Subaru (スバル) /subəru/ (Japanese pronunciation: [tsʊbɑːrʊ]) is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI), the twenty-second biggest automaker by production worldwide in 2012.
Subaru cars are softroaders; they are known for the use of a boxer engine layout in most vehicles above 1500 cc. Most Subaru models have used the Symmetrical All Wheel Drive drive-train layout since 1972. The flat/boxer engine and all-wheel-drive became standard equipment for mid-size and smaller cars in most international markets by 1996, and is now standard in most North American market Subaru vehicles. The lone exception is the BRZ, introduced in 2012, which uses the boxer engine but instead uses a rear-wheel-drive structure. Subaru also offers turbocharged versions of their passenger cars, such as the Impreza WRX and the Legacy 2.5GT. The 2.5XT trims of the Outback and Forester also include a turbocharged engine.
In Western markets, the Subaru brand has traditionally been popular among a dedicated core of buyers. Marketing is targeted towards a specific niche centered around those who desire the company's signature drive-train.
The land of Subartu (Akkadian Šubartum/Subartum/ina Šú-ba-ri, Assyrian mât Šubarri) or Subar (Sumerian Su-bir4/Subar/Šubur) is mentioned in Bronze Age literature. The name also appears as Subari in the Amarna letters, and, in the form Šbr, in Ugarit.
Subartu was apparently a polity in Northern Mesopotamia, at the upper Tigris. Most scholars suggest that Subartu is an early name for Assyria proper on the Tigris and westward, although there are various other theories placing it sometimes a little farther to the east and/or north. Its precise location has not been identified. From the point of view of the Akkadian Empire, Subartu marked the northern geographical horizon, just as Martu, Elam and Sumer marked "west", "east" and "south", respectively.
The Sumerian mythological epic Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta lists the countries where the "languages are confused" as Subartu, Hamazi, Sumer, Uri-ki (Akkad), and the Martu land (the Amorites). Similarly, the earliest references to the "four quarters" by the kings of Akkad name Subartu as one of these quarters around Akkad, along with Martu, Elam, and Sumer. Subartu in the earliest texts seem to have been farming mountain dwellers, frequently raided for slaves.
Subaru (昴, スバル, すばる), is the Japanese name for the Pleiades star cluster. It is a given name in Japanese, used for both males and females.
Massive! was a short-lived Saturday morning British television programme aimed at a "youth" audience. It ran for two seasons, each of 22 episodes, between 1995 and 1996. A spin-off from the children's Saturday morning show Scratchy and Co, Massive! was aimed at a slightly older audience, and was presented by Denise van Outen.
One of the regular guests on the show was the horror-themed magician Simon Drake, who made a number of appearances on the show performing both sleight-of-hand tricks and larger illusions. One of these larger illusions, a sawing in half performed using van Outen as the assistant being sawed in half, drew a large number of viewer complaints due to the liberal use of fake blood, and the fact that van Outen was not restored into one piece before the show cut to a commercial break. Following an investigation of these complaints, the British television regulator, the ITC, warned the show's producers to moderate its content.
After the show's second season, it was cancelled due to low viewing figures, and some of its content incorporated into a revised version of Scratchy and Co.
Massive animation may refer to:
Massive is a sitcom broadcast on digital channel BBC Three. It is set in Manchester and stars Ralf Little and Carl Rice as Danny and Shay, who leave their office jobs to set up a record label when Danny inherits £10,000 following the death of his grandmother. The series began airing on BBC Three on 14 September 2008.