In September 1983, she became the first African American woman to be crowned Miss America, There was a scandal when Penthouse magazine bought and published nude photographs of her. She gave up her title early and was succeeded by the first runner-up, Suzette Charles of New Jersey. Since then, Vanessa has been successful in every area of her life.
Williams released her debut album "The Right Stuff" in 1988, which spawned the hits "The Right Stuff", a #1 on Hot Dance Songs, and "Dreamin'" a #1 on R&B and #8 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. Her second studio album, "The Comfort Zone", in 1991 topped the "Billboard" R&B Album Chart, which spawned the Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit "Save the Best for Last". In 1994, she did her first Broadway musical "Kiss of the Spider Woman". In 1995, she recorded "Colors of the Wind", the Oscar-winner for Best Original Song from the Disney animated feature film "Pocahontas", which went to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Williams' first film acting role was as the co-star of the Arnold Schwarzenegger feature film "Eraser" in 1996. She has also been in movies "Soul Food", "Dance with Me", "The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland", "Shaft" and "Johnson Family Vacation". From 2006 to 2010, she played the role of the scheming, self-absorbed diva and former supermodel Wilhelmina Slater in the ABC comedy series "Ugly Betty", for which she got three Emmy Awards nominations. In 2009, Williams released her eighth studio album, "The Real Thing". From 2010 to 2012, she starred in "Desperate Housewives" as spoiled rich woman Renee Perry. She currently stars in the supernatural drama series "666 Park Avenue".
Williams is most often known and publicly recognized simply as "Vanessa Williams". There is, however, occasional confusion with similarly named actress Vanessa A. Williams, who is just two months younger.
It has been reported that Williams first became aware of Vanessa A. in the 1980s when her New York University registrar told her that another, similarly aged student with the same name and from the same state had applied. When Williams appeared as Miss America in a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Vanessa A. accidentally received her check for the appearance, which she returned.
The two ran into name conflict when Screen Actors Guild rules stopped the same stage naming. Vanessa A. had registered the name "Vanessa Williams" first. As a compromise, Williams was occasionally credited as "Vanessa L. Williams" in acting credits. Both actresses starred in versions of the drama "Soul Food" (Williams in the film version, and Vanessa A. in its "Soul Food" adaptation). The Screen Actors Guild eventually took the issue to arbitration, and decided that both actresses could use the professional name "Vanessa Williams". Today, Williams' prominence has led to a more wide association with the stage name "Vanessa Williams", so much so that it has widely become only known to her. She is credited as such in the American television series "Ugly Betty" and "Desperate Housewives". Williams is also the owner of the internet domain name vanessawilliams.com. Today, the younger Vanessa Williams is most often publicly and professionally referenced as "Vanessa A. Williams".
Tiger salamander
The tiger salamander is a species of mole salamander. Another name for this salamander is the eastern tiger salamander.
Eastern tiger salamanders are big, with a normal length of 6–8 inches (15–20 cm). They can grow up to 14 inches (36 cm) in length. Grown-ups are usually spotted with grey, green, or black, and have large eyes. They have short mouths, big necks, strong legs, and long tails. They eat small insects and worms. Sometimes, grown ups eat small frogs and baby mice
Adults are almost never seen in open fields and often live in holes that are usually 2 feet from the top. Tiger salamanders almost always stay on land as adults, and usually only return to the water to lay eggs. But also they live in both land and water. They also like to swim, even if they are on land. They also are good swimmers. Like all ambystomatids, they are extremely loyal to their birthplace, and will travel long distances to go back. However, a single tiger salamander has only a 50% chance of laying eggs more than once in its lifetime. Males bump a female to initiate mating, and then deposit a spermatophore on the lake bottom. The female picks up the packet and deposits the now-fertilized eggs on vegetation. Large-scale captive breeding of Tiger salamanders has not been accomplished, for unknown reasons.
The larvae are entirely aquatic, with large gills on the outside and a big tail fin that begins just behind the head. Arms are grown within a short time of coming out of their egg. Some larvae metamorphose quickly. These are known as 'small morph adults'. Other larvae, especially in ancestral pools and warmer climates, may not metamorphose until fully adult size. These large larvae are usually known as waterdogs, and are used many times in the fishing bait and pet trade. Some populations may not metamorphose at all, and become sexually mature while in their larval form. These are the neotenes, and are particularly common where terrestrial conditions are bad.
While remaining common in many places, tiger salamander numbers have gone down compared with old levels. One of the threats to them is wetland (habitat) destruction. Since they tend to breed in semipermanent wetlands, baby tiger salamanders often experience mass deaths in association with pond drying.
The California tiger salamander ("Ambystoma californiense"), the barred tiger salamander ("Ambystoma mavortium"), and the plateau tiger salamander ("Ambystoma velasci"), were all once subspecies of "A. tigrinum", but are now separate species. Genetic studies made it right to break up the first "A. tigrinum" population, even though there is some hybridization between the groups.
The Axolotl is also a relative of the tiger salamander.
Brewing
Brewing is the process of making beer. It is usually made in a brewery, though it can be made at home. It is made by adding bacteria that ferment malt, barley or sugar into a large vat. Ethanol is produced by bacteria using up the energy from the mixture (which the bacteria digest into glucose) because there is no oxygen in the vat.
Interborough Rapid Transit Company
The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) was the first operator of the original underground New York City Subway line that opened in 1904, as well as other earlier railways and rapid transit lines in New York City. The company was bought by New York City in June 1940. The former IRT lines (the numbered lines in the current subway system) are now the A Division or IRT Division of the Subway.
The following services are or were part of the IRT or MTA IRT Division:
BSFA award
The BSFA Awards are prizes given every year by the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA). The prize is for excellent works of science fiction. The first BSFA Award was given in 1970. Prizes are given for works from the year before the award is given. At first, the award was only for novels. Categories for short works and artwork were added in 1980. Awards for media were given from 1979 to 1992. In 2002, the BSFA Award started to be given for nonfiction too.
Members of the BSFA vote for the nominees who may win an award and then for the final winners. Recently members of Eastercon also vote.
Reticulated python