Allied stars Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard (who previously starred in La Vie en Rose, a biopic based on the life of Edith Piaf) in the lead roles as Max and Marianne Beausejour. Chicago-born Robert Zemeckis of Back to the Future fame directs.
Tuesday, 29 November 2016
Saturday, 26 November 2016
Métro de Paris
Overview and Journey Planner
The Métro de Paris is the rapid transit system for Paris, run by the state-owned RATP.
RATP has a Journey Planner application that works out the fastest way to get from A to B.
It is the third busiest metro system in Europe and its icon is a blue letter "M" in a blue circle. It first opened in July 1900 during the "Exposition Universelle" of the same year.
The first trains leave the terminus at 5.30 in the morning. Some of the trains are driverless, for example on Line 14.
In total there are three hundred stations, compared to two hundred and seventy on the London Underground, and sixteen lines.
Line 1 (Yellow, West-East)
Line 1 runs East-West across Paris and is 16.5km long. Its major interchange is Châtelet. From Châtelet it travels to the Louvre Museum and Champs Elysee to the West, en route to Grande Arche.
Line 4 (Purple, North-South)
Line 4 runs North-South. It goes from Porte de Clignancourt (the location of a famous flea market in Montmartre) in the North to Mairie de Montrouge in the south. In the middle it connects St Michel on the left bank of the Seine to the interchange at Châtelet.
Line 6 (Green- Smile Shape)
Goes from Charles de Gaulle Etoile (site of the Arc de Triomphe), south to Passy, a wealthy area, across the Seine to Bir Hakeim (home of the Eiffel Tower, and named after a battle found in Libya, where the French fought Germany and Italy) and then eastwards and northwards to Nation, which takes its name from Place de la Nation.
The Métro de Paris is the rapid transit system for Paris, run by the state-owned RATP.
RATP has a Journey Planner application that works out the fastest way to get from A to B.
It is the third busiest metro system in Europe and its icon is a blue letter "M" in a blue circle. It first opened in July 1900 during the "Exposition Universelle" of the same year.
The first trains leave the terminus at 5.30 in the morning. Some of the trains are driverless, for example on Line 14.
In total there are three hundred stations, compared to two hundred and seventy on the London Underground, and sixteen lines.
Line 1 (Yellow, West-East)
Line 1 runs East-West across Paris and is 16.5km long. Its major interchange is Châtelet. From Châtelet it travels to the Louvre Museum and Champs Elysee to the West, en route to Grande Arche.
Line 4 (Purple, North-South)
Line 4 runs North-South. It goes from Porte de Clignancourt (the location of a famous flea market in Montmartre) in the North to Mairie de Montrouge in the south. In the middle it connects St Michel on the left bank of the Seine to the interchange at Châtelet.
Line 6 (Green- Smile Shape)
Goes from Charles de Gaulle Etoile (site of the Arc de Triomphe), south to Passy, a wealthy area, across the Seine to Bir Hakeim (home of the Eiffel Tower, and named after a battle found in Libya, where the French fought Germany and Italy) and then eastwards and northwards to Nation, which takes its name from Place de la Nation.
Montmartre - The Mount of Mars
Montmartre is in the 18th arrondissement, on a hill dominated by the Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur. There is also another, older church on the hill known as Saint Pierre de Montmartre.
Many artists such as the Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali, Picasso, Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh stayed and worked around this area. Its name derives from Latin for "Mount of Mars".
Montmartre was a separate village outside of Paris until it was annexed by the expanding city in 1860. French politician and future French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau was elected Mayor of the 18th arrondissement in 1870 which included jurisdiction over Montmartre.
The films Amélie and Moulin Rouge! (both 2001) are set in Montmartre. The 1951 film "An American in Paris" starring Gene Kelly as struggling expatriate painter, has key scenes in Montmartre.
Metro stations in Montmartre include Abbesses (the station entrance is designed in the Art Nouveau style of Hector Guimard), Jules Joffrin and Porte de Clignancourt. Eateries include Le Ruisseau on the rue du ruisseau.
Many artists such as the Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali, Picasso, Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh stayed and worked around this area. Its name derives from Latin for "Mount of Mars".
Montmartre was a separate village outside of Paris until it was annexed by the expanding city in 1860. French politician and future French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau was elected Mayor of the 18th arrondissement in 1870 which included jurisdiction over Montmartre.
The films Amélie and Moulin Rouge! (both 2001) are set in Montmartre. The 1951 film "An American in Paris" starring Gene Kelly as struggling expatriate painter, has key scenes in Montmartre.
Metro stations in Montmartre include Abbesses (the station entrance is designed in the Art Nouveau style of Hector Guimard), Jules Joffrin and Porte de Clignancourt. Eateries include Le Ruisseau on the rue du ruisseau.
Sunday, 20 November 2016
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) - Hint: 1920s New York
A 2016 film based on the 2001 book of the same name, whose main protagonist is Newt Scamander, a magician who turns up in 1920s New York with a suitcase full of fantastic beasts. The book contains a variety of beasts many of which are taken from mythology and folklore. An example is the Grindylow, which come from tales from Yorkshire and Lancashire and are connected to Grendel, one of the antagonists in the poem Beowulf, often cited as the most famous work of Old English literature. Merseyside-born director David Yates directs.
Saturday, 12 November 2016
Types of Noodles: From Udon, Soba to Vermicelli
Udon - thick wheat noodles. In its simplest form it is called kake udon. Soba - buckwheat noodles. Contains thiamine (vitamin B1) and all essential amino acids. Ho fun - is a type of rice noodle, wide and white in colour. Vermicelli - is a type of pasta similar to spaghetti.
Saturday, 5 November 2016
Thomas Mann on What is A Writer
Thomas Mann was a Nobel literature laureate. He once defined a writer as “somebody for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.” A good writer is never satisfied with their work. One of Mann's known works was Buddenbrooks (1901) published when he was 26 years old.
Walter de la Mare
Who was Walter de la Mare?
He was born in 1873 in Charlton (part of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, England, and home of Charlton Athletic F.C.) as Walter John de la Mare.
He worked for Standard Oil for 18 years and wrote while working. His first book of poems was Songs of Childhood.
He won the Carnegie Medal in 1947, a British literary award for children's fiction, named after the Scottish-born American philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, who himself was a published writer, commenting on business and industrial relations issues. Walter was one of the earliest recipients of this award.
Other winners of the Carnegie Medal include Northumberland-born Robert Westall for the Machine Gunners (double winner 1975, 1981).
He was born in 1873 in Charlton (part of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, England, and home of Charlton Athletic F.C.) as Walter John de la Mare.
He worked for Standard Oil for 18 years and wrote while working. His first book of poems was Songs of Childhood.
He won the Carnegie Medal in 1947, a British literary award for children's fiction, named after the Scottish-born American philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, who himself was a published writer, commenting on business and industrial relations issues. Walter was one of the earliest recipients of this award.
Other winners of the Carnegie Medal include Northumberland-born Robert Westall for the Machine Gunners (double winner 1975, 1981).
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