This is a list of settlements and places of interest in Devon, England.
A

Abbots Bickington
Abbotsham
Abbotskerswell
Alverdiscott
Appledore (Mid Devon)
Appledore (North Devon)
Arlington
Ashburton pop. 3,500
Ashcombe
Ashford
Ashprington
Ashreigney pop. 446
Ashton
Ashwater
Atherington
Aulers
Aveton Gifford
Awliscombe
Axminster pop. 6,000
Axmouth
Aylesbeare B

Bampton
Bantham Cross
Barnstaple
Beaford
Beaworthy
Beer
Beesands
Belstone
Bere Alston
Bere Ferrers
Berry Head
Berrynarbor
Berry Pomeroy
Bickingtom
Bickleigh
Bicton
Bideford
Bigbury
Bishop's Nympton
Bishop's Tawton
Bishopsteignton
Bittadon
Blackawton
Black Torrington
Bondleigh
Bovey Tracey
Bow
Bradford
Bradninch
Bradstone
Bradworthy
Brampford Speke
Branscombe
Bratton Clovelly
Bratton Fleming
Braunton
Brendon
Brentor
Bridestowe
Bridford
Bridgerule
Brixham
Brixton
Broadclyst
Broadhembury
Broadhempston
Broadwoodkelly
Broadwoodwidger
Brushford
Buckerell
Buckfastleigh
Buckland Brewer
Buckland Filleigh
Buckland in the Moor
Buckland Monachorum
Buckland Tout Saints
Budleigh Salterton
Bulkworthy
Burgh Island
Burlescombe
Burrington, Devon
Butterleigh C

Cadbury
Cadeleigh
Calverleigh
Chagford
Challacombe
Chardstock
Charles
Charleton
Chawleigh
Chelfham
Cheriton Bishop
Cheriton Fitzpaine
Chillington
Chittlehamholt
Chittlehampton
Chivelstone
Christow
Chudleigh
Chudleigh Knighton
Chulmleigh
Churchstow
Churston Ferrers
Clawton
Clayhanger
Clayhidon
Clovelly
Clyst Honiton
Clyst Hydon
Clyst St. George
Clyst St. Lawrence
Clyst St. Mary
Cockington
Coffinswell
Colaton Raleigh
Coldharbour
Coldridge
Colebrooke
Colyford
Colyton
Combe Martin
Combe Raleigh
Combeinteignhead
Combpyne
Cookbury
Copplestone
Cornwood
Cornworthy
Coryton
Cotleigh
Countisbury
Crazelowman
Crediton
Crockernwell
Crowden
Croyde
Cruwys Morchard
Cullompton
Culmstock D

Dalwood
Dartington
Dartmouth
Dawlish
Dean Prior
Devonport
Diptford
Dittisham
Doddiscombsleigh
Dolton
Dowland
Down St. Mary
Drewsteignton
Dunchideock
Dunkeswell
Dunsford
Dunterton E

East Allington
East Anstey
East Buckland
East Budleigh
East Down
East Portlemouth
East Putford
East Worlington
Eggesford
Ermington
Exbourne
Exeter
Exminster
Exmouth G

Galmpton
Georgeham
George Nympton
Germansweek
Gidleigh
Gittisham
Goodleigh
Great Torrington H

Haccombe
Halberton
Haldon
Hallsands
Halwell
Halwill
Harberton
Harbertonford
Harford
Harpford
Hartland
Hatherleigh
Hawkchurch
Heanton Punchardon
Heathfield
Heavitree
Hele
Hemyock
Highampton
High Bray
Hittisleigh
Holbeton
Holcombe Burnell
Holcombe Rogus
Holsworthy
Honeychurch
Honiton
Hope Cove
Horwood
Huish
Huntsham
Huntshaw
Huxham I

Iddesleigh
Ide
Ideford
Ilfracombe
Ilsington
Instow
Inwardleigh
Ipplepen
Ivybridge J

Jacobstowe K

Kelly
Kenn
Kennerleigh
Kentisbeare
Kentisbury
Kenton
Kilmington
Kingsbridge
Kingskerswell
King's Nympton
Kingsteignton
Kingston
Kingswear
Knowstone L

Lamerton
Landcross
Landkey
Langtree
Lapford
Leigham
Lewtrenchard
Lifton
Littleham, East Devon
Littleham, North Devon
Littlehempston
Little Torrington
Loddiswell
Loxbeare
Loxhore
Luffincott
Lundy
Luppitt
Lustleigh, Teignbridge
Lydford
Lympstone
Lynton
Lynmouth M

Malborough
Mamhead
Manaton
Mariansleigh
Marldon
Marwood
Marystow
Mary Tavy
Meavy
Meeth
Meldon
Membury
Merrivale
Merton
Meshaw
Milton Abbot
Milton Damerel
Modbury
Molland
Monkleigh
Monkokehampton
Monkton
Morchard Bishop
Morebath
Moretonhampstead
Mortehoe
Morwellham
Musbury N

Newton Abbot
Newton Ferrers
Newton Poppleford
Newton St. Cyres
Newton St. Petrock
Newton Tracey
Northam
Northleigh
Northlew
North Molton
North Tawton
Noss Mayo
Nymet Rowland
Nymet Tracey O

Oakford
Offwell
Ogwell
Okehampton
Otterton
Ottery St. Mary P

Paignton
Pancrasweek
Parkham
Parracombe
Payhembury
Pennymoor
Peters Marland
Peter Tavy
Petrockstowe
Pilton
Pinhoe
Plymouth
Plympton
Plymstock
Plymtree
Poltimore
Portlemouth
Postbridge
Poughill
Poundstock
Powderham
Prawle
Princetown
Puddington
Putsborough
Pyworthy Q

Queen's Nympton R

Rackenford
Rattery
Rewe
Ringmore
Roborough
Rockbeare
Romansleigh
Rose Ash
Rousdon S

Salcombe
Salcombe Regis
Sampford Courtenay
Sampford Peverell
Sampford Spiney
Sandford
Satterleigh
Saunton
Seaton
Shaldon
Sharpham
Shaugh Prior
Shebbear
Sheepstor
Sheepwash
Sheldon
Sherford
Shirwell
Shobrooke
Shute
Sidbury
Sidmouth
Silverton
Slapton
Sourton
South Brent
Southleigh
South Molton
South Tawton
South Zeal
Sowton
Spreyton
St. Giles in the Heath
St. Giles in the Wood
Starcross
Stibb Cross
Sticklepath
Stockland
Stockleigh English
Stockleigh Pomeroy
Stoke Canon
Stoke Damerel
Stoke Fleming
Stoke Gabriel
Stokeinteignhead
Stokenham
Stoke Rivers
Stoodleigh
Stowford
Strete
Sutcombe
Swimbridge
Sydenham
Sydenham Damerel T

Taddiport
Talaton
Tamerton Foliot
Tavistock
Tawstock
Tedburn St. Mary
Teigngrace
Teignmouth
Tetcott
Thornbury
Thorverton
Throwleigh
Thrushelton
Thurlestone
Tiverton
Topsham
Torbryan
Torcross
Torquay
Totnes
Trusham
Twitchen U

Uffculme
Ugborough
Uplowman
Uplyme
Upottery
Upton Hellions
Upton Pyne V

Virginstow W

Walkhampton
Warkleigh
Washfield
Washford Pyne
Way Village
Weare Giffard
Welcombe
Wembury
Wembworthy
West Down
Westleigh
Westward Ho!
Whimple
Whitchurch
Whitestone
Widecombe-in-the-Moor
Widworthy
Willand
Winkleigh
Witheridge
Woodbury
Woodleigh
Woolacombe
Woolfardisworthy/"Woolsery" (North Devon)
Woolfardisworthy (South Devon)
Worlington X

Y

Yarcombe
Yarnscombe
Yawl
Yealmpton
Yelland
Yelverton Places of interest

Berry Head
Buckfast Abbey
Castles in Devon
Dartmoor
Exmoor
Heritage railways:

• Babbacombe Cliff Railway
  Bideford & Instow Railway
  Dartmoor Railway
  Lynton & Barnstaple Railway
  Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway
  Plym Valley Railway
  South Devon Railway
  Jurassic Coast (a World Heritage Site)
  Lundy Island
  Lynmouth
  Whimple

Scott Jeremy Downs (born 17 March 1976) is an American baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Downs was born in Louisville, Kentucky and attended the University of Kentucky. He was selected by the Chicago Cubs in 3rd round (94th overall) of 1997 amateur entry draft (June Regular Phase). After his senior year at Pleasure Ridge Park High School in Louisville, KY, he was selected as Kentucky's Mr. Baseball.
Scott Downs is married and has two children. Every time he comes out to pitch, he writes his children's initials in the dirt on the mound.
He also played for the Edmonton Trappers.
On February 2, 2007 the Blue Jays and Downs agreed to a 1 year $1.025 million contract. This means that Downs and the Blue Jays will not have to go through the arbitration process.

Chicago Cubs (2000)
Montreal Expos (2000-2004)
Toronto Blue Jays (2005-present)

Frederick I of Denmark and Norway (October 7, 1471 – April 10, 1533) was the son of the first Oldenburg King Christian I of Denmark, Norway and Sweden (1426–1481) and of Dorothea of Brandenburg (1430–1495). The name is also spelled Friedrich in German, Frederik in Danish, and Fredrik in Swedish and Norwegian.
The underage Frederick was elected co-Duke of Schleswig and Holstein in 1482, soon after the death of his father, the other co-duke being his ten years elder brother Johann (or Hans), the King. At Frederick's majority in 1490 both duchies were divided between the brothers.
In 1500 he'd convinced his brother and co-duke for a conquest of Dithmarschen, and a great army was called from not only the duchies, but with additions from all of the Kalmar Union for which his brother briefly was king. Also numerous German mercenaries took part. The expedition failed however miserably in the Battle of Hemmingstedt, where one third of all knights of Schleswig and Holstein lost their lives.
In 1523 his nephew Christian II, the King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, was forced by disloyal nobles to abdicate, and the duke took the throne as king Frederick I. A group of Jutish nobles had offered Frederick the throne as early as 1513, when his brother king Hans died, but he had declined, rightly believing that the majority of the Danish nobility would be loyal to prince Christian.
It is not certain that Frederick ever learned to speak Danish. After becoming king, he continued spending most of his time at the castle of Gottorp in Schleswig.
During his rule as a Danish king Frederick had to suppress social revolts among the peasants at the same time as the rise of the Protestant movement made a balancing attitude a necessity. Without being a man of greater statesmanship Frederick managed to escape all open conflicts even though he seems to have accepted the spread of Lutheran propaganda. 1532 he succeeded in capturing Christian II who had tried to get a political come-back in Norway.
As King of Norway, Frederick is most remarkable in never having visited the country. He was never crowned King of Norway, and therefore styled himself King of Denmark, the Vends and the Goths, elected King of Norway.

Iraqi Kurdistan also known as Kurdistan Region (Kurdish: ههريمى كوردستان, Herêma Kurdistan, Arabic:إقليم كردستان العراق , also Southern Kurdistan and in Kurdish: Başûrî Kurdistan) is an autonomous, federally recognized political entity located in northern Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north and Syria to the west. Its capital is the city of Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr.

Etymology

Main article: History of the Kurds History
On December 1, 1918, during a meeting in Sulaimaniya with Colonel Arnold Wilson, the Acting Civil Commissioner for Mesopotamia, Kurdish leaders called for British support for a united and independent Kurdistan under British protection. Between 1919 and 1922, Shaikh Mahmud Barzanji, an influential Kurdish leader based in Sulaimaniya, formed a Kurdish government and led two revolts against the British rule. It took the British authorities two years to put down his uprisings. The first revolt began on May 22, 1919 with the arrest of British officials in Sulaimaniya and it quickly spread to Mosul and Arbil. Then the British exiled Mahmoud to India. In July 1920, 62 tribal leaders of the region, called for independence of Kurdistan under a British mandate. The objection of the British to the Kurdish self-rule was driven by the fear that the success of the Kurdish area will tempt the two Arab areas of Baghdad and Basra to follow suit, hence endangering the direct British control over all Mesopotamia. In 1922, Britain restored Shaikh Mahmoud to power, hoping that he would organize the Kurds to act as a buffer against the Turks, who had territorial claims over Mosul. Shaikh Mahmoud declared a Kurdish Kingdom with himself as the King, though later on he agreed to limited autonomy within the new state of Iraq. In 1930, following the announcement of admission of Iraq to the League of Nations, Shaikh Mahmoud started a third uprising which was suppressed with British air and ground forces.

British Mandate
After the military coup by Abdul Karim Qasim in 1958, Barzani was able to return from exile and to set up his own political party, Kurdistan Democratic Party, which was granted legal status in 1960. But soon afterwards, Qasim tried to incite Baradost and Zebari tribes against Barzani. In June 1961, Barzani led his first revolt against the Iraqi government with the aim of securing Kurdish autonomy. Due to the disarray in the Iraqi Army after the 1958 coup, Qasim's government was not able to subdue the insurrection. This stalemate irritated powerful factions within the military and is said to be one of the main reasons behind the Baathist coup against Qasim in February 1963. Abdul Salam Arif declared a ceasefire in February 1964 which provoked a split among Kurdish urban radicals on one hand and traditional forces led by Barzani on the other. Barzani agreed to the ceasefire and fired the radicals from the party. Despite this, Baghdad government tried once more to defeat Barzani's movement by the use of force. However, this campaign failed in 1966, when Barzani forces defeated the Iraqi Army near Rawanduz. After this, Arif announced a 12-point peace program in June 1966, which was not implemented due to the overthrow of Arif in 1968 in a coup by the Baath Party. The Baath government started a campaign to end the Kurdish insurrection, however the campaign was stalled in 1969. This can be partly attributed to the internal power struggle in Baghdad and also tensions with Iran. Moreover, the Soviets pressured the Iraqis to come to terms with Barzani. Hence a peace plan was announced in March 1970 which provided for a broader autonomy than before. The plan also gave Kurds representation in government bodies and it was to be implemented in four years. In the following years, Baghdad government overcame its internal divisions and concluded a treaty of friendship with the Soviet Union in April 1972 and ended its isolation within the Arab world. On the other hand, Kurds remained dependent on the Iranian military support and could do little to strengthen their forces.

Barzani Revolts 1960-1975 and their Aftermath
In 1974, Iraqi government began a new offensive against the Kurds and pushed them close to the border with Iran. Moreover, Iraq informed Tehran that it was willing to satisfy other Iranian demands in return for an end to its aid to the Kurds. With the mediation of the Algerian President Houari Boumédiènne, Iran and Iraq reached a comprehensive settlement in March 1975 known as Algiers Pact. The agreement left the Kurds helpless and Tehran cut supplies to the Kurdish movement. Barzani fled to Iran with many of his supporters. Others surrendered en masse and the rebellion was finished in a few days. As a result Iraqi government extended its control over northern region after 15 years and in order to secure its influence, started an Arabization program by moving Arabs to the oil fields in Kurdistan, particularly the ones around Kirkuk.

The Algiers Agreement
During the Iran-Iraq War, the government implemented anti-Kurdish policies and a de facto civil war broke out. Iraq was widely-condemned by the international community, but was never seriously punished for oppressive measures, including the use of chemical weapons against the Kurds, which resulted in thousands of deaths. (See Halabja poison gas attack.)
Al-Anfal campaign constituted a systematic genocide of the Kurdish people in Iraq. From March 29, 1987 until April 23, 1989, Iraqi army under the command of Ali Hassan al-Majid carried out a genocidal campaign against Kurds, characterized by the following human rights violations: The widespread use of chemical weapons, the wholesale destruction of some 2,000 villages, and slaughter of around 50,000 rural Kurds, by the most conservative estimates. The large Kurdish town of Qala Dizeh (population 70,000) was completely destroyed by the Iraqi army. The campaign also included Arabization of Kirkuk, a program to drive Kurds out of the oil-rich city and replace them with Arab settlers from central and southern Iraq.

Iran-Iraq War and Anfal Campaign
The Kurdistan Region was originally established in 1970 as the Kurdish Autonomous Region following the agreement of an Autonomy Accord between the government of Iraq and leaders of the Iraqi Kurdish community. A Legislative Assembly was established in the city of Arbil with theoretical authority over the Kurdish-populated governorates of Arbil, Dahuk and As Sulaymaniyah. In practice, however, the assembly created in 1970 was under the control of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein until the 1991 uprising against his rule following the end of the Persian Gulf War. Concerns for Safety of Kurdish refugees was reflected in the United Nations Security Council Resolution 688 which gave birth to a safe haven, in which allied air power protected a Kurdish zone inside Iraq.
KDP and PUK have united to form an alliance with several smaller parties, and the Kurdish alliance has 53 deputies in the new Baghdad parliament, while the Kurdish Islamic Union has 5. PUK-leader Jalal Talibani has been elected President of the new Iraqi administration, while KDP leader Massoud Barzani is President of the Kurdistan Regional Government.

After the Persian Gulf War

Main article: Kurdistan Regional Government Politics
The Kurdistan region's economy is dominated by the oil industry, agriculture and tourism

Economy
The Iraqi Kurdistan is largely mountainous, with the highest point being a 3,611 m (11,847 ft) point known locally as Cheekah Dar (black tent). There are many rivers flowing and running through mountains of the region making it distinguished by its fertile lands, plentiful water, picturesque nature.
The mountainous nature of Kurdistan, the difference of temperatures in its various parts, and its wealth of waters, make Kurdistan a land of agriculture and tourism. In addition to various minerals, oil in particular, which for a long time was being extracted via pipeline only in Kurdistan through Iraq.
The largest lake in the region is Lake Dukan.
It is worthy to note that the term "Northern Iraq" is a bit of a geographical ambiguity in usage. "North" typically refers to the Kurdistan Region. "Center" and "South" or "Center-South" when individually referring to the other areas of Iraq or the rest of the country that is not the Kurdistan Region. Most media sources continually refer to "North" and "Northern Iraq" as anywhere north of Baghdad.

Geography
Iraqi Kurdistan is divided among 6 governorates of which currently three are under the control of the Kurdistan Regional Government. These governorates are called in Kurdish parêzge. Particularly in Iraqi government documents, the term governorate is preferred:
1. As Sulaymaniyah (Slêmanî)
2. Erbil (Hewlêr)
3. Dahuk (Duhok)

Main article: Kirkuk status referendum, 2007 Governorates
The population is about 5-6 million. The majority of these are Sunni Muslims. There are also significant numbers of Yazidis, Kakeyís and Christians. Kurds comprise the ethnic majority in the region while the Turkmen, Assyrians, Armenians and Arabs who reside particularly in the western part of the area make up the rest.

Demographics

Main article: Kurdish culture Music

Main article: Peshmerga Military
Kurdistan's official universities are listed below, followed by their English acronym (if commonly used), internet domain, establishment date and latest data about the number of students.

Education
Saint Vartan - Armenian Orthodox Church
A view of the city of Dohuk
An Assyrian church named Church Of Martyrs, in Sumail; There is a significant Assyrian population in the Kurdistan region.
Restored section of the ancient city wall.
Outside Wall at Kirkuk Citadel
The snow is still on the ground at the higher elevations on a mountain located near Arbil.
This spring-fed waterfall is a favorite tourist destination, and it located outside of Arbil.
This unidentified river flows in front of a residence through an area near Arbil.

Views of Kurdistan

Geli Eli Beg waterfall, (Tavgey Geli Eli Beg)
Arbil citadel, Hewler, (Qelay Hewlêr)
Emne sureke, Slemani
Bexal
Delal Bridge, Zaxo, (Pirdi Delal)
Serchinar, (in Slemani) Other parts of Kurdistan

The Other Iraq
Kurdish people
Districts of Iraq
A. M. Hamilton (roadbuilder)

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Created by Wizards of the Coast in August of 2001, the Harry Potter Trading Card Game (HPTCG) is a strategy game and collectible card game based in the magical world created by JK Rowling. Similar to the popular Magic: The Gathering, the Harry Potter Trading Card Game invites players to customize their own 60 card decks in an attempt to become a master dueler. The game is now out of print.

Types of cards
1. Base Set - Harry Potter Trading Card Game (116 cards)
2. Expansion - Quidditch Cup (80 cards plus 30 Foil or Hologram Portrait Premium rares) (November 2001)
3. Expansion - Diagon Alley (80 cards plus 30 Foil or Hologram Portrait Premium rares) (March 2002)
4. Expansion - Adventures at Hogwarts (80 cards plus 30 Foil or Hologram Portrait Premium rares) (June 2002)
5. Expansion - Chamber of Secrets (140 cards plus 55 Foil or Hologram Portrait Premium rares) (October 2002)

Monday, December 24, 2007

George Joseph Stigler (January 17, 1911 – December 1, 1991) was a U.S. economist. He won the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel in 1982, and was a key leader of the Chicago School of Economics, along with his close friend Milton Friedman. Stephen Stigler is his son.
While at Chicago, he was greatly influenced by Frank Knight, his dissertation supervisor. Milton Friedman, a friend for over sixty years, comments it as a remarkable feat since only three or four students ever managed to complete their PhD dissertation under Knight in 28 years of his service at Chicago. Jakob Viner and Henry Simons also had great influence on him. Among his students, Allen Wallis and Milton Friedman also had great impact on his economic thinking.
Stigler is best known for developing the Economic Theory of Regulation, also known as capture, which says that interest groups and other political participants will use the regulatory and coercive powers of government to shape laws and regulations in a way that is beneficial to them. This theory is an important component of the Public Choice field of economics. He also carried out extensive research into the history of economic thought.
His 1962 article "Information in the Labor Market" developed the theory of search unemployment.
In his book, The Intellectual and the Marketplace, he proposed Stigler's Law of Demand and Supply Elasticities that "All demand curves are inelastic, and all supply curves are inelastic, too." He referenced many studies that found most goods and services to be inelastic over the long run. From that and a proof by Alfred Marshall that "the third condition [for inelastic demand] is that only a small part of the expenses of production of the commodity should consist of the price of this factor", he also proposed that "since most or all specific costs of production are relatively small, and entrepreneurs do not bother with small costs, therefore they do not bother with costs at all. Hence they do not maximize profits."
Stigler was born in Seattle, Washington, and attended the University of Washington, Northwestern University, and received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1938. He spent much of World War II at Columbia University, performing mathematical and statistical research for the Manhattan Project. He later served on the Columbia faculty from 1947 to 1958.
Stigler was a founding member of the Mont Pelerin Society, and served as its president from 1976 to 1978.
He also received National Medal of Science in 1987.

Bibliography

Diamond, Arthur M., Jr. (2005). "Measurement, Incentives, and Constraints in Stigler's Economics of Science." The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought 12, no. 4637-63.
Friedman, Milton (1993). George Stigler: A Personal Reminiscence, Journal of Political Economy Vol. 101, No. 5 (Oct.), pp. 768-773 JSTOR.
_____ (1998). George J. Stigler, 1911-1991: Biographical Memoir, (National Academy of Sciences), online,with bibliography.
Hammond, J. Daniel, and Claire H. Hammond, ed. (2006). Making Chicago Price Theory: Friedman-Stigler Correspondence, 1945-1957. Routledge. 165 pp. ISBN 0-415-70078-7.
Newman, Peter (1987). "Stigler, George Joseph," The New Palgrave: A Dictionary of Economics, v. 4, p. 498.
Schmalensee, Richard ((1987). "Stigler's contribution to microeconomics and industrial organization," The New Palgrave: A Dictionary of Economics], v. 4, pp. 499-500.
Sowell, Thomas ((1987). "Stigler as an historian of economic thought," The New Palgrave: A Dictionary of Economics, v. 4, pp. 498-99.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Muse Watson (born July 20, 1948) is an American actor.
Watson was born in Alexandria, Louisiana. He attended Louisiana Tech on a music stipend for two years before transferring to Berea College in Berea, Kentucky, where he performed for the first time on stage as Petruchio in a production of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. During and after his years at Berea, he worked in outdoor dramas, dinner theaters, and small repertory groups.
His theater credits include acting as Hamlet in Hamlet, Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire, Pale in Burn This, Cervantes in Man of La Mancha. He also directed a production of Ain't Misbehavin'.
In 1989, with a new commitment to film, Watson began pursuing feature film roles. By 2005, he had appeared in 43 feature films such as Sommersby, Something To Talk About, Assassins, Rosewood, I Know What You Did Last Summer, From Dusk Till Dawn 2, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and Songcatcher. As of 2005, seven of the films he has appeared in, combined, have grossed over $850 million.
His television credits include eight made-for-television movies including Blind Vengeance and Justice in a Small Town; and seven television series, American Gothic, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Matlock, Lazarus Man, JAG, Walker, Texas Ranger, and Prison Break.
Watson also gave a performance with Jennifer Love Hewitt as a special guest on Saturday Night Live and more recently, on Ghost Whisperer, episode 218 "Delia's First Ghost". In 2005, he appeared as guest star on NCIS.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Frederick Leonard Beebe (December 31, 1879 - October 30, 1957) was a professional baseball player.
Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Beebe played baseball for the Hyde Park High School in Chicago, Illinois and the University of Illinois. He played Major League Baseball from 1906 to 1916. In his rookie year, Beebe led the major leagues with 171 strikeouts. He played for the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians. His career record was 62-83.
He died in Elgin, Illinois.

See also

List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions

Friday, December 21, 2007

In behavioral ecology, mobbing behavior is an antipredator behavior which occurs when individuals of a certain species mob a predator by cooperatively attacking or harassing it, usually in order to protect their offspring. A simple definition of mobbing is an assemblage of individuals around a potentially dangerous predator. This is most frequently seen in avian species, though it is also known to occur in other social animals. While mobbing has evolved independently in many species, it only tends to be present in those whose young are frequently preyed on. This behavior may complement cryptic adaptations in the offspring themselves, such as camouflage and hiding. Mobbing calls may be used to summon nearby individuals to cooperate in the attack.

Mobbing calls
The evolution of mobbing behaviour is explained using evolutionary stable strategies which are in turn based on Game Theory.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Samson, Shimshon (Hebrew: שִׁמְשׁוֹן, Standard Šimšon Tiberian Šimšôn; meaning "of the sun" – perhaps proclaiming he was radiant and mighty, or "[One who] Serves [God]") or Shama'un (Arabic) is the third to last of the Judges of the ancient Children of Israel mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh. He is described in the Book of Judges chapters 13 to 16.
Interestingly, while there are many common prophets in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic discourse, stories about Samson are absent in narratives from the Quran. Samson is something of a Herculean figure, using massive strength to combat his enemies and to perform heroic feats unachievable by ordinary men: wrestling a lion, slaying an entire army with nothing more than a donkey's jawbone, and tearing down an entire building. He is commemorated as one of the Holy Forefathers in the Calendar of Saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on July 30.

Biblical narrative
Rabbinical literature identifies Samson with Bedan; Bedan was a Judge mentioned by Samuel in his farewell address (1 Samuel 12:11) among the Judges that delivered Israel from their enemies. However, the name "Bedan" is not found in the Book of Judges. The name "Samson" is derived from shemesh (= "sun"), so that Samson bore the name of God, who is also "a sun and shield" (Psalms 84:12). As God protected Israel, so did Samson watch over it in his generation, judging the people even as did God. Samson's strength was divinely derived (Talmud, Tractate Sotah 10a]). Samson resembled God in requiring neither aid nor help (Midrash Genesis Rabbah xcviii. 18).
Jewish legend records that Samson's shoulders were sixty ells broad. He was lame in both feet (Talmud Sotah 10a), but when the spirit of God came upon him he could step with one stride from Zorah to Eshtaol, while the hairs of his head arose and clashed against one another so that they could be heard for a like distance (Midrash Lev. Rabbah viii. 2). Samson was said to be so strong that he could uplift two mountains and rub them together like two clods of earth (ibid.; Sotah 9b), yet his superhuman strength, like Goliath's, brought woe upon its possessor (Midrash Eccl. Rabbah i., end).
In licentiousness he is compared with Amnon and Zimri, both of whom were punished for their sins (Lev. R. xxiii. 9). Samson's eyes were put out because he had "followed them" too often (Sotah l.c.). It is said that in the twenty years during which Samson judged Israel he never required the least service from an Israelite (Midrash Numbers Rabbah ix. 25), and he piously refrained from taking the name of God in vain. Therefore, as soon as he told Delilah that he was a Nazarite of God she immediately knew that he had spoken the truth (Sotah l.c.). When he pulled down the temple of Dagon and killed himself and the Philistines the structure fell backward, so that he was not crushed, his family being thus enabled to find his body and to bury it in the tomb of his father (Midrash Gen. Rabbah l.c. § 19). In the Talmudic period many seem to have denied that Samson was a historic figure; he was apparently regarded as a purely mythological personage. This was viewed as heretical by the rabbis of the Talmud, and they refuted this view. Nevertheless, his ultimate loss of strength- being tamed by the wit of a woman (Delilah) is somewhat similar to stories such as Beauty and the Beast- albeit with the woman appearing as more of the villain in this story.

In rabbinic literature

In contemporary Biblical criticism
According to the documentary hypothesis, the first verse of the Samson story is an addition by the composer of the D source in the 7th century BCE. The original Samson story didn't include this verse.
Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years. Judges 13:1
The original story portrays Samson's mission as beginning the liberation of the Israelites (Judges 13:5). The Lord uses Samson to strike at the Philistines. But the prologue says that the Philistines were doing the will of the LORD. This verse reflects the characteristic Israelite concept that the nation's victories and defeats were both by the will of the Lord.

Deuteronomist's prologue

Literature
Handel wrote his oratorio Samson in 1743. Camille Saint-Saëns wrote an opera, Samson et Dalila between 1868 and 1877.
In 1977, Joseph Horovitz wrote Samson for baritone, mixed choir and brass band

Classical Music
Quirky annual parades of a Samson figure in 10 different villages in the Lungau, Salzburg (state) and two villages in the north-west Steiermark (Austria). For more information see Wikipedia in German de:Samson (Riese)
Samson is one of the giant figures at the "Ducasse" festivities, which takes place at Ath, Belgium.

Samson parades
Samson has been a popular subject for paintings:
Anonymous:

Alexander Anderson, Samson Fighting the Lion, ca. 1800 Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Jean Audran, after F. Verdier, The Burial of Samson, ca. 1700 Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (Guercino), Samson and the Honeycomb, ca. 1657 Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Niccolu Boldrini, after Titian, Samson and Delilah, ca. 1540-1545, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Boucicaut Master, Samson and the Lion, 1415, Getty Museum
Hans Burgkmair the Elder, Samson and Delilah, ca. 1500 Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Lovis Corinth, Samson Blinded, 1912
Giuseppe Caletti (Il Cremonese), Samson and Delilah, ca. 1625 Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Lucas Cranach the Elder, Samson and Delilah, 1529

• Samson's Fight with the Lion, 1520-25
  Salomon de Bray, Samson with the Jawbone, 1636 Getty Museum
  Gerard de Jode, Samson Tying the Firebrands to the Foxes' Tails, ca. 1550 Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
  Etienne Delaune, Samson Setting Fire to the Wheat of the Philistines, ca. 1575 Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
  H.B. (John Doyle), Samson and Delilah, ca. 1800 Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
  Gustave Doré, Death of Samson, 1865
  
  
  
  • Samson and Delilah, 1865
    Samson Carrying Away the Gates of Gaza, 1865
    Samson Destroying the Philistines, 1865
    Samson Destroys the Temple, 1866
    Samson Fighting with the Lion, ca. 1496
    Samson Slaying a Lion, 1865
    Albrecht Dürer, Delilah Cuts Samson's Hair, 1493
    Josephus Farmer, Samson, 1982, Smithsonian American Art Museum
    Philip Galle, Samson Fighting the Lion, ca. 1600 Lutheran Brotherhood's Collection of Religious Art
    Luca Giordano, Samson and Delilah, ca. 1675 Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
    Guercino, Samson Captured by the Philistines
    Reinhold Hoberg, Samson and Delilah, ca. 1900 Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
    Lord Frederic Leighton, Illustrations for Dalziel's Bible Gallery, 1881, Tate Gallery:
    
    
    
    • Samson and the Lion
      Samson Carrying the Gates
      Samson at the Mill
      Andrea Mantegna, Samson and Delilah, ca. 1500
      Jacob Matham after Peter Paul Rubens, Samson and Delilah, 1613
      Matthaeus Merian the Elder, 1625-30, Samson and Delilah
      
      
      
      • Samson and the Gates
        Samson's Strange Weapon
        Samson Slays a Lion
        Michelangelo, Samson and Two Philistines, ca. 1530-50
        Aureliano Milani, Samson Slaying the Philistines, 1720 National Gallery, Canada
        Erasmus Quellinus, Samson Killing the Lion, ca. 1650 Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
        Archie Rand, Samson, contemporary Bernice Steinbaum Gallery
        Guido Reni, The Triumph of Samson, 1611-12
        Rembrandt van Rijn, The Blinding of Samson, 1636
        
        
        
        • Delilah Calls the Philistines, ca. 1655
          The Sacrifice of Menoah, 1641
          Samson Accusing His Father-In-Law, 1635
          Samson Betrayed by Delilah, 1629-30
          Samson Putting Forth His Riddles at the Wedding Feast, 1638
          Kirk Richards, Delilah, 1997
          Paul Roorda, Samson, contemporary
          Peter Paul Rubens, The Death of Samson, ca. 1605 Getty Museum
          
          
          
          • Samson is Seized, 1609-10
            Jacob Savery I, Samson Wrestling with the Lion, (after), ca. 1595 Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
            Hans Leonhard Schaufelein, Samson Destroying the Temple, Fifteenth to Sixteenth centuries Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
            Solomon Joseph Solomon, Samson and Delilah, 1887 Walker Art Gallery
            Jan Steen, Samson and Delilah, 1667-70
            Matthias Stom, Samson and Delilah, 1630s
            James Tissot, 1896-1900. Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, Samson Breaks His Cords
            
            
            
            • Samson Kills a Young Lion
              Samson Puts Down the Pillars
              Samson Slays a Thousand Men
              Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, 1851-60' World Mission Collection, The Death of Samson
              
              
              
              • Samson Kills the Lion
                Samson Kills the Philistines
                Samson is Seized
                Christiaen vanCouwenbergh, The Capture of Samson, 1630
                Sir Anthony Van Dyck, Samson and Delilah, 1620
                Gerrit van Honthorst, Samson and Delilah, ca. 1615
                Israhel van Meckenem the Younger, Samson and the Lion, ca. 1475 National Gallery of Art
                Frans van den Wyngaerde, Samson Killing the Lion, ca. 1650 Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
                Claes Jansz Visscher the Elder, Delilah Cutting Samson's Hair, ca. 1610. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
                Les Drysdale, Samson, contemporary
                Samson Destroying the Pillars of the Philistine Temple, ca. 1600 Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
                Display Cabinet (with figure of Delilah cutting Samson's Hair), 1620s Getty Museum.
                The Women at the Tomb (with scene from Samson and the Lion), Unknown German, c. 1170s. Getty Museum
                Samson Destroys the Temple, Unknown German Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Art
                Samson is believed to be buried in Tel Tzora in Israel overlooking the Sorek valley. There reside two large gravestones of Samson and his father Manoach. Nearby stands Manoach's altar(Judges 13:19-24).
                
                Samson's burial site
                
                Film
                The Grateful Dead played the song "Samson & Delilah" from the mid-1970s and throughout their career. The song is a traditional song, cataloged by Alan Lomax in his encyclopedic "Folk Songs of North America" which Bob Weir learned from Reverend Gary Davis. The lyrics cover some parts of the history around Samson, notably his fight with the lion.
                Regina Spektor has a song called "Samson" based on Samson and Delilah.
                The Pixies' song "Gouge Away" is based on Samson's story.
                Leonard Cohen wrote the song "Hallelujah" which makes references to Samson and Delilah.
                The Cranberries have a song called "Delilah" written from the perspective of a woman fighting off a conniving temptress.
                Mandy Moore and Jonathon Foreman (from Switchfoot) have a song called "Someday We'll Know" for the movie A Walk To Remember with references to Samson and Delilah in the chorus.
                Bishop Allen released a song called "Empire City" that references Samson with the lines: "Samson suffered the same fame fate, powerless and losing his hair."