Top

A top is a toy designed to be spun rapidly on the ground, the motion of which causes it to remain precisely balanced on its tip because of inertia. Such toys have existed since antiquity. Traditionally tops were constructed of wood, sometimes with an iron tip, and would be set in motion by aid of a string or rope coiled around its axis which, when pulled quickly, caused a rapid unwinding that would set the top in motion. Today they are often built of plastic, and modern materials and manufacturing processes allow tops to be constructed with such precise balance that they can be set in motion by a simple twist of the fingers and twirl of the wrist without need for string or rope.

Characteristics

The motion of a top is produced in the most simple forms by twirling the stem using the fingers. More sophisticated tops are spun by holding the axis firmly while pulling a string or twisting a stick or pushing an auger. In the kinds with an auger, an internal weight rotates, producing an overall circular motion. Some tops can be thrown, while firmly grasping a string that had been tightly wound around the stem, and the centrifugal force generated by the unwinding motion of the string will set them spinning upon touching ground.

Brent L. Top

Brent LaMar Top (born 1953) is a professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University (BYU). In 2013 he was made dean of religious education at BYU.

Biographical background

Top is a native of Idaho Falls. He served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in Denmark. He holds a bachelor's degree in history, a master's degree in instructional media and a Ph.D. in instructional science and technology all from BYU.

Prior to joining the BYU faculty in 1987, Top was a seminary and then an institute instructor for the Church Educational System. He currently holds an endowed professorship in moral education at BYU.

Among other callings, Top has served as a bishop and a member of a stake presidency in the LDS Church. He is currently (as of July 2013) president of the Pleasant Grove Utah East Stake. Top was the president of the Peoria Illinois Mission from 2004 to 2007.

Publications

Top has written several books. Among these are Ten Secrets Wise Parents Know: Tried and True Things You Can Do To Raise Faithful, Confident Responsible Children (written with Bruce A. Chadwick), When You Can't Do It Alone and Why Bad Things Happen to Good People. He has also written articles for such publications as The Elementary School Journal.

Top Five

Top Five is a 2014 American comedy film written and directed by Chris Rock. The film, which stars Rock, Rosario Dawson, and Gabrielle Union, was screened in the Special Presentations section of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. The movie follows New York City comedian and film star Andre Allen (Rock), who has to confront his past and comedic career while doing an interview with journalist Chelsea Brown (Dawson). The film was released on December 12, 2014, by Paramount Pictures.

Plot

New York Times reporter Chelsea Brown is spending a day interviewing comedian and recovering alcoholic Andre Allen, star of the hit film franchise Hammy The Bear, about a cop in a bear suit. He is attempting a foray into serious films with Uprize, in which he portrays Haitian Revolution figure Dutty Boukman, and sensitive to criticism, particularly by Times critic James Nielson, whose previous reviews of Andre's work have been negative and insulting. As the interview begins in his limousine, Andre recalls his lowest point, when he was in Houston in 2003 and met Jazzy Dee, who supplied him with drugs, alcohol and women. Yet after Jazzy refused to pay the women, they contended they were raped, leading to Andre's arrest.

Little L

"Little L" is the lead single from British funk/acid jazz band Jamiroquai's fifth studio album, A Funk Odyssey. The song was written by Jay Kay and Toby Smith, and was inspired by the breakup between Kay and his former girlfriend Denise van Outen, over his cocaine problem. The song was featured in the film The Sweetest Thing. A cover of the song is featured in the game Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party. The video features Jay Kay dancing in a futuristic nightclub.

Track listing

Charts

References

Top of the Pops

Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1 January 1964 and 30 July 2006. It was traditionally shown every Thursday evening on BBC1, except for a short period on Fridays in mid-1973 before being again moved to Fridays in 1996, and then to Sundays on BBC Two in 2005. Each weekly programme consisted of performances from some of that week's best-selling popular music artists, with a rundown of that week's singles chart. Additionally, there was a special edition of the programme on Christmas Day (and usually, until 1984, a second such edition a few days after Christmas), featuring some of the best-selling singles of the year.

Although the weekly show was cancelled in 2006, the Christmas special has continued. It also survives as Top of the Pops 2, which began in 1994 and features vintage performances from the Top of the Pops archives.

In the 1990s, the show's format was sold to several foreign broadcasters in the form of a franchise package, and at one point various versions of the show were shown in nearly 100 countries. Editions of the programme from the 1970s (and now 1980s) are being repeated on most Thursdays on BBC Four.