Birdy (bicycle)

The Birdy is a folding bicycle designed by Riese und Müller in Germany and produced by Pacific Cycles in Taiwan. As of 2010 over 100,000 had been sold. Three distinct models have been marketed, the third (Mk3) sold from July 2015.

First released in 1995, it was the first fully suspended folding bike. The ride is regarded by some as more sporty than the Brompton, thanks in part to a stiff single-piece aluminium frame with road bike rider geometry and no hinge. Some prefer its stiff suspended ride and rapid acceleration to that of a full-sized bike.

Specifications

Markus Riese had the basic idea for the Birdy in 1992. The first prototype was quickly welded together from two old bicycles in his parent's garage (photos and German article here). After a year, Markus Riese and Heiko Muller built a prototype out of aluminium and won the “Hessian Innovation Prize”. The prototype was shown at two trade shows, Intercycle in Cologne and Eurobike in Friedrichshafen, and caused a stir. The first Birdy bikes were sold in 1995 as a 'de luxe' folder, the first with full suspension. It had a high price tag, usually over US$1,000.

Par (score)

In golf, par is the pre-determined number of strokes that a scratch (or 0 handicap) golfer should require to complete a hole, a round (the sum of the pars of the played holes), or a tournament (the sum of the pars of each round). Pars are the central component of stroke play, the most common kind of play in professional golf tournaments. The term is also used in golf-like sports such as disc golf with the same meaning.

The length of each hole from the tee placement to the pin determines par values for each hole primarily but not exclusively. Almost invariably, holes are assigned par values between three and five strokes. For a casual player from the middle tees, a par-three hole will be 100–250 yards (90–230 m) from the tee to the pin. Par-four holes are 250–470 yards (230–430 m), although tournament players will often encounter par-four holes 500 yards (460 m) or more, as it is not uncommon for short par-five holes for normal play to be turned into par-four holes in championship play. Par-five holes are typically 470–600 yards (430–550 m), but in the modern game holes of over 600 yards are becoming more common in championship play. Other relevant factors in setting the par for the hole include the terrain and obstacles (such as trees, water hazards, hills, or buildings) that may require a golfer to take more (or fewer) shots. Some golf courses feature par-sixes and, very rarely, par-sevens, although the latter are not recognised by the United States Golf Association.

Birdy (Birdy album)

Birdy is the debut studio album by English musician Birdy, released on 4 November 2011 by Atlantic Records. The album includes the singles "Skinny Love", "Shelter", "People Help the People" and "1901".

Singles

"Skinny Love" was released on 30 January 2011 as the first single from the album, which was a cover of a song by American indie folk band Bon Iver. The cover reached a peak of number 17 on the UK Singles Chart.

"Shelter" was released as the second single from the album on 3 June 2011. The song covers a track by English indie pop group The xx and peaked at number 50 in the UK.

"People Help the People" was released as the album's third single on 28 October 2011. The song is a cover of the song by English indie rock band Cherry Ghost and peaked at number 33 in the UK.

"1901" was released in the UK on 9 March 2012 as the album's fourth and final single. It is a cover of the song by French indie rock band Phoenix.

Track listing

Personnel

Team (band)

Team is a contemporary Slovak rock music band. They are most famous for a single from their third album which was called "Držím ti miesto", which was included in the soundtrack of the 2005 American film Hostel.

Discography

See also

External links

Germany national football B team

Germany B (or Germany A2) is a secondary team for the national football team of Germany, used to try out and develop players for potential inclusion in the first team. The team - which has not been active since 2006 - can play against other nations' B-teams, or against full national teams, but its matches are not considered full internationals. In its last incarnation the team was named Team 2006, as a development team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which was to be hosted in Germany.

Team 2006

In 2000, when Germany was selected to host the World Cup, the national team was in decline - the squad was ageing, with little in the way of emerging talent. After the team was knocked out in the first round of Euro 2000, the German Football Association decided to form 'Team 2006' - a development team for young players, with the hope of producing a squad that could perform at the 2006 World Cup. The team played ten fixtures between 2002 and 2005, with four wins, four draws and two defeats.

Team 4

Team 4 was a British architectural firm, established in 1963 by architecture graduates Su Brumwell, Wendy Cheesman, Norman Foster and Richard Rogers. Team 4 was dissolved in 1967.

The practice originally included Wendy Cheesman's sister Georgie Wolton (née Cheesman) who, as the only qualified architect of the group, allowed the practice to function. Georgie Cheeseman left after only a few months, leaving the remaining members to try and pass their professional exams while continuing to practice.

Rogers, Foster and Brumwell had first met while studying at Yale University. Rogers and Brumwell later married one another, as did Foster and Wendy Cheeseman.

Notable projects

One of the first projects for Team 4 was a commission from Su Brumwell’s parents, Marcus and Irene Brumwell, to build a new house in Feock, Cornwall, called Creek Vean. They sold a Piet Mondrian painting bought from the artist in the 1930s, to fund the new house. Marcus Brumwell was the founder of the Design Research Unit. Creek Vean took 3 years to construct and was completed in 1966. It became the first ever house to win a R.I.B.A. Award. Creek Vean is a listed building, having been listed Grade II in 1998, and subsequently upgraded to Grade II*. It is listed as "Creekvean and Attached Entrance Bridge and Walls to Road, Feock".