Wild horse
The wild horse (Equus ferus) is a species of the genus Equus, which includes as subspecies the domesticated horse as well as the undomesticated Tarpan and Przewalski's Horse.[2] The Tarpan became extinct in the 19th century, and Przewalski's Horse was saved from the brink of extinction and reintroduced successfully to the wild. The possible ancestor of the domestic horse was the Tarpan, which roamed the steppes of Eurasia at the time of domestication.[3][4][5][6][7] However, other subspecies of Equus ferus may have existed and could have been the stock from which domesticated horses are descended.[8] Since the extinction of the Tarpan, attempts have been made to reconstruct the phenotype of the Tarpan, resulting in horse breeds such as the Konik and Heck horse. However, the genetic makeup and foundation bloodstock of those breeds is substantially derived from domesticated horses, and therefore these breeds possess domesticated traits.
The term "wild horse" is also used colloquially to refer to free roaming herds of feral horses such as the Mustang in the United States, the Brumby in Australia, and many others. These feral horses are untamed members of the domestic horse subspecies (Equus ferus caballus), and should not be confused with the two truly "wild" horse subspecies.
Subspecies and their history:
The Domestic horse (Equus ferus caballus).
The Tarpan or Eurasian Wild Horse (Equus ferus ferus), once native to Europe and western Asia. The Tarpan became effectively extinct in the late 19th century, and the last specimen died in captivity in a Ukraine zoo in 1918 or 1919.
Przewalski's Horse (Equus ferus przewalskii), also known as the Mongolian Wild Horse or Takhi, native to Central Asia and the Gobi Desert.
These are the only two never-domesticated "wild" groups that survived into historic times.[8] However, other subspecies of Equus ferus may have existed and could have been the stock from which domesticated horses are descended.
Berger Feinste Confiserie
Art of Temptation
At first glance, you would be forgiven for thinking that Berger Feinste Confiserie is a traditional and long-established family business since the company has been extremely successful in establishing a name for itself in the industry, presenting itself as an exemplary sophisticated manufacturer. In fact, with years of experience under its belt, the company is old enough to know which factors bring entrepreneurial success and young enough to be innovative and try ambitious new things. “We have remained loyal to the principle of production by hand over the years, despite our growth and expansion. We continue to cook our exquisite fillings in copper kettles and pour them into wafer-thin chocolate pots, coating them with soft melted chocolate before adding the final decoration”, explains Hubert Berger, Director of Berger Feinste Confiserie.
A particular trademark of Berger Feinste Confiserie are the delicate filled chocolate bars which offer an abundant taste experience as a change from the classic pralines.
Each season brings a new collection with new colours, new subjects and of course new taste experiences.
Ein Betrieb, der sich auf die Herstellung feinster handgemachter Pralinen und Schokoladenpräsente spezialisiert hat. Die Confiserie Berger bietet für jede/n Schokoladenliebhaber/in Festtags-Verführungen, Pralinen mit Firmenlogo sowie Sonderanfertigungen für besondere Anlässe.
Prague (Czech Republic)
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic.[5] Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of nearly 2.0 million.[3] The city has a temperate oceanic climate with warm summers and chilly winters.
Prague has been a political, cultural, and economic centre of central Europe with waxing and waning fortunes during its 1,100 year existence. Founded during the Gothic and flourishing by the Renaissance eras, Prague was the seat of two Holy Roman Emperors and thus then also the capital of the Holy Roman Empire.[6][7] It was an important city to the Habsburg Monarchy and its Austro-Hungarian Empire and after World War I became the capital of Czechoslovakia. The city played major roles in the Protestant Reformation, the Thirty Years' War, and in modern history generally as the principal conurbation in Bohemia and Moravia whose second city is Brno.
Prague is home to a number of famous cultural attractions, many of which survived the violence and destruction of twentieth century Europe. Main attractions include the following: Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, the Jewish Quarter, the Lennon Wall, and Petřín hill. Since 1992, the extensive historic centre of Prague has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
Prague boasts more than ten major museums, along with countless theatres, galleries, cinemas, and other historical exhibits. A modern public transportation system connects the city. Also, Prague is home to a wide range of public and private schools, including the famous Charles University. Prague is classified as a Beta+ global city according to GaWC studies, comparable to Berlin, Rome, or Houston. Its rich history makes it a popular tourist destination, and the city receives more than 4.1 million international visitors annually, as of 2009. In 2011 Prague was the sixth most visited city in Europe
GROSSGLOCKNER (mountain)
The Grossglockner (German: Großglockner) is, at 3,798 m above sea level, Austria's highest mountain and the highest mountain in the Alps east of the Brenner Pass. This makes it, after Mont Blanc, the second most prominent mountain in the Alps, when measured by relative height; see the list of Alpine peaks by prominence.
The Grossglockner lies on the border between Carinthia and the East Tyrol; it is the highest peak in the Glockner group, a group of mountains along the main ridge of the Hohe Tauern. The summit itself lies on the Glockner ridge, which branches to the south off the main ridge. The Pasterze, Austria's biggest glacier, lies at the Grossglockner's foot.
The characteristically pyramid-shaped peak actually consists of two pinnacles, the Großglockner and the Kleinglockner (3,770 m; klein means "small" in German), separated by a saddle-like formation known as the Glocknerscharte.
Location and area
The Großglockner is part of the Glockner Crest (Glocknerkamms), a ridge in the Glockner Group (Austrian Central Alps) that branches off the main chain of the Alps at the Eiskögele heading in a southeasterly direction and forming the boundary between the Austrian federal states of Tyrol (municipality of Kals am Großglockner) in the southwest and Carinthia (municipality of Heiligenblut) in the northeast. This boundary is also the watershed between the Kalser Tal and its side valleys, the Teischnitz and the Ködnitz valleys on the Tyrolean side and the Möll valley with its glacier, the Pasterze, on the Carinthian side.[1][2] In addition, the region around the mountain has formed part of the Großglockner-Pasterze Special Protection Area within the High Tauern National Park since 1986.[3]
The Glockner is the highest mountain in the Alps east of the Ortler Alps,175 km away, and, after Mont Blanc, has the second greatest topographic isolation of all mountains in the Alps. Even its topographic prominence, at 2,424 metres, is the second highest after Mont Blanc in the entire Alps. That makes it one of the most independent peaks in the Alps.[4] The view from the Großglockner is one of the farthest of all the mountains in the Eastern Alps. It ranges out to 220 kilometres or, taking account of atmospheric refraction, almost 240 kilometres. Its view over more than 150,000 square kilometres of the earth's surface reaches as far as the Schwabian-Bavarian Plain in the northwest, to Regensburg and the Bohemian Forest in the north, to the Ortler in the west, to Poebene in the south, and to Triglav and the Totes Gebirge in the east.[5][6] The most important places in the local area are Kals am Großglockner (1,324 m), about 8 kilometres southwest in the Kalser Tal valley, and Heiligenblut (1,291 m), ca. twelve kilometres southeast in the Möll valley.
Snowboarding
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Powder turn.jpg
A snowboarder making a turn in fresh snow.
First played 1960s, United States
Characteristics
Categorization Outdoor
Equipment Snowboard deck, bindings, boots
Olympic 1998
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto a mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A. in the 1960s to 1970s and became a Winter Olympic Sport in 1998.
History
Proposed state quarter design for the state of Utah (though not the one that was eventually minted)[1]
Snowboarder riding off cornice
Snowboarding contributes greatly to the economies of ski resorts
Freeride snowboarding is often done in the trees off of the main trails
Modern snowboarding began in 1965 when Sherman Poppen, an engineer in Muskegon, Michigan, invented a toy for his daughter by fastening two skis together and attaching a rope to one end so she would have some control as she stood on the board and glided downhill. Dubbed the “snurfer” (combining snow and surfer), the toy proved so popular among his daughter’s friends that Poppen licensed the idea to a manufacturer that sold about a million snurfers over the next decade. And, in 1966 alone over half a million snurfers were sold.[2]
In the early 1970s, Poppen organized snurfing competitions at a Michigan ski resort that attracted enthusiasts from all over the country. One of those early pioneers was Tom Sims, a devotee of skateboarding (a sport born in the 1950s when kids attached roller skate wheels to small boards that they steered by shifting their weight). As an eighth grader in Haddonfield, New Jersey, in the 1960s, Sims crafted a snowboard in his school shop class by gluing carpet to the top of a piece of wood and attaching aluminum sheeting to the bottom. He produced commercial snowboards in the mid 70's. During this same time, Dimitrije Milovich—an American surfing enthusiast who had also enjoyed sliding down snowy hills on cafeteria trays during his college years in upstate New York—constructed a snowboard called “Winterstick,” inspired by the design and feel of a surfboard. Articles about his invention in such mainstream magazines as Newsweek helped publicize the young sport.
Also during this same period, in 1977, Jake Burton Carpenter, a Vermont native who had enjoyed snurfing since the age of 14, impressed the crowd at a Michigan snurfing competition with bindings he had designed to secure his feet to the board. That same year, he founded Burton Snowboards in Londonderry, Vermont. The “snowboards” were made of wooden planks that were flexible and had water ski foot traps. Very few people picked up snowboarding because the price of the board was considered too high at $38, but eventually Burton would become the biggest snowboarding company in the business.[3] In the spring of 1976 Welsh skateboarders Jon Roberts and Pete Matthews developed a Plywood deck with foot bindings for use on the Dry Ski Slope at the school camp, Ogmore-by-Sea, Wales. UK. Further development of the board was limited as Matthews suffered serious injury while boarding at Ogmore and access for the boarders was declined following the incident. The 'deck' was much shorter than current snow boards. Bevelled edges and a convex, polyurethane varnished bottom to the board, allowed quick downhill movement, but limited turning ability.
In 1979 the first ever World Snurfing Championship was held at Pando Winter Sports Park near Grand Rapids, Michigan. Jake Burton Carpenter, came from Vermont to compete with a snowboard of his own design. There were many protests from the competitors about Jake entering with a non-snurfer board. Paul Graves, the top snurfer at the time, and others, advocated that Jake be allowed to race. A “modified” division was created and won by Jake as the sole entrant. That race was considered the first competition for snowboards and is the start of what has now become competitive snowboarding.[4][5]
During the 1970s and 1980s as snowboarding became more popular, pioneers such as Dimitrije Milovich, Jake Burton Carpenter (founder of Burton Snowboards from Londonderry, Vermont), Tom Sims (founder of Sims Snowboards), Chuck Barfoot (founder of Barfoot Snowboards) and Mike Olson (founder of Gnu Snowboards) came up with new designs for boards and mechanisms that slowly developed into the snowboards and other related equipment that we know today.[6]
In 1982 the first National Snowboard race was held near Woodstock, Vermont, at Suicide Six. The race was won by Burton's first team rider Doug Bouton.[7]
In 1983 the first World Championship halfpipe competition was held at Soda Springs, California. Tom Sims, founder of Sims Snowboards, organized the event with the help of Mike Chantry, a snowboard instructor at Soda Springs.[8]
Snowboarding's growing popularity is reflected in its recognition as an official sport: in 1985, the first World Cup was held in Zürs, Austria. The International Snowboarding Federation (ISF) was founded in 1990 to provide universal contest regulations. In addition, the United States of America Snowboard Association (USASA) provides instructing guidelines and runs snowboard competitions in the U.S. today, high-profile snowboarding events like the Winter X-Games, Air & Style, US Open, Olympic Games and other events are broadcast worldwide. Many alpine resorts have terrain parks.
Initially, ski areas adopted the sport at a much slower pace than the winter sports public. Indeed, for many years, there was animosity between skiers and snowboarders, which led to an ongoing skier vs snowboarder feud.[9] Early snowboards were banned from the slopes by park officials. For several years snowboarders would have to take a small skills assessment prior to being allowed to ride the chairlifts. It was thought that an unskilled snowboarder would wipe the snow off of the mountain. In 1985, only seven percent of U.S. ski areas allowed snowboarding,[10] with a similar proportion in Europe. As equipment and skills improved, gradually snowboarding became more accepted. In 1990, most major ski areas had separate slopes for snowboarders. Now, approximately 97% of all ski areas in North America and Europe allow snowboarding, and more than half have jumps, rails and half pipes.
An excellent year for snowboarding was 2004 with 6.6 million participants.[11] An industry spokesman said that "twelve year-olds are out-riding adults." The same article said that most snowboarders are 18–24 years old and that females constitute 25% of participants. Now, entering the second decade of the 2000s, snowboarding continues to increase in popularity among all demographic regimes regardless of age, sex, or ability levels.
HOLIDAYS
HI GUYS SORRY THAT I HAVE NOT WRITE BEFORE...IM FROM YESTERDAY ON HOLIDAYS! SO IF YOU LIKE ME AND YOU MISS ME SO MUCH AS I MISS YOU WATCH MY VODS AND SEND ME POWER BOOSTS ;-) THIS MAKE ME VERY HAPPY!!! IF YOU WANT SOMETHING OR HAVE YOU SOME REQUEST ON ME YOU CAN WRITE ME MESSAGE...I CHECK THAT ;-)SO BYE FOR NOW MY GREAT FUNS! MUAAAAHHHH !!!! :-D
Kylie Minogue(singer)
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE (play /ˈkaɪliː mɨˈnoʊɡ/; born 28 May 1968) — often known simply as Kylie — is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, showgirl, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing her career as a recording artist in 1987. Her first single, "Locomotion", spent seven weeks at number one on the Australian singles chart and became the highest selling single of the decade. This led to a contract with songwriters and producers Stock, Aitken & Waterman. Her debut album, Kylie (1988), and the single "I Should Be So Lucky", each reached number one in the United Kingdom, and over the next two years, her first 13 singles reached the British top ten. Her debut film, The Delinquents (1989) was a box-office hit in Australia and the UK despite negative reviews.
Initially presented as a "girl next door", Minogue attempted to convey a more mature style in her music and public image. Her singles were well received, but after four albums her record sales were declining, and she left Stock, Aitken & Waterman in 1992 to establish herself as an independent performer. Her next single, "Confide in Me", reached number one in Australia and was a hit in several European countries in 1994, and a duet with Nick Cave, "Where the Wild Roses Grow", brought Minogue a greater degree of artistic credibility. Drawing inspiration from a range of musical styles and artists, Minogue took creative control over the songwriting for her next album, Impossible Princess (1997). It failed to attract strong reviews or sales in the UK, but was successful in Australia.
Minogue returned to prominence in 2000 with the single "Spinning Around" and the dance-oriented album Light Years, and she performed during the closing ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Her music videos showed a more sexually provocative and flirtatious personality and several hit singles followed. "Can't Get You Out of My Head" reached number one in more than 40 countries, and the album Fever (2001) was a hit in many countries, including the United States, a market in which Minogue had previously received little recognition. Minogue embarked on a concert tour but cancelled it when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2005. After surgery and chemotherapy treatment, she resumed her career in 2006 with Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour. Her tenth studio album X was released in 2007 and was followed by the KylieX2008 tour. In 2009, she embarked upon her For You, For Me Tour, her first concert tour of the United States and Canada, and the following year released her eleventh studio album, Aphrodite.
Minogue has achieved worldwide record sales of more than 68 million, and has received notable music awards, including multiple ARIA and Brit Awards and a Grammy Award. She has mounted several successful and critically acclaimed concert world tours and received a Mo Award for "Australian Entertainer of the Year" for her live performances. Bestowed from the Queen of Australia Queen Elizabeth II, she was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.) at Buckingham Palace in 2008 "for services to music". In the same year she was awarded France's highest cultural honour, the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French government for her contribution to the enrichment of French culture. In 2011, I Should Be So Lucky was added to the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's Sounds of Australia registry. While also in 2011, Minogue was awarded an honorary Doctor of Health Science (D.H.Sc.) degree by Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom of for her work in raising awareness for breast cancer. On 27 November 2011, on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the ARIA Music Awards, Kylie Minogue was inducted by the Australian Recording Industry Association into the ARIA Hall of Fame. Minogue Is the Biggest Selling Australian Solo Artist of All Time behind Olivia Newton John
Whitney Houston career
Houston spent some of her years touring nightclubs where her mother Cissy was performing, and she would occasionally get on stage and perform with her. In 1977, at age 14, she became a backup singer on the Michael Zager Band\\\'s single \\\"Life\\\'s a Party\\\". In 1978, at age 15, Houston sang background vocals on Chaka Khan\\\'s hit single \\\"I\\\'m Every Woman\\\", a song she would later turn into a larger hit for herself on her monster-selling The Bodyguard soundtrack album. She also sang back-up on albums by Lou Rawls and Jermaine Jackson.nnIn the early 1980s, Houston started working as a fashion model after a photographer saw her at Carnegie Hall singing with her mother. She appeared in Seventeen and became one of the first women of color to grace the cover of the magazine. She was also featured in layouts in the pages of Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Young Miss, and appeared in a Canada Dry soft drink TV commercial.Her striking looks and girl-next-door charm made her one of the most sought after youngnmodels of that time. While modeling, she continued her burgeoning recording career by working with producers Michael Beinhorn, Bill Laswell and Martin Bisi on an album they were spearheading called One Down, which was credited to the group Material. For that project, Houston contributed the ballad \\\"Memories\\\", a cover of a song by Hugh Hopper of Soft Machine. Robert Christgau of The Village Voice called her contribution \\\"one of the most gorgeous ballads you\\\'ve ever heard\\\". She also appeared as a lead vocalist on one track on a Paul Jabara album, entitled Paul Jabara and Friends, released by Columbia Records in 1983.nnHouston had previously been offered several recording agencies (Michael Zager in 1980, and Elektra Records in 1981), however her mother declined the offers stating her daughter must first complete high school. In 1983, Gerry Griffith, an A&R representative from Arista Records, saw her performing with her mother in a New York City nightclub and was impressed. He convinced Arista\\\'s head Clive Davis to make time to see Houston perform. Davis too was impressed and offered a worldwide recording contract which Houston signed. Later that year, she made her national televised debut alongside Davis on The Merv Griffin Show.nnHouston signed with Arista in 1983, but did not begin work on her album immediately. The label wanted to make sure no other label signed the singer away. Davis wanted to ensure he had the right material and producers for Houston\\\'s debut album. Some producers had to pass on the project due to prior commitments. Houston first recorded a duet with Teddy Pendergrass entitled \\\"Hold Me\\\" which appeared on his album, Love Language. The single was released in 1984 and gave Houston her first taste of success, becoming a Top 5 R&B hit. It would also appear on her debut album in 1985.
Whitney Houston/in loving memories/
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American recording artist, actress, producer, and model. In 2009, the Guinness World Records cited her as the most-awarded female act of all time. Her awards include two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, and 22 American Music Awards, among a total of 415 career awards in her lifetime. Houston was also one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 170 million albums, singles and videos worldwide. Inspired by prominent soul singers in her family, including her mother Cissy Houston, cousins Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick, and her godmother Aretha Franklin, Houston began singing with her New Jersey church's junior gospel choir at age 11. After she began performing alongside her mother in night clubs in the New York City area, she was discovered by Arista Records label head Clive Davis. Houston released seven studio albums and three movie soundtrack albums, all of which have diamond, multi-platinum, platinum or gold certification.nnHouston is the only artist to chart seven consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits ("Saving All My Love for You", "How Will I Know", "Greatest Love of All", "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", "Didn't We Almost Have It All", "So Emotional" and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go"). She is the second artist behind Elton John and the only female artist to have two number-one Billboard 200 Album awards (formerly "Top Pop Album") on the Billboard magazine year-end charts. Houston's 1985 debut album Whitney Houston became the best-selling debut album by a female act at the time of its release. The album was named Rolling Stone's best album of 1986, and was ranked at number 254 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Her second studio album Whitney (1987) became the first album by a female artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Houston's crossover appeal on the popular music charts as well as her prominence on MTV, starting with her video for "How Will I Know", influenced several African-American female artists to follow in her footsteps.nnHouston's first acting role was as the star of the feature film The Bodyguard (1992). The film's original soundtrack won the 1994 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Its lead single "I Will Always Love You", became the best-selling single by a female artist in music history. With the album, Houston became the first act (solo or group, male or female) to sell more than a million copies of an album within a single week period. The album makes her the only female act in the top 10 list of the best-selling albums of all time, at number four. Houston continued to star in movies and contribute to their soundtracks, including the films Waiting to Exhale (1995) and The Preacher's Wife (1996). The Preacher's Wife soundtrack became the best-selling gospel album in history. Three years after the release of her fourth studio album My Love Is Your Love (1998), she renewed her recording contract with Arista Records.[9] She released her fifth studio album Just Whitney in 2002, and the Christmas-themed One Wish: The Holiday Album in 2003. In 2009, Houston released her seventh studio album I Look to You.
Pavol Demitra/in memoriam/
Pavol Demitra (29 November 1974 – 7 September 2011) was a Slovak professional ice hockey player. He played sixteen seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), two in the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League (CFIHL)/Slovak Extraliga and one in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Known as an offensive player, Demitra was a first- or second-line forward throughout his career.
After a season with HC Dukla Trencin in the CFIHL, Demitra was selected 227th overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators. He subsequently left Slovakia to join the Senators organization and played three seasons between the NHL and the American Hockey League with Ottawa's minor league affiliate, the PEI Senators. Demitra began the 1996–97 season in a contract holdout with the Senators, resulting in him being traded to the St. Louis Blues in November 1996. After spending the majority of his first season with St. Louis organization in the International Hockey League, he secured a regular roster spot with the Blues in 1996–97. Demitra spent his most successful seasons with St. Louis, being named to three NHL All-Star Games (1999, 2000 and 2002) and winning the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 2000. He achieved the 30-goal mark three times and the 90-point mark once as a Blue. Due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Demitra returned to HC Dukla Trencin for one season. Upon returning to the NHL the following year, he signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Kings. After one year with Los Angeles, he was traded to the Minnesota Wild, where he played on the team's top line with winger Marián Gáborík. In July 2008, he became an unrestricted free agent and signed with the Vancouver Canucks.
Demitra left the NHL after a two-year stint with the Canucks, joining Lokomotiv Yarolsavl of the Kontinental Hockey League. Demitra spent the entire 2010–11 KHL season with Lokomotiv, netting 18 goals and 43 assists in 54 games. On September 7, 2011, the eve of the 2011-12 KHL season, a plane carrying the Lokomotiv players and coaching staff crashed shortly after takeoff. 44 passengers, including Demitra, died as a result.
In international competition, Demitra began his career with Czechoslovakia. He won a gold medal at the 1992 IIHF European U18 Championship and a bronze medal at the 1993 IIHF World U20 Championship. After the country split in 1993, Demitra began competing for Slovakia. Beginning in 1996, he played in six IIHF World Championships, winning a bronze medal in 2003 and captaining his country in 2011. In 1996 and 2004, Demitra participated in the NHL-sanctioned World Cup. He was also a three-time Olympian and played his first tournament in 2002. Four years later, he captained Slovakia and in 2010, where he led all scorers in points and was named to the tournament's All-Star Team.
KABAT (CZECH BAND)
History
Band was founded in Teplice (a 50,000-citizen spa city situated 100 kilometres northwest of Prague) in 1983 by bassguitarist Milan Špalek and guitarist Tomáš Krulich. Drummer Radek "Hurvajs" Hurčík a singer Josef Vojtek joined the band later on. Another guitarist Ota Váňa completed the line-up in 1990. It is working to date.
In the beginning, Kabát operated as a local rock band just in hometown Teplice and its neighbourhood. The breaking point came in 1991, when the first album "Má ji motorovou" (She has it engine-driven) was released, followed by "Živě" (Live). On grounds of fan response, the band signed exclusive contract with the Monitor/EMI ČR publishing.
"Děvky ty to znaj" (Bitches, they know that) was the first regular album produced under its belt. "Colorado", "Země plná trpaslíků" (A country full of dwarfs), "Čert na koze jel" (A devil riding on a goat(, "Mega Hu", "Go Satane Go", "Suma Sumárum (best of)" and "Dole v dole" (Down in the mine) have succeded.
Until the "Best of" digest, "Colorado" album was the top-scoring release, retailing almost the 100,000 edition. Kabát celebrated 10th anniversary of its first album release with the best of double-album "Suma Sumárum" in November 2001. It gained platinum within the first month on the market and there was unbelievable 128,000 items of that album sold in the Czech Republic and Slovakia up to date. "Suma Sumárum" was among ten music bestsellers according to the IFPI ČR chart and ranked as one of the top all-time Czech music market hits.
The 10th Anniversary culminated with the "Suma Sumárum 2002" concert tour, containing 12 technically entirely unique shows, visited by total of more than 60,000 spectators. On October 7, 2003, Kabát band started the long-awaited Tour 2003 as a forerunner of the new-released album "Dole v dole". After three very succesful concerts in Slovakia, the tour crossed the Czech border on October 12. "Dole v dole" record was released two days later and became triple-platinum within three days of sale, what is really rare.
The tour was the most prosperous concert trip in the Czech music modern history. While being held at icehockey stadiums, concerts were desperately sold out in each site beforehand, including Prague. Only Robbie Williams had similar success in the Czech capitol that year, selling out the big T-Mobile Arena in Prague as the only performer in advance in 2003.
Kabát is currently considered as the best music band on Czech market by music experts and by public as well. As an illustration, the first regular tour after a change of band´s promoters was held in 1999. Total of 20,000 spectators visited seven shows in big Czech cities. A GSG Tour held in 2001 attracted more than 30,000. Over 110,000 fans visited the 2003 Tour.
The "Suma Sumárum" CD became quintuple platinum and the band was honoured by 2002 Anděl Award for the best selling album in all categories. Kabát finished third in the Golden Nightingale Award poll for the best band of the year. Josef Vojtek was honoured as top breakthru performer of the year in singer´s category.
During 2002, the band introduced videoclips of songs "Pohoda" (Ease) and "Šaman" (Medicine Man) in prestigious chart of TV Nova - ESO (Ace). Both titles captured "Red Ace" (for six straight wins) and "Pohoda" became the most successful clip of the year reaching the all-time record of votes within competition´s existence. In terms of it, the videoclip was reset in the ranking and won "Red Ace" once more. Another videoclip "Dole v dole" was introduced after release of the next album also captured the "Red Ace".
Following year was even more successful for the group. Mofre than 110,000 people visited the 2003 Tour. Kabát won the "Golden Nightingale" Award as a band of the year with a total of 10,000 votes, 4,000 ahead of the runner-ups Lucie. "Dole v dole" was voted best video of the year.
Kabát received even more credits for that clip. It was the top-played Czech video of Slovakian music channel TV Music Box. It won a chart of Czech music TV Óčko in hard and heavy category while Kabát finished second overall among bands in fans´ vořiny, trailling only the Linkin Park. Josef Vojtek and Milan Špalek also presented the 2003 "Český lev" (Czech Lion) Award in the best sound category.
The band had three nominations before the 2003 Czech Music Academy Awards: Group of the Year, Rock Album and Music Videoclip of the Year (Dole v dole). Furthermore, its management (Pink Panter Agency) was nominated for the Promoter of the Year Award.
In spring 2004, the group underwent another concert tour, promoting its album "Dole v dole". Its above-standard show withstood comparisons to similar rock-band shows elsewhere in the world.
Marika Gombitova (singer)
Marika Gombitová (Slovak: [ˈmarɪka ˈɡombɪtovaː], born September 12, 1956) is a Slovak recording artist, often referred to as The Songstress of the Century. Having sold over one million gramophone records, she is considered as the most prominent female vocalist in her country of origin.Apart from her idiosyncratic vocal and distinctive interpreting skills, her artistry has been credited for its diverse musical style, as well her composing capabilities. She also became known for a series of sonically innovative studio albums released in the 1980s. The authors of her self-titled biography book published in 2008, labeled Gombitová as a "genius singer and very private person."nnGombitová started to receive her early critical acclaim as the lead female vocalist of Modus group since 1976. Nevertheless, she gradually developed her public image as a soloist, making own professional debut on short play in 1977. Subsequently after winning Bratislavská lýra '78 with "Študentská láska", her debut album entitled Dievča do dažďa (1979) saw its eventual release on OPUS Records, selling over 200,000 units. Its lead single, "Vyznanie", earned several music awards; most notably at the 4th Intervision Song Festival contest held in Sopot, Poland (1980). Furthermore, the song was voted by STV audience as "Hit of the Century" (2007),being covered by a number of other musicians.nnPrior to the launching of her second set Môj malý príbeh (1981), her career was adversely affected by a serious single-car accident from December 1, 1980. Even though singer survived, as a result of multiple injuries she has been tied to a wheelchair for life. Following a six month recovery, artist returned to the spotlight, scoring new top rankings and even touring again. Her comeback album Slnečný kalendár (1982) continued with the previously established sound, such as mainly pop rock; shortly she began to explore also other styles in her work. While her unconventional guitar-based double LP Mince na dne fontán (1983) earned the Gold Arms award for the Best Audio Recording, its successor called Marika №5 (1984) found her experimenting with electronic music, giving Gombitová some of her strongest reviews ever. The album considered for one of the most influential in her geographical region, yet proved to be less thriving in terms of commercial outcomes.nnThe second half of the 1980s, she thus carried on achieving commercial success through a radio-friendly format. Her consecutively running synthpop outputs Voľné miesto v srdci (1986) and Ateliér duše (1987), they both enjoyed a series of hit singles, being accompanied with sold-out concert tour Adresa ja, adresa ty. After the less favorably viewed album Kam idú ľudia? (1990), served as her closing release on OPUS, her career went on to a four-year hiatus. Prior to her ultimate withdrawal from public, she issued through Jumbo Records Zostaň (1994), her final studio effort to date. However, singer expressed occasional sentiments to deliver a new full-length material in the millennium, she would regularly cite medical reasons for dropping out from further recording involvements. Since then, her rare appearance has been limited to casual single releases, such as "Prosba" (2000), respectively her duets "Nespáľme to krásne v nás" (2001) and "Tajnosľubná" (2005); both recorded with former co-worker Miro Žbirka.nnDespite her premature retirement, Gombitová is regarded as a dominant figure in popular culture whose achievements reflect her influence in redefining the scope of Czechoslovak pop music. She has been quoted as an inspiration by numerous artists, leaving an indelible imprint on the music industry as a whole. Beside her countless awards, she was inducted into the Grand Prix ZAI Hall of Fame (1996), becoming at the age of forty years the first and the only such female case by now in her native country. Moreover, six out of her nine studio albums in total were listed among The 100 Greatest Slovak Albums of All Time, making Gombitová the most successful solo act in the history of Slovak contemporary music. Her work remains being periodically played by the major local radio stations. Most currently, her multi-platinum compilation called Vyznanie (2007) peaked at number #23 on the Czech Albums chart, while her latest airplay single "Tak som chcela všetkých milovať" reached on the Slovak component playlist number #20.
Lucie, Czech Band
Those familiar with the Czech music scene are likely to have heard music by Lucie - arguably one of the most successful Czech rock bands of the 1990s. The group's success was expected to continue well into the new millennium, but then the project slowly began to unravel. Former members went their own ways, and have now released new CDs.
No band in the Czech Republic enjoyed more repeated success in the 90s than rock group Lucie but the last studio release by the band was in 2002. Slowly, the group withdrew from the public eye and its death knell arguably sounded last year when singer/songwriter David Koller - the group's instantly recognisable vocalist - announced he had quit the band. That left Lucie guitarist Robert Kodym and the bassist who goes by the acronym P. B.Ch. on their own, putting Lucie on ice for the time being and returning to their "other" rock band "Wanastowi Vjecy".
As it happens both they - and David Koller - recently released new albums within the same month, making comparisons somewhat inevitable: so, what are the CDs like?
Wanastowi Vjecy's album is titled "Torpedo", Koller's "Nic neni nastalo" or "Nothing Lasts Forever". As a number of Czech reviewers have already noted, both go for markedly different sounds, though both are likely to attract Lucie audiences.
Wanastowi Vjecy, always more of a classic hard rock group with plenty of guitar, fall back on tried and true formulas that are nevertheless effective. It's pure hard rock with a metal sheen. On some tracks Kodym's vocals are surprisingly gruff - drawing comparison with the Czech metal group Kabat, almost hardcore, and one realises the name "Torpedo" for the CD is very apt.
Already, some of the less heavy tracks are getting airplay, one even includes an unmistakable reference to AC/DC's "Back in Black".
David KollerDavid Koller David Koller's album by contrast is very different. His is also set firmly within the pop rock genre, but more pop than rock. It's good to hear him back. The vocals are snappy and fresh, reminding listeners there is good reason why Koller is one of the most imitated singers on the Czech scene. The album is, by turns, melodic at other moments cool. And not without a few corkers of its own, like the song "Lajka z I.P. Pavlova".
With all the talent involved one may feel sorry that Lucie crashed and burned - or perhaps more appropriately faded away, and fans may lament there may not be a new Lucie album for quite a while, maybe never. On the other hand, they can take heart that the bands' former members still know how to put together decent records: if not together, at least "on their own".
Elán (band)
Elán is a Slovak pop-rock band, founded in 1969 by Jožo Ráž, Juraj Farkaš, Vašo Patejdl and Zdeno Baláž. It became one of the most popular Czechoslovak bands during the 1980s. In 1993, the group represented Slovakia in the preliminary round of the Eurovision Song Contest but having finished in fourth place, failed to qualify for the finals in Ireland. Elán's status in the 2000s is that of Slovakia's most successful pop group of all time; it may be the only Slovak music act consistently capable of selling out stadiums for their live performances. The biggest such concert took place in Prague, Czech Republic, in September 2003, in front of an audience of 90 thousand fans. They performed at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec, Czech Republic as part of the championships' entertainment festivities.
1969 - 1980
Various line-ups around Jožo Ráž, Juraj Farkaš and Vašo Patejdl
1980 - 1985
Jožo Ráž - bass, vocals
Ján Baláž - guitars, vocals
Vašo Patejdl - keyboards, vocals
Juraj Farkaš - solo guitar, vocals
Zdeno Baláž - drums
1985 - 1989
Jožo Ráž - bass, vocals
Jano Baláž - solo guitar, vocals
Martin Karvaš - keyboards
Gabo Szabó - drums
Vašo Patejdl - keyboards, vocals
1991 - 2001
Jožo Ráž - bass, vocals
Jano Baláž - solo guitar, vocals
Peter Farnbauer - guitar, keyboards, vocals
Ľubo Horňák - keyboards
Vašo Patejdl - keyboards, vocals
Juraj Kuchárek - drums
Discography
Ôsmy svetadiel (1981) (The Eighth Continent)
Nie sme zlí (1982) (We aren't Bad)
Kamikadze lover (1982)
Elán 3 (1983)
Nightshift (1984)
Hodina slovenčiny (1985) (Lesson of Slovak)
Schoolparty (1985)
Detektívka (1986) (Whodunit)
Missing (1987)
Neviem byť sám (1987) (I don't know how to be alone)
Nebezpečný náklad (1988) (The Dangerous Burden)
Rabaka (1989)
Midnight in the city (1989)
Netvor z čiernej hviezdy Q7A (1991) (The Beast from Black Star Q7A)
Legenda 1 (1992) (Legend 1)
Legenda 2 (1992) (Legend 2)
Hodina angličtiny (1994) (Lesson of English)
Hodina nehy (1995) (Lesson of tenderness)
Classic (1997)
Hodina pravdy (1997) (Lesson of truth)
Legenda 3 (1997) (Legend 3)
Legenda 4 (1998) (Legend 4)
Elán Unplugged (1998; 2 CD)
Jožo… (1999; 2 CD) (Joseph)
Láska je stvorená (2000) (Love is created)
Legenda 5 - Posledná… (2000)(Legend 5 - The Last...)
Neviem byť sám 2001: roky a rock(2001)-(I don't know how to be alone)
Otázniky/Všetko čo máš(2001)Questions/All You Have)
Elán 3000 (2002)
Tretie oko (2003) (Third Eye)
Elán: Megakoncert (2004)
Unplugged Carnegie Hall NY (2007)
Anjelská daň (2010) (Angel's tax)
Lucie Bílá
Lucie Bílá (born April 7, 1966 as Hana Zaňáková) is a Czech pop singer. With a powerful, distinctively intense voice and impressive range, she is one of the most famous and celebrated female artists in Czech Republic history.[citation needed] According to her label, EMI Czech Republic, the singer sold over one million albums by now.
Biography
Lucie Bílá (born Hana Zaňáková) was born in the town of Otvovice in Central Czechoslovakia, where she was raised and where she attended a secondary school. Before she became involved in the field of music, she trained to be a seamstress.[citation needed]
Bila's first experiences with show business were as a member of the rock bands Rock-Automat and Arakain. In 1980, she was noticed by Czech music producer Petr Hannig, who created her stage name Lucie Bílá (literally, Lucy White) and penned her first recorded songs. Interestingly, her name change was originally due to confusion with another famous Czech singer, Hana Zagorová. For over three decades, Bílá has had tremendous professional success among Czechs in a broad range of endeavors, starring in the best-known stage musicals in the country, releasing several popular solo albums, and starring in several films and television specials. For several years in a row in the 2000s she topped the list of the most popular Czech singers in the coveted Český slavík awards.[2]
Bílá owes some of her greatest hits to the songwriter Gábina Osvaldová and Gábina's husband, composer Ondřej Soukup. Their collaboration became legendary among Czech musicians. Some of their most notable hits were Neposlušné tenisky, Láska je Láska, Čarodějka, Jinak to nebude (Haňa Zaňa), Zpíváš mi Requiem, Trouba, and Most přes minulost.[citation needed]
Her personal relationships have been rocky and are perennial tabloid fodder. She and her boyfriend Petr Kratochvíl had a son, Filip, born in 1996. Not long after, he left her for beauty queen finalist Pavlína Babůrkova. In 2002, she was married briefly to musician Stanislav Penk, and in 2006 she married another musician, Václav "Noid" Bárta. and has recently divorced.
Sandro Botticeli
Youth
Details of Botticelli's life are sparse, but we know that he became an apprentice when he was about fourteen years old, which would indicate that he received a fuller education than did other Renaissance artists. Vasari reported that he was initially trained as a goldsmith by his brother Antonio. Probably by 1462 he was apprenticed to Fra Filippo Lippi; many of his early works have been attributed to the elder master, and attributions continue to be uncertain. Influenced also by the monumentality of Masaccio's painting, it was from Lippi that Botticelli learned a more intimate and detailed manner. As recently discovered, during this time, Botticelli could have traveled to Hungary, participating in the creation of a fresco in Esztergom, ordered in the workshop of Fra Filippo Lippi by Vitez Janos, then archbishop of Hungary.
By 1470 Botticelli had his own workshop. Even at this early date his work was characterized by a conception of the figure as if seen in low relief, drawn with clear contours, and minimizing strong contrasts of light and shadow which would indicate fully modeled forms.
Masterworks
The Birth of Venus c. 1485 - Sandro Botticelli
The Birth of Venus c. 1485
The masterworks Primavera (c. 1478) and The Birth of Venus (c. 1485) were both seen by Vasari at the villa of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici at Castello in the mid-16th century, and until recently, it was assumed that both works were painted specifically for the villa. Recent scholarship suggests otherwise: the Primavera was painted for Lorenzo's townhouse in Florence, and The Birth of Venus was commissioned by someone else for a different site. By 1499, both had been installed at Castello.
In these works, the influence of Gothic realism is tempered by Botticelli's study of the antique. But if the painterly means may be understood, the subjects themselves remain fascinating for their ambiguity. The complex meanings of these paintings continue to receive widespread scholarly attention, mainly focusing on the poetry and philosophy of humanists who were the artist's contemporaries. The works do not illustrate particular texts; rather, each relies upon several texts for its significance. Of their beauty, characterized by Vasari as exemplifying "grace" and by John Ruskin as possessing linear rhythm, there can be no doubt.
Raphael Sanzio
Raphael, or Raffaello Sanzio, was born on April 6, 1483 in Urbino, Italy. He was a painter and architect during the High Renaissance. Unlike the other Masters at the time, he was enormously productive, running a workshop that encompassed 50 pupils and assistants. Much of his work remains, for it was done mainly within the Vatican. There is considered to be three phases of his work. His early career, which conveyed the influence of his teacher, The Florentine period, when Raphael went to the city for four years, and then his last years where his best work was produced.
Raphael’s family was a very artistic family. His dad was court painter to the Duke of Urbino, Federico Il da Montefeltro, and he helped his dad paint some of the pieces. Growing up and around the court gave Raphael excellent manners and social skills, which other artists like Michelangelo lacked. His mom died when he was eight. His dad remarried, but then died four years later. Orphaned, Raphael lived with his uncle Bartolomeo, a priest. Since he had helped his father with the court art, he showed much talent while living with his uncle. There is a self portrait which exists, made when he was about 15 or 16; it the earliest known example of his work.
The Others (movie)
Horror films these days we can differentiate to two groups: slasher, blood and stupid actions; and others with psychological plot and suspense. The Others is a good example of the second type.
Nicole Kidman stars as Grace, a woman living alone with her two kids: Anne and Nicholas in a large mansion on the island near to English coast. She is waiting for her husband who has been fighting in World War II. Her kids are allergy to bright light and they must to live in darkness. One day, a trio of servants: Mrs. Mills, Mr. Tuttle and Lydia, who is silent, knock at her door. They are a lit bit shocked about rules, which includes locked doors and darkness, which must be everywhere, but they are poor and they want to work. You think they are only servants, but you will find out, that they know more. Later, the strange sounds are heard and somebody plucks aside the window curtains. Anne sometimes talks to an invisible boy–Victor. Grace doesn’t believe her. But she must admit that she hears the sounds and people too. Suddenly world of ghosts and normal people starts to intersect!
However, Nicole Kidman and others actors are Americans and money came from America, script and director are from Spain. It is felt. There aren’t any complicated tricks and only few shocks, but atmosphere was created for fear. All and sundry actors were great, especially Nicole Kidman, whose acting was very persuasive. Sometimes, you were afraid of her!
This movie is a combination of a good ghost story and some descent acting.
ANDY WARHOL
This inspiring artist and filmmaker is considered a founder and a major figure of the pop art movement. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1928, Andy Warhol graduated from the Carnegie Institute of Technology before moving to New York. His first big break was in August 1949 when Glamour Magazine asked him to illustrate an article called "Success is a Job in New York". Although born Andrew Warhola, he dropped the 'a' in his last name when the credit mistakenly read "Drawings by Andy Warhol."
By 1955 Andy Warhol had almost all of New York copying his work. He was well known for creating ink images with slight color changes. Andy Warhol was into doing popular items like Coca-Cola bottles and celebrities faces, like Marilyn Monroe. His Campbell's Soup Can is a classic and an easily recognized work of Andy's. In the 1960s, Andy Warhol also made a series of films about time, boredom and repetition like Empire and The Chelsea
irls which are now underground classics.
Andy Warhol had the privilege of working with the rock band The Velvet Underground in 1965. He traveled around the country, not only with The Velvets, but also with 1965 superstar Edie Sedgwick and the lightshow The Exploding Plastic Inevitable.
On June 3rd, 1968, Valerie Solanis, founder and sole member of SCUM (Society for Cutting Up Men), walked into Andy Warhol's studio, The Factory, and shot him three times in the chest. He was rushed to the hospital and doctors said he was dead. Still, they decided to open up his chest and massaging his heart - just in case. It did the trick and Andy Warhol survived. Valerie turned herself in, was put in a mental institute and was later given a three-year prison sentence. After recovering, Andy continued to work. He started interVIEW magazine and published The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again. And though bullets didn't do him in, his own gall bladder did. Andy Warhol died February 22, 1987 after routine gall bladder surgery. In May of 1994, The Andy Warhol Museum opened in Pittsburgh.
Vincent van Gogh: Biography
Vincent van Gogh, for whom color was the chief symbol of expression, was born in Groot-Zundert, Holland on March 30, 1853.
The son of a pastor, brought up in a religious and cultured atmosphere, Vincent was highly emotional and lacked self-confidence. Between 1860 and 1880, when he finally decided to become an artist, van Gogh had had two unsuitable and unhappy romances and had worked unsuccessfully as a clerk in a bookstore, an art salesman, and a preacher in the Borinage (a dreary mining district in Belgium), where he was dismissed for overzealousness.
He remained in Belgium to study art, determined to give happiness by creating beauty. The works of his early Dutch period are somber-toned, sharply lit, genre paintings of which the most famous is "The Potato Eaters" (1885). In that year van Gogh went to Antwerp where he discovered the works of Rubens and purchased many Japanese prints.
In 1886 he went to Paris to join his brother Théo, the manager of Goupil's gallery. In Paris, van Gogh studied with Cormon, inevitably met Pissarro, Monet, and Gauguin, and began to lighten his very dark palette and to paint in the short brushstrokes of the Impressionists. His nervous temperament made him a difficult companion and night-long discussions combined with painting all day undermined his health. He decided to go south to Arles where he hoped his friends would join him and help found a school of art. Gauguin did join him but with disastrous results. Near the end of 1888, an incident led Gauguin to ultimately leave Arles. Van Gogh pursued him with an open razor, was stopped by Gauguin, but ended up cutting a portion of his own ear lobe off. Van Gogh then began to alternate between fits of madness and lucidity and was sent to the asylum in Saint-Remy for treatment.
In May of 1890, he seemed much better and went to live in Auvers-sur-Oise under the watchful eye of Dr. Gachet. Two months later he was dead, having shot himself "for the good of all." During his brief career he had sold one painting. Van Gogh's finest works were produced in less than three years in a technique that grew more and more impassioned in brushstroke, in symbolic and intense color, in surface tension, and in the movement and vibration of form and line. Van Gogh's inimitable fusion of form and content is powerful; dramatic, lyrically rhythmic, imaginative, and emotional, for the artist was completely absorbed in the effort to explain either his struggle against madness or his comprehension of the spiritual essence of man and nature.
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