The Grand Tour is a series of novels written by science fiction author Ben Bova.
The novels present a theme of exploration and colonization of the solar system by humans in the late 21st century. Most of the books focus on the exploration of one particular planet or planetary moon.
Several recurring themes are presented throughout the series. In particular, most of the solar system bodies whose exploration is the focus of a particular novel are presented as having life, either past or present. Many of the expeditions which explore the planets run into serious difficulty. The protagonists of most of these books are presented as initially weak and/or lacking in ability or confidence, and as part of surviving the trials of the story become heroic.
The future humanity as depicted in the Grand Tour novel series is divided between Greens (environmentalists) and wealthy industrialists, as well as between secularists/scientists and religious fundamentalists. These conflicts generally are presented as part of the background and often set up the initial conflicts of each of the books. In addition, several of the books reference, or indeed directly deal with, conflicts between wealthy industrialists and small, independent operators seeking to exploit the solar system's vast untapped mineral wealth.
Planets in astrology have a meaning different from the modern astronomical understanding of what a planet is. Before the age of telescopes, the night sky was thought to consist of two very similar components: fixed stars, which remained motionless in relation to each other, and "wandering stars" (Ancient Greek: ἀστέρες πλανῆται asteres planetai), which moved relative to the fixed stars over the course of the year.
To the Greeks and the other earliest astronomers, this group comprised the five planets visible to the naked eye, and excluded the Earth. Although strictly the term "planet" applied only to those five objects, the term was latterly broadened, particularly in the Middle Ages, to include the Sun and the Moon (sometimes referred to as "Lights"), making a total of seven planets. Astrologers retain this definition today.
To ancient astrologers, the planets represented the will of the gods and their direct influence upon human affairs. To modern astrologers the planets represent basic drives or urges in the unconscious, or energy flow regulators representing dimensions of experience. They express themselves with different qualities in the twelve signs of the zodiac and in the twelve houses. The planets are also related to each other in the form of aspects.
Saturn is a progressive rock band from Islamabad, Pakistan, formed in 2003. The group was founded by lead guitarist and songwriter Salman Zaidi and vocalist & lyricist Shahbaz Zaidi, who were later joined by bassist Aashir, drummer Shahbaz Asad, and rhythm guitarist Usman Ahmad Khan. The band is well known for being one of the pioneering progressive rock groups in Pakistan. Saturn became famous after releasing their debut track "Raakh" which is Urdu for "Ashes". They later gained more popularity for their energetic performances and stage presence. Saturn is known as one of the loudest bands of Pakistan. Their debut album "Naya Din" was released on April 7, 2013.
Saturn was formed by brothers Salman and Shahbaz in 2003 and was joined by Hasham Kazi with whom they started recording "Raakh" their debut track at S & M Studios Islamabad. Hasham left the band due to personal reason shortly after the release of the song and the two brothers moved on. In 2004 Saturn released their second song with a completely new line up and started playing concerts regularly till late 2005. It was in the start of 2006 when Saturn disbanded and the band went into idle years Idle Years (2006–2007) From 2006 to 2007 Saturn remained out of the music scene, occasionally performing at music festivals, but not playing at many concerts. It was later revealed that the band had been working on their debut album "Naya Din".
Sonic the Hedgehog (ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ, Sonikku za Hejjihoggu) is a video game franchise created and owned by Sega. The franchise centers on a series of speed-based platform games, but several are spin-offs in different genres. The protagonist of the series is an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog named Sonic, whose peaceful life is often interrupted by the series's main antagonist, Doctor Eggman. Typically, Sonic—usually along with some of his friends, such as Tails, Amy, and Knuckles—must stop Eggman and foil any plans of world domination. The first game in the series, published in 1991, was conceived by Sega's Sonic Team division after Sega requested a mascot character; the title was a success and spawned sequels, and transformed Sega into a leading video game company during the 16-bit era in the early to mid-1990s.
Sonic Team has since developed many titles in the franchise. Prominent members of its initial staff included Naka, character designer Naoto Ohshima, and level designer Hirokazu Yasuhara. Other developers of Sonic games have included Japanese Dimps, American Sega Technical Institute, Backbone Entertainment, Big Red Button Entertainment, and Sanzaru Games, Canadian BioWare, and British Sumo Digital and Traveller's Tales. While the first games in the series were side-scrolling platform games, the series has expanded into other genres such as action-adventure, fighting, racing, role-playing, and sports. Including packaged game software and downloads, the franchise has sold 335 million units as of April 2015, with the mobile game Sonic Dash being downloaded over 100 million times by June 2015, making it one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time.
Juggling rings, or simply "rings", are a popular prop used by jugglers, usually in sets of three or more, or in combination with other props such as balls or clubs. The rings used by jugglers are typically about 30 centimetres (12 in) in diameter and 3 millimetres (0.12 in) thick.
Juggling rings are easier to juggle than clubs, but harder than balls due to size and throwing mechanics. Because of rings' impressive appearance for their level of difficulty, they remain a popular juggling item.
When juggled, rings are typically spun about their central axis. The resulting gyroscopic motion of the ring allows it to keep the same orientation after it is thrown. This property is utilized by performers to achieve various visual effects. For example, a performer might intentionally juggle some rings with the broad side to the audience and some others with the edge to the audience.
As with balls and clubs, the most basic patterns of ring juggling are the cascade and fountain. In these patterns, the left and right hands alternate throwing rings at approximately the same height. Some ball and club tricks can also be performed with rings, but their unique shape and spinning abilities result in a different visual effect.
Fighting Network Rings, trademarked as RINGS, is a Japanese combat sport promotion that has lived three distinct periods: puroresu promotion from its inauguration to 1995, mixed martial arts promotion from 1995 to its 2002 disestablishment, and the revived mixed martial arts promotion from 2008 onward.
RINGS was founded by Akira Maeda on May 11, 1991, following the dissolution of Newborn UWF. At that time, Maeda and Mitsuya Nagai were the only two people to transfer from UWF, wrestlers such as Kiyoshi Tamura, Hiromitsu Kanehara and Kenichi Yamamoto would later also transfer from UWF International.
Adventure! is a pulp action role-playing game originally printed by White Wolf Game Studio, the third and last book in the Trinity Universe line of games. The game, printed in black and white on pulp-like sepia paper to resemble a period piece, was conceived as a one-book game line, and was never supported by official supplements. Despite having a vocal fanbase, the Trinity Universe line was discontinued shortly after the game's publication; a d20 system version was released in 2004. In 2002, Adventure! won the Origins Award for Best Role-Playing Game of 2001.Onyx Path Publishing has recently acquired the rights to the Trinity Universe and has announced its intention to release a new edition of Adventure!
The game is set in the 1920s and therefore at the origin of the Trinity Universe timeline. The release of unknown Telluric energy has led to the appearance of a number of particularly gifted characters, whose actions have the potential for shaping the future history of the world. The Aeon Society for Gentlemen, founded by philanthropist Maxwell Mercer, is trying to bring together as many "Inspired" characters as possible, supporting and coordinating them in their effort for the betterment of all of humanity. But darkness lurks, and Mercer's champions will have to face it in the most unlikely locales. There are three archetypes ("character classes") for players to choose from: