Winston Churchill (1874-1965)


Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, PC, DL, FRS, Hon. RA (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British Conservative politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during World War II. Widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century, he served as Prime Minister twice (1940–45 and 1951–55). A noted statesman and orator, Churchill was also an officer in the British Army, a historian, a writer, and an artist. He is the only British prime minister to have received the Nobel Prize in Literature, and was the first person to be made an Honorary Citizen of the United States.

Churchill was born into the aristocratic family of the Dukes of Marlborough. His father, Lord Randolph Churchill, was a charismatic politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer; his mother, Jenny Jerome, an American socialite. As a young army officer, he saw action in British India, the Sudan, and the Second Boer War. He gained fame as a war correspondent and wrote books about his campaigns.

At the forefront of politics for fifty years, he held many political and cabinet positions. Before the First World War, he served as President of the Board of Trade, Home Secretary, and First Lord of the Admiralty as part of the Asquith Liberal government. During the war, he continued as First Lord of the Admiralty until the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign, which he had sponsored, caused his departure from government.[neutrality is disputed] He then served briefly on the Western Front, commanding the 6th Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers. He returned to government as Minister of Munitions, Secretary of State for War, and Secretary of State for Air. After the War, Churchill served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Conservative (Baldwin) government of 1924–29, controversially returning the pound sterling in 1925 to the gold standard at its pre-war parity, a move widely seen as creating deflationary pressure on the UK economy. Also controversial were Churchill's opposition to increased home rule for India and his resistance to the 1936 abdication of Edward VIII.

Out of office and politically "in the wilderness" during the 1930s, Churchill took the lead in warning about Nazi Germany and in campaigning for rearmament. On the outbreak of the Second World War, he was again appointed First Lord of the Admiralty. Following the resignation of Neville Chamberlain on 10 May 1940, Churchill became Prime Minister. His steadfast refusal to consider defeat, surrender, or a compromise peace helped inspire British resistance, especially during the difficult early days of the War when Britain stood alone in its active opposition to Hitler. Churchill was particularly noted for his speeches and radio broadcasts, which helped inspire the British people. He led Britain as Prime Minister until victory over Nazi Germany had been secured.

After the Conservative Party lost the 1945 election, he became Leader of the Opposition. In 1951, he again became Prime Minister, before retiring in 1955. Upon his death, Elizabeth II granted him the honour of a state funeral, which saw one of the largest assemblies of world statesmen in history. Named the Greatest Briton of all time in a 2002 poll, Churchill is widely regarded as being among the most influential persons in British history.


Quotes·Quotations by Winston Churchill

Advice

¶ The farther backward you can look,the farther forward you will see.

Attitudes

¶ The optimist sees opportunity in every danger; the pessimist sees danger in every opportunity.

History

¶ History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.

Politics·Government

¶ Any man who is under 30, and is not a liberal, has not heart; and any man who is over 30, and is not a conservative, has no brains.

War

¶ Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill

Catwoman


Catwoman

Catwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise. Historically an antihero, the character was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's cousin, Ruth Steel. Kane, a frequent movie goer, also mentioned that Jean Harlow was a model for the design.

The original and most widely known Catwoman, Selina Kyle, first appears in Batman #1 (Spring 1940) in which she is known as The Cat. She is an adversary of Batman, known for having a complex love-hate (often romantic) relationship with him. In her first appearance, she was a whip-carrying burglar with a taste for high-stake thefts. For many years Catwoman thrived, but from September 1954 to November 1966 she took an extended hiatus due to the newly developing Comics Code Authority in 1954. These issues involved the rules regarding the development and portrayal of female characters that were in violation of the Comics Code.

Since the 1990s, Catwoman has been featured in an eponymous series that cast her as an antihero rather than a supervillain. The character has been one of Batman's most enduring love interests and has been described as Batman's one true love. Many modern writers have also interpreted her activities and costumed identity as a response to a history of abuse.

A popular figure, Catwoman has been featured in most media adaptations related to Batman. Actresses Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether, and Eartha Kitt introduced her to a large audience on the 1960s Batman television series and the 1966 Batman motion picture. Michelle Pfeiffer portrayed the character in 1992's Batman Returns. Halle Berry starred in a stand-alone Catwoman film in 2004, which was a box-office flop, and was not based on the Batman character. Anne Hathaway portrays Selina Kyle in Christopher Nolan's 2012 Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises.

Catwoman was ranked #11 on IGN's "Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time" list, ranked #51 on Wizard magazine's "100 Greatest Villains of All Time" list and #20 on IGN's "Top 100 Comic Book Heroes". She was ranked 23rd in Comics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.


Quotes·Quotation by Catwoman

Halle Berry as Catwoman from Catwoman (2004)

¶ Cats come when they feel like it. Not when they're told.

¶ It all started on the day that I died. If there had been an obituary, it would have described the unremarkable life of an unremarkable woman, survived by no one. But there was no obituary, because the day that I died was also the day I started to live. But that comes later. This was my life. Days blended together, consistently ordinary, thanks to a job that was the practical version of my passion. I was supposed to be an artist by now. Instead, I was designing ads for beauty cream. [first lines]

¶ The day I died was the day I started to live. In my old life, I longed for someone to see what was special in me. You did, and for that, you'll always be in my heart. But what I really needed was for me to see it. And now I do. You're a good man, Tom. But you live in a world that has no place for someone like me. You see, sometimes I'm good. Oh, I'm very good. But sometimes I'm bad. But only as bad as I wanna be. Freedom is power. To live a life untamed and unafraid is the gift that I've been given, and so my journey begins. [last lines]

Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle / Catwoman from The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Catwoman: You don't owe these people any more! You've given them everything!
Batman: Not everything. Not yet.

¶ [a couple thugs go to attack Lucius while he's handcuffed. Catwoman intervenes and beats them down]
Lucius Fox: [to Batman] I like your new girlfriend!
Catwoman: [she undoes his cuffs] He should be so lucky.

¶ Stryver: Do those heels make it hard to walk?
[Catwoman kicks Stryver from behind]
Catwoman: I don't know, do they?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catwoman

Cate Blanchett (1969- )


Cate Blanchett (1969- )

Catherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett (/ˈblɑːntʃ.ət/; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actress. She came to international attention for her role as Elizabeth I of England in the 1998 biopic film Elizabeth, for which she won British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and Golden Globe Awards, and earned her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Blanchett appeared as the elf lady Galadriel in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy from 2001 to 2003. In 2004, Blanchett's portrayal of Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator brought her numerous awards, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Blanchett's other films include Babel (2006), Notes on a Scandal (2006), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008).

Blanchett's work has earned her several accolades, including a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTAs, and an Academy Award.

Blanchett and her husband, Andrew Upton, are currently artistic directors of the Sydney Theatre Company.


Quotes·Quotations by Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett as Galadriel from The Lord of the Rings

¶ Even the smallest people in the world can change the course of the future.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cate_Blanchett

Catalonia and Catalan People

Catalonia and Catalan People

Catalonia

Catalonia (English /kætəˈloʊniə/, /kætəˈloʊnjə/; Catalan: Catalunya [kətəˈɫuɲə] or [kataˈluɲa]; Spanish: Cataluña [kataˈluɲa]; Occitan: Catalonha [kataˈluɲɔ]) is an autonomous community of Spain, with the official status of a nationality.[1] Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona, the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the center of one of the largest metropolitan areas in Europe. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an official population of 7,535,251.[2]

It comprises the larger part of the territory of the former Principality of Catalonia, with the remainder of the historic Catalan region now part of southern France. Catalonia borders France and Andorra to the north and the Mediterranean Sea to the east (580 km coastline). The neighbouring Spanish regions of Aragon and the Valencian Community lie to the west and south respectively. The official languages are Catalan, Spanish, and Aranese (Occitan); Catalan Sign Language is also officially recognised.[3]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalonia


Catalan people

The Catalans are a cultural group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia who form a historic nationality chiefly located in northern Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France (known in Catalonia proper as Catalunya Nord, and in France as the Pays Catalan) are included in this definition.[6][7] Also, Catalan is sometimes used to define people from Catalan Countries, which include other areas where the Catalan language is spoken.[8][9]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_people


Catalan language

Catalan (pron.: /kætəˈlæn/, /ˈkætəlæn/, or /ˈkætələn/;[3] autonym: català [kətəˈɫa] or [kataˈɫa]) is a Romance language named for its origins in the historical region of Catalonia in the northeastern part of Spain and adjoining parts of what is now France. It is the national and only official language of Andorra, a European microstate, and a co-official language of the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and the Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian. It also has semi-official status in the city of Alghero (where the Algherese dialect is spoken) on the Italian island of Sardinia. It is also spoken with no official recognition in the autonomous communities of Aragon (in La Franja) and Murcia (in Carche) in Spain, and in the historic Roussillon region of southern France, roughly equivalent to the current French department of Pyrénées-Orientales (Northern Catalonia).

Although recognized as a regional language of the Pyrénées-Orientales department[4] since 2007, Catalan has no official recognition in France, as French is the only official language of that country, according to the French Constitution of 1958.[5]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_language


Catalan Proverbs

Advice

¶ De l'arbre dolent no esperis bon fruit.
English equivalent: The apple does not fall far from the tree.
Children observe daily and — in their behaviour — often follow the example of their parents.

Wisdom

¶ Com més vell més poc cervell.'
Idiomatic translation: ”Wisdom goes not always by years.”
Meaning: Age will not refrain people from acting foolish and unprudent.


References

Catalonia

[1]^ First article of the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia. "Catalonia, as a nationality, exercises its self-government constituted as an autonomous community..."
[2]^ Idescat.net. (Catalan)
[3]^ a b Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia (2006), Articles 6, 50. parlament-cat.net

Catalan people

[6]^ "[1] Présentation Perpinyà 2008" (French) (Catalan)
[7]^ Culture et catalanité Conseil Général des Pyrénées-Orientales (French) (Catalan)
[8]^ Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana: (In Catalan)
Catalan : individual from a people, of Catalan language, developed in the Catalan Countries.
[9]^ The IEC dictionary, made by the Institut d'Estudis Catalans sources catalan as "Own, related or Natural of the Catalan Countries", in some of its meanings

Catalan language

[3]^ Catalan Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. (Retrieved 20 March 2010).
[4]^ a b "Charte en faveur du Catalan". "La catalanitat a la Catalunya Nord". "Catalanité". cg66.fr. 28 July 2004. Retrieved 16 May 2010.[dead link]
[5]^ French Constitution, 1958: Article 2. The language of the Republic shall be French.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalonia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_people
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Spain

Carl Sagan (1934-1996)


Carl Sagan (1934-1996)

Carl Edward Sagan (/ˈseɪɡən/; November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science popularizer and science communicator in astronomy and natural sciences. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books. He advocated scientifically skeptical inquiry and the scientific method, pioneered exobiology and promoted the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI).

Sagan is known for his popular science books and for the award-winning 1980 television series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, which he narrated and co-wrote. The book Cosmos was published to accompany the series. Sagan wrote the novel Contact, the basis for a 1997 film of the same name.


Quotes·Quotation

Intelligence

We are an intelligent species and the use of our intelligence quite properly gives us pleasure. In this respect the brain is like a muscle. When it is in use we feel very good. Understanding is joyous.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Sagan

Carol Anne Freeling (Poltergeist, 1982)


Carol Anne Freeling from Poltergeist (1982)


Quotes·Quotations by Carol Anne Freeling

Heather O'Rourke as Carol Anne Freeling from Poltergeist (1982)

They're here!

Carol Leifer (1956- )


Carol Leifer (1956- )

Carol Leifer (pronounced /ˈliːfər/ lee-fər; born July 27, 1956) is an American comedian, writer, producer and actor whose career as a stand-up comedian started in the 1970s when she was in college. David Letterman discovered her performing in a comedy club in the 1980s and she has since been a guest on Late Night With David Letterman over twenty-five times as well as numerous other shows and venues. She has written many television scripts including for The Larry Sanders Show, Saturday Night Live, and most notably, Seinfeld.

Leifer's "inner monologue" observational style is often autobiographical encompassing subjects about her Jewish ancestry and upbringing, coming out, same-sex marriage, relationships (having been married previously to a man and now partnered with a woman) and parenting.

Leifer recently became vegan, saying "I recently became vegan because I felt that as a Jewish lesbian, I wasn’t part of a small enough minority. So now I’m a Jewish lesbian vegan."


Quotes·Quotation

Health

I'm not into working out. My philosophy: No pain, no pain.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Leifer

Carl Denham (King Kong)


Carl Denham (King Kong)

Carl Denham is a fictional film director in the films King Kong and Son of Kong (both released in 1933), as well as in the 2005 remake of King Kong, and a 2004 illustrated-novel titled Kong: King of Skull Island. The role was played by Robert Armstrong in the 1933 films and by Jack Black in the 2005 remake. Denham's function in the story is to initiate the action by bringing the characters to Skull Island, where they encounter the giant beast Kong. Denham then brings Kong to New York City to put him on display as entertainment, but he escapes and rampages through the city.


Quotes·Quotation by Carl Denham

Robert Armstrong as Carl Denham from King Kong

¶ Oh no, it wasn't the airplanes.It was beauty killed the beast.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Denham

Carl Spackler (Caddyshack)


Carl Spackler (Caddyshack)


Quotes·Quotation by Carl Spackler

Bill Murray as Carl Spackler from Caddyshack

¶ Cinderella story, out of nowhere, former greenskeeper, now about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac- it's in the hole! It's in the hole!

Carl Schurz (1829-1906)


Carl Schurz (1829-1906)

Carl Christian Schurz (German: [ˈkaʁl ˈʃʊʁts]; March 2, 1829 – May 14, 1906) was a German revolutionary, American statesman and reformer, and Union Army General in the American Civil War. He was also an accomplished journalist, newspaper editor and orator, who in 1869 became the first German-born American elected to the United States Senate.

His wife, Margarethe Schurz, was instrumental in establishing the kindergarten system in the United States. During his later years, Schurz was perhaps the most prominent independent in American politics, noted for his high principles, his avoidance of political partisanship, and his moral conscience.

He is famous for saying: "My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right." Many streets, schools, and parks are named in honor of him, including New York City's Carl Schurz Park.


Quotes·Quotation by Carl Schurz

Inspiration

¶ Ideals are like the stars; we never reach them, but like the mariners of the sea, we chart our course by them.

¶ Ideals are like stars: you will not succeed in touching them with your hands, but like the seafaring man on the ocean desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them, you reach your destiny.

***

@ My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Schurz

Cao Xueqin (曹雪芹)


Cao Xueqin (曹雪芹)

Cao Xueqin (Chinese: 曹雪芹; pinyin: Cáo Xuěqín; Wade–Giles: Ts'ao Hsueh-ch'in, 1715 or 1724 — 1763 or 1764) was a Qing Dynasty Chinese writer, best known as the author of Dream of the Red Chamber, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. His given name was Cao Zhan (曹霑) and his courtesy name is Mengruan (夢阮; 梦阮; literally "Dream about Ruan" or "Dream of Ruan").


Quotes·Quotation

好事多魔
The good comes with the bad. [Advice]


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cao_Xueqin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_of_the_Red_Chamber

Capt. Louis Renault (Casablanca)



Capt. Louis Renault from Casablanca (1942)


Quotes·Quotation by Capt. Louis Renault

Claude Rains as Capt. Louis Renault from Casablanca (1942)

¶ Major Strasser has been shot. [pause] Round up the usual suspects.

Cáo Cāo (曹操, 155 – 220)


Cáo Cāo (曹操; 155 – 220 March 15)

Cao Cao (IPA: [tsʰɑ̌ʊ tsʰɑ́ʊ]; 155 – 15 March 220), style name Mengde, was a warlord and the penultimate Chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power in the final years of the dynasty. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and was posthumously honoured as "Emperor Wu of Wei". Although he is often portrayed as a cruel and merciless tyrant, Cao Cao has also been praised as a brilliant ruler and military genius who treated his subordinates like his family. He was also skilled in poetry and martial arts and wrote many war journals.


Quotes·Quotations by Cáo Cāo

Betrayal

¶ 寧我負人,毋人負我!
Translation: "I'd rather betray others, than have others betray me."
Statement in 190, after falsely killing Lü Boshe. Source: Sun Sheng Zaji, page 5 of Sanguo Zhi.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cao_Cao

Camille Montes (Quantum of Solace, 2008)


Camille Montes from Quantum of Solace (2008)

Camille Montes Rivero is a fictional character in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace. She is portrayed by Ukrainian-French actress Olga Kurylenko.


Quotes·Quotations by Olga Kurylenko

Olga Kurylenko as Camille Montes from Quantum of Solace (2008)

¶ You can't put a price on integrity.

Calista Kay Flockhart (1964- )


Calista Kay Flockhart (1964- )

Calista Kay Flockhart (born November 11, 1964) is an American actress widely known for playing the title character in the Fox television comedy-drama series Ally McBeal — for which she won a Golden Globe Award — as well as the character Kitty Walker McCallister on the ABC drama, Brothers & Sisters.[1] Flockhart is married to actor Harrison Ford.


Quotes·Quotations by Calista Kay Flockhart

Calista Kay Flockhart as Ally McBeal from Ally McBeal

¶ The real truth is, I probably don't want to be too happy or content. Because, then what? I actually like the quest, the search. That's the fun. The more lost you are, the more you have to look forward to. What do you know? I'm having a great time and I don't even know it.

Cal Ripkin Jr.

Cal Ripkin Jr.


Quotes·Quotations by Cal Ripkin Jr.

Appearance

@ Less and grayer hair. [Cal Ripkin Jr., baseball player, describing how he has changed over the course of his consecutive games record]