Palladium ( /pəˈleɪdiəm/ pə-LAY-dee-əm) is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pd and an atomic number of 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself named after the epithet of the Greek goddess Athena, acquired by her when she slew Pallas. Palladium, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium and osmium form a group of elements referred to as the platinum group metals (PGMs). These have similar chemical properties, but palladium has the lowest melting point and is the least dense of them.
The unique properties of palladium and other platinum group metals (PGMs) account for their widespread use. A quarter of all goods manufactured today either contain PGMs or have a significant part in their manufacturing process played by PGMs. Over half of the supply of palladium and its congener platinum goes into catalytic converters, which convert up to 90% of harmful gases from auto exhaust (hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen dioxide) into less-harmful substances (nitrogen, carbon dioxide and water vapor). Palladium is also used in electronics, dentistry, medicine, hydrogen purification, chemical applications, and groundwater treatment. Palladium plays a key role in the technology used for fuel cells, which combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, heat, and water.
Gareth Emery (born 18 July 1980 in Southampton, England) is an English/Welsh Trance producer and DJ. Since 2009 he has been the highest ranked British DJ in DJ Magazine's annual Top 100 poll, peaking at #7 in 2010.
Gareth Emery was born in Southampton, England although he also has Welsh heritage. He lived in Southampton until the age of 26 before relocating to Manchester, England where he has a studio and runs a club night and record label, both called Garuda. He has a degree in Politics from University of Warwick, supports Southampton Football Club, and is trained in classical piano. Prior to becoming involved in electronic music he played guitar in a punk band in the mid-nineties.
Emery has a distinctive and unique production style that has been described as a fusion of trance, house and progressive, and is described by Emery himself as ‘simple but effective’. Although usually categorised as a trance DJ, he has often dismissed this label simply stating that he plays good records regardless of genre.
Judy Garland (June 10, 1922 – June 22, 1969) was an American actress, singer and vaudevillian. Renowned for her contralto voice, she attained international stardom through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage. Respected for her versatility, she received a Juvenile Academy Award and won a Golden Globe Award, as well as Grammy Awards and a Special Tony Award. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the remake of A Star is Born and for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the 1961 film, Judgment at Nuremberg. At 39 years of age, she remains the youngest recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in the motion picture industry.
After appearing in vaudeville with her two older sisters, Garland was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as a teenager. There she made more than two dozen films, including nine with Mickey Rooney and the 1939 film with which she would be most identified, The Wizard of Oz. After 15 years, she was released from the studio but gained renewed success through record-breaking concert appearances, including a return to acting beginning with critically acclaimed performances.
Liza May Minnelli (born March 12, 1946) is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli.
Already established as a nightclub singer and musical theatre actress, she first attracted critical acclaim for her dramatic performances in the movies The Sterile Cuckoo (1969), and Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1970); Minnelli then rose to international stardom for her appearance as Sally Bowles in the 1972 film version of the Broadway musical Cabaret, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She later made a great star turn in Arthur (1981), co-starring with Dudley Moore (in the title role) and Sir John Gielgud, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor as Arthur's snobbish but loveable butler.
While film projects such as Lucky Lady, A Matter of Time and New York, New York were less favorably received than her stage roles, Minnelli became one of the most versatile, highly regarded and best-selling entertainers in television, beginning with Liza with a Z in 1972, and on stage in the Broadway productions of Flora the Red Menace, The Act and The Rink. Minnelli also toured internationally and did shows such as Liza Minnelli: At Carnegie Hall, Frank, Liza & Sammy: The Ultimate Event, and Liza Live from Radio City Music Hall.
Alain Quême, also known as Alan Braxe, is a French electronic music artist. Braxe is most widely known for his collaborative work with electronic bassist Fred Falke and Kris Menace. In 2005 Alan released The Upper Cuts, a collection of his previous released material.
Alan Braxe began work as a musician in Paris in the mid 1990s. He is seen as a key figure in the French electronic music scene. His nickname is a variant of Brax, a region in France where he used to live. He is the cousin of DJ Falcon (Stephane Quême) and Quartet (Delphine Quême).
Braxe's debut single, 'Vertigo' came out on Roulé in 1997. It was a hit in large part thanks to the 'Virgo Edit' of the song, which was co-produced with Thomas Bangalter. Braxe scored a major hit in 1998 with 'Music Sounds Better with You' a track co-written with Bangalter from Daft Punk and Benjamin Diamond under the name Stardust that reached number one on the United States Dance chart. He later formed Vulture Music, and continued to release singles under its imprint, including the 2004 hit 'Rubicon'.