Tam o' shanter (cap)

A tam o' shanter (in the British military often abbreviated to TOS) is a name given to the traditional Scottish bonnet worn by men. The name derives from Tam o' Shanter, the eponymous hero of the 1790 Robert Burns poem.

Military use

In the First World War, a khaki Balmoral bonnet was introduced in 1915 for wear in the trenches by Scottish infantry serving on the Western Front. This came to be known as the 'bonnet, tam o' shanter', later abbreviated among military personnel to 'ToS'. It replaced the Glengarry – which was the regulation bonnet worn by Scottish troops with khaki field dress at the start of the war. Originally knitted, the military tam o' shanter subsequently came to be constructed from separate pieces of khaki serge cloth.

Today, the Royal Regiment of Scotland and some regiments of the Canadian Forces continue to wear the ToS as undress and working headgear. The various battalions of the Royal Regiment of Scotland identify themselves by wearing distinctive coloured hackles on their bonnets. The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland wear a red hackle in their ToS, as do soldiers of The Black Watch of Canada on both their duty ToS and dress balmorals.

TAM Airlines

TAM Airlines (Portuguese: TAM Linhas Aéreas) is the Brazilian brand of LATAM Airlines Group. The merger of TAM with LAN Airlines was completed on June 22, 2012. The company is currently the largest Brazilian airline by market share and fleet size, though it is not a flag carrier.

Before the takeover, TAM was Brazil's and Latin America's largest airline. Its headquarters are in São Paulo, operating scheduled services to destinations within Brazil, as well as international flights to Europe and other parts of North and South America. Shares in the company were traded on the São Paulo Exchange (BM&F Bovespa) and New York Stock Exchange as "TAM". Prior to the merger with LAN, the company closed its capital, transferring its shares to LATAM Airlines Group. However, in August 2015, it was announced that the two airlines would fully rebrand as LATAM, with one livery to be applied on all aircraft by 2018.

According to the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC), between January and December 2014 TAM had 38.1% of the domestic and 78.82% of the international market shares in terms of passengers per kilometer flown, making it the largest airline in Brazil.

James Randi Educational Foundation

The James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) was started as an American non-profit organization founded in 1996 by magician and skeptic James Randi. The JREF's mission includes educating the public and the media on the dangers of accepting unproven claims, and to support research into paranormal claims in controlled scientific experimental conditions.In September 2015, the organization said it would change to a grant-making foundation.

The organization administers the One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge, which offers a prize of one million U.S. dollars which it will pay out to anyone who can demonstrate a supernatural or paranormal ability under agreed-upon scientific testing criteria. The JREF also maintains a legal defense fund to assist persons who are attacked as a result of their investigations and criticism of people who make paranormal claims.

The organization has been funded through member contributions, grants, and conferences, though it will no longer accept donations or memberships after 2015. The JREF website publishes a (nominally daily) blog at randi.org, Swift, which includes the latest JREF news and information, as well as exposés of paranormal claimants.

Alice (Dilbert)

Alice is an engineer from the Dilbert comic strip. She is one of Dilbert's co-workers in the department. She has long curly hair, which transformed into a large and distinctive triangular hairstyle when the character became a regular. Her character was based on a former colleague of cartoonist Scott Adams.

Appearance

Before Alice became a fictional regular character, there were a variety of generic fluffy haired women at Dilbert's Company. Many of them had bit parts and were only used one or two times. The name Alice was used at least once, in a series of strips where she was forced to give birth at the office. Some of these characters had personalities very similar to the later Alice; these characters eventually disappeared when Alice began to be featured regularly. Like the Pointy-Haired Boss, Alice's hairstyle became more distinct over time. More recent female bit parts have smooth, semicircle hair. The first time that Alice could be seen with her typical pink suit and curly triangle hair was on August 25, 1992. In the summer of 2010, Alice's regular work uniform changed from her trademark pink suit to a turtleneck and a black skirt.

Portrayals of Alice in Wonderland

Alice, the main character from Lewis Carrol's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, has been adapted to several media.

Stage

The first professional stage adaptation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, the musical Alice in Wonderland, a Dream Play for Children, in two acts, debuted on 23 December 1886 at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London, England, and continued until 18 March 1887, to good reviews; it starred Phoebe Carlo as Alice. The musical was later revived and performed at the Globe Theatre from 26 December 1888 to 9 February 1889, with Carroll's friend, Isa Bowman, as Alice. The musical was frequently revived during the "Christmas season," being produced eighteen times from 1898 to 1930.Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has since been adaptated for various forms of the stage, including "ballets, operas, experimental theatre, Broadway musicals, puppet plays, mime acts, and rock musicals."

Film

Alice (1990 film)

Alice is a 1990 American romantic fantasy film written and directed by Woody Allen and starring Mia Farrow, Joe Mantegna and William Hurt. The film is a loose reworking of Federico Fellini's 1965 film Juliet of the Spirits.

Plot

Alice Tate is an upper-class New York housewife, who spends her days shopping, getting beauty treatments, and gossiping with her friends. She has been married to wealthy Doug for fifteen years, and they have two children, who are being raised by a nanny.

One day, she has a brief encounter with Joe Ruffalo, a handsome jazz musician. She finds herself mysteriously attracted to him and experiences Catholic guilt for these feelings. This inner turmoil manifests itself in a backache. She is referred to Dr. Yang, an Asian herbalist who puts her under hypnosis. She reveals that what initially attracted her to her husband were in fact his superficial qualities: looks and money. She also reveals her feelings about Joe.

Dr. Yang gives Alice ancient herbs that make her act on her feelings toward Joe Ruffalo. They agree to meet. When the herbs wear off, Alice is appalled at her behavior. She does not go to meet him as planned. The next herbs she receives turn her invisible. She spies on Joe going to visit his ex-wife Vicky. Much to prudish Alice's horror, they make love in Vicky's office. Alice is now glad she did not go to meet Joe. However, the next herbal remedy allows Alice to communicate with the ghost of her first lover, Ed. He encourages her to find out more about Joe. Alice and Joe finally meet, under the pretense of their children having a 'play-date'. Alice and Joe's meetings become increasingly frequent.