Close (surname)

Close is a surname, and may refer to:

Cul-de-sac

A cul-de-sac /ˈkʌldəsæk/, dead end (British, Canadian, American, South African English, and Australian English), closed, no through road, a close (British, Canadian, and Australian English), no exit (New Zealand English) or court (American, Australian English) is a street with only one inlet/outlet. While historically built for other reasons, one of its modern uses is to calm vehicle traffic.

History

Culs-de-sac have appeared in plans of towns and cities before the automotive 20th century, particularly in Arab and Moorish towns. The earliest example of cul-de-sac streets was unearthed in the El-Lahun workers village in Egypt, which was built circa 1885 BC. The village is laid out with straight streets that intersect at right angles; akin to a grid, but irregular. The western part of the excavated village, where the workers lived, shows fifteen narrow and short dead-end streets laid out perpendicularly on either side of a wider, straight street; all terminate at the enclosing walls.

Fermata

A fermata [ferˈmaːta] (also known as a hold, pause, colloquially a birdseye or cyclops eye, or as a grand pause when placed on a note or a rest) is a symbol of musical notation indicating that the note should be prolonged beyond its normal duration or note value would indicate. Exactly how much longer it is held is up to the discretion of the performer or conductor, but twice as long is not unusual. It is usually printed above, but occasionally below (upside down), the note that is to be held longer.

When a fermata is placed over a bar or double-bar, it is used to indicate the end of a phrase or section of a work. In a concerto, it indicates the point where the soloist is to play a cadenza.

A fermata can occur at the end of a piece (or movement), or it can occur in the middle of a piece, and be followed by either a brief rest or more notes.

Other names for a fermata are corona (Italian), point d'orgue (French), Fermate (German), and calderón (Spanish).

History and use

This symbol appears as early as the 15th century, and is quite common in the works of Dufay and Josquin.

Hold (baseball)

A hold (abbreviated HLD, H or HD) is awarded to a relief pitcher who meets the following three conditions:

The hold is not an official Major League Baseball statistic.

Description

Unlike saves, wins, and losses, more than one pitcher per team can earn a hold for a game, though it is not possible for a pitcher to receive more than one hold in a given game. A pitcher can receive a hold by protecting a lead even if that lead is lost by a later pitcher after his exit.

The hold was invented in 1986 by John Dewan and Mike O'Donnell to give a statistical measure of the effectiveness of the vast majority of relief pitchers who are afforded few opportunities to close a game. While middle relievers earn their share, holds are most often credited to setup pitchers.

In 1994, PA SportsTicker created an alternate definition for a hold, removing the requirement that a pitcher needs to make an out in order to record a hold. In 2009, STATS LLC purchased PA SportsTicker, and the alternate definition is no longer in use.

I'm Sorry I'm Leaving

I'm Sorry I'm Leaving is an acoustic EP released by American rock band Saves the Day, released by Immigrant Sun on July 1, 1999.

It differed from the album by having a lighter acoustic sound. The EP was recorded in one week in 1998.

Background and recording

Saves the Day formed in late 1997, their debut album, Can't Slow Down, was released with Equal Vision in August 1998. The album helped the band gain fans, but only in the New Jersey area. The band promoted the album with two tours, which helped the band expand their fan base. Saves the Day had three different line-up changes while touring Can't Slow Down, leaving vocalist Chris Conley and Newman as the only original members left.

I'm Sorry I'm Leaving was recorded and mixed at Shoulder to the Wheel Studio in March 1999. The EP was mastered by M.J.R. at Metropolis Mastering Ltd.

Release

I'm Sorry I'm Leaving was released on Immigrant Sun Records on July 1, 1999. It includes a cover of Modern English's "I Melt with You".

Fun (band)

Fun (stylized as fun.) is an American indie band based in New York City. It was formed by Nate Ruess, former lead singer of The Format, with Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff, of Anathallo and Steel Train respectively. Fun has released two albums: Aim and Ignite in August 2009 and Some Nights in February 2012.

The band is best known for three hit singles from Some Nights: Grammy Award-winning "We Are Young" (featuring Janelle Monáe), "Some Nights", and "Carry On". "We Are Young" reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and Digital Songs charts. It also peaked at number one in the United Kingdom. "Some Nights" was released as the album's second single in June 2012, peaking at number three on the Hot 100 chart and becoming Fun's second Top 10 single, as well as the band's second song to reach platinum status in the United States.

On February 10, 2013, Fun won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist and the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for "We Are Young". Additionally, Fun was a nominee for four other Grammy Awards: Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo or Group Performance (both for "We Are Young") along with Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album (both for Some Nights).

Fun (Da Mob song)

"Fun" is the name of a House/Garage single (and popular club anthem) recorded by Da Mob, an American House music collective that featured producers Erick Morillo, José Nunez, Carlos "DJ Sneak" Sosa, singer/songwriter Karen "Dajae" Gordon (who wrote the single with the trio) and lead vocalist Jocelyn Brown, who chanted the song's main lyrics, "We're gonna have some fun tonight!" throughout the entire song.

The single reached number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart the week of April 18, 1998 and spent one week there. It is also the first release single from Morillo's Subliminal Records label, which he also launched in 1998. At first, "Fun" was supposed to feature Dajae as the lead vocalist, which drew positive response via test pressings and buzz across the Atlantic, but Dajae refused to sign the contract with Subliminal, and Brown was brought in to re-record the vocals. Brown’s collaboration with Subliminal is known as "Da Mob," but in other countries she is listed alongside the act as the featured singer.