David Sedaris is an American comedian and writer. His first book, "Barrel Fever", was published 1994. Half of the book is short stories. The other half is essays Sedaris wrote about himself. In 1997, he published another collection of essays, "Naked". It won the Randy Shilts Award for Gay Non-Fiction in 1998. In 1999, "Me Talk Pretty One Day" was published. "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim" was published 2004. Sedaris was recorded reading the book for the "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim" audiobook. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.
In 1992 Sedaris read an essay that he wrote called "SantaLand Diaries" on NPR. People liked it. After this he read an essay for NPR each month. Little, Brown and Company agreed to publish his first two books.
Sedaris was born in Binghamton in New York. He grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina.
River Don, South Yorkshire
The River Don (also called the "Dun" in some sections) is a river in South Yorkshire, England. It begins in the Pennines and flows for eastwards, through the Don Valley. It originally joined with the Trent, but was re-engineered in the 1620s, and now joins the River Ouse at Goole in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
The Don can be divided into sections by the different types of structures built to restrict its passage. The upper section has dams built to provide a public water supply. The middle section contains many weirs, which were built to power water wheels. The lower section contains weirs and locks, designed to allow for river navigation.
The Don's major tributaries are the Loxley, the Rivelin, the Sheaf, the Rother and the Dearne. The Don gets its name from Dôn (or Danu), a Celtic mother goddess. The river gave its name to the Don River in Ontario, which runs through Toronto, Canada.
Artpop
Artpop (styled in all capital letters) is the third studio album by American recording artist Lady Gaga. It was released on November 6, 2013. The album was mainly produced by Gaga along with DJ White Shadow and Zedd, among other producers.
Two official singles have been released from the album. The first single "Applause" was released in August 2013 and has reached #4 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and Canadian Hot 100, while reaching number five in the United Kingdom. The second single, "Do What U Want," was released on October 21, 2013. Written with R. Kelly, it has peaked at #13 on the Hot 100. The song also reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. In 2019, Gaga had the song removed from online music services after the release of the documentary "Surviving R. Kelly." On January 1, 2014, Gaga released a remix of the song with singer Christina Aguilera"." "G.U.Y." was released as the album's third single and charted moderately.
Both singles reached the top ten of "Billboard"'s Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) radio chart, reaching #4 and #7, respectively.
The album debuted at #1 in many countries, particularly in the United States on the "Billboard" 200 album chart and the UK Albums Chart. "Artpop" sold 258,000 copies in its first week in America and became Gaga's second number-one album in the US, after "Born This Way".
Tony Sirico
Genaro Anthony "Tony" Sirico, Jr. (born July 29, 1942) is an American character actor. He is known for his role as the mobster Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri in the television series "The Sopranos". He also provided the voice of Vinny Griffin on the sitcom "Family Guy".
Chico Hamilton
Chico Hamilton (Foreststorn Hamilton, September 20, 1921 – November 25, 2013) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader.
Hamilton was born Foreststorn Hamilton in Los Angeles, California on September 20, 1921. His brother was actor Bernie Hamilton. Hamilton died on November 25, 2013 in Manhattan, New York from unknown causes, aged 92.
Bloody Sunday (1972)
Bloody Sunday ()—sometimes called the Bogside Massacre—happened on 30 January 1972, in the Bogside area of Londonderry, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. During this protest against internment, some protesters threw stones. 26 unarmed civil rights protesters and spectators were shot by British soldiers. Thirteen males, most of whom were in their teens and twenties, were killed. A fourteenth man died from his injuries four-and-a-half months later. Two protesters were also hit by army vehicles. Five of the wounded were shot in the back. The incident happened during a Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association march. The soldiers involved were members of the First Battalion of the Parachute Regiment (1 Para).
Two investigations have been held by the British government. The Widgery Tribunal, held soon after the event, said that the soldiers and British authorities were almost reckless. Critics said the report made it seem like the British did nothing wrong. The Saville Inquiry was held in 1998 to investigate the events a second time. The inquiry took 12 years. The report was made public on 15 June 2010. The report said that some soldiers were wrong to have shot the protesters. The report found that all of the people shot were unarmed, and that the killings were "unjustified". When the Saville report was published, the British prime minister, David Cameron, said sorry to the victims.
The Provisional Irish Republican Army's (IRA) war against the partition of Ireland had begun in the two years before the incident. The incident helped the IRA to recruit new members. Bloody Sunday remains among the most important events in the Troubles of Northern Ireland. The reason it is seen as so important is because those who died were shot by the British Army rather than paramilitaries.
Silliness
Silliness is when a person acts like a fool, or shows a lack of good sense or judgment. In television, movies, and the circus, silliness such as exaggerated, funny behavior is used to make audiences laugh. Clowns and jesters act in a silly way to make people feel better.
In "The Art of Roughhousing", Anthony DeBenedet and Larry Cohen say that "wild play" between a child and a parent can cause "joy, love and a deeper connection". They say parents should be silly and pretend, for example, to fall over.
Michael Christianson from New York's Big Apple Circus teaches jesters, clowns and comedians how to help hospital patients feel better. A doctor named Patch Adams travels to places where there is crisis or suffering to help people feel better.
In the U.S. and Mexico, the practical joke group Improv Everywhere has created an "international celebration of silliness" by asking people to get on the New York and Mexico City subways without trousers on a specific day.
Maven (wrestler)
Maven Klint Huffman (born March 26, 1976) is a retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for working with World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment under his real first name.
He was the co-winner of the first season of Tough Enough along with Nidia Guenard. During his time in the WWF/E, he had notable feuds with The Undertaker after eliminating after Maven eliminated Undertaker from the 2002 Royal Rumble and Evolution. He also won the WWF Hardcore Championship three times.
He currently works as a bouncer in New York City.
Saar Offensive
The Saar Offensive was a French ground offensive (attack) into Saarland during World War II. It was done from 7 to 16 September 1939. This area of Saarland was defended by the German 1st Army. The purpose of the attack was to help Poland, which was under attack at the time. The offensive was to have been done by 40 divisions, including one armored division, three mechanised divisions, 78 artillery regiments and 40 tank battalions. The offensive was stopped and the French forces eventually retreated when the Germans attacked them on 17 October.
Battle of Hatfield Chase
The Battle of Hatfield Chase was fought on 12 October 633 at Hatfield Chase near Doncaster in present-day Yorkshire. The pagan King Penda of Mercia and the Christian king of Gynedd, Cadwallon ap Cadfan joined forces to attack Northumbria.