Ross

Ross (Ros in Scottish Gaelic) is a region of Scotland and a former earldom and county. The name Ross allegedly derives from a Gaelic word meaning "headland", perhaps a reference to the Black Isle. Another possible origin is the West Norse word for Orkney – Hrossey – meaning horse island; the area once belonged to the Norwegian (West Norse) earldom of Orkney. Ross is a historical comital region, perhaps predating the Mormaerdom of Ross.

History

Excavations of a rock shelter and shell midden at Sand, Applecross on the coast of Wester Ross have shown that the coast was occupied by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers.

It may be doubted whether the Romans ever effected even a temporary settlement in the area of the modern county. In Roman times, and for long afterwards, the land was occupied by Picts, who, in the 6th and 7th centuries, were converted to Christianity by followers of Saint Columba. Throughout the next three centuries the natives were continually harassed by Norwegian Viking raiders, of whose presence tokens have survived in several place-names (Dingwall, Tain, and others). At this time the country formed part of the great province of Moray (Latin: Moravia), which then extended as far as the Dornoch Firth and the Oykel, and practically comprised the whole of Ross and Cromarty.

Ross Geller

Ross Eustace Geller, Ph.D. is a fictional character from the NBC sitcom Friends, portrayed by David Schwimmer. Ross is the smartest member of the group and is noted for his goofy, lovable demeanor. His relationship with Rachel Green was included in TV Guide's list of the best TV couples of all time, as well as Entertainment Weekly's "30 Best 'Will They/Won't They?' TV Couples".

Background

Overview

Ross is a paleontologist and has a Ph.D. from Columbia University, frequently referring to himself as "Dr. Ross Geller." Ross is noted for being charming, lovelorn, witty and shy. Ross has had a crush on Rachel Green since high school and they have an on-again, off-again romantic relationship.

Born on October 18, 1967 and raised on Long Island, New York, Ross is the older brother of Monica Geller. Ross and Monica are Jewish and see themselves as at least cultural Jews, with Ross taking a more active role in wanting to teach his son, Ben, about the faith.

The two siblings are extremely competitive as they tell the others that, as children, they used to take part in a football match for the Geller Cup every Thanksgiving. This ended in its sixth year after Monica "accidentally" broke Ross' nose. They also tell Rachel about how they used to wrestle as children and had various complications in their relationship, such as Ross having a recurring nightmare that the then-overweight Monica would eat him. They also came up with a dance in primary school called "The Routine", which later on allowed them to perform in a New Year's Eve TV broadcast.

Ross Stores

Ross Stores, Inc., is an American chain of off-price department stores headquartered in Dublin, California, operating under the name Ross Dress for Less. It is the largest off-price retailer in the United States, though T.J. Maxx and Marshalls combined, both of which are owned by TJX Companies, would be larger together.

As of August 2015 Ross operates 1,254 locations in 33 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and Guam, covering much of the country, but with no presence in New England, New York, northern New Jersey, Alaska, and areas of the Midwest.

History

Ross Department Store was first opened in Pacifica, California, in 1950 by Morris "Morrie" Ross. Morris would work 85 hours a week doing all of the buying and bookkeeping for his department store. In 1958 Ross sold his store to become a residential and commercial real estate developer. In 1982 a group of investors, including Mervin Morris, founder of the Mervyns chain of department stores, purchased the six Ross Department Stores in San Francisco, changed the format to off-price retail units, and within three years rapidly expanded the chain to 107 stores under Stuart Moldaw and Don Rowlett. By the end of 1995 the chain reached an annual sales of $1.4 billion with 292 stores in 18 states. By 2012 Ross reached $9.7 billion for the fiscal year with 1,091 stores in 33 states with an additional 108 for Dd's Discounts in 8 states.

House of Stuart

The House of Stuart is a European royal house. Founded by Robert II, the House of Stuart—also spelled Stewart in Scottish contexts—first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century before inheriting the kingdoms of England (including Wales) and Ireland in the 17th century. The dynasty's patrilineal Breton ancestors had held the office of High Steward of Scotland since the 12th century, after arriving by way of Norman England. In 1707, Queen Anne became the first monarch of the newly merged Kingdom of Great Britain. The family also maintained the traditional English claims to the Kingdom of France.

In total, nine Stuart monarchs ruled Scotland alone from 1371 until 1603. James VI of Scotland then inherited the realms of Elizabeth I of England, becoming James I of England in the Union of the Crowns. In all, four Stuart kings ruled the British Isles, with an interregnum of parliamentary rule lasting from 1649 to 1660 as a result of the English Civil War. Following the Glorious Revolution in 1688, two Stuart queens ruled the isles: Mary II and Anne. Both were the daughters of James II and VII; because of their family's Catholic ties, under the terms of the 1701 Act of Settlement and the 1704 Act of Security, the crown passed from the House of Stuart to the House of Hanover.

Stuart Adamson

William Stuart Adamson (11 April 1958 – 16 December 2001) was a Scottish guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He was the co-founder, lead vocalist, and guitarist of rock group Big Country, which rose to prominence in 1983. Prior to that he founded Scottish art-punk band Skids. In the 1990s he founded alternative country rock act The Raphaels. He was once described by DJ John Peel as "the new Jimi Hendrix".

Early life

Adamson was born in Manchester. Both his parents were Scottish, and the family returned to Scotland when he was four. The family settled in a small mining town, Crossgates, about a mile to the east of Dunfermline in Fife.

Adamson founded his first two bands in Dunfermline and they both started out playing Dunfermline and across the Firth of Forth in Edinburgh. He went to school with Ian Rankin, who was two years younger and went on to become a fan of Skids. Adamson was a lifelong supporter of Dunfermline Athletic Football Club.

Adamson's father was in the fishing industry and travelled the world. He encouraged Stuart to read literature, and both parents shared an interest in folk music. Adamson founded his first band, Tattoo, in 1976 after seeing The Damned play in Edinburgh. Besides Adamson, Tattoo included his friend William Simpson, who would also play bass guitar for his next band, Skids.