Alone (Why Must I Be Alone)

"Alone (Why Must I Be Alone)" is a popular song written by Morty Craft. Craft owned a record label, and produced the recording by the Shepherd Sisters on that label. The lyrics were written by Craft's wife, Selma.

While it was the only hit for The Shepherd Sisters (as The Sheps) in the United States (reaching #18 on the Billboard charts on November 11, 1957), in the United Kingdom it was one of a number of hits for Petula Clark (reaching #8 on the UK charts) before she became famous internationally. The Shepherd Sisters' version also charted in the UK, reaching #14, and another version, by The Southlanders, reached #17 on the UK chart.

A remake of the song by The Four Seasons charted in 1964, reaching its peak Billboard Hot 100 position at #28, on July 18. "Alone (Why Must I Be Alone" also went to #8 on the Canadian singles chart. It was the act's last hit single on Vee Jay Records, as The Four Seasons left the label at the beginning of 1964 in a royalty dispute. The Four Seasons recording of the song features a refrain that is whistled.

Love Amongst Ruin (album)

Love Amongst Ruin is the self-titled debut studio album by Love Amongst Ruin. It was released on September 13, 2010.

Background

Writing and recording

After departingPlacebo in October 2007, Steve Hewitt enlisted Lamb bassist Jon Thorne and his brother Nick Hewitt to begin writing and demoing new music at his home studio. Hewitt explained that he decided to write with Jon Thorne because he "wanted to play rock drums against somebody playing upright bass. And that’s what we did and the first thing we ever wrote was "Running"".Julian Cope collaborator Donald Ross Skinner was brought in to oversee and co-produce the recording sessions and the collective relocated to Moles Studio in Bath for three recording sessions with producer Paul Corkett over the summer of 2008. The sessions yielded ten songs, on which Steve performed drums and lead vocals. Mixing began in September and continued for six months before the album was mastered by Brian Gardner in April 2009.

"Bring Me Down (You Don't)" was to be included on the album, but legal trouble with publishers of the band Can resulted in the track being replaced with "Come On Say It". An acoustic version of the song was later released for free via SoundCloud in November 2011. "Come On Say It" featured then-band members Steve Hove, Laurie Ross and Keith York and was mixed ten weeks before the album's release. Other songs which were recorded, but didn't make the cut for the album, were cover versions of "Got To Give It Up" (Thin Lizzy) and "Rise" (Public Image Ltd), the latter being released for free via SoundCloud in July 2012.

Alone (1931 film)

Alone (Russian: Одна, meaning "Alone"), also known in English by the transliterated Russian title Odna, is a Soviet film released in 1931. It was written and directed by Leonid Trauberg and Grigori Kozintsev. It was originally planned as a silent film, but it was eventually released with a soundtrack comprising sound effects, some dialogue (recorded after the filming) and a full orchestral score by Dmitri Shostakovich. The film, about a young teacher sent to work in Siberia, is in a realist mode and addresses three political topics then current: education, technology, and the elimination of the kulaks.

Plot

The film tells the story of a newly graduated Leningrad teacher, Yelena Kuzmina (played by Yelena Alexandrovna Kuzmina). She goes furniture shopping with her fiance, Petya, and in a fantasy sequence she imagines teaching a class of neat, obedient city schoolchildren. Instead, she is assigned to work in the Altai mountains of Siberia. Reluctant to leave, she appeals to remain in the city. Although her request is granted (by a faceless Nadezhda Krupskaya, seen only from behind), she is eventually spurred by the government's condemnation of 'cowards' such as her to accept the post.

Pagoda

A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves, built in traditions originating in historic East Asia or with respect to those traditions, common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Burma, Sri Lanka and other parts of Asia. Some pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist, and were often located in or near viharas. In some countries, the term may refer to other religious structures. In Vietnam and Cambodia, due to French translation, the English term Pagoda is a more generic term referring to a place of worship, although pagoda is not an accurate word to describe a Buddhist vihara. The modern pagoda is an evolution of the Ancient Nepal stupa, a tomb-like structure where sacred relics could be kept safe and venerated. The architectural structure of the stupa has spread across Asia, taking on many diverse forms as details specific to different regions are incorporated into the overall design.

Etymology

The Royal Tenenbaums

The Royal Tenenbaums is a 2001 American comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson and co-written with Owen Wilson. The film stars Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson and Danny Glover.

It follows the lives of three gifted siblings who experience great success in youth, and even greater disappointment and failure after their eccentric father leaves them in their adolescent years. An ironic and absurdist sense of humor pervades the film.

Hackman won a Golden Globe for his performance. The screenplay was nominated for an Academy Award. In 2008, a poll taken by Empire ranked it as the 159th greatest film ever made.

Plot

Royal Tenenbaum explains to his three children, Chas, Margot, and Richie, that he and his wife, Etheline, are separating. Each of the Tenenbaum children achieved great success at a very young age. Chas is a math and business genius, from whom Royal steals money. Margot, who was adopted by the Tenenbaums, was awarded a grant for a play that she wrote in the ninth grade. Richie is a tennis prodigy and artist. He expresses his love for adopted sister Margot through many paintings. Royal takes him on regular outings, to which neither of the other children are invited. Eli Cash is the Tenenbaums' neighbor, and Richie's best friend.

Pagoda (Efteling)

Pagoda (or "Pagode" in Dutch) is an unobtrusive variation of an observation tower in the Efteling amusement park in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven and started flying in 1987.

History and details

The Pagoda, developed by Intamin as a flying island, is described by Efteling as a "flying temple".

It consists of a 155 tons weighing cabin and a 225-ton hydraulic arm which pivots it from the ground up to a height of 60 metres.

The counterweight of 340 tons sinks 30 metres into the ground.

To maintain the balance of the cabin itself the weight of the 100 visitors is distributed over its two sides.
The rotating cabin has a 15 metre high pagoda on top of it.

Etymology studies indicated that the word pagoda means tomb in Thai (ธาตุเจดีย). Preoccupied with upsetting a whole nation, as with Fata Morgana, Efteling choose the Dutch word "pagode" as the ride name.

Ride length: 4 minutes
Ride capacity: 1500 passengers/ hour
Cost: €3.6 million

References