Modern Frigates

A modern frigate is a ship that protects other ships, including military and merchant marine vessels. Anti-submarine escort vessels are included in the category of "frigate". The La Fayette class built by DCNS is a popular class of frigate used in the French Navy ("Marine Nationale") and those of other nations too.

When NOT to use Yours Sincerely

Yours faithfully and yours truly are the British and American equivalents used when signing off a letter to a recipient whose name you do not know.

Yours sincerely or Sincerely yours are used when you DO know the name of the recipient.

Mary Poppins' The Perfect Nanny is an example of how NOT to use Yours sincerely:

"Hurry nanny, Many thanks
Sincerely, Jane and Michael Banks".

Halogens and Diatomic Molecules in Swimming Pools

The halogens are a group in the periodic table consisting of the five related elements of fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine and astatine. It's also known as Group 7.

Group 1 elements react with Group 7 elements to form, for example, lithium bromide.

Halogens all exist as diatomic molecules, so Chlorine exists as Cl2, Fluorine similarly, two halogen atoms joined by a covalent bond (where electrons are shared between atoms).

 

Who was Alaric?

Alaric was the first King of the Visigoths, who emerged from the Gothic tribes, famous for his sack of Rome in 410. Alaric entered Rome via the Porta Salaria, part of the Aurelian walls. There are many famous gates to the Aurelian walls including the Porta Latina, Porta San Giovanni and Porta San Sebastiano.

Les "arrondissements" de Paris

The most populous district is the fifteenth district of the twenty districts of Paris, situated on the Rive Gauche (left bank) of the Seine. The 59-floor Tour Montparnasse is located (near) there. The first arrondissement is the smallest, lies on the right bank of the Seine, and is where the Louvre is situated. It is just under a square mile in area. The Louvre is opposite the Carrousel Garden (Jardin du Carrousel). Note: a "carrousel" is a horse parade. Banque de France is also located in the first district.

Presidenza della Republica

The Quirinale Palace is the official residence of the Italian President.  It faces the Piazza del Quirinale. It is a relatively modern construction in the context of the history of Rome.

It is believed the Emperor Vespasian's house (founder of the Flavian Dynasty) may have stood there.

The Theory of Everything (2015)

Eddie Redmayne stars as Stephen Hawking in the film based on his life, on the book by his wife.