Botany, plant science(s), or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Botany covers a wide range of scientific disciplines including structure, growth, reproduction, metabolism, development, diseases, chemical properties, and evolutionary relationships among taxonomic groups. Botany began with early human efforts to identify edible, medicinal and poisonous plants, making it one of the oldest sciences. Today botanists study over 550,000 species of living organisms.

The term "botany" comes from Greek βοτάνη, meaning "pasture, grass, fodder", perhaps via the idea of a livestock keeper needing to know which plants are safe for livestock to eat.

Scope and importance of botany

left|thumb|HibiscusAs with other life forms in biology, plant life can be studied from different perspectives, from the molecular, genetic and biochemical level through organelles, cells, tissues, organs, individuals, plant populations, and communities of plants. At each of these levels a botanist might be concerned with the classification (taxonomy), structure (anatomy and morphology), or function (physiology) of plant life.

Historically all living things were grouped as animals or plants, and botany covered all organisms not considered animals. Some organisms included in the field of botany are no longer considered to belong to the plant kingdom – these include bacteria (studied in bacteriology), fungi (mycology) including lichen-forming fungi (lichenology), non-chlorophyte algae (phycology) and viruses (virology). However, attention is still given to these groups by botanists, and fungi (including lichens), and photosynthetic protists are usually covered in introductory botany courses.

The study of plants is vital because they are a fundamental part of life on Earth, which generates the oxygen, food, fibres, fuel and medicine that allow humans and other life forms to exist. Through photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that in large amounts can affect global climate. Additionally, they prevent soil erosion and are influential in the water cycle. A good understanding of plants is crucial to the future of human societies as it allows us to:

Produce food to feed an expanding population

Understand fundamental life processes

Produce medicine and materials to treat diseases and other ailments

Understand environmental changes more clearly

Paleobotanists study ancient plants in the fossil record. It is believed that early in the Earth's history, the evolution of photosynthetic plants altered the global atmosphere of the earth, changing the ancient atmosphere by oxidation.

Human nutrition

Virtually all foods eaten come from plants, either directly from staple foods and other fruit and vegetables, or indirectly through livestock or other animals, which rely on plants for their nutrition. Plants are the fundamental base of nearly all food chains because they use the energy from the sun and nutrients from the soil and atmosphere, converting them into a form that can be consumed and utilized by animals; this is what ecologists call the first trophic level. Botanists also study how plants produce food we can eat and how to increase yields and therefore their work is important in mankind's ability to feed the world and provide food security for future generations, for example, through plant breeding. Botanists also study weeds, plants which are considered to be a nuisance in a particular location. Weeds are a considerable problem in agriculture, and botany provides some of the basic science used to understand how to minimize 'weed' impact in agriculture and native ecosystems. Ethnobotany is the study of the relationships between plants and people, and when this kind of study is turned to the investigation of plant-people relationships in past times, it is referred to as archaeobotany or paleoethnobotany.

Fundamental life processes

Plants are convenient organisms in which fundamental life processes (like cell division and protein synthesis) can be studied, without the ethical dilemmas of studying animals or humans. The genetic laws of inheritance were discovered in this way by Gregor Mendel, who was studying the way pea shape and other traits are inherited. What Mendel learned from studying plants has had far reaching benefits outside of botany. Additionally, Barbara McClintock discovered 'jumping genes' by studying maize. These are a few examples that demonstrate how botanical research has an ongoing relevance to the understanding of fundamental biological processes.

Medicine and materials

Many medicinal and recreational drugs, like tetrahydrocannabinol, caffeine, and nicotine come directly from the plant kingdom. Others are simple derivatives of botanical natural products; for example, aspirin is based on the pain killer salicylic acid which originally came from the bark of willow trees. As well, the narcotic analgesics such as morphine are derived from the opium poppy. There may be many novel cures for diseases provided by plants, waiting to be discovered. Popular stimulants like coffee, chocolate, tobacco, and tea also come from plants. Most alcoholic beverages come from fermenting plants such as barley (beer), rice (sake) and grapes (wine).

Plants also provide us with many natural materials, such as hemp, cotton, wood, paper, linen, vegetable oils, some types of rope, and rubber. The production of silk would not be possible without the cultivation of the mulberry plant. Sugarcane, rapeseed, soy and other plants with a highly fermentable sugar or oil content have recently been put to use as sources of biofuels, which are important alternatives to fossil fuels (see biodiesel).

Environmental changes

Plants can also help us understand changes in on our environment in many ways.

Understanding habitat destruction and species extinction is dependent on an accurate and complete catalog of plant systematics and taxonomy.

Plant responses to ultraviolet radiation can help us monitor problems like ozone depletion.

Analyzing pollen deposited by plants thousands or millions of years ago can help scientists to reconstruct past climates and predict future ones, an essential part of climate change research.

Recording and analyzing the timing of plant life cycles are important parts of phenology used in climate-change research.

In many different ways, plants can act a little like the 'miners' canary', an early warning system alerting us to important changes in our environment. In addition to these practical and scientific reasons, plants are extremely valuable as recreation for millions of people who enjoy gardening, horticultural and culinary uses of plants every day.

History

Early botany

The History of botany begins with ancient writings on, and classifications of, plants. Such writings are found in several early cultures. Examples of early botanical works have been found in Ancient Indian sacred texts, ancient Zoroastrian writings, and Ancient Chinese works.

The Greco-Roman world produced a number of botanical works including the Historia Plantarum and De Materia Medica.

Works from the medieval Muslim world included Ibn Wahshiyya's Nabatean Agriculture, Abū Ḥanīfa Dīnawarī's (828-896) the ''Book of Plants'', and Ibn Bassal's ''The Classification of Soils''. In the early 13th century, Abu al-Abbas al-Nabati, and Ibn al-Baitar (d. 1248) also wrote on botany.

Early modern botany

German physician Leonhart Fuchs (1501–1566) was one of the three founding fathers of botany, along with Otto Brunfels (1489–1534) and Hieronymus Bock (1498–1554) (also called Hieronymus Tragus).

Valerius Cordus (1515–1554) authored a pharmacopoeia of lasting importance, the ''Dispensatorium'' in 1546. As early as the 16th century, the Italian Ulisse Aldrovandi was scientifically researching plants. In 1665, using an early microscope, Robert Hooke discovered cells in cork, and a short time later in living plant tissue. The Germans Jacob Theodor Klein and Leonhart Fuchs, the Swiss Conrad von Gesner, and the British author Nicholas Culpeper published herbals covering the medicinal uses of plants.

During the 18th century, systems of classification became deliberately artificial and served only for the purpose of identification. These classifications are comparable to diagnostic keys, where taxa are artificially grouped in pairs by few, easily recognisable characters. The sequence of the taxa in keys is often totally unrelated to their natural or phyletic groupings. In the 18th century an increasing number of new plants had arrived in Europe, from newly discovered countries and the European colonies worldwide, and a larger amount of plants became available for study.

In 1754 Carl von Linné (Carl Linnaeus) divided the plant Kingdom into 25 classes. One, the ''Cryptogamia'', included all plants with concealed reproductive parts (mosses, liverworts and ferns), and algae and fungi.

The increased knowledge on anatomy, morphology and life cycles, lead to the realization that there were more natural affinities between plants, than the sexual system of Linnaeus indicated. Adanson (1763), de Jussieu (1789), and Candolle (1819) all proposed various alternative natural systems that were widely followed. The ideas of natural selection as a mechanism for evolution required adaptations to the Candollean system, which started the studies on evolutionary relationships and phylogenetic classifications of plants.

Botany was greatly stimulated by the appearance of the first “modern” text book, Matthias Schleiden's '''', published in English in 1849 as ''Principles of Scientific Botany''. Carl Willdenow examined the connection between seed dispersal and distribution, the nature of plant associations and the impact of geological history. The cell nucleus was discovered by Robert Brown in 1831.

Modern botany

A considerable amount of new knowledge today is being generated from studying model plants like ''Arabidopsis thaliana''. This weedy species in the mustard family was one of the first plants to have its genome sequenced. The sequencing of the rice (''Oryza sativa'') genome, its relatively small genome, and a large international research community have made rice an important cereal/grass/monocot model. Another grass species, ''Brachypodium distachyon'' is also emerging as an experimental model for understanding the genetic, cellular and molecular biology of temperate grasses. Other commercially important staple foods like wheat, maize, barley, rye, pearl millet and soybean are also having their genomes sequenced. Some of these are challenging to sequence because they have more than two haploid (n) sets of chromosomes, a condition known as polyploidy, common in the plant kingdom. ''Chlamydomonas reinhardtii'' (a single-celled, green alga) is another plant model organism that has been extensively studied and provided important insights into cell biology.

In 1998 the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group published a phylogeny of flowering plants based on an analysis of DNA sequences from most families of flowering plants. As a result of this work, major questions such as which families represent the earliest branches in the genealogy of angiosperms are now understood. Investigating how plant species are related to each other allows botanists to better understand the process of evolution in plants.

Subdisciplines of botany

{| |valign="top"|

Agronomy — Application of plant science to crop production

Bryology — Mosses, liverworts, and hornworts

Cryptobotany — Study of plants largely considered nonexistent

Economic botany — Study of plants of economic use or value

Ethnobotany — Relationship between humans and plants

Forestry — Forest management and related studies

Horticulture — Cultivated plants

Paleobotany — Fossil plants

Palynology — Pollen and spores

|valign="top"|

Phytochemistry — Plant secondary chemistry and chemical processes

Phytopathology — Plant diseases

Plant anatomy — Cell and tissue structure

Plant ecology — Role of plants in the environment

Plant genetics — Genetic inheritance in plants

Plant morphology — Structure and life cycles

Plant physiology — Life functions of plants

Plant systematics — Classification and naming of plants

|}

Notable botanists

Isabella Abbott (1919–2010), world's leading expert on Hawaiian seaweeds; discovered over 200 species.

Ibn al-Baitar (d. 1248), Andalusian-Arab scientist, botanist, pharmacist, physician, and author of one of the largest botanical encyclopedias.

L.J.F. Brimble (1904–1965), English botanist and editor of Nature magazine

Abu al-Abbas al-Nabati (c. 1200), Andalusian-Arab botanist and agricultural scientist, and a pioneer in experimental botany.

Aimé Bonpland (1773–1858), French explorer and botanist, who accompanied Alexander von Humboldt during five years of travel in Latin America.

Luther Burbank (1849–1926), American botanist, horticulturist, and a pioneer in agricultural science.

Augustin Pyramus de Candolle (1778–1841), He originated the idea of "Nature's war", which influenced Charles Darwin.

Abū Ḥanīfa Dīnawarī (828-896), Persian botanist, historian, geographer, astronomer, mathematician, and founder of Arabic botany.

David Douglas (1799–1834), Scottish botanical explorer of North America and China, who imported many ornamental plants into Europe.

Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817–1911), English botanist and explorer. Second winner of Darwin Medal.

Pedanius Dioscorides (ca. 40-90 AD), physician, pharmacologist, toxicologist and botanist, author of ''Περὶ ὕλης ἰατρικής'' (Latin: ''De Materia Medica'', English: "Regarding Medical Matters")

Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–1895), English biologist, known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Third winner of Darwin Medal.

Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778), Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of Binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology.

Gregor Johann Mendel (1822–1884), Augustinian priest and scientist, and is often called the father of genetics for his study of the inheritance of traits in pea plants.

Charles Sprague Sargent (1841–1927), American botanist, the first director of the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University.

Carlos Muñoz Pizarro (1913–1976), Chilean botanist, known for his studies of the Chilean flora, and its conservation.

Richard Spruce (1817–1893), English botanist and explorer who carried out a detailed study of the Amazon flora.

Agustín Stahl (1842–1917), conducted investigations and experiments in the fields of ethnology, and zoology in the Caribbean region.

George Ledyard Stebbins, Jr. (1906–2000), widely regarded as one of the leading evolutionary biologists of the 20th century, developed a comprehensive synthesis of plant evolution incorporating genetics.

Theophrastus (c. 371 – c. 287 BC), father of botany, established botanical science through his lecture notes, ''Enquiry into Plants''.

Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), Italian polymath; a scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer.

See also

Botanical garden and List of botanical gardens

Dendrochronology

Edible Flowers

Flowers and List of flowers

Forestry

Herbs

Herbchronology

History of plant systematics

History of phycology

Lichenology

List of botanical journals

List of botanists

List of Russian botanists

List of botanists by author abbreviation

List of publications in biology

List of domesticated plants

List of systems of plant taxonomy

Paleobotany

Palynology

Phycology

Plant anatomy

Plant community

Plant physiology

Plant sexuality

Seeds

Soil science

Trees

Vegetation

Weed Science

Zoology

References

Notes

Bibliography

Popular science

Attenborough, David, ''The Private Life of Plants'', ISBN 0-563-37023-8

Bellamy, David, ''Bellamy on Botany'', ISBN 0-563-10666-2 - An accessible and short introduction to various botanical subjects

Capon, B., ''Botany for Gardeners'', ISBN 0-88192-655-8

Cohen, J., ''How many people can the earth support?'', London: W. W. Norton, 1995, ISBN 0-393-31495-2

Halle, Francis, ''In Praise of Plants'', ISBN 0-88192-550-0 - English translation of a poetic advocacy of plants

King, J., ''Reaching for the sun: How plants work'', ISBN 0-521-58738-7 - A fluent introduction to how plants work

Pakenham, Thomas (2002), ''Remarkable Trees of the World'', ISBN 0-297-84300-1

Pakenham, Thomas (1996), ''Meetings with Remarkable Trees'', ISBN 0-297-83255-7

Pollan, M., ''The Botany of Desire: a plant's-eye view of the world'', London: Bloomsbury, ISBN 0-7475-6300-4 - Account of the co-evolution of plants and humans

Thomas, B. A. (1981), ''The evolution of plants and flowers'', New York: St Martin's Press, ISBN 0-312-27271-5

Walker, D., ''Energy, Plants and Man'', ISBN 1-870232-05-4 - A presentation of the basic concepts of photosynthesis

Academic and scientific

Crawford, R. M. M. (1989). ''Studies in Plant Survival''. Oxford: Blackwell ISBN 0-632-01475-X

Matthews, R. E. F. ''Fundamentals of plant virology'' Academic Press,1992.

Mauseth, J. D.: ''Botany : an introduction to plant biology''. Jones and Bartlett Publishers, ISBN 0-7637-2134-4, A first year undergraduate level textbook

Morton, A. G. (1981). ''History of Botanical Science.''Academic Press, London. ISBN 0-12-508380-7 (hardback) ISBN 0-12-508382-3 (paperback)

Raven, Peter H., Evert, Ray H. and Eichhorn, Susan E. (2005) ''Biology of Plants''; 7th ed. New York: W. H. Freeman ISBN 1-57259-041-6 (A first year undergraduate level textbook; 1st ed. by Peter H. Raven; Helena Curtis. [New York]: Worth, 1970; 6th ed. 1999)

Ridge, I. (2002) ''Plants'' Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-925548-2

Strange, R. L. (2003) ''Introduction to plant pathology''. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH ISBN 0-470-84973-8

Walter, H. (1985) ''Vegetation of the earth''; 3rd rev. ed. Springer.

Willis, K. (2002) ''The Evolution of Plants''. Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-850065-3 £22-99

;Environmental botany

Crawley, M. J. (1997). ''Plant ecology''. Blackwell Scientific ISBN 0-632-03639-7

Ennos, Roland and Sheffield, Elizabeth ''Plant Life''. Oxford: Blackwell Science ISBN 0-86542-737-2 Introduction to plant biodiversity

ISBN 0-89672-614-2

Richards, P. W. (1996). ''The Tropical Rainforest''. 2nd ed. Cambridge U. P. (Pbk) ISBN 0-521-42194-2 £32.50

Stace, C. A. (1997) ''A New Flora of the British Isles''. 2nd ed. Cambridge U. P. ISBN 0-521-58935-5

;Plant physiology

Bowsher, C. G., Steer, M. W. & Tobin, A. K. (2008) ''Plant Biochemistry''. New York & Abingdon: Garland Science, Taylor & Francis Group ISBN 0-8153-4121-0

Buchanan, B. B., Gruissem, W. & Jones, R. L. (2000) ''Biochemistry & Molecular Biology of Plants''. American Society of Plant Physiologists ISBN 0-943088-39-9

Fitter, A. & Hay, R. ''Environmental Physiology of Plants''; 3rd edition. New York: Harcourt Publishers, Academic Press ISBN 0-12-257766-3

Lambers, Hans, Chapin, F. Stuart, III and Pons, Thijs L. (1998) ''Plant Physiological Ecology''. New York: Springer-Verlag ISBN 0-387-98326-0

* http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-78341-3 2nd completely revised edition. New York: Springer, 2008

Lawlor, D. W. (2000) ''Photosynthesis'' BIOS ISBN 1-85996-157-6

Salisbury, F. B. and Ross, C. W. (1992) ''Plant Physiology''; 4th ed. Belmont, Calif: Wadsworth ISBN 0-534-15162-0

Taiz, Lincoln & Zeiger, Eduardo (1991) ''Plant Physiology''. Redwood City, Calif.: Benjamin/Cummings

*3rd ed. Sunderland, Mass: Sinauer Associates, 2002 ISBN 0-87893-823-0

*4th ed. Sunderland, Mass: Sinauer Associates, 2006 ISBN 978-0-87893-856-8

External links

Botany databases at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation

The Virtual Library of Botany

High quality pictures of plants and information about them from Catholic University of Leuven

USDA plant database

Native Plant Information Network

Directory of Plants (PDF)

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Coordinates	51°38′″N19°28′″N
name	André Rieu
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth name	André Léon Marie Nicolas Rieu
birth date	October 01, 1949
origin	Maastricht, Holland
instrument	Violin
genre	Waltz
occupation	Conductor, violinist
years active	1978–present
label	Denon Records , Philips
website	www.andrerieu.com
notable instruments	Stradivarius violin (1667) }}

André Léon Marie Nicolas Rieu (born 1 October 1949) is a Dutch violinist, conductor, and composer best known for creating the waltz-playing Johann Strauss Orchestra.

Early life and studies

The name Rieu is of French Huguenot origin. He began studying violin at the age of five. His father, of the same name, was conductor of the Maastricht Symphony Orchestra. From a very young age he developed a fascination with orchestra. He studied violin at the Conservatoire Royal in Liège and at the Conservatorium Maastricht, (1968–1973). His teachers included Jo Juda and Herman Krebbers. From 1974 to 1977, he attended the Music Academy in Brussels, studying with André Gertler, getting his degree "Premier Prix" from the Brussels Royal Conservatory.

Career

At University he performed the ''Gold And Silver Waltz'' by Franz Lehár. Encouraged by the audience reaction he decided to pursue the waltz form. Rieu formed the Maastricht Salon Orchestra and performed as a violinist with the Limburg Symphony Orchestra. In 1987, he created the Johann Strauss Orchestra and his own production company. Since then, his melodramatic stage performances and rock-star demeanor have for some been associated with a revival of the waltz music category. André Rieu plays a 1667 Stradivarius violin.

In April 2009 (Australia)/June 2009 (UK), he made a cameo appearance as himself on "Ramsay Street" in the long-running Australian soap opera ''Neighbours''.

Johann Strauss Orchestra

The Orchestra began in 1987 with 12 members but now performs with between 40 and 50 musicians. At the time the Orchestra first toured Europe, there emerged a renewed interest in waltz music. The revival began in the Netherlands and was ignited by their recording of the ''Second Waltz'' from Shostakovich's ''Jazz Suites''. As a result, Rieu became known as the waltz King.

Rieu and his orchestra have performed throughout Europe, in North America, and Japan. Winning a number of awards including two World Music Awards, their recordings have gone gold and platinum in many countries, including 8-times Platinum in the Netherlands. In September 2007 Rieu performed in Australia for the first time solo, without his Orchestra at the Eastland shopping centre in the Melbourne suburb of Ringwood playing "My Way" and "Waltzing Matilda"—and the next day appeared at Sydney's Arena Cove, Warringah Mashopping with the same set. Rieu and orchestra returned to Australia in November as part of his world tour. Rieu and his orchestra played 3 concerts at Melbourne's Telstra Dome from 13–15 November and continued their tour throughout Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide, through to December 2008. The concert theme is 'A Romantic Vienna Night' and the set comprises a life-size reproduction of the Viennese imperial Schönbrunn Palace, complete with 2 ice-skating rinks, 2 Fountains, and a ballroom dance floor situated above and behind the Orchestra. Rieu's largest concert attendance to date in Australia was 38,000 on Saturday 15 November in Melbourne. The Perth concert did not feature the replica of the Viennese Palace as it was stated in the press because it would not fit into the front doors of Subiaco Oval.

He records both DVD and CD repertoire at his own recording studios in Maastricht in a wide range of classical music as well as popular and folk music plus music from well-known soundtracks and musical theatre. His lively orchestral presentations, in tandem with incessant marketing, have attracted worldwide audiences to this subgenre of classical music.

Some of his orchestra's performances have been broadcast in the United Kingdom and the United States on the PBS television network such as the 2003 airing of ''Andre Rieu Live in Dublin'', filmed in Dublin, Ireland, and 2005's ''André Rieu Live in Tuscany'' filmed in the Piazza Della Repubblica in the village of Cortona in Tuscany.

Reception

Rieu's recorded music and live performances have been a cause of controversy in the music and popular press. He has attracted criticism from the artistic director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Richard Tognetti, who called Rieu's music Schlagermusik, among other things.

Eamon Kelly writing in ''The Australian'' newspaper, in an article that discusses the controversy that Rieu engenders, said: "He depicts his critics as members of a stuffy musical elite with narrow aesthetic tastes, yet regularly demeans in interviews music that is not to his taste and classical musicians who choose not to perform in his manner."

Of Rieu's popularity and the debate in the media over criticism of him, Eamon Kelly says:

It is disappointing to see professional journalists indulging in cheap, inaccurate stereotypes to dismiss criticism of Rieu.

But he goes on to add:

Equally misguided are those who cursorily dismiss Rieu. Rieu's live and recorded performances have brought joy to millions of people. Few in his audiences are regular classical music attendees and it could be seen as promising that, via Rieu, they are listening to standards of the classical canon. The fact that Rieu's focus is on highly accessible, enjoyable repertoire is not an argument against his musical credentials.

Eamon Kelly further adds, after hearing the orchestra perform, that there is "no cause" for Rieu's boast his orchestra was "superior to the many other orchestras that specialise in ... Viennese and popular classical repertoire." Additionally, he found that in musical terms "the performance did not surpass playing standards in Australia's major symphony orchestras". He did add that the "oboist, Arthur Cordewener, provided the most impressive musical performance with a sublime introduction to an otherwise unremarkable performance of [Ravel's] ''Boléro''."

David Templeton, writing in the magazine ''All Things Strings'' says:

Ironically, it is Rieu’s own success that has earned him a horse-drawn carriage full of criticism, a pot-shot laden backlash aimed chiefly at the calculated emotionalism and theatrical flourishes of his performances, which, according to many, only cheapen the classical-music experience. Classical radio stations avoid his music as they might avoid a leper in the mall, though—let’s just say it plain and clear—Rieu is a superb violinist.

Chris Boyd, a critic writing for Melbourne's ''Herald Sun'' newspaper, finds that he could not give a general criticism of the playing of Rieu, as, except for "a clean and lyrical solo in ''Waltzing Matilda''", his main stage function was apparently "blarney and delegation". However, Boyd also comments that the quality of the artists that Rieu works with is "extraordinary". Boyd assesses the low points of the concert as the "Three Tenors-style" rendition of "Nessun dorma" which he finds was an "abomination", while saying the concert's highlights included "a sugar-shock sweet rendition" of "O mio babbino caro" as well as Strauss's ''Emperor Waltz'' and ''Blue Danube'', Clarke's ''Trumpet Voluntary'' and the ''Boléro''.

Personal life

He is married to Marjorie, who works with him full-time as production manager, and has two sons, Marc and Pierre. He speaks (in order of fluency) Dutch, English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.

Honours

Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (Netherlands, 2002)

Honorary Medal of the Province of Limburg (Netherlands, 2009)

Knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France, 2009)

== Selected discography ==

''And the Waltz Goes On'' (2011)

''Moonlight Serenade'' (2011) – Australian Albums: No.17

''You Raise Me Up – Songs for Mum'' (2010) – Australian Albums: No.8

''Forever Vienna'' (2009) – UK: #2, IRE: No.4

''The Best of André Rieu'' (2009) – Australian Albums: No.23

''Masterpieces'' (2009) – Australian Albums: No.9

''You'll Never Walk Alone'' (2009) – Australian Albums: No.2

''Live in Australia'' (2008) – Australian Albums: No.14

''Waltzing Matilda'' (2008) – Australian Albums: No.1

''The 100 Most Beautiful Melodies'' (2008) – Australian Albums: No.2

''Live in Dresden: The Wedding at the Opera'' (2008)

''In Wonderland'' (2007)

''Live in Vienna'' (2007)

''Auf Schönbrunn'' (2006)

''New York Memories'' (2006)

''Songs from My Heart'' (2005)

''Christmas Around the World'' (2005)

''Live in Tuscany'' (2004)

''The Flying Dutchman'' (2004)

''New Year's Eve in Vienna'' (2003)

''André Rieu at the Movies'' (2003)

''Live in Dublin'' (2003)

''Romantic Paradise'' (2003)

''Maastricht Salon Orkest – Serenata'' (2003)

''Love Around the World'' (2002)

''Dreaming'' (2002)

''Live at the Royal Albert Hall'' (2001)

''Musik Zum Träumen'' (2001)

''La Vie Est Belle'' (2000)

''Fiesta!'' (1999)

''100 Years of Strauss'' (1999)

''Romantic Moments'' (1998)

''Waltzes'' (1998, re-edited in November 1999)

''The Christmas I Love'' (1997)

''The Vienna I Love'' (1997)

''In Concert'' (1996)

''Strauss gala'' (1995)

''D'n blauwen aovond'' (1995)

''Hieringe biete 1 & 2'' (1995)

''Strauss & Co'' (1994)

''Hieringe biete'' (1993)

''Merry Christmas'' (1992)

''Romeo and Juliet Love Theme''

References

External links

André Rieu (official website)

Official André Rieu Facebook page

André Rieu on Twitter

Official André Rieu YouTube Channel

André Rieu's Official Australian website

André Rieu (C Music TV Biography)

The Magic of Andre Rieu

Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:Dutch classical violinists Category:Dutch conductors (music) Category:Maastricht Academy of Music alumni Category:People from Maastricht Category:People of Huguenot descent Category:Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Category:Dutch people of French descent

ar:أندري ريو bg:Андре Рийо ca:André Rieu cs:André Rieu da:André Rieu de:André Rieu es:André Rieu fr:André Rieu hr:André Rieu it:André Rieu he:אנדרה ריו li:André Rieu hu:André Rieu nl:André Rieu ja:アンドレ・リュウ pl:André Rieu pt:André Rieu ru:Рьё, Андре sv:André Rieu war:André Rieu zh:安德烈·瑞欧

Coordinates	51°38′″N19°28′″N
name	Botany Boyz
background	group_or_band
origin	Houston, Texas, United States
genre	Gangsta rapChopped and Screwed
years active	1997–present
label	Big Shot/Clover G Records
associated acts	Lil' Flip, Screwed Up Click, Clover Geez
current members	C-Note, Will-Lean, D-Red & B.G. Duke
past members	B.G. Gator (deceased), Lil 3rd, Lil' Head, Pap-Pap, Big D-E-Z
notable instruments	}}

Botany Boyz are a rap crew from Houston, Texas, United States. They are the owners of the labels Big Shot Records and Plat-Num Productions.

History

One of the foremost contributors to the Houston screw scene, the Botany Boyz were part of the Screwed Up Click in the early to mid 1990s. The group name is a reference to Botany Lane in the Cloverland area of Houston where they resided.

Their first album, ''Thought of Many Ways'', was released on their own label, Big Shot Records, in 1997; its follow-up, ''Forever Botany'', was released in 1999 and managed to crack the Billboard Top R&B;/Hip-Hop charts at #99 in 2000 as the Houston rap scene became more popular across the US. Since then, the members have concentrated more on solo projects, with C-Note being the most successful.

The Botany Boyz were featured on the platinum selling Sittin' Fat Down South, with the single "Chop, Chop, Chop" produced by legendary southern producer Bruce "Grim" Rhodes.

Members

Current members

C-Note

Will-Lean

D-Red

B.G. Duke

Past members

B.G. Gator (deceased)

Lil' 3rd

Lil' Head

Pap-Pap

Big D-E-Z

Tony Staxx

Discography

1997: Thought Of Many Ways

2000: Forever Botany

References

Category:Musicians from Texas Category:Screwed Up Click members Category:Rappers from Houston, Texas Category:Underground rappers

Coordinates	51°38′″N19°28′″N
Name	Stephen G Perlman
Birth date
Death date
Known for	Quicktime, WebTV
Occupation	Electronic engineering and software inventor and entrepreneur
Nationality	USA
Alma mater	Columbia University }}

Stephen G Perlman is an entrepreneur and inventor with over 80 patents in multimedia and communications technologies. He is a graduate of Columbia University.

Background and early life

Working biography

In 1985, Perlman joined Apple Computer and led development of some Macintosh multimedia technology including Road pizza, the technology underpinning QuickTime 1.

In 1990, Perlman left Apple to join General Magic, where he designed its second-generation technology.

In 1994, Perlman co-founded Catapult Entertainment and was its Chief technical officer. Catapult developed the proprietary XBAND modems for the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game consoles that enabled online features for multiplayer games.

In 1995, Perlman created, co-founded, and was the President & CEO of WebTV Networks, Inc. WebTV was introduced in 1996, and was one the earliest products to connect the Internet to a television. Less than 2 years after it was founded, WebTV was acquired by Microsoft Corporation for US$503 million, and renamed as MSN TV. Microsoft’s acquisition of WebTV also brought with it the teams that created Microsoft’s TV platforms, including the hardware for Microsoft's Xbox 360.

In 1999, Perlman left WebTV Networks to found Rearden Steel, now Rearden, a business incubator for new companies in media and entertainment technology.

In 2000, Rearden founded Moxi Digital, Inc., which produced a combination digital video recorder, DVD player, digital music jukebox, and television set-top box. Moxi merged with Microsoft founder Paul Allen's Digeo in 2002.

In 2004, Rearden founded MOVA, which was spun off from Rearden in 2007 as an OnLive subsidiary. MOVA offers motion-capture services in the San Francisco Bay Area, with Perlman as its president. In 2006, Perlman unveiled Mova's Contour, a digital multi-camera system that captures and tracks detailed surface data and textures for post-production manipulation. It was used for 3D volumetric shape capture of Brad Pitt’s face in the film ''The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'', which received the 2008 Academy Award for Achievement in Visual Effects for the photorealism achieved in computer-generated reverse-aging of Brad Pitt’s face.

In 2007, Rearden spun-out OnLive, which in 2009 announced the OnLive on-demand video game service and MicroConsole TV adapter, with Perlman as its president and CEO.

In 2011, Perlman announced that he and colleagues at Rearden have invented distributed-input-distributed-output (DIDO) technology, an experimental wireless communications system that could render cellular connections obsolete. This new technology supposedly exceeds the limits on wireless communications described by the Shannon–Hartley theorem.

References

External links

Biography of Steve Perlman at Rearden.com

New York Times: Camera System Creates Sophisticated 3-D Effects, article

Wall Street Journal: Digital Replicas May Change Face of Films, article

IEEE profile of Steve Perlman

PC Magazine profile of Steve Perlman

Category:American businesspeople Category:American engineers Category:Columbia Engineering alumni Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people

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