Unorthodox Jukebox

Unorthodox Jukebox is the second studio album by American recording artist Bruno Mars. It was released by Atlantic Records on December 7, 2012, as the follow-up to Mars' 2010 debut studio album Doo-Wops & Hooligans. The album was initially planned to be more "energetic" than his previous material, Unorthodox Jukebox ultimately presented a wide range of styles, such as reggae rock, disco and soul music. The singer co-wrote the all album and worked with several past collaborators, while enlisting new producers and guest vocals. Much of Unorthodox Jukebox revolves around the theme of relationships, with more explicit lyrics and subjects than his previous material. Critical response to Unorthodox Jukebox was generally favorable; many reviewers compared the work to that of his previous album, while others deemed the lyrical content as shallow and lacking of depth.

On December 4, 2012, the album was available to listen to in its entirety for a week before the release. The album debuted at the second spot in the US Billboard 200 with 192,000 copies sold, becoming Mars' best opening week to date. Later, the album peaked at number one on the chart becoming Mars first album to do so. The record peaked at number one in Australia, Canada, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Unorthodox Jukebox became Mars' fastest-selling album in the UK and third in 2012, the third best-selling album in Australia in 2013, and the third best-selling album released by a man in the United States in 2013. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) reported that Unorthodox Jukebox was the fourth best-selling album in the world in 2013, with 3.2 million copies sold worldwide to that date. It has globally sold 6.3 million copies as of January 2015. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2014 annual ceremony.

Show Me (Joe Tex song)

"Show Me" is a title track of the 1967 album by Joe Tex, who also wrote the song. The single was Joe Tex's fourteenth release to make the US R&B chart. "Show Me" went to #24 on the R&B chart and #35 on the Hot 100.

Cover Versions

References

Looking 4 Myself

Looking 4 Myself is the seventh studio album by American R&B recording artist Usher. It was released on June 8, 2012 on RCA Records, following the disbandment of Jive Records in October 2011 and LaFace Records months later. Several producers were involved with its production, including Diplo, Rico Love, Jim Jonsin, Salaam Remi, Pharrell Williams and Max Martin, among others. It features several guest vocalists, including Rick Ross, Pharrell, Luke Steele and ASAP Rocky. Inspired by the electronic duo Empire of the Sun and listening to music originating from several locations, Usher intended the album to contain a more experimental sound, that remained relevant to the music of its time. Defined as "revolutionary pop" by the singer, critics noted that Looking 4 Myself incorporates the genres R&B, pop, hip hop, electronic, Europop and dubstep. Critic Barry Walters has described it as a key release in the emerging alternative R&B genre.

Upon its release, Looking 4 Myself received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics. Most of them praised the album's diversity in music genre, while some were ambivalent towards its pop material and lack of structure. The album debuted atop the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 128,000 copies in its first week, becoming Usher's fourth number one album in the country. As of December 2012, the album has sold 438,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Worldwide, it attained top-ten positions in over eight other countries including Australia, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Ha

Ha may refer to:

Science and measurement

Medicine

Linguistics

Mathematics

Media

152 H 88

152 H 88 is the name of a series of modernized 152 mm towed heavy howitzers with 32 caliber barrels. The guns of the series share the same barrel as well as other similar qualities, but differ slightly in appearance, since they consist of three different, older (modernized) versions. The modernization was carried out by Vammas Oy from 1988 to mid-1990s. The modernization project consisted of numerous modifications to the guns, some of which had already undergone earlier smaller modifications. The most important change was the replacement of the original barrels by a Finnish-made 152 mm barrel. Also the gun carriages were subjected to various modifications. After the modernization, increased towing speeds were made possible. The breech mechanism is manually operated in all the guns. All the 152 H 88 series artillery pieces are being withdrawn from service and scrapped (as of 2007).

Versions

There are three different main versions of the gun:

The two Soviet models were either taken as war booty during the Continuation War or bought from the Germans. The German 15 cm sFH 18 guns were bought during the Interim Peace and saw service during the Continuation War.

122 mm howitzer 2A18 (D-30)

The 122-mm howitzer D-30 (GRAU index 2A18) is a Soviet howitzer that first entered service in the 1960s. It is a robust piece that focuses on the essential features of a towed field gun suitable for all conditions. The D-30 has a maximum range of 15.4 kilometers, or over 21 km using RAP ammunition.

With its striking three-leg mounting, the D-30 can be rapidly traversed through 360 degrees. Although no longer manufactured in the nations of the former Soviet Union, the D-30 is still manufactured internationally and is in service in more than 60 countries' armed forces.

The barrel assembly of the 2A18 gun is used by the 2S1 self-propelled howitzer. There are also Egyptian, Chinese, and Syrian self-propelled variants and conversions. The Syrian conversion utilizes the hull of a T-34 tank.

History

The 122 mm (originally 48 lines) calibre was adopted by Russia in the early 20th century, becoming very important to Soviet artillery during the Second World War. Development of the D-30 began in the 1950s, as a replacement for the M-30 howitzer, widely used in divisional and regimental artilleries. The D-30 also replaced the remaining 76 mm M1942 guns in motor rifle regiments.