and Jeevan , the film featured music composed by Harris Jayaraj and cinematography by R. D. Rajasekhar . The film released to highly positive reviews in August 2003 and went on to become the first biggest blockbuster in Suriya 's career , and was considered a comeback film for producer Kalaipuli S. Thanu . Owing to the success , the film has been remade in several languages .


Hope & Faith is a show Megan Fox performed on.

Megan Fox Megan Denise Fox ( born May 16 , 1986 ) is an American actress and model . She began her acting career in 2001 , with several minor television and film roles , and played a regular role on the Hope & Faith television sitcom . In 2004 , she made her film debut with a role in the teen comedy Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen . In 2007 , she co-starred as Mikaela Banes , the love interest of Shia LaBeouf 's character , in the blockbuster action film Transformers , which became her breakout role . Fox reprised her role in the 2009 sequel , Transformers : Revenge of the Fallen . Later in 2009 , she starred as the eponymous lead in the black comedy horror film Jennifer 's Body .   Fox is also considered one of the modern female sex symbols and has appeared in magazines such as Maxim , Rolling Stone and FHM .


Collision Course (album) Collision Course is a collaborative EP from American rapper Jay-Z and nu metal band Linkin Park , released on November 30 , 2004 by Roc-A-Fella , Machine Shop , Warner Bros. and Def Jam records . Before the album , Jay-Z had released collaborations with The Roots and R. Kelly , and Linkin Park had collaborated with various artists on their remix album Reanimation . The album was inspired by The Grey Album by Danger Mouse , which was a mash-up album between Jay-Z and The Beatles . MTV had originally planned on mashing up only one or two songs , but the project was eventually expanded to a six song EP . The album was mostly produced by Mike Shinoda and Jay-Z , and was recorded between July 16 and July 19 .   Upon release , Collision Course reached # 1 on the Billboard 200 . As of June 2014 , it has sold 2 million copies in the United States alone . The album spawned one single , Numb/Encore which eventually won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 2006 Grammy Awards .


Anschluss is used to describe an event in 1938 and it was an attempt to make a Greater German Reich.

Anschluss Anschluss ( -LSB- ˈʔanʃlʊs -RSB- , `` connection '' or `` joining '' ) is the term used to describe the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938 . German spelling , until the German orthography reform of 1996 , was Anschluß and it was also known as the Anschluss Österreichs ( , Austrian Annexation ) .   The idea of an Anschluss ( Austria and Germany united to form a `` Greater Germany '' ) began after the Unification of Germany excluded Austria and the Austrian Germans from the Prussian-dominated German nation-state in 1871 . Following the end of World War I with the fall of the Austria-Hungarian Empire , in 1918 , the newly formed Republic of German-Austria attempted union with Germany , but the Treaty of Saint Germain ( 10 September 1919 ) and the Treaty of Versailles ( 28 June 1919 ) forbade both the union and the continued use of the name `` German-Austria '' ( Deutschösterreich ) and cutting several territories like the Sudetenland off .


There is a music video director named F. Gary Gray.

F. Gary Gray Felix Gary Gray ( born July 17 , 1969 ) known professionally as F. Gary Gray , is an American film director , film producer , music video director and actor . Gray directed Friday , Set It Off , The Negotiator , The Italian Job and Straight Outta Compton , as well as the eighth installment of the Fast and the Furious franchise , The Fate of the Furious .


Music video director A music video director is the head of music video production . The director conceives of videos ' artistic and dramatic aspects while instructing the musical act , technical crew , actors , models , and dancers . They may or may not be in collaboration with the musical act .   On November 8 , 1992 , MTV began listing directors with the artist , song , and record company credits , because music videos had increasingly become an auteur 's medium . `` The case for the director as music video author is strong . It is the music video director who has principal control of everything that is added to the pre-existing recorded sound text . '' Directors , including Michel Gondry , Spike Jonze , and F. Gary Gray , have gone on to direct feature films , continuing a trend that had begun earlier with directors such as Lasse Hallström and David Fincher . The most expensive video of all time was directed by Mark Romanek : Michael and Janet Jackson 's `` Scream '' ( 1995 ) , which cost $ 7 million to produce . In 2003 , Spike Jonze , Chris Cunningham , and Michel Gondry founded the Directors Label .


John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( -LSB- ˈmeɪ.ɚ -RSB- born October 16 , 1977 ) is an American singer-songwriter , guitarist , and producer . He was born in Bridgeport , Connecticut , and raised in nearby Fairfield . He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston , but disenrolled and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with Clay Cook . Together , they formed a short-lived two-man band called Lo-Fi Masters . After their split , Mayer continued to play local clubs -- refining his skills and gaining a following . After his appearance at the 2001 South by Southwest Festival , he was signed to Aware Records , and then Columbia Records , which released his first EP , Inside Wants Out . His following two full-length albums -- Room for Squares ( 2001 ) and Heavier Things ( 2003 ) -- did well commercially , achieving multi-platinum status . In 2003 , he won the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for the single `` Your Body Is a Wonderland '' .   Though Mayer started his career mainly performing acoustic rock , he began moving towards the blues genre that had originally influenced him as a musician . By 2005 , he was collaborating with blues artists such as B. B. King , Buddy Guy , and Eric Clapton . Forming the John Mayer Trio , he released a live album in 2005 called Try ! , and his third studio album Continuum in 2006 . Both albums received wide critical acclaim , and Continuum earned Mayer a 2007 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album . He also won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for `` Waiting on the World to Change '' . That album was followed by Battle Studies in 2009 , a return to pop , with a number-one grossing tour .   After having several controversial incidents with the media , Mayer withdrew from public life in 2010 and began work on a follow-up album , called Born and Raised , that would draw inspiration from the 1970s pop music of Laurel Canyon . However , the discovery of a granuloma on his vocal cords delayed the release of the album until May 2012 , and ultimately forced him to cancel the planned tour . Even so , the album enjoyed a generally favorable reception , though was less commercially successful than his previous work . After extensive treatments for his vocal problems -- and a two-year hiatus -- Mayer began performing as a singer again in January 2013 , and that year released the album , Paradise Valley . The album is named for where he lives in Montana and features country music influences . By 2014 , he had sold a total of over 20 million albums worldwide . After developing an interest in the Grateful Dead and connecting with Bob Weir , Mayer formed Dead & Company with three former Grateful Dead musicians . After two well-received tours in the fall of 2015 and summer of 2016 , the band has already committed to another tour for the summer of 2017 .   Mayer 's secondary career pursuits extend to television hosting , comedy , and writing ; he has authored columns for magazines such as Esquire . He supports various causes and has performed at charity benefits . He is a watch aficionado ( with a collection he values in the `` tens of millions '' of dollars ) , and has been on the jury at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève . He currently lives in Montana . His latest song is `` Love on the Weekend '' .


Jack Dorsey Jack Dorsey ( born November 19 , 1976 ) is an American computer programmer and internet entrepreneur widely known as a co-founder and CEO of Twitter , and as the founder and CEO of Square , a mobile payments company . In 2008 , he was named to the MIT Technology Review TR35 as one of the top 35 innovators in the world under the age of 35 . For 2012 , The Wall Street Journal gave him the `` Innovator of the Year Award '' for technology .


Snooki Nicole Elizabeth `` Snooki '' LaValle ( née Polizzi ; born November 23 , 1987 ) is an American reality television personality , author , dancer and professional wrestler who is best known for being a cast member of the MTV reality show Jersey Shore and starring in Snooki & Jwoww . Since the show 's debut in 2009 , Polizzi has gained popularity by appearing on talk shows including The View , The Ellen DeGeneres Show , Jimmy Kimmel Live ! , Late Show with David Letterman , and The Wendy Williams Show . She earned $ 150,000 per Jersey Shore episode for the last two seasons . She also appeared as the guest hostess for WWE Raw in 2011 and competed at WrestleMania XXVII that same year .


Pisces (astrology) Pisces ( -LSB- ˈpaɪsiːz -RSB- , pis ` eez ; Ἰχθύες Ikhthyes ) is the twelfth astrological sign in the Zodiac , originating from the Pisces constellation . It spans the 330 ° to 360 ° of the zodiac , between 332.75 ° and 360 ° of celestial longitude . Under the tropical zodiac the sun transits this area on average between February 19 and March 20 , and under the sidereal zodiac , the sun transits this area between approximately March 13 and April 13 . The symbol of the fish is derived from the ichthyocentaurs , who aided Aphrodite when she was born from the sea .   According to some tropical astrologers , the current astrological age is the Age of Pisces , while others maintain that it is the Age of Aquarius .


Alia Bhatt Alia Bhatt ( born 15 March 1993 ) is a British film actress and singer who works in Bollywood . Born into the Bhatt family , she is the daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and actress Soni Razdan . After making her acting debut as a child artist in the 1999 thriller Sangharsh , Bhatt played her first leading role in Karan Johar 's romantic drama Student of the Year ( 2012 ) , which earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut .   Bhatt established herself in Bollywood by starring as the female lead in several commercially successful films , including the romantic drama 2 States ( 2014 ) , the romantic comedy Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania ( 2014 ) , the drama Kapoor & Sons ( 2016 ) , the coming-of-age film Dear Zindagi ( 2016 ) , and the romantic comedy Badrinath Ki Dulhania ( 2017 ) . She received critical acclaim for portraying emotionally intense characters in the road drama Highway ( 2014 ) , which won her the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress , and the crime drama Udta Punjab ( 2016 ) , which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress .   In addition to acting in films , Bhatt has launched her own line of clothing for women . She has sung six of her film songs and participates in stage shows and concert tours .


Telangana Telangana ( t ) is one of the 29 states in India , located in southern India . Formed in June 2014 as the youngest state in India , from the northwestern part of the Joint State of Andhra Pradesh , Telangana has an area of 112077 km2 , and a population of 35,193,978 ( 2011 census ) . It is the twelfth largest state in India , and the twelfth most populated state in India . Its major cities include Hyderabad , Warangal , Khammam , Karimnagar and Nizamabad . Telangana is bordered by the states of Maharashtra to the north and north west , Chhattisgarh to the north , Karnataka to the west and Andhra Pradesh to the east and south .   Telangana had a history as the Telugu-speaking region of the princely state of Hyderabad , ruled by the Nizam of Hyderabad . It joined the Union of India in 1948 . In 1956 , the Hyderabad state was dissolved as part of the linguistic reorganisation of states and Telangana was merged with former Andhra State to form Andhra Pradesh . Following a movement for separation , Telangana was awarded separate statehood on 2 June 2014 . Hyderabad will continue to serve as the joint capital city for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for no more than ten years .


George Tuska worked on Iron Man comics in the 1960's for Marvel.

George Tuska George Tuska ( April 26 , 1916 -- October 16 , 2009 ) , who early in his career used a variety of pen names including Carl Larson , was an American comic book and newspaper comic strip artist best known for his 1940s work on various Captain Marvel titles and the crime fiction series Crime Does Not Pay , for and his 1960s work illustrating Iron Man and other Marvel Comics characters . As well , he drew the DC Comics newspaper comic strip The World 's Greatest Superheroes from 1978 -- 1982 .


Iron Man Iron Man ( Anthony Edward `` Tony '' Stark ) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . The character was created by writer and editor Stan Lee , developed by scripter Larry Lieber , and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby . The character made his first appearance in Tales of Suspense # 39 ( cover dated March 1963 ) .   A wealthy American business magnate , playboy , and ingenious engineer , Tony Stark suffers a severe chest injury during a kidnapping in which his captors attempt to force him to build a weapon of mass destruction . He instead creates a powered suit of armor to save his life and escape captivity . Later , Stark augments his suit with weapons and other technological devices he designed through his company , Stark Industries . He uses the suit and successive versions to protect the world as Iron Man , while at first concealing his true identity . Initially , Iron Man was a vehicle for Stan Lee to explore Cold War themes , particularly the role of American technology and business in the fight against communism . Subsequent re-imaginings of Iron Man have transitioned from Cold War themes to contemporary concerns , such as corporate crime and terrorism .   Throughout most of the character 's publication history , Iron Man has been a founding member of the superhero team the Avengers and has been featured in several incarnations of his own various comic book series . Iron Man has been adapted for several animated TV shows and films . The character is portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. in the live action film Iron Man ( 2008 ) , which was a critical and box office success . Downey , who received much acclaim for his performance , reprised the role in a cameo in The Incredible Hulk ( 2008 ) , two Iron Man sequels Iron Man 2 ( 2010 ) and Iron Man 3 ( 2013 ) , The Avengers ( 2012 ) , Avengers : Age of Ultron ( 2015 ) , and Captain America : Civil War ( 2016 ) , and will do so again in Spider-Man : Homecoming ( 2017 ) as well as Avengers : Infinity War ( 2018 ) and its untitled sequel ( 2019 ) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe .   Iron Man was ranked 12th on IGN 's `` Top 100 Comic Book Heroes '' in 2011 , and third in their list of `` The Top 50 Avengers '' in 2012 .


Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling is a women's professional wrestling promotion.

Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling , also known as GLOW or G.L.O.W. , is a women 's professional wrestling promotion begun in 1986 ( the pilot was filmed in December 1985 ) and continued in various forms after it left television . Colorful characters , strong women and over-the-top comedy sketches were integral to the series ' success . Most of the performers were actresses , models , dancers and/or stunt women hoping to get into show business through wrestling .


Extreme environments can be caused by a variety of factors that push equilibrium off.

Extreme environment An extreme environment contains conditions that are hard to survive for most known life forms . These conditions may be extremely high or low temperature or pressure ; high or low content of oxygen or carbon dioxide in the atmosphere ; high levels of radiation , acidity , or alkalinity ; absence of water ; water containing a high concentration of salt or sugar ; presence of sulphur , petroleum , and other toxic substances .   Examples of extreme environments include the geographical poles , very dry deserts , volcanoes , deep ocean trenches , upper atmosphere , Mt Everest , outer space , and the environments of every planet in the Solar System except the Earth . Any organisms living in these conditions are often very well adapted to their living circumstances , which is usually a result of long-term evolution . Physiologists have long known that organisms living in extreme environments are especially likely to exhibit clear examples of evolutionary adaptation because of the presumably intense past natural selection they have experienced .


The Matrix Revolutions is an American-Australian motion picture.

The Matrix Revolutions The Matrix Revolutions is a 2003 American -- Australian science fiction action film written and directed by The Wachowski Brothers . It was the third installment of the Matrix trilogy , released six months following The Matrix Reloaded . The film was released simultaneously in 60 countries on November 5 , 2003 . While it is the final film in the series , the Matrix storyline is continued in The Matrix Online . It was the second live-action film to be released in both regular and IMAX theaters at the same time .   The film received generally average reviews from critics .


David Beckham was listed as the highest-paid player in 2013.

David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham , ( -LSB- ˈbɛkəm -RSB- born 2 May 1975 ) is an English former professional footballer . He played for Manchester United , Preston North End , Real Madrid , Milan , LA Galaxy , Paris Saint-Germain , and the England national team for which he held the appearance record for an outfield player until 2016 when Wayne Rooney surpassed his total . He is the first English player to win league titles in four countries : England , Spain , the United States and France . He announced his retirement in May 2013 after a 20-year career , during which he won 19 major trophies .   Known for his range of passing , crossing ability and bending free-kicks as a right winger , Beckham was runner up in the Ballon d'Or , twice runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year and in 2004 he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world 's greatest living players . He was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2008 . A global ambassador for the sport , Beckham is regarded as a British cultural icon .   Beckham 's professional club career began with Manchester United , where he made his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17 . With United , he won the Premier League title six times , the FA Cup twice , and the UEFA Champions League in 1999 . He then played four seasons with Real Madrid , winning the La Liga championship in his final season with the club . In July 2007 Beckham signed a five-year contract with Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy . While a Galaxy player , he spent two loan spells in Italy with Milan in 2009 and 2010 . He was the first British footballer to play 100 UEFA Champions League games .   In international football , Beckham made his England debut on 1 September 1996 at the age of 21 . He was captain for six years , earning 58 caps during his tenure . He made 115 career appearances in total , appearing at three FIFA World Cup tournaments , in 1998 , 2002 and 2006 , and two UEFA European Championship tournaments , in 2000 and 2004 .   Beckham has consistently ranked among the highest earners in football , and in 2013 he was listed as the highest-paid player in the world , earning over $ 50 million in the previous 12 months . He has been married to Victoria Beckham since 1999 and they have four children . He has been a UNICEF UK ambassador since 2005 , and in 2015 he launched 7 : The David Beckham UNICEF Fund . In 2014 , MLS announced Beckham and a group of investors would own an expansion team in Miami , which would begin in 2016 or 2017 .


Lauren Graham Lauren Helen Graham ( born March 16 , 1967 ) is an American actress and author . She is best recognized for her role as Lorelai Gilmore on the television series Gilmore Girls ( 2000 -- 07 ) , for which she received two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations , one Golden Globe nomination , and five Satellite Award nominations . She is also known for film roles in Sweet November ( 2001 ) , Bad Santa ( 2003 ) , The Pacifier ( 2005 ) , Because I Said So ( 2007 ) , and Evan Almighty ( 2007 ) . From 2010 to 2015 , Graham starred as Sarah Braverman on the NBC television drama Parenthood .   Graham published her debut novel in 2013 , Someday , Someday , Maybe , with Ballantine Books . She reprised her role as Lorelai Gilmore on Netflix 's reunion miniseries in 2016 , Gilmore Girls : A Year in the Life , and published a memoir , Talking as Fast as I Can : from Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls ( and Everything in Between ) .


Humanz Humanz is the fifth studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz . The album was released on 28 April 2017 via Parlophone and Warner Bros. . Records . The album was announced on the band 's official Instagram page on 23 March 2017 . According to a press release , the album was recorded in London , Paris , New York City , Chicago , and Jamaica and produced by Gorillaz , The Twilite Tone and Remi Kabaka , Jr. . It is the band 's first studio album since 2010 's The Fall , and features collaborations from several artists including Vince Staples , Popcaan , D.R.A.M. , Grace Jones , Anthony Hamilton , De La Soul , Danny Brown , Kelela , Mavis Staples , Pusha T , and Benjamin Clementine .


Jeff Goldblum has received nominations for anything except an Oscar.

Jeff Goldblum Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum ( -LSB- ˈɡoʊldbluːm -RSB- born October 22 , 1952 ) is an American actor who has received nominations for an Oscar , an Emmy , a Genie and a Drama Desk Award throughout his career and is best known for starring in the highest-grossing films of his era , Jurassic Park ( 1993 ) and Independence Day ( 1996 ) , as well as their respective sequels , The Lost World : Jurassic Park ( 1997 ) , Independence Day : Resurgence ( 2016 ) , and Jurassic World 2 ( 2018 ) .   Goldblum starred in films including Invasion of the Body Snatchers ( 1978 ) , The Big Chill ( 1983 ) and Into the Night ( 1985 ) before coming to the attention of wider audiences in David Cronenberg 's The Fly ( 1986 ) which earned him a Saturn Award for Best Actor .   His other films include The Tall Guy ( 1989 ) , Deep Cover ( 1992 ) , Powder ( 1995 ) , The Prince of Egypt ( 1998 ) , Cats & Dogs ( 2001 ) , Igby Goes Down ( 2002 ) , The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou ( 2004 ) , Adam Resurrected ( 2008 ) , Le Week-End ( 2013 ) and The Grand Budapest Hotel ( 2014 ) . He has been cast as Grandmaster in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Thor : Ragnarok . He also starred in several TV series including the eighth and ninth seasons of Law & Order : Criminal Intent as Zack Nichols .


The New Adventures of Old Christine's star, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, won an Emmy for her role in the show.

The New Adventures of Old Christine The New Adventures of Old Christine ( often shortened to simply Old Christine ) is an American television sitcom starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell , a middle-aged divorced mother who struggles to keep pace with those around her . Clark Gregg co-starred as her ex-husband Richard , with whom Christine maintains a close relationship despite their divorce , as well as Hamish Linklater as her brother Matthew and Wanda Sykes as her best friend Barb . It originally ran on CBS from March 13 , 2006 , to May 12 , 2010 .   The New Adventures of Old Christine was created and produced by Kari Lizer as well as Andy Ackerman ( who directed all 88 episodes of the series ) , and distributed by Warner Bros. . Television . The series received generally positive reviews from television critics and was nominated for nine Primetime Emmy Awards , winning one for Louis-Dreyfus ' performance in the first season . In May 2010 , CBS canceled The New Adventures of Old Christine after five seasons .


Damages (TV series) Damages is an American legal thriller television series created by the writing and production trio Daniel Zelman and brothers Glenn and Todd A. Kessler . It premiered on July 24 , 2007 , on FX , and aired for three seasons before moving to the DirecTV channel Audience Network in 2010 , airing for two further seasons and concluding in 2012 .   The plot revolves around the brilliant , ruthless lawyer Patty Hewes ( Glenn Close ) and her newest protégée , recent law school graduate Ellen Parsons ( Rose Byrne ) . Each season features a major case that Hewes and her firm take on while also examining a chapter of the complex relationship between Ellen and Patty . The first two seasons center on the law firm Hewes & Associates ( located in New York City ) . Later seasons center more on Patty and Ellen 's relationship as Ellen attempts to distance herself from Hewes & Associates professionally and personally .   Known for its depiction of season-long cases from the point of view of both a law firm and an opponent , the series is also noted for the technical merit of its writing , including its effective use of plot twists and nonlinear narrative . The series has received critical acclaim and various award nominations , with Close and Željko Ivanek winning Primetime Emmy Awards for their performances . Other established actors in the cast include Ted Danson , William Hurt , Marcia Gay Harden , Martin Short , Lily Tomlin , John Goodman , Ryan Phillippe , Dylan Baker , Janet McTeer and John Hannah .


Bonnie Hunt was outside of Life with Bonnie

Bonnie Hunt Bonnie Lynne Hunt ( born September 22 , 1961 ) is an American stand-up comedian , actress , director , producer , writer and host . She has appeared in films , such as Rain Man , Beethoven , Beethoven 's 2nd , Jumanji , Jerry Maguire , The Green Mile , Cheaper by the Dozen and Cheaper by the Dozen 2 .   Hunt has done voice work in A Bug 's Life , Monsters , Inc. , Cars , Toy Story 3 , Cars 2 , Monsters University , and Zootopia . She starred in Grand and Davis Rules , as well as creating , producing , writing , and starring in The Building , Bonnie , and Life with Bonnie . From 2008 to 2010 , she hosted The Bonnie Hunt Show .


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

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


Ryan O'Neal Charles Patrick Ryan O'Neal ( born April 20 , 1941 ) , known professionally as Ryan O'Neal , is an American actor and former boxer . O'Neal trained as an amateur boxer before beginning his career in acting in 1960 . In 1964 , he landed the role of Rodney Harrington on the ABC nighttime soap opera Peyton Place . The series was an instant hit and boosted O'Neal 's career . He later found success in films , most notably Love Story ( 1970 ) , for which he received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations as Best Actor , What 's Up , Doc ? ( 1972 ) , Paper Moon ( 1973 ) , Stanley Kubrick 's Barry Lyndon ( 1975 ) , and A Bridge Too Far ( 1977 ) . Since 2007 , he has had a recurring role in the TV series Bones as Max , the father of the series ' protagonist .


In 2008, John McCain campaigned in the 56th quadrennial presidential election.

United States presidential election, 2008 The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election . It was held on Tuesday , November 4 , 2008 . Democratic Party nominees Barack Obama , a U.S. Senator from Illinois , and his running mate Joe Biden , a long-time U.S. Senator from Delaware , defeated Republican Party nominees John McCain , a long-time and current U.S. Senator from Arizona , and his running mate Sarah Palin , a Governor of Alaska . Obama became the first African American ever to be elected president of the United States , and Joe Biden became the first Roman Catholic ever elected vice president .   The incumbent president , George W. Bush , of the Republican Party , was ineligible to be elected to a third term due to term limits in the Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution . McCain secured the Republican nomination by March 2008 , but the Democratic nomination was marked by a sharp contest between Obama and initial front-runner Senator Hillary Clinton , with Obama not securing the nomination until early June . Early campaigning had focused heavily on the Iraq War and the unpopularity of outgoing Republican President George W. Bush , but all candidates focused on domestic concerns as well , which grew more prominent as the economy experienced the onset of the Great Recession and a major financial crisis that peaked in September 2008 .   Obama would go on to win a decisive victory over McCain , winning both the popular vote and the electoral college , with 365 electoral votes to McCain 's 173 ; he received the largest percentage of the popular vote for a Democrat since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 . Obama 's total vote amount of 69.5 million votes is the highest number ever won by a presidential candidate . Obama 's successes in obtaining a major party 's nomination and winning the general election were both firsts for the African American community . Although Hillary Clinton did not win the Democratic nomination , she was the first woman to win a major American party 's presidential primary for the purposes of delegate selection when she won the primary in New Hampshire on January 8 . She later went on to win the Democratic nomination but lose the general election to Donald Trump in 2016 . She also was the first woman to be an American presidential candidate in every primary and caucus in every state . Similarly , Sarah Palin became the first woman to appear on a Republican presidential ticket , and the second woman overall to appear on a major party 's presidential ticket ( after Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 ) .   This was also the first election in which neither candidate was born in the contiguous United States . Obama was born in Hawaii and McCain was born at Coco Solo Naval Air Station in the Panama Canal Zone . This election also made McCain currently the only Senator who previously served as a presidential nominee and still remains incumbent , after John Kerry 's resignation from the U.S. Senate in 2013 .   As of 2017 , this is the last time Nebraska ( 2nd congressional district only ) , Indiana , and North Carolina voted for the Democratic candidate . This election also became the first time that Missouri backed the losing candidate since 1956 , with both Kentucky & Tennessee failing to do the same since 1960 . Likewise , this would also be the first time both Arkansas & Louisiana did not vote for the winning candidate since 1968 , while being among the most recent states which voted third party that same year as well .