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Nothing Lasts Forever (thorp Novel)
''Nothing Lasts Forever'' is a 1979 action thriller novel by American author Roderick Thorp, a sequel to his 1966 novel '' The Detective''. The novel is mostly known through its 1988 film adaptation ''Die Hard'', starring Bruce Willis. In 2012, the book was brought back into print and released as an ebook for the 24th anniversary of the film. Plot Retired NYPD detective Joe Leland is visiting the 40-story office headquarters of the Klaxon Oil Corporation in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve, where his daughter Stephanie Leland Gennaro works. While he is waiting for his daughter's Christmas party to end, a group of German Autumn–era terrorists take over the skyscraper. The gang is led by the brutal Anton "Little Tony the Red" Gruber. Joe had known about Gruber through a counter-terrorist conference he had attended years prior. Barefoot, Leland slips away and manages to remain undetected in the gigantic office complex. Armed with only his Browning pistol and in communication with ...
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Roderick Thorp
Roderick Mayne Thorp Jr. (September 1, 1936 – April 28, 1999) was an American novelist specializing mainly in police procedural/crime novels. His novel '' The Detective'' was adapted into a film of the same name in 1968. Thorp is also better known for its sequel, the bestselling novel, '' Nothing Lasts Forever'', which later served as the basis for the film ''Die Hard'', thus Thorp became a creator of the entire media franchise of the same name. Two other Thorp novels, '' Rainbow Drive'' and ''Devlin'', were also adapted into TV movies. Life Thorp was born in Bronx, New York City. As a young college graduate, Thorp worked at a detective agency owned by his father. He would later teach literature and lecture on creative writing at schools and universities in New Jersey and California, and also wrote articles for newspapers and magazines. Death On April 28, 1999, Thorp died of a heart attack in Oxnard, California at the age of 62.Nick RavRoderick Thorp, 62, a Detective Turned ...
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The Towering Inferno
''The Towering Inferno'' is a 1974 American disaster film directed by John Guillermin and produced by Irwin Allen, featuring an ensemble cast led by Paul Newman and Steve McQueen. It was adapted by Stirling Silliphant from the novels '' The Tower'' by Richard Martin Stern and '' The Glass Inferno'' by Thomas N. Scortia and Frank M. Robinson. In addition to McQueen and Newman, the cast includes William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire, Susan Blakely, Richard Chamberlain, O. J. Simpson, Robert Vaughn, Robert Wagner, Susan Flannery, Gregory Sierra, Dabney Coleman and Jennifer Jones in her final role. ''The Towering Inferno'' was released theatrically December 16, 1974. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, and earned around $203.3 million, making it the highest-grossing film of 1974. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, winning three: Best Song, Best Cinematography and Best Editing. Plot Architect Doug Robe ...
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American Thriller Novels
American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, people who self-identify their ancestry as "American" ** American English, the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States ** Native Americans in the United States, indigenous peoples of the United States * American, something of, from, or related to the Americas, also known as "America" ** Indigenous peoples of the Americas * American (word), for analysis and history of the meanings in various contexts Organizations * American Airlines, U.S.-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas * American Athletic Conference, an American college athletic conference * American Recordings (record label), a record label that was previously known as Def American * American University, in Washington, D.C. Sports teams S ...
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1979 American Novels
Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ''Chiquitita'' to commemorate the event. ** In 1979, the United States officially severed diplomatic ties with the Republic of China (Taiwan). This decision marked a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy, turning to view the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate representative of China. ** The United States and the People's Republic of China establish full Sino-American relations, diplomatic relations. ** Following a deal agreed during 1978, France, French carmaker Peugeot completes a takeover of American manufacturer Chrysler's Chrysler Europe, European operations, which are based in United Kingdom, Britain's former Rootes Group factories, as well as the former Simca factories in France. * January 6 – Geylang Bahru family ...
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Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of newspapers in the United States, sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the largest in the Western United States with a print circulation of 118,760. It has 500,000 online subscribers, the fifth-largest among U.S. newspapers. Owned by Patrick Soon-Shiong and published by California Times, the paper has won over 40 Pulitzer Prizes since its founding. In the 19th century, the paper developed a reputation for civic boosterism and opposition to Trade union, labor unions, the latter of which led to the Los Angeles Times bombing, bombing of its headquarters in 1910. The paper's profile grew substantially in the 1960s under publisher Otis Chandler, who adopted a more national focus. As with other regional newspapers in California and the United Sta ...
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Elevator Shaft
An elevator (American English) or lift (Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems such as a hoist, although some pump hydraulic fluid to raise a cylindrical piston like a jack. Elevators are used in agriculture and manufacturing to lift materials. There are various types, like chain and bucket elevators, grain augers, and hay elevators. Modern buildings often have elevators to ensure accessibility, especially where ramps aren't feasible. High-speed elevators are common in skyscrapers. Some elevators can even move horizontally. History Pre-industrial era The earliest known reference to an elevator is in the works of the Roman architect Vitruvius, who reported that Archimedes ( – ) built his first elevator probably in 236 BC. Sources from later periods mention elevators as cabs on a hemp rope, powered by people or a ...
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C-4 (explosive)
C-4 or Composition C-4 is a common variety of the plastic explosive family known as Composition C, which uses RDX as its explosive agent. C-4 is composed of explosives, plastic binder, plasticizer to make it malleable, and usually a marker or odorizing taggant chemical. C-4 has a texture similar to modelling clay and can be molded into any desired shape. C-4 is relatively insensitive and can be detonated only by the shock wave from a detonator or blasting cap. A similar British plastic explosive, also based on RDX but with a plasticizer different from that used in Composition C-4, is known as PE-4 (Plastic Explosive No. 4). Development C-4 is a member of the Composition C family of chemical explosives. Variants have different proportions and plasticisers and include compositions C-2, C-3, and C-4. The original RDX-based material was developed by the British during World War II and redeveloped as Composition C when introduced to the U.S. military. It was replaced by Composition C ...
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Bobbie Wygant
Roberta Frances Wygant (nee Connolly; November 22, 1926 – February 18, 2024) was an American television news reporter, film critic, talk show host, and interviewer who worked for Fort Worth, Texas, Fort Worth, Texas, television station KXAS-TV (originally known as WBAP-TV) for over 70 years. She was known for her filmed interviews with celebrities. Early years The granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Connolly, Wygant was born in Lafayette, Indiana, Lafayette, Indiana. She described her ancestry as French, Irish, and Texan. She had two younger brothers, Gordon and Carl Connolly. Their mother died of cancer when Wygant was 16 years old. She remained a full-time student while caring for her mother during her extended illness, after which she maintained the home for her father and her brothers. Her mother's death discouraged her from pursuing a career as a physician, which she had originally intended. A trip to the 1939 New York World's Fair sparked her interest in television a ...
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KXAS-TV
KXAS-TV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Fort Worth, Texas, United States, serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is owned and operated by the NBC television network through its NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Telemundo outlet KXTX-TV (channel 39). The two stations share studios at the CentrePort Business Park in eastern Fort Worth; KXAS-TV's transmitter is located in Cedar Hill, Texas. History Early history under Carter Publications Amon G. Carter, Sr.—the founding publisher of the ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram''—first submitted an application to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a license to build and operate a television station on VHF channel 5 in late October 1944, mere days after Karl Hoblitzelle, owner of Interstate Circuit Theatres, filed an application to operate a station on channel 8 on October 23, the first such license application for a television station in the Southern United States. When the FCC awarded ...
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Bearer Bond
A bearer bond or bearer note is a bond or debt security issued by a government or a business entity such as a corporation. As a bearer instrument, it differs from the more common types of investment securities in that it is unregistered—no records are kept of the owner, or the transactions involving ownership. Whoever physically holds the paper on which the bond is issued is the presumptive owner of the instrument. This is useful for investors who wish to remain anonymous. Recovery of the value of a bearer bond in the event of its loss, theft, or destruction is usually impossible. Some relief is possible in the case of United States public debt. Furthermore, while all bond types state maturity dates and interest rates, bearer bond coupons for interest payments are physically attached to the security and must be submitted to an authorized agent in order to receive payment. Issuance of new bearer bonds has been effectively outlawed in the United States since the 1980s due ...
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Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone (; born July 6, 1946) is an American actor and filmmaker. In a Sylvester Stallone filmography, film career spanning more than fifty years, Stallone has received List of awards and nominations received by Sylvester Stallone, numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe Award and a Critics' Choice Movie Awards, Critics' Choice Award, as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and two British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA Awards. Stallone is one of only two actors in history (alongside Harrison Ford) to have starred in a box-office No.1 film across six consecutive decades. Films in which he has appeared in have grossed over $7.5 billion worldwide. Struggling as an actor for a number of years upon moving to New York City in 1969, Stallone found gradual work in films such as ''The Lords of Flatbush'' (1974). He achieved his greatest critical and commercial success starting in 1976 with his iconic role as boxer Rocky Balboa i ...
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