Antonov A-40

The Antonov A-40 Krylya Tanka (Russian: крылья танка, meaning "tank wings") was a Soviet attempt to allow a tank to glide onto a battlefield after being towed aloft by an airplane, to support airborne forces or partisans. A prototype was built and tested in 1942, but was found to be unworkable. This vehicle is sometimes called the A-40T or KT.

Design and development

Instead of loading light tanks onto gliders, as other nations had done, Soviet airborne forces had strapped T-27 tankettes underneath heavy bombers and landed them on airfields. In the 1930s there were experimental efforts to parachute tanks or simply drop them into water. During the 1940 occupation of Bessarabia, light tanks may have been dropped from a few meters up by TB-3 bombers, which as long as the gearbox was in neutral, would allow them to roll to a stop.

The biggest problem with air-dropping vehicles is that their crews drop separately, and may be delayed or prevented from bringing them into action. Gliders allow crews to arrive at the drop zone along with their vehicles. They also minimize exposure of the valuable towing aircraft, which need not appear over the battlefield. So the Soviet Air Force ordered Oleg Antonov to design a glider for landing tanks.

Míša

Míša is a popular Czech brand of frozen confection. Míšas have been made continuously since 1961, and sell over 12 million ice pops per year, making it the most successful ice cream brand in the Czech Republic. It has survived events such as the Velvet Revolution and is fondly remembered as an integral part of Czech childhood.

They are made with frozen cream cheese, rather than ice cream or yogurt.

The logo features a grinning green bear, holding its arms above the word "Míša."

See also

References

Mūša

Mūša (Latvian: Mūsa) is a river in Northern Lithuania and Southern Latvia (Zemgale region), having its confluence with river Nemunėlis (Latvian: Mēmele), in Latvia, near city Bauska. Mūša is a tributary of the river Lielupė. The river is 164 kilometres (146 km in Lithuania, 18 km in Latvia) long.

References

Coordinates: 56°24′10″N 24°9′34″E / 56.40278°N 24.15944°E / 56.40278; 24.15944

Master of Arts (Scotland)

The degree of Master of Arts in Scotland typically refers to a four-year undergraduate Honours degree in the arts, humanities or social sciences awarded by one of the ancient universities of Scotland – the University of St Andrews, the University of Glasgow, the University of Aberdeen, the University of Edinburgh - plus the University of Dundee (as a result of its history as a constituent college of the University of St Andrews) and Heriot-Watt University. The first two years of the Scottish Master of Arts consist of ordinary Bachelor level courses, however, after these, students who are accepted to pursue the Honours route will complete more advanced subjects and write a dissertation in their fourth year. Students who instead choose to do a "general" degree will complete their third year at a lower level of specialisation, and receive a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or an MA without Honours. For the postgraduate degree referred to in other places as "Master of Arts", Scottish universities usually award the degree of Master of Letters (MLitt). Generally, non-ancient universities in Scotland (e.g. University of Strathclyde, The Robert Gordon University, University of the Highlands and Islands, etc.), award arts degrees as Bachelor of Arts.

Odyssey

The Odyssey (/ˈɒdəsi/;Greek: Ὀδύσσεια Odýsseia, pronounced [o.dýs.sej.ja] in Classical Attic) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the second oldest extant work of Western literature, the Iliad being the oldest. Scholars believe it was composed near the end of the 8th century BC, somewhere in Ionia, the Greek coastal region of Anatolia.

The poem mainly focuses on the Greek hero Odysseus (known as Ulysses in Roman myths) and his journey home after the fall of Troy. It takes Odysseus ten years to reach Ithaca after the ten-year Trojan War. In his absence, it is assumed he has died, and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus must deal with a group of unruly suitors, the Mnesteres (Greek: Μνηστῆρες) or Proci, who compete for Penelope's hand in marriage.

It continues to be read in the Homeric Greek and translated into modern languages around the world. Many scholars believe that the original poem was composed in an oral tradition by an aoidos (epic poet/singer), perhaps a rhapsode (professional performer), and was more likely intended to be heard than read. The details of the ancient oral performance, and the story's conversion to a written work inspire continual debate among scholars. The Odyssey was written in a poetic dialect of Greek—a literary amalgam of Aeolic Greek, Ionic Greek, and other Ancient Greek dialects—and comprises 12,110 lines of dactylic hexameter. Among the most noteworthy elements of the text are its non-linear plot, and the influence on events of choices made by women and serfs, besides the actions of fighting men. In the English language as well as many others, the word odyssey has come to refer to an epic voyage.

Odyssey (novel)

Odyssey is a science fiction novel by Jack Mcdevitt. It was a Nebula Award nominee for 2007. It's set in the 23rd century and "explores the immorality of big business and the short-sightedness of the American government in minimizing support for space travel."

Literary significance and reception

Carl Hays reviewing in Booklist said "McDevitt's energetic character-driver prose serves double duty by exploring Earth's future political climate and forecasting the potential dangers awaiting humanity among the stars".Kirkus Reviews was slightly more critical calling it "a low-key, reasonably surprising and involving tale, although not among McDevitt's best." Jackie Cassada reviewing for Library Journal said "the author of Chindi and other novels featuring the Academy succeeds in visualizing a believable future of space exploration as well as believable personalities whose lives and loves put a human face on scientific speculation."

Odyssey was nominated for both the Nebula and John W. Campbell Memorial Awards in 2007.

Odyssey (Hayley Westenra album)

Odyssey is the second internationally published album by Hayley Westenra. Her other previous albums, with the exception of Pure, were released only in New Zealand and Australia. It was published by the Decca Music Group label in 2005.

Odyssey included a duet with Andrea Bocelli called "Dell'Amore Non Si Sa", a gospel song "I Say Grace", an inspired cover of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides, Now", "May it Be" – a song from The Lord of the Rings, as well as a cover of the song "What You Never Know (Won't Hurt You)" from the Sarah Brightman album Harem.

Track listing

International version

This excludes the US, UK and Japanese versions.

New Zealand special edition bonus disc