Quarter (urban subdivision)

A quarter is a section of an urban settlement.

Its borders can be administratively chosen (then denoted as borough), and it may have its own administrative structure (subordinate to that of the city, town or other urban area). Such a division is particularly common in countries like Poland (dzielnica), Serbia (четврт, četvrt), Croatia (četvrt), Georgia (კვარტალი), Germany (Ortsteil/Stadtteil), Italy (Quartiere), France (Quartier), Romania ("Cartier") and Cambodia (Sangkat).

Quarter can also refer to a non-administrative but distinct neighbourhood with its own character: for example, a slum quarter. It is often used for a district connected with a particular group of people: for instance, some cities are said to have Jewish quarters, diplomatic quarters or Bohemian quarters.

Most Roman cities were divided to four parts, called Quarters, by their two main avenues: the Cardo and the Decumanus Maximus.

The Old City of Jerusalem currently has four quarters: the Muslim Quarter, Christian Quarter, Jewish Quarter and Armenian Quarter (it used to have a Moroccan Quarter). A Christian quarter also exists in Damascus.

Calendar year

Generally speaking, a calendar year begins on the New Year's Day of the given calendar system and ends on the day before the following New Year's Day, and thus consists of a whole number of days. To reconcile the calendar year with the astronomical cycle (which has a fractional number of days) certain years contain extra days.

The Gregorian year, which is in use in most of the world, begins on January 1 and ends on December 31. It has a length of 365 days in an ordinary year, with 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, and 31,536,000 seconds; but 366 days in a leap year, with 8,784 hours, 527,040 minutes, and 31,622,400 seconds. With 97 leap years every 400 years, the year has an average length of 365.2425 days. Other formula-based calendars can have lengths which are further out of step with the solar cycle: for example, the Julian calendar has an average length of 365.25 days, and the Hebrew calendar has an average length of 365.2468 days.

The astronomer's mean tropical year which is averaged over equinoxes and solstices is currently 365.24219 days, slightly shorter than the average length of the year in most calendars, but the astronomer's value changes over time, so William Herschel's suggested correction to the Gregorian calendar may become unnecessary by the year 4000.

Quarter (Canadian coin)

The quarter, short for quarter dollar, is a Canadian coin worth 25 cents or one-fourth of a Canadian dollar. It is a small, circular coin of silver colour. According to the Royal Canadian Mint, the official name for the coin is the 25-cent piece, but in practice it is usually called a "quarter", much like its American counterpart. The coin is produced at the Royal Canadian Mint's facility in Winnipeg.

History of Composition

From 1920 until 1967 the quarter contained 0.15 troy ounces of silver -- 1/4 as much as the silver dollar (0.60 ozt), 1/2 as much as the 50 cent piece, and 2.5 times more than the dime.

Commemorative reverses

Ordinarily featuring a caribou, the quarter has the most commonly altered reverse in Canada, and is the usual venue for commemorative issues.

In 2004, a quarter was issued in honour of Remembrance Day, featuring a corn poppy on the reverse, a traditional symbol in Canada of that day. This resulted in a bizarre international incident, in which American military contractors unfamiliar with the coin's design believed these coins were outfitted with nanotechnology designed for espionage.

Birth

Birth, also known as parturition, is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring. In mammals, the process is initiated by hormones which cause the muscular walls of the uterus to contract, expelling the fetus at a developmental stage when it is ready to feed and breathe. In some species the offspring is precocial and can move around almost immediately after birth but in others it is altricial and completely dependent on parenting. In marsupials, the fetus is born at a very immature stage after a short gestational period and develops further in its mother's pouch.

It is not only mammals that give birth. Some reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates carry their developing young inside them. Some of these are ovoviviparous, with the eggs being hatched inside the mother's body, and others are viviparous, with the embryo developing inside her body, as in mammals.

Birth in mammals

Large mammals, such as primates, cattle, horses, some antelopes, giraffes, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, elephants, seals, whales, dolphins, and porpoises, generally are pregnant with one offspring at a time; although, they may have twin or multiple births on occasion. In these large animals, the birth process is similar to that of a human though in most, the offspring is precocial. This means that it is born in a more advanced state than a human baby and is able to stand, walk and run (or swim in the case of an aquatic mammal) shortly after birth. In the case of whales, dolphins and porpoises, the single calf is normally born tail first which minimises the risk of drowning. The mother encourages the newborn calf to rise to the surface of the water to breathe.

Wonder Showzen

Wonder Showzen was an American sketch comedy television series that aired between 2005 and 2006 on MTV2. It was created by John Lee and Vernon Chatman of PFFR. The show is rated TV-MA.

The show's format is that of educational PBS children's television shows such as Sesame Street and The Electric Company (e.g. use of stock footage, puppetry, and clips of children being interviewed), parodying the format with adult-oriented content. In addition to general controversial comedy, it satirizes politics, religion, war, sex, and culture with black comedy.

Every episode begins with a disclaimer, which reads:

"Wonder Showzen contains offensive, despicable content that is too controversial and too awesome for actual children. The stark, ugly and profound truths Wonder Showzen exposes may be soul-crushing to the weak of spirit. If you allow a child to watch this show, you are a bad parent or guardian."

Development

Wonder Showzen was created by John Lee and Vernon Chatman and pitched to the USA Network in 2000, but after a few minutes of viewing, executives there quickly concluded it did not fit the network's programming style. However, Viacom was re-branding MTV2 and made Wonder Showzen part of its new programming lineup. It aired as part of Sic 'Em Fridays, along with Dirty Sanchez and Wildboyz. The pilot was named simply "Kids Show". The Wonder Showzen theme song is still 'Kids Show'. Reruns of the show also air on MTV and Comedy Central.

Birth (film)

Birth is a 2004 American drama film directed by Jonathan Glazer, starring Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, Danny Huston and Cameron Bright.

The film follows Anna (Kidman), the daughter of a prominent Manhattan-based family. Anna gradually becomes convinced that her deceased husband, Sean, has been reincarnated as a 10-year-old boy (also named Sean). Anna's initial skepticism is swayed by the child's intimate knowledge of the former married couple's life. Despite critical praise for various components of the film, including Kidman's acting and Glazer's direction, Birth received mixed reviews.

Distributed by New Line Cinema, the film's worldwide box office earnings total was US$23,925,492.

Plot

Sean and Anna (Nicole Kidman) are a married couple living in New York City. While scenes of Central Park are shown onscreen, Sean is heard lecturing to an unseen audience, explaining that he does not believe in reincarnation. After the lecture he goes jogging, collapses, and dies. Ten years later, Anna has accepted a marriage proposal from her boyfriend, Joseph (Danny Huston).