History.

em:t was born as a division of the t:me Recordings label in 1994. t:me released mostly vinyl records falling under the broad category of house music, and sought to create a new sublabel for more forward-thinking ambient material. Over the next four years, they released a series of eighteen albums and compilations, packaged as a collector's series. Though em:t never enjoyed widespread commercial success, their releases were highly regarded and influential in ambient circles, and the label attracted a cult following - encouraged, no doubt, by the collectible nature of the releases.  em:t releases had strict rules governing their design aesthetic. Individual album titles were always the sequential four-digit catalogue number of the disc; the album's cover was always a full-colour picture of a wild animal; all albums were released on CD only; all CDs were packaged in digipacks; all CDs themselves bore the same Chinese character in black on the non-playing face of the disc.  The label garnered praise from music journalists at the time. Coda magazine wrote that "The Em:t series will surely go down in history for being as important in the 90s as the albums of Brian Eno were in the 70s", and specialist music magazine The Wire noted that the em:t catalogue represented "The vanguard of post-dance technological music". Em:t produced promo postcards for the label on which these quotes, and others, were duly displayed. A Q&A in DJ Magazine in 1995 also stated the label's unofficial credo: "Never presume your audience is any less clever than you are".  The most highly praised albums of the series came from British composers Paul Frankland recording as Woob, and Mat Jarvis recording as Gas.  In addition to the original run of CDs in the UK, some of em:t's music was licensed to Instinct Records in the USA, a label that had a contemporaneous interest in modern ambient music. "em:t 0094" and Woob's "1194" were released individually. The compilations "em:t 2295" and "em:t 3394" were packaged together as a double-disc set called "em:t 2000". In addition, various other tracks were compiled onto the anthologies "em:t beat exploration" and "em:t explorer".  In mid-1998, em:t went out of business due to the bankruptcy of t:me, with two whole albums worth of music still unreleased - a new compilation album, and a second Gas album. Their discography became highly prized among collectors, and this remains the case today; individual CDs commonly fetch a high price on eBay.  In 2003, a separate company, headed by Matthew Hall & John Bagguley, brought the em:t name off the shelf and the label was relaunched. Although none of the people running the label had any connection with the previous em:t, except Martyn Watson (I.P.G), they did release material from several of the original artists. The relaunch created another surge in public interest for the original series of albums. After six new full-length albums, the label considered em:t was taken as far as they could take it and the business was closed. The website shut down in July 2013.

The em:t "sound".

All of the albums on the original run of em:t releases fit into the general category of Ambient music, or downtempo. Within this category there were many variations - Woob's releases were often ambient dub, Gas' music was ambient techno, Carl Stone's album was almost classical and the album by International People's Gang was almost pop. However, across all the releases there were certain recurring elements that identified the album as an em:t release. Most prominent were samples of animal noises recorded in the wild - heard on releases by Woob, Qubism, Beatsystem, Miasma, and others (this approach was taken to the extreme on the track "Waterpump" by Dallas Simpson, on the 1197 compilation, which is a 12-minute music-free recording of a self actuated water pressure pump in a Derbyshire countryside filled with birdsong and, as with both of Simpson's tracks featured in the series, "abha" 2296, "waterpump" 1197, were recorded in full binaural stereo for full periphonic headphone surround sound listening). Other tracks processed field recordings and used them as percussion, such as "Pool" by International People's Gang, which uses the clacking of pool balls as instrumentation, and "00" by Richie Warburton, which uses the back-and-forth of a tennis match for the same purpose. Samples of television series such as "Quantum Leap", "Steptoe and Son" and "Star Trek" were also used, as well as samples from films, such as "Sex, Lies, and Videotape" and "", and film soundtracks.  All of the initial run of em:t releases were processed using the Roland Sound Space RSS 3D sound imaging system, giving the music an extra "spacious" quality.

Legacy.

The em:t series of albums are still prized among electronic music fans, and the reputation of the label and the music endures to this day. However, due to rights issues, only two of the original em:t series are available on iTunes; the rest continue to fetch exaggerated prices on auction sites such as eBay. In 2017, Bandcamp has made all Em:t releases available for both purchase and streaming except for Woob 1194 and Woob 4495. However Woob 1194 can be found on Paul Frankland's Bandcamp account, but Woob is not seen anywhere (Most likely due to his dissatisfaction for the album). In 2018, however, the Bandcamp page disappeared.

Artwork.

em:t releases are noted for their striking graphic design, used consistently and thematically across the entire discography. Each CD is packaged in a cardboard Digipak case. The front features high-resolution nature photography, depicting exotic animals in their natural habitats. The back is plain white, with the track listing in plain black text. Animals used on classic Em:t covers include "Ceratophrys ornata", "Plecotus auritus", "Ctenophore" and "Ramphastos sulfuratus". Images of frogs were used exclusively for compilation releases, whereas individual artists were given freedom to pick an image from the Oxford Scientific catalogue.  The "new" em:t releases did not have animal-themed covers, but sported the same overall design aesthetic, and used the same numbering system.  The animal-themed designs were created for em:t by British design firm The Designer's Republic, also well known for working with Warp Records for many years. Post-2003 em:t releases were designed by Cambridge-based design firm db|design.

Discography.

All em:t releases are catalogued with a four-digit number. The third and fourth digits represent the year of release, and the first two digits denote the order of release within a year, beginning with '00' and continuing on to '11', '22', etc.

Em:t Records (Emit Records) was a British record label, based in Nottingham, which specialized in ambient electronic music. They were active from 1994 to 1998, and after a period of bankruptcy, re-established themselves in 2003 under new ownership and management. In summer 2006, the label officially ceased operations again.

Em:t Records est un label anglais de musique électronique et d'ambient. Né de la division du label en 1994, il fut actif jusqu'en 1998 où il dut fermer consécutivement à la faillite de sa maison mère. Le label fut relancé en 2003, racheté par une société indépendante, mais toute production musicale fut officiellement abandonnée après 2006. Aujourd'hui, l'absence de ré-éditions rend la plupart des albums très prisés et chers sur les plateformes de vente aux enchères.


Life.

Jacques Martin Barzun was born in Créteil, France, to Henri-Martin and Anna-Rose Barzun, and spent his childhood in Paris and Grenoble. His father was a member of the Abbaye de Créteil group of artists and writers, and also worked in the French Ministry of Labor. His parents' Paris home was frequented by many modernist artists of "Belle Époque" France, such as the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the Cubist painters Albert Gleizes and Marcel Duchamp, the composer Edgard Varèse, and the writers Richard Aldington and Stefan Zweig.  While on a diplomatic mission to the United States during the First World War (1914–18), Barzun's father so liked the country he decided that his son should receive an American university education; thus, the twelve-year-old Jacques Martin attended a university-preparatory school and then Columbia University, where he obtained a liberal arts education.  As an undergraduate at Columbia College, Barzun was drama critic for the "Columbia Daily Spectator", a prize-winning president of the Philolexian Society, the Columbia literary and debate club, and valedictorian of the class of 1927. He obtained his Ph.D. from Columbia in 1932 and taught history there from 1928 to 1955, becoming the Seth Low Professor of History and a founder of the discipline of cultural history. For years, he and literary critic Lionel Trilling conducted Columbia's famous Great Books course. He was elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1954.  From 1955 to 1968, he served as Dean of the Graduate School, Dean of Faculties, and Provost, while also being an Extraordinary Fellow of Churchill College at the University of Cambridge. From 1968 until his 1975 retirement, he was University Professor at Columbia. From 1951 to 1963 Barzun was one of the managing editors of The Readers' Subscription Book Club, and its successor the Mid-Century Book Society (the other managing editors being W. H. Auden and Lionel Trilling), and afterwards was Literary Adviser to Charles Scribner's Sons, 1975 to 1993.  In 1936, Barzun married Mariana Lowell, a violinist from a prominent Boston family. They had three children: James, Roger, and Isabel. Mariana died in 1979. In 1980, Barzun married Marguerite Lee Davenport. From 1996 the Barzuns lived in her hometown, San Antonio, Texas. His granddaughter Lucy Barzun Donnelly was a producer of the award-winning HBO film "Grey Gardens". His grandson, Matthew Barzun, is a businessman who served from 2009-2011 as the U.S. Ambassador to Sweden, and from 2013-2017 as Ambassador to the United Kingdom. On May 14, 2012 Jacques Barzun attended a symphony performance in his honor at which works by his favorite composer, Hector Berlioz, were performed. He attended in a wheelchair and delivered a brief address to the crowd.  Barzun died peacefully at his home in San Antonio, Texas on October 25, 2012, aged 104. "The New York Times", which compared him with such scholars as Sidney Hook, Daniel Bell, and Lionel Trilling, called him a "distinguished historian, essayist, cultural gadfly and educator who helped establish the modern discipline of cultural history". Naming Edward Gibbon, Jacob Burckhardt and Thomas Babington Macaulay as his intellectual ancestors, and calling him "one of the West's most eminent historians of culture" and "a champion of the liberal arts tradition in higher education," who "deplored what he called the 'gangrene of specialism'", "The Telegraph" remarked, "The sheer scope of his knowledge was extraordinary. Barzun’s eye roamed over the full spectrum of Western music, art, literature and philosophy." Essayist Joseph Epstein, remembering him in the "Wall Street Journal" as a "flawless and magisterial" writer who tackled "Darwin, Marx, Wagner, Berlioz, William James, French verse, English prose composition, university teaching, detective fiction, [and] the state of intellectual life", described Barzun as a tall, handsome man with an understated elegance, thoroughly Americanized, but retaining an air of old-world culture, cosmopolitan in an elegant way rare for intellectuals".

Career.

Over seven decades, Barzun wrote and edited more than forty books touching on an unusually broad range of subjects, including science and medicine, psychiatry from Robert Burton through William James to modern methods, and art, and classical music; he was one of the all-time authorities on Hector Berlioz. Some of his books—particularly "Teacher in America" and "The House of Intellect"—enjoyed a substantial lay readership and influenced debate about culture and education far beyond the realm of academic history. Barzun had a strong interest in the tools and mechanics of writing and research. He undertook the task of completing, from a manuscript almost two-thirds of which was in first draft at the author's death, and editing (with the help of six other people), the first edition (published 1966) of "Follett's Modern American Usage". Barzun was also the author of books on literary style ("Simple and Direct", 1975), on the crafts of editing and publishing ("On Writing, Editing, and Publishing", 1971), and on research methods in history and the other humanities ("The Modern Researcher", which has seen at least six editions, and is one of the thousand most widely held library items according to the OCLC).  Barzun did not disdain popular culture: his varied interests included detective fiction and baseball. His widely quoted statement, "Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball." was inscribed on a plaque at the Baseball Hall of Fame. He edited and wrote the introduction to the 1961 anthology, "The Delights of Detection", which included stories by G. K. Chesterton, Dorothy L. Sayers, Rex Stout, and others. In 1971, Barzun co-authored (with Wendell Hertig Taylor), "A Catalogue of Crime: Being a Reader's Guide to the Literature of Mystery, Detection, & Related Genres", for which he and his co-author received a Special Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America the following year. Barzun was also an advocate of supernatural fiction, and wrote the introduction to "The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural". Barzun was a proponent of the theatre critic and diarist James Agate, whom he compared in stature to Samuel Pepys. Barzun edited Agate's last two diaries into a new edition in 1951 and wrote an informative introductory essay, "Agate and His Nine Egos". Jacques Barzun continued to write on education and cultural history after retiring from Columbia. At 84 years of age, he began writing his swan song, to which he devoted the better part of the 1990s. The resulting book of more than 800 pages, "From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life, 1500 to the Present", revealed a vast erudition and brilliance undimmed by advanced age. Historians, literary critics, and popular reviewers all lauded "From Dawn to Decadence" as a sweeping and powerful survey of modern Western history, and it became a "New York Times" bestseller. With this work he gained an international reputation. Reviewing it in the "New York Times", historian William Everdell called the book "a great achievement" by a scholar "undiminished in his scholarship, research and polymathic interests," while also scrutinizing Barzun's scant treatment of figures like Walt Whitman and Karl Marx. The book introduces several novel typographic devices that aid an unusually rich system of cross-referencing and help keep many strands of thought in the book under organized control. Most pages feature a sidebar containing a pithy quotation, usually little known, and often surprising or humorous, from some author or historical figure. In 2007, Barzun commented that "Old age is like learning a new profession. And not one of your own choosing." As late as October 2011, one month before his 104th birthday, he reviewed Adam Kirsch's "Why Trilling Matters" for the "Wall Street Journal".  In his philosophy of writing history, Barzun emphasized the role of storytelling over the use of academic jargon and detached analysis. He concluded in "From Dawn to Decadence" that "history cannot be a science; it is the very opposite, in that its interest resides in the particulars".

Recognition.

In 1968, Barzun received the St. Louis Literary Award from the Saint Louis University Library Associates. Barzun was appointed a Chevalier of the National Order of the Legion of Honour. In 2003, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush.  In 1993, his book "An Essay on French Verse: For Readers of English Poetry" won the Poetry Society of America's Melville Cane Poetry Award.  On October 18, 2007, he received the 59th Great Teacher Award of the Society of Columbia Graduates "in absentia".  On March 2, 2011, Barzun was awarded the 2010 National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama, although he was not expected to be in attendance. On April 16, 2011, he received the Philolexian Award for Distinguished Literary Achievement "in absentia".  The American Philosophical Society honors Barzun with its Jacques Barzun Prize in Cultural History, awarded annually since 1993 to the author of a recent distinguished work of cultural history. He also received the Gold Medal for Criticism from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, of which he was twice president.

Jacques Martin Barzun (; November 30, 1907 – October 25, 2012) was a French-American historian known for his studies of the history of ideas and cultural history. He wrote about a wide range of subjects, including baseball, mystery novels, and classical music, and was also known as a philosopher of education. In the book "Teacher in America" (1945), Barzun influenced the training of schoolteachers in the United States.

Jacques Martin Barzun, né le à Créteil en France, et mort le à San Antonio, Texas dans sa, est un historien et philosophe américain spécialisé dans l'histoire culturelle et l'histoire des idées.


Production, recording, and composition.

"Fly" was written by Nicki Minaj (credited as Onika Maraj), J.R. Rotem, Kevin Hissink, W. Jordan and Clemm Rishad. Production of the song was handled by Rotem under his production name J.R. Rotem. It was recorded by Aerial Chobaz and Charles Moniz at Glenwood Place Studios, Burbank, California and at Chalice Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California. They were assisted by Lyttleton "Cartwheel" Carter. It was mixed by Carter, Chobaz and Rotem at Glenwood Recording Studios and Chalice Recording Studios. Instrumentation was provided for by Rotem and Hissink. Rihanna appears on the track as a featured artist courtesy of Def Jam Recordings.  According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, "Fly" is written in the key of B major, with a relaxed-four tempo of 120 beats per minute. The song follows a chord progression of B–C–G–E, while Rihanna and Nicki's vocals span from B to D.

Background.

The song was produced by Hissink and J.R. Rotem, who has additionally worked with Sean Kingston, Rick Ross, Leona Lewis, Jason Derülo, and Iyaz. In an interview with MTV News, Rotem discussed the track, stating that it almost did not make the cut for "Pink Friday" and was the last addition to the album after Minaj heard how inspirational it was. He stated, "Near the tail end of her project, I came into the studio and I had some tracks [for her]. That was one of the ones I was excited about. When I played it for her, she knew instantly: 'Yes, this is the record.' She connected with it immediately. I could just tell she was excited by it, which excited me." The demo version of the song featured a studio-vocalist that would have later been an uncredited vocalist on the track, however Minaj decided to ask Rihanna to do the track. Rotem reminisced on the moment, stating that he told Minaj "'That would be great, but getting Rihanna to do a hook for you is easier said than done.' I think that speaks to Nicki's star power. I said, 'Yeah, she's definitely first choice. It took time because she was promoting her own album and traveling overseas. It happened, and I heard it when Nicki gave me the record and it really was one of those incredible things that was really a blessing. It manifested. She said she wanted it and it happened."  During a "Pink Friday Diaries" session, Minaj talked more in depth about the song. "FLY is one of my absolute faves. I wanted to work with Rihanna for a long time. I'm very proud of her accomplishments ; especially since she was born on an island like me. This song is a female empowerment song. But then again, it's not specific to just women. It speaks about flying, soaring high in the face of every single solitary adversity that comes your way. I speak about how the media has attempted to box me in and how that has made me feel suffocated. After years of being dragged thru the mud, I've mustered up the courage to re-define myself. I believe that I represent an entire generation. My fans have become my family, and together we have become a movement. Get ready for it. We came to win."

Critical reception.

Robbie Daw of "Idolator" gave the song a positive review, stating, "And here on the J.R. Rotem-produced “Fly,” she’s wearing the coat of the down-and-out-but-hopeful fighter striving to overcome her adversaries. Consider this an 'I Believe I Can Fly' for the current generation. If there’s one thing Rihanna has proven, it’s that she’s the go-to chorus girl with a Midas touch. And if Eminem’s “Love The Way You Lie” and T.I.’s “Live Your Life” are any indicators, Nicki stands the chance of having her first #1 on the Hot 100 with “Fly”—provided, of course, it gets an official single release." Margaret Wappler of the "Los Angeles Times" complimented the song's collaboration, stating, "Even though her roots are elsewhere, Minaj sounds better on the “Pink Friday” tracks that are more squarely in the club R&B vein, which she almost always spikes with enough rap to remind anyone that she isn’t another Beyonce or even Sasha Fierce, not by any stretch. “Fly” makes good work out of its Rihanna cameo — while the dark glamour bird soars, Minaj skitters around her with her vulnerable but choppy rhymes, equal parts tough woman and big softie."  Scott Plagenhoef of "Pitchfork Media" complimented the song and how it made "Pink Friday" the record it is by stating, "but these tracks -- plus the Rihanna collaboration "Fly" and the solo ballad "Save Me"—are the best examples of what Pink Friday is rather than what many of us wanted it to be." Rob Sheffield of "Rolling Stone" commented on the genre of choice and the toned-down sexiness, "Minaj aims for a Rihanna-style crossover approach, singing R&B choruses over electro floss and toning down her nasty side." Marc Hogan of "Spin" complimented the song's inspirational tone and that other cuts from the album, including "Fly", "have her charismatically colorful, larger-than-life personality all over them."

Chart performance.

"Fly" debuted at number 22 in New Zealand on September 5, 2011. The following week, the song climbed into the top twenty of the chart at number 18. It reached its final peak of 13 the following week. The song spent nine weeks on the chart in total. "Fly" entered the Australian Singles Chart at number 38 on September 18, 2011. The following week, it rose to number 23, and reached its peak of 18 in its third week. The song spent a total of nine weeks on the chart, earning a Platinum certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association, denoting sales of 70,000 copies.  Following its release as a single in the United States, "Fly" reached number 19 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 on the issue dated December 10, 2011. The position marked Minaj's fourth top twenty of her career on the chart. The song also reached number 20 on the US Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart, becoming Minaj's sixth top twenty song on the chart. On the Pop Songs chart, "Fly" reached number 16, marking only Minaj's third song to reach the top twenty, following "Moment 4 Life" (featuring Drake) and "Super Bass" earlier the same year. The song also charted on the Hot Dance/Club Songs chart at number 47, becoming Minaj's second song to appear on the chart following "Super Bass". As of December 2014, "Fly" has sold over 1.5 million copies in the United States. "Fly" made an appearance on the Canadian Hot 100 at number 55.  "Fly" entered the top forty of the UK Singles Chart at number 38 on September 17, 2011, after placing at number 67 the previous week. The following week it rose to number 26. It reached its top twenty peak at number 16 on October 15, 2011 after seven weeks on the chart. The peak marked Minaj's second-highest charting song on the chart as a lead artist, and sixth top twenty overall. In the same week, "Fly" topped the UK R&B Chart, becoming Minaj's first Minaj's first number one on the chart. It also reached the top twenty in the Republic of Ireland.

Music video.

Background.

A music video for the song was shot the weekend of January 7, 2011 and directed by Sanaa Hamri. "Fly" was the second music video to be shot in a string of music videos Minaj announced to be shot for promotion, along with "Save Me" and "Girls Fall Like Dominoes". Minaj and Rihanna both shared behind the scenes photos of the music video on Twitter, where Rihanna sported straight red hair and Minaj wore a curly black wig and a barbed pink dress. In an interview with "E! Online", Minaj spoke briefly about the concept stating, “We’re going to save the world in more ways than one with the video and that’s all I can say about that.” In an interview with BBC Radio's Tim Westwood, Minaj spoke very highly about the upcoming video, stating "The video is done. The ‘Fly’ video is a freakin’ movie! Movie! Movie! Cinematic popcorn." In a blog from Minaj's website, she stated that the video for "Fly" had been pushed back, but it would be released soon. The video was filmed at Universal Studios Hollywood on the plane crash set used for War of the Worlds.  In an interview with MTV News, Minaj discussed the song's video and official release from the album. She stated that the video's release date and official single release would take place sometime around Memorial Day weekend, as she did not want to interfere with Rihanna's releases circulating the radio and wanted to allow time for both artists to promote each other's respective album before the collaboration was officially released. She added "So she has a lot of [songs] in rotation and I want to let her stuff have a moment and do its thing, dominate radio. [Instead], I wanted to come out with something more fun." A preview of the video was previewed first time at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards pre-show. The preview consisted of Minaj and Rihanna in a foggy area, with Minaj having a pixie cut and Rihanna having long hair, seemingly switching hairstyles. The full "Fly" music video premiered on mtv.com and Minaj's VEVO after the preview on VMA's Pre-Show on August 28, 2011.

Synopsis.

The video begins with a Jaguar XKR driving through the wreckage of a post-apocalyptic landscape. Part way through it cuts to a shot of the sky, with the sun blocked out by clouds. The video then returns to the car which has stopped and the roof retreats to the back of the car. The song begins as Minaj steps out wearing a strange, pink barbed dress, thigh-high cowboy boots and big curly hair. Minaj begins her verse whilst walking through the wreckage, and as her verse finishes she is joined by Rihanna who sings the second chorus, wearing a black dress, with straight red hair. As the second verse begins the video switches to a scene where we see Minaj standing on the wing of a crashed plane, this time sporting a pink bob-style wig and lilac dress. For the third chorus we see Rihanna and Minaj together again standing amongst the wreckage in a night time scene, with Rihanna wearing a white long-sleeved straight jacket, and Minaj with leopard print style hair and a baby dress. As Minaj begins her third verse the scenes alternate between the current scene and one where we see Minaj, wearing a white cat suit and White Tiger print hair style, standing on at the top of some steps. As she walks down, ninjas start appearing from over either side of the stair railings and attacking her. Minaj surprisingly defeats all her opponents, in what is a slightly extended version of the third verse compared to the album version of the song. This scene also alternates with the scene where Minaj is on the plane wing. On the last chorus the video alternates between the plane wing scene and the scene with Rihanna and Minaj whimpering amongst the wreckage. As the video comes to an end, plant life begins to grow around and over the wreckage. The video finishes by returning to the shot of the sky, where now the sun can be seen exploding between the clouds.

Reception.

A writer of "The Huffington Post" commented that the video for "Fly" was "dramatic, [and] disaster-focused". "The Boombox" praised the fashion and the out-fits Minaj and Rihanna wore during the video. MTV News' Jocelyn Vena also praised the fashion in the video and added: "[It] plays out like some post-apocalyptic fashion magazine photo shoot in which Nicki Minaj and Rihanna stand near a plane wreck in couture outfits, mugging for the camera." As of April 2018, the video has more than 145 million views.

Credits and personnel.

Credits adapted from the liner notes of "Pink Friday".

"Fly" is a song by American rapper and singer Nicki Minaj from her debut studio album, "Pink Friday" (2010). The song was released as the eighth and final single from the album on August 30, 2011. It features additional guest vocals by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. The track was written by Kevin Hissink, Will Jordan, J.R. Rotem, Clemm Rishad and Minaj herself, while production was helped by Rotem and Hissink. The song is a R&B track which incorporates the hip hop genre. The song is inspired by the emotion of soaring above and overcoming all stereotypes and negativity, to come out victorious.

Fly est une chanson par la chanteuse Nicki Minaj en featuring avec la chanteuse de R&B Barbadienne Rihanna. La piste a été produite par J.R. Rotem et coproduite par Kevin Hissink. La chanson est inspirée par l'émotion de planer au-dessus et de surmonter tous les stéréotypes de la négativité et être le seul à en être sorti victorieux. La chanson a été classée dans plusieurs pays dont le Canada et le Royaume-Uni en raison de ses fortes ventes numériques. La chanson a recueilli des critiques positives, dont la plupart ont félicités la chanson sur son sentiment d'inspiration.Le single s'est écoulé à plus de 1 500 000 d'exemplaires aux États-Unis


History.

It is believed that the Albariño grape was introduced to the area in the 12th century by the Cistercian monks of the Monastery of Armenteira.  The sub-zones of "Rosal" and "Condado" have a long history of grape growing and wine production and have their own traditional styles. The "Salnés" sub-zone only recently began to produce Albariño wines, for local sales to bars and restaurants.  Rías Baixas acquired its official status as a "Denominación de Origen" (DO) in 1988. This replaced the earlier ""Denominación Específica Albariño"" status which had been granted in 1980. Its "Consejo Regulador" is based in the city of Pontevedra.

Geography.

The DO is divided into five sub-zones, four of them in the province of Pontevedra and one in the south of the province of A Coruña.

Val do Salnés.

"Val do Salnés" is located on the lower reaches of the river Umia and centred on the town of Cambados. The landscape is of low undulating hills and the vineyards are planted both on the slopes and on the flat valley floors. The soil is generally rocky and alluvial.

O Rosal.

"O Rosal" is located further south, along the Portuguese frontier in the basin of the river Miño and extends from the Atlantic coast inwards towards the town of Tui. The vineyards here are planted on terraces on the banks of the Miño. The soils are alluvial.

Condado do Tea.

"Condado do Tea", in the west, extends eastwards from Tui along the Miño valley up to the neighbouring Ribeiro (DO). The landscape is more abrupt and consists of several small river valleys. The soils are granite and slate based.

Soutomaior.

The "Soutomaior" sub-zone was incorporated into the Denominación de Origen in 1996 and is located just south of the city of Pontevedra. The soils are light and sandy, and covered with granite.

Ribera de Ulla.

The "Ribera de Ulla" sub-zone, to the north of Pontevedra was incorporated recently in 2000. The soils are mainly alluvial.

Climate.

The climate is Atlantic, with wet winters and sea fog. In general rainfall is high and the temperatures mild. In general, maximum temperatures in summer rarely usually exceed 30 °C and only drop to 0 °C in December and January.  The coldest areas are Ribera do Ulla and Val do Salnés due to their proximity to the coast. The warmest is Condado do Tea where temperatures in summer sometimes approach 40 °C, but the winters are cold with frequent frosts and rainfall of over 2,000 mm a year.  Strong winds can occasionally cause problems for the vineyards, especially those located on the west face of the coast. Frosts, hailstones and summer heat can also cause complications.

Grapes.

The regulatory Council ("Consejo Regulador") of the Rias Baixas DO currently authorises twelve different grape varieties, though Albariño represents over 90% of all vines planted.  The vines are trained along granite posts (called "parrales") and wires so as to protect them from humidity and to maximise their exposure to the sun in summer.  Over 90% of the wines produced are white, predominantly using the Albariño grape variety.

Rías Baixas is a Spanish Denominación de Origen (DO) ("Denominación de Orixe" in Galician) for wines located in the province of Pontevedra and the south of the province of Corunna in the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It is renowned for its white wines made from the Albariño grape variety. Its headquarters is located in the city of Pontevedra.

Les Rias Baixas sont une dénomination d'origine espagnole dont les vins sont produits en Galice dans le secteur des Rías Baixas et analysé par Silvia Gago Mariño


Professional career.

Originally signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent in, Peña signed with the New York Yankees about a year later and was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for third baseman/designated hitter Drew Henson and outfielder Michael Coleman in.

Cincinnati Reds.

Pena debuted with the Reds as a September call-up in, and got a single while pinch hitting in his first major league at-bat. Peña proved his label as a power hitter, hitting a home run in his second major league game, off Chicago Cubs pitcher Steve Smyth.  From through, Peña was a fourth outfielder with the Reds, and saw substantial playing time in center field covering for the often injured Ken Griffey, Jr., and backing up Austin Kearns in right field. Over his career in Cincinnati, Peña batted.248 with 51 home runs and 134 RBIs in 302 games.

Boston Red Sox.

The Reds traded Peña to the Boston Red Sox during spring training in for pitcher Bronson Arroyo. Over the course of the season, Peña again served as a fourth outfielder and one half of a platoon in right field. He batted a career-high.301 with a personal best on-base percentage of.349 in 299 plate appearances. Following an injury to Coco Crisp, Peña filled in at center field. On May 27, he was placed on the 15-day disabled list after surgery was required for an injured tendon in his left wrist. On July 18, Pena was activated from the disabled list. After platoon-mate Trot Nixon injured his biceps on July 30, Peña played more frequently in right field. The next day he fell a double short of hitting for the cycle in a 9-8 win over the Cleveland Indians. Pena hit.301 with 11 home runs in the 2006 season. Following the season, Peña played for the Dominican Republic in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.  The only action Peña saw in with the Red Sox was filling in for Crisp and J. D. Drew in center and right field. Pena hit a grand slam off closer Chris Ray of the Baltimore Orioles to help the Red Sox to a 5-2 victory on April 26. Throughout the season, Peña was rumored to be on the trading block, including in a deal at the trade deadline that did not go through.

Washington Nationals.

On August 17 Peña was traded to the Washington Nationals, with the Red Sox receiving 25-year-old first baseman Chris Carter and the Arizona Diamondbacks receiving Emiliano Fruto and cash considerations from Washington. Peña hit well for the Nationals, and finished 2007 with a cumulative 289 at-bats, 13 home runs and he batted.259 with a.319 on-base percentage and a.439 slugging percentage.  His $2.3 million signing bonus is now the third largest ever for an amateur free agent. In December 2007, he signed a one-year contract with the Nationals for $2 million with a mutual option for 2009 of $2 million.  On March 28,, Peña was designated for assignment by the Nationals and placed on waivers. Peña went unclaimed and declined an assignment to the minor leagues so he was unconditionally released.

New York Mets.

On April 20,, Peña signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets and was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo. He was released on June 22, 2009.

Bridgeport Bluefish.

On May 30, 2010, Pena began playing for the Bridgeport Bluefish, an independent team in the Atlantic League. In 38 games for Bridgeport, Peña hit.310 with 8 home runs and 38 runs batted in. During the offseason Wily played for the Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Winter League.

San Diego Padres.

On July 19, 2010, Peña was signed to a minor league deal by the Padres and assigned to Triple-A Portland.

Arizona Diamondbacks.

Peña signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the Arizona Diamondbacks prior to the 2011 season. As of mid-June, he was hitting.356 with 21 homers and 62 RBIs for the team's Triple-A affiliate in Reno. He was called up on June 21 and hit a home run that night in his first game in 3 years.  In a game against the Detroit Tigers on June 24, Pena launched a go-ahead homer an estimated 454 feet deep into the left-field seats at Comerica Park to give the Diamondbacks a 7-6 lead and the eventual victory.  Four days later, in a game at Chase Field with the Cleveland Indians tied at 4 in the bottom of the ninth inning and Ryan Roberts on third base, Wily Mo powered a walk-off homer into the seats in left field giving the D-Backs a 6-4 win.  On July 15, 2011, Peña was designated for assignment. He was released on July 24.

Seattle Mariners.

Pena signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners on July 27, 2011. He had his contract purchased on August 13. He elected free agency on October 30.  In 76 minor league games that year, Pena hit 25 home runs with 77 RBI, with a line of.358 /.440 /.712 and an OPS 1.152.

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.

On November 29, 2011, Pena signed a 2-year contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan. In 2012, he hit.280 with 21 home runs and 76 RBI in 130 games. In 2013, he hit.233 with 16 RBI and 1 home run in 55 games.

Orix Buffaloes.

In 2014, he hit.255 with 32 homers and 90 RBIs in 140 games for the Orix Buffaloes in Japan.

Rakuten Golden Eagles.

In 2015, Peña moved to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles where he hit.268 with 17 home runs.

Cleveland Indians.

On February 6, 2017, Peña signed a one-year minor-league contract with the Cleveland Indians. The team released him at the end of spring training.

Chiba Lotte Marines.

On June 16, 2017, Pena signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball.

Philanthropy.

In 2007, Wily Mo Peña and his MoPeace Foundation teamed up with Joslin Diabetes Center's Latino Diabetes Initiative for the Beisbol y Salud Latino Diabetes and Health Festival to educate Latino men, women and children about type 2 diabetes. Wily Mo Pena currently volunteers his time to youth baseball in the Tampa, FL area.

Wily Modesto Peña Gutierrez (born January 23, 1982) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners, and in NPB for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and Orix Buffaloes. At 6 feet, 3 inches in height and nearly 300 pounds, the right-handed batting and throwing Peña is considered a pure power hitter best known for his long-distance home runs and high strikeout rate.

Wily Modesto Peña (né le à Laguna Salada, Valverde, République dominicaine) est un voltigeur de baseball qui joue pour les Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles de la Ligue Pacifique du Japon.


Game summaries.

Game 1.

Tuesday, October 10, 1995, at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio The opening game of the 1995 NLCS would be well-pitched and decided in extra innings. The only run allowed by Tom Glavine, who would go seven innings, came on a Ron Gant single following a Barry Larkin triple in the fourth. Pete Schourek was lights out the entire game, but allowed back-to-back leadoff singles in the ninth before David Justice hit into a forceout at second to send the game to extra innings. In the eleventh inning, bench player Mike Devereaux singled in Fred McGriff, who drew a leadoff walk off of Mike Jackson and moved to third on two groundouts, to give Atlanta a 2–1 lead. Manager Bobby Cox needed to use three pitchers in the bottom of the inning, but Greg McMichael induced a double play with runners on first and third that ended the game.

Game 2.

Wednesday, October 11, 1995, at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio With John Smoltz on the mound, the Braves took an early 1–0 lead when Marquis Grissom hit a leadoff single in the first off of John Smiley, moved to second on a groundout and scored on Chipper Jones's single, then got a second run in the fourth when Fred McGriff hit a leadoff double and scored on a Mike Devereaux RBI double. In the fifth, Lenny Harris's two-out RBI single with two on put the Reds on the board, then Jeff Branson stole home to tie the game at two. That score held until the tenth inning, when the Braves scored four runs and took the game. Cincinnati reliever Mark Portugal's wild pitch with the bases loaded allowed Mark Lemke to scamper home with the go-ahead run. Javy López followed with a three-run blast that blew the game open. This would be the final postseason game ever played in Riverfront Stadium.

Game 3.

Friday, October 13, 1995, at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia Greg Maddux went eight innings and only gave up one run in another strong start for an Atlanta starter. Lefty David Wells, acquired by Cincinnati in anticipation of facing the predominantly left-handed Braves lineup in the playoffs, matched Maddux with a scoreless first five innings. Later, right-handed Atlanta catcher Charlie O'Brien belted a three-run home run in the sixth off Wells. Rookie Chipper Jones hit a two-run shot in the seventh to make it 5–0. The Reds got on the board in the eighth on three straight one-out singles, the last of which to Hal Morris scoring a run. Mark Wohlers earned the save in the ninth despite allowing a leadoff double to Jeff Branson, who moved to third on a groundout and scored on Thomas Howard's sacrifice fly, as the Braves held on for a 5–2 victory.

Game 4.

Saturday, October 14, 1995, at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia Steve Avery, who was inconsistent all season, got the start for Atlanta and tossed six scoreless innings. Rafael Belliard hit a leadoff single off of Pete Schourek in the third, then moved to second on a fly out before Mark Lemke hit an RBI single to give Atlanta a 1–0 lead. The game remained close until the seventh, when Mike Jackson allowed a leadoff triple and one out walk before a passed ball allowed Marquis Grissom to score. After an intentional walk, series MVP Mike Devereaux hit a three-run home run to put the Braves up 5–0. After a double and intentional walk, Dave Burba relieved Jackson and Luis Polonia's RBI single made it 6–0 Braves. Bobby Cox took no chances and used closer Mark Wohlers to finish off the Reds in the ninth. The shutout victory completed a surprisingly easy sweep of Cincinnati and sent the Braves to their third World Series in five years.  The Reds offense only managed to score five runs in four games off Atlanta's pitching staff, even with the fact that the first two contests went to extra-innings.  This was the only NLCS to end in a four-game sweep until 2007, when the Colorado Rockies defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks in four games.  Former Brave Ron Gant would play against his former team with the Reds, then again the next year as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.  To date, this is the Reds' most recent NLCS appearance.

Composite box.

1995 NLCS (4–0): Atlanta Braves over Cincinnati Reds

The 1995 National League Championship Series (NLCS), the second round of baseball's 1995 National League playoffs, matched the East Division champion Atlanta Braves against the Central Division champion Cincinnati Reds. The Reds had the home field advantage due to a predetermined formula which awarded home field advantage to the Central Division champion or its playoff opponent.

La Série de championnat de la Ligue nationale de baseball 1995 était la série finale de la Ligue nationale de baseball, dont l'issue a déterminé le représentant de cette ligue à la Série mondiale 1995, la grande finale des Ligues majeures.


History.

Introduction.

In December 2002, the Tohoku Shinkansen extended to Hachinohe. As a result, the "Hayate" was introduced, in order to serve the newly extended section between Morioka and Hachinohe. "Hayate" trains ran between Tokyo and Hachinohe, and skips all stations between Ōmiya and Sendai. The "Hayate" was established as the fastest service on the Tohoku Shinkansen at that time, which also established its position as the predecessor of the "Hayabusa". All seats in "Hayate" trains require reservation, due to the popularity of Shinkansen services from Tokyo to the Tohoku region. "Hayate" trains were operated by 10-car E2 series units, which ran at a top speed of 275 km/h.

Shin-Aomori Extension.

On 4 December 2010, the Tohoku Shinkansen extended again to. And in 19 November 2011, E5 series trainsets, with maximum speeds of 320 km/h, were introduced to the line, with some of them used on "Hayate" services. The introduction of the E5 series resulted in the introduction of the "Hayabusa", which replaced the "Hayate"'s role as the fastest train on the line. In addition, currently E5 series "Hayate" services still run at a top speed of 275 km/h. JR East have reduced "Hayate" services over the years, and unify the discontinued "Hayate" services to "Hayabusa" services. It now serves as a complementary service to the "Hayabusa".

Opening of Hokkaido Shinkansen.

From 26 March 2016, with the opening of the Hokkaido Shinkansen from Shin-Aomori to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, the "Hayate" name is also used for services operating between,, and., one return service operates daily between Morioka and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, and one return service daily operates between Shin-Aomori and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto. These services are formed of 10-car E5 or H5 series trainsets.

Past services with "Komachi".

In the past "Hayate" services used to couple with "Komachi" services from Tokyo to Morioka, where the "Komachi" cars are uncoupled and proceed to Akita Station via the Akita Shinkansen. However currently all "Komachi" train now couple with "Hayabusa" trains, so all "Hayate" trains now run alone.

Stations and service pattern.

"Hayate" services stop at the following stations.

Train formations.

"Hayate" services are operated by 10-car JR East E5 series or JR Hokkaido H5 series train sets, with car 1 at the Morioka end. All seats are reserved and no-smoking.

The name "Hayate" has not been used previously on any train service in Japan. The name was chosen with input from the public; roughly translated, it means a strong or violent wind; however, it carries positive connotations of speed and power.

L'Hayate (はやて, Rafale) est le nom d'un service de train à grande vitesse japonais du réseau Shinkansen développé par la JR East sur la ligne Shinkansen Tōhoku.


Writing, recording, and inspiration.

"Love Is Blindness" was developed by lead singer Bono during the recording sessions for U2's 1988 album "Rattle and Hum". He wrote the song on a piano, which guitarist the Edge said is "not an instrument he is noted for playing." The torch songs of Jacques Brel influenced Bono's songwriting. His initial plan was to send it to Nina Simone, one of his favourite singers, although after playing the song together, the band decided to keep it for themselves. They did not include the song on "Rattle and Hum" because they believed it was not "U2 enough".  During the recording sessions for "Achtung Baby", the Edge separated from his wife, Aislinn O'Sullivan. Reflecting on the impact it had on U2, Bono said, "We're a really tight community. This is not like somebody's, you know, girlfriend's left. We've grown up with these people, this our family, our community. This was really hard for us... It was like the first cracks on the beautiful porcelain jug with those beautiful flowers in it that was our music and our community, starting to go 'crack'." The Edge explained that travelling to Berlin to write and record provided him with an escape from his failing marriage: "I was disappearing into the music for a different reason. It was a refuge in a way. That approach didn't completely work. You know, I wasn't really... in a good positive headspace. I was running away, I suppose." While recording the guitar solo that concludes the song, the Edge "put everything into it, all the feeling, all the hurt, all the angst, everything went into that solo." Bono said, "his whole life came out of him when he played... when we went for the take, one string broke and he just kept playing harder and harder. Another string broke. And he has such a light touch, ordinarily, he's so gentle. All that left him for a kind of rage. And yet there's not one bum note in there." Audio engineer Flood said the "bold, unadulterated, naked [guitar solo] sound was a combination of the part, the moment, a good guitar, a small amp, a simple mic. Edge just got an idea, tried it, and it worked straightaway."

Composition and theme.

"Love Is Blindness" runs for 4:23 (4 minutes, 23 seconds). According to Hal Leonard Corporation's sheet music published at Musicnotes.com, it is played in a 6/4 time signature at a tempo of 48 beats per minute in a key of B-flat minor.  The production team gave bassist Adam Clayton's bass a "low end bass throbbing effect", which the Edge described as "a real stroke of genius from the production team." Drummer Larry Mullen, Jr.'s drum pattern was taken from U2's 1987 single "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and slowed down. The lyrics "[mix] up the personal and the political." Bono noted that "There was some reference to the little death, which can be taken to mean a faint during orgasm but also works as an image of terrorism." Quoting the lyric "A little death without mourning / No call and no warning / Baby, a dangerous idea / That almost makes sense", he said, "There's nothing more deadly than an idea – or a person – that's almost right. You know, it took the 20th century a hundred years to get over communism. There's another dangerous idea that almost made sense."  U2 biographer Bill Flanagan credits Bono's habit of keeping his lyrics "in flux until the last minute" with providing a narrative coherence to the album. Flanagan interpreted "Achtung Baby" as using the moon as a metaphor for a dark woman seducing the singer away from his virtuous love, the sun; he is tempted away from domestic life by an exciting nightlife and tests how far he can go before returning home. For Flanagan, the final three songs on "Achtung Baby"—"Ultraviolet (Light My Way)", "Acrobat", and "Love Is Blindness"—are about how the couple deal with the suffering they have forced on each other. "Uncut" contributor Gavin Martin believed the song contained "images of love, debased or abandoned." He wrote, "With its stark, churchlike organ intro, pulsating bass synth and guitar reverb stretched into a hallucinatory squall, it brilliantly describes the discord and dread that provide a constant undertow to "Achtung Baby". And yet, through its alluring sonic palette and wounded but sensual vocal, 'Love Is Blindness' also maps out a search for harmony and salvation".  Author Atara Stein wrote that the song "suggests that love can operate only through a willful self-deception, a voluntary surrender to what one knows is an illusion. The singer begs his lover to 'wrap the night' around him because, as he proclaims, 'I don't want to see.' The singer knows that the image he creates of his loved one is false, but it is the only image that can satisfy him. He must perceive his beloved in idealized terms, so she can reflect back to him the image of himself that he desires to see." Journalist Bill Graham believed the song was a bleak account of a failing romance. "Hot Press" editor Niall Stokes wrote that the song "takes us back – again – to the shadowy world of deceit, infidelity, and betrayal. It depicts love at the end, the very end, of its tether. It is as bleak and as despairing a view of the world as you're likely to get, reflecting the emotional climate in which the entire album had been made." He noted, "In terms of its mood, 'Love Is Blindness' had the dark, sensual and decadent feel of pre-war Berlin", adding that the lyric "Love is blindness / I don't want to see" was "a desolate acknowledgement of the terrible reality that it is sometimes better not to know."

Reception.

"Love Is Blindness" was favourably received by critics. "Uncut" contributor Gavin Martin rated the song five stars, calling it "rapturous and unsettling." "Hot Press" editor Niall Stokes said, "its sentiments made it the perfect conclusion to "Achtung Baby", describing the Edge's playing as "a mournful, ejaculatory guitar solo, stabbing out thick emotional blues notes that linger and then fall away like tears." "Third Way" reviewer Roland Howard described it as "haunting and melodic", believing it to be about the loss of virginity. Music journalist Bill Wyman said the Edge's guitar playing on the song sounded like a "dentist's drill". Jon Pareles of "The New York Times" described it as "a kind of summation", calling it "an elegy that compares love to 'drowning in a deep well' and wishes for it anyway." Geoffrey Himes of "The Washington Post" wrote that it has "a gospel quality, as swooning synth parts are set against block piano chords, and Bono acknowledges that mismatched lovers will suffer their inevitable fate."  Greg Potter of "The Vancouver Sun" believed it to be a "dour closer" that was "riddled with images of self-doubt and uncertainty". A critic for the "Waterloo Region Record" said it was "hardly great U2, but U2 closers have always been anti- climactic." Writing for the "Boston Herald", Romandetta called it a "broken-hearted [lament]" that was "gentle" and "subdued". George Varga of "The San Diego Union-Tribune" said it was one of the most interesting tracks on the albums, calling it a "spare, David Bowie-like [ode] to tormented love". Michael Ross of "The Sunday Times" and James Healy of "The San Diego Union-Tribune" lamented that U2 did not include it on the compilation album "The Best of 1990–2000". The Edge called it "a great end to the album and probably one of Bono's finest lyrics." Bono said, "The bass sounds like liquid at the centre of the earth, a kind of molten lava bass sound." Describing the Edge's guitar playing, he said, "It's incredible."

Live performances.

"Love Is Blindness" debuted on 29 February 1992 in Lakeland, Florida, on the opening night of the Zoo TV Tour, where it closed the concert. It remained in this position throughout the first and second leg of the tour, with only two concerts concluding with an alternate song – "With or Without You". "Love Is Blindness" was not performed on either of those two occasions. Beginning on the third leg of the tour it was followed by a cover of the Elvis Presley song "Can't Help Falling in Love" and, on one occasion, "Are You Lonesome Tonight?". The song was performed at 154 of 157 concerts on the tour, closing 67 of them. On multiple occasions Bono brought a girl from the audience on to the stage to dance with during the song. Following the conclusion of the Zoo TV Tour, "Love Is Blindness" has appeared in concert only twice. The first occasion was on the Elevation Tour; while performing in Calgary, Alberta, on 10 April 2001, Bono sang a few lines from the song at the conclusion of "One". The final appearance was during a Vertigo Tour concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 1 March 2006, when U2 performed the song spontaneously to conclude the concert.  U2 concert historian Pimm Jal de la Parra called the live rendition "sultry, as the screens show a constellation map, giving the crowd a feeling of floating across the universe by the way it moves, transmitting a mood of distance and loneliness that corresponds with the nature of the song." Mark Lepage of "The Gazette" described the dance at the conclusion as "an appropriate moment of human contact after almost two hours of uproar." Julie Romandetta of the "Boston Herald" believed it to be an anticlimatic finish to the concert, calling the song "low-key" and saying "U2 soared for more than 90 minutes, but left with a whimper, instead of a bang." Gary Graff of the "Houston Chronicle" believed it to be a "moody show-closer". Writing for "The Arizona Daily Star", Gene Armstrong called it an "achingly romantic closing tune", describing the Edge's solo as "especially tender".  A live performance of the song appears on "" (1994), and "Zoo TV Live" (2006). The "Zoo TV Live" performance is an audio rip of the performance from "Zoo TV: Live from Sydney". One performance, recorded on 30 August 1992 in New York City, was included as a B-side on some versions of U2's 1994 single "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)". A video for the song, directed by Matt Mahurin, was included on the 1994 VHS single "Numb". It featured the studio recording set to footage of the Zoo TV Tour. An acoustic performance by the Edge appears in the 2011 documentary "From the Sky Down".

Cover versions.

"Love Is Blindness" has been covered several times. Cassandra Wilson included it on her 1995 album "New Moon Daughter". Dutch band Kane recorded a version for their 2000 album "With or Without You". Trespassers William covered it on the 2001 tribute album "Even Better Than the Real Thing", and on their 2002 self-released album "Different Stars". Sixpence None the Richer recorded a cover for the 2004 benefit album "". The Devlins featuring Sharon Corr included a version on the 2005 tsunami relief album "Even Better Than the Real Thing Vol. 3". Angolan musician Waldemar Bastos recorded a cover for the 2008 album "In the Name of Love: Africa Celebrates U2".  A rendition by Jack White appears on the 2011 tribute album "AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered", and as the B-side of his own single, "Sixteen Saltines". It was later released as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of White's "Blunderbuss" album. This cover is also featured on the album "". In March 2015, video director DirectorBrazil and choreographer Zach Venegas released a music video using the Jack White rendition's audio track and starring 13-year-old American dancer Chloe Lukasiak (formerly of Dance Moms reality show), as well as brief appearances by other teenage dancers. The video was filmed in Nov. 2014 in Los Angeles and released as part of the Team Chloe Dance Project on Lukasiak's YouTube channel.  In 2013, Jacquie Lee covered the song on the fifth season of "The Voice". Madi Davis subsequently covered it on the show's ninth season.  In 2016, singer Lee-La Baum (of the band The Damn Truth) covered the song for a television commercial for Yves Saint Laurent's Mon Paris.

Personnel.

U2  Additional performers  Technical

References.

Footnotes Bibliography

"Love Is Blindness" is a song by rock band U2, and the twelfth and final track on their 1991 album "Achtung Baby". The song was written on piano by lead singer Bono during the recording sessions for U2's 1988 album "Rattle and Hum". Originally intending to give the song to singer Nina Simone, the band decided to keep it for "Achtung Baby" after playing it together. Thematically, the song describes a failing romance, mixing personal themes with imagery of metaphorical acts of terrorism. During the recording sessions for "Achtung Baby", guitarist the Edge separated from his wife, Aislinn O'Sullivan. The separation had a major effect on the development of the song; Bono said that the ending guitar solo was a cathartic experience for the Edge, as he snapped several guitar strings during the recording.

Love Is Blindness est une chanson du groupe irlandais U2, extrait de l'album "Achtung Baby", sortie en 1991. Balade de genre rock alternatif, c'est la douzième et dernière piste de ce disque. Selon The Edge, « elle termine l'album superbement et c'est sans doute l'une des meilleures chansons de Bono. » "Love Is Blindness" conclut tous les concerts de la première partie du "Zoo TV Tour" aux Etats-Unis et en Europe en 1992. Elle a été reprise par Jack White en 2011.


Anatomy.

Left and right angular gyri are connected by the dorsal splenium and isthmus of the corpus callosum. Both gyri lie between the four lobes.

Function.

The angular gyrus is the part of the brain associated with complex language functions (i.e. reading, writing and interpretation of what is written). Lesion to this part of the brain shows symptoms of the Gerstmann syndrome: effects include finger agnosia, alexia (inability to read), acalculia (inability to use arithmetic operations), agraphia (inability to copy), and left-right confusion.

Language.

Geschwind proposed that written word is translated to internal monologue via the angular gyrus.  V. S. Ramachandran, and Edward Hubbard published a paper in 2003 in which they speculated that the angular gyrus is at least partially responsible for understanding metaphors. They stated:There may be neurological disorders that disturb metaphor and synaesthesia. This has not been studied in detail but we have seen disturbances in the Bouba/Kiki effect (Ramachandran & Hubbard, 2001a) as well as with proverbs in patients with angular gyrus lesions. It would be interesting to see whether they have deficits in other types of synaesthetic metaphor, e.g.'sharp cheese' or 'loud shirt'. There are also hints that patients with right hemisphere lesions show problems with metaphor. It is possible that their deficits are mainly with spatial metaphors, such as 'He stepped down as director'.  The fact that the angular gyrus is proportionately much larger in hominids than other primates, and its strategic location at the crossroads of areas specialized for processing touch, hearing and vision, leads Ramachandran to believe that it is critical both to conceptual metaphors and to cross-modal abstractions more generally. However, recent research challenges this theory.  Research by Krish Sathian (Emory University) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) suggests that the angular gyrus does not play a role in creating conceptual metaphors. Sathian theorizes that conceptual metaphors activate the texture-selective somatosensory cortex in the parietal operculum.  Brownsett and Wise highlight the role of the left angular gyrus in both speaking and writing.

Arithmetic and spatial cognition.

Since 1919, brain injuries to the angular gyrus have been known to often cause arithmetic deficits. Functional imaging has shown that while other parts of the parietal lobe bilaterally are involved in approximate calculations due to its link with spatiovisual abilities, the left angular gyrus together with left Inferior frontal gyrus are involved in exact calculation due to verbal arithmetic fact retrieval. When activation in the left angular gyrus is greater, a person's arithmetic skills are also more competent.

Attention.

The right angular gyrus has been associated with spatiovisual attention toward salient features. It may allocate attention by employing a bottom-up strategy which draws on the area's ability to attend to retrieved memories. For example, the angular gyrus plays a critical role in distinguishing left from right, by integrating conceptual understanding of the language term "left" or "right" with its location in space. Furthermore, the angular gyrus has been associated with orienting in three dimensional space, not because it interprets space, but because it may control attention shifts in space.

Other functions.

Default mode network.

The angular gyrus is part of the default mode network, a network of brain regions activated during multi-modal activities that are independent of external stimuli.

Awareness.

The angular gyrus reacts differently to intended and consequential movement. This suggests that the angular gyrus monitors the self's intended movements, and uses the added information to compute differently as it does for consequential movements. By recording the discrepancy, the angular gyrus maintains an awareness of the self.

Memory retrieval.

Activation of the angular gyrus shows that not only does it mediate memory retrieval, but also it notes contradictions between what is expected from the retrieval, and what is unusual. The angular gyrus can access both content and episodic memories and is useful in inferring from these the intentions of human characters. Furthermore, the angular gyrus may use a feedback strategy to ascertain whether a retrieval is expected or unusual.

Out-of-body experiences.

Recent experiments have demonstrated the possibility that stimulation of the right angular gyrus is the cause of out-of-body experiences. Stimulation of the left angular gyrus in one experiment caused a woman to perceive a shadowy person lurking behind her. The shadowy figure is actually a perceived double of the self. Another such experiment gave the test subject the sensation of being on the ceiling. This is attributed to a discrepancy in the actual position of the body, and the mind's perceived location of the body.

Clinical significance.

Damage to the angular gyrus manifests as Gerstmann syndrome. Damage may impair one or more of the below functions.

The angular gyrus is a region of the brain lying mainly in the anterolateral region of parietal lobe, that lies near the superior edge of the temporal lobe, and immediately posterior to the supramarginal gyrus. Its significance is in transferring visual information to Wernicke's area, in order to make meaning out of visually perceived words. It is also involved in a number of processes related to language, number processing and spatial cognition, memory retrieval, attention, and theory of mind. It is Brodmann area 39 of the human brain.

Le gyrus angulaire est un gyrus du lobe pariétal du cortex cérébral. Il est situé à l'intérieur du lobule pariétal inférieur, en position postérieure par rapport au gyrus supramarginal.


Construction.

The bridge has a single span of approximately and was revolutionary for its time, in that it used an extremely slender arch which was not possible using traditional masonry construction. The ironwork was cast at the Plas Kynaston iron foundry at Cefn Mawr, near Ruabon in Denbighshire by William Hazledine, who cast a number of Telford bridges. The ironwork was transported from the foundry through the Ellesmere Canal and Pontcysyllte Aqueduct then by sea to Speymouth, where it was loaded onto wagons and taken to the site. Testing in the 1960s revealed that the cast-iron had an unusually high tensile strength. This was probably specified by Telford because, unlike in traditional masonry arch bridges, some sections of the arch are not in compression under loading.  At each end of the structure there are two high masonry mock-medieval towers, featuring arrow slits and miniature crenellated battlements.

History.

The bridge was in regular use until 1963, when it was closed for a major refurbishment. A plaque records the completion of this work in 1964. The side railings and spandrel members were replaced with new ironwork fabricated to match the originals. A 14 ton restriction was placed on the bridge at this point. This, along with the fact that the road to the north of the bridge takes a sharp right-angled turn to avoid a rock face, made it unsuitable for modern vehicles. Despite this, it carried foot and vehicle traffic across the River Spey until 1972, when its function was replaced by a reinforced concrete beam bridge built by Sir William Arrol & Co. which opened in 1970 and carries the A941 road today. Telford's bridge remains in good condition, and is still open to pedestrians and cyclists. The bridge has been given Category A listed status by Historic Scotland and has been designated a civil engineering landmark by the Institution of Civil Engineers and American Society of Civil Engineers.  In 1994, it hosted a parade upon the amalgamation of The Gordon Highlanders and The Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons) to form The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons). A plaque has been fitted to the bridge parapet to commemorate this.  Moray Council maintain the bridge, but it is not known who owns it. In November 2017 efforts were started to discover the owner.

Usage in media.

The bridge inspired Scottish composer William Marshall to write the popular Strathspey dance in 1814.  The bridge was commemorated on a Royal Mail postage stamp in 2015.  It also features in the artwork and logos of Spey Valley Brewery who brew an 1814 lager in commemoration of the bridge.

Craigellachie Bridge is a cast iron arch bridge across the River Spey at Craigellachie, near to the village of Aberlour in Moray, Scotland. It was designed by the renowned civil engineer Thomas Telford and built from 1812 to 1814. It is a Category A listed structure.

Le pont de Craigellachie (' en anglais) est un pont en arc en fonte situé à Craigellachie près du village d'Aberlour dans le Moray en Écosse. Il a été conçu par l'ingénieur civil Thomas Telford et construit de à. Ce pont était révolutionnaire pour son époque, puisque formé d'une seule travée de, avec une arche extrêmement élancée et ne faisant pas appel à la maçonnerie traditionnelle. Restauré en 1964, il constitue un monument classé en catégorie A depuis et est reconnu comme « monument du génie civil » par lInstitution of Civil Engineers".


Background.

The two teams were victorious in the NL Division Series (NLDS), with the Cubs defeating the East Division champion Atlanta Braves three games to two, and the Marlins defeating the West Division champion San Francisco Giants three games to one.  The series is most remembered for events that unfolded in the top of the eighth inning of Game 6. Not having won a championship since 1908, the Cubs had just taken two out of the three games in Miami, with the final two games at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Cubs also had their best two pitchers, Mark Prior and Kerry Wood, slated to start the final two games. With the Cubs leading 3–0 and just five outs away from their first World Series since, Steve Bartman, a fan, reached for the foul ball hit by Luis Castillo off Prior, preventing Cubs outfielder Moisés Alou from catching it. Castillo proceeded to walk and Prior and the Cubs never recovered from the incident. Aided by Castillo's walk and later an error by Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez on a potential double-play grounder, the Marlins went on to score eight runs in the inning and won the game 8–3. There were some odd events leading up to the disastrous 8th inning that many Cubs fans call bad omens of The Curse of the Billy Goat, which most notably include Bernie Mac altering "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" from "root for the Cubbies" to "root for the champs." The Marlins went on to win Game 7 and then to defeat the New York Yankees in the World Series.  Chicago manager Dusty Baker, who won the NL pennant in 2002 with the San Francisco Giants, fell short in his bid to become the first manager ever to take two different teams to the World Series in consecutive years.

Game summaries.

Game 1.

Tuesday, October 7, 2003 at Wrigley Field in Chicago The Cubs struck first in Game 1 with a four-run first inning off of Josh Beckett. Kenny Lofton drew a leadoff walk before scoring on Mark Grudzielanek's triple. One out later, Moisés Alou's home run made it 3−0. Aramis Ramírez then tripled before scoring on Alex Gonzalez's two-out double. The Marlins battered starter Carlos Zambrano with five runs in the third. Juan Pierre tripled with one out, then Luis Castillo walked before Iván Rodríguez's home run made it 4−3 Cubs. After Derrek Lee struck out, home runs by Miguel Cabrera and Juan Encarnación put the Marlins up 5−4. They made it 6−4 in the sixth on Jeff Conine's sacrifice fly with runners on second and third, but the Cubs tied it in the bottom of the inning on Gonzalez's home run after Randall Simon doubled with two outs. The Marlins loaded the bases in the ninth off of Joe Borowski on a double, walk and Grudzielanek's error before Rodriguez's single scored two, but the Cubs tied it in the bottom of the inning on Sammy Sosa's two-run home run off of Ugueth Urbina, forcing extra innings. Mike Lowell's leadoff home run in the 11th put the Marlins up 9−8 and Braden Looper retired the Cubs in order in the bottom half to give Florida a 1−0 series lead.

Game 2.

Wednesday, October 8, 2003 at Wrigley Field in Chicago In Game 2, the Cubs loaded the bases in the first on a hit and two walks off of Brad Penny when Randall Simon brought home two with a single to left. Next inning, Paul Bako hit a leadoff single, moved to score on a groundout, and scored on Kenny Lofton's single. One out later, Sammy Sosa homered to make it 5−0; his home run ball landed on top of a camera house in center field, some from home plate. Next inning, Aramis Ramírez hit a leadoff home run and after Simon doubled, Penny was relieved by Nate Bump, who got Alex Gonzalez to hit into a force out, but then allowed an RBI double to Bako. One out later, Lofton's RBI single made it 8−0 Cubs. In the fifth, Rick Helling allowed a leadoff double to Simon, then Gonzalez homered an out later to make it 10−0. Bako then walked, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, then to third on Lofton's single before scoring on Mark Grudzielanek's double. Mark Prior pitched five shutout innings before allowing lead off home runs to Derrek Lee and Miguel Cabrera in the sixth. Gonzalez hit his second home run of the game in the bottom of the inning. The Marlins scored one run in the eighth on a bases-loaded double play from Juan Encarnación off of Dave Veres as the Cubs' 12−3 blowout win tied the series heading to Florida.

Game 3.

Friday, October 10, 2003 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida Another back-and-forth affair, similar to Game 1, pitted Florida's Mark Redman against Chicago's ace Kerry Wood at Pro Player Stadium.  The Cubs jumped on top in the first inning, as they had done in the previous two games. Sammy Sosa drove in Kenny Lofton with a single. The Cubs plated another run in the second, when a single and a pair of walks were followed by a sacrifice fly by Wood. The Marlins got a run back in their half of the second when Alex Gonzalez doubled in Miguel Cabrera with two outs.  Other than the Marlins leaving the bases loaded in the fifth, Wood rolled through the middle innings. Redman, too, held strong until he was pinch-hit for in the seventh.  In the bottom of the 7th, the Marlins finally broke through. Gonzalez led off with a single, followed by a Mike Lowell walk. They were both sacrificed to second and third, and then Gonzalez scored the tying run on an RBI groundout by Luis Castillo. With two outs and Lowell at third, Iván Rodríguez singled through the right side to give Florida the lead and knocked Wood from the game, but the next inning, Randall Simon followed up a Tom Goodwin triple with a home run into the right-field stands off reliever Chad Fox. The Cubs had retaken the lead 4-3.  The Marlins tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth against Kyle Farnsworth when Todd Hollandsworth grounded a hit through the left side of the infield to score Cabrera. Florida, however, stranded the bases loaded in the ninth and the game went into extra innings.  In the top of the 11th, Lofton singled with one out. Then the sparingly used Doug Glanville turned out to be the hero when he smoked a triple into the left-center field gap to drive in Lofton with the go-ahead run. Mike Remlinger retired the Marlins in the bottom half of the 11th to secure the 5-4 victory.  Down 2 games to 1, the defeat was a blow to the Marlins, who squandered several chances with runners in scoring position.

Game 4.

Saturday, October 11, 2003 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida Aramis Ramírez hit a first inning grand-slam, the first in Cubs postseason history, after Dontrelle Willis allowed three walks. They added to their lead in the third when Ramírez hit a single to right with two on. After a walk loaded the bases, Willis was relieved by Rick Helling, who allowed an RBI single to Alex Gonzalez. Next inning, Kenny Lofton drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Moisés Alou's two-out single. Matt Clement pitched four shutout innings before allowing singles to Miguel Cabrera and Jeff Conine in the fifth. Alex Gonzalez's ground out and Todd Hollandsworth's single scored a run each. Ramírez hit his second home run of the game off of Nate Bump in the seventh. The Marlins scored their last run in the eighth when Lenny Harris drew a leadoff walk and scored on Iván Rodríguez's double off of Kyle Farnsworth. The Cubs cruised to an 8–3 victory, putting them just one victory away from their first World Series in nearly 60 years. This 2003 victory turned out to be the last playoff game won by the Cubs for twelve years, a span of 9 consecutive losses until finally winning the National League Wild Card Game in 2015, as well as their last win in the NLCS until 2016.

Game 5.

Sunday, October 12, 2003 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida  With the Marlins facing elimination, Josh Beckett kept them alive by dominating the Cubs, holding them to just two hits and one walk as part of his standout 2003 postseason. The game was scoreless until the fifth inning when Mike Lowell hit a two-run homer off of Carlos Zambrano. Iván Rodríguez and Jeff Conine homered in the seventh and eighth innings off of Dave Veres and Mike Remlinger, respectively. Even with the loss, the Cubs looked strong going back home with their two aces, Mark Prior for Game 6 and Kerry Wood, if necessary, to start Game 7.

Game 6.

Tuesday, October 14, 2003 at Wrigley Field in Chicago In Game 6, the Cubs struck first when Kenny Lofton singled to lead off the first off of Carl Pavano and scored on Sammy Sosa's one-out double. In the sixth, after two leadoff single and a double play put Sosa at third off of Pavano, reliever Dontrelle Willis's ball four wild pitch to Eric Karros allowed Sosa to score. Next inning, Paul Bako hit a leadoff single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. After a strikeout, Willis was relieved by Chad Fox, who allowed an RBI single to Mark Grudzielanek.  With thousands of fans on the street outside sold-out Wrigley Field, poised to celebrate, the Cubs held a 3–0 lead going into the top of the eighth inning of Game 6. After Mike Mordecai hit a high pop fly to left field, the team was a mere five outs away from their first World Series since 1945.  Mark Prior had retired the last eight hitters and had allowed only three hits up to that point. Center fielder Juan Pierre then hit a double off Prior.  On the eighth pitch of his at bat, Luis Castillo hit a high foul ball toward the left field wall. Cubs left fielder Moisés Alou (a former Marlin) headed toward the stands to catch the ball for the potential second out. As Alou reached for the ball, Cubs fan Steve Bartman, along with others near the area, did the same. The ball bounced off Bartman's hands and into the stands. Though the Cubs pleaded for a call of fan interference, left field umpire Mike Everitt ruled that the ball had left the field of play and was therefore up for grabs. Alou, who was visibly angry at Bartman's catch, initially acknowledged that he would not have made the catch, but he later denied making such a statement and said if he had, it was only to make Bartman feel better.  As a result, Castillo remained an active batter at home plate. On the next pitch, Prior walked Castillo with a wild pitch that got away from catcher Paul Bako, also allowing Pierre to advance to third base.  Next, Iván Rodríguez hit an 0–2 pitch hard into left field, singling and scoring Pierre. Miguel Cabrera then hit a ground ball toward Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez that could have ended the inning on a double play. Gonzalez, who led all NL shortstops in fielding percentage, closed his glove too early and the ball landed in the dirt, allowing Cabrera to reach safely, loading the bases. On the next pitch, Derrek Lee (a future Cubs All-Star) drilled a double into left field, scoring Castillo and Rodríguez to tie the score at 3–3.  Prior was taken out of the game and replaced by Kyle Farnsworth, who intentionally walked Mike Lowell to load the bases. Jeff Conine then hit a sacrifice fly to right field for the second out of the inning, allowing Cabrera to score from third and the other runners to each advance one base. This gave the Marlins their first lead of the night. Farnsworth intentionally walked Todd Hollandsworth (another future Cub) to once again load the bases.  The Marlins now having batted around the order, Mordecai, making up for his earlier out, hit a base-clearing double to left-center field, scoring Lee, Lowell and Hollandsworth and making it a 7–3 Marlins lead.  Farnsworth was taken out of the game and replaced by Mike Remlinger, who gave up a single to Pierre to score Mordecai from second base. Castillo popped to shallow right field for the final out of an 8-run inning. The comeback victory by the Marlins forced a Game 7.

Game 7.

Wednesday, October 15, 2003 at Wrigley Field in Chicago In Game 7, Juan Pierre tripled to lead off the first, then Iván Rodríguez walked with one out before Miguel Cabrera's home run made it 3–0 Marlins against Cubs ace Kerry Wood, who had not lost at Wrigley Field in nearly six weeks. The Cubs responded by tying the score 3–3 in the second inning off of Mark Redman, which featured a two-run home run by Wood after Damian Miller hit into an RBI groundout with runners on second and third. Moisés Alou's two-run homer after a hit-by-pitch the following inning put Chicago up 5–3, but the lead would not last. In the fifth, Florida capitalized on a pair of walks and scored three runs on Rodriguez's double, Cabrera's groundout and Derrek Lee's single to go on top 6–5, a lead they would not relinquish. They added a run in the sixth on Luis Castillo's single with two on off of Kyle Farnsworth and two more in the seventh on Alex Gonzalez's double with two on off of Dave Veres to expand their lead to 9–5. Cubs pinch-hitter Troy O'Leary hit a home run in the seventh off of Josh Beckett, making the score 9–6. After the Cubs were retired in order in the eighth, Florida closer Ugueth Urbina hit Aramis Ramírez with a pitch to lead off the ninth inning, but proceeded to retire the following three batters, giving the Marlins their second National League pennant in their 11-year existence, while leaving the Cubs once again empty-handed.

Composite box.

2003 NLCS (4–3): Florida Marlins over Chicago Cubs

The 2003 National League Championship Series (NLCS) was a Major League Baseball playoff series played from October 7 to 15 to determine the champion of the National League, between the Central Division champion Chicago Cubs and the wild-card qualifying Florida Marlins. The Cubs, by virtue of being a division winner, had the home field advantage. The Marlins came back from a three games to one deficit and won the series in seven games, advancing to the World Series against the New York Yankees, whom they defeated in six games.

La Série de championnat de la Ligue nationale de baseball 2003 était la série finale de la Ligue nationale de baseball, dont l'issue a déterminé le représentant de cette ligue à la Série mondiale 2003, la grande finale des Ligues majeures.


Toe rings in India.

The wearing of toe rings has been practised in India since ancient times. In the Ramayana, there is a mention of Sita, on being abducted by Ravana, throwing her toe ring down so that lord Rama could find her. Toe rings worn by a woman signify that she is married. In many different Indian cultures, the husband puts the toe rings on the second toe of both of the wife's feet during the wedding ceremony. It is worn as a symbol of the married state by Hindu women and is called "bichiya" (pronounced: bee-chee-ya) in Hindi, "minji" (മിഞ്ചി) in Malayalam "jodavi" (जोडवी) in Marathi, "Mettelu" (మెట్టెలు) in Telugu, "Angot" (আঙট/আংট্; pronounced: aa-nng-ot) in Bengali, "Metti"/"Kanaiyazhi" in Tamil (மெட்டி/கணையாழி), "Kaalungura" (ಕಾಲುಂಗುರಗಳು) in Kannada.  Toe rings in India are usually made of silver and worn in pairs (unlike in Western countries, where they are worn singly or in unmatched pairs) on the second toe of both feet. Traditionally they are quite ornate, though more contemporary designs are now being developed to cater to the modern bride. Some 'bichiya sets' may have pairs for four of the five toes, excluding the little pinky. 'Bichiyas' may not be made of gold, as gold holds a'respected' status and may not be worn below the waist by Hindus, but this is not followed very strictly and toe rings made of gold and diamonds are commonly seen. These rings are put on the toes and never removed. The rings show that the woman is married.  Toe rings have other associated benefits according to Ayurveda. Toe rings have been indicated to be worn to regulate the menstrual cycle, and thus increase the chances of conception, as the slight pressure on the second toe ensures a healthy uterus. Some cultures also say that the pressure felt on the second toe helps to ease pain during intercourse. Unmarried Hindu girls may put toe rings on the third toe to help ease menstrual pain.  Toe rings are also worn by men in Tamil culture, usually in a simpler design for comfort. The practice of Tamil men wearing toe rings/Metti had a use in ancient times when people used to walk around barefoot. The toe ring was a way for women to identify married men as it was the norm for women to look down when walking.  In the 19th century mirror rings (i.e. rings with a small used mirror placed on them) were sometimes worn on the great toe assumed to be for decorative purposes. Nowadays toe rings are available in rubber and non-precious metals and are used for decorative purposes. Traditionally a large ring was worn on the great toe of the left foot to indicate a married status. Some men frequently wore a ring on the big toe for curative purposes or to augment their masculine vigor. These rings were seldom closed circles but open hoops so that they could easily be removed.

Toe rings in USA.

Toe rings were introduced to the United States by "Marjorie Borell" who, after returning from India began manufacturing and selling them in New York in 1973. Her first retail outlet was Fiorucci, a trendy fashion retailer located on 59th Street in New York. The ""Original Toe Ring Boutique"" sold toe rings in silver, gold and with diamonds. She eventually sold them in Bloomingdale's and many other retail outlets but because her designs could not be patented, she moved on to other ventures but retains the title of Toe Ring Lady to this day.  In the USA, toe rings are worn by men and women alike. There is no particular significance of wearing a toe ring, but more of a fashion jewelry statement.  Toe rings can be found at many state fair booths and beach town shops around the country. Small boutiques in popular tourist locations often offer personal fittings of fitted rings, which can be worn year round. Often the rings are fitted by spraying Windex on the toe, then sliding them on for a tight fit.  Celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston and most recently, Julia Roberts, star of the classic movie, Pretty Woman, have been seen wearing toe rings on the red carpet.

A toe ring is a ring made out of metals and non-metals worn on any of the toes. The second toe of either foot is where they are worn most commonly. This is because proportionately it is the longest toe and thus the easiest toe to put a ring on and stay without being connected to anything else. In most western countries they are a relatively new fashion accessory, and typically have no symbolic meaning. They are usually worn with barefoot sandals, anklets, bare feet or flip flops.

Une bague d'orteil est une bague fabriquée à base de métaux variés porté sur n'importe quel orteils. De manière générale, une bague d'orteil est souvent portée sur le second orteil en partant du pouce. Certains pays considèrent ce type de bague comme une mode, alors que d'autres, telle l'Inde, comme une tradition. Il n'y a aucune signification symbolique dans le port d'une bague d'orteil. Elle est souvent associée au port de tongs, sandales ou autre type de chaussure libre.


Game summaries.

Game 1.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005 at Busch Stadium (II) in St. Louis, Missouri  The Cardinals struck first in Game 1 when David Eckstein hit a leadoff single in the first off of starter Andy Pettitte, who was struck by a batted ball during batting practice but made the start as scheduled, then Reggie Sanders's home run two outs later put them up 2−0. Mark Grudzielanek singled to lead off the second, moved to third on Abraham Nunez's single one out later, and scored on Chris Carpenter's sacrifice bunt. In the fifth, Nunez again hit a leadoff single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on Eckstein's single with Eckstein reaching second on right fielder Jason Lane's throw to home. One out later, Albert Pujols's RBI single made it 5−0 Cardinals. Carpenter pitched six shutout innings before pinch hitter Chris Burke's two-run home run put the Astros on the board in the seventh. Brad Ausmus's sacrifice fly in the ninth off of Jason Isringhausen made it 5−3 Cardinals before pinch hitter Jose Vizcaino grounded out to end the game as the Cardinals went up 1−0 in the series.

Game 2.

Thursday, October 13, 2005 at Busch Stadium (II) in St. Louis, Missouri The Astros struck first in Game 2 when Chris Burke tripled with one out in the second and scored on a passed ball by starter Mark Mulder. In the fifth, Brad Ausmus hit a leadoff double, moved to third on Roy Oswalt's sacrifice bunt and scored on Craig Biggio's ground out. Albert Pujols's leadoff home run off of Oswalt in the sixth put the Cardinals on the board, but they would get nothing more. The Astros scored two insurance runs in the eighth off of Julián Tavárez on Chris Burke's RBI single that scored Lance Berkman from third. followed by Adam Everett's RBI triple. Brad Lidge pitched two shutout innings for the save as the Astros' 4−1 win tied the series at 1−1 heading to Houston.

Game 3.

Saturday, October 15, 2005 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas In Game 3, Cardinals' starter Matt Morris pitched three shutout innings before walking Morgan Ensberg to lead off the fourth, then Mike Lamb's home run put the Astros up 2−0. In the fifth, the Astros' Roger Clemens allowed back-to-back leadoff singles to Yadier Molina and Abraham Nunez. Morris's sacrifice bunt moved them up one base each before David Eckstein's sacrifice fly put the Cardinals on the board. Clemens again allowed back-to-back leadoff singles next inning to Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds before Larry Walker's sacrifice fly tied the game. In the bottom of the inning, Lamb hit a one-out double and scored on Jason Lane's single. After Brad Ausmus singled, Brad Thompson relieved Morris and Adam Everett hit into a fielder's choice that allowed Lane to score to put the Astros up 4−2. Chad Qualls pitched two hitless innings before Brad Lidge retired the first two batters in the ninth and walked John Rodriguez. Rodriguez then moved to second on defensive indifference before scoring on John Mabry's double. This is the first run Lidge allowed against the Cardinals since May 29, 2003, but held on for the save to give the Astros a 2–1 series lead. It was Clemens' twelfth career postseason win, fifth in League Championship Series games.

Game 4.

Sunday, October 16, 2005 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas Brandon Backe provided a strong outing, and the Astro bullpen continued its strong performance. The Cardinals struck first in the fourth when David Eckstein drew a leadoff walk, moved to third on Jim Edmonds's double, and scored on Albert Pujols's sacrifice fly, but the Astros tied in the bottom of the inning on Jason Lane's home run off of Jeff Suppan. The Astros loaded the bases in the seventh off of Jason Marquis on two walks and an error when Morgan Ensberg's sacrifice fly put them up 2−1. Tony La Russa and Jim Edmonds were both ejected for arguing balls and strikes on separate instances—LaRussa in the bottom of the seventh, Edmonds in the top of the eighth, at a key moment. Edmonds's ejection came with a 3–2 count, two outs, and a runner on base. Edmonds was replaced by pinch hitter John Rodríguez, who flied out to deep center field to end the scoring threat. The Cardinals once again had an opportunity to tie the game or take the lead in the ninth inning against closer Brad Lidge. Albert Pujols and Larry Walker led off the inning with back-to-back singles, putting runners at first and third base with no outs. Reggie Sanders grounded to third; Pujols went home on contact and was thrown out at the plate. Larry Walker advanced to third when the Astros failed to call timeout after the play at the plate. John Mabry ended the threat by grounding into a double play. La Russa's ejection marked the first time a manager was ejected from a postseason game since 1998, when Mike Hargrove was thrown out of a game between his Cleveland Indians and the New York Yankees. Houston was one game away from the franchise's first visit to the World Series after a 2–1 Game 4 win.

Game 5.

Monday, October 17, 2005 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas The Astros struck first in Game 5 on Craig Biggio's RBI single in the second off of starter Chris Carpenter, but the Cardinals loaded the bases on two hits and a walk off of Andy Pettitte when Mark Grudzielanek's two-run single put them up 2–1. Lance Berkman gave excited Astros fans a 4–2 lead with one swing on a pitch from Carpenter in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Astros were one strike away from claiming their first NL Pennant and trip to the Fall Classic before David Eckstein singled with no one on base, Jim Edmonds walked, and Albert Pujols hit a dramatic, towering three-run home run off Astros closer Brad Lidge that bounced off the side of the closed Minute Maid Park roof before landing on the railroad tracks in left field, stunning the crowd into silence. The home run gave the Cardinals a 5–4 lead in the top of the ninth inning. Jason Isringhausen retired the Astros in order in the bottom of the inning. The Cardinals guaranteed that another game would be played at historic Busch Stadium (II). The win also broke the Cardinals' seven-game losing streak in road NLCS games. The Astros' lead was trimmed from two games to one in the series.

Game 6.

Wednesday, October 19, 2005 at Busch Stadium (II) in St. Louis, Missouri The Astros shook off the effects of their Game 5 loss, and rolled to win their first National League pennant in 44 seasons of existence with a decisive 5–1 win over the Cardinals. The Astros scored a run in the third when the Cardinals' Mark Mulder threw a wild pitch to Craig Biggio with runners on second and third, then Biggio's RBI single scored another. Jason Lane's home run in the fourth put them up 3−0. Roy Oswalt pitched seven strong innings, allowing only a sacrifice fly to John Rodriguez in the fifth. The Astros scored one run in the sixth on Adam Everett's sacrifice bunt off of Jason Marquis and another in the seventh on Morgan Ensberg's RBI single off of Julián Tavárez. This was the final game at Busch Stadium (II). This would also be the Astros' last postseason win as a member of the NL, as they would get swept in the World Series, move to the AL in 2013, and would not win another postseason game until the 2015 American League Wild Card Game.  Roy Oswalt was named the series MVP. In two starts, he went 2–0 with a 1.29 ERA in fourteen innings.

Composite box.

2005 NLCS (4–2): Houston Astros over St. Louis Cardinals

The 2005 National League Championship Series (NLCS), the second round of the 2005 National League playoffs, matched the Central Division champion and defending league champion St. Louis Cardinals against the wild card qualifier Houston Astros, a rematch of the 2004 NLCS. The Cardinals, by virtue of having the best record in the NL during the 2005 season, had the home-field advantage. The Astros won the series four games to two, and became the National League champions; they faced the American League champion Chicago White Sox in the 2005 World Series, where the Astros lost to the White Sox in a sweep in four games.

La Série de championnat de la Ligue nationale de baseball 2005 était la série finale de la Ligue nationale de baseball, dont l'issue a déterminé le représentant de cette ligue à la Série mondiale 2005, la grande finale des Ligues majeures.