The Second Punic War is also known as another name.

Second Punic War The Second Punic War , also referred to as The Hannibalic War and ( by the Romans ) the War Against Hannibal , lasted from 218 to 201 BC and involved combatants in the western and eastern Mediterranean . This was the second major war between Carthage and the Roman Republic and its allied Italic socii , with the crucial participation of Numidian-Berber armies and tribes on both sides . The two states fought three major wars with each other over the course of their existence . They are called the `` Punic Wars '' because Rome 's name for Carthaginians was Poeni , derived from Poenici ( earlier form of Punici ) , a reference to the founding of Carthage by Phoenician settlers .   The war was to a considerable extent initiated by Carthage at Saguntum in Spain and is marked by Hannibal 's surprising overland journey and his costly crossing of the Alps , followed by his reinforcement by Gallic allies and crushing victories over Roman armies in the Battle of the Trebia and the ambush at Trasimene . In the following year ( 216 ) , Hannibal 's army defeated the Romans again , this time in southern Italy at Cannae . In consequence of these defeats , many Roman allies went over to Carthage , prolonging the war in Italy for over a decade . Against Hannibal 's skill on the battlefield , the Romans deployed the Fabian strategy . Roman forces were more capable in siege warfare than the Carthaginians and recaptured all of the major cities that had joined the enemy , as well as defeating a Carthaginian attempt to reinforce Hannibal at the Battle of the Metaurus . In the meantime , in Iberia , which served as the main source of manpower for the Carthaginian army , a second Roman expedition under Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus Major took Carthago Nova by assault and ended Carthaginian rule over Iberia in the Battle of Ilipa . The final engagement was the Battle of Zama in Africa between Scipio Africanus and Hannibal , resulting in the latter 's defeat and the imposition of harsh peace conditions on Carthage ( Carthaginian peace ) , which ceased to be a major power and became a Roman client-state .   A sideshow of this war was the indecisive First Macedonian War in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Ionian Sea .   All battles mentioned in the introduction are ranked among the most costly traditional battles of human history ; in addition , there were a few successful ambushes of armies that also ended in their annihilation .


Rafael Nadal won an annual tennis tournament.

Barcelona Open (tennis) The Barcelona Open ( currently sponsored by Banc Sabadell ) is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players . The event has been held in Barcelona , Catalonia , Spain every year since 1953 , and is played on clay courts at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona . It was an event of the Grand Prix tennis circuit between ( 1970 -- 1989 ) , except in 1971 when it was part of the World Championship Tennis ( WCT ) circuit , although it was also open to non-WCT players . The tournament is part of the 500 series on the ATP World Tour . It is also known as Torneo Godó , Trofeo Conde de Godó , and Open Banc Sabadell .   It is Spain 's second most important tournament on the ATP tour after the Madrid Open and the event generally takes place in the last week of April , when temperatures in Barcelona average a daily high of 19 C. Rafael Nadal has won the singles title a record ten times .


Monte-Carlo Masters The Monte-Carlo Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin , France , a commune that borders on Monaco . The event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals ( ATP ) Tour . The tournament is played on clay courts and is held every year in the April -- May period .   The Monte Carlo tennis championship was first held in 1897 . It became an `` Open '' event in 1969 . From 1970 through 1972 and from 1978 through 1989 it was a major tournament of the Grand Prix Tour as part of the Grand Prix Super Series top tier events . In 1973 the tournament was part of the Rothmans Spring Mediterranean Circuit . From 1974 through 1977 the tournament was part of the World Championship Tennis ( WCT ) circuit . In 1990 it became an ATP Championship Series Single Week tennis event .   Beginning in 2009 , Monte Carlo became the only ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament not to have a mandatory player commitment . Most of the top players still elect to play the event despite this status .   Rafael Nadal won the title eight consecutive times between 2005 and 2012 , making him the only player to win eight consecutive titles at the same tournament . In 2017 , contesting his 11th final against Albert Ramos Viñolas , he won the title for an Open Era record 10th time .


Rafael Nadal Rafael `` Rafa '' Nadal Parera ( -LSB- rəfəˈɛɫ nəˈðaɫ pəˈɾeɾə -RSB- , -LSB- rafaˈel naˈðal paˈɾeɾa -RSB- ; born 3 June 1986 ) is a Spanish professional tennis player . He is widely regarded as the greatest clay-court player in history , and owing to his dominance and success on the surface , he has been called `` The King of Clay '' . His evolution into an all-court threat has established him as one of the greatest players in tennis history , with some considering Nadal to be the greatest male player of all time .   Nadal has won 14 Grand Slam singles titles , the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles , an all-time record of 30 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles , tied with Novak Djokovic , and a record 18 ATP World Tour 500 tournaments . He was also a member of the winning Spain Davis Cup team in 2004 , 2008 , 2009 , and 2011 . In 2010 , he became the seventh male player in history and youngest of four in the Open Era to achieve the Career Grand Slam at age 24 . He is the second male player , after Andre Agassi , to complete the singles Career Golden Slam . In 2011 , Nadal was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year . The left-hander is the sixth player in the Open Era to reach more than 100 finals on the ATP World Tour .   Nadal and Mats Wilander are the only two male players who have won at least two Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces -- hard court , grass , and clay . By winning the 2014 French Open , Nadal became the third player to win a single Grand Slam tournament nine times ( Martina Navratilova 9 , Margaret Court 11 ) and the first male to win at least one Grand Slam tournament for ten consecutive years , breaking the record of eight consecutive years previously shared by Björn Borg , Pete Sampras , and Roger Federer . By winning the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2012 , Nadal became the only male player in the open era to win a tournament eight consecutive times . Nadal is the only male player in tennis history to win one Grand Slam and at least one Masters 1000 title for ten consecutive years from 2005 -- 2014 . He beat Guillermo Vilas 's Open Era record of 49 clay-court titles by winning the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2017 . Nadal became the first man to win the same tournament 10 times by wining the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2017 . He repeated this historic achievement by winning the Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell for a 10th time just a few weeks later .


Notes on a Scandal received a nomination for The Academy Award for Best Original Score.

Notes on a Scandal (film) Notes on a Scandal is a 2006 British psychological thriller-drama film , adapted from the 2003 novel of the same name by Zoë Heller . The screenplay was written by Patrick Marber and the film was directed by Richard Eyre and starred Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett . The soundtrack was composed by Philip Glass .   It was nominated for four Academy Awards -- Best Actress , Best Supporting Actress , Best Adapted Screenplay , and Best Original Score .


The 12-hour clock splits the day into two periods.

12-hour clock The 12-hour clock is a time convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods : a.m. ( from the Latin , ante meridiem , meaning before midday ) and p.m. ( post meridiem , meaning past midday ) . Each period consists of 12 hours numbered : 12 ( acting as zero ) , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , and 11 . The 24 hour/day cycle starts at 12 midnight ( often indicated as 12 a.m. ) , runs through 12 noon ( often indicated as 12 p.m. ) , and continues to the midnight at the end of the day .   The 12-hour clock was developed over time from the mid-second millennium BC to the 16th century AD .


Above the Law (film) Above the Law ( also known as Nico ) is a 1988 American action film written , produced and directed by Andrew Davis , and also produced by and starring Steven Seagal in his film debut . The film co-stars Pam Grier , Sharon Stone , Daniel Faraldo and Henry Silva . This came about after a successful screen test , financed by Michael Ovitz , leading to Seagal being offered a contract by Warner Bros. . The film was set and filmed on location in Chicago . The film was released in the United States on April 8 , 1988 .


Black Sails (TV series) Black Sails is an American historical adventure television series set on New Providence Island and a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson 's novel Treasure Island . The series was created by Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine for Starz . It debuted online for free on YouTube and other various streaming platform and video on demand services on January 18 , 2014 . The debut on cable television followed a week later on January 25 , 2014 . Steinberg is executive producer , alongside Michael Bay , Brad Fuller and Andrew Form , while Michael Angeli , Doris Egan , and Levine are co-executive producers .   On July 26 , 2013 , Starz renewed the show for a ten-episode second season , which premiered on January 24 , 2015 . The early renewal , six months before the first season premiered , was based on the positive fan reaction to the show at the San Diego Comic-Con . The series was renewed for a third season on October 12 , 2014 , and a fourth season on July 31 , 2015 , both before the respective previous seasons had premiered .   On July 20 , 2016 , Starz announced that the series ' fourth season would be its last ; the season premiered on January 29 , 2017 , and the series concluded on April 2 , 2017 .


The first celebrity to launch a perfume brand was Elizabeth Taylor.

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor , DBE ( February 27 , 1932 -- March 23 , 2011 ) was a British American actress , businesswoman , and humanitarian . She began as a child actress in the early 1940s , and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s . She continued her career successfully into the 1960s , and remained a well known public figure for the rest of her life . In 1999 , the American Film Institute named her the seventh-greatest female screen legend .   Born in London to wealthy , socially prominent American parents , Taylor moved with her family to Los Angeles in 1939 , and she soon was given a film contract by Universal Pictures . She made her screen debut in a minor role in There 's One Born Every Minute ( 1942 ) , but Universal terminated her contract after a year . Taylor was then signed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer , and had her breakthrough role in National Velvet ( 1944 ) , becoming one of the studio 's most popular teenaged stars . She made the transition to adult roles in the early 1950s , when she starred in the comedy Father of the Bride ( 1950 ) and received critical acclaim for her performance in the tragic drama A Place in the Sun ( 1951 ) .   Despite being one of MGM 's most bankable stars , Taylor wished to end her career in the early 1950s , as she resented the studio 's control and disliked many of the films to which she was assigned . She began receiving better roles in the mid-1950s , beginning with the epic drama Giant ( 1956 ) , and starred in several critically and commercially successful films in the following years . These included two film adaptations of plays by Tennessee Williams , Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ( 1958 ) and Suddenly , Last Summer ( 1959 ) ; Taylor won a Golden Globe for Best Actress for the latter . Although she disliked her role in BUtterfield 8 ( 1960 ) , her last film for MGM , she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance . She was next paid a record-breaking $ 1 million to play the title role in the historical epic Cleopatra ( 1963 ) , the most expensive film made up to that point . During the filming , Taylor and co-star Richard Burton began having an extramarital affair which caused a scandal . Despite public disapproval , Burton and she continued their relationship and were married the first time ( his second marriage , her fifth ) in 1964 . Dubbed `` Liz and Dick '' by the media , they starred in 11 films together , including The V.I.P.s ( 1963 ) , The Sandpiper ( 1965 ) , The Taming of the Shrew ( 1967 ) , and Who 's Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? ( 1966 ) . Taylor received the best reviews of her career for Woolf , winning her second Academy Award and several other awards for her performance .   Taylor 's acting career began to decline in the late 1960s , although she continued starring in films until the mid-1970s , after which she focused on supporting the career of her sixth husband , Senator John Warner . In the 1980s , she acted in her first substantial stage roles and in several television films and series , and became the first celebrity to launch a perfume brand . Taylor was also one of the first celebrities to take part in HIV/AIDS activism . She co-founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research in 1985 and the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation in 1991 . From the early 1990s until her death , she dedicated her time to philanthropy . She received several accolades for it , including the Presidential Citizens Medal .   Throughout her life , Taylor 's personal affairs were subject to constant media attention . She was married eight times to seven men , endured serious illnesses , and led a jet set lifestyle , including amassing one of the most expensive private collections of jewelry . After many years of ill health , Taylor died from congestive heart failure at the age of 79 in 2011 .


Keanu Reeves has spent most of his later career being typecast.

Keanu Reeves Keanu Charles Reeves ( -LSB- kiːˈɑːnuː -RSB- ; born September 2 , 1964 ) is a Canadian actor , director , producer , and musician .   Reeves is best known for his acting career , beginning in 1985 and spanning more than three decades . He gained fame for his starring role performances in several blockbuster films including comedies from the Bill and Ted franchise ( 1989 -- 1991 ) ; action thrillers Point Break ( 1991 ) , Speed ( 1994 ) , and the John Wick franchise ; psychological thriller The Devil 's Advocate ( 1997 ) ; supernatural thriller Constantine ( 2005 ) ; and science fiction/action series The Matrix ( 1999 -- 2003 ) . He has also appeared in dramatic films such as Dangerous Liaisons ( 1988 ) , My Own Private Idaho ( 1991 ) , and Little Buddha ( 1993 ) , as well as the romantic horror Bram Stoker 's Dracula ( 1992 ) .   Since becoming active in the film industry , Reeves has earned critical acclaim . One New York Times critic praised Reeves ' versatility , saying that he `` displays considerable discipline and range ... he moves easily between the buttoned-down demeanor that suits a police procedural story and the loose-jointed manner of his comic roles '' . However , Reeves has spent much of his later career being typecast . A recurring character arc in many roles he has portrayed is one of saving the world , as can be seen in the characters of Ted Logan , Buddha , Neo , Johnny Mnemonic , John Constantine , and Klaatu . His acting has garnered several awards , including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame .   During his film career , Reeves has engaged in several forms of artistic expression . Active as a musician for over a decade , he played bass guitar for the bands Dogstar and Becky . Acting onstage , he performed as Prince Hamlet for the Manitoba Theatre Centre 's production of Hamlet . He wrote the text for a picture book , Ode to Happiness , illustrated by Alexandra Grant . He has also produced a documentary , Side by Side , and directed the martial arts film Man of Tai Chi .


Molly Bernard Molly Kate Bernard ( born April 10 , 1989 ) is an American actress . She is best known for her role as Lauren Heller on the television series Younger .


Lisa Kudrow Lisa Valerie Kudrow ( -LSB- ` kuːdroʊ -RSB- born July 30 , 1963 ) is an American actress , comedian , writer and producer . She gained worldwide recognition for her ten-season run as Phoebe Buffay and Ursula Buffay on the television sitcom Friends , for which she received many accolades , including six Emmy Award nominations , winning once in 1998 , and twelve Screen Actors Guild Award nominations , winning twice in 1996 and 2000 .   She went on to produce , write and star in the 2005 HBO series The Comeback , which was revived nine years later and began airing its second season in November 2014 . She received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for both seasons , in 2006 and 2015 respectively . She also starred in Web Therapy , which aired for four seasons on Showtime . As a producer of the series , she was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class -- Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program for the show in 2012 . She is also one of the executive producers of the TLC reality program Who Do You Think You Are and was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Program for the series in 2012 and 2014 .   Away from television , Kudrow has also appeared in many films , including Romy and Michele 's High School Reunion ( 1997 ) , The Opposite of Sex ( 1998 ) , Analyze This ( 1999 ) and its sequel Analyze That ( 2002 ) , Dr. Dolittle 2 ( 2001 ) , Wonderland ( 2003 ) , Happy Endings ( 2005 ) , P.S. I Love You ( 2007 ) , Bandslam ( 2008 ) , Hotel for Dogs ( 2009 ) , Easy A ( 2010 ) , Neighbors ( 2014 ) , its sequel Neighbors 2 : Sorority Rising ( 2016 ) and The Girl on the Train ( 2016 ) .


Berlin is the second most populous city in the European Union.

Berlin Berlin ( -LSB- bəɹˈlɪn -RSB- , -LSB- bɛɐ̯ˈliːn -RSB- ) is the capital and the largest city of Germany as well as one of its 16 constituent states . With a population of approximately 3.7 million , Berlin is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union . Located in northeastern Germany on the banks of the rivers Spree and Havel , it is the centre of the Berlin-Brandenburg Metropolitan Region , which has roughly 6 million residents from more than 180 nations . Due to its location in the European Plain , Berlin is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate . Around one-third of the city 's area is composed of forests , parks , gardens , rivers , canals and lakes .   First documented in the 13th century and situated at the crossing of two important historic trade routes , Berlin became the capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg ( 14171701 ) , the Kingdom of Prussia ( 1701 -- 1918 ) , the German Empire ( 1871 -- 1918 ) , the Weimar Republic ( 1919 -- 1933 ) and the Third Reich ( 1933 -- 1945 ) . Berlin in the 1920s was the third largest municipality in the world . After World War II and its subsequent occupation by the victorious countries , the city was divided ; East Berlin was declared capital of East Germany , while West Berlin became a de facto West German exclave , surrounded by the Berlin Wall ( 1961 -- 1989 ) and East German territory . Following German reunification in 1990 , Berlin once again became the capital of all-Germany .   Berlin is a world city of culture , politics , media and science . Its economy is based on high-tech firms and the service sector , encompassing a diverse range of creative industries , research facilities , media corporations and convention venues . Berlin serves as a continental hub for air and rail traffic and has a highly complex public transportation network . The metropolis is a popular tourist destination . Significant industries also include IT , pharmaceuticals , biomedical engineering , clean tech , biotechnology , construction and electronics .   Modern Berlin is home to world renowned universities , orchestras , museums , entertainment venues and is host to many sporting events . Its urban setting has made it a sought-after location for international film productions . The city is well known for its festivals , diverse architecture , nightlife , contemporary arts and a high quality of living . Since the 2000s Berlin has seen the emergence of a cosmopolitan entrepreneurial scene .


Willie Nelson is incapable of being involved with NORML because he is against marijuana legalization.

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson ( born April 29 , 1933 ) is an American musician , singer , songwriter , author , poet , actor , and activist . The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie ( 1973 ) , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger ( 1975 ) and Stardust ( 1978 ) , made Nelson one of the most recognized artists in country music . He was one of the main figures of outlaw country , a subgenre of country music that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restrictions of the Nashville sound . Nelson has acted in over 30 films , co-authored several books , and has been involved in activism for the use of biofuels and the legalization of marijuana .   Born during the Great Depression , and raised by his grandparents , Nelson wrote his first song at age seven and joined his first band at ten . During high school , he toured locally with the Bohemian Polka as their lead singer and guitar player . After graduating from high school in 1950 , he joined the Air Force but was later discharged due to back problems . After his return , Nelson attended Baylor University for two years but dropped out because he was succeeding in music . During this time , he worked as a disc jockey in Texas radio stations and a singer in honky-tonks . Nelson moved to Vancouver , Washington , where he wrote `` Family Bible '' and recorded the song `` Lumberjack '' in 1956 . In 1958 , he moved to Houston , Texas , after signing a contract with D Records . He sang at the Esquire Ballroom weekly and he worked as a disk jockey . During that time , he wrote songs that would become country standards , including `` Funny How Time Slips Away '' , `` Hello Walls '' , `` Pretty Paper '' , and `` Crazy '' . In 1960 he moved to Nashville , Tennessee , and later signed a publishing contract with Pamper Music which allowed him to join Ray Price 's band as a bassist . In 1962 , he recorded his first album , ... And Then I Wrote . Due to this success , Nelson signed in 1964 with RCA Victor and joined the Grand Ole Opry the following year . After mid-chart hits in the late 1960s and the early 1970s , Nelson retired in 1972 and moved to Austin , Texas . The ongoing music scene of Austin motivated Nelson to return from retirement , performing frequently at the Armadillo World Headquarters .   In 1973 , after signing with Atlantic Records , Nelson turned to outlaw country , including albums such as Shotgun Willie and Phases and Stages . In 1975 , he switched to Columbia Records , where he recorded the critically acclaimed album Red Headed Stranger . The same year , he recorded another outlaw country album , Wanted ! The Outlaws , along with Waylon Jennings , Jessi Colter , and Tompall Glaser . During the mid-1980s , while creating hit albums like Honeysuckle Rose and recording hit songs like `` On the Road Again '' , `` To All the Girls I 've Loved Before '' , and `` Pancho and Lefty '' , he joined the country supergroup The Highwaymen , along with fellow singers Johnny Cash , Waylon Jennings , and Kris Kristofferson .   In 1990 , Nelson 's assets were seized by the Internal Revenue Service , which claimed that he owed . The difficulty of paying his outstanding debt was aggravated by weak investments he had made during the 1980s . In 1992 , Nelson released The IRS Tapes : Who 'll Buy My Memories ? ; the profits of the double album -- destined to the IRS -- and the auction of Nelson 's assets cleared his debt . During the 1990s and 2000s , Nelson continued touring extensively , and released albums every year . Reviews ranged from positive to mixed . He explored genres such as reggae , blues , jazz , and folk . Nelson made his first movie appearance in the 1979 film The Electric Horseman , followed by other appearances in movies and on television . Nelson is a major liberal activist and the co-chair of the advisory board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws ( NORML ) , which is in favor of marijuana legalization . On the environmental front , Nelson owns the bio-diesel brand Willie Nelson Biodiesel , which is made from vegetable oil . Nelson is also the honorary chairman of the Advisory Board of the Texas Music Project , the official music charity of the state of Texas .


The Divergent Series: Allegiant is based on Allegiant and is successful.

The Divergent Series: Allegiant The Divergent Series : Allegiant is a 2016 American action adventure film directed by Robert Schwentke with a screenplay by Bill Collage , Adam Cooper , and Noah Oppenheim . It is the first of two cinematic parts based on the novel Allegiant , the final book in the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth , and the third installment in The Divergent Series .   The film stars Shailene Woodley , Theo James , Jeff Daniels , Miles Teller , Ansel Elgort , Zoë Kravitz , Maggie Q , Ray Stevenson , Bill Skarsgard , Octavia Spencer and Naomi Watts , and is the sequel to Insurgent and could be followed by the concluding entry , Ascendant ( Allegiant and Ascendant were originally to be titled Allegiant -- Part 1 and Allegiant -- Part 2 ) .   Allegiant was released on March 18 , 2016 , in theaters and IMAX and received mainly negative reviews . The film was a financial disappointment , grossing $ 179 million worldwide , becoming the lowest-grossing Divergent film . This led to budget cuts on the fourth and the possibility that the final installment in the series , Ascendant , would be released as a TV movie instead of a theatrical one .


The Italian language is spoken by communities in Australia.

Italian language Italian ( -LSB- itaˈljaːno -RSB- or lingua italiana -LSB- ˈliŋɡwa itaˈljaːna -RSB- ) is a Romance language . By most measures , Italian , together with Sardinian , is the closest to Latin of the Romance languages .  Italian is an official language in Italy , Switzerland , San Marino , Vatican City and western Istria ( in Slovenia and Croatia ) . It used to have official status in Albania , Malta and Monaco , where it is still widely spoken , as well as in former Italian East Africa and Italian North Africa regions where it plays a significant role in various sectors . Italian is spoken by small minorities in places such as France ( especially in Corsica ) , Montenegro , Crimea and Tunisia and by large expatriate communities in the Americas and Australia . It has official minority status in Bosnia and Herzegovina , Croatia , Slovenia and Romania . Many speakers are native bilinguals of both standardized Italian and other regional languages . Italian is the fourth most studied language in the world .   Italian is a major European language , being one of the official languages of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and one of the working languages of the Council of Europe . It is the third most widely spoken first language in the European Union with 65 million native speakers ( 13 % of the EU population ) and it is spoken as a second language by 14 million EU citizens ( 3 % ) . Including Italian speakers in non-EU European countries ( such as Switzerland and Albania ) and on other continents , the total number of speakers is around 85 million .   Italian is the main working language of the Holy See , serving as the lingua franca in the Roman Catholic hierarchy as well as the official language of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta . Italian is known as the language of music because of its use in musical terminology and opera . Its influence is also widespread in the arts and in the luxury goods market . Italian has been reported as the fourth or fifth most frequently taught foreign language in the world .   Italian was adopted by the state after the Unification of Italy , having previously been a literary language based on Tuscan as spoken mostly by the upper class of Florentine society . Its development was also influenced by other Italian languages and to some minor extent , by the Germanic languages of the post-Roman invaders . The incorporation into Italian of learned , or `` bookish '' words from its own ancestor language , Latin , is arguably another form of lexical borrowing through the influence of written language and the liturgical language of the Church . Throughout the Middle Ages and into the early modern period , most literate Italian speakers were also literate in Latin ; and thus they easily adopted Latin words into their writing -- and eventually speech -- in Italian . Its vowels are the second-closest to Latin after Sardinian . Unlike most other Romance languages , Italian retains Latin 's contrast between short and long consonants . As in most Romance languages , stress is distinctive .


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 .


Telangana is not the 12th largest state in India.

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 .


Nucky Thompson Enoch Malachi `` Nucky '' Thompson is a fictional character and the protagonist of the HBO TV series Boardwalk Empire , portrayed by Steve Buscemi . Nucky is loosely based on former Atlantic City political figure Enoch Lewis `` Nucky '' Johnson . Nucky is employed as treasurer of Atlantic County , New Jersey , but in effect controls the region as a political boss . Nucky is a corrupt and powerful Republican politician who leads a double life as a gangster , and continuously struggles to meet his interests on both fronts . Charming and intelligent , he is adored by the people of Atlantic City , especially its poor and immigrant inhabitants , for his numerous acts of charity . However , in private he has a tight grip on the politics and vice of Atlantic City . Throughout the series he is portrayed as a Machiavellian politician who makes his henchmen do the dirty work , while showing a more humane side to his friends and family . However , by the end of season 2 he is shown becoming more ruthless in order to compete in the violent bootlegging business .   Buscemi won Best Actor in Dramatic Series at the 68th Golden Globe Awards for his performance as Nucky . In flashbacks throughout the fifth season , he is played by Nolan Lyons as a child and Marc Pickering as a young man .


Boardwalk Empire Boardwalk Empire is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter and airing on premium cable channel HBO . The series is set in Atlantic City , New Jersey during the Prohibition era and stars Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson . Winter , a Primetime Emmy Award-winning screenwriter and producer , created the show , inspired by the book Boardwalk Empire : The Birth , High Times , and Corruption of Atlantic City by Nelson Johnson about historical criminal kingpin Enoch L. Johnson .   The pilot episode was directed by Martin Scorsese and produced at a cost of $ 18 million . On September 1 , 2009 , HBO picked up the series for an additional 11 episodes . The series premiered on September 19 , 2010 , and completed its five-season run on October 26 , 2014 .   Boardwalk Empire received widespread critical acclaim , particularly for its visual style and basis on historical figures , as well as for Buscemi 's lead performance . The series received 57 Primetime Emmy Award nominations , including two for Outstanding Drama Series , winning 20 . The series also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series -- Drama in 2011 and two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2011 and 2012 .


Boardwalk Empire (episode) `` Boardwalk Empire '' is the pilot episode of the HBO crime drama Boardwalk Empire . Written by series creator Terence Winter and directed by Martin Scorsese with a budget of $ 18 million , the episode introduces the character of Nucky Thompson , played by Steve Buscemi , as the corrupt treasurer of Atlantic City who is involved in gambling and bootlegging in 1920 . The show used a large ensemble cast and a specially constructed boardwalk set to re-create the Prohibition and Jazz Era , and was based on Boardwalk Empire : The Birth , High Times and Corruption of Atlantic City by Nelson Johnson . Filming for the pilot took place at various locations in and around New York City in June 2009 . The episode first aired in the United States on September 19 , 2010 .   The episode opens with bootleggers being ambushed , and then moves to a Temperance rally two days earlier during which Nucky Thompson attracts the attention of a pregnant woman who later seeks assistance from Thompson for her husband , Schroeder . In a night club the day after the rally , we are introduced to other characters , including Thompson 's brother , Eli , the town sheriff , and Jimmy Darmody , a political assistant . Thompson makes a deal to supply alcohol to four gangsters , including Arnold Rothstein who agrees to use his own men to transport the alcohol . Meanwhile , Schroeder drunkenly tangles with Thompson , and then beats his ( Schroeder 's ) wife into a miscarriage . The next day , Darmody plots with Al Capone to rob Rothstein 's incoming whiskey shipment . The episode returns to the ambush and we see Capone and Darmody shoot all the bootleggers and run off with the whiskey , with Darmody later giving Thompson a share of the heist .   David Hinkley of the New York Daily News awarded the episode five stars , saying `` Watching HBO 's new ` Boardwalk Empire ' is like sitting in your favorite tavern and hearing someone say , ` Drinks are on the house . ' Friends , it does n't get much better . '' Paige Wiser of the Chicago Sun-Times called it '' ... an event not to be missed , '' and praised Buscemi in particular , calling his performance `` fascinating . '' The episode gained a 2.0 / 5 ratings share among adults aged 18 -- 49 and garnered 4.81 million viewers . This was the highest rated premiere for a HBO series since the pilot of Deadwood in March 2004 . Following this successful debut , HBO immediately renewed the series for a second season .


Volleyball involves two teams of six players.

Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net . Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team 's court under organized rules . It has been a part of the official program of the Summer Olympic Games since 1964 .   The complete rules are extensive . But simply , play proceeds as follows : a player on one of the teams begins a ` rally ' by serving the ball ( tossing or releasing it and then hitting it with a hand or arm ) , from behind the back boundary line of the court , over the net , and into the receiving team 's court . The receiving team must not let the ball be grounded within their court . The team may touch the ball up to 3 times but individual players may not touch the ball twice consecutively . Typically , the first two touches are used to set up for an attack , an attempt to direct the ball back over the net in such a way that the serving team is unable to prevent it from being grounded in their court .   The rally continues , with each team allowed as many as three consecutive touches , until either ( 1 ) : a team makes a kill , grounding the ball on the opponent 's court and winning the rally ; or ( 2 ) : a team commits a fault and loses the rally . The team that wins the rally is awarded a point , and serves the ball to start the next rally . A few of the most common faults include :  causing the ball to touch the ground or floor outside the opponents ' court or without first passing over the net ;  catching and throwing the ball ;  double hit : two consecutive contacts with the ball made by the same player ;  four consecutive contacts with the ball made by the same team ;  net foul : touching the net during play ;  foot fault : the foot crosses over the boundary line when serving .  The ball is usually played with the hands or arms , but players can legally strike or push ( short contact ) the ball with any part of the body .   A number of consistent techniques have evolved in volleyball , including spiking and blocking ( because these plays are made above the top of the net , the vertical jump is an athletic skill emphasized in the sport ) as well as passing , setting , and specialized player positions and offensive and defensive structures .


There was a musician in the Grand Ole Pry.

Grand Ole Opry The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country-music stage concert in Nashville , Tennessee , which was founded on November 28 , 1925 , by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio `` barn dance '' on WSM . Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment ( a division of Ryman Hospitality Properties , Inc. ) , it is the longest-running radio broadcast in US history , albeit not the longest-running one on a radio network . Dedicated to honoring country music and its history , the Opry showcases a mix of famous singers and contemporary chart-toppers performing country , bluegrass , folk , gospel , and comedic performances and skits . It attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world and millions of radio and Internet listeners .   The Opry 's current primary slogan is `` The Show that Made Country Music Famous '' . Other slogans include `` Home of American Music '' and `` Country 's Most Famous Stage '' .   In the 1930s the show began hiring professionals and expanded to four hours ; and WSM , broadcasting by then with 50,000 watts , made the program a Saturday night musical tradition in nearly 30 states . In 1939 , it debuted nationally on NBC Radio . The Opry moved to a permanent home , the Ryman Auditorium , in 1943 . As it developed in importance , so did the city of Nashville , which became America 's `` country music capital '' . The Grand Ole Opry holds such significance in Nashville that its name is included on the city/county line signs on all major roadways . The signs read `` Music City | Metropolitan Nashville Davidson County | Home of the Grand Ole Opry '' .   Membership in the Opry remains one of country music 's crowning achievements . Such country music legends as Hank Williams , Patsy Cline , Marty Robbins , Roy Acuff , the Carter family , Bill Monroe , Ernest Tubb , Kitty Wells and Minnie Pearl became regulars on the Opry 's stage . In recent decades , the Opry has hosted such contemporary country stars as Dolly Parton , Alan Jackson , Garth Brooks , Reba McEntire , Josh Turner , Carrie Underwood , Brad Paisley , Rascal Flatts , Dierks Bentley , Kacey Musgraves , Blake Shelton and the Dixie Chicks . Since 1974 , the show has been broadcast from the Grand Ole Opry House east of downtown Nashville , with an annual three-month winter foray back to the Ryman since 1999 . Performances have been sporadically televised in addition to the radio programs .


Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean ( born January 19 , 1946 ) , professionally known as Dolly Parton , is an American singer , songwriter , multi-instrumentalist , record producer , actress , author , businesswoman , and philanthropist , known primarily for her work in country music . After achieving success as a songwriter for others , Dolly Parton made her album debut in 1967 , with her album Hello , I 'm Dolly . With steady success during the remainder of the 1960s ( both as a solo artist and with a series of duet albums with Porter Wagoner ) , her sales and chart peak came during the 1970s and continuing into the 1980s ; Parton 's subsequent albums in the later part of the 1990s were lower in sales . However , in the new millennium , Parton achieved commercial success again and has released albums on independent labels since 2000 , including albums on her own label , Dolly Records .   Parton is the most honored female country performer of all time . Achieving 25 Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) certified Gold , Platinum , and Multi-Platinum awards , she has had 25 songs reach No. 1 on the Billboard country music charts , a record for a female artist ( tied with Reba McEntire ) . She has 41 career top 10 country albums , a record for any artist , and she has 110 career charted singles over the past 40 years . All-inclusive sales of singles , albums , hits collections , and digital downloads during her career have topped 100 million worldwide . She has garnered nine Grammy Awards , two Academy Award nominations , ten Country Music Association Awards , seven Academy of Country Music Awards , three American Music Awards , and is one of only seven female artists to win the Country Music Association 's Entertainer of the Year Award . Parton has received 47 Grammy nominations .   In 1999 , Parton was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame . She has composed over 3,000 songs , notably `` I Will Always Love You '' ( a two-time U.S. country chart-topper for Parton , as well as an international pop hit for Whitney Houston ) , `` Jolene '' , `` Coat of Many Colors '' , and `` 9 to 5 '' . She is also one of the few to have received at least one nomination from the Academy Awards , Grammy Awards , Tony Awards , and Emmy Awards . As an actress , she starred in films such as 9 to 5 , The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas , Rhinestone , and Steel Magnolias .


The House of Lusignan was a royal house of French origin from the Middle Ages.

House of Lusignan The House of Lusignan ( -LSB- ˈluːzᵻnjɒn -RSB- ) was a royal house of French origin , which ruled much of Europe and the Levant , including the kingdoms of Jerusalem , Cyprus , and Armenia , from the 12th through the 15th centuries during the Middle Ages . It also had great influence in England and France .   The family originated in Poitou , near Lusignan in western France , in the early 10th century . By the end of the 11th century , the family had risen to become the most prominent petty lords in the region from their castle at Lusignan . In the late 12th century , through marriages and inheritance , a cadet branch of the family came to control the kingdoms of Jerusalem and Cyprus . In the early 13th century , the main branch succeeded in the Counties of La Marche and Angoulême .   As Crusader kings in the Latin East , they soon had connections with the Hethumid rulers of the Kingdom of Cilicia , which they inherited through marriage in the mid-14th century . The Armenian branch fled to France , and eventually Russia , after the Mamluk conquest of their kingdom .   The claim was taken by the Cypriot branch , until their line failed . This kingdom was annexed by the Republic of Venice in the late 15th century .


Stanley Kubrick was employed to do work on Dr. Strangelove.

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick ( -LSB- ˈkuːbrɪk -RSB- July 26 , 1928 -- March 7 , 1999 ) was an American film director , screenwriter , producer , cinematographer , editor , and photographer . He is frequently cited as one of the greatest and most influential directors in cinematic history . His films , which are mostly adaptations of novels or short stories , cover a wide range of genres , and are noted for their realism , dark humor , unique cinematography , extensive set designs , and evocative use of music .   Kubrick was born and raised in the Bronx , New York City , and attended William Howard Taft High School from 1941 to 1945 . Although he only received average grades , Kubrick displayed a keen interest in literature , photography , and film from a young age , and taught himself all aspects of film production and directing after graduating from high school . After working as a photographer for Look magazine in the late 1940s and early 1950s , he began making short films on a shoestring budget , and made his first major Hollywood film , The Killing , for United Artists in 1956 . This was followed by two collaborations with Kirk Douglas , the war picture Paths of Glory ( 1957 ) and the historical epic Spartacus ( 1960 ) . His reputation as a filmmaker in Hollywood grew , and he was approached by Marlon Brando to film what would become One-Eyed Jacks ( 1961 ) , though Brando eventually decided to direct it himself .   Creative differences arising from his work with Douglas and the film studios , a dislike of Hollywood , and a growing concern about crime in America prompted Kubrick to move to the United Kingdom in 1961 , where he spent most of the remainder of his life and career . His home at Childwickbury Manor in Hertfordshire , which he shared with his wife Christiane , became his workplace , where he did his writing , research , editing , and management of production details . This allowed him to have almost complete artistic control over his films , but with the rare advantage of having financial support from major Hollywood studios . His first British productions were two films with Peter Sellers , Lolita ( 1962 ) and Dr. Strangelove ( 1964 ) .   A demanding perfectionist , Kubrick assumed control over most aspects of the filmmaking process , from direction and writing to editing , and took painstaking care with researching his films and staging scenes , working in close coordination with his actors and other collaborators . He often asked for several dozen retakes of the same scene in a movie , which resulted in many conflicts with his casts . Despite the resulting notoriety among actors , many of Kubrick 's films broke new ground in cinematography . The scientific realism and innovative special effects of 2001 : A Space Odyssey ( 1968 ) were without precedent in the history of cinema , and the film earned him his only personal Oscar , for Best Visual Effects . Steven Spielberg has referred to the film as his generation 's `` big bang '' , and it is regarded as one of the greatest films ever made . For the 18th-century period film Barry Lyndon ( 1975 ) , Kubrick obtained lenses developed by Zeiss for NASA , to film scenes under natural candlelight . With The Shining ( 1980 ) , he became one of the first directors to make use of a Steadicam for stabilized and fluid tracking shots . While many of Kubrick 's films were controversial and initially received mixed reviews upon release -- particularly A Clockwork Orange ( 1971 ) , which Kubrick pulled from circulation in the UK following a mass media frenzy -- most were nominated for Oscars , Golden Globes , or BAFTA Awards , and underwent critical reevaluations . His last film , Eyes Wide Shut , was completed shortly before his death in 1999 at the age of 70 .


Dr. Strangelove Dr. Strangelove or : How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb , more commonly known as Dr. Strangelove , is a 1964 political satire black comedy film that satirizes the Cold War fears of a nuclear conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States . The film was directed , produced , and co-written by Stanley Kubrick , stars Peter Sellers and George C. Scott , and features Sterling Hayden , Keenan Wynn , and Slim Pickens . Production took place in the United Kingdom . The film is loosely based on Peter George 's thriller novel Red Alert ( 1958 ) .   The story concerns an unhinged United States Air Force general who orders a first strike nuclear attack on the Soviet Union . It follows the President of the United States , his advisers , the Joint Chiefs of Staff , and a Royal Air Force ( RAF ) officer as they try to recall the bombers to prevent a nuclear apocalypse . It separately follows the crew of one B-52 bomber as they try to deliver their payload .   Dr. Strangelove is considered one of cinema 's best comedies . In 1989 , the United States Library of Congress included it in the first group of films selected for preservation in the National Film Registry . It was listed as number three on AFI 's 100 Years ... 100 Laughs list .


The Belko Experiment was not written by James Gunn.

The Belko Experiment The Belko Experiment is a 2016 American horror film directed by Greg McLean and written by James Gunn . The film stars John Gallagher Jr. , Tony Goldwyn , Adria Arjona and Melonie Diaz . Filming began on June 1 , 2015 , in Bogotá , Colombia . The film premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival on September 10 , 2016 and was released in the United States on March 17 , 2017 , by BH Tilt and Orion Pictures . The film received mixed reviews from critics and has grossed $ 10 million worldwide , against its $ 5 million budget .


Tennis Tennis is a racket sport that can be played individually against a single opponent ( singles ) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles ) . Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a net and into the opponent 's court . The object of the game is to play the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a valid return . The player who is unable to return the ball will not gain a point , while the opposite player will .   Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society and at all ages . The sport can be played by anyone who can hold a racket , including wheelchair users . The modern game of tennis originated in Birmingham , England , in the late 19th century as `` lawn tennis '' . It had close connections both to various field ( `` lawn '' ) games such as croquet and bowls as well as to the older racket sport of real tennis . During most of the 19th century , in fact , the term `` tennis '' referred to real tennis , not lawn tennis : for example , in Disraeli 's novel Sybil ( 1845 ) , Lord Eugene De Vere announces that he will `` go down to Hampton Court and play tennis . ''   The rules of tennis have changed little since the 1890s . Two exceptions are that from 1908 to 1961 the server had to keep one foot on the ground at all times , and the adoption of the tiebreak in the 1970s . A recent addition to professional tennis has been the adoption of electronic review technology coupled with a point challenge system , which allows a player to contest the line call of a point , a system known as Hawk-Eye .   Tennis is played by millions of recreational players and is also a popular worldwide spectator sport . The four Grand Slam tournaments ( also referred to as the `` Majors '' ) are especially popular : the Australian Open played on hard courts , the French Open played on red clay courts , Wimbledon played on grass courts , and the US Open played also on hard courts .


Ringo Starr Richard Starkey , ( born 7 July 1940 ) , known professionally as Ringo Starr , is an English drummer , singer , songwriter and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for the Beatles . He occasionally sang lead vocals , usually for one song on an album , including `` With a Little Help from My Friends '' , `` Yellow Submarine '' and their cover of `` Act Naturally '' . He also wrote the Beatles ' songs `` Do n't Pass Me By '' and `` Octopus 's Garden '' , and is credited as a co-writer of others , including `` What Goes On '' and `` Flying '' .   Starr was twice afflicted by life-threatening illnesses during childhood , and as a result of prolonged hospitalisations fell behind in school . In 1955 , he entered the workforce and briefly held a position with British Rail before securing an apprenticeship at a Liverpool equipment manufacturer . Soon afterwards , he became interested in the UK skiffle craze , developing a fervent admiration for the genre . In 1957 , he cofounded his first band , the Eddie Clayton Skiffle Group , which earned several prestigious local bookings before the fad succumbed to American rock and roll by early 1958 .   When the Beatles formed in 1960 , Starr was a member of another Liverpool group , Rory Storm and the Hurricanes . After achieving moderate success with that band in the UK and Hamburg , he quit the Hurricanes and joined the Beatles in August 1962 , replacing Pete Best . Starr played key roles in the Beatles ' films and appeared in numerous others . After the band 's break-up in 1970 , he released several successful singles including the US number four hit `` It Do n't Come Easy '' , and number ones `` Photograph '' and `` You 're Sixteen '' . In 1972 , he released his most successful UK single , `` Back Off Boogaloo '' , which peaked at number two . He achieved commercial and critical success with his 1973 album Ringo , which was a top ten release in both the UK and the US . He has been featured in a number of documentaries and hosted television shows . He also narrated the first two series of the children 's television programme Thomas & Friends and portrayed `` Mr Conductor '' during the first season of the PBS children 's television series Shining Time Station . Since 1989 , he has toured with twelve variations of Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band .   Starr 's creative contribution to music has received praise from other drummers such as Phil Collins , who described him as `` a great musician '' , and Steve Smith , who commented : `` Before Ringo , drum stars were measured by their soloing ability and virtuosity . Ringo 's popularity brought forth a new paradigm ... we started to see the drummer as an equal participant in the compositional aspect ... His parts are so signature to the songs that you can listen to a Ringo drum part without the rest of the music and still identify the song . '' He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1998 . In 2011 , Rolling Stone readers named Starr the fifth-greatest drummer of all time . Starr , who was previously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a Beatle in 1988 , was inducted for his solo career in 2015 , making him one of 21 performers inducted more than once .


Power Pack Power Pack is a fictional team of comic book superheroes consisting of four young siblings who appear in books published by Marvel Comics . They were created by writer Louise Simonson and artist June Brigman and first appeared in their own series in 1984 . The series lasted 62 issues . The characters have since appeared in other books .   Power Pack is the first team of preteen superheroes in the Marvel Universe and the first in comics to operate without adult supervision . The title retains a cult following and in 2005 was relaunched as a title aimed at younger readers -- though this was eventually declared a separate continuity from that of the original series .


Louise Simonson Louise Simonson ( born Mary Louise Alexander ; born September 26 , 1946 ) is an American comic book writer and editor . She is best known for her work on comic book titles such as Power Pack , X-Factor , New Mutants , Superman : The Man of Steel , and Steel . She is often referred to by the nickname `` Weezie '' .   In recognition of her contributions to comics , Comics Alliance listed Simonson as one of twelve women cartoonists deserving of lifetime achievement recognition .


The Wachowskis Lana Wachowski ( formerly Laurence `` Larry '' Wachowski , born June 21 , 1965 ) and Lilly Wachowski ( formerly Andrew Paul `` Andy '' Wachowski , born December 29 , 1967 ) are American film directors , screenwriters , and producers . They are siblings , and are both trans women . Collectively known as The Wachowskis and formerly as The Wachowski Brothers , the pair made their directing debut in 1996 with Bound , and reached fame with their second film The Matrix ( 1999 ) , a major box office success for which they won the Saturn Award for Best Director . They wrote and directed its two sequels : The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions ( both in 2003 ) , and were deeply involved in the writing and production of other works in the franchise .   Following the commercial success of The Matrix series , they wrote and produced the 2006 film V for Vendetta ( an adaptation of the comic of the same name by Alan Moore ) , and in 2008 released the film Speed Racer , which was a live-action adaptation of the Japanese anime series of the same name . Their next film , Cloud Atlas , based on the novel of the same name by David Mitchell and co-written and co-directed by Tom Tykwer , was released in 2012 . Their film Jupiter Ascending and the Netflix series Sense8 both debuted in 2015 .   The siblings have worked as a writing and directing unit throughout their professional film careers from Bound through the first season of Sense8 . Following her gender transition , Lilly Wachowski took a break from active writing and directing ; Lana worked on the second season of Sense8 without her .


The third album of Lana Del Rey became her first number-one album in the United States.

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


Keith Urban is married to an Australian actress.

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman , AC ( born June 20 , 1967 ) is an Australian actress and film producer . Kidman 's breakthrough roles were in the 1989 feature film thriller Dead Calm and television thriller miniseries Bangkok Hilton . Appearing in several films in the early 1990s , she came to worldwide recognition for her performances in the stock-car racing film Days of Thunder ( 1990 ) , the romance-drama Far and Away ( 1992 ) , and the superhero film Batman Forever ( 1995 ) . Other successful films followed in the late 1990s . Her performance in the musical Moulin Rouge ! ( 2001 ) earned her a second Golden Globe Award for Best Actress -- Motion Picture Comedy or Musical and her first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress . Kidman 's performance as Virginia Woolf in the drama film The Hours ( 2002 ) received critical acclaim and earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress , the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role , the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture -- Drama and the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin International Film Festival .   Kidman 's other notable films include the crime comedy-drama To Die For ( 1995 ) , for which she won her first Golden Globe Award for Best Actress -- Motion Picture Comedy or Musical , the erotic thriller Eyes Wide Shut ( 1999 ) , the horror-thriller The Others ( 2001 ) , the epic war drama film Cold Mountain ( 2003 ) , the drama Dogville ( 2003 ) , the political thriller The Interpreter ( 2005 ) , and the epic historical romantic drama Australia ( 2008 ) . Her performances in the drama Birth ( 2004 ) and the thriller The Paperboy ( 2012 ) earned her Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress and Supporting Actress respectively . Her performance in the 2010 drama Rabbit Hole ( 2010 ) , which she also produced , earned Kidman further accolades , including a third nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress . In 2012 , she earned her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for her role in the biopic Hemingway & Gellhorn ( 2012 ) . Kidman 's performance in Lion ( 2016 ) earned her a fourth Academy Award nomination , her first for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress . In 2017 , Kidman returned to television , starring in the HBO miniseries Big Little Lies .   Kidman has been a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF since 1994 and for UNIFEM since 2006 . In 2006 , Kidman was made a Companion in the Order of Australia , and was the highest-paid actress in the motion picture industry for that year . As a result of being born to Australian parents in Hawaii , Kidman has dual citizenship in Australia and the United States . Kidman founded and owns the production company Blossom Films .


Keith Urban Keith Lionel Urban ( born 26 October 1967 ) is a New Zealand-born Australian country musician . In 1991 , he released a self-titled debut album and charted four singles in Australia before moving to the United States the following year . He found work as a session guitarist before starting a band known as The Ranch , which recorded one studio album on Capitol Nashville and charted two singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart .   Still signed to Capitol , Urban made his solo American debut in 1999 with a second eponymous album . Certified platinum in the US , it produced his first number one on Hot Country Songs with `` But for the Grace of God '' . `` Somebody Like You '' , the first single from his second Capitol album , Golden Road ( 2002 ) , was named by Billboard as the biggest country hit of the 2000s decade . The album 's fourth single , `` You 'll Think of Me '' , earned him his first Grammy . 2004 's Be Here , his third American album , produced three more number 1 singles and became his highest-selling album , earning 4 × Platinum certification . Love , Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing was released in 2006 , containing `` Once in a Lifetime '' as well as his second Grammy song , `` Stupid Boy '' . A greatest hits package entitled Greatest Hits : 18 Kids followed in late 2007 . Defying Gravity and Get Closer were released on 31 March 2009 and 16 November 2010 , respectively . In September 2013 , he released a brand new album titled Fuse , which produced four more number ones on the Country Airplay chart , two of which are duets -- one with Miranda Lambert and the other with Eric Church . A new single , entitled `` John Cougar , John Deere , John 3:16 '' , was released in June 2015 as the lead-off single to his eighth American studio album Ripcord . The album later produced the Country Airplay number one hits '' Break on Me '' , `` Wasted Time '' and `` Blue Ai n't Your Color '' , with the latter also becoming Urban 's longest reigning number one on the Hot Country Songs chart spending twelve weeks at number one .   Urban has released a total of nine studio albums ( one of which was released only in the United Kingdom ) , as well as one album with The Ranch . He has charted 37 singles on the US Hot Country Songs , 18 of which went to number one , counting a duet with Brad Paisley and the 2008 single `` You Look Good in My Shirt '' , which he previously recorded on Golden Road . Those also include his third Grammy Award-winning single `` Sweet Thing '' from his album Defying Gravity .   Urban is also known for his roles as a coach on the Australian version of the singing competition The Voice and as a judge on American Idol . Since 2006 , he has been married to actress Nicole Kidman . In October 2013 , Urban introduced his own signature line of guitars and accessories .


Ketogenic diet is an adequate-protein diet.

Ketogenic diet The ketogenic diet is a high-fat , adequate-protein , low-carbohydrate diet that in medicine is used primarily to treat difficult-to-control ( refractory ) epilepsy in children . The diet forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates . Normally , the carbohydrates contained in food are converted into glucose , which is then transported around the body and is particularly important in fueling brain-function . However , if there is very little carbohydrate in the diet , the liver converts fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies . The ketone bodies pass into the brain and replace glucose as an energy source . An elevated level of ketone bodies in the blood , a state known as ketosis , leads to a reduction in the frequency of epileptic seizures . Almost half of children , and young people , with epilepsy who have tried some form of this diet saw the number of seizures drop by at least half , and the effect persists even after discontinuing the diet . There is some evidence that adults with epilepsy may benefit from the diet , and that a less strict regimen , such as a modified Atkins diet , is similarly effective . The most common adverse effect is constipation , affecting about 30 % of patients -- this was due to fluid restriction , which was once a feature of the diet , but this led to increased risk of kidney stones , and is no longer considered beneficial .   The original therapeutic diet for paediatric epilepsy provides just enough protein for body growth and repair , and sufficient calories to maintain the correct weight for age and height . The classic therapeutic ketogenic diet was developed for treatment of paediatric epilepsy in the 1920s and was widely used into the next decade , but its popularity waned with the introduction of effective anticonvulsant drugs . This classic ketogenic diet contains a 4:1 ratio by weight of fat to combined protein and carbohydrate . This is achieved by excluding high-carbohydrate foods such as starchy fruits and vegetables , bread , pasta , grains and sugar , while increasing the consumption of foods high in fat such as nuts , cream and butter . Most dietary fat is made of molecules called long-chain triglycerides ( LCTs ) . However , medium-chain triglycerides ( MCTs ) -- made from fatty acids with shorter carbon chains than LCTs -- are more ketogenic . A variant of the classic diet known as the MCT ketogenic diet uses a form of coconut oil , which is rich in MCTs , to provide around half the calories . As less overall fat is needed in this variant of the diet , a greater proportion of carbohydrate and protein can be consumed , allowing a greater variety of food choices .   In the mid-1990s , Hollywood producer Jim Abrahams , whose son 's severe epilepsy was effectively controlled by the diet , created the Charlie Foundation to promote it . Publicity included an appearance on NBC 's Dateline programme and ... First Do No Harm ( 1997 ) , a made-for-television film starring Meryl Streep . The foundation sponsored a multicentre research study , the results of which -- announced in 1996 -- marked the beginning of renewed scientific interest in the diet .   Clinical trials and studies in animal models ( including C. elegans ) suggest that ketogenic diets provide neuroprotective and disease-modifying benefits for a number of adult neurodegenerative disorders . As of 2012 , there is limited clinical trial data in these areas , and , outside of paediatric epilepsy , use of the ketogenic diet remains at the research stage .


Sister Act features Whoopi Goldberg in a prominent role.

Sister Act Sister Act is a 1992 American musical comedy film directed by Emile Ardolino and written by Joseph Howard . Featuring musical arrangements by Marc Shaiman , the film stars Whoopi Goldberg as a Reno lounge singer who has been put under protective custody in a San Francisco convent of Poor Clares and has to pretend to be a nun when a mob boss puts her on his hit list . Also in the cast are Maggie Smith , Kathy Najimy , Wendy Makkena , Mary Wickes , and Harvey Keitel .   One of the most financially successful comedies of the early 1990s , grossing $ 231 million worldwide , the film was rated # 83 on Bravo 's The 100 Funniest Movies list .   It spawned a 1993 sequel , entitled Sister Act 2 : Back in the Habit , and a musical adaptation that premiered at the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena , California , in 2006 , and opened at the West End 's London Palladium with previews from May 7 , 2009 . The musical then opened on Broadway at the Broadway Theatre in April 2011 , with previews beginning March 24 , 2011 .


The Renaissance was not the first era of European history.

Renaissance The Renaissance ( -LSB- rᵻˈneɪsəns -RSB- , -LSB- rɛnəˈsɑːns -RSB- ) was a period in European history , from the 14th to the 17th century , regarded as the cultural bridge between the Middle Ages and modern history . It started as a cultural movement in Italy in the Late Medieval period and later spread to the rest of Europe , marking the beginning of the Early Modern Age .   The intellectual basis of the Renaissance was its own invented version of humanism , derived from the rediscovery of classical Greek philosophy , such as that of Protagoras , who said that `` Man is the measure of all things . '' This new thinking became manifest in art , architecture , politics , science and literature . Early examples were the development of perspective in oil painting and the recycled knowledge of how to make concrete . Although the invention of metal movable type sped the dissemination of ideas from the later 15th century , the changes of the Renaissance were not uniformly experienced across Europe .   As a cultural movement , the Renaissance encompassed innovative flowering of Latin and vernacular literatures , beginning with the 14th-century resurgence of learning based on classical sources , which contemporaries credited to Petrarch ; the development of linear perspective and other techniques of rendering a more natural reality in painting ; and gradual but widespread educational reform . In politics , the Renaissance contributed to the development of the customs and conventions of diplomacy , and in science to an increased reliance on observation and inductive reasoning . Although the Renaissance saw revolutions in many intellectual pursuits , as well as social and political upheaval , it is perhaps best known for its artistic developments and the contributions of such polymaths as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo , who inspired the term `` Renaissance man '' .   The Renaissance began in Florence , in the 14th century . Various theories have been proposed to account for its origins and characteristics , focusing on a variety of factors including the social and civic peculiarities of Florence at the time : its political structure ; the patronage of its dominant family , the Medici ; and the migration of Greek scholars and texts to Italy following the Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks . Other major centres were northern Italian city-states such as Venice , Genoa , Milan , Bologna , and finally Rome during the Renaissance Papacy .   The Renaissance has a long and complex historiography , and , in line with general scepticism of discrete periodizations , there has been much debate among historians reacting to the 19th-century glorification of the `` Renaissance '' and individual culture heroes as `` Renaissance men '' , questioning the usefulness of Renaissance as a term and as a historical delineation . The art historian Erwin Panofsky observed of this resistance to the concept of `` Renaissance '' :   It is perhaps no accident that the factuality of the Italian Renaissance has been most vigorously questioned by those who are not obliged to take a professional interest in the aesthetic aspects of civilization -- historians of economic and social developments , political and religious situations , and , most particularly , natural science -- but only exceptionally by students of literature and hardly ever by historians of Art .   Some observers have called into question whether the Renaissance was a cultural `` advance '' from the Middle Ages , instead seeing it as a period of pessimism and nostalgia for classical antiquity , while social and economic historians , especially of the longue durée , have instead focused on the continuity between the two eras , which are linked , as Panofsky observed , `` by a thousand ties '' .   The word Renaissance , literally meaning `` Rebirth '' in French , first appeared in English in the 1830s . The word also occurs in Jules Michelet 's 1855 work , Histoire de France . The word Renaissance has also been extended to other historical and cultural movements , such as the Carolingian Renaissance and the Renaissance of the 12th century .


Code Geass , often referred to as simply Code Geass , is a Japanese anime series created by Sunrise , directed by Gorō Taniguchi , and written by Ichirō Ōkouchi , with original character designs by manga authors Clamp . Set in an alternate timeline , the series focuses on how the former prince Lelouch vi Britannia obtains a power known as Geass and decides to use it to obliterate the Holy Britannian Empire , a superpower that has been conquering various countries .   Code Geass first ran in Japan on MBS from October 5 , 2006 , to July 28 , 2007 . Its sequel series , , ran as a simulcast on JNN stations ( like MBS and TBS ) from April 6 , 2008 to September 28 , 2008 . The series has also been adapted into various manga and light novels with the former showing various alternate scenarios from the TV series . Bandai Entertainment also licensed most parts from the franchise for English release in December 2007 , airing the two TV series on Adult Swim . Most manga and light novels have also been published in North America by Bandai . At the Code Geass 10th anniversary event on November 27 , 2016 , it was announced that the series will be receiving a new anime , along with a compilation film trilogy in 2017 that will recap the events from both seasons of the anime series . The new anime , titled , will take place a few years after the events of the Zero Requiem . The director Gorō Taniguchi commented that the upcoming project would star an alive Lelouch and not as an alternate setting .   Released to critical acclaim , the anime television series has been well received in Japan , selling over a million DVD and Blu-ray Disc volumes . Both seasons have won several awards at the Tokyo International Anime Fair , Animage Anime Grand Prix , and Animation Kobe event . Critics have praised the series for its large audience appeal as well as the cross conflicts shown among the main characters and the moral questions presented .


Nocturnal Animals won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival in 2010.

Nocturnal Animals Nocturnal Animals is a 2016 American neo-noir psychological thriller film written , co-produced , and directed by Tom Ford , based on the 1993 novel Tony and Susan by Austin Wright . The film stars Amy Adams , Jake Gyllenhaal , Michael Shannon , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Armie Hammer , Laura Linney , Andrea Riseborough , Karl Glusman , and Michael Sheen . Principal photography began on October 5 , 2015 , in Los Angeles , California . The film was released in the United States on November 18 , 2016 , by Focus Features , received generally positive reviews from critics and has grossed $ 30 million worldwide .   Nocturnal Animals was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival , where it won the Grand Jury Prize . It received numerous accolades , including nine BAFTA Award nominations and Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Director and Best Screenplay , plus a Best Supporting Actor win for Taylor-Johnson . At the 89th Academy Awards , Shannon received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor .


Zambia is bordered to the northeast by Tanzania.

Zambia Zambia ( -LSB- ˈzæmbiə -RSB- ) , officially the Republic of Zambia , is a landlocked country in Southern Africa , neighbouring the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north , Tanzania to the north-east , Malawi to the east , Mozambique , Zimbabwe , Botswana and Namibia to the south , and Angola to the west . The capital city is Lusaka , in the south-central part of Zambia . The population is concentrated mainly around Lusaka in the south and the Copperbelt Province to the northwest , the core economic hubs of the country .   Originally inhabited by Khoisan peoples , the region was affected by the Bantu expansion of the thirteenth century . After visits by European explorers in the eighteenth century , Zambia became the British protectorate of Northern Rhodesia towards the end of the nineteenth century . For most of the colonial period , Zambia was governed by an administration appointed from London with the advice of the British South Africa Company .   On 24 October 1964 , Zambia became independent of the United Kingdom and prime minister Kenneth Kaunda became the inaugural president . Kaunda 's socialist United National Independence Party ( UNIP ) maintained power from 1964 until 1991 . Kaunda played a key role in regional diplomacy , cooperating closely with the United States in search of solutions to conflicts in Rhodesia ( Zimbabwe ) , Angola , and Namibia . From 1972 to 1991 Zambia was a one-party state with the UNIP as the sole legal political party under the motto `` One Zambia , One Nation '' . Kaunda was succeeded by Frederick Chiluba of the social-democratic Movement for Multi-Party Democracy in 1991 , beginning a period of social-economic growth and government decentralisation . Levy Mwanawasa , Chiluba 's chosen successor , presided over Zambia from January 2002 until his death in August 2008 , and is credited with campaigns to reduce corruption and increase the standard of living . After Mwanawasa 's death , Rupiah Banda presided as Acting President before being elected President in 2008 . Holding office for only three years , Banda stepped down after his defeat in the 2011 elections by Patriotic Front party leader Michael Sata . Sata died on 28 October 2014 , the second Zambian president to die in office . Guy Scott served briefly as interim president until new elections were held on 20 January 2015 , in which Edgar Lungu was elected as the sixth President .   In 2010 , the World Bank named Zambia one of the world 's fastest economically reformed countries . The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa ( COMESA ) is headquartered in Lusaka .


Super Metroid Super Metroid is a 2D side-scrolling action-adventure video game developed and published by Nintendo and released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994 . It is a third game in the Metroid series . The story takes place after the events of the 1991 Game Boy game , Metroid II : Return of Samus . The player takes on the role of an intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran as she travels to planet Zebes in an attempt to retrieve an infant Metroid stolen by the Space Pirate leader Ridley .   Super Metroid was directed and written by Yoshio Sakamoto , and produced by Makoto Kano , with Gunpei Yokoi serving as general manager . It was developed over the course of two years , with a year prior to gain approval for the inital idea , as the developers wanted to make a good action game , and to set the stage for Samus 's reappearance . The gameplay focuses on exploration , with the player searching for power-ups that are used to reach previously inaccessible areas . It features new concepts to the series , such as the inventory screen , an automapping facility , and the ability to fire in all directions .   Super Metroid received acclaim from critics , who praised its atmosphere , gameplay , music and graphics . It is often described as one of the best video games of all time . While the game did not sell well in Japan , it fared better in North America , and had shipped 1.42 million copies worldwide by late 2003 . Super Metroid became popular among players for speedrunning , and its gameplay and design influenced other games . The game , along with Konami 's Castlevania : Symphony of the Night , also popularized the Metroidvania genre . The game was followed by the 2002 release of Metroid Fusion and Metroid Prime , ending the series ' eight-year hiatus . Since 2007 , Super Metroid has been released for the Virtual Console service on the Wii , the Wii U , and the New Nintendo 3DS .


Tim Henman Timothy Henry `` Tim '' Henman ( born 6 September 1974 ) is a retired English professional tennis player . Henman played a serve-and-volley style of tennis . He was the first male player from the United Kingdom since Roger Taylor in the 1970s to reach the semi-finals of the Wimbledon Men 's Singles Championship . Henman never reached the finals of any Grand Slam but reached six Grand Slam semifinals and won 15 career ATP titles ( 11 in singles and four in doubles ) , including the Paris Masters in 2003 . Also , he scored 40 wins and 14 losses with the Great Britain Davis Cup team .   Henman was ranked British number 1 in 1996 and again from 1999 to 2005 , from which point he was succeeded by Andy Murray . He reached a career high ranking of World No. 4 during three different periods between July 2002 and October 2004 . He is one of Britain 's most successful open era male tennis players , winning $ 11,635,542 prize money . In the 2004 New Year Honours , he was appointed an OBE .   Henman started playing tennis before the age of three , and began systematic training in the Slater Squad at eleven . After suffering a serious injury which affected him for the better part of two years , he began touring internationally as a junior and achieved some successes . He rose quickly up the ATP rankings , and by 1996 had reached the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon Championships . Throughout his career , Henman was a noted grass specialist , only becoming truly comfortable on clay and hard court before the end of his career , when in 2004 he reached the semi-finals in both the French and US Open . The year 2005 began a decline for Henman , and from that year onwards he never managed to pass through the third round in a Grand Slam tournament . Henman retired from professional tennis in late 2007 , but he remains active in the ATP Champions Tour ( a tour for former professional tennis players ) .


Shia LaBeouf was in a horror thriller film.

Shia LaBeouf Shia Saide LaBeouf ( -LSB- ˈʃaɪ.ə _ ləˈbʌf -RSB- born June 11 , 1986 ) is an American actor , performance artist , and filmmaker . He became known among younger audiences as Louis Stevens in the Disney Channel series Even Stevens , a role for which LaBeouf received a Young Artist Award nomination in 2001 and won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2003 . He made his film debut in Holes ( 2003 ) , based on the novel of the same name by Louis Sachar . In 2004 , he made his directorial debut with the short film Let 's Love Hate and later directed a short film titled Maniac ( 2011 ) , starring American rappers Cage and Kid Cudi .   In 2007 , LaBeouf starred in the commercially successful films Disturbia and Surf 's Up . The same year he was cast in Michael Bay 's science fiction film Transformers as Sam Witwicky , the main protagonist of the series . Despite mixed reviews , Transformers was a box office success and one of the highest-grossing films of 2007 . LaBeouf later appeared in its sequels Transformers : Revenge of the Fallen ( 2009 ) and Transformers : Dark of the Moon ( 2011 ) , both also box office successes . In 2008 , he played Henry `` Mutt Williams '' Jones III in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull , the fourth film in the Indiana Jones franchise . His other films include Wall Street : Money Never Sleeps ( 2010 ) , Lawless ( 2012 ) , The Company You Keep ( 2012 ) , Nymphomaniac ( 2013 ) and Fury ( 2014 ) . Since 2014 , LaBeouf has pursued a variety of public performance art projects with LaBeouf , Rönkkö & Turner .


Disturbia (film) Disturbia is a 2007 American horror thriller film directed by D. J. Caruso , written by Christopher Landon and Carl Ellsworth and stars Shia LaBeouf , David Morse , Sarah Roemer and Carrie-Anne Moss . The film follows a teenager who is placed on house arrest and begins to spy on his neighbors , thinking one of them is a serial killer .   Partly inspired by Alfred Hitchcock 's Rear Window , the film was released on April 13 , 2007 .


Ozzy Osbourne John Michael `` Ozzy '' Osbourne ( born 3 December 1948 ) is an English singer , songwriter , and actor . He rose to prominence in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath . He was fired from Black Sabbath in 1979 and went on to have a successful solo career , releasing 11 studio albums , the first seven of which were all awarded multi-platinum certifications in the US . Osbourne has since reunited with Black Sabbath on several occasions , recording the album 13 in 2013 . His longevity and success have earned him the informal title of `` Godfather of Heavy Metal '' .   Osbourne 's total album sales from his years in Black Sabbath , combined with his solo work , is over 100 million . As a member of Black Sabbath , he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame , and he was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame as a solo artist and as a member of the band . Possessing a distinctive singing voice and as a native of Birmingham , Osbourne is known for his strong Brummie accent -- he has a star on the Birmingham Walk of Stars in his hometown as well as the Hollywood Walk of Fame . At the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards , he received the Global Icon Award . In the early 2000s , Osbourne became a reality television star , appearing as himself in the MTV reality show The Osbournes , alongside wife and manager Sharon and two of their three children , Kelly and Jack . Osbourne appeared with son Jack in the 2016 worldwide travelogue docuseries Ozzy & Jack 's World Detour .


Wynonna Judd Wynonna Ellen Judd ( -LSB- waɪˈnoʊnə -RSB- born Christina Claire Ciminella ; May 30 , 1964 ) is an American country music singer . Her solo albums and singles are all credited to the single name Wynonna . Wynonna first rose to fame in the 1980s alongside her mother , Naomi , in the country music duo The Judds . The duo released seven albums on Curb Records in addition to charting 26 singles , of which 14 were number-one hits .   After The Judds disbanded in 1991 , Wynonna began a solo career , also on Curb . In her solo career , she has released eight studio albums , a live album , a holiday album and two compilation albums in addition to charting more than 20 singles of her own . Her first three singles -- `` She Is His Only Need '' , `` I Saw the Light , '' and `` No One Else on Earth '' -- all reached number one on the U.S. country singles charts consecutively , as did 1993 's `` Only Love '' and 1996 's , `` To Be Loved by You . '' Three of her albums are certified platinum or higher by the RIAA . Her most recent recording , Sing : Chapter 1 , was released on February 3 , 2009 and she released a new song , `` Something You Ca n't Live Without , '' in March 2013 . Wynonna is most recognized for her musical work , although starting in the 2000s she has also pursued other interests , including writing , acting and philanthropy .


Basketball Basketball is a non-contact sport played on a rectangular court . While most often played as a team sport with five players on each side , three-on-three , two-on-two , and one-on-one competitions are also common . The objective is to shoot a ball through a hoop 18 in in diameter and 10 ft high that is mounted to a backboard at each end of the court . The game was invented in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith , who would be the first basketball coach of the Kansas Jayhawks , one of the most successful programs in the game 's history .   A team can score a field goal by shooting the ball through the basket being defended by the opposition team during regular play . A field goal scores three points for the shooting team if the player shoots from behind the three-point line , and two points if shot from in front of the line . A team can also score via free throws , which are worth one point , after the other team is assessed with certain fouls . The team with the most points at the end of the game wins , but additional time ( overtime ) is mandated when the score is tied at the end of regulation . The ball can be advanced on the court by passing it to a teammate , or by bouncing it while walking or running ( dribbling ) . It is a violation to lift , or drag , one 's pivot foot without dribbling the ball , to carry it , or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling .   The game has many individual techniques for displaying skill -- ball-handling , shooting , passing , dribbling , dunking , shot-blocking , and rebounding . Basketball teams generally have player positions , the tallest and strongest members of a team are called a center or power forward , while slightly shorter and more agile players are called small forward , and the shortest players or those who possess the best ball handling skills are called a point guard or shooting guard . The point guard directs the on court action of the team , implementing the coach 's game plan , and managing the execution of offensive and defensive plays ( player positioning ) .   Basketball is one of the world 's most popular and widely viewed sports . The National Basketball Association ( NBA ) is the most popular and widely considered to be the highest level of professional basketball in the world and NBA players are the world 's best paid athletes by average annual salary per player . Outside North America , the top clubs from national leagues qualify to continental championships such as the Euroleague and FIBA Americas League . The FIBA Basketball World Cup attracts the top national teams from around the world . Each continent hosts regional competitions for national teams , like EuroBasket and FIBA Americas Championship .   The FIBA Women 's Basketball World Cup features the top national women 's basketball teams from continental championships . The main North American league is the WNBA , whereas the EuroLeague Women has been dominated by teams from the Russian Women 's Basketball Premier League .


Backboard (basketball) A backboard is a piece of basketball equipment . It is a raised vertical board with a basket attached . It is made of a flat , rigid piece of , often Plexiglas or tempered glass which also has the properties of safety glass when accidentally shattered . It is usually rectangular as used in NBA , NCAA and international basketball . In recreational environments , a backboard may be oval or a fan-shape , particularly in non-professional games .   Today most professional backboards are made of a glass backboard so that it will not obstruct the audience 's view , although most non-professional backboards are made from something that may obstruct the audience 's view , such as goals at parks or on streets .   A basketball hoop is mounted to a basketball backboard via a flexible connection between the backboard and the connection sroble the hoop . The shock of a basket or a dunk is absorbed by the connecting part , so that the rim goes back to a horizontal position once again .   The top of the hoop is 10 ft above the ground . Regulation backboards are 72 in wide by 42 in tall . All basketball rims ( hoops ) are 18 in in diameter . The inner rectangle on the backboard is 24 in wide by 18 in tall .   The first glass backboard was used by the Indiana Hoosiers men 's basketball team at the Men 's Gymnasium at Indiana University . After the first few games at their new facility in 1917 , spectators complained that they could n't see the game because of opaque wooden backboards . As a result the Nurre Mirror Plate Company in Bloomington was employed to create new backboards that contained 1 +1 / 2 in plate glass so that fans could see games without an obstructed view . It was the first facility in the country to use glass backboards .