Pisa

Pisa (/ˈpiːzə/; Italian pronunciation: [ˈpiːza]) is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the River Arno just before it empties into the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower (the bell tower of the city's cathedral), the city of over 89,940 residents (around 200,000 with the metropolitan area) contains more than 20 other historic churches, several medieval palaces and various bridges across the River Arno. Much of the city's architecture was financed from its history as one of the Italian maritime republics.

The city is also home of the University of Pisa, which has a history going back to the 12th century and also has the mythic Napoleonic Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa and Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies as the best sanctioned Superior Graduate Schools in Italy.

History

Ancient times

The origin of the name, Pisa, is a mystery. While the origin of the city had remained unknown for centuries, the Pelasgi, the Greeks, the Etruscans, and the Ligurians had variously been proposed as founders of the city (for example, a colony of the ancient city of Pisa, Greece). Archaeological remains from the 5th century BC confirmed the existence of a city at the sea, trading with Greeks and Gauls. The presence of an Etruscan necropolis, discovered during excavations in the Arena Garibaldi in 1991, confirmed its Etruscan origins.

List of leaning towers

This is a list of leaning towers. A leaning tower is a tower which, either intentionally, or unintentionally (due to errors in design, construction or to subsequent external influence) does not stand perpendicular to the ground. The most famous example is the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.

Asia

China

Hong Kong

Abu Dhabi, UAE

Malaysia

Philippines

India

Pacific

New Zealand

Paisa

The paisa (Nepali: पैसा, Hindi: पैसा, Urdu: پیسہ‎) or poisha (Bengali: পয়সা, in Bangladesh) is a monetary unit in several countries; cognate terms include baisa (Arabic: بيسة‎, in Oman).

In India, Nepal and Pakistan, the paisa currently equals ¹⁄₁₀₀ of a rupee. In Bangladesh, the poisha equals ¹⁄₁₀₀ of a Bangladeshi taka. In Oman, the baisa equals ¹⁄₁₀₀₀ of an Omani rial. The colloquial term for money in Burmese, paiksan (ပိုက်ဆံ), derives from the Hindi term paisa.

The word paisa is from Hindi and Urdu paisā, a quarter-anna coin, ultimately from Sanskrit term padāṁśa meaning 'quarter part', from pada "foot or quarter" and aṁśa "part". Another explanation is that the word derives from Spanish and Portuguese ´pesa´ from which peso and diminutive peseta are derived. The pesa was also in use in colonial Kenya.

Until the 1950s in India and Pakistan (and before 1947 in British India), the paisa was equivalent to 3 pies, ¼ of an anna, or ¹⁄₆₄ of a rupee. After the transition from a non-decimal currency to a decimal currency, the paisa equaled ¹⁄₁₀₀ of a rupee and was known as a naya paisa ("new paisa") for a few years to distinguish it from the old paisa that was ¹⁄₆₄ of a rupee.

Leaning Tower of Pisa

The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italian: Torre pendente di Pisa) or simply the Tower of Pisa (Torre di Pisa [ˈtorre di ˈpiːza]) is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa, known worldwide for its unintended tilt.

It is situated behind the Cathedral and is the third oldest structure in Pisa's Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo) after the Cathedral and the Baptistery. The tower's tilt began during construction, caused by an inadequate foundation on ground too soft on one side to properly support the structure's weight. The tilt increased in the decades before the structure was completed, and gradually increased until the structure was stabilized (and the tilt partially corrected) by efforts in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

The height of the tower is 55.86 metres (183.27 feet) from the ground on the low side and 56.67 metres (185.93 feet) on the high side. The width of the walls at the base is 2.44 m (8 ft 0.06 in). Its weight is estimated at 14,500 metric tons (16,000 short tons). The tower has 296 or 294 steps; the seventh floor has two fewer steps on the north-facing staircase. Prior to restoration work performed between 1990 and 2001, the tower leaned at an angle of 5.5 degrees, but the tower now leans at about 3.99 degrees. This means that the top of the tower is displaced horizontally 3.9 metres (12 ft 10 in) from the centre.

Film

A film, also called a movie, motion picture or photoplay, is a series of still images which, when shown on a screen, creates the illusion of moving images due to the phi phenomenon. This optical illusion causes the audience to perceive continuous motion between separate objects viewed rapidly in succession. A film is created by photographing actual scenes with a motion picture camera; by photographing drawings or miniature models using traditional animation techniques; by means of CGI and computer animation; or by a combination of some or all of these techniques and other visual effects. The word "cinema", short for cinematography, is often used to refer to the industry of films and filmmaking or to the art of filmmaking itself. The contemporary definition of cinema is the art of simulating experiences to communicate ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty or atmosphere by the means of recorded or programmed moving images along with other sensory stimulations.

The process of filmmaking is both an art and an industry.