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241. Archimedes of Syracuse
Информация пополнение в коллекции 12.01.2009

... when Archimedes began to ply his engines, he at once shot against the land forces all sorts of missile weapons, and immense masses of stone that came down with incredible noise and violence; against which no man could stand; for they knocked down those upon whom they fell in heaps, breaking all their ranks and files. In the meantime huge poles thrust out from the walls over the ships and sunk some by great weights which they let down from on high upon them; others they lifted up into the air by an iron hand or beak like a crane's beak and, when they had drawn them up by the prow, and set them on end upon the poop, they plunged them to the bottom of the sea; or else the ships, drawn by engines within, and whirled about, were dashed against steep rocks that stood jutting out under the walls, with great destruction of the soldiers that were aboard them. A ship was frequently lifted up to a great height in the air (a dreadful thing to behold), and was rolled to and fro, and kept swinging, until the mariners were all thrown out, when at length it was dashed against the rocks, or let fall.
242. Architecture
Статья пополнение в коллекции 12.01.2009

The birth of Renaissance architecture (15th cent.) inaugurated a period of several hundred years in Western architecture during which the multiple and complex buildings of the modern world began to emerge, while at the same time no new and compelling structural conceptions appeared. The forms and ornaments of Roman antiquity were resuscitated again and again and were ordered into numberless new combinations, and structure served chiefly as a convenient tool for attaining these effects. The complex, highly decorated baroque style was the chief manifestation of the 17th-century architectural aesthetic. The Georgian style was among architecture's notable 18th-century expressions (see Georgian architecture ). The first half of the 19th cent. was given over to the classic revival and the Gothic revival .
243. Are young people today slaves to fashion?
Статья пополнение в коллекции 12.01.2009

On one hand we could claim that fashion often rules the world, turning many peoples heads. This can be also attributed to our young generation. To attract attention of others they wear non-traditional clothes, made by popular brands, with hair brightly colored. From one point this namely “punk-appearance” shows their character, shows their wish for freedom.
244. Arena
Доклад пополнение в коллекции 12.01.2009

В 1999-м коллектив вновь остался без вокалиста и басиста, и оставшейся троице опять пришлось подыскивать им замену. Новыми членами команды стали харизматичный вокалист и отличный фронтмен Роб Соуден, а также ветеран-рок сцены басист Ян Салмон, ранее игравший в другом проекте Нолана "Shadowland". В конце 1999-го троица Нолан-Пойнтер-Митчелл взялась за подготовку нового материала, и после нескольких месяцев, проведенных в "Thin Ice Studios" на свет появился студийник "Immortal?", посвященный проблеме клонирования человека. Между тем у "Arena" сформировалась достаточно большая армия фанов, а ведущий голландский "прогрессивный" журнал "I. O. Pages" признал Нолана лучшим клавишником всех времен и народов, оставившим позади Рика Уэйкмана и Тони Бэнкса.
245. Argent
Доклад пополнение в коллекции 12.01.2009

Эта английская арт-роковая команда образовалась в первой половине 70-х годов. Своим названием, "Argent", группа была обязана фамилии своего лидера - клавишника, автора песен и певца Рода Арджента. Первые шаги к славе Арджент (p. 14 июня 1945, Сент-Олбенс) сделал еще в 1964 году как участник " Zombies", первая же записанная на сингле песня которых, "She's Not There", была лишь второй из сочиненных им и принесла группе известность. Разногласия с фирмой "Decca" ускорили печальный конец " Zombies", и летом 1969-го Арджент собрал в Лондоне новую команду, в состав которой кроме него вошли его двоюродный брат Джим Родфорд (p. 7 июля 1945, Сент-Олбенс; бас) и два бывших члена поп-группы "Unit 4+2" - Расс Баллард (p. 31 октября 1947, Уолтэм Кросс; гитара, вокал) и Боб Хенрит (p. 2 мая 1946, Броксбурн; ударные). Тогда же он вместе с коллегой по " Zombies" Крисом Уайтом открыл свою продюсерско-авторскую фирму "Nexus Production". "Argent" получили контракт от "Epic" и выпустили в январе 1970-го дебютный альбом.
246. Argentina
Информация пополнение в коллекции 12.01.2009

Argentina has experienced slow economic growth since the 1940s. By the mid-1970s long-term growth declined noticeably, and in the last half of the 1980s the country suffered its longest period of stagnation in the century. Savings and investment rates fell precipitously from the mid-1970s until 1989. Argentines, responding to the unstable macroeconomic environment, increasingly saved and invested abroad. Labor productivity fell ang poverty worsened. This economic performance was tranceable to chronic public sector deficits and endemic inflation. Public sector deficits in the late 1970s ranged from 10 to 14 percent of GDP, and in the early 1980s surpassed IS percent of GDP. After the return to constitutional democracy in 1983, public demands to control inflation were translated into four successive stabilization programs. All failed to eradicate inflation, and each ended in a more virulent inflation than the one preceding it. The main reason for these failures was the inability of the stabilization programs to redress rapidly and permanently the public sector structural deficit. Structural deficits emerged from the post-war organization of the economy. Economic policy from the 1940s was used to propagate rules and transfers favoring the interests of private groups with access to power. By the early 1980s public expenditures approached 40 percent of GDP. Unionized labor benefitted from high wages, guaranteed employment, and rigid rules governing hiring and dismissals. Industry benefitted from highly protected markets, tax exemptions through special promotion regimes, subsidized credit-or effective grants, as many loans were not collected-subsidized inputs from public enterprises, and high prices on sales to public enterprises. Housing contractors and middleclass home buyers benefitted from enormous public transfers through earmarked taxes and effective grants through the Housing Bank. Tobacco growers, sugar growers, the merchant marine, and other small interest groups enjoyed special tax breaks. Consumers enjoyed below-cost tariffs from public enterprise and lax collectioll practices. Provincial governments could avail themselves of costless credit from the provincial banks, which the central bank reimbursed. The military enjoyed expanding budgets, especially over 1976-82, as well as management perquisites in state companies they controlled. By 1989 subsidies through the budget, tax exemptions, agriculcural regulations, public enterprise tariffs, and central bank rediscounts were estimated to amount to roughly 8 percent of GDP--the equivalent of some $8 billion. The growth of the state and concomitant rents and subsidies, along with the capital flight provoked by an inconsistent exchange rate policy, were financed during the late 1970s largely by external borrowing through the expanding Eurodollar market at low or even negative real international interest rates. This permitted the government to run large deficits and sustain a revalued exchange rate with relatively low levels of inflation in the second half of the 1970s. An abrupt end to voluntary foreign commercial credit in the early 1980s and the sudden rise in real international interest rates provoked a financial collapse and placed additional pressure on public finances. The situation was complicated by the South Atlantic War. The loss of external finance and lack of adjustment meant the treasury had to resort to increased inflationary finance through monetary creation. The private sector, in an effort to avoid the resulting inflation tax, gradually withdrew its resources from the financial system and reduced its real holdings of currency ; this, together with the negative effects of inflation on real tax collections, made Argentina's economy progressively more unstable in the 1980s. Even though the deficit fell from near 20 percent of GDP in the early 1980s to an average of about 10 percent over 1987-89, the base for the inflation tax shrank even faster--efforts to reduce the deficit were not fast or permanent enough to convince the private sector that savings in domestic currency would not be eroded by inflation. Inflation became high and unpredictable, and the main impediment to the recovery of private savings and investment. The decade ended with two episodes of hyperinflation in 1989.
247. Aristotle
Информация пополнение в коллекции 12.01.2009

We have commented above on the disputes among modern scholars as to whether Aristotle wrote the treatises now assigned to him. We do know that his work falls into two distinct parts, namely works which he published during his lifetime and are now lost (although some fragments survive in quotations in works by others), and the collection of writings which have come down to us and were not published by Aristotle in his lifetime. We can say with certainty that Aristotle never intended these 30 works which fill over 2000 printed pages to be published. They are certainly lecture notes from the courses given at the Lyceum either being, as most scholars believe, the work of Aristotle, or of later lecturers. Of course it is distinctly possible that they are notes of courses originally given by Aristotle but later added to by other lecturers after Aristotle's death.
248. Ark
Доклад пополнение в коллекции 12.01.2009

Это было вобщем-то удивительно, поскольку пластинка была очень разноплановая. Музыканты решили поэкспериментировать и намешать разных стилей. Динамичный саунд, замешанный на хард-роке был разбавлен запутанными ритмичными образцами с обширной мелодичной структурой. Через две недели после выхода пластинки в скандинавских странах весь тираж был раскуплен. Следующий альбом записывался в Германии в "Area 51 Studios" с продюсером Томми Ньютоном. "Burn The Sun", появившийся на свет весной 2001 года, стал значительным шагом в музыкальном творчестве группы. Состав "Ark" пополнился сразу двумя новыми участниками басистом Рэнди Ковеном (ранее работавшим со Стивом Вэем и Стивом Морсом) и клавишником Матсом Олоссоном (до того в течении последних 10 лет игравшего у Ингви Малмстина). Их появление внесло дополнительное разнообразие в саунд коллектива.
249. Arkhangelsk
Информация пополнение в коллекции 12.01.2009

The Russian word "Gosti" meant "merchant", so it was often called merchant yard, a trading center. In the 17-th century it was the largest building of its kind, but today we can see only small part of this magnificent and outstanding building, which is now used as an exhibition hall. Preparations are being made for reconstruction of this unique complex. It is planned to restore the Russian merchant yard in its original form.
250. Armored Saint
Доклад пополнение в коллекции 12.01.2009

Хотя команда была организована еще в 1981-м, официальной датой ее создания считается лето 1982-го, когда состав был полностью укомплектован. Все участники "Armored saint" ранее уже участвовали в других проектах, однако ни с кем не записывались. В частности Джой Вера играл вместе с Томми Ли из " Motley crue" и гитаристом Оззи Осборна Джейком Ли. А еще раньше он выступал вместе с Джоном Бушем в школьной группе "Rhapsody". Эта команда, включавшая также гитариста Дэвида Авила, басиста Чаннинга, клавишника Марка Пэттона и ударника Мартина Занига, исполняла каверы " Foreigner" и " Deep purple". Чуть позже Вера и Буш сколотили еще одну группу "Royal decree". На этот раз компанию им составили барабанщик Гонзо и гитарист Фил Сандовал.
251. Art
Статья пополнение в коллекции 12.01.2009

Everything is a bit different nowadays. The word "art" has a special meaning. It means something beautiful. The paintings of skilled painters are appreciated and admired by millions of people today, by those who can see the beauty. Art comprises weaving rugs, tapestries, ceramic work. So there are a lot of types of art. Nevertheless one can trace basic principles in art. All kinds of it require the same characteristics. The separate parts of a work of art should be arranged in pattern. The form itself, a pleasing shape and balance are extremely important.
252. Art and culture
Статья пополнение в коллекции 12.01.2009

The twentieth century has given the world cinema. For a long time there have been disputes whether the cinema is an art or just an entertainment. Nowadays the cinema is considered one of the main contemporary arts. Not so long ago people went to cinemas frequently, but now we prefer to stay at home and watch video films and TV. Maybe cinemas are no longer as popular as they used to be but films will always be one of the best entertainments for people all over the world. Speaking about art one should not forget about music, especially classic music. Outstanding Russian composers make all the world admire their music. It's almost impossible to find a man who does not know Pyotr Ilyich Tchaicovsky, Michail Glinka, Nicholai Rimsky-Korsakov - the famous composers of 19th century, and Sergei Rachmaninov, Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitriy Shostakovich. The most famous ballets "Swan Lake", "The Sleeping Beauty", "The Nutcracker" and not less famous operas "The Queen of Spades", "Eugine Onegin" are still excellently staged and performed not only in Russian but in many greatest theatres in the world. Russia is famous for its architecture. The real jewel of architecture is the Moscow Kremlin with its cathedrals, towers and red brick walls. There are also a lot of museums and galleries in Moscow. The most famous gallery of Moscow is Tretyakov gallery, it reflects the whole history of Russian Art. It has a rich collection of early Russian painting including famous icon. The world famous "The Trinity" by Andrey Rublev is exhibited in the gallery. St.Petersburg has great number of real masterpieces of architecture of different styles and is definitely worth visiting and being admired. Russia is rich also in young talents, new Russian culture is forming. We can hear new voices in music and poetry, new canvases of modern artists, great actors and film directors. All of them will make their contribution into Russian Culture and Art.
253. Art galleries of London
Статья пополнение в коллекции 12.01.2009

The national gallery houses one of the richest and most extensive collections of painting in the world. It stands to the north of the Trafalgar Square. the gallery was designed by William Wilkins and build in 1834-37. The collection covers all schools and periods of painting, but is a specially famous for it's examples of Rembrandt and Rubents. The British schools is only moderately represented as the national collections are shared with the Tate gallery. The National gallery was founded in 1824 when the government bought the collection of John Angerstein which included 38 paintings.
254. Art of noise
Доклад пополнение в коллекции 12.01.2009

На следующий год Дадли и компания подготовили чересчур экспериментальную пластинку "In No Sense? Nonsense!". На альбоме присутствовал полный набор инструментов, характерный для стандартной рок-группы (гитары, ударные, синтезаторы). Кроме этого к работе были привлечены медная секция, оркестр и хоры. В 1988-м на свет появился сборник лучших вещей, примечательный еще и тем, что туда вошел трек с кавером Принса "Kiss" в исполнении Тома Джонса. Команда просуществовала еще пару лет, выпустив студийник "Below the Waste" и пару сборников ремикшированных вещей, "Ambient Collection" и "Remix Collection", и затем благополучно распалась.
255. Art of the Edo Period
Статья пополнение в коллекции 12.01.2009

The Tokugawa shogunate of the Edo period gained undisputed control of the government in 1603 with a commitment to bring peace and economic and political stability to the country; in large measure it was successful. The shogunate survived until 1867, when it was forced to capitulate because of its failure to deal with pressure from Western nations to open the country to foreign trade. One of the dominant themes in the Edo period was the repressive policies of the shogunate and the attempts of artists to escape these strictures. The foremost of these was the closing of the country to foreigners and the accoutrements of their cultures, and the imposition of strict codes of behavior affecting every aspect of life, the clothes one wore, the person one married, and the activities one could or should not pursue.
256. Art, museums and galleries
Статья пополнение в коллекции 12.01.2009

People reflect their life in art. Real, live art appeals to the heart and mind of man, to his feelings and ideals and it proclaims life. Art is truthful only when it serves life, only when the artist hopes to arouse a warm response in the heart of man. This was the case in the days of Giotto and Raphael, this was the case in the subsequent stages of man's artistic development, and this is the truthful relationship of art and life in the day of Renato Guttuso and Rockwell Kent. Art belongs to the people.
257. Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930)
Статья пополнение в коллекции 12.01.2009

Conan Doyle created his famous character, Sherlock Holmes, in 1885. Six years later, when Conan Doyle wrote some stories about this detective, the name of Sherlock Holmes became a name that everybody knew. Holmes first appeared in a book called "Study in Scarlet". "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" made him famous all over the world.
258. Artillery
Доклад пополнение в коллекции 12.01.2009

По возвращении домой команду покинул Йорген Сандау. Пришлось Мортену Стицеру переключиться на гитару, а новым басистом стал Петер Торслунд. В это же время у группы начались проблемы с лейблом. Однако музыкантам повезло, и их взяла под свое крыло фирма "Roadrunner". С новым контрактом на руках "Artillery" успели выпустить всего лишь один альбом, "By Inheritance". Отношения в коллективе к тому моменту накалились, и первым хлопнул дверью Мортен, подавшись в "Furious trauma". Последовало много кадровых перестановок, и, в конце концов, группа развалилась.
259. Artistic Emigres
Статья пополнение в коллекции 12.01.2009

Chaim Soutine (1894-1943) came to Paris in 1913. He was the only painter in the city who was in the least like Georges Rouault, and as a Parisian Expressionist, he belonged to the ``School of Paris''. Soutine's style of applying thickly encrusted paint was quite different from Rouault's, but his wild, chaotic spirit, sorrowful and vehement, is like that of the Frenchman. Just as Rouault, despite his Fauvist connections, is seen as inherently Expressionist, so Soutine was a natural, though singular, Expressionist.
260. Arts
Статья пополнение в коллекции 12.01.2009

- A truly national realistic tradition began with the appearance of the "Wanderers". Kramskoy organized a protest against prescribed mythological themes in the competition for the Great Gold Medal that gave a six-year scholarship to study abroad. This action marked a break with the Academy's outdated form of Neoclassicism patterned on Western models which lost popularity with the educated public but continued to be taught and favoured at the official level. After the break with the Academy Kramskoy sustained a group of thirteen independent painters both organizationally and intellectually in keeping with the spirit of the reform and renovation that swept Russia during the 1860s after the emancipation of the serfs. He set up a communal workshop (artel), the "Wanderers". At the same time Kramskoy defined ideological underpinnings of the new art: a combination of civic, moral and national goals, which infused Russian realism with its crystal-clear ideal of service. He asserted that as painters in Russia were not free they had to take the most urgent problems of the day as the subjects of their works of art. The most prominent Russian artists of the 1870s and '80s, including Ivan Kramskoy, Il'ya Repin, Vassily Surikov, Vassily Perov, and Vassily Vereshchagin, belonged to this group. The "Wanderers" attached much importance to the moral and literary aspects of art than to aesthetics. Their artistic creed was realism, national feeling, and social consciousness. The influence of the "Wanderers" spread throughout Russia. This group was dominant for nearly 30 years.

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