Dagger

A dagger is a knife with a very sharp point designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon. The design dates to human prehistory, and daggers have been used throughout human experience to the modern day in close combat confrontations. Many ancient cultures used adorned daggers in ritual and ceremonial purposes, a trend which continues to the present time in the form of art knives. The distinctive shape and historic usage of the dagger have made it iconic and symbolic.

Over the years, the term has been used to describe a wide variety of thrusting knives, including knives that feature only a single cutting edge, such as the European rondel dagger or the Persian pesh-kabz, or, in some instances, no cutting edge at all, such as the stiletto of the Renaissance. However, over the last hundred years or so, authorities have recognized that the dagger, in its contemporary or mature form, has certain definable characteristics, including a short blade with a sharply tapered point, a central spine or fuller, and (usually) two cutting edges sharpened the full length of the blade, or nearly so.

Production coordinator

A production coordinator (officially called production office coordinator and abbreviated POC) is a unionized position in stagecraft under the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and is governed in Los Angeles by Local 871.

The production coordinator serves under the production manager, producer or UPM to coordinate the various groups and personnel that come together in filmmaking to a movie and video production to make a television show. It is a supervisory position to the Production assistant staff. The position requires adept organizational skills, resourcefulness and the ability to handle a multitude of tasks simultaneously under often high-pressure situations. The POC serves as the gatekeeper of company policy and is usually responsible for ensuring the rest of the production television crew follows the requirements of the Production Company or Studio.

The duties of a POC are often undefined and extremely varied ranging from office manager, to human resources, to controller, to accountant. The POC is one of the only positions with the IATSE (USA and Canada) which no longer has a scale or set wage. The IA bylaws simply state the POC’s wage is “subject to negotiation with the Producer”. Fringe benefits include inclusion with the (USA)industry’s Motion Picture Industry Pension & Health Plans. Currently the production company is required to contribute 60 pensions hours per week, which equates to about 35-percent of the weekly gross wage. Most all POCs are hired an "on-call" weekly status and are basically paid a flat rate per week, no matter how many or few hours they work. Working conditions can vary on the medium (half-hour, hour-long television, reality, live, soap and feature) and daily hours can range from 8 to 16 hour days. The POC is often the first person in the office and the last to leave since they hold the responsibility of tending to the needs of the crew.

Tai chi

Often shortened to t'ai chi, taiji or tai chi in English usage, t'ai chi ch'uan or tàijíquán is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for both its defense training and its health benefits. Though originally conceived as a martial art, it is also typically practiced for a variety of other personal reasons: competitive wrestling in the format of pushing hands (tui shou), demonstration competitions, and achieving greater longevity. As a result, a multitude of training forms exist, both traditional and modern, which correspond to those aims with differing emphasis. Some training forms of t'ai chi ch'uan are especially known for being practiced with relatively slow movements.

Today, t'ai chi ch'uan has spread worldwide. Most modern styles of t'ai chi ch'uan trace their development to at least one of the five traditional schools: Chen, Yang, Wu, Wu (Hao), and Sun. All of the former, in turn, trace their historical origins to Chen Village.

Overview

The term "t'ai chi ch'uan" translates as "supreme ultimate fist", "grand supreme fist", "boundless fist", "supreme ultimate boxing" or "great extremes boxing". The chi in this instance is the Wade–Giles transliteration of the Pinyin jí, and is distinct from qì (ch'i, "life energy"). The concept of the taiji ("supreme ultimate"), in contrast with wuji ("without ultimate"), appears in both Taoist and Confucian Chinese philosophy, where it represents the fusion or mother of yin and yang into a single ultimate, represented by the taijitu symbol . T'ai chi ch'uan theory and practice evolved in agreement with many Chinese philosophical principles, including those of Taoism and Confucianism.

Moscow

Moscow (/ˈmɒskaʊ/ or /ˈmɒskoʊ/; Russian: Москва́, tr. Moskva; IPA: [mɐˈskva]) is the capital and the largest city of Russia, with 12.2 million residents within the city limits and 16.8 million within the urban area. Moscow has the status of a federal city in Russia.

Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural, and scientific center of Russia and Eastern Europe, as well as the largest city entirely on the European continent. By broader definitions Moscow is among the world's largest cities, being the 14th largest metro area, the 17th largest agglomeration, the 16th largest urban area, and the 10th largest by population within city limits worldwide. According to Forbes 2013, Moscow has been ranked as the ninth most expensive city in the world by Mercer and has one of the world's largest urban economies, being ranked as an alpha global city according to the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, and is also one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the world according to the MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index. Moscow is the northernmost and coldest megacity and metropolis on Earth. It is home to the Ostankino Tower, the tallest free standing structure in Europe; the Federation Tower, the tallest skyscraper in Europe; and the Moscow International Business Center. By its territorial expansion on July 1, 2012 southwest into the Moscow Oblast, the area of the capital more than doubled; from 1,091 square kilometers (421 sq mi) up to 2,511 square kilometers (970 sq mi), and gained an additional population of 233,000 people.

Memento (band)

Memento was an Australian hard rock band based out of the United States. Formed in 2001, the band disbanded in 2004 after the release of their debut album. After a two-year absence, the band re-emerged in 2006 under the name Nine Times Bodyweight, which itself disbanded after a year and without any further releases.

History

Formation

Formed in 2001, Memento was composed of Australian natives in vocalist-keyboardist Justin Stewart Cotta, guitarist Space (Jason Smith), bassist Leighton "Lats" Kearns, and American drummer Steve Clark.

The band released their debut album Beginnings on 25 February 2003. Two singles were released from the album, "Nothing Sacred" and "Savior," and a music video for "Coming" was produced as well. Both "Nothing Sacred" and "Savior" made a moderate impact on the US mainstream rock charts. Memento was also part of the 2003 Ozzfest tour as a rotating second stage act.

First break-up and re-emergence

Due to personal conflicts amongst the band members, as well as record label issues, the band was dissolved in late 2004. Cotta and Kearns re-emerged as Man vs Clock in 2005. In early 2006, Memento reformed with a new drummer, Jeff Bowders, under the new name Nine Times Bodyweight, or "9xB." The band went to work recording new material. However, the project didn't last, and disbanded in early 2007. No official statement was publicly released as to why the group dissolved.