The country Russia, is known officially as the Russian Federation.

Russia Russia ( -LSB- ˈrʌʃə -RSB- -LSB- Россия , Rossiya , rɐˈsʲijə -RSB- ) , also officially the Russian Federation ( -LSB- Российская Федерация , r = Rossiyskaya Federatsiya , p = rɐˈsʲijskəjə fʲɪdʲɪˈratsɨjə -RSB- ) , is a country in Eurasia . At 17075200 km2 , Russia is the largest country in the world by surface area , covering more than one-eighth of the Earth 's inhabited land area , and the ninth most populous , with over 144 million people at the end of March 2016 . The European western part of the country is much more populated and urbanised than the eastern ; about 77 % of the population live in European Russia . Russia 's capital Moscow is one of the largest cities in the world ; other major urban centers include Saint Petersburg , Novosibirsk , Yekaterinburg , Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan .   Extending across the entirety of Northern Asia and much of Eastern Europe , Russia spans eleven time zones and incorporates a wide range of environments and landforms . From northwest to southeast , Russia shares land borders with Norway , Finland , Estonia , Latvia , Lithuania and Poland ( both with Kaliningrad Oblast ) , Belarus , Ukraine , Georgia , Azerbaijan , Kazakhstan , China , Mongolia , and North Korea . It shares maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk and the U.S. state of Alaska across the Bering Strait .   The East Slavs emerged as a recognizable group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries AD . Founded and ruled by a Varangian warrior elite and their descendants , the medieval state of Rus arose in the 9th century . In 988 it adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire , beginning the synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures that defined Russian culture for the next millennium . Rus ' ultimately disintegrated into a number of smaller states ; most of the Rus ' lands were overrun by the Mongol invasion and became tributaries of the nomadic Golden Horde in the 13th century . The Grand Duchy of Moscow gradually reunified the surrounding Russian principalities , achieved independence from the Golden Horde , and came to dominate the cultural and political legacy of Kievan Rus ' . By the 18th century , the nation had greatly expanded through conquest , annexation , and exploration to become the Russian Empire , which was the third largest empire in history , stretching from Poland on the west to Alaska on the east .   Following the Russian Revolution , the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic became the largest and leading constituent of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , the world 's first constitutionally socialist state . The Soviet Union played a decisive role in the Allied victory in World War II , and emerged as a recognized superpower and rival to the United States during the Cold War . The Soviet era saw some of the most significant technological achievements of the 20th century , including the world 's first human-made satellite and the launching of the first humans in space . By the end of 1990 , the Soviet Union had the world 's second largest economy , largest standing military in the world and the largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction . Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 , fifteen independent republics emerged from the USSR : Russia , Ukraine , Belarus , Kazakhstan , Uzbekistan , Armenia , Azerbaijan , Estonia , Georgia , Kyrgyzstan , Latvia , Lithuania , Moldova , Tajikistan , Turkmenistan ; the Russian SFSR reconstituted itself as the Russian Federation and is recognized as the continuing legal personality and sole successor state of the Soviet Union . It is governed as a federal semi-presidential republic .   The Russian economy ranks as the twelfth largest by nominal GDP and sixth largest by purchasing power parity in 2015 . Russia 's extensive mineral and energy resources are the largest such reserves in the world , making it one of the leading producers of oil and natural gas globally . The country is one of the five recognized nuclear weapons states and possesses the largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction . Russia is a great power as well as a regional power and has been characterised as a potential superpower . It is permanent member of the United Nations Security Council , as well as a member of the G20 , the Council of Europe , the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ( APEC ) , the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation ( SCO ) , the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe ( OSCE ) , and the World Trade Organization ( WTO ) , as well as being the leading member of the Commonwealth of Independent States ( CIS ) , the Collective Security Treaty Organization ( CSTO ) and one of the five members of the Eurasian Economic Union ( EEU ) , along with Armenia , Belarus , Kazakhstan , and Kyrgyzstan .


William Hanna worked at at least one company.

William Hanna William Denby `` Bill '' Hanna ( July 14 , 1910 -- March 22 , 2001 ) was an American animator , director , producer , voice actor , and cartoon artist , whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of people for much of the 20th century .   After working odd jobs in the first months of the Depression , Hanna joined the Harman and Ising animation studio in 1930 . During the 1930s , Hanna steadily gained skill and prominence while working on cartoons such as Captain and the Kids . In 1937 , while working at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ( MGM ) , Hanna met Joseph Barbera . The two men began a collaboration that was at first best known for producing Tom and Jerry and live action/animated hybrid films . In 1957 , they co-founded Hanna-Barbera , which became the most successful television animation studio in the business , producing programs such as The Flintstones , The Huckleberry Hound Show , The Jetsons , Scooby-Doo , The Smurfs , and Yogi Bear . In 1967 , Hanna-Barbera was sold to Taft Broadcasting for $ 12 million , but Hanna and Barbera remained heads of the company until 1991 . At that time , the studio was sold to Turner Broadcasting System , which in turn was merged with Time Warner in 1996 ; Hanna and Barbera stayed on as advisors .   Hanna and Barbera won seven Academy Awards and eight Emmy Awards . Their cartoons have become cultural icons , and their cartoon characters have appeared in other media such as films , books , and toys . Hanna-Barbera 's shows had a worldwide audience of over 300 million people in their 1960s heyday , and have been translated into more than 28 languages .


Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. ( abbreviated as MGM or M-G-M , also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures , Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer or simply Metro , and for a former interval known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists , or MGM/UA ) is an American media company , involved primarily in the production and distribution of feature films and television programs .   Once the largest , most glamorous , and most revered film studio , MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures , Goldwyn Pictures , and Louis B. Mayer Pictures . Its headquarters are in Beverly Hills , California . It is one of the world 's oldest film studios .   In 1971 , it was announced that MGM would merge with 20th Century Fox , a plan which never came into fruition . Over the next thirty-nine years , the studio was bought and sold at various points in its history until , on November 3 , 2010 , MGM filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy . MGM emerged from bankruptcy on December 20 , 2010 , at which time the executives of Spyglass Entertainment , Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum , became co-Chairmen and co-CEOs of the holding company of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .   As of 2017 , MGM co-produces , co-finances , and co-distributes a majority of its films with Sony Pictures Entertainment , which is not exclusive as MGM has partnered on select films with Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. .   MGM Resorts International , a Las Vegas-based hotel and casino company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol `` MGM '' , is not currently affiliated with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .


Season 15 of Family Guy began on September 25th, 2016.

Family Guy Family Guy is an American adult animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company . The series centers on the Griffins , a family consisting of parents Peter and Lois ; their children Meg , Chris , and Stewie ; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian . The show is set in the fictional city of Quahog , Rhode Island , and exhibits much of its humor in the form of cutaway gags that often lampoon American culture .   The family was conceived by MacFarlane after developing two animated films , The Life of Larry and Larry & Steve . MacFarlane redesigned the films ' protagonist , Larry , and his dog , Steve , and renamed them Peter and Brian , respectively . MacFarlane pitched a seven-minute pilot to Fox in 1998 , and the show was greenlit and began production . Shortly after the third season of Family Guy had aired in 2002 , Fox canceled the series , with one episode left unaired . Adult Swim burned off the episode in 2003 , finishing the series ' original run . However , favorable DVD sales and high ratings for syndicated reruns on Adult Swim convinced the network to renew the show in 2004 for a fourth season , which began airing on May 1 , 2005 .   Since its debut on January 31 , 1999 , episodes of Family Guy have been broadcast . Its fifteenth season began on September 25 , 2016 . Family Guy has been nominated for 12 Primetime Emmy Awards and 11 Annie Awards , and has won three of each . In 2009 , it was nominated for an Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series , the first time an animated series was nominated for the award since The Flintstones in 1961 . Family Guy has also received criticism , including unfavorable comparisons to The Simpsons .   Many tie-in media have been released , including Stewie Griffin : The Untold Story , a straight-to-DVD special released in 2005 ; Family Guy : Live in Vegas , a soundtrack-DVD combo released in 2005 , featuring music from the show as well as original music created by MacFarlane and Walter Murphy ; a video game and pinball machine , released in 2006 and 2007 , respectively ; since 2005 , six books published by Harper Adult based on the Family Guy universe ; and Laugh It Up , Fuzzball : The Family Guy Trilogy ( 2010 ) , a series of parodies of the original Star Wars trilogy . In 2008 , MacFarlane confirmed that the cast was interested in producing a feature film and that he was working on a story for a film adaptation .   A spin-off series , The Cleveland Show , featuring Cleveland Brown , aired from September 27 , 2009 , to May 19 , 2013 . `` The Simpsons Guy '' , a crossover episode with The Simpsons , aired on September 28 , 2014 . Family Guy is a joint production by Fuzzy Door Productions and 20th Century Fox Television and syndicated by 20th Television . In 2013 , TV Guide ranked Family Guy the ninth Greatest TV Cartoon of All Time .   Family Guy premiered for a fifteenth season on September 25 , 2016 . A sixteenth season was silently renewed by Fox in May 2017 .


Zombieland Zombieland is a 2009 American comedy horror film directed by Ruben Fleischer and written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick . The film stars Woody Harrelson , Jesse Eisenberg , Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin as survivors of a zombie apocalypse . The film follows a geeky college kid making his way through the zombie apocalypse , meeting three strangers along the way and together taking an extended road trip across the Southwestern United States in an attempt to find a sanctuary free from zombies . The film premiered at Fantastic Fest on September 25 , 2009 and was theatrically released on October 2 , 2009 in the United States by Columbia Pictures . Zombieland was a critical and commercial success , grossing more than $ 60.8 million in 17 days and surpassing the 2004 film Dawn of the Dead as the top-grossing zombie film in the United States until World War Z in 2013 .


Abigail Breslin Abigail Kathleen Breslin ( born April 14 , 1996 ) is an American actress and singer . She appeared in her first commercial when she was three years old , and in her first film , Signs ( 2002 ) , at the age of five . Her other film roles include Little Miss Sunshine ( 2006 ) , for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress , No Reservations ( 2007 ) , Nim 's Island ( 2008 ) , Definitely , Maybe ( 2008 ) , My Sister 's Keeper ( 2009 ) , Zombieland ( 2009 ) , and Rango ( 2011 ) . In September 2015 , she began acting in the horror-comedy Scream Queens on Fox , in which she has her first regular role on a television series .


Signs (film) Signs is a 2002 American science fiction thriller film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan and executive produced by Shyamalan , Frank Marshall , Kathleen Kennedy and Sam Mercer . A joint collective effort to commit to the film 's production was made by Blinding Edge Pictures and The Kennedy/Marshall Company . It was commercially distributed by Touchstone Pictures theatrically , and by Touchstone Home Entertainment in home media format . Its story focuses on a former Episcopal priest named Graham Hess , played by Mel Gibson , who discovers a series of crop circles in his cornfield . Hess slowly discovers that the phenomena are a result of extraterrestrial life . It also stars Joaquin Phoenix , Rory Culkin , and Abigail Breslin . Signs explores faith , kinship , and extraterrestrials .   Following its premiere in theatres nationwide on August 2 , 2002 , the film grossed $ 227,966,634 in domestic ticket receipts screening at 3,453 theatres during its widest release . It earned an additional $ 180,281,283 in business through international release , to top out at a combined $ 408,247,917 in gross revenue . The film was nominated for multiple awards , including those from the Online Film Critics Society and the Empire Awards . The film also won an award from the American Society of Composers , Authors and Publishers . Considering its $ 72 million budget costs , the film was considered a strong financial success after its theatrical run , and was met with positive reviews from critics , with some praising its atmosphere and story but others criticizing aspects of the script . The high-definition Blu-ray Disc edition of the film featuring the director 's audio commentary , the making of the film , and deleted scenes was released in the United States on June 3 , 2008 . The original motion picture soundtrack , which was composed by James Newton Howard , was released on the opening day by the Hollywood Records label .


The Dodecanese are in the southeastern Tyrrhenian Sea.

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


Broadcast News (film) Broadcast News is a 1987 romantic comedy-drama film written , produced and directed by James L. Brooks . The film concerns a virtuoso television news producer ( Holly Hunter ) , who has daily emotional breakdowns , a brilliant yet prickly reporter ( Albert Brooks ) and his charismatic but far less seasoned rival ( William Hurt ) . It also stars Robert Prosky , Lois Chiles , Joan Cusack , and Jack Nicholson ( billed only in the end credits ) as the evening news anchor .


Carole King Carole King ( born Carol Joan Klein , February 9 , 1942 ) is an American composer and singer-songwriter . She is the most successful female songwriter of the latter half of the 20th century , having written or co-written 118 pop hits on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1955 and 1999 . King also wrote 61 hits that charted in the UK , making her the most successful female songwriter on the UK singles charts between 1952 and 2005 .   King 's career began in the 1960s when she , along with her then husband Gerry Goffin , wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists , many of which have become standards . She has continued writing for other artists since then . King 's success as a performer in her own right did not come until the 1970s , when she sang her own songs , accompanying herself on the piano , in a series of albums and concerts . After experiencing commercial disappointment with her debut album Writer , King scored her breakthrough with the album Tapestry , which topped the U.S. album chart for 15 weeks in 1971 and remained on the charts for more than six years .   King has made 25 solo albums , the most successful being Tapestry , which held the record for most weeks at No. 1 by a female artist for more than 20 years . Her most recent non-compilation album was Live at the Troubadour in 2010 , a collaboration with James Taylor that reached number 4 on the charts in its first week and has sold over 600,000 copies . Her records sales were estimated at more than 75 million copies worldwide .   She has won four Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for her songwriting . She is the recipient of the 2013 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song , the first woman to be so honored . She is also a 2015 Kennedy Center Honoree .


The location for the city of Boston is Shawmut Peninsula.

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 .


Cowboy was performed during Super Bowl XXXVIII.

Cowboy (Kid Rock song) `` Cowboy '' is a single by Kid Rock from his album Devil Without a Cause . The song 's rapping style has been adapted by country artists like Toby Keith , Trace Adkins and Blake Shelton . Many musicians have been influenced and inspired by this song , who include Jason Aldean , Big & Rich , Eric Church , Colt Ford , Florida Georgia Line , Brantley Gilbert and Luke Bryan . Originally referred to as the genre `` Hick Hop '' , it has gone on to be labeled as `` Bro Country '' . His 2008 single `` All Summer Long '' helped push along the bro country genre more so then `` Cowboy '' . Both have themes of partying , drinking , boats , cars , and girls . The song also helped influence a more prominent hip hop from the south , drawling on country music in Bubba Sparks , Rehab , The Lacs and Moonshine Bandits . Kid Rock actually did this first on the song `` Desperate-Rado '' on his independent release The Polyfuze Method in 1993 , but `` Cowboy '' broke into the mainstream .   Kid Rock describes the song as `` Lynyrd Skynyrd meets Run-D.M.C . '' . The song uses dobro , slide , banjo and a ragtime piano , which was actually a sample of The Doors ' song `` L.A. Woman '' . The song `` Cowboy '' was originally rejected by Atlantic Records , after Kid Rock told them it was the best song he had written to that point .   The song is about how Kid Rock had foreseen his move to Hollywood to become a star . `` Cowboy '' peaked at number 82 on the Billboard Hot 100 , 34 on The Top 40 , 5 on Mainstream Rock Chart , and 10 on the Modern Rock charts . The song is used as the walk-in music for UFC fighter Donald Cerrone . This song was used in the first promotional commercial for WrestleMania XXV . An instrumental remake of this song was used by Jeff Jarrett in WCW . `` Cowboy '' appeared in the movies Shanghai Noon , Ready To Rumble , Serving Sara , Matchstick Men and Coyote Ugly .   In 2000 , Kid Rock and The Neptunes made a rap single version of the song . There was also a live version released on the `` American Bad Ass '' single in 2000 . The song was performed during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show in 2004 . A live version was released on 2006 's Live Trucker with a bluesy into given to it .   Porn star Ron Jeremy and actor Gary Coleman made cameos in the music video , which was a spoof on Smokey and the Bandit . Joe C and Gary Coleman dueled while Ron Jeremy pretended to do the piano solo .


Oh Yeon-seo Oh Yeon-seo ( born Oh Haet-nim , on June 22 , 1987 ) , is a South Korean actress and former member of South Korean girl group , LUV . She is best known for her roles in television dramas My Husband Got a Family ( 2012 ) , Jang Bo-ri is Here ! ( 2014 ) , Shine or Go Crazy ( 2015 ) and Please Come Back , Mister ( 2016 ) .


Bill Gates William Henry Gates III ( born October 28 , 1955 ) is the co-founder of Microsoft and is an American business magnate , investor , author and philanthropist .   In 1975 , Gates and Paul Allen co-founded Microsoft , which became the world 's largest PC software company . During his career at Microsoft , Gates held the positions of chairman , CEO and chief software architect , while also being the largest individual shareholder until May 2014 . Gates stepped down as chief executive officer of Microsoft in January 2000 , but he remained as chairman and created the position of chief software architect for himself . In June 2006 , Gates announced that he would be transitioning from full-time work at Microsoft to part-time work and full-time work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation . He gradually transferred his duties to Ray Ozzie and Craig Mundie . He stepped down as chairman of Microsoft in February 2014 , taking on a new post as technology adviser to support the then newly appointed CEO Satya Nadella .   Gates is one of the best-known entrepreneurs of the personal computer revolution . He has been criticized for his business tactics , which have been considered anti-competitive , an opinion that has in some cases been upheld by numerous court rulings . Later in his career , Gates pursued a number of philanthropic endeavors , donating large amounts of money to various charitable organizations and scientific research programs through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation , established in 2000 .   Since 1987 , Gates has been included in the Forbes list of the world 's wealthiest people . Gates is the richest person in the world , with an estimated net worth of US$ 88.5 billion . In 2009 , Gates and Warren Buffett founded The Giving Pledge , whereby they and other billionaires pledge to give at least half of their wealth to philanthropy .


Kerala Kerala ( -LSB- ˈkɛrələ -RSB- ) historically known as Keralam , is an Indian state in South India on the Malabar Coast . It was formed on 1 November 1956 following the States Reorganisation Act by combining Malayalam-speaking regions . Spread over 38863 km2 , it is bordered by Karnataka to the north and northeast , Tamil Nadu to the east and south , and the Lakshadweep Sea to the west . With 33,387,677 inhabitants as per the 2011 Census , Kerala is the thirteenth-largest Indian state by population and is divided into 14 districts with the capital being Thiruvananthapuram . Malayalam is the most widely spoken language and is also the official language of the state .   The region has been a prominent spice exporter since 3000 BCE . The Chera Dynasty was the first prominent kingdom based in Kerala , though it frequently struggled against attacks by the neighbouring Cholas and Pandyas . In the 15th century , the spice trade attracted Portuguese traders to Kerala , and paved the way for the European colonisation of India . After independence , Travancore and Cochin joined the Republic of India and Travancore-Cochin was given the status of a state in 1949 . In 1956 , Kerala state was formed by merging Malabar district , Travancore-Cochin ( excluding four southern taluks of Kanyakumari district ) , and the taluk of Kasaragod ( now Kasaragod District ) , South Kanara .   Kerala has the lowest positive population growth rate in India , 3.44 % ; highest Human Development Index ( HDI ) , 0.712 in 2015 ; the highest literacy rate , 93.91 % in the 2011 census ; the highest life expectancy , 77 years ; and the highest sex ratio , 1,084 women per 1000 men . The state has witnessed significant emigration , especially to Arab states of the Persian Gulf during the Gulf Boom of the 1970s and early 1980s , and its economy depends significantly on remittances from a large Malayali expatriate community . Hinduism is practised by more than half of the population , followed by Islam and Christianity . The culture is a synthesis of Aryan and Dravidian cultures , developed over millennia , under influences from other parts of India and abroad .   The production of pepper and natural rubber contributes significantly to the total national output . In the agricultural sector , coconut , tea , coffee , cashew and spices are important . The state 's coastline extends for 595 km , and around 1.1 million people in the state are dependent on the fishery industry which contributes 3 % to the state 's income . The state has the highest media exposure in India with newspapers publishing in nine languages , mainly English and Malayalam . Kerala is one of the prominent tourist destinations of India , with backwaters , beaches , Ayurvedic tourism and tropical greenery as its major attractions .


Made in the A.M. was made by One Direction.

One Direction One Direction ( commonly abbreviated as 1D ) are an English-Irish pop boy band based in London , composed of Niall Horan , Liam Payne , Harry Styles , Louis Tomlinson , and previously , Zayn Malik until his departure from the band on 25 March 2015 . The group signed with Simon Cowell 's record label Syco Records after forming and finishing third in the seventh series of the British televised singing competition The X Factor in 2010 . Propelled to international success by social media , One Direction 's five albums , Up All Night ( 2011 ) , Take Me Home ( 2012 ) , Midnight Memories ( 2013 ) , Four ( 2014 ) , and Made in the A.M. ( 2015 ) , topped charts in most major markets , and generated hit singles including `` What Makes You Beautiful '' , `` Live While We 're Young '' , `` Best Song Ever '' , `` Story of My Life '' , and `` Drag Me Down '' .   Their awards include six Brit Awards , four MTV Video Music Awards , eleven MTV Europe Music Awards , seven American Music Awards ( including Artist of the Year in 2014 and 2015 ) , and 27 Teen Choice Awards , among many others . According to Nick Gatfield , the chairman and chief executive of Sony Music Entertainment UK , One Direction represented a $ 50 million business empire by June 2012 . They were proclaimed 2012 's `` Top New Artist '' by Billboard . According to the Sunday Times Rich List , by April 2013 , they had an estimated personal combined wealth of # 25 million ( $ 41.2 m ) making them the second-wealthiest musicians in the UK under 30 years of age . In 2014 , Forbes listed them the second-highest earning celebrities under 30 , with the group earning an estimated $ 75 million from June 2013 to June 2014 . In June 2015 , Forbes listed their earnings at $ 130 million for the previous twelve months , and ranked them the fourth highest earning celebrities in the world . In 2016 Forbes ranked them the world 's second highest earning celebrities .   After the release of Four , One Direction became the first band in the US Billboard 200 history to have their first four albums debut at number one . Their third album , Midnight Memories , was the biggest-selling album worldwide of 2013 despite being released in late November . The band 's Where We Are Tour in support of Midnight Memories and Four , was the highest-grossing concert tour in 2014 , and the highest-grossing tour ever by a vocal group , generating $ 282 million . In 2014 , Billboard named One Direction Artist of the Year . The band is currently on a hiatus that began in January 2016 , allowing all members to pursue other projects .


Jon Huntsman Jr. worked for Ronald Reagan.

Jon Huntsman Jr. Jon Meade Huntsman Jr. ( born March 26 , 1960 ) is an American politician , businessman , and diplomat who served as the 16th Governor of Utah from 2005 to 2009 , and as United States Ambassador to Singapore from 1992 to 1993 , and China from 2009 to 2011 . He has served in the administrations of five U.S. Presidents and was a candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination . In January 2014 , Huntsman was named Chairman of the Washington-based foreign policy think-tank the Atlantic Council . It has been reported he was chosen to be the next Ambassador to Russia in March 2017 .   Huntsman has served in every presidential administration since Ronald Reagan . He began his career as a White House staff assistant for Ronald Reagan , and was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce and United States Ambassador to Singapore by George H.W. Bush . Later as Deputy U.S. Trade Representative under George W. Bush , he launched global trade negotiations in Doha in 2001 and guided the accession of China into the World Trade Organization . He also served as CEO of his family-owned Huntsman Corporation and chairman of the Huntsman Cancer Foundation . In 2009 , he was appointed United States Ambassador to China by Barack Obama .   While Governor , he was named Chairman of the Western Governors Association , and joined the Executive Committee of the National Governors Association . Under his leadership , Utah was named the best managed state in America by the Pew Center on the States . He won re-election in 2008 with nearly 78 % of the vote and left office with approval ratings over 80 % .


Eazy-E Eric Lynn Wright ( September 7 , 1964March 26 , 1995 ) , better known by his stage name Eazy-E , was an American rapper who performed solo and in the hip hop group N.W.A. Wright is affectionately called `` The Godfather of Gangsta rap '' . He was born to Richard and Kathie Wright in Compton , California . After dropping out of high school in the tenth grade , he supported himself primarily by selling drugs before founding Ruthless Records and becoming a rapper . Arabian Prince , Eazy-E , Dr. Dre and Ice Cube formed N.W.A. . After DJ Yella and MC Ren joined the group , N.W.A released their debut single Panic Zone . In 1988 , they released their most controversial album , Straight Outta Compton . The group released two more albums and then disbanded after Eazy released Dr. Dre from his contract .   Eazy 's main influences included 1970s funk groups , contemporary rappers , and comedians . When reviewing Eazy 's albums , many critics noted his unique overall style , with Steve Huey of the All Music Guide remarking : `` While his technical skills as a rapper were never the greatest , his distinctive delivery ... over-the-top lyrics , and undeniable charisma made him a star . ''


Hong Kong maintains a separate political system.

Hong Kong Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People 's Republic of China , is an autonomous territory on the Pearl River Delta of China . Macau lies across the delta to the west , and the province of Guangdong borders the territory to the north . With a total land area of 1,106 km2 and a population of over 7.3 million of various nationalities , it ranks as the world 's fourth most densely populated sovereign state or territory .   After the First Opium War ( 1839 -- 42 ) , Hong Kong became a British colony with the perpetual cession of Hong Kong Island , followed by the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 and a 99-year lease of the New Territories from 1898 . Hong Kong was later occupied by Japan during World War II until British control resumed in 1945 . In the early 1980s , negotiations between the United Kingdom and China resulted in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration , which paved way for the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong in 1997 , when it became a special administrative region ( SAR ) of the Peoples Republic of China with a high degree of autonomy .   Under the principle of `` one country , two systems '' , Hong Kong maintains a separate political and economic system from China . Except in military defence and foreign affairs , Hong Kong maintains its independent executive , legislative and judiciary powers . In addition , Hong Kong develops relations directly with foreign states and international organisations in a broad range of `` appropriate fields '' .   Hong Kong is one of the world 's most significant financial centres , with the highest Financial Development Index score and consistently ranks as the world 's most competitive and freest economic entity . As the world 's 8th largest trading entity , its legal tender , the Hong Kong dollar , is the world 's 13th most traded currency . It 's also a member of the World Trade Organization ( WTO ) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ( APEC ) . Hong Kong 's tertiary sector dominated economy is characterised by simple taxation with a competitive level of corporate tax and supported by its independent judiciary system . However , while Hong Kong has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world , it suffers from severe income inequality .   Hong Kong is renowned for its deep natural harbour , which enables ready access by international cargo ships , and its impressive skyline , with a very high density of skyscrapers ; the territory boasts the second largest number of high rises of any city in the world . It has a very high Human Development Index ranking and the world 's longest life expectancy . Over 90 % of the population makes use of well-developed public transportation . Seasonal air pollution with origins from neighbouring industrial areas of Mainland China , which adopts loose emissions standards , has resulted in a high level of atmospheric particulates .


NSYNC NSYNC ( sometimes stylized as * NSYNC or 'N Sync ) was an American boy band formed in Orlando , Florida in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich . NSYNC consisted of Justin Timberlake , JC Chasez , Chris Kirkpatrick , Joey Fatone , and Lance Bass . After heavily publicized legal battles with their former manager Lou Pearlman and former record label Bertelsmann Music Group , the group 's second album , No Strings Attached , sold over one million copies in one day and 2.42 million copies in one week , which was a record for over fifteen years . In addition to a host of Grammy Award nominations , NSYNC has performed at the World Series , the Super Bowl and the Olympic Games , and sang or recorded with Elton John , Stevie Wonder , Michael Jackson , Phil Collins , Celine Dion , Aerosmith , Britney Spears , Nelly , Left Eye , Mary J. Blige , country music supergroup Alabama , and Gloria Estefan .   Although NSYNC announced the start of a `` temporary hiatus '' in early 2002 , the band has not recorded new material since then . Justin Timberlake went on to become a very successful solo artist with several multi-platinum albums . In 2007 , Lance Bass confirmed that the group had `` definitely broken up . '' They have sold over 70 million albums during their career , becoming the eighth-best-selling boy band in history . Rolling Stone recognized their instant success as one of the Top 25 Teen Idol Breakout Moments of all time .


Sarah Michelle Gellar portrayed Kathryn Merteuil in Cruel Intentions.

Sarah Michelle Gellar Sarah Michelle Prinze ( née Gellar ; born April 14 , 1977 ) is an American actress , producer , and entrepreneur . After being spotted by an agent at the age of four in New York City , she made her acting debut in the made-for-TV movie An Invasion of Privacy ( 1983 ) . Gellar went on to appear in numerous television series and commercials . Her first leading part was in the 1992 miniseries Swans Crossing , for which she was nominated for two Young Artist Awards , and her television breakthrough came in 1993 , when she originated the role of Kendall Hart on the ABC daytime soap opera All My Children , winning the 1995 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series .   Gellar received widespread recognition for her portrayal of Buffy Summers on the WB series Buffy the Vampire Slayer ( 1997 -- 2003 ) , which earned her five Teen Choice Awards , a Saturn Award and a Golden Globe Award nomination . The character was widely popular during the airing of the show and became recognized as one of the 100 greatest female characters in U.S. television . Gellar also gained significant attention for her appearances in the slasher movies I Know What You Did Last Summer ( 1997 ) and Scream 2 ( 1997 ) , and for her portrayal of Kathryn Merteuil in Cruel Intentions ( 1999 ) . She appeared as Daphne Blake in Scooby-Doo ( 2002 ) , her biggest live action commercial success .   In 2004 , Gellar reprised her role as Daphne in the sequel Scooby-Doo 2 : Monsters Unleashed and portrayed Karen Davis in the horror remake The Grudge , both of which grossed more than US$ 180 million worldwide . She subsequently appeared in smaller scale movies such as The Return ( 2006 ) and Southland Tales ( 2007 ) , and provided her voice for TMNT ( 2007 ) . Her later film credits include The Air I Breathe ( 2008 ) , Possession ( 2009 ) and Veronika Decides to Die ( 2009 ) . She headlined the short lived television series Ringer ( 2011 -- 2012 ) and The Crazy Ones ( 2013 -- 2014 ) , which co-starred Robin Williams .   In October 2015 , Gellar co-founded Foodstirs , a food crafting brand and e-commerce startup selling baking kits for children .


Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh ( -LSB- , ahndr@_pr@'dEsh -RSB- ) is one of the 29 states of India , situated on the southeastern coast of the country . The state is the eighth largest state in India covering an area of 162307 km2 . As per 2011 Census of India , the state is tenth largest by population with 49,386,799 inhabitants .   On 2 June 2014 , the north-western portion of the state was bifurcated to form a new state of Telangana . Andhra Pradesh 's longtime capital , Hyderabad , was transferred to Telangana as part of the division . However , in accordance with the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act , 2014 , Hyderabad will remain the de jure capital of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states for a period of time not exceeding 10 years . The new riverfront proposed capital in Guntur district is Amaravati , which is under the jurisdiction of APCRDA . The Gross State Domestic Product ( GSDP ) of the state in the 2016 -- 2017 financial year at current prices stood at .   The state has a coastline of 974 km with jurisdiction over nearly 15,000 km2 territorial waters , the second longest among all the states of India after Gujarat . It is bordered by Telangana in the north-west , Chhattisgarh in the north , Odisha in the north-east , Karnataka in the west , Tamil Nadu in the south and the water body of Bay of Bengal in the east . A small enclave of 30 km2 of Yanam , a district of Puducherry , lies south of Kakinada in the Godavari delta to the east of the state .   Andhra Pradesh is composed of two regions : Coastal Andhra , located along the Bay of Bengal , and Rayalaseema , in the inland southwestern part of the state . These two regions comprise 13 districts , with 9 in Coastal Andhra and 4 in Rayalaseema . Visakhapatnam , located on the Bay of Bengal in North Coastal Andhra is the largest city and commercial hub of the state with a GDP of $ 26 billion , followed in population and GDP by Vijayawada , which is located on the Krishna River and which has a GDP of $ 3 billion as of 2010 .   Andhra Pradesh hosted 121.8 million visitors in 2015 , a 30 % growth in tourist arrivals over the previous year . The Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati is one of the world 's most visited religious sites , with 18.25 million visitors per year . Other pilgrimage centers in Andhra Pradesh include the Ameen Peer Dargah in Kadapa , the Mahachaitya at Amaravathi , and the Kanaka Durga Temple in Vijayawada , while the state 's natural attractions include the beaches of Visakhapatnam , hill stations such as the Araku Valley and Horsley Hills , and the island of Konaseema in the Godavari River delta .


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


India India , officially the Republic of India ( Bhārat Gaṇarājya '' ) , is a country in South Asia . It is the seventh-largest country by area , the second-most populous country ( with over 1.2 billion people ) , and the most populous democracy in the world . It is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south , the Arabian Sea on the southwest , and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast . It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west ; China , Nepal , and Bhutan to the northeast ; and Myanmar ( Burma ) and Bangladesh to the east . In the Indian Ocean , India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives . India 's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia .   The Indian subcontinent was home to the urban Indus Valley Civilisation of the 3rd millennium BCE . In the following millennium , the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism began to be composed . Social stratification , based on caste , emerged in the first millennium BCE , and Buddhism and Jainism arose . Early political consolidations took place under the Maurya and Gupta empires ; the later peninsular Middle Kingdoms influenced cultures as far as southeast Asia . In the medieval era , Judaism , Zoroastrianism , Christianity , and Islam arrived , and Sikhism emerged , all adding to the region 's diverse culture . Much of the north fell to the Delhi sultanate ; the south was united under the Vijayanagara Empire . The economy expanded in the 17th century in the Mughal Empire . In the mid-18th century , the subcontinent came under British East India Company rule , and in the mid-19th under British crown rule . A nationalist movement emerged in the late 19th century , which later , under Mahatma Gandhi , was noted for nonviolent resistance and led to India 's independence in 1947 .   In 2015 , the Indian economy was the world 's seventh largest by nominal GDP and third largest by purchasing power parity . Following market-based economic reforms in 1991 , India became one of the fastest-growing major economies and is considered a newly industrialised country . However , it continues to face the challenges of poverty , corruption , malnutrition , and inadequate public healthcare . A nuclear weapons state and regional power , it has the third largest standing army in the world and ranks fifth in military expenditure among nations . India is a federal republic governed under a parliamentary system and consists of 29 states and 7 union territories . It is a pluralistic , multilingual and multi-ethnic society and is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats .


Maharashtra Maharashtra ( -LSB- mahh@'rahshtr@ -RSB- -LSB- məharaːʂʈrə -RSB- , abbr . MH ) is a state in the western region of India and is India 's second-most populous state and third-largest state by area . Spread over 118809 sqmi , it is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west and the Indian states of Karnataka , Telangana , Goa , Gujarat , Chhattisgarh , Madhya Pradesh and the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli . It is also the world 's second-most populous subnational entity . It has over 112 million inhabitants and its capital , Mumbai , has a population of approximately 18 million . Nagpur is Maharashtra 's second capital as well as its winter capital .   Maharashtra is the wealthiest state by GDP and also the most industrialized state in India . It is one of the most developed states in India , contributing 25 % of the country 's industrial output and 23.2 % of its GDP ( 2010 -- 11 ) . , the state had a per capita income of , more than the national average of . Its GDP per capita crossed the threshold for the first time in 2013 , making it one of the richest states in India . However , as of 2014 , the GDP per capita reduced to .   The major rivers of the state are Godavari , and Krishna . The Narmada and Tapti Rivers flow near the border between Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat . Maharashtra is the third most urbanised state among major states in India .  Ancient and medieval Maharashtra included the empires of the Satavahana dynasty , Rashtrakuta dynasty , Western Chalukyas , Mughals and Marathas . The state has several popular Hindu places of pilgrimage including Pandharpur , Dehu and Alandi , Shegaon . Other places that attract pilgrims from other parts of India and beyond include Hazur Sahib Gurudwara at Nanded , Sai Baba shrine at Shirdi and Dikshabhumi at Nagpur .


Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh ( , literally ` Thirty-Six Forts ' ) is one of the 29 states of India , located in the centre-east of the country . It is the 10th largest state in India , with an area of 135,194 km2 . With a population of 28 million , Chhattisgarh is the 17th most-populated state in the country . A resource-rich state , it is a source of electricity and steel for the country , accounting for 15 % of the total steel produced . Chhattisgarh is one of the fastest-developing states in India .   The state was formed on 1 November 2000 by partitioning 16 Chhattisgarhi-speaking southeastern districts of Madhya Pradesh . The capital city is Raipur . Chhattisgarh borders the states of Madhya Pradesh in the northwest , Maharashtra in the southwest , Telangana in the south , Andhra Pradesh ( East Godavari district ) in the south , Odisha in the southeast , Jharkhand in the northeast and Uttar Pradesh in the north . Currently the state comprises 27 districts .


Dominion of India The Dominion of India , also known as the Union of India , was an independent state that existed between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950 . It was transformed into the Republic of India by the promulgation of the Constitution of India on 26 January 1950 .   George VI was the king ( the head of state ) and was represented by the Governor-General of India . However , the governor-general was not designated viceroy , as had been customary under the British Raj . Two governors-general held office in India during the Dominion period ( after the office of Viceroy was abolished by the Indian Independence Act 1947 ) : Mountbatten of Burma ( 1947 -- 48 ) and Chakravarti Rajagopalachari ( 1948 -- 50 ) . Jawaharlal Nehru held office as prime minister of India throughout this period .


Karnataka Karnataka is a state in the south western region of India . It was formed on 1 November 1956 , with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act . Originally known as the State of Mysore , it was renamed Karnataka in 1973 . The capital and largest city is Bangalore ( Bengaluru ) . Karnataka is bordered by the Arabian Sea and the Laccadive Sea to the west , Goa to the northwest , Maharashtra to the north , Telangana to the northeast , Andhra Pradesh to the east , Tamil Nadu to the southeast , and Kerala to the southwest . The state covers an area of 191976 km2 , or 5.83 percent of the total geographical area of India . It is the seventh largest Indian state by area . With 61,130,704 inhabitants at the 2011 census , Karnataka is the eighth largest state by population , comprising 30 districts . Kannada , one of the classical languages of India , is the most widely spoken and official language of the state .   The two main river systems of the state are the Krishna and its tributaries , the Bhima , Ghataprabha , Vedavathi , Malaprabha , and Tungabhadra , in the north , and the Kaveri and its tributaries , the Hemavati , Shimsha , Arkavati , Lakshmana Thirtha and Kabini , in the south . Most of these rivers flow out of Karnataka eastward into the Bay of Bengal .   Though several etymologies have been suggested for the name Karnataka , the generally accepted one is that Karnataka is derived from the Kannada words karu and nādu , meaning `` elevated land '' . Karu nadu may also be read as karu , meaning `` black '' , and nadu , meaning `` region '' , as a reference to the black cotton soil found in the Bayalu Seeme region of the state . The British used the word Carnatic , sometimes Karnatak , to describe both sides of peninsular India , south of the Krishna .   With an antiquity that dates to the paleolithic , Karnataka has been home to some of the most powerful empires of ancient and medieval India . The philosophers and musical bards patronised by these empires launched socio-religious and literary movements which have endured to the present day . Karnataka has contributed significantly to both forms of Indian classical music , the Carnatic and Hindustani traditions .


Kumkum Bhagya Kumkum Bhagya ( English : Vermillion In My Fate ) is a Hindi-language Indian soap opera which premiered on 15 April 2014 . and is broadcast on weeknights on Zee TV . The show is loosely based on the novel Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen . Kumkum Bhagya is its Indian interpretation , which follows the life of a Hindu-Punjabi matriarch , Sarla Arora , who runs a marriage hall . Sarla lives with the hope of seeing her two daughters Pragya and Bulbul , happily married some day . The pivotal characters of this show are strong , feisty women , living together in an all-female matriarchal family . The series stars Sriti Jha , Shabbir Ahluwalia with Mrunal Thakur , Arjit Taneja/Vin Rana , Shikha Singh and Leena Jumani in supporting roles . The series is produced by Ekta Kapoor under the banner Balaji Telefilms . Continuing her tradition , Ekta Kapoor has named the series starting with the letter `` K '' because she feels it is lucky . The show is directed by Sameer Kulkarni and developed by Ekta Kapoor .


Nepal fi     Nepal ( -LSB- Nepālhelp = no -RSB- -RCB- -RCB- -LSB- neˈpal -RSB- ) , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal , is a landlocked central Himalayan country in South Asia . Nepal is divided into 7 provinces and 75 districts and 744 local units including 4 metropolises , 13 sub-metropolises , 246 municipal councils and 481 villages . It has a population of 26.4 million and is the 93rd largest country by area . Bordering China in the north and India in the south , east , and west , it is the largest sovereign Himalayan state . Nepal does not border Bangladesh , which is located within only 27 km ( 17 mi ) of its southeastern tip . Neither does it border Bhutan due to the Indian state of Sikkim being located in between . Nepal has a diverse geography , including fertile plains , subalpine forested hills , and eight of the world 's ten tallest mountains , including Mount Everest , the highest point on Earth . Kathmandu is the nation 's capital and largest city . It is a multiethnic nation with Nepali as the official language .   The territory of Nepal has a recorded history since the Neolithic age . The name `` Nepal '' is first recorded in texts from the Vedic Age , the era which founded Hinduism , the predominant religion of the country . In the middle of the first millennium BCE , Gautama Buddha , the founder of Buddhism , was born in southern Nepal . Parts of northern Nepal were intertwined with the culture of Tibet . The Kathmandu Valley in central Nepal became known as Nepal proper because of its complex urban civilisation . It was the seat of the prosperous Newar confederacy known as Nepal Mandala . The Himalayan branch of the ancient Silk Road was dominated by the valley 's traders . The cosmopolitan region developed distinct traditional art and architecture . By the 18th century , the Gorkha Kingdom achieved the unification of Nepal . The Shah dynasty established the Kingdom of Nepal and later formed an alliance with the British Empire , under its Rana dynasty of premiers . The country was never colonised but served as a buffer state between Imperial China and Colonial India . In the 20th century , Nepal ended its isolation and forged strong ties with regional powers . Parliamentary democracy was introduced in 1951 , but was twice suspended by Nepalese monarchs in 1960 and 2005 . The Nepalese Civil War resulted in the proclamation of a republic in 2008 , ending the reign of the world 's last Hindu monarchy .   Modern Nepal is a federal secular parliamentary republic . It has seven states . Nepal is a developing nation , ranking 144th on the Human Development Index ( HDI ) in 2016 . The country struggles with the transition from a monarchy to a republic . It also suffers from high levels of hunger and poverty . Despite these challenges , Nepal is making steady progress , with the government declaring its commitment to elevate the nation from least developed country status by 2022 . Nepal also has a vast potential to generate hydropower for export .   Nepal 's foreign relations expanded after the Anglo-Nepal Treaty of 1923 , which was recognised by the League of Nations . After a Soviet veto in 1949 , Nepal was admitted to the United Nations in 1955 . Friendship treaties were signed with the Dominion of India in 1950 and the People 's Republic of China in 1960 . Nepal hosts the permanent secretariat of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation ( SAARC ) , of which it is a founding member . Nepal is also a member of the Non Aligned Movement and the Bay of Bengal Initiative . The military of Nepal is the fifth largest in South Asia and is notable for its Gurkha history , particularly during the world wars , and has been a significant contributor to United Nations peacekeeping operations .


Kato Kaelin Brian Gerard `` Kato '' Kaelin ( -LSB- ˈkeɪtoʊ_ˈkeɪlɪn -RSB- born March 9 , 1959 ) is an American radio and television personality who gained fame as a witness during the 1994 -- 95 murder trial of O. J. Simpson .


Nicki Minaj grew up in Trinidad and Tobago.

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj ( born December 8 , 1982 ) , known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( -LSB- langpronnɪkɪ_mɪ ` nɑːdʒ -RSB- ) , is a Trinidadian-born American rapper , singer , songwriter and model . Born in Saint James , Trinidad and Tobago ( a district of Trinidad 's capital Port of Spain ) and raised in South Jamaica , Queens , New York , Minaj earned public attention after releasing three mixtapes between 2007 and 2009 . She has been signed to Young Money Entertainment since 2009 .   Minaj 's first and second studio albums , Pink Friday ( 2010 ) and Pink Friday : Roman Reloaded ( 2012 ) , both peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and produced the successful singles `` Super Bass '' and `` Starships '' , respectively . In 2010 , Minaj became the first female solo artist to have seven singles simultaneously charting on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 . Her third studio album , The Pinkprint ( 2014 ) , was preceded by its second single , `` Anaconda '' , which peaked at number two on the Hot 100 and is her highest-charting single in the U.S. to date . Minaj made her film debut in the 2012 animated film Ice Age : Continental Drift , followed by supporting roles in The Other Woman ( 2014 ) and Barbershop : The Next Cut ( 2016 ) . In 2013 , she was a judge on the twelfth season of American Idol .   Minaj was the first female artist included on MTV 's Annual Hottest MC List , with a New York Times editor saying that some consider her to be `` the most influential female rapper of all time '' . In 2016 , Minaj was included on the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world . Her rapping is distinctive for its fast flow and the use of alter egos and accents , primarily British cockney . Early in her career , Minaj was known for her colorful costumes and wigs . She has the most Billboard Hot 100 entries for a female artist in the chart 's history , while being ninth overall . Minaj has received ten Grammy nominations throughout her career , and has won six American Music Awards , eleven BET Awards , three MTV Video Music Awards , four Billboard Music Awards , and was the recipient of Billboards Women in Music 2011 Rising Star award . She has endorsed Adidas , MAC Cosmetics and Pepsi . She has sold 20 million singles as a lead artist , and 60 million singles as a featured artist worldwide .


Modern liberalism in the United States strongly endorses spending on welfare.

Modern liberalism in the United States Modern American liberalism is the dominant version of liberalism in the United States . It is characterized by social liberalism , and combines ideas of civil liberty and equality with support for social justice and a mixed economy . The term `` modern liberalism '' in this article refers only to the United States . In a global context , this philosophy is usually referred to as social liberalism .   The American modern liberal philosophy strongly endorses public spending on programs such as education , health care , and welfare . Important social issues today include addressing inequality , voting rights for minorities , affirmative action , reproductive and other women 's rights , support for LGBT rights , and immigration reform .   Modern liberalism took shape during the twentieth century , with roots in Theodore Roosevelt 's New Nationalism , Woodrow Wilson 's New Freedom , Franklin D. Roosevelt 's New Deal , Harry S. Truman 's Fair Deal , John F. Kennedy 's New Frontier , and Lyndon B. Johnson 's Great Society . American liberals oppose conservatives on most issues , but not all . Modern liberalism is historically related to social liberalism and progressivism , though the current relationship between liberal and progressive viewpoints is debated .   John F. Kennedy defined a liberal as follows :   Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1941 defined a liberal party as one ,   Keynesian economic theory has played an important role in the economic philosophy of modern American liberals . Modern American liberals generally believe that national prosperity requires government management of the macroeconomy , in order to keep unemployment low , inflation in check , and growth high . They also value institutions that defend against economic inequality . In The Conscience of a Liberal Paul Krugman writes : `` I believe in a relatively equal society , supported by institutions that limit extremes of wealth and poverty . I believe in democracy , civil liberties , and the rule of law . That makes me a liberal , and I 'm proud of it . '' Liberals often point to the widespread prosperity enjoyed under a mixed economy in the years since World War II . They believe liberty exists when access to necessities like health care and economic opportunity are available to all , and they champion the protection of the environment .   Modern American liberalism is typically associated with the Democratic Party , as modern American conservatism is typically associated with the Republican Party .


No Limit Top Dogg No Limit Top Dogg is the fourth studio album ( the second on No Limit Records ) by American rapper Snoop Dogg . It was released May 11 , 1999 , by No Limit Records and Priority Records .   The album 's lead single `` Bitch Please '' featuring Xzibit and Nate Dogg , produced by Dr. Dre became a hit . The music video for the album 's second single `` G Bedtime Stories '' which was a success , the song was produced by Meech Wells . Production was handled by Master P , Dr. Dre , KLC and Snoop himself .


Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss ( stylized as Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo $ $ ) is the sixth studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg . It was released on November 26 , 2002 , by his Doggystyle label , alongside Priority and Capitol Records . Following his departure from the No Limit Records , he later signed a recording contract to Capitol through Priority Records . The album was supported by two singles : `` From tha Chuuuch to da Palace '' featuring Pharrell , and the other-Pharrell featured track `` Beautiful '' along with featuring Charlie Wilson .   The album debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200 , selling 174,000 copies in its first week . To date , the album became a certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) , selling over 1,500,000 copies worldwide .


Snoop Dogg Cordozar Calvin Broadus , Jr. ( born October 20 , 1971 ) , known professionally as Snoop Dogg ( sometimes shortened to Snoop and formerly called Snoop Doggy Dogg and Snoop Lion ) , is an American rapper and actor from Long Beach , California . His music career began in 1992 when he was discovered by Dr. Dre of N.W.A , and as a result was prominently featured throughout Dr. Dre 's solo debut album , The Chronic ( 1992 ) . He has since sold over twenty-three million albums in the United States and thirty-five million albums worldwide .   Snoop 's debut album , Doggystyle , was released in 1993 under Death Row Records , debuting at number one on both the Billboard 200 and Billboard Top R&B / Hip-Hop Albums charts . Selling almost a million copies in the first week of its release , Doggystyle became certified 4 × platinum in 1994 and spawned several hit singles , including `` What 's My Name ? '' and `` Gin & Juice '' . In 1994 Snoop released a soundtrack on Death Row Records for the short film Murder Was The Case , starring himself . His second album Tha Doggfather ( 1996 ) , also debuted at number one on both charts with `` Snoop 's Upside Ya Head '' , as the lead single . The album was certified double platinum in 1997 .   After leaving Death Row Records , Snoop signed with No Limit Records , where he recorded his next three albums . Da Game Is to Be Sold , Not to Be Told ( 1998 ) , No Limit Top Dogg ( 1999 ) , and Tha Last Meal ( 2000 ) . Snoop then signed with Priority/Capitol/EMI Records in 2002 , where he released Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss . He then signed with Geffen Records in 2004 for his next three albums R&G ( Rhythm & Gangsta ) : The Masterpiece , Tha Blue Carpet Treatment , and Ego Trippin ' . Malice 'n Wonderland ( 2009 ) , and Doggumentary ( 2011 ) , were released on Priority . Snoop Dogg has starred in motion pictures and hosted several television shows , including Doggy Fizzle Televizzle , Snoop Dogg 's Father Hood , and Dogg After Dark . He also coaches a youth football league and high school football team . In September 2009 , Snoop was hired by EMI as the chairman of a reactivated Priority Records .   In 2012 , after a trip to Jamaica , Snoop announced a conversion to the Rastafari movement and a new alias , Snoop Lion . Under the new moniker , he released a reggae album , Reincarnated , and a documentary film of the same name , of his Jamaican experience , in early 2013 . His fourteenth solo studio album , Coolaid , was released in July 2016 .   Snoop Dogg holds the dubious distinction of having seventeen Grammy nominations without a win .   In March 2016 , the night before WrestleMania 32 in Arlington , Texas , Snoop was inducted into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame having made several appearances for the company , including as Master of Ceremonies during a match at Wrestlemania XXIV .


Doggumentary Doggumentary is the eleventh studio album by American West Coast hip hop recording artist Snoop Dogg . It was released on March 29 , 2011 with the record labels ; Priority Records . The album was produced by Battlecat , The Cataracs , Gorillaz , David Banner , THX , DJ Khalil , Fredwreck , Jake One , David Guetta , Mike Dean , Jeff Bhasker , Lex Luger , Meech Wells , Mr. Porter , Rick Rock , Rick Rude , Scoop DeVille , Scott Storch , Warryn Campbell , Kanye West , DJ Reflex , among others .   It was supported by the singles ; Wet and Boom .   Doggumentary received mixed reviews from most critics . The album debuted at number eight on the US Billboard 200 . The album serves as the follow-up to Snoop 's tenth studio album Malice n Wonderland ( 2009 ) .


This Is Us has Chrissy Metz as part of the cast.

This Is Us (TV series) This Is Us is an American television series created by Dan Fogelman that premiered on NBC on September 20 , 2016 . The ensemble cast stars Milo Ventimiglia , Mandy Moore , Sterling K. Brown , Chrissy Metz , Justin Hartley , Susan Kelechi Watson , Chris Sullivan , and Ron Cephas Jones . It is about the family lives and connections of several people who all share the same birthday and the ways in which they are similar and different .   The series has received positive reviews since its premiere , receiving nominations for Best Television Series -- Drama at the 74th Golden Globe Awards and Best Drama Series at the 7th Critics ' Choice Awards , as well as being chosen as a Top Television Program by the American Film Institute . The cast has received accolades , with Mandy Moore and Chrissy Metz receiving Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actress , and Sterling K. Brown receiving a SAG nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series . It was also nominated and won the MTV Movie & TV Awards for Best Tearjerker Moment in 2017 .   On September 27 , 2016 , NBC picked up the series for a full season of 18 episodes . In January 2017 , NBC renewed the series through its third season , for a total of 36 additional episodes , 18 per season .


The Parliament of Canada consists of a governor general and a viceroy.

Parliament of Canada The Parliament of Canada ( Parlement du Canada ) is the federal legislative branch of Canada , seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital , Ottawa , Ontario . The body consists of the Canadian monarch , represented by a viceroy , the governor general ; an upper house : the Senate ; and a lower house : the House of Commons . Each element has its own officers and organization . The governor general summons and appoints each of the 105 senators on the advice of the Prime Minister of Canada , while the 338 members of the House of Commons -- called members of parliament ( MPs ) -- are directly elected by eligible Canadian voters , with each MP representing a single electoral district , commonly referred to as a riding .   By constitutional convention , the House of Commons is the dominant branch of parliament , the Senate and Crown rarely opposing its will . The Senate reviews legislation from a less partisan standpoint and the monarch or viceroy provides the necessary Royal Assent to make bills into law . The governor general also summons parliament , while either the viceroy or monarch can prorogue or dissolve parliament , the latter in order to call a general election . Either will read the Throne Speech . The most recent parliament , summoned by Governor General David Johnston in 2015 , is the 42nd since Confederation in 1867 .


Vienna Vienna ( -LSB- viˈɛnə -RSB- Wien , -LSB- viːn -RSB- ) is the capital and largest city of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria . Vienna is Austria 's primary city , with a population of about 1.8 million ( 2.6 million within the metropolitan area , nearly one third of Austria 's population ) , and its cultural , economic , and political centre . It is the 7th-largest city by population within city limits in the European Union . Until the beginning of the 20th century , it was the largest German-speaking city in the world , and before the splitting of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in World War I , the city had 2 million inhabitants . Today , it has the second largest number of German speakers after Berlin . Vienna is host to many major international organizations , including the United Nations and OPEC . The city is located in the eastern part of Austria and is close to the borders of the Czech Republic , Slovakia , and Hungary . These regions work together in a European Centrope border region . Along with nearby Bratislava , Vienna forms a metropolitan region with 3 million inhabitants . In 2001 , the city centre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site .   Apart from being regarded as the City of Music because of its musical legacy , Vienna is also said to be `` The City of Dreams '' because it was home to the world 's first psycho-analyst -- Sigmund Freud . The city 's roots lie in early Celtic and Roman settlements that transformed into a Medieval and Baroque city , and then the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire . It is well known for having played an essential role as a leading European music centre , from the great age of Viennese Classicism through the early part of the 20th century . The historic centre of Vienna is rich in architectural ensembles , including Baroque castles and gardens , and the late-19th-century Ringstraße lined with grand buildings , monuments and parks .   Vienna is known for its high quality of life . In a 2005 study of 127 world cities , the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked the city first ( in a tie with Vancouver , Canada and San Francisco , USA ) for the world 's most liveable cities . Between 2011 and 2015 , Vienna was ranked second , behind Melbourne , Australia .  For eight consecutive years ( 2009 -- 2016 ) , the human-resource-consulting firm Mercer ranked Vienna first in its annual `` Quality of Living '' survey of hundreds of cities around the world , a title the city still held in 2016 . Monocle 's 2015 `` Quality of Life Survey '' ranked Vienna second on a list of the top 25 cities in the world `` to make a base within . ''   The UN-Habitat has classified Vienna as being the most prosperous city in the world in 2012/2013 .  The city was ranked 1st globally for its culture of innovation in 2007 and 2008 , and sixth globally ( out of 256 cities ) in the 2014 Innovation Cities Index , which analyzed 162 indicators in covering three areas : culture , infrastructure , and markets . Vienna regularly hosts urban planning conferences and is often used as a case study by urban planners .   Between 2005 and 2010 , Vienna was the world 's number-one destination for international congresses and conventions . It attracts over 6.8 million tourists a year .


Dead Man Down Dead Man Down is an 2013 American neo-noir crime thriller film written by J.H. Wyman and directed by Danish director Niels Arden Oplev . The film stars Colin Farrell , Noomi Rapace , Dominic Cooper , and Terrence Howard , and was released on March 8 , 2013 . Dead Man Down was Oplev 's first film since The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ( 2009 ) , also starring Rapace and scored by Jacob Groth .


Noomi Rapace Noomi Rapace ( -LSB- ˈnoːmɪ raˈpɑːs -RSB- ; née Norén ; born 28 December 1979 ) is a Swedish actress . She achieved fame with her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish film adaptations of the Millennium series : The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo , The Girl Who Played with Fire , and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets ' Nest . In 2011 , she was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Actress for her performance in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo .   She is also known for playing Anna in Daisy Diamond ( 2007 ) , Leena in Beyond ( 2010 ) , Anna in The Monitor ( 2011 ) , Madame Simza Heron in Sherlock Holmes : A Game of Shadows ( 2011 ) , the lead role of Dr. Elizabeth Shaw in the Ridley Scott science-fiction film Prometheus ( 2012 ) , Beatrice in Dead Man Down ( 2013 ) , Nadia in The Drop ( 2014 ) , and Raisa Demidova in Child 44 ( 2015 ) .


Pink Floyd was inducted into a hall of fame.

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd were an English rock band formed in London . They achieved international acclaim with their progressive and psychedelic music . Distinguished by their use of philosophical lyrics , sonic experimentation , extended compositions and elaborate live shows , they are one of the most commercially successful and influential groups in the history of popular music .   Pink Floyd were founded in 1965 by students Syd Barrett on guitar and lead vocals , Nick Mason on drums , Roger Waters on bass and vocals , and Richard Wright on keyboards and vocals . They gained popularity performing in London 's underground music scene during the late 1960s , and under Barrett 's leadership released two charting singles and a successful debut album , The Piper at the Gates of Dawn ( 1967 ) . Guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour joined in December 1967 ; Barrett left in April 1968 due to deteriorating mental health . Waters became the band 's primary lyricist and conceptual leader , devising the concepts behind their albums The Dark Side of the Moon ( 1973 ) , Wish You Were Here ( 1975 ) , Animals ( 1977 ) , The Wall ( 1979 ) and The Final Cut ( 1983 ) . The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall became two of the best-selling albums of all time .   Following creative tensions , Wright left Pink Floyd in 1979 , followed by Waters in 1985 . Gilmour and Mason continued as Pink Floyd ; Wright rejoined them as a session musician and , later , a band member . The three produced two more albums -- A Momentary Lapse of Reason ( 1987 ) and The Division Bell ( 1994 ) -- and toured through 1994 . After nearly two decades of acrimony , Gilmour , Wright , and Mason reunited with Waters in 2005 to perform as Pink Floyd in London as part of the global awareness event Live 8 ; Gilmour and Waters later stated they have no plans to reunite as a band again . Barrett died in 2006 , and Wright in 2008 . The final Pink Floyd studio album , The Endless River ( 2014 ) , was recorded without Waters and based largely on unreleased material .   Pink Floyd were inducted into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005 . By 2013 , the band had sold more than 250 million records worldwide , including 75 million certified units in the United States .


There is an American film producer name Donnie Wahlberg.

Donnie Wahlberg Donald Edmond `` Donnie '' Wahlberg Jr. . ( born August 17 , 1969 ) is an American singer , songwriter , actor , record producer , and film producer . He is a founding member of the boy band New Kids on the Block . Outside of music , he has had roles in the Saw films , The Sixth Sense , Dreamcatcher , and Righteous Kill , also appearing in the World War II miniseries Band of Brothers as First Lieutenant Carwood Lipton . From 2002 to 2003 , he starred in the crime drama Boomtown . He has been starring in the drama series Blue Bloods as Danny Reagan with Tom Selleck ( his TV father ) and Bridget Moynahan ( his TV sister ) since 2010 , and since 2014 is an executive producer of the TNT reality television show Boston 's Finest . He was nominated for Choice Scream at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards for his work in the Saw films . He has also produced and starred in `` Rock this Boat '' , `` Donnie Loves Jenny '' and `` Return of the Mac '' on Pop TV .


The Wicked Witch of the West was created by an author.

L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum ( May 15 , 1856 -- May 6 , 1919 ) , better known by his pen name L. Frank Baum , was an American author chiefly known for his children 's books , particularly The Wonderful Wizard of Oz . He wrote thirteen novel sequels , nine other fantasy novels , and a host of other works ( 55 novels in total , plus four `` lost works '' , 83 short stories , over 200 poems , an unknown number of scripts , and many miscellaneous writings ) , and made numerous attempts to bring his works to the stage and screen . His works anticipated such century-later commonplaces as television , augmented reality , laptop computers ( The Master Key ) , wireless telephones ( Tik-Tok of Oz ) , women in high risk , action-heavy occupations ( Mary Louise in the Country ) , and the ubiquity of advertising on clothing ( Aunt Jane 's Nieces at Work ) .


Wicked Witch of the West The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character and the most significant antagonist in L. Frank Baum 's children 's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ( 1900 ) . In Baum 's subsequent Oz books , it is the Nome King who is the principal villain ; the Wicked Witch of the West is rarely even referred to again after her death in the first book .   The witch 's most popular depiction was in the classic 1939 film based on Baum 's book , where she was portrayed by Margaret Hamilton . Hamilton 's characterization introduced green skin and this has been continued in later literary and dramatic representations , including Gregory Maguire 's revisionist Oz novel Wicked : The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West ( 1995 ) and its musical stage adaptation Wicked ( 2003 ) , the 2013 film Oz the Great and Powerful , and the television series Once Upon a Time and Emerald City .


Led Zeppelin did not sign a deal with Atlantic Records.

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968 . The group consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page , singer Robert Plant , bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones , and drummer John Bonham . The band 's heavy , guitar-driven sound , rooted in blues and psychedelia on their early albums , has earned them recognition as one of the progenitors of heavy metal , though their unique style drew from a wide variety of influences , including folk music .   After changing their name from the New Yardbirds , Led Zeppelin signed a deal with Atlantic Records that afforded them considerable artistic freedom . Although the group was initially unpopular with critics , they achieved significant commercial success with albums such as Led Zeppelin ( 1969 ) , Led Zeppelin II ( 1969 ) , Led Zeppelin III ( 1970 ) , Led Zeppelin IV ( 1971 ) , Houses of the Holy ( 1973 ) , and Physical Graffiti ( 1975 ) . Their fourth album , which features the track `` Stairway to Heaven '' , is among the most popular and influential works in rock music , and it helped to secure the group 's popularity .   Page wrote most of Led Zeppelin 's music , particularly early in their career , while Plant generally supplied the lyrics . Jones ' keyboard-based compositions later became central to the group 's catalogue , which featured increasing experimentation . The latter half of their career saw a series of record-breaking tours that earned the group a reputation for excess and debauchery . Although they remained commercially and critically successful , their output and touring schedule were limited during the late 1970s , and the group disbanded following Bonham 's death from alcohol-related asphyxia in 1980 . In the decades that followed , the surviving members sporadically collaborated and participated in one-off Led Zeppelin reunions . The most successful of these was the 2007 Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert in London , with Jason Bonham taking his late father 's place behind the drums .   Led Zeppelin are widely considered one of the most successful , innovative , and influential rock groups in history . They are one of the best-selling music artists in the history of audio recording ; various sources estimate the group 's record sales at 200 to 300 million units worldwide . With RIAA-certified sales of 111.5 million units , they are the second-best-selling band in the US . Each of their nine studio albums placed in the top 10 of the Billboard album chart and six reached the number-one spot . They achieved eight consecutive UK number-one albums . Rolling Stone magazine described them as `` the heaviest band of all time '' , `` the biggest band of the Seventies '' , and `` unquestionably one of the most enduring bands in rock history '' . They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 ; the museum 's biography of the band states that they were `` as influential '' during the 1970s as the Beatles were during the 1960s .


David Carradine David Carradine ( born John Arthur Carradine ; December 8 , 1936 -- June 3 , 2009 ) was an American actor and martial artist . He was known for his leading role as a peace-loving Shaolin monk , Kwai Chang Caine , in the 1970s television series Kung Fu . He was also known for playing Frankenstein in the original Death Race movie and Bill in both Kill Bill films .   He was a member of an acting family that began with his father , John Carradine . Carradine 's acting career , which included major and minor roles on stage and television , and in cinema , spanned over four decades . A prolific `` B '' movie actor , he appeared in more than 100 feature films in career spanning over sixty years . He was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards , for projects such as the television series Kung Fu ( 1972 -- 1975 ) , the Woody Guthrie biopic Bound for Glory ( 1976 ) and the miniseries North and South ( 1985 ) . His final nomination came in the category of Best Supporting Actor for portraying the titular character in Quentin Tarantino 's Kill Bill : Volume 2 ( 2004 ) .   Films that featured Carradine continued to be released after his death . These posthumous credits were from a variety of genres including action , documentaries , drama , horror , martial arts , science fiction , and westerns . In addition to his acting career , Carradine was a director and musician . Moreover , influenced by his most popular acting role , he studied martial arts .   He was sometimes arrested and prosecuted for a variety of offenses , which often involved substance abuse . He died on June 3 , 2009 , in a hotel room in Bangkok , Thailand from auto-erotic asphyxiation .


Kung Fu (TV series) Kung Fu is an American action-adventure martial arts western drama television series starring David Carradine . The series aired on ABC from October 1972 to April 1975 for a total of 63 episodes . Kung Fu was preceded by a full-length ( 90 minutes , with commercial breaks ) feature television pilot , an ABC Movie of the Week , which was broadcast on February 22 , 1972 . The series became one of the most popular television programs of the early 1970s , receiving widespread critical acclaim and commercial success upon its release .   Kung Fu was created by Ed Spielman , directed and produced by Jerry Thorpe , and developed by Herman Miller , who was also a writer for , and co-producer of , the series .   The series follows the adventures of Kwai Chang Caine ( portrayed by David Carradine as an adult , Keith Carradine as a teenager , and Radames Pera as a young boy ) , a Shaolin monk who travels through the American Old West armed only with his spiritual training and his skill in martial arts , as he seeks Danny Caine , his half-brother . Many of the aphorisms used in the series are adapted from or derived directly from the Tao Te Ching , a book of ancient Taoist philosophy attributed to the sage Lao-tzu .   Keye Luke ( as the blind Master Po ) and Philip Ahn ( as Master Chen Ming Kan ) were also members of the regular cast . David Chow , who was also a guest star in the series , acted as the technical and kung fu advisor , a role later undertaken by Kam Yuen .


Bound for Glory (film) Bound for Glory is a 1976 American film directed by Hal Ashby and loosely adapted by Robert Getchell from Woody Guthrie 's 1943 autobiography Bound for Glory . The film stars David Carradine as folk singer Woody Guthrie and Ronny Cox , Melinda Dillon , Gail Strickland , John Lehne , Ji-Tu Cumbuka and Randy Quaid .   Bound for Glory was the first motion picture in which inventor/operator Garrett Brown used his new Steadicam for filming moving scenes . Director of Photography Haskell Wexler won an Oscar for Best Cinematography ( 1976 ) .   All of the main events and characters , except for Guthrie and his first wife , Mary , are entirely fictional . The film ends with Guthrie singing his most famous song , `` God Blessed America '' ( subsequently retitled `` This Land Is Your Land '' ) , on his way to New York , but , in fact , the song was composed in New York in 1940 and forgotten by him until five years later .


An unincorporated territory of the United States is Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico ( Spanish for `` Rich Port '' ) , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico , `` Free Associated State of Puerto Rico '' ) and briefly called Porto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeast Caribbean Sea .   It is an archipelago that includes the main island of Puerto Rico and a number of smaller ones such as Mona , Culebra , and Vieques . The capital and most populous city is San Juan . Its official languages are Spanish and English , though Spanish predominates . The island 's population is approximately 3.4 million . Puerto Rico 's rich history , tropical climate , diverse natural scenery , traditional cuisine , and attractive tax incentives make it a popular destination for travelers from around the world .   Originally populated by the indigenous Taíno people , the island was claimed in 1493 by Christopher Columbus for the Crown of Castile , and it later endured invasion attempts from the French , Dutch , and British . Four centuries of Spanish colonial government transformed the island 's ethnic , cultural and physical landscapes primarily with waves of African slaves , and Canarian , and Andalusian settlers . In the Spanish imperial imagination , Puerto Rico played a secondary , but strategic role when compared to wealthier colonies like Peru and Mexico . Such a distant administrative control continued right up until the end of the 19th century helping to produce a distinctive creole Hispanic culture and language that combined elements from the Natives , Africans , and Iberian people . In 1898 , following the Spanish -- American War , the United States appropriated Puerto Rico together with most former Spanish colonies under the terms of the Treaty of Paris .   Puerto Ricans are considered natural-born citizens of the United States . However , Puerto Rico does not have a vote in the United States Congress , which governs the territory with full jurisdiction under the Puerto Rico Federal Relations Act of 1950 . As a U.S. territory , American citizens residing on the island are disenfranchised at the national level and may not vote for president and vice president of the United States . However , Congress approved a local constitution , allowing U.S. citizens on the territory to elect a governor . A 2012 referendum showed a majority ( 54 % of those who voted ) disagreed with `` the present form of territorial status '' , with full statehood as the preferred option among those who voted for a change of status , although a significant number of people did not answer the second question from the referendum . A fifth referendum will be held in June 2017 , and `` Statehood '' and `` Independence/Free Association '' were initially the only available options . However , at the recommendation of the Department of Justice , a `` current territorial status '' option will be added .   In early 2017 , the Puerto Rican government-debt crisis posed serious problems for the government . The outstanding bond debt had climbed to $ 70 billion at a time with 12.4 % unemployment . The debt had been increasing during a decade long recession . This was the second major financial crisis to affect the island after the Great Depression when the U.S. government , in 1935 , provided relief efforts through the Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration . On May 3 , 2017 , Puerto Rico 's financial oversight board in the U.S. District Court in Puerto Rico filed the debt restructuring petition which was made under Title III of PROMESA .


The Divergent Series: Insurgent is a science fiction action amusement park.

The Divergent Series: Insurgent The Divergent Series : Insurgent ( also known simply as Insurgent ) is a 2015 American science fiction action film directed by Robert Schwentke , based on Insurgent , the second book in the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth . It is the sequel to the 2014 film Divergent and the second installment in The Divergent Series , produced by Lucy Fisher , Pouya Shabazian and Douglas Wick , with a screenplay by Brian Duffield , Akiva Goldsman and Mark Bomback . Schwentke took over from Neil Burger as director , with Burger serving as the executive producer of the film . Along with the first film 's returning cast , led by Shailene Woodley and Theo James , the sequel features supporting actors Octavia Spencer , Naomi Watts , Suki Waterhouse , Rosa Salazar , Daniel Dae Kim , Jonny Weston , Emjay Anthony , and Keiynan Lonsdale .   The plot of Insurgent takes place five days after the previous installment and continues to follow Dauntless soldier Tris Prior ; Tris and Four , her Dauntless instructor , are on the run after evading a coup from Erudite faction leader Jeanine and the rest of her faction . The faction system in post-apocalyptic Chicago is crumbling , and everyone is desperate for power -- and answers . Filming began on May 27 , 2014 in Atlanta , Georgia , before concluding on September 6 , 2014 .   The Divergent Series : Insurgent was released on March 20 , 2015 in the United States in the IMAX 3D format as well as regular 3D and 2D . Critical reaction to the film was mixed to negative : some have considered the film to be an improvement over its predecessor , with reviewers highlighting the visual style , action sequences , and Woodley 's performance , but the film still received a significant amount of negative criticism , mainly focused on its storyline . The film was a commercial success , grossing $ 52.2 million in its opening weekend and reaching the number one spot at the box-office . During its release in theaters , the film earned over US$ 297 million worldwide .   A sequel , Allegiant , was released on March 18 , 2016 .


Thomas Pynchon only published short stories decades before the 1950s.

Thomas Pynchon Thomas Ruggles Pynchon , Jr. ( -LSB- ˈpɪnˌtʃɒn -RSB- , commonly -LSB- ˈpɪntʃən -RSB- born May 8 , 1937 ) is an American novelist . A MacArthur Fellow , he is noted for his dense and complex novels . His fiction and non-fiction writings encompass a vast array of subject matter , genres and themes , including history , music , science , and mathematics . For Gravity 's Rainbow , Pynchon won the 1974 U.S. National Book Award for Fiction .   Hailing from Long Island , Pynchon served two years in the United States Navy and earned an English degree from Cornell University . After publishing several short stories in the late 1950s and early 1960s , he began composing the novels for which he is best known : V. ( 1963 ) , The Crying of Lot 49 ( 1966 ) , Gravity 's Rainbow ( 1973 ) , and Mason & Dixon ( 1997 ) . Pynchon is also notoriously reclusive ; very few photographs of him have ever been published , and rumors about his location and identity have circulated since the 1960s .   Pynchon 's most recent novel , Bleeding Edge , was published on September 17 , 2013 .


The Strain (TV series) The Strain is an American horror drama television series that premiered on FX on July 13 , 2014 . It was created by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan , based on their novel trilogy of the same name . Carlton Cuse serves as executive producer and showrunner . Del Toro and Hogan wrote the pilot episode , `` Night Zero '' , which del Toro directed . A thirteen-episode first season was ordered on November 19 , 2013 . The pilot episode premiered at the ATX Television Festival in Austin , Texas , in early June 2014 .   On August 6 , 2014 , FX renewed The Strain for a 13-episode second season which premiered on July 12 , 2015 . On August 7 , 2015 , FX renewed The Strain for a 10-episode third season which premiered on August 28 , 2016 . FX renewed the series for a fourth and final season on September 27 , 2016 , which is scheduled to premiere on July 16 , 2017 .


Remote Control Productions has provided the scores for movies.

Remote Control Productions Remote Control Productions , Inc. is a film score company run by composer Hans Zimmer and based in Santa Monica , California . Originally known as `` Media Ventures , '' which was conceived and founded by Jay Rifkin and Hans Zimmer , the company changed its name after the partners both filed lawsuits against each other . Today , Remote Control is home to a large group of composers mentored by Zimmer , many of whom have had successful film scoring careers as part of the company or on their own .   Remote Control Productions has been responsible for the scores for a number of successful live-action films including the Pirates of the Caribbean movies , Iron Man , Gladiator , Mission : Impossible 2 , The Last Samurai , Transformers , Hancock , Kingdom of Heaven , The Da Vinci Code , Inception , Sherlock Holmes and its sequel , and The Dark Knight Trilogy , along with successful animated films such as the Shrek series , Kung Fu Panda , Madagascar , The Lion King , and more .  Many composers from Remote Control Productions have also worked on the scores of successful video games such as the Metal Gear and Skylanders series , The Sims 3 , Gears of War 2 , Call of Duty : Modern Warfare , its sequel , Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2 , Crysis 2 , Assassin 's Creed : Revelations , and Assassin 's Creed III . Harry Gregson-Williams was the first Media Ventures composer to work in the video game industry on Metal Gear Solid 2 : Sons of Liberty in 2001 . Klaus Badelt , Stephen Barton , Steve Jablonsky , Lorne Balfe , and Hans Zimmer joined a few years later .


Facebook is a for-profit business model.

Facebook Facebook is an American for-profit corporation and an online social media and social networking service based in Menlo Park , California . The Facebook website was launched on February 4 , 2004 , by Mark Zuckerberg , along with fellow Harvard College students and roommates , Eduardo Saverin , Andrew McCollum , Dustin Moskovitz , and Chris Hughes .   The founders had initially limited the website 's membership to Harvard students ; however , later they expanded it to higher education institutions in the Boston area , the Ivy League schools , and Stanford University . Facebook gradually added support for students at various other universities , and eventually to high school students as well . Since 2006 , anyone age 13 and older has been allowed to become a registered user of Facebook , though variations exist in the minimum age requirement , depending on applicable local laws . The Facebook name comes from the face book directories often given to United States university students .   Facebook may be accessed by a large range of desktops , laptops , tablet computers , and smartphones over the Internet and mobile networks . After registering to use the site , users can create a user profile indicating their name , occupation , schools attended and so on . Users can add other users as `` friends '' , exchange messages , post status updates and digital photos , share digital videos and links , use various software applications ( `` apps '' ) , and receive notifications when others update their profiles or make posts . Additionally , users may join common-interest user groups organized by workplace , school , hobbies or other topics , and categorize their friends into lists such as `` People From Work '' or `` Close Friends '' . In groups , editors can pin posts to top . Additionally , users can complain about or block unpleasant people . Because of the large volume of data that users submit to the service , Facebook has come under scrutiny for its privacy policies . Facebook makes most of its revenue from advertisements which appear onscreen .   Facebook , Inc. held its initial public offering ( IPO ) in February 2012 , and began selling stock to the public three months later , reaching an original peak market capitalization of $ 104 billion . On July 13 , 2015 , Facebook became the fastest company in the Standard & Poor 's 500 Index to reach a market cap of $ 250 billion . Facebook has more than 1.94 billion monthly active users as of March 31 , 2017 . As of April 2016 , Facebook was the most popular social networking site in the world , based on the number of active user accounts . Facebook classifies users from the ages of 13 to 18 as minors and therefore sets their profiles to share content with friends only .