what is the name of the pig in the book of life

On the Day of the Dead, La Muerte, ruler of the Land of the Remembered, and Xibalba, ruler of the Land of the Forgotten, set a wager for their own worlds after seeing Manolo Sánchez and Joaquín Mondragon competing over María Posada. La Muerte bets on Manolo while Xibalba bets on Joaquín. However, Xibalba cheats by giving Joaquín his Medal of Everlasting Life, granting the wearer invincibility. María frees a herd of captive pigs, resulting her being sent to a boarding school in Spain. Parting ways, Manolo gives her one of the rescued baby pigs, which he named Chuy, and she gives him a guitar engraved with the phrase "Always play from the heart".

The Book of Life (2014 film)

The Book of Life is a 2014 American 3D computer-animated musical fantasy adventure comedy film produced by Reel FX Creative Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Co-written and directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez, it was produced by Aaron Berger, Brad Booker, Guillermo del Toro, and Carina Schulze.[1] The film stars the voices of Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum, Christina Applegate, Ice Cube, Ron Perlman, and Kate del Castillo. Based on an original idea by Gutierrez,[6] the story follows a bullfighter who, on the Day of the Dead, embarks on an afterlife adventure to fulfill the expectations of his family and friends.

The film premiered in Los Angeles on October 12, 2014, and was released theatrically in the United States on October 17, 2014. It received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Animated Feature Film. The film grossed $99 million on a $50 million budget.

Mary Beth, a museum tour guide, takes a group of school detention students on a secret museum tour, telling them, with wooden figures, the story of a Mexican town called San Angel from the Book of Life, holding every story in the world.

Years later, Manolo's dreams are suppressed by his father Carlos, who trains him to be a bullfighter to honor their family, while Joaquín becomes a hero with the Medal's aid. On Manolo's first bullfight, María returns. Manolo defeats the bull but refuses to kill it, dismaying Carlos and the crowd but impressing María. That night, María is pressured by her father and mayor, General Ramiro Posada, to marry Joaquín for his protection from the Bandit King Chakal. María and Manolo both profess their love before dawn but are interrupted when Xibalba sends his dual-headed snake staff who bites her once and sends her into a coma. Devastated by María's apparent death, Manolo allows Xibalba to kill him, believing he will be reunited with María in death.

At the Land of the Remembered, Manolo reunites with his mother Carmen and his ancestral family. They travel to La Muerte's castle, discovering Xibalba, now the new ruler of the Land of the Remembered, who explains the bet and that the snake only killed him. María awakens (thanks to Joaquín's Medal), learns of Manolo's death, and accepts Joaquín's proposal, despite Joaquín's protestation. Manolo, Carmen, and his grandfather Luis, travel to the Cave of Souls to reach La Muerte. Inside, they meet the Candle Maker, the overseer of mortal lives and the Book of Life's keeper. After seeing that Manolo's story in the Book of Life is blank and can be rewritten by himself, he takes them to the Land of the Forgotten. They find La Muerte at Xibalba's previous castle and expose his cheating. Furious, La Muerte lectures Xibalba before offering a new wager at Manolo's request: Manolo's life will be returned if he completes a challenge of Xibalba's choosing, but if he fails, he will be forgotten and Xibalba will keep both realms. Xibalba sets Manolo against a giant bull skeleton made from the skeletons of every bull slain by the Sanchez family, believing that to be his greatest fear.

In the Land of the Living, Chakal leads his army to San Angel (in middle of María and Joaquín's wedding) to find the Medal, which was previously his. Chakal kills Carlos, who arrives in the Land of the Remembered in time to see Manolo's fight. Manolo, realizing his fear is actually that of being himself, refuses to fight and instead sings an apology to the bull, appeasing it and touching his family, even the deities (especially Xibalba). Impressed, the deities restore Manolo to life and send him and his family to San Angel to protect it from Chakal and his army. Manolo is knocked unconscious when Chakal destructs himself, but he is protected by the Medal, which Joaquín had slipped him earlier. Joaquín returns it to Xibalba and resolves to be a true hero, while Manolo and María are happily married as Xibalba and La Muerte reconcile.

In the present, Mary Beth finishes the story, and the now-amazed children leave the museum. Mary Beth and an elderly security guard named Guicho reveal themselves to be La Muerte and Xibalba in disguise (and still very much in love). The Candle Maker appears and encourages the audience by showing them the Book of Life and telling them to write their own story.

The Book of Life was originally optioned by DreamWorks Animation in 2007, but never went beyond development because of "creative differences".[6] From there the film went to Reel FX,[11] with 20th Century Fox handling distribution rights. The film was initially given a release date of October 10, 2014;[12] however, this was eventually moved back by a week.[13] On October 16, 2013, it was announced that Channing Tatum, Zoe Saldana, Diego Luna and Christina Applegate would star as voice actors in the film.[9]

Jorge Gutierrez, co-creator of Nickelodeon's El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, wanted to make the final animation look like the concept artwork saying: "I saw every single one that comes out and my biggest heartbreak is that I see all this glorious art, and then the movie doesn't look like that! The mandate of this movie was: Our 'Art of' book is going to look exactly like the movie. And every artist poured their heart and soul into that idea."[14] Gutierrez did not permit his animation team to go on any research trips to Mexico, feeling that such trips often only covered very touristy aspects of the culture. Instead he had the team address any questions they had about the region to him.[15]

The Book of Life made its world premiere in Los Angeles on October 12, 2014.[16] It was released on October 17, 2014 in North America.[17]

The Book of Life was released on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D on January 27, 2015 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.[18] The special features included a 3-minute[19] short animated film, titled The Adventures of Chuy.[18]

In April 2013, it was announced Gustavo Santaolalla and Paul Williams would be adapting pop songs for the film.[20] The soundtrack was released on September 29, 2014, on iTunes,[21] and was released on CD on October 27, 2014, by Sony Masterworks.[22]

The Book of Life grossed $50.2 million in North America and $49.6 million in other countries for a worldwide total of $99.8 million, against a production budget of $50 million.[5]

The Book of Life was released in the United States and Canada on October 17, 2014.[23][24] The film earned $300,000 from Thursday late night showings from 2,150 theatres[25][26] and $4.9 million on its opening day.[27][28] The film debuted at number three in its opening weekend earning $17 million at an average of $5,537 per theatre behind Fury ($23.5 million) and Gone Girl ($17.8 million).[29][30][31][32] The film played 57% female and 54% under the age of 25 years. It played 59% under 10-years old while 31% of tickets sold were in 3D.[33]

In other territories, The Book of Life earned $8.58 million from 3,654 screens in 19 markets. The highest debuts came from Mexico ($3.84 million) and Brazil ($1.98 million).[31] In Mexico, the film was number two behind the local film Perfect Dictatorship.[34]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 82% based on 107 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The site's critical consensus reads "The Book of Life's gorgeous animation is a treat, but it's a pity that its story lacks the same level of craft and detail that its thrilling visuals provide."[35] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 67 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[36]

Geoff Berkshire of Variety gave the film a positive review, saying "Repping a major step forward for Dallas-based Reel FX Animation Studios (after their anemic feature bow on last year's Free Birds), the beautifully rendered CG animation brings an unusually warm and heartfelt quality to the high-tech medium and emerges as the film's true calling card."[37] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review, saying "The Book of Life is a visually stunning effort that makes up for its formulaic storyline with an enchanting atmosphere that sweeps you into its fantastical world, or in this case, three worlds."[38] Simon Abrams of The Village Voice gave the film a negative review, saying "The Book of Life's hackneyed stock plot preaches tolerance while lamely reinforcing the status quo."[39] Marc Snetiker of Entertainment Weekly gave the film an A-, saying "Overflowing with hyperactive charm and a spectacular sea of colors, it showcases some of the most breathtaking animation we've seen this decade."[40] Claudia Puig of USA Today gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "The dizzying, intricate imagery is so beautiful, and the Latin-inspired songs catchy enough that the overall effect is often enchanting."[41] Sara Stewart of The New York Post gave the film two out of four stars, saying "Just in time for Mexico's Day of the Dead holiday comes this gloriously colorful animated musical, which almost (but not quite) makes up in visuals what it lacks in snappy dialogue."[42] Katie Rife of The A.V. Club gave the film a B-, saying "Ultimately, what drags The Book Of Life down is its insistence on trying to update an (original) folkloric story for a contemporary audience. In practice, this means adding some pop-cultural touches that only serve to take the viewer out of the fantastic setting."[43]

Michael Ordoña of the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film three out of five stars, saying "The vibrant animated feature The Book of Life is a cheeky celebration of Mexican folklore with a solid cast, an irreverent sensibility and gorgeous visuals."[44] Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post gave the film three out of five stars, saying "The Book of Life may use state-of-the-art animation, but it derives its strength from the wisdom of antiquity. It only looks new, but it's as old as life (and death) itself.[45] Bill Goodykoontz of The Arizona Republic gave the film four out of five stars, saying "A visually stunning, funny movie that trusts children to deal with subject matter that many films don't: specifically, death."[46] Frank Lovece of Newsday gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Funny without being frantic, seamlessly switching from dry humor to slapstick, it shows death as a part of life -- and, judging from a preview audience of very young tykes, does so in a gentle, delightful way."[47] Manohla Dargis of The New York Times gave the film a negative review, saying "This often beautiful and too-often moribund, if exhaustingly frenetic, feature tends to be less energetic than the dead people waltzing through it."[48] Conversely, Charles Solomon of the Los Angeles Times gave the film a negative review, saying "The Book of Life juxtaposes overwrought visual imagery with an undernourished, familiar story - regrettable flaws in one of the few animated films to focus on Latino characters and the rich heritage of Mexican folk culture."[49] Marjorie Baumgarten of The Austin Chronicle gave the film two and a half stars out of five, saying "Visually arresting but dramatically rote, The Book of Life at least introduces American kids to the Mexican holiday of Día de los Muertos and should score points with families looking for kid-friendly movies that reflect aspects of their Mexican cultural heritage."[50]

Calvin Wilson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch gave the film two and a half stars out of five, saying "The Book of Life is a flawed but intriguing new chapter in animation."[51] James Berardinelli of ReelViews gave the film three out of four stars, saying "The Book of Life moves breezily from one scene to the next, keeping the pace brisk and rarely skipping a beat."[52] Laura Emerick of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Whether en ingles o en espanol, The Book of Life is a delight. In an animated universe cluttered with kung-fu pandas, ice princesses and video-game heroes, Gutierrez and del Toro have conjured up an original vision."[53] Tasha Robinson of The Dissolve gave the film three and a half stars out of five, saying "It's all flawed, and distracted, and conceptually messy, prioritizing color over common sense and energy over consistency. But as an afternoon's diversion for a handful of misbehaving kids—both within the movie, and within the movie theater—it's authentically winning."[54] Michael Ordona of the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film a positive review, saying "There are no great surprises, no shocking reveals (except to the characters themselves). But there's so much to appreciate along the way that it's a real page-turner."[44] Kenji Fujishima of Slant Magazine gave the film two out of four stars, saying "Jorge R. Gutierrez subsumes the film's darker themes in a relentlessly busy farrago of predictable kids'-movie tropes and annoying attempts at hipness."[55] Ben Sachs of the Chicago Reader gave the film a negative review, saying "This Pixar knockoff from 20th Century Fox is more imaginative than most, though like far too many of them, it's undone by a surfeit of glib one-liners and pop culture references."[56]

Director Jorge Gutierrez revealed in an interview that one of the ideas for the next chapter in the story involves Joaquin and his relationship with his father. "I had always imagined the first movie to be about Manolo, the second to be about JoaquÃn and the third one to be about Maria...I've always conceived it as a trilogy."[71] In June 2017, Gutierrez and Reel FX Animation announced that the development on the sequel had begun.[72]


who wrote the music and lyrics for oliver

Lionel Bart (1 August 1930 â€“ 3 April 1999) was a writer and composer of British pop music and musicals, best known for creating the book, music and lyrics for Oliver![1][2]

Lionel Bart

He was born Lionel Begleiter, the youngest of seven surviving children of Galician Jews, Yetta (nÃ©e Darumstundler) and Morris Begleiter, a master tailor.[3] He grew up in Stepney; his father worked in the area as a tailor in a garden shed. The family had escaped the deadly pogroms against Jews by Ukrainian cossacks in Galicia, which was then part of the Austrian Empire.

Lionel Begleiter changed his surname to Bart, said to be derived from when he passed by St Bartholomew's Hospital on the top deck of a bus, after he had completed his National Service with the Royal Air Force. A more likely derivation of Bart is from the silk-screen printing company he founded with John Gorman, G and B Arts.[4][citation needed]

As a young man he was an accomplished painter. When Bart was aged six, a teacher told his parents that he was a musical genius. His parents gave him an old violin, but he did not apply himself and the lessons stopped.[5]

At the age of 14 he obtained a Junior Art Scholarship to Saint Martin's School of Art. One Friday afternoon he was suspended for "mischievousness" along with another student, John Groom, for making a noise with the rest of the class, involving set squares and other paraphernalia. On the following Monday, he returned to the School with a long explanation of his peripheral involvement in the disturbance, and was reinstated. After St Martin's he gave up his ambition to be a painter, and took jobs in silk-screen printing works and commercial art studios. He never learned to read or write musical notation.

He started his songwriting career in amateur theatre, first at The International Youth Centre in 1952 where he and a friend wrote a revue together called IYC Revue 52. The following year the pair auditioned for a production of the Leonard Irwin play The Wages of Eve at London's Unity Theatre. Shortly afterward Bart began composing songs for Unity Theatre productions, contributing material (including the title song) to its 1953 revue Turn It Up, and songs for its 1953 pantomime, an agitprop version of Cinderella. While at the Unity he was talent-spotted by Joan Littlewood, and so joined Theatre Workshop.[6] He also wrote comedy songs for the Sunday lunchtime BBC radio programme The Billy Cotton Band Show.[7]

He first gained widespread recognition through his pop songwriting, penning numerous hits for the stable of young male singers promoted by artist manager and music publisher Larry Parnes. Bart's pop output in this period includes the hits "Living Doll" (written for Cliff Richard) and "Rock with the Cavemen", "Handful of Songs", "Butterfingers" and "Little White Bull" (for Tommy Steele). During this period, Steele and Mike Pratt were his songwriting partners. He won three Ivor Novello Awards in 1957, a further four in 1958, and two in 1960. He wrote the theme song for the 1963 James Bond film From Russia with Love. His other hits include: "Do You Mind?" (recorded by both Anthony Newley and Andy Williams), "Big Time" (a 1961 cover by Jack Jones of his "Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be" show tune), "Easy Going Me" (Adam Faith) and "Always You And Me" (with Russ Conway).

Bart was also responsible for the discovery of two of Parnes' biggest stars. It was on his recommendation that Parnes went to see singer Tommy Hicks, whom he signed and renamed Tommy Steele, and Bart also suggested that Parnes see singer Reg Smith, who was then performing at the Condor Club. Although Parnes missed his performance, he went round to Smith's house and signed him up on the basis of Bart's recommendation. Smith went on to score a number of UK hits under his new stage name Marty Wilde.[8]

Twenty-seven years after it became a number one hit for Cliff Richard, "Living Doll" was re-recorded by The Young Ones and Richard for Comic Relief, and spent another three weeks at number one.[9]

Bart's first professional musical was 1959's Lock Up Your Daughters, based on the 18th-century play Rape upon Rape by Henry Fielding. Following that, Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be produced by Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop, was notable for encouraging the use of authentic Cockney accents on the London stage. Oliver! (1960), based on Dickens's Oliver Twist, was a huge hit from the beginning and became the first modern British musical to be transferred successfully to Broadway.[citation needed]

It has sustained its popularity to the present day, and for many years was the standard musical performed by schools in the UK. The original stage production, which starred Ron Moody and Georgia Brown, contained such song hits as "As Long As He Needs Me" and "Consider Yourself"; it is also notable for featuring Australian satirist Barry Humphries in his first major stage role as Mr Sowerberry, and future rock stars Steve Marriott[10] (later the lead singer of the Small Faces and Humble Pie), Davy Jones (pre-Monkees) and Phil Collins (of Genesis fame) as The Artful Dodger.[citation needed]

The music for Oliver! was transcribed by Eric Rogers, who wrote and composed 21 scores for the Carry On films. Bart hummed the melodies and Rogers wrote the notes on his behalf as Bart could not read or write music.[11]

In 1968 Oliver! was made into a film starring Ron Moody, Oliver Reed and Shani Wallis that won several Oscars, including best film. It is estimated that around this time Bart was earning 16 pounds a minute from Oliver!.[12]

Bart's next two musicals, Blitz! (1962) (from which came the song "Far Away", a hit for Shirley Bassey) and Maggie May (1964) had respectable West End runs (Blitz!, at the time London's most expensive musical ever, had a run of 568 performances),[13] but Twang! (1965), a musical based on the Robin Hood legend, was a flop and La Strada (1969), which opened on Broadway in New York City, closed after only one performance. By this time Bart was taking LSD and other drugs and was drinking heavily, and this may have affected both his work and his business judgement.[14][5]

He rashly used his personal finances to try to rescue his last two productions, selling his past and future rights to his work, including Oliver! which he sold to the entertainer Max Bygraves for £350 (Bygraves later[when?] sold them on for £250,000)[15] to realise capital to finance the shows; Bart himself later estimated that this action lost him over £1 million.[14] By 1972, Bart was bankrupt with debts of £73,000. A twenty-year period of depression and alcoholism ensued. He eventually stopped drinking, although the years of substance abuse seriously damaged his health, leaving him with diabetes and impaired liver function.[14]

In May 1977, an autobiographical musical called Lionel! opened in the West End at the New London Theatre. It was loosely based on Bart's early life as a child prodigy. Bart added some new songs for the show and expectations were high. The cast included Clarke Peters, Marion Montgomery and Adrienne Posta. The role of Lionel was shared by a young Todd Carty and theatre unknown Chris Nieto. The show closed after six weeks, losing Â£250,000.[citation needed]

Bart continued writing songs and themes for films, but his only real success in his later years was "Happy Endings", a 30-second jingle for a 1989 Abbey National advertising campaign, which featured Bart playing the piano and singing to children.[16]

He received a special Ivor Novello Award for life achievement in 1986. Cameron Mackintosh, who owned half the rights to Oliver!, revived the musical at the London Palladium in 1994 in a version rewritten by Lionel Bart himself. Mackintosh gave Bart a share of the production royalties. At the peak of his career, Bart was romantically linked in the media with singers Judy Garland and Alma Cogan,[7] though he was in fact gay. His sexuality was known to friends and colleagues but he did not "come out" until a few years before his death.[14]

Bart died at the Hammersmith Hospital, 150 DuCane Road, Shepherd's Bush, West London on 3 April 1999[17], of liver cancer[18][19]. His funeral was held at Golders Green Crematorium.[20]

A musical play based on Bart's life and using his songs, It's a Fine Life, was staged in 2006 at the Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch.[21]


who puts the dollar sign after the amount

In the United States, Mexico, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Pacific Island nations, and English-speaking Canada, the dollar or peso symbol precedes the number. Five dollars or pesos is written and printed as $5, whereas five cents is written as 5¢. In French-speaking Canada, the dollar symbol usually appears after the number (5$), although it sometimes appears in front of it.

Dollar sign

؋ ₳  ฿ ₿  ₵ ¢ ₡ ₢  $ ₫ ₯ ֏  ₠ €  ƒ ₣  ₲  ₴  ₭  ₺ ₾  ₼ ℳ ₥  ₦  ₧ ₱ ₰ £  元 圆 圓 ﷼ ៛ ₽ ₹ ₨  ₪  ৳ ₸ ₮  ₩  ¥ 円

The dollar sign ($ or ) is a symbol primarily used to indicate the various units of currency around the world. The symbol can interchangeably have one or two vertical strokes. In common usage, the sign appears to the left of the amount specified, as in $1 (read: one dollar).

A common hypothesis holds that the sign derives from the symbolic representation of the Pillars of Hercules â€“ this representation can either have a banner separately around each pillar, or as in the Spanish coat of arms, a banner curling between them.

In 1492, Ferdinand II of Aragon adopted the symbol of the Pillars of Hercules and added the Latin warning Non plus ultra meaning "nothing further beyond", indicating "this is the end of the (known) world". But when Christopher Columbus came to America, the legend was changed to Plus ultra, meaning "further beyond". The Pillars of Hercules wrapped in a banner thus became a symbol of the New World. The link between this symbol and the dollar sign is more clearly seen in Spanish coins of the period - which show two pillars, each with a separate banner, rather than one banner spanning both pillars. In this example the right-hand pillar clearly resembles the dollar sign, and additionally directly relates to the use of money.

The symbol was adopted by Charles V and was part of his coat of arms representing Spain's American possessions. The symbol was later stamped on coins minted in gold and silver. The coin, also known as Spanish dollar, was the first global currency used in the entire world since the Spanish Empire was the first global Empire. These coins, depicting the pillars over two hemispheres and a small "S"-shaped ribbon around each, were spread throughout America, Europe and Asia. According to this, traders wrote signs that, instead of saying Spanish dollar (piece of eight, real de a ocho in Spanish or peso duro), had this symbol made by hand, and this in turn evolved into a simple S with two vertical bars. When the US gained their independence from Great Britain, they created the American dollar, but in its early decades they continued to use the Spanish dollar, which was more trusted in all markets.

The United States, even after independence, was still using the pound sterling as currency. This is attested in state legislation of the early 1780s, referring to pounds[1] and pence,[2] which pre-dated the US Constitution and federal legislation.

Given the origin of this theory – related to Spanish (and Portuguese) colonisation of the Americas – it is likely that the cifrão or peso signs share the same origin, and that the double stroke usage is merely a stylistic variant, rather than a distinct character.

The sign is first attested in Spanish American, American, Canadian, Mexican and other British business correspondence in the 1770s, referring to the Spanish American peso,[3][4] also known as "Spanish dollar" or "piece of eight" in North America, which provided the model for the currency that the United States adopted in 1792 and the larger coins of the new Spanish American republics such as the Mexican peso, Peruvian eight-real and Bolivian eight-sol coins.

This explanation holds that the sign evolved out of the Spanish and Spanish American scribal abbreviation "pˢ" for pesos. A study of late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century manuscripts shows that the s gradually came to be written over the p, developing into a close equivalent to the "$" mark.[5][6][7][8][9] A variation, though less plausible, of this hypothesis derives the sign from a combination of the Greek character "psi" (ψ) and "S".[10]

There are a number of other hypotheses about the origin of the symbol, some with a measure of academic acceptance, others the symbolic equivalent of false etymologies.[11]

Among the various hypotheses, the simplest one is that the barred S is actually a typo modified 8, from its obvious link with the pieces of eight, the popular name of the Spanish dollar. The added (single or double) bar should be the same commonly used to distinguish a letter dedicated to a currency value, like Â£.

Kingdom of Sicily Denari minted by Manfred of Hohenstaufen in the Kingdom of Sicily between 1258 and 1266 had what can be construed as an early dollar symbol. These coins were widely circulated outside Europe due to the Crusades, including the Crusade that targeted Tunis.

Several alternative hypotheses relate specifically to the dollar sign drawn with two vertical lines.

A dollar sign with two vertical lines could have started off as a monogram of 'USA', used on money bags issued by the United States Mint. The letters U and S superimposed resemble the historical double-stroke dollar sign : the bottom of the 'U' disappears into the bottom curve of the 'S', leaving two vertical lines. It is postulated from the papers of Dr. James Alton James, a professor of history at Northwestern University from 1897 to 1935, that the symbol with two strokes was an adapted design of the patriot Robert Morris in 1778.[12] Robert Morris was such a zealous patriot – known as the "Financier of the Revolution in the West" – that conjecture does not overstep its bounds in purporting this hypothesis as viable.[13] A similar idea claims that the letters U and S would stand for unit of silver, referencing pieces of eight again, but that is unlikely since one would expect it to be in Spanish instead.

Another hypothesis is that it derives from the symbol used on a German Thaler. According to Ovason (2004), on one type of thaler one side showed a crucifix while the other showed a serpent hanging from a cross, the letters NU near the serpent's head, and on the other side of the cross the number 21. This refers to the Bible, Numbers, Chapter 21 (see Nehushtan).

A similar symbol, constructed by superposition of "S" and "I" or "J", was used to denote German Joachimsthaler ("S" and "J" standing for St. Joachim who gave his name to the place where the first thalers were minted). It was known in the English-speaking world by the 17th century, appearing in 1686 edition of An Introduction to Merchants' Accounts by John Collins.[14]

Robert Morris was the first to use that symbol in official documents and in official communications with Oliver Pollock. The US Dollar was directly based on the Spanish Milled Dollar when, in the Coinage Act of 1792, the first Mint Act, its value was fixed (per the U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8, clause 1 power of the United States Congress "To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures") as being "of the value of a Spanish milled dollar as the same is now current, and to contain three hundred and seventy-one grains and four sixteenth parts of a grain of pure, or four hundred and sixteen grains of standard silver".

According to a plaque in St Andrews, Scotland, the dollar sign was first cast into type at a foundry in Philadelphia, United States in 1797 by the Scottish immigrants John Baine, Archibald Binney and James Ronaldson.

The dollar sign did not appear on U.S. coinage until February 2007,[citation needed] when it was used on the reverse of a $1 coin authorized by the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005.[15]

The dollar sign appears as early as 1847 on the $100 Mexican War notes and the reverse of the 1869 $1000 United States note.[16][17] The dollar sign also appears on the reverse of the 1934 $100,000[18] note.

In Japanese and Korean, the Han character å¼— has been repurposed to represent the dollar sign due to its visual similarity.

The dollar sign is one of the few symbols that are almost universally present in computer character sets but rarely needed in its literal meaning within computer software. As a result, the character has been used on computers for many purposes unrelated to money. Its uses in programming languages have often influenced or provoked its uses in operating systems, and applications.

The dollar sign "$" has Unicode code point U+0024 (inherited from Latin-1).

There are no separate characters for one and two line variants. This is typeface-dependent.

There are also three other codepoints that originate from other East Asian standards: the Taiwanese small form variant, the CJK fullwidth form, and the Japanese emoji. The glyphs for these codepoints are typically larger or smaller than the primary codepoint, but the difference is mostly aesthetic or typographic, and the meanings of the symbols are the same.

However, for usage as the special character in various computing applications (see following sections), U+0024 is typically the only code that is recognized.

In addition to those countries of the world that use dollars or pesos, a number of other countries use the $ symbol to denote their currencies, including:

An exception is the Philippine peso, whose sign is written as â‚±.

The dollar sign is also still sometimes used to represent the Malaysian ringgit (which replaced the local dollar), though its official use to represent the currency has been discontinued since 1993.

Some currencies use the cifrão (), similar to the dollar sign, but always with two strokes:

In Mexico and other peso-using countries, the cifrão is used as a dollar sign when a document uses both pesos and dollars at the same time, to avoid confusion, but when the dollar sign is used alone (not in conjunction with the cifrão), it is usually represented as US $ (United States dollars) or by its ISO 4217 code "USD". Example: US $5 or 5 USD (five US dollars).[citation needed]

However, in Argentina, the $ sign is always used for pesos, and if they want to indicate dollars, they always write U$S 5 or US$5 (5 US dollars).

The dollar sign is also used in library cataloging to represent subsections.[citation needed]

Also, it is used derisively to indicate greed or excess money such as in "Micro$oft", "George Luca$", "Lar$ Ulrich", "Di$ney", "Chel$ea" and "GW$"; or supposed overt Americanization as in "$ky". The dollar sign is also used intentionally to stylize names such as A$AP Rocky, Ke$ha and Ty Dolla $ign or words such as ¥€$. In 1872, Ambrose Bierce referred to the California Governor as $tealand Landford.[21]

In Scrabble notation, a dollar sign is placed after a word to indicate that it is valid according to the North American word lists, but not according to the British word lists.[22]


when do you normally see a fetal pole

The fetal pole is a thickening on the margin of the yolk sac of a fetus during pregnancy.
It is usually identified at 8 weeks with abdominal ultrasound imaging, and 6 weeks with vaginal ultrasound imaging. However it is quite normal for the fetal pole to not be visible until about 9 weeks. The fetal pole may be seen at 2–4 mm crown-rump length (CRL).

Fetal pole


who played the dj in the movie the warriors

Cherlynne Theresa "Lynne" Thigpen (December 22, 1948 â€“ March 12, 2003) was an American actress, best known for her role as "The Chief" of ACME in the various Carmen Sandiego television series and computer games from 1991 to 1997. For her varied television work, Thigpen was nominated for six Daytime Emmy Awards; she won a Tony Award in 1997 for portraying Dr. Judith Kaufman in An American Daughter.

Lynne Thigpen

Born in Joliet, Illinois, Thigpen obtained a degree in teaching. She taught English in high school briefly while studying theatre and dance at the University of Illinois.[citation needed]

Thigpen moved to New York City in 1971 to begin her career as a stage actress. She had a long and prolific theater career and appeared in numerous musicals including Godspell, The Night That Made America Famous, The Magic Show, Working, Tintypes, and An American Daughter (for which she won her Tony Award for her portrayal of Dr. Judith Kaufman in 1997).

Her first feature film role was as Lynne in Godspell (1973), co-starring opposite Victor Garber and David Haskell. Thigpen also portrayed a radio DJ (shown only from the nose down) in Walter Hill's The Warriors (1979), and Leonna Barrett, the mother of an expelled student, in Lean on Me (1989), the story of famous American high school principal Joe Louis Clark. She had a role in the remake of Shaft (2000) (as Carla Howard, the mother of a murder victim), and played the Second President of the World Congress in Bicentennial Man (1999). Her last film was Anger Management (2003), starring Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson (which was released only a month after her death and paid tribute to her in the end credits).

Thigpen was perhaps best known for playing Luna in the television show, Bear in the Big Blue House as well as "The Chief" of the ACME Detective Agency in the long-running PBS children's geography game show Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, which involves both education and comedy, and, on occasion, musical performance. She remained The Chief in the successor show, Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?, but of ACME Time Net. She also appeared in many other television series during her career, most notably in a recurring role as Grace Keefer on the ABC daytime drama All My Children and a supporting role as Ella Mae Farmer, a crime analyst for the Washington, D.C. police department, on the CBS crime drama The District.[1] She guest-starred in episodes of Gimme A Break!, L.A. Law, Law & Order, The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd, Homicide: Life on the Street, and Thirtysomething, and was a regular cast member on the short-lived NBC sketch comedy series The News Is the News.

She appeared in radio skits of the Garrison Keillor program The American Radio Company of the Air.[2] Her voice was also heard on over 20 audio books, primarily works with socially relevant themes.[3]

Thigpen died of a cerebral hemorrhage on March 12, 2003,[4] in her Marina del Rey, California home after complaining of headaches for several days. She was 54 years old. Drugs and foul play were ruled out by the coroner's autopsy, which found "acute cardiac dysfunction, non-traumatic systemic and spontaneous intraventricular hemorrhage, and hemorrhage in the brain." She was entombed next to her parents at Elmhurst Cemetery in her hometown Joliet, Illinois.

When Thigpen died, the Season 3 finale of The District had a tribute to her character Ella Mae Farmer.[citation needed]

Thigpen's death also led to a three-year hiatus of Bear in the Big Blue House,[citation needed] and a planned film version of Bear was put on hold. Two years after Thigpen's death, Bear star, Tara Mooney, who played the character Shadow, stated in an interview with Ray D'Arcy on Today FM, "The crew's hearts just weren't in it anymore".[citation needed]

Thigpen was posthumously nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for voicing Luna the moon in Bear in the Big Blue House, but she lost to Jeff Corwin for his wildlife reality series The Jeff Corwin Experience.[citation needed]

Thigpen's friends and family established a non-profit foundation, The Lynne Thigpen - Bobo Lewis Foundation, to help young actors and actresses learn how to survive and succeed in New York theater and to mentor the next generation of Broadway stars.[citation needed]

Her final film, Anger Management (2003), was dedicated to her memory.

Also, Lynne Thigpen Elementary School in her hometown (Joliet, IL) was named in her honor.[5]


british singer who collaborated with kanye west on american boy

"American Boy" is a song recorded by British rapper and singer Estelle for her second studio album Shine (2008). It features vocals from American rapper Kanye West. The song was written by Estelle, West, will.i.am, John Legend, Josh Lopez, Caleb Speir, Armand and Keith Harris. It was produced by will.i.am, who also produced the album's previous single, "Wait a Minute (Just a Touch)", and uses the beat from the song "Impatient" from his own third studio album Songs About Girls (2007). "American Boy" is a breezy disco-funk song that lyrically describes a romance with an American suitor. The song's conception came after Legend, Estelle's mentor, suggested she write a song about meeting an American man.

American Boy

"American Boy" was released by Atlantic Records as the album's second single on 31 March 2008. The song received positive reviews from music critics, who praised its fresh sound and production. The song reached the top five in many European and Oceanic markets, including Belgium and Estelle's native United Kingdom where it reached the chart's summit. It also achieved success in the United States, peaking at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming Estelle's breakout song in the country. The song earned many nominations, and ultimately won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. The music video, featuring a variety of celebrity guests, earned a Video Music Award nomination for Best UK Video. As a result of the song's popularity, Estelle performed it at several award shows and venues.

â€” Timothy Gabriele of PopMatters commenting about "American Boy".[1]

"American Boy" was written by Estelle, will.i.am, John Legend, Kanye West, Josh Lopez, Caleb Speir, Debbie McGee and Keith Harris. It was also produced by will.i.am and recorded over the instrumental of his song "Impatient", from his third studio album Songs About Girls (2007). The credits of Lopez, Speir, and Harris were the result of this sampling.[2] In a 2008 interview with Pete Lewis of Blues & Soul, Estelle explained how the song came to fruition: "We were just messing about in the studio, joking around. And John (Legend) just said to me 'Why don't you write a song about meeting an American boy?'. So I was like 'Well, that's pretty easy' - because I have a lot of male friends out there in New York. And I unwittingly ended up creating a new ladies' anthem!"[3] She also spoke about West's involvement on the song, commenting "Kanye basically just brought his own cheeky self to the track, his own sense of humour. At first he was like 'How can you rap over a dance beat?' - and now he's DONE it!"[3] Instrumentation on the track includes drums, keys, synths, and bass; the former were provided by will.i.am while Caleb Speir provided the latter. will.i.am also co-recorded and co-engineered the song with Padriac Kerin at The Record Plant in Hollywood, Florida as well as Hit Factory Criteria and Circle House Studios in Miami. Serge Tsai mixed the song and recorded West's rap at Platinum Sound Recording Studios in New York City.

"American Boy" is a disco and funk song that, according to the sheetmusic published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Publishing Co., Inc., is set to metronome of 120 beats per minute.[4][5] Estelle's vocals, which have been described as "sweet" and "flirty", ranges from B3 to D5.[2][4] Timothy Gabriele of PopMatters described Estelle's vocals as those of one connecting "with her inner soul chanteuse."[1] West's rap verse has been described by New York Times's Jon Caramanica as "perfunctory" and idling "cool".[1][6] Lyrically, the song describes a foreign woman's interest in a male American suitor, listing places such as New York and Los Angeles as sites she wants to visit.[2] Timothy Gabriele of PopMatters found the song's lyrics to be about "the thrill of new experience, the excitement of a being in a fresh, unexplored environment while simultaneously meeting someone new."[1]

"American Boy" was released as the second single from Shine on 24 March 2008.[7] "American Boy" was released on third CD single formats, as well as a promo single, a maxi single, and 12" picture discs. The second CD single contains a radio remix of the song by UK dance and remix group Soul Seekerz.[8] The third CD single features "Lift to Me", a song recorded by American rapper and producer Hi-Tek, featuring Estelle, for his fourth studio album Hi-Teknology 3(2007). It also includes the music video for the single.[9] The maxi single includes several remixes of the song by Soul Seekerz and TS7 as well as the uncensored version, the version excluding West rap segment, and the song's instrument.[10] The promo single features remixes by TS7 and different versions of the single.[11] The 12" disc includes the TS7 remix and remixes of the previous single "Wait a Minute (Just a Touch)" by British electronic duo The Count & Sinden and British disc jockey Aaron Ross.[12] The 12" promo features "Wait a Minute (Just a Touch)" and instrumental versions of both songs.[13]

Mariel Concepcion of Billboard called "American Boy" "a charming duet with West."[15] Andy Kellman of Allmusic, Luke Bainbridge of Observer Music Monthly and Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine named the song as a standout on its parent album.[5][16][17] Bill Lamb of About.com gave the song a four star rating, listing the chemistry between Estelle and West, the song's beat and Estelle's vocals as the song's highlights. Lamb also added "This song is perfection for a slick, summery glide across the dance floor."[2]

Alex Fletcher of Digital Spy found "American Boy" to "boasts bags of self-confidence ("Don't like his baggy jeans but I like what's underneath 'em," she purrs at one point), a winning chorus and sultry, super-sleek production from Will.i.am and John Legend" while commenting "it shouldn't have taken a guest spot from the self-proclaimed King of Hip-Hop to make this tune a hit."[14] Timothy Gabriele of PopMatters called the song "an essential piece of ebullient summer musical manna rained down from empyreal heights and granted to us passive listeners as one final gift before the world spirals off into an inescapable vortex of cyclones, earthquakes, economic collapse, and a doom-sealing Presidential race."[1] Joshua Love of Pitchfork praised the song's hook and will.i.am's production work.[18] while Omar Jenning of The Skinny was dismissive of West's rap interlude.[19] Ben Hogwood of musicOMH lauded the song as an example of how "Estelle has added a large pinch of soul to take her music to the next."[20]

In 2009, "American Boy" earned Estelle and Kanye West a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration while receiving a nomination for Song of the Year.[21][22] The song received a nomination for BRIT Award for Best British Single.[23] "American Boy" was listed number 7 on the 100 Best Songs of 2008, published by the music magazine Rolling Stone.[24] The song also ranked 238th on the Top 500 songs of the 2000s, published by Pitchfork Media.[25] The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop annual critics' poll ranked "American Boy" at number 2 to find the best music of 2008, after M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes".

"American Boy" proved to be an international success, outperforming Estelle's previous singles in the United Kingdom and stands as her most successful single worldwide. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number 72 on 15 March 2008. It dropped out of the Top 75 the following week and re-entered at number one a week later, where it remained for four consecutive weeks.[26] It lasted thirty two weeks on the singles chart, earning a platinum certification for sales exceeding 600,000 copies. It landed on the UK year end chart at number six and on the end of the decade chart at number 83. In Ireland, "American Boy" entered the singles chart number eight and rose to peak at number two one week later.[27]

In the Flanders region of Belgium, "American Boy" entered the chart at number 41 on 26 April 2008. The song advanced to the top twenty in the following week and inside the top ten three weeks later. It reached the chart's summit on 7 June 2008, where it remained for another week.[28] The song charted in the top five for eleven consecutive weeks and lasted a total of twenty four weeks on the chart.[28] "American Boy" reached number four in the Wallonia region of Belgium and lasted twenty five weeks on the chart.[29] The song also reached number one in Slovakia;[30] number three in Denmark,[31] France,[32] Hungary[33] and Italy;[34] and number five in Germany,[35] the Netherlands,[36] and Switzerland.[37]

In Australia, "American Boy" entered the singles chart at number seven, earning the title of the weeks "highest debut".[38] The song rose to number three four weeks later, where it stayed for three consecutive weeks.[39] "American Boy" earned a platinum certification by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for sales exceeding 70,000 units. In New Zealand, the single debuted at number 25 on 31 March 2008 and rose to its peak position of number five four weeks later. The song remained on the chart for thirteen more weeks.[40]

"American Boy" experienced great chart success in the United States. The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on 3 May 2008, slowing rising the chart until it reached number 11 almost four months later.[41][42] It was later removed from iTunes resulting in its fall to number 37 on 6 September 2008.[43] The song was re-added to iTunes, causing a resurgence in downloads that aided its rise to its peak position of number nine on 27 September 2008, selling 91,000 downloads.[44][45] "American Boy" became Estelle's highest charting single in the United States, ahead of "Thank You" (2011), which only peaked at number 100. It ended the year at number 39 on the Hot 100 year-end chart and as the thirty-third best selling song of 2008.[46] The song was also her best selling single there, selling 2 million downloads and earning a double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[47]

The music video for "American Boy" was directed by Syndrome. It features guest appearances by John Legend, Kardinal Offishall, Sa-Ra's Taz Arnold, Kidz in the Hall's Naledge and Double-O, Danger Mouse, Consequence, Hi-Tek, Ryan Leslie, T.I., Brandon Hines, LL Cool J, and 106 & Park's Terrence J, among others. The music video was nominated for Best UK Video at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, but lost to The Ting Tings' single "Shut Up and Let Me Go" (2008).[48][49] The video also ranked at number 45 on BET's Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2008 countdown, while its spin-off channel BET J listed it at number 10 on the year-end Last Call 2008! Top 50 Countdown.

Estelle performed "American Boy" at various awards shows, where the song also earned her nominations for several categories. She first performed it on The Friday Night Project on 21 March 2008. Estelle performed the song with Kanye West at the FÃªte de la Musique on 21 June 2008.[50] She performed the song at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards with Kanye West singing his rap section, during an image of then newly elected United States president Barack Obama appeared on a giant screen.[51] She later performed it at the 2008 World Music Awards, hosted in Monte Carlo, Monaco, with a live band.[52] Estelle performed a mash up of the song with the Ting Tings "Shut Up and Let Me Go" and "That's Not My Name" at the 2009 BRIT Awards.[53] West also performed the track at the Coke Live Music Festival in 2011.

Busta Rhymes produced a remix version of the song with Estelle, taking over Kanye West's rap section. The song has also been covered by many artists, including Kid Mac BMK and Casey Donovan, Fall Out Boy, and Sam Sparro. Most notably, Sparro's acoustic rendition of the song was performed on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge appearing on the station's third compilation album and as a B-Side to his single "21st Century Life".[54] Popular versions include a shortened, lively jazz a cappella rendition performed by Howard University's Afro Blue during Season 3 of the NBC hit show The Sing-Off. The song has also received international parodies, with the name being changed to the synonymous countries. These parodies include Hamish & Andy's "Armenian Boy", Only Won and Larissa Lam's "Cantonese Boy", Bost & Bim's "Jamaican Boy", and Chris Moyles' "Somerset Boy". In a 2009 episode of Gavin & Stacey, James Corden & Sheridan Smith performed West's second verse in character as Smithy and Rudi.[55] In 2014, Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss) and Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) covered the song in the Glee season-finale episode "The Untitled Rachel Berry Project." Australian singer Greg Gould released a live in the studio cover version on his debut EP 'Don't Let Go' featuring Black Eyed Peas' musical director Printz Board on trumpet. The EP debuted on the Australian iTunes Charts at #16.

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "American Boy".

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Shine, Atlantic Records, HomeSchool Records.[59]

^shipments figures based on certification alone


what kind of meat is tacos al pastor

Al pastor (from Spanish, "shepherd style"), also known as tacos al pastor, is a dish developed in Central Mexico that is based on shawarma spit-grilled meat brought by the Lebanese immigrants to Mexico.[1] Being derived from shawarma, it is also similar to the Turkish döner kebab and the Greek gyros. Although shawarma and döner are usually lamb-based (thus the "shepherd-style" name), gyros and tacos al pastor in Mexico are pork based. In some places of northern Mexico, as in Baja California, this taco is called taco de adobada.

Al pastor

Lebanese immigration to Mexico started in the 19th and early 20th centuries.[2] In 1892, the first Lebanese arrived in Mexico from Beirut in French ships to Mexican ports. At that time, Lebanon was not an independent nation; the territory was governed by the Ottoman Empire for more than 400 years, but the empire was collapsing, which influenced the migration of many people. In the 1960s, Mexican-born progeny of Lebanese immigrants began opening their own restaurants and morphing their heritage with Mexican cuisine.[3]

Grilling a vertical spit of stacked meat slices and cutting it off as it cooks was developed in the 19th century in Ottoman Turkey.[4][5] This is döner kebab, which is the origin of tacos al pastor, Middle Eastern shawarma, and Greek gyros.

Pork is marinated in a combination of dried chilies, spices and pineapple. In some places, achiote is also added, and then slowly cooked with a gas flame on a vertical rotisserie called a trompo (lit: spinning top), very similar to how shawarma is cooked, with a piece of fresh onion and a pineapple on top.[6] When ready, the meat is then thinly sliced off the spit with a large knife. It is served on small tortillas, with finely chopped onions, cilantro, and occasionally a small slice of pineapple, and usually topped with some lemon or lime juice and hot salsa. This meat is a common ingredient in not just tacos, but also gringas, alambres, huaraches, tortas and pizza.

In some places of Northern Mexico, such as Nuevo León, Durango and Chihuahua, these are usually called tacos de trompo if served on maize flour tortillas, and gringas if they are served with cheese on wheat flour tortillas.

A similar dish is called tacos árabes, which originated in Puebla in the 1930s from Arab Mexican cuisine. Tacos árabes use shawarma-style meat carved from a spit, but are served in a pita-style bread called pan árabe. These tacos have been brought by Mexican immigrants to the United States in the past few years and have become popular in cities, such as Chicago and Los Angeles, two of the largest Mexican/Mexican-American population centers in the United States.[7]

A non-pork version was brought "back" to the Middle East in the early 2000s, and sold as "shawarma mexici". It is essentially a chicken shawarma made in the Middle Eastern style (wrapped with garlic mayonnaise, dill pickle and french fries in a thin flatbread), with the only difference being the marination of the chicken in the "al pastor" style.


where does the last name curry come from

Curry is a common surname used in Ireland, Scotland and England. In England and Scotland, it is thought to derive from local place names and, in Scotland, also possibly from MacVurich.[1]

Curry (surname)

In some cases the surname is an Anglicised form of the Irish Ó Comhraidhe; the "h" lenites the preceding consonant, so the Anglicised form is not far from the pronunciation in Irish. It sometimes takes the form Corry or Corra, especially in the northern counties, where in the few early records in which the name is found the prefix ‘Mac’ is usually substituted for ‘O’. Corry, however, may also have other origins which will be mentioned later.

In Scotland the surname was originally Gaelic MacMhuirich however with the Highland clearances, many Gaelic names were Anglicised so the surname's took the form of something that sounded similar. MacMhuirich took variations such as MacVurich, Currie, Curry and Currey.

The most numerous and well-known sept of Ó Comhraidhe is that of Thomond with their centre in County Clare. There was a little-known sept of O'Curry in the barony of Kerricurrehy in Cork, where the name is now often found as Corry. This Cork sept may have been a branch of the main Thomond sept. They are recorded as a sept of Corca Laoighe and the name is found also in Kerry, presumably as a result of migration. In addition to the main sept of Ó Comhraidhe another of the same name was located in County Westmeath, where they were Chiefs of Moygoish. Curristown, to which they gave their name, (now known as Belmont) is testimony to their power and significance in that area.

In Ulster, many of the name Curry are of Scottish ancestry. There is a rule of thumb that says Currie is Scottish while Curry is Irish in origin, but the spellings have been so interchanged that the rule counts for little. In Scotland Currie can be a variant of Corrie. It can also be an Anglicised form of the Gaelic MacMhuirich,'son of Murdoch'. One family of this surname, Clann MacMhuirich, was produced hereditary bards to chiefs of Clan Donald and Clan MacDonald of Clanranald, and claim descent from the thirteenth-century Irish poet Muireach Alhanach.

In mid-nineteenth-century Antrim the main concentration of the name was found to be to the north of Ballymoney in the barony of Carey. In a final twist to the history of the name in Scotland, many Curries of Arran, Kintyre and the Isles were originally MacCurdys

The name Corry is usually Ó Corraidh (or Ó Corra) and in modern times is often abbreviated to Corr. However, when found in Clare, it is probably a variant form of Ó Comhraidhe - O'Curry and as we have seen already, Corry is a known variant of Curry in Cork.

In Ulster, the names Corr, Corry and Curry are numerous. There they can be of more than one origin. The majority no doubt are Ã“ Corra, descended from the sept of that name located in the Tyrone-Fermanagh country and numerous in central Ulster in the seventeenth century as the Hearth Money Rolls show.

Many of the Corrs of Tyrone and Londonderry are, however, descended from the Gilla Corr, mentioned in the Annals of Ulster (1186), whose son is perpetuated in the townland of Ballykilcurr, near Maghera. One of the Anglicised forms of Mac Gothraidh - a branch of the MacGuires of Fermanagh, and most usually found as McCaffrey - is MacCorry, often without the prefix Mac; others are MacCorry and Godfrey. Mac Corra, too, has been noted in Ulster but this is possibly a modem form of Mac Gothraidh. Both O'Cor and MacCor occur in the Armagh Hearth Money Rolls, O'Cor being the more numerous there.

The prevalence of the name Corry in Counties Waterford and south Tipperary in the seventeenth century might suggest that some of the O'Currys of Thomond migrated but this theory is not borne out by numerous mediaeval records which show that people called Cor and Corre were established in Counties Tipperary and Kilkenny as early as 1270 (Richard Corre was Bishop of Lismore from 1279 to 1308): this may well be an unidentified Norman name unrelated to Curry, for migration from Thomond to Ormond was unusual, though not unknown, before the fourteenth century. However, in the mid 17th century at the time of Oliver Cromwell's campaign in Ireland, one of the major landowners in south Tipperary (Clonmel) was a John Corr of Toberhanny. He is said to be descended from a Norman family Corre, that came to Ireland in 1171 at Crooke, Co. Waterford with King Henry II of England, alongside Theobald FitzWalter, later to become Butler, Earl of Ormonde. In 1650 John Corr and 141 retainers were given the option 'To Hell or to Connaught', In other words, either be transplanted to Connaught or face death and eternity in hell. It is said that John Corr was a close ally of the Butler's of Ormonde. When he was dispossessed of his lands he sought refuge with the Ormondes. When Ormonde regained control of his lands he rewarded John Corr with grants of land for his allegiance. Instead of lands at Toberhanny, he was given land at Cuffesgrange, Co. Kilkenny. (previously known as Comerford's Grange). The family remain here to this day. This family is the same family of Frank J. Corr who became mayor of Chicago.

African-Americans and some Black people in the Caribbean also have the name Curry.   This is for various reasons one of which is personal relationships between Irish sailors/Captains, and Native/African women in America and/or the Caribbean.  To date, the two ethnic groups (Irish Currys and African American/Caribbean Currys) have not unified nor has there been much intellectual discussion about the matter.


when does carlos find out about the affair

Metcalfe was a regular cast member during the first season. However, after the affair is revealed to Carlos in the first season finale by John himself, Metcalfe left the regular cast. Since his departure, he has made several guest appearances in subsequent seasons.

John Rowland (Desperate Housewives)

John Rowland is a fictional character portrayed by actor Jesse Metcalfe and created by television producer and screenwriter Marc Cherry for the ABC television series Desperate Housewives. The character is introduced as the teenage gardener of one of the titular housewives, Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria), with whom she has an affair and cheats on her husband, Carlos Solis (Ricardo Antonio Chavira).

Before Jesse Metcalfe was cast as John Rowland, actor Kyle Searles originated the role in the unaired pilot of the show.[1] In June 2004, ABC called for three starring cast members to be recast.[2] Metcalfe replaced Searles as John Rowland, as producers wanted to add more sexual appeal to the role "to justify why (Gabrielle) was having an affair."[3] Metcalfe had previously read for the role during the initial casting process.[4] He began playing the seventeen-year-old gardener when he was twenty-five.

John Rowland is employed by Gabrielle and Carlos Solis as a gardener. Gabrielle, having become bored with her husband never being with her, decided to seduce her teenage gardener. The pair embarked on an illicit affair which encountered several difficulties. The most prolific of these difficulties came when Gabrielle's mother in law, Mama Solis, arrived to Wisteria Lane, called out by her son to find out if Gabrielle is in fact cheating on him. Consequently, Juanita struck out on a mission to learn the truth. However, she was hit by a car driven by Andrew Van de Kamp after discovering the affair. The hit and run placed Juanita into a coma. John became overwhelmed with guilt and confessed the affair to Father Crowley. John's mother, Helen Rowland, overheard a conversation between her son and his friend Justin, in which they alluded to the fact the John was sleeping with a housewife. Helen suspected of Susan Mayer, but then Gabrielle confessed to her and she promised that it was over, to which Helen replied by saying "It's not even close to being over". Afterwards, when the police arrive at the Solis house to arrest Carlos, Gabrielle thinks they have come for her, sent by Helen. Weeks later, in the episode "Your Fault", the Rowlands meet with Gabrielle to tell her John has moved out and they expect her to help them move back into their house. Gabrielle meets with John, and he proposes to her. Gabrielle is forced to reject him. It is later revealed that Danielle Van de Kamp has a crush on John and wants to give him her virginity, but her mother Bree stopped that from happening. John becomes entranced once again by Gabrielle and may have conceived her unborn child. He demanded to see Carlos but Gabrielle refused, explaining to him that Carlos is the father of the child no matter what because he can provide.

Instead of backing up, John arrived at Carlos's gay hate trial in the season finale and told him "he got the wrong guy". "Didn't you think it was strange that you had the only lawn on Wisteria Lane that needed to be mowed three times a week?", he said. Carlos went mad and attempted to attack John but it looked like he was attacking Justin – the gay person he beat up previously. Carlos was then arrested. While discussing the courtroom scene in which Carlos attacks John, Ricardo Antonio Chavira commented: "People can see the full rage that is in my character. I'm yelling at him, 'I'm gonna kill you' ... Then I broke into Spanish: "Te voy a matar!" ... I just went for it ... Then I looked, and Jesse [Metcalfe] had the most honest look of sheer terror. I think I scared the living shit out of him."[5] Another scene between Gabrielle and John was also cut for time.[6]

After what happened at the court in the previous season, Gabrielle breaks up with John. John goes and look for new housewives to be with intimately, and starts having an affair with 41-year-old Joan. Upon finding this out, Gabrielle destroys Joan's garden, and shuts John out of her life.

The beginning of Gabrielle's affair with John is first seen in the second season finale in flashbacks. After their first sexual encounter, Gabrielle tells John that this was the only time it would ever happen.

John is not seen again until early in the third season. According to his dialogue in episode 3.03 (A Weekend in the Country), he is doing well and is very rich and successful with his gardening company. He is engaged to the daughter of the Sinclair Hotel owner, Tammy Sinclair. John and Gabrielle hook up in this episode, but John explains to her later that he is not planning on risking his marriage by having an affair with her. About half a year later, in episode 3.17 (Dress Big) Gabrielle tells Edie Britt that John is married.

In the fourth season, John meets Gabrielle at a hotel owned by his father-in-law and realizes that he still loved her. He constantly fights with his wife over the fact that she wants to lead his life. He tries to get back with Gabrielle, but she refuses because his wife is pregnant and she is married to Victor Lang but having an affair with Carlos. Carlos, who eavesdrops this, soon realizes he is not unlike John used to be and finally forgives him. John then just asks if he thinks Gabrielle is happy. And Carlos replies "I think she is".

John reappears in the sixth season, set six years after the events of the fourth season. He is divorced from Tammy, but managed to get a huge amount of money from the divorce, so he now owns a restaurant. John sees Gabrielle in the restaurant, along with Carlos, their daughters and their niece, Ana Solis. While Gabrielle looks a mess, John notices how beautiful Ana is and is surprised that she is from Carlos's side of the family. When Gabrielle fixes herself up, Carlos suspects that she still has feeling for John. John offers to hire Ana as a waitress and Gabrielle declines, Carlos says that this is because she was jealous. After consulting Carlos, John hires Ana. Gabrielle sees John drop her off from work, she is furious with John for trying to flirt with Ana and concludes that she will now be picking Ana up from work. Gabrielle finds out that Ana bought condoms as she is in love with John and she goes to his restaurant to tell him to leave her alone. John believes that Gabrielle still has feelings for him and kisses her after expressing that he can provide for her now, she declines him yet again. Ana sees them kissing and Gabrielle tells her of the affair that happened many years before.

John Rowland was viewed as a sex symbol for the show during its first season. John, who USA Today described as "buff 'n' sweaty", became popular with mothers who watched the show and helped Metcalfe become established as "the [show's] hottest sex symbol".[3] Longoria attributed John's appeal to the fact that he was seen shirtless in every episode, also describing him as "a really innocent young kid who hasn't been tainted by the world. And I think that's very endearing to people who watch."[3] While reviewing the first season finale, Ann Hodgman of Entertainment Weekly stated that her interest in the Gabrielle and Carlos storyline was ruined by John telling Carlos about the affair rather than Carlos discovering it himself.[7]