Like the Greek king, many others supported the idea of holding the next Games in Athens; most of the American competitors signed a letter to the Crown Prince expressing this wish. Coubertin, however, was heavily opposed to this idea, as he envisioned international rotation as one of the cornerstones of the modern Olympics. According to his wish, the next Games were held in Paris, although they would be somewhat over-shadowed by the concurrently held Universal Exposition.
A total of 14 nations sent athletes to compete at the Athens games.
Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium is the name given to the main stadium of the Olympic Games.
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Captain Underpants
Captain Underpants is a popular series of children's books by Dav Pilkey. The books take place in Piqua, Ohio.
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Makalani
Makalani is the name given to a certain palm tree, growing in northern Namibia (Southern Africa). The local Owambo people call a full grown palm tree "Omulunga" and a sapling "Oshivale." These palm trees grow very high and it takes many years for a Makalani sapling to grow into a full-grown tree.
The seeds look like small coconuts, and the local people, the Owambos and Himbas, peel the outer ginger looking skin and carve the inner hard core to certain objects of art. The inner core is white with a dark brown skin, the size of a golf ball, and it is hollow inside. The Makalani fruit (Ondunga/Onduga)is very useful to the local people. It can be eaten and can also be used to brew Ombike/Owalende: the Oshiwambo brew that looks and taste similar to Whiskey.
There are now also some hotels, restaurants, and guesthouses which have adopted the name Makalani (in Namibia). These include Makalani Sugar processors, Makalani Holdings and Makalani Airtime Distributors.
Trowbridge
Trowbridge is the county town of Wiltshire, a county in England. It is on the River Biss in the west of the county, 8 miles (13 km) south east of Bath, Somerset, separated by the Mendip Hills, which rise 3 miles (4.8 km) to the west. The town is also 38 miles (61 km) south of Gloucester and 20 miles (32km) south east of Bristol.
Trowbridge has been a market town for a long time. The Kennet and Avon Canal has been a very important part of the town's growth because it allowed coal to be moved from the Somerset Coalfield. This began steam-powered wool production in mills, which the town is famous for. The town was a very important producer of clothes and blankets in the south west of England. Because of this, in the late 18th century and early 19th century, it had the nickname of "The Manchester of the West".
The civil parish of Trowbridge had 33,108 people in the 2011 census. The parish goes over the areas of Longfield, Lower Studley, Upper Studley, Studley Green and Trowle Common. Parishes that are next to Trowbridge include Staverton, Hilperton, West Ashton, North Bradley, Southwick and Wingfield. Some towns close to Trowbridge are Bradford on Avon, Westbury, Melksham, Frome and Devizes.
Bow (music)
In music, a bow is a stick which is strung with hair. It is used to pull across the strings of a string instrument such as a violin, viola, cello or double bass.
The wood used for good quality bows is usually pernambuco wood from Brazil. Some bows nowadays are made from carbon fiber. They are often cheaper and still of very good quality. The bow has to be slightly curved so that it straightens out a bit as the hairs are tightened (this is like the bow of ‘bow and arrow’ where letting go of the tension of the bent bow makes the arrow fly off).
Horsehair is used for the hairs of the bow. These hairs gradually fall out when the bow is used a lot. When a lot of the hairs have fallen out the player can have the bow re-haired. When the bow is new, or when it has just been re-haired, it will not make any sound until the hairs have been well rubbed with rosin (also called “colophony”). The rosin makes the hair grip the string as it is drawn across. Every violinist needs to keep a piece of rosin (called a “cake of rosin”) in his or her violin case. They may need to rosin the bow for a short while each time they play. There is a screw at the end of the bow for tightening the hairs. After playing, the bow hairs should be slackened again before the bow is put away. This is to stop the wood from warping (bending out of shape).
The black bit near the heel of the bow (the end where the player holds it) is called the frog. This holds the hair in place. The frog may be made of ebony, but sometimes it is made of ivory or tortoiseshell. Near the frog is the grip, which is made of leather or sometimes snakeskin. Expensive bows sometimes have a tip made of silver.
There are other instruments which use bows. In the Renaissance the viols were played with a bow which was held with the palm upwards. Some double bass players still hold the bow in this way (this is called the German method. The overhand method is called the French method.)
The kind of bow in use today was developed by the bow-maker François Tourte in 19th century France.
There are other cultures which have bows with only one thick hair.
People who learn to play the violin, viola, violoncello, and double bass spend a very long time learning the technique of bowing. They have to learn to control the bow so that it makes a lovely sound on the string. They learn to control the bow with strong fingers, but never to hold the bow tightly. Sometimes they are asked to pluck the string instead of bowing it. This is called “pizzicato”.
The bow is held in the right hand. The left hand makes the different notes by putting the fingers firmly down on the fingerboard.
When string players talk about “putting in the bowing” they mean: writing in the music for each note whether it is played with an upbow or downbow. A downbow is when the player starts at the heel (the end that he is holding) and finishes at the tip. An upbow is when the bow travels in the direction tip to heel. A player does not always have to use “whole bows” (from the heel to the tip). In fast music he may only use a small part of the bow. A downbow feels stronger than an upbow, so it is usually used for the first beat of the bar. Downbows and upbows may be used for alternate notes, but often two or more notes are taken in one bow-stroke. This is shown in the music by a slur (a short curved line like a phrase mark over or under the notes to be slurred).
The bow generally should touch the part of the string mid-way between the end of the fingerboard and the bridge (see the article violin). To play quietly the bow should be nearer the fingerboard. To play loudly it should be nearer the bridge.
When the players have been plucking ("pizzicato") and they need to start bowing again, the word "arco" is put in the music. This is the Italian word for "bow".
Special effects can be made with the bow. These include:
The Chinese yazheng and "yaqin", and Korean ajaeng zithers are generally played by "bowing" with a rosined stick, which rubs against the strings without any horsehair. The hurdy-gurdy, an instrument known in medieval Europe, has strings which are bowed by a "rosin wheel," which is turned by a handle.
Bowing
Bowing means: taking a bow. A bow is when a person bends their body forward from the waist in order to greet someone or show respect for them. A bow is sometimes not much more than a quick nod of the head, but it can be a very deep bow from the waist. The exact way to bow and the situations in which people bow vary enormously between different cultures.
Bowing was originally a gesture (a movement of the body) which showed deep respect for someone. In European cultures bowing to someone is now only done in very formal situations, e.g. when meeting the Queen or someone very high and important.