Condor

Condor is the common name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere.

They are:

Taxonomy

Condors are part of the family Cathartidae, whereas the 15 species of Old World vultures are in the family Accipitridae, that also includes ospreys, hawks, and eagles. The New World and Old World vultures evolved from different ancestors. However, they both are carrion-eaters and have distinctive bare heads.

See Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy for an alternative classification.

Description

Both condors are very large broad-winged soaring birds, the Andean condor being 5 cm shorter (beak to tail) on average than the northern species, but larger in wingspan. California condors are the largest flying land birds in North America. The Andean condor is second only to the wandering albatross (up to 3.5 m) in terms of wingspan among all living flying birds.

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.

Condor (ride)

The Condor is the trade name of an amusement ride sold by HUSS of Bremen, Germany. It was debuted at the 1984 New Orleans World's Fair, under the name "Cyclo Tower".

The Condor has 28 steel-framed gondolas, each equipped with a painted fiberglass shell - frequently to resemble the seats to be an actual bird. The seats hold one or two people seated in each, one sitting behind the other if they decide to ride double. It can accommodate approximately 1,700 riders per hour. The automatic doors on the ride are operated by pneumatic air pressure, and are manually opened and closed during necessary points at the beginning/end of the ride cycle. The ride uses a cable and counterweight system within the tower to assist with the raising and lowering of the rotating assembly.

There is a DC induction motor located at the end of each arm responsible for rotating the gondolas, as well as three more on the middle lifting structure used for rotation of the entire assembly and travelling the tower. To start the ride, most Condors use a three-button start system - with three buttons required to be hit at the same time to start the cycle. (The operator in the booth uses his or her thumbs on the two buttons located on the panel, while an attendant in a location around the perimeter must be holding that one as well.)

Voices (Chris Young song)

"Voices" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Chris Young. After charting in mid-2008 on the Hot Country Songs charts, "Voices" was re-released in July 2010 following Young's first two Number one singles, "Gettin' You Home (The Black Dress Song)" and "The Man I Want to Be." The song is included on his album The Man I Want to Be, as well as a digital extended play of the same title. "Voices" became Young's third-consecutive Number One hit for the chart week ending February 19, 2011. The song spent 20 weeks on the Hot Country Songs chart during its first run plus 31 more weeks in its second run during its rise to #1. The song was written by Young, Chris Tompkins and Craig Wiseman.

History

At the 2008 CMA Music Fest, Young offered fans the opportunity to make personal recordings of dedications to special people in their lives. These fans received e-mails containing the song and the dedications.

Young told The Boot that he wanted to re-release it because it was popular with his fans. It was accompanied by a digital extended play of the same title, comprising that song and three cover songs, "to share with fans some of the musical voices that helped make me the man I am today."

Voices (Vangelis album)

Voices is a 1995 album by Greek electronic composer and artist Vangelis.

Its music was used in the soundtrack for the 1998 documentary Deep Sea, Deep Secrets co-produced by The Learning Channel and Discovery Channel, together with music from Vangelis next album, Oceanic.

The track "Ask the Mountains" was also used as the music for the TV commercial for the Hotpoint/Ariston Aqualtis washing machine. Caroline Lavelle, who has worked and played with people like Peter Gabriel, Loreena McKennitt and Afro Celt Sound System as well as David Gilmour, sings and plays cello on the song "Come to me". Paul Young and Stina Nordenstam also collaborate on that album.

Track listing

Musicians

Identity (Zee album)

Identity is the only album by Zee, a short-lived side project of Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright, a duo partnership consisting of Wright and Dave Harris of New Romantic outfit Fashion, released in 1984. Wright later stated that he felt Identity was an "experimental mistake" that should never have been released. The album was written and produced by Wright and Harris and all the lyrics were penned by Harris.

The album makes heavy use of the Fairlight CMI, a musical synthesizer popularized in the 1980s. This creates a very electronic sound that persists through every track.

"Confusion" was released as a single with "Eyes of a Gypsy" as the B-side.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Dave Harris, all music composed by Richard Wright and Dave Harris.

Non-album tracks

Personnel