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POPSTop 25 Guitar Riffs 1-13 Just seven songs penned in the last two decades have made it on to a list of the greatest guitar riffs of all time. British rock band Deep Purple top the list with their 1973 hit Smoke on the Water. Among the more recent riffs is Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit (1991), in second place, and Wake Up by Rage Against the Machine (1992) in 16th. The Red Hot Chilli Peppers have two entries, Under The Bridge (1992) at 9 and Give it Away (1991) at 21. However, not one song written since 2003 made the short list. Songs by American writers claimed the majority of places in the top 25, but seven of the songs on the list were written by British artists.
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POPSNew York in the 1920s and 30s
George Wesley Bellows (1882-1925) was an American painter, known for his bold depictions of urban life in New York City. Berenice Abbott (1898-1991), was an American photographer best known for her black-and-white photography of New York City architecture and urban design of the 1930s. Reginald Marsh (1898-1954) was an American painter, born in Paris, most notable for his detailed depictions of life in New York City in the 1920s and 1930s. John French Sloan (1871-1951) was a American artist who became a member of The Eight group of American artists and became a leading figure in the Ashcan School of realist artists. He was known for his urban paintings and ability to capture the essence of neighbourhood life in New York City, often through his window Ruth Carroll, born 1899, Lancaster, NY. Maurice Kish was born in 1895, Dvinsk, Russia and died 1987, New York, NY. Ben Shahn (1898-1969) was a Russian-Jewish born American artist, best known for his works of Social realism.
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POPSHow to Tie a Bowline Knot A bowline knot, also known as a bowline hitch, makes a fixed loop at the end of a rope or string. The loop can be secured over an object like a post or passed through a ring or hole before the knot is tied. A variation of this knot called the double bowline knot is sometimes used for climbing. These instructions will guide you in making a simple bowline knot with string. My short time in the Cubs becoming useful at last.
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POPSIllustrated Nursery Rhymes Mary had a little lamb, Its fleece was white as snow; And everywhere that Mary went, The lamb was sure to go. He followed her to school one day; That was against the rule; It made the children laugh and play; To see a lamb at school. And so the teacher turned it out, But still it lingered near, And waited patiently about Till Mary did appear. "Why does the lamb love Mary so?" The eager children cry; "Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know," The teacher did reply.
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POPSMasai warriors and the London Marathon The warriors, who arrive in Britain next week for the race on Sunday April 13, have also been advised not to be too offended by the brief running attire of their fellow competitors in the marathon. "You will see many people who are wearing only small clothes and you will wonder why they are cold and may think they are being disrespectful. "This is normal for England, especially when it is sunny or in the evening. However, it is illegal to show certain parts of the body and for this reason it is important that you wear underpants if you are wearing your blankets." The guide provides a tour of a typical home, complete with description of what happens in a bathroom and at meal times. "People in England eat with knives, forks and spoons. If you want to use just a spoon or fork or hands then it is not a worry. "Many people drink alcohol in England. They do so at bars, at homes or at clubs - the English equivalent to a Masai party. "When people drink they sillier or
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POPSThe World's Oldest Land Rover Rides Again Now owned by Tata, Land Rover celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. After WWII, steel was in short supply and Rover needed it to build cars, but the UK government demanded guarantees of good overseas sales before supplies would be forthcoming. Wilks envisiged a "stopgap model", one that appealed to foreign markets. He and his brother Spencer (Rover's MD) owned a farm on Anglesey where their families holidayed. They used a war-surplus Willys Jeep as a template but found weaknesses in its design and Maurice reasoned they could do better. The brothers walked along the vast sands of Red Wharf Bay on Anglesey, talking about their idea and sketched a basic design for the vehicle in the damp sand. It would offer the benefits of a tractor with on-road usability. The Land Rover was born. The marque is recognised across the globe and the original has proved to be the most versatile of all vehicles, but an Anglesey beach is where it all began, with a drawing in the sand 61 years ago.
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POPSArt of Charles Sheeler Charles Sheeler (1883-1965) was a founder of American modernism and a master photographer of the 20thC. Born in Philadelphia, he first studied at the Penn. Academy of Fine Arts. In 1909 he went to Paris, just when Cubism was becoming popular. Returning to the US, he realised that he would not make a living with Modernism, so he took up commercial photography, his focus on architectural subjects. He was a self-taught photographer, and learned on a $5 Brownie. He shared a farmhouse in Doylestown, Penn., close to Philadelphia, with artist Morton Schamberg. He was so fond of the 19thC stove there that he called it his "companion" and made it a subject of his photographs (see last clip). The farmhouse serves a prominent role in many of his photographs. He painted using a technique called Precisionist, a term that emphasised the linear precision he employed in his work. His subjects were generally things such as machinery and structures.
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POPSThe soccer Black List Sport and features editor of 'The Voice', Rodney Hinds, said: "In many ways everyone on this list is a pioneer and it's important to pay tribute to their achievements." The list features senior administrators such as Millwall's executive deputy chairman Heather Rabbatts; assistant chief executive of the Professional Footballers Association Bobby Barnes; and Jason Rockett of Sheffield United - the only black chief executive in professional football. PFA chairman Chris Powell, who is also player-coach at Charlton, joins Ferdinand as the only other current player on the list. Some unfamiliar names are also listed such as Chris Nathaniel, a young agent who has negotiated a seven-figure book deal for England's John Terry and works closely with Ferdinand, Micah Richards, Obafemi Martins and Ryan Babel. The BBC is represented by Garth Crooks and sport radio editor Hepburn Harrison Graham. The list has been supported by football's anti-racism campaign, Kick It Out.
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POPSPetrol Prices - Ouch! These gags work both sides of the Pond. Where I live the price per litre for unleaded is c.£1.08, or roughly c.US$8 per US gallon. Wasn't too good at maths at school; hope my approximate calculations are right.
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POPSClassic Cinema Posters: 1960s Horror Hammer Horror is back from the dead. Thirty-two years after its last diabolical despatch from the dark side (Christopher Lee disgracing the cloth as a heretic priest in To the Devil… a Daughter), one of the most cherished franchises in British film history is about to return with Beyond the Rave, a blood-spattered tale of vampires on the rampage among hardcore dance fans. These posters represent some of the classic films by Hammer together with some directed by Roger Corman for API. Bonus poster featuring Spencer Tracy included.
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POPSDark Art Rizpah (‘coal’; ‘hot stone’) was the daughter of Aiah and one of Saul's concubines. "A famine, which lasted for three years, fell upon the land during the first half of King David's reign. This calamity was sent ‘for Saul and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.’ David inquired of them what satisfaction they demanded and was answered that nothing would compensate for the wrong Saul had done but the death of seven of Saul's sons. David accordingly delivered up the two sons of Rizpah and five sons of Merab, Saul's daughter. The Gibeonites put them to death and hung up their bodies at the sanctuary at Gibeah. Rizpah thereupon took her place on the rock of Gibeah, and for five months watched the suspended bodies of her children, to prevent them from being devoured by beasts and birds of prey, till they were at length taken down and buried by David." Edited extract from 'Easton's Bible Dictionary'
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POPSTugboats Harbour tugs are the most typical of the tugboats that people recognise. They’re used worldwide to move ships in and out of berth and to move industrial barges around waterfront complexes. Their job has remained the same but their design and engineering has changed much over the decades. Harbour tugs originally evolved from paddle wheelers into the conventional tug known by all, and evolved further into Ship Docking Modules and tractors. River tugs (also known as towboats or push boats) are designed as large squared-off vessels with flat bows for connecting with the rectangular stern of barges. They are large and powerful, most commonly seen on the big rivers of the world and are capable of pushing huge fleets of barges that are can be lashed together into "tows". Some tows can be up to 1,000ft long and 200ft wide. In inland waters, smaller push boats may be seen managing only a few barges. Despite their size, they are designed to push their tow rather than tow from the stern.
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POPS"Give me Liberty, or Give me Death" Henry was elected to the House of Burgesses (the legislative body of the Virginia colony) in 1765. The same year, he proposed the Virginia Stamp Act Resolutions. The freshman representative waited for an opportunity when the mostly conservative members of the House were away (24% constituted a quorum). He succeeded, through debate and persuasion, in getting his proposal passed. It was possibly the most anti-British American political action to that point. The proposals were based on principles that were well-established British rights, such as the right to be taxed by one's own representatives. They also asserted that colonial assemblies had the exclusive right to impose taxes on the colonies and could not assign that right. The imputation of treason is due to his inflammatory words, "Caesar had his Brutus; Charles the First his Cromwell; and George the Third—" "George the Third may profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it.”
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POPSBeautiful tropical birds at London Zoo For anyone thinking how vibrant and crystal clear the picture of Queen Victoria is, it should be pointed out that in keeping with the Victorian theme of the building, Queen Victoria impersonator Sylvia Strange attended the launch, alongside an impersonator playing her lady-in-waiting. The Queen did however visit the zoo several times during her reign. She became the patroness of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) in 1837. The pavilion took a year to restore and is named after ZSL patron David Blackburn who agreed to underwrite the costs.
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POPSWinston Churchill: First Man on the Moon. Gavin Quirk, of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, which commissioned the survey in conjunction with the Royal Astronomical Society, said: "It's a bit of a worry to find that children don't know who the first man on the moon is, let alone that they don't know who led the country to victory in the Second World War. "And I think it is definitely time to get back to the classroom if our school children think of Mars firstly as a chocolate bar."
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POPSWorld's best-known protest symbol turns 50 Gerald Holtom, the designer and a former WWII conscientious objector from London, considered using a Christian cross motif but, instead, settled on using letters from the semaphore alphabet, superimposing N(uclear) on D(isarmament) and placing them within a circle symbolising Earth. The sign was quickly adopted by CND. How the sign migrated to the US is explained in various ways. Some say it was brought back from the Aldermaston protest by civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, a black pacifist who had studied Gandhi's techniques of non-violence. American pacifist Ken Kolsbun said: "The sign really got going over here during the 1960s and 70s, when it became associated with anti-Vietnam protests." As the sign became a badge of the hippie movement of the late 1960s, the hippies' critics scornfully compared it to a chicken footprint, and drew parallels with the runic letter indicating death. In the 1980s it became the banner of the international grassroots anti-nuclear movemen
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