Thanks, Wikipedia.
Korea is a formerly unified nation, currently composed of two sovereign states located on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. It borders China to the northwest and Russia to the northeast and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Straits.
Korea was divided in 1948, with the southern portion of the peninsula controlled by the capitalistic South Korea, formally the Republic of Korea.
South Korea is a developed country and home to global brands as Samsung, LG Electronics and Hyundai.
The northern portion is controlled by the single-party Communist North Korea, formally the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
North Korea has close relations with the People's Republic of China and Russia.
Since the Goryeo Dynasty, Korea was ruled by a single government and maintained political and cultural independence until the 20th century, despite the Mongol invasions in the 13th century and Japanese invasions in the 16th century.
In 1377, Korea produced the Jikji, the world's oldest existing document printed with a movable metal type.
In the 15th century, the turtle ships were deployed, and King Sejong the Great promulgated the Korean alphabet Hangul to increase literacy amongst his people who could neither read nor write Hanja (Chinese characters).
In 1910, Korea was forcibly annexed by Japan and remained occupied until the end of World War II in August 1945.
In 1945, the Soviet Union and the United States agreed on the surrender and disarming of Japanese troops in Korea; the Soviet Union accepting the surrender of Japanese troops north of the 38th parallel and the United States taking the surrender south of it.
This minor decision by allied armies soon became the basis for the division of Korea by the two superpowers, exacerbated by their inability to agree on the terms of Korean independence.
The two Cold War rivals then established governments sympathetic to their own ideologies, leading to Korea's current division into two political entities: North Korea and South Korea.
The name "Korea" derives from the Goryeo period of Korean history, which in turn referred to the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo.
The Koreans are descended from a mix of Chinese and Hmong aborigines from China.
Pyongyang was the original Korean capital.
During Japanese colonial rule, the Korean language was suppressed in an effort to eradicate Korean national identity. Koreans were forced to take Japanese surnames.
Traditional Korean culture suffered heavy losses, as numerous Korean cultural artifacts were destroyed or taken to Japan.
To this day, valuable Korean artifacts can often be found in Japanese museums.
Many Koreans were shipped to Japan as "comfort women".
Koreans rose up against Japanese oppression in countless revolts.
With the surrender of Japan in 1945 the United Nations developed plans for a trusteeship administration, the Soviet Union administering the peninsula north of the 38th parallel and the United States administering the south.
The popular resistance movement was allowed to run the Soviet-controlled zone while in the US-controlled zone, Japanese collaborators were installed by the US, and the popular resistance was brutally crushed.
The US established the Republic of Korea in the southern zone, headed by Rhee Syng-Man while the Soviet Union established the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the northern zone, headed by Kim Il-Sung.
As the US and its allies controlled the United Nations at that time, the United Nations recognised South Korea as the legitimate Korea, despite Rhee's tainted record.
In June 1950, after countless border skirmishes started by South Korea's army, North Korea invaded South Korea.
During the Korean War (1950-1953) millions of civilians died and the three years of fighting throughout the nation effectively destroyed most cities.
Around 125,000 POWs were captured and held by the Americans and South Koreans on Geojedo (an island in the south).
The US also used chemical and biological warfare on the North Koreans.
The war ended in a ceasefire agreement at the Military Demarcation Line, also known as the Demilitarised Zone which acts as a border between the two states.
Korea is located on the Korean Peninsula in northeast Asia.
To the northwest, the Amnok River (Yalu River) separates Korea from China and to the northeast, the Duman River (Tumen River) separates Korea from China and Russia.
The Yellow Sea is to the west, the East China Sea is to the south and the East Sea is to the east.
Notable islands include Jeju, Ulleung and Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo in Korean).
The southern and western parts of the peninsula have well-developed plains, while the eastern and northern parts are mountainous.
The highest mountain in Korea is Baekdusan (2744 m), through which runs the border with China.
The southern extension of Baekdusan is a highland called Gaema Heights.
This highland is partly covered by volcanic matter.
To the south of Gaema, successive high mountains are located along the eastern coast of the peninsula.
This mountain range is named Baekdudaegan.
Some significant mountains include Sobaeksan (1,439 m), Baekdusan or Baeksan (1,724 m), Geumgangsan (1,638 m), Seoraksan (1,708 m), Taebaeksan (1,567 m) and Jirisan (1,915 m).
Jeju, situated off the southern coast, is a large volcanic island whose main mountain Hallasan (1,950 m) is the highest in South Korea.
Ulleung is a volcanic island in the East Sea.
As the mountainous region is mostly on the eastern part of the peninsula, the main rivers tend to flow westwards.
Two exceptions are the southward-flowing Nakdonggang and Seomjingang.
Important rivers running westward include the Amnok River (Yalu), the Cheong-Cheongang, the Daedonggang, the Han River, the Geumgang and the Yeongsangang.
These rivers have vast flood plains and provide an ideal environment for wet-rice cultivation.
The southern and southwestern coastlines of Korea form a well-developed coastline, known as Dadohae-Jin in Korean.
Its convoluted coastline provides mild seas, and the resulting calm environment allows for safe navigation, fishing and seaweed farming.
In addition to the complex coastline, the western coast of the Korean Peninsula has an extremely high tidal amplitude (at Incheon, around the middle of the western coast, it can get as high as 9 m).
In ancient Chinese texts, Korea is referred to as Rivers And Mountains Embroidered On Silk.
During the 7th and 8th centuries, the Silk Road connected Korea to Arabia.
Korean festivities often showcase vibrant colours, which have been attributed to Mongolian influences: bright red, yellow and green often mark traditional Korean motifs.
These bright colours are sometimes seen in the traditional dress known as hanbok.
One peculiarity of Korean culture is its age reckoning system.
Individuals are regarded as one year old when they are born, and their age increments come on New Year's Day rather than on their birthdays.
Koreans are mostly Buddhists. A small number of them are Christians (29 percent).
The best known Korean cuisine is kimchi, which uses a distinctive fermentation process of preserving vegetables, most commonly cabbage.
Bulgogi (roasted meat, usually beef), galbi (grilled short ribs) and samgyeopsal (pork belly) are popular meat entrees.
Other popular dishes include bibimbap which literally means mixed rice (rice mixed with meat, vegetables and pepper paste) and naengmyeon (cold noodles).
Koreans also enjoy food from pojangmachas (street vendors), where one can buy fish cake and fried foods.
Sundae, a sausage made of bean curd and green-bean sprouts stuffed in pig intestine, is widely eaten.
The modern Korean school system consists of 6 years in elementary school, 3 years in middle school and 3 years in high school.
The Korean alphabet hangul was invented by Sejong The Great.
South Korea
South Korea covers a total area of 100,032 square kilometres and has a population of almost 50 million.
South Korea is a presidential republic and while formally a multi-party democracy, it is strictly supervised by the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and left-leaning political parties are either banned or intimidated by the government.
With US aid, South Korea became one of the world's strongest economies beginning from the 1970s.
In 1988, when General Roh Tae-Woo became President, South Korea gradually evolved from a brutal military dictatorship a la North Korea into a semi-democracy.
When long-time political prisoner and pro-democracy activist Kim Dae-Jung became the first non-military-linked President in 1998, South Korea liberalised further.
South Korea hosted the 1988 Olympics and in 2002, it co-hosted the Fifa World Cup with Japan.
South Korea strictly follows the foreign policy of its 'protector and creator' the United States.
When Kim and his successor Roh Moo-Hyun served as President, South Korea and North Korea improved diplomatic ties.
More than 29,000 US troops are stationed in South Korea.
South Korea is the largest shipbuilder in the world.
South Korea is also the world's leading memory chip producer.
Construction of South Korea's largest airport, Incheon International Airport, was completed in 2001.
Seoul is the largest city in South Korea. With 10,456,000 people, it is the national capital.
Other major cities are Busan, Incheon and Daegu.
South Korean films and popular music are fast making their mark in Asia.
The emergence of the group Seo Taiji and Boys in 1992 marked a turning point for South Korean popular music, K-Pop.
Rain is now one of South Korea's hottest international singers and actors.
K-Pop incorporates American popular musical genres of rap (hip-hop), rock and techno.
Since the success of the film Shiri in 1999, South Korean films have become popular in both Asia and the United States.
South Korean television shows, especially mini-series, have also become popular outside the country.
The most prominent among them have been the romance dramas Autumn Fairy Tale, Winter Sonata and All About Eve.
South Korean corporations Samsung and LG are the second and third largest cell phone companies in the world, and South Korean consumers change their phones on average every 11 months.
The martial art taekwondo originated in Korea. Taekwondo became an official Olympic sport in 2000.
Baseball was first introduced to Korea in 1905 and has since become the most popular spectator sport in South Korea.
North Korea
North Korea, with Pyongyang as its capital and largest city, joined the United Nations in 1991.
It is a single-party state ruled by the Korean Communist Party and its leader, President Kim Jong-Il, whose late father Kim Il-Sung founded the state and ruled until his death in 1993.
Both the older and younger Kim are venerated as kings and gods by the North Koreans, obviously under duress.
This makes North Korea a carbon copy of Mao Zedong's China, prior to the dictatorial President's death in 1976.
North Korea has long maintained close relations with the People's Republic of China and Russia.
The Soviet Union's collapse in 1992, resulted in a devastating drop in aid to North Korea from Russia, although China continues to provide substantial assistance.
A famine broke out in some parts of North Korea following the collapse, but was alleviated within a few years with help from Europe, South Korea and China.
North Korea continues to have strong ties with its socialist southeast Asian allies Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
North Korea has an industrialised command economy.
Major industries include machine building, electricity, chemicals, mining, textiles, food processing and tourism.
North Korea is a popular destination for European and Chinese tourists due to its relatively low prices, lack of pollution and mild climate in summers.
For citizens of the US and South Korea it is practically impossible to obtain a visa for North Korea.
Exceptions for US and South Korean citizens are made for the yearly Arirang Festival.
Education in North Korea is controlled by the government and is compulsory until the secondary level.
Compulsory education lasts 11 years, and encompasses one year of preschool, four years of primary education and six years of secondary education.
North Korea is one of the most literate countries in the world.
Health care and medical treatment is free in North Korea.
In 2004, the Complex of Goguryeo Tombs became the first site in the country to be included in the Unesco list of World Heritage Sites.
In 2008, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra became the first US musical group ever to perform in North Korea.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Blaze Of Glory - By Jon Bon Jovi - Dedicated To V. Prabakaran
Blaze Of Glory - By Jon Bon Jovi - Dedicated To V. Prabakaran
I wake up in the morning
And I raise my weary head
I got an old coat for a pillow
And the earth was last night's bed
I don't know where I'm going
Only God knows where I've been
I'm a devil on the run
A six gun lover
A candle in the wind
When you're brought into this world
They say you're born in sin
Well at least they gave me something
I didn't have to steal or have to win
Well they tell me that I'm wanted
Yeah I'm a wanted man
I'm colt in your stable
I'm what Cain was to Abel
Mister catch me if you can
I'm going down in a blaze of glory
Take me now but know the truth
I'm going down in a blaze of glory
Lord I never drew first
But I drew first blood
I'm no one's son
Call me young gun
You ask about my conscience
And I offer you my soul
You ask if I'll grow to be a wise man
Well I ask if I'll grow old
You ask me if I known love
And what it's like to sing songs in the rain
Well, I've seen love come
And I've seen it shot down
I've seen it die in vain
Shot down in a blaze of glory
Take me now but know the truth
'Cause I'm going down in a blaze of glory
Lord I never drew first
But I drew first blood
I'm the devil's son
Call me young gun
Each night I go to bed
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
No I ain't looking for forgiveness
But before I'm six foot deep
Lord, I got to ask a favour
And I'll hope you'll understand
'Cause I've lived life to the fullest
Let the boy die like a man
Staring down the bullet
Let me make my final stand
Shot down in a blaze of glory
Take me now but know the truth
I'm going out in a blaze of glory
Lord I never drew first
But I drew first blood
And I'm no one's son
Call me young gun
I'm a young gun
This song was the theme for the Emilio Estevez film about American outlaw Billy The Kid, Young Guns.
I wake up in the morning
And I raise my weary head
I got an old coat for a pillow
And the earth was last night's bed
I don't know where I'm going
Only God knows where I've been
I'm a devil on the run
A six gun lover
A candle in the wind
When you're brought into this world
They say you're born in sin
Well at least they gave me something
I didn't have to steal or have to win
Well they tell me that I'm wanted
Yeah I'm a wanted man
I'm colt in your stable
I'm what Cain was to Abel
Mister catch me if you can
I'm going down in a blaze of glory
Take me now but know the truth
I'm going down in a blaze of glory
Lord I never drew first
But I drew first blood
I'm no one's son
Call me young gun
You ask about my conscience
And I offer you my soul
You ask if I'll grow to be a wise man
Well I ask if I'll grow old
You ask me if I known love
And what it's like to sing songs in the rain
Well, I've seen love come
And I've seen it shot down
I've seen it die in vain
Shot down in a blaze of glory
Take me now but know the truth
'Cause I'm going down in a blaze of glory
Lord I never drew first
But I drew first blood
I'm the devil's son
Call me young gun
Each night I go to bed
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
No I ain't looking for forgiveness
But before I'm six foot deep
Lord, I got to ask a favour
And I'll hope you'll understand
'Cause I've lived life to the fullest
Let the boy die like a man
Staring down the bullet
Let me make my final stand
Shot down in a blaze of glory
Take me now but know the truth
I'm going out in a blaze of glory
Lord I never drew first
But I drew first blood
And I'm no one's son
Call me young gun
I'm a young gun
This song was the theme for the Emilio Estevez film about American outlaw Billy The Kid, Young Guns.
Friday, May 8, 2009
We Are Asian Too
Finnish.
Renee Zellweger.
Albert Salmi.
Matt Damon.
Jessica Lange.
Pamela Anderson.
George Gaynes.
Renny Harlin.
Marta Kristen.
Christine Lahti.
David Lynch.
Lisa Niemi.
Marilyn Monroe.
Mary Hart.
James Brolin.
Uma Thurman.
Arnold Vosloo.
Filipino.
Rob Schneider.
Cris Judd.
Phoebe Cates.
Vanessa Hudgens.
Enrique Iglesias.
Nia Peeples.
Lou Diamond Phillips.
Shannyn Sossamon.
Tamlyn Tomita.
Mark Dacascos.
Nicole Scherzinger.
Russians.
Milla Jovovich.
Yul Brynner (part Mongolian).
Olesya Rulin (High School Musical).
Natalie Wood.
James Franco.
Sergey Brin (co-founder of Google).
Ukrainians.
Sandra Dee.
Steve Ditko (co-creator of Spider-Man).
Tom Selleck.
Robert Urich.
Andy Warhol.
Mila Kunis.
Jack Palance.
Chuck Palahniuk.
Alex Trebek.
Indians.
Nicollette Sheridan.
Zuleikha Robinson.
Rhona Mitra.
Native Malaysians (Malaysian & Indonesian Malays).
Carmit Bachar (Javanese).
Michelle Branch (Javanese).
Eddie Van Halen (Javanese).
Jodi Ann Patterson (Brunei).
Iranians.
Catherine Bell.
Christiane Amanpour.
Tiffani Amber-Thiessen.
Charles Bronson.
David Chokachi.
Asian Israelis.
Jonah Bobo (Zathura).
Alexander Gould.
Daryl Sabara.
Rachel Bilson.
Thora Birch.
Amanda Bynes.
Zac Efron.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Jake Gyllenhaal.
Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Scarlett Johansson.
Shia LaBeouf.
Daniel Radcliffe.
Seth Rogen.
Ashley Tisdale.
Michelle Trachtenberg.
Shiri Appleby.
David Arquette.
Sacha Baron Cohen.
Justin Bartha.
Selma Blair.
Adam Brody.
Adrien Brody.
Scott Caan.
Neve Campbell.
Emmanuelle Chriqui.
Jennifer Connelly.
Oded Fehr.
Corey Feldman.
Soleil Moon Frye.
Meeno Pelluce.
Jessalyn Gilsig.
Ginnifer Goodwin.
Seth Green.
Alyson Hannigan.
Kate Hudson.
Goldie Hawn.
Jordan (Katie Price).
Adam Levine (Maroon 5).
Natasha Lyonne.
Gwyneth Paltrow.
Amanda Peet.
Joaquin Phoenix.
Keri Russell.
Fred Savage.
Josh Saviano.
Alicia Silverstone.
Craig Bierko.
Jack Black.
Yasmine Bleeth.
Helena Bonham Carter.
Matthew Broderick.
Sarah Jessica Parker.
Robert Downey Jr.
Jon Favreau.
Melissa Gilbert.
Jennifer Grey.
Helen Hunt.
Jason Isaacs.
Courtney Love.
Marlee Matlin.
Sam Raimi.
Liev Schreiber.
Kyra Sedgwick.
Helen Slater.
Alex Winter.
Scott Wolf.
Ian Ziering.
Jason Alexander.
Tom Arnold.
Roseanne Barr.
Sandra Bernhard.
Al Franken.
Steve Guttenberg.
John Landis.
Don Most.
Mandy Patinkin.
Adam Arkin.
Alan Arkin.
Ron Perlman.
Paul Reiser.
Tanya Roberts.
Katey Sagal.
Bob Saget.
Steven Seagal.
Jane Seymour.
Howard Stern.
Neil Diamond.
Albert Brooks.
James Caan.
Peter Coyote.
Billy Crystal.
Bob Dylan.
Harrison Ford.
Bonnie Franklin.
Victor Garber.
Paul Michael Glaser.
Scott Glenn.
Richard Lewis.
Stephen Macht.
Frank Oz.
Rhea Perlman.
Gilda Radner.
Rob Reiner.
Garry Shandling.
Harry Shearer.
Ron Silver.
Steven Spielberg.
Jill St. John.
Barbra Streisand.
Jeffrey Tambor.
Zoe Wanamaker.
Lesley Ann Warren.
Anson Williams.
Henry Winkler.
Anouk Aimee.
Woody Allen.
Alan Arkin.
Steven Berkoff.
Claire Bloom.
Dyan Cannon.
Joan Collins.
Marty Feldman.
Elliott Gould.
Charles Grodin.
Judd Hirsch.
Dustin Hoffman.
Harvey Keitel.
Walter Koenig.
Martin Landau.
Michael Landon.
Piper Laurie.
Linda Lavin.
Shari Lewis.
Hal Linden.
Tina Louise.
Barry Newman.
Leonard Nimoy.
Jerry Orbach.
Joan Rivers.
George Segal.
William Shatner.
Janet Suzman.
Gene Wilder.
Beatrice Arthur.
Ed Asner.
Lauren Bacall.
Barbara Bain.
Lloyd Bochner.
Tom Bosley.
Mel Brooks.
Lenny Bruce.
Sid Caesar.
Tony Curtis.
Rodney Dangerfield.
Peter Falk.
Eddie Fisher.
Lee Grant.
Jack Klugman.
Jerry Lewis.
Ross Martin.
Walter Matthau.
Vic Morrow.
Paul Newman.
Charlotte Rae.
Tony Randall.
Don Rickles.
Doris Roberts.
Peter Sellers.
Rod Serling.
Abe Vigoda.
Mel Blanc.
Red Buttons.
Kirk Douglas.
Paulette Goddard.
Lorne Greene.
Sid James.
Danny Kaye.
Hedy Lamarr.
Herbert Lom.
Zero Mostel.
Pauly Shore.
Adam Sandler.
Dinah Shore.
Mike Wallace.
Eli Wallach.
Johnny Wayne.
Frank Shuster.
Natalie Schafer.
Jack Benny.
Fanny Brice.
George Burns.
Eddie Cantor.
Leslie Howard.
Moses Howard.
Paul Muni.
Mae West.
Douglas Fairbanks.
Al Jolson.
Groucho Marx.
Renee Zellweger.
Albert Salmi.
Matt Damon.
Jessica Lange.
Pamela Anderson.
George Gaynes.
Renny Harlin.
Marta Kristen.
Christine Lahti.
David Lynch.
Lisa Niemi.
Marilyn Monroe.
Mary Hart.
James Brolin.
Uma Thurman.
Arnold Vosloo.
Filipino.
Rob Schneider.
Cris Judd.
Phoebe Cates.
Vanessa Hudgens.
Enrique Iglesias.
Nia Peeples.
Lou Diamond Phillips.
Shannyn Sossamon.
Tamlyn Tomita.
Mark Dacascos.
Nicole Scherzinger.
Russians.
Milla Jovovich.
Yul Brynner (part Mongolian).
Olesya Rulin (High School Musical).
Natalie Wood.
James Franco.
Sergey Brin (co-founder of Google).
Ukrainians.
Sandra Dee.
Steve Ditko (co-creator of Spider-Man).
Tom Selleck.
Robert Urich.
Andy Warhol.
Mila Kunis.
Jack Palance.
Chuck Palahniuk.
Alex Trebek.
Indians.
Nicollette Sheridan.
Zuleikha Robinson.
Rhona Mitra.
Native Malaysians (Malaysian & Indonesian Malays).
Carmit Bachar (Javanese).
Michelle Branch (Javanese).
Eddie Van Halen (Javanese).
Jodi Ann Patterson (Brunei).
Iranians.
Catherine Bell.
Christiane Amanpour.
Tiffani Amber-Thiessen.
Charles Bronson.
David Chokachi.
Asian Israelis.
Jonah Bobo (Zathura).
Alexander Gould.
Daryl Sabara.
Rachel Bilson.
Thora Birch.
Amanda Bynes.
Zac Efron.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Jake Gyllenhaal.
Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Scarlett Johansson.
Shia LaBeouf.
Daniel Radcliffe.
Seth Rogen.
Ashley Tisdale.
Michelle Trachtenberg.
Shiri Appleby.
David Arquette.
Sacha Baron Cohen.
Justin Bartha.
Selma Blair.
Adam Brody.
Adrien Brody.
Scott Caan.
Neve Campbell.
Emmanuelle Chriqui.
Jennifer Connelly.
Oded Fehr.
Corey Feldman.
Soleil Moon Frye.
Meeno Pelluce.
Jessalyn Gilsig.
Ginnifer Goodwin.
Seth Green.
Alyson Hannigan.
Kate Hudson.
Goldie Hawn.
Jordan (Katie Price).
Adam Levine (Maroon 5).
Natasha Lyonne.
Gwyneth Paltrow.
Amanda Peet.
Joaquin Phoenix.
Keri Russell.
Fred Savage.
Josh Saviano.
Alicia Silverstone.
Craig Bierko.
Jack Black.
Yasmine Bleeth.
Helena Bonham Carter.
Matthew Broderick.
Sarah Jessica Parker.
Robert Downey Jr.
Jon Favreau.
Melissa Gilbert.
Jennifer Grey.
Helen Hunt.
Jason Isaacs.
Courtney Love.
Marlee Matlin.
Sam Raimi.
Liev Schreiber.
Kyra Sedgwick.
Helen Slater.
Alex Winter.
Scott Wolf.
Ian Ziering.
Jason Alexander.
Tom Arnold.
Roseanne Barr.
Sandra Bernhard.
Al Franken.
Steve Guttenberg.
John Landis.
Don Most.
Mandy Patinkin.
Adam Arkin.
Alan Arkin.
Ron Perlman.
Paul Reiser.
Tanya Roberts.
Katey Sagal.
Bob Saget.
Steven Seagal.
Jane Seymour.
Howard Stern.
Neil Diamond.
Albert Brooks.
James Caan.
Peter Coyote.
Billy Crystal.
Bob Dylan.
Harrison Ford.
Bonnie Franklin.
Victor Garber.
Paul Michael Glaser.
Scott Glenn.
Richard Lewis.
Stephen Macht.
Frank Oz.
Rhea Perlman.
Gilda Radner.
Rob Reiner.
Garry Shandling.
Harry Shearer.
Ron Silver.
Steven Spielberg.
Jill St. John.
Barbra Streisand.
Jeffrey Tambor.
Zoe Wanamaker.
Lesley Ann Warren.
Anson Williams.
Henry Winkler.
Anouk Aimee.
Woody Allen.
Alan Arkin.
Steven Berkoff.
Claire Bloom.
Dyan Cannon.
Joan Collins.
Marty Feldman.
Elliott Gould.
Charles Grodin.
Judd Hirsch.
Dustin Hoffman.
Harvey Keitel.
Walter Koenig.
Martin Landau.
Michael Landon.
Piper Laurie.
Linda Lavin.
Shari Lewis.
Hal Linden.
Tina Louise.
Barry Newman.
Leonard Nimoy.
Jerry Orbach.
Joan Rivers.
George Segal.
William Shatner.
Janet Suzman.
Gene Wilder.
Beatrice Arthur.
Ed Asner.
Lauren Bacall.
Barbara Bain.
Lloyd Bochner.
Tom Bosley.
Mel Brooks.
Lenny Bruce.
Sid Caesar.
Tony Curtis.
Rodney Dangerfield.
Peter Falk.
Eddie Fisher.
Lee Grant.
Jack Klugman.
Jerry Lewis.
Ross Martin.
Walter Matthau.
Vic Morrow.
Paul Newman.
Charlotte Rae.
Tony Randall.
Don Rickles.
Doris Roberts.
Peter Sellers.
Rod Serling.
Abe Vigoda.
Mel Blanc.
Red Buttons.
Kirk Douglas.
Paulette Goddard.
Lorne Greene.
Sid James.
Danny Kaye.
Hedy Lamarr.
Herbert Lom.
Zero Mostel.
Pauly Shore.
Adam Sandler.
Dinah Shore.
Mike Wallace.
Eli Wallach.
Johnny Wayne.
Frank Shuster.
Natalie Schafer.
Jack Benny.
Fanny Brice.
George Burns.
Eddie Cantor.
Leslie Howard.
Moses Howard.
Paul Muni.
Mae West.
Douglas Fairbanks.
Al Jolson.
Groucho Marx.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
About U2 - The Supergroup Of Ireland
Thanks, Wikipedia.
U2 is a rock band from Dublin, Ireland. The band consists of Paul Hewson alias Bono (vocals and guitar), David Evans alias The Edge (guitar, keyboards and vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar) and Larry Mullen Jr (drums and percussion).
The band was formed in 1976 when the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency.
By the mid-1980s, the band had become a top international act, noted for its anthemic sounds, Bono's impassioned vocals, and David's textural guitar playing.
Its success as a live act was greater than its success at selling records until its 1987 album The Joshua Tree elevated the band's stature "from heroes to superstars," according to Rolling Stone magazine.
U2 responded to the dance and alternative rock revolutions by reinventing itself with the 1991 album Achtung Baby.
Since 2000, U2 pursued a more conventional rock sound that retains the influence of its previous musical explorations.
U2 has sold more than 145 million albums worldwide and has won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band.
In 2005, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Rolling Stone magazine listed U2 at No. 22 in its list of the 100 greatest artistes of all time.
U2 has actively campaigned for human rights and social justice causes, including Amnesty International and Bono's Data (Debt, AIDS, Trade In Africa) campaign.
The band was formed in Dublin on September 25, 1976.
Larry, then 14, posted a notice on his secondary school notice board (Mount Temple Comprehensive School) seeking musicians for a new band.
Bono, David and Adam promptly signed up in Larry’s house.
They were also joined by David’s brother Dick, a guitarist and two of Larry’s and Bono’s fellow Irishmen Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin.
The band was named Feedback and a year later, The Hype. Its members, now down to four, settled for U2 in 1978.
On Saint Patrick's Day in 1978, U2 won a talent show in Limerick, Ireland. The prize consisted of £500 and funding to record a demo.
The band recorded its first demo tape at Keystone Studios, in Harcourt Street, Dublin, in April 1978.
U2's first release, an Ireland-only EP titled Three, was released in September 1979 and was the band's first Irish chart success.
In December 1979, U2 performed in London. In February 1980, its second single Another Day was released.
In May 1980, 11 O'Clock Tick Tock became the band's first internationally released single.
The band's debut album, Boy, followed in October.
The album included the band's first United Kingdom hit single, I Will Follow.
Boy's release was followed by U2's first tour of continental Europe and the United States.
The band's second album, October, was released in 1981 and contained overtly spiritual themes.
U2 released War in 1983. A record where the band "turned pacifism itself into a crusade," War's sincerity and "rugged" guitar was intentionally at odds with the "cooler" synth-pop of the time.
The album included Sunday Bloody Sunday, where Bono lyrically tried to contrast the events of Bloody Sunday (British police brutality in Northern Ireland against pro-independence supporters) with Easter Sunday.
War was U2's first album to feature the photography of Anton Corbijn, who remains U2's principal photographer and has had a major influence on their vision and public image.
U2's first commercial success, War debuted at number one in the UK, and its first single, New Year's Day, was the band's first hit outside Ireland or the UK.
On the subsequent War Tour, the band performed to sold-out concerts in mainland Europe and the US. The image of Bono waving a white flag during performances of Sunday Bloody Sunday became a familiar sight.
U2 recorded the Under A Blood Red Sky live album on this tour, as well as the Live At Red Rocks concert film, both of which received extensive play on the radio and MTV.
The Unforgettable Fire was released in 1984. Larry's drumming became looser, funkier and more subtle and Adam's bass became more subliminal. Bono wrote two major hits Bad and Pride.
U2 participated in the Live Aid concert for Ethiopian famine relief at Wembley Stadium in July 1985.
In 1985, Rolling Stone magazine called U2 the Band of the 80s.
Motivated by friendships with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and Keith Richards, the band looked back to the roots of rock music, and Bono focused on his skills as a songwriter.
The band explored American blues, country, and gospel music.
For its fifth album, the band sought a harder-hitting sound within the strict discipline of conventional song structures.
In 1986, while working on the fifth album, U2 joined Amnesty International's A Conspiracy Of Hope Tour.
The Joshua Tree was released in March 1987. The album juxtaposes antipathy towards America against the band's deep fascination with the country, its open spaces, freedom, and what it stands for.
It became the fastest-selling album in British chart history, and was number one for nine weeks in the United States.
It won U2 its first two Grammy Awards.
The album's first two singles, the rock and roll bolero With Or Without You and the rhythmic gospel I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, quickly went to number one in the US.
U2 became the fourth rock band to be featured on the cover of Time magazine.
U2’s seventh studio album Achtung Baby was released in 1991. The album incorporated dance, industrial and alternative rock influences.
The band’s Zoo TV Tour of 1992–1993 was a multimedia event, and showcased an extravagant but intentionally bewildering array of hundreds of video screens, upside-down flying Trabant cars, mock transmission towers, satellite TV links, subliminal messages, and Bono's over-the-top stage characters such as The Fly, Mirror-Ball Man, and Mister MacPhisto.
The extravagant shows were intentionally in contrast to the austere staging of previous U2 tours, and mocked the excesses of rock and roll by appearing to embrace these very excesses.
The shows were, in part, U2's way to represent the pervasive nature of cable television and its blurring of news, entertainment, and home shopping.
Prank phone calls were made to President George Bush and the United Nations.
The band expanded Zooropa into a full-length LP album.
Johnny Cash sang on The Wanderer.
In 1995, U2 released an experimental album called Original Soundtracks 1. Brian Eno, producer of three previous U2 albums, wrote songs and performed in it.
Luciano Pavarotti sang in the single Miss Sarajevo.
The 1997 album Pop saw heavier, funkier dance rhythms. The band subsequently toured Sarajevo in war-torn Bosnia-Herzegovina, and appeared on The Simpsons.
The band released All That You Can't Leave Behind in October 2000 and reunited the band with producer Eno.
The album debuted at number one in 22 countries and its worldwide hit single, Beautiful Day earned three Grammy Awards.
The album's other singles, Walk On, Elevation, and Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of also won Grammy Awards.
The band's next studio album, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, was released in November 2004. The first single, Vertigo, was featured on a widely-aired television commercial for the Apple iPod, in conjunction with the release of a special edition U2 iPod and an iTunes U2 box set.
The album debuted at number one in the US where first week sales doubled that of All That You Can't Leave Behind and set a record for the band.
The album and its singles won Grammy Awards in all eight categories in which U2 was nominated.
In 2005, Bruce Springsteen inducted U2 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
After 16 months in the studio, the band completed No Line On The Horizon in December 2008, and it was released in February 2009.
The band cites The Who, The Clash and The Beatles as influences. Van Morrison has been cited by Bono as an influence too.
One Republic and Coldplay have in turn been influenced by U2.
Cover versions of U2 songs have been made by Mary J. Blige, Johnny Cash, Joe Cocker, Pearl Jam, James Blunt, The Smashing Pumpkins, Keane and Hikaru Utada.
U2 has worked with Cash, Green Day, Leonard Cohen, Springsteen, B. B. King, Pavarotti, Dylan, Elvis Costello and REM.
In 2001, the band dedicated Walk On to Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
In late 2003, Bono and David participated in the South Africa HIV/AIDS awareness 46664 series of concerts hosted by Nelson Mandela.
The band was awarded Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience Award for promoting human rights.
Since 2000, Bono's campaigning has included Jubilee 2000 with Sir Bob Geldof and Muhammad Ali to promote the cancellation of third world debt.
In January 2002, Bono co-founded the multinational NGO, Data, with the aim of improving the social, political, and financial state of Africa.
The One Campaign, the US counterpart of Make Poverty History, has been shaped by his efforts and vision.
In late 2005, following Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, David helped introduce Music Rising, an initiative to raise funds for musicians who lost their instruments in the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast.
In 2006, U2 collaborated with punk rock band Green Day to record a cover version of the song The Saints Are Coming by The Skids in aid of Music Rising.
In 1985, Bono recorded the song In A Lifetime with the Irish band Clannad.
David recorded a solo soundtrack album for the film Captive in 1986.
Bono and David wrote the song She's A Mystery To Me for Roy Orbison, which was featured on his 1989 album Mystery Girl.
In 1990, Larry Mullen co-wrote and produced a song for the Irish International soccer team in Italia '90, called Put 'Em Under Pressure, which topped the Irish charts.
David and Bono wrote the song GoldenEye for the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye, which was performed by Tina Turner.
Adam and Larry did a rework of the title track of the movie Mission: Impossible in 1996.
In 1998, Bono collaborated with R. Kelly and Mary J. Blige for gospel song Lean On Me, a reinterpretation of the Bill Withers song.
Most recently, Bono appeared and performed The Beatles songs in the movie Across The Universe (2007). Bono and David are also writing music for Spider-Man: The Musical, expected to open in late 2009.
U2 is a rock band from Dublin, Ireland. The band consists of Paul Hewson alias Bono (vocals and guitar), David Evans alias The Edge (guitar, keyboards and vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar) and Larry Mullen Jr (drums and percussion).
The band was formed in 1976 when the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency.
By the mid-1980s, the band had become a top international act, noted for its anthemic sounds, Bono's impassioned vocals, and David's textural guitar playing.
Its success as a live act was greater than its success at selling records until its 1987 album The Joshua Tree elevated the band's stature "from heroes to superstars," according to Rolling Stone magazine.
U2 responded to the dance and alternative rock revolutions by reinventing itself with the 1991 album Achtung Baby.
Since 2000, U2 pursued a more conventional rock sound that retains the influence of its previous musical explorations.
U2 has sold more than 145 million albums worldwide and has won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band.
In 2005, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Rolling Stone magazine listed U2 at No. 22 in its list of the 100 greatest artistes of all time.
U2 has actively campaigned for human rights and social justice causes, including Amnesty International and Bono's Data (Debt, AIDS, Trade In Africa) campaign.
The band was formed in Dublin on September 25, 1976.
Larry, then 14, posted a notice on his secondary school notice board (Mount Temple Comprehensive School) seeking musicians for a new band.
Bono, David and Adam promptly signed up in Larry’s house.
They were also joined by David’s brother Dick, a guitarist and two of Larry’s and Bono’s fellow Irishmen Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin.
The band was named Feedback and a year later, The Hype. Its members, now down to four, settled for U2 in 1978.
On Saint Patrick's Day in 1978, U2 won a talent show in Limerick, Ireland. The prize consisted of £500 and funding to record a demo.
The band recorded its first demo tape at Keystone Studios, in Harcourt Street, Dublin, in April 1978.
U2's first release, an Ireland-only EP titled Three, was released in September 1979 and was the band's first Irish chart success.
In December 1979, U2 performed in London. In February 1980, its second single Another Day was released.
In May 1980, 11 O'Clock Tick Tock became the band's first internationally released single.
The band's debut album, Boy, followed in October.
The album included the band's first United Kingdom hit single, I Will Follow.
Boy's release was followed by U2's first tour of continental Europe and the United States.
The band's second album, October, was released in 1981 and contained overtly spiritual themes.
U2 released War in 1983. A record where the band "turned pacifism itself into a crusade," War's sincerity and "rugged" guitar was intentionally at odds with the "cooler" synth-pop of the time.
The album included Sunday Bloody Sunday, where Bono lyrically tried to contrast the events of Bloody Sunday (British police brutality in Northern Ireland against pro-independence supporters) with Easter Sunday.
War was U2's first album to feature the photography of Anton Corbijn, who remains U2's principal photographer and has had a major influence on their vision and public image.
U2's first commercial success, War debuted at number one in the UK, and its first single, New Year's Day, was the band's first hit outside Ireland or the UK.
On the subsequent War Tour, the band performed to sold-out concerts in mainland Europe and the US. The image of Bono waving a white flag during performances of Sunday Bloody Sunday became a familiar sight.
U2 recorded the Under A Blood Red Sky live album on this tour, as well as the Live At Red Rocks concert film, both of which received extensive play on the radio and MTV.
The Unforgettable Fire was released in 1984. Larry's drumming became looser, funkier and more subtle and Adam's bass became more subliminal. Bono wrote two major hits Bad and Pride.
U2 participated in the Live Aid concert for Ethiopian famine relief at Wembley Stadium in July 1985.
In 1985, Rolling Stone magazine called U2 the Band of the 80s.
Motivated by friendships with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and Keith Richards, the band looked back to the roots of rock music, and Bono focused on his skills as a songwriter.
The band explored American blues, country, and gospel music.
For its fifth album, the band sought a harder-hitting sound within the strict discipline of conventional song structures.
In 1986, while working on the fifth album, U2 joined Amnesty International's A Conspiracy Of Hope Tour.
The Joshua Tree was released in March 1987. The album juxtaposes antipathy towards America against the band's deep fascination with the country, its open spaces, freedom, and what it stands for.
It became the fastest-selling album in British chart history, and was number one for nine weeks in the United States.
It won U2 its first two Grammy Awards.
The album's first two singles, the rock and roll bolero With Or Without You and the rhythmic gospel I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, quickly went to number one in the US.
U2 became the fourth rock band to be featured on the cover of Time magazine.
U2’s seventh studio album Achtung Baby was released in 1991. The album incorporated dance, industrial and alternative rock influences.
The band’s Zoo TV Tour of 1992–1993 was a multimedia event, and showcased an extravagant but intentionally bewildering array of hundreds of video screens, upside-down flying Trabant cars, mock transmission towers, satellite TV links, subliminal messages, and Bono's over-the-top stage characters such as The Fly, Mirror-Ball Man, and Mister MacPhisto.
The extravagant shows were intentionally in contrast to the austere staging of previous U2 tours, and mocked the excesses of rock and roll by appearing to embrace these very excesses.
The shows were, in part, U2's way to represent the pervasive nature of cable television and its blurring of news, entertainment, and home shopping.
Prank phone calls were made to President George Bush and the United Nations.
The band expanded Zooropa into a full-length LP album.
Johnny Cash sang on The Wanderer.
In 1995, U2 released an experimental album called Original Soundtracks 1. Brian Eno, producer of three previous U2 albums, wrote songs and performed in it.
Luciano Pavarotti sang in the single Miss Sarajevo.
The 1997 album Pop saw heavier, funkier dance rhythms. The band subsequently toured Sarajevo in war-torn Bosnia-Herzegovina, and appeared on The Simpsons.
The band released All That You Can't Leave Behind in October 2000 and reunited the band with producer Eno.
The album debuted at number one in 22 countries and its worldwide hit single, Beautiful Day earned three Grammy Awards.
The album's other singles, Walk On, Elevation, and Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of also won Grammy Awards.
The band's next studio album, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, was released in November 2004. The first single, Vertigo, was featured on a widely-aired television commercial for the Apple iPod, in conjunction with the release of a special edition U2 iPod and an iTunes U2 box set.
The album debuted at number one in the US where first week sales doubled that of All That You Can't Leave Behind and set a record for the band.
The album and its singles won Grammy Awards in all eight categories in which U2 was nominated.
In 2005, Bruce Springsteen inducted U2 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
After 16 months in the studio, the band completed No Line On The Horizon in December 2008, and it was released in February 2009.
The band cites The Who, The Clash and The Beatles as influences. Van Morrison has been cited by Bono as an influence too.
One Republic and Coldplay have in turn been influenced by U2.
Cover versions of U2 songs have been made by Mary J. Blige, Johnny Cash, Joe Cocker, Pearl Jam, James Blunt, The Smashing Pumpkins, Keane and Hikaru Utada.
U2 has worked with Cash, Green Day, Leonard Cohen, Springsteen, B. B. King, Pavarotti, Dylan, Elvis Costello and REM.
In 2001, the band dedicated Walk On to Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
In late 2003, Bono and David participated in the South Africa HIV/AIDS awareness 46664 series of concerts hosted by Nelson Mandela.
The band was awarded Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience Award for promoting human rights.
Since 2000, Bono's campaigning has included Jubilee 2000 with Sir Bob Geldof and Muhammad Ali to promote the cancellation of third world debt.
In January 2002, Bono co-founded the multinational NGO, Data, with the aim of improving the social, political, and financial state of Africa.
The One Campaign, the US counterpart of Make Poverty History, has been shaped by his efforts and vision.
In late 2005, following Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, David helped introduce Music Rising, an initiative to raise funds for musicians who lost their instruments in the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast.
In 2006, U2 collaborated with punk rock band Green Day to record a cover version of the song The Saints Are Coming by The Skids in aid of Music Rising.
In 1985, Bono recorded the song In A Lifetime with the Irish band Clannad.
David recorded a solo soundtrack album for the film Captive in 1986.
Bono and David wrote the song She's A Mystery To Me for Roy Orbison, which was featured on his 1989 album Mystery Girl.
In 1990, Larry Mullen co-wrote and produced a song for the Irish International soccer team in Italia '90, called Put 'Em Under Pressure, which topped the Irish charts.
David and Bono wrote the song GoldenEye for the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye, which was performed by Tina Turner.
Adam and Larry did a rework of the title track of the movie Mission: Impossible in 1996.
In 1998, Bono collaborated with R. Kelly and Mary J. Blige for gospel song Lean On Me, a reinterpretation of the Bill Withers song.
Most recently, Bono appeared and performed The Beatles songs in the movie Across The Universe (2007). Bono and David are also writing music for Spider-Man: The Musical, expected to open in late 2009.
Lyrics For U2 Song With Or Without You
I've been told by Facebook that the song that best reflects my life is With Or Without You by U2, Ireland's superb rock group.
Here's the song's lyrics.
See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side
I wait for you
Sleight of hand and twist of fate
On a bed of nails she makes me wait
And I wait without you
With or without you
With or without you
Through the storm we reach the shore
You give it all but I want more
And I’m waiting for you
With or without you
With or without you
I can’t live
With or without you
And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give
And you give
And you give yourself away
My hands are tied
My body bruised, she’s got me with
Nothing to win and
Nothing left to lose
And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give
And you give
And you give yourself away
With or without you
With or without you
I can’t live
With or without you
With or without you
With or without you
I can’t live
With or without you
With or without you
Here's the song's lyrics.
See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side
I wait for you
Sleight of hand and twist of fate
On a bed of nails she makes me wait
And I wait without you
With or without you
With or without you
Through the storm we reach the shore
You give it all but I want more
And I’m waiting for you
With or without you
With or without you
I can’t live
With or without you
And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give
And you give
And you give yourself away
My hands are tied
My body bruised, she’s got me with
Nothing to win and
Nothing left to lose
And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give
And you give
And you give yourself away
With or without you
With or without you
I can’t live
With or without you
With or without you
With or without you
I can’t live
With or without you
With or without you
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Ratan Singh @ M. A. Razman - Always My Journalistic Guru
M. A. Razman @ Ratan Singh, 60, a brilliant journalist who once helmed The Malay Mail and who was my journalistic trainer, passed away after a long illness yesterday.
I'll forever be grateful to him as my journalistic guru.
A minute of silence in his memory.
I'll forever be grateful to him as my journalistic guru.
A minute of silence in his memory.
Monday, April 20, 2009
J G Ballard - Inspiring Author
Thanks, Wikipedia.
James Graham Ballard, who died at the age of 79 on April 19, 2009, will be remembered by fans as the author of Empire Of The Sun, a novelised recollection of his life as a POW in Japanese-occupied China during World War 2.
The British novelist and short story writer also excelled in science fiction.
He also wrote Crash which was adapted into a film like Empire Of The Sun.
The adjective "Ballardian", defined as "resembling the conditions described in Ballard's novels, especially dystopian modernity, bleak man-made landscapes and the psychological effects of technological, social or environmental developments", has been included in the Collins English Dictionary.
Ballard was born on November 15, 1930 in Shanghai, China.
His father was a chemist at a Manchester-headquartered textile firm, the Calico Printers Association, and became chairman and managing director of its subsidiary in Shanghai, the China Printing and Finishing Company.
Ballard was born and raised in a Shanghai dominated by Britain.
After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, Ballard's family was forced to temporarily evacuate their suburban home and rent a house in downtown Shanghai to avoid the shells fired by Chinese and Japanese forces.
After the Pearl Harbour attack, the Japanese occupied Shanghai.
In early 1943 they began interning Allied civilians, and Ballard was sent to the Lunghua Civilian Assembly Centre with his parents and younger sister.
He spent over two years, the remainder of World War 2, in the internment camp.
His family lived in a two-storey residence for 40 families.
He attended school in the camp, the teachers being inmates from a number of professions.
These experiences formed the basis of Empire Of The Sun.
In 1946, after the end of the war, Ballard went to the UK with his mother and sister.
They lived in Plymouth, and he attended The Leys School in Cambridge.
After a couple of years his mother and sister returned to China, rejoining Ballard's father, and leaving Ballard to live with his grandparents.
In 1949 he went on to study medicine at King's College, Cambridge.
At university, Ballard was writing avant-garde fiction heavily influenced by psychoanalysis and surrealist painters.
At this time, he wanted to become a writer as well as pursue a medical career.
In 1951, when Ballard was in his second year at King's, his short story The Violent Noon" (a Hemingwayesque book) won a crime story competition and was published in the student newspaper.
Encouraged by the publication of his story and realising that clinical medicine would not leave him time to write, Ballard abandoned his medical studies in 1952 and went to the University of London to read English Literature.
However, he was asked to leave at the end of the year.
Ballard then worked as a copywriter for an advertising agency and as an encyclopaedia salesman.
He kept writing short fiction but found it impossible to get published.
In 1953 Ballard joined the RAF and was sent to a flight-training base in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada.
There he discovered science fiction in American magazines.
While in the RAF, he also wrote his first science fiction story, Passport To Eternity.
Ballard left the RAF in 1954 after two years and returned to the UK.
In 1955 he married Helen Matthews and settled in Chiswick. Their first child (of three) was born in 1956, and his first published science fiction story, Prima Belladonna, was printed that year.
The editor of New Worlds, Edward J. Carnell, would remain an important supporter of Ballard's writing and would publish nearly all of his early stories.
From 1957, Ballard worked as assistant editor on the scientific journal Chemistry and Industry.
His interest in art led to his involvement in the emerging Pop Art movement, and in the late fifties he exhibited a number of collages that represented his ideas for a new kind of novel.
Ballard's avant-garde inclinations did not sit comfortably in the science fiction mainstream of that time.
By the late 1960s, he had become an editor of the avant-garde Ambit Magazine, which was more in keeping with his aesthetic ideals.
In 1960 Ballard moved with his family to Shepperton, London.
Finding that commuting to work did not leave him time to write, Ballard decided he had to make a break and become a full-time writer.
He wrote his first major novel, The Wind From Nowhere, over a two-week holiday. It was published in 1962.
Later that year his second novel, The Drowned World, was published.
In 1964 Ballard's wife Mary died of pneumonia, leaving him to raise their three children – James, Fay and Bea – by himself.
In 1965 he wrote The Atrocity Exhibition, and one of the novels in this grotesque series gave rise to the film Crash in 1996.
In 1984 he wrote Empire Of The Sun, based on his years in Shanghai.
It won the 1984 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction.
Empire Of The Sun was filmed by Steven Spielberg in 1987, starring a young Christian Bale as Ballard.
Ballard himself appeared briefly in the film.
Ballard has had a notable influence on popular music, where his work has been used as a basis for lyrical imagery, particularly amongst British punk groups.
Examples include albums such as Metamatic by John Foxx, various songs by Joy Division (most famously The Atrocity Exhibition), the song Down In The Park by Gary Numan and Warm Leatherette by The Normal.
Songwriters Trevor Horn and Bruce Woolley credit Ballard's story, The Sound-Sweep, with inspiring The Buggles' hit, Video Killed The Radio Star.
Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke posted extracts from Ballard's anti-consumerist novel Kingdom Come on the band's blog, Dead Air Space, in the months leading up to the release of its 2007 album, In Rainbows.
The opening song title of Madonna's Ray Of Light album, Drowned World/Substitute For Love is said to be inspired by Ballard's apocalyptic 1962 novel The Drowned World.
James Graham Ballard, who died at the age of 79 on April 19, 2009, will be remembered by fans as the author of Empire Of The Sun, a novelised recollection of his life as a POW in Japanese-occupied China during World War 2.
The British novelist and short story writer also excelled in science fiction.
He also wrote Crash which was adapted into a film like Empire Of The Sun.
The adjective "Ballardian", defined as "resembling the conditions described in Ballard's novels, especially dystopian modernity, bleak man-made landscapes and the psychological effects of technological, social or environmental developments", has been included in the Collins English Dictionary.
Ballard was born on November 15, 1930 in Shanghai, China.
His father was a chemist at a Manchester-headquartered textile firm, the Calico Printers Association, and became chairman and managing director of its subsidiary in Shanghai, the China Printing and Finishing Company.
Ballard was born and raised in a Shanghai dominated by Britain.
After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, Ballard's family was forced to temporarily evacuate their suburban home and rent a house in downtown Shanghai to avoid the shells fired by Chinese and Japanese forces.
After the Pearl Harbour attack, the Japanese occupied Shanghai.
In early 1943 they began interning Allied civilians, and Ballard was sent to the Lunghua Civilian Assembly Centre with his parents and younger sister.
He spent over two years, the remainder of World War 2, in the internment camp.
His family lived in a two-storey residence for 40 families.
He attended school in the camp, the teachers being inmates from a number of professions.
These experiences formed the basis of Empire Of The Sun.
In 1946, after the end of the war, Ballard went to the UK with his mother and sister.
They lived in Plymouth, and he attended The Leys School in Cambridge.
After a couple of years his mother and sister returned to China, rejoining Ballard's father, and leaving Ballard to live with his grandparents.
In 1949 he went on to study medicine at King's College, Cambridge.
At university, Ballard was writing avant-garde fiction heavily influenced by psychoanalysis and surrealist painters.
At this time, he wanted to become a writer as well as pursue a medical career.
In 1951, when Ballard was in his second year at King's, his short story The Violent Noon" (a Hemingwayesque book) won a crime story competition and was published in the student newspaper.
Encouraged by the publication of his story and realising that clinical medicine would not leave him time to write, Ballard abandoned his medical studies in 1952 and went to the University of London to read English Literature.
However, he was asked to leave at the end of the year.
Ballard then worked as a copywriter for an advertising agency and as an encyclopaedia salesman.
He kept writing short fiction but found it impossible to get published.
In 1953 Ballard joined the RAF and was sent to a flight-training base in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada.
There he discovered science fiction in American magazines.
While in the RAF, he also wrote his first science fiction story, Passport To Eternity.
Ballard left the RAF in 1954 after two years and returned to the UK.
In 1955 he married Helen Matthews and settled in Chiswick. Their first child (of three) was born in 1956, and his first published science fiction story, Prima Belladonna, was printed that year.
The editor of New Worlds, Edward J. Carnell, would remain an important supporter of Ballard's writing and would publish nearly all of his early stories.
From 1957, Ballard worked as assistant editor on the scientific journal Chemistry and Industry.
His interest in art led to his involvement in the emerging Pop Art movement, and in the late fifties he exhibited a number of collages that represented his ideas for a new kind of novel.
Ballard's avant-garde inclinations did not sit comfortably in the science fiction mainstream of that time.
By the late 1960s, he had become an editor of the avant-garde Ambit Magazine, which was more in keeping with his aesthetic ideals.
In 1960 Ballard moved with his family to Shepperton, London.
Finding that commuting to work did not leave him time to write, Ballard decided he had to make a break and become a full-time writer.
He wrote his first major novel, The Wind From Nowhere, over a two-week holiday. It was published in 1962.
Later that year his second novel, The Drowned World, was published.
In 1964 Ballard's wife Mary died of pneumonia, leaving him to raise their three children – James, Fay and Bea – by himself.
In 1965 he wrote The Atrocity Exhibition, and one of the novels in this grotesque series gave rise to the film Crash in 1996.
In 1984 he wrote Empire Of The Sun, based on his years in Shanghai.
It won the 1984 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction.
Empire Of The Sun was filmed by Steven Spielberg in 1987, starring a young Christian Bale as Ballard.
Ballard himself appeared briefly in the film.
Ballard has had a notable influence on popular music, where his work has been used as a basis for lyrical imagery, particularly amongst British punk groups.
Examples include albums such as Metamatic by John Foxx, various songs by Joy Division (most famously The Atrocity Exhibition), the song Down In The Park by Gary Numan and Warm Leatherette by The Normal.
Songwriters Trevor Horn and Bruce Woolley credit Ballard's story, The Sound-Sweep, with inspiring The Buggles' hit, Video Killed The Radio Star.
Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke posted extracts from Ballard's anti-consumerist novel Kingdom Come on the band's blog, Dead Air Space, in the months leading up to the release of its 2007 album, In Rainbows.
The opening song title of Madonna's Ray Of Light album, Drowned World/Substitute For Love is said to be inspired by Ballard's apocalyptic 1962 novel The Drowned World.
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