The Outeniqua Choo Tjoe was the last remaining continually-operated passenger steam train in Africa, ending operation in June 2009. The railway was completed in 1928, and links the towns of George and Knysna in the Western Cape, South Africa. The scenic 67-kilometre (42 mi) route took 3 hours, following the rugged coastline of the Garden Route, passing through Victoria Bay, Wilderness, Goukamma, and Sedgefield before ending by crossing a bridge over the lagoon in Knysna.
It was declared an officially preserved railway in 1992, carrying about 40,000 passengers per year at the time. A decade later, it carried 115,000 passengers per year, 70% of whom were foreign tourists.
The trains were usually pulled by SAR Class 19D steam locomotives, of 4-8-2 wheel arrangement with Vanderbilt-like "torpedo" tenders, although SAR Class 24 steam engines were also used occasionally. When dry conditions in the summer increase the risk of wildfires, diesel locomotives (SAR Class 32s) were used instead.
During August 2006 the line was damaged due to heavy flooding.[1] As of November 2006 it was rescheduled to run between George and Mossel Bay (with a stop at Hartenbos).[2]
In 2007, the train's owners, Transnet Limited, announced that the train was not regarded as part of its core business, and initiated a tender process to dispose of the train to a new owner/operator. In August 2010, Transnet announced that they had not found an operator, and the train would cease operating. The Western Cape Provincial MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Alan Winde, said that he was resolved to keep this heritage tourism asset operational.[3]
As of 2019, the line is still closed. In May 2018 after a miniature steam locomotive mounted to a trolley crossed the causeway into Knysna in February 2018, it was revealed in the British Magazine "Heritage Railway" that while there is ongoing discussion between Transnet and a private enterprise called "Classic Rail" there remains no agreement to franchise the line and re-open it for tourist traffic.
In 2008, the train and the Kaaiman's River Bridge were featured in a television advertisement for Stella Artois.
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A tornado is a rapidly rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. The windstorm is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone,[1] although the word cyclone is used in meteorology to name a weather system with a low-pressure area in the center around which, from an observer looking down toward the surface of the earth, winds blow counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern.[2] Tornadoes come in many shapes and sizes, and they are often visible in the form of a condensation funnel originating from the base of a cumulonimbus cloud, with a cloud of rotating debris and dust beneath it. Most tornadoes have wind speeds less than 110 miles per hour (180 km/h), are about 250 feet (80 m) across, and travel a few miles (several kilometers) before dissipating. The most extreme tornadoes can attain wind speeds of more than 300 miles per hour (480 km/h), are more than two miles (3 km) in diameter, and stay on the ground for dozens of miles (more than 100 km).[3][4][5]
Various types of tornadoes include the multiple vortex tornado, landspout, and waterspout. Waterspouts are characterized by a spiraling funnel-shaped wind current, connecting to a large cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud. They are generally classified as non-supercellular tornadoes that develop over bodies of water, but there is disagreement over whether to classify them as true tornadoes. These spiraling columns of air frequently develop in tropical areas close to the equator and are less common at high latitudes.[6] Other tornado-like phenomena that exist in nature include the gustnado, dust devil, fire whirl, and steam devil.
Tornadoes occur most frequently in North America, particularly in central and southeastern regions of the United States colloquially known as tornado alley,[7] as well as in Southern Africa, northwestern and southeast Europe, western and southeastern Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh and adjacent eastern India, and southeastern South America.[8] Tornadoes can be detected before or as they occur through the use of Pulse-Doppler radar by recognizing patterns in velocity and reflectivity data, such as hook echoes or debris balls, as well as through the efforts of storm spotters.
Equal Rights (Latvian: Līdztiesība, ER) was a political party in Latvia, mainly supported by the Russian minority.
ER was founded on the basis of the "Equal Rights" faction of the Supreme Soviet as a NGO in 1993. The Equal Rights faction (Russian: Равноправие) had been founded in April, 1990,[1] after the 1990 Latvian parliamentary election.
The NGO transformed into a party in 1996. Its leaders were MPs Tatjana Ždanoka and Sergejs Dīmanis. The organization participated in the 1994 municipal election and the 1995 legislative election within the Socialist Party of Latvia list.
In 1998, ER joined with two other predominantly Russian parties, the Latvian Socialist Party and the National Harmony Party to found the alliance For Human Rights in United Latvia (Latvian: Par Cilvēka Tiesībām Vienotā Latvijā; ForHRUL). The alliance split in 2003, with the National Harmony Party and the Socialist Party abandoning the coalition, leaving the newly founded rump Free Choice in People's Europe (made up of dissident Socialist Party and Harmony Party members, like Jakovs Pliners, who opposed the decision to quit the alliance) in the ForHRUL coalition.
From 2001 ER's leader was Tatjana Ždanoka and its chairman was Vladimirs Buzajevs.
In 2007, the 11th Congress of the party decided to merge it with Free Choice in People's Europe, transforming their block ForHRUL into a unified party. The party failed to win any seats in the 2010 legislative election.
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John William Ferrell (/ˈfɛrəl/;[1] born July 16, 1967)[2][3] is an American actor, comedian, producer, writer and businessman. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in comedy films such as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), Talladega Nights (2006), Step Brothers (2008), The Other Guys (2010) and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013), all but one of which he co-wrote with his comedy partner Adam McKay. The two also founded the comedy website Funny or Die in 2007. Other film roles include Elf, Old School (both 2003), Blades of Glory (2007), Daddy's Home (2015), and the animated films Megamind (2010) and The Lego Movie (2014).
Ferrell is considered a member of the "Frat Pack", a generation of leading Hollywood comic actors who emerged in the late 1990s and the 2000s, including Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Steve Carell, Vince Vaughn, and brothers Owen and Luke Wilson. He received an Emmy Award nomination for his work on Saturday Night Live, and three Golden Globe Award nominations for acting in The Producers (2005) and Stranger than Fiction (2006) and for producing Vice (2018). He was also named the best comedian of 2015 in the British GQ Men of the Year awards. Ferrell received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 24, 2015.
VDX (standing for Virtual Document eXchange) is a software product for interlibrary loan (ILL) and document request management.[1] VDX was developed by UK company Fretwell-Downing Informatics, a company which in 2005 was taken over by OCLC PICA, itself wholly acquired by OCLC Online Computer Library Center in 2007.[1]
VDX allows library staff to create and manage document borrowing and lending requests between participating libraries. VDX manages all the stages of the ILL process. It is also an efficient way to collect copyright fees for copyright holders such as authors and publishers.[1]
Description
ILL requests are sent to VDX through a process called automediation. VDX validates the request for the necessary information — author, title, date of publication — and searches for the item. It then creates a routing list (or "rota") of libraries that own the item. The request is sent to the first library on the rota, which indicates whether it can supply the item. If the library cannot lend or process the request, it will be automatically directed to the next library on the routing list, and so on, until a library is found that can supply the document. The document is then sent to the requesting library. Throughout the document exchange process, the requesting library can check the status of the request at any time.
VDX is based on ISO 10161, which is the international standard for ILL. ISO 10161 defines communication protocols and guarantees that ILL information can be communicated between different ILL programs (such as VDX and similar products). Another standard, ISO 10160, determines the terminology that is used for ILL transactions across various document exchange systems.
Development of VDX ceased years ago (as of 2018), and it will not incorporate the new ISO 18626 standard.[2]
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Rola (ローラ Rōra, born Eri Sato (佐藤えり Sato Eri) on March 30, 1990) is a Japanese-born Bangladeshi fashion model, TV personality,[2] actress[3] and singer[4] of Russian, Bangladeshi and Japanese descent, as her mother is Japanese with a quarter Russian heritage and her father is Bangladeshi.[5] As a model, she is known for her regular appearances in the Japanese fashion magazine Vivi[6] and in numerous commercials.[7] Since 2011, Rola has also become widely known as a tarento (TV personality) appearing on Japanese television regularly[8] and has one of the largest social media followings for a Japanese celebrity.[9] Rola is represented by the management agency Libera.[1]
Widows is a 2018 heist film directed by Steve McQueen from a screenplay by Gillian Flynn and McQueen,[3] based upon the 1983 British television series of the same name.[4] The plot follows four Chicago women who attempt to steal $5 million from the home of a prominent local politician in order to pay back a crime boss from whom $2 million was stolen by the women's husbands before they were killed in a botched getaway attempt. A British-American co-production, the film features an ensemble cast consisting of Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Jacki Weaver, Carrie Coon, Robert Duvall, and Liam Neeson.
Widows premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2018, and was theatrically released in the United Kingdom on November 6, 2018 and in the United States on November 16, by 20th Century Fox. The film grossed $76 million worldwide and received praise for its direction, screenplay and performances (particularly Davis, Debicki and Kaluuya), with critics crediting it for blending "dramatic themes with popcorn thrills".[5][6] It received several award nominations, among them one for Davis for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.Plot
Harry Rawlings and his criminal gang's getaway van are blown up during a police standoff after stealing $2 million from crime boss Jamal Manning. Jamal threatens Veronica, Harry’s widow, demanding compensation, needing the money to finance his campaign for alderman of a South Side, Chicago ward. He is running against Jack Mulligan, the next-in-line of a dynastic family that has held the position for decades. Mulligan doesn't like politics, but is happy to profit from it.
Veronica is given a key to a safety deposit box by Bash, Harry's loyal chauffeur, which contains Harry's notebook. Inside it is a detailed plan for stealing $5 million from Mulligan's home. She is advised to sell the notebook to Jamal's people, but decides against it.
Veronica decides to carry out the heist, recruiting two of the other widows, Alice and Linda. Alice had lost her life of luxury and was forced by her mother to become a sugar baby. Linda lost her store, as her husband secretly gambled away the payments. The fourth widow, Amanda, does not join them, as Veronica discovers she has a 4-month-old baby. Alice acquires guns and a getaway van, while Linda deciphers Harry's blueprints. Jamal's brother Jatemme has been told not to make waves before the election, but he attacks several witnesses and kills Bash while looking for Harry's notebook. Eventually, Alice uses a real-estate executive, her sugar daddy, to identify the blueprint as the safe room in Mulligan's home.
Linda recruits Belle, her babysitter, to be the group's driver. Veronica visits Amanda and her baby, where she notices Harry's flask, indicating that Harry is likely alive and the father of Amanda's baby. Devastated, Veronica leaves without saying anything. It is revealed that Harry is alive and double crossed his crew by deliberately blowing up their getaway van. He is in league with Mulligan, to ruin Jamal's campaign. Returning home, Veronica opens the door to her son's room and relives the memory of his death (he was shot by police officers after being pulled over while driving). Veronica visits the Mulligan home and asks Jack for protection from the Mannings, but she's actually there to case the premises, while Belle scans the outdoor security.
Veronica blackmails the CEO of the Mulligans' security company for the safe code, using incriminating photos left in Harry's notebook. The heist begins with Belle creating a disturbance down the street to draw the outside security detail away. Veronica and the others stun the lone security guard inside. Veronica, Linda and Alice reach the safe and retrieve the money. On their way out, Jack's father Tom appears, unmasks Veronica and shoots Alice, wounding her. Linda returns fire and kills Tom.
The women escape, but Jatemme appears and steals their van and money. The women chase him in another car, causing him to crash, killing him. They retrieve the money, then get Alice to the hospital. Veronica returns alone to their hideout, where Harry arrives to steal the money, needing $1 million of it to keep Mulligan quiet about his faked death. Harry claims that after the death of their son and subsequently their marriage, he wanted to start over with Amanda and their child. Harry retrieves the money in the van, and turns to shoot Veronica – but Veronica kills him first.
Jack wins the position of alderman due to a sympathy vote following his father's murder. Linda reacquires her store, Alice sets up her own business, and Belle moves away. Veronica donates a large sum to rebuild a school library on the condition that it be named after her son Marcus. Outside of a diner, Veronica sees and warmly greets Alice.
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Jackass is an American reality comedy television series created by Johnny Knoxville, Spike Jonze, and Jeff Tremaine, directed by Tremaine, and produced by Dickhouse Productions. It originally aired for three seasons on MTV between October 1, 2000 and February 3, 2002.[3] The show featured a cast of nine carrying out stunts and pranks on each other or the public. The cast included Knoxville, Bam Margera, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Dave England, Ryan Dunn, Ehren McGhehey, Jason "Wee Man" Acuña, and Preston Lacy.
The show was controversial over its perceived indecency and encouragement of dangerous behaviour. Jackass inspired various spin-off shows featuring the other members of the cast, including Wildboyz, Viva La Bam, Homewrecker, Bam's Unholy Union, and Dr. Steve-O. After the show's cancellation in 2002, the Jackass franchise grew to include four feature films released by Paramount Pictures. The show placed 68th on Entertainment Weekly's "New TV Classics" list, and is a significant part in 2000s American popular culture.[4]
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