Dallas ( /ˈdæləs/) is the third-largest city in the state of Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Divided between Collin, Dallas, Denton, Kaufman, and Rockwall counties, the city had a population of 1,197,816 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau.
The city is the largest economic center of the 12-county Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area (the DFW MSA) that according to the March 2010 U.S. Census Bureau release, had a population of 6,371,773. The metroplex economy is the sixth largest in the United States, with a 2010 gross metropolitan product of $374 billion.
Dallas was founded in 1841 and was formally incorporated as a city in February 1856. The city's economy is primarily based on banking, commerce, telecommunications, computer technology, energy, healthcare and medical research, transportation and logistics. The city is home to the third largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the nation. Located in North Texas and a major city in the American South, Dallas is the main core of the largest inland metropolitan area in the United States that lacks any navigable link to the sea.
Guard Mounting, or Changing the Guard, refers to a formal ceremony in which sentries providing ceremonial guard duties at important institutions are relieved by a new batch of sentries. The ceremonies are often elaborate and precisely choreographed.
The changing the guard ceremony conducted in Canada is performed daily during the summer months at Rideau Hall, Parliament Hill and the National War Memorial in Ottawa by the combined Ceremonial Unit made up of the two Canadian regiments of Foot Guards. There is also a ceremonial Changing the Guard ceremony during the summer at the Citadelle of Quebec by members of the Royal 22e Régiment.
The changing the guard ceremony is conducted every odd-numbered day, including Sundays, at La Moneda Palace in Santiago, Chile. A pair of mounted units lead a military band and the replacement unit to the plaza in front of La Moneda where the departing unit meets them. Between a number of patriotic and popular hymns, a color guard emerges as well as salutes between the honor guard at the main gate and the officers of each unit.
Kobe Bean Bryant (born August 23, 1978) is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school basketball player in the country. He decided to declare his eligibility for the NBA Draft upon graduation, and was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest.
Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. A heated feud between the duo and a loss in the 2004 NBA Finals was followed by O'Neal's trade from the Lakers after the 2003–04 season. Following O'Neal's departure Bryant became the cornerstone of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. He led the NBA in scoring during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, setting numerous scoring records in the process. In 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second most points scored in a single game in NBA history, second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962. He was awarded the regular season's Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in 2008. After losing in the 2008 NBA Finals, Bryant led the Lakers to two consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, earning the NBA Finals MVP Award on both occasions.
Find the guard
If only she will show her teeth
To their growl
To their roar
To her charge
She flies to what’s become of me
Breathe deep
With my bronze chest
Through my iron veil
I bid no relief
Pray you find her wings
I am at her feet
She is my guard
The candle to my cheek
She flies to me
With her golden locks
And a sharpened sword she’ll never sheathe
But we are face-down
And we still refuse to show our teeth
And she still returns to me
Can I bury my blade as deep as she?
Dare you not show your teeth?
For our arms have turned to wax
And they are melting fast, (fast)
Will I stand beside my guard?
Oh now I have learned
To protect my dear left shoulder
From beside my guard
I feel so much more
I can see the tempters marching
And I can hear their roar
Oh how meek a sound they make
Once we learn to listen
With unsewn ears,
And tangle fears out of the equation
Running back from everything
Just to warn, their swords are feathers
Why would you lie
Put your job right on the line
Eating humble pie
Have you really got no spine
Everyday I see you smile
But is it really worth your while
Everyday a nod or wink
Is just enough to make you think
There's a ufo
In a clearing in the woods
Just report it joe
Do you really think you should
La la la
Comin' 'round the bend
I saw you turn
Suitcase in hand
Cannot come in
It's the hold on your pillowcase
In the undertow
I lost control
I see you on the shore
Watchin' me float
All from the hold in my pillowcase
The hold that keeps me here
(chorus)
So send out the guard
Send out the guard
Send out the guard
For me
For me
Everythin' is back
Back to normal
It was the hold on your pillowcase
The hold that keeps you here
That keeps you here
(chorus)
So call off the guard
Call off the guard
Call off the guard
Call off the guard
Call off the guard
For me
Comin' round the bend