Ranch-style house

Ranch (also American ranch, California ranch, rambler or rancher) is a domestic architectural style originating in the United States. The ranch house is noted for its long, close-to-the-ground profile, and minimal use of exterior and interior decoration. The houses fuse modernist ideas and styles with notions of the American Western period working ranches to create a very informal and casual living style.

First built in the 1920s, the ranch style was extremely popular with the booming post-war middle class of the 1940s to 1970s. The style is often associated with tract housing built at this time, particularly in the western United States, which experienced a population explosion during this period, with a corresponding demand for housing. The style was exported to other nations and so is found in other countries. Their popularity waned in the late 20th century as neo-eclectic house styles, a return to using historical and traditional decoration, became popular.

Preservationist movements have begun in some ranch house neighborhoods, as well as renewed interest in the style from a younger generation who did not grow up in ranch-style houses. This renewed interest in the ranch house style has been compared to that which other house styles such as the bungalow and Queen Anne experienced in the 20th century, initial dominance of the market, replacement as the desired housing style, decay and disinterest coupled with many teardowns, then renewed interest and gentrification of the surviving homes.

99 Ranch Market

99 Ranch Market is an Asian American supermarket chain owned by Tawa Supermarket Inc., which is based in Buena Park, California. 99 Ranch has over 30 stores, primarily in California, with other stores in Nevada, Washington, and Texas.

99 Ranch Market is one of the largest Chinese American supermarket chains in the United States. It is also considered a Taiwanese-American market because of the considerable amount of products imported from Taiwan and because the store was founded by Taiwanese-born American Roger H. Chen.

Other renderings of the name 99 Ranch Market: traditional Chinese: 大華超級市場; simplified Chinese: 大华超级市场; pinyin: Dàhuá Chāojíshìchǎng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tāi-huâ-chhiau-kip-chhī-tiûⁿ.

History

Roger H. Chen (陳河源 Chén Héyuán), a Taiwanese-born American, opened the chain's first location in 1984 in Little Saigon, a Vietnamese American community located in Westminster, California. (now closed). In 1987, a second market was opened in Montebello (also now closed). It was originally called 99 Price Market but was eventually renamed 99 Ranch Market to give the supermarket a somewhat trendier name.

6666 Ranch

The 6666 Ranch (a.k.a. Four Sixes Ranch) is a historic ranch in King County, Texas as well as Carson County and Hutchinson County, Texas.

Location

The main section of the ranch is located near the town of Guthrie in King County, Texas. It spans 350,000 acres of land. The main ranch house is off U.S. Highway 82. The Dixon Creek section spans 108,000 acres of land in Carson and Hutchinson counties. The Dixon Creek runs through this section ranch near Panhandle, Texas.

History

The ranch was established by Captain Samuel Burk Burnett in 1900 after he purchased the land from the Louisville Land and Cattle Company. Legend has it that he won the ranch from a card game, where he scored four sixes. However, Burnett and his descendants have denied this folklore tale. Instead, the name comes from the first herd he raised on the ranch, which was branded '6666.'

Burnett raised purebred Herefords and Durham bulls, which won national prizes at livestock shows all over the United States. He also bred purebred quarter horses. In 1918, 2,000 head of cattle were killed by a blizzard. However, three years later, in 1921, oil was found on the ranch, thus turning it into a very profitable enterprise.

Bishop (artillery)

The Bishop was the nickname of a British self-propelled artillery vehicle based on the Valentine tank, armed with the 25 pounder gun-howitzer, which could fire an 87.6 mm (3.45 in) 11.5 kg (25 lb) HE shell or an armour-piercing shell. A result of a rushed attempt to create a self-propelled gun, the vehicle had numerous problems, was produced in limited numbers and was soon replaced by better designs.

Design and development

The rapid manoeuvre warfare practiced in the North African Campaign led to a requirement for a self-propelled artillery vehicle armed with the 25-pounder gun-howitzer. In June 1941 the development was entrusted to the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company. A prototype was ready for trials by August and 100 were ordered by November 1941. The result was a vehicle with the formal title: "Ordnance QF 25-pdr on Carrier Valentine 25-pdr Mk 1".

The vehicle was based on the Valentine II hull, with the turret replaced by a fixed boxy superstructure with large rear doors. It was nicknamed the "Bishop" for its high mitre-like superstructure.

List of Alien characters

This article lists characters and actors in the Alien series of science fiction films. The series spans four films: Alien (1979), Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992), and Alien: Resurrection (1997). The only recurring actress in all four films is Sigourney Weaver, who portrays the series' central character Ellen Ripley.

The film series was subsequently crossed-over with the Predator films with the releases of Alien vs. Predator (2004) and its sequel Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007). Together the two Alien vs. Predator films serve as prequels to the Alien series. The only actor from the Alien films to appear in one of the prequels was Lance Henriksen, who had played the android Bishop in Aliens and a man claiming to be the android's creator in Alien 3. Henriksen returned for Alien vs. Predator, in which he played Charles Bishop Weyland.

Characters overview

Table shows the actors who portrayed the characters in the franchise.

Alien

Ash (Ian Holm) is the Nostromo's inscrutable science officer. He administers medical treatment, conducts biological research and is responsible for investigating any alien life forms the crew may encounter. It is at Ash's insistence that the crew investigates the mysterious signal emanating from LV-426. Ripley becomes suspicious of him when he breaks quarantine protocol by allowing Kane, Dallas, and Lambert to re-enter the Nostromo while the Alien facehugger is attached to Kane. Captain Dallas later informs Ripley that Ash had abruptly replaced the ship's previous science officer, whom Dallas had done five previous missions with, just as the Nostromo left Thedus for its return journey to Earth. Over Ripley's objections, Dallas entrusts Ash with all science-related decisions.

Bishop (surname)

Bishop is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: