Bangladesh has been affected by disasters.

Bangladesh Bangladesh ( -LSB- bæŋɡləˈdɛʃ -RSB- -LSB- ˌbɑːŋɡləˈdɛʃ -RSB- -LSB- : bn : বাংলাদেশ , বাংলাদেশ -RSB- , -LSB- ˈbaŋlad̪eʃ -RSB- , lit . `` The country of Bengal '' ) , officially the People 's Republic of Bangladesh , is a country in South Asia . It shares land borders with India and Myanmar ( Burma ) . Nepal , Bhutan and China are located near Bangladesh but do not share a border with it . The country 's maritime territory in the Bay of Bengal is roughly equal to the size of its land area . Bangladesh is the world 's eighth most populous country . Dhaka is its capital and largest city , followed by Chittagong , which has the country 's largest port .   Bangladesh forms the largest and eastern part of the Bengal region . Bangladeshis include people of different ethnic groups and religions . Bengalis , who speak the official Bengali language , make up 98 % of the population . The politically dominant Bengali Muslims make the nation the world 's third largest Muslim-majority country . Most of Bangladesh is covered by the Bengal delta , the largest delta on Earth . The country has 700 rivers and 8,046 km ( 5,000 miles ) of inland waterways . Highlands with evergreen forests are found in the northeastern and southeastern regions of the country . Bangladesh has many islands and a coral reef . It is home to the Sundarbans , the largest mangrove forest in the world . The country 's biodiversity includes a vast array of plant and wildlife , including critically endangered Bengal tigers , the national animal .   The Greeks and Romans identified the region as Gangaridai , a powerful kingdom of the historical subcontinent , in the 3rd century BCE . Archaeological research has unearthed several ancient cities in Bangladesh , which had international trade links for millennia . The Bengal Sultanate and Mughal Bengal transformed the region into a cosmopolitan Islamic imperial power between the 14th and 18th centuries . The region was home to many principalities that had inland naval prowess . It was also a notable center of the worldwide muslin and silk trade . As part of British India , the region was influenced by the Bengali renaissance and played an important role in anti-colonial movements . The Partition of British India made East Bengal a part of the Dominion of Pakistan ; and was renamed as East Pakistan . The region witnessed the Bengali Language Movement in 1952 and the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 . After independence , a parliamentary republic was established . A presidential government was in place between 1975 and 1990 , followed by a return to parliamentary democracy . The country has also been affected by poverty , natural disasters , hunger , dominant party systems and military coups .   Bangladesh is a middle power and a major developing nation . Within South Asia , the country ranks first in gender equality , second in foreign exchange earnings and third in life expectancy and peacefulness . Listed as one of the Next Eleven , its economy ranks 46th in terms of nominal gross domestic product ( GDP ) and 29th in terms of purchasing power parity ( PPP ) . It is one of the largest textile exporters in the world . Its major trading partners are the European Union , the United States , China , India , Japan , Malaysia and Singapore . With its strategically vital location between Southern , Eastern and Southeast Asia , Bangladesh is an important promoter of regional connectivity and cooperation . It is a founding member of SAARC , BIMSTEC , the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Forum for Regional Cooperation and the Bangladesh Bhutan India Nepal Initiative . It is also a member of the Commonwealth of Nations , the Developing 8 Countries , the OIC , the Non Aligned Movement , the Group of 77 and the World Trade Organization . Bangladesh is one of the largest contributors to United Nations peacekeeping forces .


Latrodectus Latrodectus is a genus of spiders in the family Theridiidae , most of which are commonly known as widow spiders . The genus contains 31 recognized species distributed worldwide , including the North American black widows ( L. mactans , L. hesperus , and L. variolus ) , the button spiders of Africa , and the Australian redback spider . Species vary widely in size . In most cases , the females are dark-colored and readily identifiable by reddish hourglass-shaped markings on the abdomen .   The venomous bite of these spiders is considered particularly dangerous because of the neurotoxin latrotoxin , which causes the condition latrodectism , both named after the genus . The female black widow has unusually large venom glands and its bite can be particularly harmful to humans . However , despite the genus ' notoriety , Latrodectus bites are rarely fatal . Only female bites are dangerous to humans .


Spider Spiders ( order Araneae ) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom . They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other orders of organisms . Spiders are found worldwide on every continent except for Antarctica , and have become established in nearly every habitat with the exceptions of air and sea colonization . , at least 45,700 spider species , and 113 families have been recorded by taxonomists . However , there has been dissension within the scientific community as to how all these families should be classified , as evidenced by the over 20 different classifications that have been proposed since 1900 .   Anatomically , spiders differ from other arthropods in that the usual body segments are fused into two tagmata , the cephalothorax and abdomen , and joined by a small , cylindrical pedicel . Unlike insects , spiders do not have antennae . In all except the most primitive group , the Mesothelae , spiders have the most centralized nervous systems of all arthropods , as all their ganglia are fused into one mass in the cephalothorax . Unlike most arthropods , spiders have no extensor muscles in their limbs and instead extend them by hydraulic pressure .   Their abdomens bear appendages that have been modified into spinnerets that extrude silk from up to six types of glands . Spider webs vary widely in size , shape and the amount of sticky thread used . It now appears that the spiral orb web may be one of the earliest forms , and spiders that produce tangled cobwebs are more abundant and diverse than orb-web spiders . Spider-like arachnids with silk-producing spigots appeared in the Devonian period about , but these animals apparently lacked spinnerets . True spiders have been found in Carboniferous rocks from , and are very similar to the most primitive surviving suborder , the Mesothelae . The main groups of modern spiders , Mygalomorphae and Araneomorphae , first appeared in the Triassic period , before .   A herbivorous species , Bagheera kiplingi , was described in 2008 , but all other known species are predators , mostly preying on insects and on other spiders , although a few large species also take birds and lizards . It is estimated that the world 's 25 million tons of spiders kill 400 -- 800 million tons of prey per year . Spiders use a wide range of strategies to capture prey : trapping it in sticky webs , lassoing it with sticky bolas , mimicking the prey to avoid detection , or running it down . Most detect prey mainly by sensing vibrations , but the active hunters have acute vision , and hunters of the genus Portia show signs of intelligence in their choice of tactics and ability to develop new ones . Spiders ' guts are too narrow to take solids , and they liquefy their food by flooding it with digestive enzymes . They also grind food with the bases of their pedipalps , as arachnids do not have the mandibles that crustaceans and insects have .   Male spiders identify themselves by a variety of complex courtship rituals to avoid being eaten by the females . Males of most species survive a few matings , limited mainly by their short life spans . Females weave silk egg-cases , each of which may contain hundreds of eggs . Females of many species care for their young , for example by carrying them around or by sharing food with them . A minority of species are social , building communal webs that may house anywhere from a few to 50,000 individuals . Social behavior ranges from precarious toleration , as in the widow spiders , to co-operative hunting and food-sharing . Although most spiders live for at most two years , tarantulas and other mygalomorph spiders can live up to 25 years in captivity .   While the venom of a few species is dangerous to humans , scientists are now researching the use of spider venom in medicine and as non-polluting pesticides . Spider silk provides a combination of lightness , strength and elasticity that is superior to that of synthetic materials , and spider silk genes have been inserted into mammals and plants to see if these can be used as silk factories . As a result of their wide range of behaviors , spiders have become common symbols in art and mythology symbolizing various combinations of patience , cruelty and creative powers . An abnormal fear of spiders is called arachnophobia .


Jon Pertwee was in a series from 1987 to 1989.

Jon Pertwee John Devon Roland Pertwee ( 7 July 1919 -- 20 May 1996 ) , known professionally as Jon Pertwee , was an English actor , entertainer and cabaret performer .   Pertwee is most known for starring as the Third Doctor in the science-fiction series Doctor Who between 1970 and 1974 . Pertwee also spent 18 years ( 1959 -- 1977 ) playing Chief petty officer Pertwee in The Navy Lark on BBC Radio . He later played the title character in the series Worzel Gummidge from 1979 to 1981 , and again from 1987 to 1989 .   As an actor , Pertwee appeared in many comedy roles and was once described as having `` rubbery features and ability to affect silly voices '' . Earlier in his career , Pertwee had worked as a vaudeville comedian , performed at the Glasgow Empire Theatre and shared a bill with Max Wall and Jimmy James . Towards the end of his life , he performed to audiences in a one-man show called Who Is Jon Pertwee ? .


Abraham Lincoln was the 16th Dalai Lama.

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( -LSB- ˈeɪbrəhæm_ˈlIŋkən -RSB- February 12 , 1809 -- April 15 , 1865 ) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 16th President of the United States from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865 . Lincoln led the United States through its Civil War -- its bloodiest war and perhaps its greatest moral , constitutional , and political crisis . In doing so , he preserved the Union , paved the way to the abolition of slavery , strengthened the federal government , and modernized the economy .   Born in Hodgenville , Kentucky , Lincoln grew up on the western frontier in Kentucky and Indiana . Largely self-educated , he became a lawyer in Illinois , a Whig Party leader , and was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives , in which he served for eight years . Elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1846 , Lincoln promoted rapid modernization of the economy through banks , tariffs , and railroads . Because he had originally agreed not to run for a second term in Congress , and because his opposition to the Mexican -- American War was unpopular among Illinois voters , Lincoln returned to Springfield and resumed his successful law practice . Reentering politics in 1854 , he became a leader in building the new Republican Party , which had a statewide majority in Illinois . In 1858 , while taking part in a series of highly publicized debates with his opponent and rival , Democrat Stephen A. Douglas , Lincoln spoke out against the expansion of slavery , but lost the U.S. Senate race to Douglas .   In 1860 , Lincoln secured the Republican Party presidential nomination as a moderate from a swing state . Though he gained very little support in the slaveholding states of the South , he swept the North and was elected president in 1860 . Lincoln 's victory prompted seven southern slave states to form the Confederate States of America before he moved into the White House -- no compromise or reconciliation was found regarding slavery and secession . Subsequently , on April 12 , 1861 , a Confederate attack on Fort Sumter inspired the North to enthusiastically rally behind the Union . As the leader of the moderate faction of the Republican Party , Lincoln confronted Radical Republicans , who demanded harsher treatment of the South , War Democrats , who called for more compromise , anti-war Democrats ( called Copperheads ) , who despised him , and irreconcilable secessionists , who plotted his assassination . Politically , Lincoln fought back by pitting his opponents against each other , by carefully planned political patronage , and by appealing to the American people with his powers of oratory . His Gettysburg Address became an iconic endorsement of the principles of nationalism , republicanism , equal rights , liberty , and democracy .   Lincoln initially concentrated on the military and political dimensions of the war . His primary goal was to reunite the nation . He suspended habeas corpus , leading to the controversial ex parte Merryman decision , and he averted potential British intervention in the war by defusing the Trent Affair in late 1861 . Lincoln closely supervised the war effort , especially the selection of top generals , including his most successful general , Ulysses S. Grant . He also made major decisions on Union war strategy , including a naval blockade that shut down the South 's normal trade , moves to take control of Kentucky and Tennessee , and using gunboats to gain control of the southern river system . Lincoln tried repeatedly to capture the Confederate capital at Richmond ; each time a general failed , Lincoln substituted another , until finally Grant succeeded . As the war progressed , his complex moves toward ending slavery included the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 ; Lincoln used the U.S. Army to protect escaped slaves , encouraged the border states to outlaw slavery , and pushed through Congress the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution , which permanently outlawed slavery .   An exceptionally astute politician deeply involved with power issues in each state , Lincoln reached out to the War Democrats and managed his own re-election campaign in the 1864 presidential election . Anticipating the war 's conclusion , Lincoln pushed a moderate view of Reconstruction , seeking to reunite the nation speedily through a policy of generous reconciliation in the face of lingering and bitter divisiveness . On April 14 , 1865 , five days after the surrender of Confederate commanding general Robert E. Lee , Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth , a Confederate sympathizer .   Lincoln has been consistently ranked both by scholars and the public as among the greatest U.S. presidents .


14th Dalai Lama The 14th Dalai Lama ( -LSB- ˈdɑːlaɪ_ˈlɑːmə -RSB- ( US ) , -LSB- ˌdælaɪ_ˈlɑːmə -RSB- ( UK ) ( religious name : Tenzin Gyatso , shortened from Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso , born Lhamo Thondup , 6 July 1935 ) is the current Dalai Lama . Dalai Lamas are important monks of the Gelug school , the newest school of Tibetan Buddhism which is nominally headed by the Ganden Tripas . From the time of the 5th Dalai Lama to 1959 , the central government of Tibet , the Ganden Phodrang , invested the position of Dalai Lama with temporal duties .   The 14th Dalai Lama was born in Taktser village , Amdo , Tibet ( was administratively in Qinghai province , Republic of China ) , and was selected as the tulku of the 13th Dalai Lama in 1937 and formally recognized as the 14th Dalai Lama at a public declaration near the town of Bumchen in 1939 . His enthronement ceremony as the Dalai Lama was held in Lhasa on 22 February 1940 , and he eventually assumed full temporal ( political ) duties on 17 November 1950 , at the age of 15 , after the People 's Republic of China 's invasion of Tibet . The Gelug school 's government administered an area roughly corresponding to the Tibet Autonomous Region just as the nascent PRC wished to assert central control over it .   During the 1959 Tibetan uprising , the Dalai Lama fled to India , where he currently lives as a refugee . The 14th Dalai Lama received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 . He has traveled the world and has spoken about the welfare of Tibetans , environment , economics , women 's rights , non-violence , interfaith dialogue , physics , astronomy , Buddhism and science , cognitive neuroscience , reproductive health , and sexuality , along with various Mahayana and Vajrayana topics .


Thiokol Thiokol ( variously Thiokol Chemical Corporation , Morton-Thiokol Inc. , Cordant Technologies Inc. , Thiokol Propulsion , AIC Group , ATK Thiokol ; finally ATK Launch Systems Group before becoming part of Orbital ATK ) was an American corporation concerned initially with rubber and related chemicals , and later with rocket and missile propulsion systems . Its name is a portmanteau of the Greek words for sulfur ( θειον `` theion '' ) and glue ( κολλα `` kolla '' ) , an allusion to the company 's initial product , Thiokol polymer .   The Thiokol Chemical Company was founded in 1929 . Its initial business was a range of synthetic rubber and polymer sealants , and Thiokol was a major supplier of liquid polymer sealants during World War II . When scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory discovered that Thiokol 's polymers made ideal binders for solid rocket fuels , Thiokol moved into the new field , opening laboratories at Elkton , Maryland , and later production facilities at Elkton and at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville , Alabama . Huntsville produced the XM33 Pollux , TX-18 Falcon , and TX-135 Nike-Zeus systems . It closed in 1996 . In the mid-1950s the company bought extensive lands in Utah for its rocket test range , and in 1986 was found at fault for the destruction of the Space Shuttle Challenger and the deaths of its astronauts . Thiokol continues to have major operations in the state , at Magna and Promontory ( manufacture of the Space Shuttle 's solid rocket motors ) , and its current headquarters at Brigham City . the company employed over 15,000 people worldwide and records annual sales of around .


Hairspray (2007 soundtrack) is a certified engineer.

Hairspray (2007 soundtrack) Hairspray : Soundtrack to the Motion Picture is the soundtrack album for the 2007 New Line Cinema musical film Hairspray . The film is an adaptation of the 2002 Broadway musical of the same name , itself adapted from John Waters 's original 1988 film . It features performances from the film 's cast , which includes John Travolta , Michelle Pfeiffer , Christopher Walken , Amanda Bynes , James Marsden , Queen Latifah , Brittany Snow , Zac Efron , Elijah Kelley , and Nikki Blonsky as the lead character of Tracy Turnblad .   The album has sold upwards of 1,200,000 copies in the USA , and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA .


Pope John Paul II (miniseries) Pope John Paul II is a 2005 television miniseries dramatizing the life of Pope John Paul II ( Karol Józef Wojtyła ) from his early adult years in Poland to his death at age 84 .   The miniseries was written and directed by John Kent Harrison and aired in the United States on the CBS network on 4 and 7 December 2005 . It was first released in Vatican City on 17 November 2005 and ten days later throughout Italy on Rai 1   Jon Voight portrays an older Karol Wojtyła ( after his investiture as pope in 1978 ) , while Cary Elwes portrays Wojtyła in his earlier life from 1939 to 1978 . Voight was nominated for an Emmy Award for his performance .   Pope John Paul II co-stars James Cromwell as Archbishop Adam Stefan Cardinal Sapieha , Ben Gazzara as Agostino Cardinal Casaroli , and Christopher Lee as Stefan Cardinal Wyszyński . Polish actor Mikolaj Grabowski is seen twice playing Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger of Germany , who would succeed John Paul II as Pope Benedict XVI .


Slovenia Slovenia ( -LSB- sloʊˈviːniə , _ slə - , _ - njə -RSB- ; Slovenija -LSB- slɔˈʋéːnija -RSB- ) , officially the Republic of Slovenia ( Slovene : , abbr. : RS ) , is a nation state in southern Central Europe , located at the crossroads of main European cultural and trade routes . It is bordered by Italy to the west , Austria to the north , Hungary to the northeast , Croatia to the south and southeast , and the Adriatic Sea to the southwest . It covers 20,273 km2 and has a population of 2.06 million . It is a parliamentary republic and a member of the United Nations , European Union , and NATO . The capital and largest city is Ljubljana .   The territory is mostly mountainous with a mainly continental climate , with the exception of the Slovene Littoral that has a sub-Mediterranean climate and the north-western area that has an Alpine climate . Additionally , the Dinaric Alps and the Pannonian Plain meet on the territory of Slovenia . The country , marked by a significant biological diversity , is one of the most water-rich in Europe , with a dense river network , a rich aquifer system , and significant karst underground watercourses . Over half of the territory is covered by forest . The human settlement of Slovenia is dispersed and uneven .   Slovenia has historically been the crossroads of South Slavic , Germanic , Romance , and Hungarian languages and culture . Although the population is not homogeneous , the majority is Slovene . South Slavic language Slovene is the official language throughout the country . Slovenia is a largely secularized country , but its culture and identity have been significantly influenced by Catholicism as well as Lutheranism . The economy of Slovenia is small , open , and export-oriented and has been strongly influenced by international conditions . It has been severely hurt by the Eurozone crisis , started in the late 2000s . The main economic field is services , followed by industry and construction .   Historically , the current territory of Slovenia was part of many different state formations , including the Roman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire , followed by the Habsburg Monarchy . In October 1918 , the Slovenes exercised self-determination for the first time by co-founding the State of Slovenes , Croats and Serbs . In December 1918 , they merged with the Kingdom of Serbia into the Kingdom of Serbs , Croats and Slovenes ( renamed Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929 ) . During World War II , Slovenia was occupied and annexed by Germany , Italy , and Hungary , with a tiny area transferred to the Independent State of Croatia , a Nazi puppet state . Afterward , it was a founding member of the Federal People 's Republic of Yugoslavia , later renamed the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia , a communist state which was the only country in the Eastern Bloc which was never part of the Warsaw Pact . In June 1991 , after the introduction of multi-party representative democracy , Slovenia split from Yugoslavia and became an independent country . In 2004 , it entered NATO and the European Union ; in 2007 became the first formerly communist country to join the Eurozone ; and in 2010 joined the OECD , a global association of high-income developed countries .


The internet did not emerge as a result of the funding of National Science Foundation Network as well as private funding for other commercial extensions.

Internet The Internet is the global system of interconnected computer networks that use the Internet protocol suite ( TCP/IP ) to link devices worldwide . It is a network of networks that consists of private , public , academic , business , and government networks of local to global scope , linked by a broad array of electronic , wireless , and optical networking technologies . The Internet carries an extensive range of information resources and services , such as the inter-linked hypertext documents and applications of the World Wide Web ( WWW ) , electronic mail , telephony , and file sharing .   The origins of the Internet date back to research commissioned by the United States federal government in the 1960s to build robust , fault-tolerant communication via computer networks . The primary precursor network , the ARPANET , initially served as a backbone for interconnection of regional academic and military networks in the 1980s . The funding of the National Science Foundation Network as a new backbone in the 1980s , as well as private funding for other commercial extensions , led to worldwide participation in the development of new networking technologies , and the merger of many networks . The linking of commercial networks and enterprises by the early 1990s marks the beginning of the transition to the modern Internet , and generated a sustained exponential growth as generations of institutional , personal , and mobile computers were connected to the network . Although the Internet was widely used by academia since the 1980s , the commercialization incorporated its services and technologies into virtually every aspect of modern life .   Internet use grew rapidly in the West from the mid-1990s and from the late 1990s in the developing world . In the two decades since then , Internet use has grown 100-times , measured for the period of one year , to over one third of the world population . Most traditional communications media , including telephony , radio , television , paper mail and newspapers are being reshaped or redefined by the Internet , giving birth to new services such as email , Internet telephony , Internet television , online music , digital newspapers , and video streaming websites . Newspaper , book , and other print publishing are adapting to website technology , or are reshaped into blogging , web feeds and online news aggregators . The Internet has enabled and accelerated new forms of personal interactions through instant messaging , Internet forums , and social networking . Online shopping has grown exponentially both for major retailers and small businesses and entrepreneurs , as it enables firms to extend their `` brick and mortar '' presence to serve a larger market or even sell goods and services entirely online . Business-to-business and financial services on the Internet affect supply chains across entire industries .   The Internet has no centralized governance in either technological implementation or policies for access and usage ; each constituent network sets its own policies . Only the overreaching definitions of the two principal name spaces in the Internet , the Internet Protocol address space and the Domain Name System ( DNS ) , are directed by a maintainer organization , the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ( ICANN ) . The technical underpinning and standardization of the core protocols is an activity of the Internet Engineering Task Force ( IETF ) , a non-profit organization of loosely affiliated international participants that anyone may associate with by contributing technical expertise .


The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962 . The original line-up consisted of Brian Jones ( rhythm guitar , harmonica ) , Mick Jagger ( lead vocals ) , Keith Richards ( lead guitar , backing vocals ) , Bill Wyman ( bass ) , Charlie Watts ( drums ) , and Ian Stewart ( piano ) . Stewart was removed from the official line-up in 1963 but continued as a touring member until his death in 1985 . Jones left the band less than a month prior to his death in 1969 , having already been replaced by Mick Taylor , who remained until 1974 . After Taylor left the band , Ronnie Wood took his place in 1975 and has been on guitar in tandem with Richards ever since . Following Wyman 's departure in 1993 , Darryl Jones joined as their touring bassist . Other touring keyboardists for the band have been Nicky Hopkins ( 1967 -- 82 ) , Billy Preston ( through the mid-1970s ) and Chuck Leavell ( 1982-present ) . The band was first led by Jones , but after teaming as the band 's songwriters , Jagger and Richards assumed leadership while Jones dealt with legal and personal troubles .   The Rolling Stones were at the forefront of the British Invasion of bands that became popular in the US in 1964 , and identified with the youthful and rebellious counterculture of the 1960s . Rooted in blues and early rock and roll , the group began a short period of musical experimentation in the mid-1960s that peaked with the psychedelic album Their Satanic Majesties Request ( 1967 ) . Subsequently , the group returned to its `` bluesy '' roots with Beggars Banquet ( 1968 ) which along with its follow-ups Let It Bleed ( 1969 ) , Sticky Fingers ( 1971 ) and Exile on Main St. ( 1972 ) is generally considered to be the band 's best work and is seen as their `` Golden Age '' . During this period , they were first introduced on stage as `` The World 's Greatest Rock and Roll Band '' . Musicologist Robert Palmer attributed the `` remarkable endurance '' of the Rolling Stones to being `` rooted in traditional verities , in rhythm-and-blues and soul music '' , while `` more ephemeral pop fashions have come and gone '' .   The band continued to release commercially successful records in the 1970s and sold many albums , including Some Girls ( 1978 ) and Tattoo You ( 1981 ) , which were their most popular albums worldwide . From 1983 to 1987 , tensions between Jagger and Richards almost caused the band to split . However , they managed to patch up their friendship in 1987 . They separated temporarily to work on solo projects and experienced a comeback with Steel Wheels ( 1989 ) , which was followed by a large stadium and arena tour . Since the 1990s , new recorded material from the group has been less well-received and less frequent . Despite this , the Rolling Stones have continued to be a huge attraction on the live circuit , with stadium tours in the 1990s and 2000s . By 2007 , the band had four of the top five highest-grossing concert tours of all time : Voodoo Lounge Tour ( 1994 -- 95 ) , Bridges to Babylon Tour ( 1997 -- 98 ) , Licks Tour ( 2002 -- 03 ) and A Bigger Bang Tour ( 2005 -- 07 ) .   The Rolling Stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004 . Rolling Stone magazine ranked them fourth on the `` 100 Greatest Artists of All Time '' list and their estimated album sales are above 250 million . They have released 30 studio albums , 18 live albums and numerous compilations . Let It Bleed ( 1969 ) was their first of five consecutive No. 1 studio and live albums in the UK . Sticky Fingers ( 1971 ) was the first of eight consecutive No. 1 studio albums in the US . In 2008 , the band ranked 10th on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists chart . In 2012 , the band celebrated its 50th anniversary .


Nile The Nile ( النيل , Egyptian Arabic en-Nīl , Standard Arabic an-Nīl ; ⲫⲓⲁⲣⲱ , P ( h ) iaro ; Ancient Egyptian : Ḥ ` pī and Iteru ; Biblical Hebrew : יאור , Ye'or ) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa . It is generally regarded as the longest river in the world , however other conflicting sources cite a 2007 study that gave the title to the Amazon River in South America . The Nile , which is 6,853 km ( 4,258 miles ) long , is an `` international '' river as its drainage basin covers eleven countries , namely , Tanzania , Uganda , Rwanda , Burundi , Congo-Kinshasa , Kenya , Ethiopia , Eritrea , South Sudan , Sudan and Egypt . In particular , the Nile is the primary water source of Egypt and Sudan .   The Nile has two major tributaries , the White Nile and Blue Nile . The White Nile is considered to be the headwaters and primary stream of the Nile itself . The Blue Nile , however , is the source of most of the water and silt . The White Nile is longer and rises in the Great Lakes region of central Africa , with the most distant source still undetermined but located in either Rwanda or Burundi . It flows north through Tanzania , Lake Victoria , Uganda and South Sudan . The Blue Nile ( ዓባይ , ʿĀbay ) begins at Lake Tana in Ethiopia and flows into Sudan from the southeast . The two rivers meet just north of the Sudanese capital of Khartoum .   The northern section of the river flows north almost entirely through the Sudanese desert to Egypt , then ends in a large delta and flows into the Mediterranean Sea . Egyptian civilization and Sudanese kingdoms have depended on the river since ancient times . Most of the population and cities of Egypt lie along those parts of the Nile valley north of Aswan , and nearly all the cultural and historical sites of Ancient Egypt are found along riverbanks .   In the ancient Egyptian language , the Nile is called Ḥ ` pī or Iteru ( Hapy ) , meaning `` river '' . In Coptic , the words piaro ( Sahidic ) or phiaro ( Bohairic ) meaning `` the river '' ( lit . p ( h ) . iar-o `` the.canal-great '' ) come from the same ancient name .   The English name Nile and the Arabic names en-Nîl and an-Nîl both derive from the Latin Nilus and the Ancient Greek Νεῖλος . Beyond that , however , the etymology is disputed . One possible etymology derives it from a Semitic Nahal , meaning `` river '' . The standard English names `` White Nile '' and `` Blue Nile '' , to refer to the river 's source , derive from Arabic names formerly applied only to the Sudanese stretches which meet at Khartoum .


1989 (Taylor Swift album) 1989 is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift . It was released on October 27 , 2014 , through Big Machine Records . Swift began preparing for the album during the same year which Red was released , and during a significant amount of media scrutiny . Over the course of the two-year songwriting period , she primarily collaborated with producers Max Martin and Shellback -- Martin served as the album 's executive producer alongside Swift . Named after Swift 's birth year , the album 's title was inspired by the pop music scene of the 1980s .   The album represents a departure from the country music of her previous albums , and is described by Swift as her `` first documented official pop album . ''  In contrast to Swift 's previous work , the production of 1989 consists of drum programming , synthesizers , pulsating bass , processed backing vocals , and guitars . 1989 received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics and it was ranked as one of the best albums of 2014 by several publications , including Billboard , Time , and Rolling Stone .   After debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 , 1989 sold 1.287 million copies during the first week of release . The total US sales figure from the debut week of 1989 was the highest since 2002 , and made Swift the first artist to sell one million or more copies of an album in a week-long period for three albums . 1989 eventually became the best-selling album of 2014 in the US market and has sold over 6 milion as of January 2017 , while selling 9.5 million worldwide . Seven singles have been released from the set : `` Shake It Off '' , `` Blank Space '' , and `` Bad Blood '' all reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 , while `` Style '' peaked at number six , `` Wildest Dreams '' at number five , and `` Out of the Woods '' peaking at number 18 in 2014 . The first five singles have all reached number one on the Adult Top 40 and Mainstream Top 40 and all have received a multi-platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) .   1989 won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year , making Swift the first female credited main artist to win the top prize at the ceremony twice with her own works , having previously won in 2010 for Fearless , and her third nomination overall after Red in 2014 . The album also won Best Pop Vocal Album , Swift 's first victory in the category . The first two singles `` Shake It Off '' ( in 2015 ) and `` Blank Space '' ( in 2016 ) were both nominated for Record of the Year , Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance . The `` Bad Blood '' remix featuring Kendrick Lamar was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and won the award for Best Music Video .


Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift ( born December 13 , 1989 ) is an American singer-songwriter . One of the most popular contemporary female recording artists , she is known for narrative songs about her personal life , which has received much media attention .   Born and raised in Pennsylvania , Swift moved to Nashville , Tennessee at age 14 to pursue a career in country music . She signed with the independent label Big Machine Records and became the youngest artist ever signed by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house . Her eponymous debut album in 2006 peaked at number five on Billboard 200 and spent the most weeks on the chart in the 2000s . The album 's third single , `` Our Song '' , made her the youngest person to single-handedly write and perform a number-one song on the Hot Country Songs chart . Swift 's second album , Fearless , was released in 2008 . Buoyed by the pop crossover success of the singles `` Love Story '' and `` You Belong with Me '' , Fearless became the best-selling album of 2009 in the United States . The album won four Grammy Awards , with Swift becoming the youngest Album of the Year winner .   Swift was the sole writer of her 2010 album , Speak Now . It debuted at number one in the United States and the single `` Mean '' won two Grammy Awards . Her fourth album , Red ( 2012 ) , yielded the successful singles `` We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together '' and `` I Knew You Were Trouble '' . With her fifth album , the pop-focused 1989 ( 2014 ) , she became the first act to have three albums sell a million copies within one week in the United States . Its singles `` Shake It Off '' , `` Blank Space '' , and `` Bad Blood '' reached number one in the US , Australia , and Canada . The album received three Grammy Awards , and Swift became the first woman and fifth act overall to win Album of the Year twice . The 2015 eponymous concert tour for 1989 became one of highest-grossing of the decade .   As a songwriter , Swift has received awards from the Nashville Songwriters Association and the Songwriters Hall of Fame . She is also the recipient of ten Grammy Awards , five Guinness World Records , one Emmy Award , 21 Billboard Music Awards , 11 Country Music Association Awards , eight Academy of Country Music Awards , and one Brit Award . Swift is one of the best-selling artists of all time , having sold more than 40 million albums -- including 27.1 million in the US -- and 130 million single downloads . She has appeared in Time 100 most influential people in the world ( 2010 and 2015 ) , Forbes top-earning women in music ( 2011 -- 2015 ) , Forbes 100 most powerful women ( 2015 ) , and Forbes Celebrity 100 ( 2016 ) . She was the youngest woman to be included in the third of these and ranked first in Celebrity 100 .


The Ozarks are not located in the United States.

Arkansas Arkansas ( -LSB- ˈɑrkənsɔː -RSB- ) is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States . Its name is of Siouan derivation from the language of the Osage denoting their related kin , the Quapaw Indians . The state 's diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the Ozark and the Ouachita Mountains , which make up the U.S. Interior Highlands , to the densely forested land in the south known as the Arkansas Timberlands , to the eastern lowlands along the Mississippi River and the Arkansas Delta .   Arkansas is the 29th largest by area and the 33rd most populous of the 50 United States . The capital and most populous city is Little Rock , located in the central portion of the state , a hub for transportation , business , culture , and government . The northwestern corner of the state , such as the Fayetteville -- Springdale -- Rogers Metropolitan Area and Fort Smith metropolitan area , is a population , education , and economic center . The largest city in the eastern part of the state is Jonesboro . The largest city in the southeastern part of the state is Pine Bluff .   The Territory of Arkansas was admitted to the Union as the 25th state on June 15 , 1836 . In 1861 Arkansas withdrew from the United States and joined the Confederate States of America during the Civil War . Upon returning to the Union in 1868 , the state would continue to suffer due to its earlier reliance on slavery and the plantation economy , causing the state to fall behind economically and socially . White rural interests continued to dominate the state 's politics until the Civil Rights Movement . Arkansas began to diversify its economy following World War II and relies on its service industry , aircraft , poultry , steel , tourism , cotton , and rice .   The culture of Arkansas is observable in museums , theaters , novels , television shows , restaurants , and athletic venues across the state . Arkansas 's enduring image has earned the state `` a special place in the American consciousness '' , people such as politician and educational advocate William Fulbright , former President Bill Clinton ( and his wife , former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton ) , former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Wesley Clark , Walmart magnate Sam Walton , singer-songwriters Johnny Cash and Glen Campbell , the poet C.D. Wright , and physicist William L. McMillan , who was a pioneer in superconductor research ; have all lived in Arkansas .


Kansas Kansas -LSB- ˈkænzəs -RSB- is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States . Its capital is Topeka and its largest city is Wichita . Kansas is named after the Kansa Native American tribe , which inhabited the area . The tribe 's name ( natively kką : ze ) is often said to mean `` people of the ( south ) wind '' although this was probably not the term 's original meaning . For thousands of years , what is now Kansas was home to numerous and diverse Native American tribes . Tribes in the eastern part of the state generally lived in villages along the river valleys . Tribes in the western part of the state were semi-nomadic and hunted large herds of bison .   Kansas was first settled by European Americans in 1812 , in what is now Bonner Springs , Kansas , but the pace of settlement accelerated in the 1850s , in the midst of political wars over the slavery issue . When it was officially opened to settlement by the U.S. government in 1854 with the Kansas -- Nebraska Act , abolitionist Free-Staters from New England and pro-slavery settlers from neighboring Missouri rushed to the territory to determine whether Kansas would become a free state or a slave state . Thus , the area was a hotbed of violence and chaos in its early days as these forces collided , and was known as Bleeding Kansas . The abolitionists prevailed , and on January 29 , 1861 , Kansas entered the Union as a free state . After the Civil War , the population of Kansas grew rapidly when waves of immigrants turned the prairie into farmland .   By 2015 , Kansas was one of the most productive agricultural states , producing high yields of wheat , corn , sorghum , and soybeans . Kansas , which has an area of 82,278 sqmi is the 15th-largest state by area and is the 34th most-populous of the 50 states with a population of 2,911,641 . Residents of Kansas are called Kansans . Mount Sunflower is Kansas 's highest point at 4,041 ft.


Ozarks The Ozarks , also referred to as the Ozark Mountains , Ozarks Mountain Country , and the Ozark Plateau , is a physiographic and geologic highland region of the central United States , primarily in Arkansas , Missouri , and Oklahoma . The Ozarks cover a significant portion of southern Missouri , extending as far northeast as the southwestern suburbs of St. Louis . In Arkansas , a large portion is contained within the northwestern and northcentral region . Much smaller pieces of the Ozarks extend westward into northeastern Oklahoma and extreme southeastern Kansas .   The Shawnee Hills of southwest Illinois , which lie near the eastern edge of this region , are commonly called the `` Illinois Ozarks , '' but are generally not considered part of the true Ozarks .   Although sometimes referred to as the Ozark Mountains , the region is actually a high and deeply dissected plateau . Geologically , the area is a broad dome around the Saint Francois Mountains . The Ozark Highlands area , covering nearly 47000 sqmi , is by far the most extensive mountainous region between the Appalachians and the Rocky Mountains . Together , the Ozarks and Ouachita Mountains form an area known as the U.S. Interior Highlands , and are sometimes referred to collectively . For example , the ecoregion called Ozark Mountain Forests includes the Ouachita Mountains , although the Arkansas River Valley and the Ouachitas , both south of the Boston Mountains , are not usually considered part of the Ozarks .


Missouri Missouri ( see pronunciations ) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States , achieving statehood in 1821 . With over six million residents , it is the eighteenth most populous state and host to the mean center of United States population . The largest urban areas are St. Louis , Kansas City , Springfield , and Columbia . The capitol is in Jefferson City on the Missouri River . The state is the twenty-first most extensive by area and is geographically diverse . The Northern Plains were once covered by glaciers , then tallgrass prairie , and now the deep soils yield great agricultural productivity . In the South are the Ozarks , a forested highland , providing timber , minerals , and recreation . The Mississippi River forms the eastern border of the state , eventually flowing into the swampy Missouri Bootheel .   Humans have inhabited the land now known as Missouri for at least 12,000 years . The Mississippian culture built cities and mounds , before declining in the 1300s . When European explorers arrived in the 1600s they encountered the Osage and Missouria nations . The French established Louisiana , a part of New France , and founded Ste. Genevieve in 1735 and St. Louis in 1764 . After a brief period of Spanish rule , the United States acquired the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 . Americans from the Upland South , including enslaved African Americans , rushed into the new Missouri Territory . Many from Virginia , Kentucky , and Tennessee settled in the Boonslick area of Mid-Missouri . Soon after , heavy German immigration formed the Missouri Rhineland .   Missouri played a central role in the westward expansion of the United States , as memorialized by the Gateway Arch . The Pony Express , Oregon Trail , Santa Fe Trail , and California Trail all began in Missouri . As a border state , Missouri 's role in the American Civil War was complex and there were many conflicts within . After the war , both Greater St. Louis and the Kansas City metropolitan area became centers of industrialization and business . Today , the state is divided into 114 counties and the independent city of St. Louis .   Missouri 's culture blends elements from the Midwestern and Southern United States . The musical styles of ragtime , Kansas City jazz , and St. Louis Blues , developed in Missouri . The well-known Kansas City-style barbecue , and lesser-known St. Louis-style barbecue can be found across the state and beyond . St. Louis is also a major center of beer brewing ; Anheuser-Busch is the largest producer in the world . Missouri wine is produced in the nearby Missouri Rhineland and Ozarks . Missouri 's alcohol laws are among the most permissive in the United States . Outside of the large cities popular tourist destinations include the Lake of the Ozarks and Branson . U.S. President Harry S. Truman is from Missouri .   Other well known Missourians include Mark Twain , Walt Disney , Chuck Berry and Nelly . Some of the largest companies based in the state include Cerner , Express Scripts , Monsanto , Emerson Electric , Edward Jones , H&R Block , Wells Fargo Advisors and O'Reilly Auto Parts . Missouri has been called the `` Mother of the West '' and the `` Cave State '' ; however , Missouri 's most famous nickname is the `` Show Me State '' , as Missourians are known for being skeptical .


Raggedy Ann Raggedy Ann is a character created by American writer Johnny Gruelle ( 1880 -- 1938 ) in a series of books he wrote and illustrated for young children . Raggedy Ann is a rag doll with red yarn for hair and has a triangle nose . Johnny Gruelle received US Patent D47789 for his Raggedy Ann doll on September 7 , 1915 . The character was created in 1915 as a doll , and was introduced to the public in the 1918 book Raggedy Ann Stories . When a doll was marketed with the book , the concept had great success . A sequel , Raggedy Andy Stories ( 1920 ) , introduced the character of her brother , Raggedy Andy .


Coldplay refused to work with producer Brian Eno.

Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist and keyboardist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London ( UCL ) . After they formed under the name Pectoralz , Guy Berryman joined the group as bassist and they changed their name to Starfish . Will Champion joined as drummer and backing vocalist , completing the lineup . Creative director Phil Harvey is often referred to as the fifth member by the band . The band renamed themselves `` Coldplay '' in 1998 , before recording and releasing three EPs : Safety in 1998 and Brothers & Sisters and The Blue Room in 1999 . The Blue Room was their first release on a major label , after signing to Parlophone .   Coldplay achieved worldwide fame with the release of the single `` Yellow '' in 2000 , followed in the same year by their debut album Parachutes , which was nominated for the Mercury Prize . The band 's second album , A Rush of Blood to the Head ( 2002 ) , was released to critical acclaim and won awards including NME 's Album of the Year . Their next release , X&Y , the bestselling album worldwide in 2005 , received mostly positive reviews , though some critics felt it was inferior to its predecessor . Their fourth studio album , Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends ( 2008 ) , was produced by Brian Eno and released to largely positive reviews , earning several Grammy Award nominations and wins at the 51st Grammy Awards . In October 2011 , Coldplay released their fifth studio album , Mylo Xyloto , which topped the charts in over 34 countries and was the UK 's best-selling rock album of 2011 , but received mixed reviews , In May 2014 , they released their sixth album , Ghost Stories , which also received mixed reviews and topped the iTunes Store albums charts in over 100 countries . In December 2015 , the band released their seventh album , A Head Full of Dreams , which reached the top two in most major markets , but received generally mixed reviews .   Coldplay have won 62 awards from 209 nominations throughout their career , including nine Brit Awards -- winning Best British Group four times -- five MTV Video Music Awards and seven Grammy Awards from 31 nominations . They have sold more than 80 million records worldwide , making them one of the world 's bestselling music artists . In December 2009 , Rolling Stone readers voted the group the fourth-best artist of the 2000s . Coldplay have supported various social and political causes , such as Oxfam 's Make Trade Fair campaign and Amnesty International . They have also performed at charity projects including Band Aid 20 , Live 8 , Sound Relief , Hope for Haiti Now : A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief , The Secret Policeman 's Ball , Sport Relief and the UK Teenage Cancer Trust .


Freddie Mercury was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Freddie Mercury Farrokh `` Freddie '' Mercury ( née Bulsara ; 5 September 1946 -- 24 November 1991 ) was a British singer , songwriter and record producer , known as the lead vocalist and co-principal songwriter of the rock band Queen . He also became known for his flamboyant stage persona and four-octave vocal range . Mercury wrote and composed numerous hits for Queen ( including `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' , `` Killer Queen '' , `` Somebody to Love '' , `` Do n't Stop Me Now '' , `` Crazy Little Thing Called Love '' , and `` We Are the Champions '' ) ; occasionally served as a producer and guest musician ( piano or vocals ) for other artists ; and concurrently led a solo career while performing with Queen .   Mercury was born of Parsi descent in the Sultanate of Zanzibar and grew up there and in India until his mid-teens , before moving with his family to Middlesex , England -- ultimately forming the band Queen in 1970 with Brian May and Roger Taylor . Mercury died in 1991 at age 45 due to complications from AIDS , having confirmed the day before his death that he had contracted the disease .   In 1992 , Mercury was posthumously awarded the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music , and had a tribute concert held at Wembley Stadium , London . As a member of Queen , he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 , the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003 , the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004 , and the band received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2002 . In 2002 , he was placed at number 58 in the BBC 's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons . Consistently voted one of the greatest singers in the history of popular music , Mercury was voted best male singer of all time in a 2005 poll organised by Blender and MTV2 ; was elected in 2009 as the best rock singer of all time by Classic Rock readers ; was ranked at 18 on the 2008 Rolling Stone list of the 100 greatest singers ever ; -- and was described by Greg Prato of AllMusic as `` one of rock 's greatest all-time entertainers , '' with `` one of the greatest voices in all of music . ''


Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle ( born December 9 , 1968 ) is an American professional wrestler , actor , and retired amateur wrestler . He is currently signed to WWE , performing as the on-screen general manager for the Raw brand . While a student at Clarion University of Pennsylvania , Angle won numerous accolades , including being a two-time National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) Division I Heavyweight Wrestling Champion . After graduating college , Angle won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1995 World Wrestling Championships . He then won a freestyle wrestling gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics . Angle is one of four people to complete an amateur wrestling Grand Slam ( junior nationals , NCAA , World Championships , Olympics ) . In 2006 , he was named by USA Wrestling as the greatest shoot wrestler ever and one of the top 15 college wrestlers of all time . He was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 for his amateur accomplishments .   Angle made his first appearance at a professional wrestling event in 1996 , with his in-ring debut in 1999 . He signed a long-term contract with the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF , now WWE ) that same year , and participated in his first televised storyline in March 1999 . After months of unaired matches , Angle made his official debut in November and received his first major push in the company in February 2000 , when he held the European Championship and the Intercontinental Championship simultaneously . Four months later , he won the King of the Ring tournament , and not long after he began pursuing the WWF Championship , which he won in October ; this capped off a rookie year which is considered by many to be the greatest in professional wrestling history . Throughout his tenure in the WWF/WWE , Angle was a six-time world champion ( four reigns as WWF/WWE Champion , one as WCW Champion , and one as WWE 's World Heavyweight Champion ) , a one-time United States Champion , one-time Intercontinental Champion , one-time European Champion , one-time Hardcore Champion , and one-time WWE Tag Team Champion . He is the tenth Triple Crown Champion and the fifth Grand Slam Champion ( achieving this accolade twice under both the original and current format ) in WWE history . On March 31 2017 , Angle was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame , becoming the third active wrestler to be inducted , after Ric Flair and Sting .   After leaving WWE in 2006 , Angle joined Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA , now Impact Wrestling ) where he became a record six-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion ( and the inaugural titleholder ) , a two-time TNA World Tag Team Champion , and a one-time TNA X Division Champion . He is the second Triple Crown winner in TNA history and the only one to hold all the required titles at once . Angle is also a two-time King of the Mountain . As part of TNA , he made appearances for New Japan Pro-Wrestling ( NJPW ) and the Inoki Genome Federation ( IGF ) , holding the IWGP Heavyweight Championship once . In 2013 , Angle was inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame ( he is the second wrestler -- after Sting -- to be inducted into both the WWE and TNA halls of fame ) .   Between WWF/WWE , Japan , and TNA , Angle has won 13 world championships and 21 total championships . He is the only professional wrestler in history to have won the WWE Championship , WWE 's World Heavyweight Championship , the WCW Championship , the TNA World Heavyweight Championship , and the IWGP Heavyweight Championship . Angle is also the only person to have been King of the Mountain and King of the Ring . He has headlined numerous pay-per-view events for both WWF/WWE and TNA throughout his career , including the flagship event for both promotions : WrestleMania in WWE , and Bound for Glory in TNA . In 2004 , the Wrestling Observer Newsletter inducted Angle into its Hall of Fame , and later named him `` Wrestler of the Decade '' for the 2000s . He is considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time ; ESPN journalist and former WWE personality Jonathan Coachman described Angle as `` the greatest I 've ever seen in the ring '' .


Boston is the location of the United States' first public school.

Boston Boston ( pronounced -LSB- ˈbɒstən -RSB- ) is the capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States . Boston is also the seat of Suffolk County , although the county government was disbanded on July 1 , 1999 . The city proper covers 48 mi2 with an estimated population of 667,137 in 2015 , making it the largest city in New England and the 23rd most populous city in the United States . The city is the economic and cultural anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area known as Greater Boston , a Metropolitan Statistical Area ( MSA ) home to a census-estimated 4.7 million people in 2014 and ranking as the tenth-largest such area in the country . Alternately , as a Combined Statistical Area ( CSA ) , this wider commuting region is home to some 8.1 million people , making it the sixth-largest as such in the United States .   One of the oldest cities in the United States , Boston was founded on the Shawmut Peninsula in 1630 by Puritan settlers from England . It was the scene of several key events of the American Revolution , such as the Boston Massacre , the Boston Tea Party , the Battle of Bunker Hill , and the Siege of Boston . Upon U.S. independence from Great Britain , it continued to be an important port and manufacturing hub as well as a center for education and culture . Through land reclamation and municipal annexation , Boston has expanded beyond the original peninsula . Its rich history attracts many tourists , with Faneuil Hall alone drawing over 20 million visitors per year . Boston 's many firsts include the United States ' first public school , Boston Latin School ( 1635 ) , first subway system , the Tremont Street Subway ( 1897 ) , and first public park , Boston Common ( 1634 ) .   The area 's many colleges and universities make Boston an international center of higher education , including law , medicine , engineering , and business , and the city is considered to be a world leader in innovation and entrepreneurship , with nearly 2,000 startups . Boston 's economic base also includes finance , professional and business services , biotechnology , information technology , and government activities . Households in the city claim the highest average rate of philanthropy in the United States ; businesses and institutions rank among the top in the country for environmental sustainability and investment . The city has one of the highest costs of living in the United States as it has undergone gentrification , though it remains high on world livability rankings .


Boston Latin School The Boston Latin School is a public `` exam school '' in Boston , Massachusetts . Established on April 23 , 1635 , it is the oldest school as well as the first public school in the United States . The Public Latin School was a bastion for educating the sons of the Boston `` Brahmin '' elite , resulting in the School claiming many prominent Bostonians , Massachusetts citizens and New Englanders as alumni . Its curriculum follows that of the 18th century Latin-school movement , which holds the `` classics '' to be the basis of an educated mind . Four years of Latin are mandatory for all pupils who enter the School in the 7th grade , three years for those who enter in the 9th . In 2007 , the School was named one of the top twenty high schools in the United States by U.S. News & World Report magazine . It is a part of Boston Public Schools ( BPS ) .   The School was named a 2011 `` Blue Ribbon School of Excellence '' , the U.S. Department of Education 's highest award .   As of 2016 , the School is listed under the `` gold medal '' list , ranking 51 out of the top 100 high schools in the United States ( more than 20,000 public high schools from 50 states and the District of Columbia were analyzed ) by U.S. News & World Report magazine .


Bernie Mac Bernard Jeffrey `` Bernie '' McCullough ( October 5 , 1957 -- August 9 , 2008 ) better known by his stage name Bernie Mac , was an American comedian , actor and voice artist . Born and raised on Chicago 's south side , Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian . He joined fellow comedians Steve Harvey , Cedric the Entertainer , and D. L. Hughley in The Original Kings of Comedy .   After briefly hosting the HBO show Midnight Mac , Mac appeared in several films in smaller roles . His most noted film role was as Frank Catton in the remake Ocean 's Eleven and the title character of Mr. 3000 . He was the star of The Bernie Mac Show , which ran from 2001 through 2006 , earning him two Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series . Mac 's other films included starring roles in Booty Call , Friday , The Players Club , Head of State , Charlie 's Angels : Full Throttle , Bad Santa , Guess Who , Pride , Soul Men , Transformers , Old Dogs , and Madagascar : Escape 2 Africa .


Pablo Fenjves Pablo F. Fenjves ( born 16 August 1953 ) is an American screenwriter and ghostwriter based in Los Angeles , California . His screenwriting credits include the 1995 film The Affair , Man on a Ledge , released in January , 2012 , and a string of television movies .   Born in Caracas , Venezuela to Hungarian survivors of the Holocaust , Fenjves went to college in Illinois . His first journalism job was in Canada . He joined the National Enquirer in Florida in the late 1970s , where he befriended Judith Regan .   Fenjves has ghostwritten more than a dozen books , including two number one New York Times Best-Sellers ( Witness and Blood Brother ) . Fenjves also ghostwrote the autobiographies and memoirs of Bernie Mac , Janice Dickinson , and music producer David Foster . He collaborated with O.J. Simpson to ghostwrite If I Did It , an account of the Simpson murder case . That book was pulled by the publisher just weeks before its release date , but it was subsequently revived by Fred Goldman , father of murder victim Ron Goldman , and spent five weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list . Fenjves had a personal connection to the Simpson case : Fenjves lived a few doors down from the Brentwood murder scene , and had testified against Simpson regarding the time at which he heard Nicole Simpson 's dog barking .   His current film projects include an original action script , Undertow , which is being produced by Michael De Luca ; and an original comedy , Mother , to which Halle Berry is attached .


Bohemian Rhapsody was a commercial release.

Bohemian Rhapsody `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' is a song by the British rock band Queen . It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band 's 1975 album A Night at the Opera . It is a six-minute suite , consisting of several sections without a chorus : an intro , a ballad segment , an operatic passage , a hard rock part and a reflective coda . The song is a more accessible take on the 1970s progressive rock genre . It was reportedly the most expensive single ever made at the time of its release , though the exact cost of production can not be determined .   When it was released as a single , `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' became a commercial success , staying at the top of the UK Singles Chart for nine weeks and selling more than a million copies by the end of January 1976 . It reached number one again in 1991 for another five weeks when the same version was re-released , eventually becoming the UK 's third-best-selling single of all time . It is also the only song to be Christmas number one twice by the same artist . It topped the charts in several other markets as well , including Canada , Australia , New Zealand , Ireland and The Netherlands , later becoming one of the best-selling singles of all time . In the United States the song originally peaked at number nine in 1976 . It returned to the chart at number two in 1992 following Freddie Mercury 's death in 1991 , as well as its appearance in the film Wayne 's World , which revived its American popularity .   Although critical reaction was initially mixed , `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' remains one of Queen 's most popular songs and is frequently placed on modern lists of the greatest songs of all time . The single was accompanied by a promotional video , which many scholars consider ground-breaking . Rolling Stone magazine states : `` Its influence can not be overstated , practically inventing the music video seven years before MTV went on the air . '' In 2004 , `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame . In 2012 , the song topped the list on an ITV nationwide poll in the UK to find `` The Nation 's Favourite Number One '' over 60 years of music .


For Best Supporting Actor on Television, Chris Noth was nominated for the Golden Globe Award.

Chris Noth Christopher David `` Chris '' Noth ( -LSB- ` no : th -RSB- ; born November 13 , 1954 ) is an American actor . He is known for his television roles as Detective Mike Logan on Law & Order ( 1990 -- 95 ) , Mr. Big on Sex and the City ( 1998 -- 2004 ) , and Governor Peter Florrick on The Good Wife ( 2009 -- 16 ) . He reprised his role of Mike Logan on Law & Order : Criminal Intent ( 2005 -- 08 ) , and reprised his role of Mr. Big in the films , Sex and the City ( 2008 ) and Sex and the City 2 ( 2010 ) . He was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television for Sex and the City in 1999 and for The Good Wife in 2010 .


War of the Worlds was based on something.

War of the Worlds (2005 film) War of the Worlds is a 2005 American science fiction disaster film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Josh Friedman and David Koepp , loosely based on the novel of the same title by H. G. Wells . It stars Tom Cruise , Dakota Fanning , Justin Chatwin , Miranda Otto and Tim Robbins , with narration by Morgan Freeman . In the film , an American dock worker is forced to look after his children , from whom he lives separately , as he struggles to protect them and reunite them with their mother when extraterrestrials invade the Earth and devastate cities with towering war machines .   The film was shot in 73 days , using five different sound stages as well as locations in California , Connecticut , New Jersey , New York , and Virginia . The film was surrounded by a secrecy campaign so few details would be leaked before its release . Tie-in promotions were made with several companies , including Hitachi . The film was released in the United States on June 29 and in United Kingdom on July 1 . War of the Worlds was a box office success , and became 2005 's fourth most successful film both domestically , with $ 234 million in North America , and $ 591 million overall . At the time of release , it was the highest-grossing film starring Tom Cruise .


The Road to Wigan Pier The Road to Wigan Pier is a book by the British writer George Orwell , first published in 1937 . The first half of this work documents his sociological investigations of the bleak living conditions among the working class in Lancashire and Yorkshire in the industrial north of England before World War II . The second half is a long essay on his middle-class upbringing , and the development of his political conscience , questioning British attitudes towards socialism . Orwell states plainly that he himself is in favour of socialism , but feels it necessary to point out reasons why many people who would benefit from socialism , and should logically support it , are in practice likely to be strong opponents .   According to Orwell biographer Bernard Crick , publisher Victor Gollancz first tried to persuade Orwell 's agent to allow the Left Book Club edition to consist solely of the descriptive first half of the book . When this was refused Gollancz wrote an introduction to the book . `` Victor could not bear to reject it , even though his suggestion that the ` repugnant ' second half should be omitted from the Club edition was turned down . On this occasion Victor , albeit nervously , did overrule Communist Party objections in favour of his publishing instinct . His compromise was to publish the book with -LSB- an introduction -RSB- full of good criticism , unfair criticism , and half-truths . ''   The book grapples , `` with the social and historical reality of Depression suffering in the north of England , -- Orwell does not wish merely to enumerate evils and injustices , but to break through what he regards as middle-class oblivion , -- Orwell 's corrective to such falsity comes first by immersion of his own body -- a supreme measure of truth for Orwell -- directly into the experience of misery . ''


Nineteen Eighty-Four Nineteen Eighty-Four , often published as 1984 , is a dystopian novel published in 1949 by English author George Orwell .  The novel is set in Airstrip One ( formerly known as Great Britain ) , a province of the superstate Oceania in a world of perpetual war , omnipresent government surveillance , and public manipulation . The superstate and its residents are dictated to by a political regime euphemistically named English Socialism , shortened to `` Ingsoc '' in Newspeak , the government 's invented language . The superstate is under the control of the privileged elite of the Inner Party , a party and government that persecutes individualism and independent thinking as `` thoughtcrime '' , which is enforced by the `` Thought Police '' .   The tyranny is ostensibly overseen by Big Brother , the Party leader who enjoys an intense cult of personality , but who may not even exist . The Party `` seeks power entirely for its own sake . It is not interested in the good of others ; it is interested solely in power . '' The protagonist of the novel , Winston Smith , is a member of the Outer Party , who works for the Ministry of Truth ( or Minitrue in Newspeak ) , which is responsible for propaganda and historical revisionism . His job is to rewrite past newspaper articles , so that the historical record always supports the party line . The instructions that the workers receive portray the corrections as fixing misquotations and never as what they really are : forgeries and falsifications . A large part of the Ministry also actively destroys all documents that have not been edited and do not contain the revisions ; in this way , no proof exists that the government is lying . Smith is a diligent and skillful worker but secretly hates the Party and dreams of rebellion against Big Brother . The heroine of the novel , Julia , is based on Orwell 's second wife , Sonia Orwell .   As literary political fiction and dystopian science-fiction , Nineteen Eighty-Four is a classic novel in content , plot and style . Many of its terms and concepts , such as Big Brother , doublethink , thoughtcrime , Newspeak , Room 101 , telescreen , 2 + 2 = 5 , and memory hole , have entered into common use since its publication in 1949 . Nineteen Eighty-Four popularised the adjective Orwellian , which describes official deception , secret surveillance , and manipulation of recorded history by a totalitarian or authoritarian state . In 2005 , the novel was chosen by Time magazine as one of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005 . It was awarded a place on both lists of Modern Library 100 Best Novels , reaching number 13 on the editor 's list , and 6 on the readers ' list . In 2003 , the novel was listed at number 8 on the BBC 's survey The Big Read .


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 .


Bruno Mars has 9 million worldwide album sales.

Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez ( born October 8 , 1985 ) , known professionally as Bruno Mars ( -LSB- ˈmɑrz -RSB- ) , is an American singer-songwriter , multi-instrumentalist , record producer , and choreographer . Born and raised in Honolulu , Hawaii , by a family of musicians , Mars began making music at a young age and performed in various musical venues in his hometown throughout his childhood . He graduated from high school and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a musical career . After being dropped by Motown Records , Mars signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records in 2009 .   In 2009 , he co-founded the production team The Smeezingtons , responsible for the singles `` Nothin ' on You '' by B.o.B and `` Billionaire '' by Travie McCoy . He featured on the hooks for both singles , becoming recognized as a solo artist . His debut studio album Doo-Wops & Hooligans ( 2010 ) included the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping singles `` Just the Way You Are '' and `` Grenade '' , as well as the number-four single `` The Lazy Song '' . His second album , Unorthodox Jukebox ( 2012 ) , peaked at number one in the United States . The album spawned the international singles `` Locked Out of Heaven '' , `` When I Was Your Man '' and `` Treasure '' . In 2014 , Mars lent his vocals to Mark Ronson 's `` Uptown Funk '' . In 2016 , he released his third studio album 24K Magic with the lead single of the same title released on October 7 , 2016 . To date , he has sold over 115 million singles and 9 million albums worldwide , making him one of the best-selling artists of all time . Mars has landed seven number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 since his career launched in 2010 , attaining his first five faster than any male artist since Elvis Presley .   Mars has received many awards and nominations , including five Grammy Awards , and was named one of Times 100 most influential people in the world in 2011 . In December 2013 , he ranked number one on the Forbes 30 under 30 list . Mars is known for his stage performances and retro showmanship . He is accompanied by his band , The Hooligans , who play a variety of instruments such as electric guitar , bass , piano , keyboards , drums and horns , and also serve as backup singers and dancers . Mars performs in a wide range of musical styles .


Johnny Mnemonic (film) Johnny Mnemonic is a 1995 Canadian-American cyberpunk action thriller film directed by Robert Longo in his directorial debut . The film stars Keanu Reeves and Dolph Lundgren . The film is based on the story of the same name by William Gibson . Keanu Reeves plays the title character , a man with a cybernetic brain implant designed to store information . The film portrays Gibson 's dystopian view of the future with the world dominated by megacorporations and with strong East Asian influences . This was Dolph Lundgren 's last theatrically released film until 2010 's The Expendables .   The film was shot on location in Canada , with Toronto and Montreal filling in for the film 's Newark and Beijing settings . A number of local sites , including Toronto 's Union Station and Montreal 's skyline and Jacques Cartier Bridge , feature prominently .   The film premiered in Japan on April 15 , 1995 , in a longer version ( 103 mins ) that is closer to the director 's cut , featuring a score by Mychael Danna and different editing . The film was released in the United States on May 26 , 1995 .


International Space Station is suited for the testing of spacecraft systems for missions to the Moon.

International Space Station The International Space Station ( ISS ) is a space station , or a habitable artificial satellite , in low Earth orbit . Its first component launched into orbit in 1998 , and the ISS is now the largest man-made body in low Earth orbit and can often be seen with the naked eye from Earth . The ISS consists of pressurised modules , external trusses , solar arrays , and other components . ISS components have been launched by Russian Proton and Soyuz rockets , and American Space Shuttles .   The ISS serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which crew members conduct experiments in biology , human biology , physics , astronomy , meteorology , and other fields . The station is suited for the testing of spacecraft systems and equipment required for missions to the Moon and Mars . The ISS maintains an orbit with an altitude of between 330 and by means of reboost manoeuvres using the engines of the Zvezda module or visiting spacecraft . It completes orbits per day .   The ISS is the ninth space station to be inhabited by crews , following the Soviet and later Russian Salyut , Almaz , and Mir stations as well as Skylab from the US . The station has been continuously occupied for since the arrival of Expedition 1 on 2 November 2000 . This is the longest continuous human presence in low Earth orbit , having surpassed the previous record of held by Mir . The station is serviced by a variety of visiting spacecraft : the Russian Soyuz and Progress , the American Dragon and Cygnus , the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle , and formerly the Space Shuttle and the European Automated Transfer Vehicle . It has been visited by astronauts , cosmonauts and space tourists from 17 different nations .   After the US Space Shuttle programme ended in 2011 , Soyuz rockets became the only provider of transport for astronauts at the International Space Station , and Dragon became the only provider of bulk cargo return to Earth ( called downmass ) . Soyuz has very limited downmass capability .   The ISS programme is a joint project among five participating space agencies : NASA , Roscosmos , JAXA , ESA , and CSA . The ownership and use of the space station is established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements . The station is divided into two sections , the Russian Orbital Segment ( ROS ) and the United States Orbital Segment ( USOS ) , which is shared by many nations . , the American portion of ISS is being funded until 2024 . Roscosmos has endorsed the continued operation of ISS through 2024 but has proposed using elements of the Russian Orbital Segment to construct a new Russian space station called OPSEK .   On 28 March 2015 , Russian sources announced that Roscosmos and NASA had agreed to collaborate on the development of a replacement for the current ISS . NASA later issued a guarded statement expressing thanks for Russia 's interest in future co-operation in space exploration but fell short of confirming the Russian announcement .


Jack Black Thomas Jacob `` Jack '' Black ( born August 28 , 1969 ) is an American actor , comedian , writer , producer , musician and singer . His acting career has been extensive , starring primarily in comedy films . He is known for his roles in High Fidelity ( 2000 ) , Shallow Hal ( 2001 ) , School of Rock ( 2003 ) , King Kong ( 2005 ) , The Holiday ( 2006 ) , Nacho Libre ( 2006 ) , Kung Fu Panda ( 2008 ) , Tropic Thunder ( 2008 ) , Gulliver 's Travels ( 2010 ) , Kung Fu Panda 2 ( 2011 ) , Bernie ( 2011 ) , Goosebumps ( 2015 ) , and Kung Fu Panda 3 ( 2016 ) . He has been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards . Black is the lead vocalist of the comedic rock group Tenacious D which he formed in 1994 with friend Kyle Gass . They have released the albums Tenacious D , The Pick of Destiny and Rize of the Fenix .


Overwatch (video game) Overwatch is a team-based online multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment . It was released in May 2016 for Windows , PlayStation 4 , and Xbox One .   Overwatch assigns players into two teams of six , with each player selecting one of 24 pre-defined characters , called heroes , each with unique movement , attributes , and abilities , whose roles are divided into four categories : Offense , Defense , Tank , and Support . Players on a team work together to secure and defend control points on a map or escort a payload across the map in a limited amount of time . Players gain cosmetic rewards that do not affect gameplay , such as character skins and victory poses , as they play the game . The game was initially launched with casual play , with a competitive ranked mode , various ` arcade ' game modes , and a player-customizable server browser subsequently included following its release . Additionally , Blizzard has developed and added new characters , maps , and game modes post-release , while stating that all Overwatch updates will remain free , with the only additional cost to players being microtransactions to earn additional cosmetic rewards .   Overwatch is Blizzard 's fourth major franchise and came about following the 2014 cancellation of the ambitious massively multiplayer online role-playing game Titan . A portion of the Titan team came up with the concept of Overwatch , based on the success of team-based first-person shooters like Team Fortress 2 and the growing popularity of multiplayer online battle arenas , creating a hero-based shooter that emphasized teamwork . Some elements of Overwatch borrow assets and concepts from the canceled Titan project . After establishing the narrative of an optimistic near-future Earth setting after a global crisis , the developers aimed to create a diverse cast of heroes that spanned genders and ethnicities as part of this setting . Significant time was spent adjusting the balance of the characters , making sure that new players would still be able to have fun while skilled players would present each other with a challenge .   Overwatch was unveiled at BlizzCon 2014 in a fully playable state and was in a closed beta from late 2015 through early 2016 . An open beta in May 2016 drew in more than 9.7 million players . The release of the game was promoted with short animated videos to introduce the game 's narrative and each of the characters . Upon official release , Overwatch received universal acclaim from critics , who praised the game for its accessibility , diverse appeal of its hero characters , bright cartoonish art style , and enjoyable gameplay . Considered one of the best games released in 2016 , the game received numerous accolades , including being awarded Game of the Year at The Game Awards , D.I.C.E. Awards , and Game Developers Choice Awards , as well as from numerous publications . Since its release , Overwatch has become recognized as an eSport , where in addition to sponsoring tournaments , Blizzard has announced plans to help support professional league play starting in 2017 .


Nice & Slow appears on the billboard My Way.

Nice & Slow `` Nice & Slow '' is a 1998 single from Usher 's second album My Way . It became his first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1998 . The song was written by Usher , Brian and Brandon Casey of the R&B group Jagged Edge , Manuel Seal Jr. and Jermaine Dupri .


Jack Black wasn't an actor in The Holiday.

The Holiday The Holiday is a 2006 American romantic comedy film written , produced and directed by Nancy Meyers . Co-produced by Bruce A. Block , it was filmed in both California and England , and stars Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet as Amanda and Iris , two lovelorn women from opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean , who temporarily exchange homes to escape heartbreak during the holiday season . Jude Law and Jack Black were cast as the film 's leading men Graham and Miles , with Eli Wallach , Shannyn Sossamon , Edward Burns and Rufus Sewell playing key supporting roles .   Distributed by Columbia Pictures and Universal Pictures , The Holiday was first released on December 6 , 2006 , in Spain and on December 8 , 2006 , in North America and the United Kingdom . It grossed over $ 205 million worldwide . Critics praised the film 's visual aesthetic design and the cast 's performances , though criticized its plot as predictable .


Pitch Perfect 3 stars Anna Kendrick, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Hailee Steinfeld, Alexis Knapp, Ester Dean, Hana Mae Lee, Chrissie Fit, Kelley Jakle.

Pitch Perfect 3 Pitch Perfect 3 is an upcoming American musical comedy film directed by Trish Sie and written by Kay Cannon , Mike White , and Dana Fox . A sequel to 2015 's Pitch Perfect 2 and the third installment in the Pitch Perfect series , the film will star Anna Kendrick , Anna Camp , Rebel Wilson , Brittany Snow , Hailee Steinfeld , Alexis Knapp , Ester Dean , Hana Mae Lee , Chrissie Fit , Kelley Jakle , and Shelley Regner as the Bellas and Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins . The film is scheduled to be released on December 22 , 2017 .


Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation ( also known as Paramount Pictures and simply Paramount ) is an American film studio based in Hollywood , California , that has been a subsidiary of the American media conglomerate Viacom since 1994 . Paramount is the fifth oldest surviving film studio in the world , the second oldest in the United States , and the sole member of the `` Big Six '' film studios still located in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Hollywood . In 1916 , film producer Adolph Zukor contracted 22 actors and actresses and honored each with a star on the logo . These fortunate few would become the first `` movie stars . '' In 2014 , Paramount Pictures became the first major Hollywood studio to distribute all of its films in digital form only .   Paramount Pictures is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America ( MPAA ) .


Black Panther (film) Black Panther is an upcoming American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name . Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures , it is intended to be the eighteenth film installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe . The film is directed by Ryan Coogler from a screenplay by himself and Joe Robert Cole , and stars Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa / Black Panther , alongside Michael B. Jordan , Lupita Nyong ` o , Danai Gurira , Martin Freeman , Daniel Kaluuya , Angela Bassett , Forest Whitaker , and Andy Serkis . In Black Panther , T'Challa returns home as king of Wakanda but finds his sovereignty challenged by a long-time adversary in a conflict that has global consequences .   Wesley Snipes first mentioned his intention to work on a Black Panther film in 1992 , with that project going through multiple iterations over the next decade but never coming to fruition . A Black Panther film was announced as one of the ten Marvel films that would be developed by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures in September 2005 , with Mark Bailey hired to write a script in January 2011 . Black Panther was officially announced in October 2014 , with Boseman appearing first in Captain America : Civil War . By the end of 2015 , Cole and Coogler had both joined the film , and additional cast members came on board beginning in May 2016 . Principal photography for the film took place from January to April 2017 , at EUE/Screen Gems Studios and Pinewood Atlanta Studios in the Atlanta metropolitan area , and Busan , South Korea .   Black Panther is set to be released in the United States on February 16 , 2018 , in IMAX .


Marvel Studios Marvel Studios , LLC ( originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996 ) is an American motion picture studio based at The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank , California and is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios , itself a wholly owned division of The Walt Disney Company , with film producer Kevin Feige serving as president . Previously , the studio was a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment until The Walt Disney Company reorganized the companies in August 2015 .   Dedicated to producing films based on Marvel Comics characters , the studio has been involved in three Marvel-character film franchises to have exceeded one billion dollars in North American revenue : the X-Men , Spider-Man , and Marvel Cinematic Universe multi-film franchises . X-Men and Spider-Man and other Marvel franchises are licensed out to 20th Century Fox and Sony Pictures , respectively . Marvel Studios ' films are currently distributed theatrically by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures ; Paramount Pictures from 2008 to 2011 ; Universal Pictures for The Incredible Hulk ; and Columbia Pictures for Spider-Man : Homecoming scheduled for release on July 7 , 2017 .   Marvel Studios has released 15 films since 2008 within the Marvel Cinematic Universe , from Iron Man ( 2008 ) to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol . 2 ( 2017 ) . These films all share continuity with each other , along with the One-Shots produced by the studio and the television shows produced by Marvel Television .


Jimmy Wales Jimmy Donal `` Jimbo '' Wales ( -LSB- 'd ʒɪmi_ˈdoʊnəl_ˈweɪlz -RSB- born August 7 , 1966 in Huntsville , Alabama ) is an American Internet entrepreneur . He is the co-founder of Wikipedia , the online non-profit encyclopedia , and the for-profit web hosting company Wikia .   Wales was born in Huntsville , Alabama , where he attended Randolph School , a university-preparatory school . Later , he earned bachelor 's and master 's degrees in Finance from Auburn University and the University of Alabama , respectively .   While in graduate school , Wales taught at two universities ; however , he departed before completing a PhD to take a job in finance , and later worked as the Research Director of a Chicago , Illinois , futures and options firm . In 1996 , he and two partners founded Bomis , an adult web portal featuring entertainment and adult content . The company would provide the initial funding for the peer-reviewed free encyclopedia , Nupedia ( 2000 -- 03 ) , and its successor , Wikipedia .   On January 15 , 2001 , with Larry Sanger and others , Wales launched Wikipedia -- a free , open content encyclopedia that enjoyed rapid growth and popularity ; as Wikipedia 's public profile grew , he became the project 's promoter and spokesman . He is historically cited as a co-founder of Wikipedia , though he has disputed the `` co - '' designation , declaring himself the sole founder .   Wales serves on the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees , the non-profit charitable organization that he helped establish to operate Wikipedia , holding its board-appointed `` community founder '' seat . In 2004 , he co-founded Wikia , a for-profit wiki hosting service . His role in creating Wikipedia , which has become the world 's largest encyclopedia , prompted Time Magazine to name him in their 2006 list of `` The 100 Most Influential People in the World '' .


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 '' .