Alliance (New Zealand political party)

The Alliance was a left-wing political party in New Zealand. It was formed in 1991, and was influential in the 1990s, but has since declined and has no representation in Parliament. It suffered a major setback after Jim Anderton, the party's leader, left the party in 2002, taking several of the party's MPs. After the remaining MPs lost their seats in the 2002 election, some commentators predicted the demise of the party. The Alliance stood candidates in the 2005 election but won less than 1% of the party vote. The Alliance contested Auckland City Council elections under the City Vision banner, in concert with the New Zealand Labour Party and Green Party. The Alliance ran 15 electorate candidates and a total of 30 candidates on the party list in the 2008 election, increasing its party vote marginally from 2005.

Policies

A strongly left-wing party, the Alliance supports free education, free healthcare, the elimination of unemployment, and the maintenance of the welfare state. It also has an emphasis on women's rights, environmentalism, and Māori rights. It supports New Zealand's nuclear-free policy and believes that New Zealand should not participate in military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Alliance stands for proportional representation.

Alliance (1905 automobile)

The Alliance was a short-lived French automobile manufactured in Paris from 1905 to 1908. Also known as the Aiglon, the marque had a similar radiator to that used on the Mass. The company listed an 18hp four with Tony Huber engine in 1908; this car sold in England for £450.

Alliance Party of Northern Ireland

The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI) (Irish: Páirtí Comhghuaillíochta Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster Scots: Alliance Pairtie o Norlin Airlann) is a political party in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's fifth-largest party overall, with eight seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Founded in 1970 from the New Ulster Movement, the Alliance Party originally represented moderate and non-sectarian unionism. However, over time, particularly in the 1990s, it moved towards neutrality on the Union, and has come to represent wider liberal and non-sectarian concerns. It opposes the consociational power-sharing mandated by the Good Friday Agreement as deepening the sectarian divide, and, in the Northern Ireland Assembly, it is designated as neither unionist nor Irish nationalist, but 'Other'.

In May 2010 the Alliance Party won their first House of Commons seat in a UK-wide general election, in the Belfast East constituency, unseating Peter Robinson, First Minister of Northern Ireland and leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Naomi Long was the first MP from the Alliance Party since Stratton Mills, who joined the party from the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) in 1973. However, the DUP regained the seat at the 2015 general election, leaving the Alliance Party with no representation in the House of Commons.

Music

Music is an art form and cultural activity whose medium is sound and silence. The common elements of music are pitch (which governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation), dynamics (loudness and softness), and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture (which are sometimes termed the "color" of a musical sound). Different styles or types of music may emphasize, de-emphasize or omit some of these elements. Music is performed with a vast range of instruments and with vocal techniques ranging from singing to rapping, and there are solely instrumental pieces, solely vocal pieces and pieces that combine singing and instruments. The word derives from Greek μουσική (mousike; "art of the Muses"). In its most general form, the activities describing music as an art form include the production of works of music (songs, tunes, symphonies, and so on), the criticism of music, the study of the history of music, and the aesthetic examination of music. Ancient Greek and Indian philosophers defined music as tones ordered horizontally as melodies and vertically as harmonies. Common sayings such as "the harmony of the spheres" and "it is music to my ears" point to the notion that music is often ordered and pleasant to listen to. However, 20th-century composer John Cage thought that any sound can be music, saying, for example, "There is no noise, only sound."

Music (Madonna song)

"Music" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for her eighth studio album of same name (2000). It was released as the lead single from the album on August 21, 2000 by Maverick Records. The song was also included on the compilation albums GHV2 (2001) and Celebration (2009). Written and produced by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzaï, it lyrically states that music has the power to make people come together. Musically, "Music" is a dance-pop and electropop song which lyrically talks about how music can bring people together, as she delivers electronically manipulated vocals on the song.

"Music" received positive reviews from music critics, who praised its production, catchiness and club-friendly nature of the song, also comparing it with Madonna's previous releases. "Music" peaked number one in 25 countries, including Australia, Canada, Italy, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, becoming Madonna's twelfth and latest number-one single in the region. "Music" also has the longest running number-one spot on the US Hot Dance Club Play of the 2000s decade, spending a longevity five weeks at number one. The song was the second most successful dance single of the decade in the United States, behind Madonna's own song "Hung Up", released in 2005.

Music (Erick Sermon and Marvin Gaye song)

"Music" is a 2001 hit single by Erick Sermon featuring archived vocals from Marvin Gaye.

The song was thought of by Sermon after buying a copy of Gaye's Midnight Love and the Sexual Healing Sessions album, which overlook some of the original album's earlier mixes. After listening to an outtake of Gaye's 1982 album track, "Turn On Some Music" (titled "I've Got My Music" in its initial version), Sermon decided to mix the vocals (done in a cappella) and add it into his own song. The result was similar to Natalie Cole's interpolation of her father, jazz great Nat "King" Cole's hit, "Unforgettable" revisioned as a duet. The hip hop and soul duet featuring the two veteran performers was released as the leading song of the soundtrack to the Martin Lawrence & Danny DeVito comedy, "What's the Worst That Could Happen?" The song became a runaway success rising to #2 on Billboard's R&B chart and was #1 on the rap charts. It also registered at #21 pop giving Sermon his highest-charted single on the pop charts as a solo artist and giving Gaye his first posthumous hit in 10 years following 1991's R&B-charted single, "My Last Chance" also bringing Gaye his 41st top 40 pop hit. There is also a version that's played on Adult R&B stations that removes Erick Sermon's rap verses. The song was featured in the 2011 Matthew McConaughey film The Lincoln Lawyer.