The scene takes place in the royal palace in Poland. Dimitri has gone to Poland to persuade the Polish army to support him in his fight against Boris. The Poles are glad to do this because they often fought Russia when they thought they could take a bit of their land. They want the Polish Princess Marina to marry Dimitri (they think, of course, that he really is the Tsar’s son Dimitri, they don’t know that he is really a young monk called Grigory). Princess Marina sings of her love for Dimitri. She has not met him yet, but she would like to be Tsarina (the wife of the Tsar) because that would bring her power. Rangoni tells Dimitri that the Princess is in love with him. A meeting is arranged in the garden. Princess Marina is horrible to him. She persuades him to act quickly to get an army together to march to Moscow and get the throne. They embrace. Rangoni is pleased, because it will be a triumph for his church.
Act IV
Scene i takes place in the palace in the Kremlin. Shuisky tells the assembled noblemen that he saw Boris who seemed to be having a mad fit. He was shouting “Away! Away!” and waving his arms. Just at that moment Boris enters doing just that. He does not seem to notice any of the boyars who are standing there. Shuisky manages to persuade him to sit down on his throne. Shuisky then says that there is a holy man outside who has something to say to everyone. The man is let in. It is Pimen. He tells a strange story. It is about a shepherd who was blind. He had a dream in which he was told to go to the tomb where the murdered Tsar’s son Dimitri lies buried. He went there and prayed. Immediately he was able to see. Boris becomes terribly distressed at this story. He calls for light, he collapses in the arms of the boyars, and he sends for his son Fyodor. Boris asks to be left alone with him. He then says goodbye to his son and tells him to take good care of the Russian people. Monks behind the scene pray for the soul of Boris. Boris dies.
Scene ii takes place in the forest of Kromy. Dimitri has marched into Russia leading his troops. The Russian people are starving and law and order has broken down. A very simple man (the Simpleton) sings a simple song. A group of children tease him and steal his money (just one kopek). Varlaam and Missail sing in praise of Dimitri. They point out two men who are Jesuits, and the people get ready to hang them. Dimitri enters and frees the Jesuits. The people rejoice because Dimitri is to be their new tsar. He tells the people to follow him to Moscow. All exit and the Simpleton is left alone on stage. He sings a simple song which expresses the sadness of the poor, hungry Russian people.
There has been a lot of discussion about the order of the two scenes in Act IV: scene i which shows the death of Boris and scene ii which shows the Russian people in the forest. The order given above is what Mussorgsky wanted. For him, the most important thing about the opera was to express the tragedy of the Russian people who are always doomed to be ruled by cruel tyrants.
When Rimsky-Korsakov edited the opera after Mussorgsky’s death he put Boris’s death scene last. Finishing the opera with Boris’s death meant that the personal tragedy of Boris was the most important thing. Certainly, famous singers who sang the role of Boris, such as Chaliapin, liked the opera to finish with Boris’s death. Nowadays the opera is nearly always performed with the forest scene finishing the opera. This was Mussorgsky’s intention. It is about the tragedy of the people, and this is put into words by the Simpleton, who expresses the truth through his simple words.
Winnie the Pooh (2011 movie)
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Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actress. She began her career while still in highschool as a member of the Fugees. She rose to greater fame when she released her first solo album, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill". The album received critical acclaim, won many awards, including five Grammy Awards, and was commercially successful. After the release of her debut album, she took a four-year break. In 2002, Hill released "MTV Unplugged No. 2.0", an album with more personal content that was recorded live, mostly solo with an acoustic guitar. In recent years, she recorded songs for soundtracks and has performed on several music festivals. Hill has six children.
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Kawauchi, Fukushima
Kawauchi was evacuated because of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. The village is 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. People had to leave their homes because of radiation.
In 2012, the village government urged (asked) people to come back to their homes. In 2013, only 400 of the 2,000+ citizens of the village have decided to return.
Iitate, Fukushima
Rik Mayall
Richard Michael "Rik" Mayall (7 March 1958 – 9 June 2014) was a British comedian and actor and writer of comedy. He starred in many sitcoms, including "Man Down","The Young Ones", "Blackadder", "Filthy Rich and Catflap", "The New Statesman" and "Bottom". He also starred in the movies "Drop Dead Fred" (1991) and "Guest House Paradiso" (1999). He also won an Emmy Award in 1997 for "The Willows in Winter" (1995).
Mayall was born in Harlow, Essex. When he was three, he moved to Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire. He studied drama at the University of Manchester. He had a relationship with writer Lise Mayer in the early 1980s. He was married to Scottish make-up artist, Barbara Robbin from 1985 until his death. The couple had two daughters and a son together. His autobiography was published in 2005.
On 9 April 1998, Mayall was injured in a quad bike accident near his home in Devon. After waking up from a coma and having operations, he made a full recovery but was left with epilepsy.
Mayall died from a heart attack after a morning run on 9 June 2014 at his home in Barnes, London. He was 56.
Namie, Fukushima
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In April 2011, the Japanese government made people leave here because of radiation from the Fukushima I nuclear accidents.
Before people left, stone from a quarry in Namie was sent to make concrete for about 60 buildings. The stone and the concrete is radioactive.
The people who used to live in Namie are called "nuclear refugees".
Nigel Lawson
Nigel Lawson, Baron Lawson of Blaby PC (born 11 March 1932) is a British Conservative politician. He was born in Hampstead, London, and is of Jewish descent.
He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford, where he got a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. He was a journalist during the 1960s. Lawson was a Member of Parliament from 1974-1992. He was Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1983-1989. Lawson was made a life peer in 1992.
Lawson has six children. They are: Dominic (a journalist), Thomasina (who died of breast cancer), Nigella (a food writer), Horatia, Tom and Emily.
Andy Carroll
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