Archive for July, 2011

amelia earhart

Sunday, July 31st, 2011

Aviation legend Amelia Earhart is most famous for the mysterious circumstances of her death: she disappeared in 1937 somewhere in the South Pacific, near the end of an attempted round-the-world flight. [1]

Amelia is a 2009 English-language biographical film of the life of Amelia Earhart, starring Hilary Swank as Earhart along with a cast that includes Richard Gere, Christopher Eccleston and Ewan McGregor. [2]

She had set many flight records, including becoming the first woman to fly solo across both the Atlantic Ocean (in 1932) and the Pacific Ocean (in 1935). [1]

Amelia Mary Earhart, born in Atchison, Kansas on July 24, 1897 (missing in flight as of July 2, 1937), daughter of Edwin and Amy Otis Earhart, was an American aviator and noted early female pilot who mysteriously disappeared over the Pacific Ocean during a circumnavigational flight in 1937. [...] In an era when aviation was considered a man’s world, she was a pioneer and role model who encouraged and motivated many. [3]

Working at a variety of jobs, from photographer to truck driver, she earned enough money to take flying lessons from pioneer female aviator Anita “Neta” Snook. [4]

First woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and setting many aviation records. [5]

Guided by her publicist and husband, George Putnam, she made headlines in the era when aviation gripped the public’s imagination. [6]

The project coordinators (including book publisher and publicist George P. Putnam) interviewed Earhart and asked her to accompany pilot Wilmer Stultz and co-pilot/mechanic Louis Gordon on the flight, nominally as a passenger, but with the added duty of keeping the flight log. [5]

When she was seven, her father Edwin took the family to the St. Louis World’s Fair, where, on riding the Ferris wheel, she learned that she rather enjoyed heights. [6]

Putnam helps Earhart write a book chronicling the flight, much like his earlier triumph with Charles Lindbergh ’s We, gradually falling in love with his charge, and they eventually marry, although she enacts a “cruel” pledge as her wedding contract. [2]

Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. [...] During an attempt to make a circumnavigational flight of the globe in 1937 in a Purdue-funded Lockheed Model 10 Electra, Earhart disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island. [5]

Amelia’s mother, Amelia “Amy” Otis, married a man who showed much promise, but had never been able to break the bonds of alcohol. [4]

She and her navigator, Fred Noonan, disappeared near Howland Island in the South Pacific on 2 July 1937, on one of the last legs of their around-the-world flight. [1]

Sources:
[1] Amelia Earhart: Biography from Answers.com
[2] Amelia (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[3] Earhart, Amelia
[4] Amelia Earhart Biography - Biography.com
[5] Amelia Earhart - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[6] Amelia Earhart - Biography, Facts, and Pictures

billy joel

Sunday, July 31st, 2011

Superstar pop singer/songwriter Billy Joel has thus far never acted in a feature film. [1]

Billy Joel released a double album compilation, Greatest Hits, Vols. [2]

Owner of more hit singles than there are strip malls in his native Long Island, N.Y., Billy Joel has fashioned the quintessential pop career from unparalleled songcraft, a penchant for genre-bouncing from one album to the next, and over-the-top stage performances. [3]

Joel was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. [1]

Born May 9, 1949, William Joseph Martin Joel was a belligerent hood during his youth. [2]

His 1977 album The Stranger was packed with hit singles, including Movin’ Out, Just the Way You Are and Only the Good Die Young, and was perhaps the height of his fame. [1]

In Attila, Joel played his organ through a variety of effects pedals, creating a heavy psychedelic hard-rock album completely without guitars. [2]

Billy Joel’s first major album, Piano Man, was released in 1974. [1]

Since releasing his first hit song, “Piano Man “, in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to the RIAA. [4]

The album spawned the hit singles “My Life”, “Big Shot,” and “Honesty” and won the Grammy award for Album of the Year in 1980. [2]

Having sold more than 100 million records over the course of a career spanning more than 40 years, Billy Joel ranks as one of most popular recording artists and respected entertainers in the world. [5]

… Ripp mastered and released the album at the wrong speed, resulting in Joel’s voice sounding a semitone too high. [4]

In the wake of that run, his major concert appearances have mostly been co-headlining affairs with fellow singer/pianist Elton John. [6]

When the spirit of the British invasion blew across the country in the early sixties, Joel became convinced that he too, could achieve coolness by performing in a band; suddenly, the pansy piano lessons his father and mother made him take as a youngster seemed pardonable. [2]

Expansive singles like New York State of Mind (1976) and Scenes From an Italian Restaurant (1977) cemented Joel’s position as a blue-collar New York troubadour and helped make him one of the decade’s most popular touring acts. [1]

Sources:
[1] Billy Joel: Biography from Answers.com - Answers.com: Wiki Q&A …
[2] Billy Joel - - _Classic Bands - classicbands.com_
[3] Billy Joel : Rhapsody
[4] Billy Joel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[5] Billy Joel | Free Music, Tour Dates, Photos, Videos
[6] Billy Joel

ashley hebert

Sunday, July 31st, 2011

Ashley Hebert has narrowed the field to two final suitors on The Bachelorette, but the 26-year-old still can’t seem to get over Bentley Williams, the bad-boy contestant who insulted her and abruptly left the series in June. [1]

That’s the word most of America uttered Monday night when Bachelorette Ashley Hebert came face-to-face with Bentley Williams three weeks after he abruptly left the series, finding out that she indeed had been duped. [2]

Ashley Hebert couldn’t admit she was in love with Brad Womack - and it might have cost her the final rose - but that’s all in the past. [3]

But in the end, The Bachelorette star Ashley Hebert says she found the happy ending she dreamed of. [4]

In any case, it’s good to hear the happy news, seeing as Ashley Hebert nearly lost hope after Bentley Williams stabbed her in the heart. [5]

“There were certainly moments where I thought I’d made a mistake agreeing to be the Bachelorette and thought it wasn’t going to end well,” she said. [4]

That you’ll have to wait ’til August 1 to find out… or read The Bachelorette spoilers we’ve posted that have been 100 percent true so far. [5]

The energetic and vivacious Hebert, who is ready to start a new life with a soul mate she might soon meet, will get a second opportunity to find love when she stars in the seventh edition of The Bachelorette, which will premiere MONDAY, MAY 23 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network. [3]

I was ecstatic to find out we were on our way there for The Bachelorette and that there was a good chance I would have a great Fiji love story of my own. [6]

I could probably go on for hours, writing about all the emotions I felt while watching the third episode of The Bachelorette. [7]

Breaking news, bigger photos and 200+ celebrity profiles-all at the tap of a finger. [6]

Comment by signing in with or creating your Facebook account by clicking below. [1]

“I’m really ready for this to be over so we can go into the light of day and get on with normal everyday life,” the 26-year-old Maine native says. [4]

Expressing regret over how she handled the aftermath of the divorced dad’s exit, Hebert tells Bachelorette host Chris Harrison she now realizes what America did weeks ago: She spent way too much time hung up on him! [1]

Ashley and Brad clicked on their enchanting first date at a private carnival, discovering an electric connection and sharing a magical first kiss. [3]

Sources:
[1] Ashley Hebert Reveals Biggest Bachelorette Regret - UsMagazine.com
[2] Bachelorette Ashley Hebert to Returning Bentley: “F*** You!”
[3] Ashley Hebert Bio - The Bachelorette - ABC.com
[4] Ashley Hebert: SO In Love!!
[5] Ashley Hebert Engaged to Bachelorette Winner, Report Says
[6] Bachelorette: Ashley Hebert’s Final 2 Revealed : People.com
[7] Bachelorette Blog: Ashley Hebert Feels ‘Betrayed’ by Bentley

acropolis

Sunday, July 31st, 2011

For more information on acropolis, visit Britannica.com. [1]

The Acropolis of Athens or Citadel of Athens is the best known acropolis (Gr. [2]

During the Persian wars in the 5th century the Athenians started building the Parthenon, but the Persians burnt the Acropolis and all focus was put on the battles. [3]

The renowned Athens Acropolis (5th century BC), atop a craggy walled hill, is home to four main edifices - the Propylaea (see propylaeum), Parthenon, Erechtheum (Ionic temple noted for its caryatid porch), and Temple of Athena Nike - all built from white marble plentiful in the region. [1]

There are two popular theories (1) the “Bluebeard” temple was built upon the Doerpfeld foundations, (2) the “Bluebeard” temple was built where the Parthenon now stands. [2]

The Parthenon and other main buildings on the Acropolis were built by Pericles in the fifth century BC as a monument to the cultural and political achievements of the inhabitants of Athens. [4]

The most famous acropolis is the one in Athens, which was of ancient foundation as a fortified site. [1]

The one in Athens is the best known of them all, and is therefore often referred to as “The Acropolis”. [3]

This Doric limestone building, from which many relics survive, is referred to as the “Bluebeard” temple, named after the pedimental three-bodied man-serpent sculpture, whose beards were painted dark blue. [2]

The Parthenon was made by the architects Ictinus and Callicrates, and the statue by Phidias.Towards the end of the 5th century the Erechteion was built, as well as the temple of Athena Nike. [3]

A temple sacred to “Athena Polias” (Protectress of the City) was quickly erected by mid-6th century BC. [2]

By the middle of the 8th century B.C., if not earlier, at least part of the Acropolis had developed into the sanctuary of the goddess Athena, the patron divinity of the city. [5]

The Acropolis is a flat-topped rock that rises 150 m (490 ft) above sea level in the city of Athens, with a surface area of about 3 hectares. [2]

Central, defensively oriented district in ancient Greek cities, located on the highest ground and containing the chief municipal and religious buildings. [1]

In order to prove their worth, and perhaps bribe the people, they each presented the city with a gift. [3]

Sources:
[1] acropolis: Definition from Answers.com
[2] Acropolis of Athens - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[3] Acropolis, Greece
[4] The Acropolis of Athens
[5] The Ancient City of Athens: - The Stoa Consortium

friendship quotes

Sunday, July 31st, 2011

A friendship can weather most things and thrive in thin soil; but it needs a little mulch of letters and phone calls and small, silly presents every so often - just to save it from drying out completely. [1]

“True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it be lost.” [...] “Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” [...] “The happiest moments my heart knows are those in which it is pouring forth its affections to a few esteemed characters.” [2]

Friendship Day is the time to appreciate and pay a tribute to that wonderful person called the friend without whom we can never make do with this world. [3]

Facebook helps you connect and share with the people in your life. [...] But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life, and thanks to a benevolent arrangement the greater part of life is sunshine. [1]

A friend hears the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails. [3]

“I might give my life for my friend, but he had better not ask me to do up a parcel.” [2]

Hold a true friend with both your hands. [4]

A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. [3]

If it’s very painful for you to criticize your friends - you’re safe in doing it. [5]

We dance to a song of heartbreak and hope, all the while wondering if somewhere and somehow there is someone searching for us.” [2]

In the spiritual life nowhere do our ideals meet the actual more truly than in how we relate to each other, in how we make, sustain and are friends. [5]

Friends are needed both for joy and for sorrow. [4]

Sources:
[1] Friendship Quotes - BrainyQuote
[2] The Friendship Page: Friendship Quotes: General
[3] Some Famous Friendship Quotes - TheHolidaySpot: Holidays and …
[4] Friendship Quotes & quotations
[5] Friendship Quotes | from Wisdom Quotes