Furniture

Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., chairs, stools and sofas) and sleeping (e.g., beds). Furniture is also used to hold objects at a convenient height for work (as horizontal surfaces above the ground, such as tables and desks), or to store things (e.g., cupboards and shelves). Furniture can be a product of design and is considered a form of decorative art. In addition to furniture's functional role, it can serve a symbolic or religious purpose. It can be made from many materials, including metal, plastic, and wood. Furniture can be made using a variety of woodworking joints which often reflect the local culture.

Archeological research shows that Neolithic people used stone to build cupboards, dressers, beds, shelves and seats. Ancient furniture from the 8th-century BC includes tables and serving stands. The furniture of the Middle Ages was usually heavy, oak, and ornamented. Furniture design expanded during the Italian Renaissance of the fourteenth and fifteenth century. The seventeenth century, in both Southern and Northern Europe, was characterized by opulent, often gilded Baroque designs. The nineteenth century is usually defined by revival styles. The first three-quarters of the twentieth century are often seen as the march towards Modernism. One unique outgrowth of post-modern furniture design is a return to natural shapes and textures.

Furniture (band)

Furniture was a British new wave band, active from 1979 to 1991. The band is best known for the 1986 Top 30 hit, "Brilliant Mind".

The longest-serving and best-known line-up of Furniture (from 1983–1990), comprised founder members Jim Irvin (vocals), singer/multi-instrumentalist Tim Whelan and drummer Hamilton Lee, plus bass player/occasional singer Sally Still and keyboard player Maya Gilder. Larry N’Azone (saxophone) was an occasional member during this period and often appeared with the band live. Furniture's chief success was in the UK but they also enjoyed a following throughout Eastern Europe where they toured in 1987 and 1988.

Since the break-up of the band, Furniture has retained a certain cult appeal, partly due to a continuing high reputation for songwriting and partly due to the nature of the band's career. Noted for the bad luck and practical frustration that prevented them from making a long term-breakthrough, Furniture have been described as "one of the most unfortunate of bands, and a salutory lesson for any young hopefuls being courted by minor labels."

Furniture (song)

"Furniture" is a song by Amy Studt which was released as a digital download single on December 3, 2007. It is Studt's first single released on the 19 Entertainment record label. It is taken from her forthcoming album My Paper Made Men. This was a download only single and was therefore unable to chart on the UK Singles Chart.

Furniture is about a woman becoming an ornament to her partner. “There comes a point where you’re constantly together, but you may as well not have been there,” Studt explains. “You have your uses – you cook, you clean and someone has sex with you – and you just become part of the furniture.”

Track listing

Music video

There are two official music videos. The first one is a simple one of Studt wet and is shown with make-up running down her face in a bathroom. The second one was produced by Lee Lennox and shows Studt in a picture frame. The picture seems to be floating in the air for the whole song with cuts of various other pictures in the video through an old house.

Zürich

Zürich or Zurich (/ˈzjʊərɪk/, Swiss Standard German Zürich [ˈtsʏrɪç], German Standard German Zürich [ˈtsyːʁɪç], Swiss German: Züri [ˈtsyɾi], French: Zurich [zyʁik], Italian: Zurigo [dzuˈriːɡo], Romansh: Turitg [tuˈritɕ]) is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. The municipality has approximately 400,028 inhabitants, the urban agglomeration 1.315 million, and the Zurich metropolitan area 1.83 million. Zürich is a hub for railways, roads, and air traffic. Both Zürich Airport and railway station are the largest and busiest in the country.

Permanently settled for around 2000 years, Zürich has a history that goes back to its founding by the Romans, who, in 15 BC, called it Turicum. However, early settlements have been found dating back more than 6400 years ago. During the Middle Ages Zürich gained the independent and privileged status of imperial immediacy and, in 1519, became a primary centre of the Protestant Reformation in Europe under the leadership of Ulrich Zwingli.

Zürich District

Coordinates: 47°23′N 8°32′E / 47.383°N 8.533°E / 47.383; 8.533

Zürich District is a district (German: Bezirk) of the Swiss canton of Zürich in Switzerland.

History

In 1814, the former district of Zürich has been established including the municipalities – «Landgemeinden des Bezirks Zürich» (country municipalities) – surrounding the old city of Zurich, the so-called Altstadt. The district of Zürich as it exists today, was created on 1 July 1989, by splitting the former district of Zürich into three parts:

Therefore, since 1 July 1989, the district of Zürich (SFOS number 0112) shares the same area as the city of Zurich (0261) with its subdivisions totalling 390,474 (as of 31 December 2014) inhabitants on an area of 87.78 km² (33.89 sq mi).

Municipalities (subdivisions) of the district of Zürich

Canton of Zürich

The Canton of Zürich (German: Kanton  Zürich ) has a population (as of 31 December 2014) of 1,443,436. The canton is located in the northeast of Switzerland and the city of Zürich is its capital. The official language is German. The local Swiss German dialect called Züritüütsch is commonly spoken. In English the name of the canton is often written without an umlaut.

History

The Prehistoric pile dwellings around Zürichsee comprises 11 of total 56 Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps in Switzerland, that are located around Zürichsee in the cantons of Schwyz, St. Gallen and Zürich. Located on Zürichsee lakeshore, there are Freienbach–Hurden Rosshorn, Freienbach–Hurden Seefeld, Rapperswil-Jona/Hombrechtikon–Feldbach, Rapperswil-Jona–Technikum, Erlenbach–Winkel, Meilen–Rorenhaab, Wädenswil–Vorder Au, Zürich–Enge Alpenquai, Grosser Hafner and Kleiner Hafner. Because the lake has grown in size over time, the original piles are now around 4 metres (13 ft) to 7 metres (23 ft) under the water level of 406 metres (1,332 ft). Also on the small area of about 40 square kilometres (15 sq mi) around Zürichsee, there also the settlements Greifensee–Storen/Wildsberg on Greifensee and Wetzikon–Robenhausen on Pfäffikersee lakeshore. As well as being part of the 56 Swiss sites of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, each of these 11 prehistoric pile dwellings is also listed as a Class object in the Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance.